Odyssey Charter School | Parents RSS

OPPG Board Nominations Update

Fri, 07 May 2010 10:57:04 GMT

Thank you!! The following parents have stepped up for OPPG or the Governing Board:
o Neil Kubon – OPPG Vice-Chair
o Erin Gamble – OPPG Secretary
o Amy Cienfuegos – OPPG Treasurer
o Monica Sottolani- Gamez – OPPG Member At-Large
o Rhonda Graham – OCS Governing Board Rep for Grades 5-8

(These nominees are running unopposed, so there will not be an election for their positions next week. The Nominating Committee will recommend these nominees to the OPPG Executive Board for approval at the May 11th Leadership meeting.)

(Please scoll down to read these "candidates" statements)

BUT!!!

We STILL HAVE TWO (very important) POSITIONS THAT WE NEED TO FILL We need you to consider running for one of the following:

OPPG Chair - Facilitates or will appoint another officer to facilitate at all meetings of the OPPG and the Executive Board, will regularly report to the Board, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the office.

Governing Board Representative for K-4th grade - Shall sit as an active voting Board member, adhere to OCS Board bylaws and current policies, report to OPPG of Board activities, and perform such other duties as may be assigned to the office.

These positions must be filled by the end of May so that there is time to transition from the current Board. If you are interested, please write or email a short paragraph about why you want/are qualified to hold the position. Email it to jexywadle@gmail.com or drop it off with Mayra in the main office by Monday, May 10th

We had so much parent support this year. Please consider running for OPPG or the Governing Board to keep that momentum going!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Here are the statements from the people who have chosen to serve:

Neil Kubon (OPPG Vice-Chair) – I'm interested in taking on this position to keep the momentum that the OPPG is on now. I believe that we still need more involvement at Odyssey. I have been at Odyssey since the very first day Odyssey has opened it's doors. I believe this is the best group of parents that we have ever had at the school. We need to work a bit harder to get more parents involved.

Erin Gamble (OPPG Secretary) – We have two children at OCS – Seia and Aidan. Since we moved to California from Colorado this past summer, this is our first year at OCS.  We have been inspired and impressed by many things at OCS - one of them being the degree to which the school communicates with and responds to the parent groups. Participating in OPPG gives me the opportunity to have a direct and concrete impact on my children's education.

Amy Cienfuegos (OPPG Treasurer)- I would like to re-run for OPPG treasurer. I was treasurer last year, I have several years experience in financials. I've been on several fundraising committees and I would like to continue to help Odyssey grow.

Monica Sottolani-Gamez (OPPG Member at Large) –
Our daughters Xiomara and Chiara will be in second grade next year.
I am very impressed by the dedication and commitment that both parents and staff bring to OSC and OPPG and I look forward to continuing my involvement with my children's education as well as working towards community building through non-violent communication and empathy at our great school.

Rhonda Graham (OCS Governing Board Rep for Grades 5-8) – I would love to serve as Board Rep again next year. I have been an Odyssey parent since 2002, when my oldest son Ronald started kindergarten. He will be in the 8th grade next year, and my youngest son Kai will be in 5th grade. I was honored to serve as 4th - 8th grade parent board representative this past year, and would welcome the opportunity to continue the position. While State budget cuts have been difficult for the board and the school in general, I believe that they have pushed us to be a stronger and more fiscally responsible institution. I would like to represent the voice of our parent body in board decisions that affect our students and our school.

OPPG - Dinner Thursday at Souplantation

Mon, 03 May 2010 13:05:52 GMT

Don't forget, this Thursday (5/6) is our Restaurant Night at Souplantation in
Pasadena!

Send this link to all your local friends and family so that they can join us at
Souplantation. Everyone must bring this flyer with them to have their meals
counted!

Odyssey will get 20% of each bill that brings in this flyer!

THURSDAY, May 6th
Between 5:00pm and 8:00pm

Souplantation
201 South Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101

You must purchase a meal and a beverage for Odyssey to get the credit.

PRINT THIS FLYER

I'm going to be passing out flyers in the pick up line on Wednesday & Thursday -
can anyone help me from 2:15 - 2:45? Let me know. carid@mac.com

See you there!

Thanks,
Cari

Middle School Play

Mon, 03 May 2010 00:22:32 GMT

Hello Parents,

Daryl's 7th and 8th grade classes are going to perform "Romeo and Juliet" at the
end of the year and we are looking for parents who would like to participate.
Daryl is conducting auditions this week and will begin rehearsals after school
starting the week of May 10th. You do not need to have a lot of experience in
this field just the willingness to help. What we are looking for:

People who have acted to help students understand line study, memorizing lines,
blocking and assisting Daryl

Costumes, assisting with making, designing

Set Design, assisting with making, designing

We will have students that might have siblings that need to stay, so we would
like to have activities for them. An art project or dance, something that might
relate to Shakespeare. I am sure a lot of you would have great ideas.

We also will need help with promotion, posters , flyers. Help with getting
things donated. If you have phone time or are good with promotion it would be
helpful.

If you are interested please e-mail me at heatherpain@mac.com and I will put you
on the master list and you will receive schedules, notices of what needs to
happen, that way you can let me know what days you can help, etc...

The play will take place in June. We have a short time to accomplish a lot of
things, so the more parents involved with supporting the middle school kids in
this adventure the more chance of a smooth running show.

Thank you so much for your time,

Heather Pain
heatherpain@mac.com

Run-4-Fun Thanks!

Mon, 03 May 2010 00:21:20 GMT

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone involved in the Run-4-Fun this year. So many parents stepped up and volunteered and helped in many ways. This year was a big success just by having so many of you come and volunteer and support our Odyssey kids.

It was great to see parents cheering on the kids and lending a hand where needed. The kids had a great time and were excited to see so many come to support them.

A big thanks to all the parents who emailed me to volunteer their time, it was great to meet and work with everyone. It was great, since there were so many it wasn't demanding on any parent to pitch in. That makes it even more enjoyable for everyone. Once again Thank You to everyone.

Don't forget monies are due in to your child's teachers with their pledge form by May 7th (this Friday). As soon as we have all money in, we will let everyone know if we met our $20,000 goal.

Thanks,

Amy Cienfuegos
Organizer

OCS - Help needed for May 15th

Sun, 02 May 2010 13:04:17 GMT

We're looking for some more volunteers to help man the kitchen for the OCS
Pancake Breakfast Saturday morning, May 15th.

If you want to have some fun, help Odyssey massively, and flip some 'cakes,
please contact Joe Gamble at joe@joegamble.com or 323-828-9351.

OCS - A personal note from OPPG Chair

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:03:28 GMT

Dear Odyssey Families,

I only know some of you personally, but many of you may know me at least by my
numerous emails all year long. :-)

It has been a pleasure to serve as Chair of OPPG this past year. The rest of
the OPPG Leadership and I have worked very hard to help with communication,
bring a sense of community and inclusiveness, and fundraise for Odyssey this
year. I believe that by the time we vote in May we will have raised $30,000 to
give to OCS. I'm very proud of the work that has been done by everyone this
year. We have amazing parents, fabulous committees, and so many people that
have put in long hours to help our great Staff make our school the wonderful
place that it is. Thank you to everyone.

So, now our terms are up, and it is time for 7 more parents to step up to run
OPPG for next year. We need YOU. It is vital that we keep OPPG going as a
strong group to support our school.

As Chair, I ask everyone to consider taking on a bigger part in your child's
education. I know that everyone gives in ways that are the most appropriate for
themselves and their families, and I know that not everyone is comfortable being
on a Board, but please consider the option. If you would like more details,
please feel free to ask myself or any current Board member.

I am sorry that I am not able to run again to be your Chair. It is someone
else's turn. Can that be YOU?

Thank you,
Cari Dawson
OPPG Chair
carid@mac.com
323-273-6131

P.S. Nominations are due to the office, or by email to Jexy by May 3rd.
(Monday) jexywadle@gmail.com

Run-4-Fun Friday (4/30)

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:02:26 GMT

Are you and your kids getting LOTS of pledges for Run-4-Fun?? It is this Friday
(4/30), and we have a long way to go to get to our goal of $20,000!!! This is
our BIG money maker of the year!!

Take the pledge form to work - post on Facebook - take it to a park - have the
kids call their Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles - even 25 cents per lap will
go a LONG way!!

Also, can you come cheer on the kids on Friday morning? We need a few more
volunteers to help out.

Run-4- Fun needs volenteers on Friday to punch lap cards and serve sno cones.
Please help the OPPG in raising money for Odyssey. Volunteers needed from
8:30am-11am Friday.

Call or email Amy ASAP 626- 379-4874 or amy100fires@aol.com

Thanks!!

We need you for OPPG

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:01:40 GMT

Calling all parents,

It's nomination time for next year's OPPG leadership and for the parent board
representatives. Did you know that most of the parents who were generous enough
to give us a year of their service are going on to do other things (helping the
school in other ways) so most of the positions need to be filled. We need YOU
to consider taking on an important role in your child's school.

Nominations are due (in the office) on Monday, May 3rd. The definitions of the
positions on the OPPG and for the parent board reps are in your Thursday packet
(and I also pasted it below). If you have any questions, please contact me,
Jexy Wadle at jexywadle@gmail.com or call me: 323-633-4690. You can also speak
to Cari Dawson (also on the nominating committee) or anyone currently on OPPG or
the board.

You don't need to have had experience doing this; if you're new to the school or
a veteran, please consider putting your name in the hat and jumping in. The
school needs a diverse team of voices to guide us through a great 2010-2011
school year. You can make a difference! Do it now!

Here is a copy of what went out in Thursday packets yesterday...

OPPG Nominations
A great way to play an active part in your child's education…

Odyssey Parent Participation Group is the parent run organization that
encourages and provides avenues for parent volunteerism at the school. It
supports and helps maintain the school, its charter, policy, procedures and
programs which includes fundraising. Odyssey is looking for officers for next
year's OPPG governance.

Available are the following seats:
Chair—Facilitates or will appoint another officer to facilitate at all meetings
of the OPPG and the Executive Board, will regularly report to the Board, and
perform such other duties as may be assigned by the office.

Vice Chair— Upholds the office of Chairperson as needed, and performs such other
duties as may be assigned by the office.

Secretary—Is responsible for recording minutes of the Group's regular meetings,
and performs such other duties as may be assigned to the office.

Treasurer— Is responsible for preparing a monthly financial report at the
regular meeting, ensures adherence to current School financial policies, and
performs other duties that may be assigned by the office.

Member at Large— Performs whichever duties which may be assigned to the office
to assist in the functioning of the OPPG.

Grades K-4 and Grades 5-8 Governing Board Representatives - Shall sit as an
active voting Board member, adhere to OCS Board bylaws and current policies,
report to OPPG of Board activities, and perform such other duties as may be
assigned to the office.

If you are interested in one of these seats please use the following space to
write a succinct paragraph describing who you are, your reasons for interest in
the position as well as your qualifications. This form must be in to the office
by noon Monday, May 3trd.

Name, email and/or phone number for contact by nominating committee only:

Paragraph with brief bio and qualifications for position:

April OPPG Leadership Agenda

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 13:00:16 GMT

Dear Odyssey Families,

Our OPPG Leadership meeting this month will take place on Tuesday evening -
April 13th at 6:30pm in the Resource Room.

All parents are welcome to attend. We will be voting on funding testing snacks
for the kids, approving the time line for the upcoming OPPG Board Elections, and
hearing Committee reports and reports from upcoming event organizers.

Below you will find the agenda for this Leadership meeting. If there are any
items that you would like to comment on or speak to, we welcome all comments -
in person or through a written statement that can be read. If you have anything
you would like added to the agenda, please be sure to get that to me (Cari at
carid@mac.com) by Monday morning.

Thanks,
Cari Dawson
OPPG Chair

Here is the agenda:

OPPG Leadership Meeting Agenda
Tuesday April 13, 2010 6:30pm

Welcome / Introductions

Approvals / Action Items:
Financial Report / Approval for Dec, Jan, Feb, & March – Amy
Funds for Testing Snacks ($300 requested) – VOTE
Bob's Big Boy Restaurant Night (40%) – April 28 or May 6 - Karen

Proposals:
Nominating Committee – Need 3 members
Approve Time Line:
Flyer for Candidates – April 22 & 29
Deadline for Nominations – May 3
Statements go out – May 6
Election – May 10 & 11
Intro of new Board – May 18th OPPG Meeting

Committee Reports:
Board Report – Jexy & Rhonda
Food & Garden – Susan
Arts – Paula
Fundraising – Emily
Ebay (Giving Engine) – Ilse
Ebay – Ellen
Passive – Marisela & Antoinette Raines
Committee Fundraising – Cari
Fix-It Committee – Darby, Neil, Blithe
Room Parents – Lisa – No Report
Safety Committee – Eva – No Report

Other Reports / Information items:
Book Drive
Emergency Café - $147 OCS donation

Upcoming Events:
Dance Away – April 24 ? – MaryLinda
Bob's Big Boy Restaurant Night – April 28? - Karen
Run for Fun – April 30 – Amy
Rummage Sale / Barefoot Books / Pancake Breakfast –May 15th – Gary,
Courtney, Joe
Book Club / Dinner – May 27th – Mia, Susan
Casino Night – June 5 - Neil

OPPG Meetings Planning:
May 18 6pm
Food ideas –
Parent Ed topic –

Updates since last meeting:

Calendar:
Assign Second Cup of Coffee Dates – 4/30
Next OPPG Leadership Meeting – Tues May 11th 6:30pm

Lost & Found

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:58:55 GMT

I counted 126 items in the lost & found today!! That means that most of our
children have left something at school and it is waiting there for you.

ALL ITEMS IN THE LOST AND FOUND ARE BEING DONATED TO CHARITY AFTER FRIDAY!!

So, please come check the lost and found for your families belongings THIS WEEK!!

There are clothes hung on hooks in the little room on the right of the stage in
the Community Hall. AND there is an overflow rack outside the Community Hall
double doors. Check BOTH locations!

After Friday EVERYTHING will be donated.

Please!

Parent Ed Opportunity with Alfie Kohn

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:50:41 GMT

Dear Families,

I'm sure you all saw the flyer in yesterday's Thursday packet for the Alfie Kohn
talk on April 15th at 7:00pm.

I wanted to give you some additional details on how to get tickets.

The organizers are holding seats for Odyssey parents and guardians to attend the
7:00 talk, but they have changed the ticketing process.

YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR SEAT. They feel this evening will sell out, so you need
to bring a printed ticket to get a seat. Seats are FREE, but must be reserved
online.

Just go to:
http://alfiekohnatoxy.eventbrite.com/

Enter the number of tickets you need into the area next to "Odyssey". Please
don't reserve more than you need, because seats are limited. After you
register, you will be emailed a ticket to print.

If you don't have access to a printer, please have a friend get you a ticket.

Thanks,
Cari

OCS - Thank you!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:30:54 GMT

Dear Odyssey Families,

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. Because of your generous donations of time and money, we
were able to raise $720 at the brunch and arts "50-50" on Feb 27. This is
GREAT. Your participation is really moving us forward!!

Also our ebay sales raised $721.58 in the month of February. Thank you for the
donations! Keep those items coming in to Ellen for more ebay auctions.

Even our box tops just brought in $37. Every little bit helps!

Keep up the good work, everyone!

OCS - Find your child's belongings

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:29:24 GMT

Lost and found:
Parents please take a moment after dropping your child off or at pick up time,
and check the Lost and Found area next to the stage in the community room (near
the exit door to the parking area).

We have provided hooks and a rack for hanging items that students leave laying
around.

Your child may also go into the area to look for their missing articles of
clothing.

All unclaimed items will be donated to the Goodwill on Saturday March 27,2010.

March OPPG Leadership Agenda

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:30:19 GMT

Dear Odyssey Families,

I am very excited to announce our March OPPG Parent meeting that will be held on
Tuesday morning, 3/16, at 8:30am in the Community Hall.

We have a great parent ed planned on "Emergency Preparedness", with a guest
speaker from Emergency Cafe. Please check your Thursday packet for the flyer.

In preparation for that meeting, and to take care of some other OPPG Business,
the March OPPG Leadership meeting will be this Tuesday (3/9) at 6:30pm in the
Resource
Room.

Everyone is welcome to join us at any Leadership meeting.

Thanks,
Cari Dawson
OPPG Chair

Here is the agenda:

__________________________________________________________

OPPG Leadership Meeting Agenda
Tuesday March 9, 2010 6:30pm

Welcome / Introductions

Approvals / Action Items:
Financial Report / Approval for Dec & Jan & Feb – Amy
VOTE to change OPPG Acct. to BofA
Cash for Rummage Sale - VOTE

Proposals:
Nominating Committee – Need 3 members
Discuss Time Line for Elections
Art Sale ($245 from K morning)
Rummage Sale / Barefoot Books / Pancakes ? – Combined event

Committee Reports:
Board Report – Jexy & Rhonda
Food & Garden – Susan
Arts – Paula
Fundraising – Emily
Update on Parent Businesses - Cari
Ebay – Ilse
Passive – Marisela & Antoinette Raines
Committee Fundraising – Cari
Fix-It Committee – Darby, Neil, Blithe
Room Parents – Lisa
Safety Committee – Eva

Other Reports / Information items:
Dance Away Night Follow-up – MaryLinda
Firefly / Art Event Follow-up - Karen

Upcoming Events:
Run for Fun – April 30 – Amy
Spring Rummage Sale / Barefoot Books –May 15th – Gary, Courtney
Book Club / Dinner – May 27th – Mia, Susan
Spring Fundraiser – June 5 - Neil

OPPG Meetings Planning:
Mar 16 8:30am, May 18 6pm
Food ideas – Coffee – Sam-Ana
Parent Ed topic – Emergency Preparedness
Ideas for May?

Updates since last meeting:

Calendar:
Assign Second Cup of Coffee Dates – 3/26, 4/30
Next OPPG Leadership Meeting – Tues April 13th 6:30pm

Odyssey - We need YOU!

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:28:21 GMT

Dear Odyssey Families,

Please take a minute to look down this list, and make sure you are supporting
Odyssey in every way that you possibly can. Many of these fundraisers don't
cost you a cent!

I have written this in a format that you can cut and paste below and send it out
to your family and friends. Please feel free to personalize it – add your
child's name. If many of our extended families and friends can sign up for
these programs, we might start to make dent in our huge budget crisis. Please
HELP!

Dear Friends & Family,

As many of you know, the funds for schools continue to get cut by our State, and
we need everyone to step in personally to make a difference in the education of
our children. My child's school has several programs that you can sign up for
to help. Please take a look. Some of them don't cost you anything, other than
a minute or two of your time. We need your help!

Our main fundraiser is our Annual Campaign. We are asking every family to
PLEASE donate any amount they feel they can to our Annual Campaign. Ask your
friends and family to make Odyssey their charity for 2010, by making their
donation to our Annual Campaign! You can send cash or a check to our Main Office
or mail it to us at 725 West Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91001.

Just click one of the donate buttons on our website for a one-time donation or a
monthly pledge:
http://www.odysseycharterschool.org/support/donations.cfm

Programs that don't cost you anything:

eScrip:
Every time you use your credit and/or debit cards to shop, a percentage of the
money goes directly to our school. Once you've registered your debit, credit
and Vons Club cards, you don't have to do anything more. Encourage all of your
friends and family to sign up their cards.
Check out the eScrip merchant list at www.escrip.com. Register or renew at
www.escrip.com or 800-801-4973 for Odyssey Charter School, Group I.D. #137822784

Box Tops for Education
Earn cash for school by clipping, saving and bringing in the box tops from
popular General Mills products. Products include: Cheerios, Rice Chex, Yoplait,
Pillsbury Dinner Rolls, Betty Crocker Complete Meals, Progresso Soup, Gold Medal
Flour, etc.

RALPHS Community Contribution Program
Do you shop at Ralphs? Any family with a Ralph's card should be sure to
register! Go to: http://www.ralphs.com/ccprogram.htm and click on participant
sign up. You will need your Ralph's Club Number, and Odyssey's NPO # 80125

Target Stores - Take Charge Of Education
Do you shop at Target? If you sign up for a free Target Visa card, then Odyssey
will be given 1% of everything you spend at Target. Only 14 families have
signed up for this, and yet Target has paid Odyssey $1,987.64 since the program
began. Imagine the amount we could make if everyone who shopped at Target could
sign up! Visit www.target.com/tcoe or go to the in-store kiosk to designate
Odyssey Charter School in Altadena, CA as your school of choice.

Donate Your Vehicle
If you are getting rid of your old vehicle, please consider donating it for
Odyssey. Online at www.cars4causes.com – Or call 1-800-766-2273
(1-800-766-CARE) OCS is registered with cars4causes, so make your donation to
"Odyssey Charter School".

One Cause
Sign up to Join One Cause, and when you use it as your gateway to your normal
internet shopping, One Cause will donate a portion to Odyssey. You can also use
their search bar, and for every search, Odyssey will get 2 cents.
http://www.onecause.com/schools/odyssey-charter-school--4

Ink Cartridge and Cell Phone Recycling
Bring all your empty ink cartridges and old cell phones to the front office, and
we will turn them in for cash! You can check this list here to see which ones
qualify, and how much we will get for it:
http://www.recycletoearn.com/qualifying_lists.aspx
Or just bring them all in, and let us do the checking. Put a box in your office
at work and get your whole office in on the recycling. It is good for the
environment, and for our school!

Other programs:

Ebay
Do you have an item to donate to Odyssey? The proceeds will be donated in your
name as a cash donation! That means your donation will not only help the school
raise money, but you can also write it off as a CASH DONATION! Ellen will sell
any item (or group of items) with a value over $100. Contact Ellen Glasston
Eglasston@earthlink.net 213-300-3404.

Ebay for Entertainment Items:
We also have an Online Auction set up for high priced entertainment items.
Things like tickets to shows, meet & greet opportunities, autographed
memorabilia, or any other industry-related items. Do you have contacts in the
industry? You can view our page at www.ebay.com/ocs. Contact Carlos at
carlosg@ocsmail.org if you have something to donate.

Upcoming Fundraising Events:

Feb. 27, 2010 10:00am – 2:30pm Firefly Bistro Brunch & Art Event (12-4)
50/50* BRUNCH and KIDS ARTS AFTERNOON
Firefly Bistro in South Pasadena invites Odyssey families and friends to enjoy
to an amazing brunch, and half-yes half, will be donated back to Odyssey!
After you dine, drop off the kids for an afternoon of ART at Space Gallery's
"Open Studio". Kids explore materials and create arts and crafts projects to
their hearts' content. $20/child covers everything from 12-4 and half-yes half,
will be donated back to Odyssey!

Apr 30, 2010 Run-4-Fun
Start collecting pledges now from your friends, family, and co-workers.
Supporters can pledge per lap that your student will run, or a flat amount. All
students participate, and we need all families to support this fun event! Watch
your Thursday packet for more information. Last year we raised over $15,000,
and this year with 60 more kids I think we can top $20,000!

May 15, 2010 - Spring Rummage Sale
Start saving your rummage sale items to bring in for our May Rummage Sale!

June 5, 2010 – Save the Date-- CASINO NIGHT @ Mijares Mexican Restaurant.
This will be our major Spring Fundraiser Event. More details to follow soon

We thank our amazing community for all the incredible support. Please help us
keep our great school alive by contributing in every way possible.

Thank you from your Odyssey Parent Group.

OPPG Ebay Fundraiser Update

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:05:51 GMT

We have our first two items listed on Ebay and are looking for
more! Do you have an item to donate to Odyssey? The
proceeds will be donated in your name as a cash donation!
That means your donation will not only help the school raise
money, but you can also write it off as a CASH DONATION!
This is an ongoing fundraiser, so feel free to contact me any
time with items you would like to donate!

Ellen Glasston
Eglasston@earthlink.net
213‐300‐3404

Odyssey Community Board

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:04:58 GMT

I want to announce our new Odyssey Community Board! It is up and ready for
postings!

Many of you have asked for a place where members of our community could share
non-Odyssey information with other members. Well, we don't have an electronic
forum yet, but we now have a bulletin board at school for just this type of
information.

If you want to share information on a family community event, or if you are
selling something, or even if you are looking for a babysitter or a carpool
opportunity, this is the place to post that.

The board is on the front wall of the school - opposite the office. Stop by and
take a look when you have a chance. Please feel free to post something if you
have something of interest. I would recommend bringing your own tape, stapler,
or tacks in case there aren't any there.

Here are the policies for the Board:

This Board is a place for Odyssey Parents and Guardians to post non-Odyssey
information that they want to share with other Odyssey families.

Here are a few "guidelines" to follow for this Board:

• Okay to Post: Items for sale, "Wanted" notices, Family events, Community
happenings that you think other families might find interesting.
• This Board is not for Odyssey related materials. Those should be posted on
the School's Board or the OPPG Board (See Mayra in the office), which are both
around the corner.
• Only Parents/Guardians or OCS Staff can post notices on this Board.
• All notices must be child appropriate in content.
• Please only remove your own notice, and please return to do so once it is out
of date.
• This Board will be cleared off periodically to free room for new posts.
• OCS Staff reserves the right to remove a notice that they don't feel is
appropriate. If you would like to put contact information on the back of your
flyer, we will try to reach you with any questions.

Questions can be addressed to me, Cari at carid@mac.com or 323-273-6131.

Thanks,
Cari

Dance Away - Feb 26

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:04:02 GMT

ODYSSEY DANCE-AWAY NIGHT
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26!!!

Our first Odyssey DANCE-AWAY is around the corner and we invite you, your family
and friends to come and dance the night away!

This community-building event will take place once a month on Friday [or
Saturday] from 6:30 to 9:30pm, in the community hall of the OCS campus.

We have a disco ball and we're ready to go! Oh, but wait…

We do need DJ's (with equipment), drummers (with drums) and a few hands to help
set up, take down, and pass the word around…

We are calling out to all of you who have dance and music in your blood and want
to build a new Odyssey tradition for all ages.

If you have DJing experience (or know someone who would fit the bill) or if
you'd like to participate in the drum circle (casual acquaintance with Drums
enough)), call us now!

Contacts:
Marylinda Moss 323 369 2923
Sabine Sighicelli 323 440 1908

FRIDAY – 6:30-9:30pm
Adult -- $5
Children -- $2
(Family Price: $10)

Spring Fundraiser Planning Meeting

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:37:13 GMT

Thursday, Feb 18
6:30pm - 8:00pm
Community Hall

Are you able to help plan our big Spring Fundraiser? We need help! Join us for
an Organizational Meeting on next Thursday at 6:30pm.

Questions can be addressed to Committee Chair, Neil Kubon at
NeilKubon@corpcon.net.

If you want to help, but can't attend the meeting, please let Neil know!

Special Board Meeting Details

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:56:31 GMT

Dear Parents,

Before I give you all the details about the special board meeting on the budget,
I wanted to start with several important points:

1. Odyssey will have to cut AT LEAST $60,000 MORE from our budget for the
2010-2011 school year.

2. We have already cut over $215,000 from this year's budget.

3. We may have to raise class size, cut PE and cut key office positions. These
cuts will hurt!

4. We have raised about $25,000 in our Annual Campaign. This is good, but we
need to do better.

5. Over 70% of our families have not yet contributed to the Annual Campaign.

6. We need 100% of our families to contribute the Annual Campaign.

7. You can make either a one-time gift or a monthly contribution.

8. The amount that you give does not matter, but we need more families to give.

9. If we raise more money, we won't have to see as many cuts!!!

10. Go to www.odysseycharterschool.org and click on the orange DONATE button on
the right side of the page.

The board meeting on Tuesday evening (2/9) started with a budget study session
presented by Richard Vasquez, the Vice President of School Finance from ExEd
(our business office). He started by explaining how charter schools are funded.

Our largest funding source is our Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding.
Currently, we are being told that we are to expect another cut in ADA funds for
next year (2010-11), an additional reduction of at least $60,000.

Just as a reminder, we have already had to cut $215,500 from our budget this
year. These cuts were:

• Elimination of Field Trips
• Elimination of Harvest of the Month
• Cuts to instructional materials
• Elimination of Art classes
• Elimination of Music classes
• Salary freezes for all personnel
• Cut of the Above and Beyond Incentive to staff
• Reduction of Technology Specialist to half time position
• Reduction in Teacher Assistant staff to 2 full time and 4 part time

Now that we have to cut at least another $60,000 from our budget, the board is
looking at making the following possible cuts/changes:
o Increasing class size
o Eliminating our Physical Education program
o Eliminating our Technology Education program
o Personnel cuts

Here are some of the highlights of the discussion (from board members and
parents, teachers and staff)

Could we close school early and save money that way?
• This would be a pay-cut for teachers
• We would still need to meet our required minutes of instruction.
• Need more research

We are investigating opening a line of credit to cover expenses.

We have to maintain a 5% cash reserve (savings) and must submit a positive or
"break even" budget when we submit our budget.

About 27% of families are giving to the Annual Campaign currently – about
$25,000 has been pledged.
• Room parents have been calling families
• It would be great if all families could contribute, even if it is only a
one-time gift or a small monthly donation
• Families with businesses are looking into donating a percentage of their
profits to the school. (The board is still checking the legality of this).
• Can we make Odyssey a "profit center" – meaning can we hold afterschool
classes at OCS and make a profit for the school? Currently we don't make any
money off of Tom Sawyer or arts/dance/cooking classes. Parents might be willing
to donate time and teach classes. (We need to look into the insurance
requirements for this, and how this will impact staff).
• This is a great increase over previous years, but we still have over 70% of
families not giving.

Class size increases –
• If we increase class size next year, Lauren would recommend doing it in the
K-2 classes (2-3 more students). Those classes are relatively small now and
have a T.A. for support. She would not want to increase class sizes at grades
3-8.

Can parents raise funds for a specific program/teacher?
• Yes, but then the funds have to raised again each year. Typically schools do
this for music/art/PE teachers. At this point, all money raised goes to the
general school fund and not for a specific program or teacher.

Can we do an energy audit to make sure that we are not wasting energy, etc…
• Yes, this is something we can consider

There is still a lot to consider and it is not yet time to make decisions about
the budget. The board will continue to study the finances and see if there are
ways to make these inevitable cuts less painful. The finance committee on the
board will be considering everything that was discussed at the meeting and the
entire board will meet again on February 23, 2010. No decisions have been made
at this point and we continue to welcome parents and community members to all
board meetings and subcommittee meetings.

Please consider making a donation to Odyssey Charter School....
www.odysseycharterschool.org

Thank you,
Jexy Wadle
K-3 Board Parent Rep

Congratulations Odyssey

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:36:47 GMT

CONGRATULATIONS to the Odyssey Community. I was informed today by LACOE that we
made the California for Business Education Excellence honor roll for 2009.

"The 2009 Honor Roll includes 1,304 California public elementary, middle
and high schools that have been recognized by California's business community
for having demonstrated consistent high student academic achievement and have
made significant progress toward closing achievement gaps among all their
students. The Honor Roll is made up of two different awards, the Star Schools
Award (395 schools) and Scholar Schools Award (909 schools). A full list of the
Honor Roll schools, can be found at on our Honor Roll Page.

"These schools are the bright spots of hope in efforts to raise student academic
achievement and close persistent achievement gaps," said Kirk Clark, executive
director of CBEE. "By highlighting them, recognizing their achievement and
giving them a voice we hope other schools can learn from these proven practices
and we can begin to take their success to scale throughout the state."

For more information go to: http://www.cbeefoundation.org/

I hope you will join me at the LACOE board tentatively scheduled for their
February 16th meeting as they recognize our accomplishment!

Thank you all for your dedication to our community!

Lauren

Lauren O'Neill
Odyssey Charter School
Executive Director
(626) 229-0993 ext. 105

Shoe Drive for Haiti

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:35:37 GMT

Shoe Drive for Haiti
January 25-29

Odyssey is participating in Sport Chalet's shoe drive with the Soles 4 Souls
organization through January 31st. Please bring your gently worn men's, women's,
and children's shoes and place them in the box in your child's classroom or in
the office this week. We'll deliver the donations afterschool on Friday to the
La Cañada Sport Chalet.

This is a great way for our community to help others and one way our students
can see that they can make a difference. Please contact me with any questions.

Thank you,
Mia Picerno
Room 13 Parent
shoetopia@gmail.com

OPPG January Parent Meeting

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:36:09 GMT

To All Parents & Guardians,

Please join us for our January OPPG Meeting and Parent Ed!!

Mark the date on your calendars NOW. TUESDAY JANUARY 19th 6:00PM.

Childcare will be provided.

6:00pm – OPPG Meeting (Brief parent meeting to hear Committee Reports, and find out about the next events.)

6:30pm – Parent Ed

“Rewards and Punishments”
with Brian Joseph, Odyssey Parent and CNVEP Educator

Setting limits for our kids is critical. Is it possible for us to hold those limits without using the threat of punishment, and without the bribery of offering rewards? CNVEP offers a new paradigm for raising children without these manipulative tools.

This topic is brought to you by the OPPG, however does not necessarily represent the views of OCS. This month we are presenting a topic for parents and we look forward to hearing from Brian and to the Parent discussion that follows. We hope you will join us.

You can find more information on CNVEP at www.cnvep.org

If you have any questions, or would like something added to the agenda, please call or write Cari Dawson, OPPG Chair at 323-273-6131 or carid@mac.com

Odyssey Spring Fundraising Event Planning!

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:22:40 GMT

Are you interested in being part of the team that is going to come up with the idea for our Big Spring Fundraising Event?

The Spring Fundraiser Committee is having it's first planning meeting this Monday, November 23rd at 8:30am in the community hall.

Please join Chair, Neil Kubon, and our Fundraising Chair, Marialyce Pedersen and the rest of the committee!

Thanks,
Cari Dawson
OPPG Chair
carid@mac.com

A letter about some difficult budget cuts at Odyssey

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:24:15 GMT

The OCS Governing board met last night. Our board chair, Steve Cogswell, wrote
the following letter today to explain the difficult financial decisions the
board had to make. If you have any questions please contact one of your board
reps - Jexy Wadle the K-4 rep. (jexywadle@gmail.com) or Rhonda Graham the grade
5-8 rep. (kimikog@msn.com), or you may always contact Lauren O'Neill, our
Executive Director.

November 18, 2009

To the Odyssey Community
Parents, Teachers, and Staff

Dear friends,

Odyssey has never been so buoyant as it is now. We have some of the finest
teachers to be found anywhere. Our administrative leadership is inspired,
tireless, and entirely motivated to do right by our students. Parents have
stepped up and are now participating in support of the school as never before.
Their volunteer work and financial generosity is deeply appreciated. And, most
importantly, our students are at unprecedented achievement levels.

I think "buoyant" is a good word to describe us. It implies uplift and
ascendancy. It also means "to be capable of maintaining a satisfactorily high
level." Tragically, that capability is under direct threat. The State of
California has found itself in deeply troubled financial waters. The
consequence of which has been to impose reductions in education funding. And,
not just one reduction, but multiple cuts announced already this school year,
with additional cuts likely the first of the new year. Gravely, we are told to
brace for even greater cuts in the next school year, 2010-2011.

To give this some scale, we had an approved budget at the outset of this year of
around two million dollars. We have had hundreds of thousands of dollars cut,
and the State has informed us that 25% of our entire year's income, normally
received during the school year to pay our costs, will be "deferred" into some
time the following year. The consequences of deferrals added to cuts have put
your Governing Board in a very unhappy predicament. We must find a way to do
right by the children, right by our faculty and staff, maintain a clean and safe
campus, and do it all with the radically reduced funding available.

Hard choices face us. At last night's Governing Board meeting we discussed and
agonized over achieving the right balance in our spending. The highest priority
is to retain small class sizes and retain our excellent teachers. In the recent
past, we could do this and add specialized instruction such as art and music, to
give breadth and a fuller education and to contribute to our philosophy of
advancing the kids' "multiple intelligences" in a tangible way. We saw no
alternative to the unhappy decision to jettison our art and music programs,
which were scheduled to begin in January. Our stalwart teachers will include
art in their classes to the degree possible and appropriate.

On a personal note, my two sons are both artists and musicians, and had the
benefit of early education in those areas. They have achieved success in their
fields, and it wrenches my heart to have come to the decision we made last
night. But, it is the right decision for now.

As a community, we each can do a great deal to alleviate the financial stress we
are enduring. OPPG has done a remarkable job of supporting the school. The
Governing Board is pursuing grants and awards, and our parents can recognize
that every dollar they contribute goes directly to advance their children's
education. The more we can raise from all sources, the better their lives will
be. As a public school, the public is expected to cover the cost of education.
Even in good times, our charter school receives less than non-charter public
schools, and perhaps only a quarter or half what private schools charge for
tuition. If we can find ways to supplement the income we have, we can make a
disproportionate contribution to our children.

Please do all you can to help us do right by our wonderful pupils.

There is much at Odyssey to be grateful for at this Thanksgiving season. Our
gratitude includes the confident expectation that we will all do all we can to
keep Odyssey's buoyancy afloat.

Very sincerely,

Steven Cogswell
Chair
Governing Board
Odyssey Charter School

Odyssey Family Directory Available

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:03:06 GMT

Dear OCS Families;

You should have received an email from our Yahoo group with an attached file. If you have your own Yahoo login, you will be able to get the file. If you don't, please email me at carid@mac.com, and I'll email it to you directly.

With no password protection on our website, I do not want to post the directory online.

This is our new OCS Family Directory for 2009-2010. I wanted to get the information out to you quickly. Hopefully it has the information that you need to connect with other members of our community.

Please remember to keep this information private. Do not share this with anyone outside of Odyssey.

I would be happy to make any corrections you might have to your entry. Feel free to email me with these corrections - carid@mac.com. I will send out another copy in a few weeks with all the changes. This info comes directly from your school files, so if you send me any changes please be sure to let me know if I can change it in the school file as well.

I hope this is helpful.

Thanks,
Cari Dawson
OPPG Chair
carid@mac.com

Fix It Committee

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:56:00 GMT

Hi Everyone,

Searching for a fellow fix it person!!!

We are looking for a person that offered us help a few months ago. He is a
general contractor. If this wonderful guy could get in touch with me we would
love to talk
with you about a special project.

Thanks again to everyone that answered our fix-it plea.

We are truly a team.

Thanks,
Darby
DarbyRowe@sbcglobal.net
Sky's mom

Pomegranate Fundraiser Request

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:25:27 GMT

Stephanie is planning her annual pomegranate jelly fundraiser, and is looking for pomegranates!

If you have a pomegranate tree, and can spare some for this great fundraiser, please email Stephanie. She can come pick them up, or you can bring them in to school for her.

Also, she will be making the jelly on Mondays, and if you are interested in helping drop her an email.

stephanie jenniches
sdjenniches@gmail.com

Thanks!

Restaurant Night a Success

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:11:11 GMT

Thank you to Tina and Mijares Restaurant, and to everyone who attended our Restaurant NIght.

They raised $1086 for Odyssey!!

Congratulations!

Restaurant Night is Tuesday!

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:49:07 GMT

I hope everyone will be able to join us at the Restuarant Night this week! It is a great community event, and we owe a huge thanks to Mijares Restaurant for their generous donation to Odyssey of a portion of all the proceeds made at Mijares between 3:00 and 9:00 on Tuesday!

Join us at 5:00pm on Tuesday (10/13) in the Banquet room for a special buffet for our community!

See you there!

Thanks,

Cari Dawson

OPPG Chair

Welcome Back!

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:29:28 GMT

This is our Parent Blog area of our new website. Please check back here regularly for information and news for parents!