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The Otter Weekly
Oak Knoll School
1895 Oak Knoll Lane
Menlo Park, California 94025
650-854-4433 September 2, 2012
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This Week
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
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Looking Ahead
Thursday, September 13
- 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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Kinder Welcome & New Family Social Volunteers
School hasn't started yet but two of our PTO committees were busy planning events to make our newest community members feel welcome.
* Jenny Sullivan and Kris Swanson delighted our youngest new students at the Kindergarten Welcome Party.
* Teri Bettinger and Siobhan Masteller welcomed our newest Oak Knoll families at the New Family Ice Cream Social.
Thanks to our amazing committee co-chairs as well as all the parent volunteers and students who helped at these wonderful events!
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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
- Volleyball Registration
- After-School Programs
- Noteworthy Art
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Back To School Coffee Come to the PTO Back to School Coffee in the gym on the first day of school, September 4th, after drop-off. Coffee and light refreshments provided. - Sign-up to help with one of our many PTO Committees
- Sign-up for After-school Classes -- visit with our vendors who will be at the coffee this year to answer questions
- Buy tickets for our Fall Family Picnic
- Purchase Otterwear -- we only take ONE order and the deadline is Monday, September 10th!
- and much more !!!
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How will you get to school? The school district has received a grant from Safe Routes to Schools to hire a transportation coordinator, Kathy Schrenk. She will be scheduling more bike rodeos and walk-to-school events and helping more families walk, bike, carpool and take the bus to get to school. Contact Kathy at kschrenk@mpcsd.org if you would like to volunteer (parents are needed at events and to lead bike pools and walking school buses), have suggestions about traffic safety or need help figuring out the best route for your young pedestrians and cyclists.
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One more day of summer vacation until our kids return to Oak Knoll. Our campus is now buzzing with activity. Teachers are readying their classrooms and everyone is excited for the first day of school. On behalf of Oak Knoll's Joint Campaign team, we welcome all of you back to school! We are excited for all that we can accomplish together this year. With thanks, PTO President - Allison Chao PTO Membership Team - Cyndy Hogan, Pam Nootbaar & Meg Scherer MPAEF Co-Presidents - Clint Chao & Scott Hinshaw MPAEF School Team - Rhonda Bucklin & Linda Knoll
Cross an item off of your Back-to-School "To Do" List . . . Join the Oak Knoll PTO today! Your child gets an "Are You IN for Oak Knoll" tape measure with your donation. Our goal is to continue to provide great programs and services that benefit our students, teachers/staff and families. Help us get there by becoming a member of the Oak Knoll PTO.  Did you notice something different about our logo? Our Foundation is celebrating its 30 th Anniversary this year! For 30 years, the Foundation has supported our schools with supplemental funding. As the need has grown bigger over the years, so have our goals. Help us reach them this year -- $4 million and 80% participation of District families - by donating or pledging today.
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Choice Lunch There are exciting changes at Choice Lunch! They hired a new head chef who is CIA trained who spent the summer improving your child's favorite meals and working on new recipes. Every month there will be a new entree like buttered noodles and soft tacos. To sign-up for Choice Lunch visit: www.choicelunch.com, password is otters.
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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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Order Your Otterwear Now
This year's Otterwear has been receiving rave reviews from kids AND parents. Mr. Ackerman has even determined this year's navy zip front is a must-have for fall! Whatever your style preference, there are many great t-shirts and sweatshirt options to show your school spirit. See samples in the office or online, and then place your orders NOW!
All items are available in youth and adult sizes. Order online with PayPal. To pay by check, use the order form that will come home in your child's backpack this week or download it now and return it to the "Otterwear" folder in the office.
All orders are due September 10th, so DON'T DELAY. For questions, contact
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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. |
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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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. For your convenience, we have provided Village Stationers with copies of each class list, should you choose to purchase your supplies with them. Please consider mentioning "Oak Knoll" when shopping at Village Stationers, as a portion of your school supplies purchase will be donated to Oak Knoll. |
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Cub Scouts Kickoff
Check out Cub Scouts while enjoying ice cream and water rockets.
Cub Scouts offers fun and challenging experiences for Oak Knoll boys and parents to do together, such as camping outdoors, learning how to cook, learning first aid skills, using hand tools, completing small community service projects, and learning about our community. Menlo Park Cub Scout Pack 222 (which includes Oak Knoll) will hold its annual kickoff informational event on Sunday, Sept 9th from 1:00-3:00pm at Oak Knoll School (playground area) for 1st through 5th grade boys. Enjoy ice cream and shoot off water rockets to kick off the 2012/2013 Cub Scout year! Families are welcome and encouraged to join in on the fun. New dens will be forming this fall. If you have further questions, please email Jeremy Wire or visit the Pack 222 website.
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Fall Family Picnic - Purchase Your Tickets
Have dinner with your fellow Oak Knoll families on Friday, September 21, 5:00pm-7:00pm. Enjoy food from Jeffrey's, dessert from The Mix, fun, karaoke and games for all in this fine back-to-school tradition. Purchase your tickets in advance 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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After-School Programs
Check out our great selection of After School classes here at Oak Knoll.
New After-school Chinese classes start on Thursday, Sept 20th. For details and to sign up, please go to After School classes, and check out "Mandarin" under Thursday classes.
Classes fill up soon, so register by September 10th. If you have any questions email Aarti Chandna or Kimberly Hartz Foster.
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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 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. 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, Nov 15th - Champagne and Shopping from 6:00pm - 9:00pm Friday, Nov 16th - 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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Community Corner
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(K-2) U-Me Fall Classes: reading and math, music, art, legos, gymnastics, and fitness. Check out our schedule here. (Ages 8-11) Kidizens Fall Program 2012, September through December, Lost Altos or Belmont. Fall program is a fourteen-week session where kids build, manage and govern an entire LEGO city, while learning about important civic and economic concepts, in a fun, social and highly engaging learning environment. Contact: info@kidzzinc.com or 650-384-0412, Website: thekidizens.com/ (Ages 3-8) portolavalley.netKids 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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