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This Week
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Wednesday, October 22
- Menlo-Atherton 8th Grade Information Night, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m., meet in M-A's Ayers Gym
Friday, October 24
- 7th/8th Grade Halloween Dance, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 25
- Menlo-Atherton Campus Tour, 10:00 - 11:45 a.m., meet in M-A library
- 7th/8th Grade Band to perform at the Menlo Park Halloween Parade, 11:30 - 1:00 p.m.
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Monday, October 27
- MPCSD Study Session on Mandarin Immersion Charter Petition, 6:00 p.m., TERC, 181 Encinal Ave., Atherton
Wednesday, October 29
- PTO Fall General Meeting, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m., Hillview PAC
- Meet and Greet with Hillview, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., the Oasis, 241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Monday, November 3
- Hillview Speaker Series: Devin Prouty, Ph.D., "Sleepy Students," 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Hillview PAC
Tuesday, November 4
- Fall Choral Concert with M-A Chorus, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., Hillview PAC
Monday, November 10 - Tuesday, November 11
- No School - Collaborative Planning Day and Veterans Day
Wednesday, November 12
- MPCSD Regular Meeting, 5:00 - 10:00 p.m., TERC, 181 Encinal Avenue, Atherton
- MPCSD Final Decision on Mandarin Charter Petition, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., TERC, 181 Encinal Avenue, Atherton
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PTO Fall General Meeting |
Please join us for our Fall PTO general meeting! The meeting will be held in the Hillview
PAC on Wednesday, October 29, from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. We will vote on our final 2014-2015 PTO budget and participate in engaging conversation: - Mr. B will discuss the whys and why nots of the Hillview Dress Code;
- Mr. Haug will provide a parent primer on student technology tools such as Edmodo and PowerSchool; and
- MPCSD Superintendent Dr. Maurice Ghysels and his team will update us on District programs.
Click here to view the PTO's proposed Revised 2014-2015 Budget. You may also view the new budget in the office.
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Meet and Greet with Hillview at the Oasis
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Come visit with Mr. B, Superintendent Dr. Maurice Ghysels, and other Hillview leaders in a casual setting. This is a no-host event, but appetizers will be provided (as long as they last), thanks to your Hillview PTO, the MPAEF and our other PTO partners in the Are You In joint campaign. Everyone is welcome!
Join us Wednesday, October 29, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., at the Oasis, 241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park.
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The 2014-2015 Hillview Middle School Student and Parent Handbook is here! Please review the document with your student for the latest information on Hillview's school policies and guidelines. The handbook is available online in the iBooks Store and on the Hillview website. On Monday, October 20, students will receive a handbook signature slip, which needs to be signed by both parent and student after reviewing the handbook. Please sign and return the handbook signature slip by Friday, October 24.
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Some Hillview parents have used the parent notification feature of PowerSchool, but, up until now, this feature has not been functioning properly. The district tech office has finally resolved this issue, and parents can now choose to have updates on their student's progress emailed to them periodically as they wish.
To set up notifications, log in to PowerSchool at http://hillview.mpcsd.org. Contact Hillview's front office if you need your parent username and password. In the left hand navigation pane, select "Email Notification." Here, you can choose the information you would like to receive, how often you'd like to receive it, and the email address/addresses to which you'd like the notifications sent. While parent notifications can be helpful in terms of monitoring your student's academic progress, we recommend that you also work to make your student responsible for "owning" the progress reports. For example, if you want to keep weekly tabs on progress, you could establish a routine where you and your student sit down together and review PowerSchool together. Your student can be the one responsible for initiating this "meeting," and it sends the message that he or she - not you - owns the responsibility for progress monitoring.
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Hillview Speaker Series
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Sleepy Students: The Adolescent Circadian Shift
Devin Prouty, Ph.D., Researcher/Expert
Hillview Middle School, PAC
Monday, November 3, 6:30 p.m.
Join local researcher Dr. Devin Prouty, Ph.D. as he discusses practical strategies for dealing with adolescent sleep changes and how to help your whole family get enough sleep. He will detail the biological mechanisms that affect sleep, biological changes that affect adolescent sleep patterns, the importance of sleep to overall health and academic achievement, and the problems that are associated with insufficient sleep. Dr. Prouty is a local clinical psychologist who also studies adolescent brain development through NCANDA, the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence.
Free childcare will be provided during this special morning event for all potty trained children.
Click here for the full speaker line-up. These events are open to all district parents and community members. For more information, contact Jennifer Allen.
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MPAEF News
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Our Quality Schools Rely on the Generosity of You, Our Donors
We continue to be inspired by the generous and supportive donors in our community who have already committed to the Annual Parent Campaign toward our goal of raising $3.6 million for our schools. For those of you who have not yet made or pledged your donations, with just five short weeks left until the close of our Annual Parent Campaign we ask that you to commit your support by making a tax-deductible donation or pledge by November 20, 2014!
Your donation plays a significant role in maintaining the quality of our schools. Our schools rely on this money and to accomplish this, we rely on the generosity of you, our donors.
"We are truly a community-funded district, relying on local sources to fund our schools, and the MPAEF grant is a crucial part of that equation. The MPAEF grant will make up about 10% of the District's operating budget next school year and makes it possible to provide the education our community expects for all of its children." - Superintendent Dr. Maurice Ghysels
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Join us for the
5th Annual MPAEF Gift Boutique at Allied Arts Guild
20% of MPAEF Gift Boutique proceeds benefit Menlo Park City Schools.
Preview our fabulous vendors here.
Thursday, November 13:
Sips, Sweets and Shopping (6:00 - 9:00 p.m.) Enjoy wine and sweet treats while you shop the boutique. $30 per person advance purchase - $40 per person at the door. Advance purchase recommended. Purchase tickets here.
An Evening with the Experts: Holiday Party Planning Class (6:30 - 7:30p.m.) Palace Cafe and Catering www.palacecafe.net will teach us how to prepare delicious appetizers and festive cocktails, and Florist Amanda Thorne will show us how to create a gorgeous floral arrangement to adorn your holiday home. Tickets are $75, and include entrance into the MPAEF Gift Boutique.
Purchase tickets here.
Friday, November 14:
Complimentary Boutique Shopping (8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.) All are welcome!
Boutique Brunch and Lunch: Choose from 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 2:30 p.m. seatings at the Blue Garden Cafe. $50 per person. Space is limited -- advance purchase required. Purchase tickets here.
Visit www.mpaef.org for more information. Contact boutique@mpaef.org with questions or to volunteer.
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MPAEF Been Booed Challenge!
Ready for some Halloween fun? Join the MPAEF been booed challenge! Share the frights and fun with your neighbors, friends, and anyone else you like! MPAEF is more than just about fundraising, its about coming together as a community and supporting our schools! See how others in our community have been booed already #MPAEFbeenbooed! and follow us on Facebook! Click here to access the MPAEF "been booed" printables today!
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Traductor al Español del PTO
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Usted necesita ayuda con alguna traducción al español del PTO o de Hillview? Por favor me enevia un email a: info@hillviewpto.org.
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Volunteers Needed
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Help 6th Graders with Library Research: Parents are invited to come work with the 6th Grade Core classes in the library this week. This is a great opportunity to help in your child's class! For more details, and to sign up, please click here or contact Ms. Mathenia.
Mini-Course Help Needed: Teachers have been busy brainstorming about their upcoming mini-courses. At this time we have 40 exciting programs planned. Ideally, we would like to have one parent volunteer work with each teacher to provide logistical support as they continue to plan their mini-course session. Some tasks that might be coordinated by the logistics volunteer prior to Mini-Course Week, April 13-17, include:
- shop for supplies
- contact field trip locations/book visit
- brainstorm with teacher about industry contacts or activities
- schedule guest speakers
- coordinate various arrangements on the group's behalf
- on-site assistance during mini-course week is not necessary, but could be helpful.
Specific courses in need of volunteers are: Video Game Design, Fashion Design & Sewing, Str8 Shots Table Sports, So You Think You Can Tap, Hero's Journey, Hot Wheels and Outdoor Survival. If you would like to support our teachers and this program, please email volunteer@hillviewpto.org for more information.
After-School Math and Homework Centers: Math and homework centers are up and running in the library, with a retired math teacher and M-A students overseeing math support, and Phil Eaton supervising the self-regulated Homework Center. The PTO would like to begin offering a free Writing/Editing Center for all Hillview students this year, but this also needs daily on-site volunteer support. The centers are open after school Mondays and Tuesdays, from 3:15 - 4:45 p.m., and Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 2:40 - 4:30 p.m., when school is in session. If you can help weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, please contact Elizabeth Shane.
7th and 8th Grade Halloween Dance Chaperones: A few more parent chaperones are invited to join the fun on Friday, October 24, from 6:15 - 8:45 p.m. Sixth grade parents are encouraged as well! Please contact Staci Sanders for details on how to sign up.
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Intramural and After-School Sports
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Intramural Sports: lunchtime intramural sports will continue this week with badminton or volleyball on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Burgess League and MPMSL (8th Grade): Basketball registration is now open for all Hillview students at sportability.com/hillview. The registration deadline is November 2. We encourage you to register as soon as possible to avoid being waitlisted. For this program to work, we need parent volunteer coaches. Please let me know if you are able to help. Mandatory team placement workouts for 6th and 7th graders will be held on Saturday, November 15th. 8th grade teams will be selected without a workout.
Tournament Team Basketball: Practices continue.
Flag Football:
Tuesday, October 21: 8th graders at Egan at 4:00 p.m., Blue at JLSL at 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 23: Gold vs. San Carlos at Hillview at 4:00 p.m.
Friday, October 24: 8th graders vs. Woodside at 3:45 p.m., and Blue vs. Woodside at 4:45 p.m. Both games will be at Hillview. Please do not wear red or yellow shorts to games. Participants must wear a mouthguard to play.
Volleyball: Burgess League games continue at Arillaga gym. 7th/8th graders play on Monday; 6th graders play on Tuesday. Click here to view volleyball team practice schedule and Burgess League game schedule.
Tournament Team Volleyball: The season has ended. We commend the team for a terrific season! Many thanks to our new head coach Felipe Gonzalez, with special thanks to our parent coordinators Linda Druell and Ann Banchoff.
Fencing: Class continues.
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MPCSD Mandarin Immersion Charter School Petition Meetings
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On September 12, our District received its first charter school petition from the parents of the Menlo Mandarin Immersion Charter School. Click here to see the entire charter petition including petition signatures.
The MPCSD encourages parents and community members to attend the following public School Board Meetings:
- Study Session on Monday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. at MPCSD Office, TERC Building, 181 Encinal Avenue, Atherton
- Final Decision on Wednesday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m. at MPCSD Office, TERC Building, 181 Encinal Avenue, Atherton
A presentation on charter school fundamentals was made to the Board on September 3, and is accessible: click here.
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MPCSD ParentEd Conference Thank You!
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Thank you to all the parents who came to the MPCSD ParentEd Conference: "What Parents Need to Know About the Common Core and More" last Sunday. It was a great forum for learning and discussion and we appreciate your participation.
We want to recognize and give a huge thank you to the Newton Center and Applebee Preschool for providing free childcare that was fun, safe, and engaging!
Thank you also to the many MPCSD staff and teacher presenters and parent volunteers for organizing this event.
Special thanks to Elizabeth Ouren, MPCSD Conference Coordinator, and Nami Turner, Hillview Coordinator, who organized and hosted this enriching and informative MPCSD Parent Education Conference. We so appreciate the thoughtful planning that they both put into running this event.
Missed the conference? Good news...thanks to an amazing team of Hillview students, we recorded each session of the conference. We are working putting the recording on the website so that parents can watch any of the sessions that they missed. You can also check the MPCSD ParentEd Page for updates here.
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High School Information has been posted to the Hillview website about M-A, Summit, Everest, and the private school application process. Please email Ms. Watts if you have any questions.
M-A Information Night: Learn about M-A's academic programs and graduation requirements this Wednesday, October 22, from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. The event includes a Principal's welcome, small group tours, and presentations by M-A teachers from core subject areas. Prospective students and parents are welcome. No sign-up necessary. For more information, visit www.mabears.org (under "About Us"). M-A Campus Tour: On Saturday, October 25, middle school students and their parents are invited to an informal outdoor campus tour. Tours will be lead by M-A Leadership students who will share their enthusiasm for the school and answer questions. Meet at the library. No sign-up necessary. Tours run from 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.. The last tour departs at 11:15 a.m. For more information, please visit www.mabears.org.
M-A Shadowing Program: The M-A Shadowing Program pairs prospective 8th graders with a 9+ grade host so they can attend classes during a typical day at the school. The program runs from October 3 - February 27. Shadowing is very popular and appointments fill up fast, so sign up early on the website. Please visit www.mabears.org for full program details and frequently asked questions.
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Shop MPAEF
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It is Boo-tastic fun!
Find costumes party supplies, candy and more at great Halloween merchants on Shop.MPAEF.org. Just click on a merchant link, shop and earn money for our schools.
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Community News
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The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth is accepting applications for its annual Talent Search for academically talented students in grades 2-8. CTY offers testing through the Talent Search and a wide array of services for academically talented students, including summer and online courses for students with qualifying test scores. For more information, visit cty.jhu.edu
or call CTY at 410-735-6278.
Home Run Derby Fundraiser: Swing for the fences! Join us Sunday, November 2 at noon at Nealon Park in Menlo Park to raise money to send two Xtreme Baseball teams to Cooperstown, NY next summer! Please spread the word and encourage the community to come out and support our Cooperstown-bound kids. Anyone can sign up for this event on the Xtreme Baseball website.
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Newsletter Details
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This newsletter is published by PTO parent volunteers every Sunday of the school year, except for Sundays preceding a full week of vacation.
Submissions: The deadline to submit for the Sunday Hillview Newsletter is Wednesday at noon. Please email your submission to newsletter@hillviewpto.org. Please note that submissions may be edited for content and/or length. Submissions received after the deadline will be eligible for inclusion the following week.
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. Archives: Missed an exciting edition of the Hillview newsletter or letters from the school or PTO? Look up past mailings in our online archive.
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