It Takes a Dino Village

"Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable." - George Patton


Practicing Preparedness
Over the past month, we at PHE had to practice the lifeskill of flexibility.  Our best laid plans had to frequently be adjusted due to unexpected events.  Earlier in October, PHE became the first school in our district to be affected by PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program.  I am very appreciative that we had forewarning which allowed our staff to plan and prepare for the possibility of going through a school day without power.  I am also very grateful for the quick thinking and adaptability displayed by our staff members.  They were able to quickly prepare and adjust their plans, while maintaining a calm presence, which undoubtedly helped students feel safe at school.

The very next week, a 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck less than two miles from our school.  Again, this event presented an opportunity for PHE to review safety protocols while we were preparing to participate in The Great Shakeout drill.  And again our staff maintained their composure as drill procedures were reviewed with students across our campus.

Lastly, our school was negatively impacted by several fires that were set on our campus and neighboring properties.  During this event, I positively saw our community pull together.  Parents and staff members were on heightened alert and kept the office informed of any suspicious activities that happened on our campus.  Our school also received an outpouring of support from our district office (including a visit from our superintendent), police, and fire departments to quickly locate the suspect and bring a sense of safety back to our campus.

The silver lining for me is that each of these events helped bring a higher level of awareness and preparedness to our students and staff for how to respond in case of emergency.  They helped tighten communications between our school and community support systems.  I am deeply touched by the show of community support we received during the month of October.

Learning Opportunities

October brought a flurry of amazing learning opportunities for our students.  The month began with the kindergarteners going on their first field trip to a pumpkin patch!  A group of our older students were able to put on two amazing performances with professional actors as they collaboratively performed with the SF Opera Guild.  Our STEAM Lab and Garden Labs have been operating in full swing, bringing students a wide-range of opportunities to explore and innovate from designing rockets and mars landers, to making pesto and (safely) exploding pumpkins!  Our students also participated in character assemblies including one that introduced Red Ribbon Week.  If you are interested in viewing a sample of the assembly presentations please click on Red Ribbon Week.


                                                                                    Community Time

We ended the month on a high note with Carnoween and Halloween celebrations.  After an action-packed month, it was so much fun to spend time with our Dino Families and community.  Carnoween had a great turn out this year with dancing, (low-tech) gaming, rock climbing, and haunted house fun.  I want to thank all of the PTA volunteers who worked feverishly behind the scenes to make this event such a huge success!  They deserve a huge "Dino Stomp" cheer (stomp, stomp, clap, clap, RAWR)!



The first Trimester ends this week, and we are ready to launch into Trimester 2.  I hope that everyone is able to enjoy some quality time with their families during Thanksgiving Break.  Here's to a wonderful month of November.

Upcoming Events:

• End of Trimester One 11/8 
• Multicultural Potluck - PTA Sponsored 11/8
• Veteran's Day Holiday 11/11
• Principal - Parent Coffee 11/12
• 5th Grade Camp 11/12 - 11/15
• Thanksgiving Break 11/25 - 11/29
• Helping Hands Food Drive - PTA Sponsored 12/2 - 12/17
• Parent Teacher Conferences 12/9 - 12/20
• Winter Break 12/23 - 1/6