Seat requests for next year's ASIST transportation between Encinal and Laurel (better known as "the Laurel Shuttles") are happening now. Excess demand for seats will be handled with a lottery. To be eligible for the lottery, parents must submit the information below before 6/10.

Please email the following information to Darcy Leschly before 6/10 with "ASIST" in the subject line of your email:  

1)    Encinal Child(ren) Name and grade(s) in fall
2)    Encinal Child(ren) birthdate(s)
3)    Laurel Child name and grade in fall
4)    Mother's/Guardian's name
5)    Father's/Guardian's name
6)    Home address
7)    Home phone number
8)    Cell Phone Mother/guardian
9)    Cell phone Father/Guardian
10)  Email address Mother/Guardian
11)  Email address Father/Guardian
12)  Name and cell phone of other caregiver picking up child
13)  Designate the following: Sibling, neighbor or after-school program name

 

ASIST details:

For Encinal K, 1 and 2 who dismiss at 2:30: The white Menlo Park City Shuttle will pick up at Encinal right after dismissal and transport riders to Laurel School, arriving approximately at 2:45. Parents will be able to pick up their Encinal student at the Laurel bus zone, then walk to pick up their Laurel student. Siblings of Laurel students, families living near Laurel, as well as those in Laurel-based after-school programs may apply for a seat.  The shuttle will run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. It will NOT run on Thursdays or on Minimum (early dismissal) Days. 

For Encinal 3, 4 and 5s who dismiss at 3:00: The Sequoia Union High School district bus ("Yellow Bus") will pick up at Encinal right after the 3:00 dismissal and will transport riders to Laurel School, arriving approximately at 3:15. Parents must pick up their Laurel students first  and then meet the Encinal student at the Laurel bus zone. Siblings, neighbors of Laurel, and students with Laurel-based after-school programs are all welcome to apply for a seat. This bus will run all days of the week and will accommodate all minimum day schedules.

Please join us in congratulating our 2011 Menlo Park School District service award winners.  These are parents and teachers who have gone above and beyond to help our schools and district.  Many school programs would not exist were it not for this talented and dedicated group of volunteers.

 

 

     Hillview Middle School

       Honorary Service Awards:

            Ken Calhoon

            Larra Olson

            Aimee Paquin

            Nick Naclerio 

       Continuing Service Award:

            Debbie Devoto

            Gold Oak Awards:

            Peckie Peters

            Joyce Baker

        President's Awards:

            Libby Tinsley

            Kitty Roellig

 

Oak Knoll Elementary School

       Honorary Service Awards:

            Maureen Ekedahl

            Josie Gomez

            Stephanie Mishra

            Betsy Muhlner

            Mary Murphy

            Renee Lavezzo

            Jacqueline Cebrian

            Helga Dinning

President's Award:

            Carolyn Bowsher

 

Laurel Elementary School

Honorary Service Awards:

            Rena Hafee

            Monty Gong

            Amanda Bower

            Leah Strichartz

Continuing Service Award:

            Mari Chazen

Golden Oak Awards:

            Chris Silva

            Bob Crabb

            Beth Gallo

President's Award:

            Debi Rice

 

Encinal Elementary School

Honorary Service Awards:

            Heather Karp

            Kristin Campbell

            John Ashfield

            Robin Reding

            Kim Martin

Continuing Service Award:

            Kim Steere

President's Award:

            Joni Weseloh

 

Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation

Honorary Service Awards:

            Shosh Cohen

            Celine Sanie

            Theanne Thomson

Continuing Service Awards:

            Jackie Macdonald

            Parke Treadway

President's Award:

            Scott Lohmann

 

PTO Council

Honorary Service Awards:

            Ahmad Skeikholeslami

            Lori Perri         

Continuing Service Award:

            Jeff Child  

Golden Oak Awards:

            Ken Ranella

            Deborah Fitz  

President's Award:

            Elizabeth Katz

Encinal's Physical Education program is organizing a Field Day on Monday 6/5 in the morning. Kathy Smithlin is requesting the help of 10 parents of kindergartners and 1st graders from to help run the event 8:30-10am. She is also asking for volunteer parents of 2nd through 5th graders to help from 8:30am to noon. Mrs. Smithlin also would like volunteers to help fill 800 water balloons at noon on Sunday, June 4, in the Encinal Large Multipurpose Room.

Please email Kathy Smithlin to volunteer.

Help the school libraries at Castaño Elementary and Green Oaks Academy in East Palo Alto while cleaning out your old books! Starting Tuesday, May 30th, and continuing through Friday, June 3, there will be a book drive at Encinal. The libraries would appreciate story books for the younger grades, and chapter books and fun reads, such as I Spy or How to ...  for the older students (grades 3-5). Hardcover and paperback books are both welcome, as long as they are gently used. Collection bins will be located by the office for easy drop-off during carpool. 

Encinal School is hosting its third Cultural Arts Day featuring Polynesian Islands on Friday, June 10th! This is an all day event for the entire school and our committee is planning wonderful experiences for everyone.  

The Encinal Student Council is holding a Bake Sale at Encinal School on Saturday June 11 from 8:30am to 12:30pm in front of the school near the bike racks. If you wish to donate treat for the bake sale, please make two dozen of your best cookies, bars, etc., and turn them in either 30 minutes before the bake sale to the teachers lunch room or drop them off Friday, June 10, to the same location right after school. Be sure to cover them with plastic wrap and label them "bake sale" please. Whole pies or cakes are also welcome as some families may prefer to bring one home for a family or celebration.

There is no need to let us know you will be donating to our event, just bring your treats to school. We are donating part of the money to a program called Free the Children in Africa!  Check out their web site here. Thank you for your support of Student Council. Together we can make a difference!

Save the date! The 5th grade graduation picnic will be on Tuesday June 14, from 9am to 1pm at Holbrook-Palmer Park. The event is sponsored by the Encinal PTO.

More information about the day's activities and how to volunteer is on the way soon through the HRPs. If you have any questions, contact Dori Britts or Kim Steere. 

The PTO wishes to thank the Encinal teachers for hosting parents during Open House and giving our students the chance to show and share their work this year. Special thanks also to Stephanie Noon, Encinal's Art Specialist, for hosting the Art Festival, and to all the volunteers who helped set it up. All the students' creative work was on such an inviting display. We appreciate your work all year long!

PTO Meeting 8:30 am All members of the Encinal School PTO please join the General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, May 25th at 8:30am in the TERC.  The membership will be asked to vote on the proposed Executive Board slate for the 2011-2012 school year and on the preliminary budget for 2011-12. Refreshments will be provided.

Principal's Coffee 9:30am After the PTO meeting, Principal Liner will meet with interested parents for a discussion. Topic: Reflections on Encinal's Transition to a K to 5 schools. As always, Mrs. Liner will be open for questions and discussion with parents attending the event.

The PTO is looking for Head Room Parents (HRPs) for next year. Head room parents help organize classroom volunteers, plan parties, and generally help the teacher where needed. We're starting to plan, so please let us know if you're interested by contacting us. Thank you!

Here is a great opportunity to be involved at Encinal next school year!

We depend on parent volunteers (like you!) to run all of our amazing PTO programs that support Encinal.  We hope you will consider stepping into one of these important committee chair positions. No prior experience is required and training from the outgoing chairs will be provided. Some positions require time on campus and others can be done remotely. A few examples of openings include:

Hot Lunch Co-Chairs
After School Programs Coordinators 

For complete list, click here. Contact Elizabeth Ouren to volunteer or find out more.

The Menlo Park City School District Council would like to announce the election of the new board members for the 2011-2012 school year. The current board members would like to extend their congratulations to the following individuals, and thank them for their upcoming service to our district:

We all love our mani/pedi's!  But do you know how toxic even the fumes are from our polishes and removers?  Read here for some information on toxin-free polishes and products, and why it's so important for our health.

The Encinal PTO has assembled information from summer camps that sent announcements for our newsletter. It is on the Encinal web site and you can visit it by clicking here.

Dear MPCSD Community,

ATTENTION ALL 5TH GRADE PARENTS: MPAEF 5th Grade Bash - Last Day of School!  This fun item was sold at the Rock the Foundation event, but tickets still available ($30 per 5th grade student).  The party will include lunch catered by the Dutch Goose, treats from an ice cream truck, swimming in the sparkling Menlo Park City Belle Haven Pool, some games and an opportunity to hang out with their 5th grade buddies before summer break begins.  

Tickets are available for a $30 donation to the MPAEF. Click here for flyer and purchase information. All funds raised will go to support our schools.  Scholarships are available - please contact Shari Conrad  322-7291 or Carol Collins 323-1130 with any questions.

The party is being sponsored by the Arabian, Bobomilsky, Buhl, Collins, Creamer, Conrad, Ferrando, Iyer, Kendall , MacDonald, Morgan, Olson, Rose, Roth, Sapp, Smith, Tonsfeldt, Tuchman, Waldron and Young Families.   

This is a private fundraising event and not sponsored by Encinal School or its PTO

Auditions for Novice Team and both competitive teams (Junior and Teen) will be held at the Menlo Park Studio at 1923 Menalto in Menlo Park. Dance styles include hip hop, jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical/contemporary and ethnic. No experience required for Novice team; 1-3 years recommended for Junior and Teen Teams. Questions please email Jen at Captivating Dance.

5/23-27: Alpine FC Tryouts Does your child have a passion for soccer? So do we! Your child is invited to come out to spring tryouts to find out more about club soccer, our club's player-centric approach and our professionally coached teams.  Find tryout dates and locations and pre-register online on the Alpine FC website.  

 

5/27: Hillview Band Performs at AT&T Park This is the FINAL CALL FOR GIANTS TICKETS!  Friday, May 27 is the final day to purchase tickets for the June 6 performance by the Hillview Band at AT&T Park.  For a ticket order form, follow the link and drop the form off at the Hillview office.  Tickets will be available in the Hillview office for pick-up beginning Wednesday, June 1. Click here to order.  

 

5/30: Basketball Clinic at Arillaga Gym Bay Area Basketball Academy Memorial Day Basketball Clinic. Register now online for the one day clinic. 3rd through 8th grade boys and girls are eligible to register. The clinic is 9am to 3pm at Arillaga Family Gym in Menlo Park. The cost is $125 and includes lunch. Submit registration forms by May 27. For more information visit our web site.

 

6/5: Oak Knoll School's 17th Annual Otter Run This year's Otter Run 5K and Family Fun Race to support the PTO of Oak Knoll School takes place on June 5 at 8:30am. Bring the family -- walkers, runners and strollers are welcome! All race proceeds support the Oak Knoll PTO. Sign up online.  

 

6/6: Menlo Park Library Summer Reading Program Begins We invite you to join the Summer Reading Program to read books, keep a reading log, write reviews, win incredible prizes, and attend entertaining events. Some highlights include music by Jose Luis Orozco, cooking with television personality Joanne Weir, animal education by Wild Things, Inc., visiting King Tut's Tomb with Stanford Professor Patrick Hunt and poetry slamming with internationally acclaimed poet and storyteller, Kealoha. Please check our website or call 650-330-2530.

 

6/11: Kelly Park Re-Grand Opening Come join us on Saturday June 11th, 2011, from 12noon to 2:30pm. We will be celebrating the Re-Grand Opening of Kelly Park! There will be an opening ceremony, sports demonstrations, open play on the new field, and fun for the whole family!  To help us celebrate Kelly Parks Re-Grand Opening the City of Menlo Park Community Services Department will be holding their 1st Annual 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament at Kelly Park starting at 9am. For additional information please contact the Community Services Department  at (650) 330-2220 or visit us online.

  

6/28: Mothers and Sons Class Tuesday, June 28, 7pm-9pm, Parents Place Koret Family Resource Center, 200 Channing St., Palo Alto. Explore this special mother-son relationship. Discuss what boys need from their moms: handling boy energy and fostering good communication and closeness.

 

 

Summer Lacrosse Join us for Grizzlies Summer Ball Tuesday evenings June 21st through August 16th 5:30/6:45 start times. Great time of day to work on skills and scrimmage this summer! Boys and Girls ages 5 - 13 are welcome and the league is open to all Peninsula towns.  Payment is for a series of 6 sessions but everyone is welcome to come to all 9.  See our site for more information or email to learn more.