Cornell Chronicle 12/5/25
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CORNELL CHRONICLE December 5, 2025 Cornell strives to support a safe and secure learning environment that treats all students with dignity, respect, and high expectations. |
| CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
| Dec 7 | PTA Sunday in the Garden, 10am-12 |
| Dec 13 | PTA Winter Craft Fair, 10am-1pm, MPR |
| Dec 16 | Community Time, 8:30am |
| Dec 19 | Coffee with Cat, 8:30am |
| Dec 22-Jan 2 | No School - Winter Break |
| Jan 19 | No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
| Jan 23 | Coffee with Cat, 8:30am |
| Jan 28 | 100th Day of School |
| Jan 28 | Community Time, 8:30am |
| Feb 4 | PTA Meeting, MPR, 6pm |
| Feb 8 | PTA Sunday in the Garden, 10am-12 |
| Feb 9-13 | Literati Book Fair, Cornell Library |
| Feb 16-20 | No School - Mid-Winter Break |
| PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING |
Dear Coyote Families,
Welcome back! I hope the Thanksgiving break was restful and rejuvenating.
You may have noticed donation bins for the Alameda County Food Bank near the Main Office. Consider donations of canned and non perishable food to support those in need in Alameda County. We will accept donations into January.
Next Saturday (12/13), please join us for our annual Winter Craft Faire in the MPR from 10 - 1pm. Thank you PTA for all your continued support and amazing community events!
With the upcoming break around the corner, this is a reminder that student attendance is of utmost importance for students' success in school. Please make every effort to have your student in school each day for the full day, barring illness or one of the other EdCode excused reasons. Please be aware that per EdCode, a 30 minute+ tardy or early pick-up counts as an absence, and will show up on your child's attendance record in Aeries under the "O" code. We want to partner with you in your child's success and school and attendance is the greatest indicator of their sense of belonging and academic success. Thank you for your understanding and support.
Have a wonderful weekend!
In community,
Catherine Floresca
Principal
| CORNELL ANNOUNCEMENT |
EdCode 48260:
(a) A pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than a 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, shall be classified as a truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district.
Approximately one in four (25%) of Alameda County residents experiences food insecurity. The Alameda County Community Food Bank estimates a need for 60 million pounds of food to meet demand!
At Cornell, we are starting a food drive to provide food donations to the ACCFB through mid-January. Our aim is to fill three barrels, and as of today, we've already filled one barrel! There is a large barrel in Cornell’s front hallway. If your family is interested in donating food, you can have your child bring any of the food items listed below to donate.
Please donate un-opened, non-perishable food in original packaging (nutrition labels must be in English).
Here’s what our community loves: Ready to eat meals (easy open cans or pouches)
Chili, stews, ravioli, soups, mac and cheese etc.
Chicken, tuna, salmon, etc.
Snacks for Kids (healthy lunch snacks, bars, and fruit/veggie pouches)
Non-perishable fruit (cups, bowls, or cans)
Peanut butter
Cereal (boxes or single serve bowls)
Nutrition/protein bars
| CORNELL LIBRARY CORNER |
Weekly Library Spotlight
The kids explored digital citizenship this week before we launch into the Cornell Mock Caldecott Unit next week. Our topics included:
Kinder: why it’s important and how to pause for people when using tech
1st: the power of words we share online and why we should stay kind and helpful
2nd: how to learn new things online and check sources
3rd: digital footprints online and how to control privacy
4th: determining risk levels of sharing personally identifiable information online
5th: understanding tracking data and how to use privacy controls
Giggles were heard coming from the library during our read aloud, Pop! Goes The Nursery Rhyme. I’ve been waiting for a while to read this one with kids and it did not disappoint!
Library Open For Family Visits During Winter Craft Fair (Sat, 12/13, 10-1)
I will have the library open for families during the Winter Craft Fair. Please come stop by and enjoy the space. I can recommend books to you and your students and will have quiet activities available. I hope to see many of you there!
Ms. Kate, Cornell’s Teacher Librarian, is reachable anytime at kbowman@ausdk12.org to respond to any questions, needs, or requests.
| PTA NEWS |
🌿 Sunday in the Cornell Garden 🌱
The Winter Craft Fair will take place on Saturday, December 13th from 10 am - 1 pm in Cornell's Multipurpose Room. Students will make fun giftable crafts for friends, loved ones or to keep for themselves. Purchase affordably priced tickets the day of for crafts, pizza and snacks subsidized by the PTA (expected cost is $1 per craft). We need LOTS of hands to make this event a wondrous success. No crafting experience is necessary. Bring your generous spirit by helping kids whip up cool crafts, or help selling snacks to keep the crafting energy up! Sign up here to lend a hand: The Winter Craft Fair & Bake Sale Volunteer Sign Up 2025 We can't do this event without you!
We welcome student volunteers too! We have a limited number of volunteer spots for 5th graders, middle school and high school students as well (community service hours can be provided). Students: please email vp-volunteer-coordinator@cornellpta.org if you’re interested.
Cornell PTA Instagram @cornellpta
Cornell Wear eStore is always here with t-shirts, hoodies and more for the whole family!
| FROM AUSD |
Link to the Superintendent's Community Update
AMS Auction Is Open!
Support the Albany Middle School PTA and get some of your holiday shopping done by bidding in the 2025 Online AMS Spirit Auction, one of the biggest PTA fundraisers of the year. The auction is live now until December 12, 10pm. The online catalog is filled with fun items such as tickets to Warriors and Cal games, tickets to performances at the SF Symphony and Cal Performances, restaurant offerings such as Eureka, Benchmark and Agrodolce, self-care treatments including dental, acupuncture, fitness workouts and climbing gyms, tickets to area favorites such as the SF Zoo, the Oakland Zoo and the USS Hornet, and so much more! Get your bid on today!
The Jewish Parent Engagement (JPE) committee warmly invites you to join us for our Hanukkah Celebration on Friday, December 12, 5:00–7:30pm in the AMS gymnasium. The evening will include a potluck, music, games, Shabbat and Hanukkah candle lighting, and plenty of opportunities to gather in joy. All are welcome.. please RSVP here.
First Ever AUSD Winter Wonderland Potluck!
Everyone is welcome to a community-wide celebration of winter holidays on Sunday, December 14, 4:30–6:30pm in Ocean View’s MPR. Ocean View’s PTA is working alongside all of AUSD's parent engagement groups to deliver a festive end-of-the-year celebration with activities for kids! Through this event we hope to highlight the diversity in our community and learn more about how various groups in our community celebrate holidays during winter break. Sign up for the potluck here!
Be A Writer Coach!
WriterCoach is recruiting parent volunteers for the Thursday and Friday I-Search coaching sessions January 15 through March 13, 2026. We are looking for new volunteers to join WriterCoach Connection to work with AMS 8th graders to provide support as they work on their I-Search, a major research project. The coaching time commitment is one two-hour block per week, either Thursday or Friday, during school hours, for eight weeks. (Some four-week-only options are available.) You indicate your availability, and we put you on a team that fits your schedule. Coaches meet sequentially one-on-one with three students at each session. WriterCoach Connection is a wonderful opportunity for “word people” to share their love of writing with students — you don’t need to be a teacher, writer, or editor to coach. You’ll be joining a group of experienced coaches and a site coordinator, who can all mentor you as you learn the ropes. Contact Jane at jane@writercoachconnection.org.Making College Affordable: FAFSA & Early Financial Planning
Join the Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group (API-PEG) on Thursday, December 11 at 7pm via Zoom for valuable insights and an interactive discussion (a Q&A section will be included) with the expert, Mike Nie. Mike specializes in family-centered tax and real-estate strategies, with deep expertise in college cost planning. You may join API-PEG Google Group by filling out this form. 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 |
Gill Tract Community Farm Winter Festival
The Gill Tract Farm is holding a festival Friday, Dec. 5, 11am–7pm to raise funds for a new irrigation system. You can work on winterizing the vegetable beds, do monarch butterfly activities, or wood-block print your own t-shirts or tote bags. Suggested donation of $5–$25, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. All are welcome!| 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
LINK TO BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS