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CORNELL CHRONICLE 10/3/25
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CORNELL CHRONICLE October 3, 2025 Cornell strives to support a safe and secure learning environment that treats all students with dignity, respect, and high expectations. |
| CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
| Oct 1-22 | Socktober Sock Drive for Homeless Shelters (see below for details) |
| Oct 4 |
Celebración Latina, AMS Courtyard, 11am-2pm |
| Oct 5 | PTA Sunday in the Garden, 10am, school garden |
| Oct 8 | PTA Walk n Roll To School |
| Oct 10 | Wacky Sock Day! |
| Oct 10 | PTA Math Night, MPR |
| Oct 13 | Indigenous People's Day - No School |
| Oct 18 | PTA Pumpkin Patch Bake Sale, Westbrae, Nursery |
| Oct 24 | PTA Movie Night, Cornell yard |
| Oct 31 | Halloween Parade, Cornell yard |
| Nov 10-11 | Veterans Day - No School (2 days) |
| Nov 14 | PTA Ruby Bridges Walk To School Day |
| Nov 18 | PTA Executive Board Meeting and Board Meeting |
| PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING |
Dear Coyote Families,
This week we started WIN time, What I Need time. During this block of the day, students receive additional practice in their area(s) of focus such as reading, spelling, writing, language development, or math. We use our beginning of the year assessments such as DIBELS, FastBridge aMath, and writing samples to inform students’ areas of focus. They work in small flexible groups and/or on differentiated independent learning activities. Some students may work with another teacher and some may stay in their own classroom with their teacher. Our goal is to make sure every child gets the support they need at their level. We’re excited to create opportunities for students to learn in new ways and build confidence as learners.
This Wednesday, 10/8 we will be participating in International Walk and Roll to School Day. Thank you PTA for organizing this event and our walking school buses! Please make sure that your child stops by a table Wednesday morning to mark how they came to school.
Next Friday, 10/10, join us for Cornell's Family Math Night from 5:30-7:30 in the MPR. We will have games, dinner, and lots of fun!
Check out our new website this weekend! We have upgraded our Cornell website while maintaining the same web address to make information easier for you to find and for better functionality on mobile devices. The switch will happen sometime this weekend.
Lastly, on Tuesday, 10/14, we will have our first School Site Council meeting. The purpose of this first SSC meeting is to give an overview of our School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and discuss how our work together will be structured. Here is the agenda for this public meeting. This Monday, stay tuned for a SSC representative ballot through ParentSquare as we will be voting in a parent rep.
Have a wonderful weekend!
In community,
Catherine Floresca
Principal
| CORNELL ANNOUNCEMENT |
HAPPY SOCKTOBER!
This month, Cornell’s Student Council will be doing a sock drive for the homeless called, Socktober. What is Socktober you ask? It was started in 2011 by Brad Montegue who discovered that the number one thing homeless shelters needed was socks. Join us from October 1st to October 22th in donating socks for our sock drive. New (or very gently used) socks can be dropped off in donation bins near the Cornell office. We thank you for your generosity and wish you a Happy Socktober!
| CORNELL LIBRARY CORNER |
Weekly Library Spotlight
This week we celebrated Latino Heritage Month with guest readers from our community. We’re so grateful to Familias Latinas and our incredible readers for making this happen!
Here’s a fun music video to spark interest in Hispanic people, culture and places that the whole family can enjoy
Save the date: Book’nic- A Reading Picnic @ Memorial Park Sun, 10/19, 11-1
COMING SOON: Overdue & Lost Book Notices
Starting next week, I’ll be sending automated messages about any overdue or lost books directly to the primary guardian’s email. Thanks for helping kids find those books!
Ms. Kate, Cornell’s Teacher Librarian, is reachable anytime at kbowman@ausdk12.org to respond to any questions, needs, or requests.| PTA NEWS |
CORNELL FAMILY MATH NIGHT!
Join us for Food, Games and Community Fun Next Friday, October 10 at 5:30 in the MPR!
RSVP Here by Tuesday October 7 to help us with planning for food and prizes!
We could still use volunteers to help with setup and prep work! Sign up Here!
The Pumpkin Patch Bake Sale
is Coming Soon, and we would Love your Help!
The Pumpkin Patch is by far our biggest annual fundraiser, and is incredibly important to keeping the PTA going. The Bake Sale is a small part of that, but everyone from the incredibly generous folks at the Westbrae Nursery to the families, to the many people who stop by seem to really appreciate it. It helps that we have an amazing group of contributors, from the most casual to the highly professional as part of our amazing community!
This year we need bakers and table volunteers for
Saturday October 18th and Sunday October 26th
Please sign up using this link
The bake sale will run 11:30-3pm, so we have volunteer slots from 11am-1pm, and 1-3pm.
All levels of baking skill from “I tried to follow the instructions on the box” (which usually turns out pretty well actually) up to the professional are welcome!
Feel free to call, text or email me with questions, or just sign up!
With sincere thanks from me and from the PTA,
seth@redoakrealty.com 510.847.5673
Cornell PTA Instagram @cornellpta
Cornell Wear eStore is always here with t-shirts, hoodies and more for the whole family!
| FROM AUSD |
Superintendent's Community Update
Celebración Latina Latino Heritage Month is here! Celebración Latina will be Saturday, October 4, 11am–2pm at Albany Middle School. All are invited to come and celebrate! Now more than ever, it is important for our community to come together to represent our rich culture through dance, song, etc. During the first hour of the event, we ask students and their families to perform a dance, sing a song, play instruments, read a poem, or share facts about their cultural traditions or country of origin. Sign up to perform here.
Parol Making & Halo-Halo
The Albany High School Pinoy Pride Club is hosting a free event Tuesday, October 7, 6:15–7:45pm at the Albany Library. Make a parol, the five-pointed star-shaped lanterns traditionally made in the Philippines from bamboo and paper. Taste some halo-halo, a popular Filipino dessert. Everyone is welcome!
Community Sukkot Celebration & Potluck Shabbat
Join the Jewish Parent Engagement Group as we build and decorate the Sukkah together, then celebrate Shabbat as a community! Families are warmly invited to participate in this joyful evening of connection, tradition, and celebration. Marin Elementary playground, Friday, October 10, 5:40–7:30pm. Please note: If your child has known allergens, kindly email us at jpealbany@gmail.com so we can plan accordingly.
Progress Pride Flag Chalking Party
Come celebrate and honor National Coming Out Day (10/11) and International Pronouns Day (10/15) with Albany's Pride! Students, staff, families, and community members are invited to draw a bigger than life-sized Progress Pride Flag out front of Albany High School. Come prepared for a colorful experience with washable chalk, and stay to enjoy snacks and refreshments and make connections with friends and allies. We hope to see you there! Albany High School entrance patio, Monday, October 13, 3:30pm.
Albany's Pride, an LGBTQIA+ advocacy and engagement group for Albany Unified School District, is committed to ensuring that the sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression of all members of our AUSD community are valued, respected, and celebrated. We need more volunteers to step up as leaders to ensure our group can continue thriving. Email albanyspride@gmail.com for more info or visit https://albanyspride.org/
Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group Fall Mixer
Join us for the annual Fall Mixer hosted by AUSD Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group (API-PEG). All are welcome! October 25, 10:00am–3:00pm at Cornell Elementary School basketball courts. Join API-PEG Group email by filling out this form. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you have any questions, please email AlbanyAPIparents@gmail.com.| COMMUNITY |
Free Community Halloween Costume Swap + 2nd-Hand Market
Swap your gently used costumes for “new-to-you” ones and explore a European-style 2nd-hand market with kids’ activities, free clothing repairs, and music. Sunday, Oct 5, 11am–4pm, 1251 Solano Ave (Abrams Claghorn Gallery in the lot). Costume drop-off at Coyote Kids (1272 Solano Ave) through Oct 3. Free for all ages!
Book’Nic In The Park
All are welcome to join this outdoor reading celebration hosted by the Albany Library. Sunday, October 19, 11am–1pm, Memorial Park.
Third Week: (I am allowing this to run for 3 weeks as an exception)
Fall Into Haiku Is Back!
The City of Albany is once again hosting the Fall into Haiku Program! The Albany community is invited to submit up to three original haiku reflecting on the people, places, and moments that make Albany special. This year’s theme, "Gratitude in 17 Syllables: Appreciating Our Community", invites participants to reflect on what makes Albany a special place to live, work, or go to school. Entries must be submitted by October 15. The contest is open to Albany students and residents. Approximately 60 haiku will be selected and displayed throughout the City from November 2025 through January 2026. Learn more or submit your Haiku at www.albanyca.org/FallIntoHaiku| NOTES FROM THE OFFICE |
Please visit the Cornell website for general information.
OFFICE HOURS
Office Hours: 8:15am – 3:30pm
Office Phone: (510) 558-3700
Email: Sui-Ling (sangelidis@ausdk12.org), or Margaret (mglendening@ausdk12.org)
LINK TO 2025-26 AUSD SCHOOL CALENDAR