School News
CHUNG MEI HOME TOUR AT WINDRUSH–Come learn about Windrush School’s fascinating history as the former Chung Mei Home for orphaned and abandoned Chinese boys. The Windrush community is invited to this El Cerrito Historical Society event at our school, which will focus on the years Chung Mei was housed in the main building. Windrush’s own Jean Witzke will lead a walking tour and someone associated with the Chung Mei Home will offer insight into life at Chung Mei. This free event will be held at 7 p.m. on May 4. Founded in 1923 and operating in El Cerrito from 1935-1954, the Chung Mei Home was said to be the United States’ only establishment for orphaned and abandoned Chinese boys. The beautifully preserved building still has original bas-reliefs, carved wood, screens, tiles, murals, circular windows and other unique attributes! Learn about the dedicated missionary, Captain Shepherd, who founded the school and about the boys who lived there. For information email or call Dave Weinstein at 524-1737. No RSVP necessary.
MANDARIN CLASS–Sign up for this popular Afterschool enrichment class taught by Linna Fang. Beginners and advanced students welcome! Classes start on Wednesday, April 13. Click here to download a registration form.
SIGN UP FOR SPRING BREAK ELEMENTARY PLAY DAYS–Join the gardening fun as we spruce up the kindergarten and Afterschool areas with flowers and paint. We will also play badminton on the field and set up a kid run carnival complete with tokens and prizes! Along with the main activities each day, there will be games and sports, and opportunities for supervised free play in our living room and outside. Check out this flyer for more information. The registration deadline is Monday, April 11. Play Days are on a first-come, first-served basis and we sometimes run out of space before the deadline. Kid Chow is not available on Play Days.
CANCELED: GIRLS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE SPRING BREAK CAMP AT WINDRUSH–Due to low enrollment, the Spring Break Camp for girls in Grades 4-5 will not be held.
STAFF APPRECIATION LUNCH ON APRIL 13–Please join the Windrush Family Association in expressing gratitude to the wonderful teachers and administrators at the annual Staff Appreciation Lunch. Opportunities will abound to show your appreciation for all they do for our families! Volunteers, save the date! We’ll need help (anytime from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.) to set up, answer phones, cook and with general tasks for our beautiful feast ahead of time. Lucy Aghadjian will schedule volunteers so please email her your availability.
FACULTY/STAFF GIVING AT 100 PERCENT! Every Windrush staff member and teacher has made a gift to the Annual Giving Campaign, making our school eligible for $5,000 in matching funds from the Challenge Fund! A big thanks to each and every one of you! Next time you are in the main building check out the Giving Tree for the new glittery leaf recognizing the 100 percent faculty/staff giving. There are still six classes, which haven’t made it to 100 percent yet–Pegasus, Griffins, Phoenix, and Grades 6-8. Remember, a gift of any size counts and each time a class achieves full participation, the Challenge Fund awards the school another $5,000. There is still another $30,000 available! Don’t let your school down; make sure you give your gift right away!
SUMMER ADVENTURES AT WINDRUSH SCHOOL JUNE 20-AUGUST 12–Register online or call ext. 243 to receive a brochure. Fees range from $280-$315 per week. Pay in full by April 1 and receive a $10 discount per session. Summer Adventures takes place on our beautiful, four-acre campus, which has a full-size gym, fully equipped art studio and grassy fields. The program is open to children entering 1st grade up to age 11. Experienced teachers staff all sessions, which have a maximum child to teacher ratio of 12:1. Our camp is a wonderful extension of our Afterschool program. This art-based program is designed and run by our Afterschool staff, and offers an intimate camp experience with engaging projects, exciting recreational activities emphasizing cooperative play, and a new thematic focus each week. Sessions are highlighted by Bay Area field trips and special group events, such as kid-run carnivals and refrigerator box construction projects. Some of the activities include carpentry, fine arts and crafts, group events, non-competitive sports and group games.
Upcoming Events
DIVERSITY FILM FESTIVAL IS 6-8:30 P.M. TONIGHT! Students/families watching Free to Be You and Me should go directly to Elementary Afterschool. Participants viewing all other films should go to the main hall first. Students must come with a designated parent/guardian, but they may view a different film with permission. All participants are asked to choose one film to view. Click here for film choice descriptions and Google film titles to watch video previews. We look forward to seeing you tonight! Contact David Bond with questions.
Spring Benefit News
REQUEST SONGS! Do you have a favorite dance song you’d like to hear at the Spring Benefit? Submit your top-five song requests to Maya in the Development Office. Our internationally known DJ, Page Hodel, will make a mix of everyone’s favorite party songs. Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Abba’s Dancing Queen are already slated for the Benefit!
AUCTION ITEMS NEEDED! Last year, Windrush generated $20,000 for tuition assistance from auction items alone! Help us double that number by donating something fabulous. Past items included Disneyland passes, gourmet food items, spa gift cards, theater and sports events tickets, wine and beer, jewelry, contractor and professional services, and weekend stays at vacation homes. Please email Maya in the Development Office for more information or to submit an item.
HELP DECORATE THE BENEFIT–A few extra hands are needed to create a festive and colorful vibe for the spring Night of the Dragon Benefit that will take place on April 30. Work with Doris Marroquin (Pegasus parent) on hall decorations or with Bonney Lynch (Hobbits parent) on table centerpieces. If interested, please email Maya in Development.
SELL RAFFLE TICKETS–Night of the Dragon Spring Benefit raffle tickets will be mailed next week to students in Grades 3-8. Each student will receive a book of 10 tickets to sell and tickets are $10 each. The grand prize is a week in Hawaii for two people, including airfare! For every book of tickets a student sells, s/he will receive a $5-gift card for Jamba Juice. Parents/guardians of students in Kindergarten-Grade 2 can sell tickets upon request. Look for more information from your WFA class representative soon. Kindergarten mom, Jessie Simms, is coordinating the marketing and sale of the raffle tickets. Thank you, Jessie!
Middle School News
SPRING BREAK PLAY DAYS–Come hang out in MSAS over Spring Break! We will go bowling in Albany, and swimming at the Richmond Plunge! On Tuesday we will have round two of our video game competition! Registration ends April 11. Please note: these Play Days will be canceled if we don’t have at least five students registered. Click here for more information.
PRACTICE HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST–This is the last chance to sign up for Saint Mary’s 7th Grade Practice Test on Saturday, April 16. Space is limited. Click here for more information.
ATTENTION 8TH GRADE STUDENTS–The Yearbook will issue a call for 8th grade "boxes" (half-page collages) for inclusion in this year's edition. It's not too soon to think about what to include and even to start working on it. More information will be available in a few weeks, but here are a few tips:?1) If you can create it on a computer and provide a digital copy, that would be ideal.?2) Use clear, high quality photos when making your collage (low quality, pixilated photos pasted in and scanned look bad.?3) Include your name somewhere in the collage. You may also want to include a quote or comment (optional). Please use this opportunity to express your unique individuality creatively, but remember, as always, this is a school publication so use appropriate language and imagery!
WANT TO GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR CHILD’S YEARBOOK? You can sponsor yearbook pages for your student! This is a great way to help create a book of lasting memories for your child and other students. If you’re interested, please email Aimee Van Dragt or call ext. 272 for more information. A half page costs $50 and a full page costs $80. Thank you for getting involved!
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