This week Julia Golub was Caught Being Good! 
Please come by the office to pick up your prize.  Who will be caught next? 

From the Principal:
February is already promising to be a busy month for Los Cerros. We've officially begun the second half of our school year and students are working hard to stay focused during this long stretch of winter.

On Wednesday, February 18th I'll be traveling with our PTA representative to Sacramento for the 2009 PTA Advocacy Day. Obviously the focus of the day will be the proposed state cuts to education. As the days go on without a firm budget our district continues to work and plan ahead. In Sacramento we'll hear reports from the legislators, meet with other school district officers, and attend a panel discussion with the states school Superintendents.

The California Distinguished Schools program has planned a site visit to Los Cerros for Friday, February 27th. At that time the visitation team will visit classrooms, interview community members, and talk to students about their experiences at Los Cerros. Our application was submitted in December and this team will make the final decision about the Distinguished School designation.

It's good to be back at Los Cerros after my two week absence for jury duty. It was an interesting experience in civic responsibility but I missed Los Cerros and I'm glad it's finished. I hope you all have a relaxing President's Day weekend.

Phyllis Roach,
Principal

LEADERSHIP CORNER
ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Winners of the homeroom competition for 1st semester were:  Roudman (6th), Frahm (7th), Batesole (8th) and Briemle (mixed).  Congratulations and thanks to all the homerooms for the fun competition.  See the sign in the MPR for updates on 2nd semester points.  Mr. Briemle will contact the teachers of the winning homerooms regarding the prize. 

• Valentine's Spirit Day: Wear red, pink and white on February 13th.
  

• Valentine's Hearts will be on sale this week at lunch.  Buy a heart and send it to a friend.  They cost 75 cents each and will be delivered on Friday morning. 
  

• BRAINQUEST:  Which Star Wars movie was released first?  A) Episode IV, B) Episode I, C) Episode VI, D) Episode III. 
  

LOS CERROS HONOR ROLL
Congratulations to First Semester Honor Roll students.  The list is posted on the front and counseling bulletin boards.  Students will receive bumper stickers during lunch on Friday.  Good work!

LOS CERROS BAND STUDENTS IN HONOR GROUP
Music students in the district are being recognized for their acceptance into various honor bands throughout California.  These select bands range from local teacher-nominated ensembles to audition-only rankings.  The California Music Education Association Bay Section Conference was held in January and included Shannon Gainey and Michael Vinn from Los Cerros.  Congratulations.

PAW PRINTS
Hello Los Cerros!  Paw Prints, our Los Cerros Literary Magazine, is sponsoring a Valentine's Day story and poem contest!  Poetry topics for you to consider include: I Give You My Heart, How Much Do I Love You, To Be My Valentine, and Roses are Red! Story contest topics may include: Valentine Caper, The Literature of Love, First Kiss Miss, and Are you My Valentine.

Please turn in your Valentine stories or poems to your Core/English Teacher. Otherwise you may bring your entries to Room 12!  Get those entries in! The contest closes on Wednesday, February 18th!

SEVENTH GRADE STAR WRITE
Parents and students, the California State STAR Write for all 7th graders will take place in their Core class on Tuesday, March 3rd.  This is the only day the STAR Write will be given across the state, and the only make-up day will be March 4th.  Please have students make an effort to be rested for school that day and to arrive at school on time.  If you have any questions regarding the STAR Write, please contact Mike Cannon at mcannon@srvusd.net or 552-3464.  Thank you for your help.

MV FRESHMAN DANCE CLASS TRYOUTS
Monte Vista has a tryout for 8th graders heading to MV dance next year.  No experience is necessary.  Tryouts include a warm-up, going across the floor
and learning a short combination.   Tryouts are Wednesday, March 25th from 3:30 to 5:30 in the large gym at MV.  Any further questions please email Mrs Gordon at: sgordon@mvhigh.net.  Good luck!

SPECIAL OLYMPICS AT LOS CERROS
The Northern California Special Olympics basketball event is going to be held in the Los Cerros gym on Friday, March 13th from 9 am - 2 pm.  Athletes are currently practicing on the Los Cerros campus on Tuesdays to prepare for this event.  There will be athletes from all over the area on March 13th and possibly news media covering the event.  Students will see highlights and interviews of the participants and coordinators on our LCNN news network, and some PE classes will be helping with the Special Olympics events.

SPRING BREAK BASKETBALL CAMP
Championship Basketball Camp at Dougherty Valley High School provides instruction for boys and girls grades 1-8 of ALL skill levels.  The camp is designed to emphasize fundamental skills and stress the importance of teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship and enjoyment of the game.  The camp is under the direction of DV varsity coach Mike Hansen and his staff, costs $90 and is scheduled from 9-2 on April 6-7.  For more info contact kmhansen74@yahoo.com. 

WHY A TEACHER LIBRARIAN?
Due to the state budget problems, teacher librarians across the state are being asked this question. 

“Do we need a person with a school library services credential in addition to their classroom teacher credential to work in the school library? Can’t books be checked in and out by an aide or a volunteer parent?”  Many parents are surprised to discover that secondary Teacher Librarian hold both a teaching credential and a library services credential.   The answer is - “I’m afraid not. The library media teacher of today is a teacher who administers a very complex print and digital information environment and serves as an information coach for teachers and students.”

Services delivered by Teacher Librarians include:

1. Assist teachers to create learning experiences in an information-rich and technology-rich environment.

2. Make sure that all students get the best information needed to fulfill their assignments from the classroom.
   

3. Build and maintain a digital school library open to children/teens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from home and from anywhere in the school.
   

4. Guide and teach students to evaluate information—particularly that gleaned from the Internet: “Who’s saying what to me, for what reason, and with what authority?”
   

5. Teach students the research process in a world where information overload is pervasive.
   

6. Serve as a second teacher during library research so that every student gets individual attention.

List from: Loertscher, David & JoEllen Misakian. California Power!: A Parents' Guide to School Libraries. Salt Lake City: Hi Willow Research & Publishing. 2004.

Requirements to be a professional school teacher librarian in California -teaching credential and successful classroom teaching experience -library services credential -a passing CBEST score “Trying to staff a library with only an aide is like trying to run a hospital entirely with LPN s.” Remember that a number of studies have shown that having a library media teacher on staff increases student achievement.

Did you know that California recently changed the job title from Library Media Teacher to Teacher Librarian to reflect the varied responsibilities of the position? And of course, the library staff is still a reader’s best friend.

MONTE VISTA INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC SUPPORT
Visit the online auction, find good bargains and support the music program at MV.  Visit www.mvkeynoters.com and follow the Online Auction link before the close on 3/1.  One hot item is music lessons for middle-schoolers with MV music director Ed Cloyd!  If you'd like to find out more about the instrumental music community you are invited to the Spring Fling evening event with live auction at Blackhawk Museum on Friday, March 6th at 6:30pm.  The MV bands will perform and they'd love to see you there!