The teachers have been working hard to prepare their classrooms and the entire staff has been getting the school ready for a smooth and enjoyable opening.

Learning should be fun, and going to school should be one of the most enjoyable experiences of childhood. Our staff is adept at creating exciting learning opportunities for children and creating a learning community that teaches kids about life and relationships as well as how to read, problem solve, and communicate effectively.

I encourage you to get involved with your child's learning. As a parent, you are your child's first teacher, and no one knows your child better than you do. As your child progresses through the grades, your continued involvement will be a critical factor in their success.

Personally, Nimitz will always hold a special place in my heart. I began my career in the district at Nimitz teaching sixth grade. I'm thrilled and excited to return as principal of this wonderful school and community and look forward to meeting all of you.

Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail if you have any questions or concerns. My phone number is (408)736-2180 and my e-mail is ottey_russ@cusdk8.org.

     - Russ Ottey, Principal

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The PTA is again hosting the Family Picnic on Friday, August 28th from 5pm - 7pm. Bring a blanket and a picnic dinner and enjoy music on the lawn. There will be hot dogs and hamburgers for sale, music, and a raffle for great prizes. So please save the date and come spend a fun family evening with your Nimitz friends.

As you may already know, school district budgets throughout California are drastically being cut due to the budget crisis. This will have a huge impact on Nimitz school in the coming year. As one of our goals for this school year, the Nimitz PTA will be working with the school to keep Nimitz' supply room stocked. The PTA will be sponsoring several supply drives throughout the year. Our first drive will be held during the first two weeks of school. We ask if you could please purchase one item on the supply wish list to donate to the school. The supply wish list can be found on the PTA's website, www.nimitzpta.org, posted in the GLC or in the office. Donation boxes will be available by the school office. If you have any questions, please contact Debbie at johnczyz@att.net.

ALL VISITORS ON CAMPUS or entering classrooms as volunteers or meeting with teachers MUST sign in at the office and obtain a visitor's nametag when school is in session. For the safety of all, we need to know who is on campus. The only exceptions are at student arrival and dismissal times. If you are taking your child out of school for any reason, ALWAYS sign your child out from school through the office and back in when he/she returns.

Nimitz is off to another great year. Thank you to the PTA for providing a wonderful lunch on Wednesday, August 19th. The staff appreciates all you do for us. Thank you Nimitz PTA!

We will be glad to show you how to do this. In order for the kids to enjoy the library, the books need to be shelved in a timely manner. Even if you can only help for a limited amount of time, we would love to see you. Please think about what this will mean to your child. You don't have to let us know you're coming. If you have a few minutes, come on by. For questions, please call Mrs. Gallatin at 736-2180 ext. 150.

This helps keep our students in shape as they strive to reach their goal. Last year our Nimitz students ran over 18,000 miles! This program is not possible without parent support. We need parents to help out during lunch (11:45-12:55), Monday through Friday. If you are available to punch cards or help supervise students, please email/call Tracy Burriss at burriss_tracy@cusdk8.org or ph. (408) 732-4563. We are also in need of a parent to manage the record keeping and prepping of ribbons for distribution. Our volunteer from last year has moved on to middle school but is more than willing to help at the start of the school year to train you. Please contact Tracy Burriss Tracy Burriss or Bruce horn if you can help with this important task. The Running Club would not be possible without the help of many parent volunteers who help keep things moving!

Parents! You are welcome to join the children on the track for some mid-day exercise. Please check in at the office and get a visitor's pass and then come on out to the track to walk, jog, or run with the children.

This will help expedite traffic flow during the morning rush.

• Unload and pick-up students at the white curb only.
• Never leave your vehicle while in the pick-up lane.
• Never double park.
• Use sidewalks to come/leave school.
• If you are parking, always use the crosswalk to get to the school campus. Children should not cross streets by themselves or be allowed to play or walk near traffic. Kids are small, unpredictable, and cannot judge vehicle distances and speeds.
• Never run or dash into the street.

The start of a new school year is exciting, but it means kids and parents will need to make some adjustments. Here are some ways to get your family back into a good routine for the school year.

• Set the rules. Make sure your kids know what you expect now that they are back in school. Set a specific time to do homework. Enforce rules for TV watching. Set aside some time each day for reading. Create a chart for the first few weeks of school until your routines become habits. Give your child a gold star on days when he does everything without being asked.

• Manage correspondence. The start of the school year means a lot of paper going between home and school. Set up a place where your child puts all the paperwork from school. Sign it and put it back in his backpack by the next day.

• Keep track of schedules. Post a calendar where everyone will see it. Then have everyone write down their activities as they are scheduled. This will help you plan ahead. If your child knows a book report is due the day after a soccer game, he'll see that he needs to