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  Encinal School Newsletter
February 26, 2012
Encinal PTO/La Organizasión de Padres y Maestros
Boletin en espanol - haga clic aqui
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Things To Do
- Complete parent survey from Encinal Site Council click here
- Order March hot lunches if your child participates click here
- Donate a party or getaway to the MPAEF auction click here
- Send a letter to a student via Eagle Express click here
- Check the Lost and Found for lost items click here
Dates to Note
This Week 2/26-3/3
Sun Encinal Parent Survey begins click here
Mon For applicants to Spanish Immersion program - mandatory
parent meeting MPCSD Board Room, 7pm click here
Wed Deadline for Kinder & Spanish Immersion applications
Thu Encinal Read-a-Thon begins click here
Beyond
3/5 Report cards sent home
3/9 Book Character Dress-up Day for Read-a-Thon click here
3/11 Encinal Parent Survey ends
3/12 Grade 5 Outdoor Ed drop off 8:15-8:40am click here
3/16 Outdoor Ed student pick-up 12:30pm, 1105 Valparaiso click
3/19 Book Donation Week March 19-22
3/23 No school - Staff Development day
3/31 Encinal Read-a-Thon ends
4/2 Spring Break April 2-6
4/13 Read-a-Thon materials due
4/13 MPAEF Online Auction: kids items April 13-20 click here
4/21 MPAEF Auction and Party click here
Calendar Get the dates for the rest of school year click here
Ways to Support Encinal School
- Encourage your student to participate in Read-a-Thon click here
- Donate a special event or party to MPAEF's auction click here
Report an Absent or Tardy Student click here
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Annual Parent Survey - Please Offer Your Thoughts to Principal Liner and the Encinal Site Council by March 11
How is your school year so far? Please tell the Encinal Site Council!
The Encinal Site Council is a collaborative committee of parents, teachers, and administrators mandated at every school by the State of California and responsible for setting strategic direction for school improvement. We do this planning based in part on what we hear from parents in our annual survey.
Every spring the Site Council conducts a parent survey to gather feedback. This year our goal is to receive 500 parent responses to ensure that we have a well-rounded sample from which to draw conclusions about the improvements that must be made in the 2012-2013 school year.
All survey responses are anonymous. These responses will be reviewed by Principal Liner and shared with individual staff members as appropriate. In addition, a report highlighting key strengths and areas for growth will be made available on the Encinal school website in April.
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Second Annual Read-a-Thon Starts March 1
 The second annual Encinal Read-a-Thon starts March 1. Please look for an information packet in your child's green folder this week -- everything you need for Read-a-Thon will be in it.
During the entire month of March, students will be encouraged to read and record their reading minutes for the Read-a-Thon. The class with the most minutes of reading in each grade level will enjoy a fun party and the student who reads the most in each grade level will receive a gift certificate.
The Read-A-Thon is also a simple, fun and a great way to support our library. You can have your child ask friends & family to sponsor minutes of reading during the month, and the kids keep track of how much they are reading each day. All proceeds will go to buy books for the Encinal library. Watch also for Favorite Book Character Dress-up Day on Fri 3/9 and Book Donation Week 3/19-22. For more information, click here. |
Favorite Book Character Dress-up Day March 9
 On Friday, March 9, Encinal students and teachers have the option of coming to school dressed as their favorite literary character. This is a day to show your school spirit and help promote our school Read-A-Thon. Be creative and have fun! |
For 5th Grade Families: Outdoor Education: Drop-off and Pick-up Instructions
 The Encinal Fifth graders will attend Outdoor Education the week of March 12 - 16th. On Monday, March 12, students should be dropped off between 8:15 and 8:40 to avoid congestion during the regular morning drop-off. Luggage will be stored in the small multipurpose room at the front of the school campus.The Outdoor Ed students return on Friday, March 16. We expect a large number of students, cars, and luggage; so Encinal has arranged for student pick-up at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 1105 Valparaiso Avenue, Menlo Park. Please meet your student at 12:30 at 1105 Valparaiso. The students will not be at Encinal for pick up. Questions? Email Vice Principal Joan von der Linden.
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From the Encinal Office: Thursday Car Pickup Reminder
Thursday car pickup is different from other days since the time between the first and second dismissals is shortened by ten minutes. In order to keep the pick up running safely and smoothly, please follow these guidelines:
If you pick up your child at 1:20, please arrive at 1:20 or shortly before.
If you pick up your child at 1:40, please do not arrive until 1:40 so that we have enough time to safely get the 1:20 dismissal students picked up and through the carpool.
If cars that pick up at 1:40 arrive too early, this clogs the carpool system since the students are not out of school yet, causing drivers to wait and block the first group of cars from being able to get their children and get on the road.
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Write a Letter to Your Student
 Our Eagle Express postal staff is doing an amazing job processing the mail. But we need more letters. Did you know that family and friends can send letters to Encinal students via the Eagle Express Post Office too?
To send a letter to an Encinal student:
- Find the student's address from the classroom list here
- "Stamp" the envelope with a sticker or hand drawn image. No USPS stamps and do not use USPS mailboxes.
- Drop the letter in the green mailbox outside the office. Only the green Eagle Express mailbox will work (not USPS).
Eagle Express mail is picked up and delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Our students LOVE receiving mail, and writing a letter to your student (and his classmates) is a great way to encourage writing and language arts while supporting this special program. Questions? Please email co-chairs Heather Karp and Christine Gertner at postoffice@encinalschool.com. |
MPAEF Introduces Online Auction for Kids Items Before the April 21 Event
This year, there are two great ways to bid: the Online Auction that is open to everyone the week before the event and the Silent Auction at the big party on April 21. Here's an overview, and look for more details on how to register for both auctions as the date gets closer! April 13-April 20: Online Auction for Kids' Items Online is where you'll find anything and everything related to our wonderful students: special teacher activities for current students, unique class gatherings, and other fixed-price kids' parties. We're especially excited to include our new summer camp category, which is sure to be popular given this year's 13-week summer! You'll find many of your favorite camps, including resident camps like Gold Arrow Camp and Mountain Camp, as well as day camps featuring robotics, dance, horseback riding, lacrosse, and more.
April 21: Silent Auction for Getaways, Sports, Theme Parties
The event's Silent Auction is where you'll find everything else: getaways, sporting events, unique experiences, and theme parties for grown-ups.
Donations for Both Auctions Still Needed
Please email Celine Sanie by March 1st with your donations.
Event Details
Saturday, April 21, Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel, Palo Alto
6:00 pm Black & White Dinner
7:45 pm General Admission
Tickets go on sale March 21 at www.mpaef.org. Back to Top
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Girls on the Run Signups Are Underway
 Girls in grades 3 - 5 are invited to join the fun, and you don't even have to love running. Explore who you are and build your confidence. Play games with new friends and cool coaches that get you moving and build your fitness. Celebrate the end of the season and your successes with your family and friends at the Girls on the Run 5k.
Season dates: Week of Feb. 27 - Sat. May 12th
Days and Times: Monday and Wednesday 3:05-4:20pm Meeting Location: Tables on the Blacktop Email Kristi Lutge or visit the Girls on the Run website. |
Summer Camp Information for District Families
All of the information that camps have sent to PTO newsletters in the MPCSD schools is assembled in one place and in a format that makes it easy to compare session dates, costs, location, and other details. The PTO volunteers with the District Council hope this helps you with your summer planning. However, the PTO has not evaluated this information or endorsed any of the camps, and the District is not responsible for any aspect of these camps. Check back often - we are adding camps every week! Click here to see the listings. |
Check the Lost and Found for Missing Items
 It's time to purge the Lost and Found again...it's getting way too full. Please check for any items your family is missing.
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Recognizing the People Who Make Encinal Excellent
The Encinal PTO thanks Lola Rockwell (with help from Diane Mavika and Kari Riedel) for assembling fruit for the classrooms for the Food for Thought program, Lola also makes paper copies of newsletters each Monday morning for families without internet access. Every Monday morning Lola is there, often with her helpful 5th grader Najwa! Thank you!
Thank you also to every family that turned in Box Tops this week and ordered from Pizza My Heart. Thank you for your support of Encinal! |
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Community News & Events
For complete listing click here
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New Community Listings
Want to see everything, not just what's new? Click here. 
Summer Camp Information for District Families: click here Check back often - we are adding camps every week! Events for Students and Families
Kepler's Cars Story Time, Cars Galore by Peter Stein and If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen, Sunday, March 4, 11:00 a.m., 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Cheeky Monkey Fundraising Art Event for Ravenswood Education Foundation, Saturday and Sunday, March 3 and 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Cheeky Monkey Toys, 640 Santa Cruz Ave, Menlo Park
Just Between Friends(JBF) Children's and Maternity Consignment Event, March 9-11, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closes at 2 p.m. on Sunday), at the San Mateo Expo Center
(Ages 11-20) Free the Children Youth Summit with Spencer West, Keynote Speaker, Sunday, March 4, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lick-Wilmerding High School, 755 Ocean Avenue, San Francisco
(Ages kinder and up) Spencer West will be speaking at Kepler's Bookstore on Friday, March 9 at 7pm regarding the release of his new book, 'Standing Tall'. Click here for more info. Beforehand there is a free reception open to the public with Spencer from 5-7pm at Oak Grill in Menlo Park.
(Ages kinder and Up) Synapse School's 3rd Annual Change Maker Showcase, Friday, March 9, 4-6pm at 3375 Edison Way, Menlo Park, CA. Visitors of all ages will enjoy interactive activities and a museum related to science as inquiry, simulations of Thomas Edison's inventions, 21st century iterations of Edison's process and ideas, a timeline of the industrial age, different forms of investigative journalism, and board games and computer games created by students about the industrial age. Please RSVP at deborah@6seconds.org if you and your students are planning to participate.
Sports & Classes for Students
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Encinal PTO Communications
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Join the PTO Mailing List - Text "SUBSCRIBE" to 42828
Make sure to receive Principal's Posts, Midweek Updates and weekly newsletters by joining the Encinal PTO Mailing List. Click here or text "SUBSCRIBE" to 42828. Back to Top |
| Encinal Newsletter Submissions - Deadline Tuesday noon
 Email articles for the Encinal newsletter to newsletter@encinalschool.com Email community announcements to communitynews@mpcsd.org Back to Top |
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