Lower School Life | Lower School Highlights |
Lower School Announcements

Ann Gillinger, Lower School Director

STRIVING FOR OUR PERSONAL BEST!
An Excellent Motto This Olympic Year—And Always

An overview of the year and a fond farewell

“I didn’t know I could do that!” “This is great!” These are some of the excited utterances of Sierra Canyon students as they explored the particular challenges of the Olympic theme cycle this year. What an incredible year it has been for our students to grow in their knowledge of our world!

Homeroom Countries: Every student explored his/her homeroom country through presentations, studying geography, and making maps and flags. Students heard stories and poems, danced, sang, and lived the lives of their country as they learned what it means to be a citizen of their new land. They explored the fairytales and folktales, uncovered customs, and described their thoughts in written assignments. Each child participated in a theme-based novel unit in his/her reading class. All sampled foods of the world, while learning etiquette and customs of their respective lands. Many classes had special speakers and presentations from families and friends with international stories to share.

Sports, Games, and The Olympic Movement: All students played native games, learned the games of the Olympic movement, and tried their skill at these feats during recess. The PE Department led many special programs, emphasizing peak performance and applying skills to traditional folk adaptations of favorite games. Students strove for their personal best on the playing field and as they planned for personal physical goals with the Presidential Fitness program. Creative Athletics taught us games from around the world, and the PE staff reprised our favorites during Fun and Fit Field Day. Finally, students learned a team stunt as the grand finale of their country performance.

Languages: Each of us tried phrases from our country’s native language, viewed written forms, and appreciated our growing world view.

Four Cross-age Meetings allowed us to meet friends and family from other grades and join together to practice our geography, and to learn more about the Olympic Games and the 2008 mascots, called “fuwas”! In this configuration, we sampled foods, played games, and wrote poetry or created a native art project. Our final session had us physically active with the PE staff after meeting some of this year’s Olympic athletes—on video!

With such rich experiences as a group, Sierra Canyon students individually explored all aspects of the Olympic Games, their particular country, and the world at large as they completed projects for their Olympic medals. We all enjoyed seeing these amazing individual projects at the Fair and know that some have sparked interest for a lifetime.

Arts of the Heart defined the category for Olympic points in the Community Service arena, and Sierra Canyon students excelled in this event! The West Valley Food Bank benefited from our families generosity with more than 2,000 cans of food donated, along with thoughtful cards. Additionally, students raised money for UNICEF with the Trick or Treat program; MEND, with two vans full of donated holiday toys and food; Bookends Book Drive collected gently used books for a local public school; American Heart Association with Jump Rope for Heart; and Make a Blanket with blankets received from the 4th grade.

Special thanks to Deborah Clark, Karen Getelman, and the Parent Association for working with the staff to sponsor the annual Fun and Fit Field Day on May 8th, which incorporated the Olympic theme with a school-wide field day that benefits the Tri-Valley Chapter of Southern California Special Olympics.

Sierra Canyon students have played hard and worked hard this year, and in the process learned that contributing to the community is rewarding and a lot of fun. Service truly is an Art of the Heart!

Students competed successfully in the National Geography and Social Studies Challenges. These rigorous contests allow Sierra Canyon students to pace themselves with students of their age nationwide on skills they are learning but on questions created by scholars using a national standard. The Continental Mathematics League and the California Math League are two other such competitions in which students compete in a series of meets throughout the year collecting a cumulative score against teams from throughout the country. Again, Sierra Canyon students’ scores indicate they can compete with the best in the nation.

Science achievement at Sierra Canyon is always a source of pride and this year’s incredible Science Fair once again demonstrated that high level of student effort. The Science Fair and Book Fair, which supports the Sierra Canyon Library program, continue to inspire and delight participants and viewers.

The visual arts are another venue for student accomplishments. This year’s exhibits, with special emphasis on sports and games, caused all to pause in awe at the success of these explorations. Sierra Canyon students again were winners at the Day of the Horse in our Chatsworth neighborhood contest (see article below).

Sports Teams worked hard to deliver success this year. Championships and training, competing and playing, all blend to make the Sierra Canyon athletes second to none.

In the professional development arena, Sierra Canyon faculty attended workshops both locally and regionally. Special emphasis this year went to integrating the algebra strand into our mathematics program. Sandy Chan, Anne Hillard, Taraka Kaul, Tracy Kiel, Jim McGowan, Tanya Reitmier, Julie Schumacher, Gabrielle Silk, and Andrea Tinoco all participated in the NCTM e-workshop, Implementing the Algebra Standard 3-5, and the fourth and fifth grade teachers, along with Eva Asker, Kevin Casey, Amy Roth, and Jocelyn Tanaka took online ALEKS training to prepare them for integrating that mathematics program into their classroom routines. Maureen Adler Kleinbrodt and Marci Steinberg attended Dr. Jean’s workshop on Centers and Activities for Reading, Writing, and Math, while Jill Bryant and Delaya Dyer attended Creative Math Centers for K-2 Classrooms workshops; Gabrielle Silk, brought back interesting ideas from Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum Using 21st Century Skills, sponsored by ERB. The first grade team of Eileen Echt, Rochelle Miller, and Michele Wallin, along with Shauna Ochoa, Andrea Tinoco, and I attended the CAIS Winter Workshops hosted this year by Campbell Hall School. Each faculty member visited a classroom of a Los Angeles area independent school to view practices and shared professional dialogue. Each faculty member utilized a multimedia presentation format in presenting his or her country to its homeroom.

Striving for our personal bests, students and faculty have made many discoveries about ourselves and are ready to launch our thirty-first year on this Lower School campus as a vibrant EK-6 Sierra Canyon Community. State Fair, the Best in US, will be the theme focus for the 2008-2009 school year, as the School welcomes Mrs. Kristine Theodoratos as the new Lower School Director.

As this chapter of my professional career comes to a close, I wish each of you continuing joy in your educational journey. What we learn with pleasure will stay with us and inspire us to new learning. This is my continuing wish for you and, I hope, my legacy. Continue to support one another in your delight and love of learning and growing together. I hope you will stay in touch and share your children’s successes with me. I have been enriched by my interaction with each of you and your wonderful children.

Appreciatively,

Ann Gillinger

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Lower School Life

Adam Horwitz, Dean of Students EK-6

Just recently, I was having a conversation with our new Facilities Director, Phil Burns. I was empathizing with all that he is currently working on and remembering that not too long ago I was standing in his shoes. I offered to help him as we really started to dissect the major projects and events that were all happening at the same time—the opening of the new Science and Humanities Classroom Building on the Upper Campus, the opening of our new Lower School playground, the Open House for Sierra Canyon’s Day Camp, strategic planning for the end of the year school-to-camp transition, all of our ordinary day-to-day operations on two campuses, and of course, the Fair. I was thoroughly impressed with how focused and seemingly calm Phil was, even in the face of the “perfect storm” of events that he was tackling. By the time the conversation ended, I was in the best mood of my life because I remembered that I am the Dean of Students and not the Director of Facilities!

No matter what your role here is at Sierra Canyon, each year at about this time, the intensity level seems to peak. And each year, I am more and more impressed with how amazingly well our teachers, students, staff, and parents respond to all of the exciting and demanding challenges. Watching everyone come together and represent “The Sierra Canyon Way” is truly the essence of our community. For me personally, this is also a time of reflection. While I just began my new career as the Lower School Dean of Students, I look back over the past seven months as some of the most enjoyable and rewarding months of my life. It has truly been an honor and pleasure getting to know you and your children. Together, we have made tremendous strides and learned valuable life lessons. This year, my goal was to reinforce a certain truth: kindness, respect, and honesty are always the best policy. I have worked hard to instill these lessons here on campus and with our students. We have learned that you can’t change a person or a situation, but what you can change is how you personally handle what is in front of you. All of this takes hard work, and from my perspective, your children have embraced the challenge.

Thank you to all of the parents who have donated their time, energy, and finances to ensure that the legacy that Mick Horwitz and Howard Wang began over 30 years ago as a premier school and summer day camp continues. Sierra Canyon has indeed evolved, and Mick and Howard have passed the torch to Jim Skrumbis who has the best interests and intentions for our School’s future. As I think back to when I was a student here, I am in awe at the change and transformation that has and is still taking place. On that note, I’d also like to thank personally Steve and Sohyun Lee (Mathew ’18 and Philip ‘20) who donated the new playground on the Lower Campus. This has made a tremendously positive impact on the efficiency of our after-school dismissal program, while further enhancing the experiences of our students.

One thing remains constant at Sierra Canyon School: it still, and always will, feel like home.

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Lower School Highlights

Day of the Horse Poster Contest

Sierra Canyon School once again successfully participated in the 5th Annual Day of the Horse equestrian safety poster contest. The winners were recognized on Saturday, May 3rd, at a celebration attended by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Greig Smith.

Congratulations to our winning artists!

Elementary Grades 1 – 5

1st Place: Michael L., 3rd Grade
3rd Place: Alina A., 3rd Grade

Middle School Grades 6 – 8

2nd Place: Katie S., 8th Grade
3rd Place: Lily R., 8th Grade

Click here to view the winning posters.

Jenice Rosen Receives Bravo Award Nomination

Congratulations to Mrs. Jenice Rosen on her nomination for a 2008 Bravo Award, an award sponsored by the Los Angeles Music Center to recognize teachers and schools for creativity, innovation, and excellence in arts education. Mrs. Rosen has been Sierra Canyon’s Music Specialist for 13 years. She selects, records, and produces music for the annual School fairs, grade-level assemblies, culmination programs, conducts full orchestras in Middle School’s musical productions, and teaches 2nd through 8th grades.

Mrs. Rosen has many musical accomplishments. In 2002, Hollywood Bowl Association's Music Matters presented Mrs. Rosen and then Sierra Canyon student, Anna Pitts, an Unsung Hero Award in front of 17,000 patrons at the Hollywood Bowl. Josh Groban sang Anna's winning song about Mrs. Rosen, "Somewhere Over the Oboe."

Mrs. Rosen’s principal instrument is the bassoon. She has performed with the chamber music ensemble, the North Wind Quintet, in Europe, and throughout the world, including the prestigious International Chamber Music Festival in Munich (1980) and three tours of Mexico. Locally, she has performed before audiences of hundreds of students through the Los Angeles Music Center “On Tour” program, the Coleman Chamber Music, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Mrs. Rosen continues to perform in local orchestras and, with her Salon Orchestra, for private special/celebrity events throughout the Southland.

Mrs. Rosen's son, Charlie (Sierra Canyon 8th grade graduate in 2004), was in the first Sierra Rock Band (2000) and, in the fall, will be attending the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston on scholarship. Mrs. Rosen is extremely proud of him.

Sierra Canyon applauds Mrs. Rosen’s dedication to promoting cultural literacy amongst our young people and for her nomination of the Music Center’s prestigious Bravo Award.

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Lower School Announcements

2008-2009 School Year Important Dates

August 28

New Middle and Upper School Families Orientation

September 2

Early Kindergarten Student Visitation Day

Middle and Upper Schools Orientation Day

September 3

First Day of School 2008-2009

September 5-7

Freshman Retreat

September 30

Rosh Hashanah – No School

October 9

Yom Kippur – No School

November 10

Veterans’ Day Holiday (observed)

November 24-25

Lower School Parent-Teacher Conferences – No Classes

November 26-28

Thanksgiving Holiday – No School

December 22-January 2

Winter Break

January 5

School Resumes

January 19

Martin Luther King Holiday – No School

January 20-23

Upper School Exam Week

February 16

Presidents' Day - No School

March 12-13

Lower School Parent-Teacher Conferences - No Classes

March 30-April 10

Spring Break

April 13

School Resumes

May 25

Memorial Day - No School

May 26-29

Lower and Middle School ERB Testing

June 1-4

Upper School Exam Week

June 4

Last Day of School

Additional dates will be posted to the Online Calendar as they are scheduled.

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