Please join us this Wednesday, October 2 from 7:00-8:15pm for a very special evening as our ART, LIBRARY, MUSIC and P.E. teachers let us "walk in our children's shoes."  Mr. Almquist, Ms. Bennion, Ms. Knight, Ms. Chiet, Ms. Tee and Dr. Westfall have planned a fun, interactive night that will allow parents to see what our children experience every day at Oak Knoll.  The event will start in the library with Ms. Bennion and then move to the gym.

All parents are encouraged to come meet their children's teachers.  This night is a great opportunity to experience the programs at Oak Knoll that our community's donations to the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) make possible.

Like Back-To-School Night, this event is for parents and guardians only.  Please RSVP here to join us for this special night!

Kate DiCamillo is the Newbery Award winning author of The Tale of Desperaux, National Book Award finalist, Tiger Rising, as well as many other beloved books, such as Bink and Gollie, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and the ever-favorite Mercy Watson series. Her new book, Flora and Ulysses, is the adorable story of a girl, a squirrel and superpowers, as only Kate DiCamillo could imagine them.

We are lucky to host Kate at Oak Knoll for our 1st-5th graders on Thursday, October 3.

Book order forms have gone home and are due back TOMORROW...Monday, September 30. 

It is time once again for the annual Oak Knoll Caring & Sharing Halloween costume drive from October 2-4.  Please donate new or gently used children's costumes and/or Halloween decorations.  Costumes and decorations will be donated to local kids and area non-profits serving children and families.  Oak Knoll Girl Scouts will be collecting donations each morning.  We are also looking for volunteers to help with sorting and distribution the week after the drive.

For questions or to volunteer, please feel free to contact the Caring and Sharing Committee Co-Chairs  Kathy Motamedi, Lisa Langer or Nancy Lieberman.

Please help to make a child's Halloween really fun!

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ING Run For Something Better® School-Based Running Programs Help Students 

Learn Healthy Choices and Take Responsibility for Their Own Fitness

ING U.S. today announced Oak Knoll School (Menlo Park, CA) as one of 59 recipients from 26 states across the U.S. to receive $2,500 grant to inspire students to be more active and adopt healthy choices to carry into adulthood. The money from ING Run For Something Better grant will be used to expand Oak Knoll's current running program, the Otter Mileage Club. The monies will be used to purchase program materials; equipment to document and record student laps; and materials to recognize and celebrate student achievement and the attainment of personal fitness goals.  Otter Mileage will conclude with Menlo Park City Schools, Are You In RUN in June, 2014.

To learn more about the ING program, visit www.orangelaces.com. For more information about Oak Knoll's running program contact  Sarah Westfall  or Kristen Gracia,  or visit Oak Knoll's Otter Mileage Fusion Page.

Please remember there is NO LEFT TURN out of the school driveway.  This helps to ensure our students' safety and keeps the car line running smoothly. 

The last FREE bike inspection will be in front of Oak Knoll this Friday, October 4 before school, 7:30-8:30 am.  Come by the bike rack area and let the professional mechanics from Menlo Velo look over your child's ride. They will check brakes, pump up tires, adjust helmets, and provide a general safety check. Due to popular demand, bike inspections will be limited to student bikes. The first 20 participants will receive a special bike prize! 

If you participated in previous inspections, the prizes have arrived! Come by the table and pick yours up.  Briiiing, Briiiing! 

Questions can be sent to Janet Bellantoni.

Come One, Come All, to the World's Most Magnificent Book Fair!

Marvel at some of the Amazing Activities planned for the week:

Parent Author Talk with Sheryl Sandberg. Tuesday, October 22 at 8:30 am.

Sheryl is the author of the number-one bestseller Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. See Save the Date and RSVP information below.

Family Night, Wednesday, October 23 from 6:00-8pm. Bring the whole family and join us for a night of magic and wonder with performers who will dazzle children of all ages while you shop at the book fair!

Questions? Contact Alison Fleming, Jennie Lang or Mary Speiser.

Save the Date! Tuesday, October 22 at 8:30 am. Book Fair Author Talk with Sheryl Sandberg, author of the number-one bestseller Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and founder of LeanIn.Org, a global community supporting women who lean in to their ambitions. Sheryl's electrifying talks and book have inspired millions around the globe. Come hear her humor and wisdom on how we can all lean in to create the lives we want in this private, Oak Knoll community-only event!  

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Planning on reading Lean In before the Author Talk? Buy your book at school to benefit Oak Knoll! We will have copies of Lean In available for purchase on campus during drop-off and pick-up times outside the multi on Thursday, October 3 through Tuesday, October 8. Please bring cash or a check payable to Books, Inc. for $27.20.

Could your family walk to Oak Knoll on Wednesday, October 9? The MPCSD community is participating in International Walk to School Day, along with millions of people in 40 nations. 

Collect safety vests for your family from the front office, invite other families to meet you along the Safe Routes to Oak Knoll, and see your children enjoy the fresh air and exercise of walking to school. 

The Oak Knoll PTO and the MPAEF say THANK YOU all of our families and teachers who have come together during the past six weeks to support Oak Knoll. Your donations to both the PTO and MPAEF make a real difference in the education that Oak Knoll provides to our children.

 

Your donations to the PTO are still coming in and being counted. We are close to our goal, but every donation matters and will help get us there. So if you haven't donated yet, please donate now. By next week's newsletter we will know whether the PTO's budget is fully funded or whether we must eliminate some programs or consider additional fundraising.  THANK YOU AGAIN to all the Oak Knoll families and teachers who supported our children by donating to the PTO. 

  

 

THANK YOU to our families and teachers who have already donated, pledged or initiated monthly payments to the MPAEF. The Annual Parent Campaign closes on November 21 and we are approximately 25% of the way toward reaching this year's goal.

  

Today the MPAEF is launching its PLEDGE DRIVE. We will soon be contacting families who haven't yet made a commitment to the MPAEF and asking them to pledge their support.

 

The MPAEF is also excited to announce THE FOUNDATION 50 CHALLENGE! A $50,000 bonus will be donated by an anonymous group of families if 50 families donate or pledge -- for the first time -- at the $1500 per student funding level between today and October 25th. 

 

We look forward to making another big step toward reaching our goals during the month of October. Click here to make your commitment today!

 

PTO Membership Team                                                                  MPAEF School Team 

Cyndy Hogan                                                                                     Jennifer Levey

Kathy Motamedi                                                                                 Dimitra Anderson

Tamara Russel                                                                                   Linda Knoll

Meg Scherer                                                                                       Sharon Purcell

Jill Wurster                                                                                          Ashley Honerkamp

Tracy Watt

If your daughter is interested in joining Girl Scouts this year, please contact Allison Chao, Oak Knoll Girl Scouts Liaison.  She is gathering a list of interested girls as well as parents who are interested in co-leading new troops this year.

For more info about Girl Scouts, please go to:  www.girlscoutsnorcal.org

3rd, 4th & 5th grade Oak Knoll students can register to play basketball starting today.  This is a recreational league offered by the city of Menlo Park and organized by the Oak Knoll After School Sports Program.  All practices will be at Oak Knoll facilities, and games will be against other schools in the Arrillaga Gymnasium in Menlo Park.  No prior experience is necessary.  Practices will begin late November, and games will likely start in December and end in mid-March.

To register your child please visit sportability.  Registration ends October 25. NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. The registration fee is $115, and scholarships are available. All teams are coached by parent volunteers. If you are interested in coaching, or if you want to learn more about scholarships, please email Laura Huber, Stefano Baldassi, Noelle Carpenter or Nancy Witeck.  For more information about the basketball program visit the Oak Knoll website Basketball Page.

For a complete listing of all the parent education events in and around our community, please visit the district's ParentEd webpage.

Blackberry Farm Restoration Workday.  Saturday, October 5, 9:30-12:30.  All ages are welcome to this Acterra sponsored event. It's an ongoing habitat enhancement project conducted at McClellan Ranch Preserve and Blackberry Farm in Cupertino. Volunteers pull weeds, mulch, set out native plants and water. Our local wildlife will thank you as they are dependent on native vegetation to supply their food and shelter.  For more details and to register, click here. 

The 5th Annual Ride for Ravenswood.  Sunday, October 6.  Presented by Wells Fargo and the Brody family.  We welcome all cyclists, walkers, and volunteers to join us for this remarkable event to help support the critical services that Ravenswood Family Health Center provides for thousands of individuals and families each year. 50 mile, 30 mile and 2 mile courses. More information and registration here.

St. Raymond Pumpkin Festival.  Friday, October 11, 3:30-7pm, Saturday, October 12 , 9am-5pm. Pony Rides, Climbing Wall, Pumpkins, Bungee, Trampoline, Face Painting, Games, Food & More!  1100 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park.  Open to the Public with Free Admission.

Camp Menlo Holiday Camps.  October 14.  Add a little zip to your school holidays with fun Camp Menlo Swim and Tennis camps! Starting October 14, these one-day camps offered through the end of December offer 45-minute group swim lessons, plus fun land games and crafts. Register today, space is limited! 

http://www.menloswim.com/menlo/camp_menlo/holiday_camps.html. 

Thursday Afternoon School-Age Storytelling series, Menlo Park Library. Thursday, October 31 @ 4 p.m. Menlo Park Library presents traditional-style storytelling that create unique images in the mind of each listener, school-agers & adults alike will love the "tricksters and treats" that fill their imagination during this special Halloween afternoon event! Join Menlo Park Library's resident tale-spinner, Storyteller John Weaver, for the kick-off event

McIntosh Stables.  Horseback riding opportunities.  McIntosh Sponsored Child Essay Contest. Toni and Colin McIntosh are reaching out to young riders in the area to help sponsor their riding endeavors and promote positive extracurricular activities for students in the area. We would like to host an essay competition for children in middle school (grade 6-8). The essay topic would be "What riding with McIntosh Stables would mean to me." The winning student author, as chosen by McIntosh Stables and is final, would receive 6 months of sponsored lessons at McIntosh Stables and a McIntosh T-Shirt.

Stanford School of Medicine is conducting a longitudinal research study that uses psychological testing and brain imaging technology to see how reading skills develop in preterm and full-term children. Researchers at Families with English speaking children aged 5 years and 9 months to 6 years and 7 months are invited to join the study. At age 6, there are two to three testing sessions. Parents will receive a comprehensive assessment on how their child performs on the tests. Children receive $10 per testing session, and $50 for the scan as well as a picture of their brain. Please contact Vanessa Durand at 650-498-7690 or email at dbpresearch@stanford.edu.

Menlo Tennis Academy.  Come join the fun on the courts at Burgess Park with Menlo Swim and Sports' Tennis Academy, a beginning program for kids age 6-10 based on the dynamic US Tennis Association 10/Under program, designed to build a foundation of essential skills important to the development of youth tennis players. Novice and advanced novice levels available; lessons Monday and Wednesday afternoons. More information www.menlotennisacademy.com.

Stanford University EPGY.  Online courses K-8.  Tuition: $95 for 5 months; $135 for 10 months. Language arts and writing, Pre-Algebra, Beginning Algebra, Contact EPGY for Spanish translation.