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| Month at a Glance: |
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Wed, Feb 8
8:30am & 6:30pm
Habit #4 Parent Training (see article)
Fri, Feb 10
8:45am
OCLM Tour (see article)
Fri, Feb 10
Artwork for SCOPE Fundraiser Due
Fri, Feb 10
6pm
Barnes & Noble Read Alound Night
(see article)
Mon, Feb 13
3pm
SCOPE Meeting
Tues, Feb 14
8:45am
OCLM Tour (see article)
Tues, Feb 14
3pm
PFA Meeting
Wed, Feb 15
Topper's Pizza Restaurant Fundraiser
Fri, Feb 17
& Mon, Feb 20
No School (President'sDay Holiday)
Thurs, Feb 23
8:45am
OCLM Tour (see article)
Thurs, Feb 23
Time
Conejo MATH night
Wed, Feb 29
Leap Year!
Fri, Mar 2
8:45am
OCLM Tour (see article)
Mon, Feb 13
3pm
SCOPE Meeting
Thurs, Mar 1
10am-9pm
Jersey Mike's Restaurant Fundraiser
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| 'Coffee with Dena' |
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Join our principal, Dr. Dena Sellers, and other Conejo & OCLM families to ask questions and learn more about the great things happening at our school!
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Tuesday mornings
Feb 7, 21, 28
8:20 - 9:15am
PRC Room 26
(No coffee on Feb 14th)
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SCOPE
Art Fundraiser
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This year's art fundraiser is with Silvergraphics. The products are similar, but the process for ordering has changed.
The students have already completed artwork in class especially for the fundraiser. If you want to preview the products, you can visit
To submit additional artwork, please put your child's first and last name and room number on the back and put it in the SCOPE box in the office by this Friday, Feb. 10.
Order forms will be sent home in early March. You will receive a separate order form for each piece of artwork submitted for your child.
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Restaurant
DAYS and NIGHTS
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Support Conejo PFA at these upcoming Restaurant Fundraisers:
Topper's Pizza
Wed, Feb 15, 2012
Jersey Mike's Subs
Thurs, Mar 1, 2012
10am-9pm
75% of proceeds from restaurant fundraisers support Conejo Elementary's Art and Music Programs and 25% of proceeds support SCOPE.
Thank you for your support!
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Conejo Math Night
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Join us for a fun evening full of Math at Conejo!
Thurs, Feb 23rd
MPR
Bring the whole family and come early for dinner -- our PFA will be selling hotdogs.
Conejo+Math=FUN
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OCLM
Classroom Clean Up
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The date for this year's Classroom Clean Up is
Sat, Mar 10
10am -12pm
It's not a surprise this year for the teachers. In fact, they are prepping their rooms to make the most of it. Please Click here to sign up to help in your child's classroom. We are in the process of getting the cleaning supplies donated again.
What a great way to show appreciation for our teachers and help them provide clean rooms for our kids.
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DANCE-A-THON
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This year our
Conejo Jog-a-Thon is a
DANCE-A-THON!
The Dance-a-Thon is scheduled for
Wed, April 18
It is our biggest fundraiser of the year supporting our Art and Music programs.
Please contact Wendy Grosmann if you would like to join the planning team!
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| www.OCLM.net |
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Same website, easier new web address. Check it out! Visit it often for the latest on school events and classroom news.
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| Thank you again to Rebecca Caveny for the wonderful photos of our students in action! |
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Our Leaderboard would not be the same without them!
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| 2011/2012 Volume 7 |
February 6, 2012 |
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Dear John,
At OCLM, we are in the business of being open. And, hopefully, that means that we are also open to new ideas. We are doing many positive things that other schools aren't, and not doing many of the not-so-positive things that other schools are.
Experts like Alfie Kohn validate us and add fuel to the fire of many of our projects, but they also open our eyes to possibilities that we hadn't imagined. Particularly at a school like OCLM, there is always more to learn if we want to ensure that our school thrives and continues to offer the best for our students.
Thank you all for your part in making OCLM an ever-evolving, ever-exciting place to be! Invite someone to see OCLM in action (see tour dates below), and they may thank you, too!
SCOPE Newsletter Committee
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Barnes & Noble Read Aloud Nights Begin
Friday, February 10
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Continuing the fun of summer's Jammy Nights, each month beginning on Friday, February 10 at 6pm, OCLM families will meet at Barnes & Noble in Westlake Village for Read Aloud Nights. Our older students from Ms. Heather's 4/5 class have written their own stories and will be reading them to our younger K-3 students. This is an exciting, new way for our kids to share their creative talents and mentor each other. It will be a fun night to look forward to each month. See the dates below, which fall on the second Friday of each month, and mark your calendars. Be sure to bring your kids and invite a friend if they are interested in OCLM and want to see our community in action.
February 10 at 6pm
March 9 at 6pm
April 13 at 6pm
May 18 at 6pm
Barnes & Noble is located in the Westlake Village Promenade at Westlake and Thousand Oaks Blvds. See you there on the second Friday of each month for Read Aloud Nights!
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Habit #4 Training for Parents: This Wednesday, February 8
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Looking forward to Habit #4: Think Win-Win!
With our personal responsibilities in gear, and our priorities in line, we are now ready to begin thinking of our interdependence with others. Habits 4-6 help us work together and find solutions together.
What makes win-win possible is that we can compromise with others without compromising our values and priorities. This idea echoes what we heard Alfie Kohn speak on last month. If competition guides us and winning is our goal, we lose out on the possibilities of true excellence that come from collaboration and synergy (Habit #6).
If we approach each situation with the goal of win-win, we are taking others ideas into consideration--listening to their concerns, respecting their values--and letting go of the idea that to win ourselves means someone else has to lose. Or, to take it a step further, that when someone else wins, we still have a reason to celebrate!
Join Dr. Sellers this Wednesday, February 8, at 8:30am or 6:30pm for the Parent Training on Habit #4 to learn more. We hope to see you there! Refreshments will be served.
You can also visit www.theleaderinme.org anytime for information on the 7 Habits and resources for sharing them with your family.
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Alfie Kohn Challenges Parents and Educators to Rethink Achievement
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Renowned author, speaker and education leader, Alfie Kohn, spoke last month to an enthusiastic crowd of parents, teachers and administrators. He began by asking what we want most for our students and kids--what we hope they become after their years in school. Passionate, life-long learners, confident and compassionate is what we heard from the attendees. Kohn then challenged us to redefine success for our kids based on these traits, and to teach them to collaborate rather than compete. He also said that the best schools and teachers emphasize learning rather than grades, which are extrinsic motivators (rewards and punishments), and replace the natural, intrinsic motivation to learn.
Many of Alfie Kohn's "controversial" ideas didn't seem so controversial to those of us from OCLM! He received a warm welcome on campus from both parents and teachers when he stopped by the following day for a brief visit to observe our classrooms.
 Thank you to Dr. Sellers, John DeRoy and the Conejo Schools Foundation for bringing Alfie Kohn to Thousand Oaks. We are also thankful to Dr. Sellers for encouraging our teachers to be there. If you missed his presentation, you can visit his website at alfiekohn.org for a list of his books, free essays and other resources.
Click here for a recent article from the Washington Post that quotes Alfie Kohn on the subject of praise and rewards.
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| Campus Tours and School Choice Info |
School Choice applications are available now at all schools, the District Office and www.conejo.k12.ca.us, and should be submitted by March 1. The applications are only for new students to OCLM. If your child is already attending OCLM, you do not need to re-enroll for next year through school choice.
Campus tours are coming up, so you can invite someone you know to learn more about our school! All tours begin at 8:45am.
Friday, February 10
Tuesday, February 14
Thursday, February 23
Friday, March 2
And, don't forget to forward your Leaderboard newsletter to spread the word about OCLM. Use the link at the bottom of this page to forward this email.
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OCLM's Sensory Program Helps Students Focus and Learn Better
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At OCLM, we are focused on the whole child--which includes making sure the physical sensory needs of students are met.
 The program is based on sensory integration or how the body and brain work together to make sense of the world around us.
To provide sensory input for students, the program uses simple sensory solutions such as bumpy seat cushions, weighted stuffed animals for laps, full class stretches and Total Physical Response (TPR) strategies. This helps children with different needs be calm and maintain focus during lessons, which creates a better learning environment for everyone.
 The Sensory Program also helps our students Sharpen the Saw (Habit #7) by taking care of their body, mind and spirit. Part of this habit is knowing when you need a break or when your body needs a change. You can see this in action when students realize independently that they need to walk the labyrinth on campus or hold a "fidget" in their hands or use other tools to focus.
Thank you to OCLM parents, Paula Migliaccio and Deneen Cienfuegos, and Dr. Sellers for their insight on this need, and hard work in bringing this program to OCLM!
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| Ms. Heather's 4/5 Class Takes on Tall Ships |
  OCLM's 4/5 students and many of their parents braved the high seas on a January 27 field trip to the Tall Ships in Ventura Harbor. Ms. Heather said that her intention was to give students a hands-on experience of what life would be like for those traveling to California by ship and felt that the students gained an appreciation for their sacrifices on the trip. As well as experiencing a bit of the harsh lifestyle of a sailor! |
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| Leaderboard Online Submissions |
Part of being involved in our children's education is keeping up with the latest news at school. The Leaderboard is designed for sharing information within our OCLM community, such as meeting times, volunteer opportunities, announcements, event photos, tools, links and anything else related to OCLM. We want to hear from you!
Look for the next edition of the Leaderboard in your inbox on Monday, March 5, 2012, and please submit news by Wednesday, February 29.
Suzanne Luce Kelly Gutierrez
rsluce@yahoo.com kdbgutierrez@yahoo.com
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