Monday, June 1 to Thursday, June 4 - Final exams for non-seniors (Final Exam Schedule)
Tuesday, June 2 - Senior Picnic, 8 a.m.
Tuesday, June 2 - Senior Awards Night, 7 p.m. (see article)
Wednesday, June 3 - Senior Breakfast, 9 a.m. and graduation rehearsal, 10:30 a.m.
Thursday, June 4 - Last day of school
Thursday, June 4 - M-A Class of 2015 graduation at 4 p.m. and Grad Night at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 6 - SAT test date

SAVE THE DATE

Monday, June 8 through Tuesday, June 30 - Administrative offices open from 7:30 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
Friday, June 12 - Deadline to request final senior transcripts for Fall 2015 college admission
Monday, June 15 through Thursday, July 2 - Summer school session I, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 24 - SUHSD board meeting, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, June 26 - Last day for Guidance Office requests (office closed until Monday, August 3)
Monday, July 6 through Thursday, July 23 - Summer school session II, 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 - Office open to accept athletic packets, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (see article)
Monday, August 3 - M-A office opens
Friday, August 7 - Fall athletic packets due
Monday, August 10 - Pre-picture day, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Tuesday, August 11 - Arena check-in for freshmen and seniors, 1 to 5 p.m., New Gym
Wednesday, August 12 - Arena check-in for sophomores and juniors, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., New Gym
Friday, August 14 - First day of practice for fall sports
Monday, August 17 - Freshman (Class of 2019) orientation and new parent coffee, 8-10 a.m.
Tuesday, August 18 - First day of school
Wednesday, August 26 - M-A Parent Education, Overloaded, Underprepared, and Far from Ready for Adulthood, 7 p.m.

Congratulations to all Seniors and Good Luck!

Congratulations to the students and families of the Class of 2015. We wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable summer break!

Parking for the Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, June 4 - There will be limited handicapped parking in the gym lot on Ringwood Avenue. Cars will need a handicap placard in order to park in this lot. The Senior Lot, on Ringwood and Middlefield, will be open for general parking at 1:30 p.m. Overflow parking will be in the SRI parking lot on Middlefield, across the street from the school. Further overflow parking will be in the USGS parking lot at 345 Middlefield Rd, which is open to the public. Please drive slowly and watch out for pedestrians. The school will have a shuttle available to transport families to and from this lot.

Coach Parks Field will open at 3 p.m. for general seating. The public will not be allowed on the field until this time. The Graduation Ceremony will begin at 4:00 p.m.

Graduating Seniors need to report to Ayers Gym at 3 p.m.

Estacionamiento para la ceremonia de graduación el jueves, 4 de junio - Estacionamiento para discapacitados será limitada en el estacionamiento del gimnasio en Ringwood Avenue. Coches necesitarán un minusválido para estacionarse en este lote. El estacionamiento de los estudiantes, en Ringwood y Middlefield, estará abierto para el estacionamiento general empezando a la 1:30 p.m. Desbordamiento de estacionamiento estará en el estacionamiento del edificio de SRI en Middlefield, enfrente de la escuela. Más desbordamiento de estacionamiento estará en el edificio de USGS en 345 Middlefield Rd, que estará disponible al público. Por favor, conduzca lentamente y tenga cuidado con los peatones. La escuela tendrá disponible un servicio de traslado a las familias de transporte hacia y desde este lugar.

Coach Park Field se abrirá a las 3:00 p.m. para asientos generales. El público no sera permitido en el campo hasta este momento. La ceremonia de graduación se iniciará a las 4:00 p.m.

Los Gradúados necesitan reportarse al gimnasio Ayers a las 3 p.m.

Senior Grad Night is Almost Here! - Come to the New Gym on Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. The location is a secret, so please come dressed casually in layers so you will be comfortable indoors or outdoors. There will be a late dinner at 11:30 p.m., so please eat a light meal after graduation. There is not much time between the end of the graduation ceremony and check-in, so plan accordingly.

Please bring your student ID and cell phone and nothing else!! If you lost your student ID, the office can print you a temporary one. Get your student ID in advance, and bring it with you. Do not bring food, drinks, money, backpack, purse, or anything else. If you show up with these items, we will make you lock them in your or your friend's car for the evening. You don't want to leave your purse locked in a car in the M-A parking lot, so please don't bring it. If you show up with contraband or under the influence, you will be sent home.

Buses will return to the M-A parking lot by 3 AM, please plan to have a way home at that hour.

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Administration

PAC Events on Youtube - Did you miss M-A's Choir and Guitar Concert, or M-A's Band and Orchestra Concert, or M-A's Senior Farewell? Or did you want to share your student's performance? We've posted all M-A streams on youtube. All videos were directed and filmed by M-A Students, and they did a great job.

Choir and Guitar 2015

Band and Orchestra 2015

Senior Farewell 2015

Streaming Graduation - M-A will be streaming its 2015 commencement graduation LIVE! With this link you can watch on any computer, or download the app and watch on any device.

Feel free to forward to any family members that wanted to be there, but just couldn't. Given the challenges of setting up this stream, there may be times when the connection is spotty. I recommend, either bookmarking or subscribing to our channel MABEARTV, or just search for Menlo-Atherton.

Administration Offices - The Administration offices will be closed Friday, June 5 between 1 and 4 p.m. for M-A's end-of-the-year luncheon. Offices will resume their normal schedule on Monday, June 8 through Tuesday, June 30 from 7:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. Have a great summer!

Athletic Clearance Packets - Students who will participate in a school sport this fall must submit Athletic Clearance Packets by Friday, August 7. This year the packet may be submitted online and the completed physical form may be scanned and uploaded throughout July. In addition, Aubrey Taff will be in the office on Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 to accept hard copies. Please refer to the Athletics website for more information and for access to the electronic form.

Mentors Needed for At-Risk M-A Students - Can you meet once a week with a student who needs help and support? Being a mentor in the Partnership for Success Program might be the most rewarding work you do! Some M-A students need a regular adult presence to motivate them and help navigate a path through M-A to graduation. This year, twenty mentors worked with Miki Cristerna, Student Services Coordinator, and students who are at risk of not graduating. These relationships have been incredibly rewarding for the mentors and beneficial to the students. The program is expanding in the 2015-16 school year to reach more M-A students, primarily juniors. No special knowledge needed, just a desire to make a difference. Typically you and another mentor will meet with your students together at lunchtime on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays. For questions via email, contact Linda Fornaciari at laderalinda@mac.com or Lynne Clarence at lynneclarence@gmail.com.

Attention Parents of the Class of 2018, Volunteers Needed - It is a tradition for the freshman class to contribute refreshments for Senior Awards Night, held at the PAC on the evening of Tuesday, June 2. Refreshments include homemade (ideally) baked finger foods without nuts such as lemon bars, cookies, and brownies. Cheese cubes and finger fruit (e.g., strawberries, grapes, etc.) are also welcome. Please visit Sign Up Genius. Drop-off will be at the PAC, from 6 - 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2. If you need to drop off earlier in the day, you may drop off in the Guidance Office. Thanks for making this evening special for the seniors and their families. Please contact Nancy Kessler (nancykessler@velcap.com) or Kelly Perri (kellyperri@yahoo.com) with any questions.

Arena Check-in and Schedule Distribution - Volunteers are needed for Arena Check-In, on Tuesday, August 11 and Wednesday, August 12, and for Schedule Distribution, on Tuesday, August 18. M-A processes over 2,000 students over the course of two days, and relies on hundreds of volunteers to staff the shifts. Please sign up before you leave M-A behind for the next couple of months. The Administration can't do it without you, please sign up!

Questions? Contact Admin Support at bearsvolunteers@gmail.com.

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PTA News

Senior Awards Night - The annual M-A Senior Awards Night will be held on Tuesday, June 2 at 7 p.m. in the PAC. During this inspirational evening sponsored by M-A PTA, many hard-working and talented seniors (and some juniors) will be honored for outstanding academic and extracurricular performance as well as service to the school and community. Some of the awards will be a surprise, while many will be recognition for awards already received. Students will be recognized for a wide variety of scholarships, prizes, and commendations awarded by school and community groups. Last year, more than 200 individuals were recognized. Invitations will be mailed to families of students receiving recognition. Awards to juniors will be presented early in the program so they can go home to study for finals! Refreshments will be served.

Joining or Leaving the Admin Support Committee? Admin Support events are behind us for the 2014-15 school year. Thank you to all the amazing volunteers who helped the administration this year! If you would like to join the Admin Support Committee for next year or if you would like to remove yourself from the list, please use this hello/goodbye link.

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Foundation News

Grab a peek at some of the fun and interesting events from the M-A Online Auction that are coming in the Fall. Mark your calendars now to save the date for these one-of-a-kind events. Don't miss out on a chance to reconnect with other M-A parents. Sign-ups will start in early August.

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Parent Education

August 2013 image

SPECIAL EVENT! M-A PARENT EDUCATION SERIES

Overloaded, Underprepared, and Far from Ready for Adulthood

An evening with Maureen Brown, Julie Lythcott-Haims, and Denise Pope

Wednesday, August 26, 7 - 8:30 p.m.

M-A Performing Arts Center

Advance registration now open - tickets will go fast.

Join Denise Pope and Maureen Brown, co-authors of Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy, Successful Kids, and Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, in discussion of their new books.

Denise Pope, PhD, is a senior lecturer at Stanford University and co-founder of Challenge Success, Stanford Graduate School of Education. Maureen Brown, MBA, is Executive Director for Challenge Success, where she oversees daily operations as well as marketing and strategic planning. Julie Lythcott-Haims, JD, served as dean of freshmen and undergraduate advising for more than a decade at Stanford University, where she received the Dinkelspiel Award for her contributions to the undergraduate experience.

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 open to parents, students, faculty/staff and community members. Simultaneous Spanish translation will be available.

For more information, contact Charlene Margot, M.A., Founding Director, The Parent Education Series, at cmargot@csmconsulting.net or (650) 868-0590.

THE PARENT EDUCATION SERIES ON FACEBOOK

Now you can like us on Facebook! The Parent Education Series Facebook page will keep you posted about upcoming parent education events; articles on parenting, schools and education; community parent events and more.

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Athletics

Check out the Athletics Calendar!

Participating in M-A Athletics Next Year? Athletic clearance packets are available here.

Sports Wrap-up

Track and Field - CCS Finals was a good showing for the remaining Bears. All 4 athletes competed well and made the coaches proud.

Marquise Reid started off the day with an 11th place finish in the long jump. He was the only sophomore in the field and competed well in his first CCS Finals, gaining important experience for his future big meets. Kathryn Mohr finished 4th in the pole vault and easily cleared in the bar at 11' 7 which was the automatic qualifier for state! Congrats to Mohr for a return trip to state on Friday, June 5. Annalisa Crowe also finished 4th in her event, the 800. She narrowly missed the auto-qualifying mark and the top 3 positions which qualify athletes to state. However, she ran her best time of the season to end on a high note. Adam Scandlyn also ran the 800 last night and placed 2nd, with a personal record of 1:55.92, just .05 seconds outside of 1st place. In one of the most exciting races of the night, Adam moved up to 4th place in M-A history in the event and will be joining Mohr at State next week. Congrats to all the Bears who competed at yesterday's meet! On to Clovis for State!

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Quote of the Week

What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

~Henry David Thoreau

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