Message from Kristen Gracia

David Ackerman and I need your help this Tuesday, November 5 at 7:30am. There have been a number of near tragic incidents near and around our school. We believe these incidents are related to driver and bicycle behavior. It is time for a safety intervention. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Please come to the office on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:30am. We will distribute volunteers, wearing traffic vests, to as many intersections of our neighborhood as we can. We will give directions that morning and have signs for the volunteers to hold. Our hope is to have at least 15 volunteers. 

Our goal is to remind the community that safety is a priority, and to make an impression on and educate drivers and bicyclists.

If you can help out on November 5, please email me at: kgracia@mpcsd.org

Thanks for your support.

This Tuesday, November 5 is election day for Measure W.  Please cast your vote or turn in your absentee ballot to any polling place.  Local polling places where you can turn in an absentee ballot include Laurel School, Oak Knoll School and Menlo College. For more information see: https://www.shapethefuture.org/votingoptions/votepolls.asp

MPAEF Pledge and Payments Drive

MPAEF Chic Boutique

Oak Knoll's 2013-2014 Yearbook is on-sale through December 31.  Please order online.  Specify your child's(ren) grade and teacher for each book.  Books are $20 each and a great way to keep Oak Knoll memories alive for your kids.  Please contact Rhonda Bucklin if ordering online is not an option.  Again, we want to eliminate or minimize paper payments.  

Parent Education Night and ELAC meeting

All English Learner (EL) and OKCC families are invited to a Parent Education night on Wednesday, November 13, from 5:30-6:15pm. The Parent Education night is for families of transitional kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade students only.  After the Parent Education night we will enjoy pizza. Please RSVP to Cheryl Marelich at (650) 854-4433 ext 4138 or cmarelich@mpcsd.org.  

The English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) meeting for ALL English Learner (EL) families will also be Wednesday, November 13 from 6:45-7:45pm. Come early to meet new families and enjoy some pizza! Childcare will be available at both events.  Please RSVP to Cheryl Marelich at (650) 854-4433 ext 4138 or cmarelich@mpcsd.org.

The PTO Caring and Sharing Committee and Oak Knoll Cub Scouts from Pack 222 are sponsoring the "Scouting for Food" food drive during morning drop-off Wednesday, November 13 to Friday, November 15.

Scouts will be collecting your donations of canned and packaged food for donation to Second Harvest and other local charities. The food bank especially needs nutritious, non-perishable, single-serving foods (no glass containers) for use in programs for children although all donations can be utilized. You can also make a monetary donation at shfb.org/donate.

Attention Otters:  November 15 is spirit day.  Do you have the Confidence to dress goofy? Come with crazy hair and fun clothes.  Celebrate who you are and Stand Out in the crowd!  We will also have a Fun Spirit Rally in the Gym with KNOL live!     

Please check out my newly updated Counselor's Corner webpage.   It includes my contact details, the days I am at Oak Knoll, and information about the current book of the month.   

Nicole Scott,

School Counselor   

What a fantastic Halloween celebration we had at school on Thursday.  Thank you to all the teachers and staff who made it so special for our community.  Between the parade, the parties and Books Come Alive, the children had a fun-packed day.  Thank you to our brilliant volunteers who helped Ms. Bennion with Books Come Alive:  Michelle Box, Jody Buckley, Carey D'Alessandro, Naed de la Vega, Alison Fleming, Lisa Guevara, Mayumi Maeda, Mark Reinhold, Sheryl Sandberg, Mary Speiser and Kristen Swanson.  

Ollie loved seeing all the brilliant artwork that our children created for Noteworthy Art and would like to thank our Committee Chairs:  Mary Karen Lundh, Betsy Muhlner, and Annie Peterson and all the volunteers who helped in the classroom.  

The art room is in need of a couple old working record players for a painting project. These record players will be non-returnable because they will be covered in paint.  Please email Jayd Almquist if you have one you can donate.  Thank you!  

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The office needs boys and girls underwear in all sizes, especially girls in smaller sizes. Thank you for any donations.     

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Picture make-up day is November, 8 from 8:30-10:00am.  

Need a Ride When It Rains?

The drop-off and pick-up traffic jam at school intensifies when rain hits. Before the rains start, get your child to take the SamTrans bus. Riding the bus keeps you and your child out of the long drop-off and pick-up lines, making your family's day less stressful. For more information, visit the district website.

Consider This: Don't Rule Out Walking or Biking When It Rains

Kids in wet climates walk & bike come rain or shine. Here is how: Seattle Biking in the Rain Advice and  SF Gate Rain Bike Advice and Commuting By Bike in the Rain Advice. Safety vests for visibility are ESSENTIAL. Please stop by the office to collect free safety vests in adult and child sizes, no matter what the weather. 

Is your daughter interested in being in Girl Scouts?  Have they seen the Girl Scouts helping out with the Costume & Book Donation Drives at school or wearing their uniforms and wondered what Girl Scouts is all about?  We have some openings in one of our 1st grade Daisy troops.  For more information or if interested, please email Allison Chao. 

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

SPORTS, CLASSES, ETC. 

Stanford United:  Soccer Tryouts for Boys 7-10.  Tuesday, November 19 and Thursday, November 21 from 4-5:30 in Palo Alto. Coached by Vava Marques, a US National Team futsal coach, and his experienced staff. Families interested in learning more and joining us for tryouts for Spring 2014 should email tryouts2013@gmail.com

The Mid-Penninsula Chapter of NCL membership drive. Girls in the Class of 2020 (current sixth-grade girls).  There are also limited spots available in the Class of 2019 (current seventh grade), as well as the Class of 2018 for eight grade daughters. National Charity League is a nonprofit philanthropic organization of mothers and their daughters, which continues from the beginning of 7th grade through 12th grade.  For more information, please contact Karen Fryling, VP Membership:  Karen.Fryling@cbnorcal.com or visit our website:  www.nclmidpen.org.  

PRACTICE TESTS HSPT and ISEE (all levels) and TEST PREP. Wed. Nov. 27, Fri. Nov. 29, Sat. Nov. 30, Sun. Dec. 1.  During November holidays, practice test sessions or tutoring sessions will be given. Pls. contact for more information. Omega's office is located at 1030 Curtis St., #201, Menlo Park. Email: jennifer@omegateaching.com, phone: 650.324.1662 or visit www.omegateaching.com 

Women Basketball Players. Sundays, 10 a.m., Oak Knoll Multi. Join Oak Knoll, Hillview, Encinal and Laurel moms for basketball scrimmage and drills.  Whether you have played before or would like to learn, we would love to have you join us. It is a great workout and a lot of fun. For more information, email Margie Roginski.

EVENTS 

Menlo-Atherton High School annual Canned Food Drive.  Tuesday, November 5.  This is a chance for the greater community to rally around the growing number of San Mateo County residents who cannot afford enough food to provide for themselves and their families. According to the Second Harvest Food Bank website, 1 in 4 people in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties are at risk for hunger. Many of them are children, and some are our neighbors, classmates, or acquaintances. Consider donating online at www.shfb.org/donateonline. Please contact feedourfamilies@mabearspta.org if you have questions. Thank you for your support! 

Peter Pan production at the Peninsula Youth Theatre!.  November 9-17.  At the Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.  For tickets and more I formation, please visit www.pytnet.org.

The Foundation for the Future.  Wednesday, November 20, from 9:00 to 11:00.  Attention Parents of 8th Graders!  Want to get the scoop on M-A from current M-A moms?  The Foundation for the Future is sponsoring a coffee solely for the purpose of community education. Join mothers who currently have students at M-A for an informal conversation about the school on Wednesday, November 20, from 9:00 to 11:00.  Coffee and refreshments will be served. Please send an email to rsvp@mafoundation.org if you plan to attend.     

Be the Music to Our Ears at Lytton Gardens.  Share the gift of music with seniors at Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto.  You can play between 5-8pm any day of the week in the Health Care Center. It will be the highlight of our residents' week. To schedule a time, email Bethany Dinh at bdinh@lyttongardens.org. 

Family-Friendly Nutcracker Performance at Fox Theater.  Friday, December 6th at 7:00pm and Sunday, December 8th at 2:00pm.  Ballet America's show has it all: professional dancers, alongside 100 local performers.  Tickets range in price from $18-$39 and are available via the website: www.balletamerica.org.  Get your tickets early before they sell out.  See you at the ballet!