Greeting from the PTO President 

Welcome back to school for our returning families and welcome to school for our new families! I trust that everyone had a great summer with some fun adventures! I know it can sometimes be hard to say goodbye to summer and get into school mode again. I hope it helps to know that there are wonderful programs and activities planned for all the students. It's going to be a great year!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Back to School Coffee and Volunteer Signup after dropping off your student/s tomorrow morning on the first day of school. We will be in the large multi from 8:30am to 10:30am with refreshments and information about PTO committees to join this year.  You can visit with friends and learn about and sign up for the right volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule and interests.

Our goals for the PTO this year are centered around providing programs and support that will help inspire every child in every CLASS at Encinal School through 

• Community Building Programs
• Literacy and Arts Promotion
• Academic Promotion
• Student Programs
• School Communications

We rely 100% on the support of time and donations from our Encinal families to make these programs happen. Please consider joining and supporting the PTO. We also urge families to donate or pledge to the Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation, our valued partner in funding our children's education. Online donation forms for both organizations are available at www.mpcsd.org. Thank you for your support. Each gift really makes a difference!

I will be at the Welcome/Help table in the grassy area in front of school during the morning drop-off from Tuesday through Friday of the first week of school. Please stop by if you have any questions or just to say "hi." I look forward to seeing friends and meeting new families soon!  

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Ouren, PTO President

ptopresident@encinalschool.com

Things To Do

This year, the Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD) is handling much of the student Re-Enrollment process online, using a company called Infosnap. The district has emailed the Re-Enrollment instructions to all families. If you have not received these instructions, please contact  registrar @mpcsd.org (preferred) or 650-321-7140 x5600 with your name and your child's name, school, and grade. Provisions can be made for those without internet or printer access.

Please complete the online Re-Enrollment before the first day of school on August 22 and send the following two forms to school with each of your children on the first day of school. These are mandatory forms required for all students.

• Emergency ID Tag - print, sign, add your teacher's name, and turn in to your child's teacher 
• Student Technology Acceptable Use Policy - print, sign, have your child sign (if appropriate for their age), and turn in to your child's teacher 

The Encinal PTO hot lunch has joined the Federal Hot Lunch Program, and that will allow students on the Free and Reduced Lunch Program to enjoy a proper hot meal from ChoiceLunch alongside their classmates. 

But... there are two new rules: 

We are required to serve hot lunch on every school day starting on August 22, so we need volunteers to serve the students from 11:30 to 12:30 next Monday and onward.

The Federal government requires that every student take his choice of milk, fruit or vegetable before taking his entree. And every student must confirm her name with a PTO volunteer. So... please let your students know this will be required and encourage them to take the milk/fruit/veg and state their names.

To order hot lunch and get more information, click here.

Girls volleyball for 4th & 5th grade is registering now!
The tenth season of Encinal volleyball is here. The girls will be playing in the Menlo Park Recreation League against other area schools. All teams will be comprised of girls with balanced skills and experience levels. No experience necessary. All coaches are parent or teacher volunteers. Registration is online and the deadline is August 31. 

Interested in volunteering to coach? Contact Dean Wilkins or Jen Nelson at afterschoolathletics@encinalschool.com.

Many sports, classes and lessons are available, with options for students across all grades Monday through Friday. Many programs are registering now. Most programs are with third party vendors.

Click here to learn how after-school programs at Encinal work and to review the program schedule.

Encinal Athletics Teams- 4th & 5th Girls Volleyball (register now), Boys and Girls Basketball for 3rd to 5th 

Athletics- Football, Golf, Hoops, Lacrosse, Running, Tennis, Yoga 

Arts- Art, Drama, Hip Hop Dance, Line Dancing 

Foreign Languages- Spanish & French, Mandarin Chinese 

Strategic Thinking- Chess, Math, Robotics

Upcoming Events

Back to School Coffee & Volunteer Signups Aug 22 

Visit the Back to School Coffee and Volunteer Sign Up,

8:30-10:30am, large multi. Visit with friends, meet new friends and sign up for classroom, campus, at-home or community-building volunteer positions. Preview volunteer needs by clicking here.

Encinal Spirit Wear will be available for purchase, so bring cash or checks. Be part of the team! We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Kindergarten Welcome Coffee September 7

All kindergarten moms and dads are invited to attend a casual welcome coffee on Wednesday, Sept. 7, from 8:30-10:30 at the home of Kristin Campbell, parent of an incoming kindergartener, at 1051 Greenwood Drive, Menlo Park.

This is a chance for parents to visit with old friends, meet new friends, and ask questions about school, playdates, the school district, PTO, MPAEF, where to park at school, etc. There will be new parents, returning parents, and representatives from the PTO and MPAEF. This event is co-hosted by the Encinal PTO and MPAEF. 

RSVPs are appreciated but not mandatory to Lisa Cope at kindergartencoffee@encinalschool.com. Please drop by for as long as you can stay.  

Information to Know 

There are 780 students entering Encinal this fall, and car traffic at pick-up and drop-off will move slowly. 

If the students in your family walk, bike or bus to school they will enjoy a bit of adventure and you can skip the vehicle queue. The PTO has summarized the transportation options -- click here.

 Where to Go (school map)  

• Kindergarten students will meet inside the fenced kindergarten playground.
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students will meet on the large blacktop playground in front of the play structure.
• 4th and 5th grade students will meet in the courtyard in front of the 4th & 5th grade complex near the lunch tables. 
• Look for the cone with your child's teacher's name and line up at the cones when the bell rings.
• Parents are invited to walk with the line to the classroom, say goodbye at the classroom door and proceed to the new Multiuse Room for the PTO Back to School Coffee and Volunteer Sign-up event from 8:30 to 10:30am.  

What to Bring

• Full size back-pack labeled with your child's name.
• A snack in a separate container to eat at the morning recess, and a bag lunch if your child does not receive hot lunch.
• Label all of your child's items. If you do lose something, visit our Lost and Found.

Private Vehicle Drop-off and Pick-up

Unloading & Loading Students

• Private vehicle drop-off is permitted only along the painted curb area inside the front driveway.
• Drop-offs and pick-ups on public roads are not permitted. 
• Students must enter and exit vehicles on the curb side of the vehicle only.
• To load students at pickup, vehicles must display their colored pickup number on their right windshield. 

Entering and Exiting the Un/loading Zone

• Vehicles waiting their opportunity to enter the un/loading zone may not squeeze past stopped cars.
• Vehicles exiting the un/loading zone can pass stopped vehicles at the curb in order to let the queue move ahead.

Questions? Need another pickup number card? 

Email carpool@encinalschool.com.

Drop-offs before 8am are fastest. Encinal School opens for student drop-offs starting at 7:45am. 

Pick-ups go fastest when private vehicles display their colored pickup number card on their front right windshield. Missing cards delay finding students for each car.

Pickups for students in the later dismissal groups cannot begin until the driveway clears from the first pickup, as below:

M, T, W, F: 3pm pickups enter driveway no earlier than 2:50pm 

Thursdays: 1:40pm pickups enter driveway no earlier than 1:35pm 

Got students in both dismissal groups? See the procedure below.

After School Supervision for Students Waiting for Older Siblings

Families with children in both primary and upper grades will wait until the later dismissal time to pick up children. Younger siblings in grades K-2 who are waiting for older siblings in grades 3-5 will be supervised by school staff.  Upper grade children should meet waiting siblings in the small multiuse room at the front of the campus before proceeding to buses, bikes or the vehicle pickup zone. 

On Thursdays, upper grade children are dismissed earlier than primary students. Older students should arrange to meet younger students in the vehicle pickup zone. 

Questions? Contact Pam Garcia in the school office at 326-5164 extension 1000 or pgarcia@mpcsd.org.

Whether you are volunteering, visiting in your children's classroom or performing other work on the Encinal campus, please arrive five minutes early to sign in at the front office. Please also wear the volunteer name tag provided at the office sign-in desk. When leaving, please sign out.

There are still openings for Head Room Parents. Every classroom will need one by the second day of school.  If you are interested, please contact Kathy Miller at 

hrpcoordinatoor@encinalschool.com, and plan to attend the HRP training on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 8:30am in the TERC building.

Support Encinal PTO - Buy School Supplies at Village Stationers

Village Stationer in Menlo Park and Palo Alto will donate 10% of purchases to Encinal School if you present this flyer. Check the school supply list on the Encinal web site.

Fundraiser at Klutz Headquarters Sept 10     

Buy art supplies, activity books, games and more. 

Games, face painting, magic, music and loads of kids' activities at this fun event. Click here for flyer. 

Saturday, Sept. 10, 10am - 2pm, 454 Lambert Ave, Palo Alto

Encinal PTO Communications

For lots of useful information about Encinal School, visit www.encinalschool.com