theotterweekly
Oak Knoll School News
September 27, 2015 
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This Week 


Monday, September 28
  • Safe Moves Assembly on Traffic Safety
  • Balclutha Field Trip (Murphy), 11:30am-10:00am (next day)
Wednesday, September 30 
  • End of PTO Membership Campaign - Donate here 
  • Spirit Rally, Wear Otterwear or blue or red
  • Site Council, 3:30-4:30pm, Teacher's Lounge
  • Filoli Gardens Field Trip (McColloch, Guerra), 9:00am-1:30pm
  • Balclutha Field Trip (Cline), 11:30am-10:00am (next day)

Thursday, October 1

  • Hidden Villa Field Trip (Howard, Wood), 8:30-11:30am

Friday, October 2 

  • Free Bike Inspection (1 of 3), 7:40-8:10am, Bike Racks
  • Los Trancos Field Trip (4th Grade), 8:30am-12:15pm
  • CuriOdyssey Field Trip (Stella, Andolina, C.Lopez), 8:45am-1:30pm
  • Fall Family Picnic, 5:00-7:00pm, Playground

Looking Ahead  


October 5 - October 9 
  • Halloween Costume Drive
Wednesday, October 7
  • International Walk to School Day
  • Filoli Gardens Field Trip (Yob, V.Lopez), 9:15am-1:30pm
  • Hillview Speaker Series Talk, 6:30pm, Hillview PAC
Friday, October 9
  • Free Bike Inspection (2 of 3), 7:40-8:10am, Bike Racks
Sunday, October 11
  • Class Picnic (Chan/Poole/Jagelka), 5:00-7:00pm
October 12-15  
  • MINIMUM DAYS, dismissal at 11:20am. NO after school programs.
  • Parent Conferences
October 12-23
  • Used Book Drive
October 13-14
  • MPAEF Dine Out for the Kids
Friday, October 16
  • NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 23
  • Free Bike Inspection (3 of 3), 7:40-8:10am, Bike Racks
See the Oak Knoll calendar for more important dates and events 
A Note On Attendance
Menlo Park City School District is committed to offering students the very finest education, and our families and community the highest performing schools. By now you have heard that this year, due to changes in school ranking calculation, we are obligated to make changes to our attendance practices. School attendance will be used this year as one of the indicators of a school's performance and ranking.

Consequently, the only excused absences are for student illness, student medical appointments, student attendance at a funeral, school shadowing, religious activities/holidays, or exclusion for failing to meet immunization requirements. All other absences will be marked "unexcused."

We realize that many parents take their children on educationally related trips and out of school for other enriching experiences, and therefore, in the past parents had the option of reporting a parent excused (P) for their child's absence. This is no longer the case.

The District now offers an Independent Study Program (ISP) for students who will be out of school for an extended period of time, or consecutive school days. Be assured that the ISP is connected to a child's current educational program with every effort being made to enrich the student experience while not burdening precious family time. A completed Independent Study Plan does not count as an absence. 

How do families obtain an ISP? If your child(ren) will miss consecutive school days because of a trip, please contact your classroom teachers prior to the planned absence so the school can put the ISP in place. The ISP must be completed and returned to school once you return, otherwise the absences are considered unexcused. Please note that absences should also be reported to the school office as usual.

Thank you in advance for supporting these efforts and getting the kids to school. We love having them here!              
 
MPAEF & PTO Joint Campaign - PTO Donation Deadline this Wednesday
   
THREE DAYS REMAIN until PTO donations are due! We are at 65% school-wide participation - let's get to 100%! The Oak Knoll PTO has already started to fund its programs and needs to have its funding in place by the end of the month. Please join the PTO by September 30!
 
To donate to the Oak Knoll PTO, click HERE.
 
 
Our on-going MPAEF goal is to have donation participation from all our district families. Our deadline is November 6, but the sooner you give, the sooner you can check it off your to-do list! Please donate or pledge today and remember that your generosity goes toward making sure all of our schools continue to have our vital support in arts, science and libraries; guidance and wellness; innovation and technology; smaller class sizes; and 32 additional teachers and their on-going professional development.
 
To donate, pledge or set up monthly payments to the MPAEF, click HERE

Your support of the MPAEF and the Oak Knoll PTO 
makes a real difference!
 
End of PTO Campaign Spirit Rally
On Wednesday, September 30, students and staff will gather in the playground for a spirit rally to mark the end of the PTO Campaign and celebrate Oak Knoll! Students can wear Otterwear or school colors blue or red.
       
Ollie Sunglasses for Sale this Week
Following popular demand, the Oak Knoll "Ollie glasses" will be sold this week at the orange Joint Campaign table near the gym on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at drop off and pick up, as well as on Friday at the fall family picnic. So if your kids missed out during the last round of glasses, stop by and pick up a pair for $3. While stocks last. 
       
Fall Family Picnic - This Friday
We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Fall Family Picnic this Friday, October 2 from 5:00-7:00pm on the upper playground at Oak Knoll. There will be games, bouncy houses, karaoke, and delicious burritos catered by Mama Coco. If you did not order food, feel free to bring your own picnic and join in the fun!
 
Help needed! We must have volunteers so the event can run smoothly. Please consider doing a short shift at an activity or food station - click here to sign up. Many thanks in advance. If you have any questions, please contact the team at [email protected].

Please remember that the Fall Family Picnic is a community event after-hours on school grounds. There will be parent volunteers monitoring the organized activities (bouncy houses, etc.), but there will be no adult supervision of the playgrounds and other play areas. We ask that parents please be responsible for supervising their own child(ren). There is also no alcohol or dogs permitted on school grounds.

Hope to see you there!  
 
     
Free Bike Inspections
In October, the Bike Safety Committee is hosting its annual FREE bike inspection event for Oak Knoll students. They will be on held on three Fridays: October 2, 9, and 23 before school, 7:40-8:10 am. Stop 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. Reservations are not required- just come over and say hello to one of the friendly parent volunteers. Due to popular demand, bike inspections for student bikes will be prioritized.  
      
Caring & Sharing Committee News
The Caring & Sharing Committee wants to announce two opportunities this fall to donate to those in need: A Halloween Costume Donation Drive and a New/Used Book Donation Drive. All donations will go to the Children's Fund of San Mateo County.

Halloween Costume Drive: As the Halloween season approaches, please consider donating your outgrown and gently used Halloween costumes. All costumes welcome, but please no torn costumes, wigs/masks, plastic guns, knives or anything that depicts violence.  The Halloween costume drive will be from October 5 through October 9.

Used/New Book Drive: Looking forward to Oak Knoll's October Book Fair? Let us help you prepare! When making room for those new books, please donate your previously loved books to the Oak Knoll book drive! Then, please consider buying a new book or two for the donation drive. All purchases help our school and donated new books will help children in need. All new books will be set aside and provided to needy children in San Mateo County as holiday gifts. The book drive will be from Oct 12 through October 23.

More details forthcoming as the time approaches. All donations will be collected in barrels in front of the school.

Note on the Children's Fund: The Children's Fund was established as a grassroots effort by social workers to assist foster and low-income children in San Mateo County and provide them with goods and services that are not available through public funds. The Children's Fund benefits low-income and foster children/teens who reside in San Mateo County.

Questions? Please contact Meg McGraw-Scherer.   
      
Save the Date: Dine Out for the Kids on October 13 & 14
Two days to Dine Out! Leave the planning and clean up of either lunch or dinner or both to someone else for one day, or even two! This year MPAEF brings you TWO days to dine out at local, favorite restaurants. A percentage of proceeds from participating restaurants will be generously given to the MPAEF to support our four schools.  Some restaurants included are: Bistro Vida, Mama Coco, Bradley's Fine Diner, Lutticken's, Carpaccio, Freewheel Brewery, Gourmet Lunch, Jeffrey's, Mardini's, Namesake Cheesecake, Sultana, Trellis, Yogurt Stop, and more to come!  With minimum days on the calendar that week, what a perfect way to make the most of lunch or dinner with your kids, for you kids!  And with a second Dine Out day, plan a dinner with friends!   To kick off Dine Out, please join us at Amici's on Monday, October 12, when 20% of their proceeds go to our schools!

More details coming to www.MPAEF.org
      
Ollie Salutes
Ollie Salutes our Car Line Coordinators and Volunteers!

Now that everyone is back into their school commute routines, Ollie would like us all to give a huge round of applause to our Car Line Coordinators Allison Chao and Kristen Rudella! Allison and Kristen work hard to make sure that we have the volunteers that we need to make our "driveway" run as smoothly as possible for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. And, of course, Ollie cannot forget to thank all of the parents that volunteer throughout the year for Car Line duty. Thank you all for helping get our kids to class on time! 
      
Yard Supervisors Added

Oak Knoll is excited to add two more yard supervisors during lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in addition to our current staff, to support us providing more varied options for our students and coverage. We are looking to fill additional yard supervisor positions Tuesday/Thursday 11:40am-1:00pm. If you enjoy working with our amazing students, and are looking for part-time work, please contact Leah Kessler for more information. 
      
Poetry and Art Project: Connected
Oak Knoll Otters, we want to hear from you! Our theme this year is "Connected" and we are interested in what the theme means to you. We are asking students of any age to write a poem or draw or paint a picture related to the theme of "Connected." Use your imagination and express yourself. Please submit what you have created to the big box in the library marked "Poetry and Art" during the months of October and November, and Ms. Scott and Ms. Ryan might pick your poem, picture or project to share on KNOL! 
      
Art Project: Newspaper Needed
On Wednesdays at lunchtime, 4th and 5th graders are working on a fun art project that will need a lot of newspapers. If you have newspapers you would like to recycle into an art project, please bring them to the Art Room. We can't wait to show the school what we are making! 
      
Hillview Speaker Series
Demystifying Design Thinking and Innovation
Wednesday, October 7, 6:30pm
Location: Hillview Performing Arts Center  
Sponsored by MPAEF

Partner up with your K thru 8 student, or come explore on your own, but bring your open mind for an evening of design thinking workshops! Experience what teachers are doing in our district schools to employ the innovative ideas they learned through professional development programs at Stanford's d.school. Through hands-on exercises focused on family dynamics and experiences, teachers from your schools will engage you and your kids in stages of design and encourage you to flex your design muscles

MPCSD is leading the way in educational innovation in its focus on design thinking.  Your contributions to MPAEF are making this kind of professional development for district teachers possible. So join MPAEF, district teachers, and your student(s) on October 7 to learn how your dollars make it possible for teachers to crack open the design thinking code and learn how to teach with innovative principles that are changing the way we think about problem solving in education.

Special introductions from: Branko Lukic, Designer, Author, and Founder of Nonobject Inc. Suzanne Pellican, Vice President of Design at Intuit, Erin Raab, Design Coach and PhD candidate at Stanford University, and Lisa Kay Solomon, author of Moments of Impact

Faculty Facilitators: Erik Burmeister; Theresa Fox; Willy Haug; Heidi Hendrickson; Mary Martin; Laura Olson; Susan Sanchez; Lela Ward; Gina Watkins; Heidi Yamada   

Note: Free on-site child care for all potty trained children.

MPAEF 2015-16 Spring Event & Auction Needs You!
We are seeking parent volunteers  to help out with this year's Spring Event & Auction.  The Auction will be held on April 30, 2016 and is a fun district wide event and important fundraiser that benefits our schools.
 
If you are someone who has good project management and data skills, we need you!  The roles we are looking for help with include:
 
Donations Coordinator
Online Auction Coordinator
Party planners
Items Manager
 
Let us know if you are interested - please email Flavia Herrod. with any questions and to talk about how you can help support our schools in a  fun and meaningful way. 
      
Nature Zone Volunteers Needed
Come help keep the Oak Knoll Nature Zone open! The Nature Zone (formerly known as "The Wild Zone") is the fenced off area at the side of school (towards the back field/playground) where kids have the opportunity to explore nature and interact with trees, branches, leaves, dirt and all the "natural toys" within The Nature Zone.  
 
In order to have the resource open to our students at lunchtime, we must have parent volunteers to supervise the area. Many shifts are still available - please visit our Nature Zone Volunteer Schedule, 2015-2016 and sign-up today!

Contact Becky Bullard for more information.
      
Kinder Yard Volunteers
Want to see your Kindergartener in action on the playground? Volunteer for playground/yard duty! We need your help with short 45 minute shifts supervising the kindergarten yard from 10:00am to 10:45am (updated time!) daily. If you can help out once a week or even once a month, please contact Tara Carranza for more information.  
      
Shop MPAEF
With every back-to-school purchase you make via MPAEF's shopping portal, you earn money for smaller classrooms, credentialed arts and science specialists, and our teachers'professional development. Simply start at Shop.MPAEF.org and then:
 
CLICK on your favorite merchant to activate our referral bonus. We have more than 80 great merchants including Amazon, Target, Nordstrom, and many more.
SHOP and pay for items as you normally would.
EARN up to 10% of your purchase total for our schools. It's that EASY!
We don't collect any personally identifiable information, so no new IDs or passwords to remember. Just start at Shop.MPAEF.org, click, shop, and earn for all our schools every time.
 
We've got scads of participating merchants, but start by getting your pens and pencils at Target, your new togs at Gap/Old Navy, and fall sports equipment at Sports Authority.
        
Community Sponsored News
M-A's Challenge Day
Monday-Wednesday, October 26-28, 8:15 am-3:30pm
Join us as a facilitator for one day for this memorable workshop that helps freshmen break down barriers and create new levels of empathy and respect.  Facilitators lead students through games, activities and trust-building exercises and are guided by a professional, trained Challenge Day leader.  To volunteer, e-mail Julie Quinlan; put "Challenge Day Volunteer" in the subject line.
 
St. Raymond Pumpkin Festival
October 9, 3:30-9:00pm; October 10, 10:00am-6:00pm
100 Santa Cruz Ave.
The St. Raymond Pumpkin Festival is a great family event with something for everyone... pony rides, climbing spider maze, bungee trampoline, train ride, face painting, carnival games, pumpkin sales, carnival games, food, beer garden, treats and more!
 
Family Day at the Pumpkin Patch with Ambassadors for LPCH
Wednesday, October 14, 1:00-6:00pm
Webb Ranch, 2720 Alpine Rd, Portola Valley
Join the LPCH Ambassadors for a fun, family afternoon picking pumpkins at Webb Ranch. Buy a pumpkin for your family and one to donate to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital pumpkin patch. 100% of the day's proceeds will be donated to LPCH! Enjoy jumpy houses, train ride, pony rides, face painting, haunted house and pumpkin slingshot. See www.AmbassadorsLPCH.org for more information.
 
Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research (CIBSR)
Stanford University
Looking for 8-12-year-old mother-son and mother-daughter pairs to participate in the Social Brain Investigation research study, exploring brain function during social interactions using brain imaging via safe and non-invasive fNIRS scans. We are offering $30, access to ongoing updates about the study, and information from behavioral assessment results. Contact Sharon Bade Shrestha for more information!
 
MSx Program, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Are you the parent of a 10 - 14 year old? A team of students at the Stanford Graduate School of Business would like to get a better understanding of the current state of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning in and out of school. If your son or daughter is available for a 20-30 minute conversation, in person, please fill out this form.
       
Newsletter Details
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. 

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