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The Otter Weekly
Oak Knoll School
1895 Oak Knoll Lane
Menlo Park, California 94025
650-854-4433 May 5, 2013
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Oak Knoll Elementary PTO Newsletter
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La Organizasión de Padres y Maestro Boletin en espanol - haga clic aqui
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- PTO Board Meeting: 8:15am, Staff Room
- Bike to work/school week
- MPAEF Board Meeting: 8:45-10:45am, TERC
Friday, May 10 - Thursday, May 18
- Playroom closed for Art Show and Portfolio Nights
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Return Earth Day Fundraiser Owl Banks to school
- Kinder Q&A and Play: 10:00am-12:00pm on the Kinder Playground
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Tuesday, May 14
- Deadline to purchase Spring Fair Tickets
Wednesday, May 15
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Deadline to purchase 5th Grade Graduation T-Shirts
- Kindergarten Portfolio Night: 7:00pm
- K-1-2 Multi-Age Pre-Portfolio Night Performance: 6:15pm, Gym
- K-1-2 Multi-Age Portfolio Night: 7:00pm
- 1st Grade Portfolio Night: 7:00pm
Monday, May 20
- 2nd Grade Portfolio Night: 7:00pm
Tuesday, May 21
- 3rd Grade Portfolio Night: 7:00pm
Wednesday, May 22
- Pre-Portfolio Night Concert: 6:00pm, Gym
- 4th/5th Grade Portfolio Night
- 3-4-5 Multi-Age Portfolio Night
Monday, May 27
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School Office Announcements
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Dressing for Success!
Please make sure your child's clothing is APPROPRIATE for school. The warm weather brings out the summer clothes, so we wanted to remind you of the basic dress code guidelines. If your child's outfit is not modest and following the guidelines below, she/he will be asked to change.
- Shorts, skirts, and dresses should be MID-thigh.
- Tank tops and dresses should have a minimum of one inch straps.
- Shoes should be supportive and appropriate for playing and running.
Thanks for your continued support,
The Oak Knoll Staff
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Car Line Safety - Please Read!!!!
Reminder - Use caution when driving through the school parking lot during school hours. Please drive at a safe speed for the children and parents.
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The MPAEF Spring Auction Results Are In!
We Raised $340,000 for Our Schools!
Once again, the Laurel, Encinal, Hillview, and Oak Knoll school community delivers! Thanks to the generous support and hard work of parents, teachers, volunteers, staff, students, and local businesses, our spring auction was a resounding success! Together, the on-campus raffle ticket sales, online auction, silent auction, and Saturday's auction event brought in net revenue of $340,000! We're especially pleased to announce that our Fund-a-Need drive in support of MPCSD Summer School Programs raised more than $60,000!
Interested in remaining items and parties with openings? See MPAEF.org for a complete listing.
Congratulations to our lucky raffle winners:
- Rosewood Spa Escape - Jill Wurster
- White Topaz and Diamond Necklace by m&m bling - Rob Romero
- Two New iPad Minis - John Williams
- Stanford Football Helmet Autographed by the 2013 Rose Bowl Champions - Amy Kunihiro
- Health and Beauty Package - Jennifer Murray
A special thank you to all of our donors, as well as the 500 guests who attended the Dancing through the Decades party! We look forward to seeing you all next year!
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Thank you to MPAEF's Business and Realtor Partners!
Please support those businesses and realtors who support our schools! Thank you to these local 2012-13 business and realtors:
Business
Intuitive Environments
Shadle Construction
Tiemann Investment Advisors, LLC
Northwestern Mutual
Sundance The Steakhouse
SRI International
Harvest Furniture
Cheeky Monkey Toys
Kennolyn Camps
Bohannan Foundation
Bow Wow Meow
UpToUs Directory
Realtors
Ken Glidewell, Alain Pinel Realtors
Mary & Brent Gullixson, Alain Pinel Realtors
Michael Johnston, Alain Pinel Realtors
Omar Kinaan, RE/MAX Distinctive Properties
Veronica Kogler, Coldwell Banker
Tom LeMieux, Coldwell Banker
Keri Nicholas, Coldwell Banker
Jami Arami, Alain Pinel Realtors
Chris McDonnell & Kelly Griggs, Coldwell Banker
Mandy Safka, Alain Pinel Realtors
Nathalie de Saint Andrieu, Coldwell Banker
Deanna Tarr, Coldwell Banker
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Ollie thanks our amazing teachers and staff for donating such amazing kids events and activities which raised a large amount of money this year for our schools! He also thanks all the generous families who gave to our Fund-a-Need, sponsored parties and donated items for the auction. He can't wait to attend some of the fun parties! And if you didn't make it to the auction or didn't get a chance to buy a spot, there are still some tickets available for parties and events. Please click here for a complete listing.
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Bike to Work Day - Thursday, May 9
Did you know that it's Bike to Work Day on Thursday, May 9? One day each year, on a warm May morning, many bicycle coalitions in the Bay Area encourage commuters to leave their cars at home and join the tens of thousands of their fellow Bay Area residents in biking to work and school. The weather is perfect, the streets filled with cyclists, and energizer stations dot the landscape, staffed by volunteers eager to pass out treats and encouragement. Bike to Work Day is a vision of what the morning commute should look like: Parents and children, office workers, politicians, CEOs, all doing the unimaginable - enjoying their trips to work and school.
It sounds simple because it is. Almost 40 percent of Bay Area commuters live within just five miles of their workplace, a bike-able distance for even inexperienced cyclists. If every person living this close to their workplace ditched their cars on Bike to Work Day alone, more than 60,000 vehicles would be off the road, reducing tailpipe emissions by more than 150,000 pounds. What's more, the large turnout each year makes such a visible presence of bicyclists that motorists actually take notice, slow down, and make room. Everyone's commute is improved when people take to the streets on bikes.
Don't limit yourself to just bicycle commuting to work or school. Try riding your bike whenever possible during the month of May. Bicycling provides a great opportunity to enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise while you go to school, visit a local farmers market, meet a friend for lunch at a restaurant around the corner, or any another destinations you may have planned.
For more info on "Bike to Work Day" in the Bay Area, check out the following links:
SF Bicycle Coalition:
http://www.sfbike.org/?btwd
Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition:
http://bikesiliconvalley.org/btwd
East Bay Bicycle Coalition:
https://www.ebbc.org/btwd
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Kinder Q&A and Play - Saturday, May 11
Attention Fall 2013 Kinders! Come to Oak Knoll's Kinder Q&A and Play event on Saturday, May 11 from 10:00am-12:00pm on the Kinder Playground.
Have a child attending Kindergarten in Fall 2013? Want your child to meet fellow Kinder students and their families? We need current Oak Knoll families with incoming Kinders to help answer questions as many new families will be coming to this event and will want to know more about our school. The children can play on the Kinder playground while the parents mingle and chat with each other.
Feel free to drop by anytime between 10:00am-12:00pm. We hope to see you there!
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Hillview Elective Fair for Incoming 5th Graders and Their Parents
All current 5th graders attending Hillview Middle School in the Fall, and their parents, are invited to attend an important informational evening. The Hillview Elective Fair will be held on Tuesday, May 28 at 6:30pm in the Hillview PAC.
Additional information can be found on the attached flyer.
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Earth Day Fundraiser
On Earth Day some of our students made an Owl Bank. We are collecting coins for 2 projects:
Please return the Owl Bank to school by May 10.
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Hillview Softball Registration for Fall Season
Softball registration for the Hillview fall season is now open. The team is open to the first 15 girls to register and includes girls from all levels and all 3 grades. The season starts on Friday 8/23. For more information and to register, go to sportability.com/hillview, or contact Celine Sanie.
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Amici's Fundraiser For Hillview 8th Grade Graduation Fund
The last one was so much fun, we're doing it again! Join other Hillview families for a fun night out at Amici's Tuesday, May 7. It's a great excuse to take the night off from cooking and dishes and it helps support the Eighth Grade Graduation Fund!
Dine out or order pick-up (not delivery though) during Hillview Day and Night at Amici's Pizza in downtown Menlo Park. Amici's has generously agreed to donate 25 percent of their proceeds from diners presenting the flyer on Tuesday, May 7. Relax and enjoy delicious food with the whole family. Amici's is open from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., so consider lunch or dinner or both. It's sure to be a fun community event - don't miss it!
If you have any questions, contact Dianne Child.
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Hillview Food-Truck Dinner - May 23
Bring your families and join the Hillview community for a fun food-truck dinner prior to Hillview Open House on Thursday, May 23 between 5:00-8:00pm. There will be fabulous food trucks assembled in the Hillview parking circle and families are welcome to eat at the Hillview lunch tables. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the 8th grade graduation fund.
The food truck attendees:
- Me So Hungry: Gourmet sliders and burgers
- Speedy Panini: Authentic Italian cuisine & paninis
- Hiyaa roll: Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese. Flavors on a roll
- MoWaffles Amore: Sweet & savory waffles
- Kara's Cupcakes: Homemade Cupcakes
- Scoops: Adventurous and delicious ice creams
Any questions, please contact Carolyn Heller
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It's time for the Spring Fair!!!
Come join us for delicious gourmet hot dogs by Top Dog and yummy desserts.
Activities will include: racing, spider wall climbing, karaoke, sports games by High Five Sports and face painting by Joanna Sachs.
Date and Time: Friday, May 17, 5-7pm
Location: Oak Knoll's Upper Playground
Price: $9 per person
Buy your tickets here.
*****Tickets MUST be purchased in advance by Tuesday, May 14th*****
If you can volunteer at the event, please click here to sign up via Jooners.
We want all Oak Knoll families that are interested to join us!
If you would like to sponsor someone:
-Please use the website link above or pick up a flyer from the office
If you need a scholarship to attend the fair:
-Please complete a flyer from the office or contact Kristen Gracia.
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Don't be left behind! Follow these 5 simple steps to get ready to RUN!
Step 1: Register todayto be part of the first annual, district-wide "are you in RUN for education!". This first-ever, district-wide event will be a 1.5Kwalk/fun run and a competitive, chip-timed 5K on Sunday, June 2, at Oak Knoll School starting at 9:00 a.m. This year's event will include Encinal, Hillview, Laurel, and Oak Knoll and will help to raise crucial funds for our community-supported schools. After the event, there will be a Wellness Fair to promote health with fitness sponsors, along with local business support, providing fun for the entire family!
Step 2: Shop and gear up at Fleet Feet Sports of Menlo Park on Saturday, May 11, when 5% of their gross sales will benefit the Menlo Park City School District!
Step 3: Sign up to volunteer! There are plenty of opportunities to help out before, during and after the race. Please contact one of Oak Knoll's ambassadors, Gina Skinner, with any questions.
Step 4: Support our sponsors! This event would not be possible without the support of our wonderful sponsors.
Step 5: Sign up to be a FAMILY Sponsor! The first 40 families to sign up at the $500 sponsorship level will get their name on the race t-shirt and includes 4 free race entries!!
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Sign Up to be a Room Parent Now!
Looking for a great way to get connected and know what's going on in your child's class? Want to work with other parents and your child's teacher to ensure that your child's class has a great year? The Room Parent Program wants you! The Room Parent role is fun, it's divided among 4 Room Parents per classroom, and it doesn't require lots of on-campus time - so, even if you have little ones still at home or you work full-time, this is a great opportunity for you to get involved.
Click here to sign up now!
For more information, click here.
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ChoiceLunch Emergency Lunches
If your child would like to receive pizza on pizza days, you must order it in advance. Our emergency lunches are usually macaroni and cheese or Cheerios. Children ordering emergency lunches on pizza days will probably not receive pizza. Thank you!
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Attention 5th Grade Parents - Graduation Shirt Orders Due May 15
The Graduating Class of 2013 will wear a cool Ollie-the-Otter t-shirt on the last day of school for the "Clap Out." On the back of the shirt will be a list of the 1st names of the graduating students. Download the order form now. Forms can be placed in the 5th Grade t-shirt folder in the office by Wednesday, May 15. Questions, please contact Erica Galles or Meredith Walsey.
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PTO Volunteer Opportunities
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Wild Zone Open Dates
Thanks to the several volunteers who came forward, the Wild Zone (WZ) is now open. The WZ open days will alternate between Wednesdays & Thursdays throughout the school year. The space is limited to 30 students at a time for safety reasons and can only open if two adult volunteers are present. Please tell your child to look for an "open sign" which will be placed near the WZ entrance. If we get additional volunteers, we may try to open the WZ more frequently. To volunteer, please contact Andrea Potischman.
Wild Zone Open Days  Wed. May 8 Thurs. May 16 Wed. May 22 Thurs. May 30 Wed. June 5
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Otter Mileage Club
We need parent volunteers before school (7:55-8:10am) and during lunch recess (12:00-1:00pm) to help with the "Otter Mileage Club." We have a ticket system and kids choose to run and walk and need their ticket punched as each lap is completed. Tickets are turned in daily and kids are recognized on KNOL.
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SUMMER CAMPS ARE HERE!
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.)
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EVENTS
Encinal Blood Drive for Stanford/LPCH Patients
(In support of Encinal student Tyler Nelson), Monday, May 6, through Saturday, May 11, 445 Burgess Drive, Menlo Park. You can help the many patients of Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital by donating blood. For information about this blood drive, contact Nicole Scott at nscott@mpcsd.org, 650-326-5164 or Kevin O'Neill at kvoneill@stanford.edu, 650-725-2540. Please make an appointment at bloodcenter.stanford.edu: Click on "Schedule an Appointment" and then "Menlo Park Donor Center."
"The Anonymous People" - Exclusive West Coast Film Preview with Filmmaker Greg Williams
Tuesday, May 28, 7 p.m. at the Menlo-Atherton Center for the Performing Arts. A feature documentary film about the 23.5 million Americans living in long-term recovery, and the emerging public recovery movement that will transform how alcohol and other drug problems are dealt with in our communities. Parents and students welcome. Admission is free, but RSVP is requested: http://theanonymouspeopleca.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Charlene Margot at cmargot@csmconsulting.net
Mental Health Awareness Project: Being An Advocate And An Ally
Saturday, May 11, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Menlo Park City Council Chambers, 701 Laurel Street, Menlo Park. This is a free program but please register at www.eventbrite.com. Contact: rlroth@menlopark.org or (650) 330-2525.
The Pirates of Penzance
May 11-19 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Don't miss Peninsula Youth Theatre's production of the hilarious Gilbert and Sullivan musical, "The Pirates of Penzance." To purchase tickets to the show please visit www.pytnet.org.
Kite Day
Saturday, May 4, 12 noon to 3 p.m. at Bedwell-Bayfront Park located on Marsh Road at Bayfront Expressway. For $6 you will receive a kite, hotdog, drink and chips or an apple. All ages are welcome.
For more information on events listed above or events listed in prior newsletters, visit the District's Community Links page.
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FAMILY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Support Encinal's "Chores for Change"
May 3-10 - Many families have been touched by cancer in some way and just a few months ago, one of our Encinal Eagles was diagnosed with lymphoma. He is undergoing treatment and thankfully has a good prognosis. In support of our fellow student and many others, Encinal is engaging in a week long fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. From May 3-10, students are encouraged to earn money by doing household chores - for example, setting the table, washing the car, or helping an elderly neighbor clean the porch - to donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It is suggested that students earn between $.25 and $2.00 per chore. All funds will be brought to Encinal for collection. Other schools are welcome to participate and donate to our cause. Click here for more details or contact Nicole Scott, Encinal school counselor.
Guadalupe River Park Conservancy
Saturday, May 4, 8:30-11:30am, Help spruce up the Historic Orchard in the Guadalupe River Park, 438 Coleman Ave, San Jose. To sign up or find out more, click here.
For more information on the volunteer opportunities above or volunteer opportunities listed in prior newsletters, visit the District's Community Links page. |
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SPORTS, CLASSES, AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Ham Radio Class at the Museum of American Heritage
Saturday and Sundays, June 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 & 30 (8 Sessions), 1 to 3 p.m., at 351 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto. When you complete this class, you will know a little about the history of ham radio, and how to communicate with other hams all over the Bay Area using a radio relay station. To register, send email to admin@moah.org. Class Fee: $130.
Alpine Strikers Soccer - New Age Group Forming
(5 year olds) Alpine Strikers FC is forming a new 05 age group for our youngest competitive soccer players - with birth dates between August 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006. Check out the website www.alpinestrikers.org for details.
Ladera Community Church Preschool Openings in the 2s and Pre-K classrooms for Fall 2013. Contact Katherine Rhames at laderapreschool@sbcglobal.net for more information.
For more information on the sports/classes listed above or sports/classes listed in prior newsletters, visit the District's Community Links page.
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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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