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Safe Routes to School
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 Golden Sneaker Program Runs for One More Week!
Grades K-5 will continue the Golden Sneaker program of biking, walking, carpooling, or riding the bus to school for the entire week, through March 28th. Please remember to mark your participation with your classroom teacher. Awards for daily participation and top classroom participation.
Used Shoe Drive at ORM and CMS
Used Shoe Drive also continues at both schools, to compliment our Golden Sneaker Program. Please bring in your used tennis or running shoes, and we will be sending shoes to Nike to recycle the rubber for future use. Look for the bins at the drop off area at both schools. Thank you!
Bike/Walk to School Day
Ormondale's Bike/Walk Event was an enormous success! Around 200 students and their families arrived at school on foot or bike, or rode the bus, and received treats, stickers, and a crowd of friends to greet them. Many thanks to our volunteers! And thanks to Kristen Shima and the terrific 8th grade crew for making Bike/Walk Day at Corte Madera a success last week as well.
Biking and Walking is Healthy! For those who live far away from school, consider parking at Roberts or Alpine Hills or Georgia Lane and then biking and walking from there. Students will benefit from arriving at school after a little bit of exercise and seeing their friends on the trail. It makes for a healthier, more productive day! |
Computer Coffee Chat!
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Computer Coffee Chat! Hands-on with the new Smarter Balanced Test, Thursday, March 27 at 8 am @ Corte Madera Computer Lab. Testing is around the corner for grades 3-8 and we would like to give parents a chance to have a hands-on experience with the new online test. Director of Learning and Media, John Dean, will provide parents hands-on time with the test and informal question-and-answer time.
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Save the Date: Common Core Math
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Save the date: Common Core Math with Professor Jo Boaler from Stanford, Saturday April 26th from 12:00 to 2:00 at the Menlo Atherton High School Performing Arts Center. More info to follow soon. Please add this to your calendars.
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This Week's Calendar
Ormondale * Corte Madera * District
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Mon, March 24 (B)
ORM Staff Appreciation Week
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Tue, March 25 (A)
ORM Community Coffee with
Superintendent and Technology, 8:15 am,
Room 12
CMS Principal's Coffee, 8 am, Room 102
DeRyke, Rhodes, and Fox on RWC Boat trip, 9 am
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Wed, March 26 (B)
Frederick and Parker on Redwood City Boat Trip, 8 am
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Thu, March 27 (A)
Computer Coffee Chat: Parents Go Hands-On with Smarter Balanced Assessment,
8 am
CMS: Soccer Jamboree,
3:15 pm
CMS: Gold Rush Parent Counselor Meeting, 5 pm, Room 501
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Fri, March 28 (B)
ORM: K Field Trip, Elkus Ranch
End of Third Quarter
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PTO Volunteer Opportunities
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The PTO is looking for volunteers for the next school year, and we are really in need of a current Assistant Treasurer that could start ASAP to take over as Treasurer next year. The positions below have short descriptions so feel free to e-mail any of our PTO leaders for more information. As you can see in the diagram, the PTO provides a multitude of activities and services for our schools, children and staff members. We can only do so with your help! Treasurer: No accounting experience necessary! Just able to work with Excel and Quickbooks (Our current Treasurer had never used it before! Very friendly program). Oversee all financial aspects, monthly account reconciliation, deposit/withdraw funds for all events except those listed below, financial reporting/budgeting, all QB entries.
Assistant Treasurer (2 year position; move to Treasurer 2nd year): Deposit/cut checks (via on-line bill pay) for all CMS sport programs, collect/deposit funds for book fairs, send Treasurer documentation for QB entries
Auditor: Perform audit and fill out tax forms
Original Works (both ORM and CMS): Coordinate collection and distribution of OW artwork in the fall. Moving to an online ordering system to simplify the tasks.
ORM Back-to-School Picnic (need by late April/May!): 2 individuals needed to coordinate volunteers, book vendor, enlist 8th Grade help, and oversee event
ORM Hot Lunch/Playground Coordinator: Coordinate volunteer calendar New Family Welcome (4/5th grade rep needed): Touch base with new families and help 1st-3rd grade and 6th-8th grade coordinators with August event ORM Home Room Parent Coordinator: send weekly e-mail Sunday to all HRP's Thanks very much and we look forward to hearing from you! Sharon Shaffer: CMS President Heather Asborno: CMS Vice-President Michelle Bellomo: ORM President Susan McLaughlin: ORM Vice-President Heather Prelle: Treasurer
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ORM Principal's Message
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Dear Families,
This month we are focusing on the Life Skill Listening. We are defining listening as using your body and brain to focus when someone is talking. Research has found that when individual's listen effectively, you will get more information from other's, you will increase others' trust in you, you will reduce conflict, you will better understand how to motivate others, and you will inspire a higher level of commitment. According to some studies, the average person listens at only about 25% efficiency. With a statistic like this it is so important to develop listening skills.
Let's make listening a priority here at Ormondale. Here are a few things you can do to help your child become a better listener.
- Have reading be an interactive time. Ask questions such as "What do you think will happen next?" and ask your children to explain their reasoning. Or reread an old favorite and make a silly mistake or two to see if your children (knowing the story by heart) will correct you.
- Playing games that require strong listening skills. Games such as Simon says, telephone and board games such as balderdash, and 20 questions for kids are all fun ways to strengthen your children's listening skills.
- When talking with your children, make sure that you have their complete attention, gain eye contact and at least a few times during your talk, ask your children to repeat what they have heard.
- Verbally praising your children for showing you active listening, will encourage them to continue to practice.
- Cook together. This is another fun way to practice listening skills, as you and your children read the recipe and follow the directions.
PTO Bingo Night Thank You! 
Ormondale PTO Bingo Night was a lot of fun. Thank you to Ginny Borelli, Janine Carver, Rebecca Castonguay, Paul Cushman, Renata Dionello, Virgina Huffman, Annie Loya, Raymond Tabibiazar, and Ginny Borelli.
Golden Sneaker Week 3/17-3/28
We are half way through our Golden Sneaker Contest.
Walking or biking to school benefits your health and makes you do better at school!
Help our earth by sharing a ride or taking the bus and polluting less!
Community Coffee w/ Dr. Gonzales and John Dean Tuesday 3/25 - 8:15 to 9:15 in Room 12
Join our Superintendent and Director of Learning and Media for a cup of coffee and a chat.
March madness (Go UK!) and spring training signify the end of winter and the start of Spring! We have had a great start to spring and look forward to our push towards summer! Thank you as always for your partnership in the Ormondale Community. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact me at kkeegan@pvsd.net or 650-851-1777.
Sincerely,
Kevin F. Keegan
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A Message From Dean Shima
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"I am a citizen, not of Athens or Greece, but of the world."
Socrates
This month at CMS, our theme is Global Awareness and Citizenship. Using resources from The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, as well as from other agencies, we are educating our students on what it means to be a global citizen. The goal is for our students to respect and value diversity and understand what it means to be interconnected. In addition, we will be analyzing global issues- such as social injustice or environmental concerns and discussing how students can take action and have a voice.
In December and January, we started our discussions with students around service learning. We had speakers from Free the Children and also Trust in Education come to Corte Madera to explain their organizations and inspire students to take action. The goal of service learning projects is for students to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, the community, and society and also develop as leaders that take initiative, solve problems, work as a team, and make decisions that have real results. A number of our students are participating in service learning projects this year and we also have a small group of middle school students that are involved in a local and global service learning project. These students will be presenting their projects to a CMS panel for review and will be competing for a chance to attend We Day at the end of this month. We Day is an educational event at the Oracle Arena that honors young people that are leading local and global change through service learning. We are excited that CMS students have the opportunity to attend this exciting event!
CMS Student Activities and Information
- Golden Sneaker Competition for 4/5- March 17- March 28. Students earn points for biking/ walking/ carpooling to school and there is a prize for the winning classroom.
- Talent Show- Thursday, March 27th at 12:33pm (Sign-ups by Friday, March 14 and tryouts on Friday, March 21st at lunch)
- Soccer Jamboree- Thursday, March 27th from 3:15- 4:15pm at the CMS field. Come out and cheer on the Panther Soccer Team. Treats for sale!
- End of 3rd Quarter for middle school- Friday, March 28th.
- 4/8 Buddy Activity- Monday, March 31st at 12:33pm.
- K-8 Movie Night- Despicable Me 2- Friday, April 4th at 6:15pm in the CMS MUR. Food will be available for purchase and cost is $10.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Go Panthers!
Dean of Students
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CMS Track and Field Registration Now Open
| | Corte Madera Track and Field Registration is now open. Registration is due by Friday, April 4th. Track and Field is open to all 4th-8th grade boys and girls.
REGISTRATION LINK:
The 2014 Track and Field season will begin on April 21st and end on May 28th. Practices and meets will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00-7:30 (except Tuesday, May 27th). Events will take place at M-A High School, except May 12 and 14 which will take place at Hillview Middle School in Menlo Park. Parents/guardians will be responsible for transportation to and from all practices and meets.
Event dates: Mon/Wed April 21/23/28/30 May 5/7/12/14/19/21/23/28 and Tues May 27 (since no program on Memorial Day May 26) The Track and Field program is very low-key in nature and focuses on personal best, not winning. Athletes will have opportunities to participate in sprints, distance runs, hurdles, relays, long jump, high jump, shot put, discus and plastic javelin. The program is run in conjunction with La Entrada, Hillview and Woodside Elementary. All 4 schools will be at the practices and meets in order to maximize the events offered each time. Please contact Kate Cox if you have questions about Track at kcox@pvsd.net. |
Community Calendar and Events
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Portola Valley Library Program
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Monday, March 24 marks the beginning of the 15th Annual Portola Valley Poetry Contest. The contest is open to all Kindergarten through 12th grade children enrolled in a Portola Valley School, as well as Portola Valley resident children who attend schools elsewhere. Submission materials will be distributed to Portola Valley schools and applications will be available in the library beginning March 24. Last day for submissions is Friday, April 11 @ 5 pm. The Poetry Reading and Reception will be held at the Town Community Hall on Monday, May 12 @ 6:30 PM. Good luck to all our young poets! The Poetry Contest is generously funded by the Friends of the Portola Valley Library.
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Portola Valley Theater Conservatory Spring Session
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Portola Valley Theater Conservatory's spring session begins the week of March 31st! We offer after-school theater classes to students in PreK-9th grade. The theme this spring is Fractured Fairytales. Get ready to put on a costume, play some theater games, and act up a storm! Registration and details at www.pvtc-ca.org.
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Panthers "All Sports Camp"
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Panthers "All Sports" Camp is back for another exciting 2014 summer. For more details, here is my website: www.pantherscamppv.com
Session 1 is filling quickly with only 10 spaces left and session 2 is sold-out. Sessions 3 and 4 have space available.
2014 Panthers Camp:
* Session 1: June 16-19 (10 spaces left)
* Session 2: June 23-26 (Sold-out)
* Session 3: June 30 - July 3
* Session 4: July 7-10
In order to register, please click on this link.
Contact Dan Flahavan with any questions: danflahavan@gmail.com.
I look forward to another great summer with your kids at Panthers Camp.
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Three-Day Summer Course for Teens: Build Your Own Computer
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For your teenage tech enthusiast, this is the perfect, hands-on, short summer course. At the end of the third day, you should have a fully functioning computer to take home. Class is limited to 6 students, so register soon. Taught by former Corte Madera student, Nicholas Seidl, students will learn:
- How a computer works with its various components, including central processing unit, graphics processing unit, random access memory, etc.
- How to troubleshoot technology.
- How to safely and carefully handle computer parts and tools.
Dates: Monday, June 30 - Wednesday, July 2, or Monday July 7 - Wednesday, July 9.
Costs: $285 for the three-day course, plus $450+ for computer components depending on what you want to build.
Location: Portola Valley residence
Requirements: Must be at least a current 7th grader, enthusiastic about technology, and able to work independently.
Teacher bio and contact info: Nicholas Seidl is currently a junior at Menlo School. Loves technology, computer science, and digital photography. He is also available on a consulting basis. nicholasseidl@gmail.com.
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Summer Camp in Portola Valley: Programming Java with Minecraft
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This is a great way for kids (grades 5-8) who love games to learn programming and build their own Minecraft mods. We use real programming with a real programming language - Java - on a real world server that your child will setup and configure.
The camp (in its second season) is run by local Corte Madera graduate Jack Youstra, with assistants for a 3:1 student:teacher ratio. Topics include:
- How to setup and use a Minecraft server
- How to setup a programming environment on your laptop
- How to install customized mods using Bukkit
- How to build a mod using Java
- Programming basics
- Java basics
- Good programming practice
There are two week-long sessions available: 7/6 and 7/13. Camp days are 9-3 with an optional extended day plan that covers 3-5.
To learn more about the camp and register for one of the sessions, email jack@youstra.com.
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Tennis Festival at Burgess Park
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Kids age 6-12 and their families are invited to join Menlo Swim and Sport for our first annual Tennis Festival on Saturday, April 19! Experienced instructors will be on hand for demonstrations, highlighting the new 10&Under program from USTA. This program is designed to introduce new players to the game of tennis using smaller courts, larger tennis balls and fun and active skills and drills. Register today!http://www.menloswim.com/tennis-festival
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Girls Performance Water Polo Clinic with Olympian Brenda Villa
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Join Brenda Villa, the most decorated women's water polo player, for a challenging and dynamic shooting clinic on Monday, April 14, 9-12noon, with focus on body position, movement, speed and agility. Features personalized video analysis with instant feedback. Girls 13-18 years, with a minimum of one year club or high school water polo experience. Space is limited, register today! http://www.menloswim.com/swim/water-polo/water-polo-clinics
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Costumes Needed for Nonprofit
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Do you have leftover pioneer dresses? Need to get rid of old Honk! accessories? You can use these costumes to help others.
Clara M., a 7th grade Girl Scout, is working on her Silver Award project. She is trying to help girls in the Daughters of Farmworkers program, a program that permits 3rd-4th grade girls who are daughters of migrant farmworkers to participate in fun activities. After learning that the girls really enjoy theater, she decided to build them a drama closet, putting together the closet herself. However, she really needs help from the outside community to gather costumes and accessories.
She is including two plays for the girls: The Ugly Duckling and Jack and the Beanstalk, and therefore is in need of three main donations: pioneer dresses, Honk! costumes, and overalls.
If you have any costumes or other helpful items, please contact Clara at morseclara@gmail.com and she will arrange for pickup or delivery.
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Parenting Your Teen Workshop
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Wondering how to connect with your tween or teen?
Feeling frustrated with your parenting?
Come to this fun, practical workshop to learn effective and practical ways to be with your child. In this experiential workshop you will learn:
- how to be grounded and calm no matter what your teen is doing
- how to "not take it personally"
- how to believe in your teen and feel good about your parenting
- how to listen and connect with your teen
When: Saturday, April 5, from 9am to 12pm
Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, 1095 Cloud Ave, Menlo Park, CA
Cost: $100 per family, sliding scale available
Space is limited to the first 16 people registered.
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Social Learning Summer Workshops
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Frying up some excellent summer workshops for social sous chefs!!!
Children (4-young adult) Groups: SUMMER JUNE 16 - SEPT 5 (adults see below)
Come and cook up some fun in small and structured groups for something yummy to learn.
Little Sous Chefs (PK-to-First Grade): Social Skills Intensives for kiddos and their Parents (debriefing after group) in a fun arts and cooking themed activities.
"Stories for Glory" --Writers' Workshop with a scintilla of social learning in every bite: Story Grammar Curriculum designed for students with social cognitive challenges to improve their writing skills 4th/5th, 6/7 grade, 8/9th grade.
Visualizing/Verbalizing® (thinking and writing) by LindamoodBell® Peppered with social thinking in every spoonful. Helping kiddos develop their visual memories.
Problem Solving with a Dallop of Social Skills in every scoop.
And your master chef can even take a course in Executive Functioning Therapy to organize his/her Mess Hall!!! (Cognitive and Logistical.)
Social Skills Summer Groups: Movie Making, Field Trips, Cooking, Stop Animation Video Making, Teen Hang outs, Survival Guide to High School & College: All Ages.
Teen Hangout: (mixed bag of fun and social all geared for Teens to have fun!) Including 'Survival Guides', field trips, cooking, comedy and more.
(10 days minimum--contiguous or weekly, flexible scheduling -- PS: This is not a cooking school but rather "metaphorical language!!)
A little about Master Chef Jenn Bulka:
I provide social cognitive therapy with a heavy emphasis on parent training. I have been working in the field of social cognitive therapy since 1979. Summers are about fun, light-heartedness and joy but a chance to really grow if you structure your home social practice! I am located near Sequoia High School with a wonderful grass area and a famous owl -great for playing games (secluded and safe), Stafford park with a glorious kids playground and 3 blocks from our cooking capital - my home. I am a mom of a 12 year old with 3 best friends with social cog issues, wife to Chef "Howie" at Howie's Artisan Pizza, personal valet to the ever present, lovable Uncle Albert (havanese shiztsu mix, hypoallegernic, nonshedding, kid friendly.)
Please email with "Summer 2014" in the email subject to: info@talkingplayhouse.com for a "meet and greet" appoint-see website for more details: www.talkingplayhouse.com
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