When 80% of our District Families have made a gift of any amount to the Foundation, we will receive an additional $80,000 Challenge Grant Donation for our schools.

Every donation counts! Don't delay - start the New Year by making a gift to the LLEF Annual Giving Campaign and know that your donation makes an extra difference by enabling us to earn these critical additional funds.

Please support our schools and donate today!

Let's see which grade will be the first one to reach 80%!

8th grade 45%

7th grade 43%

6th grade 46%

5th grade 57%

4th grade 45%

3rd grade 59%

2nd grade 59%

1st grade 60%

Kindergarten 56%

http://www.llef.org

Excellence is built one donation at a time.

Las Lomitas League

Register for Spring Classes This Week!

Registration will opens this week on January 7th at 7:00pm and ends January 17th at 11:30pm.

There will be no late registration. Spring classes and sports are posted on the LLL website at www.laslomitasleague.com. We are offering another new class - Studio Art Exploration on Wednesdays, as well as all the old favorites, including Cooking, Jazz Band, Robotics etc., with the Advanced Cooking class now offered on Wednesdays. Registration for spring sports (tennis and track and field) also opens on January 7th at 7:00pm.

Boys Volleyball

The Las Lomitas League will be offering a series of boys volleyball clinics this Spring for 6th - 8th graders. Come learn all aspects of the game, from fundamental skills to game strategy, and have a great time! Dates and times of the clinics will be posted on the LLL website shortly. Questions? Contact Vicki Knapp at vknapp@gmail.com.

PTA News

Announcing the 2014 La Entrada Science Fair - Feb 7th...Yay Science!!!

GOT APPS? Computer Science is included in this year science fair!

Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math projects are all encouraged in this years science fair held February 7th in Jensen Hall. There will be prizes for the top 3 projects in each grade! Mixed level grade projects are allowed, register under highest grade. Students should register by by January 10th and submit their abstracts by January 20th. Projects will need to be set up in Jensen Hall on Thursday, February 6th. Check out the website for details at www.laentradssciencefair.org. We need parent volunteers to help with the event. Please contact Rachel Perkocha: perkocha@yahoo.com if you can volunteer or if you have any questions. Thank you!

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Save the Date! The Spelling Bee is Coming!

Congratulations to all who qualified to compete in the annual La Entrada Spelling Bee. The list of qualifiers is below, and posted in the main school hallway. When you see these students over the next couple of weeks, help them out by tossing them a spelling word for practice. On Tuesday, January 21^st, come to Jensen Hall at 3:00pm to cheer them on 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!

Get in on the action! To volunteer at the Bee, contact Kari Mueller (Kari.rae@gmail.com) or Janelle London (jlondon@stanfordalumni.org).

4^th grade: Brian G, Radha R, Lydia E, Diana M, Heath S, Paulina GC, Alexander L, Henry M, Alexander D, Anna Y, Garret C, Can Deniz G

5^th grade: Lindsey C, Toby T, Emily X, Annabelle M, Owen H, Dana L, Sally N, Alex C, Jessica P, Georgia W, Hunter W

6^th grade: Jack G, Raphael L, Rachel T, Athena B-P, Kieran R, Jonah E, Alice E, Ronan H, Jason H, Luke N, Noah S, Amanda Y, Emily Z

7^th grade: Karen M, John C, Cecilia H, Alexander K, Charles S, Mason L, Sophia L, Cole M, Ashley N, Katherine S, Molly B, Miranda M, Maxim S, Ally T, Danielle G

8^th grade: Thomas E, Celeste L, Athena L, Connor H, John M, John P, William S, Maanek S, Patrick K, Anne P, Marc M, Rekha R, Andrew T, Peter E, Suzuka K, Andrew K, Tori R, Sala T

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School News

A Letter from Suzanne Mitchell, Director of Technology

Dear Parents,

Here are some New Year's suggestions on ways to keep your children safe (and the family sane) in their world of internet-based devices. Here are a few security level tips and some simple parenting techniques worth exploring....

Setting the software restrictions on personal devices (see #1 below for iPad settings).note: the district iPads have controls on them.
Setting hardware restrictions on your internet routers. Most routers come with the ability to schedule when the Internet is accessible. In many cases you can also add access policies by device e.g. kid's computer vs. parents' computer.
Agreeing and setting the physical location of acceptable use and the amount of time allowed on devices.
Having conversations about the rapidly changing cyber world, sharing and understanding their use of the device, and having discussions of Internet Safety simply be commonplace.

Here's some great resources addressing much of the above.

How to Enable iPad Parental Controls: About.com
This is a great visual guide to how to best manage your children's personal iPads. The ones owned by the district already have installed restrictions.
A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Topics and information such as "What Are Signs That Your Child Might Be At Risk On-line?"
Internet Safety: Safely Navigating Uncharted Waters
This video is designed for kids aged 9-16. It goes over the basics of how kids can keep themselves safe on Facebook, protect their reputation, and how to respond to cyberbullying.
Download Video Presentation (1.9 MB) (25min)

Internet Safety Organizations:

Common Sense Media
NetSmartz
SafeKids.com
My Secure Cyberspace
Enough is Enough
WiredSafety.org
GetNetWise.org
Web Wise Kids
Net Family News
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Internet Industry Association

Happy New Year to all!

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Computer Science Week Update from Parker Kelly

Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code

Back in December, Code.org promoted Computer Science Education Week from the 9^th to the 15^th. The goal of the week was to raise awareness about computer coding and to inspire more students to pursue careers in technology. One way it was promoted was through the Hour of Code, a collection of programming exercises focused on students in elementary, middle and high school. The goal was to get over 10 million students, world-wide, to code over the course of the week. Here are some interesting statistics for the 7 days of coding:

Code.org Stats Source: http://codeorg.tumblr.com/post/70175643054/stats	La Entrada Stats Source: Mr. Parker Kelly, Mr. Sheldon Piumarta and Mrs. Michelle Pitt
Over 17 million students in 170 countries coded for at least 1 hour	Over 400 students (out of 750) in 7 different classes coded for at least 1 hour
1 in 5 students coded for at least an hour in the U.S.	More than 1 in 2 students coded for at least one hour
More girls participated in Computer Science in U.S. schools over the 7 days than in the last 70 years	Nearly 190 girls participated in at least one hour of code
Over 500 million lines of code were typed	30,000 lines of code were typed

Leopards Represent at the CodeHS Hackathon at Facebook

Way back on December 14^th, nine leopards participated in the first annual CodeHS hackathon, hosted at the world headquarters of Facebook in East Menlo Park. CodeHS, an instructional computer science company that offers programming lessons in a variety of languages, initiated this programming event in order to raise awareness about the importance of programming and to inspire students to pursue a computer science degree. On this beautiful, sunny and brisk day, Takeshi I., Aleyna C., Jack T., Luke S., Kelsey G., Sean H., Jack B., Jackson L., Sophia L. and Mr. Parker Kelly spent over 4 hours inside cranking out code, eating unlimited snacks, and mixing it up with over 100 other student programmers from all over the Bay Area. Participants constructed many commands to direct Karel, a virtual dog, around a course and to create artwork with animations-all with JavaScript! Although we did not win the grand prize (a Chromebook), we had a lot of fun, learned about what it takes to be a programmer and took an inside look at one of the biggest technology companies in the world. Hopefully we can go again next year! Pictures of the event can be found on:

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/mfq5sd7
Pinterest: http://tinyurl.com/ll6fbax

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Project Cornerstone Parent Education Event - from Sonya Dineen

The Hillview School community has invited our parents to attend their Winter parent education classes, "Take it Personally", listed below. I'm confident parents will find these classes to be informative and the experience to be interesting. Parenting IS the hardest action verb around!

Winter Project Cornerstone "Take It Personally" Parent Ed - Six Week Series:

Building assets in our children might be some of the most important work we do as parents. How can we help our kids thrive? What is most important in helping my child succeed in school academically AND in life? How can I show my child I support their efforts and dreams? These questions and more will be answered in a 6-week parent study group series facilitated by Pam Von Wiegand, founder of Project Cornerstone.

Six Tuesday evenings starting January 7, 2014 from 7:00-8:30pm at the Hillview Performing Arts Center. Please RSVP to Robin Soran. (r_soran@yahoo.com)

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Amici's Day to Benefit 8th Grade DC Trip

Amici's is hosting a fundraising event to benefit the 8th Grade Washington DC trip, next Monday, January 13th from 11:00am-10:00pm. Spread the word and invite all your friends and family to take a night off from the kitchen! Amici's will donate 25% of your total food and beverage bill to the La Entrada 8th Grade Washington DC trip - dine in or take out. It's so easy!

Sequoia Union High School District News

Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is a period of time when you may request a high school other than your home school for your child to attend. You must complete an Open Enrollment Transfer Application to be eligible. Open Enrollment began on October 1st, 2013 and closes on January 17th, 2014 at 7:00pm. There are no late exceptions. Applicants will receive a letter in the mail around the first week of March letting them know if their request was approved or if they were put on a wait-list. Applicants have until March 14, 2014 to rescind the transfer request should they decide to do so. Please do this in writing. The sooner they let the district know, the sooner it opens up a spot for someone else who might want it. For more information, click here.

Please note that If you are a La Entrada 8th grader who would like to attend Menlo Atherton High School but do not live in the MA attendance area, you WILL be granted permission to attend MA High School as a 9th grader but you MUST fill out an open enrollment form and submit it to the high school district according to the instructions above.

Get to Know M-A

Campus Tours

Come tour the beautiful M-A campus on a Wednesday afternoon while school is in session. Current M-A students and an M-A staff member will guide you around campus and answer all your questions. Wednesday Tours are the first Wednesday of the month (October to April). See the Get to Know M-A Events Calendar for specific dates. The tour is one hour. Please reserve your tour spot online here.

Shadowing

Our Shadowing program pairs prospective 8th graders with a 9th grade host so they can attend classes during a typical day at M-A. Our program runs from October 4 through March 28. Please click here for full program details and frequently asked questions. New this year, sign-ups will be done through our website. Shadowing is very popular and appointments fill fast, so sign up early to reserve your spot. For more details or to sign-up see our website: mabears.org, About Us, Get To Know M-A.

Get to Know Woodside

Open House

Woodside High School is holding an open house on Saturday, January 11th from 9:00am - 12:00pm, where middle school parents and students can tour classrooms, hear music performances, meet teachers and staff, and talk with other parents. Refreshments are being served and there will be Spanish-language translators available. Everyone is welcome!

To learn more, call Woodside High School at 650-367-9750 or email event chair, Georgia Jack, georgia@casajack.com. To register for a tour time visit www.woodsidehs.org and click on "Open House" under "Quick Links."

Parents Tours

The Parent Tours offer an intimate look at Woodside High School. Talk to the principal and a member of the administrative team, ask as many questions as you like in a small group setting, visit classes, walk through the campus during passing periods, get a sense of the friendly and academic culture of this exemplary comprehensive high school. Sign up for a parents tour here.

Shadowing

The shadow program is designed for all students, including transfer students, who are interested in attending Woodside High School. The shadow program is run through the leadership class and the students in leadership are the shadow leaders. Shadowing will take place between September 17, 2013 and March 7, 2014.

We look forward to giving you a glimpse of a day in the life of Woodside High School student. Enjoy the vibrant campus, rich in activities and opportunities to grow. Get a feel for the springboard to such universities as Cal Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, MIT, NYU, and others. Woodside High School offers a rigorous academic program geared towards the completion of the UC/CSU A-G Requirements and a solid preparation for the next level of scholarship and disciplinary study.

For more information and to request a shadowing date click here.

Get to Know Sequoia High

Shadowing

Individual 8th grade students will be able to shadow a Sequoia 9th/10th grader on most week days between October 1, 2013 and March 1, 2014. Shadow days are designed to allow students to get a feel for their future alma mater through spending the day attending classes, walking through the halls from class to class, and eating lunch.

8th graders may choose whether they'd prefer to spend the day with a Sequoia student taking primarily college prep mainstream classes or one taking primarily ICAP classes designed to prepare 9th/10th grade students to take higher level IB courses in the 11th/12th grade years. Preferences can be indicated at the time of registration.

If you have questions about shadowing at Sequoia, please contact Lauren Reibstein at lreibste@seq.org.

Get to Know our Charter Schools

Summit Preparatory Charter High School and Everest Public High School

Summit and Everest are part of Summit Public Schools - an organization of public, tuition-free, charter high schools. Our schools strive to provide students with a small and personalized educational experience with guaranteed college preparation in a physically and emotionally safe environment. Our students, parents, and teachers describe why they choose Summit schools: https://vimeo.com/57639234.

Open Houses are held together for both of our schools. Please join us:
Saturday, February 8, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Everest Public High School
455 5th Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94063

At our Open Houses, you will:
* Learn more about our rigorous, college-preparatory program
* Meet current students, parents, and faculty
* Be able to pick up and submit an application
* Be able to sign up for Shadow Days and Parent Tours

Visit our websites for more information: www.everestphs.org www.summitprep.net

Community News

Sports Edition Coming Soon!

The Spot will be running a Sports Edition to announce spring sports in our community - whether the programs are run by profit or not for profit companies. If you have a sports related article you would like to submit, please send it to leopardsspot@gmail.com by Wednesday, January 15th at 12:00pm.

From the Editor

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. (Newsletter policies are under review by the PTA for the 2013-2014 school year.)

To submit an item, email it to the editor at leopardsspot@llesd.org by 12:00 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.
Send the article in the body of the email: submission sent as Word doc or other attachment will be rejected.
Clearly indicate the title of your submission.
Provide a link for all pictures and graphics.

For past issues, visit the PTA Newsletter Archive.

MJ Crousore
Leopard's Spot Editor