From the Principal
|
Dear Las Lomitas Families,
I want to provide you with an update regarding our response to the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Superintendent Cesario and the management team met before school closed for winter break to review our current shelter-in-place and reverse evacuation drill procedures. All district administrators will be working closely with the superintendent in collaboration with Atherton and Menlo Park Police Departments and Menlo Park City School District administration to review campus security in order to determine how to best ensure the safety of our staff and students. We will continue with our reverse evacuation drills that were planned for before the recent tragedy.
Mrs. Dineen and I met with the faculty to debrief what we learned from Sandy Hook and determine what we can put in place immediately to improve campus security. We know that it is imperative that we have keys available at all times to lock rooms quickly if needed. We will heighten our vigilance so all those on campus have signed in at the office and are wearing a visitor badge. The Facility Task Force will also consider improvements to fencing and gates to limit accessibility to campus.
If your child still has questions, I encourage you to go to the links below. The first is from Mr. Rogers, the second is from the National Mental Health and Education Center and the third is from KidPower. They all have excellent information and advice to parents on how to talk with children about difficult topics.
fci.org/new-site/par-tragic-events.html
www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/talkingviolence.pdf www.kidpower.org.
I hope you had a restful vacation. I look forward to starting the New Year with hope and optimism.
Sincerely,
Shannon Potts
Principal
|
Las Lomitas League News
| 
Registration for Spring after-school classes will open this Tuesday, January 8th at 7 pm and end on Friday January 18th at 11.59 pm. There will be over 20 classes to choose from. We recommend registering for your favorite classes as soon as registration opens as some classes fill up quickly. Please register early as there will be no late registration.
We have an exciting array of class choices on offer for you. Along with up to 10 new classes debuting this year, we will continue to offer old favorites such as Cooking, Jazz Band and Computer Animation. Starting this Spring, our very own LE teacher Whitney Thwaite will offer Electronic Art on Tuesdays, and our old partner the Riekes Center will teach Filmmaking for Fun on Wednesdays.
You can find detailed descriptions for these and other classes at the Las Lomitas League website http://www.laslomitasleague.com/, under the "Classes" tab. Please be sure to read the "Registration Notes" before proceeding to the Class Descriptions.
|
|
PTA News
|
LA ENTRADA SPELLING BEE
The annual La Entrada Spelling Bee is this Friday, January 11 at 3:00 pm, in Jensen Hall.
The list of Spelling Bee qualifiers is posted in the main school hallway, and qualifiers were notified via email to their parents. If you see these folks at school, be sure to toss them a spelling word for practice. On Friday, January 11, cheer on the spellers as they compete for the grade-level and overall prizes, and the chance to advance to the San Francisco Bee. Who's going to win? Come find out!
Questions? Contact Kari Mueller (Kari.rae@gmail.com) or Janelle London (jlondon@stanfordalumni.org ).
 SCIENCE FAIR SEASON IS UPON US!
Last year the science fair was a blast with with over 80 projects and 140 students involved. Many of the winners went on to the County Fair, the Bay Area Fair, and some to the State Fair. The presentations will be on Wednesday January 16th, but the kids should register by November 20th, have a topic by December 6th, and submit an abstract by January 10th. The sooner they start thinking about what they want to do the better!
We need more volunteers to coach the kids, set up for the event, and help judge the event. Please contact Bardia Pezeshki (bardia@pezeshki.org) or Ann Crady (acrady@gmail.com) to help out.
4TH AND 5TH GRADE LATIN CLUB
Even if you have not already signed up, please feel free to join us at lunch period in MUR for our next meetings on January 17th, February 14th, March , April 18th.
|
| School News |
CORNERSTONE CORNER
Please contact Katie Boland at kboland@gmail.com or Anna Plume at aplumemom@yahoo.com if you would like to get involved with the Project Cornerstone projects or services being implemented at La Entrada.
First Friday. On the first Friday of School each month, Dads (and any other interested adults) are invited to come and connect with kids at lunchtime. This program formerly called Dads at Lunch has been enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Dates: 1/11, 2/1, 3/1, 4/5, 5/3 and 6/7.
Time: 4-5th grade- 11:35-12:15p
6-8th grade- 12:15 - 12:50p
"Take it Personally" Training starts next week. This six-session workshop helps adults understand and make a stronger commitment to supporting young people and provides tools, exercises and strategies to help parents make the biggest impact on our kids and other kids in our communities. For details contact: Linda Silvius at Linda@ProjectCornerstone.org or Sonya Dineen at sdineen@llesd.org
Start Date: Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Time: 9- 10:30am (evening class will be postponed until a later date)
Place: Room 7
Six sessions: 1/16, 1/23,1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/27
Fee: $10.00, one time donation includes workbook
ABC Reader Program. Reminder: All 4-6th grade ABC Readers will be meeting on Thursday, Jan 10 to learn about the forth book in the ABC year.
MUSIC NEWS
Congratulations to seventh grader, John M., who has been invited to participate in the "All-State Junior High School Honor Band" which will be held in Fresno from February 21 - 23. John completed a vigorous audition process on his trumpet in late November and was recently awarded for his preparation and practice by admission into this prestigious group. The highlight for these talented, junior-high musicians, will be their 'finale performance' on Saturday night, February 23rd in a beautiful, acoustically-sound, concert hall in Fresno. We know that you will be a great ambassador for La Entrada during the three-day event. All the best in this musical endeavor John!
|
| From the Foundation |
 
Meet Our Participation Match!
Welcome back to school! As we ring in the new year, we'd like to proudly share that almost 70% of families have donated to the Foundation thus far. For those who need to give in 2013, please don't delay! Donate at www.llef.org. To make donating even sweeter, the Foundation will earn an additional $80,000 if we hit an 80% participation rate by District families. Your donation, of any amount, will make a significant difference!
|
Donations as of 12/17/12:
|
ALL
|
Pre K
|
Kinder
|
1st Grade
|
2nd Grade
|
3rd Grade
|
4th Grade
|
5th Grade
|
6th Grade
|
7th Grade
|
8th Grade
| |
% of families who have donated
|
64%
|
43%
|
67%
|
70%
|
67%
|
66%
|
69%
|
71%
|
61%
|
65%
|
48%
|
Thank you for doing your holiday shopping through www.llefshopping.com. Did you know that you, family and friends could continue to earn money for our District throughout the year by continuing to on-line shop through www.llefshopping.com? Just bookmark www.llefshopping.com and click on a vendor icon to shop as you normally would to trigger donations from your favorite retailers, including Amazon, Tiny Prints, Minted, Shutterfly, iTunes, RedEnvelope, and more.
Thank you to our donors the week of 12/10/12-12/17/12!
Michael and Monica Albers, Douglas and Loretta Allred, John and Ellen Bargar, Ed and Maryann Berkowitz, Inder and Mandeep Bhasin, Joel and Eileen Birnbaum , Lindsay Jack, Gustavo Bolanos and Emanuela Franchi, Cristina Causor, Keith and Sandra Cheek, Ming-teh Dwight Chen, Edward Cho and Hyeyoung Kim, Susan Conway, Brian and Patricia Danitz, Burt and Dianne Davis, Rob and Alison de Geus, David Denier and Joy Kosobayashi, Barbara Keating and Ted Downey, Denise Dowsett, Bart and Molly Drewes, Ben Encisco and Judith Dean, Aharon and Bethany Freud, Anna and Vladimir Golovchinsky, Paul Gurnee and Jennifer Xie, Rick and Laurie Gustafson, Ashley and Anda Hall, Michelle Hinshaw, Steve and Eleonore , Johnson, Roy and Leigh Johnson, Baris Karadogan and Susana Rodriguez deTembleque, William and Lucille Lee, Jason Lee and Maisie Fung, Jeffrey and Rachel Lokey, Patricia and Robert Maines, Brian McGarry and Lorraine McDonough, Bob Meltzer, Rosalyn Montenegro, Gerald and Coralie Mueller, Chuck and Kelly Muenzen, Tyler and Melinda Nielson, Sean Pirzadeh, Benjamin and Mary Pless, Georg and Linda Puchta, Mark and Linda Reed, Lauren Reibstein, Sal Sanfilippo and Monique Schoonbrood, Bart and Sue Satsky , David and Susan Schinski, ,Jon and Naomi Shalowitz, Jay Siegel and Linda Carr , Jason and Abigail Smith, Terry Spurling and Catherine Curtin, Carl Statkiewicz and Suzanne Decareau, Gary and Beth Thurston, Barbara Tommaney, Hermann Tribukait and Beatriz Canales, Steve and Carol Trott , Hasan Turunc and Whitney Thwaite, Mika and Maija Valta, Peter and Allison Virsik, Richard Voreck and Diane Schiano, Vo and Jennifer Le, Verna S. West, Kenneth and Cynthia Yi
 
|
| Sequoia Union High School District News |
Menlo-Atherton High School Fashion Show
SAVE THE DATE! The Menlo-Atherton High School Fashion Show is coming! Please join us for this year's fashion show - "iM-Agine...A Bright Future" on Saturday, February 23, featuring our senior class. This show is a great community event and fun for all ages. The show has an upbeat techno theme with bright lights to honor our senior class as they prepare to embark on their new journeys. There will be a luncheon at 11:30 a.m., followed by the 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7:30 evening show in the Performing Arts Center. We will highlight fashions from local stores and the seniors will model and dance! More information regarding ticket sales/prices will be available soon! We hope to see you and your families there! Come witness the great school spirit at M-A!
M-A PARENT EDUCATION SERIES: 2012-13 MID-YEAR SURVEY
Thanks to all of you who attended M-A Parent Education Series events this fall! We have an exciting schedule planned for next semester, so look for information about new speakers/presenters in future BearNotes announcements.
We hope you will take a few minutes to complete a brief 2012-13 Mid-Year M-A Parent Education Series survey. Your responses help us evaluate our program and plan for next year's offerings!
Donate Old Computers, Printers, Digital Cameras, Flash Drives to M-A Students
WANTED: Old computers or parts, working or not, for M-A High School PTA computer donation program. Your old computer equipment will be securely erased, refurbished, and sent home with a needy, hard-working student. Our goal is for every student at M-A High School to have a working computer at home to assist them with their homework. We welcome donations from individuals or corporate donations from companies that are upgrading their equipment. Donations are tax-deductible. We also need other types of electronic gear, such as USB flash drives and digital cameras (include manual, battery charger and memory card if you have them). For more detailed information, visit www.suekayton.com/MAHigh/computerdonations.htm or contact Sue Kayton at (650) 853-1711 or kayton@alum.mit.edu.
Summit and Everest Open House
Summit Preparatory Charter High School (one of Newsweek's"Ten Miracle High Schools" in the country) and Everest Public High School are public, tuition-free, charter high schools in Redwood City. Our schools strive to provide students with a small and personalized educational experience with guaranteed college preparation in a physically and emotionally safe environment. Summit and Everest would like to invite parents and students to learn more about their schools and the admission process at their upcoming Open Houses:
Saturday, February 9th, 2013 at 10:00 AM
All open houses will be at Summit, 890 Broadway, Redwood City.
|
| Community News |
These programs are not supported by or affiliated with the La Entrada School or the La Entrada PTA.
School Supplies Needed for Elementary Schools in East Palo Alto
Interested in helping East Palo Alto elementary schools with needed supplies such as paper, pencils, pencil sharpeners and Kleenex? Our parent volunteer group makes it easy through our Giving Tree program. Just give us your email address and every quarter you will receive a "wish list" message. From the wish list, you can purchase a small item or two and drop off supplies at a specified home in Menlo Park or Palo Alto. There are no meetings, only quarterly emails. It's easy! Sign up by contacting Linda Knoll at linda_knoll@yahoo.com. To learn more about our programs servicing East Palo Alto schools, please visit our web site www.allstudentsmatter.org.
Ragazzi Boys Chorus Free Minicamp Saturday, January 19, 2013, 9:30am - 1pm, Redwood City Registration is now open for Ragazzi Boys Chorus' free half-day minicamp for boys, ages 7-10. No previous singing experience is required. Low-key, no-obligation auditions are integrated into the camp. Boys offered Ragazzi membership join rehearsals the week of Jan. 21, 2013. Beginning groups meet one evening per week for choral singing and theory instruction. Ragazzi offers a complete music education that progresses through a proven, award-winning choral program.Ragazzi performs its own concert series, sings the National Anthem at a spring Giants game, tours domestically and internationally, and collaborates with other prestigious Bay Area arts organizations. Contact: ragazzi@ragazzi.org, 650-342-8785. Register online at http://j.mp/W8SVLI. An Evening for Parents with Stanford Psychology Professor and Author Carol Dweck
Tuesday, January 29th from 7:00-9:30 - Carol Dweck, Ph.D. The Friends of the Menlo Park Library present Mindset: An Evening for Parents with Stanford Psychology Professor and Author Carol Dweck at the Hillview Performing Arts Center, 1100 Elder Avenue, Menlo Park. Space is limited and registration is required: http://caroldweckhillviewjan29.eventbrite.com/
Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp Information Coffee
A YSSC Leader will be on hand to answer any questions.
At the Yandle Family Home: 2134 Clayton Drive in Menlo Park, CA on Thursday January 10, 2013 @ 10AM Please RVSP by January7th via email yandle@sbcglobal.net or 408-460-2280
2013 Spring Alpine/West Menlo Little League and AMA Softball
Baseball and Softball Registration for 2013 Spring Alpine/West Menlo Little League and AMA Softball is now open.
|
From the Editors
| The Leopard's Spot is published by the La Entrada PTA as a service to the La Entrada families and community. Before submitting an article, please read our newsletter policies.
To submit an item, email it to the editors at leopardsspot@llesd.org by 12 noon
on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication date.
Submission Requirements:
- In the subject line of the email, please include the section in which you wish your item to be placed (see our newsletter policies for the list of our regular sections); for example, the subject may read "PTA News" for any item related to PTA programs;
- DO NOT send the article as an attachment but in the body of the email: submission sent as Word doc will be rejected;
- Clearly indicate the title of your submission;
- DO NOT send flyers but provide a link to them;
- DO NOT send pictures but provide a link to them;
|
|
