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The Otter Weekly
Oak Knoll School
1895 Oak Knoll Lane
Menlo Park, California 94025
650-854-4433 November 18, 2012
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Oak Knoll Elementary PTO Newsletter
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This Week
Monday, November 19
- 4th/5th Grade GLI Workshop; 6:00pm-7:30pm, Oak Knoll Library
Wednesday, November 21
- MINIMUM DAY: Early dismissal for all students and staff; 11:20am
- OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED AT 11:20AM
Thursday, November 22 - Friday, November 23
- NO SCHOOL: Thanksgiving Break
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Looking Ahead Monday, November 26 - 4th/5th Grade GLI Workshop; 6:00pm-7:30pm, Oak Knoll Library
Wednesday, November 28 - Multi-Age K,1,2: San Jose Tech Museum; 9:00am-1:00pm
Thursday, November 29 - 2nd Grade: Playing with Poetry Performance; 9:00am, Gym
Friday, November 30 Monday, December 3 - Wednesday, December 5 - MINIMUM DAYS; All grades dismissed at 11:20am
Monday, December 3 - 4th/5th Grade GLI Workshop; 6:00pm-7:30pm, Oak Knoll Library
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Announcements from the Office
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What Prop 30 means for our District:
- Our District does not expect to receive additional state funding from Prop 30 because we are a Community Funded -- or Basic Aid -- District.
- The passage of Prop 30 has protected many other California school districts that are not Community Funded, including some of our neighboring districts, from significant funding cuts.
- Our District will continue to rely on community support through our Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation to fund over 10% of the budget, so we need your help now more than ever. If you haven't already, please click here to donate or pledge to the MPAEF to maintain the quality educational programs that benefit our students.
For additional information on Prop 30 and our District funding, click here to read the letter from School Board President Laura Rich. For an explanation of Community Funded -- or Basic Aid -- districts, click here. If you have further questions, please email newsletter@mpcsd.org.
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Missing Cold Weather Gear?
On Monday and Tuesday, clothing items from the Lost & Found will be placed along the fence by the carpool lane. Keep your eyes peeled as you drop off or pick up to see if any items belong to your family. There are a huge number of sweatshirts and jackets due to cold mornings turning to warm afternoons. Unclaimed items will be returned to the Lost & Found area on Wednesday afternoon.
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Mindset Book Club for Parents
Mindset Book Club for Parents
December 5 - January 24
Kepler's Book Store
Have you heard that praise can actually be bad for your kids? Come learn why and more with Jenny Ryan, MPCSD School Psychologist, and Nicole Scott, MPCSD School Counselor, as we read and discuss the book Mindset by Carol Dweck (available at Kepler's). All meetings will take place at Kepler's Book Store from 9:30-10:30 am: - Wednesday, December 12
- Thursday, December 20
- Thursday, January 10
- Wednesday, January 16
- Thursday, January 24
Space is limited to 20 people. Please email Nicole to RSVP.
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Traffic Safety
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Safe Routes to School Meeting
For those who missed the neighborhood/parents meeting on Nov 7th or for those who are interested in learning more about the Safe Routes to Oak Knoll traffic plan, please click here for the City of Menlo Park website. We will be having another neighborhood/parents meeting at Oak Knoll in late January. More details to follow at a later date. For any questions, please contact Allison Chao.
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Do NOT Block Driveways
Please do NOT block residential driveways, even for a minute, during drop-off and pick-up. Oak Knoll strives to be a good neighbor and we need the help of every family. Please be polite and model good behavior for our kids!
Carline Rules
1. ENTER CARLINE ON OAK KNOLL LANE from OAKDELL DRIVE --- You are NOT allowed to enter carline onto Oak Knoll Lane by turning left from White Oak --- there is a NO LEFT TURN sign clearly visible. You will be issued a ticket by the Menlo Park Police.
2. PULL ALL THE WAY FORWARD --- Leaving open space along carline only delays other cars from pulling in.
3. DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR. Carline is designed for adults to drop-off their children quickly and efficiently. If you prefer lengthy goodbyes, park your car on the street and walk in to school to do so.
Do Not Walk Through the Parking Lot
ADULTS AND CHILDREN should NOT walk through the parking lot DURING DROP-OFF and PICK-UP times as this is a risk to pedestrian safety and also prevents cars from driving safely in and out of the parking lot if they have pedestrians walking in front of their cars.
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Ollie Salutes
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Thank you to Betsy Muhlner & Annie Peterson who co-chaired Noteworthy Art this year. Thanks for organizing all the parent volunteers at the start of school and for sorting & distributing the "amazing works of art" notecards that went home in backpacks last week. Thanks for making this happen before the holidays!
Thank you to Oak Knoll Cub Scouts Pack 222 and the Caring & Sharing Committee for organizing and collecting all the canned food during our "Scouting for Food" drive last week for Second Harvest. We collected hundreds of cans and packages of food. Thanks to all the families for their support!
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You Otter Know
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Honey Bear Holiday Trees 
Since 1986, Honey Bear Trees has been a trusted source of the finest Christmas trees. They offer four different sustainable varieties, including hard-to-find tall trees ranging from 10-ft. to over 20-ft. tall. Wreaths, garlands, mistletoe and tree stands are also available - and every tree purchase comes with a free bottle of honey, while supplies last!
When you buy your Christmas tree from Honey Bear Trees, they donate 15% of the purchase price to the Oak Knoll PTO. Just bring in this flyer (they also have them on the lot) to participate in the fundraiser.
Honey Bear Trees is conveniently located at 955 Woodside Rd in Redwood City. They are open 7 days a week from 9am until 9pm, November 16th through December 24th.
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Cheeky Monkey Toys - Holiday Shoppers!
Shop at Cheeky Monkey Toys from this Friday, November 23rd through Friday, December 7th.Two great ways to earn money for our school:
- Shop in-store and mention "Oak Knoll School"
- Shop online, select "Fundraisers and Gift Cards" and add "Oak Knoll School" to your cart
10% of your net purchase go to support Oak Knoll!
Cheeky Monkey Toys is located at 640 Santa Cruz Ave. in downtown Menlo Park
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Fundraiser for Lucy Lunt
One of our Oak Knoll families could use your help! The Lunts have two children at Oak Knoll: Dallin, who is in 3rd Grade and Jocey, who is in 2nd Grade. You may or may not know that the Lunts have a 3rd child, Lucy, who is 4 years old and attends pre-school at Laurel. At four months old, Lucy was diagnosed with a neuromuscular, degenerative, terminal disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1. SMA is the #1 genetic killer of infants and young children.
The Lunts need a wheelchair accessible van. The van will help Lucy be transported safely around town. It will be fully automated so Lucy's power wheelchair will be able to drive up a ramp into the van, lock in place, and act as a car seat for Lucy. If you would like to donate money to help this amazing family please visit fundly.com/get-lucy-a-van-for-christmas.
Question? Please contact Kim Burch.
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Directories & Information Corrections/Updates
You should have received a copy of the MPCSD directory sent home with your youngest child in the district. Directories were delivered to Oak Knoll teachers on Nov 1st. The data in the directory comes from the PowerSchool Program. PowerSchool is populated with information from district registration forms filled out by parents. Parents were asked to update/verify that information over the summer through the InfoSnap website. If the information printed in the directory is incorrect, or if you're not listed in the Directory and wish to be, please email registrar@mpcsd.org. The corrections will be made in the PowerSchool database and you will be asked to verify them next summer.
Thanks also John Kelly and Blackstone Discovery for their continued outstanding service in publishing the District Directory! 
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Specialists News
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Music Notes  Check out what Ms. Tee's students are learning in Music Class. Click on the SchoolFusion webpage. |
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Volunteer Opportunities
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Yard Duty - Upper Playground
We believe recess should be a child-centered time in the day for kids to be kids. Recess is not only an opportunity for kids to exercise, play, and interact with other children, but a time to problem-solve. Conflicts will arise, and recess is the perfect time for our students to experience the normal, developmental issues that come up when children play. We encourage kids to find a solution, to listen to each other, and to work together.
At Oak Knoll, we are fortunate to have a great Yard Duty Staff! Having volunteers on our yard is not necessary, but rather an opportunity for parents to be involved. Of course, the more the merrier!
If you share our philosophy and are interested in volunteering on our Upper Yard during lunch (11:45-1:00pm) please email Kristen Gracia. It works best if our volunteers can come at least once a week.
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MPAEF
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THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who has already donated or pledged, attended the Holiday Boutique last week, or signed up for eScrip . . . all of your efforts are paying off! We are HALFWAY to our goals!
42% of our families have participated . . . only 38% to go!
$2.04M has been raised . . . only $1.96M to go!
If you haven't made your gift yet, here's three ways to give:
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Shop Your Favorite Stores at the eScrip Online Mall and Earn Money for Our Schools
This holiday season, shop online at your favorite merchants and earn money for our schools through the eScrip Online Mall. Popular merchants like Amazon, Nordstrom, Apple, Target, and many more will donate up to 10% of purchases. Get started by registering for eScrip here, then each time you shop, start here at the eScrip Online Mall. Or automatically track and earn by downloading the Auto Earn app here.
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Thank You to our Business and Realtor Partners!
Please support those businesses and realtors who support our schools! Thank you to these 2012-13 business and realtor sponsors:
Business Partners
Paul Gerber, D.D.S. MS
Chris E. Lindsey, D.D.S.
Menlo Partners Staffing
Peninsula Pet Hospital
Riviera Partners
Realtor Partners
Judy Citron, Alain Pinel Realtors
Omar Kinaan, RE/MAX Distinctive Properties
Veronica Kogler, Coldwell Banker
Keri Nicholas, Coldwell Banker
Annette Smith, Dreyfus Properties
Click here to become a Business or Realtor partner!
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ParentEd
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How to Raise Your Teenager Without Losing Your Mind
- A Three-Part Series -
Come hear our own Hillview principal, Erik Burmeister, as he provides valuable tips and insights into raising teenagers. During the course of three different sessions, Erik will discuss a variety of topics including gender differences, brain development, rewards and consequences, setting boundaries and Internet reality and safety.
Part 1: Tuesday, December 4, 6:30-8:00pm, Hillview PAC
Part 2: Monday, December 10, 6:30-8:00pm, Hillview PAC
Part 3 with Q&A: Thursday, December 13,10:00-11:30am, Hillview PAC
MPCSD Parents of Children With Learning Differences AIM4MP is an organization of MPCSD parents who are interested in Advocacy, Information and Mutual support to help our children succeed in school and in life. If you want to connect confidentially with other parents of children with learning differences and keep up on what's going on in our schools, contact
mpparents@yahoo.com to join our email group. Upcoming Events Take It Personally Study Group with Project Cornerstone, Wednesdays, January 23-February 27, 2013, 6:30-8:00pm, Hillview PAC
For a complete listing of all parent education events in and around our community, please visit the district's ParentEd webpage.
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Community Corner
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The Caltrain Holiday Train December 1 and 2. Decorated with 60,000 glittering lights, the dazzling show-train will visit 10 Caltrain stations between San Francisco and Santa Clara over two nights in December, providing free holiday entertainment and collecting donations of toys for local children who otherwise might not receive a gift during the holidays. For stations and times, or to help spread the word, download the Holiday Train Poster.
MPCSD Board of Education Finance/Audit Commitee Positions Open.
The Board of Education is seeking candidates to fill three positions on the Finance/Audit committee to facilitate public understanding of the District's financial reporting processes. Committee members will meet quarterly or as needed for a term of three years. Candidates should have expertise in financial, budget and/or accounting procedures. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the Menlo Park City School District. If interested, please submit a letter of interest as well as background information by November 30 to Carol Metzler. To see the full description of role and responsibilities, please visit mpcsd.org . Annual LEGO Holiday Extravaganza Friday, December 7, 2012 through Sunday, January 13, 2013 from 11:00am-3:30pm. The Museum of American Heritage (MOAH), Palo Alto, CA. Admission is $2 per person, BayLUG and MOAH members are free. For further information visit www.moah.org or contact the Museum at 650-321-1004.
Sunday, December 2, 12 to 4 p.m., Downstairs Meeting Room, Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma Street, Menlo Park. Beautiful gift quality books for the entire family will be featured. All proceeds benefit the Menlo Park Library and the Belle Haven Library. December 7, at 7 p.m., Fox Theater in Redwood City. Ballet America's show has it all: professional dancers, alongside 100 local performers. Tickets are available via the website: www.balletamerica.org
December 26-28, and January 2-4, 8 am to 6 pm, Menlo Park First Baptist Church, 1100 Middle Avenue, Menlo Park. Join us at Newton Center for fun and games, arts and crafts, science and sports, music and laughs. For information or to enroll your child, please download this form.
Ragazzi SingFest
Saturday, January 19, 2013, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Redwood City just west of El Camino and Broadway. Ragazzi, celebrating its 25th Anniversary, will host our annual SingFest 2013, a free half-day music camp for boys ages 7 to 10. Call 650-342-8785 to reserve a space for your boy.
Classroom Volunteers Needed in East Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. We are looking for parents interested in volunteering one hour per week to help teachers with tutoring in a K-4 classroom in the Ravenswood District. Assist teachers with tutoring and individualized instruction much like you may have done in your own child's classroom. To sign up or ask questions, contact Sharon Purcell at sharonpurcell4@gmail.com or Carolyn Blatman at CBlatman@aol.com.
(Ages 8-21)
For past community news, click here
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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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