Welcome Back to Encinal

   2012 - 2013

   Encinal Back-to-School Checklist

Attend Key Events at the Start of School 

Know What to Bring and Where to Go on the First Day of School  

Know School Start and End Times  

Review Options for Getting to/from Encinal School 

Order Hot Lunch - Hot lunch begins Tuesday, September 4th  (Optional) 

Sign-Up for After School Programs  

Where to Go  (see school map here)

• Kindergarten students will meet inside the fenced kindergarten playground.
• 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade students will meet on the large blacktop playground in front of the play structure.
• 4th & 5th grade students will meet in the courtyard in front of the fourth and fifth 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 large Multi Purpose Room for the PTO Back to School Coffee and Volunteer Sign-up event (8:30-10:00am).  

What to Bring

• All teachers encourage parents to send well-rested kids to school!  Start those bedtime routines a bit earlier the weeks and days leading up to school.
• Full size back-pack labeled with your child's name.
• A snack in a separate container to eat at the morning recess.
• Lunch - either sign up and order a Hot Lunch in advance or send along a lunchbox or brown bag with your child's name (and maybe a note or smiley face!).  Hot Lunch begins on the first day of school. 
• Label all of your child's items unless you enjoy visiting our Lost and Found.
• Supplies - Teachers will provide a list of suggested supplies at Back to School night. A list of OPTIONAL school supplies to purchase by grade level can be found here.
• New to the school?  Here is the Kindergarten Orientation Packet for more information about Encinal.
• Please pack your patience, too. It's a big school with very little parking. Help your kids have a great start to their day by planning ahead for the best transportation options for your family. 

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• Walking, Biking, and Scooters - Highly encouraged
• Buses and Shuttles - Info on routes, fees, registration, etc for District Bus, SamTrans, Tinsley Bus, and ASIST Shuttle to Laurel 
• Afterschool Care - Burgess & Newton Center  
• Car Pick-Up System- Pick-Up Lane card required in your window.  Cards will be handed out at the Meet & Greet
• Parking - Find out where to park (and where not to park)    

Questions? Contact Transportation Safety Coordinator Kathy Schrenk at kschrenk@mpcsd.org

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Hot Lunch Program

Starts first day of school, Sept 4

Encinal School has a Hot Lunch service provided by Choicelunch supplying an incredible number of nutritious and delicious choices for lunch on a daily basis. You can review the monthly menu and order for as many or as few days as you want. If you use a credit card, you can order lunches up to 9am the school day before you want lunch. Please note there are no lunches available at school for cash. Visit the Choicelunch website to register using the code "Encinal." Click here for more information and to order.  Remember to order lunches before 9am on August 31 to ensure delivery on the first day of school.

Free and Reduced Lunches are available to families who submit their application and are approved by the district. Click here to apply for free or reduced lunch.     

• Transportation Committee - We need help stuffing envelopes before the Meet & Greet.  If available, please join us on Thurs Aug 30th from 9:30-12ish in the TERC.  Coffee, bagels, and movies for kids will be available. Plus you might win a $25 gift card for Peets or La Boulanger (for every hour you volunteer, you will be entered into the drawing.) Please email Kathy Schrenk if you can help.

• Head Room Parents - We need Head Room Parents for every class by the second day of school.  If you are interested, please email the HRP coordinator and plan to attend the HRP training on September 6, 8:30am, in the TERC building.

• Garden: Grade Level Coordinators - We are seeking one volunteer per grade level to work with teachers and parent volunteers to coordinate monthly Garden lessons in each classroom.  If you are interested in helping Encinal continue to offer this wonderful hands-on experience to our students, please email the PTO President.

• Hot Lunch Servers - We need volunteers to serve Hot Lunch, especially during the first days of school, from 11:15am-12:30pm. Please email the PTO Hot Lunch committee if you can help.  You earn lunch credits when you volunteer.

• Library Volunteers - Our school librarian, Denise Healy, is looking for help during the first week of school to get the library ready for students after the summer remodel. Please email Lianne, the PTO Library Coordinator if you can help.

• Lost & Found - Committee Chair Open position!  This important committee organizes and communicates to parents and teachers about the lost & found at school.  If interested in this committee as chair or as a member, please email the PTO President.  (This is a great position for parents with irregular schedules as the work can happen at any time-- lost & found is outside!)

Encinal PTO and the Foundation (MPAEF) are two vital organizations that make Encinal the special place that it is for our children.  Your support of the PTO allows all of our kids to attend assemblies, go on field trips, and participate in enriching on-campus activities.  Your support of the Foundation means that 31 teachers and specialists continue to teach in our four schools; our children participate regularly in music, art and library with credentialed specialists; and our teachers have their innovative programs funded.

All of this is possible because families like yours support the Encinal PTO and our Foundation.

Got Corporate Matching?

Parents - make your PTO Membership donation go twice as far. Consider a corporate match from your employer. Last year, Encinal PTO received over $10,000 from corporate matching programs! Do you work for Adobe, Amgen, Annual Reviews, Apple, CA Technologies, Cadence, Cisco, Genentech, Google, Intel, Intuit, Johnson & Johnson, Juniper, LAM Research, Macy's, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce.com, SAP, VISA, Wells Fargo Bank, or Yahoo -- all these companies have corporate matching programs with Encinal. Contact your HR Department for forms or on-line directions, or if your company is not listed, check with the HR department to find out if matching programs are available.  Need help or have questions, please email ptomembership@encinalschool.com.

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