Oak Knoll PTO
Otter Weekly
November 2, 2014
To Do
In This Issue
Join Our Mailing List

This Week 


November 3-7
  • Embracing Our Differences Week

Monday, November 3

  • Parent Talk "Sleepy Students: The Adolescent Circadian Shift," 6:30pm, Hillview PAC

Tuesday, November 4 

  • Voting in Playroom
  • Kindergarten Vision & Hearing Screening (Andolina Lopez, Stella)

Wednesday, November 5

  • Parent Talk "Apply a Powerful Design-Thinking Mindset to Your Everyday," 6:30pm, Hillview PAC

Thursday, November 6 

  • Kindergarten Vision & Hearing Screening (Mitchell)
  • MPAEF Board Meeting, 8:45-10:30am, TERC

Friday, November 7

  • Last Day to Submit 5th Grade Yearbook Cover Artwork
  • Kindergarten Vision & Hearing Screening (Ziff, Chan)

Looking Ahead  


November 10-11
  • NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, November 12  

  • Site Council Meeting
  • PTO Board Meeting, 8:15-10:00am
  • MPCSD Final Decision on Mandarin Charter School Petition, 6:30pm, Encinal

November 13-14 

  • 2nd Grade Vision & Hearing Screening
  • MPAEF Gift Boutique, Allied Arts Guild

See the Oak Knoll calendar for more important dates and events 

Embracing Our Differences Week
We invite the entire Oak Knoll community to participate in a week-long celebration of abilities during our Abilities Awareness Week - Embracing Our Differences - being held this week, November 3-7. The purpose of the week is to increase awareness, understanding and acceptance of different abilities, and most importantly to see beyond disabilities and recognize the similarities, strengths and abilities of all people. To see the ABLE in disabled, the difference NOT the deficit!

Embracing Our Differences is a reminder that whether or not we have a disability, we all most likely know someone who does. It is something that connects each and every one of us and is important to talk about. A variety of events are planned to engage students, staff, parents, siblings and families of the Oak Knoll community in conversations about disability, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

Each day, Monday through Friday, our community will be looking at a different aspect of Abilities Awareness:
 
Event Schedule:
  • Student Assembly: Monday, November 3, Speaker Michael King
  • In-classroom modules to encourage students to discuss and think about differences and abilities:
    • Monday: Garden of Abilities
    • Tuesday: Myths & Stereotypes, Adaptations & Inclusion
    • Wedesday: A look at disabilities that cannot be seen: Attention Deficit Disorder
    • Thursday: A look at disabilities that can be seen: People Who Use Wheelchairs
    • Friday: Disability Etiquette & Person First Laguage
  • Art, Music, Physical Education & Library Programs will be incorporating this theme into their work with students in imaginative and fun ways!
  • Abilities Hall of Fame: Monday through Friday, a look at famous people (some are surprising!) that have disabilities
  • Spirit Day & KNOL TV - Embracing Our Differences Theme
     

We hope your kids will be bringing home information, ideas and topics for discussion from this informative and fun week!
 
For more information or to offer support or volunteering, please contact Elaine Glynn  or Shannon Garrow.  

      
Attention Otters: Veteran's Day Honor Wall 
Veteran's Day is approaching and Oak Knoll would like to honor our students' family members who serve or have served in the armed forces. Please send a 5x7 photo or smaller (do not send originals as the photos will not be returned), along with their name, military branch, rank, number of years served, tours/stationed and the students name and relation to service personnel and we will display it (this info should fit on an index card). Please see samples. If you have any questions, email Nicole Scott with Honor Wall in the subject. 
       
Staff Highlights
Astrid Rieber, Speech-Language Specialist

Favorite thing about Oak Knoll: Otter pride. The sense of community.

Share a passion of yours: I have been involved with Second Harvest Food Bank, the Almost Eden Garden Project which grows organic food to supply food pantries, and Traveling Story time, reading to preschool aged children. I would like to become involved with organizations such as Free the Slaves or the Polaris Project and contribute to help fight Human Trafficking.

A fun fact about yourself: I enjoy family time with my husband and three children, especially being outdoors with them. I love travel and yoga and hope to combine the two. I enjoy gardening and reading and wish I had more time for these.

A favorite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving." - Anne Frank

Elizabeth ("Liz") Wood, First Grade Teacher

Favorite thing about Oak Knoll: Oak Knoll is community where everybody cares for one another. I love the energy and excitement from my students and interacting with my fellow staff members. Every day is a great day on the Knoll!!!

Share a passion of yours: I was involved for many years with the Junior League of Palo-Alto/Mid-Peninsula which I really enjoyed. I spent the past 2 years serving on the Menlo-Atherton High School Foundation for the Future Board. I am currently involved with the Vista Center which helps people who are blind or visually impaired. This is my third year helping with their fundraiser, Vintage Affaire. I head up the volunteers.

A fun fact about yourself: I grew up in Menlo Park and attended Laurel, Encinal and Menlo-Atherton for school.

A favorite quote: "Life doesn't require that we be our best, only that we try our best."
     
Calling All 5th Grade Yearbook Cover Artists
Your 5th grader has the opportunity to have their artwork displayed on the front or back cover of the 2014-2015 Oak Knoll Yearbook. The tradition of having the children create artwork for the yearbook covers is in it's 5th year! There are five winners total.

Beginning this week, in art class, all 5th graders should have the following guidelines from Mr. Almquist: 
  • Use an 8.5 x 11" piece of what paper (vertical orientation only)
  • Include the name of the school in the drawing, Oak Knoll in the drawing
  • Include Ollie the Otter, the school's mascot, somewhere in the drawing. He can be large or small.
  • Include the school year, 2014-15 or 2014-2015 in the drawing
  • Include your First and Last names on the bottom, right-hand side of the drawing (drawings without a name will not be judged)
  • No violence or brands in the drawing
Cover Artwork is due to the homeroom teacher ONLY by THIS FRIDAY, November 7.

Artwork will be judged by Oak Knoll staff only. Winners will be announced at the end of the school year, when yearbooks are delivered.

Happy drawing!

Contact Rhonda Bucklin with questions.     
               
Substitute Teachers Needed for District Pool
Looking for a way to contribute to your child's school district and earn yourself a few dollars? Why not try substitute teaching a couple of days a week? Substitutes without a California Teaching Credential are employed on a short term basis (meaning day-to-day subbing vs long-term leave subbing). We often need substitutes for roving purposes, meaning  substitutes release teachers for special meetings or trainings for a few hours during the day. In order to sub in California, we need to see a passing CBEST score and transcripts showing a BA or higher. For more information, contact our district office.  
      
Ollie Salutes
Ollie salutes the Oak Knoll School Custodian, Victor Barraza! What doesn't Victor do?? From inspecting school facilities, maintaining equipment and identifying repairs to moving furniture and clearing up after events. And of course you will see him in the morning guarding the crosswalk into school. So a big thank you goes to Victor for all his operational work making sure Oak Knoll is an attractive, clean and safe place for our children, staff and visitors.

Don't forget to say hi and thank you to Victor when you see him at the crosswalk or on campus! 
      
Oak Knoll's Spring 2015 Musical
What do you do after an unforgettable show like Wizard of Oz? You follow it up with Willy Wonka Jr! And that's what the 4th and 5th graders will be doing this Spring.

"Willy Wonka Jr." is the musical adaptation of Road Dahl's Story, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," a story which is no doubt familiar to all Oak Knoll students.

Auditions will take place after school the week of December 8. Please visit Mrs. Tee's Fusion page for more information to be posted this week.  
      
Charter School Petition - School Board Decision November 12
Please continue to voice your opinions on the Menlo Mandarin Immersion Charter School (MMICS) petition. The MPCSD Board will make its final decision on Wednesday, November 12 at a public school board meeting at 6:30pm (Encinal Elementary School, Multi-Use Room, 195 Encinal Ave., Atherton.

On September 12 our District received its first Charter School petition from the parents of the Menlo Mandarin Immersion Charter School. Click here to see the entire Charter petition including petition signatures. A presentation on Charter School fundamentals was presented to the Board on September 3, and is accessible, click here.

 

Click here to read Charter Petition FAQs from the MPCSD website. 

 
Parent Book Club - DATE CHANGE
Nicole Scott, School Counselor, and Jenny Ryan, School Psychologist, invite you to join our parent book club. We will be reading All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior. The book club meets at Kepler's on TUESDAYS at 9:00am (except for 10/29 we will start at 10:00am). Come enjoy time with other parents that are all trying to do the best we can. Each week we will discuss a portion of the book.

The dates we will be meeting are November 4, November 18, December 2 and December 9.

The book may be purchased at Kepler's - tell them it's for the MPCSD parent book club and get a 15% discount!

If you are interested in joining us, please email [email protected]
       
Survey with Correct Safe Routes to School Link
Parents - Give Feedback to the County About Safe Routes to School

MPCSD has a County grant for Safe Routes to School program such as traffic safety assemblies, bike/walk rodeos, KangaDo carpool smartphone app, expanded yellow school bus routes, International Walk/Bike to School Day and web resources.

Click here to tell the County your thoughts about the Safe Routes to School programs in MPCSD.

We apologize that last week's link was broken. Deadline November 10.

Questions? [email protected]
       
Safety Vests
Safe Routes to School program in MPCSD includes free safety vests for students and parents. In bright daylight, a child who peddles into shaded road under trees becomes invisible. Please take some vests and get your student to wear one along with you. 
       
Compassion Tree
Near the lost and found a compassion tree has started to grow. If your family participates (or has already participated this year) in an act of compassion (a clean up, delivering food, a run for charity), please get an apple from the office and let us know about it. Turn in apples to the office and we will share this act with your child's classroom and some will be shared on KNOL. Let's help our tree grow! Any questions, please email Nicole Scott with "Compassion Tree" in the subject line.         

MPAEF Spring Auction - Come Join the Team! 
Have you enjoyed taking part in the MPAEF Spring Auction year after year? Are you new to the District and excited to get involved? Join us and help us raise $250K+ for our schools!!
 
We are currently seeking a parent volunteer to be the Auction Co-Chair for the 2015 MPAEF Spring Auction to be held on Saturday, April 11 at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club.  Cyndy Hogan is returning as the Event Co-Chair so you'll be working with a seasoned partner. We are seeking an auction-side co-chair to oversee the online and event-night auction. If you are someone who has good project management skills, data management skills, and an interest in organizing a large-scale event to support our schools, we need you!
 
If you are interested in learning more about this important and fun role, please reach out to Calla Griffith at 650-906-7960. 
      
MPAEF News

5th Annual MPAEF Gift Boutique 
Thursday, November 13 & Friday, November 14 
Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park

Featuring well-known designers and much-loved local vendors, there will sure to be something for everyone on your shopping list. We invite you to preview our vendors here. And, recommended, purchase advance tickets to our special events here.

Sips, Sweets & Shopping: 
Enjoy wine and sweet treats while you shop the boutique.
Thursday, November 13, 6:00-9:00pm
$30 per person advance purchase
$40 per person at the door

An Evening with the Experts: 
We've partnered with the highly-regarded caterers and masterful mixologists of Palace Cafe and Catering, and fabulous florist Amanda Thorne to teach you the tricks of the trade and turn you into the hostess with the mostess.
Thursday, November 13, 6:30-7:30pm
$75 per person which includes entrance into MPAEF Gift Boutique- limited to 30 guests

Boutique Brunch and Lunch at the Blue Garden Cafe 
Seating available Friday, November 14 at 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30pm
$50 per person, space is limited, advance purchase required

Boutique Shopping 
Friday, November 14, 8:30am-2:30pm
Complimentary Entrance

Invite friends and family! All are welcome! 
20% of boutique proceeds benefit the MPCSD schools.
Learn more about this event here.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Commit Your Support to the MPAEF Annual Parent Campaign

18 days remain in the MPAEF Annual Parent Campaign! As a parent community, we need to come together and stand strong to show our commitment to our schools and our students. This Community-Funded District of ours needs our collective support before the November 20 campaign close.
 
If you have already pledged or donated, thank you! If you still need to contribute, please do so today via one of these three options.
 
Pledge Now; Pay Later
Donate Online or by Check
Recurring Credit Card Payments

Parent Ed
Sleepy Students: The Adolescent Circadian Shift
Devin Prouty, Ph.D., Researcher/Expert
Hillview Middle School, PAC
Monday, November 3, 6:30pm

Join local researcher Dr. Devin Prouty, Ph.D. as he discusses practical strategies for dealing with adolescent sleep changes and how to help your whole family get enough sleep.  Additionally, he will detail the biological mechanisms that affect sleep, biological changes that affect adolescent sleep patterns, the importance of sleep to overall health and academic achievement, and the problems that are associated with insufficient sleep.  Dr. Prouty is a local clinical psychologist (www.granitepsychology.com) who also studies adolescent brain development through NCANDA, the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (www.ncanda.org).  Free childcare is provided on-site for all potty trained children.  For more information, contact Jennifer Allen.
___________________________________________________________________________________

MPAEF Presents:
"Apply a Powerful Design-Thinking Mindset to Your Everyday"
Wednesday, November 5, 6:30-8:00pm
Hillview Performing Arts Center

According to Hillview Principal Erik Burmeister, a design-thinking mindset has the powerful potential to change many aspects of our personal, family and professional lives, as well as the personal, emotional and academic lives of our children. In fact, our kids have already been discovering its positive impact in classroom and school activities.

Since 2012, our school district has been collaborating with design-thinking influencers and innovation-focused leaders. And now the MPAEF has brought together these individuals to engage district parents and the greater Menlo Park-Atherton community in a panel discussion about how this innovations-based, problem-solving practice is applicable and purposeful to all of us.

The panel of design thinking and innovative leaders includes:
  • Erik Burmeister, Principal of Hillview Middle School and Lead of MPCSD Design efforts
  • Leah Kessler, Vice Principal of Oak Knoll and experienced design thinker and educator
  • Guido Kovalskys, Founder and Co-CEO of Nearpod, Fellow in the K12 Lab at Stanford's famed d.school
  • Branko Lukic, Founder of Nonobject, the award-winning design firm in Palo Alto, and author of design book by the same name, and MPCSD Encinal and Hillview parent
  • Suzanne Pellican, Chief Design Strategist at Intuit and Intuit's former Director of "Design for Delight and Innovation Catalysts" and MPCSD Laurel parent
  • Lisa Solomon, Lecturer on "Innovation" at California College of the Arts in MBA in Design Strategy program and best-selling author of Moments of Impact
With Maurice Ghysels, MPCSD Superintendent and Panel Moderator
 
Join over 90 fellow parents who've already confirmed their seat and learn these key pillars of design thinking as our children experience them in their classrooms. Discover how they extend and apply to areas of our every day:  

Empathize first!      
Yes, and...   
Design for delight     
Fail fast; fail often

This event is free and open to the entire community. Seating is limited so be sure to reserve your spot today!  Light refreshments will be served. Click here to register.   
       
Community Sponsored News
The Harvest Festival 
Woodside High School
Saturday, November 8, 10:00am-3:00pm
Arts and crafts vendors, refreshments and door prizes will be available for great family fun.

Twas the Night Before Christmas 
Saturday, December 6, 4:00pm
Sunday, December 7, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Saturday, December 13, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Sunday, December 14, 1:00 & 4:00pm
Presented by Dancers Repertory Theatre and Menlo Park Academy of Dance
Located at the Woodside Performing Arts Center - tickets here.

The Nutcracker 
Sunday, December 7, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Presented by Academy of American Ballet
Fox Theater in Redwood City - tickets here.

Menlowe Ballet 
Presents Legend
November 8, 2:00pm & 8:00pm
November 9, 2:00pm
November 15, 2:00pm & 8:00pm
Menlo Atherton Performing Arts Center
Menlowe Ballet's Fall Season Shows How Legends Are Made - tickets here.

Alpine Strikers 
Serving the areas of Menlo Park, Portola Valley, and Woodside. The club is holding their annual tryouts for all age groups; U8-U19. Please click here for tryouts information and registration. We look forward to seeing you out on the field!

Hillview Middle School Presents The Miracle Worker 
Hillview Performing Arts Center
Thursday, November 20, 3:30pm
Friday, November 21, 7:00pm
Saturday, November 22, 2:30pm & 7:00pm
Based on the remarkable true story for Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan, this inspiring play has become an unforgettable American classic. Please join the young actors of the Hillview Drama department in their presentation of this timeless tale. 

 

Quick Links

Newsletter Submissions
Please submit announcements and flyers to [email protected] for Oak Knoll events. For the Community Corner, send submissions to [email protected].

The deadline for both email addresses is by noon on the Wednesday 
prior to publication dateGuidelines for submission are available online. 

Newsletter Archives
To read past Oak Knoll PTO newsletters, please visit our archives.