Shark Bites Newsletter 03/27/2025

Sycamore Valley Elementary

Shark Bites Newsletter

Message from Principal Kawahara

March 27, 2025

Kindergarten Art Class - Preparing for the Rain

Dear Sycamore Valley Families:

I hope you and your family are well.

Keep reading for some Dates to Remember, some reminders and information on the Online Auction and the Building a Culture of Responsiveness survey and the Student Information Form (repeat).

Dates to Remember:

03/24-03/30 - Sycamore’s Online Auction https://ourschool.auction/sycamore2025

03/31 - 2nd Grade Speak Up & Be Safe Assembly #1

04/02 - Variety Show Dress Rehearsal - 1:00pm - MPR

04/03 - Variety Show - 6:00pm - MPR

04/07-04/11 - No School - Spring Break

04/15 - 2nd Grade Speak Up & Be Safe Assembly #2
04/21-04/25 - Book Faire
04/23 - Sharky Cinema

05/15 - Open House 6pm-7pm
05/23 - No School - School Recess
05/26 - No School - Memorial Day
06/05 - Last Day of School - Minimum Day

March Schedule At A Glance

April Schedule At A Glance

Reminder:

State Testing (CAASPP)

Please make sure your 3rd-5th graders are here for testing!

3rd and 4th Grade is from 04/28/2025 - 05/16/2025

5th Grade from 4/21/2025 - 5/08/2025

April Read Aloud:

April’s character trait is Grateful. We will be reading Watercress by Andrea Wang and Spoon by Amy Rosenthal to help us explore the trait.
April Read Aloud Schedule-Final

Online Auction:

The online auction is open until Sunday, March 30th at 7:00pm.

There are some wonderful items to bid as well as Teacher Raffles and more. Please help Sycamore reach our goal. The funds raised support invaluable resources for our community including paraeducators and instructional assistants who help provide intervention and extension to our students. Please check out the auction here: Online Auction

Take the Survey Now! Building a Culture of Responsiveness:

On March 24th, you should have received this survey link directly from the district, asking you to tell us how we are doing and to help guide our culture of responsiveness work moving forward. I would like to ensure that our school has a high participation rate!

Why should you take 10 minutes to complete this survey? Because it will:

Influence how our school and the district communicate with our families.

Help us understand how we can better communicate about all aspects of your child’s learning experience.

Support our efforts to enhance and improve home-to-school partnerships.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could make time in your day to take the Culture of Responsiveness Survey!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to communications@srvusd.net or to me directly. I sincerely thank you for your support and partnership by participating in the survey.

The survey will remain open until midnight on Friday, April 4, 2025.

Student Placement Information Form:
As we look toward next year it is time for us to start working on class placements. We work hard to build classes that are balanced from every angle. While this form is not required, if you feel there is particular information about the environment that will best support your child, please complete a form. Forms are due by April 2nd.

2025-2026 Student Class Placement form

Please keep reading for some upcoming event information, important dates and other PTA/Shark Fund News.

Thank you,

Patricia Kawahara

Principal

Important Dates to Remember

03/24-03/30 - Online Auction - https://ourschool.auction/sycamore2025

03/31 - 2nd Grade Speak Up & Be Safe Assembly #1

04/02 - Variety Show Dress Rehearsal 1:00 PM in MPR
04/03 - Variety Show 6:00 PM in MPR

04/07 - 04/11 - Spring Break

04/15 - 2nd Grade Speak Up & Be Safe Assembly #2

04/16 - Dippin' Dots

04/21-04/25 - Book Faire

04/23 - Sharky Cinema

04/30 - Dippin' Dots

05/14 - Dippin' Dots

05/15 - Open House 6:00pm - 7:00pm

05/17 - Truck Time Event - 9:00am - 1:00pm

05/23 - No School - School Recess

05/26 - No School - Memorial Day

05/28 - Dippin' Dots

06/05 - Last Day of School - Minimum Day

Attention Families!

Online Auction 3/24 – 3/30

https://ourschool.auction/sycamore2025

THE ONLINE AUCTION IS NOW LIVE!
The auction will be open Monday March 24th at 9:00 AM and close Sunday March 30th at 7:00 PM.

We need your participation to make this a success - 100% of the auction proceeds stay here in Sycamore’s Education Fund.

Login and Register:

We recommend logging in and registering prior to March 24th - please visit: https://ourschool.auction/sycamore2025
As a reminder, there are two types of items on the website: items you bid on that remain open through 3/30, and “buy it now” items like the Sycamore School and Social events (which are all listed under “Sycamore” tab on the site).

New this year!

Teacher + Staff Raffles will be done entirely online – no physical forms or checks! You must login to the online auction site to purchase raffle tickets for your students.
Social Event Tickets - For popular social events, tickets will be limited to 2 per registrant.

Your involvement in our Online Auction fundraiser is crucial as our school district faces significant budget challenges. Shark Fund plays a vital role in funding essential positions and programs at Sycamore, including para-educator salaries, art programs, library visits, and more.

With your support, we can make our 2025 Online Auction a success and reach our fundraising goal, ensuring we continue to provide these valuable resources to our students.

Questions? Reach out to sycamorevalley.edfund@srvef.org

Variety Show - Mark Your Calendar

Thursday 4/03/25 6:00pm in the MPR

Dress Rehearsal -

4/02/25 1:00-3:00pm in the MPR

Classroom Placements:

Parents you are welcome to complete the attached form if you believe your child has specific needs.

2025-2026 Student Class Placement form

This form is due to the school office no later than April 02, 2025.

After spring break, teachers will meet with Principal Kawahara to begin building balanced classes for the 25/26 school year. Parents and students will be notified of teacher and classroom placement on August 12th, 2025. Careful consideration is given to the class placement of each student. The primary factors considered in class placement are:
1. Current year’s teacher assessment of the student’s needs.
2. Input from support staff - resource, speech, school psychologist, reading specialists.
3. Class balance: academic performance, test scores, behavior, and boy/girl ratio.
4. Physical, medical, emotional and social development of the child.
5. Parent information regarding student’s specific needs.

This form is not required, however if you believe your child has specific needs and/or excels in a particular type of classroom environment that the staff should consider when placing him/her, you are welcome to complete and return the attached form.

Please do not request specific teachers. Letters that state a specific teacher’s name or that try to describe a specific teacher will not be considered.

Reminder:
If you need to drop-off items for your child

or their teacher,

Please call the school office when you arrive

at the main gate.

(925) 855-2800

Attendance Line

Please call the attendance line to report
your child's absence:

925-855-2898

AR 5113 States that all absences which are not cleared within two days after a student's return to school shall be recorded as unexcused (CUT).

New students joining our district and Sycamore can enroll now.

Students that are currently attending school with us will automatically roll up to the next grade level and do not need to submit a new enrollment application.

2025-26 enrollment for grades 1-12 will open on February 1, 2025.

https://www.srvusd.net/Departments/Educational-Services/Enrollment-Info/Enrollment/index.html

2025-26 TK & Kindergarten enrollment is open. Please see the TK & Kindergarten Specific Information page of our district website for important information and frequently asked questions.

Applications should be submitted online.

SPIRITWEAR

Click here for the Spiritwear Sale

Shark Spirit Clothing Sale -

Sycamore Valley Spring Sale - Save 20%
Don't miss your chance to save 20% on all Sycamore Valley spirit wear during the Spring Sale, including our new Hearts and Rainbows and Tie Dye collection!

Take advantage of the 20% off Spring Sale at Sycamore Valley. Hurry before the sale ends on April 1st! We dropped 25 new designs limited to the spring sale! Don't miss out! Stock up on tees, hoodies, and jackets! Shop Now!

Store Link: https://1stplace.

FREE SHIPPING $75+

PTA Updates

Truck Time 2025 – Tickets on Sale Now!

Turn imagination into real life! This fun, interactive, outdoor family festival encourages children (and their adults) to explore the trucks and vehicles they see around them all the time, and maybe some they've never seen before.

Saturday, May 17th, 9:00 am to 1:00pm

Parking lot of 2700 Camino Ramon, San Ramon

Visit TruckTimeSanRamon.org for additional details and to pre-purchase tickets. Tickets are $7 per person (age 1 and over), if purchased before May 16th, or $10 at the door on the event day.

SPECIAL TICKET DEAL for SRVUSD Families and Friends: Family 4-Pack is available for $20 before May 16, 2025.

This event is presented by the Rotary Club of Dougherty Valley/San Ramon. It benefits the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation, the San Ramon Historic Foundation, the Dougherty Valley/San Ramon Rotary Club, and its Foundation.

Sharky Fit Club -

Future Classes: 4/30, 5/14, 5/28
More dates will be announced soon.

Online waiver form/ permission slip:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoSbFX2AU1BlppgLwuEERvuj8KtXshaeoSxmB1lcQ_EbOqRw/viewform

For more information, contact Deniz Ozek at deniz.c.ozek@gmail.com

BOOK CLUB: 3rd-5th and 1st-2nd

BOOK CLUB 3rd-5th grade

The last book club meeting is on Wednesday, April 2nd, from 1-2pm in the library. For any questions, please contact Jyoti (rekhij@gmail.com).

BOOK CLUB 1st-2nd grade

The next book club meeting for 1st and 2nd graders will be Tuesday, April 15th at 2:30-3:30pm in the school library. The books to read are The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow, Magic Treehouse #2: The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne, and an optional book Diary of a Pug #1: Pug Blasts Off by Kyla May.

For any questions, please contact Raj (rajiedeol@gmail.com).

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS:

The book list is now available for Battle of the Books! Please contact Nida Qadeer nuq101@gmail.com for the book list and any questions about the program.

STEAM ART:
Signups for November-May STEAM Art classes have gone out. For any questions, please contact Kristina ( kristinabuskirk@gmail.com). Due to the large response to this class, new student sign ups are now closed for the year.

MATH OLYMPIAD:

We have completed all 5 contests for the year. Congratulations to Karthik J. for top score in Contest 4 and to Saanvi L., Jaden G., and Atharva A. for top score in Contest 5!

WORDMASTERS:

Our Wordmasters 2nd/3rd and 4th/5th graders recently completed the 2nd Challenge. 2 down, 1 to go! Congratulations to 2nd/3rd graders Skylah T. (perfect score!), Luke S., Vihaan K., Kyle Z. and 4th/5th Graders Karthik J., Lauren E., Griffin R., Daniel K., Lohith H. for the highest scores on Challenge 2.

Challenge Set 3 will be distributed around February 24 and our students will take Challenge 3 between March 28 and April 18. For any questions, please email Kathryn Rapp, Wordmasters Coordinator, at kathryn.montilla@gmail.com.

ODYSSEY OF THE MIND:

Congratulations to our Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team -- Karthik J., Richard L., Zoe L., Warren C., Derek W., Anirudh J. -- on winning 3rd place in the State level Tournament and moving on to the World Finals! Several of the team members were first timers to OM, yet they did a fantastic job. We are incredibly proud of our team for their hard work and perseverance in putting up a great show so far. Good luck to the team as they are preparing to compete at the World Finals!!

Contact steamenrichment@sycamorevalleypta.org with any questions about the STEAM Enrichment program.

Be A Mentor:

Volunteer Clearance - Reminder

We ask all of our parents/guardians to register w/ Be A Mentor for level #1 - general volunteer. This clearance will allow you to be on campus and/or in the classroom with the children.

Here is the link to sign up. Be A Mentor Click on the New Volunteers Apply Now on the bottom right side of the page. A TB test is a new requirement. The risk assessment form is to be completed by your doctor. You will need to upload, to your Be A Mentor account, either the completed risk assessment form or the negative TB test result form from your doctor.

Shark Fund Updates

Dippin’ Dot Calendar:

April 16, 30
May 14, 28

Dippin Dot Pre-pay Punch Cards are Back!

Punch cards can be purchased for $25.00.

Prepay for 5 Dippin' Dots, get one free

Save time in line

No need to bring money to school

Families can share one card

100% of proceeds benefit your students at Sycamore

Sharky Shout Out:

Thank you to all the Variety Show Volunteers that are tirelessly preparing the 5th grade class for their finale in the Variety Show.

School Site Council Update

School Site Council Meeting

Next Meeting will be held on April 3, 2025 @ 4:00pm

Meeting ID

meet.google.com/eek-kmow-drc

Phone Number
(‪US‬)‪+1 417-986-2942‬
PIN: ‪925 937 738#‬

After School Enrichment

Please refer to Peach Jar for after school enrichment opportunities that are offered for Sycamore students.

Sycamore Valley Peach Jar

Lost & Found

With the change of weather our lost and found is growing!!

Take a look at the Rack and in the Yellow Bin.

You may be surprised and find a sweatshirt / jacket / or sweater that you did not know was left behind.

Please make sure that your child's name is marked on their clothing.

Smaller Lost & Found items are in the Office.

Water Bottles and Lunch Boxes are on the shelf in the MPR.

Child Nutrition

Meals Provided @ Sycamore

Breakfast & Lunch will be provided at no cost to all students that request a meal at school.

MENUS

For more information about the meals, please visit the Child Nutrition Website.

https://www.srvusd.net/Departments/Business-Services/Child- Nutrition/index.html

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