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Oak Knoll PTO
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Otter Weekly
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December 15, 2013
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Thursday, December 19
- All School Assembly: Mark Kistler
- Mark Kistler, Family Drawing Night: 6:30-7:30pm, Art Room
Friday, December 20
- Minimum Day: All grades dismissed at 11:20am
- SCHOOL OFFICE CLOSES AT 11:30am: Please make sure you pick your children up on time!!
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Monday, December 23 - Friday, January 3
Monday, January 6
- NO SCHOOL: Collaborative Planning Day
Tuesday, January 7
Wednesday, January 8
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Family Drawing Night with Mark Kistler - This Thursday!
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Please join us in welcoming well known TV Host and author Mark Kistler to Oak Knoll this Thursday, December 19. Bring the whole family and pencil and paper to learn about drawing in 3D! Please see attached flyer for more information.
Event details:
Date : Thursday, December 19
Location: Oak Knoll School, Art Room
Time: 6:30-7:30 pm
If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Barb Snow by December 17.
Questions? Please email Jill Wurster or call 617-510-2082.
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Lost and Found: Please check the Lost and Found for lost garments, lunch-boxes, water-bottles, etc. Items not claimed by Friday, December 20 will be given to a local charity.
Carline: ue to the cold weather more people are choosing to use the carline. Tardies are up significantly as the carline is taking longer, so please plan accordingly and consider coming earlier.
Planned Absences: If your child will be missing any school because of travel plans over winter break, please email Cathy Petersen with student names and the dates of the absence. Or you can use Report an Absence form on the Oak Knoll website. Thank you!
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Otter Mileage - News from the Track
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We have transitioned to our new web-based reporting system - Student Lap Tracker. Our subscription to this service allows you to access your child's running information on-line. Click here to activate your account on Student Lap Tracker. This data is limited to total laps and monthly laps for only your child.
Student Lap Tracker follows FERPA guidelines for student data privacy, and it is our policy that student names are never publicly available on our website. For more information check out their website.
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Counsellor's Corner - Oak Knoll Wishing Tree
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The Oak Knoll Wishing Tree is starting to look very special with the kids 'Wish Tags' hanging from it's branches. Located outside the office we welcome you to stop by and read some of the students wishes for those affected by natural disasters in the world.
 
The children can earn a tag three ways; Do a chore at home and donate some pocket money to the Red Cross disaster relief fund. Teachers will collect the money and give students their Wish tags. Children can write a letter to a child that has been affected by a natural disaster like Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines or the Illinois tornadoes or the third way is to write a letter to your local congressman about concerns or questions about climate change and the environment. All money will be donated to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.
The Oak Knoll Wishing Tree is a symbol of peace, hope and unity this holiday season.
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This will be the last newsletter of 2013. The next newsletter will be sent on Sunday, January 5. Any submissions for that newsletter should be sent to newsletter@oakknoll.school by noon, Thursday, January 2. This is a day later than the usual deadline given the Wednesday of that week is New Year's Day.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season!
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Do Some Holiday Shopping and Help the PTO!
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Shop at the following local businesses and they will donate a percentage of the net sale to Oak Knoll PTO:
Honey Bears Christmas Trees: Buy your Christmas tree from Honey Bear Trees and they will donate 15% of the sale to our PTO. Check out the flyer (en Espaņol) for more information.
Kepler's Books: Whenever you shop at Kepler's Books in Downtown Menlo Park don't forget to mention Oak Knoll School. 6% of your purchases in store and online go back to our school all year long. Thank you Kepler's Books!
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After School Programs - Enrollment Open for Winter Session
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This winter, in addition to most of the programs offered this fall, we have added three new programs. "The Amazing World of Edible Art" and "American Food Tour" taught by Rainbow Chefs, as well as "21st Century Success Factors" taught by Starfire Education.
We hope you have the opportunity to take a look at the programs offered and sign up. We have not posted a deadline, but encourage you to sign up soon if you are interested, as several classes fill up quickly.
Please note that we are still waiting on responses from a few vendors.
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First, thank you to all of the 5th Graders who submitted artwork for the Yearbook Cover Contest. Over 55 students submitted amazing drawings! Winners will be announced the last day of school. In the meantime, all entries will be posted on a bulletin board outside the front office for the next two weeks. Be sure to take a look at all of the beautiful artwork! Second, you have just 3 more weeks to order the 2013-14 Oak Knoll Yearbook. Books are just $20. Purchase by December 31. Click here to order online.Finally, all 5th Grade Parents, please make sure to submit your child's BABY PHOTO for inclusion in the yearbook. Photos of your child between the ages of 3 and 12 months are best.Digital Image: (preferred method!) - Please e-mail the digital photo, with the child's name, the room teacher and Subject: Yearbook 2013/14 baby photos to Giovanna Senatore.Hard Copy: Have your child put his/her photo in the manilla envelope marked "Yearbook" in their classroom. Make sure to label the back of the photo with your child's name and teacher. Have your child write their name on the attached list on the envelope for tracking purposes. There will be a "back-up" manila envelope in the Yearbook folder in the PTO box in the office. Important: If you would like the photo returned to you, attach a note letting us know and we will return it to your child's teacher later in the year.Photos are due no later than Friday, January 17!
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Hillview-sponsored Parent Ed Monthly Series - Upcoming Events
Hillview is providing free childcare at these events. Click here for the complete Speaker Series program. If you have any questions, email Jessica Raines.
Next Event:
Sleepy Students, The Adolescent Circadian Shift
Devin Prouty, Ph.D., Researcher/Expert
Wednesday, January 8 at 6:30pm at the Hillview Performing Arts Center (PAC).
With school, sports, extracurricular clubs and friends, our kids are constantly pressed for time and sleep seems to always be neglected. A psychologist at SRI and parent of the MPCSD community, Dr. Devin Prouty is well versed in the ever-changing sleep patterns and circadian rhythms of our growing teens. Attendees will leave with a blueprint for how to adapt to the hormonal changes that leave us with students struggling to stay alert and engaged day in and day out.
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Project Cornerstone's Take It Personally Class - Winter Session - 6 Week Series
Building assets in our children might be some of the most important work we do as parents. How can we help our kids thrive? What is most important in helping my child succeed in school academically AND in life? How can I show my child I support their efforts and dreams? These questions and more will be answered in a 6-week parent study group series facilitated by Pam Von Wiegand, founder of Project Cornerstone.
Six Tuesday evenings starting January 7, 20114 from 7-8:30pm at the Hillview PAC.
Please RSVP to Robin Soran.
For a complete listing of all the parent education events in and around our community, please visit the district's ParentEd webpage.
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Before You Click Here:
Click Here:
Here's Why:
By starting your Amazon shopping on the MPAEF site, you can earn free money for our schools. One extra click earns us on average 5 percent through Amazon's affiliate program.
Think about the MPAEF and Amazon whenever you are getting ready to shop, as you'll find just about anything you need there.
Please, don't forget to bookmark the MPAEF-Amazon page today.
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Mark your calendars! The MPAEF Spring Auction is coming! Join us Saturday April 5, 2014 at the Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club for "A NIGHT IN MONTE CARLO".
VOLUNTEER and join the team! Whether you have lots of time to give or only a couple of hours, we need your help and have fun ways to get involved!
DONATE a party, event, experience, sports package, getaway - with friends or solo! Need some guidance? No problem! Information can be found on the MPAEF website. Send us an email!
See you in April!
Karen Dearing and Cyndy Hogan
2014 MPAEF Spring Auction Co-chairs
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SPORTS, CLASSES, ETC.
Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory (PVTC) Imaginative, challenging THEATRE CLASSES this winter! PVTC's classes are open to students of all skill level, novice to experienced in Pre-K through high school. In addition to teaching acting skills, these classes build self-confidence and encourage collaboration with peers. Each week, students learn about theatre through well-loved theatre games and creative acting exercises. Students also rehearse a short play that is performed at the end of our 8-week session for family and friends. One of the highlights of the performance, in addition to the fact that all students get lines, is using simple costumes, props, & lighting, and performing the play on a real stage. Our winter theme is water, so all of our short plays will center on classic stories about rain, the ocean, or other water forms. All classes begin the week of January 6. Register online at www.pvtc-ca.org. Questions? Email info@pvtc-ca.org
Jeff Aron's Spring Tennis Program at Sacred Heart Schools. February 1st. Programs for Adults and Juniors. Jeff Arons is the director of tennis for Sacred Heart Schools. His coaching experiences include founding/directing the East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring Program and coaching a Wimbledon doubles champion. Website: www.jeffaronstennis.com. Email: jeffaronstennis@gmail.com.
The Menlo-Atherton Grizzlies Lacrosse Club. Spring 2014 Season Boys & Girls ages 5 - 15 are welcome. We have openings on Girls and Boys Under 9 teams (2nd and 3rd graders) and wait lists at other levels. Registration is open now. If you or someone you know has lacrosse experience and is interested in coaching, we'd love to talk to you! See our website for more information or email us.
FAMILY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Family Giving Tree. Looking for a way to volunteer with kids this holiday? Become an elf for the day and sign up to help at the Family Giving Tree warehouse in Menlo Park to sort and process donated gifts for low-income children around the Bay Area. To see available volunteer slots, click here.
For more information on events/opportunities listed above or events 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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To read past Oak Knoll PTO newsletters, please visit our archives.
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