This Week

Looking Ahead

The room parents in your class are coordinating this.

Call for volunteers for 5th Grade Fitness Test.  On April 22 the 5th Grade Students will be participating in the State Mandated FitnessGram Test.  Parent Volunteers are needed to help supervise and record the following test components -- curl-ups, push-ups, sit and reach, and the trunk extension. Test will take place in the gym.  

Please email Sarah Westfall if you can help on April 22.  

Below are the scheduled times for each of the 5th Grade classrooms. 

8:20 - 9:05am       Sanchez and Tom

9:05 - 9:45am       Coldoff and Bouret

10:15 - 11:00am    Fuller, Clancy and Veneman's band/orchestra members

11:00 - 11:45am    Veneman

Does your child need a new bike? Trade the one he or she has outgrown for the next size up! Bring bikes that your family is done with to the Safe Routes to Schools bike swap and rodeo at Laurel School, Sunday, April 21 from noon - 3 p.m. For more information, contact Nathalie Vasseur.  

Help students get to school more safely by filling out this brief survey about transportation. This is a follow up to the transportation survey many of you filled out in September -- but with fewer questions! This data is extremely valuable to the district's Safe Routes to Schools program.

For more information, please contact Kathy Schrenk, Traffic Safety Coordinator.

Menlowe Ballet is thrilled to be performing in its new home theater, Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center, next weekend April 19-21. There is a wonderful program planned including a world premiere by Russian choreographer Viktor Kabaniaev (recently known for his featured role in the 2011 award-winning ballet documentary film, First Position), and two works by Artistic Director, Michael Lowe, including "Surfside" featuring live music and students from Menlo Park Academy of Dance (with dancers from Oak Knoll and Hillview) dancing alongside company dancers.

For tickets: www.menloweballet.org or 1.800.595.4TIX (4849)

Hope to see you at the ballet, and appreciate your support of live performing arts in our community!

This past week, all students at Encinal and Oak Knoll were treated to a very unique performance by Stephen Kent, a world re-known Didjeridu performer.  During the Didjeridu Dreamtime assemblies, Stephen introduced students to one of the world's most ancient cultures - the Australian Aborigines - by sharing with them the sound and the culture of the didjeridu, as well as information about the history, geography and wildlife of Australia.  By using the didjeridu to mimic the sounds of animals in the Australian "bush", Stephen demonstrated how the didjeridu can communicate and tell musical stories. Students also learned how didjeridus are made from tree trunks that have been hollowed out by termites, and decorated using natural materials.

Ask your child what he/she learned from the assembly.  It was truly amazing to hear him play!

Mr Kent will be performing at Laurel on Monday and Hillview on Tuesday and participate in Hillview's 7th grade Survival Fest on Thursday.  A final part of the grant is to work with a small group of Hillview students, teaching them how to build didjeridus out of pvc pipe, circular breathe and make music on their own dijeridus.

If you want to see and hear some examples of his music, check out his website.

Special thanks to the MPAEF Foundation for providing the Jeanie Ritchie Grants!

On May 3 we will be having a spirit day called Career Day/ Business Day. Students are to come to school dressed for a future career or in business attire. "Calling all Kids" is looking for parents who will be interested is sharing about their career with students during lunch.  We are calling it a career cafe.  If you are interested please email Nicole Scott.    

Now is the time to learn about some of the exciting camp opportunities in our community! Many new camps have added their information to our Summer Camp Website in the last two weeks. This website will be updated as new information arrives, so check back often. (Please note that we have not evaluated this information or endorsed any of the camps, and the District is not responsible for any aspect of these camps.)