From Head of School
Together We Grow
Dear Clairbourn Families,
We work to regularly evaluate our school from multiple perspectives, all in an effort to make this an even better place for your child and your family. Because the parent perspective is so important to us, we've partnered with ParentPulse, a company that specializes in collecting feedback for schools.
Going forward, each parent in our school will receive an invitation every few months to respond to a short survey. These surveys will be staggered – parents will receive the invitations via e-mail or text at different times. We simply ask that you take less than five minutes to complete the survey. Many schools only send one (longer) survey each year, but we want to capture your thoughts and feelings in shorter surveys – and at multiple points over the year – so we can understand how things are evolving and how we can best adapt!
 Please be on the lookout for an e-mail or text from ParentPulse. The subject line will clearly identify Clairbourn School. The information you provide is collected solely for our analysis, and your personal contact information will not be used or shared by ParentPulse. There is also an option at the end of the survey to submit your responses anonymously. Thank you for partnering with us in making Clairbourn wonderful!
Amy Patzlaff, Ed.D.
Head of School
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Clairbourn Insights
Twix Wins the Mock Election
What a fantastic day of excitement and hands-on learning! Our fourth and fifth graders jumped into election
vocabulary with a spirited game of bingo, created eye-catching campaign posters, and delivered enthusiastic campaign speeches.
The thrill of counting electoral votes kept everyone engaged, but the highlight was our mock election, with the ultimate face-off between Twix and Sour Patch Kids. And the winner? Twix won the election! It was a fun-filled celebration of democracy in action!
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Personal-Use Scrip
Gift Card Drive Ends Tomorrow
All scrip card order forms are due this Friday!
The Scrip Program allows you to purchase physical gift cards from some of your favorite retailers and the school will get a percentage of all scrip purchases in return. Have questions? Contact a CFA Scrip Co-chair: Julia G. and Eva W.
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Building Strong Foundations
Early Learners Dive into STEM with
The Three Little Pigs Challenge
The Early Learning STEM Night is one of the events we anticipate each year! Our youngest students from JPK, PK and Kindergarten exercised their design thinking skills, starting with reading a story, observing a challenge and brainstorming to find a solution.
 This year's theme was The Three Little Pigs, and they learned how to build the strongest house. Students met with our I-Lab teacher multiple times to discuss wind and force and to experiment with a variety of materials. They even had a special visit with a professional contractor to further demonstrate the building process. Our Cougars sketched, discussed, experimented and built. Finally, each class presented their progress at the Early Learning STEM Night, and we were all so impressed by their critical thinking skills!
A heartfelt thank you to all the dedicated teachers who made this hands-on learning experience possible! Your guidance and support truly inspired our young learners to explore, innovate and build with confidence.
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November
Design Challenge
Middle School Engineers Take on Distance Challenge in Drop Everything & Build
For this month’s Drop Everything & Build challenge, middle school students tackled the task of designing a device that could roll the farthest after descending a ramp. The young engineers set out to minimize friction and quickly discovered stability and balance were key factors in achieving maximum distance. Teams found that devices maintaining a straight path had the best results, particularly
since classroom furniture posed potential obstacles along the way.
In sixth grade, Angela, Daniel and Kaitlin were named runners-up, while Caleb and Torris built the device with the longest roll. In seventh grade, Kevin and Ethan earned the runners-up position, with Keira and Alyssa creating the farthest-rolling device. Finally, in eighth grade, Jerry and Matthew M. were recognized as runners-up, while Melody and Bella’s device achieved the longest roll in the entire middle school. Congratulations to all our Cougar Engineers for their creativity and innovation!
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Clairbourn Families Association (CFA)
Teacher Appreciation Group Gift Card Drive Runs November 18 to December 6
Every holiday season, the CFA organizes a group gift card drive to facilitate parents in expressing their gratitude to our faculty and staff. The Group Gift Card Program (Teacher Scrip) allows you to join a collective gift for your child's teachers, faculty and staff who have pre-selected the scrip gift cards. Cards will be distributed along with a list of contributing families during the week of December 16.
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How to order:
1. Go to the CFA Online Store. (a small credit card processing fee will be charged for all online orders)
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Important Reminder:
Uniform Dress Code
As we strive to maintain a positive and respectful learning environment at Clairbourn, we kindly remind you of our school uniform policy. Please ensure your child comes to school dressed according to these guidelines every day.
Special FORMAL Dress Uniform is worn on special days. Please note the next FORMAL dress uniform day is on Friday, November 22.
Lower School —
Option 1: Jumpers with white top
Option 2: White button down shirt with Clairbourn tie and khaki pants |
Middle School —
Option 1: white button down shirt with khaki skirt
Option 2: White button down shirt with Clairbourn tie and khaki pants |
Daily Uniform Options: Grades K-5
 * Shirt: (1) short or long-sleeve collared polo shirt or turtleneck in maize (yellow), navy, white or light blue (2) kids short sleeve polo shirt in light blue, classic navy or white (3) peter pan collar top in white or light blue (4) oxford shirt in white or light blue * Jumper: navy * Bottoms: chino pants, shorts, or skort in khaki or navy, or knit skort. No cargos.* Belt: brown belt recommended for all pants or shorts with belt loops (grades 2-5) * Leggings: may be worn under skorts, shorts and jumpers * Athletic shoes with socks Clairbourn crest is optional on all shirts.
Outerwear: Grades K-8
* Sweater: (1) cotton sweater in v-neck or crew-neck pullover style, in navy or yellow (2) V-neck sweater vest in navy only (3) crew-neck pullover sweatshirt, navy only
* Cardigan: zip-front cardigan in navy or button-front cardigan, in navy, white or yellow
* Jacket: fleece jacket, fleece-lined rain jacket or packable rain jacket in classic navy only
Crested outerwear is preferred. Solid navy outerwear is acceptable. Class sweatshirts are allowed for middle school only.
No other outerwear is permitted,
except on Free Dress days. |
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Thanksgiving break is from November 25 to 29
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PLEASE REMEMBER
IT'S DRESS UNIFORM
DAY ON 11/22. |
Next Friday, November 22, is Thanksgiving Morning Assembly. Join us and enjoy students' sharing of appreciation for one another.
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Annual Fund
Stop by the Annual Fund station next week as a thank you for participating in this year's Annual Fund or as a friendly reminder that we need you to reach 100% family participation by Giving Tuesday!
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Clairbourn Honors Veterans
Student Council delivered hand-made cards for the veterans who live across the street in the Ivy Park assisted living home in San Marino. The veterans served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. They were delighted to receive the messages and gratitude from Clairbourn students.
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Mismatch Theme Day: Wednesday, November 20!
Feel free to wear clothes with bright colors and fun, crazy patterns. Any mismatched clothing or attire is welcome—even two different shoes! Student Council can’t wait to see your creative mismatched outfits! |
11/15 Free Dress
11/19 Panda Lunch Day
11/20 Special Mismatch Dress Day!
11/21 Taco Lunch Day
11/22 Dress Uniform
11/25-11/29 NO SCHOOL. Thanksgiving Break
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Clairbourn Community Showing Heart Together
We are proud to announce that Socktober 2024 was a huge success, with 963 pairs of socks donated! This incredible achievement is thanks to everyone's generosity and support. We’re especially grateful to Mr. Beaber for his matching contribution, which helped us surpass our goal.
These socks will be distributed to Hillsides, Elizabeth House and Door of Hope. Your donations will have a direct impact on individuals and families facing hardship, providing them with much-needed warmth as the weather turns colder. Thank you to the Student Council for organizing and our community for coming together to show heart and compassion for those in need!
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Be a Vendor at this Year's Sugar Plum
The Sugar Plum chairs are looking for vendors for this year’s Sugar Plum event on December 13.
This cherished Clairbourn tradition will take place in the Manor House following the Morning Assembly. If you or someone you know would be interested in showcasing products as a vendor, please reach out to the Sugar Plum chairs. We look forward to seeing you there. Questions? Email the Sugar Plum chairs: Lucy Balikian, Betty Campana, Victoria Masuda |
Second Grade Visited LA Arboretum!
Clairbourn second grade students went on a hands-on, interactive journey at the LA Arboretum. They took a closer look at the incredible natural systems at work through the lens of different themes, including habitat, pollination, plant adaptation, ethnobotany, and biodiversity.
Our students were delighted to share what they learned and experienced with us at the Morning Assembly! What a unique opportunity for collective learning and dynamic peer exchange! Well done, Cougars! |
Native American Heritage Month — Billy Mills
Billy Mills, born in 1938 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, is a member of the Oglala tribe of the Lakota. After losing his parents young, he attended boarding school, where he channeled his energy into running.
His talent earned him a scholarship to the University of Kansas and later led him to the U.S. Marine Corps, where he qualified for the 1964 Olympics. Despite being a type 2 diabetic, Mills set an Olympic record in the 10,000-meter race with a time of 28:24.4, making him the only American to win gold in this event. Mills later co-founded Running Strong for American Indian Youth, dedicated to preserving Native culture and supporting young athletes.
Because of his perseverance, accomplishments and generosity, Billy Mills represents a hard-working scholar and leader with heart.
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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 stated 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 be returned or given to the CFA for the auction. Thank you for your support!
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