The 2012 Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical festival is coming soon. There are four categories for oral presentation: original poem or essay, individual poetry (one student reciting a poem written by someone else), individual speech or essay (one student reciting a speech or essay by someone else), and choral or skit (2+ students reciting a piece, either original or written by someone else).
Sixth, seventh and eighth graders are welcome to participate in the category of their choice. Only 4 submissions (individual or group) are allowed from Brewer, and we can only have two choral entries. There is also an essay contest for seventh and eighth graders only, with first place in the district getting $1,000 cash!

The topic is an expository essay about a person who improved the world we live in, and the judges are expecting essays to show research into the person’s background and accomplishments. No citations are necessary, however, so the intensity of the research is low.
Students should have their choices ready by January 25. The due date for submissions is January 27. Aly Jones will work with students and help them practice at least twice a week before the competition.  don’t have to be performance ready by January 25th as we’ll practice at least twice a week before the competition. The first round of competition will be February 24th at Acts Full Gospel Church.
For more information on the competition as a whole, visit tapestryleps.com. Thank you for your support!
—Aly Jones

Exciting Staff Additions to Brewer!
Please help welcome several additional staff-members to our terrific staff!
First of all, our school has a new part-time nurse!
OUSD Nurse Misha Gregory works a two-day shift at Edna Brewer, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her office is located adjacent to the back door of the Panther Playhouse, also near the entry to the Pilots Hallway. Nurse Gregory’s email is misha.gregory@ousd.k12.ca.us and her cell phone is 510-773-1760.

Second, Mr. Aquino is back!
Mr. Aquino returned to Brewer on Friday, January 20th! Mr. Aquino is supporting the sixth grade during Ms. Travaille’s maternity leave as a substitute administrator. He will work until mid- to late-March. 
Mr. Pasarow will continue to work in tandem with Mr. Aquino and then be the lone sixth grade administrator in April before Ms. Travaille’s return in May.

Our Transformers have an interim science teacher!
Ms. Jeri Schneider will teach life science to the Transformers for the balance of the school year. Please introduce yourself and welcome her to our team. We all have valuable things to share with Ms. Schneider, like student knowledge, teaching materials, positive reinforcement methods, operating the scan tron, laminating machine, to name a few.

Finally, Safe Passages and Edna Brewer are working on hiring an interim After School Program Coordinator. We are making progress and believe that a new coordinator will be in place by January 27th, 2012. Ms. Danielle has done a great job of being the Coordinator until an interim is hired. Great communities, like ours, deal well with challenges like mid-year turnover. I’m thankful to Ms. Danielle and to all of our teachers and students for making this the positive learning community that it is. Goooooooo Panthers!!

—Principal Pasarow

In the spirit of the Holiday season, the 8^th Grade leadership class is  putting on a short, but well-needed food drive to help support the Alameda Country Food bank. Starting on Friday, December9^th, and ending the following Friday, December 16^th, we would like to have a grade-level challenge. Leadership students will come around to count the total amount of cans/dry food items in your grade’s barrel, which will then be reported the following day over the announcements.

Everyone – be a model to students and bring in items of your own to contribute to remind them that you are part of the community as well.

1 out of every 6 people in Alameda County uses the food bank during the course of a year. This is a great opportunity to help build community both inside and outside of Brewer, but we need the help of our amazing staff and students to make this work. Please email me with any questions, concerns, feedback, or idea’s that you would like to contribute.

Thank you,

 Mr. Minhondo .  email address dashkira@gmail.com

2nd Brewer African American Summit is happening next week on Dec 14th from 5-8. This is a collaborative effort between OUSD’s office of African American Male Achievement and Brewer staff. The event will include student awards, showcase of student work, student participation, and discussion and decisions about how to create the best possible learning environment for Brewer’s African American students.

We will have registration and dinner in the cafeteria, then we will move to the gym for activities. All families are welcome. We are looking for parent volunteers who would like to help us with outreach (phone tree) to promote attendance.

Please have any potential volunteers contact your child’s grade level administrator (Claire Fisher claire.fisher@ousd.k12.ca.us
= 8th, Darius Mensah darius.mensah@ousd.k12.ca.us = 7th, Stephanie Travaille steph.travaille@gmail.com = 6th).