May 4, 2006

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Maybe it’s something in the water at Los Alamitos?

The Los Alamitos Elementary School community is so excited to welcome four new bundles of joy to their community.

Four teachers have given birth to baby girls recently. Debbie (second grade teacher, far left) and Scott Merrell welcomed daughter Courtney Ann on February 23rd followed by Kristie (fourth grade teacher, second from left) and Arnold Carvajal with daughter Marissa Leann on March 8th. Then came Janice (second grade teacher, third from the left) and Scot Felsoci's little girl Madison Elizabeth and Linda (first grade teacher, right) and Pat Dudum's Hannah Elizabeth, both born on April 7th.

“We had a visit this week from all the babies and they are all adorable,” said Sharon Winters. “All the teachers will be back to start a new school year in the fall.”

Community carnival kicks off Shepherd of the
Valley Preschool’s 25th anniversary on May 13

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Shepherd of the Valley Preschool will present a community carnival for Almaden residents to enjoy on Saturday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature carnival games, jump houses, face painting, a petting zoo and more.

In throwing this carnival, members of the Shepherd of the Valley Preschool community want to not only celebrate their school, but also give back to the community, which has made the school such a great success.

The preschool is so popular that local residents are known to camp out overnight in the parking lot annually just to reserve a coveted slot for their tykes.

To make the event meaningful, children who attended the preschool during the past five years were sent invitations for the carnival. “We wanted to do something that would include our families,” said event coordinator Staci Tenczar, “and also have children come back to visit their teachers.” To this end, all of the staff plan to be in attendance during the carnival.

Tenczar chose Shepherd of the Valley Preschool for her children because she felt the staff were warm and caring and the school provided a good mix of academic and developmental programs. But even more, she said, it felt like a family. “We want our school to be like a small community,” says Tenczar, “and that’s the feeling of the school.”

In preparation for the carnival, preschool children have been creating signs while parents have been planning games. “There will be great games for all ages,” says Tenczar. “There’s something for the whole family.” As this is a celebration rather than a fundraiser, there will be great prizes and all costs will be extremely low.

Farm animals will be featured in the petting zoo, including chickens, ducks, pigs, goats, and bunnies. The San Jose fire and police departments will also be making an appearance, including the police department’s canine and mounted units.

A lunch of hot dogs, chicken, and drinks will be for sale, catered by the Men’s Group of the Shepherd of the Valley church, and the women are baking up a storm for the cake walk. Festival favorites such as chips, popcorn, ice cream and cotton candy will also be available.

“We are busy preparing for our celebration.” says Tenczar. “Be sure to save the date and bring your entire family and all of your friends. You won’t want to miss this fun and exciting event!”

If you would like to volunteer to assist with this event, contact Susie Hotelling at 268-8671.

Graystone pep rally kicks off spring celebration

Members of the Graystone Spirit Squad recently kicked off Graystone's annual spring fund-raising event that will be held on Friday, May 19 from 5 to 9 p.m. Students will participate in a walk-a-thon throughout the day earning more for each lap through pledges they collect between now and the event. That evening, Graystone will hold a live and silent auction, raffles, BBQ dinner and dancing to the music of local band Houserockers, on the school blacktop. Last year's event was the most successful to date, raising over $60,000 to support school programs including music, science, computer, media center activities and technology upgrades throughout the school. The public is invited to come and bid on some very special items at the live and silent auction. Items include a helicopter ride, vacation getaways, golf packages, spa services, and many gift baskets with things like iPods and DVDs. Raffle tickets are also available for $2 each for the chance to win a Disneyland vacation.