whi ma iil ‘ ammo ACK TO SCHOOL! Dear Archway Families, - Welcome and welcome hack! After the whirlwind of summer — eight Sept. 24 & 25 weeks of Cuisine and Art camp, tours and interviews for 4th Grade Har niee 7 Pap PREM ‘caching applicants, large and small sprucc-up projects, and all RT NALS TCS cc sal casks in preparation for the school yeur— Mel und | were Ferrite tom ITN rewarded at last with the welcome of our students in the first days of u school, They grew (aldhough I udiit to some tongue-biting in an effort not to be the 10th adult to exclaim that fact to them)! We 9 certainly missed them and have been looking forward to getting See settled into the new school year and to welcoming a number of new Tinteey families and students into the community ae Among the new faces you'll see this fall is Teresa Chen, our fourth Bava grade teacher, Ms. Teresa comes tous from Illinois and most recently Indiana, where she his been working as an elementary school teacher for the past several years. Once she'd accepted our offer, she flew home to pack, came back to find a place to live, and = = started setting up her classroom —all in a few short weeks. [tell you Oct. 14 & 15 this so you'll share our considerable appreciation for her calm and SnCeN cheerful demeanor (not to mention her energy and organizational : x skill), as the whirlwind for her has not been insignificant! Parenti a DENG Artie i fukin thao miy new assistant and front fice eTOn enn manager in Berkeley, Angela Hsu. As one parent suggested, Ms. Angela is aptly named, as she is quickly becoming our angel at eT en clog the upper school. Please consider her your first call for most questions related to happenings in grades 5-8 We would ilso like to introduce you to Ms. Piper, a former favorite Oct. 19 substitute in Archway art classes, who is now teaching art to our < students in Rerkeley, Ms. Piperis “elated to be join our community SEN and is looking forward to a year of art with your children. Walk-a-thon Last but not least, we welcome Mallory Strange to our after school forces at the lower school. Mallory comes to us with many years of experience as a Counselor and Assistant at This Land is Your Land and substitute eucher. Her energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and we are thrilled to have her join our communi As you will be reading this newsletter on the heels of Back-to-School Night, we won't start by reminding you that t's coming. But we did want te will alert you to other events and dates and highlights of the year: * ‘Tuesday and Thursday Teas (at Berkeley and Oakland respectively) will begin the week of September 22nd. Join us for a half hour before school begins cach week for coffee and snacks and 4 cluauce to chat informally with each other and with us. If there is a parent who would like to use his of her parent hours helping with this regular event, please contact Ms. Mel Toes Eee Gerace y, September 24th and Thursday, September 25th arc Schaol Pomodara Nights. Dine out at Pomodoro ence cs Tta tg Peet coats eric een int ‘aA ISMU A(5300 College Ave, Oakland) and they will donate 20% of your food purchase to Archway School. You must present one flyer per table (available in the front office) in order for us to be cligible to receive the donation. + September 28th marks our annual APTA Social. This is always lovely family event and a good way:to meet your chileren’s parents in an informal setting. You'll hear more about the day through ‘your APTA representatives, * October 10th through the 13th is a tong weekend which will find teachers and staff at our annual fall retreat, where we come together to plan for the year. This year, thanks to an anonymous parent donor, we are eestatie to be able to incorporate into our retreat a full day af professional development with Responsive Classroom and Developmental Designs—organizations which partner in training K-8 teachers in school and classroom culture and man- agement * The Walkathon -a day impossible to describe —is Sunday the 19th of October. (Please note the date was printed INCORRECTLY in your school calendar). This community event is the highlight of the fall and | encourage all cof you to join us. Stay tuned for snore Walkathon news and ways to participate, It’s great fun and not to be missed! Both Ms. Mel and I extend our very best wishes for a scamless transition into the school and school year. Whether you are anew or returning family, you are part of our coun if here is anything at all we can do to make the year better, we hope you will speak up, volunteer, get engaged, or have a conversation with us, Yours Very Truly, Sarah Flowers Head of School Melissa Castello Zippin Lower School Head Letter From The APTA PREZ. Welcome back! Itis wonderful to see ‘everyone again. and I am so impressed at how smoothly the school year has begun. ‘After a relaxing summer, it seems that not only have the kids jumped right into the school routine, but so too have the parents. Based on the success of the morning coffee gatherings om the first days of school, the Archway parents have once again demonstrated their enthusiasm and commitment to our children, the school and each other. It ‘was evident that we enjoyed reconnecting just as much as the kids, and as | watched one family after the next fill up the food table at upper campus and parents at ower campus stop to sign up for volunteer positions, I am reminded that the support and connectedness of our ‘community is what makes Archway so much more than the typical school. Many thanks (o all the families and individuals that participated and contributed to those momings, particularly our APTA ‘members Loretta Willis (upper campus social chair), Marjorie Herman (upper campus room parent coordinator) Jackie Lemoine (co-president), Shir! Ramscy (member at large), Bridget Rivezzo, and the numerous room parents on both Itis so exciting to be moving forward this year with such a strong parent community. Every parent is a member of APTA (Archway Parent Teacher Association) and our role as a parent ‘group 1s to support our incredible school. There are so many ways in whieh you can be involved and accumulate your required parent hours. Throughout the year you should look for communication from staff, APTA members, rom parents and Committee Chairs on the various support needed. Just to name a few, APTA supports school events such as First Days Of School Coffee, Back to § Nights, the Walk-A-Thon, Teacher hol ‘Appreciation Lunches, Silent Auctior Cultural Pot Luck, Promotion! Graduation Days, and much more. Our APTA Social is one of the firs places you can begin to get involved. will be held on Sunday, September 2 from 2-5 pm, at my home. With a promise of good company, great foo inks and fun, it is a wonderful opportunity for all Archway families come together and to learn more abo the events and volunteer positions fo ‘year. Invitations and details on the ¢ were included in your Back-to-Schox Night Packets and will be posted on | ‘campuses. Took forward to seeing everyone there! Please pay attention to the School Calendar of Events and our APTA. Schedule of Meetings. APTA meetin are held regularly throughout the yea everyone 1s invited to attend. Also. t sure to mark your calendars on Oct! 419th for the Walk-A- Thon and look ways to get involved ‘As Jackie Lemoine (APTA co- president) and I, along with the enti Executive Commirtee, do our best 0 ADA for the 2008-09 school year, encourage ull of you to get involved hhaye fun.in the process. We need an appreciate ever yone’s support, input, ‘commitment in making our school everything we want it to be. Sincerely, Beth Fusco - APTA PresidentEnsuring Archway’s Future ‘On behalf of the Woods Edge Inc. Board of Trustees for Archway, Welcome! We are looking forward to a year of new growth, collaboration, and, of course, fun. As we begin the year, the board would like to report on the Community Outreach Meetings of last year that were held in an effort to connect and consult with the Archway community. Through these meetings we learned that: the parents of Archway are enthusiastic about the school; they enjoy the small class sizes, the wide variety of programs, the diversity, and the community of Archway as well as the wonderful teachers, staff, and administrators. One of the central issues that the board brought to parents was Archway’s financial growth and. development. Transitioning from a founder funded school to a community funded one is not without a few growing pains. To ensure Archway’s diversity, financial aid program, and ultimate longevity, we as a community must access alternative funding sources. As with most independent schools, tuition does not entirely cover the costs to run the school. Therefore, the board asked parents: how should this discrepancy be resolved? Parents approached the discussion with the cooperative and positive attitude indicative of the Archway community and responded with thoughtful and constructive ideas, and a genuine resolve to develop Archway’s financial basc. Some of the suggestions were to: = Research and apply for independent school grants ~ Participate in matching funds programs with various corporations and companies - Encourage parents and fricnds of Archway to give a tax deductible donation And the very last resort, significantly raise tuition, more than the $500 increase which occurs each year to offset the rising cost of living Those of you who were unable to attend one of the meetings may well have other ideas. If so, we would like to hear them. To those of you who did participate thank you very much for your invaluable insights. With these suggestions in mind, we call out to the community. Grant writers who are able and willing, individuals who know their employers offer matching fund programs, or those of you who have a rich uncle, please step forward. Also those who have any spare time, please step forward. There are many development projects that we are working on with our Development Coordinator, Bridget Rivezzo, in which we could use assistance. One example is Alumni Outreach. In regard (o fundraising, yes you are hearing more about it for this same reason, Our current fundraisers not only work to bring the community together but help to offset the cost of maintaining the school as well as to. fund special programs such as the Washington D.C. trip for the 8th graders, art, and financial aid. We hope that your family participates as much as you are able and feel comfortable. In addition, we would like (o address the Annual Giving Campaign, The more families who contribute even if a very small amount, the hetter chance Archway has to receive financial support through grants. Supporters look at the percentage of the families who donate, They are looking not at how much is donated, but that the community is supporting the school Ultimately, Archway’s development and future is dependent upon those who love it and support it. Please contact the hoard with any comments or concerns. Woods Edge Inc. Board of Trustees: Sarah Flowers, Head of School ‘Abram Hardin George Becker, Founding Member Tonya Hersch Monte Merntt, Chair Beto Rivandeneyra Ann Wrixon, Vice Chair & Treasurer Cheryl! Anne Taylor archway. board@ gmail.com Jackie Lemoine, Secretary Shoshana Winkelstein