Open House, Art Show, and Instrumental Concert
Tuesday, May 12, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
We are thrilled to present our live instrumental concert on May 12 at 4:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and support our fourth to eighth grade musicians.
The Open House for grades JPK - 8 is after the concert, from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in classrooms. The Art Show will be open from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the MPB. Come and see how much your children have grown and learned this year, and meet your teachers for next year!
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End-Of-Year Scrip Drive: May 4 - 15
Teacher Appreciation Group Gift Card Drive
CFA organizes the Teacher Scrip drive that runs from May 4 to 15 to make it easier for parents to show their appreciation for our faculty and staff. This tradition helps us all adhere to our gift giving policy. Gift cards will be distributed during the last week of May. Order forms are due by May 15. There are two ways to participate in the teacher and staff group gift:
• Please note a small credit card processing fee will be applied to all online orders.
Personal-Use Scrip Gift Card Drive
Please support the CFA and our school by participating in the Scrip program. You may purchase gift cards from your favorite retailers, and our school will get a percentage of rebate on all your purchases. You may purchase Scrip cards via the CFA online store or by submitting the Scrip order form to the front office. All Scrip card order forms are due by 1:00 p.m. on May 15. Questions? Contact Eva Wang or Crystal Jin.
There are two ways to purchase scrip gift cards:
• CFA online store: Purchase Scrip gift cards on the CFA Online Store. A small credit card processing fee will be charged for all online orders.
• Scrip order form: Purchase Scrip gift cards using this Scrip order form and mail or return to school by May 15. |
Clairbourn Insights
Kindergarten's Cross-Curricular Service Learning Project
Our kindergarten classes held a can and plastic bottle drive as their service learning project to help the Los Angeles Bee Association. They raised money from the cans and bottles to help with honey bee research and education. In total, students collected 1703 cans! This unique service learning project teaches the students how to care for our environment.
 Students enjoyed meeting the representatives from the Los Angeles Bee Association. They were most excited to observe the queen bee and watch her move in the hive. Mary Landau, a retired school teacher, used props, posters and pictures to teach many interesting facts about bees. She also showed the kindergarteners how bees collect and process pollen. Our Cougars had fun pretending to be bees while mimicking their pollen and nectar collection process!
 Did you know?Baby bees get fed 1,000 times a day! Bees have five eyes. Male bees do not sting and have bigger eyes. If you blow your breath on the bees, they became agitated and get louder and move faster. This is because it makes them think that there is a predator nearby and they need to flee!
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May Drop Everything
and Build Day
Star Wars Day Build Challenge Soars
 To celebrate May the Fourth, teams across the grade levels were challenged to build a bridge that could support as many Grogu figurines as possible. The teams were given craft sticks, straws, and tape. First graders leveled up and made the challenge extra fun by building their own supports for the bridges. Numerous students got so many Grogus on their bridges that Mr. Beaber had to make an extra bucket full of heavy weights to place on top.
Second grade kept the 45 cm length requirement that the older students were given, which provided a challenge for them! They used LOTS of tape and tried very hard to convince their teachers to let them use the bag, the tape roll, the popsicle stick paper wrapper, etc. When they ran into extra saggy bridges due to the long lengths, they worked to add extra weight onto the ends of them! The fourth grade, fifth grade, and middle school teams only had 15 minutes to build. The time constraint made the challenge extra difficult, but our Cougar engineers persevered and built a variety of bridge structures with creative uses of tape and triangles.
 The strongest bridge in eighth grade with 4G was built by Alex and Wesley. The strongest bridge in the seventh grade with 4B was built by Xenia and Zsa Zsa. The strongest bridges in 6B and 5B were built by the team of Jason and Diana and the team of Kyle and Jayden. The strongest bridge in 6A and 5G, which was the strongest bridge in the entire middle school, was built by Farrah, Mia, and Junyou. Well done, Cougar engineers!
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Field Trip Highlight
 First grade had an amazing field trip to Descanso Gardens, where students spent the day learning and exploring with docents. They deepened their understanding of ecosystems by connecting their classroom studies of plants and animals to real-life observations. Students were excited to spot tadpoles turning into frogs and a mama owl with her baby, noticing how camouflage helped the owl blend into its environment.
They explored native plants like the Coastal Live Oak, observed tree bark with magnifying glasses, and discovered wildlife including acorn woodpeckers, mallard ducks, turtles, fish, and squirrels. Highlights included building nests from natural materials, planting seeds, counting eight nests in a single tree, and even enjoying the garden’s charming train displays.
It was a meaningful, hands-on day filled with curiosity, discovery, and outdoor learning. |
Celebrating Cinco
de Mayo
 We celebrated Cinco de Mayo this week. It is a celebration in Mexico, but is not the Mexican Independence Day. Cinco de Mayo celebrates a very important military victory against France. The battle occured on May 5, 1862 in Puebla, Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is important because Mexico won against France even though it was economically, militarily, and morally in a bad place. The Mexican people united and won the battle of Puebla, so we celebrate El Cinco de Mayo to remember this victory.
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Teacher Appreciation
Week is May 4-8
Let’s show our gratitude to the amazing teachers, specialists, and staff who support our children every day! Families and students are invited to stop by our table at transportation before or after school to write a special note of appreciation. For questions, please contact Vanessa Hernandez, Diana Manwani or Kayla Li.
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Have you moved
or changed your phone number?
Occasionally we send out mailings through the U.S. Postal Service and we want to make sure we have your correct mailing address. Please update any changes in your CougarNet account. Thank you! |
Talent Show Video Submission is due by May 15
If you are interested in participating in this year's talent show, please send your video to talentshow@clairbourn.org by May 15. Please keep your performance between 1-3 minutes and no longer than five minutes.
The talent show will be on Monday, June 1, from 9–10 a.m. for first through third grade students and from 2–3 p.m. for fourth through eighth grade students. |
Important Dates
May 8:
• Free Dress
May 12:
• Noon Dismissal
• 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.: Instrumental Concert
• 5:15 - 6:15 p.m.:
Open House:
• 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.:
Art Show in MPB
May 14:
• Taco Lunch Day
May 15:
• All School Morning Assembly
• Centennial T-Shirt Day
May 19:
• Panda Lunch Day
May 21:
• Taco Lunch Day
May 22:
• Free Dress
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Auction Highlight
Receptionist for the Day
Walter from fifth grade enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Cogswell and Ms. Wong to learn the responsibilities of the reception office. He greeted the students in the morning during transportation, took tardies, answered calls, ran the daily attendance report, and helped at Choice Lunch. Thank you, Walter, for all of your help!
Third Grade Teacher for the Day
Sarina was the teacher for the day in 3B. She gave a lesson on her home country of Iran. Everyone was able to enjoy a variety of Iranian treats, hear a mythological story, and play the Iranian version of “Hide and Seek”. Sarina also administered the weekly spelling test, ran art projects, and played a few games of “Hangman”. Way to go Sarina! |
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month
May is a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions, history, and achievements of AAPI communities.
This week, we highlighted Anna May Wong. She began acting at a young age. Despite her talent, she faced racism and was often denied leading roles, which led her to speak out for better opportunities and representation for Asian American actors.
She starred in The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, the first U.S. television show led by an Asian American. She was later honored with a U.S. coin and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Anna May Wong is remembered for her talent and as a leader who stood up for what was right.
Thank you to Student Council for celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with the community.
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Join CFA and Volunteer Today!
Parental involvement is crucial to the success of our community. Whether you have a little or a lot of time to get involved, we have opportunities that fit your schedule and interests. From helping with fundraisers to organizing social events, there are many ways to make a positive impact.
We are especially looking for a tech savvy individual to serve as a webmaster and support our growing team. If you are interested in volunteering for the 2026/2027 school year, please contact our Parliamentarian, Dana Wong at cfa@clairbourn.org. Thank you for your continued support! |
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