Vinci Park School
Berryessa Union School District
The Vinci Park Explorer
1311 Vinci Park Way, San Jose, CA 95131; (408) 923-1970; fax (408) 254-3790
http://www.berryessa.k12.ca.us/vinci/site/
Dr. Sandra Jewett, Principal – sjewett@busd.net
Will Ector, Jr., Superintendent
Trong trường hợp yêu cầu, bản tin này có thể được dịch sang tiếng Tây Ban Nha, Tiếng Việt, Tiếng Trung Hoa và Tiếng Phi. Quí vị có
thể gọi số 923-1903 và sẽ có người nói Tiếng Việt gọi lại nói chuyện với quí vị về bản tin này để quí vị biết điều gě đang xảy ra tại
trường học.
Esta información puede ser solicitada para ser traducida en español, vietnames, mandarin, cantonese y tagalo, Español: 923-1902.
Alguien le llamara para que usted pueda saber que esta pasando en su escuela.
“Our mission is to ensure that all students have the skills necessary to reach high levels of academic achievement,
respect self and others, and become lifelong learners.”
MAY 2012
Anh Vu
Lilian Tai
Ann Marie Macayan
Liza Padilla
Bachmai Pham
Lizamarie Cachola
Barbara Din
Loan Nguyen
Becky Reed
Loreto Tualla
Brian Clark
Louis Suzuki
Brian Nguyen
Lucy Licea
Candelaria Segura
Lydia Perez
Carla Zapien
Maria Barragan
Cecille Batoon
Maria Nelson
Charles Williams
Marian Reager
Chi Mai
Marilou Cornell
Christine Le
Mary Vasquez
Christine Torres
Marygrace Tabias
Chuck Posten
Melanie Nguyen
Cindy Freese
Michael Mullen
Damien Antes
Michelle Balgos
Danette Garcia
Michelle Medina
Daphne Williams
Mildred Stojanor
Diana Antes
Milicent Williams
Don Tran
Mrs. Ton
Speaking of student success, at our May
PTA
meeting. This will be the last session for this year. I
encourage you to attend. It is a great opportunity to
learn more about how to support your child’s success.
Donna Scott
Ms. Ashimi
Dulce Valencia
Myra Saludares
Ed Beci
Natalie Tran
Edgar Chattmon
Opal Mullen
I would also like to personally thank our wonderful
parent volunteers for taking time from their busy
schedules, to make a difference in the lives of all of our
students. They will be honored on Thursday, May 24th.
Below is a partial list of our dedicated parent volunteers.
Thank you all!
Edith Comilang
Pat Lundy
Ele Bernardino
Priscilla Ross
Emma Navasca
Quyen Nguyen
Gene Balgos
Quynh Bui
Georgina Patterson
Rachelle Laguna
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Dear Vinci Park Families:
Happy Spring!
As you may remember, our State Testing week will be
held from April 30th-May 11th for grades 2nd -5th. The
purpose of the State mandated Standardized Testing and
Reporting (STAR) Program is to measure how well
students are achieving in relation to the California
Content Standards for each subject area tested. The
results of the STAR test provide us with valuable
information about the academic achievement of our
students. Hence, in an effort to ensure that your child’s
progress and achievement is reflected in our school, we
need your help in the following:
 Please ensure that your child attends school
every day
 Please do not schedule any appointments prior
to noon
 Have your child gets a good night’s rest, at least
8 ½ hours/night
 Have your child have a healthy breakfast before
coming to school.
We appreciate your support in ensuring that your
children perform at their best!
14th
Aileen Exconde
Kevin Din
Gernie Libozada
Richard Martinez
Aki Javier
Kia Cadiz
Gloria Martinez
Robyn Shearin
Alexandar Krider
Kieu Pham
Guadalupe Calva
Rodney Holland
Alicia Valencia
Komar Chan
Hanh Pham
Rose Beckrest
Amelia Delossantos
Lan Huong Dang
Hanny Bongso
Rose Beckrest
Angela Leon
Laurie Anderson
Heather Solis
Angelina Stafford
Lawrence Crawford
Hiep Le
Rosie Jean Sarceda
Rowena Libozada
Huy Tran
Roxana Chavez
Isabel Lopez
Roxy Chavez
James Krider
Russ Rino
Janet Johnson
Ruthie Godinez
Japeth Silvero
Sandy Lau
Jasmine Garcia
Sarah Cravy
Jean Sagisi
Seema Gupta
Jeanne Rudy
Sereyvuth Ouch
Jenny Smith
Shaun Smith
Jerry Garcia
Sheila Trias
Jessica Woodworth
Solandyi Davila
Jimmy Basto
Soledad Moreno
Jimmy Nguyen
Soma Chand
Jo Ann Snider
Sonnie Tu
Joe Ross
Suma Siev
Jorge Licea
Josh Cadiz
Sumana Veukatesh
Joyce Lee
Thanh Luc
Juanita Gonzalez
Thereza Chattmon
Julie Casas
Thi Vu
Julie Le
Tracy Tran
Julie Quinonez
Trang To
Julie Vu
Ut Huynh
Kate Gomes
Valerie Martinez
Kate Parisotto
Vivian Nguyen
Kathy Jones
Wanda Ismael
Kathy Sithiphone
Widodo Krisman
Keith Potthoff
Yolanda Chavez
Kendall Kono
Yolanda Yah
Kenny Chow
Yvonne Nguyen
Thai Binh
On a more personal note, I would like to also take this
opportunity to share that I will not be returning to Vinci
Park School next year. Be assured that my experience at
VPS has been a most rewarding one.
During my tenure, thanks to my wonderful staff, we
accomplished many firsts. We increased our API score
by 48 points, (the highest increase in our District);
achieved the federal year progress target; increased the
number of library books being read per year from 5,200
books to 22,301, (as of April 25th, 2012); increased our
parent participation; connected with your beautiful
children by having lunch with our Explorers on a weekly
basis; offered monthly Parent Coffees; facilitated Parent
Literacy Nights; sponsored parent workshops, and
doubled the size of our computer lab.
As you can imagine, I am very proud of the many things
that we have accomplished together. I am appreciative
of your support and your openness in partnering with us.
Our working together has certainly laid a strong
foundation towards our students’ academic and
developmental success. Though I will miss your children
very much, I hope our paths will cross once again.
As always, if I can be of any assistance, please do not
hesitate to call me. In the meantime, I look forward to
seeing you at our upcoming PTA meeting on Monday,
May 14th at 6:30 p.m. or at our Wine & Arts Festival on
Saturday, May 12th!
Thank you again for a most wonderful opportunity in
serving your children!
In partnership,
Dr. Sandra Jewett,
Principal
VINCI PARK SCHOOL CRITICAL POINTS
STATE MANDATED TESTING 4/30-5/11
The state mandated testing for grades
2nd-5th will take place from April 30th
through May 11th. MARK YOUR
CALENDAR NOW with these
important dates. There will be no
independent study contracts approved
during this testing period. The California Department of
Education provides printed parent guides containing samples
of the STAR Program released questions.
http://starsamplequestions.org/index.html
STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK 5/7-5/11
The week of May 7th is the official week to show
your appreciation for the wonderful job our
teachers and staff members do for
your children. We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated
and passionate group of teachers and staff.
If you are able to, please take the time to do something special
for your child’s teacher or a staff member. They serve your
children and you every day because they care deeply about what
they do and the lives of the students they touch. We appreciate
and are grateful for everything they do for Vinci Park School.
BERRYESSA ART & WINE FESTIVAL May 12th
Our annual Art & Wine Festival will be held at
the Berryessa Community Center on Saturday,
May 12th from 9 – 5. This is a great way to
support our music program while enjoying the
wine & beer tasting, great food, music,
activities, and all the wonderful gifts for sale.
RECYCLING CANS & PLASTIC BOTTLE 5/21-5/25
Send in your empty cans and bottles during
the week of May 21st – May 25th and help raise
funds for Vinci Park’s fifth grade science
camp. This is a quick and easy way to help
your school, so please send in those cans!
MOVIE NIGHT—Friday, May 18th
Please join us for another evening of good family fun, popcorn,
and movie watching on Friday, May 18th at 6:30 PM!
MORRILL PARENT ORIENTATION
On Tuesday, May 15th at 5:30 in the
school library, Morrill Middle School
will be having a 5th grade parent
orientation. If you live in the Morrill
attendance area, please take advantage
of this opportunity to learn more about
your child’s Middle School.
MEMORIAL DAY—NO SCHOOL 5/28
We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Memorial day week
end.
OLYMPICS May 30th-June 1st
From Wednesday, May 30th through Friday, June 1st, Vinci
Park School will be having our annual Olympics. Please
support your children and have some fun volunteering—send
back your volunteer slip when it comes home!
PUNTOS IMPORTANTES
1. Del 4/30 al 5/11, estaremos hacienda el examen del Estado
S.T.A.R. Durante este tiempo es importante que su
estudiante descanse bien cada noche y que coma un
desayuno nutritivo cada mañana. Por favor asegúrense de
que sus niños lleguen a tiempo a la escuela y que no
tengan citas de doctores durante el horario de clases.
2. Sábado 12 de mayo es el Festival de Artesanías y
Vino (Berryessa Art & Wine Festiva). ¡Vengan de
10:00 – 4:00 al centro comunitario de Berryessa
Community Center para un día de diversión familiar!
3. El lunes 21 de mayo, empezaremos nuestra última
campaña del año de recolección de latas y botellas
de plástico. Por favor guarde sus recipientes de
bebidas y envíenlos entre el 21 y el 25 de mayo.
2. NO HABRÁ CLASES el 28 de mayo. Disfruten del de
Día de Los Caídos (Memorial Day). Nos vemos el martes
29 de mayo.
ĐầuTrọng Điểm Của Cuộc Nhắn Tin
1) Từ ngày 1 đến ngày 11 Tháng Năm, chúng tôi sẽ có kỳ thi
kiểm tra S.T.A.R của tiểu bang. Thời gian trong kỳ thi này, điều
quan trọng là cho con em quí vị phải được nghĩ ngơi, đi ngũ
sớm mỗi đêm, và ăn điểm tâm mỗi buổi sáng. Hãy chắc chắn
rằng con em quí vị được đến trường đúng giờ, và đừng nên có
hẹn với bác sĩ trong thời gian học.
2) Thứ Bảy, ngày 12 Tháng năm là ngày Berryessa Nghệ Thuật
và Rượu Nho (Berryessa Art & Wine) hàng năm của chúng tôi.
Hãy tham dự cùng chúng tôi từ 10:00 sáng - 4:00 chiều tại
trung tâm cộng đồng Berryessa (Berryessa Cummunity Center)
một ngày vui vẽ cùng gia đìng.
3) Vào ngày Thứ Hai, ngày 21 Tháng Năm, Chúng tôi sẽ bắt
đầu và cũng là ngày cuối cùng để thâu lon tái dụng (aluminum
can) và chai nhựa (plastic bottle) của năm. Vui lòng giữ lại
những chai uống đó và mang đến bất kỳ ngày nào trong giữa
thời gian từ ngày 21 đến 25 Tháng Năm.
4) Không có lớp Thứ Hai ngày 28 Tháng Năm. Chúc quí vị
có một ngày Tưởng Niệm (Memorial Day) tuyệt vời. Hẹn gặp
lại vào ngày Thứ Ba ngày 29 Tháng Năm.
CITIZENS OF THE MONTH – APRIL
Gr.
Teacher
Rm
K
K
K
K
K
1st
1st
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
2nd
2nd
2nd/3rd
3rd
3rd
3rd
3rd
4th
4th
4th
5th
5th
5th
5th
Mrs. Carr
Mrs. Emoto
Mrs. Hashimoto
Mrs. Katsuyama
Mrs. DuBose
Mrs. Pitts
Mrs. Escobar-Ausman
Miss Tanaka
Mrs. Trowell
Mrs. Kirby
Miss Kong
Mrs. Plaza
Miss Salvador
Mrs. Wong
Ms. Dela Paz
Ms. Finkas
Mrs. Huynh
Mrs. Jenzen
Mrs. Nguyen
Mrs. Patterson
Mrs. Stone
Ms. Fujikawa
3
2
7
1
6
5
12
8
15
13
17
16
14
21
27
19
26
20
28
24
29
23
Citizen of the
Month
Kaleigh C.
Irvin N.
Prestin K.
Kianna S.
Maylani M.
Tyler P.
Kayla T.
Sanya A.
Patrick B.
Abigail W.
Mark A.
Ryan T.
Charlise L.
Stephen A.
Karl M.
Quang L.
Zachary I.
Nadine S.
Jaimie T.
Jeffrey L.
Nghi N.
Tiana C.
Mr. Kato
Mrs. Nakano
Ms. Tsoi
30
25
31
Sam H.
Winnie X.
Vanessa H.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
“Thank You, Mr. Falker”, by Patricia Polacco, is our Book of the
Month for May. This is an autobiographical story and a
personal song of thanks and praise to teachers like Mr. Falker,
who quietly but surely change the lives of the children they
teach.
SPELL-A-THON
We would like to thank all our dedicated parents for their
donations to our March Spell-a-Thon. Thanks to your
generosity, the Vinci Park PTA was able to raise $3850.00! As
always, the money the PTA raises during our school fundraisers
is used to enhance all our students’ educational experience.
FAMILY FUN NIGHT
We wanted to thank everyone who volunteered, donated, and
participated in our Family Fun Night last week. Thanks to your
generous contributions the PTA raised $4200.00! It was
another fun and successful family event.
Thank you from the Berryessa Education Foundation
The Berryessa Education Foundation would like to thank the
principals, school site staff members and participating families
that made our 2012 Raffle to Make a Difference a huge success.
We appreciate school staff members taking the time to process
ticket orders and promoting the many valuable prizes to our
community. We made nearly $32,000, which is $ 6,000 more
than last year! We wish also to thank our Superintendent, Will
Ector, our BUSD Board members, and San Jose
Councilmember Kansen Chu for their very generous prize
donations! Thank you also to the many Berryessa businesses
that generously donated the abundance of amazing prizes. The
Berryessa Education Foundation provides grants to BUSD
teachers. Grant applications and guidelines are available on
the “insider” portion of the BUSD website….teachers apply
now!
CLASS PLACEMENT POLICY
As professional educators, we take great effort in the
development of our class rosters. We take into account the
needs of individual children and the ways they relate to various
teaching styles. We know which children work well together
and those that do not. Each class is balanced as much as
possible with an equal number of boys and girls with a range of
academic ability levels. We are careful not to place too many
children with behavioral challenges in a single classroom. We
consider the best learning situation for all of our children and
we make these decisions very carefully. The principal, along
with teachers’ input, makes classroom assignments. The
following guidelines are used:

Classes are balanced in terms of gender, abilities and
behavior.

Students in special programs, such as RSP/SDC or ELD,
may be clustered to maximize in class support from
resource teachers and/or instructional aides.

Parents are encouraged to visit classrooms at Open House
to become familiar with what is happening in the
classrooms. Observation in individual classrooms during
instructional time is discouraged, and will occur only after
meeting with the principal.

COMBO CLASSES – Why do we have combination
classes? Multi-grade classrooms, otherwise known as
combination classrooms, are formed out of necessity.
Often, student enrollment in residential public schools
does not always fit into the scheme of having straight
classes. Every year, we do our very best to fill classes
based on projections and past year experience to create the
best scenario for our students. It doesn’t always work.
This common scenario and budget constraints requires us
to create combination classes. When this happens, we
apply the same placement process as we would for putting
together a straight class.

All classroom assignments will be posted in the school
window after 4:00 PM on Friday, August 19th. School will
start on Monday, August 22nd at 8:10.
YEARBOOK ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!!!
Vinci Park Yearbooks are being
sold for the 2011-12 school year.
The yearbooks cost $20.00 each
and will be delivered in June of
2011. Check with our school
office if you need an order form.
2012-2013 ENROLLMENT
Enrollment packets are now available at all school sites, on the
district web page (www.berryessa.k12.ca.us), and at the
Berryessa Union School District Office at 1376 Piedmont Rd,
San Jose.
Please be sure to bring ALL of the following documents with
you when you enroll, since only completed enrollment
packages will be accepted. If your packet is incomplete you will
be required to return at a later date to finalize the registration,
so please be sure to bring the following documents:
 Student’s original Birth Certificate
 Student’s original immunization record
 Parent’s photo I.D.
 Parent’s proof of residence:
a) A property tax bill or lease agreement and a
current PGE bill in parent’s name, or…
b) If you are living with another family, you will
need to bring the following documents:
1. A completed “Family Affidavit Form”
(available at the school sites)
2. The property tax bill or lease agreement of the
owner/renter of property and their current
PG&E bill.
3. A government document in your name at this
address.
4. A bill in your name at this address.
Regular daytime Enrollment Information
Date
Time
Place
April 16 to June 15 9:00 – 1:00
Vinci Park
From August 6th on 9:00 – 1:00
Vinci Park
New student Intra District Transfer Request Forms
for the 2012-2013 school year will be accepted from
March 7, 2012 to April 16, 2012
Families that have successfully completed the enrollment
process and wish to have their child attend a school other than
their resident home school may submit an “Intra District
Transfer Request Form” at the time that they submit their
completed 2012-2013 Student Enrollment packet. The Intra
District Transfer Request Form will also be accepted at the
District Office in the Education Services Department until April
16, with proof of a completed Student Enrollment packet.
 After April 27, the Education Services Department shall
conduct a separate second lottery to determine placement
on a waiting list of all transfer requests of Kindergarten
and new students enrolling for the 2012-2013 school year.
In May, families will be notified by mail of their waiting
list number.
Currently enrolled student Intra District Transfer
Requests Forms for the 2012-2013 school year
will be accepted from January 3 to February 17, 2012
 After February 17, the Education Services Department
shall conduct a lottery to determine placement on a
waiting list of all transfer requests. In March, families will
be notified by mail of their waiting list number.
Intra District Transfer Request Forms that are submitted after
the deadlines of February 17 (for currently enrolled students)
and April 27 (for newly enrolled students), will not be included
in the lotteries and will receive the next waiting list number in
the order that the Intra District Transfer Request Form is
submitted.
Beginning in May 2012, families who have submitted an Intra
District Transfer Request Form and have been given a waiting
list number will be notified, only if their transfer has been
approved, based on space availability.
New Kindergarten Age Requirements for 2012-13
In 2010 the state legislature passed SB1381 which amended the
California Education code related to the age requirements for
Kindergarten and 1st grade students. The purpose is to move
the Kindergarten age requirements back to September 1st over
a period of time. This change also affects the age 6
requirements for first grade students. The legislation requires
that, for the next three years, in order for a district to receive
funding for a child’s enrollment in Kindergarten, the child
must turn 5 on or before the following dates:
For the 2012-13 school year: A child must turn 5
on or before November 1, 2012.
For the 2013-14 school year: A child must turn 5
on or before October 1, 2013.
For the 2014-15 school year and each year
thereafter: A child must turn 5 on or
before September 1, 2014.
SB1381 also requires that districts offer a Transitional
Kindergarten program for students whose birthday falls
between the new date and December 2nd of that school year.
Students whose birth date falls between the following dates for
the associated school year will be eligible to enroll in a
Transitional Kindergarten program at either Northwood or
Toyon Elementary schools and will receive priority for
registration purposes:
For the 2012-13 school year: Child turns 5
between November 2nd and December 2nd
2012.
For the 2013-14 school year: Child turns 5
between October 2nd and December 2nd
2013.
For the 2014-15 school year and each year
thereafter: Child turns 5 between
September 2nd and December 2nd 2014.
If you live within the boundaries of the Berryessa Union School
district and your child will turn 5 years old on or before
November 1, 2012, you may enroll them for Kindergarten for
the 2012-13 school year.
If your child will turn 5 years old between November 2 and
December 2, 2012, he/she is eligible to enroll in our new
Transitional Kindergarten program.
If you have questions about your child and the Kindergarten
enrollment, please call your school office at 408-923-1970 or
Education Services at 408-923-1828.
SCHOOL LUNCH CHANGES
Healthy Changes Underway…
In January 2012, President Obama signed a law
requiring new nutrition standards for meals served
under the National School Lunch Program. These
standards will go into effect starting July 2012.
These standards include:
□ No more than 1/3 of school lunch calories can come from fat;
less than 10% calories can come from saturated fat; no trans fat
□ School meals must meet strict calorie limits
□ A gradual reduction of sodium levels in school meals
□ Children are required to take at least one serving of
vegetables or fruit with every school lunch
□ Cafeterias must offer larger servings of vegetables, including
at least a weekly serving of dark green and red/orange
vegetables and legumes
□ Milk must be fat-free or 1% (flavored milk must be fat-free)
□ Within two years, all grains offered must be whole-grain rich
In the Berryessa Union School District, we have
already made progress toward meeting these new
nutrition standards. For example,
□ Our lunches average less than 1/3 calories from fat and 10%
calories from saturated fat. None of the food we serve or sell
contains trans fat or is fried.
□ Menus include more low fat, whole grain, and reduced
sodium items.
□ Weekly salad offerings include dark green and red/orange
vegetables and legumes. Many of our fresh produce choices
come from local farms. Traditional French fries and tater tots
have been replaced by baked oven fries, roasted potatoes,
baked sweet potato fries, whole grain breaded green beans, and
hot corn.
□ Milk choices are limited to 1% or fat-free, and are hormonefree.
Over the next few months, we will be building on the
progress we have made and planning our menus for
next school year to meet the new nutrition guidelines.
We will continue our commitment to serving only
foods that are high in quality and have been stored
and/or cooked according to food safety guidelines. All
Cafeteria staff receives training in food safety on a
regular basis. Our kitchens receive unannounced
inspections by our local health department at least
twice each year.
For questions or concerns, please contact:
Mari Fujikawa, M.S., R.D.
Director, Child Nutrition Services
408-923-1876
mari.fujikawa@busd.net
MONTHLY MEETINGS
PTA
Our next PTA meeting will be held on Monday, May 14 at
6:30pm.
Buổi họp kế tiếp cho PTA sẽ là vào ngày 14 thang 5,
6:30p.m.
Nuestra próxima junta del Club Escolar se llevará
acabo el 5/14 at 6:30p.m.
School Site Council
Our next School Site Council meeting will be held on May 1st at
6:30pm.
Buổi họp kế tiếp cho Hội Đồng Nhà Trường sẽ là vào
ngày 1 thang 5 6:30p.m.
Nuestra próxima junta del Concilio Escolar llevará
acabo el 5/1/12 at 6:30p.m.
BERRYESSA DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS
Location: 1376 Piedmont Rd. San Jose
Tuesdays @ 7p, Board Room
Dates: May 15th & June 5th
DATES TO REMEMBER
4/30-5/11
S.T.A.R. testing
May 1
Site Council Mtg. 6:30p
M ay 2
ABC Cornerstone Mtg. 6:30
M ay 4
Principal’s coffee @ 8:15a
May 7-11
Teacher Appreciation Week
May 14
PTA Mtg. 6:30p
May 18
Movie Night 6:30p
May 21-25
Aluminum Can Drive
May 28
NO SCHOOL—Memorial Day
5/30-6/1
Olympics
June 6
9:30 5th Grade Recognition
June 7
8:30-12:30 5th grade picnic-Flickinger
Last day of school--1:00 PM dismissal