From Head of School
Cougars are engaged and full of heart!
Dear Clairbourn Families,
Students are very busy preparing for the Winter Concert. I have heard a few of the rehearsals and the students sound great!
In order to limit the number of people in the Multi-Purpose Building, the audience will be parents ONLY. The show will be recorded so families can share with extended families. Please do not bring others to the show so we can maintain a reasonable capacity. Thanks for your help!
This week, I got to play in the ginkgo leaves with our first graders. I have to say it was a blast watching the leaves fall around us as we threw them in the air. Students would run up to me and ask, "Do you want to be in the leaves?"
They wanted to be sure I was happy to have them throw leaves at me. They were so cute! When we were finished, two of the first graders let me know I had leaves in my hair and they offered to help me remove them.
I am always so grateful when I get to see our students naturally show heart and joy!
Amy Patzlaff, Ed.D.
Head of School
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See you tomorrow from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.!
Join us for breakfast and holiday boutique shopping! We enjoy the unique Clairbourn tradition where parents come together to package holiday ornaments for the students, faculty, and staff. A portion of the proceeds from vendors will be donated to the CFA.
.jpg) We are excited to announce a special 2022 Sugar Plum Calendar featuring students from JPK to eighth grade! You can pre-order here and pick it up at Sugar Plum’s CFA booth. Order early due to limited supplies.
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Explore the Art of Theatre &
Walking Through California History
 Clairbourn provides every student with real-world learning experiences through field trip opportunities across all grade levels. Field trips spark passion and curiosity, and help bring learning to life!
Last week, kindergarteners attended a musical, The Pout Pout Fish, presented by TheaterWorksUSA at the historical San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. This new musical features whimsical puppets and live performers in a sweeping oceanic adventure. When Mr. Fish sets out on a quest to find Miss Clam’s missing pearl, he discovers there is more to him than his permanently plastered pout. Students learned about confidence, adventure, friendship and teamwork throughout Mr. Fish's journey!
 Our fourth graders visited San Juan Capistrano Mission as part of their California History unit. The students went on a journey through mission history and visited important features including the Serra Chapel, exhibits, gardens, and the ruins of the Great Stone Church. They enjoyed a hands-on program to dive into the past and learn about jobs and duties that were an important part of building the mission. What an enriching experience for our Cougars to bring history to life and develop an appreciation of our Indigenous people’s contributions! |
Learning Through Discussions
The Roles of Fate & Agency in Shaping Human Life
Seven graders wrapped up John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl. "It was so interesting and I enjoyed the class discussions with my teacher and friends!" shared a seventh grader.
The Pearl portrays two contrasting forces that shape human life and determine individual destiny. Students worked with partners on a poster to write a theme, message or lesson about life and how character(s) are affected by the theme. Our students did a fabulous job presenting their assignment!
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Positivity • Team Work • Growth
We concluded boys basketball and girls soccer. Let's hear more about their season!
For boys basketball, it was exciting to win a few games, but the real joy came from seeing the athletes' improvement from practice into games. During the season, we had some unfortunate situations, but the team persevered. As coaches, we are very proud of each athlete's hard work and dedication.
Here are our boys award recipients:
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Boys A Basketball
Coach: Luke Ball
MVP Award: Louie
Coaches Award: Aramis
Most Improved: Presley
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Boys B Basketball
Coach: Aaron Berglund
MVP Award: Valen
Coaches Award: Arthur B.
Most Improved: Carson
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Boys C Basketball
Coach: Josh Taylor
MVP Award: Fred
Coaches Award: Theo
Most Improved: Akira
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For girls soccer, we didn’t know if we were going to have enough participation to start a soccer team. The practices started and everyone began improving and having fun. Participation and interest grew and the Cougars became very committed to learning and being a team. The coaches are so proud for their positive energy and extra effort. We are impressed with everyone's progress from the first to our last game!
Here are our girls award recipients for soccer: the coaches awards goes to Sabryna and Vicky, and the most improved award goes to Qier!
 Congratulations to all the athletes for a great season! A special thank you to all the coaches who teach with heart and support the students every step of the way!
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Cougars Deliver Love and Happiness
Student Council and their advisor Ms. Vinnedge walked around the school neighborhood and delivered poinsettias to twenty-six households. It has been a Clairbourn holiday tradition for many years. Thank you for showing heart during this holiday season, Cougars!
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Noon dismissal on December 21 for JPK to fifth grade and no school for middle school
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School Calendar
12/9 Free Dress
12/9 Sugar Plum
12/13 BBQ Lunch Day
12/14 Holiday Apparel Day
12/15 KFC Lunch Day
12/16 All School Assembly and Community Coffee
12/16 Clairbourn T-Shirt Day
12/19 - 12/20 Middle school half day
12/20 Dumpling Lunch Day
12/21 Noon dismissal for JPK - 5th grade and no school for middle school
12/21 Winter Concert
Winter break is December 22 to January 6.
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Scholars and Leaders with Heart!
This year's Entrepreneurial Fair was not only a successful community event, but our students also showed big hearts for a good cause! Meditation Pet Shop, run by a group of students from multiple grades, raised $763 and they donated $500 to Hillsides, a non-profit that Clairbourn supported during this year's Holiday Gift Giving Drive. Several students also donated a portion of their Entrepreneurial Fair proceeds to make a petting zoo and pony ride party possible for Hillsides families. In addition, we had one student donate all of his earnings to Clairbourn!
Thanks to our wonderful parents and students, Clairbourn exceeded its fundraising goal and raised $1,450 for Hillsides! Clairbourn was able to donate art supplies with the extra funds we raised. A big thank you to the families who fulfilled the wishes of children of Hillsides by purchasing gifts from Amazon!
Thank you Heather Jones for leading this meaningful fundraising drive! We are proud of our Cougars for being Scholars and Leaders with HEART!
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Annual Fund Update
Because of you, we are at 80% current family participation in our Annual Fund! Thank you to all who have participated so far, and congratulations to the winners of our Giving Tuesday raffle:
Clairbourn's
Winter Concert:
John and Floy Shieh
L.A. Lakers Game:
Shanshan Huang and
Yi Cao
Ritz Carlton, Waikiki:
Brian Chung and Linh Banh
All those who gave between July 1 - Nov. 29 were automatically entered into this raffle. It's not too late to participate in our Annual Fund! Click here to give today! |
Used Uniform Sale Friday, 12/9
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
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Save the date:
2022 Clairbourn
Winter Concert
Wednesday, December 21 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Parents are invited to attend this Winter Concert and see what JPK to fifth grade students have prepared for us this holiday season! Due to the precautions for COVID and the flu season, each family may only bring parents to the show. The Winter Concert will be recorded and shared. See you there!
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Dec. 14 is Holiday
Sweater Day!
December has all the wonderful holidays, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, Winter Solstice, and many more. It also has awesome things such as hot chocolate, presents, and of course sweaters!
We are having a theme day on Wednesday, December 14. The theme is winter holidays! So please come to school with your holiday sweaters, accessories, etc. and show off your festive holiday spirit! Go Cougars! |
Clairbourn Gift Policy
Gratitude is always welcome, but a gift is
never necessary. A kind note, a genuine thank you, or a word of gratitude is always meaningful.
Clairbourn has a gift policy for all employees:
• Employees may only accept gifts and/or gift cards that have a value of $100 or less.
• Employees may accept a gift and/or gift card of over $100 only if it is a collective gift and each individual’s contribution is $100 or less (i.e. the Scrip Gift at the holidays and end of the year).
Please help us by following this policy. If you feel you must do more than the note or word of thanks, please consider contributing to the group Scrip gifts at the holidays and at the end of the year. Please do not put any employees in an awkward situation by ignoring the policy.
If an employee receives something of higher value, it must either be returned, used in a raffle or as a CFA auction item. Thank you for your support! |
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