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The Otter Weekly
Oak Knoll School
1895 Oak Knoll Lane
Menlo Park, California 94025
650-854-4433 August 26, 2012
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This Week
Thursday, August 30
- Kindergarten Welcome; 9:00-11:00am
- New Family Ice Cream Social, 1:30-3:00pm
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Looking Ahead
Monday, September 3
Tuesday, September 4
- First Day of School; 8:10am
- Back to School Coffee - Gym; 8:15am
Wednesday, September 5
- Room Parent Orientation - Gym; 8:15am
Thursday, September 13
- Back-To-School night
- Kindergarten-2nd; 6:30-7:20pm
- Grades 3-5, Multi-Age (3,4,5); 7:35-8:25pm
Thursday, September 20
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Announcements From the Office
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Letter from Principal David Ackerman
Read about Oak Knoll's new upcoming projects in Principal Ackerman's letter to the parents.
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Ollie Salutes
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Ollie thanks our volunteer school leaders who worked many hours this past spring and during the summer break to launch our second year of the "Are You IN" joint campaign between the PTOs and MPAEF.
Thanks to:
Stephanie Thomases - District Council Campaign Coordinator
Jody Buckley - District Council Co-President
Elizabeth Ouren - District Council Co-President
Jenny Freiermuth - Laurel PTO President
Kristin Seuell - Laurel PTO Membership & Outgoing Laurel PTO President
Katie Ferrick - Encinal PTO President
Allison Chao - Oak Knoll PTO President
Pam Fernandes - Hillview PTO Co-President
Aimee Paquin - Hillview PTO Co-President
Clint Chao - MPAEF Co-President
Scott Hinshaw - MPAEF Co-President
Please make sure you pledge or donate here. |
You Otter Know
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Back 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 the following activities and events. More detail can be found here.
- PTO Membership
- Donate to MPAEF
- eScrip Signup
- Otterwear
- Fall Family Picnic Tickets
- Hot Lunch
- School Supplies
- 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
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Choice Lunch This time of year is crazy! Take one thing off your full plate and sign-up for Choice Lunch. Students and teachers who sign up receive healthy, delicious lunches. Lunches are available starting the first day of school.
To sign-up for Choice Lunch visit: www.choicelunch.com, password is otters.
Want to volunteer? We are always looking for parents to serve lunches (no experience needed). Parents receive credit for lunches for each shift that they work that goes towards more lunches for their students. See your child during the day, earn credits, and help Oak Knoll by volunteering!
To sign up please email Naed. |
Purchasing Milk Beginning September 10, 2012 the Menlo Park City School District will serve milk every school day. Students may buy milk for $52 per school year. (This amount has increased because MPCSD is no longer subsidized by the Special Milk Program.) Please note that if you plan to order Hot Lunch through the district vendor, Choice Lunch, they offer a drink (including milk) with each lunch. Hot Lunch service will start on the first day of school and ordering will be available the week before school begins.
If you would like to sign up for the student milk program, do one of the following:
1) Go to PaySchools to sign up and pay online. OR
2) If you would like to pay by check please download and fill out the Student Milk Program form, attach your check, and turn it in to the school office the first week of school. |
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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. |
PTO Membership
As your family prepares for the new school year at Oak Knoll remember to join the Oak Knoll PTO and donate or pledge to the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation. These two organizations provide critical financial support for our schools. Your donation matters!
Your donation to the Oak Knoll PTO will support our plans for the 2012-2013 school year, including:
- School Assemblies - Bus Transportation & Fees for Field Trips
- Science Fair & Science Olympiad - Classroom Enrichment
- Teacher professional development - Student programs
Support the MPAEF
Have you ever wondered what your donation to the MPAEF provides at Oak Knoll? Let us tell you!
- 2 - 3 classroom teachers at Oak Knoll
- Your child's librarian, Ms. Bennion
- Your child's music teacher(s) - Ms. Tee, Mr. Vaughan, Ms. Chiet, and Ms. Knight (new music teacher this year)
- Your child's art teacher, Mr. Almquist
- And innovative programs from Oak Knoll's teachers, including the Lunar New Year Parade & Celebration, LifeSkills books, 4th/5th grade Band/Orchestra Concert, Imagination Playground, San Francisco Opera Guild Sing-a-Story Program, TheatreWorks, Penning our Life Stories, Taiko drumming and many others!
Be part of the community that provides all of this for our children! Donate or pledge to the MPAEF today!
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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!!
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New Otterwear Now Available
Just in time to start the school year off right and show your school spirit, NEW Otterwear is now available for purchase. We've added some cool new t-shirt and sweatshirt styles and colors, as well as brought back some favorites. This year's Otterwear features styles with Ollie's adorable otter face, block letters spelling out Oak Knoll or an athletic logo, in bright or classic colors. See samples in the office or online. All items are available in youth and adult sizes. Order online with PayPal now. All orders due September 10, so don't delay. For questions, contact Stephanie Chen.
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Fall Family Picnic - Save the Date
Have dinner with your fellow Oak Knoll families on Friday, September 21, 5:00pm-7:00pm. Enjoy food, fun, karaoke and games for all in this fine back-to-school tradition. Purchase your tickets no later than September 18. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Pay by check or with PayPal.
If you would like to volunteer or have any questions, please email noellecarpenter5@gmail.com, rwargo@me.com, denise.henry@gmail.com or
sharonpurcell4@gmail.com.
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School Supplies
School Supply Kits that were pre-ordered in the Spring were available for pick up on Friday, August 24th. If you did not have a chance to pick yours up, they will be in the playroom (old multi) ready for pick up on the first day of school! 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. |
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Kinder Welcome "Meet & Greet" Event
Come with your Kinder and meet your teacher on August 30th.
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!
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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!
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Kindergarten Yard Duty
Want to know what your kindergartener is up to on the playground? Yard Duty is a great way to find out! Assist the teacher in charge of the playground by providing help and guidance to children. Kindergarten playground duty is from approximately 9:40-10:40 daily. Please contact Julia Dunn at for further details.
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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.
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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.
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Holiday Boutique - Mark Your Calendars
Thursday, 11/15 Champagne and Shopping from 6:00pm - 9:00pm Friday, 11/16 Boutique Shopping from 8:30am - 2:30pm. If you are interested in becoming a Boutique vendor/sponsor, please fill out the vendor application and email Margie Klapper by September 18, 2012. 20% of sales go to the MPAEF which includes a $250 pre-paid non-refundable Boutique sponsorship. If you are interested in volunteering at the Boutique, please contact Carolyn Bowsher.
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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.
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Community Corner
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Tuesday, August 28, 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in the New Auditorium. Current families, alumni families and everyone in the community are encouraged to come see your beautiful new school! Tours will follow! Kids 4 Sports Foundation 3rd Annual Fall Dash 5K Sunday, September 16, 9 a.m., starting and finishing at Burgess Park in Menlo Park. Help Kids 4 Sports fund after-school team sports programs, coaches, and referees, and purchase sports equipment to give to local sports programs. Sign up now!
Ravenswood Adopt-a-Teacher Program The Adopt-a-Teacher program provides encouragement and school supplies to a K-8 teacher in the Ravenswood School District. Volunteers typically spend approximately one hour a month and $500-600 per year in school supplies. For more information contact Kelly Morehead or Stacie Zell.
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Please submit announcements and flyers to newsletter@oakknollschool.com for Oak Knoll events. For the Community Corner, send submissions to communitynews@mpcsd.org. The deadline for both email addresses is by noon on the Wednesday prior to publication date. Guidelines for submission are available online.
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