Hi, friends. Here’s your monthly Sycamore Odd Fellows lodge newsletter. The 2024 lodge calendar is also on the lodge website here.
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Game Night Sat. Dec. 7 at 6 pm!
Game Night is ON for December! Game Night usually meets on the first Saturday of the month from 6-10 pm at the lodge. Everyone is invited!
Also, that same day, Light Up the Season, the annual downtown Hayward winter-time celebration and tree lighting ceremony, is returning to the City Hall rotunda and plaza the afternoon and evening of Saturday, Dec. 7, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with some new attractions. Join the festivities early, and then come to Sycamore’s Game Night! Fun in downtown Hayward! Find out more here:
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EBYO Free Sensory-Friendly Concert Sun. 12/8
East Bay Youth Orchestra (EBYO) is having a FREE sensory-friendly concert Sunday afternoon, 4 pm, at the new HUSD Performing Arts Center. It will be about an hour long, and is meant to be a safe place for people with sensory challenges, meaning that behaviors not acceptable at a normal concert are accepted at this one so families can enjoy holiday music together.
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Social & Business Meeting Mon. 12/9 at 6:30/7:30 pm
Our monthly Lodge Social and Business meetingis always on the second Monday of the month – the Social and dinner starts at 6:30 and the meeting at 7:30.
Sycamore #129 has the honor this month of hosting our state Grand Master Dave Reed and Deputy District Grand Master (and Sycamore Associate member) Jon Hart. We will be hosting a dinner before the meeting, and we will also likely have some guests from other lodges.
This will be a hybrid meeting – a combination of in-person and Zoom, so you can choose how to attend. Come visit and say hi for a bit, or stay and find out what is going on at the business meeting. Let Noble Grand Sarah Hartman sarah.a.hartman@gmail.com or Secretary Laura Brady laurabeanbrady@gmail.com know if you have an item that you wish the lodge to discuss.
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Peace & Pizza Fri. 12/13 at 7 pm
Sycamore members and friends are invited to join Peace & Pizza for a Zoom meeting featuring the docu-drama movie, “A Day Without A Mexican“. Peace & Pizza meets monthly, always on the second Friday of the month. They usually feature a discussion, guest speaker or documentary, organized by Sycamore Member Stephania Widger, oceankayak@aol.com . Please contact Stephania if you have questions.
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EBSB Flute Choir Holiday Concert in San Lorenzo on Sun. Dec. 15 at 2 pm. Free!
The East Bay Symphonic Band invites Sycamore members and friends to enjoy chamber music from their Flute Choir and Horn Quartet at a holiday concert at the San Lorenzo library on Sunday, December 15 at 2 pm. Free!
The flute choir has grown to 19 members, and they now feature a contra bass flute! They also use bass flutes, alto flutes, piccolos and regular c flutes, and sometimes add piano and drums. It’s a whole orchestra of flutes in different sizes! This will be their 3rd performance this year at this library. It’s a very nice library and they always have a great audience.
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Weekly Every T&Th: Requests & Dedications Zoom
Sycamore Member Frank Goulart continues to recover from his 2020 stroke, but he still plays guitar – and he invites everyone to a weekly “Request & Dedications” Zoom social on Tuesdays at 12:30-1:30pm and Thursdays 2-4pm! (Pacific time). Come to talk and laugh and enjoy some music and friendship. If you would like to get on his email list so you get the the Zoom link, email Frank at fgoulart@pacbell.net . Let him know requests for any songs you would like him to play.
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Please take HUSD Budget Priorities Survey
Request for help – Protect the Arts in the Budget Priorities Survey for
Hayward Unified School District (closes Dec 12)
Good evening Friends in the Sycamore Lodge,
Hayward Unified currently has a budget shortfall and has made available a budget priorities survey that closes on Thursday, December 12. As a community member, please consider using the survey to bolster Arts education in the face of budget cuts. The priority item would be “Theatre, Dance, Music, and Art”.
- The superintendent will host another budget town hall this Saturday at King Middle School at 10:30AM, for more information. Everyone is invited to attend.
- As a community member, please complete the budget priorities survey. It’s important that district leadership hear from all voices in the community. It takes 5-10 minutes to complete.
- There is an FAQ on the Budget Solutions webpage. The district will continually update it in the coming weeks.
The items on the budget priorities are subject to cuts for the 2025-2026 school year, to address our district’s budget shortfall. Many school districts across California are facing similar budget challenges. Some have taken more extreme steps by closing schools. For example, Alum Rock was in the news just this week for closing 6 campuses. Fortunately Hayward is not going down the path of school closures, however it still needs to make significant adjustments elsewhere.
My students at Winton Middle School in Hayward have experienced first hand the benefits and opportunities made possible through an arts education, as evidenced through school concerts, their overall dispositions toward music and growth through our lessons every week, and additional creative and expressive experiences that they have sought to enrich their life like participation in the local youth orchestra and CMEA honor choir. Arts education provides students with transformative learning experiences that inspire them to achieve at the highest levels. It establishes a dynamic and inclusive environment where students feel empowered to explore their creative potential, and every learner is supported and encouraged to reach their goals. Students develop technical skill and artistry alongside a lifelong appreciation for the arts. The arts give students a means to connect with their community, often through live performances for a variety of occasions. In this way, the arts are a vital part of Hayward Unified and we must provide steadfast support when faced with upcoming budget cuts.Please guide our district leadership on budget decisions by completing the budget survey. We hope that you consider ranking the Arts toward the top of the list! You can share the survey with other community members to strengthen support for this cause.
Last, these are the budget priority items included on the survey:
- Non-classroom support staff at schools
- Parent outreach & engagement
- Theatre, Dance, Music, and Art ****
- School safety
- Maintain specialized programs at current locations
- Lower class sizes
- Competitive salaries and benefits
- Staff at the District Office
- Professional Development/Training
- Mental and behavioral health support
- Athletics
- Extra academic support classes or credit recovery
- Free transportation
Thank you so much for your time and consideration,
Melanie Work
Music Teacher
Winton Middle School
(and Sycamore #129 member)
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As always, Friendship, Love & Truth,
Julie Machado
Sycamore #129 Communications Committee