Foundation News
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Community Report Coming HomeLast year, our community came together and made a difference. We raised $2.4M for the District and we can all see the impact of our combined efforts: class sizes have been reduced, our music program and counselors were expanded to accommodate our growing enrollment and we added Mandarin to our world languages program. These are big accomplishments. Let's do it again! This year, our goal is to raise an unprecedented $2.8M - all to help our School District maintain smaller class sizes and save critical education programs from being cut back. Today, we kick off this year's fundraising effort and hope that you will take a few minutes to review the Community Report in your child's Monday envelope or backpack this week or online here.
This report:
- Highlights the successes and challenges facing our School District this year
- Illustrates where the money goes
- Thanks the many supporters from last year
This year we hope to achieve the goal of raising $2,000 per student with 85% family participation before the holidays to ensure the District has an accurate figure for its budget and plans for next year. You can give NOW by clicking here. We have six weeks to make the difference for next year. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the educational excellence that we parents desire and all our children deserve. Sincerely, David Henig 2011-12 Foundation President
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| PTA News |
Join PTA! Thank you to over 59% of our families who have joined our La Entrada PTA! Your membership dues help support the wide variety of activities and programs that the PTA provides each year to make our children's school experience more interesting and our parent community stronger. Those of you who haven't yet joined yet please consider joining today to support the great school directory, which is fully supported by the PTA, the fascinating lunchtime enrichment series your child keeps talking about, and the invitations starting to come for grade-level parent gatherings, just to name a few! It is easy to mail in the form and your check for dues and even easier to use PayPal for the entire process. Join today and reap the benefit of knowing you have supported an important community resource all year long.
LA ENTRADA SCIENCE FAIR - JANUARY 18, 2012
Kids - Get ready for the Science Fair! The Science Fair is a fun event that allows you to work in groups with your friends, to experiment and present your ideas. This self-driven project gives you the opportunity to be creative and think out of the box. Start imagining what you would like to discover and what friends you would like to work with. Please register your project online at www.laentradasciencefair.org. Parents - The La Entrada Science Fair prepares kids for more complex projects and team work. The format of the event aligns with the Strategic Planning outcomes and Learning for the 21st Century speaker series. The Science Fair allows for teamwork, posing questions, problem-solving, experimentation and communication. These are all skills all our children need to be successful in our ever-changing world. The Science Fair is a fun, no-pressure way to start mastering these skills. Please encourage your child to participate.Please note that the Science Fair date is dictated by the San Mateo County Science Fair. All 6th - 8th grade finalists will go to the San Mateo County Science Fair. The finalist from the San Mateo County Science Fair will go to the California State Science Fair. In the past, La Entrada students have been selected to participate in the California State Science Fair - a very prestigious commendation. Since the La Entrada Science Fair is in January, please have your child begin their project in early Fall. Advance planning makes the process more fun and avoids the need to work over the holiday breaks. AND advanced planning is a skill that will serve all our kids for their entire academic and professional lives. To learn more, to go www.laentradasciencefair.org. If you have any questions, please email Diana Sunshine, Bardia Pezeshki, PJ Utz or John Bargar.
La Entrada Geo Bee
Mark your calendars: the La Entrada Geo Bee will be held on Friday, November 18 after school in Jensen Hall.All La Entrada students are eligible to participate.Practice sessions will be held Tuesday October 25 at 7:15 a.m. in the MUR and on Wednesday November 2 at 7:15 a.m. in the MUR.For more information or to sign up for the Geo Bee and/or a practice session, contact Alka Sehgal at alkasehgal@gmail.com. Grade Level Gatherings
Grade Level Gatherings are a chance for the parents in each grade to get to know each other better. They are festive adults-only cocktail parties, hosted by families in the different grades. Please come for fellowship and fun!
4th Grade
- October 21st from 7:00 to 9:30
- Hosted by Kathleen and Alex Liston, Stacey and Brett White and Gudrun and Tom Enger
- At the Liston home, 2319 Crest Lane, Menlo Park
- Last names A-M please bring appetizers and last names N-Z please bring soda, wine or beer
- Please RSVP to Kathleen at rsvp@listons.net
5th Grade
- October 21st at 7:00
- Hosted by Pam and Steve Ellingson and Libby and Allen Beasley
- At the Ellingson home, 941 Continental Drive, Menlo Park
- Last names A-M please bring appetizers and last names N-Z please bring soda, wine or beer
- Please RSVP to Pam at pamela.ellingson@cna.com
6th Grade
- December 2nd from 6:30 to 9:00
- Hosted by Grace Mercer and Greg Schott and Inger and Kevin Rarick
- At the Mercer/Schott home, 120 Escanyo Way, Portola Valley
- Last names A-M please bring appetizers and last names N-Z please bring soda, wine or beer
- Please RSVP to Inger at irarick@yahoo.com
7th Grade
- October 28th (DATE CHANGE) from 7:00 to 9:30
- Hosted by Margaret and Pete Perrone and Keri and Griff Tully
- At the Perrone home, 2323 Crest Lane, Menlo Park
- Last names A-O please bring appetizers and last names P-Z please bring soda, wine or beer
- Please RSVP to Margaret at margaret.perrone@gmail.com
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School News
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UPCOMING SPIRIT DAY
Friday, October 14th Grade Level Color
4th grade is white
5th grade is red
6th grade is yellow
7th grade is blue
8th grade is green
The Las Lomitas School District and the Newbery Medal
You've heard of mock trials? They are unauthorized courts that try legal cases - they have no legal standing but are used as teaching and practice tools. You've heard of the Newbery Medal? It's a medal given once a year - late in January - to the previous year's best children's book.
So then, a Mock Newbery is an unauthorized committee of readers who love children's books. We come together to discuss some amazing books that have been published thus this year and to actually 'select' our own Newbery winner. Will our book win? Will our book even be a bridesmaid, ahem Newbery Honor? Who knows? Still, here's the scoop:
Several teachers from both Las Lomitas and La Entrada are joining with other local teachers and librarians to discuss and debate possible Newbery winners. How does this work? Once a month we meet at the Atherton Public Library to talk about some great children's books that have been published this year. We discuss our favorites and challenge titles we think are less deserving than others. Then, in January - shortly before the "real" Newbery committee meets, we meet for dinner and have one long meeting. On that lovely night we'll be ready with all our agreed upon books and we will make our selection (prediction? hope?) for the Newbery Award. Then? Well, we'll wait with bated breath, along with everyone else, to hear which book actually wins the Newbery Medal for 2011.
Curious about us? Which books are we reading? Which book will we ultimately choose? Would you like to know more about the real Newbery Medal? Check out the La Entrada Library's website where you'll find a link updating you monthly on our Mock Newbery group and I'll include a brief primer on the American Library Association's Newbery Medal. I'll also post a list of our participating teachers, the books we are reading, and of course share some fabulous insights from our discussions. The real Newbery committee selects one medal winner, but it also selects Newbery Honor books. So, by January's end, we'll see how our work compares to what happens in the real court, ah committee. So, check us out, ask us what we're reading, and by all means let us know what you're reading and what you think of these children's books. All of our discussions will grow richer from there. The La Entrada Library website is at:
http://www.llesd.k12.ca.us/LocalUser/lelibrary/index2.htm
Doe Myers
La Entrada Librarian
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 rom the Governing Board
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Following up on our book discussion of The Global Achievement Gap last Monday evening, we wanted to let you know about an exciting conference taking place on October 20th & 21st. The Innovative Learning Conference is being hosted this year at The Nueva School in Hillsborough. The LLESD will be sponsoring several District teachers and administrators to attend this conference. In addition, we are delighted that several parents have signed up to attend. For conference details, see: http://www.innovativelearningconference.org/.
If you attend, please share your thoughts with us about what you learned. Our Strategic Planning Committee is continuing its work on developing a new plan for our schools, and you can share your thoughts with any of the parent representatives to the SPC: Todd Alamin, Lori Brockman, Larry Kelmar, Leslie King, Rita Popat, Christy Story, and Diana Sunshine. To learn more about the Strategic Planning going on in our District, click here: http://www.llesd.k12.ca.us/StrategicPlanning.html
For more information on Upcoming Events (and summaries of past events) in our District's Learning for the 21st Century initiative, please see our web site:
http://www.leadingeducation-llesd.org/events.html
Thanks for supporting our District schools.
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CAMPUS News
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Internationally renowned parenting expert
Dr. Michele Borba. Ed.D
7 PRACTICAL WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN ATTAIN JOY, BALANCE AND SUCCESS.
Thursday, October 20th
7 - 9 p.m.
Menlo Atherton High School Center for Performing Arts
Does it seem as if your children are forced to shortcut today's freedom for tomorrow's success? Would you like them to have the space to enjoy unstructured exploration and discovery without fear of losing ground? Don't miss Dr. Michele Borba, award-winning author, speaker and educational consultant, as she shares specific skills to help you teach your children how to survive and thrive in today's play-deprived and standards-driven world. With the same warm, humorous, realistic and straightforward approach you've seen in her appearances on the Today Show, Dr. Phil, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, Dr. Borba will help you learn simple, effective, research-based strategies to prepare your children for the future without sacrificing their well-being or your own.
CAMPUS -- Consortium of Atherton & Menlo Park United Schools -- is pleased to sponsor Dr. Borba's presentation to our community without charge. No reservations so please come early as seating is limited. For further information contact Jennifer Le at campus@laentradapta.org.
The CAMPUS program features outstanding speaker presentations on a variety of parenting issues. CAMPUS programs are hosted at Menlo-Atherton High School and sponsored by a consortium of public schools in Menlo Park and Atherton, including the La Entrada PTA. The CAMPUS program is distinct from the LLESD's "Learning for the 21st Century" program which is hosting speakers, book discussions, and forums to help our LLESD community explore ways to improve curriculum, teaching, and learning within our District schools.
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Las Lomitas Sports & After-School Activities League
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Open Position: Board Member/Secretary
The Las Lomitas Sports & After-School Activities League, an independent, non-profit organization, offers sports and after school classes to students in the Las Lomitas School District. The League is seeking a parent volunteer to join the board as Secretary for the current 2011/2012 school year. Position responsibilities include: attendance at monthly League meetings, minutes and overseeing the OutReach Program for both the Las Lomitas and La Entrada campuses during registration periods.
For information about the Las Lomitas League, please go to http://laslomitasleague.com/
BASKETBALL SEASON AND REGISTRATION
Basketball registration is quickly approaching. This is a very popular winter sport at La Entrada 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:
Oct 10th (Monday) at 7pm: Basketball registration opens
Oct 31st (Monday, Halloween!) at 7pm: Basketball registration closes
NOTE: We cannot accept any late registrations. Please be sure to register during the open registration dates.
Nov 3rd (Thursday) at 6:30pm: 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 will be selected based on coaches' availability and a lottery system.
Nov 5th (Saturday): Basketball Evaluation Day in LE Gym for 5th Boys, 6th Boys, 7th Girls & Boys, 8th Girls & Boys
Nov 6th (Sunday): Basketball Evaluation Day in Jensen Hall for 3rd Girls & Boys, 4th Girls & Boys, 5th Girls and 6th Girls
Evaluations are used strictly to split up each grade level into fair and balanced teams. Your grade will be assigned a specific time closer to the date. Please check the LLL Basketball webpage later in October.
COACHES ARE NEEDED!!! This activity 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 Inger Rarick at irarick@yahoo.com or Sue Bartalo at sbartalo@mac.com if you are available to coach.
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| Menlo Atherton High School News |
M-A EVENTS FOR 8TH GRADERS
8th Grade Parents and Students, please attend one of Menlo-Atherton High School's upcoming events to learn more about the school.
Menlo-Atherton Campus Tours Date: Saturday, October 29th Time: 10:00-11:30am Place: Meet at the Library Parking: All parking lots on campus will be available Tours are informal outdoor walks led by M-A Leadership students who will share their enthusiasm for the school and answer questions. Middle school students and their parents are invited. *Last tour will depart at 11:15am 8th Grade Information Night Date: Wednesday, November 2nd Time: 6:00-6:30pm Welcome by Matthew Zito 6:30-8:30pm Classroom Rotations Place: Ayers Gym Parking: All parking lots will be available on campus "8th Grade Information Night" is an opportunity for interested parents and students to meet members of the school community including students, parents, faculty and administrators. School Principal, Matthew Zito, will speak about the diverse, supportive and academically rigorous environment that can be found at M-A. Afterwards, families will be invited to rotate through various classrooms so they may learn more about the school's excellent academic programs.
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| Community News |
These programs are not supported by or affiliated with the La Entrada School or the La Entrada PTA.
Outgrown Gently-Used Halloween Costumes Needed
Haven House of Shelter Network in Menlo Park is in need of ANY size costume donations for these childrens' school events and for their mega-Halloween party at Haven. Between your kind donations and Crocker School of Hillsborough, we "dressed" over 100 kids (and parents) last year. We look forward to another spook-ta-cular event and seek your continued support--plus, it cleans out your closet! :)
Please drop any costumes to Suzanne Mitchell in the Tech Office at LE, or the LL front office (a wonderful scout troop is collecting there).
Questions? Email suzannemitch@gmail.com
Volunteers Needed in the Classroom and for Tutoring in the Ravenswood District ALL STUDENTS MATTER is a grassroots organization working as part of the Ravenswood Education Foundation to serve East Palo Alto students and we need your help! Volunteer in a 2nd-4th grade classroom weekly or bi-monthly. Tutor children after school at Green Oaks Academy, a K-4 school. Volunteer opportunities for both students and adults. Our web site is www.allstudentsmatter.org and please contact Ann Carter at annscottcarter@gmail.com or Sharon Purcell at sharonpurcell4@gmail.com .
Attention all American Girl Fans! To benefit Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford join us at the American Girl Fashion Show in Los Altos on November 11th and 12th for a great time with your daughters. The five shows feature girls in historical and contemporary clothes with matching dolls. Refreshments are served. For reservations and tickets see www.PaloAltoAuxiliary.com or email AmericanGirlFashionShow@gmail.com. All proceeds benefit Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Don't Miss "Amelia Lives" at the Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory! "Amelia Lives" is a 90-minute exploration into the community and events that shaped a young girl into an explorer, champion of women's rights, and philosopher. You are invited to peek into the world of Amelia Earhart through events, stories, letters and quotes from this larger than life lady from the 20th century. Performances are Oct 21st and 22nd at 7:30 and Oct 23rd at 2:00 at Lane Hall Theatre, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Tickets and information at www.pvtc-ca.org.
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Business Sponsors News
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The La Entrada PTA and the La Entrada School do not endorse, warrant, or recommend any of these business.
Kepler's Bookstore
Remember to mention La Entrada at the register and Kepler's donates 6% back to our school.
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| Leopard's Spot Submissions | The Leopard's Spot is published every Monday (except Mondays following holiday weeks). To submit items for inclusion in the newsletter:
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