School News

Please join us for a "meet and greet" with CA Senator Dave Cortese at our monthly virtual "Coffee with the Principals" from 9:00-10:00 AM.  CA State Senator Dave Cortese will join our meeting from 9:00-9:30 AM in an effort to introduce himself and also hear from our community.

Our school counselor, Leah Adams, will also be presenting at our parent meeting from 9:30-10:00 AM.  She will be talking about ways parents can help their child regulate their emotions.

Please sign up to join us using this link: https://forms.gle/7JNBbU6BfWHqcCpw9

The Zoom link for the meeting will be provided via email to those who sign up.  

In today’s world, peace needs to become more than just a word.  On September 21, 2021,  students took part in an international art and literacy project, Pinwheels for Peace, by “planting” pinwheels with messages of peace and tolerance around the school.

Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives.  In the first year, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on September 21st - there were approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning throughout the world. At last count, in 2019, over 4.5 million pinwheels were spinning in over 3,500 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and South America. In CUSD, pinwheels were "planted" at both Lynhaven School and Blackford School.  The pinwheels represent our students' hope for peace, and a kinder more tolerant world.

One of the core competencies we develop in each of our CUSD students is empathy.  By participating in the Pinhweels for Peace project, our students gain perspective about how they can influence change through intention, creativity and coming together as a community as a way to promote a message of tolerance and empathy for others.  Students designed and decorated their pinwheels with images they felt would convey those themes.  Students also wrote messages and key terms on their pinwheels in an effort to convey a message of hope, peace and tolerance.  As our pinwheels spin throughout the day, our students' messages go out into the world, spreading kindness, caring and love for all. 

Please stop by to see our pinwheels peacefully spinning around the school!  

We hope you will be able to join us for our "Back to School Night" event which will be held tonight (9/16/21).  Grades TK-2nd will be held from 6:00-6:45 PM, and Grades 3rd-5th will be held from 6:45-7:30 PM.  This year our event will be held virtually through Zoom.  Please check with your child's teacher if you have not yet received the Zoom link for your session with your child's teacher.  If you have questions regarding "Back to School Night," or if you need assistance accessing the Zoom link for your child's classroom Zoom session, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school office.  We are happy to help!  We look forward to seeing you virtually tonight at Blackford's Back to School Night!

This year our school theme is "Better Together" and together we know we can all make a difference in keeping our students, staff and each other safe.  In that spirit, we are asking  all parents and family members to please wear a mask when arriving on campus.  We ask that everyone wears a mask when they exit their vehicle and when they walk on to the front of campus, in the parking lot, and on school grounds, which includes the very front of the school before you enter the gates.

If you do not have a mask, we ask that you do not enter campus through the gates.  We do have adult masks in our front office, as well as student masks in case your child forgot their mask for the day.

Thank you for helping us keep students and staff safe by taking the extra precaution of wearing your mask in the parking lot, drop off zones, and front entrances of our school.