BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Back to School Night at M-A is on Thursday September 4. Principal's message for NEW and FRESHMEN families presented by Mr. Matthew Zito and an update by LPA Architects begins at 6:15 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Theater. Hope to see you at Back to School Night!

 M-A'S OWN PSAT PREP - Jane King, director of M-A's Own PSAT Prep, currently has no telephone service. She does have limited email access. If you need to contact her, please keep trying her email and be patient.

  STILL NEED P.E. CLOTHES? You can still buy clothes appropriate for P.E. in the Student Store (room B-21) during lunch. T-shirts are $10, shorts are $15, sweatshirts are $40, and sweatpants are $30. You can pay cash or write a check made to Menlo-Atherton. Questions? Contact Libby Tinsley at libby_tinlsey@yahoo.com.

M-A TODAY! BACK ON THE AIR! - M-A Today! is M-A's video announcement show for students, by students. It streamed over the web all last year. You can watch the show live most Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:45 a.m. here on High School Cube. It will be posted on M-A's YouTube channel. Here is the episode for Friday, August 29. M-A's channel is located here if you'd like to subscribe. Thank you for watching and supporting M-A Today!

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 JOIN THE PTA - Have you joined the PTA this year? If not, you can still join online or by mail (download the form and send it in with your check to the M-A office). Membership is $10, and the PTA hopes that you will donate what you can beyond that amount. (Suggested donation is $150 per student.) The PTA funds quality experiences for the M-A learning community like Challenge Day, the Parent Education Series, and funding for mini-grants. The PTA also purchases essential supplies and equipment for classrooms. Please consider donating. Thanks for your support!

REFLECTIONS ARTS RECOGNITION PROGRAM - This year marks the first year M-A students will participate in the Reflections Arts Recognition Program competition. Reflections is a national PTA program that has been in existence for 40 years. The competition covers six art disciplines: photography, visual arts, music composition, film production, dance choreography, and literature. The entrants must create a work of art based on a theme. This year's theme is "The World Would Be a Better Place if...." The artwork is judged by working artists in the community, and winning entries move on to compete at the district, state, and national levels.

All entry forms and rules are available on the M-A PTA website or from M-A art teachers. The due date for entries is Tuesday, November 4. Go and create a work of art showing how "The World Would Be A Better Place If...." 

eSCRIP NEEDS ALL M-A FAMILIES - eSCRIP provides easy fundraising for the M-A PTA. In the past, as much as $30,000 per year has been raised! This money is donated by Safeway (and other local merchants) when you use your eSCRIP registered Safeway card and pay by debit or cash. There is no cost to M-A families.

If you're already registered in eSCRIP, remember to renew every year at eScrip.com by clicking Yes! Keep Earning! For new families, go to eScrip.com, click 1-Sign Up and enter your club card number. Be sure to enter Menlo-Atherton or the group number 136550465 so that M-A benefits. Every time you shop makes a difference, and collectively, we make a big contribution. Don't let this free money get away!

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Headline: Your Students Are Not the Only Ones Who Are Taking Exams!

As a parent, you can take this simple three-question Foundation exam to test your aptitude and to show off to your kids.

1. What is the fundraising goal of the Foundation for the 2014-15 school year? Answer: $2.2 million

2. What do these vital funds enable? Answer: Five key areas: smaller class sizes, strong and broad curriculum, excellent teachers, college and career success, and critical programs

3. Why does your participation and generous giving matter? Answer: Greater participation plus increased giving equal more funds to support M-A students

Congratulations! You passed with flying colors. You'll have a chance to excel even more by helping the Foundation make its number this year. You'll hear from the Foundation soon about how you can help to continue to make M-A a great place for students.

To donate online, go to the M-A Foundation for the Future's website and click Donate Now. Or mail a check to Foundation for the Future, P.O. Box 1228, Menlo Park, CA 94026.

Questions? Contact Cindy Folker at cfolker@seq.org or 650-322-5311, ext. 50206.

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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, 7 - 9 p.m.

M-A PAC

Perseverance ("grit") is more predictive of students' future academic achievement than IQ or SAT scores. How can your help your teen build this important character skill?

In this engaging and informative presentation, Dr. Kent Pekel describes Search Institute's new resource called the "Perseverance Process." The process translates the research on motivation and persistence into a set of explicit and actionable strategies. Search is well known for its work in creating the Developmental Assets used by more than 4 million teens around the world. To register for the informative presentation by Dr. Kent Pekel, CEO and President of Search Institute, click here. 

M-A Parent Education Series events are free and sponsored by the M-A PTA and the Sequoia Healthcare District. SUHSD parents, students, faculty/staff, and community members are welcome and Spanish interpretation will be available. 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.

M-A PARENT EDUCATION SERIES IS ON FACEBOOK!

Now you can "like us" on Facebook! The M-A Parent Education Series Facebook page will keep you posted about upcoming M-A and SUHSD Parent Ed events, new research in education, community events, and more. Please find M-A Parent Education Series Facebook page here. 

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• Email proofread submissions to BearNotes@mabearspta.org by Thursday midnight.
• Please keep submissions concise and include the organization name, event, date, time, location, and contact information, including website URL.
• All submissions are subject to editing by the PTA.
• For the PTA policy on BearNotes publication, please go to the M-A PTA website.
• M-A PTA does not endorse third-party events or submissions, nor take responsibility regarding the content of any third-party websites.

Go Bears. Grrrr!

Thank you from the BearNotes Staff: Cindy Butler, Dianne Child, Pam Fernandes, Sue Olson, Jenny Pont, Kelly Stewart, Bobbi Wood