DEANs News Blog

Dear Andersen Parents,

The Andersen DEANS welcomes you to the 2011-2012 school year. We look forward to working with students, parents and faculty this year in an effort to fulfill our mission: Eliminating Andersen’s Needs.

Andersen is designated as a California Distinguished School and through collective efforts, we are certain we can continue to provide funding to maintain the highest education standards.

Our Top Goals For This Year Are To Fund:

• * Six credentialed teachers to improve the student/teacher ratio
• * Two academic support positions
• * Provide a highly equipped high-tech computer lab with instructor

The DEANS Foundation provides approximately $750 per year for every student at Andersen Elementary. We need your help to continue supporting at this level in order to continue both Andersen’s and our children’s success in education.

How Can You Get Involved:

• * Join The DEANS (see form attached)
• * Attend regularly scheduled board meetings
• * Volunteer for fundraisers

It is only through collaboration that we can best enrich the lives of our precious children, dedicated teachers and committed administrators. We cannot do this without your support. Please feel free to contact me with any and all ideas. I sincerely look forward to working with you this year.

Simon Dillon – DEANS Member since 2004

A little bit about Simon…As a long-time resident of the neighborhood (since 1998), I have a vested interest in the community and am committed to serving the DEANS.  I am a proud father of five: Simon Jr. (12) just graduated Andersen, Oliver (11) special needs and attends special ed. program at Killybrooke, Ava & Elle (9) looking forward to 4^th grade and Daniel (6) preparing for 1^st grade. In addition, my wife Amy is blessed to serve many of your children as a credentialed teacher.

The DEANS are pleased to announce some exciting news regarding supporting the continued academic success of all of our students at Andersen.  Working in partnership with our new Principal Laura Vlasic and the Andersen staff, our school community will welcome 6 new teachers this month, all completely funded by your support and contributions to the DEANS.  These certificated teachers will each be assigned to a specific grade level to provide systematic and targeted instruction in the core content areas of English/Language Arts, Writing, and Math.  This systematic and targeted standards based instruction will also help lower the student teacher ratio.    

Mrs. Vlasic worked closely with the entire Andersen staff over the last month to come up with a collaborative and student-centered plan that is designed to continue to improve the instructional delivery of the curriculum.  We believe this will enrich our children’s educational experience. Please welcome these 6 new professionals when they arrive at Andersen during the month of October. Your continued financial support of the DEANS makes these enrichment opportunities possible.   

A Fun and Engaging Spanish Program Sponsored by the DEANs:  GAMES, PRIZES, ART, STORIES, SONGS, FUN! 

Where: Andersen Elementary  

Who: Wednesday Classes open to students in Grades 1 – 6** Note: There will be a new Academic Spanish Class starting soon!! It will be Thursday mornings for 5th and 6th graders. See separate flier. 

When: Wednesdays September 22 - January 20 3 sessions available: 1:20 pm – 2:20 pm 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm 

Why: It is fun! Play games, hear stories, move, sing, do art, sample food……and all of this while learning Spanish! This is an opportunity to enrich our wonderful educational experience at Andersen. The program is designed for elementary school students who are interested in learning conversational Spanish as a foundation for studying foreign language in junior high and high school. 

For complete information, please see the flyers below:

• Andersen Let's Learn Spanish (pdf)
• Academic Spanish for 5th and 6th Graders (pdf)

How to Sign Up:

Click here to register on Andersen School Loop

Questions? 

• Kimberly Wells: LetslearnspanishW@gmail.com
• Araceli Justiniani: LetslearnspanishJ@gmail.com

Thirteen years ago a group of port street dads recognized a fundamental need at Andersen Elementary. Although it was a good school, with great teachers, administrators, and volunteer parents, it didn’t have all the resources that it needed. This group of pioneering dads saw an opportunity to fill a gap of resources that the public school system couldn’t. Since 1997 these dads and many parents like you have raised over $3.5 Million dollars to improve Andersen Elementary.  My hat’s off to all of you who have made a difference in this award winning school, which now boasts technology superior to any school in Orange County. Many of you have given generously and more importantly volunteered your time to this school and this community to make it a better place. The first of those 1997 kindergarteners that received the benefits of your generosity and compassion now stand ready to graduate from Corona Del Mar High School and move on to some of the best colleges in the country like: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, USC, UCLA, Duke, Georgetown and many others that we dream about sending our kids to.

Last year the DEANS Foundation raised $420,000 from your membership and the various fundraising events scattered through the year. This allowed the DEANS to continue to fund teacher and teacher aide positions that would not otherwise be available to our school. These include additional staff to support Language Arts, Mathematics, Technology, Science and the new Spanish Language Program. Capital improvements like the Oasis Shade Structure are also funded with your DEANS dollars. The DEANS also continued to fund support for the significant technology upgrades made in the classrooms with every room being equipped with a ceiling mounted LCD player, Smart Boards and Digital Document Cameras. This focus on technology has been a key initiative of the DEANS strategic plan and Andersen continues to stand on par or ahead of any other public school in Orange County in terms of access to technology.

The DEANS Foundation spent $750 for every student at Andersen Elementary. The commitment shown from parents, teachers and staff continue to make Andersen Elementary the top school in Newport Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) and one of the finest public schools in Orange County as well as the entire State of California. As much work and effort that has been donated over the past years, this organization has much more work to do. The state of California has cut the education budget and continues to cut important resources from our schools. We can’t change the financial crisis of our time which is producing these budget cuts but we can work to minimize the harmful effects on our children’s education by continuing to support the DEANS with your charitable dollars.

Together we can make a difference!

DEANS President

Costa Harbilas

Did you know that by the end of summer, the average student loses 1 month of general learning and 2.6 months of mathematics? 

Bridge the gap between spring and fall! Developed to help children maintain and enhance scholastic skills while away from school- this award-winning series is the original summer learning program. Summer Bridge consists of daily activities in reading- writing- mathematics- and language arts with bonus activities in science and geography.

Please watch this video below to learn more about the summer bridge program:

Make it FUN... Focus on the prize!

Students who complete the workbook and turn it in to their teacher in the fall will receive a special reward from the DEANs:  a Fashion Island Gift Card!   With so many stores to choose from, every child should find something to motivate them to complete Summer Bridge this year.

Book Pickup

Pickup now through next week at 1851 Port Kimberly Place map.  Andersen students only - thank you.

As I hope you are already aware, the Deans 6^th Annual Golf Tournament has been set for Monday, June 14, 2010 at Oak Creek Golf Course.  This Tournament is a shotgun format and is for all skill levels.  This event is a highlight to the activities put on by the Deans and is always a great time for the Dads to play golf, socialize with friend and neighbors and at the same time provide for their children’s education through the money that is raised

            The Oak Creek course is very excited to have us back and the Golf Committee is gearing up to improve the event through creative sponsorship and donation opportunities.  Click here to view the registration form which sets forth the variety of marketing and sponsorship categories which are available along with their cost.

            Please note that even if you are not available for the tournament or don’t even play golf, there are many different ways for your family/business to be represented as contributors to the success of this event. For example, sponsoring a hole on the course will be acknowledged in the Buffalo and at the tournament with your name displayed on a sign at the specific hole.

            We are hoping to retain all the things that have worked in the past while implementing some new activities to provide some variety. For example, we are going to give away prizes for First , Second and Third place along with a new Trophy to be engraved with the victor’s names and displayed at Andersen in all its glory. 

            It is the goal of the Committee to confirm 22 foursomes in the next 30 days!  It is obviously up to our members to enable us to not only reach this goal but to continue the great tradition of this event. We have received many verbal commitments thus far but would really appreciate getting your registration forms as quickly as possible.

            Thank you very much for your participation and assistance. If you have any question or suggestions feel free to contact us and your email will be routed directly to me.  My direct contact information is on the pdf version of this letter.

Sincerely, Court Purdy

Andersen DEANs Liaison (5^th Grade Mr. Barth), Golf Committee Member

>> Deans Golf Membership Letter_From Court Purdy (pdf)

>> Registration Form 2010 (pdf)

The Deans will be giving a complimentary drink to the first 100 guests to arrive so please be there early to bid on the 314 wonderful auction items!

Thanks to our generous underwriters, all ticket sales and proceeds from the auction will go toward the education of our Andersen children! Let's shoot for a record-breaking attendance and make this an amazingly successful event! We need you there!

The O.C. Cruiser info is on your response card! It is a great way to arrive and depart without worrying about a thing! It also helps us in our efforts to "GO GREEN"! It departs from Andersen at 5:15, 5:45, 6:15 and 6;45 and returns to Andersen every 15 minutes starting at 9:45 p.m. until 11:45! 

Please round up your table of 10 and send in your RSVPs by this Saturday, February 27th!

We look forward to seeing you there!!!

Lorna Wardwell and Tracy Teteak

Now that we have your attention, we wanted to let you know that the cost of our Deans March Madness Dinner Dance & Auction is just about covered by our generous underwriters! That means that almost every dollar raised from ticket sales and at the auction itself will go toward YOUR child's education at Andersen! 

Please book your sitter, gather up a table of 10, and get ready to have a great time raising money for your children's future! Please tell families new to Andersen how much fun this event will be and invite them to sit with you! Get there early and start bidding! The first 100 to arrive will receive a complimentary drink on the DEANS! Your children's teachers are donating fun items like going to the movies, Build-a-Bear, Boomers, etc. with the teacher! These are wonderful items available only to March Madness attendees! 

Most of the classrooms have collected for a classroom treasure for the auction....ask your room mom what you all have donated! There are AMAZING items to bid on like.....The Pelican Hill Villa Package, Tickets to the Ellen DeGeneres Show, an afternoon at a PRIVATE beach catered by the Port Street Amigos, Eagles concert tickets, and the list goes on and on.....our auction item procurement committee has outdone themselves!

This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we need YOU to be there!!! Please contact Lorna Wardwell at lornawardwell@yahoo.com if you have not received your invitation. 

Lorna Wardwell & Tracy Teteak

March Madness Cochairs

The DEANS have kicked off the annual membership drive. We will be on-site for Back to School Night on September 17th. Plan on talking to your class liaison and ask any questions you may have about the organization and the budget for 2009-10. If you would like to join now, click on "Join DEANs Now." We thank you for your support of Andersen.