Dear OTA Parents & Guardians:

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year!

• Let’s begin with Traffic Safety Reminders for the morning drop-off. Please treat San Diego Ave as a one-way street (heading north only). Gates open at 7:45. Students teachers will meet them on the field at 8:00 AM and go up to class by 8:10. Kindergarten students start at 9 AM for the first two days of school.
• OTA Enrich! After-school Programs do not start until Week 2. The schedule and sign-ups will be up by Wednesday at the latest. We have a lot of exciting courses this year, many returning programs, some new: Spanish, Zumba, Yoga, Open Minds Enrich (K-2 after-care), Learning Acceleration Lab (coaching on projects & after-school access to learning lab & iPad programs), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Self-Defense, Soccer, Orchestra-Violin, Piano Lab,  Rock Climbing, Chess…

Meet our Teachers and Staff
*means new role or new to OTA

• Kindergarten: Mrs. Lauren Drinkward
  A good beginning never ends! Mrs Drinkward is coming off a stellar year and ready for another great beginning.
• First Grade: Ms. Shana Pitcher
  Ms. Pitcher returns for her fourth year– 3rd Degree Black Belt in reading and Core Knowledge and reportedly the best surfer at OTA!

• Second Grade: Mrs. Susan Crawford
  Mrs. Crawford returns for her fourth year. She is the math master and wins the prize (by a long shot) for largest in-class library.
• Third Grade: Mrs. Diana Han-Pham
  Leader of the Spectacular Third Grade. Confidence building, singing, dancing, beautiful projects trees…. origami, and master blogger!
• Fourth Grade*: Mr Drew Cohick
  *new role this year. Mr Cohick taught fourth grade Core Knowledge for 3 years before coming to OTA. This year he will serve as the Lead Core Knowledge humanities teacher for 4th Grade and continue to lead the 6th grade mathematics and robotics program and serve as Math Mentor to teachers working on a flipped math classroom.
• Fifth Grade*: Ms. Sarah Rock
  *new to OTA this year. Ms Rock takes over from Mrs Lehr, who took a new position training teachers (she will be back this year to run workshops on Class Meetings). Ms Rock’s is an experienced elementary school teacher with a gift for curriculum design and writing. Her complete bio can be found on the Fifth Grade blog.
• Sixth Grade*: Ms. Jennifer Church
  *new role this year. Ms. Church served as First Grade Teaching Intern (aka “Impact Teacher”!) in 2012-2013 and our Charter School Fellow in 2013-2014: a year during which she did an outstanding job teaching robotics, coordinating the OTA Enrich! After-school Program, editing the main Blog, substituted in all grades, and mastering all aspects of running a charter school. Ms. Church’s full bio coming soon to the OTA Staff Tab.
• Seventh Grade*: Mr. Turner Watts
  *new to OTA this year. Mr. Watts takes over from Ms. Rebecca Curry, who moved to Boston after three great years. Mr. Watts served in the submarine branch of the Navy for five years and taught in an urban charter school last year in LA. His full bio is available on the main blog.
• Eighth Grade: Ms. Mei Christensen
  Ms. Christensen is ready for her third year as anchor of San Diego’s best middle school program. Independent learning, high expectations, field trips. When visitors tour the school they are always impressed with the 8th grade. But we’ll let her speak for herself, (video).
• Athletic Director: Mr. Rich Curry
  Coach Curry returns this year to run Outdoor Ed at Recess and in Sports Labs. Key themes of Outdoor Ed: Team Sports as Char. Ed; Individual-Team-& Game Skills; Girls Play at OTA! No Bad Habits! Coach and his wife April founded Athletic Initiative, an anti-bullying non-profit that uses athletics & athletes to fight high school bullying.
• Assistant Director*: Mr. Jeff Major
  *new role this year. Mr Major will be in charge of all day-to-day operations at OTA this year, in addition to serving as Director of Assessment (MAP testing–“Honor growth and you’ll always do the right thing for the child.”) and Student Success Team Leader. He will continue to teach morning math (TAPS) and coach robotics.
• Learning Acceleration Lab Director: Mr. Thiago Batista
  Mr. Batista returns this year to continue ensuring that computers at OTA remain “dedicated to supporting classroom teachers and the Core curriculum.” He has done Herculean labor this summer setting up our iPads in the classroom^ (made possible by the generous donations at last year’s Wine & Dine fundraiser) and vetting and installing over 100 “Learning Acceleration Apps” on your children’s in-class iPads. Mr Batista’s full bio is on the main blog.
  

• ^Parent training classes on the iPad Learning Acceleration Apps (“Games that make kids strong”) for in-school and at-home use, will be offered in September.

• School Administrator: Mrs. Caren Kamanski
  Mrs. Kamanski returns for a fourth year keeping OTA running smoothly. She is the only one who knows how everything works and her problem-solving ability, generosity, and concern for OTA children and families are one of the main reasons for our school’s success.
• Executive and Academic Director: Mr. Thomas Donahue
  Mr. Donahue will be focusing this year on curriculum design (science & math), iPad Learning Acceleration Apps, teacher training, and planning for a new OTA K-8 campus (and a future high school).

Bios for our fabulous new Special Ed Coordinator, Science Teacher, and Charter School Fellow will be up by the end of the week!

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• MAP Testing will be ongoing the first week of school for grades 3-8. Scores from last Spring will be sent with the results from this Fall’s test. Best practice is to have two scores to show growth (but without a summer in between!)

• $5000 Grant From ResMed Foundation: We are pleased to announce we have received a $5,000 Grant from the ResMed Foundation in support of our rigorous ST Math Program (made possible by the work of the OTA Parents Foundation and your generous donations at the 2012-2013 Wine & Dine. Learn more about ST Math here)

ResMed changes lives by developing, manufacturing and distributing market-leading medical equipment for treating, diagnosing and managing sleep-disordered breathing, COPD, and other chronic diseases. Throughout our 25 years of research and innovation, they have continued to pioneer solutions that improve the health and quality of life of those who suffer from these conditions, and work to raise awareness of the potentially serious health consequences of untreated sleep-disordered breathing. The ResMed Foundation’s primary mission is to promote research, as well as public and physician awareness about the importance of sleep and respiratory health throughout the world.
The Foundation is a private charitable 501 (c) (3) foundation organized in the US.

• $10,000 Grant from Robert & Alice Bridges Foundation. Thank you again to the Foundation and the Coleman Family for their long-term support for Old Town Academy and its mission of “Equity and Excellence for All Students.”