| PTA News | |
Nominating for 2013-2014 PTA Board
The executive board of the PTA has approved a Nominating Committee to begin filling the slate for next year's board positions. The Nominating Committee members include:
Lori Brockman lori.a.brockman@gmail.com
Krista Hoffman kristamariehoffman@gmail.com
Julie Herlihy julie_herlihy@yahoo.com
Julie Clugage clugage@pacbell.net
If you are interested in taking an active role on next year's PTA board please contact any member of the Nominating Committee.
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Well-fed children learn better!
 Approximately ten percent of the students at Las Lomitas are in need of additional support. In 2013, the Las Lomitas PTA partnered with Choice Lunch and the District Office to ensure that all students have access to a healthy lunch At this time of Thanksgiving, the PTA invites Las Lomitas families to come together to ensure that all of our students are ready to learn, by providing meals to students in need. Please consider feeding a student for as little as $3.00 per day. You can choose any duration: from a day ($3) to a week ($15), a month ($60), a year ($600) or any amount of your choosing. Any contribution is greatly appreciated and will directly go to feeding the students in need in our school. Follow the link to donate. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
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Holiday Workshop - Wednesday, December 4th
The Holiday Workshop is finally here! We look forward to seeing everyone in Cano Hall for this wonderful event. If you have not signed up to volunteer, it's never too late. Please come and we'll be happy to put you to work!
Second grade: 9:05 - 9:55 a.m.
First grade: 10:05 -10:55 a.m.
Kindergarten: 11:05 - 11:55 a.m.
Third grade 1:05 - 1:55 p.m.
Another HUGE Thank you to Bianchini's Market for donating all the paper grocery bags in which the students will be taking home their wonderful crafts.
- Josie Tang and Kristina Valentine
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Are you searching for the perfect holiday gift for your child's teacher?
The Apple for the Classroom program provides a way for parents to support their childrens' classrooms directly. All the teachers and specialists at Las Lomitas have been invited to create a "wish list" of items that would help to further enrich their classrooms. You can fulfill teachers' wishes by bringing an item to the school office or by donating via PayPal toward a special item of your choosing. Thank you for supporting our teachers!
Please click here to donate, or go to visit out website.
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liLas Lomitas Education Foundation
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Do you know if your company offers corporate matching for your donations to the Las Lomitas Education Foundation? Please take a moment and check!
Here are a few reasons why:
· Many companies have year-end deadlines for Corporate Matching
· Your company match counts towards your giving amount in our Donor Roll
· Every dollar counts - keep our schools strong!
Below is a sample of companies that have matched donations. It is not a comprehensive list. Our Matching Gifts Coordinator at matchinggifts@llef.org can help you find out if your company will match your contribution and is available to answer any questions. Thank you for supporting our schools!
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Abbott Laboratories
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Knight Capital Group
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Adobe Systems, Inc.
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Lam Research Corporation
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Advanced Micro Devices
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Levi Strauss & Co
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AIG (American International Group, Inc.)
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LinkedIn Corporation
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Amgen
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Logitech, Inc.
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AOL Inc.
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Loral/Space Systems
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Applied Materials, Inc.
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Macy's, Inc.
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Bank of America Corporation
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MasterCard International, Inc.
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Barclay's Capital, Inc.
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McAfee, Inc.
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Boeing
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Medtronic, Inc.
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British Petroleum
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Mentor Graphics Corporation
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C.R. Bard, Inc.
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Micron Technology, Inc.
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CA Technologies, Inc.
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Microsoft
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Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
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Morgan Stanley & Company, Inc.
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California Healthcare Foundation
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Motorola Solutions,
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Charles Schwab & Co, Inc.
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New York Life
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Chevron Corp
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Nomura America Foundation
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Cisco Systems, Inc.
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Northrup Grumman
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Citrix
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Nvidia
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CNA
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Office Depot, Inc.
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Coinstar, Inc.
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Oracle
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Computer Associates
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Piper Jaffray & Co.
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Cornerstone Research, Inc.
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PNC Bank
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D.E. Shaw & Co.
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Qualcomm Inc.
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Dell Corporation
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Quest Diagnostics, Incorporated
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DemandTec, Inc
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Ratheon Missile Systems
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Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
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Rockwell Collins
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EA Electronic Arts, Inc.
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Salesforce.com
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eBay Inc.
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SanDisk Corporation
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Eli Lilly & Company
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SAP America, Inc.
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Ericsson, Inc.
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Silicon Valley Bank
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Esurance Ins. Services, Inc.
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Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications
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Fidelity Investments
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Symantec
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Franklin Templeton Investments
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Synopsys, Inc.
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Gap, Inc.
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Textron Inc.
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Gartner, Inc
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The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
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Genentech, Inc.
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The Vanguard Group
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Goldman Sachs and Co.
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The Walt Disney Company
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Google, Inc.
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The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
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HP Hewlett-Packard
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TIBCO Software Inc.
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IBM Intl. Business Machines Corp.
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Toyota InfoTechnology Center
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Insperity, Inc.
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UBS AG
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Intel Corp.
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Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
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Intuit, Inc.
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Visa Inc.
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Jones Lang LaSalle
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VMWare, Inc.
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JP Morgan Chase
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Warburg Pincus
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Juniper Networks, Inc.
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Wells Fargo Bank & Co.
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Kaiser Permanente Campaign
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Yahoo!
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KeyCorp
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http://www.llef.org
Excellence is built one donation at a time
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From the Principal
| Dear Las Lomitas families,
Welcome back! I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving vacation. It will be very busy around here these next few weeks as we head toward winter break. Parents are very important members of our school community. Parent representatives serve on several district and site committees including the English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) and School Site Council (SSC). The Las Lomitas ELAC representatives are Daniel Li, Ingrid Abild-Pedersen and Tatiana Morante. Parents serving on our SSC are Jung Eun Lee, Eric Ver Ploeg, Artis Montegue, Laurie Sobel and Jen Le. A hearty thank you goes out to these parents who dedicate their precious time to learn more about our programs and the state and federal requirements that must be monitored. Their thoughts and feedback are integral to our school's success.
We had a full earthquake drill on November 25th. Students and faculty took cover and then evacuated to the field. Once there, we completed a full emergency simulation including search and rescue, minor injuries and releasing students to parents. Officer Wade from Atherton Police monitored our drill to provide us with expert feedback. Now is a good time to discuss your family's plan should there be an earthquake or other disaster during school hours. Page 135 in the school directory/handbook provides information about emergency planning for parents. I encourage your to read this and keep the information handy. Finally, be sure that the names and phone numbers on your child's emergency card are current. You can update this information via InfoSnap at any time. This is the information we use to release your child during an emergency.
It's hard to believe, but we are gearing up for next year's kindergarten registration! Tours will begin in December and registration on January 28, 2014. Please be sure to read the details about the kindergarten registration and session request process in the article below. If you know of any families with incoming kindergarteners, please be sure to share the information with them.
Finally, I've received a few inquiries from current families regarding requests for session changes.
Please see the information in the article in today's Roar about returning students who will enter first or second grade next year for details. This process is different than for those entering kindergarten or for new students.
Until next time,
Sue Sartor
Principal |
Registration Information for 2014-2015
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KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION for 2014 - 2015 INFORMATION
Kindergarten registration for children who will turn age five on or before September 1, 2014 opens on Monday, January 6, 2014. There are three (3) steps to the registration process.
Step #1
To begin the registration process, bring the following to the school office:
- ORIGINAL birth certificate or passport
- Your child's immunization records to date
- Proof of residency in the form of two ORIGINAL utility bills (i.e. power, water) or one ORIGINAL utility bill and lease agreement or mortgage paper
Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Step #2
Upon receipt of the items listed above, you will be given access to InfoSnap, our on-line registration system, where you will continue the registration process.
Step #3
Upon completion of the on-line registration, you MUST bring a hard copy of these forms to the school office to FINALIZE registration. Your child will not be registered at Las Lomitas until we receive your on-line registration papers.
Note: Las Lomitas School District does not offer Transitional Kindergarten.
Session Information for Kindergarten
There are two sessions for Kindergarten. First session Kindergarten is from 9:00 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. and second session is from 10:15 a.m. to 2:05 p.m. Due to transportation schedules, KINDERGARTEN families in the Ladera area are placed in the FIRST session unless their request for another session is granted. KINDERGARTEN families in the Woodside area are placed in the SECOND session unless their request for another session is granted. Families from Ladera or Woodside who are placed in another session upon their request are responsible for transportation from school to home.
Requesting First Session
If your kindergartner is not automatically placed in first session as listed above, you must request placement in first session. To request first session you must:
- Have ALL registration information, including the on-line registration form, on file in the school office by January 31, 2014.
- Email or deliver a written request for first session to the Principal at ssartor@llesd.org beginning at 10:00 p.m., February 1, 2014. No requests will be accepted before this date.
All requests will be placed on a wait list according to the date and time the email or letter is received. Requests will be cross-checked to ensure your registration information was complete by January 31, 2014.
School Tours
Tours of the school for parents of incoming Kindergarten students will be offered on the dates listed below. These tours are for adults only (no infants in strollers, please). In order to minimize distractions to the academic program, spaces are limited to 16 per tour and one tour per family. Please call the school office at 650-854-5900 x0 to reserve a tour.
Kindergarten tours are 9:45 - 11:00 a.m. on:
- Friday, December 6, 2013
- Thursday, December 12, 2013
- Wednesday, December 18, 2013
- Monday, January 13, 2014
- Friday, January 24, 2014
- Friday, January 31, 2014
- Thursday, February 13, 2014
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Next Year Session Requests - Returning Families ONLY
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Session Requests for 2014-2015 ~ RETURNING FAMILIES ONLY If you have a current kindergarten or first grade student and wish to move to first session next year, you must put that request in writing to Mrs.Sartor. She will begin taking requests by letter or email starting at 10:00 p.m., January 1, 2014. You may email her at ssartor@llesd.org. No requests will be honored prior to this date and time. Your requests will be placed on a wait list in order received. New family requests are not accepted until February 1, 2014, allowing our returning families to have priority on the wait list. If you are on this year's wait list, you must make a new request for next year. We do not "roll over" the list from year to year. Please call Mrs.Sartor if you have any questions about the session request process. |
School News
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Music Informances are coming up!  Please come watch your child's music informance. This is an opportunity to see what we're working on in music class. Please note: If your child is in Mrs. Wedge's 2nd grade Mrs. Button's Kindergarten Mrs. Dent/Ms. Iwanaga's Kindergarten Due to a scheduling conflict, these classrooms' music informance date has been changed to Thursday, December 5. If your child is in Mrs. Pong's Kindergarten Ms. Sale's Kindergarten Due to a scheduling conflict, these classrooms' music informance date has been changed to Wednesday, December 11. Your child's specific time is listed on the music website. Click on the following link and then take time to look around the new music website. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Information about Attendance
Students are expected to be at school unless they are ill, or if the parent reports that they will miss school due to an unavoidable family matter (funeral/wedding) or medical appointment. Education Code Section 48260 defines a student as truant if he/she has an "unexcused absence of more than 30 minutes on three (3) different days or more." If your child is regularly late to school, or misses school due to travel, he/she will be considered truant. If an absence is not reported to the school on the day of the absence, it is also considered unexcused, even if the child is sick.
Students who have good attendance records consistently do better in school! Please help us keep our student attendance high by taking family vacations during our scheduled holiday breaks.
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La Entrada News
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La Entrada SERVICE CLUB GIVING TREE
The La Entrada Service Club is looking for "elves" to provide a boy or girl a gift in The Family Giving Tree this holiday! We believe that income levels should not interfere with what it means to be young & experience the joys of the holidays. In addition, we will be initiating an ongoing project that will provide much needed materials for a Belle Haven Classroom in East Menlo Park. Additional items such as pencils, copy paper, markers, etc will be added to the Giving Tree as special ornaments.
The Family Giving Tree collects thousands of specific wishes for 280 local social service partners. Sadly, one in four Bay Area children is currently living below the poverty line. Dealing with that reality during the holiday season, a time typically reserved for joy, is especially disheartening for the children. You can give a child that moment of excitement and joy as they open their wished for gift. So the LE Service Club will be putting together a GIVING TREE in the La Entrada Main Office where kids can choose a child to shop for and make their gift wish come true! There is also a virtual tree on the website where kids and their families can choose something to give online or just make a donation! For questions, please contact a parent volunteer: Molly Drewes, molly@drewes.net, Amy Harber, amyharber@aol.com, Monica Albers, monica.albers@gmail.com, Katie Evans, evanskat@hotmail.com, or Shari Guggenhime, guggenhime@att.net.
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Business Partners
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Nice Lice Advice - 75% of the mothers who bring their children into Honeycombers also have lice. My four daughters had lice twice, but I never got them, even though the girls were sleeping with me from time to time and we snuggled at bedtime. We've asked our customers and it seems like the most likely culprit in those cases where the mom gets lice is sharing combs or brushes. It seems so easy to just grab your brush from your purse and run it through your little one's head... but try to resist the urge. Keep your brush, comb and hair accessories high up out of children's reach, and invest in a brush for each child. Even if lice does come into your life, hopefully it will skip you. Brought to you by Honeycombers Lice Advice & Treatment Salon in downtown Menlo Park. Come by to purchase all-natural lice prevention and treatment products to treat your children for lice yourself at home. Or call 1.888.863.2005 to book an appointment to have your children checked, and if needed, treated for lice by our friendly Combers. We offer appointments 7 days a week in our bright, clean salon or in the privacy of your own home. Honeycombers - The Sweetest Way to be Treated
Champions Preschool and Pre-K @ Las Lomitas Champions at Las Lomitas is currently enrolling in our Preschool, Pre-K, Before and After School Programs. Our center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Contact Ruby at 650-233-1860 to schedule a visit or get information about which program best meets your family's needs. Visit our website.
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Community News
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5th Annual Gingerbread House Decorating Fundraiser
Join the fun as the Youth Group of Bethany Lutheran Church in Menlo Park hosts its 5th Annual Gingerbread House Decorating event on Saturday, December 7, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon. The Gingerbread Houses are pre-assembled so you get the fun of decorating without the headache of construction! Your house includes all the candy, sweets, and tools you need to decorate your holiday centerpiece. Bring the kids, your imagination, and your holiday spirit and create a holiday memory the entire family will treasure! Each house is $50. Refreshments will be served. Space is very limited so we strongly encourage that you reserve your Gingerbread House today. Book your reservation here or call the Church Office at 650-854-5897. All proceeds go towards Bethany Youth Group projects & activities. Thank you for your support! (Bethany Lutheran Church, 1095 Cloud Avenue, Menlo Park - at the corner of Avy and Cloud Avenues, just off the Alameda).
Winter Break Sports Camps: Dec. 30 & 31, Jan. 2 & 3 Basketball - ages 5-11 - 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. - $255 Baseball - ages 5-11 - noon - 2:30 p.m. - $255 These fun classes are exciting, non-competitive introductions for boys and girls. Children will learn fundamental skills and basic rules while having a great time. Call Coach Tim to register 996-3308, Menlo Park Rec 330-2222, or Tbowler@sbcglobal.net. COACHES NEEDED (must be at least 18 years old) for after school flag football, soccer, baseball and basketball. Call Tim Bowler 996-3308 or Tbowler@sbcglobal.net. Please join the Holbrook-Palmer Park Foundation-Atherton Dames for their annual Children's Holiday Tea on Sunday, December 8, 2013 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is a magical holiday event for children and parents. Children will enjoy a visit with Santa, a holiday themed puppet show and craft activity. Sandwiches, delicious treats and beverages will be served. For more information and reservations please visit our website. All proceeds benefit Holbrook-Palmer Park. Camp Menlo Holiday CampsRegister now for one-day December day camps at Burgess Pool for kids age 5-9! Each day includes a 45 minute swim lesson and out of the pool, campers enjoy various group games and activities that encourage self confidence, growth, teamwork, and fun! http://www.menloswim.com/menlo/camp_menlo/holiday_camps.htmlWhatever Floats Your Boat Are you the captain of your ship? Or a toy tinkerer? Please join us for a creative afternoon of boat building with recycled materials at the Menlo Park Library. Please bring at least one clean plastic food container for the hull of your boat. Open to children ages 5-12. Registration is required. Send email to abbott@plsinfo.org A flyer for distribution can be found here. The Friends of the Menlo Park Library Holiday Book Sale, 800 Alma Street, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Sunday, December 8 from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. We will have gently used books for sale, most at $2.00 or less. Proceeds benefit Children's and Adult Library programming. For more information, please see our website or call 650-330-2521.
Studio Rincon Youth Dance and Yoga Classes on Alameda in Menlo Park. Now taking signups for the next session of Youth Dance and yoga classes. The next session begins the week of 11/4. Signup here. Preballet, ballet, hip hop, yoga- all in a fun and positive atmosphere after school. Classes for ages 3-Teen. View the youth schedule here. Twas the Night Before Christmas Menlo Mavericks Swim and Water Polo TeamNow accepting new members for this year-round Menlo Park swim and water polo team! USA Swimming certified swim team for youth age 5-18, plus Water Polo for boys and girls, 14 and under. Practices at Burgess and Belle Haven Pools. More information available here. Emotion Regulation Research at Stanford. Participants with Autism, ADD/ADHD and Controls Needed. We are currently conducting a research study at Stanford University on emotion regulation and reactivity among children with and without an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and typically developing participants. We are recruiting children with ASD, ADD/ADHD and typically developing children (ie., children without a diagnosis of ADD, ADHD, Asperger's, ASD, or any other psychiatric illness) between the ages of 8 and 22. The study consists of up to 4 sessions and participants will be reimbursed $30 for each session and an additional $30 if the online components (questionnaires and a daily emotion journal) are completed. The total potential cash reimbursement is up to $160. US Citizens only (must have social security number to receive payment). Please contact us at aserr.samson@stanford.edu if you are interested in having your child participate.
Alpine Strikers FC is excited to announce upcoming tryouts for the spring season. If your child is excited about soccer, she or he might be ready to come out and participate in these tryouts. Players new to the club can be evaluated via age group wide tryouts. Roster openings vary from team to team and are at the discretion of the coaches. For general club information, please visit our website. To register your child for tryouts, please click here.
Menlo College is offering a Junior Oaks Basketball Academy November 10th, 17th and December 8th and 15th. There are flyers in the Las Lomitas office or you may contact them directly at oaksbasketball@menlo.edu or call (650) 543-3846.
The students of Menlo-Atherton High School kicked off their annual Canned Food Drive on Tuesday, November 5.
This is a chance for the greater community to rally around the growing number of San Mateo County residents who cannot afford enough food to provide for themselves and their families. According to the Second Harvest Food Bank website, 1 in 4 people in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties are at risk for hunger. Many of them are children, and some are our neighbors, classmates, or acquaintances.
This year again, M-A has partnered with Second Harvest to ensure that families continue to have access to food sources beyond the Canned Food Drive. Supporting the Food Drive again this years are: Bianchini's in Ladera, Draeger's in Menlo Park; Key Market in Redwood City; Roberts Market in Portola Valley, the Safeways at Sequoia Station, on El Camino in Menlo Park, and in Sharon Heights, Trader Joe's in Menlo Park, and Whole Foods in Palo Alto. Here is how you can help the families in your community:
- When you are shopping for your family, please add a few extra cans to your cart and drop them into the Second Harvest Food Bank barrels. M-A students will be handing out the list of most-needed items requested by SHFB.
- Consider donating online. Type "high school" in the Online Food Drive box and select Menlo-Atherton High School so that your gift can be properly credited to the M-A outreach effort.
Please contact feedourfamilies@mabearspta.org if you have questions. Thank you for your support!
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Newsletter Submissions
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The Lion's Roar is published by the Las Lomitas PTA as a service to the Las Lomitas families and community. Before submitting an article, please read our newsletter policies.
To submit an item, email Carol Clark (cclark@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: submissions sent as a 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;
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The Lion's Roar is distributed via email every Monday. Printed copies are available in the school office, or the newsletter archives may be viewed online. If you have trouble receiving the Lion's Roar, please ensure your email reader or service is not blocking the Lion's Roar because it is a group distribution. To change your email address, please click 'Update Profile/Email Address' below. Thank you!
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The Lion's Roar 
