Weibel Newsletter
45135 South Grimmer Blvd., Fremont CA 94539
(510) 651-6958
FAX (510) 651-6653
http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/weibel
Volume XXVII, Article 6
Catherine Strommen, Principal
~
Dora Vasquez, Secretary
Principal’s Message
Dates to Remember
February 10
4th Grade in-house field trip (Tuolumne)
8:30 GATE Make-ups—Room 111
7:00 PM PTO Meeting—MUR
February 11
4th Grade in-house field trip (Tuolumne)
February 13
Kindergarten Seasonal Rotations MUR
7:30-12 Room 24PM Valentine Celebration—
Room 1
February 16
NO SCHOOL—Presidents’ Day
February 17
Field Trip to Levi Stadium Rooms 7&8
3:00 Basketball @ CSD
February 19
8:30-2:50 F/T Levi Stadium Rooms 9, 22
February 20
Basketball Tournament @ CSD
February 21
(Saturday) Basketball Tournament @CSD
February 23
Vision and Hearing--Library
February 24
3:00 SSC
February 25
7:30 AM-6:30 PM F/T to Sacramento (4th Grade)
February 27
5th Grade Business Day
F/T to Math Science Nucleus Rooms 20, 21
Dear Weibel Community,
Congratulations to Timothy B., winner of the FUSD
Spelling Bee! Timothy moves on to compete at the
county level on March 14.
Timothy’s win also means that Weibel School will
host the 2016 District Spelling Bee. Look for more
information next September when we begin
planning with District officials.
Traffic Safety: I have been working with Fremont
Police Department regarding our pick up and drop
off procedures. We were advised that the stop signs
at the Valet exit are not compliant with city
ordinances. For this reason, those signs have been
removed. To ease traffic flow, we will allow a right
turn only. I know this is a huge change and an
inconvenience, but it is for the safety of all and also
to respect the needs of our neighbors in the Weibel
neighborhood. Please do your best to comply with
our new plan. A notice will go home in the
Wednesday folders on February 18.
Media Violence: Please read the article by our
School Psychologist, Keri Smith. See why the
American The American Academy of Pediatrics
suggests that parents should limit television to 1-2
and that parents monitor TV viewing and video
game playing. See her report and suggestions in
this this newsletter.
Catherine Strommen
Principal
~
February 2015
Tammi Viegas, Office Assistant
Common Core Corner
Focus on Oral Language
Children say the most amazing
things! My three-year old-grandson, Oliver, ran
into the kitchen with a lima bean to tell me, “I just
realized I left one counting bean in the playroom.”
There is a complexity in his thinking that
demonstrates so much understanding: the beans
have a function, we have rules about where things
go, that we can correct our actions, and that he is
comfortable with self-critique. A strategy that
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(continued)
develops critical thinking is using oral language.
Promoting children’s oral language, including the rich
vocabulary knowledge needed for academic success,
means much more than rote memorization and choral
repetition! Effective instruction to build up oral language
provides students with deep, language- and content-based
learning experiences that provide plenty of opportunities
for reading, writing, and meaningful discussion (Lesaux,
2012).
Basketball Schedule
Here is the schedule for the upcoming basketball
season:
Feb. 5th @ Warm Springs
Feb. 17th @ CSD
Feb. 19th vs. Hirsch*
*These games are at Weibel
Hearing rich language is a
key to developing oral
language. By exposing
your child to high level
vocabulary and ideas as
well as correct grammar,
you are tapping into her
ability to comprehend
complex language. Don’t use a short word when a
long word will do—as long as context makes it
clear what the meaning is.
Feb. 20-21st
CSD
What percentage of a discussion in your home is
parent talk vs. child talk? Research suggests that a
70/30 ratio is most effective in many classroom
situations (in some classroom situations the ration
needs to be 90/10). Expect your child to speak in
complete sentences with plenty of detail. If you use
the 70/30 model, you can use your 30% to prompt
your child to give more detail, description, or
reasons.
Keri Smith, School Psychologist
Being able to speak cogently and argue
convincingly is the precursor to being able to write
convincingly as well. Socrates, one of the world’s
greatest teachers, based his instruction on asking
difficult open-ended questions that cause the student
to think. By challenging your child to support his
opinions with known facts, you stretch his ability to
think critically about his own opinions. By asking
your child to evaluate someone else’s ideas give her
practice in thinking critically about the opinions of
others.
The following article is focused on English
Learners, but it applies to all children who are
sharpening their communication skills:
http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E4AE4518-BA8A-42E1-89C6844A95C7B148/0/OralLanguageUnpackedLesauxandRussHarrisBrief_102114.pdf
Season Ending Tournament @
Contest
Young Composers
Wednesday, February 18 by 3 PM.
From Our Psychologist
The Effect of Media Violence on
Children and Adolescents
As your school psychologist, and as a mother
myself, I know how difficult it can be to regulate
the amount of time our children
spend on devices, including T.V.,
video games, and apps, not to
mention monitoring the content. It
can be a full time job! I wanted to
offer some tips for this, as well as
reasons why it is a good idea to regulate the content
our elementary aged children are exposed to.
 A study funded by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has established a
conclusive link between exposure to media
violence and adolescents’ violent behavior
and general aggression (Boxer et al., 2009).
 Boys who view violent television
programming at ages two to five years are
at increased risk for antisocial behavior at
ages seven to 10 years (Christakis &Zimmerman,
2007).
 “At this time, well over 1000 studies–
including reports from the Surgeon
General's office, the National Institute of
Mental Health, and numerous studies
conducted by leading figures within our
medical and public health organizations–
our own members–point overwhelmingly to
a causal connection between media
violence and aggressive behavior in some
.
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.
(continued)
children. The conclusion of the public
health community, based on over 30 years
of research, is that viewing entertainment
violence can lead to increases in aggressive
attitudes, values and behavior, particularly
in children” (Joint Statement on the Impact of
Entertainment Violence on Children, Congressional Public
Health Summit, 2000).
 There is consistent evidence that violent
imagery on television and in other media
increases the likelihood of aggressive or
fearful behavior in younger children,
especially in boys (Browne & Hamilton-Giachritsis,
2005).
 Children and adolescents exhibiting
chronic, severe, aggressive behaviors are
exposed to more television and video game
violence than those not exhibiting such
behaviors, even when controlling for
intelligence, gender, and age (Kronenberger et al.,
2005).
How does media violence result in
aggressive behavior?
Some researchers have demonstrated that very
young children will imitate aggressive acts on TV in
their play with peers. Before age 4, children are
unable to distinguish between fact and fantasy and
may view violence as an ordinary occurrence. In
general, violence on television and in movies often
conveys a model of conflict resolution. It is
efficient, frequent, and inconsequential. Heroes are
violent, and, as such, are rewarded for their
behavior. They become role models for youth. It is
"cool" to carry an automatic weapon and use it to
knock off the "bad guys." The typical scenario of
using violence for a righteous cause may translate in
daily life into a justification for using violence to
retaliate against perceived victimizers. Hence,
vulnerable youth who have been victimized may be
tempted to use violent means to solve problems.
Unfortunately, there are few, if any, models of
nonviolent conflict resolution in the media.
Additionally, children who watch televised violence
are desensitized to it. They may come to see
violence as a fact of life and, over time, lose their
ability to empathize with both the victim and the
victimizer. Still another new source of violent
exposure is access to the Internet and video games.
There is also little research on the impact of violent
video games. We do know, however, that they are
extensive and have a role-modeling capacity. The
fact that the child gets to act out the violence, rather
than to be a passive observer, as when viewing
television or movies, is especially concerning to
experts.
What parents can do:
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
suggests that parents should limit television to 1-2
hours daily and watch programs with their children,
enabling them to address any objectionable material
seen. Additionally, Parents can protect their
children from potential harm from video games by
following a few commonsense strategies —
particularly if they are concerned that their children
might be vulnerable to the effects of violent content.
These simple precautions may help:
 Check the ESRB rating to better understand
what type of content a video game has.
 Play video games with children to better
understand the content, and how children
react. Ask your children how they feel about
what they observe in these video games,
television programs or movies. This is an
opportunity to share your feelings and grow
closer with your child.
 Place video consoles and computers in
common areas of the home, rather than in
children's bedrooms.
 Set limits on the amount of time youths can
play these games. The AAP recommends
two hours or less of total screen time per
day, including television, computers, and
video games.
 Encourage participation in sports or school
activities in which youths can interact with
peers in person rather than online.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board: The ESRB is a selfregulatory body established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital
Software Association (IDSA). The major video game manufacturers
created this board after concerned groups applied pressure over the
content of video games. The following are the rating symbols
currently in use, according to the ESRB Web site.
(continued)
Early Childhood (EC): Content should be suitable for children 3
years and older and contain no objectionable material.
Everyone (E): Content suitable for persons ages 6 and older. The
game may contain minimal violence and some "comic mischief."
Teen (T): Content suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Content is
more violent than (E) rating and contains mild or strong language,
and/or suggestive themes.
Mature (M): Content suitable for persons ages 17 and older.
Content definitely has more mature sexual themes, intense violence
and stronger language.
Adults Only (AO): Content suitable only for adults and may
contain graphic sex and/or violence. Adult Only products are not
intended for persons under the age of 18.
Rating Pending (RP): Game has been submitted to the ESRB and
is awaiting a final rating.
Resources: mediaviolence.org; commonsensemedia.org;
Best regards,
Spanish
“Las leyes federales y estatales requieren que los
distritos escolares publiquen en su sitio web los
informes de responsabilidad escolar para el público.
La información contenida en el Informe de
Responsabilidad Escolar se basa en los datos del
año anterior. Las fechas en el informe son de un
año atrás.
Nos complace en informarle que los Informes de
Responsabilidad Escolar (SARC por sus siglas en
inglés) de nuestro distrito están disponibles en
inglés, español y/o chino, tal como corresponda.
Usted puede consultar los Informes SARC en el
sitio web del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Fremont
en http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us bajo Parents &
Students o puede visitar su escuela. Para contestar
cualquier pregunta sobre el SARC, tenemos
personal específico disponible en cada escuela.
Keri Smith, Ed.S
School Psychologist
Weibel Elementary School
kerismith@fremont.k12.ca.us
Para mayor información sobre los requerimientos
del SARC, consulte el sitio web del Departamento
de Educación de California (CDE por sus siglas en
inglés) http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/.”
Program Improvement Notices
Chinese
English
"Federal and state laws require school districts to
make accountability reports available to the public
online. Accountability report information is based
on data and information from the previous
year. Dates will run one year behind.
We are pleased to inform you that our district's
School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) are
available in English, Spanish, and/or Chinese, as
required. You may view the SARCs on the Fremont
Unified School District web site at
http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us under Parents &
Students, or by visiting your school office. To
answer any questions regarding the SARCs, there
are designated personnel available at each school
site.
For more information about SARC requirements,
see the California Department of Education
(CDE) SARC web page at
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/.
聯邦和加州法律規定各學區必須將其教學責任報
告在網路上公開發佈。教學責任報告是依據前一
年的資訊和數據而產生的，所以報告日期將會比
數據日期晚一年。
我們很高興地通知您，我們學區的學校教學責任
報告(School Accountability Report Cards, SARC)
依規定有英文，西班牙文和/或中文版本。您可
以到 Fremont 聯合學區的網站
(http://www.fremont.k12.ca.us)，點選“Parents &
Students”，或到貴校辦公室閱覽此報告。
各校都有特別人員為您解答任何有關學校教學責
任報告的問題。
有關學校教學責任報告的規定，可參考加州教育
局(CDE)的學校教學責任報告網站
(http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/)。