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LLEF News
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COMMUNITY REPORT COMING HOME
Last year, our community came together and made a difference. We raised $2.4M for the District and we can all see the impact of our combined efforts: class sizes have been reduced, our music program and counselors were expanded to accommodate our growing enrollment and we added Mandarin to our world languages program. These are big accomplishments. Let's do it again! This year, our goal is to raise an unprecedented $2.8M - all to help our School District maintain smaller class sizes and save critical education programs from being cut back. Today, we kick off this year's fundraising effort and hope that you will take a few minutes to review the Community Report in your child's Monday envelope or backpack this week or online here. This report: · Highlights the successes and challenges facing our School District this year · Illustrates where the money goes · Thanks the many supporters from last year This year we hope to achieve the goal of raising $2,000 per student with 85% family participation before the holidays to ensure the District has an accurate figure for its budget and plans for next year. You can give NOW by clicking here. We have six weeks to make the difference for next year. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the educational excellence that we parents desire and all our children deserve. Sincerely, David Henig 2011-12 Foundation President
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Volunteers Needed for the Father/Daughter Dance on Friday, Oct. 14. Please help make this "event of the year" for our daughters a grand success! We need volunteers for the following areas:
Set-up (3 - 6 p.m., all or two shifts)
Check-In (6:30 - 9:30 p.m., all or two shifts)
Assist Photographers (6:30 - 9:30 p.m., all or two shifts)
Food Area (6:30 - 9:30 p.m., all or two shifts)
GRANDPARENTS GROUP SIGN-UP
The Grandparents' Group was organized several years ago to connect the grandparents of children in our District to our schools. The Foundation is striving to help the grandparents feel connected to their grandchildren. Our group is now over 1,000 grandparents strong! We invite you to register today by clicking here!
Parents, you can register on behalf of the grandparents in your family.
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From the Principal
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Dear Las Lomitas Families,
The weather is very unpredictable these days! Cool mornings with warm afternoons result in a closet of lost sweaters and jackets. Please come by the office to claim what is yours.
The teachers spent half of last Friday working together on common themes that are emerging as work progresses on the District's Strategic Plan. There are several opportunities for parents to learn and join in on the conversation with us. The first is by reading the book, The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner. This book was read by all of the members on the Strategic Plan Committee and discussed at a "book talk" on October 3rd. If you are interested in reading the book, there are multiple copies for teachers and parents available at the school library for check-out. Another opportunity is to view a copy of the September 16th presentation by Ira Lit, education professor at Stanford University. He spoke about preparing students for 21st century learning. Copies of his talk are on DVDs available for check out in the office. I encourage you to participate in our strategic plan process by accessing these materials.
As part of our school's focus on a positive school climate, I am starting the Principal's Book Club. The first book is Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids by Carol McCloud. I will be reading the book to classes this week and again during the week of October 24th during their library time. I plan to read 4-5 more books over the course of the school year. I believe there is a collective energy that comes from sharing a book and being able to talk together about it as a community. I look forward to our "small town" sharing a common reading experience and the conversation that ensues. Feel free to look for a copy in our library, or at a local book store so you, too, can share the experience.
Finally, a safety reminder for bus riders: Some of the children have been spotted sitting on the curb with their feet in the street while waiting for the bus. Please help supervise the children at the bus stops so they are safely on the sidewalk and in line ready for the bus when it arrives. Together, we can make a difference for our children!
Until next time,
Sue Sartor, Principal
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PTA News
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 MEMBERSHIP: SO CLOSE TO OUR GOAL!
We are still accepting donations to join the PTA! So far 72% of Las Lomitas families are part of the PTA. That's an increase in membership by 7% over last year!!! We still need your help to reach our lofty goal of 90% participation.
You may have noticed the school directories your kids have brought home. This is just one example of what your membership funds go towards.
If you haven't contributed to the PTA yet, there is still time to continue to support the ongoing school assemblies, the holiday workshops, field trips and much more. I'd like to share with you some comments from our teachers about what a difference the PTA funding provides:
- "Thank you. Thank you. A thousand times, thank you. You make a HUGE difference in my job satisfaction!"
- "Thank you for all you do to support the teachers of Las Lomitas."
- "Thank you so much for the generous contribution to my room! I really appreciate your support and am so excited to be here at Las Lomitas!"
We also had some comments from the teachers from the recent Jump Rope assembly: - "This was the most exciting, thrilling, fun, inspiring, educational, and worthwhile assembly we have had. The children loved it and learned so much. Thank you!"
- "The quality of this assembly was excellent. It had purpose-health, attitude, encouragement, and interest for all students."
There is still time to contribute to make sure you do your part to ensure these and other programs remain for your kids to enjoy.
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BOOK FAIR UPDATES
With only 16 Days to go until the PTA transforms Cano Hall into the Las Lomitas Book Fair, we are busy making signs, creating wish list forms, and setting schedules. Most importantly, with the help of our librarians Sharon Kelly and Kim Fliege we are ordering a fantastic supply of books for our Las Lomitas student readers. In addition to helping us, did you know that Sharon and Kim:
- Work with more than 600 students, teachers, parents and staff from 30 classes to pick and check out over 1500 books per week?
- Assist teachers to select 800 books per month to support curriculum lessons and support free choice reading in the classroom?
- Choose more than 225 books each year to support the Kindergarten overnight book program?
- Promote and manage the California Young Reader Medal Program at Las Lomitas?
In addition to this, they cheerfully recommend quality books for us to stock at the book fair. Thank you, Sharon and Kim!
With such an active library user base, our book collection needs continual updating. The Book Fair helps to do this, both by books that you buy to donate directly to the library, and by sharing in the proceeds from the books you take home. Please come to the Book Fair and help get Sharon and Kim what they need to keep our students, teachers, and staff well-read!
Many thanks,
The Book Fair Committee: Anna Plume, Cindy Tipton, Rebecca Grant, Shari Guggenhime, Barrie Shapiro and Shrieriene Saadati. If you would like to join the Book Fair committee and help out, please email aplumemom@yahoo.com.
LAS LOMITAS BOOK FAIR COMING SOON: October 26 - November 2
Come SHOP BEFORE OR AFTER THE HALLOWEEN PARADE (parade starts at 10:45 a.m.). Coming early or staying after is also a great way to avoid the traffic jam!
Please sign up to VOLUNTEER AT THE BOOK FAIR by emailing Barrie Shapiro at llbookfair2011@gmail.com. This is a fun and relaxing way to share your reviews of your favorite books with others and peruse new books to consider for your own library!
All students are invited to enter the POSTER ART RAFFLE. Three lucky winners will WIN A $10 GIFT CARD to spend at the book fair. Create a poster of a favorite book/book series. Minimum size of 8.5 x 11, Maximum size 24 x 36. Please BRING POSTERS TO BOOK FAIR ON 10/26 BETWEEN 2 - 6 p.m. (if you can't make it that day, please drop them off in the office by 10/25). Don't forget to put student name and teacher on back!
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School News
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SAFETY TIP
Please keep the gate area clear at dismissal so people can pass. Those with strollers should stand well to the sides of the gate.
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THE LOST AND FOUND WILL BE DONATED THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13th.
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CAMPUS Presents...
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CAMPUS Presents:
Internationally renowned parenting expert Dr. Michele Borba. Ed.D
7 PRACTICAL WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN ATTAIN JOY, BALANCE AND SUCCESS
Thursday, Oct. 20, 7 - 9 p.m.
Menlo Atherton High School Center for Performing Arts
Does it seem as if your children are forced to shortcut today's freedom for tomorrow's success? Would you like them to have the space to enjoy unstructured exploration and discovery without fear of losing ground? Don't miss Dr. Michele Borba, award-winning author, speaker and educational consultant, as she shares specific skills to help you teach your children how to survive and thrive in today's play-deprived and standards-driven world. With the same warm, humorous, realistic and straightforward approach you've seen in her appearances on the Today Show, Dr. Phil, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, Dr. Borba will help you learn simple, effective, research-based strategies to prepare your children for the future without sacrificing their well-being or your own.
CAMPUS -- Consortium of Atherton & Menlo Park United Schools - is pleased to sponsor Dr. Borba's presentation to our community without charge. No reservations so please come early as seating is limited. For further information contact Jennifer Le at jenfle@gmail.com or CampusEd.org.
The CAMPUS program features outstanding speaker presentations on a variety of parenting issues. CAMPUS programs are hosted at Menlo-Atherton High School and sponsored by a consortium of public schools in Menlo Park and Atherton, including the La Entrada PTA. The CAMPUS program is distinct from the LLESD's "Learning for the 21st Century" program which is hosting speakers, book discussions, and forums to help our LLESD community explore ways to improve curriculum, teaching, and learning within our District schools.
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| Leading Education | |
Following up on our book discussion of The Global Achievement Gap last Monday evening, we wanted to let you know about an exciting conference taking place on October 20th & 21st. The Innovative Learning Conference is being hosted this year at The Nueva School in Hillsborough. The LLESD will be sponsoring several District teachers and administrators to attend this conference. In addition, we are delighted that several parents have signed up to attend. For conference details, see: http://www.innovativelearningconference.org/.
If you attend, please share your thoughts with us about what you learned. Our Strategic Planning Committee is continuing its work on developing a new plan for our schools, and you can share your thoughts with any of the parent representatives to the SPC: Todd Alamin, Lori Brockman, Larry Kelmar, Leslie King, Rita Popat, Christy Story, and Diana Sunshine. To learn more about the Strategic Planning going on in our District, click here.
For more information on Upcoming Events (and summaries of past events) in our District's Learning for the 21st Century initiative, please see our web site:
http://www.leadingeducation-llesd.org/events.html
Thanks for supporting our District schools.
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| Attendance | |
If your child is going to be absent from school, please, please, please, notify us by calling the attendance line, 854-5900 ext. 1. If you want to email the teacher, that's fine but, you must call the attendance line as well.
Thank you, Beverley and Carol |
| Girl Scouting at Las Lomitas | |
HALLOWEEN COSTUMES NEEDED Please donate your gently used or new costumes for the children of the Haven Family House homeless shelter in Menlo Park (infant through adult sizes needed). The Girl Scout Troops of Las Lomitas will be collecting costumes in a bin at the Flagpole from Oct. 3-14. If you have any questions, please contact Pamela Stang, pamela_stang@yahoo.com.
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Art Note Card Order Forms
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ORDER YOUR CHILD'S ART! ORDER FORMS DUE 10/21 IN THE OFFICE
Please support the arts at Las Lomitas by purchasing cards made from your child's drawings. In past years, the funds from this program have been used by each classroom for activities including: field trips to plays, musical performances, dance performances, art galleries; visiting artists to teach special programs in the classroom; guest speakers, special art supplies and literature about the arts and music.
The note cards make terrific gifts for friends and families, thank you notes, and even enclosure cards for birthday presents. The note cards will be delivered in late November in time for the holidays.
Thank you to all our volunteers who have helped us complete the drawing sessions! Extra special thanks to our wonderful classroom coordinators: Maria Lind (3rd), Jane Worden (2nd), Sook Jung (1st) and Wendy Wall (K) for their time and effort organizing all the volunteers. Our expert scanning specialists, Tom Coates and Kris Bobier, are now processing the drawings. Tom and Kris are parents of Las Lomitas alumni, and we are grateful that they continue to volunteer their time to make this fundraiser possible.
Thank you for supporting the creative arts and music at Las Lomitas!!
Questions? Contact Sook Jung (sook_cho@yahoo.com), Ginny Rader (ginnyrad@me.com) or Jane Worden (jane.worden@gmail.com)
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| Third Graders: Basketball Registration and Season Info | |
Basketball registration opens Monday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. and closes Monday, Oct. 31 (Halloween!) at 7 p.m. This is a very popular winter sport at La Entrada that is open to all students in 3rd through 8th grade. All children registered are guaranteed a place on a team. Please mark your calendars for the following dates:
Oct. 10 (Monday) at 7 p.m.: Basketball registration opens
Oct. 31 (Monday) at 7 p.m.: Basketball registration closes
NOTE: We cannot accept any late registrations. Please be sure to register during the open registration dates.
Nov. 3 (Thursday) at 6:30 p.m.: Basketball Coaches Meeting in the La Entrada library. Required for all coaches. We will choose practice times as well as go over rules, expectations, evaluations, etc. Practice times will be selected based on coaches' availability and a lottery system.
Nov. 5 (Saturday): Basketball Evaluation Day in LE Gym for 5th Boys, 6th Boys, 7th Girls & Boys, and 8th Girls & Boys
Nov. 6 (Sunday): Basketball Evaluation Day in Jensen Hall for 3rd Girls & Boys, 4th Girls & Boys, 5th Girls and 6th Girls
Evaluations are used strictly to split up each grade level into fair and balanced teams. Your grade will be assigned a specific time closer to the date. Please check the LLL Basketball webpage later in October.
COACHES ARE NEEDED!
This activity is run by parents. We need parent coaches so we can offer fair playing time to all the kids. (Fewer coaches mean fewer teams with a lot of players. The larger the team, the less playing time for each player.) You do not need a lot of experience to coach; we can pair you with a more experienced coach. Also, we provide a coaching clinic. Please contact Inger Rarick at irarick@yahoo.com or Sue Bartalo at sbartalo@mac.com if you are available to coach.
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| Boxtops for Education | |
Have you been saving your Box Tops? Turn them in now, and your student may win a prize!
Here's how to enter the drawing:
1. Write your name (first and last, please) and room number on the back of each Box Top.
2. Place your Box Tops in the collection box located in the school office by
Tuesday, Oct. 18.
3. The drawing will be held later that week, and the lucky winners will receive their prizes
(gift certificates to local businesses).
Box Tops received later than the 18th will be saved for our February submission. So keep saving - they will never go to waste! Thank you for supporting Las Lomitas!
Good luck!
Margie Stehle
Boxtops4education Chair
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| Las Lomitas Sports and After-School Activities League | |
Open Position: Board Member/Secretary
The Las Lomitas Sports & After-School Activities League, an independent, non-profit organization, offers sports and after school classes to students in the Las Lomitas School District. The League is seeking a parent volunteer to join the board as Secretary for the current 2011/2012 school year. Position responsibilities include: attendance at monthly League meetings, minutes and overseeing the OutReach Program for both the Las Lomitas and La Entrada campuses during registration periods.
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| LLESD Governing Board |
The Governing Board web page (www.llesd.k12.ca.us.board.html) now lists all scheduled Board meetings and their location, and includes links to agendas for upcoming meetings and approved minutes for past meetings. The site is updated when new information is available, so please visit it regularly. Materials discussed at Regular Meetings (held monthly) are available in both school offices Monday through Wednesday prior to the meeting. Materials from past meetings are available at the District Office by contacting Karen Hiatt at 854-2880.
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Business Sponsors News | |
The Las Lomitas PTA and the Las Lomitas School do not endorse, warrant or recommend any of these businesses.
- Remember to mention Las Lomitas at the register and Kepler's donates 6% back to our school. Please check the website www.keplers.com for upcoming events.
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| Community News | |
ATHERTON DAMES' CHILDREN'S HALLOWEEN PARTY Sunday, Oct. 30, 2 - 4 p.m. at Holbrook-Palmer Park, 150 Watkins Ave., Atherton. Children are invited to come in costume and enjoy a fun-filled ventriloquist show. Win exciting prizes; enjoy our gourmet coffee and candy bar. For more details or to make reservations, email HalloweenParty@AthertonDames.org. All proceeds benefit Holbrook-Palmer Park.
Join us at the AMERICAN GIRL FASHION SHOW at Christ's Church in Los Altos, November 11 and 12 to benefit Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Shows are 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Friday and 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday. Refreshments will be served. For reservations and tickets see www.PaloAltoAuxiliary.com or email AmericanGirlFashionShow@gmail.com.
DON'T MISS "AMELIA LIVES" AT THE PORTOLA VALLEY THEATRE CONSERVATORY! "Amelia Lives" is a 90-minute exploration into the community and events that shaped a young girl into an explorer, champion of women's rights, and philosopher. You are invited to peek into the world of Amelia Earhart through events, stories, letters and quotes from this larger than life lady from the 20th century. Performances are Oct. 21 and 22 at 7:30 a.m., and Oct. 23 at 2:00 p.m. at Lane Hall Theatre, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Tickets and information at www.pvtc-ca.org.
EPGY at Stanford University is dedicated to enhancing learning for students through multimedia, computer-based distance-learning courses. Open Enrollment offers access to three courses; K-7 math course, beginning algebra course and elementary language arts and writing. Visit http://epgy.stanford.edu/pdf/soe/EnrollmentWebPost.pdf to learn more. En Espaņol: http://epgy.stanford.edu/pdf/soe/info_sp.pdf .
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| Sports | |
The Las Lomitas PTA and the Las Lomitas School do not endorse, warrant or recommend any of these businesses.
SIGN UP NOW - SOLO AQUATICS SWIM TEAM
SOLO Aquatics offers a year-round program in which swimmers learn excellent swim / stroke technique through outstanding coaching in a fun environment. SOLO, a non-profit USA Swimming organization, has been serving Menlo Park for over 19 years and has over 100 year-round swimmers ranging in age from 5 to 18. Swimmers are grouped by age and ability levels. For practice schedules and fee information, please visit our website at www.soloaquatics.com or call us today at (650) 851-9091.
NJB WINTER BASKETBALL
Registration is now open at www.redwoodnjb.org. This Redwood Chapter is starting its 9th year and many former players are playing for area High School teams including St. Francis, MA, and Menlo School. Come join us this year for a positive experience in competitive basketball. We offer a rookie league (D4) for grades 1-2 with the ability to form your own team (note friends during registration). There are no boundary restrictions for D4/rookie league. For grades 3-8 we offer 3 leagues D1 (grades 3-4), D2 (grades 5-6), and D3 (grades 7-8). D1-D3 utilizes a draft to ensure equality on every team and players are restricted to Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Woodside, or East Palo Alto. All teams are parent coached and the league affords pre-season coaching clinics. All Divisions (D1-D4) will play a 9-game schedule with a one or two weekend playoff.
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| Newsletter Submissions | |
The Lion's Roar is published every Monday. To submit items for inclusion in the newsletter:
· Email submissions by noon, Wednesdays, to Carol Clark at cclark@llesd.org.
· Include a brief description of the item in the subject line of the email.
· Please include the text (in 10pt Arial) in an attachment to your email.
· Flyers will be summarized briefly in the email newsletter, with a link provided to access the complete flyer. Flyers must be provided electronically to enable online access.
Please note: Community announcements are for local children's events only. The title, date and contact number will be listed with a one-two sentence descriptor.
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