Happy Thanksgiving

Hello Otter Families,

It was an extremely short week. Today was our first quarter academic awards ceremony. We had a great turnout, and it was wonderful to see so many proud Otter parents in attendance. Thank you for sharing this special event with your children. Our Otters have worked hard this year and the hard work is paying off. This was evident when seventy-five percent of our team was honored for achieving a grade point average of 3.0 or above. Twenty-five percent of our team even earned all A's during the first quarter! Congratulations to all award winners. Special recognition went to our two Outstanding Otters, Rachel Kennedy and Eovaldo Hernandez, for their super effort and tenacity. We are proud of all their hard work.

After the Otter Assembly the kids participated in their first Otter Auction. It was wild and crazy, but I think a good time was had by all. Keep up the good work and keep earning those Otter Bucks. We will have an auction after every quarter.

We ended the day with the Food Drive Assembly. The food drive, which benefits Second Harvest Food Bank, is an annual tradition here at Dartmouth. In the past, Dartmouth staff and students have donated as much as 48,000 pounds of food. The food drive begins on Monday, November 29 and will continue for two weeks. Each day students will report to their homeroom where their donations will be tallied. The Otter goal is to have 100% participation. There is also a 100 can club for anyone who donates 100 pounds of food. Good things to donate are dry goods such as flour, sugar, rice, beans, cereal, or pasta; high protein foods such as tuna, soup, or peanut butter; and canned fruits and vegetables. Please make sure the foods are non-perishable and that the cans or packages are not expired or opened. We don't expect you to go out and buy a lot of food or for you to empty your own pantry. Get your family, friends, and neighbors involved. A great strategy is to write a note, attach it to a bag, and deliver the bag to your neighbors. Tell them when you will be back to pick up their donation. Many people do not have young children in school and do not have an opportunity to participate in a food drive. They are happy to be able to help others in the community.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Mrs. Shimamoto