ECC Variety Show

IMPORTANT DATES

PTA President's Message
 “Life's not fair. Get used to it” ~ Bill Gates

In our modern times of technology, Bill Gates is a rock star. William Henry "Bill" Gates III is best known as the former CEO, founder and current chairman of Microsoft. His vision, dedication and entrepreneurial skills have made him one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world. Forbes Magazine ranked him as the fifth most power person in the world in 2011. He is estimated to be worth more than $59 Billion. And yet in 2000, Bill stepped down as chief executive officer of Microsoft to dedicate his time and skills to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - currently the largest transparently operated charitable foundation in the world. Through his Foundation, Bill Gates has given over $28 billion to charity and is considered one of (if not the most) generous philanthropist in the United States. It is his goal to eventually give 95% of his wealth to charity over his lifetime.

And while the undertones of his quote (above) might seem harsh, the overlying message is true. "Life is not fair." It isn't always divided up into neat, even portions. Mistakes happen. Someone else wins. And sometimes we end up with the shorter end of the stick. However, it is our job, to do our best to not be so concerned with the "fairness" of life. Instead, like Mr. Gates, we need to find a way to make the most of it and give back as generously as we can. We are lucky that the families at El Camino Creek feel the same.

The foundation of ECC’s character is built on treating others with equality, respect and compassion. We see it with the smile that Miss Meg gives all of our students when they walk into the office, as well as the TLC that Jodi Bianchi gives them when they are hurt or sick. We see it with the various rotations that our teachers organize to give our students a wide, diverse and state-of-the-art education. We are thankful to our consultants (Mrs. Weingarten, Mrs. Eng, Mrs. Lester and Mrs. Hee) for giving our student an extra layer of their education. We also see it with amazing juggling act that Miss Kim performs every day to ensure that everyone and everything is in its place at ECC.

And Kim definitely has her work cut out for her. Life is busy at ECC. It is a good thing we have an extra day this month (Leap Day: Feb. 29) to help squeeze it all in. We begin this month on the tail end of our Healthy Eating Challenge. Thanks to the creativity and dedication of James Patterson, along with his amazing team of volunteers (Melissa Durant, Teri Strohm, Kelly Ma, Jill Williams, Colleen Schlosser, and Loanne Cheung), ECC students learned that making healthy choices is not only important, but also easy and fun. (Did your student eat 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day?) From the Healthy Eating Challenge, we immediately jump into our Spelling Bee. A huge thanks goes to Tanya Spoelstra for chairing and for Samantha Vigil, Karin Roberts and Carrie Brown for their assistance. The final round will be held in the auditorium on Feb. 1. Grades 3 & 4 will compete between 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Grades 5 & 6 will compete between 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. The following week, Stephanie Stichler and Michelle Templin will be conducting auditions for the ever-popular Variety Show. Please note that due to the large number of applicants, they will only accept acts for students in grades 1-6.  While eliminating Kindergartners from the show was a hard choice, it enables ECC to keep the integrity of the show and not have to resort to audition cuts like other schools. We want the Variety Show to be open to all applicants and a positive experience for all. (After all, having too many students is a good problem to have with any program.) In addition, Math 24 is up and running thanks to Gina O'Leary; Science Night for 3rd grade will be held on the 15th as a result of Janelle Fine's dedication; and the Jog-A-Thon is just around the corner. Join Jennifer Sedlock, Stephanie Hebert and Pam Keffer as they kick it off at our next spirit assembly on January 27th. Another great way to get in shape for the Jog-A-Thon is by joining ECC’s Running Club. We are grateful to Colleen Schlosser for organizing a fun way to stay fit. It’s never too late to join her and the rest of the group. They meet every Tuesday after school. Finally, if you happen to be walking on campus on a Thursday afternoon this month, peek in on the Kindergartners learning Karate on the playground. The PTA is piloting a "Kinderate" program which incorporates the principals of anti-bullying strategies, physical fitness and character development with a short karate lesson. If successful, we hope to extend a "Kiderate" class to other grades in the future.

With all the activities that are being conducted, juggled and experienced on our campus, this month is a good time to pause and take note of all the amazing volunteers who make them happen. Without our volunteers, we would not be able to offer even a fraction of what the ECC PTA is able to provide our students. So in this month that is dedicated to love, appreciation and caring, please take the time to thank the hard-working (and underpaid) volunteers in your life. Remember to smile at the traffic parents directing cars safely and efficiently through the parking lot, tell the Arts Attack parent in your classroom that you liked the masterpiece your child brought home, cheer on your favorite student(s) at the spelling bee, running club, variety show and encourage your student to participate in any activity that he or she shows an interest. In the meantime, remember that the nominating process for the upcoming school year is already in progress. Please don't forget to thank Samantha Vigil, Stephanie Hebert, Julie Thompson, Karri Smith, Eleanor White and Kristin Berry for sifting through all the positions and finding the right person for the right job. It's still not too late to nominate yourself and/or your neighbor. The ECC PTA welcomes any and all suggestions. After all, the leadership and direction of ECC is in all of our hands.

We are so grateful that so many of you are willing to roll up your sleeves and pitch in where needed. The fact that our children receive one of the best educations in the state, coupled with all the extras that the state budget can no longer sustain (i.e. art, music, science, P.E. technology, etc.), is a testament to the character of our school. It can be said that it isn't fair that budget cuts eat away at the resources that should be given to our students. It is also not fair that, we, as parents, are asked to make up the difference with our time and donations. However, like Bill Gates, we are fortunate that we are driven by what is right and needed instead of focusing on what is wrong and missing. Thank you for your hard work, dedication and hours of volunteer service to our school. Thank you for caring about our school and all our children. Most of all, thank you for providing our children with valuable life lessons and exemplary role models. Because of you, our children are lucky enough to enjoy a life that is more than fair, as well as look forward to a future that is full of learning, meaning and the potential to give back themselves one day.  

Warmly,

Katrina Young

ECC PTA President

CHARACTER COUNTS 
AT THE CREEK!

 ECC PTA
Membership Has Its Benefits…

The ECC PTA proudly offers more than 25 enrichment programs to our children every year. The variety and caliber of these programs allows our children to benefit from one of the highest ranked education systems in the nation. However, none of that would be possible without the generosity of our families. In order to maintain our current enrichment programs,  it costs approximately $125 per student. We need your help to keep our programs and our children succeeding.

Please click on the following link: ECC PTA Membership form to find out more information regarding how you can make a difference.

Make your PTA membership donation online:

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