Eat Your Heart Out needs to borrow the following items from the Hillview community: 4 ice cream makers, 6 toaster ovens, 7 blenders, 6 large non-stick frying pans, 11 rolling pins, 12 baking sheets, 3 rice makers. If you have any of these items to lend by Wednesday, March 12, please contact Nancy Kessler. We would be very grateful and will return all items cleaned by Tuesday, March 25.

Permission Slips Due! Over 500 students have already turned in their permission slips and forms! Way to go! If your child's forms are still around the house, remember to have them turned in by Friday, March 7. Special field trip lunch requests and payment are also due by Friday, March 7. Thank you Monica Bosch and her team for sorting and filing the permission slips every day.

Thank you for all the donations and loans from families during the last few weeks. Your generosity makes the mini courses possible!

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2014-2015 New Student Registration

New student registration for the upcoming 2014-15 school year began on Monday, February 3.

Priority Kindergarten registration was from February 3 - 28
Grades 1-8 registration begins Monday, March 3

We are currently in the second and final year of the state's two-year transition from the old December 1 Kindergarten cutoff age to the new September 1 Kindergarten cutoff age. MPCSD does not plan to enroll students in a two-year Transitional Kindergarten program after the transition to the new age cutoff is complete.

In the 2014-15 school year, all students must be five years old on or before Monday, September 1 to enroll.

Visit the registration page on the District's website for more information about age requirements, non-standard placements, Spanish Immersion and instructions about how to initiate the new student registration process.

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Hillview Chess Team

The Hillview Chess Team participated in the Bay Area Chess Tournament in Santa Clara last weekend and was awarded First Place, Middle School. The four Hillview participants were 6th graders Kip Gorey, Elias Nasr, Curtis Heller and Jonathan Liu. Congratulations!

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Hillview Makes CBEE Honor Roll

Hillview Middle School has won a place on the California Business for Education Excellence 2013 Honor Roll for its success in raising student academic achievement. The CBEE analyzed student achievement data for every public school in California and Hillview stood above the rest in getting students to grade-level proficiency and beyond.

Success factors among the 2,099 honor roll schools include high expectations for students, collaboration among teachers to improve practice, targeted use of data to pinpoint challenges and monitor progress, and continual intervention for struggling students, according to the association which aims to improve public education and close the achievement gap. For more information, visit the CBEE website.

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Candidates for District Council 2014-2015

The Menlo Park City School District Council is seeking candidates for its officer and administrative chair positions for the 2014-2015 school year. The purpose of the District Council is to foster cooperative relationships among the Laurel, Encinal, Oak Knoll, and Hillview PTOs, the MPAEF, the District, and the School Board, in order to facilitate communication within the District.

Available positions include: District Lunch Coordinator, Programming (Parent Ed) Coordinator, and Recognition (Service Awards) Coordinator, among others. For a complete list of District Council positions, please visit the district web site here.

Nominations are due Sunday, March 23. Questions? Please contact Kate Kennedy.

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Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation

HELP US REACH 80 PERCENT PARTICIPATION!

Thank you to the 1378 families who have already committed their support to the MPAEF Annual Parent Campaign! We are proud that 75.5 percent of our District Families have already given!

In order to reach our goal of eighty percent participation, we are asking for the support of at least 103 more families. A participation rate of 80 percent is one we should all take pride in as it emphasizes not only the commitment of our parents, but helps provide all of our children with the excellent education they deserve.

All families who have donated to the MPAEF as part of our 2013-2014 Campaign as of Friday, March 14 will be entered into a drawing for two tickets to the upcoming Spring Event and Auction on Saturday, April 5 or four tickets to the Are You IN Run for Education on Sunday, June 1. The winner of the drawing gets to choose their prize!

If you haven't yet committed your support, please do so now here!

This final push to 80 percent ends on Friday, March 14, so let's join together and show the strength of our community's support for our children and our schools! Any and all donations count and will get us one family closer to our goal!

(Current MPAEF Board members are ineligible for the drawing. Only donations, not pledges, are eligible for the drawing.)

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THANK YOU TO OUR NEW AND RETURNING BUSINESS AND REALTOR PARTNERS!

Please support those businesses and realtors who support our schools! Thank you to these new 2013-14 business and realtor sponsors:

Business Partners
Bohannan Foundation
Chris E. Lindsey, D.D.S.
DeLeon Realty
Kennolyn Camps
Northwestern Mutual
DLM Architecture
Monica Michelle Photography
Scott Kaloust, DDS, MS, Menlo Park Orthodontics
Sundance The Steakhouse
Tavarez Orthodontics
Menlo Medical Clinic

Realtor Partners
Ken DeLeon, DeLeon Realty
Ken Glidewell, Alain Pinel Realtors
Kim Heng, DeLeon Realty
Michael Johnston, Alain Pinel Realtors
Veronica Kogler, Coldwell Banker
Tom LeMieux, Coldwell Banker
Michael Repka, DeLeon Realty
Rachel Repka, DeLeon Realty
Nathalie de Saint Andrieu, Pacific Union
Alex Seroff, DeLeon Realty

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MPAEF SPRING AUCTION

A TALE OF TWO AUCTIONS - WHERE AND HOW TO BID

Back and Better than Ever - The ONLINE AUCTION, March 28 - April 3

When the website goes live, start your bidding! This year, more items will be available online! Most teacher items, all parties and events for kids, all In-Training items, all camps and other items for kids, and all parties and events for adults will be available ONLINE ONLY this year! So whether your plans include A Night in Monte Carlo or not, bid online! Buy a spot for your student to contribute to our goals to strengthen all our district schools. Look through the catalog to see the many ways you can offer your support with an online bid.

SILENT AUCTION at A Night In Monte Carlo, Saturday, April 5

At A Night in Monte Carlo, before the night gets late, peruse through the Silent Auction, where you'll find getaways, sporting events, unique items and experiences for adults, fine wines, and artwork from our district teachers! Make plans with your family to head off to France, mark off your calendar for a night behind AT&T park's home plate, clear out room in your wine cellar for some new varietals. You just can't go wrong when you bid early!

Tables open promptly at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 at the Monte Carlo Casino at Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club.

Buy your tickets beginning Thursday, March 13 at MPAEF.org
On-campus raffle ticket sales from March 24-28
Online auction opens Friday, March 28

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Traffic and Safety

Update on January Transportation Town Hall meetings

The District transportation team met with Menlo Park and Atherton after the two Town Hall meetings about traffic and safety near MPCSD campuses and developed a joint list of next steps and updates to share with the community. Please watch for a document called "Community Response" next week. Some next steps have already happened:

The City of Menlo Park installed asphalt areas along Bay Road for children to wait safely for the bus.
Hillview students have been reminded about safe rules of the road for riding bicycles on Santa Cruz Avenue.
Menlo Park motorcycle police officers are doing increased traffic enforcement in "hot spot" intersections near our campuses.

Avoid Getting Ticketed

In response to safety issues raised at January's Town Hall meetings, Menlo Park and Atherton police traffic enforcement for school commute safety has increased. Atherton police have increased enforcement of traffic safety and no parking restrictions on Ringwood Avenue near Laurel School. Menlo Park has deployed motorcycle traffic officer to "hot spot" intersections near Oak Knoll, Hillview and Encinal.

Want to beat the car pick-up lines at school?

Our school Principals suggest that parents wanting to get in and out quickly during morning drop off should arrive 10 minutes earlier and enjoy the wide open car drop-off area.

At school's end, the car pick up line moves quickly once the students are dismissed, so arrive after dismissal to get in and out quickly. Stopping and waiting in a public road for the bell to ring blocks the flow of traffic in public streets.

Please do not use phones or computers behind the wheel in the car queue or in school parking lots.

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Star Party with the Hillview Science Department

The Hillview Science Department is hosting a "Star Party" on Thursday, March 6 from 7:45 to 9:15 p.m. on the greentop. Come see Jupiter and its moons, craters on the moon, many stars and more. If you've never looked through a telescope and would like to give it a try or maybe you haven't had the scope out in a while and need a good reason to wipe off the dust, this is a great opportunity. Family and friends are welcome. Contact Tom Lyons. The event will be postponed if there is more than 50 percent cloud cover or rain.

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Phys Ed Notes

Intramural sports will continue Monday - Wednesday with indoor soccer as the new activity. Any student who shows up within 15 minutes of lunch will be allowed to play.
The Phys Ed Dept requests a doctor's note if a student is unable to participate in PE class for more than three consecutive days.
Student lockers must be locked at all times except when changing. If a locker is missing its lock, the cost to replace a lock is $10.
Students should take care of their personal property and lock up valuables in lockers.
Activities for the upcoming third trimester include Mini Sessions, Decades Dancing for 8th graders, state mandated fitness testing for 7th graders, and Greek Olympics for 6th graders.

Questions regarding Phys Ed should be directed to Mr. Bell, Mr. Eaton, Ms. Gee or Ms. Salem. Phone: 326-4341 ext 2601 Bell, ext 2602 Eaton, ext 2603 Gee, ext 2604 Salem.

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After School Sports

Basketball: This is the final week of league games. Playoffs this week for 6th and 7th grade boys and 6th grade girls. Playoffs for 8th grade boys and girls and 7th grade girls will begin the week of March 10.

Tennis: Tryouts for all players begin this week. There will be parent meetings Tuesday March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 at 5:45 p.m. in the HIllview Fitness Room. One parent per family is required to attend one of these meetings. Permanent practice slots for Varsity A and Varsity B players begin the week of March 10.

Track: Registration is open at sportability.com/hillview. Deadline for registration is Friday, April 4. Track will begin on Monday, April 21. For more information, click here.

After School Sports questions should be directed to Mr. Bell or call (650) 326-4341 ext 2601.

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Community News

Menlo-Atherton High School's cheer and mascot program will be holding tryouts for incoming 9th graders on Saturday, March 22 at 9 a.m. at M-A (Old Dance Room). There will be an informational meeting on Tuesday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. at M-A (Rm E-26). Mandatory clinics from March 19 - 21 from 5 - 7 p.m. at M-A (Old Dance Room). Please click here for an informational flyer. Contact Coach Katharine Keigher for questions or further information.

Alpine West Menlo Little League is looking for youth umpires for the 2014 baseball season. Earn $22-32 per game. Season runs March - June. Minimum age - 12 years. Flexible schedule, work when you can. Experienced baseball players preferred. We are offering our last training session on Sunday, March 9 from 3 - 5:30 p.m. at La Entrada Middle School in the MUR and adjacent baseball field. If interested, please email Anna Plume.

"The Diviners" by Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory. March 13 - 23. Tickets $10 - $40. Evening and matinee performances. Suitable for children in Grades 6 and up. Set during the Depression, "The Diviners" is the story of a 14 year old boy named Buddy Layman who is deathly afraid of water, but who has a gift: he can divine water, which is crucial for his drought ridden town. Gorgeous gospel/spiritual style music richly underscores the production. Long after the curtain lowers, "The Diviners" will have you thinking about its poignant story and the deep questions it raises about law and grace, and the differences between blind faith and genuine love. For more info email info@pvtc-ca.org or call (650)851-8282 ext. 105 (www.pvtc-ca.org).

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Newsletter Archives

Missed an exciting edition of the Hillview newsletter or letters from the school or PTO? Look up past emailings on our online archive.

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Newsletter Submissions

To submit an announcement for a Hillview event, please email your announcement to newsletter@hillviewpto.org. Editors reserve the right to edit all announcements. The submission deadline is Thursday at noon for the following Sunday newsletter.

To submit an announcement for an off-campus community event, please email your announcement to communitynews@mpcsd.org. The submission deadline is Wednesday at noon for the following Sunday newsletter.

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