August means school starts soon!

The countdown is on! We are open and getting ready to begin school on Monday August 27th. We are excited to see everyone again and welcome our new families and students. Again- please do let us know ASAP if your student is not attending this year. We have a very active waiting list and would like to be sure everyone can come to the first day of school. Thanks. Anyone who has expressed interest in summer work trade- now is the time. There are many area that need attending to, including the garden, the libraries, the kitchen, Sarah's classroom, Katie's classroom (formerly the Magic room), and the completion of our new aftercare space (formerly Katie's room). If you are not available during daytime hours please call or email and we can arrange access at your convenience. Speaking of Aftercare, this year Kindergarten will be released at 2:10 and there will be Kindergarten only aftercare available from 2:10-3:10. Regular aftercare will begin at 3:10 starting the first day of school. All families MUST pay down their aftercare bill in order to use the program in the fall. It has come to my attention that the reminder letters didn't go out with the final bills, so this is your reminder. If your balance is over $100 you must pay at least half of your bill and make immediate payment arrangements on the first day of school. We cannot carry large balances- our budget and our district will not allow it. Please read your aftercare contracts carefully. And for those of you who have dutifully made monthly payments- we sincerely thank you. Another update to note is that, due to budget cuts, we will have some unfortunate reductions in our supplementary staff hours. This means that parent volunteerism will be more important than ever to keep things running day to day. There will be a list of volunteer jobs available on the first day of school and we ask everyone to commit a minimum of 2 hours a month to Trillium. For working families there are many options that are flexible and can even happen from your home. We are working on additional aftercare discounts for families that will sign a monthly commitment agreement. Look for details in your paperwork packet on the first day of school. Lastly, the first day of school will include our annual meet & greet lunch potluck. Families are invited to join us for lunch at 12:45. Paperwork packets will be available for pick up and staff members will be here to answer any questions. We hope you can join us.

Summertime

Hi everyone! It's summer and hopefully everyone is enjoying all this lovely weather. We had such a great school end of the year trip this year! Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a joy to camp together! If you didn't make it this year we sure hope you will think ahead for next year's trip. Please look for your final aftercare and/or lunch bills in the mail. Depending on your aftercare account status, there may be an important letter attached to your bill for you to read. If your bill is less than $50 you will only receive a bill. If you're bill is more than $50 but you have been making regular payments throughout the school year yours is just a reminder to pay down your account before school begins. *If your bill is more than $50 and you have not been making regular payments or have violated a previously signed payment agreement- please read your letter carefully. You will not have access to aftercare until payments have been brought to current status. If you have interest in a possible work trade for some of your bill please email us at trilliumcs@gmail.com. There are many projects happening over the summer and we need people power. PLease include your phone number in the email. Thanks! The front bulletin board at the school has information about summer activities, including camps, family events and free lunch sites for kids. Come check it out. The office will be closed for regular hours from July 2-August 13, however we will be checking mail, messages, emails and such. You can certainly contact us if needed. If for any reason you are not sending your child to Trillium in the fall- PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP. We have quite a long waiting list for Sarah's class and only one opening in Aly's class. It is so difficult for students to miss the first day of school, so please let us fill a space if you are not going to use it. Thank you. Some changes for next year: Kindergarden will be dismissed at 2:00. There will be K aftercare beginning at that time. Katie is moving into the former Magic Room and Aftercare is moving in to Katie's room. (This is one of the projects that could use people power.) Budget cuts are hitting all the school hard. Due to reductions in supplementary staff time we will be asking for 2 hours a month of volunteer time from each family. This does not have to be during school hours- there are plenty of behind the scenes jobs that make a huge difference. As always, financial contributions are accepted if your time is unavailable. School will begin on August 27 at 9:00 sharp! As usual, we will host a family potluck lunch that day from 1:00 - 3:00 for families to meet and greet, tour classrooms, hear about exciting events and fill out required paperwork. We hope you will be able to join us. Have a great summer!

Welcome back from Spring Break!
Hopefully everyone stayed dry and had some enjoyable family time.

Many thanks to the dedicated Trillium gardeners who did it again!
Check out the yard- it looks wonderful.

We are now in the final stretch of the year- only 9 weeks left.
We have a lot going on in these final weeks so please read the front board,
check your parent box, and read the blog and the website to stay informed.

Here is a preview:

Next week:
Monday 4/23: Steering Committee meeting 6:00
Thursday 4/26: School Spelling Bee 2:00-3:00
Friday 4/27: 3-5 grade field trip 10:30-2:30
This field trip will need parents to drive to the Natural History Museum in Arcata for a presentation,
then on to Redwood Park for lunch and forest explorations. Please sign up in the kitchen.

May 8-16: STAR Testing for 2-5 graders

Thank you so much to parents- we have had 100% participation for 6 years in a row and it has really helped our school.

This year we are hoping to increase our scores and continue to show the skeptics that charter school kids
are learning just like all students in California.

STAR Test week is always fun- believe it or not- filled with special activities & snacks.
If you could volunteer to make a healthy snack or a treat on any day we would love it.
Look for sign ups in the kitchen next week.

The popular vote from our parent meeting was YES- families want the End of the Year Trip.
For new families, this is our annual family camp-out that takes up our last few days of school.
It is always a wonderful and relaxing time and our favorite way to say so long for the summer.

Information will be going out in the next few weeks for people to confirm their attendance
or- if they cannot make the trip- gauge whether or not kids will be at school on those days.
The response from our community will dictate the planning for these days- so please return let us know.

This year we will be camping on Avenue of the Giants at Humboldt Redwood Group Camp in Weott.
On our way down we are planning some fun stops at the Loleta Cheese Factory, and possibly
Clendenines Orchards or the Kinetic Museum.
We'll keep you posted- and let us know if you have any ideas.

In order to fund our wonderful trip- we are having a school yard sale!
Donations are now being accepted.
If you have furniture or large items we can plan pick-up with advance notice.
The sale is on Saturday May 12, and there will be a sorting party on the Thursday or Friday before.
Tell your friends!

If you have already checked it out- our school website is

You can use it to get to this blog, check out the lunch menu, and more.
We hope this will make it simple for you to access school information.

We are still collecting parent evaluations in the kitchen.
Your input is extremely valuable to help us serve the needs of our families.
Please take a few minutes to fill one out. They are anonymous- so be honest!

Also- if there is ever anything you are concerned about- please let us know.
We are here for you.
We can't anticipate everyone's needs, but we are always open to hearing your input
and will do anything possible to meet your child's specific needs.

That's all for now but more is coming soon.

Spring

It's feeling like Spring!

As always, we get very busy this time of year
so here's the current happenings:

This Friday (tomorrow)- the whole school is going to HSU to the Math Fair.
So far, the K-2 class has enough drivers/chaperones but we still need seats for older kids.
Please sign up if you can help- and don't forget those car seats for students under 8.

Sunday is the Foggy Bottom Milk Run- the kids have been training hard and
are ready for this event.
If you are planning to carpool- Sarah will be meeting at Trillium at noon
and leaving promptly at 12:30.
Katie is willing to drive Eureka students, so if you are interested please call us ASAP.

*DON"T FORGET THE TIME CHANGE*
Clocks are moving one hour forward Saturday night.
Also- please consider that there is only one road in and out of Ferndale.
If you are planning to meet us there plan for extra travel time as there will be congestion.

Next week:
Monday:
* Science Fair projects will be moved to the County Science Fair.

* The Steering Committee will be meeting at 6:00

Friday:
* 3-5 grade students will visit the County Science Fair at HSU
They are planning to walk & have a picnic lunch if the weather is good.

March 21
* K-2 students will try again to visit the Natural History Museum- parent drivers needed

March 30
* 3-5 grade students are going to see the Eureka Symphony
This show begins at 9:30 so we need to be there by 9:20!
Please help us get there on time.

Looking Ahead:
April 2-6: Minimum Days and Parent Conferences all week
These are the last scheduled conferences for the year- please look for sign ups

April 9-13: Spring Break


Thank you so much to everyone who donated to help us buy a chiller for our baby salmon.
If you have not seen it yet- the tank is set up in the Magic room.
Your generosity is sincerely appreciated.

As you probably know- the budget crisis in California
is hitting schools very hard this year and into next.

We are looking at some spring fundraisers for our end of the year trip
and improvements for the fall. Please watch for information in your parent boxes.

As always- if fundraising is not something you have time or energy for
you can always donate directly to the Trillium Club.

We are currently enrolling students for the fall.
If you know someone looking for Kindergarten
or maybe just needing a change, please have them call us at 822-4721.

Thanks!

eclipse

If you want to see this weekend's eclipse
it is NOT on Saturday night- it is Saturday morning beginning at 4:45-
so set your alarm Friday night.

Sorry for the confusion.

Winter 2011

The abundance of winter sunshine has been keeping us energetic
as we work up to our Winter Break from 12/19/11-1/2/12.

Here is a comprehensive list of what's happening until then:

Monday evening, 12/12, will be our monthly Steering Committee meeting at 6:00.
This meeting will include some important discussions about enrollment changes
for next year, new class configurations and aftercare billing issues.

All committee members are needed at this meeting, and parents interested in being
a part of this conversation are invited to join us.
This discussion will dictate necessary amendments to our charter enrollment practices
that will be voted on in January.

Tuesday, 12/13, we will be having the first part of our lunch program review
as required by the California Dept. of Education.
School representatives from Pacific Union will be joining us for
lunch that day to observe our kitchen and help prepare us for when the State inspectors come. Please welcome them to our school.

Wednesday, 12/14, the K-2 class will be touring the North Coast Coop- ending in the bakery as part of their current unit study- Breads Around the World.
Parent drivers are needed at 9:30. Please sign up in the kitchen.

Thursday, 12/15, will be our annual Multi-cultural Festival from 1:00-3:00.
Students will be preparing bread and traditional foods to share. Look in your parent boxes for teacher notes telling what each student will need to bring for this event.
Families are invited to join us for this celebration.

Friday, 12/16, is a minimum day. School is out at 1:10.

Have a wonderful time with all celebrations your family shares in the holiday season.

Please note that school is back in session on the Tuesday after New Year's- not Monday.

Also worth noting is that the 3-5 grade class is currently studying our solar system, and there has been some excellent related reports in the news. There is the discovery of and Earth-like planet, a new rover going to Mars, and there is also a full lunar eclipse happening this Saturday night. If you want to see this weekend's eclipse you'll have to set your alarm- it begins at 3:30 am on Sunday and will be fully eclipsed around 6:00am. This is the only full lunar eclipse visible here until 2014.
Enjoy!

One last thing- November Aftercare bills are going out this week. Look for an attached letter if your bill is over $50.00 outlining whaat must happen when we return to school. Bills must be paid down to $50 or less, or, if you have an exceptionally high balance, a 50% payment must be made to continue using the program in January. Please talk to Marianne or Michaela if you need a more personalized arrangement. We will try top work with you as best we can. If you have an existing payment agreement- please be sure you are current on your payments. Thanks.

October 2011

Fall is a busy time of year at Trillium.

We had our first all-school field trip today to the pumpkin patch-
thanks to everyone who signed up to drive.

Please be sure to read your field trip permission slips and check the front information board
about field trip dates and departure times.
There seemed to be a bit of confusion about today's trip- but luckily we had extra drivers so everyone was able to go.

Kindergarten parents- please remember to leave car or booster seats on field trip days.
The law still states that children need to be 6 years old OR 60 pounds to ride in a car seatbelt.

Next Wednesday evening is our monthly Steering Committee at 6:00.
This meeting is open to to everyone.
If you have an item you would like to put on the agenda please see Marianne by next Monday.

We have more field trips coming up this month to the Arcata Recycling Facility in Samoa.
The 3-5 class is going on Tuesday 10/11.
The tour is 11:00-12:00.

The K-2 class is going on Wednesday 10/26.
The tour is also from 11:00-12:00.

We need parent drivers for these field trips.

This year we are pleased to participate in the Author Festival once again.
This is a county-wide festival that sends guest authors into classrooms to read to students.

Our school will have Natasha Wing, a former local author, reading her works
such as "the Night Before Kindergarten" and "Jalepeno Bagels".

Natasha will be reading to the students between 9:30 and 11:30
followed by a potluck luncheon from 11:45-1:00.
Families are invited to join us for the festivities.

On Monday October 31st we will have our annual Halloween Carnival from 1:00-3:00.
Parent sign-ups will be posted later ion the month for people willing
to run a booth or bring a snack.

Students (and parents) are encouraged to wear costumes to school that day, however,
if your child's costume has a mask they will need to keep it off until the carnival.
Students may also change into their costume after lunch.

PLease- no weapons or candy from home.


The School Nurse will be at Trillium on November 1st
to provide vision and hearing screening for students.
If you have any particular concerns in either of these areas
please let your child's teacher know.

Everyone was informed that there was at least one confirmed case of chicken pox at Trillium.
The incubation period for exposure is up to 21 days so please keep checking your kids for symptoms
and keep us posted.

That's all for now.