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Las Lomitas Education Foundation
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 The Annual Giving Campaign Launches Today! The Annual Giving Campaign has become a cornerstone of the success of our schools. Last year, your donations through the Foundation represented the second largest revenue source for the District. These funds make up for the difference between a good and great education by helping us maintain smaller class sizes, enhance our curriculum, and deliver educational excellence. Our goal this year is to raise $3 million. This amount will enable us to hire the additional teachers needed for our growing enrollment as well as invest in academic innovation and excellence. This translates to a funding need of a little over $2,000 per student. Our goal is 100% participation among District families. Any contribution you can make that is meaningful and significant for you is appreciated. Today you will receive, via your youngest child's Monday envelope, the Foundation's Community Report which presents a detailed picture of our school community and its financing. We encourage you to read it! You may also view the Report online here. Please join us in contributing this year and investing in our children's future. Together, we make a difference. To donate now, please click here.  New Challenge Grant! To kick start the launch of the Annual Giving Campaign, 95 District families who passionately believe in educational excellence have created a $300,000 Challenge Grant by increasing their aggregate gifts over last year by 53%, to inspire other District families to increase their gifts as well. The Challenge Grant will match dollar for dollar any family's new gift or incremental increase over last year's gift. All together, that is an incremental $600,000 that we can raise for our schools!
Father-Daughter Dance
 Friday, October 19, 2012. 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Calling all fathers and their gorgeous daughters to Jensen Hall at La Entrada! Dance the night away with your daughter to some great music. This festive event is open to all grades. $75 per father/daughter pair and $25 per additional sibling. **Kindergarten dads, this is a wonderful opportunity to start the tradition of a special father/daughter evening.** (Outreach is available. Please contact the La Entrada school office for details.) |
News
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PTA Membership Update
We are continuing to accept Memberships to join the PTA! We need your support!
The PTA funds valuable programs that go directly towards your child. A basic membership provides much-needed funds towards school assemblies, field trips, holiday workshops, the school directory, and much more.
Las Lomitas needs the support from every family through the PTA in order to continue to provide the quality programs your child enjoys throughout the year.
For those of you who have joined the PTA, thank you! Your Membership cards are ready for pick up in the school office under the Red PTA Membership Cards sign.
So far, 63% of you have contributed to the PTA but we're still striving to reach our goal of 80% participation! There is still time to contribute. Please feel free to contact Jennifer Williams (jenniferwilliams2@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
Las Lomitas Book Fair Coming Soon!: October 25 - 31
Mark your calendar! The 2012 Las Lomitas Book Fair is coming!
The Book Fair will be open on Halloween--a great time to shop before or after the Halloween Parade (which starts at 10:45 a.m.).
We are thrilled to have our book fair hosted, once again, by Hicklebee's, a wonderful independent bookstore in Willow Glen specializing in books for children and young adults since 1979! They proved to be a fabulous partner last year and we're looking forward to a fine selection of books again this year!
All students are invited to enter the POSTER ART RAFFLE. Three lucky winners will WIN A $12 gift card to spend at the book fair. Create a poster of a favorite book or book series. Minimum size of 8.5" x 11", Maximum size 24" x 36". Please BRING POSTERS TO BOOK FAIR ON 10/25 BETWEEN 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. (if you can't make it that day, please drop them off in the office by 10/24). Don't forget to put the student's name and teacher on back!
CALLING ALL BOOK CLUBS! This year's Book Fair will feature your favorite book club titles for sale. We'd like to hear from you if you belong to a book club. Please send your title recommendations, along with a brief explanation of why you believe others will love it, to Sheriene Saadati (sherienes@yahoo.com).
Please sign up to VOLUNTEER AT THE BOOK FAIR by emailing Jeanne Arozquetaat (llbookfair@gmail.com).
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Apple for the Classroom, Coming Online Soon!
Are you looking for a way to help further enrich your children's experience at Las Lomitas?
The Apple for the Classroom program is a way for parents to support their children's teachers directly. All the teachers and specialists at Las Lomitas have been invited to create a "wish list" of items that would help to further enrich their classrooms. Wishes may include art supplies, gift cards, books, or donations toward a special activity or field trip. Historically, these lists were placed in a binder located in the office. This year, we have removed the binder from the office and placed all the lists online. The teachers are currently creating their wish lists and we are finalizing the details to allow for online donations. As soon as the site is up and ready, we will let you know. Please stay tuned...
All donations are tax deductible and receipts are available upon request.
Thank you for supporting our teachers!
Questions? Please feel free to contact Julie Chandik (jrchandik@gmail.com).
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SAVE YOUR BOOKS FOR THE LA ENTRADA BOOK FAIR!!
Hold on to those books! The La Entrada Used Book Fair is coming to town on November 13 -16 and we want your books! Donations accepted October 15 - November 5. Details to follow soon.
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Volunteer to COMPOST for the Green Team!
Composting...It's a great way to spend time with your child, meet their friends and get ideas for lunches! All it requires is your presence during lunch (one hour total) and a pair of gloves. We help the kids sort their lunch waste to the trash, recycling and compost bins. We promise the work is neither dirty nor involves interacting with earthworms! At Las Lomitas, we take pride in our unique program that is helping to save our environment. Please consider volunteering as little as once a month (or more). Ask your kids if they would like you to volunteer to help compost and the answer is sure to be "YES"! For more information or questions, please contact Monica Albers (monica.albers@gmail.com), Green Team Chair.
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Many Ways to Earn with Box Tops 4 Education Please remember to keep saving Box Top coupons found on many favorite brands, such as Betty Crocker, Nature Valley, Kleenex, Huggies, Ziploc, Avery, and so many more. Box Top coupons can be turned in at any time at the Las Lomitas office. Write your student's name and room number on the back of each coupon to be eligible for our prize drawing, which will be held in mid-October. Check out the Boxtops 4 Education website for many other ways to earn money for Las Lomitas. If you start your online shopping at the Box Tops Marketplace, a percentage of qualifying purchases from online retailers such as Lands' End, Target, Best Buy, and many more will be credited to Las Lomitas. Thank you for your support of our school! Judy Nayebi Box Tops 4 Education chair
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School News
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Dear Las Lomitas Families, Last Wednesday all district faculty members met together to hear from Superintendent Cesario about the District's priorities for this school year. There are four main areas of focus: the California Common Core State Standards, the Strategic Plan, district facilities and communication. Assistant Principal Camou wrote about the Common Core Standards in a previous Roar with links to more information. Grade level representatives from across the district, along with administrators, will be attending several trainings in October to become more knowledgeable about the Standards and learn how to share that knowledge with the rest of the staff. Las Lomitas teachers who will be leading this effort are Barbara Porro, Nicole Lycett, Michelle Donecho, Colene McKeon, Kristy Hyres, Heather Peterson and Julie Propp. The Strategic Plan Collaborative Team had its first meeting last week. This "think tank" group of administrators, teachers, parents and students is charged with monitoring the implementation of the plan and advising staff on short- and long-term goals. Las Lomitas teacher representatives are Jill Ohline, Jill McCreadie, Martha Lampert and Judy Harney. Artis Montegue and Molly Glennan are our Las Lomitas parent representatives. The District Facilities Task Force is hard at work. Members are visiting other newly renovated schools, meeting with architects and determining the extent of needs on both campuses. They plan to present a plan to the Governing Board in December. Janet Holbrook is our official teacher representative on this team. District-wide communications are being upgraded to meet ever-changing demands. La Entrada 6th-8th grades are using School Loop for email, posting assignments and grades. K-5th grade teachers will be learning more about this during our Professional Development Days in October. We are also fine-tuning Global Connect. This is a system to notify parents and staff by text, phone and email when emergency information needs to be provided. It will also be very handy for bus route updates. As you can see, there is a lot going on in addition to our daily priority of providing excellent classroom instruction to your children. These are very exciting times for our district and the future is bright! Stay tuned for updates over the course of the year. Until next time,
Sue Sartor, Principal
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Play dates on Minimum Days: Students will not be able to ride the bus for play dates on minimum days due to bus capacity. Only regular riders will be allowed to board. Play dates will need to be picked up at the flagpole. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Lost and Found will be donated Wednesday, October 10. Please come into the office and have a look! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Special Notice for Second Session Parents Please do not drop your students off before 10:15 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. First session classes are in progress and noise at the flag pole can be disruptive. Under no circumstances should a student be dropped off without parent supervision. We do not have supervision until 10:15 a.m. recess. Thank you for your cooperation in making Las Lomitas a safe environment that is conducive to learning. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * PLEASE leave your dogs at home. They are not permitted on school property without prior permission. Dogs are particularly a safety risk at the flagpole area during dismissal times. Thank you for your cooperation. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Just a reminder...Anything precious (toys, jewelry etc.) that if lost at school could cause distress, is best left at home. Thank you. |
| School District News |
 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Las Lomitas School 2012-2013
The English Advisory Committee was established to advise the Governing Board on programs and services for English Learners. A majority of the Committee must be parents of English Learners. This committee meets five times a year to review and monitor programs that affect our English Language Learners. Among its responsibilities are to:
- Serve as a member on the District English Language Advisory Committee
- Assist in developing school plans for English Learners
- Conduct an annual needs assessment
- Prepare an annual language census
- Advise the District regarding redesignation procedures
If you are interested in serving on this committee, please call Lesli Leong, ELD Teacher at Las Lomitas (854-5900). El comité consejero del programa para alumnos aprendiendo inglés fue establecido para dar consejo a la Mesa Directiva sobre los programas de los alumnos aprendiendo inglés. La mayoria del comité consejero tiene que ser de padres de familia de alumnos aprendiendo inglés. Este comité se junta un vez al mes para aconsejar, examinar y comentar sobre los servicios y programas que la escuela le ofrece a los alumnos EL. Algunas de las tareas son: - Tomar una silla también en el comité consejero del distrito del programa para alumnos aprendiendo inglés
- Ayudar en establecer un plan educativo para los alumnos EL
- Conducir una evaluación de necesidades para cada escuela
- Preparar el censo annual de lenguaje
- Examinar y comentar acerca del procedimiento para la reclasificación
Si tiene interés en este comité, por favor llamen a Lesli Leong, maestra de ELD en la escuela Las Lomitas (854-5900). |
Las Lomitas League
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Basketball registration opens next week! This is a very popular winter sport 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:
October 8 at 7:00 p.m.: Basketball registration opens October 26 at 7:00 p.m.: Basketball registration closes. November 1 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 are selected based on coaches' availability and a lottery system.)
November 3 & November 4: Basketball Evaluation Days (schedule to be determined). Evaluations are used strictly to divide each grade level into fair and balanced teams. Your grade will be assigned a specific day and time closer to the date. Check back here or on the LLL Basketball webpage later in October. COACHES ARE NEEDED! The basketball league 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 Sue Bartalo (sbartalo@mac.com) or Keri Tully (keritully@gmail.com) if you are available to coach. |
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Community News
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These programs are not supported by or affiliated with the Las Lomitas Elementary School or the Las Lomitas PTA.
Student Public Library Card applications are available in the Las Lomitas school office.
New! Menlo Tennis Academy 10 & under program of Menlo Swim and Sport announces weekly tennis lessons for kids age 5-10 at Burgess Park. Following the USTA 10 & under program, students learn the fundamentals of tennis with smaller courts, lighter and lower bouncing balls, and smaller and lighter rackets. Classes are offered Monday and Wednesday afternoons. For more details, visit our website.
2012 Menlo-Atherton Girls Volleyball Community Clinic The M-A girls volleyball team welcomes all girls K-8th grade to participate in the Fall 2012 community clinic fundraiser. Focus will be on hitting, setting, passing, digging, blocking, serving, and ball control. The current M-A team will lead the clinic stations. Please join us for this wonderful opportunity to engage with positive role models and strengthen your volleyball skills! All proceeds go to the M-A girls volleyball program. Friday, October 5, 4:00 - 6:30 p.m. (registration 3:45-4:00 p.m.) at Menlo-Atherton High School. Cost $25. Download the registration form here or register that afternoon at the gym.
Halloween Costume Drive - Give Families in Need a Special Treat
Please help the families of Haven House Family Shelter have a great Halloween by donating new or gently used costumes in all sizes (infant through adult). The Girl Scout troops of Las Lomitas and La Entrada are working together with Suzanne Mitchell (La Entrada Technology Director) to collect costumes at both schools. Look for the bins and Girl Scouts during morning drop off the week of October 1 - no need to even get out of the car, we will take it to the bin for you! (La Entrada bins will be out until October 15). Haven House, part of the Innvision/Shelter Network, offers emergency and transitional housing for homeless families. Each night, almost 100 kids (infants to teens) call the shelter home while their parents are working to move them back to permanent housing. Your donation of Halloween costumes will ensure that these kids can participate in the fun of the season at a very difficult time in their lives! Any questions please contact Barrie Shapiro (barrie.shapiro2@gmail.com), Ginny Rader (ginnyrad@me.com), or Suzanne Mitchell (suzannemitchell@gmail.com)
Kepler's Books and the M-A Parent Education Series present:
Dr. Madeline Levine "Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success"
Thursday, October 11, 7:00 p.m. in the M-A Center for the Performing Arts (PAC)
Psychologist Madeline Levine brings together cutting edge research and thirty years of clinical experience to explode once and for all the myth that good grades, high test scores, and college acceptances should define the parenting endgame and acknowledges that every parent wants successful children. However, until we are clearer about our core values and the parenting choices that are most likely to lead to authentic, and not superficial, success, we will continue to raise exhausted externally driven, impaired children who believe they are only as good as their last performance.
Madeline Levine, PhD, is a clinician, consultant and educator. She's the author of The Price of Privilege and co-founder of Challenge Success, a project birthed at the Stanford School of Education that addresses education reform, student well-being and parent education.
For more information, contact Charlene Margot (cmargot@csmconsulting.net). Free tickets are available here. This event is open to the public and sponsored by Kepler's Books, Menlo-Atherton PTA and Sequoia Healthcare District. Kepler's Books will have copies of Teacher Your Children Well for sale at the event or you can click here to buy the book online.
Cub Scouts offers fun and challenging experiences for 1st through 5th grade boys and their parents to do together, such as camping outdoors, learning how to cook, learning first aid skills, using hand tools, completing small community service projects, and learning about our community. New dens will be forming this Fall. If you have further questions, please email Stacey White ( swwhite01@yahoo.com) or visit the Pack 222 website.
Alpine Strikers FC - Early Childhood Soccer Programs
Alpine Strikers offers early childhood soccer programs for children ages 5-6 (Alpine Strikers Attack) and for younger children (Alpine Strikers Ants). If your young child shares a passion for soccer and is interested in developing skills with professional coaches, check out these local programs - held at either Burgess Park or Portola Valley Town Center. For more information, please visit our website.
Redwood National Junior Basketball (NJB) Sign-ups Are Open - Sign up your son or daughter now. NJB Winter Basketball registration is now open on our website. This Redwood Chapter is starting its 10th year. We're proud of the positive growth of thousands of kids in our program, and of our NJB alumni continuing to play recreational and competitive basketball. Our focus is on skills-based instruction, personal growth, and positive competition for kids from 1st through 8th grades. Come join us this year for a great basketball experience. The season runs from November through February. Many kids play NJB as well as school ball; it is definitely possible for those who enjoy basketball. For questions, see our website or contact Dan Steere (dsteere@sbcglobal.net).
CALLING ALL MUSICIANS - Musical Service Organization
District parent Paula Hamilton has started a musical service organization named 'Calling All Musicians.' The organization visits senior residential centers and provides music by performing solos, duets, etc. or by leading and participating in sing-alongs. This group was written up in inMenlo this past summer here and is looking for more musicians. All ages and ability levels are welcome in this group. If you, your children, or other family members or friends are interested in participating, we'd love to have you join us for one or more performances. Please contact Paula (paulajhchang@yahoo.com) if you're interested in performing or being added to our email distribution list.
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Business Sponsors News
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These programs are not supported by or affiliated with the Las Lomitas Elementary School or the Las Lomitas PTA:
Creative Art For Young Children - Portola Valley Town Center FALL 2012 Sept. 20 - Dec. 8 (no classes Nov. 22-24) To begin our Fall Session we will bring the earthy colors of fall together with art projects inspired by an African theme. We will explore what life is like for the Maasai children and learn the games they play and how much they are loved by the whole community. The making of clay dolls and jungle animals, masks and beaded jewelry will help us find a deeper connection to our African friends. And our hearts will jump for joy to the beat of African drums as we follow Picasso (who was also inspired by African Art) into his world of painting where we will find inspiration from a man who dared to sketch like a 3 year old and spent a lifetime learning to paint like a child. What comes next depends on where our creativity takes us, but we will end with our ever popular art show where the kids point to their artwork with our very big magic paint brush. More info on the Town'swebsite, or by contacting Jeannie Goldman at (650) 851-1914. Register with the town online or call Cindy @ (650)851-1700 ext. 200. Open registration began on August 24.
Dance Expressions - Love to dance? Come Join Dance Expressions in Menlo Park at the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. Classes are offered for kids ages 3 and up. For more information check out our website. Don't miss out on the Dance Expressions fun!
Studio Rincon - Tap is Back Mondays after school at Studio Rincon on Alameda in Menlo Park! "Tiny Tappers", ages 5-7. "Funky Tap", ages 8-11. Advanced Tap, ages 12-teen. Fridays feature "Break Dancing & Poppin", ages 10-teen and "Hip Hop", ages 10-teen. Kids learn and practice in small classes while having a great time! View the schedule. To sign up, or if you have any questions, please email us at contact@studiorincon.com. |
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Newsletter Submissions
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The Lion's Roar is published by the Las Lomitas PTA as a service to the Las Lomitas families and community. Before submitting an article, please read our newsletter policies.
To submit an item, email Carol Clark (cclark@llesd.org) by 12 noon on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication date.
Submission Requirements: - In the subject line of the email, please include the section in which you wish your item to be placed (see our newsletter policies for the list of our regular sections); for example, the subject may read "PTA News" for any item related to PTA programs;
- DO NOT send the article as an attachment but in the body of the email: submissions sent as a Word doc will be rejected;
- Clearly indicate the title of your submission;
- DO NOT send flyers but provide a link to them;
- DO NOT send pictures but provide a link to them;
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The Lion's Roar 
