Thursday, May 30th is our next Restaurant Night fundraiser at Baskin Robbins. After 3:00pm, a percentage of your bill will be donated to our school.

Friday, May 24th
Help us celebrate & show our appreciation to our dedicated teachers & staff. Requested luncheon items by Grade:

• K & 1st Grade: Main dish
• 2nd & 3rd: Side dishes & salads
• 4th: Drinks & paper products
• 5th: Dessert

Remember, this is an early release day - students will be dismissed at 12:25 pm in order to prepare for Open House. Open House is from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
Telescope Night follows Open House
Stop by after Open House to look through a telescope or ask an astronomer. We'll have several telescopes available for viewing from 7:30 to at least 8:30 pm.

 On Friday, Februrary 15th, we'll be having a Movie night in the NCAS auditorium.   Come see Wall-E, starting at 6:30pm.  Then, after the movie, come outside and have a look at the night sky.  Sevaral NCAS parent astronomers will have their telescopes set up on campus if the weather permits.  Come have a look at Jupiter and the Moon before you head home!

Please help show our hard-working teachers how much we appreciate them by donating a homemade dish that reflects your family's heritage.  You can sign up here.  For more information, contact Robert Robles (626-260-8343).

 Next Saturday, December 1st, a Norma Coombs parent and professional photographer, Jerry Camarillo, will be offering Family Portraits for $30. All proceeds to go to our school's computer lab. Details here

 "SHEN YUN. For Chinese, the words evoke a sense of wonder, magic, and the divine.  To audiences who have seen it, they recall the experience of a lifetime--a moment so powerfully beautiful it touches the soul."  To purchase tickets:

On Thursday, October 18, PUSD will join millions of Southern Californians for the annual Great California Shakeout, the earthquake drill that helps prepare families, schools and businesses for emergencies.

• Here at Norma Coombs Alternative Elementary, we practice emergency drills 1 time a year. 
• Remember to keep your phone number and contact information up to date so that the school can reach you in case of emergency.  To update your information, contact Alice Garcia, Office Manager,  in the main office.
• Be assured that in the event of an emergency, our priority will be keeping students safe and maintaining a calm environment. 

 You are invited to attend The English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC) Meeting Thursday, October 25th at 9am in the Parent Room.  Don't miss this meeting.  It will provide you with lots of information on how our English Learner children are doing academically. You can download a flyer and the agenda.

 For your kindergarten or 1st grade student.  This is a special parent workshop that will be held at Hamilton Elementary School (2089 Rose Villa Street, Pasadena) on Monday October 29 from 9:30 am to 11:00 am.  Get "make & take" activities to do at home with your child.You can download a flyer here (en español).

Announcing:  Martin Luther King Jr. Essay and Art/Poster Contest

Calling all Students!

Enter the Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay and Art/Poster contests and win prizes.  This year's theme:  "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dreamed of more Humanity for all -- what is your Dream for America?"

Both contests are for Grades 4 through 12.  For more information see this package.

 We need your help to raise funds for Norma Coombs.  By shopping at Fresh & Easy (603 South Lake Ave, Pasadena), we get $1.00 for every $20.00 spent.  Please drop off your receipts in the box that is located in the main office.

 In order to accomodate parents that may wish to attend the Proposition 38 Meeting at Eliot Middle school on Sept. 27th, the joint PTSA/ELAC/AAPC meeting is being moved from 7pm to 6pm.

 Proposition 38, will be discussed in depth by the proposition's author, Molly Munger, at a town hall meeting on September 27 at 7 p.m. at Eliot Middle School. Molly and many others feel that this ballot measure is the greatest hope for K-12 education for the State of California. At the end of her presentation, Molly will answer questions from the audience. The event is scheduled to end around 8:30 p.m. 

 Dear Parents.

A letter was sent out to the parents of Norma Coombs.  Unfortunately, the version that was sent out was not the final version.  You can get the final version that was intended to be sent out here (en español).  Sorry for any confusion.

For a limited time (August 8th to Sept. 11th), 10% of purchases of select items at Vons/Safeway/Pavilions (those with the logo at left) will be donated to Norma Coombs.  Now is the time to register your Shopping Card.  Already registered?  Make sure your account is still active (you need to renew every year!).  Step-by-step instructions can be found here.

 Please join us for dinner and mix with other NCAS families..  Enjoy a full menu of specialty salads, flatbread pizzas, pita sandwiches and grilled meats and seafood!

WHAT: DAPHNE'S - CALIFORNIA GREEK     
WHERE: 3573 E Foothill Blvd. Pasadena 91107  (Hasting's Ranch) 
WHEN: Tuesday April 24th 2012 
TIME: 4:00pm - 10:00pm

A percentage of all sales will go back to Norma Coombs Alternative School.

Please bring in the flyer from the Wednesday packet, or simply mention that you are from NCAS.

Thanks for your support. We will see you there...

Big Daddy's Fire Grill is giving back to Education.  For the entire month of March, they will donate 10% of your purchase back to our school.  All you have to do is mention that you are from NCAS.  Big Daddy's is located at 2122 E. Foothill Blvd (next door to In-n-Out Burger).  Thanks for your support.  We will see you there... AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN!

Next NCAS family restaurant night is Thursday, Feb. 16th.  Address is 576 S Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105.  Part of your bill will be donated to our school.  Both in-restaurant dining and take-out are elligible.  Please print out a copy of the fundraiser flyer and bring it with you to Boston Market.

We need your support.  Families will receive Jamba Juice Cards this week to use whenever you visit Jamba Juice.  All you have to do is show your card and the Norma Coombs PTSA will receive 10% of your purchase.

Fresh & Easy shopping night for NCAS fundraising is set for Wednesday, Dec. 7th.  NCAS will be given 5% of total sales obtained between 4pm and 8pm at the store on the South-West corner of Lake Ave and California Blvd., plus $1 out of any receipts over $20 we collect during the event.  We need a minimum of 5 volunteers to be eligible, but we would like to have as many as possible.  To volunteer, contact the main office or sign up online.

We are in the process of acquiring balls, games, art supplies and meterials for students to use at recess.  Many students would prefer alternate activities than the traditional recess options.  If you have games, supplies, and/or equipment in good condition, and you would like to donate those items to Norma Coombs, please bring them to the school office.  Thank you.

Parents, we will be starting the AR program again this year.  We are asking each parent to donate a minimum of $5.00 for the program.

The Pasadena Educational Foundation celebrates 40 years of supporting the Pasadena Unified School District with a party that takes place Thursday, September 15, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Paseo Colorado Courtyard. Established in 1971, PEF is California's oldest educational foundation supporting K-12 education. The event is free and open to the public.  Following this event, Board of Education President Renatta Cooper will deliver the annual Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) State of the Schools address  at the Pasadena Convention Center at 6:30pm.  More info here.

Our community is honored to have a leader the caliber of Dr. Williams to lead our school in the coming years.  Dr. Williams is moving to Pasadena from the Oakland area and leaves a school that thrived under her leadership, Edison Elementary in the Alameda Unified School District.  With her experience, knowledge, expertise, and warm personality, Dr. Williams is well-posed to lead NCAS into continued excellence.  The interview panel concurs with the district selection of our newest family member, Dr. Williams.  We look forward to working together for the best education for all students at NCAS.

During the PUSD Board of Education's last meeting on May 24th, members voted to approve the Plan for  Facilities Relocation and Asset Management.  Included in this Plan was the affirmation that Norma Coombs would remain at its current campus and that the Measure TT funds allocated to NCAS would be released.  Watch footage of the meeting here.

Come show your support and be the first to purchase your child's one-of-a-kind masterpiece.  Presale on Tuesday, May 31st and Wednesday, June 1st in the Parent Room.  Sale on Thursday, June 2nd during Open House.  There will also be a silent auction of pieces made by teachers at each grade level.  All funds rasied by the sale and auction go towards the ceramics program.

Invest in PUSD Kids and the League of Women Voters of the Pasadena Area invite you to a candidate forum on Feb. 2nd, 2011.

PUSD SCHOOL BOARD
CANDIDATE FORUM
6:30 PM – 7:45 PM

PASADENA CITY COUNCIL
CANDIDATE FORUM
8:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Norma Coombs Alternative School Auditorium
2600 Paloma Street
Pasadena

For more information, please contact Darla Dyson (investinpusdkids@gmail.com)

Parents and staff join us Friday, February 4, 8:00pm to close, for drinks, dinner, music and dancing. Live music featuring the Bobby Bluehouse Band and James Intveld. $15 cover charge. A portion of the cover will be donated to Norma Coombs Alternative School.

Arcadia Blues Club
16 E. Huntington Dr., Arcadia, CA 91006

For more info about Arcadia Blues Club go here: www.arcadiabluesclub.com

So far about 50 families have made contributions to this very important fund.  Have you?  Please make your contribution today.  So far, we have collected $3,850 and are well short of our goals.  We are asking for $50 per child, a small price to pay to keep our class sizes small, fund our music program, and our computer teacher.  You can donate online by visiting the Pasadena Education Foundation's website.  Be sure to indicate that you are donating to NCAS.  Thank you!

Next year's open enrollment is fast approaching.  Parents want to know what makes Norma Coombs the best alternative.  We are working to improve our web presence and we need your help.  If you have any pictures of your children at Norma Coombs, we'd love to include them in our campus virtual tour page.  We also want to hear about your family and why you chose Norma Coombs.  Send submissions to your webmaster, Chris Burns.

Come enjoy a night out with NCAS fellow Lions!
Wednesday, Oct. 13, at Rubio's, 216 S. Lake Avenue, Pasadena, 91101
3:00pm until closing time.  See the flyer for details.  You must bring the flyer for Norma Coombs to profit form the event.

The School Consolidation Committee will be meeting at the PUSD offices (351 South Hudson Avenue, Pasadena) at 9am Saturday morning.  It is very important that we make a good show of support for our school.  At the last meeting (Friday the 23rd), we managed to fill most of the room with NCAS parents, teachers, and staff.  We need to keep that going.  Make sure you sign in and indicate that you are a Norma Coombs representative.  Wear a Norma Coombs T-shirt or make a sign.  We can't be vocal at these meetings, so make yourself visible.  Let's show them how much pride these Norma Coombs Lions have!

Vote now every day  through September 5

To give our children the tools they need to thrive in school, Avery Dennison is proud to launch Give Back to Schools. NCAS can win approximately $10,000 of Avery® school supplies-all we need to do is get to the head of the class. To win, our school just needs to be one of the ten with the most votes!  Go to the following link, sign up with an email account and vote every day.  Ask friends and family to vote too!

Friday, May 14th  6:00 - 10:00 pm.   Presenting "Ratatouille".   Sphaghetti Dinner served at 6:30pm, the movie starts at 7:30pm.  Come join the NCAS Community.  Bring your chairs and blankets.  Please fill out this form to reserve your spot and order your dinner(s).  Dinner orders must be placed by Wed. May 12th, 2010.

Dear Norma Coombs School Community,

It has come to our attention that Norma Coombs Alternative School is being discussed as a possible relocation site for the Aveson AGLA Charter School.
 
Please join us tomorrow, Thursday March 11 at 1:30 P.M. in the Norma Coombs Auditorium to hear from a district representative about Aveson Charter School's visit to our campus.  They will be visiting our campus tomorrow at 2:30 P.M. after our meeting.

Thanks to the PEF Technology grant and the generous donations of parents and friends of Norma Coombs, we have raised our goal $20,000!  These funds will be used to employ our computer lab teacher for next year.  Our most sincere thanks to all who donated and worked to make this happen.

We have raised $6,000 from 63 doners.  We are asking all parents to contribute something so that we can reach our goal of $10,000 to save our computer teacher.  Remember, every dollar you donate will be matched, but only if we raise another $4,000 by Monday Februrary 1st!
You may go to the following link to make your donation (be sure to select Norma Coombs as the recipient).

Congratulations go out to Michael Enger and the other volunteers who ran the annual Tournament of Roses Parade parking at Norma Coombs.  Over the course of 3 days, they raised close to $7,500 from parking by parade-goers and another $2,500 from In & Out Burger for the use of our parking space, bringing the grand total close to $10,000.

Many thanks to the volunteers:  Michael Enger, Bill Loesch, Bob Enger, Reina Enger, Isaac and Michele Garcia, Ria Sharma, Dennis Sotomayor, Oak Park, Pam Moomey, Chris Moomey, Morgan Kim, Suzanne Linder, Carla Hix, Stephanie and Carter Robinson, Eddy French, Chris Burns, Jenny Krestow, Kevin and Debbie Patterson, Brian Eck, and Robert Nadal