Good Afternoon Bobcat Families. 

In this email

• Change in the Front Office
• CUSD Parent Feedback – Please show our Bobcat Pride
• 5^th Grade UNICEF Giving
• Morning Mile Start Time
• Help Providing Lunch for Teachers During Conference Week
• New Year’s Bobcat Family Square Dance and Sock Hop
• Message from our PTO

Repeat in this Email

• Staying Healthy – as individuals, families, and a community

Upcoming events

Don’t Miss This

• Parent Survey is out. Please take the time to complete it! Link is below
• Mon, Nov 11: No School for Veteran’s Day
• Fri, Nov 15 @ 10:40: Responsibility Assembly by 3^rd grade – wear green!
• Nov 20-26: Min days for Parent Teacher Conferences
• Nov 27-29: No School for Thanksgiving Break

Change in the Front Office

Our wonderful Ms. Kimberly has decided it is time for a change.  Her last day will be next Friday.  Before then, please come in to thank her for all she has done over the past year and wish her well. 

Here is a message from Ms. Kimberly:  Thank you all for the wonderful experience of working here at Tularcitos. I loved every day I got to engage with the staff, students, and families. I have decided it is time to focus more on my health and family. I know you will welcome whoever is my replacement. Thank you, again. 

If you are interested in applying for Ms. Kimberly’s position, or know someone who would be great in the position, the job is posted on the CUSD Human Resources website.  We will be accepting applications through November 25.

Parent Teacher Conference Week Expectations

During parent teacher conferences (Nov 20-26) students are released after lunch at 12:30 each day.  Each day of conferences, the school is closed after 12:30 so that teachers can meet with parents without the disruption of people playing on the playground.   If you would like to play after school, please use the CV Park playground.  Thank you for your help in this.

Lost and Found

Please check the lost and found before Thanksgiving Break (when you are here for your parent teacher conference would be a great time).  All items will be donated over the break.

Morning Mile Start Time

We’ve had an explosion of runners for Morning Mile which has been great.  And while we love the enthusiasm to come early to run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, please do not drop your student off at school prior to 8:15 those days.  And only drop them off early for morning mile.  Thank you for helping ensure our students are safe before school.

Help Providing Teachers Lunch During Conference Week

Next week is a very busy week for all of the hardworking teachers and staff so our PTO is hosting a staff luncheon on Wednesday, Nov 20^th, with dishes provided by our families.  The PTO will also sponsor a luncheon on Monday, Nov 25^th, with soups and salads from Jerome's Market.  Any contributions would be wonderful for the luncheon on November 20th! This is a great way to show our appreciation for all of the support they show our children.  Thanks!  Please use the following link to sign up for what to bring on Nov 20^th

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090945AEAF2BAAF94-tularcitos

CUSD Parent Feedback – Please show our Bobcat Pride

English Link: The district's Parent Satisfaction Survey is now open: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CSGRLWL!  

Spanish Link: ¡La Encuesta de Satisfacción de Padres del distrito ahora está abierta en! 

https://forms.gle/WPTXyoK4z65EeGU1A   

This week you should have received an email with the above link to the parent survey.  Please take the 10-15 minutes to complete this survey for us by Nov 22. This survey is important not only to our district, but is also very important to Tularcitos.  Let’s try to get the highest participation rate in the district! Please take the time to give us your feedback.  Thank you! 

5^th Grade UNICEF Giving

For the 5^th grade service project this year, they raised money for UNICEF.  Thank you to our 5^th graders who raised $644.14 for UNICEF this year by Trick-or-Treating.

New Year’s Bobcat Family Square Dance and Sock Hop

Between Thanksgiving and Winter break students will be learning dance in PE.  K-2 will be learning line dancing and 3-5 will be learning swing dancing.  To celebrate the end of the unit and provide a fun family event, we and our PTO will be hosting a New Year’s Bobcat Family Square Dance and Sock Hop Friday, January 10 from 6:00-7:30 (square dance for k-2) and 7:30-9:00 (Sock Hop for 3-5).  More details will be coming, but Mr. A and I are looking for some help in planning and putting on this fun family dance (and coming up with a shorter name).  If you are interested in helping, please email me at rpeterson@carmelunified.org. 

Message from our PTO

Our next PTO event will be a parent social the evening of Dec 18.  Details will be coming.  Our next meeting will not be until Wed, Jan 15, at 6:00 at the Community Center (with childcare in Bobcat Hall).  We still have a couple of positions open within our PTO.  If you are interested in helping out in any way please come to our meeting or contact Heaven Tempalski (PTO President) at htempalski@gmail.com. 

Repeat in this email

Staying Healthy – as individuals, families, and a community – From the Nurse’s office

It is that time of year when students start to get sick.  We would like to emphasize the importance of working together so that all our students stay as healthy as possible.  If one child comes to school sick, the illness spreads quickly to other students and to the staff, as well as family members. For this reason, you need to keep your child home if he/she has any of these symptoms and seek medical care if problem persists:

• Fever, vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
• Nasal discharge that is profuse or colored
• Red, inflamed eyes
• Body rash, unless determined non-infectious by a Doctor
• A cough which is severe or persistent
• Less than 24 hours of being on an antibiotic

Reminder: Your child must be “fever free” or “vomit free” for 24 hours without medicine (Motrin, Tylenol or Advil) before they can return to school.

Additionally, and while we have had no outbreaks, we want to remind families to also do periodic lice checks on their children (especially after any sleepovers).  For those of us who have had to deal with lice, we know how time-consuming and cumbersome it is to do deal with. If we all perform checks on our children and treat any lice immediately, it helps us all.

Please also know that if a physician diagnoses your child with a contagious disease such as chickenpox, strep throat, or pink eye, please keep your child home and notify the school as soon as possible.  This information will help us identify new cases early and reduce the spread of illness.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call me.  620-8195 ext. 2393. 

Thank you for your cooperation. Nurse Milla

Upcoming events

Nov 20-26: Parent Conferences – minimum days each day

Nov 27-29: Thanksgiving Break

Sat, Dec 7 @ 4:30: CV Park Tree Lighting

Sat, Dec 14: Santa Fly-In

Thurs, Dec 12 @ 6:00: Kinder Angel Band Performance

Wed, Dec 18 @ 9:00: Citizenship Assembly by 5^th grade – wear purple

Wed, Dec 18: PTO Evening Social – more information coming

Fri, Dec 20: Spirit Day – Pajama Day! – wear your PJ’s

Have a fun weekend!

Ryan Peterson

Proud Principal, Tularcitos Elementary School

Nurturing Hearts, Expanding Minds, Inspiring Actions, Broadening Horizons.

Good Afternoon Bobcat Families.  I hope you enjoyed your October break.

In this email

• Don’t Miss This
• Halloween Day Parade
• FOCUS Auction to support CUSD schools
• Reserved Parking Spots
• Lost and Found
• Big Emergency Drill
• What Parents Need to do in an Emergency – Reminder
• Free Family Flu Shot Clinic
• Message from our PTO

Repeat in this Email

• Halloween Costume Guidelines

Upcoming events

Don’t Miss This

• Oct 31 @ 1:15 – Halloween Parade through the Village
• Fri, Nov 1 – Minimum Day for teacher professional development. Students released after lunch at 12:30
• Fri, Nov 1: Office Closes at 12:45 for office training
• Tues, Nov 5 @ 3:00-6:00: Free Family Flu Clinic in Bobcat Hall (generously funded by DV Rotary)

Halloween Day Parade

On Thursday, October 31^st, at 1:15 pm we will be holding our Halloween Parade through the Village.  In trying to keep this parade about the students and for the students, we are asking all parents, family members, and friends to stand along the sidewalks of the parade route rather than walk with the students.  Most of the fun for students in walking in a parade is having people on the sidelines cheering and waving to you, so we want to have as many people on the sidelines as possible.  To make sure our youngest students will be safe teachers may ask a couple of parents for help and students will be walking with their buddy classes.  However, other than those few parents we want everyone else to come line the sidewalks along the parade route. We would also like to encourage everyone to invite relatives and family friends to join them to be spectators for the parade as well.  It would be great if we could get hundreds of people on the sidelines cheering and waving to our students.   For the parade route we will leave Tular out the gate on Pilot Road, go north on Pilot Rd, head east on Via Contenta, then south on El Caminito, west on Carmel Valley Road, west on Delfino, and then back to Tular through the Pilot Rd gate.  Thank you for your help in making this the best parade yet for the students.

FOCUS Auction to support CUSD schools
FOCUS (Friends of Carmel Unified Schools) is a non-profit education foundation that grants funds based on teacher and staff requests to schools throughout CUSD. We really need your help to continue this amazing mission that directly benefits our kids! This year we are holding our online Fall Back Bash Auction from Friday, October 25^th through Saturday, November 2^nd.  Whether you are a golf fanatic or just want to avoid jostling for a parking space or a theater seat, don’t miss out on this once-a-year opportunity to bid on and win highly desired items donated by the schools and local businesses! Bidding opens at 8am on October 25^th; please visit: https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/2019-focus-fall-back-auction-8835

Reserved Parking Spots

We have two reserved parking spots on campus at the top of the bus drop-off area along Via Contenta. They are painted with a white curb and marked as “reserved” around the spots.  These spots earn our PTO a significant amount of money at our Spring Fling auction.  This can only happen, however, if people honor these spots as reserved and not park in them, even if only for a moment.  Please stay out of these reserved spots on all school days and for every school function.  Thank you.

Lost and Found

Are you missing a jacket or bathing suit and want to have it for October break?  Please make sure to check the lost and found when you are on campus tomorrow and when we return from break.  It is overflowing and will be donated to charity November 1.

Big Emergency Drill

We had a productive big emergency drill this week.  The fire department was very impressed with what they saw which was great affirmation to the procedures we have put in place and the changes we have made over the years.  This year we made a few alterations to how we do student release to streamline the process and make it quicker and more efficient and those proved to work much better.  Thank you to all of the parent/grandparents who came out to help us with our student release procedure. 

What Parents need to do if there is an Emergency at School – a reminder

Every month we practice some sort of emergency drill (earthquake, fire, hostile intruder) so our staff and students know what to do in an emergency.  In a real emergency one of the biggest components is safely returning the students to you.  This is something we will practice in two weeks when we do a full scale emergency drill, but I wanted to take the time now to inform all of our families what you would do to pick up your child at Tular if there was ever a big emergency.  In every emergency training I have attended, the trainers emphasize the point that student release is the most complicated, emotional, and potentially volatile part of an emergency.  Parents come in, rightfully so, very concerned about the safety of their child, and at times can become impatient and hostile to the people trying to release students safely to their parents.  Our biggest concern in student release after an emergency is to safely return students to the right person.  In an emergency we all must work together, so the most important thing to remember in an emergency is to stay calm and know that we have a process in place to safely release your child to you.  However, with about 450 students, this process will take time so patience, staying calm, and helping and comforting each other is extremely important. 

To pick up your child safely in an emergency you would go to the following locations:

1. In an emergency where students cannot be in the classrooms, parents will be directed to check out their children from the gate along Pilot Rd near our garden.
2. In an emergency where students can wait in the classrooms, parents will be directed to check out their children from Bobcat Hall.

In any emergency, we will have staff and signs out directing parents where to go.  Again, the most important thing is to know that we have a process in place to safely return your students, and we need everyone to work together to stay calm so we can safely return students to their parents.

Free Flu Shot Clinic Tuesday, Nov 5, 3:00-6:00

Good News!  Do you still need your flu shot?  Our Free Flu Shot Clinic is on for Tuesday, Nov 5, from 3:00-6:00 in Bobcat Hall.  They have shots for anyone two years and older.  This is open to anyone!  It is being sponsored by our CV Rotary – Thank you CV Rotary for providing our community with this to keep us healthy this coming flu season.

Message from our PTO

We hope everyone had a fun October break.  Our next meeting will be Wed, Nov 6, at 8:45 in Bobcat Hall.  We still have a couple of positions open within our PTO.  If you are interested in helping out in any way please come to our meeting or contact Heaven Tempalski (PTO President) at htempalski@gmail.com. 

Repeat in this email

Halloween Costume Guidelines

Here are our guidelines for costumes at school and during the parade (Parade is at 1:15 on Halloween – more info coming in future emails)

• Must follow normal dress code (can be found in our Discipline Plan on our website)

• No Masks (we need to see students’ faces and face paint is more fun)
• No real, fake, or play weapons, guns, swords, light sabers, pistols, knives, bows and arrows, etc.
• No wheels
• Nothing offensive, violent, or gory

If you have any specific questions about a costume, please email or give me a call.

Upcoming events

Thurs, Oct 31 @ 1:15: Halloween Parade through the village

Fri, Nov 1: Minimum Day for staff professional development.  Students released at 12:30 after lunch.

Tues, Nov 5 @ 3:00-6:00: Free Flu Shot Clinic at Tularcitos (generously funded by CV Rotary)

Fri, Nov 15 @ 10:40: Responsibility Character Assembly by 3^rd grade – wear green!

Nov 20-26: Parent Conferences – minimum days each day

Nov 27-29: Thanksgiving Break

Enjoy the weekend!

Ryan Peterson

Proud Principal, Tularcitos Elementary School

Nurturing Hearts, Expanding Minds, Inspiring Actions, Broadening Horizons.

Good Evening Bobcat Families

In this email

• Don’t Miss This
• Fall Festival
• Keeping Every Child Safe
• Halloween Costume Guidelines
• Message from our PTO

Repeat in this Email

• Tech Industry War on Kids Article

Upcoming events

Don’t Miss This

• Wed, Oct 2 @ 6:00: PTO Meeting at CVCYC. Childcare provided in Bobcat Hall (see below for details)
• Oct 14-18 October Break

Fall Festival

I hope that everyone enjoyed the Fall Festival.  Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to put it on – setting up, supervising games, bringing in cakes, cleaning up, and all of the other behind the scenes prep.  What a wonderful community we are part of!  I want to give a special thank you to Gina Nucci, Lauren Collins, Lauren Robertson, Heaven Tempalski, Hillary Hamilton, Alison Holt, Tom Schnader, John Lockwood, and Rich Villa.  Thank you for your work organizing and making this all come together.

Keeping Every Child Safe

Giving our students skills to stay safe is very important to us. During the week of Sept 30, we will be conducting our yearly personal safety workshops in the classrooms at every grade level.  These workshops are designed to be age-appropriate and teach our students how to be safe in areas including what to do if a stranger approaches you and the difference between good and bad touching.  The presentations are done by either a Child Abuse Prevention Program staff member from The Rape Crisis Center or Ms. Amy, our counselor.  We have been doing these workshops for many years and they do a fabulous job of making everything understandable in age-appropriate ways.  The information the students receive is extremely important.  Please discuss with your child what they learned from the presentation when they get home. 

Halloween Costume Guidelines

I know many people are already starting to think about Halloween costumes.  So before you go out shopping, here are our guidelines for costumes at school and during the parade (Parade is at 1:15 on Halloween – more info coming in future emails)

• Must follow normal dress code (can be found in our Discipline Plan on our website)

• No Masks (we need to see students’ faces and face paint is more fun)
• No real, fake, or play weapons, guns, swords, lightsabers, pistols, knives, bows and arrows, etc.
• No wheels
• Nothing offensive, violent, or gory

If you have any specific questions about a costume, please email or give me a call.

Message from our PTO

Our next meeting will be Wed, Oct 2, at 6:00 at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center with free childcare for those attending provided in Bobcat Hall (must reserve childcare by emailing Heaven at htempalski@gmail.com).  At this meeting we will be recapping Fall Festival and discussing other upcoming events.  A representative from CUSD will also be presenting with Mr. Peterson about the new ALICE hostile intruder procedures being implemented in CUSD.   Additionally, we are still in need of help in various roles within PTO. If you are interested in helping out in any way please come to our first meeting or contact Heaven Tempalski (PTO President) at htempalski@gmail.com. 

Repeat in this email

Tech Industry War on Kids Article

This is another very thought-provoking article that is worth your time to read about technology’s impact on us and our children.  As I send these articles out and make the recommendations about tech use by children, I want to make sure that people understand that this does not mean I am against technology, computers, or smartphones, etc.  I am actually a very big proponent of technology and what it can do for us.  Like fire, however, I think that we need to be careful with technology, use it in strategic ways, and we need to know what we are dealing with.  With technology’s rapid development this can be very hard to do.  So I want to make sure that we, as parents and individuals, are being knowledgeable and wise in our use, the examples we are setting for our children, and in how we are raising our future. I hope this article helps us to at least stop and think.

Article: https://medium.com/@richardnfreed/the-tech-industrys-psychological-war-on-kids-c452870464ce

Upcoming events

Wed, Oct 2 @ 6:00: PTO Meeting at CVCYC.  Free childcare provided at Bobcat Hall during the meeting – must reserve childcare by emailing Heaven at htempalski@gmail.com

Oct 11: Last day of swimming for 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th

Oct 14-18: October Break

Thurs, Oct 24: Picture Makeup Day – this is a change

Thurs, Oct 31 @ 1:15: Halloween Parade through the village

Fri, Nov 1: Minimum Day for staff professional development.  Students released at 12:30 after lunch.

Tues, Nov 5 @ 3:00-6:00: Free Flu Shot Clinic at Tularcitos

Have a great weekend!

Ryan Peterson

Proud Principal, Tularcitos Elementary School

Nurturing Hearts, Expanding Minds, Inspiring Actions, Broadening Horizons.

Good Afternoon Bobcat Families

In this email

• Don’t Miss This
• Being Good Neighbors
• First Bobcat Campout a Success
• School Site Council Opening
• No Screens Weed
• Advice for Screens at Home (attached last week)
• Message from our PTO

Repeat in this Email

• PTO Bucks for Bobcats - Thank You
• Music Teacher Update
• Helping with Tular History

Upcoming events

Don’t Miss This

• Wed, Sept 18 @ lunch: Ice Cream Party for No Screens Week participants
• Fri, Sept 27: PTO’s Fall Festival!

Being Good Neighbors – please do not use driveways

We know that parking and drop-off can be hard with everyone coming to Tular all at once and having such limited parking.  During these times, we want to make sure we are good neighbors to those that live around Tular.  Please make sure when you park around campus that you do not block our neighbors’ mailboxes and please do not use their driveways to turn around.  Thank you for your cooperation with this.

First Bobcat Campout a Success

I want to give a huge shout-out to the PTO Tular Dads for such a fun campout last Friday.  It was a great team effort, and we especially want to thank Neil Smith for all of his organization and stepping up to make this event happen.  We also want to thank the CVCYC for opening the pool for the evening and providing dinner.  Families had a wonderful time swimming, roasting marshmallows, watching a movie, camping out on the lawn, and enjoying a delicious pancake breakfast. 

School Site Council Opening

We have open seats for parents to participate on our School Site Council this year.  The School Site Council is a group comprised of four school staff and four parents that helps set goals for the school related to student achievement, establishes our safety plan, and then monitors those goals from year to year.  There will be five meetings throughout the year.   If you are interested in being part of our School Site Council, please email me at rpeterson@carmelunified.org.  Our first meeting will be Monday, Sept 23, at 3:15.  This is an open meeting and anyone is welcome even if you just want to check it out.

No Screens Week

I hope you had a great no screens week and that you enjoyed the extra family time.  I also hope that you were able to re-evaluate as a family the role screens play in your lives and made sure you have the right boundaries on them for your family.  The ice cream party will be Wed, Sept 18, at lunch.

Advice for your Screens at Home (this was attached last week)

We have all seen an increase in the time students are spending in front of screens (phones, tablets, TV’s, computers, video games, etc).  We’ve all been in places where we see entire families or groups of friends sitting together looking at their phones/tablets rather than interacting and two-year-olds begging for their parent’s cell phone.  I am guessing we’ve all thought about the question, “How is all of that screen time impacting children, families, and relationships?” 

More and more research is being done regarding the impact screen time has on people. In the article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” from the Atlantic, generational researcher and author, Jean Twenge, found, “There’s not a single exception. All screen activities are linked to less happiness, and all non-screen activities are linked to more happiness.”  (While the article is on the longer side, it is worth every minute to read. The link is at the end of this letter).  As a school that has computers in every classroom and individual computers for each student starting in 3^rd grade, this is something we have thoughtfully discussed.  We see a lot of value in using technology strategically to enhance a child’s education, but we also want to make sure we use it in a limited fashion.  We want to make sure we are teaching our students to be creators with the technology, not consumers.  It is very important to us that the students not spend too much time on computers at school (or at home), and that screen time does not get in the way of face time.  We hope that your family will engage in the same discussions at home.

Here are a few family rules that I would like to pass along for families to consider as you discuss what you want your family rules to be around screens.  (It is important to remember that smartphones not just phones, but are computers connected to the internet and all that the internet offers.)

• Put a filter and parental controls on all your devices:  This is just good practice so children are not exposed to inappropriate content and you can monitor their activity.
• Set a screen time limit:  Whether it’s daily (i.e. 30 minutes a day), weekly (i.e. 5 hours a week), or conditional (i.e. you get screen time after you…) set a limit on screen time and hold everyone to it.
• No Device Dinner:  Family mealtimes are extremely important.  TV’s, phones, tablets, all get in the way of the conversations families can have during that time.  Nobody, including adults, should be allowed to bring a screen to any meal.
• No screens in the car:  There are two reasons for this.  First, I always recommend to parents that they volunteer to be the drivers for their child’s, and their friend’s, activities because it is amazing what students will talk about in the back seat of a car.  The children forget an adult is driving.  Overhearing those conversations provides a great window into what goes on in your child’s life.  In the car is also a time where you can have that precious uninterrupted time with your children (or family) to talk about how life is going and connect with each other.  Second, recent brain research is informing us of how important “down time” or “bored time” is to the brain’s development.  It is during those down times when you are staring out the window or waiting in line that the brain builds connections to all of the learning that happened that day.  The car can be a great place for this.  Today many children get in the car and immediately go on their phones.  When they do that, it takes away from time for interactions as well as time for the brain to grow.
• No screens in the bedroom (or at least require the door to be open):  This one changes as the children get older.  I feel that, at the elementary level, there is never a time where a student should be alone in their room with a screen.  Today, computers and phones are a window to the world and all the world has to offer, both the good and bad.  Obviously, as children get older, this rule will need to be adjusted because of homework demands, but screens behind closed doors is always a bad idea.  Every family situation is different and you will have to make this decision as a family.  No matter where the screen is, however, the screen should always be easily visible to the parent.
• No phones in the room at night:  In general, people make poorer decisions as the night goes on.  Children struggle with this even more.   If you allow your child to have their phone in their room because it is an alarm clock, get them an alarm clock and take the phone out of the room at night (best is to have it in your room where you can see if anything is happening).  I think this rule should not change no matter what age a child is. 
• Get a Family Cell Phone Basket:  Having a place where people put their cell phones when they come in the door lets your whole family know that relationships with those present are what is the most important.  This helps keep people from being on their phones rather than engage in relationships with those present.  This also provides a place for your child’s friends to put their cell phones when they visit so that when the children are playing they are doing so together and not just playing side by side on their individual screens.
• Wait, Wait, Wait on Social Media: No elementary student needs to be on social media (Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.).  There is even a growing body of research questions whether middle schoolers should even be social media.  In addition to the fact that the law requires someone to be 13 to be on social media, studies are beginning to show the numerous negative impacts of social media on children, especially girls, before they are mature enough to handle it.  In elementary school, they are not mature enough and should not be on social media.
• Sign a family tech use agreement: You can get ones that are already made (see commonsensemedia.org for some great resources), or create your own. These agreements should be signed by everyone in the household, child, and adult, so everyone is held accountable.
• Wait Until 8th: Resist getting your child a cell phone until as late as possible (thankfully, in response to all of the research, there is a growing movement in the country to wait until at least 8^th grade).  If you feel an absolute need to get them a phone before 8^th grade or high school (when my children will get their phones), either do not make it a smartphone, or put enough parental controls on it to limit who they can call/text, the apps they can put on their phone, and shut off the internet on the phone altogether (thankfully parental controls are great now so you can have a lot of control over what your child can do on their phone – see commonsensemedia.org).  The other option is something like a Gizmopal – a watch that only calls a limited number of people.  Over the years we have found that elementary students are not mature enough to handle a smartphone of their own, the access to the internet and social media, most of the apps and especially texting appropriately.  Students are not missing out on anything by waiting until later to have a phone that does all of that.  At the elementary level, they only need to make a phone call.  Some people argue that children these days need a phone because everyone texts so they need to text their friends.  There is more and more research coming out about the detrimental impacts of children using texts to communicate and how it is impairing their ability to interact.  As parents, we need to start thinking twice about how early we get our children a phone (or give them our old ones) and make the best decisions for our own children, and not give in to what “everyone” in society is doing.

Even if you don’t adopt these recommendations, my hope is that these rules will at least spark a conversation in your family about screen time and help us start challenging the norm.  Setting limits now, when your children are in elementary school, will make setting the limits when they are older much easier, help establish healthy habits as a family along the way, and teach our students about the importance of relationships and face to face time.  We also want to make sure that as our children get older, we can begin handing them more and more responsibility.  If you just give them full reign now, you cannot do this later on.  Children need our limits to not only thrive now, but also feel more responsibility as we give them more freedoms as they get older.  Finally, remember that children look to their parents as examples.  We have to behave as we want our children to behave. 

Like mentioned above, if you are looking for a great online source for setting family rules and expectations for screen time and online behavior, commonsensemedia.org, is a great resource. Enjoy using your screens responsibly to have fun and enhance your relationships, rather than allowing them to get in the way. 

Article link: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/

If you have any questions or thoughts you want to share, please give me a call.  I am a parent in this with you and appreciate the conversations.

Message from our PTO

Thank you to everyone who came to our first PTO meeting.  We had a great turnout.  We are still in need of help in various roles within PTO including help with putting on our Fall Festival on Sept 27.  If you are interested in helping out in any way please come to our first meeting or contact Heaven Tempalski (PTO President) at htempalski@gmail.com.  Our next meeting will be Wed, Oct 2, at 6:00 at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center with free childcare for those attending provided in Bobcat Hall. 

Repeat in this email

PTO Bucks for Bobcats – Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who gave to our Bucks for Bobcats campaign.  We had over 81% participation and raised over $34,000 as a school with 12 classes getting over 80% participation and two classes, Mrs. Southerland and Mrs. Becker, earning a pizza and ice cream party for getting 100% participation.  Thank you again, for supporting our PTO so they can continue to help strengthen our community and support the great learning happening in the classrooms.

Music Teacher Update

I wanted to let everyone know that we have hired a music teacher, Jennifer Kremer, and are very excited for her to join us.  Unfortunately, it will still be a few weeks until she can start teaching at Tular as she is still under contract with MPUSD and cannot be released from her current position until they have hired another music teacher to take her place.  I’ll let you know when she is finally here.  In the meantime, we have Kathy Findley, a retired music teacher, as our long-term sub.  Kathy has been fabulous with the students and we are lucky to have her during this transition.

Helping with Tular History

The Carmel Valley History Museum and I are working on a project together to put together of history of Tularcitos (starting way back when it was a one-room schoolhouse) to put up in our front office.  While we have put together the history, we are in search of photos.  We need photos of the old schoolhouses (there were two) as well as photos of the original school building here on Ford Rd.  If you, or any friends or relatives, have any old photos, please bring them into the office and we will scan them (of feel free to scan and email them to me at rpeterson@carmelunified.org). Any other historical memorabilia could be great to have scanned as well.  Thanks for your help with this fun project.

Upcoming events

Mon, Sept 16 @ 3:00: Popsicles with Peterson

Wed, Sept 18 @ lunch: Ice Cream Party for No Screens Week participants

Fri, Sept 27, 3:00-6:00: PTO Fall Festival

Wed, Oct 2 @ 6:00: PTO Meeting at CVCYC.  Childcare provided at Bobcat Hall during the meeting

Wed, Oct 9: Picture Makeup Day

Have a great weekend!

Ryan Peterson

Proud Principal, Tularcitos Elementary School

Nurturing Hearts, Expanding Minds, Inspiring Actions, Broadening Horizons.

Good Afternoon Bobcat Families,

Can you believe that we only have one week left?  I hope you enjoy the last week of school next week.

In this email

• Don’t Miss This
• Spring Music Concert
• Bobcat Art Show Thank You
• Dance Info
• CVCYC Swim Lesson
• Message from our PTO

Repeat in this email

• Important Next Year Registration Information

Upcoming Events

Don’t Miss This

• Thurs, June 6 @ 9:00 in Bobcat Hall: 5^th Grade Promotion
• Fri, June 7: Last day of school – students released at 12:30
• Tues, Aug 13, 2019: First day of school for next year

Spring Music Concert

Thank you to all of our 4^th and 5^th grade music students and Mr. Short for a fun and entertaining strings, band, and chorus concert last night.  It was great to see how our music students have grown over the year.   Thank you to our families as well for all of your support for our music program over the years.

Bobcat Art Show Thank You

Thank you to the fabulous group of Art Show volunteers that worked so hard to make this year’s event the best yet!  We had a super group of volunteers lend a hand and I am truly grateful.  A special shout out to Lisa DeMarchi, Somer Madsen, Jodi Price, Susie Olvera, Molly Valdez, Eve Mauldin, Kristen Bartoli, Shelley Nemith, Tara Brockmann, Rebecca Kirk and family, Emily Frew, Sara Maguire, Tara Lim, Bobby Pfeiffer, Dena Fitzgerald, and Laura Stenvick, a group that went above and beyond with assisting before, and after our yearly show. 

Dance Info

The Father Daughter Family dance will be tonight from 7:00-9:00 in Bobcat Hall. Between great music, dancing, and desserts, it should be a memorable, celebratory and fun-filled evening!  There is no charge for the dance because we want everyone to be able to attend, but we will be asking for a $10 donation to help cover the cost, as well as asking people to bring a dessert (that can be eaten with fingers – cookies, brownies, etc.  No cakes please) to contribute to the dessert table for everyone to enjoy. 

CVCYC Summer Swim Lessons

CVCYC swim lesson registration is open.  They offer swim lessons beginning June 10^th.  You can register online at www.cvcyc.org.

Message from our PTO

Our first event next year will be our Welcome Back Meet and Greet in Bobcat Hall at 8:30 on the first day of school, Tuesday, Aug 13.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone when we get back from summer.

Repeat in this Email

Important Registration Information for Next Year:

1) Online Registration for Returning Students - (Parent Data Confirmation) 

Families have been asking, "Don't we usually register our returning students for next year about this time of year on Infosnap?" In previous years, that was true, but this year we are changing the annual online registration process from Infosnap to Aeries. In the new process, now called "Parent Data Confirmation," you'll register your returning students during the summer (unless they are entering Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten -- see Enrolling New Students below). We are planning to roll out Parent Data Confirmation in July and early August before the school year starts. 

In the new Parent Data Confirmation process, you will just log into Aeries and confirm or update the existing information about your child. You'll also acknowledge receipt of required annual notifications and policies -- and that's it! For Parents of CMS and CHS students, you'll use your existing Aeries account. For parents at other schools, you will set up an online account in Aeries and then access Parent Data Confirmation from there. We'll be sending full details by email in July.

2) Enrolling New Students, which includes all Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten 

The online enrollment window is now open for students who are new to the district. Our definition of "new" also includes all Transitional Kindergartners and Kindergartners, even if they have previously attended a district school. If you have a new student or TK/K student to enroll, please check with the school registrar, who will collect the information needed and then set you up to do online enrollment.

3) Proof of residency for incoming 6th and 9th graders 

May is still residency affidavit month for students who are changing schools, such as all incoming 6th and 9th graders. If you have not already submitted your proof of residency, you can find the instructions and forms here: 

https://www.carmelunified.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=6251&dataid=16709&FileName=CUSD%20324%20-%20Residency%20Affidavit%20.pdf

Upcoming events

Fri, May 31 @ 7:00: Father Daughter Family Dance

Thurs, June 6^th @ 9:00: 5^th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Fri, June 7^th: Last Day of School. Students released @ 12:30

Tues, Aug 13: First Day of School

Enjoy the weekend,

Ryan Peterson

Proud Principal, Tularcitos Elementary School

Nurturing Hearts, Expanding Minds, Inspiring Actions, Broadening Horizons.

Good Afternoon Bobcat Families,

In this email

• Don’t Miss This
• Ending Hunger in Monterey County
• Important Next Year Registration Information
• Father Daughter Family Dance Clarification
• Dance Info
• Library Books Due
• Message from our PTO

Repeat in this email

• Only 12 Yearbooks Left

Upcoming Events

Ending Hunger in Monterey County – Food Drive

Thank you to everyone who brought in food for the food drive to help end hunger in Monterey County.  Way to go Bobcats!

Important Registration Information for Next Year:

1) Online Registration for Returning Students - (Parent Data Confirmation) 

Families have been asking, "Don't we usually register our returning students for next year about this time of year on Infosnap?" In previous years, that was true, but this year we are changing the annual online registration process from Infosnap to Aeries. In the new process, now called "Parent Data Confirmation," you'll register your returning students during the summer (unless they are entering Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten -- see Enrolling New Students below). We are planning to roll out Parent Data Confirmation in July and early August before the school year starts. 

In the new Parent Data Confirmation process, you will just log into Aeries and confirm or update the existing information about your child. You'll also acknowledge receipt of required annual notifications and policies -- and that's it! For Parents of CMS and CHS students, you'll use your existing Aeries account. For parents at other schools, you will set up an online account in Aeries and then access Parent Data Confirmation from there. We'll be sending full details by email in July.

2) Enrolling New Students, which includes all Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten 

The online enrollment window is now open for students who are new to the district. Our definition of "new" also includes all Transitional Kindergartners and Kindergartners, even if they have previously attended a district school. If you have a new student or TK/K student to enroll, please check with the school registrar, who will collect the information needed and then set you up to do online enrollment.

3) Proof of residency for incoming 6th and 9th graders 

May is still residency affidavit month for students who are changing schools, such as all incoming 6th and 9th graders. If you have not already submitted your proof of residency, you can find the instructions and forms here: 

https://www.carmelunified.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=6251&dataid=16709&FileName=CUSD%20324%20-%20Residency%20Affidavit%20.pdf

Father Daughter Family Dance Clarification

I have had a number of people approach me excited that we are doing a father daughter family dance, and a few also concerned about the fact that, because this is only for daughters, we are excluding boys and not valuing all relationships in the family equally.  People have very eloquently expressed how one of the aspects of Tular that they love is its inclusiveness in all of our events, so the fact that this dance is not including everyone and only highlights the father-daughter relationship does not match that characteristic of our school.  People have also asked where this dance came from.  I completely understand and really appreciate those concerns (I love that Tular is known as inclusive and valuing the entire family).  A little background for where this dance came from… Every year I get more requests for a Father Daughter dance than any other event we do not currently do.  So, when I was recently approached by people willing to put on a Father Daughter dance, I said yes and have been working with them to make the dance happen (this did not come from our PTO or our Tular Dad’s group).  Therefore, I have to take full responsibility for any hard feelings toward the dance and our school that this has caused.  I was excited to finally provide a dance that so many people have asked for over the years, and did not think through the excluding feelings that such a dance would cause.  I am sorry for that.  There was no intention to make mothers or sons feel excluded.  The hope was to celebrate daughters and fathers or other special relationships a daughter might have. I very much want our school to feel inclusive as so many have expressed.  If this dance opportunity had come up earlier in the year it would have been more of a discussion and my hope would have been that we could find people to put on something for sons and mothers as well so that we have events to celebrate both relationships.  Please know that when we start next year, we will be planning an event for sons and continuing to discuss this dance and other potential such events at our PTO meetings to determine how we want to move forward.  Again, I am sorry for, and take full responsibility for, any hard feelings this has caused.  I hope that this does not put a damper on the end of the year.  It has been a great year and I hope that everyone is able to celebrate that.  Please feel free to call me or email me with any concerns you have.

Dance Info

The Father Daughter Family dance will be May 31, 7:00-9:00 in Bobcat Hall. The goal of the dance is to celebrate the relationship between fathers and daughters. However, we realize that families look different for people. So whether our girls bring a father, uncle, grandfather, friend of family or any special person in their life, we invite all of the girls to attend. Between great music, dancing, and desserts, it should be a memorable, celebratory and fun-filled evening!  There is no charge for the dance because we want everyone to be able to attend, but we will be asking for a $10 donation to help cover the cost, as well as asking people to bring a dessert (that can be eaten with fingers – no cakes please) to contribute to the dessert table for everyone to enjoy.  A flier will be coming home next week with more information.  Any questions, please contact John Burton at jnburton@att.net

Library Books Due

All library books were due this week.  If you missed the deadline, make sure to bring them in Tuesday.

LAST WEEK TO ORDER YEARBOOKS! 

As we approach the last days of school, we are getting ready to bundle up the yearbooks for those who have purchased one.  We will STOP ALL SALES on May 31, 2019 so that we can bundle them up for class distribution on Wednesday (5^th Graders) and Thursday (K – 4^th).  Should you not order one before that date, you may still purchase one on the LAST day of school.  The price will then be $20.00 (subject to availability – we have 13 left) and must be picked up in the office.

Message from our PTO

Thank you to everyone who volunteered in our PTO this year.  We had a lot of fun supporting Tularcitos students and staff and helping build our community.  At our meeting on Wednesday we voted in our board for next year.  They are:   President Heaven Tempalski, VP Lauren Robertson, Secretary Gina Nucci Hincks, Treasurer Lauren Collins, and Room Parent Liaison Hilary Hamilton.  Thank you to all of you for stepping up again this coming year.  Next year we will be looking for people to shadow our board to learn about all they do and then step into those roles the following year.  We hope you have a great end to the school year and look forward to working with all of you again next year to keep Tularcitos the amazing school that it is. 

Repeat in this Email

Only 12 Yearbooks left to sell

FYI.  We only have 12 yearbooks left to sell.  We have closed the online ordering system so if you still wish to purchase a yearbook, please drop by the office an submit an order form along with your $15 payment.  Don’t wait because the cost goes up to $20 on the last days of school if we have any left to purchase.

Tular Art on Display at CV Library

Congratulations to Marisa, Phoebe, Maia, Breanna, Izabell, Siena, Stalla, and Nina who have their creative artwork on display from May 1-25 at the CV Library.  These talented art students are part of Cherie Rousseaus’s after school enrichment class.  Thank you for supporting these students and visual arts in our schools.

Upcoming events

Mon, May 27: No School for Memorial Day

Thurs, May 30 @ 7:00: 4^th and 5^th grade Spring Music Concert

Fri, May 31 @ 7:00: Father Daughter Family Dance

Thurs, June 6^th @ 9:00: 5^th Grade Promotion Ceremony

Fri, June 7^th: Last Day of School. Students released @ 12:30

Enjoy the long weekend,

Ryan Peterson

Proud Principal, Tularcitos Elementary School

Nurturing Hearts, Expanding Minds, Inspiring Actions, Broadening Horizons.