Korematsu

CELEBRATE KOREMATSU BUY TICKETS NOW!!

Our special night is right around the corner!

MUSIC
provided by our talented students!

DELICIOUS DINNER
By The Arlington

SILENT AND LIVE AUCTION
Auctioneer: Teacher Brian Vedder and Tiffany Jamison

A VERY SPECIAL GUEST WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE!!!

GREAT COMPANY PROVIDED BY OUR GREAT COMMUNITY!!

You do not need to be a Band Family to come to our family-friendly event. All Welcome. Siblings too!
JOIN US!

This event always sells out….so buy tickets now!

BUY A TICKET HERE!

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

GO FUND ME FOR KOREMATSU SPORTS

As most of you are aware, the West Contra Costa Unified School District has serious budget challenges. Even before the current crisis, middle school athletics funding had basically been eliminated. Many middle schools no longer have competitive sports programs. Here at Korematsu, we have been successful at maintaining many athletic programs through largely volunteer efforts of teachers and parents. For example, our four basketball teams are currently coached by volunteers that don’t even have kids in the school but realize how important these programs are for the overall welfare of our students.

These programs have been funded by small fundraising efforts and minimal fees to participating families. The purpose of this campaign is to provide funds to maintain and increase the current offerings, pay for referees and umpires, tournaments, uniforms and supplies and hopefully training for our student athletes. Without some funding, it is impossible to even maintain what we have. This effort will also ensure that the cost is not a barrier to any student. Please do what you can through a one time or ongoing donation. Please share this with all of your friends, family and co-workers and post on all of your social media accounts. Let’s create programs we will all be proud of and allow hundreds of students to participate in after school athletic activities.

Thank you in Advance-

Matthew Burnham

Principal
DONATE NOW

YEARBOOKS

Last Chance to Add a Name to Your Yearbook and Get the Lower Price!
TODAY!! January 31
ORDER NOW!

TODAY!! January 31, the price of a yearbook will jump from $35 to $40. And perhaps more importantly, the chance to add personalizations — such as putting your child’s name on the cover of their yearbook — will end. So order your yearbook TODAY to ADD PERSONALIZATIONS and also save $5 off the book price. https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1003883/Fred-T.-Korematsu-Middle-School/

(NOTE: Paper order forms available in the office appear to allow personalizations at any time, but any such orders after January 31 will ignore personalizations and be for the book only!)

=== Add Special Recognition for Your Student! ===

Want to add a personal message to your student in the yearbook? This year we are including special recognition ads, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the DECA club. These ads will appear in the back of each yearbook, letting you recognize the accomplishments of your child.

Visit the Korematsu store page on Jostens’ site to place your order. https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1003883/Fred-T.-Korematsu-Middle-School/

Note, too, that you can use the store link to order your yearbook.

Reserve Your Yearbook! Order Today!!

===We Still Need Your Photos ===

Time is running out for getting pictures for the yearbook. Design must be complete next month. So we greatly need your help! So far, we have very few photos from the Korematsu community, and we could use many, many more! Our yearbook staff would love to include your photos in this year’s book! Share your pix with us ASAP. The easiest way to send photos is using the Dropbox we have set up. Just upload photos to:
http://bit.ly/yearbookKMS

FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT

Thursday, February 6, 2020
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
MPR
Korematsu Science Evening & Science Fair Awards
All students and families invited for an exciting evening of live experiments and explosions plus science fair awards.

TEACHER TREAT DAY

Friday, FEBRUARY 14, 2020

Valentine’s Day is coming up!Time to show some love! Let’s treat our teachers! Show them love and appreciation. Bring some food, salads, pasta or rice dishes, bread and pizzas! The luncheon will be Friday February 14th. Questions to liissausa@aol.com. Thanks!
SIGN UP IN THE LINK

BUDGET UPDATE FROM SUPT DUFFY

Budget Update

GIRLS IN ENGINEERING

FOR INCOMING 6th , 7th and 8th GRADERS

The Girls in Engineering program offers four week-long sessions where students learn firsthand what it means to be an engineer. Taught by Cal faculty, staff, and students, campers will gain exposure to engineering, design thinking, and real-world problem solving through hands-on activities and projects. No prior experience required! Learn more at http://girlsinengineering.berkeley.edu.

Scholarships offered! We are committed to making the program accessible to students of all backgrounds. To further this goal, we offer financial aid to families who demonstrate financial need. Find out more at http://girlsinengineering.berkeley.edu/apply/camp_fee/.

Details about our 2020 camps are on our flyer. Download our flyer to share at http://bit.ly/GiE_2020flyer.

Thank you for your support!

Anne Mayoral
Program Director, Girls in Engineering
University of California, Berkeley
—

FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT

Thursday, February 6, 2020
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
MPR
Korematsu Science Evening & Science Fair Awards

All students and families invited for an exciting evening of live experiments and explosions plus science fair awards.

CELEBRATE KOREMATSU!!

Saturday, February 8, 2020
5:30- 9:30 p.m.
CELEBRATE KOREMATSU!!

Celebrate Korematsu is our community-building, fundraising event. Our band students provide the entertainment, we have dinner, a live and silent auction, and spend some time together.
You do not have to have students in the band program to attend!
All families are warmly welcome, and this is a family-friendly event. Siblings are invited!

BUY A TICKET HERE!

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

AUCTION!!

Thanks to all of your that have donated to the auction!

There’s still time! Do you own a business and have a service to contribute?

Can you host a party?

Would you like to coordinate a
Dessert-of-the-Month?
Flower Bouquet-of-the- Month?

Do you have Warriors Tickets?
Theater Tickets?
Football Tickets?

We are also still collecting for our “Stock the Bar” item

Contact us! korematsuptsa@gmail.com

PARENT TOURS 2020

REGISTER IN THIS LINK

SPANISH PLACEMENT TEST

CLICK HERE TO READ THE LETTER

DISTRICT’S JANUARY NEWSLETTER

CLICK ON THIS LINK!

EL CERRITO JAZZ FESTIVAL

Saturday, February 1, 2020
ECHS Performing Arts Theater
FABULOUS TALENT IN OUR OWN BACK YARD!

The 6th Annual El Cerrito Jazz Festival is taking place on Saturday, February 1, 2020 in the ECHS Performing Arts Center. The festival will feature workshops, master classes, clinics, concerts, and adjudicated performances from top high school groups from around Northern California.

Headlining the evening concert is the Eric Harland Quartet featuring Ben Wendel (saxophone), James Francies (piano), and Giulio Xavier Cetto (bass). Multi-Grammy nominated drummer Harland is the most in demand drummer of his generation. At age 40, he has appeared on almost 400 recordings and multiple films.

The festival will take place in the El Cerrito High School Performing Arts Theater located at 540 Ashbury Avenue in El Cerrito, CA, starting at 8 a.m. Tickets: $15 at the theater for daytime activities. $25 at http://www.echsbands.com/festival for the Eric Harland evening concert.

For more information, please go to http://www.echsbands.com/festival.

EL CERRITO LIBRARY

My name is Katy Buder, and I am the Youth Services Librarian at El Cerrito Library. If it is possible, I would love to let the students and families of Korematsu know about a few upcoming programs at the library that may be of interest to them. All programs at the library are free, open to the public, and sometimes even include snacks! Flyers with more information are attached to this email.

El Cerrito Library
6510 Stockton Ave.
El Cerrito, CA
(510) 526-7512

Lunar New Year Celebration, Saturday January 25th, 1:00 pm
Come celebrate the Lunar New Year at El Cerrito Library featuring a spectacular performance from Ah-Lan Dance Studio in El Cerrito! After the performance, stay to make fun crafts and check out some books from our display to learn how many different people and cultures celebrate Lunar New Year.

College Financial Aid Workshop, Tuesday January 28th, 6:00-7:00 pm
Join Nicole Hosemann from On My Way Consulting for a free College Financial Aid Workshop at El Cerrito Library. Gain an educational perspective of the cost of college, essential vocabulary & financial aid terms, where to find the information you will need, and what questions you should be asking.
This workshop is geared toward families of middle school & high school students. While the information will be immediately relevant for high schoolers, it is still valuable for families of middle schoolers who have the luxury of planning far in advance. No registration required.

Family Movie Matinee: WALL-E, Wednesday January 29th, 3:00 pm
Come to the library for an afternoon movie matinee! For special accommodations, please contact the library with 72 hours notice.

Teen & Tween Writing Club, Tuesday February 11th, 3:30 pm
Join other writers ages 10 and up to work on creative efforts of all kinds in a supportive, stimulating, and fun environment! All genres welcome & no experience required. Snacks will be provided!
This free program is made possible by the Friends of the El Cerrito Library.

NO SCHOOL – Friday, January 17

Friday, January 17, 2020
Teacher Work Day

NO SCHOOL – Monday, January 20

Monday, January 20, 2020
Martin Luther King Day

WE’LL SEE EVERYONE
TUESDAY, January 21, 2020

SCIENCE FAIR JUDGING

STILL TIME TO SIGN UP
YES, WE ARE JUDGING EVEN THOUGH SCHOOL IS CLOSED (TEACHER WORK DAY)

SIGN UP TO JUDGE HERE!

SCHOOL TOURS

Please share!
SIGN UP IN THIS LINK!

FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT

Thursday, February 6, 2020
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
MPR
Korematsu Science Evening & Science Fair Awards

All students and families invited for an exciting evening of live experiments and explosions plus science fair awards.

CELEBRATE KOREMATSU!!

Saturday, February 8, 2020
5:30- 9:30 p.m.
CELEBRATE KOREMATSU!!

Celebrate Korematsu is our community-building, fundraising event. Our band students provide the entertainment, we have dinner, a live and silent auction, and spend some time together.
You do not have to have students in the band program to attend!
All families are warmly welcome, and this is a family-friendly event. Siblings are invited!

BUY A TICKET HERE!

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER

AUCTION!!

Thanks to all of your that have donated to the auction!

There’s still time! Do you own a business and have a service to contribute?

Can you host a party?

Would you like to coordinate a
Dessert-of-the-Month?
Flower Bouquet-of-the- Month?

Do you have Warriors Tickets?
Theater Tickets?
Football Tickets?

We are also still collecting for our “Stock the Bar” item

Contact us! korematsuptsa@gmail.com

AUCTION PREVIEW….

Marble Servers for Cheese and More

Rabbit Electric Wine Set

Beautiful Art!

Comfy Furniture!

Jo Boaler

Tonight – Jan 9th
FREE CHILDCARE
EL CERRITO HIGH SCHOOL
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 p.m.

TEACHER TREAT DAY FRIDAY

Sign up to bring something
or volunteer your time
in the link!
SIGN UP IN THIS LINK!

SPRING PLAY! AUDITIONS!

No Shakespeare knowledge needed—you will learn at auditions.

Fri 1/10 Info meeting—3pm

Come Monday OR Tuesday from 3 – 5pm to audition
Mon 1/13: Audition/Class: no preparation necessary
Tues 1/14 Audition/Class: no preparation necessary
Wed 1/15: Callbacks (if needed)

Rehearsals start: Wed 1/22
Wed 1/22 first rehearsal
Performances Th/F/S March 12 – 14

Chipotle Fundraiser

Saturday, January 11, 2020
5:00-9:00 p.m.
9901 San Pablo Ave
El Cerrito
Don’t forget this Flier!
Thanks for you support!

SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT JUDGES NEEDED

SIGN UP TO JUDGE HERE!

Screen Shot 2019-12-18 at 11.45.38 PM.png

Saturday, February 8, 2020
5:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Church
1 Lawson Road
Kensington CA 94708

CELEBRATE KOREMATSU IS AROUND THE CORNER!

THIS EVENT SELLS OUT EVERY YEAR.
BUY TICKETS NOW!!
Celebrate Korematsu is our annual community- building event.
Our kids provide the entertainment (bands), we have dinner and a live and silent auction.

Please join us for this family-friendly event! Younger siblings are welcome, and they get to see the musical progression of their siblings and neighbors!

This is a totally fun event!

You don’t need to be a “band parent” to attend. The event is open to all!

Mr. Vedder is the auctioneer. Returning is Ms. Tiffany Jamison, Former Office Manager to help!

WE ALSO HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST THAT EVERYONE WILL WANT SEE!

BUY CELEBRATE KOREMATSU TICKETS HERE!

DONATIONS TO CELEBRATE KOREMATSU

Do you have something to donate to the auction?

Warriors Tickets?

Pixar Tour?

Donate an Epic Party?

A Great Bottle of Wine that you’ll Never Drink??

A Service…. Web Design, Donate a Dinner, A skill?
Let us know! We’d love to talk!

Contact us!

korematsuptsa@gmail.com

STOCK THE BAR

We intend to auction off a stocked home bar.
Have something to donate to it? Contact us. We’ll can arrange pick-up and drop-off!

korematsuptsa@gmail.com

TEACHER TREAT DAY

Friday December 13, 2019

Last Teacher luncheon of the year. Save the date! Friday, Dec.13th !! We will make treat bags for the staff as well so please bring extra cookies!! Any favorite food or Holiday food is appreciated. Salads are always welcome, and sides like baguette, sourdough or any other yummy bread. Please contribute to make this event a success again. If no time to cook, no problem. Bring what you can. Questions to liissaUSA@aol.com. Thank you.

SIGN UP IN THIS LINK!

Korematsu Winter Concert

Wednesday, December 18, 2019
MPR
Doors Open 6:30 p.m.
Concert at 7:00 p.m.
Come support our musicians!

Jo Boaler coming!

Thursday, January 9 2019
7:00 p.m.
El Cerrito High School

Opening Remarks by Superintendent Matthew Duffy

Free! Open to All!

We are super excited to partner with our neighboring PTAs to bring Jo Boaler to speak!

Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford, promotes mathematics education reform and equitable mathematics classrooms. She is the co-founder and faculty director of youcubed, which provides mathematics education resources to teacher, students and parents. At this event, she’ll talk about mindset and how at any age we are capable of growth and rewiring. Please save the date and come on out. Bonus Points if you bring a math teacher with you!

DISTRICT BUDGET TOWN HALL UPDATE

If you were unable to view the budget town hall, it has been recorded.

VIEW THE TOWN HALL TAPES HERE
View the Town Hall Here – English
View the Town Hall Here in Spanish

VIEW BUDGET TOWN HALL SLIDES
Budget Town Hall Slides – English
Budget Town Hall Slides – Spanish

TAKE THE BUDGET SURVEY
Spanish Survey
English Survey

DISTRICT’S LINK TO ALL BUDGET DOCUMENTS
https://www.wccusd.net/budget

HIGH SCHOOL EVENTS! GREAT VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS PERFORMANCE PERFECT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

SUPERINTENDENT DUFFY’S DECEMBER MESSAGE

Superintendent Duffy’s December Message

TEACHER TREAT DAY

Friday December 13, 2019

Last Teacher luncheon of the year. Save the date! Friday, Dec.13th !! We will make treat bags for the staff as well so please bring extra cookies!! Any favorite food or Holiday food is appreciated. Salads are always welcome, and sides like baguette, sourdough or any other yummy bread. Please contribute to make this event a success again. If no time to cook, no problem. Bring what you can. Questions to liissaUSA@aol.com. Thank you.

Sign up to Volunteer and Donate in this Link!

EMPTY GALLON MILK CARTONS NEEDED PENNY WARS FUNDRAISER

The school is planing a Penny Wars fundraiser and is looking for clean and empty gallon milk jugs to collect the donations. We plan to start after winter break. Turn into the Main Office labeled for Katherine Davis. Thank you!

DISTRICT BUDGET FORUM

The District Budget Forum is taking place on Monday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will be held at DeJean Middle School and broadcast to six satellite locations where members of the district staff will be on hand to transmit questions to the presenters.

The satellite locations will be:

Hercules Middle/High Schools Library, 1900 Refugio Valley Road, Hercules, CA
Pinole Valley High School Library, 2900 Pinole Valley Road, Pinole, CA
De Anza High School Library, 5000 Valley View Road, Richmond, CA
Richmond High School Library, 1250 – 23rd Street, Richmond, CA
Kennedy High School Library, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond, CA
El Cerrito High School Cafeteria, 540 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito, CA
Babysitting and translation services will be available at all locations.

More in this link

Buy Your Yearbook Before the Price Goes Up!

Until Jan 31, you can get a Korematsu Yearbook for $35. But the price goes up next month! So order your yearbook TODAY to get the lower price. https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1003883/Fred-T.-Korematsu-Middle-School/
After Feb 1, yearbooks will cost $40.

=== Send Us Your Photos ===

It’s 2019 and the yearbook is well underway. But we greatly need your help! So far, we have very few photos from the Korematsu community, and we could use many, many more! We’d love to have at least 100 photos by Dec 12, and we’re currently still far short of that goal.

Our yearbook staff would love to include your photos in this year’s book! Share your pix with us. The easiest way to send photos is using the Dropbox we have set up. Just upload photos to:
http://bit.ly/yearbookKMS

We’ll consider any photos of students or events sent to us. We especially need photos of sports teams and after school activities! Photos received before Dec 12 can be considered for the first half of the yearbook, which is due prior to Winter Break.

=== Add Special Recognition for Your Student! ===

Want to add a personal message to your student in the yearbook? This year we are including special recognition ads, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the DECA club. These ads will appear in the back of each yearbook, letting you recognize the accomplishments of your child.

Visit the Korematsu store page on Jostens’ site to place your order. https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1003883/Fred-T.-Korematsu-Middle-School/

Note, too, that you can use the store link to order your yearbook.

Reserve Your Yearbook! Order Today!!

Elemental Volleyball Academy – 2019 Winter Chill
(6th Annual)!

Registration Now Open!

Location: El Cerrito High (3 Beautiful Courts)
Led by Scott Bishop – 30 year veteran coach and other experienced and awesome staff.
2 Clinics offered – – Grades 4th – 12th Girls Only.

Sunday, December 22 – Clinic #1
9 am – 11 am – Session #1
11am – 12 pm – Lunch Break (Bring your own)
12:00 – 2:00 pm – Session # 2

Sunday, December 29 – Clinic #2
9 am – 11 am – Session #1
11am – 12 pm – Lunch Break (Bring your own)
12:00 – 2:00 pm – Session # 2

The 4-6th graders will use volley-lites (the light weight 12 and under ball) and playing on a lower net (7′).

The 7-12th graders using regulation balls (Molten and Spalding) and playing on the standard height net (7’4 1/8″).

Players will be trained in multiple skills, game play and fun.
Players will also be using the AirCat and Accu-Spike machines (see videos to the right).

Every prepaid player will receive a Molten Mini-Volleyball!

SNAP THE GAP

WINTER BAND / ORCHESTRA / CHOIR / THEATER / DANCE FESTIVAL