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From the Principal's Office
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Dear La Entrada Community:
Welcome back to La Entrada and to the 2014-15 school year. Hopefully you found plenty of time to have fun in the sun and enjoy some unstructured time. The staff at LE rested and played as well, although things were still pretty busy at school. As always, La Entrada has been buzzing as staff has been busy preparing the school and classrooms for an exciting, new school year. The construction teams did their best to keep the dust down as they moved dirt around and brought in new buildings and redesigned and enlarged the lunch area to increase capacity. The playground equipment has a new home between the gym and the baseball field. In addition to this, many teachers worked on curriculum this summer to better prepare for the year ahead. We are looking forward to a fantastic school year with our returning 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders as well as our incoming 4th graders and new students.
In preparation for the opening of school, here is some important information for you:
Class Assignments: All class assignments and schedules will be mailed out on August 15th. No classes will be publicly posted at the school. Class lists will be available at Meet the Teacher, August 20, 9:15 -10:00.
School Supplies: Las Lomitas School District and La Entrada Middle School provide basic classroom supplies. Each teacher will post a supply wish list on their "Apple for a Classroom" site. If there are items on the list that you would like to donate to the classroom, it would be most appreciated. Please see the La Entrada website for more details on supplies for 2014-15.
Immunizations: This is a reminder that all incoming 7th grade students must show proof of a whooping cough booster (Tdap) shot (or file an exemption) before August 20th in order to attend classes next year. Please submit a booster shot record to the office as soon as possible.
Transportation: Please help us in providing safe procedures for traveling to and from school. We encourage you to use the bus, to carpool and to review safe bicycle and pedestrian routes with your student. La Entrada Staff will be present to help direct traffic and support the drop off and pick up procedures during the first month of school. Due to our continued growth, which brings increased traffic in our parking lot, all adults and students are reminded to exit campus via a sidewalk exit and not walk in or out of our parking lot entrance driveway. Our primary goal is to ensure a safe environment for our students and a respectful environment for our neighbors. Thank you for all your cooperation.
1st Day Packets Online at Info Snap!: Last school year, we began using an online registration system called InfoSnap. We will be using InfoSnap again to register new students and to update important information on all returning students. All families, new and returning, received an email with a passcode to InfoSnap on August 4, 2014. Please log in to your account and update your emergency contact information for each child and read and update any forms as necessary.
ALL Families must complete the online registration by August 18, 2014 in order for your child to be admitted to class on the first day of school. For NEW students registering after August 18: After the final section of "Review & Submit" you will receive confirmation summary pages which you will need to print, sign and return to the school at either Meet the Teacher on August 20th, or the first day of school. Thank you in advance for completing the registration process. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 650-854-3962
Choice Lunch: As a reminder, please pack food for recess and lunch the first two days of school. Hot lunch service begins Monday, August 25th.
Project Cornerstone: La Entrada continues to support the campus climate through the Project Cornerstone program. This year's Lead Parent Volunteers are Carolyn Littlefield and Katie Evans. This dynamic parent team will be sharing information and updates with parents on volunteer opportunities on campus that support the climate and student social-emotional growth, as well as meaningful parent education opportunities and trainings. Our ABC Book Club, a program where parent volunteers read books to the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes and discuss the messages embedded in the stories, will continue this year. Dad's at Lunch on the first Friday of each month will also continue, as well as "Take-it-Personally" Parenting Classes. Parents who are interested in volunteering during lunch recess will have an opportunity to be trained in our Peaceful Playground program, as well as some basic playground supervision techniques. Having adults out and about during lunch recess times is an effective preventative measure in playground conflicts and another opportunity for our La Entrada community to bond.
The entire staff is eager and excited to begin the year. The teachers have put a lot of time and energy getting ready for the year. Having spent a lot of time here this summer, I was impressed to see the dedication of our staff, preparing all summer for the school year. If you have any queries or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
We hope you enjoy these last few days of summer, and we look forward to seeing you at "Meet the Teacher" on August 20. Here's to a great school year!
Best regards,
Shannon Potts
Principal
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From the PTA Presidents
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Welcome to La Entrada to our new families and Welcome Back to our returning families!!! We hope you had a great summer.
We are looking forward to seeing you at Meet the Teacher Day on August 20th. Please stop by our table near the entrance to say hi!
Please mark your calendar for our first PTA General Meeting on August 27th at 9:00am in the MUR. Have a cup of coffee, mingle, and learn about our programs and plans for the year.
Take advantage of our Volunteer Sign Ups listed below so you can get involved in what interests you and plan your calendars now! From the Book Fair to the Holiday Workshop, from the Spelling Bee to the Geo Bee, from serving hot lunch to expressing our gratitude to our teachers during Staff Appreciation Week - please remember that all of our programs are funded and run by you, our parent volunteers. Thank you in advance!
We're looking forward to working with you to make this a great year for our kids!
Ashley Banks and Sandie Timm
Co-Presidents, La Entrada PTA
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PTA News
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2014-2015 Membership Drive is Underway!
Please consider supporting the La Entrada PTA this year. La Entrada needs every family to join in order to provide the quality programs your child enjoys throughout the year. Your contribution provides much-needed support towards Field Trips, Holiday Faire, Science Fair, Family Picnic, Halloween Event and Spelling Bee (just to name a few). Joining the PTA does not mean you are signing up to volunteer. Payment of your membership fees is simply demonstrating your support of our programs. Please join us today!
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Volunteer Now!
Volunteering through PTA Committees is your door to participating on campus. Avoid the rush of volunteer sign up at the Job Fair August 27th and sign up for your selected committee spots now by clicking here now. As you browse through your list of selections, please consider joining the hot lunch team. Each shift is only a half hour per week, and is a fun and easy way to connect with other parents and the kids on campus. We need all hot lunch teams full so we can begin serving hot lunch as scheduled on August 25. Contact Julie Herlihy at volunteers@laentradapta.org with any questions on volunteering.
Committee Chairs are needed for the following:
- Art Notecards - Just like Las Lomitas, our 4th and 5th graders participate in the Art Notecard program. This program takes place in the fall.
- Lunchtime Enrichment - This program provides multiple activities for kids to choose from such as Latin Club, Book Club, Youth Action Council, and Around the World. All activities have their own leader and usually meet on a monthly schedule. The Chair position coordinates these activities and markets them to the students.
- Holiday Faire - The Holiday Faire is a hands on craft fair in which all students create holiday gifts for their family and friends. We have a fabulous group of ongoing volunteers for this event, but we need someone to coordinate and lead their efforts. Last year's co-chairs are also happy to advise you in what needs to be done to make the fair a success! The Faire typically takes about 5 days of prep time and will be held on December 5 this year. This La Entrada tradition is typically rated as one of the kids' favorite days of the year but without a leader, it won't happen this year, so please consider signing up!
- Career Day - This is an opportunity for parents and community members to come forward and share their careers with 7th and 8th graders. Chairing this committee will likely take a day of prep to ensure that we have all of the adults ready and setting up the MUR on the day of the event, March 20.
- Multi-Cultural Day - This is an opportunity for district families to share their cultural traditions with the students. We already have plans for Chinese New Year. If you would like to Chair this event and broaden it beyond Chinese New Year, we will appreciate your leadership in structuring this day for the students.
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School News
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To: Parents of 2014-2015 7th grade students La Entrada School
From: Sonya Dineen & La Entrada School Health Office
Re: AB354 TDAP Booster Shot
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This is a reminder that all 2014-2015 7th grade students must submit proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster immunization in order to start 7th grade in the fall. A whooping cough, or Tdap booster shot, is required by the California Department of Public Health to provide students protection against whooping cough in their adolescent years. This is in response to an increased number of whooping cough cases in recent years in California.
A Tdap booster shot received on or after the 7th birthday will meet the new school requirements. Please consult with your child's healthcare provider as soon as possible and bring documentation in the form of an immunization record of the Tdap booster shot directly to the La Entrada office.
Per California law, no student will be permitted to start school in the fall without documentation from the healthcare provider that the booster shot was received.
Proof of Tdap booster may be :
2. Faxed to our office at: 650-854-5947. 3. Mailed directly to our school's office at: 2200 Sharon Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, 4. Personally delivered to the school office now between 7:45am - 3:30pm. This is the third year that this requirement has been in place for students to attend public school. Thank you very much for your cooperation with this state requirement.
Sincerely,
Sonya Dineen
Assistant Principal
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Medication Drop Off Days
If your student will require medication for the 2014-2015 school year, please note that a new medication authorization form is required every school year. When registering your child via Info Snap, you will find the necessary forms included for your convenience. If you have questions, feel free to contact the school office. You may bring medications with the completed authorization form to the school office during MEDICATION DROP OFF DAYS: Aug 20th and 21st.
Thank you,
Kelly Muenzen School Nurse
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Las Lomitas League
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The Las Lomitas League (LLL) offers enriching, after-school sports and classes for all children in our district. Registration for Fall offerings opens on August 25th at 7pm and closes on September 2nd at 11:59 pm. Some classes fill up quickly so register early at www.laslomitasleague.com.
- We will offer volleyball and flag football again this fall. Volleyball is open to girls in the 4th through 8th grades. Fourth and 5th graders participate in the La Entrada Volleyball Skills Clinic twice a week. 6th through 8th graders are placed on teams that practice twice weekly and they participate in a recreational league run by the Menlo Park Youth Volleyball Program. The season runs from early September through mid-November. We need coaches!!! Please contact Sue Bartalo at sbartalo@mac.com if you're interested.
- Flag Football is open to all 6th through 8th graders. Our two teams, a Juniors team and a Varsity team, participate in a recreational league comprised of middle schools in the area. Teams practice on Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:00, and games are on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:45. The season runs from early September through early November. We're looking for coaches!!! Please contact Mark Jones at markjones5@gmail.com if you are interested.
- We are excited to offer new classes this fall, including Animal Art, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math), Jazz Dance and Digital Photography. We will continue to offer all-time favorites such as Ceramics, Jazz Band, Robotics, Play in a Box and Yearbook. We will also be offering our popular cooking classes again, and more! Please note that the meeting day for Ceramics and Robotics has changed to Monday.
Please go to our website at www.laslomitasleague.com for descriptions of all our classes and for more details about our sports programs.
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Las Lomitas Education Foundation
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We Did It Again!
Thanks to YOU, the Foundation was able to gift our school district $2.4 million dollars in June for use this upcoming 2014-15 year. This represents over 10% of the District's budget! The funds will be used for:
- Maintaining Small Class Sizes
- Enhanced Curriculum, including PE, art, music
- Excellence in Education initiatives (including professional development for teachers, technology in the classrooms, piloting innovative programs)
Our collective giving reaffirms how our parent community deeply cares about and invests in our children's education. All of our children benefit.
Thank you!
Elaine MacDonald and Linda McGeever
Las Lomitas Education Foundation Co-Presidents
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Don't Miss Out on These Great Back to School Events!
Looking for a perfect way to say goodbye to summer and kick off the new school year? Plan to swim, dance, and reconnect with your BFFs before school starts at the Ladera Recreation Center! Pizza and treats will be provided so party to your heart's content! Don't miss out on the fun!
Tuesday, August 19th from 6:30 to 9:30pm
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The kids are back in class, and it is time to pick up a new book! Please join us for brunch and conversations about new finds, old classics and fun summer reads. The food will be yummy, the coffee strong, and the company of fellow book-lovers satisfying. You'll leave the brunch with a list of our favorite books AND three different books from our selections to read this fall.
Sunday, September 7th at 12:00pm |
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High School News
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WELCOME to M-A's Class of 2018!
M-A staff, students, and parents are looking forward to having the La Entrada Class of 2014 join them in few days! Here are a few reminders:
- Arena Check-in for freshmen is Tuesday, August 12. If you have not done so already, complete the online registration at portal.seq.org. PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR ONLINE INFORMATION UPDATE for the Sequoia Union High School District! Visit seq.org>resources>online registration for further information and assistance.
- Freshman Orientation will be held Monday, August 18, 8-10 a.m. in Ayers Gym.(class of 2018)
- The M-A Foundation is hosting a Freshman Parent Welcome Coffee on Monday, August 18th at 8:00 am outside the Guidance Office. Drop your freshman off for orientation and join us to meet fellow freshman parents. Principal Zito will be speaking and student-led campus tours will be offered.
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From the Editors
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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 12:00 noon on the Wednesday prior to the Monday publication date. Submissions to personal email accounts are likely to be inadvertently omitted.
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.
- Send the article in the body of an original email: submission sent as Word doc or other attachment will be rejected.
- Provide a .jpg attachment for all pictures and graphics.
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