School District Proposal to Dismantle Successful Pacifica K-8 School is Being Cloaked as Relocation

Pacifica, CA – Ocean Shore School (OSS) is the only K-8 school in Pacifica that provides an immersive project-based learning and parent participation program in the district. This award-winning school has a 50-year history of providing excellent education in Pacifica. It is now under threat.

The Pacifica School District is proposing to dismantle Ocean Shore’s K-8 school. The proposal will have the school’s 6-8 graders absorbed into an existing middle school in the city. And the K-5 program will relocate to share classrooms with another K-5 school. This plan will destroy one of the foundations of this much-loved and unique educational pathway. It will also reduce educational choices for all students in Pacifica. 

This proposal aims to balance the district’s budget and fill a possible cumulative 3 million dollar deficit over 3 years. While the school district insists that this is not a school “closure” but a “relocation”  – as school closures are governed by due process in the California Educational Code –  families who have benefited from this school argue that this change will essentially result in the school being shut down.

On January 11, 2025, the Pacifica School District convened a board meeting where they invited parents to attend and learn about the possible restructuring and consolidation of schools in the district. The board was presented with only one solution to the budget shortfall – which was to merge the 6-8 grade students from two of only three K-8 schools into the dedicated middle school in the city. And to relocate Ocean Shore School’s K-5 program onto another school site. 

The Pacifica School Board is due to vote on this proposal on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 only 11 days after presenting this proposal for the first time, with no further opportunity for wider discussions with the parents and wider community partners. “This is a school closing,” says Kendra Vera, co-treasurer, Ocean Shore School. “There is a very specific legal process that school boards have to go through for a closure, and we’re asking the board to go through that process”.

Pacifica parents and taxpayers are outraged by the Pacifica School District’s lack of transparency and community collaboration after they worked hard to pass a school funding measure last November. They are calling for the school board to put an immediate pause on these proposals and to convene a much wider collaborative group to help resolve the budget deficits which are the main reason for the proposed school closure.

Media Contact

Karen Kee
Ocean Shore School PTO
president@osspto.org

PTO General Meeting Recap

Thank you for attending the first PTO General Meeting on September 19, 2024.  For those that couldn’t make it, here is a brief recap and the presentation from the meeting.  

  • The PTO budget was approved at $159,000. Details are in the attached presentation.  Last year we raised $135,000 through fundraising that included family donations, events and fundraising campaigns (read-a-thon, penny wars, etc).  We need to meet or exceed last year’s fundraising.  We will be pulling funds from the rainy day fund for the Greenhouse and AV equipment that will be used for many years to come.
    • Please remember if you were donating monthly you will need to renew that monthly donation HERE or make a one time donation. 
  • OSS has been awarded a $75,000 Middle School Foundation Academy Grant! The goal is to help prepare 5-8th grade students for successful college and careers experiences by incorporating the CTE (Career and Technical Education) skills and content into their curriculum.
  • ATTENDANCE MATTERS!  That includes tardies.  Being 5 minutes late a day adds up in social and learning loss. Moving from 93% Average Daily Attendance to 95% district wide would generate $900,000 additional revenue.
  • Ocean Shore improved the percent of students meeting ELA and Math standards! The only school in the district to improve in both areas.
  • Ocean Shore has also received a grant to improve road/pedestrian safety from Safe Routes to School.
  • We have open PTO positions.  We are in particular need for a Spirit Wear Coordinator, Job Coordinator, Oceans 411 Parent Coordinator (if you are in the classroom role, this would just be a bit more responsibility but you are already attending all the meetings) and Junior Olympics Coach (the team did very well last year and most of the time commitment is in April & May). If you are interested or want to know more, email president@osspto.org.
  • The Read-a-thon is our largest fundraiser (outside of family donations) and will be kicking off on October 1st with a Night of Reading on October 3rd. 
  • Volunteers will need to do volunteer training that is being rolled out by the District.  Look for an email from “Vector.”  Training modules take about 90 minutes and you can claim 2x hours.  
  • Next year, we will aim to do a condensed PTO meeting to approve the budget at Back to School Night next year to reach more families.
  • Save the date for OSS’s 1st Annual Friend-SHIP party on October 25th from 3:15-4:15 and an Adult Night Out at Winters on January 11th.

Complete Your Volunteer Forms

Are you unsure what volunteer forms are needed for volunteering in the classroom or driving/chaperoning a field trip? Take a look a the chart below to help clarify what is required and how often. Link to the forms is under the For Families section of this website and physical forms are available near the front office. Sign up for a Live Scan appointment at Back to School Night on Thursday, September 5th. Process takes less than 10 minutes. Fill out the form ahead of time or get one at school right before appointment. Bring a valid ID too.

Yearbook – Customize two free pages until April 14

The deadline to customize two free pages or pay for additional custom pages has been extended until the end of day April 14. These pages will be printed in your child’s yearbook.  If you have purchased your yearbook already, log into https://www.treering.com/ and click on the customize option.  You can design your own layout or use a template.  If you have purchased a yearbook in the past, log into your account and you should have the option to buy this year’s book and then customize it.  If you are new or have never purchased a yearbook, click on the following link to set up an account.  https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1014115995473789. If you miss the customization deadline, you can still buy your yearbook.

OSS Spirit Wear Pre-Order – New Designs!

We are partnering with Gandy Ink again to offer a new selection of gear for our OSS community.

This year, we are featuring several new designs including flannel lounge pants, raglan style 3/4 sleeve shirts, a football shirt, soft gray long sleeve with OSS on the front and the dolphin logo on the back and a navy trucker hat. Plus hoodies and t-shirts in new colors!

Pre-Sale orders will run 9/1-9/24 with delivery expected at the end of October/early November.

Due to storage space, we will have a very limited inventory of gear available for sale so if you see something you want, make sure you place your order before Sept 24th.

Order Today

Welcome from your PTO President! – 2023-2024

Hello and welcome Ocean Shore families to the 2023-2024 school year!!!

The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is eager to welcome back all of our families with an especially warm welcome to all entering Kindergarten families and any other families new to Ocean Shore!

I, myself, am a new parent here with an entering Kindergartener and am very much feeling the back to school excitement and nerves!! First off, I wanted to congratulate you and your family for committing to Ocean Shore! Ocean Shore has a very distinctive program from other district schools. We pride ourselves in volunteerism, commitment, and experiential learning. In order to make our unique philosophy come to life we very much rely on the PTO and all of our families to ensure that our school is provided all of the “extras” that enhance learning, make school fun and allow our hardworking teachers and staff to focus on what they do best – teaching!!!

The PTO is a combination of both the Executive Board and PTO job holders, consisting of both parents and teachers/staff, elected each spring to manage the family participation program and oversee the annual PTO budget and fundraising, which cover key aspects of Ocean Shore’s enhanced curriculum, such as field trips, theme days, assemblies, classroom supplies, technology, physical education and art. The community our families and staff have built year after year is one that provides our students and families amazing educational and social opportunities!

OSS Back to School Night is Thursday, Sept 14, 2023! This is a great opportunity for all OSS families to meet teachers and participate in the first planning meeting for each class. Attendance is HIGHLY recommended so families get a chance to meet their class ombuds, sign up for volunteer activities of their choosing and find out about academic information from the teacher(s).

Save the Dates!

PTO General Meetings 6:30-8:30pm (in person and zoom):

September 21, January 18, March 21, May 16

Other ways we encourage you to stay involved with your dolphin(s):

  • Do your best to adhere to meet your volunteer hours and to log your hours in the binder in the office. There are many ways to meet volunteer hours including driving for field trips, classroom volunteering, involvement with the PTO – please reach out to your classroom OMBUD for opportunities! There are also ways to stay involved outside of the typical school day – PTO meetings, teacher take home activities, etc.
  • We HIGHLY encourage annual family donations/child to help us meet our fundraising goals and ensure that we are able to provide consistent funding for critical school supports (physical education, art, field trips, teacher supplies, etc.) ln order for us to fund PTO activities without dipping into our rainy day fund we would need an average of $400/child/year!!
  • Join us for back to school night, fundraising events, PTO general meetings and consider reaching out to support us in filling an open PTO job holder position:
  • Check our OSSPTO website often for up to date details on school activities and meetings www.osspto.org.
  • Follow us on Facebook @OSSPTO and Instagram @Oss_Pto

Please do reach out with any questions and we wish everyone an amazing school year!!

Grace Sobieski
Ocean Shore School PTO President 2023-24
president@osspto.org

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