November	Event	Time
Tuesday 11/7	Lockdown Drill	2:15
Thursday 11/9	Family Art Night	5:30
Frisay 11/11	Veteran's Day	No school
Monday 11/13	Drake High 8th Grade Tour #1	1:00-2:30 pm
Tuesday 11/14	5th Grade Parent Tour #1	9:00-10:15 am
Wednesday 11/15	Occhestra Concert	7:00 pm
Friday 11/17	Coffee Chat	8:45 am in Room 106

 

News

representing Ross Valley School District at the County Spelling Bee? 

(Going on as I write this...)

 

They worked hard to get to where they are this morning and is deserving of mention...

 

Stanislav Tananaev

Emalene Harwood

Piper Cothran

 

 

 

Seventh and Eighth graders will soon be participating in classroom spelling bee rounds to prepare for the overall school competition in a couple of weeks.  Interested students still hould see Ms. Frank in Rm. 213 for  the long list of Spelling Bee words to study.  The top two White Hill winners will compete in the Marin County Championship Spelling Bee on Saturday, Dec. 2

At Thursday’s Parent Club meeting, our parents formally adopted a budget of approximately $79,000.00.  The budget is a published document and will be posted on the White Hill website under the Parent Club tab.  In addition to the budget review, parents enjoyed a stimulating discussion about heavy backpacks, lockers too small to be practical, a task force to evaluate the current bus program, teacher professional development, and raising the bar for student behavior. Parents are encouraged to participate in this important organization.  The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 7.

 

White Hill families are invited to a creative evening in the Art room. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet the Art Teachers, Doretta Ruzzier and Emma Beauchamp, create Art with your child to take home, and get a taste of what happens in Art classes at White Hill.

All families are invited, whether or not your child is enrolled in an Art class.

There are two (1) hour sessions November 9, 5:30 - 7:30 pm - Art Rooms 501 & 502

Space is limited sign up now! We can accommodate 60 families/session.

Sign up here.  http://www.signupgenius.com/ go/30e054ba5ab22aa8-yesisart9

 

We are reviewing options that might help mitigate the necessity for students to carry heavy backpacks all day long at White Hill.  Many thoughtful ideas have been presented at Parent Chats, Site Council and Parent Club meetings.  As a starting place, we need to evaluate what each student needs to have day-to-day at White Hill.  As a staff, we will be discussing what is absolutely necessary for a student to carry in their backpack, consider systems that might make it easier for kids to manage belongings, and publish these recommendations for consideration by our parent organizations.  

 

After Tuesday evening’s sporting event at Drake High School, the principal was surprised, and somewhat alarmed, that 300-400 middle school age students were roaming her campus on Halloween night.  While no serious incidents occurred, the police were called and at least one arrest was made of a high school age student.  We are sharing this as a heads up for next year, and that it was likely a planned event.  As a reminder, students may not be unsupervised on any campus unless they are enrolled at that school.  It’s a matter of supervision and safety.    

 

Very expensive articles of clothing are picked up on campus everyu day and placed in our Lost and Found.  Students are encouraged to get their belongings from the Lost and Found near the office.  However, most of the items remain unclaimed.  We are running out of space to house the shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, etc., for much longer.  With the cold and rainy weather coming it’s our hope that these items will be picked up.  Otherwise, they will eventually be ruined.  Please note that on Friday, November 17, we will be taking these items to the Goodwill.  

 

White Hill yearbooks are on sale now through December 21, 2017, the last school day before the Winter Break.  Order your child's yearbook at the special price of $38.00 using the online link below.  The yearbook is a long time tradition at White Hill and it is entirely student-designed in the Yearbook & Graphic Arts elective class.  The goal is to feature photographs of all White Hill students and capture images of the fun events on our campus throughout the year. Yearbooks are hard-cover, full color photographs, and include an autograph section. They are a fabulous keepsake and make a great gift for your White Hill student.  http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A00597768   Check out the linked order sheet for full instructions.  Use your child's name and their 6º Advisory class teacher's name when you enter information.  Financial assistance for partial scholarships and a limited number of full scholarships are available.  For financial assistance information, please use the attached form and return to the White Hill Office.  Prefer to order by check?  There is a $4.00 processing fee for check purchases which brings the cost to $42.00.   If you are writing a check, use the order form and return to the WH Office.  Forms are also available at school.  Yearbooks are not available for order after Winter Break.  For questions, contact Yearbook teacher, Emma Beauchamp at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Our next drill will be a classroom lockdown drill and is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7 in the afternoon.  Depending on the weather, we may expand this into larger simulation with search and rescue, first aid, and student release.  If so, we will ask for the participation of parents, fire, police, other emergency responders.  More information to follow about how parents can be involved in our drills. 

Parent Conference Week

Parent Conferences are scheduled for the week of November 13-17.  Classes end at 2:10 pm each day that week.  Generally speaking, conferences are scheduled by staff for students who are receiving grades of C- or below.  The purpose will be to review student progress and create academic contracts to support student success going forward.  Please call the office if you have any questions.  

 

Three (3) tours will be available for White Hill Students this year.  The time is 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Monday, November 13

Monday, December 4

Monday, January 22

The link to register for a tour is:  https://www.tamdistrict.org/Page/4653  Parents must accompany their children.  Students are not allowed to attend tours by themselves.  Unaccompanied students will be turned away if they are not with an adult.  

 

Limited space is available on each tour.   If you cannot make one of the tours, you are encouraged to attend the Open House on January 25, 2018 from 6:30-8:00 pm.  To get a feeling about the Drake community, parents and students are also encouraged to attend Drake sporting events or other activities that are held on campus. https://www.tamdistrict.org/drake

 

Additional Information about Programs for Students and Parents

  

The Holidays are officially upon us! Gulp..how did that happen? And although, these weeks can bring along some stress, they can also bring out the best in you and everyone! It’s a time to truly think about others and giving of yourself. At C4C, we have big plans to give give give! Join us!

 

COMING ATTRACTIONS!

MONTH OF NOV: GRATITUDE Guests - Bigger than a breadbox. Born with a beard. 450 million found around the world. It’s true! They're coming to Ross Valley and you’re going to love them! But, only the kindest of hearts will be rewarded with a sighting. Do good, lead from your heart and keep your eyes peeled. You just could be one of the lucky ones to wake up with a sighting right outside your front door!

NOV & DEC: The Adopt-A-Family Program is coming! Get excited as we prepare to embark on one of the most heart-warming and popular events we do all year. Watch for more details coming soon.

NOV 25: Kenyan Boys Choir Performance & Community Gathering

In acknowledgement and thanks for our Children for Change accomplishments, the WE Organization has organized the famous Kenyan Boys Choir to come to Ross Valley and perform for us. This amazing choir has performed around the world including a very memorable performance at President Obama’s inauguration. We would like to share this gift with our entire community in gratitude for all those who have volunteered and supported us throughout the years. Enjoy a phenomenal show and a fun gathering with friends and family at Thanksgiving time. Be sure to save the date!

ON-GOING: Fire Response Effort - C4C Sponsors Two Families

We are honored to be the sponsor of two wonderful families who lost their homes in the recent North Bay fires. It will be a long process to get them up on their feet again and their needs will change as the months go by. Please email us if you would like to be kept abreast of their progress and to help with their needs as they rebuild their lives. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also donate online.

 

C4C CURRENT CURRICULUM - The Plight of the Refugees

To augment and contextualize the learnings the kids are receiving in the C4C classroom around refugees, we took 35+ children to experience the wonderful Doctors Without Border Exhibit of FORCED FROM HOME. This interactive, outdoor educational exhibition was created to raise public awareness about the experience of the world’s more than 65 million refugees and internally displaced people. The experience was exceptional and extremely impactful for both children and parents alike. Take the family! It is worth it! The exhibit closes Nov 5th. Learn more here.  

 

Every Action Matters When Making Change for Good! Join the movement. 

Children for Change - www.children4change.org

 

Basketball season is starting soon.  In preparation, the volunteer coaches met with Rick van Adelsberg and Kaki McLachlan.  They developed the home guidelines regarding tryouts

.  There will be a boys and a girls team for each grade (6th-8th).  There are two tryouts per zteam during the weeks of November 13th and 27th.   If your student is interested in trying out, they should show up to the gym for the first session with a signed permission slip.  Blank slips are also available in the office.   Each team will have four tryout sessions.  The team roster will be posted in the office.  Practice will run the weeks of December 4th-22nd.  Games and practices will run from January to March.  Games are on Tuesday's (6th grade), Wednesday's (7th grade) and Thursday's (8th grade).  The tryout/practice schedule is as follows, along with the coach(es) of this years teams:

Monday

3:15-4:45  6th grade BOYS: John Fitzgibbons and Alex Gauna

4:45-6:15  8th grade GIRLS: Eileen Burke

6:15-7:45  6th grade GIRLS: Diane DiRoma

Tuesday

3:30-5:00 7th grade GIRLS: Zach Wahle

5:00-6:30 7th grade BOYS: Jay DeMaestri

Wednesday

2:30-4:00  8th grade GIRLS: Eileen Burke

4:00-5:30  8th grade BOYS: Steve Gallagher

5:30-7:00  7th grade BOYS: Jay DeMaestri

Thursday

3:30-5:00  6th grade BOYS: John Fitzgibbons and Alex Gauna

5:00-6:30  6th grade GIRLS: Diane DiRoma

Friday

3:30-5:00  7th grade GIRLS: Zach Wahle

5:00-6:30  8th grade BOYS: Steve Gallagher

 

We look forward to seeing interested students the week of November 13th.  If you have any questions, please direct them to Margo James, the WHMS Activities Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

White Hill Volleyball

Boys Volleyball Club:  The last meeting for the Boys Volleyball Club will be Monday, October 30th with an after school match at Ross Elementary. 

 

Mountain Biking Club

The Mountain Biking Club will meet for two more weeks, with their last ride on November 16th.  These last two meets will end at 5:00pm, not 5:30, due to the time change.  

 

Cross Country 

Will have their team party on Monday, November 6th from 3:30-4:30pm.  B