The goal setting conferences will take place October 5th - 13th. Please be prompt in picking up your child at dismissal time (12:25pm).

Schedule: All Grades 8:00-12:25
• Recess: 10:00-10:20

• Lunch:
  Grade K     11:20 -11:50
  Grades 1-2     11:30 -12:00
  Grades 3-4     11:40-12:10
  Grade 5     11:50-12:20
  

Children may not remain on the school grounds unsupervised while waiting for a parent to arrive for a conference or during the conference. Students may be included in the conference, if specifically arranged by a teacher.

The After-School Enrichment Program provides fun classes for students for a small fee. In past years we’ve offered classes such as Spanish, Sports Cooking, Art, Chess, Yoga, Computers, Fishing, Three-Dimensional Design, and much more. Most classes are one day a week.

Many of our Enrichment teachers are parents who volunteer their time. If you have an interest or skill that you would like to share with children and have time one afternoon each week, please call the office at (408) 736-2180 or email Carol Kidd at kidd_carol@cusdk8.org.

The first Enrichment session begins October 19th and ends November 20th.

Do not park in or block driveways. Please remember that double parking is never allowed. Be respectful of anyone supervising the parking lot and the traffic on Cascade. They are doing the best they can to keep the children safe and need your cooperation, if not your respect and admiration

If your child will be absent from school for any reason, you must inform the office by calling our 24-hour attendance line at 736-2180 ext. 6. Due to our new H1N1 guidelines, you need to call by 9:00am every day that your child is ill. If your child is running a fever, please leave a message with their temperature along with any other symptoms. If your child arrives after 8:00 a.m., she/he must report to the office for a late slip before entering the classroom. Absences are excused for the following reasons only:

• Illness
• Medical/dental appointment
• Bereavement (death of family member)
• Religious holiday

In an effort to save paper and reduce duplicating costs, the Dolphin Newsletter will be emailed to parents who have signed up as part of the parent email group beginning October 8th. In addition, a paper copy of the Dolphin will be sent home with the youngest or only child of each Nimitz family. This will greatly help the school by saving over 15,000 sheets of legal-sized blue paper for the school year! Please note that all communication from teachers will continue to be sent home with each child. If you would like to be included in the parent email group, the forms are available in the office. If you do not receive an email or a paper Dolphin newsletter on October 8th, please email nelsen_kristen@cusdk8.org.

It's time to participate and show your talents in the PTA Reflections Competition. This year's theme is "Beauty is...!". Competition is open to all students from grades K - 5. Students can submit in any of the six categories of Visual Arts, Photography, Literature, Musical Composition, Dance Choreography and/or Film Production. Deadline for submissions is 3 pm Friday, October 16, 2009. Entry forms for each category are available in the office. For additional information, please contact Suneetha at nimitzreflection@gmail.com

No medications, whether prescribed or over the counter, may be brought to or distributed at school unless a Medical Authorization Form is on file in the school office. Both the parent and the child's physician must sign the Medical Authorization Form. Please stop by the office if you need a Medical Authorization Form before seeing the doctor.

Volunteers are trained by Music for Minors on rhythm and movement activities, songs, dances, classroom management and music theory. You do not have to be a trained musician. Training is Tuesday and Thursday evenings and will begin soon. For more information, email Kathleen Virmani at kvirmani@aol.com or call 408-732-9598 (press # to skip the greeting) and leave a message. You can also call Music for Minors directly at 650- 237-9130 and say you would like to become a music docent at Nimitz. The MFM office is open Mon-Thurs. For more information on Music for Minors, please go to the website: www.mfm.org.

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department guidance recommends that, based on current flu conditions, students and staff with flu-like illness stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen).

You can help keep our schools healthy by adhering to the following guidelines:

• Continue to enforce proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette - The recommendations continue to emphasize the importance of the basic foundations of disease prevention: stay home when sick, wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible or alcohol based hand sanitizer, and cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available).

• Leave accurate information as requested on the school's absence line if your child is sick. This will help the school identify any potential issues as soon as possible.

• Promptly pick up your child from school if they are sent home for being ill. The school will keep ill students separated from others until they can be sent home. Please make sure that the school office has your updated contact information.

• Any returning students after an illness with a fever will need to have their temperature taken in the school office before returning to class. Teachers will be sending returning students back to the office to have their temperatures taken if they arrive directly to the classroom without being cleared.

DIWALI FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Saturday September 26, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Memorial Park in Cupertino
Free Admission
Diwali is a time of joyous celebration. The Cupertino Chamber of Commerce is presenting its Sixth Annual Diwali Festival of Lights, a multicultural family fun day, which will include a Children's Art Faire contest starting at 10:00 a.m. and ending at noon for judging, followed by Multicultural music and dance performances, exciting Kid's Zone, international food court, arts and crafts booths, and much more. Free parking will be available at De Anza College (lots A & B). Additional information is available at www.cupertino-chamber.org .

The Cupertino Union School District will administer the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) to all students eligible for English Language Development services. This test will be administered from the beginning of September through the end of October. Based on your child's last years CELDT scores if their proficiency level is limited, withdrawn or transitional, your child will be included in the annual CELDT test at their school. The initial CELDT will be given to kindergarten students whose primary language on the home language survey is a language other than English. A letter will be sent home with your child prior to the initial and annual testing date at your school. The test consists of four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Grades K-8 are tested in all four areas. This year only reading and writing for kindergarten and first grade students will not affect their overall proficiency level. You will receive the official results after January 2010. If you have any questions, please contact your school office.