Tuesday, January 13 - Math contest at lunch, room D-20
Tuesday, January 13 - Sophomore Parent Information Night, 7 p.m., PAC Cafeteria (see article)
Wednesday, January 14 - February TriVocis article deadline
Wednesday, January 14 - SUHSD Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, January 16 - Last day to add a class

NEXT WEEK

Monday, January 19 - Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, January 20 - AP Calculus BC information meeting for parents, 6 p.m. or 7 p.m., room D-20 (see article)
Wednesday, January 21 - Junior Parent Information Night (parents only), 7 p.m., Library (Spanish in PAC)
Thursday, January 22 - SDMSC meeting, 3:45 p.m., Staff Center
Saturday, January 24 - SAT test day

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, January 31 - Winter Formal, 8 - 11 p.m.
Monday, February 2 - Spring sports team athletic clearance deadline and tryouts
Tuesday, February 3 - Math contest at lunch, room D-20
Tuesday, February 3 - M-A Parent Education The Well-Balanced Student, Dr. Denise Pope, 7 p.m., PAC (see article)
Thursday, February 5 - Community College Night, 6 p.m., PAC Cafeteria (see article)
Saturday, February 7 - ACT exam
Thursday, February 12 - Spring Club Rush at lunch
Friday, February 13 - Lincoln's birthday, NO SCHOOL
Monday, February 16 - Presidents' holiday, NO SCHOOL

Administration

Stanford/M-A Teen Sleep Program - The 2015 Stanford/M-A Teen Sleep Program continues for its eighth year. A small group of M-A juniors will create publicity for the "Drowsy Driving is Red Alert" message and act as hosts to Stanford students who visit the campus in late February and present facts about teen sleep and strategies for improving sleep to individual freshmen classes. A super-abundance of research has shown that more sleep leads to a better teen life, academically, physically, and psychologically. Good sleep's a winner.

Anyone, particularly freshman parents, interested in helping out with this worthwhile project can contact Maggie Betsock at 650-814-7160.

Sophomore Parent College Information Night - This event will be held in the PAC Cafeteria on Tuesday, January 13, from 7 to 9 p.m. College advisor Alice Kleeman will talk to parents of sophomores about college admission, college testing, financial aid, scholarships, and more. A representative from the College Board will attend the meeting to introduce parents to the new SAT. Please RSVP. This event is for parents only, not students. Simultaneous Spanish translation will be available.

Yearbook Information - January 30 is a big day in the yearbook world so mark your calendars!

January 30 is THE LAST DAY TO buy a yearbook at $85.

January 30 is THE LAST DAY TO submit a senior ad (tell your parents!)

January 30 is THE LAST DAY TO get your baby picture submitted.

You can do all of this and more at M-A Yearbook. Thanks, The Yearbook Staff

AP Calculus BC 2015 Summer Dates - Each year M-A offers AP Calculus BC as a three-semester course with the first semester held during the first four weeks of summer. In 2015, the Calculus program will be offered from Monday, June 8, through Thursday, July 2, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. An informational meeting for all parents with students currently in Precalculus will be held on Tuesday, January 20, at both 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. in room D-20. If your student is not currently enrolled in Precalculus but you are interested in learning about the AP Calculus BC program, you are also welcome to attend.

Community College Night - Community College Night will take place on Thursday, February 5, at 6 p.m., in the PAC Cafeteria. Students and their parents will have the opportunity to chat with representatives from the five local community colleges (Cañada, CSM, Skyline, Foothill, and DeAnza) and to hear a panel discussion on five topics: Getting Started, Transfer, Short/Career Programs, Financial Aid and EOPS, and Student Life. Free pizza will be served! The event will be most helpful for seniors and their parents, but all students and parents are welcome to attend. An RSVP is required.

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PTA News

Grad Night 2015 - We still need $3,000 to make this event a night to remember for the seniors! Any amount helps: $25, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $2,500, etc. Donations do not replace the price of admission, your student will still need to purchase a ticket.

Donating online is easy. Just go to the M-A PTA website and scroll down to donate to 'Grad Night'. Or, make a check payable to "M-A PTA/2015 Grad Night" and mail it to:

M-A High School, Attn: Grad Night

555 Middlefield Rd, Atherton, CA 94027

Thank you so much for generously supporting the Class of 2015!

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Foundation News

THE FOUNDATION RINGS IN 2015 WITH EXCITING NEWS...

DONORS RISE TO THE CHALLENGE(S)!

A HUGE thank you from the Foundation to all M-A families who donated by December 31, with special gratitude to:

The many families who increased their gift over the previous year allowing the Foundation to earn a $150,000 grant.
The 177 Class of 2018 families (freshman families) who donated, greatly exceeding our 150-donor target, enabling the Foundation to secure a $30,000 grant.

These challenges were so successful that they motivated two donors to offer a new challenge to inspire you to make a gift if you haven't yet! Announcing...

___________________________________________________

It Would Be Nifty If You Help Us Earn $Fifty!

Help raise $100,000 that will benefit M-A students this school year by donating to the Foundation now! Two generous supporters of M-A want to motivate YOU to give:

Donate by March 20,2015 and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000.

This will result in an additional $100,000 to support M-A students!

Please donate now to make your secure online gift or mail a check to M-A Foundation, P.O. Box 1228, Menlo Park, CA 94026.

It's a Great Day at M-A and You Can Keep It That Way!

______________________________________________

INCREASE YOUR DONATION FOR FREE! IT'S EASY!

Matching gift funds are an easy way to increase your donation! Details are on the Foundation website . If you are not sure if your company has a matching program, email matchinggifts@mafoundation.com to find out. It's easy, and we are here to help! Information you will need to identify our Foundation includes:

Menlo-Atherton Foundation for the Future

P.O. Box 1228

Menlo Park, CA 94026

EIN/Tax ID# 26-0820369

Cindy Folker, Executive Director, cfolker@seq.org and Cecilia Pinto, Matching Gifts Coordinator,

matchinggifts@mafoundation.org

Matching gifts really add up to make a difference for M-A students!

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Save the Date/Mark Your Calendars: The M-A Auction Kickoff Party of the Year is happening on Saturday, March 28.

This year's Auction kickoff party will be hosted on Saturday evening, March 28. Stay tuned for more details shortly but you can be assured you will have great atmosphere, food, and dancing.

Last year's gig was a blast and promises to be this year again. Tell your friends!

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Parent Education

The Well-Balanced Student

Denise Pope, PhD, Stanford University, Challenge Success

Tuesday, February 3

7 - 8:30 p.m. in the M-A PAC

Please come to an outstanding presentation by Dr. Denise Pope, nationally and internationally recognized educator, award-winning lecturer at Stanford University, and co-founder of Challenge Success, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the well-being, engagement, and integrity of students.

Today's high-pressure, fast-paced culture can interfere with healthy child development. When we are too focused on test scores, performance, and grades, we may deny kids the time and energy they need to effectively tackle the demanding work of growing up. This workshop examines the tensions that can occur between students, parents, and educators over issues such as homework, grades, and the culture of competition. Research-based strategies to create healthier home and school environments will be shared. In this presentation, you will learn:

How students cope with the academic pressure they face
How to reduce academic stress without sacrificing achievement or engagement
Strategies to increase resilience, creativity, and well-being for your child

Please register at Eventbrite. M-A Parent Education Series events are free, sponsored by the M-A PTA, the Sequoia Healthcare District, and the Sequoia Union High School District. This event is also made possible by a grant from the La Entrada PTA. For more information, contact Charlene Margot, The Parent Education Series, Founder/Program Director, at cmargot@csmconsulting.net or 650-868-0590.

SUHSD parents, students, faculty/staff, and community members welcome! Spanish interpretation will be available.

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Clubs and Activities

The W.O.M.B.A.T. Club - The Women of Medicine, Business, and Technology Club, W.O.M.B.A.T., will be meeting this Monday, January 12. Come to room F-13 at the beginning of lunch to hear the VP of Operations at Coursera, Amber Tennant, speak about her education and career. To contact us: wombat@menloathertonleadership.com

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Athletics

Check out the Athletics Calendar!

Girls Lacrosse - All players interested in trying out for the girls lacrosse teams should come to a meeting on Tuesday, January 13 at lunch in room D-14 (Mr. Kryger's classroom). The meeting will provide information on tryouts and the upcoming season.

Boys Varsity and Open/JV tennis - Any boy interested in school tennis this spring is requested to attend a meeting with the coaches at lunch on Wednesday, January 14, at the tennis court benches. Freshmen and other new players, in particular, should attend. Anyone who cannot attend should send a note before the meeting to Varsity Coach Tom Sorenson, tomsorenson47@gmail.com, and/or Open/JV Coach Rob Creighton, creightonrob@yahoo.com, with his circumstance. With first practice on Monday, February 2, at 3:30 p.m., it is critical for the coaches to know if you are playing a winter sport.

Weekly Sports Wrap-Up

Girls JV Basketball - The Bears started regular season play with 2 decisive wins this week. In the season opener against Mills, the Bears showed great teamwork taking an early lead which they held throughout the game. Both teams were strong defensively but the Bears broke out in the second half. Natasha Auer was a key factor on the inside scoring 10 points. Jaimie Kirkpatrick opened with a 3-point shot and had a total of 7 points across the game adding to the final 33-14 score.

In the home opener against Carlmont, the Bears were dominant from the start gaining an early lead of 21-8 at the half. Kyra Sheeper was in great form driving for a total of 13 points. Angela Langhi held Carlmont at bay with rebounds and crucial blocks and had 6 points. Ashley Tiznado was fast and furious bringing the ball down the court and added a basket to the count. The Bears coasted into a win with a score of 51-27.

On Saturday, the Bears hosted George Washington at home for a non-league game. Both teams had great defensive moves and both Langhi and Bailey Lentz were solid with key blocks and rebounds. Delilah Kline was a stand-out leading the team with 26 points and Maddie King capped off the scoring with 7. All the players had time on the court and contributed to the 49-30 win.

The Bears take on Capuchino at home Wednesday, January 14 at 4 p.m. and travel to Sequoia on Friday, January 16 for a 3:15 p.m. start.

Girls Varsity Basketball - The Bears won their three games this week. On Wednesday, they opened league play by defeating Mills 46-42. After an even first quarter, M-A took a 6-point lead at the half keyed by sophomore post Ofa Sili who scored the Bears first 14 points in the initial 11 minutes of the game. Sili finished with 18 on the night. In the fourth quarter, the Vikings tied the game at 36 with 4 minutes remaining. In the final minute the Bears sophomore guard Ilana Baer made 4 straight free throws to put the game away. Senior Maddy Kim's ball handling was key to breaking the aggressive Mills press. It was M-A's first victory over Mills since 2011.

On Friday the Girls defeated Carlmont 61-32. M-A led from the opening basket and blew the game open with a 12-0 run in the second quarter. The Bears were paced by Sili and Megan Sparrow who scored 17 and 11 points respectively. Sarah Howell and Annalisa Crowe hit key 3-pointers. The Bears are now 2-0 in the PAL.

On Saturday the Bears finished non-league season by defeating Sacred Heart 48-35 at M-A. In the second minute, the Bears leading scorer, Sili, was injured going to the net. With Sili out, freshman Greer Hoyem came in and made both free throws. Hoyem had 5 of her 9 points in the first half. Naomi Baer added 5 points to push the M-A lead to 16-6 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Gators closed the gap but the third quarter belonged to the Bears who held the Gators to 2 points and went on a 11-0 run to close the quarter. In the fourth quarter the Gators fought hard, but M-A broke their press and got the ball into the hands of freshman Carly McLanahan who lead the Bears with 11 points, all in the second half. Junior Sally Carlson had 4 points and senior Erin Goode added a basket to cap off the win.

The Bears host Capuchino on Wednesday January 14 at 5:30 p.m. and travel to Sequoia for a 6:15 p.m. game on Friday, January 16.

Boys Varsity Basketball - The Bears split their first two PAL games, both at home. In its league opener against Mills, one of the pre-season favorites to win the PAL South, M-A led the entire fourth quarter, only to watch Mills hit a 25-ft. desperation 3-pointer as the buzzer went off to lose by one, 39-38. The Bears played tough defense, holding Mills to its lowest point total of its 14 games so far. Ryan Cole's 13 points and 8 rebounds led the Bears. Christian Fioretti added 8 points. Against Carlmont, M-A led from start to finish to win, 47-37, in front of a raucous, energetic, blacked-out, 6th-man section (thank you!). The Scots' coach praised the M-A defense in giving the Bears a comfortable 14 -point lead at the half, and the Bears were never threatened from there. Cole again scored 13 points to lead the nine Bears who scored that night. Whittaker Jellins was Chairman of the Boards with 8 rebounds, while thief Eric Norton had numerous steals . This week, M-A hits the road, with contests at Capuchino - San Bruno, on Wednesday, January 14, at 5:30 p.m., and at Sequoia, on Friday, January 16, 7:45 p.m., as part of quad night there.

Girls JV Soccer - The Bears opened their 2015 campaign last Tuesday at home against Burlingame with an exciting 1-0 win that had the M-A supporters on the edge of their seats for the whole match. The first half started well with the Bears having a great scoring opportunity denied by a goal line clear by Burlingame. The momentum shifted in favor of Burlingame and the Bears had the crossbar, the post and the heroic efforts of goalkeeper Rosa Kurtz on several saves to thank for keeping Burlingame off the scoreboard. The Bears pushed back in the second half. With Kurtz continuing to make great saves, M-A pressed the attack. In the 54th minute, Mara Cavallero broke the deadlock and gave the Bears a 1-0 lead, burying a drilled cross from Grace Briegher on the left wing, a lead that would stand through to the final whistle.

Last Thursday, the Bears recorded a 7-0 win as they traveled to San Mateo to take on the Bearcats. With San Mateo fielding a side of only 9 players, the match quickly turned into an awkward rout. Just 2 minutes into the match, Joanna Vollrath dribbled right through the middle and scored on a low shot that found the back of the net. M-A sportingly equalized their numbers to 9 players to match San Mateo but Cavallero quickly scored a pair of goals at the 4th and 5th minutes to put the Bears up 3-0. Olivia Shane would make it 4-0 at the 10 minute mark with a chip shot from 25 yards out. With their starters substituted out, the Bears continued to control the pace of the game. Alex Chang added one more goal at 21 minutes to make it 5-0. M-A again shuffled their lineup and played most of the second half using just 7 players in an attempt to balance the competition. Eschewing any easy chances, two more goals would be added, the first at 40 minutes by Sophie Lamb from 35 yards away, the second by Laurel Patrick at 62 minutes on a shot from the right point bringing the tally up to 7-0.

The Bears' next match is at home on Tuesday, January 13 at 5:30 p.m. against Half Moon Bay.

Girls Varsity Soccer - Despite out-shooting the Panthers 25-4 on the afternoon, the Bears opened league play last week with a disappointing loss to Burlingame. Even worse for the Bears, M-A saw its leading goal-scorer, Katie Guenin, go down with a serious injury in the 5th minute and also lost junior forward Talia Missan to a severe ankle injury in the second half. In the 15th minute of the game, M-A lost possession of the ball on defense when a Burlingame player intercepted the ball from a defender and lofted it over the head of the M-A keeper to get the Panthers on the board 1-0. M-A followed up with 11 shots in the first half, but simply couldn't find the net despite a number of good scoring chances. In the second half, M-A again dominated possession and created many scoring opportunities, but it was Burlingame that again capitalized on one of the Panthers' only chances by scoring from the edge of the box on the left side in the 27th minute to put M-A down 0-2. In the 33rd minute a throw-in from Kelsey Reed to Nicole Salz popped back out to Reed and she converted with a strong shot from outside the box to put M-A on the board. Despite a furious attack in the final 7 minutes (and a total of 14 second half shots), the Bears went down in defeat 1-2.

The team bounced back from Tuesday's heartbreaking loss with a dominant 5-0 performance against an under-matched San Mateo squad on Thursday at the Bearcats' home field. After having 2 goals called back for offsides penalties, the Bears finally figured it out and got on the board in the 13th minute when Amanda Wiseman controlled a ball from a throw-in and passed it back to Julia Moreton who was able to one-touch the ball into the back post to put M-A up 1-0. Ten minutes later Annie Harrier dribbled the ball to the end line and then passed the ball back to Sarah McLeod who put the ball away for the second goal. Just minutes later, Moreton took the ball down the left wing and crossed it to Harrier who finished with a nice shot into the back post for the third goal of the half. Only a couple of minutes later, Harrier was again involved in a goal when she passed the ball back across to waiting midfielder Margaret Child, who tapped the ball into the net for the fourth goal of the half (and third goal in a 4 minute span). The final goal of the half came when Salz came down the right flank, dribbled to the end line, and sent a ball back to Molly Briggs for an easy tap-in goal. In the second half, the Bearcats side was down to only 9 healthy players. In a show of sportsmanship, the Bears pulled two players to play 9-a-side soccer for the remainder of the half. The Bears were content to play keep-away most of the half, but did fire off 8 shots. With the win, the Bears move to 1-1 in league play and 4-2-1 overall. The Bears next play at home at 4 p.m. against Half Moon Bay on Tuesday, January 13. The Bears then travel to Aragon on Thursday, January 15.

Wrestling - Since the end of last semester, the Bears have brought home 4 tournament medals and racked up 18 pins in high level competition.

At the Castro Valley Girls Classic, sophomore Chelsea Wilson, competing in the 106 lb. class, scored 3 pins and lost only 1 match to the #1 ranked girl in the state to claim a third place medal. Following this strong performance, on Saturday Wilson traveled to the Napa Valley Girls Classic, a nationally recognized tournament, considered to be the toughest in California. Wilson won a 7th place medal in the 106 lb. division which included athletes ranked in the top 3% of girls nationally. She scored 4 wins with 2 pins and had only 2 losses, to girls' ranked #1 and #4 in the state. Wilson has a season record of 11-3 and has made 8 pins.

Over the break, the varsity boys traveled to Aptos for the California Coast Classic, a multi-sectional tournament with roughly 70 participating schools. Senior Donald "Buster" La Haye, 195 lb. weight class, fought back from an early loss to win the 6th place medal with 5 wins, 3 by pin. Additionally, senior Edward "Bingo" La Haye, 170 lb. weight class, made it to the second day of the competition with 3 wins, 1 by pin. Sophomore Nicki Dulmage and senior Arrin Skelley also won a match with a pin each. This weekend the Bears competed in the Apple Cider Classic at Watsonville. Bingo La Haye earned a 5th place medal while scoring 3 wins, all with pins. Buster La Haye racked up 4 wins with 3 pins. Dulmage also scored a pin. Buster La Haye has a season record of 11-5, and 8 pins, and Bingo La Haye has a record of 8-5, and 4 pins.

On Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24, the Bears will compete in the Mid-Cals at Gilroy, one of the top tournaments in the state.

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Community News

Summer Camp at Riekes Center - The Riekes Center is a 37 year-old, non-profit organization located in Menlo Park that offers year-round programs for students of all ages in fitness, arts and nature. The Center also offers week-long and overnight summer camps for ages 6-18. Registration is now open. Please call 650-364-2509 or email info@riekes.org for more information.

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Quote of the Week

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

~Mahatma Gandhi

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