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Weekly Post
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January 6, 2014
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Superintendent's Message
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Happy New Year!
Welcome back to school and to a great new year. We are a district that is evolving - a new Strategic Plan, the new Common Core State Standards, a move to a new assessment approach (Smarter Balanced). I am grateful to work with a school community that is committed to continuous improvement and our core expectations: The Portola Valley Way!
Thank you for a great year thus far and here's to 2014 helping us grow stronger and skilled as educators and parents.
Lisa Gonzales, Ed.D.
Superintendent |
District Message
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Greetings PVSD Parents,
As part of writing a new district technology plan, we will be asking for your feedback through a brief survey. The focus of the survey is on the instructional use of technology. Our survey window will be Monday, January 6 through Friday, January 17. Teachers and students will take a similar survey during the same time period. PVSD is contracting with BrightBytes to collect and report this data. We expect to share the results of the surveys with the parent community in February or March. It is anticipated that the entire tech plan will completed by June, 2014.
I will be messaging Ormondale and Corte Madera parents separately through Blackboard Connect. The survey links will be unique to each school. If you have a student at both schools, we would encourage you to take only one of the surveys. If you have any questions or would like to participate in the planning process as a parent, please contact me directly. Thank you,
John Dean,
Director of Learning and Media
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This Week's Calendar
Ormondale * Corte Madera * District
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Mon, January 6 (B)
ORM School Site Council Meeting - 3:20 pm, Room 12
Joint Priorities Meeting
5:30 pm, CMS Room 102
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Tue, January 7 (A)
CMS Science Fair Drop-Off
MUR, 1 pm - 4 pm
PV Teachers Association Negotiations - Open to the Public, CMS Room 102
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Wed, January 8 (B)
CMS Science Fair MUR
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Thu, January 9 (A)
CMS Science Fair
CMS Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information Meeting
8:15 am, Room 102
Mandated Reporting Training at ORM, 9 am
CMS Science Fair Reception
MUR 6 pm - 7 pm
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Weekly Post Reminders:
To submit an article to the Weekly Post, please send it to [email protected]. Deadline is Thursday at noon. See the PVSD website for more information
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STEM Fair 2013-2014
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The STEM Fair once again is upon us, and I'm sure we're all excited about seeing the great projects the students produce. Our CMS Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fair will be held from Jan 8th - 9th , in the MUR. A science reception will be on Thursday evening, Jan 9th, from 6-7:00 p.m. All projects need to be taken home on Thursday evening. Projects advancing to the County Science Fair will be announced that evening.
Project drop-off will be on Tuesday, Jan 7th from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. in the MUR. Please check the science fair brochure/website for the project drop-off form. This will ensure that all students are credited with the correct project.
All students are encouraged to participate in this exciting event. Science Fair is a wonderful way for students to use the Scientific Method to answer a question, or exercise their problem solving and critical thinking skills by making a great invention. Please review the STEM Fair brochure (available online) with your child to review safety precautions and other information.
"But how can I help and support my child in this endeavor?" you may ask. I'm glad you did! We need parent volunteers to help the science department judge our wonderful projects for submission to the County STEM Fair. If you'd like to help judge, please contact any member of the CMS science team: Ms. Brown ([email protected]), Ms. Diehl ([email protected]) or Ms. Burrows ([email protected]).
Thanks in advance for your always-appreciated support.
CMS Science Department
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Community Calendar and Events
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Portola Valley Teen Committee: Middle School Dance for Teens on Friday, January 10, 2014
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The PV Teen Committee invites Portola Valley School District students and local middle school teens & guests to a DANCE on Friday, Jan. 10, 7:30 - 9:30 PM, at the Portola Valley Town Center Community Hall. A Permission Slip, including the Behavior Contract, signed by the teen, any guest, and parent, is REQUIRED before entering the dance. Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students who live in or attend school in Portola Valley and their guests are welcome. A donation of $8 is requested to help cover expenses. Parents interested in chaperoning please contact Sharon Driscoll at [email protected].
Come ready to dance-and ready to give back. In addition to getting together with friends at the "after the holidays" teen dance, we hope to make a difference to people living in homeless shelters here in San Mateo County. Money raised above and beyond expenses will go to support Shelter Network and the Portola Valley Open Space Fund. Have unused gift cards? Please bring them! We will also be collecting GIFT CARDS (Target/Starbucks/Macy's/etc.) for TEENS living in SHELTER NETWORK family housing locally. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
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Alpine Little League Registration is Open
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Registration is open for the Spring Alpine/West Menlo Little League season. Boys and girls between 5 and 12 years old can register for Alpine Little League baseball. Tryouts will be held Jan. 19 and Jan. 26 Online registration can be completed at http://www.alpinelittleleague.com.
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Bulldog Youth Flag Football Comes to Corte Madera!
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4th & 5th grades co-ed
Fridays: 3:15 - 4:15 p.m.
No scores! No Stats! JUST FUN!
Winter Session:
Jan 17th-March 28th 2014
10 classes $250 (includes team shirt!)
Kids will be mixed and placed in appropriate groups.
Register here.
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 Thanks to the generous PVSD school community and the PV community, we have collected books, shipped, and set up 14 children's libraries in Lesotho, Botswana, Ghana, and Swaziland as part of African Library Project.
We are now collecting more books for libraries in Malawi and Sierra Leone.
If your have gently used children's books in English, K through 8th grade, we would love to get them and make sure they end up in a children's library in Africa. We are happy to pick up, or you can always drop off at 405 Cervantes Road.
We truly appreciate your help. Thank you!
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Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory (PVTC) offers 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 [email protected]
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Jeff Arons' Spring Tennis Program At Sacred Heart Schools
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BEGINNING 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: [email protected]
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Windmill School Space Available
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Windmill School in Portola Valley has a few spaces available in their Pre-K program for children eligible for Kindergarten in the fall of 2014. Children who are age eligible for 2013-14 Kindergarten, but prefer a preschool program for another year due to summer/ fall birthday may also attend our Pre K program. The class meets Monday through Thursday from 1-4pm with a 1:8 ratio. Windmill School is a play-based school designed to focus on children's interest through open - ended exploration. Our classroom opens to a large private playground giving the children access to indoor/outdoor play depending on their preferences. Children are active participants in problem solving and conflict resolution fostering the self - regulation and executive function they need in Kindergarten.
If you are interested please contact our director Thankamma Poulose at 650-851-0771 ext. 2#. For additional information please visit www.windmillschool.com.
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Create Art for Young Children - Winter 2014
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Portola Valley Town Center
Jan. 8th-April 5th
(No classes Feb. 12-22)
Winter brings flurries of SNOW to many parts of the world, sometimes even here. For this session we will...capture visions of WHITE ANIMALS against snowy backgrounds with white paint, some tinted with a little color...learn about " Snowflake Bentley" and draw snowflakes, keeping in mind no two snowflakes are alike...and sculpt SNOWMEN. Then FROSTY'S magic hat will float through our imaginations and lead us to the book "Magritte's Marvelous Hat" and the world of the SURREALISTS.
Here we will make collages using recycled fun junk to create surreal scenes. And...of coarse we will end with our ever popular ART SHOW and the MAGIC BRUSH.
Wed. 1-3:00 3-5 yrs.
Wed. 3:30-5:30 K-2nd grade
Thurs. 3:30-5:30 K-2nd grade
Fri. 1-3:00 PreK-K
Fri. 4-6:00 3rd-5th grade
Sat. 10-12:00 4-8 yrs.
Sat. 1-3:00 4-8 yrs
All classes $380 for the session
Teacher: Jeannie Goldman
To register contact Portola Valley Town Hall (650) 851-1700, Cindy ext. 200
Reg. forms available @ their office, 765 Portola Rd. or...
Reg. online (portolavalley.net)
Sign-ups start...Nov. 25th P.V. residents; Dec.9th open reg.
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