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February 24, 2013
Encinal PTO / La Organizasión de Padres y Maestro
Boletin en espanol, haga clic aqui
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Principal's Spotlight on Learning
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Dear Encinal Families,
 What a fantastic Cultural Arts Day we had last Thursday! It was wonderful to see the kids so engaged with learning about various aspects of Chinese culture and New Year. The Lion Dance Troupe, among others, was a huge highlight of the assembly. Thank you, thank you to the many parent volunteers for making this happen, from the decorations to the organization! You are a first class team! On a different note, we hope all parents will take the annual Encinal Site Council parent survey and provide your anonymous opinion about how this academic year is progressing for each of your Encinal students. Our Site Council chair will assemble the responses and provide a report for Ms. von der Linden and myself that allows us to learn the hopes, successes and concerns of our parents. Each and every survey response counts and helps us plan and improve. The results of last year's survey provided very important information and led to some great professional development for our teachers this winter in the area of differentiation for advanced learners, an endeavor that's currently in progress. We also appreciate all the kind words as well as we continue to work hard to make Encinal a great place for kids! Click here to take this anonymous survey in English and here for the survey in Spanish. Finally, thank you for your critical support during the MPAEF Challenge Drive. We are proud to say that 57 % of our Encinal families have already participated. However, we are lower the 64% of district families who are giving and still need 280 more families to donate to reach our participation goal of 80% to receive the $50,000 matching grant. A donation in any amount will help us reach this goal - please give any amount today. Sincerely, Principal Burns
sburns@mpcsd.org
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Week at a Glance
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4 More Days to Earn $50,000 for Our Schools!
We have only 4 days left to reach our goal! If 80% of our District families donate or pledge to the MPAEF an anonymous donor will award a $50,000 grant to our schools!
Your participation matters and any size donation counts, so consider making one that is meaningful for your family. Be a part of the community that meets the challenge -- your participation will make a difference!
Donate, pledge now and give later, or set up monthly installments at www.mpaef.org by February 28.
Our great thanks to all the families, businesses and community members who have already donated!
Together we can meet the challenge for our kids!
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| Encinal Box Tops Collection
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
 Gather all those box tops from your holiday baking and bring them to the marked box in the front office. Our next collection deadline is Tuesday, February 26th. We appreciate everyone's participation.
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February Spirit Wear Flash Sale -
SWEATSHIRT + T-SHIRT BUNDLE ($45)!
Starting Today through Sat. 3/2 - Online Sale Only
Bundle ONE sweatshirt* with ONE t-shirt* for $45 (up to 10% savings!) Click here to purchase.
*select styles include Navy Hoodie Pull-Over OR Forest Zip Hoodie to be paired with Kelly Green Eagle T-Shirt OR Daisy T-Shirt
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Annual Parents' Survey
Please Offer your Thoughts to Principal Burns and the Encinal Site Council by March 6th
How is your school year so far? Please tell the Encinal Site Council!
The Encinal Site Council is a collaborative committee of parents, teachers, and administrators, mandated at every school by the State of CA. It is responsible for setting strategic direction for school improvement. We do this planning based in part on what we hear from parents in our annual survey.
Every spring, the Site Council conducts a survey to gather feedback. This year, our goal is to receive 500 parent responses to ensure that we have a well-rounded sample from which to draw conclusions about the improvements that must be made in the 2013-3014 school year. Please click here to complete the survey any time between February 20 and March 6. All survey responses are anonymous. These responses will be reviewed by Principal Burns, and will be shared with individual staff members as appropriate. In addition, a report highlighting key strengths and areas for growth will be made available on the Encinal School website later this spring.
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The 3rd Annual Encinal Read-A-Thon is coming!
March 11-March 22nd
This year we have made it easier than ever to raise money for our library. Look for details coming home in folders March 1st.
Dress as your favorite book character Monday 3/11 to help us celebrate. Donate a new or gently used book the week of 3/18.
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2013-2014 District Calendar is Here!
 Click here to see next year's school calendar. School begins August 22, 2013.
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The purpose of the District Council is to foster cooperative relationships among the Laurel, Encinal, Oak Knoll, and Hillview PTOs, the MPAEF, the District and the School Board in order to facilitate communication in the District.
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Thank You to all Cultural Arts Day Volunteers
Thank You to the MANY volunteers who made Cultural Arts Day a huge success!
Special thanks in particular to co-chairs Erin Reyes and Hillary Easom, who put in hundreds of hours to give our kids this special experience.
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PTO Donation 2012 Tax Receipt
Thank you for your donations!
 Click here to download a tax receipt for donations made to the Encinal PTO in 2012.
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MPAEF News
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MPAEF Benefit Auction - April 27th at Cabana Hotel
Last Chance to Donate to the Spring Auction!
Be a Donor! Organize with friends. Make a call. Send an email. Just say, "Yes! I am IN!" Donate today. It is never as much work as you think it will be, but it is always more fun! The MPAEF auction deadline to submit items and ideas is Friday, March 1st. Your donation raises money to keep class sizes small, keep art, music, and library classes thriving, and help administrators and teachers introduce innovative teaching practices in our schools. Offer time at your favorite getaway, join friends to throw a party, show a student your professional day (or convince someone you know), share season tickets or a favorite bottle of wine. Learn more about the different categories below.
Destinations/Adventures/Getaways: Give District families or a couple the opportunity to take a break by spending time in a place you find special!
Parties, Events, and Experiences for Adults: Organize an over the top bash or an intimate dinner to highlight cuisine. Donate as a single family or make a party out of your party by donating with friends.
K.I.T. -- Kids In Training: Teach kids what makes your profession interesting. Designers, technologists, scientists, medics, doctors, chefs, artists, entertainers, public service individuals, open your doors and show a student what you do after the kids go to school.
Parties, Events and Experiences for Kids: Whether fitness, art, cooking, or a once-in-a-lifetime experience, donate a chance for kids to break from reading, writing, and arithmetic to play and just be kids! Whatever the idea, just bring them together!
Sporting Events and Memorabilia: Donate your Giants, Sharks, 49ers, premier PGA tournaments, Grand Slam tennis, or NASCAR event tickets. Link the District families into a round of golf at one of the prestigious courses or clubs in the Bay Area! Exceptional Wines and Wine Experiences: Open up the riches of our region by offering up a unique bottle of wine or a wine experience at surrounding vineyards. Create a personal trip to a vineyard or fill a wine cellar with elite vintages.
To Donate: Please contact Karen Dearing. The deadline for submitting auction items is March 1.
Mark your calendar for MPAEF's Dancing through the Decades, April 27 at the Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto!
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Parent Ed Opportunities
For a complete listing of events,
visit the district's Parent Ed webpage.
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Sunday, March 3, 2013, 2:00-5:30pm, Hillview Middle School
Registration closes at midnight on Monday, February 25
The Menlo Park City School District strives to be at the forefront of innovation and leadership in education, and we know that we cannot do that simply in the staffroom and classroom. We need to involve our entire community, and there's so much to talk about with parents at this time of great change. Nationally, the Common Core State Standards are elevating learning goals and raising the cognitive demand for how our students will engage in learning. Locally, our core values are driving goals in writing, mathematics, technology, and social-emotional learning. Join us to learn more about these exciting developments and what they will mean for your kids!
2pm Check-in
2:30pm-5pm Conference
Note: There will be a concurrent children's program
Parents have an opportunity to select from a menu of workshops and attend two of the following sessions in addition to the keynote address:
- Mathematics and the Common Core: What's Ahead and How You Can Support Your Child
- Writing and the Common Core: Supporting Students as Capable, Confident Writers
- Design Thinking and Innovation: Problem Solving to Build Powerful Thinking Skills
- Technology in the Classroom: Engaging and Empowering Students in the Learning Process
- Project Cornerstone: Building Developmental Assets to Keep Our Kids Strong
- Creativity and Innovation in MPCSD: A Roundtable Discussion with Maurice Ghysels, Superintendent and Allison Liner, Chief Learning Officer
For more information on the workshops being offered, and free childcare, click here.
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"Scheduling BY DESIGN: How Hillview Middle School is Using Design Thinking to ReDesign School"
Erik Burmeister, Principal, Hillview Middle School
Sunday, March 3, 2013
1:00pm-2:00pm, Hillview Library
During this workshop, participants will see the two new prototypes created for next year's schedule at Hillview and will have the opportunity to provide feedback. Current and future Hillview parents welcome! (Please note: Although this is a pre-conference workshop, we are unfortunately NOT able to offer child care during this time.)
For more information click here.
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KidPower Event at Oak Knoll
Wednesday, February 27th at 6:30-8:30pm, Oak Knoll Gym
Sponsored by Oak Knoll PTO (free to attend)
People Safety skills help people be safe with people at home, at school, online, out in the world... everywhere. They also help strengthen important relationships. Learn ways to help young people learn and use age-appropriate People Safety skills on an everyday basis to have safer, more positive experiences with people, including strangers, siblings, peers, and other people they know.
During the workshop, we will practice how to help kids:
* Be and act aware and confident
* Check with adults if anything seems unsafe
* Move away from possible problems
* Follow Stranger Safety rules
* Stay safe from hurtful words
* Use voice as a safety tool
* Set clear boundaries
* Say "No" or "Stop" clearly and respectfully
* Deal with other kids poking, pushing, grabbing, etc.
* Use safety plans if lost in a store, park, or library
* Get help from busy adults - and persist!
Please note: This is an adult only event. Please make alternative arrangements for your children.
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M-A Parent Education Series -
"The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It"
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., Lecturer, Stanford University
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 7:00-8:30pm, M-A Performing Arts Center
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University and a leading expert in the new field of "science-help." Her most recent book, The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It (Penguin, 2012) explores the latest research on motivation, temptation, and procrastination, as well as what it takes to transform habits, persevere at challenges, and make a successful change. Tickets will go quickly for this event!
M-A Parent Education Series events are FREE and sponsored by the
Menlo-Atherton PTA and the Sequoia Healthcare District.
Questions? Please contact Charlene Margot, M-A Parent Education Series Program Director, at cmargot@csmconsulting.net or 650.868.0590.
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Speaker: Ana Homayoun, M.A., Founder of Ivy Educational Consulting
Important Update: Date Change
Previously advertised as a March 7th event, the schedule has changed, and the event is being rescheduled.
New date TBD.
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Family Community Service Opportunities
For complete listings click here |
Click here for a list of ongoing service opportunities.
Donate to Haven House - Sun, Feb 24th, 11:30-2 at Encinal's carpool driveway. Encinal's Girl Scout Troop is hosting a collection drive to benefit Haven Family House Shelter in Menlo Park. Click here for a list of in-kind donations needed.
Questions? Know other service opportunities? Contact Kari Riedel
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Local Community News & Events
For complete listings click here
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Summer Camp Information is Here
Click here and check back often - new camps are being added every week!
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Hillview Middle School Presents HONK! February 28 at 3:30 p.m. , March 1 at 7 p.m , and March 2 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., Hillview Middle School PAC, 1100 Elder Ave, Menlo Park. If you've ever felt like everyone else says "quack" and you say "honk," come on down to the "barnyard" on stage for the Hillview Middle School (HMS) production of "HONK!" This full-scale production features a cast of young middle schoolers, most of who are Encinal and Oak Knoll alumni, and is accompanied by a live orchestra manned by our very own HMS band. Tickets are available online.
"Brooklyn Castle" Movie Showing, Thursday, February, 28 at the Landmark Aquarius Theatre in Palo Alto. Brooklyn Castle tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. Tickets are $10 each. Purchase your tickets online.
Menlo Park Friends of the Library Book Sale, Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 2p.m., Oak and Elm Rooms at the Arrillaga Recreation Center, 700 Alma Street, Menlo Park (located across the library parking lot and next to the gym). Exceptional quality books for the entire family will be featured.
Saturday, March 2, 12 to 3 p.m., 800 Alma Street, Menlo Park. Two lucky people will win a Kindle courtesy of the Menlo Park Library Foundation! Get one-on-one demos and learn how to download and read thousands of e-books from the library. Popular author, Guy Kawasaki, will speak about his latest book, APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur!, from 12 to 1 p.m.
March 8 and 9. For more information and to reserve an audition time, please visit www.pytnet.org.
Sports, Classes, and Other Opportunities
Newton Center's Spring Camp, Monday-Friday, March 25-29, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 1100 Middle Avenue, Menlo Park. We will be exploring the cool, creepy, and curiously complicated natural processes right around us here in the suburbs. For registration and more information, please contact us at camps@newtoncenters.org.
Donate your new or gently used long or short clean party dresses or accessories in the Menlo-Atherton High School Front Office at 555 Middlefield Rd, Atherton, now through the end of February.
Footsteps Preschool Parent Orientation, Saturday, March 16, from 10:00-11:30 a.m., 490 Willow Road, Menlo Park. Observations are Monday-Thursday March 18-21 (parents only please). Registration Day is Friday March 22 at 7:30 a.m. For more information and to get on our mailing/waitlist, please visit our website at footstepspreschool.com or call us at (650) 324-FOOT.
Sundays, March 17 and 24 (2 sessions), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 351 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto. An introduction to digital integrated circuit operation. Students assemble and solder a human reaction timer built from discrete digital logic devices. Ages 10 and up. Basic electrical knowledge of voltage, current, and circuits is suggested. Fee: $70 members/$80 non-members. Register here.
Saturdays, April 13, 20, 27, and May 11 (4 sessions), 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 351 Homer Avenue, Palo Alto. In this class, students learn about the basic physics of radio wave generation, propagation, and reception. As a class project, students make their own short wave radio receiver. Ages 10 and up. Fee: $75 members/$85 non-members. Register here.
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Encinal PTO Communications
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This email and the Encinal School web site are delivered to you by the Encinal PTO Communications committee. For more information about Encinal School, please visit www.encinalschool.com. Just checking to see if anyone reads all the way down here. If so, click here.
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Join the PTO Mailing List - Text "SUBSCRIBE" to 42828
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