|
From the Principal's Office
|
Dear La Entrada Community,
Upcoming Digital TAT2 Parent Presentations
September 15, 2014, 10:00a.m. - 11:30 a.m. in the MUR
October 13, 2014, 6:30p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the MUR
This is our second year hosting Digital TAT2 Presentations that focus on "digital natives" and their "digital reputations", cyber bullying prevention and other related topics around the benefits and challenges parents and children face today as they live in a 24 hour digital media world. Classroom presentations and grade level assemblies will be between September 8th and October 10th.
Washington DC Parent Information Night
A representative from Apple Tours will be on campus in the MUR on September 18 at 6:30 p.m. to inform parents about the 8th grade Washington DC Opportunity. Please join us if you your child is interested in traveling to Washington DC over Spring break.
Silent Study Center
Our Silent Study Center is up and running after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Students are welcome to attend the Silent Study Center in the library where they can get homework done and/or silently read a book until 3:40 p.m. For many students, there are "Late Buses" that take students at 3:40 p.m. (Please confirm that your child's route has a late pickup.) Also, please note that there is no previous Sign Up process; your child is welcome to attend any Monday, Tuesday or Thursday.
First Middle School Dance
The first dance is this Friday, September 19 from 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. This dance is open to all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students who have demonstrated appropriate school behavior up to the day of the dance. Below are our guidelines. Parents are asked to please remember to call the office during the day or email Mrs. Dineen (sdineen@llesd.org) if your child purchased a ticket but will NOT be attending the dance.
La Entrada Dance Guidelines
General Guidelines
Middle School Dances are opportunities to learn how to socialize with peers in a safe and chaperoned environment. Students are encouraged to dress up for this event and use their best manners, especially when being asked by another student to dance. If a student has been courageous enough to ask another student to dance, it would be polite to thank them for the invite and accept to dance at least one dance. No one feels good about being embarrassed when their request for a dance is denied.
Behavior Expectations
- Good manners are to be used at all times: "thank you", "please", or even "you look nice tonight!"
- No running is allowed and shoes must stay on during the whole night.
- The La Entrada Dress Code is to be followed at every dance.
- No cell phone usage during the dance.
- Students are to remain for the duration of the dance (7:00 - 9:30 p.m.), unless special arrangements have been made through the office ahead of time.
- If a student has decided to not attend the dance after purchasing their ticket, a parent must inform the Assistant Principal or the school office so we do not worry about "no shows".
Boundaries
- Students may be in the main hallway from Jensen Hall entrance up to the food table.
- Students may use the middle school restrooms.
- Students are encouraged to hang out in the MUR if they want a break from the dance music.
- Areas Off Limits: Lockers, Other Hallways, Blacktop, Parking Lot.
- No student may leave the campus at any time without being signed out.
Food
- Food/drink will only be allowed in the hallway - there is to be no food/drink in Jensen Hall.
- Food/drink is meant as a snack and not a meal.
Chaperones are mandatory at all dances
- Parents and staff chaperones are very important and make dances feasible.
- Chaperones are to sign up with our ASB Teacher, Mrs. Rianda (trianda@llesd.org) and asked to sign-in upon arrival in the Chaperone Binder located in the MUR. Each dance has two shifts; 6:45 - 8:15 p.m. and 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. Chaperone duties are outlined in the Chaperone Binder.
- Adult restrooms are located in the main office. Feel free to walk through Mrs. Dineen's office to access the restroom.
- Chaperones are asked to pay close attention to our boundaries, the food tables (no over-eating), remind students there is no running, and oversee the game room in the MUR.
Warm regards,
Shannon
|
|
From Your PTA Presidents
|
Thank You for Attending The Back to School Family Picnic!
What a great turnout we had at this year's picnic! We think we had over 600 people in attendance, and we sold over 450 meals - that's up 36% from last year! A big thanks to all of the parents, students, teachers and staff who attended the event. We hope you had a great time catching up with old friends and teachers, and meeting new ones.
As you know, we changed the food format of the picnic this year, offering more options from local restaurants. We'd like to apologize for the hiccup in the service of the pizzas.... Applewood's plan to serve piping hot pizza didn't go quite as smoothly as we'd all hoped, and some of you had to wait far too long for your dinner! Thank you for your patience last night - and, we have already come up with ideas to ensure this won't happen next year. We'd love to hear your feedback on the picnic, including your ideas for improvement. We are anxious to make it a fun and well-attended event in the future, and welcome your ideas. Please email us at president@laentradapta.org.
And last, but far from least, a massive thanks to Patrina Mack, who chaired the Family Picnic for the second year in a row. The picnic requires lots of planning, starting in the summer, and we are grateful and fortunate to have her coordinating all the details of this much-loved event. The picnic is only able to happen with the many volunteers and help from teachers and maintenance staff, so a big thanks to all of those who dedicated time to make the picnic a success.
Ashley Banks & Sandie Timm
PTA Co-Presidents
|
|
PTA News
|
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...
Thank you for supporting the PTA and creating memorable programs for our children! Next week we'll share our final (and amazing) participation percentages.
**********************************************************
The Apple for the Classroom program is a way for parents to support their children's teachers directly. All the teachers and specialists at La Entrada have been invited to create a "wish list" of items that would help to further enrich their classrooms. Wishes may include classroom supplies, gift cards, subscriptions, or donations toward a special activity or field trip.
To view the lists, please visit our website. Once at the site, select the list you want to view. Teachers' lists are divided into two sections, so you can choose to bring an item directly to the classroom or you can choose to make a donation via PayPal.
Thank you for supporting our teachers and enriching your children's experience at La Entrada.
**********************************************************
Holiday Faire Committee Chair Needed
If you ask your children their favorite days of the school year, they will probably rank the Holiday Faire at the top. Our 8th graders have participated every year since kindergarten! But this year the Faire is in jeopardy because we do not have a chair!! We have the crafts, table leads and an active, experienced crew of volunteers but WE NEED YOU to consider being the chair.
The Faire typically takes the Chair about 5 days of prep time and will be held on December 5 this year. If you are interested in leading or co-leading the Faire, please contact Ashley Banks or Sandie Timm at president@laentradapta.org.
We appreciate your consideration and we know the La Entrada kids do, too!
La Entrada Lunchtime Enrichment
LELE is a lunch-time club that meets once per month, with a different club meeting each week. This year LELE will be on Wednesdays at lunch so if you have time between 11:15am and 1:00pm, you could participate in a fun club! The Leopard's Faire will be held on September 17th, 18th, and 19th at lunchtime. This is when your children have the opportunity to sign up for the clubs of their choice so please encourage them to come check out the Faire at lunchtime this week. We are currently planning to offer the following clubs: Book Club(s), Community Service Club for 4/5th grade and Expect Respect(Formerly Youth Action Council) for 6-8th grade, Latin Club, Knitting Club, and Geo Bee Club. If you are interested in volunteering for one of our clubs, or if you would like to lead a Book Club for your child's grade level please contact Judy Nayebi at jutani3@yahoo.com. If you have an idea for a fun lunchtime activity "club," we also welcome parents with new ideas.
Volunteers Needed for Tuesday Hot Lunch
We are still looking for one or two more volunteers on Tuesday during the 6th-8th lunch. Please contact Stacy Molano (molano@pacbell.net) or Stacy May (stacy.may1967@yahoo.com).
**********************************************************
Reflections 2014 - "The World Would Be A Better Place If..." 
The theme for this year's Reflections is "THE WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE IF...". Reflections is a theme based art competition sponsored by the National PTA. This past year La Entrada students had great success and produced exceptional works of photography, dance, art, music, literature and film.
Officially, there are six categories titled Film, Literature, Dance Choreography, Music Composition, Art and Photography. Entry forms and rules will be available in the school office AND on the PTA website.
Entries are due by Monday, November 3rd.
Questions? Stop by the Leopard's Fair (9/17 - 9/19) to have them answered. Or, contact JungEun (lee.jungeun@gmail.com.)
**********************************************************
Parent Grade Level Gatherings
The kids are all back in school, the routines are now set in place, so it's time for the parents to interact face to face! Each year the grade level gatherings are a wonderful opportunity for parents to have a fun night out without the kiddos. These festive, adult-only cocktail parties are hosted by families in each of the different grade levels. Gathering together for an evening is a great way for parents to re-connect with old friends and get to know some new friends too. Look for Evites to be coming soon for each grade level!
4th Grade Thursday, September 26 from 6:00-8:00 pm Hosted by Carla and John Sakrison, 1081 Sierra Drive, Menlo Park Last names A-M please bring beer, wine or drink of choice and last names N-Z please bring appetizers. Please RSVP to Carla Sakrison if you have any questions or are interested in being a co-host at sakrison@sbcglobal.net. 5th Grade Saturday, September 27 from 7:00-9:00 pm Hosted by Sandra and Keith Cheek, Shari and Andrew Guggenhime, Lynn Heublein and Neil Takacs, Kelly and Gregg Holzrichter, Colleen McDonough and James Lim At the home of Lynn Heublein and Neil Takacs, 128 Northgate Drive, Woodside Last names A-M please bring beer, wine or drink of choice and last names N-Z please bring appetizers. Please RSVP to Lynn Heublein at lynnheublein@hotmail.com. 6th Grade Friday, October 3 from 7:00-9:00 pm Hosted by Alexis and Mike Dineen, Emily and Matt Marenghi, Mia and Rich Mosher and Lisa Moss At the home of Alexis and Mike Dineen, 171 Mimosa Way, Portola Valley Last names A-M please bring beer, wine or drink of choice and last names N-Z please bring appetizers. Please RSVP to Lisa Moss at lisa@cocoacrayon.com. Look for an Evite to be coming soon! 7th Grade Friday, October 10 from 7:00-9:00 pm Hosted by Maria and Mike Doktorczyk, Masako and David Elisofon and Becca and Cal Garcia At the home of Masako and David Elisofon, 279 Camino Al Lago, Atherton Last names A-M please bring beer, wine or drink of choice and last names N-Z please bring appetizers. Please RSVP to Becca Garcia at calgarcia@sbcglobal.net. Look for an Evite to be coming soon! 8th Grade Saturday, October 4 from 7:00-9:30 pm Hosted by Libby and Allen Beasley, Kristin and Mike Galvin, and Tracey and Kent Seymour At the home of Libby and Allen Beasley, 1056 Cascade Court, Menlo Park Last names A-M please bring beer, wine or drink of choice and last names N-Z please bring appetizers. Please RSVP to Kristin Galvin at pvgalvins@comcast.net. Look for an Evite to be coming soon!
**********************************************************
Please start SAVING your books...
to donate for the La Entrada Used Book Fair. We will be collecting books in October for the November Book Fair. 100% of the proceeds help La Entrada School and PTA. Please contact Monica Albers (monica.albers@gmail.com) with any questions.
|
| Las Lomitas Education Foundation | |
Tickets Are Still Available to These Fantastic LLEF Events:
5th Annual Gentlemen's Hold'em Tournament Party
September 20, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
4th Annual Ladies Round Robin Tennis Friday, September 26th from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Alpine Hills Tennis Club
Father-Daughter "Sweetheart" Dance
Friday, October 17, 2014 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Jensen Hall at La Entrada. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to help with the Dance! Please contact auction@llef.org to get involved. It is so much fun to be with the Dads and Daughters on their special night. Thanks in advance! Click here to buy tickets now! |
|
High School News
| |
Sequoia Union High School District Open Enrollment Policy:
The open enrollment policy for the 2015-2016 year has not been released. For information on this past year's policy see http://www.seq.org/?id=137.
Get to Know M-A High School
8th Grade Information Night:
Come learn about the academic program and offerings on
Wednesday October 22. The night includes a Principal's welcome, small group tours lead by students and PTA volunteers, and classroom presentations by M-A teachers from core subject areas. No sign up necessary. The program runs from 6:00-8:30 pm.
Campus Tours:
M-A leadership students will guide you around campus and answer any questions. Tours take place on the first Wednesday of the Month from October to February, some additional dates in January. See www.mabears.org for sign ups and more information. Saturday October 25 is a special Saturday campus tour. No sign up necessary, meet at the library. They run regularly from 10:00-11:15 am.
Shadow Days:
Shadow dates are now available online. The programs pairs prospective 8th graders with a 9th grade host to attend classes during a typical day at M-A. Sign up to shadow HERE.
M-A Parent Education Series
"The Perseverance Process: Strategies for Strengthening Academic Motivation and Persistence"
Kent Pekel, Ed.D., President and CEO of Search Institute
Wednesday, September 17, 2014, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the M-A Performing Arts Center (PAC)
M-A Parent Education Series events are free of charge, sponsored by the Menlo-Atherton PTA and the Sequoia Healthcare District. This event is made possible by generous funding from the Esther Ting Foundation. For more information, contact Charlene Margot, Parent Education Series Program Director, at cmargot@csmconsulting.net or 650-868-0590.
SUHSD parents, students, faculty/staff, and community members welcome! Spanish interpretation will be available.
Get to Know Woodside High School
7th & 8th Grade Parent Information Night:
Come and meet the Woodside administration, teachers, counselors, support staff, and current students and parents. Learn about Woodside's academic and extra-curricular programs, and have all of your questions addressed by our staff. We look forward to seeing you Wednesday, November 5th at 7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. No rsvp is necessary.
Shadow Days:
Shadowing will take place between mid-September till early February of the school year. This 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. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people; we are sure that you will find Woodside students to be friendly, welcoming, and fun. Register HERE to shadow at Woodside.
The Freshman Video:
Are you wondering what it is like to attend Woodside High School? What makes Woodside High School special and different from other high schools? Well, wonder no more...http://www.woodsidehs.org/?id=464#3339 and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Woodside Parent Education Series
We offer multiple parent education forums throughout the year. Our next event is
Thursday, November 13 entitled "Building a Positive Experience for Student Athletes," with the national non-profit Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., Woodside MUR.
For a complete listing of events throughout the year, click HERE.
|
|
Community News
| |
Library Volunteers are Needed at Brentwood Academy in East Palo Alto
Students at Brentwood Academy are working hard to learn to read in spite of many challenges, and your support can make all the difference. We're looking for volunteers to work with students when classes visit their school library - reading with children, helping them find books they love, checking-out books, and providing much-needed encouragement. Want to learn more? Please contact Helen Plewman at 650-233-1899 or helen.plewman@sbcglobal.net. You can find more information about the program by visiting us here.
Help Students in East Menlo Park and East Palo Alto Schools
We are looking for a limited number of parents willing to volunteer in a K-4 classroom in East Menlo Park and East Palo Alto this year. Tutor students in a structured reading program or assist teachers in the classroom with tutoring and individualized instruction much like you may have done in your own child's classroom -- these classes have no parents helping and there's no PTA. It's for one hour a week starting the week of September 22nd. Our organization, All Students Matter, coordinates everything including an orientation onSeptember 5th. To sign up or learn more, please contact Carolyn Blatman at CBlatman@aol.com or visit our website.
Host a Foreign Exchange Student
AFS (American Field Service) is looking for host families for high school foreign exchange students for this school year. AFS has students awaiting news of their host family in our area, and needs to quickly identify hosts and secure school spots. If you have ever considered the rewarding experience of hosting an exchange student, please step up now to welcome on of these students. To learn more and review a list of students and their profiles, click here and enter your zip code to see the students who will be coming to the Bay Area.
All AFS exchange students are honors students who have been selected for the program based on their academic success, responsibility, adaptability and optimism. Host families provide a bedroom (they can share a room with a child of the same gender), meals, and transportation to/from school and activities. The student's family pays for their travel and other expenses.
To learn more about hosting, please contact Troy Henri at thenri@afsusa.org or 646-381-3289.
Concerned about a Child's Weight?
Pediatric Weight Control Program at Stanford has Spaces Available for Fall Groups!
The 1.5 hour small groups of children (ages 8-15) and parents meet weekly to focus on establishing healthy eating and exercise habits. For groups in English: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. or 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. every Monday for 6 months in Menlo Park. For more information call us at 650-725-4424, or visit our website.
|
|
Fall Sports
|
Play Tennis this fall at Burgess Park!
Menlo Tennis Academy offers year-round weekly group tennis lessons for kids age 6-12 years, right in Burgess Park. Head Coach Jake Vu uses a dynamic style of instruction designed to keep kids engaged, while building a foundation of essential skills important to the development of youth tennis players. Classes available Monday and Wednesday, 3:45 - 4:35 p.m. (Level 1) and 4:45 - 5:45 p.m. (Level 2). Visit our website for more information.
Weekend Tennis Lessons For Kids Ages 8 and Up
The Menlo Park Tennis Academy offers fun and enriching tennis lessons for beginning to intermediate players who want to improve their game. Lessons are taught by Menlo Atherton Girls Varsity Players, Julia Chang and Taylor Noble (former La Entrada students), who want to share their love for tennis. Lessons are held on weekends from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. for $20 at the La Entrada tennis courts. Sign up here.
Jeff Arons' Fall Tennis Program at Sacred Heart
Classes for Adults and Juniors begin September 3rd. 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.
Visit our website or email jeffaronstennis@gmail.com for more information.
Play Tennis with Player Capital!
Happy Fall Everyone! We're looking forward to our fall session of group clinics starting August 25 at Holbrook-Palmer Park in Atherton. Here is a link to the schedule here. Please email admin@playercapital.com to register or to find out more! See you on the courts!
Menlo Mavericks Swim and Water Polo Team
Now accepting new members for year-round Menlo Park swim and water polo teams! USA Swimming-certified swim team for youth age 5-18, plus Water Polo for boys and girls, 13 and under. Practices at Burgess and Belle Haven Pools. www.menlomavericks.com
|
|
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 12:00 midnight 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.
|
|
