Sespe Elementary School Science Fair will be from 9am-11am on Wednesday April 18. Display for the parents is on Thursday April 19th from 6-7pm.

On March 17th Sespe School sent three 4th grade teams to Migrant Speech and Spelling Competition at the Marriott Hotel in Ventura. All three teams performed well, but team two featuring Sandra Murillo, Aiessabella Rodriguez, and Anahi Pascual stole the show by finishing as champions in their division. The three managed to spell every word given to them correctly! The competition featured teams from all around the area. Congratulations to all three girls and their coach, Mr. Bill Chavez, who also serves as an RTI teacher at Sespe School. The other Sespe students that competed included Miguel Hernandez, Eric Torres, Fabian Zuniga, Dorian Rojas, Alma Villegas, and Lorena Izarraraz. Congratulations to all of the Sespe participants for a job well done!

• Learn how to recognize the signs of bullying
• Learn how to help your child avoid being a victim
• Learn what to do if you believe your child is being bullied

February 9th @ Sespe School Cafeteria

All Fillmore families and community welcome

5:30 PM - 6:00 PM Pizza Sales
6:00 PM- 7:00 PM Presentation
(In both English & Spanish)

425 Orchard Street • Fillmore, CA 93012

(l-r) Sespe Super Spellers Damien Meza, Juan Orozco, and Summer Hurtado.
Enlarge Photo

Can you spell audience? Well, Damian Meza certainly can! Audience was his winning word at the Sespe Elementary School Spelling Bee, the first milestone toward the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee. Sespe’s contest, held on January 10th, challenged 25 spellers through thirteen rounds, spelling difficult words like defiantly, eclipse, and laborious. The spellers took a written test to qualify for entrance into the bee and then studied their lists of 450 words in preparation for the epic mental battle. Runner up, Summer Hurtado, was tough competition throughout the bee, finally missing “replete” which allowed Meza to take the victory. Meza continues studying for the upcoming county bee to be held at the Universtiy of California, Channel Islands on March 3, 2012. Although only one speller per school is permitted to move on in the competition, Hurtado continues to study as well, in case Meza should be unable to compete. The competition will consist of a written test followed by an onstage contest for the top 50 qualifiers, the winner of which will compete at the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC, in May. All students and staff at Sespe wish Damian and Summer the best of luck.

Donna Wojciechowski is the School Spelling Bee Coordinator.

The English Language Advisory Council (ELAC) hosted their second parent workshop on November 17th. The theme of this workshop was “Self Esteem and Your Child.” The workshop was conducted by Linda Arroyo from Triple P. The workshop was the second offered to Sespe parents.

The presenter discussed the importance of building self-esteem in children so that they feel confident and comfortable. She added that it is crucial that children feel like someone is listening to their concerns and needs.

Ms. Arroyo discussed some of the causes of low self-esteem which include: When children are not frequently praised; when parents are critical of their child (academics, sports, etc.); When children are compared to their siblings or other children; When children see physical or emotional violence in the home.

She then discussed a number of ways parents can help build self-esteem in their children. One way is to recognize that all children and individuals are different so it is important to recognize the individual strengths of each child. It is also important to tell your child that you care about them every day. It is crucial also to set aside a time everyday that is devoted to your child when all other distractions are removed, regardless of how busy the day is. It is also vital that parents help their children develop positive friendships and model this as well. Children should also be allowed to make their own decisions when appropriate (choosing outfits, meals, etc.) Finally, it is crucial to avoid solving all of your child’s problems, rather offer them support and tell them that everything will be ok.

The next ELAC parent workshop will take place on Thursday, January 19th at 8:30 am in the Sespe Cafeteria. Parents from all school and community members are welcome to attend.

Sespe would like to thank Gisela Gutierrez for helping Sespe secure a $1000 grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation. Thank you Gisela for going out of your way to help Sespe School. We plan on using the grant to purchase much needed instructional supplies for classrooms and some new playground equipment for our students. Thanks again Gisela!

On Thursday, October 20th the Sespe English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) hosted a parent workshop entitled, “How you can support your child when they are bullied.” The presentation was put on by the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) and was facilitated by Lucia Gonzalez.

One of the key messages delivered by Gonzalez was that parents can support their child by educating them how to avoid being a victim. Gonzalez also noted the importance of frequently speaking with your children about what is happening at school. She added that it may be helpful to specifically ask your child what they worked on at school, who they hang out with, what they were happy about at school, and in what areas they were having problems. She also mentioned that it is crucial to teach children to communicate with parents and teachers when they are experiencing bullying or harassment. Gonzalez answered specific questions from parents and discussed how families and schools should work together to address bullying issues.

The workshop was attended by over 50 Sespe parents. Bullying is an issue at all schools and nearly every child is bullied at some point in their schooling years. The more communication that takes place between families, teachers, and schools the quicker we can address this difficult issue. The next parent workshop, Building Children’s Self-Esteem, will take place in the Sespe Cafeteria (on Orchard Street) on Thursday, November 17th from 8:30-9:30. All parents and community members are welcome.