Monday, November 17 - M-A Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m., PAC (see article)
Monday, November 17 - Foundation board meeting, 7 p.m., Library
Tuesday, November 18 - Math contest at lunch
Tuesday, November 18 - Registration for spring SAT class, prior to 7:45 a.m., Room D-20 (see article)
Tuesday, November 18 - Fall Sports Awards Night, 7 p.m., PAC
Wednesday, November 19 - Junior Parent College Information Night, 7 - 9 p.m., PAC Cafeteria (see article)
Wednesday, November 19 - SUHSD board meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 19 through Friday, November 21 - Spring Musical Auditions, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m., PAC
Thursday, November 20 - SDMSC Meeting, 3:45 - 5:45 p.m., Staff Center
Saturday, November 22 - Big Band Dance, 8 - 11 p.m., Ayers Gym (see article)

NEXT WEEK

Wednesday, November 26 - NO SCHOOL
Thursday, November 27 - NO SCHOOL
Friday, November 28 - NO SCHOOL

SAVE THE DATE

Wednesday, December 3 - Senior Fashion Show mandatory model meeting, 7 - 8:30 p.m., PAC (see article)
Thursday, December 4 - M-A Band and Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m., PAC
Friday, December 5 - M-A Choir and Guitar Concert, 7 p.m., PAC
Saturday, December 6 - M-A Canned Food Drive distribution at Ecumenical Hunger in East Palo Alto, 9 a.m.
Saturday, December 6 - SAT test date
Tuesday, December 9 - Math contest at lunch
Thursday, December 11 - SDMSC meeting, 3:45 - 4:45, Career Center
Saturday, December 13 - ACT test date

Administration

Holiday Stress and Student Support Services - As we enter the holiday season, it's important to remember that the holidays can be both joyous and stressful for many students and families. College application deadlines, family holiday expectations, and semester finals can add additional layers of stress for students with an already challenging schedule. Fortunately, M-A has a variety of Student Support and Counseling Services that can help students navigate through these strenuous times. Through our partnership with Starvista, a local non-profit organization, M-A provides on-campus counseling and prevention/intervention services that support our students' social-emotional wellbeing. Additionally, our Student Support Center offers case management, brief intervention counseling, bilingual parent outreach, and referrals to off-site agencies. Guidance counselors are also a primary source of support and can assist students and families with referrals to these services. All of these services are available to M-A students on a daily basis, and parents are encouraged to contact us with any questions.

Student Support Services

Miki Cristerna, MFT, Student Support Coordinator, mcristerna@seq.org

Starvista School Based Counseling Program

Matt Cusick, StarVista Site Coordinator, matt.cusik@star-vista.org

Bilingual Parent Outreach

Lilly Quinonez, Bilingual Parent Coordinator, lquinonez@seq.org

Guidance Counselors

Silvia Torres Garza, sgarza@seq.org

Lara Sandora, lsandora@seq.org

Karina Escobar-Weaver, keweaver@seq.org

Laura Duran, lduran@seq.org

Francine Andrade, fandrade@seq.org

Jason Kubo, jkubo@seq.org

During non-school hours, Starvista's Child and Adolescent Hotline & Prevention Program (CAHPP) is a great resource 1-650-567-5437.

2015 SAT Class Signups - Signups for the Spring zero period SAT class will take place on Tuesday, November 18, before 7:45 a.m. in room D-20. Students should begin arriving at 7:15 a.m. and should know their parent's email address. Expect signups to last 45 minutes. A lottery will be held, if necessary, to see which 70 students are enrolled. Students can check after school if they are in the class or on the waiting list. All students must return a contract (which will be distributed during signups) and a $22 fee for classroom materials by Tuesday, December 2, or they will lose their place to a student on the waiting list.

M-A Holiday Gift Drive- It's time to brighten the holidays of families in need within the M-A community through the annual M-A Holiday Gift Drive. Last year the holiday wish lists of over 70 M-A families were fulfilled. Your help is needed again. Please consider sponsoring a needy family. By participating in the M-A Holiday Gift Drive, your family, office, church, or social group can directly give to a family within the M-A community. Donors receive a wish list from an M-A family to make your shopping fun and easy. The goal is to provide $30 gifts to family members age 18 and under (toys for children) plus a gift card for the family. Wrapped gifts may be dropped off at M-A in the morning on Monday, December 15.

To sign up to become a donor, visit the M-A website where you will find shopping tips, drop-off information, and a link to your family's wishlist, which will be posted by Friday, December 5. You may also give a monetary donation of any amount that will go directly toward buying gifts. Monetary donations can be dropped off at the M-A Main Office. Make checks payable to 'Holiday Gift Drive'. Thank you and please email magiftdrive@seq.org with any questions.

Junior Parent College Information Night - This event will be held in the PAC Cafeteria on Wednesday, November 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. This is a CHANGE IN DATE from the originally scheduled event on January 20. College advisor Alice Kleeman will talk to parents of juniors (no students at this event, please, just parents) about college admission, careers, scholarships, financial aid, and more. After a brief presentation, there will be an informal question and answer session. Please, only parents of juniors should attend. Simultaneous translation into Spanish will be available.

Canned Food Drive 2014: Ready, Set, Can! - The annual canned food drive has begun! To help alleviate hunger and draw attention to the hunger problem in our midst, the Leadership class coordinates an annual, award winning canned-food drive. This year M-A is again partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB). The food drive is an opportunity for the M-A community to rally around San Mateo County residents struggling to provide food for their families. According to SHFB, one in four people in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties are at risk for hunger. Many of them are children, and some are our neighbors and classmates.

Here are ways that you can help:

When shopping for your family, please add a few extra cans to your cart and drop them into the SHFB barrels. M-A students will hand out a list of most-needed items.
Consider donating online at SHFB. Enter 'Menlo-Atherton' in the Food Drives search box so that your gift can be credited to the M-A outreach effort.
Encourage your student to conduct food drives in your neighborhood.
Sign up for canning. Students do not have to be in the Leadership class to participate. Sign up in room B-21, or contact Mr. Amoroso at mamoroso@seq.org or Mr. Senigaglia at jsenigaglia@seq.org.

If you would like to receive food, please leave a message on an M-A voicemail at 650-322-5311, ext. 50250. Questions can be directed to Lori Cohen and Paula Rash at feedourfamilies@mabearspta.org. Thank you for joining the fight against hunger!

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PTA News

Calling all Seniors - Mark your calendars now for the 2015 M-A Fashion Show starring -- the senior class! The 2015 Fashion Show is set for Saturday, March 21. Put it on your calendars now. For all seniors wanting to be part of the show, there is a MANDATORY MODEL MEETING on Wednesday, December 3 from 7 to 8:30 in the PAC. Models need to bring a completed model contract and photography release form to the meeting.

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Foundation News

Can We Talk TURKEY for a Moment?

M-A's Foundation for the Future must raise $2.2 million this school year to fund smaller class sizes, a strong and broad curriculum, teacher development, guidance, college advising, and other vital personnel and programs including the Partnership for Success.

You can help put the "stuffing" in M-A students' Thanksgiving! If you are a new donor or increase your donation over last year by December 31, every dollar will be matched up to $150,000! If you are a freshman family with a student in the Class of 2018 and you donate by December 31, the Foundation will earn a $30,000 grant!

So while you give thanks this year, the Foundation thanks you in advance for your support in making it another "Great Day @ M-A" and helping the Foundation "Keep It That Way!" Go to the Foundation website to make your secure gift online or mail a check to:

M-A Foundation

P.O. Box 1228

Menlo Park, CA 94026

Best Wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving

From the Foundation for the Future

Clubs and Activities

M-A Orchestra - The M-A Orchestra has been invited to attend the National Band and Orchestra Festival in Carnegie Hall on Thursday, April 2 through Sunday, April 5, 2015! As a way to help defray the trip costs, the Orchestra will hold a fundraising concert on Monday, November 17 at 7 p.m. in the PAC. Suggested ticket donation prices are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Each person attending the concert may choose one student who will benefit from the ticket sale. The student's trip cost will decrease by the price of the ticket.

M-A'S ANNUAL BIG BAND DANCE

What	M-A's Annual Big Band Dance
When	Saturday, November 22 7 to 8 p.m. opening for seniors (65+) free admission, donations accepted 8 to 11 p.m. for students ($10) and general admission ($25)
Where	Ayers Gym on the M-A Campus
How	Purchase tickets at iTrulyCare
Free!	Dance lessons included during the event

For more information about the event or for instructions on buying tickets by mail, please visit Big Band Dance.

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Athletics

Check out the Athletics Calendar!

Track and Field - All athletes interested in trying out for the Track and Field Team should come to a meeting on Wednesday, November 19 at lunch in the New Gym. During the meeting, athletes will get information on tryouts, the upcoming season, and recommended off-season conditioning.

Weekly Sports Wrap-Up

Cross Country - On Saturday, the Varsity boys and girls teams competed against 17 other Division 1 teams in the CCS championship meet at the challenging Toro Park course in Salinas. The boys finished in 7th place with Adam Scandlyn (23), Robert Lane (48), Kevin Conrad (52), Rohan DePuy (54), Nicholas Plume (57), Max Colbert (80), and Steven McColloch (83) scoring. Nick Worden supported the team as an alternate.

The girls finished in 5th place with two runners, Katie Beebe (15) and Madeleine Baier (19), placing in the top twenty in the highly competitive field. Other Bears scoring points for M-A included Cat DePuy (35), Annalisa Crowe (38), Kelly Woods (46), Sophia Goland (54), and Olivia Tai (73).

Thank you to coaches Eric Wilmurt, Alan Perry and John Hale for a fantastic season. Congratulations again to the team for their outstanding PAL results (1st place for the Varsity girls and 2nd place for the Varsity boys).

Girls Varsity Tennis - After a bye in round 1 of the CCS playoffs, the #7 seeded Bears hosted Carmel in Round 2. M-A got off to a quick 3-0 start as #3 doubles (Caroline Kelly and Amanda Scandalios), #2 doubles (Amelia Tiemann and Sally Carlson), and #1 singles (Lanie Van Linge) each won easily. Julia Marx (#3 singles) overcame a second set deficit to clinch the win for M-A, putting the Bears into a quarterfinal match against #2 seed St. Ignatius in Golden Gate Park. The Bears competed hard, but fell 5-2. The two wins were #1 doubles (Taylor Noble and Julia Chang) and #3 doubles (Scandalios and Erin Perrine). The league championship team should be congratulated for a terrific season, led by captains Kelly, Tiemann, and Sami Andrew, and the other seniors Noble, Laila Volpe, Perrine, Natalie Baker, Taylor Fryling, Hayley Fryling, Victoria Ellis, Katrina Wijaya, Lindsay Andrew, Hanna Kiani, Louise Mathevon, Claire Carruthers, and Whitney Nelch.

The CCS Individual tournament will take place on Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25; Van Linge, Andrew, Marx, Noble, and Chang will compete.

Girls Varsity Volleyball - Saturday night's quarter-finals match-up against Gunn High School ended in another resounding victory for the Bears: 25-16, 25-15, 25-9. The Titans brought great energy to the packed house in Ayers Gym, but it wasn't enough to counter the fluid ursine choreography led by Kirby Knapp (44 assists, 6 digs and 2 aces) and on-fire Devin Joos (22 kills, 12 digs and 3 blocks). Kaitlin Tavarez had a terrific match, with a service ace and team-high dig count (13). Leanna Collins stepped up with 10 kills, 2 digs and strong blocking. Ally Ostrow and Eliza Grover had 6 kills each, and the dig count was upped by Jacqueline DiSanto (6), Ostrow (4), Grover (2), Alexa Roumeliotis (2), and Kiana Sales (2). In the final set, the Bears were running neck and neck with the Titans at 11-9, when Knapp stepped in to serve and the Titans never scored again. Knapp's 14-serve streak (including 2 aces) was complemented by Rachel Gerber's stand-out work in the middle, where she scored with 4 kills and multiple blocks.

This week the team advances to the CCS semi-finals against San Benito, playing Wednesday, November 19 at 5:30 p.m. at Piedmont Hills. The more maroon in the stands, the better, so come on down and support the team!

Girls Varsity Water Polo - Freshman phenom Nadia Paquin scored the Bears first 6 goals en route to an 11-1 domination of outmatched Lynbook in Round 1 of the CCS playoffs on Tuesday. The defense was led by goalie Francesca Gilles's 7 saves and Paquin's 6 steals. Pesky defense by Lexi Lobdell (2 steals) and Kyra Sheeper (2 steals) helped shut down Lynbrook's offense. Kiera Shepard added a season-high 3 goals, and Olivia Jackson and Christine Guenin contributed a late goal apiece. Sheeper and Annabelle Paris each contributed 2 assists.

The Bears played tough, crisp, and smart in defeating # 8 ranked San Benito 5-2 to win their 2nd round CCS play-off game on Thursday, overcoming a 1-0 first quarter deficit. The defense was outstanding throughout the game, led by tenacious goalie Gilles's wall-like 15 saves. Lobdell (3 steals), Sheeper (2 steals), and Shepard (2 steals) anchored an active and swarming defense that befuddled San Benito's offense. Fiona Jackson rifled in 2 goals (one on a heady assist from sister Olivia) and added an assist, Paris converted on 2 of her shots, and Paquin fought off persistent double-teams to score once. Lobdell contributed 2 assists.

M-A's season came to an abrupt end on Saturday as the Bears fell to #1 ranked St. Francis 13-1 in the CCS quarterfinals. Senior standout goalie Gilles turned away 7 shots but the defense could not escape the barrage of offense generated by St. Francis's machine-like attack. On offense, the Bears mustered 24 shots, many from outside under pressure, and only senior Kiera Shepard found the back of the net off a pass from fellow senior Marie Claverie with 2 minutes for the highlight of the game. Every other senior saw action, including Renee Butler, Kiki Canny, Elisabeth Holliday, Fiona Jackson, Alex Iverson, and Christine Guenin.

Boys Varsity Water Polo - With a #1 seed, the Varsity boys had first and second round byes in the CCS tournament and played their first match in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The Bears' CCS title hopes ended with a disappointing 8-10 loss to Mountain View. Despite their early exit from the CCS tournament, it was a good season; parents and boys alike appreciate all the care and hard work of their coaches Giovanni Napolitano and Ben Quittner.

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Community News

Parenting and Electronic Media Use - Researchers at MRI, a leading non-profit family therapy institute, invite you to participate in a survey on parenting and electronic media use in families. Access the survey at Survey Monkey using survey code MA2. One participant per family. Participants may qualify for a paid follow-up interview. For more information, contact Diane Schiano at djs.recherches@gmail.com.

Creative Writing Contest: $1,000 for 1,000 Words - The Leyla Beban Young Authors Foundation is looking for outstanding short fiction of exactly 1,000 words. Tell a story only you can tell. Write something that moves you, dazzles you, and says precisely what you want to say in precisely the way you want to say it, as long as you say it in precisely 1,000 words.

For middle and high school students
Deadline is Sunday, February 1
First-prize winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
Seven $100 cash prizes for grade school winners.
Winners will be published in the journal Bluefire.

Find contest guidelines and submission information on the Bluefire website.

Adopt a Grandparent - Girl Scout Troop 32217 is kicking off its "Adopt a Grandparent" program for Christmas 2014! The troop is adopting residents of nursing homes in Menlo Park. Through your generosity, the troop hopes to deliver over 400 gifts this year. Many residents don't have visitors and receive little if anything during the holidays. Each $25 donation will "adopt" a grandparent and provide a special gift for him or her. Your name or business card will be attached to the gift. Thank you so much for making the holidays special for the residents of these nursing homes. Please contact Liza at makeyourdaygreat@gmail.com or 650-644-7750.

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Quote of the Week

People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.

~ Albus Dumbledore

BearNotes Submissions

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, and Bobbie Wood