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Tuesday, March 15
- CuriOdyssey Field Trip (Chan, Poole, Jagelka)
Wednesday, March 16
- Mission San Juan Bautista Field Trip (Veneman)
- Walt Disney Museum Field Trip (Kelley, Brewbaker), 8:45am-1:30pm
Friday, March 18
- Mission San Juan Bautista Field Trip (Fuller)
- 2016-2017 Re-Enrollment Deadline
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Thursday, March 24
- Music Man Jr, 3:30pm, Hillview PAC (ticket details below)
Saturday, March 26
- Music Man Jr, 7:00pm, Hillview PAC (ticket details below)
Tuesday, March 29
- Marine Science Institute Field Trip (Quarre, Brewbaker)
Wednesday, March 30
- Marine Science Institute Field Trip (Kelley, Johnston)
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Mandatory Student Re-Enrollment Required by March 18
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By now all parents of current K-7 students should have received their students' 2016-17 re-enrollment notification email. The District is asking parents to complete their student's re-enrollment by Friday, March 18. Even though your plans for next year may not be finalized, please complete the re-enrollment process in any case. You always have the option of contacting our Registrar to update your enrollment status. For those families who do not have an email on file, re-enrollment instructions will be sent by postal mail. If Internet access is an issue, a computer is available at the District office at 181 Encinal Ave., Atherton. If you have any questions about this process, please contact us at district@mpcsd.org.
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Carline & Parking Reminders
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Dear parents, this is a plea. On a regular basis the Assistant Principal and a group of parents have to put time and thought into reminding parents of transportation safety around school. Most of you follow these rules, however for those who continue to ignore these reasonable safety and courtesy points, please take note. As always, if you have constructive suggestions on improvements, we invite you to contact the administration. :
With the increase in rain this season, we have also seen an increase in cars at and around Oak Knoll. We have 738 students, and multiple modes of transportation (bus, bike, walk, ride) each day; it is important that we prioritize student and family safety regardless of which mode you choose. The parking restrictions and carline restrictions are in place to align with our Safe Routes to School Plan to accommodate our large number of bikers and walkers.
(1) The only carline at Oak Knoll is the one in our driveway. It is important that cars do not stop and  wait, or drop off children, in the no parking zones because doing so obstructs our safe routes. We have seen cars dropping off and picking up in the no parking zones on Oak Knoll Lane, White Oak Drive, and Oakfield Lane - these areas are not for dropping off or picking up.
(2) Our carline is not fast. It takes time to safely unload and load the students into cars, so we ask for your patience if using our carline is the form of transportation that you choose. All parents in carline must remain in their cars, and move forward with traffic, not in front of it. If you are using our carline, you may not turn left into the school driveway while coming from Oak Avenue. The carline must be entered from Oakdell Avenue.
We have been and will continue to be in touch with the Menlo Park Police Department about violations around our campus that threaten student safety. For more information on the various options for getting to and from Oak Knoll, please visit our School Transportation Page.
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 During February, KNOL, the Oak Knoll daily broadcast, underwent an upgrade. The 5th grade tech crew have been having fun learning about the new equipment and all the great features, like allowing them to put in a news desk, lay in a photo about the topic they are covering, add fun camera change effects and much more. Each week, along with KNOL director Nicole Scott, the students are exploring new features to make the broadcast more professional and like a real newscast. Thank you to Nicole Scott and Jarrod Coombes, a member of the MPCSD Technology team and fellow Oak Knoll parent, for their work on the upgrade.
KNOL is broadcast from the Oak Knoll library to each classroom at 8:13am every morning Monday through Friday during the school year, on Comcast Channel 30. Students hear from other students about what is going on in school that day.
- For AT&T U-verse subscribers, you can go to Channel 99 and look for the channel options.
- For those without cable, you can go to the website, click on the watch other streams or under the local TV pull-down menu, click watch now. Then choose Channel 30. Here is a link directly to the watch now page.
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At the Parent Coffee Talk last week, Hillview's principal, Mr. Haug, joined us at Oak Knoll and provided great first-hand information on Hillview and insights on the transition to middle school. There will be a 5th Grade Parent Information Night on Wednesday, April 13, at 6:30-8:30pm in the Hillview PAC.
Regular informational meetings for parents on various topics of interest are held throughout the year at Oak Knoll. The final Parent Coffee Talk of this school year will be held on Tuesday, April 12 at 8:15am - mark your calendars and come join Mrs. Gracia and her team for some good discussions.
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Over 240 Students Participate in Science Fair
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 Last Wednesday and Thursday night, over 240 student scientists shared their hypotheses, experiments,and conclusions to a riveted group of parent coaches and enthusiastic friends and family. Our scientists showed us lots of interesting things - that the Mexican peso is much more durable than the US dollar, which breakfast cereal becomes soggy in milk the fastest, that chewing gum and exercise can help you focus, and so much more! It was an incredible two nights!
The opportunity for our Otters to participate in the fun, independent, hands-on learning that comes with the Science Fair would not have been possible without the efforts of the Science Fair Co-Chairs, Sherwin Chen, Sandi Knox, and Tracy Roeder. Ollie would like thank them for all of their hard work  putting on this year's Science Fair, which had over 60 more student participants than any other prior year! From registration to coach recruiting, from KNOL spots and marketing to setting up tables and table assignments, this team put together a Science Fair that enabled our Otters to showcase their hard work and have fun at the same time. And, the two nights would not have been a success without all of the parents who volunteered to coach and those who helped set up, work check-in, clean up, and lent a hand when needed. Thank you to all that worked on the Science Fair! |
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After-School Programs Registration Open
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Registration is now OPEN for after-school programs at Oak Knoll this upcoming spring session! The classes will run from March 28 - June 10, 2016 (no classes on 4/1-4/8 and 5/30). These enrichment classes are wonderful opportunities for your child to try a variety of new activities and sports, or continue the current classes they have been enjoying so far. Check out the After-School Program schedule to learn more and register for classes. *New classes this spring: The After School Music Academy's ukulele (K-2) and guitar (3-5) classes; Soccer Shots (K-2); Starfire Coding (1-5)*
Classes fill up quickly, so please register early!
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Music Man Jr. Tickets on Sale
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 Mark your calendars! Oak Knoll's production of Music Man Jr., will be performed by 4th and 5th graders at the Hillview Performing Art Center (PAC) on two dates: Thursday, March 24 at 3:30pm and Saturday, March 26 at 7:00pm. The kids have been working hard at rehearsal and they are excited to perform for their peers, friends and family.
Tickets are $10 for everyone and available for purchase now at http://mpcsd.seatyourself.biz. Both Oak Knoll and Encinal show dates are listed so be sure to choose the correct show. Seating is general admission and tickets will be available for pickup at "Will Call" at the show.
The Hillview PAC seats 400 and 300 seats are sold online ahead of show with 100 seats available for purchase at the door.
DVD's of the show will be available for $10 each. Please email Sharon Purcell if you would like a copy.
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CDE Release of Student Information
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Dear MPCSD Parents,
As you may have heard in the news, the California Department of Education (CDE) is currently engaged in litigation regarding the disclosure of students' protected personal information and records arising from the court order in the Morgan Hill Union School District's Concerned Parents Association and the Concerned Parent Association v. California Department of Education lawsuit.
The CDE is being sued, not MPCSD. CDE, not MPCSD, is being asked to provide student identifiable information, which may include names, addresses, and mental/physical assessments of every student enrolled in any CA public school since 2008. There is litigation to block this order; however, there are no guarantees that these blocks will succeed. The only way to ensure that your child's private information will not be released is to complete THIS OBJECTION TO RELEASE form provided by the CDE and follow the directions to submit prior to April 1, 2016.
We are sorry for this inconvenience. We want you to be informed.
Thank you,
Menlo Park City School District
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 Howdy Partners! The MPAEF Spring Event & Auction is Saturday, April 30th! Throw on your cowboy boots and mosey on down to the MPAEF Saloon (MacArthur Park Restaurant in Palo Alto) for some boot stompin' fun including a western themed dinner, exclusive auction offerings and more! Tickets go on sale soon so please save the date! MPAEF Auction Catalog Goes Digital for 2016Thank you to everyone who made a donation for this year's Silent Auction. We appreciate your support! New this year: the auction catalog is going digital as we continue to try and be even more cost effective and environmentally friendly! Please watch for links to the digital catalog in upcoming MPAEF newsletters and PTO newsletters as well as on www.mpaef.org. A limited number of printed catalogs will also be available in each school office. The action is coming soon with the Silent Online Auction running Thursday to Thursday, April 21-28 so mark your calendars now! The MPAEF presents this year's 2015-16 Donor Roll online for the Annual Parent Campaign. This year's new digital auction catalog will not include our donor rolls so that the Donor Roll can be updated as new gifts and employer matches arrive all year long! Please visit the Donor Roll and learn more. We are grateful to all our district families for supporting the Annual Parent Campaign. (Are you an Endowment donor? Visit the Endowment Donor Roll.) Are you interested in helping out with the Auction? Can you help sell raffle tickets, volunteer the night of the event or have fun ideas for decor? Please reach out to our Auction Team at auction@mpaef.org. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Thanks to Our Realtor and Business Partners We want to take the opportunity to shout out some appreciation to just a few of our many realtor and business partners in the community. Thank you for your support! DIAMONDNelson Roberts Investment AdvisorsGOLDCameron L. Aboudara DDS MSTom LeMieux Associates - Realtor Partner SILVERRGM and Associates DLM ArchitectureBRONZEStanford UniversityTITANIUMKeith Willig Landscape Architecture & ConstructionBy Marjan
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Hillview Drama Presents The Music Man
Come join the Hillview players as they re-create Meredith Willson's The Music Man, a classic musical comedy with a feel-good vibe. Performances will take place at the Hillview PAC:
- Thursday, March 17, 3:30pm: This is the student-pizza performance. Tickets are only $5 for students and include a slice of pizza.
- Friday, March 18, 7:00pm
- Saturday, March 19, 3:00pm and 7:00pm
Click here for tickets.
Local Cub Scout Pack Annual Pinewood Derby Visitors are welcome! Cub Scout Pack 222 (the pack for Oak Knoll) is holding its annual Pinewood Derby competition at Oak Knoll's Small Gymnasium on Sunday, March 20th, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Watch dozens of miniature Pinewood Derby cars (they fit in the palm of your hand) assembled by Scouts compete for speed in multiple timed trials on a professional-grade track!
Egg Hunt
March 26, 10:00am-12:00pm, Burgess Park
Hop on over to join the City of Menlo Park, the Menlo Park Firefighter's Association, and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District for our Annual Egg Hunt! The Bunny will arrive at 10 am for pictures. The big egg hunt will start at 10:20 am. Come and enjoy bounce houses, crafts, and a jelly bean guess!
Oshman Family JCC Afterschool Program
This weekly program is for grades K-8. It offers an enriching, active, and nurturing afterschool experience. For more information and to sign up, click here.
Summer Camps Section
Please visit MPCSD's new Summer Camp webpage for updated information about available camp programs in the community.
The Legends Baseball Experience Camp!
The Legends Baseball Experience is a one-of-a-kind summer camp coached by the players and coaches of the nationally recognized Menlo Park Legends collegiate team. Sign up for the Dugout Experience aftercamp program and your child will be a batboy, participate in between-innings activities, and hang out in the Legends dugout and watch the coaches play in a real live game. Click on the links for more information and to register. Early bird pricing is available until March 15.
Volunteer Opportunities Section
Menlo Park Library Friends Need Volunteers
Menlo Park Public Library, 800 Alma St.
We're looking for help on a regular basis (3-4 hours per week for at least 6 months) at the main library. Our volunteers turn 200,000 donated books per year into dollars that support our Library's programs and events. Our Library is a vital community resource for students, alums and parents so please consider joining our team. We offer plenty of training and support, plus flexible hours and a congenial environment. Must be eighteen or older. Call 650-330-2521 or email us for more information.
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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.
To read past Oak Knoll PTO newsletters, please visit our archives.
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