Oak Knoll Summer Mailer 

 

Oak Knoll School

1895 Oak Knoll Lane

Menlo Park, California 94025

650-854-4433 

                                                           August 12, 2012              
To Do
Important Dates
August 24

Class Lists Posted 2pm

 

August 30 

Kinder "Meet & Greet"

 

New Family Welcome Event  (1st - 5th Grade) 

 

September 4

First Day of School 8:10am

Back-to-School Coffee 8:15am

 

September 13

Back-to School Night 

Quick Links
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Letter from Principal David Ackerman 

 

Dear Oak Knoll Parents,

 

Welcome to the new school year. In just a few short weeks we will resume our work providing the very best educational experiences for our children. Oak Knoll's record of success is the result of the dedicated work of a very talented teaching staff and the exceptional leadership of our PTO, Site Council and Foundation. A world class education not only requires the very best in human capital but continuing community financial support. Along with the excitement of the new academic school year will come our PTO membership request, which is our single school fund raising ask of the year, funding all our school program and improvement initiatives, and the Foundation request, which funds the staffing for music, science, library and technology programs. Our school's success depends on the success of these campaigns. Thank you in advance for your support.

 

As result of our continuous progress initiatives and the feedback we received from our annual school survey, we are implementing a number of new strategies and/or procedures for this year.

  • Addition of a 4th all day kindergarten class
  • Additional band and orchestra staffing
  • Increased music instruction for 4th and 5th grades
  • Multi age violin instruction in Multi age K-2 classes
  • Daily structured language instruction for English language learners
  • Looping at 4th and 5th grades
  • Return to split lunch periods
  • District training for teachers designed to improve student writing skills
  • Continued school wide character initiative - 2013 theme: Courage

 

We are also pleased to announce additions to our talented staff.

Ms. Alicia Poole is returning from two years in London to rejoin the K-2 multi age team.

 

Ms. Heidi Veneman is returning to the fifth grade team after 11 years in Grass Valley as teacher and principal.

 

Ms. Astrid Rieber is joining Oak Knoll as our new Speech and Language specialist. Ms. Rieber was previously a Speech and Language pathologist in Redwood City.

 

Ms. Rachel Knight is the new member of our music team. Ms. Knight will be providing Orff, band and orchestra instruction.

 

The future is very bright for Oak Knoll. As the year moves along, we will continue to assess our students' progress and the effectiveness of our improvement initiatives. We will continue to provide information to parents and provide opportunities for those who want to be involved in our work. We will continue to provide Oak Knoll students with an exceptional educational experience.

 

I can hardly wait for September 4th.

 

David Ackerman

Principal 

 

 

To read in Spanish, Click Here

 

Welcome Back to School 




BTSChecklistBack To School Checklist 

 

Get organized for the 2012-2013 school year with the Back To School Checklist! Please review the list thoroughly as it contains very important information about back-to-school activities, programs and events. At the end of this newsletter you will find a brief snapshot of the following checklist items along with links for quick reference.     

  • PTO Membership
  • Donate to MPAEF   
  • eScrip Signup
  • Otterwear
  • Fall Family Picnic Tickets
  • Hot Lunch
  • School Supplies
  • Class Lists (Aug. 24) 
  • Kinder "Meet & Greet" (Aug. 30)  
  • New Family Ice Cream Social, 1st-5th Grade only (Aug. 30)  
  • Volleyball Registration
  • After-School Programs
  • Noteworthy Art 
  • MPCSD Re-registration    
Also, please review the Parking & Pick-Up/Drop Off Line Procedures before the first day of school and check the SamTrans schedule.

Back to top

Summer Packet   

 

In our continued effort to go paperless, the Oak Knoll School Summer Mailer is ALL HERE!  Below are the documents that you will need to get up to speed for the 2012-2013 school year.  These documents, along with the Back To School Checklist, are also on the Oak Knoll Website. The Menlo Park City School District will be sending their forms electronically also - see information below.

Letter from PTO President

 

Welcome to the 2012-13 school year! 

 

It's hard to imagine that we have less than a month left before the school year starts. We hope you are all enjoying the three-month summer break. This group of families continues to amaze me with the many incredible volunteers that we have that help make Oak Knoll such a wonderful school community. We have another exciting year ahead and I want to encourage you to get involved and volunteer.

  • If you have not signed up to receive Oak Knoll's weekly newsletter, please do so in order to receive important information from school. To sign-up, click here (scroll to the bottom right-hand corner, enter your email and click "Join").
  • A full list of PTO committees and activities is available on the PTO Committees page of the Oak Knoll School website.  Many of the committee chairs will be taking sign-ups at the Back-to-School Coffee in the Gym on Tuesday, September 4th beginning at 8:10am.  
  • Oak Knoll's Back-to-School Night will be on Thursday, September 13th.
  • We hope your family can attend the Fall Family Picnic to be held on Friday, September 21st from 5:00-7:00pm.  
  • Make sure you order your Otterwear early this year! We are only taking orders at the start of school and we have some new items available this year.

 

Are You IN? - INspire, INvolve, INvest

Please support the Oak Knoll PTO and the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (the Foundation) which are working together to make Oak Knoll the best it can be for our children. What does your child talk about when they come home from school? The project they worked on in art class? The field trip they are going on next week? The song they learned in music class? His or her inspired and dedicated classroom teacher? These are the activities and people that you provide for our children by supporting the PTO and the Foundation. Oak Knoll would be a very different place without your support of these two organizations.

 

The Oak Knoll PTO and the Foundation are two vital organizations that make Oak Knoll 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 Oak Knoll PTO and our Foundation. Please consider giving in any way that is meaningful to your family.

 

Enjoy the rest of your summer and I look forward to seeing you at Oak Knoll on Tuesday, September 4th!

 

Sincerely,

 

Allison Chao

2012-2013 PTO President

Oak Knoll School

www.oakknollschool.com    

 

To read in Spanish, Click Here 


 

 

PTO Membership

The mission of the Oak Knoll Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to enhance the education, safety, and health of our children. Your support of the PTO membership drive and fund-raisers enables us to continue our support of Oak Knoll's students.  Learn more about the  PTO Donation Drive and INvest today!

 

mpaef
Donate to MPAEF

Your support of the Foundation means that over 30 additional educators continue to teach in our four schools; our children participate regularly in music, art and library with credentialed specialists; and our teachers have innovative programs funded. Help the MPAEF meet its goal of 80% participation among District families by donating today!

 
Sign up for eScrip

What's eScrip? It's a national fundraising program that allows participating merchants to contribute a percentage of your grocery loyalty cards, credit card, and debit/ATM card purchases to the school or education organization of your choice. Almost 100 merchants - including Safeway and Draegers - will make a donation to the Menlo Park-­-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) when you shop with them. Here's how to sign up or click here for a complete set of instructions.     

  • Click on the link on the right side of the page labeled "SignUp - It's Free!"    
  • Select Group Name: Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation, or select Group ID: 126417042.
  • Fill out the next form with your basic profile information, then click Next.
  • Select your merchant cards from the drop-down menu (e.g. Safeway Card) and enter in your membership number, then click Next.
  • Be sure to register all your credit cards!!   
Order Otterwear

All orders are due by Monday, September 10th. Order now with PayPal.
Otterwear will also be available to order on Friday, August 24th from 1:30-5:00 near the office at school.

If you have questions, please contact Stephanie Chen at questions@otterwear.com

 

Fall Family Picnic Tickets

Kick-off the school year with the annual Fall Family Picnic on Friday, September 21st from 5-7pm. Order your tickets now!
 
Order Hot Lunch
 
Choice Lunch provides nutritious and delicious lunch choices, Monday through Friday for all children who wish to enjoy a Hot Lunch.

CLICK HERE to register using the code "otters." Choice lunch is ready to accept online orders now. Hot lunch service begins the first day of school, September 4th. Kids bringing lunch from home can still enjoy milk. For a choice between 2% regular and nonfat chocolate milk, order through Choice Lunch. For 2% regular milk (Berkeley Farms), buy from the MPCSD service CLICK HERE.
 
School Supplies

School Supply Kits that were pre-ordered in the Spring will be available for PICK-UP AT SCHOOL on Friday, August 24th from 1:30-5:00 near the office
School supply lists have been standardized by grade level this year. Please note that Kindergarten does not have a list as teachers will discuss supplies at Back to School Night.

Remember to shop at Village Stationer and mention Oak Knoll at checkout so the PTO will receive a percentage of your purchase.

 

Class Lists

 

Class lists will be posted on the bulletin boards outside of the Oak Knoll office on Friday, August 24th at 2pm.    

 

Kinder Welcome "Meet & Greet" Event

Come with your Kinder and meet your teacher on August 30th. (Class lists will be posted at school near the office on Friday, August 24th at 2pm)

Specific teacher time slots are below:
  • 9:00-9:30 - Towle,  Rm K-5 
  • 9:00-9:30 - Austin, Rm K-4 
  • 9:45-10:15 - Lopez, Rm K-3 
  • 9:45-10:15 - Van Tellingen, Rm K-2 
  • 10:30-11:00 - Stella, Rm K-1  
  • 10:30-11:00 - Multi-age (Chan-Rm1, Poole-Rm 2, Jagelka-Rm3)  

For incoming Kinders this Fall 2012, there is an informal playgroup with upcoming date on Sunday, September 2nd from 10:00-11:30am at the Oak Knoll Kinder Playground.  Please join us if you can!

 

New Family Ice Cream Social

Thursday, August 30th, 1:30-3:00 Upper Playground at school - All "new" incoming 1st thru 5th grade families are invited to attend a family informational meeting, meet other Oak Knoll families, and have some ice cream! 

Please RSVP to Siobhan Masteller

Register for 4th/5th Girls Volleyball

It's not too late to register for 4th/5th grade girls Volleyball! The Oak Knoll teams are comprised of only Oak Knoll students and no previous experience is necessary. Practices are at Oak Knoll and games are played at Burgess Gym. Registration deadline is Friday, September 7th, 2012.  No late registrations will be accepted.     

 
After-School Programs

Creative Writing, Chess, Drama, Dance Mix, Golf, Choir, Spanish, Mandarin and more! There is a diverse offering of enrichment and sports programs offered by third party vendors. CLICK HERE to see the schedule and to register.   

   

Noteworthy Art

Don't forget that Noteworthy Art will be happening in September. Your child will be drawing their artwork in class and orders will be taken in October, and delivery will occur before the winter break. For more info on this great school fundraiser and to see a sample, click here.  

   

Re-register with the MPCSD

This past June, you should have received an email from the Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD) with instructions for re-enrollment. This MUST be completed before school starts! If you did NOT receive the District Re-Enrollment information, please contact registrar@mpcsd.org (preferred) or 650-321-7140 x5600 with your name and your child's name, school and grade.