Cerrito Creek

August 12, 2012

Dear Cerrito Creek Families,

I hope this letter finds everyone happy, healthy, and excited about a new school year. I write to welcome you to the Cerrito community and provide some important details about what to expect in the first days and weeks of school.

First of all, my name is Mike Sinclaire, and this is my fifth year teaching fourth and fifth graders at the Berkeley School and twelfth year as a teacher. New York City, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and El Cerrito are some of the other places I have taught. In addition to my love of all things related to teaching and learning, I am a mountain, river, and ocean person. I’ve spent my summer riding bikes around the Bay Area, bouldering at Indian Rock, and surfing in San Diego when I haven’t been taking care of my two children, Milo (3) and Ruby (1). My wife’s name is Leila, and she is also a teacher – she is teaching first grade at Black Pine Circle this year. One last thing about me is that I love, love, love playing music, so expect a musical year in Cerrito Creek.

Hillary Bensky is returning as my assistant while she completes her second year of work toward her master’s degree and state teaching credential in the BATTI program. She hails from Willow Creek, California up in the hinterlands of the Trinity River, and loves spending time outdoors. Hillary spent the better part of her summer teaching in an East Bay charter school. She brings a calm, centered presence to the classroom as a dancer and yogi. Last year’s students adored and confided in her; she connects deeply with students and I am thrilled to have the chance to work with her again this year.

Following is a short list of school supplies students should purchase and bring the first day of school:

1. One 2-inch 3-ring binder with zipper closure. Mead makes a good one. If you bought one last year that is still in good shape, please reuse it. They range from 8 to 20 dollars. The zipper is important so papers do not fall out.

2. Five folders that come 3-hole punched and snap into the binder. 1 red, 1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 orange, and 1 green. These can be tricky to find but will help your binder stay organized. Students: if you can’t find all the colors, don’t sweat it, just have five folders that clip into your binder and we will label them.  Make sure you have a backpack big enough for the binder.

Some important upcoming dates:

Saturday, August 25, 12 - 2 pm Class potluck in Codornices Park, Berkeley. If you are able to help coordinate this event, please let me know.

Friday, August 31, 1 - 2pm Open house for parents and students to drop by the classroom, meet the teachers, and drop off supplies.

Tuesday, September 4 , 8:30-3:10 The first day of school!

Friday, September 7, 10am-2pm Class field trip to Lake Anza. A Berkeley School tradition, we will hit the sandy shores to celebrate our first week together. Permission forms will come home the first day of school.

                Thursday, September 20, 6-8pm Back to School Night. In depth presentation on curriculum, traditions, etc.

The door to the classroom will open each morning at 8:30 sharp, and students should line up patiently outside the door and wait to be invited in by teachers when they hear the gong that ends before-school recess. Students should pack a healthy snack for themselves each day, and either sign up for hot lunch or bring their own. They should also come to school each day with a sense of their after-school plans. We celebrate birthdays in Cerrito Creek by sharing memories, showing photographs, giving appreciations, and eating yummy treats. I will give more details on the classroom blog in the first weeks of school, but please do let me know if you have a birthday in early September so I can prepare you.

Lastly, let me share my excitement about all the learning that will happen this year. Students will read, write, draw, sing, dance, and perform the understandings they develop in the course of the year. Look forward to digital portfolios this year, a first in Cerrito Creek, which will be student-created presentations that reflect their ongoing learning and serve to deepen parents’ understandings of what is happening in the classroom. We will study the Westward Movement in cultural studies – Lewis and Clark (and Sacagawea!) and the Oregon Trail. We will study botany, zoology, anatomy, and chemistry in science. We will take a number of field trips in which we strive to inspire curiosity, deepen understandings, gain hands-on experience of ideas and skills we have been studying. Students and parents can keep up with each day’s learning experiences, download homework assignments, and check the class calendar on the classroom blog at cerritocreekblog.blogspot.com.

Keep enjoying your summer and I hope to see you at the potluck in a few short weeks.

Warmly,
Mike Sinclaire