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In This Issue
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Attendance Procedure
Back to School Night
Dress for Success
Family Tablet Contract
Garden Volunteers
iPads
Pick up / Drop off
Silver Hawks Service
Academy Support
Hillview Information
Hot Lunch
Speaker Series
Volunteers Needed
After-School Programs
Debate Night
Fiber Arts Club
Library News
Sports
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Quick Links
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Questions? Email:
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This Week
Monday, September 7
Wednesday, September 9
- Back to School Night (all grades), 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Quad
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Looking Ahead
Monday, September 14
- Navigating the Tides of Adolescence panel discussion; 6:30-9:00 p.m., Sacred Heart Preparatory School.
Tuesday, September 15
- Hillview Drama Potluck, 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 16
- "Surviving and Thriving the Middle School Years: Supporting Your Student at Hillview," with Principal Willy Haug, 6:30 p.m., Hillview PAC
- "Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain," with Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, 7:30 p.m., M-A Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, September 17
- Debate Night with Coach Brier Buchalter, 6:30 p.m., Hillview PAC
Tuesday, September 29
- Music Department Potluck, 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 30
- Deadline for Hillview PTO Contributions!
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Hillview School News
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Revised Attendance Procedures
Please be advised that Menlo Park City School district must adhere to State attendance guidelines. California Education Code explicitly states those reasons for which students may be excused from school, and these are also laid out in MPCSD Board Policy 5113(a). When a student is absent for a reason other than one of those listed, or late to school 30 minutes or more without a valid excuse, the result is an Unexcused Absence, or "U" code. Some common Unexcused absences are those that involve travel or participation in athletic events. A third U code within a given school year results in a student being classified as "truant," and the district will then work with families in these cases to encourage more regular attendance, starting with notifications by mail, and up to being summoned before a Student Attendance Review Board (SARB). To avoid a U code, families may work with Hillview through the counseling department to set up an Independent Study Plan (ISP). The Independent Study Plan will be created ahead of the planned absence, and it will include all the work that the student must complete while absent. Please make a note of these procedures, and contact your counselor well in advance of the planned absence to establish the ISP.
Back to School Night Mailing and PowerSchool Single Sign-on Instructions
Wednesday, September 9, is Back to School Night at Hillview. The event will kick off with a welcome from Mr. Haug in the outdoor Quad at 6:30 sharp, followed by an abbreviated "day in the life" of your student as you move from class to class. Please watch your mailboxes for a special "Back to School Night" letter from Hillview. In the envelope you will find a greeting from Mr. Haug, a blank schedule and map to guide you, and also some instructions about how to activate your PowerSchool parent account for "single-sign-on"; you will now be able to access all you MPCSD students' information using one account! Regarding the schedule, please sit down with your student and fill it out together so you will know the classes and teachers to visit (you will also be able to see these on PowerSchool once you set up your new account). Adults only please.
Dress for Success Norms
We have new Dress for Success Norms this year at Hillview. Please review our dress for success norms with your student to ensure proper dress at school.
Family Tablet Contract for 7th and 8th Graders
7th and 8th graders returned their "Family Tablet Contracts" this past week. We hope that families found this exercise valuable, sitting down and discussing the "rules of engagement" for iPad use at home: Where, When, and How Long; Checking In; Privacy Settings; Care & Maintenance; and Communicating Responsibly Online. A lot of the questions we get from parents regarding our 1:1 iPad program is how to manage student use at home. This contract gives you the opportunity to set expectations and boundaries that you can return to if needed. We will be scanning this contract and having your student bring it back home to you for future reference. If you ever need a copy of your contract, we will have it on file. To see a blank version of this contract, click here. Please contact Associate Principal Mary Martin with questions.
Garden Volunteers and Free Organic Food The Hillview garden is in need of parent volunteers to take photos, work with students, and help with activities in the garden on Wednesdays from 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. You can choose the Wednesdays, no experience is necessary, and not a lot of bending or getting dirty required! Free garden veggies do come with the job. Ms. Hilborn's environmental science class cannot be out in the garden without at least two adults, so if you are at all willing and able on any Wednesday, please email Ms.Hilborn.
6th Grade iPad Distribution
This past week we unpacked, set up, and distributed iPads to 6th graders. At this point, almost all of our 6th graders are carrying their iPads from class to class, and they are fully loaded with the Apps that support and enhance their learning. 6th Graders will begin their Digital Drivers License Program this coming Friday, September 11, during their PE classes. The purpose of this program is to prepare our 6th graders to be efficient, productive, and responsible users of technology, and with successful completion of the curriculum, they will earn their "Learner's Permit" and have the privilege of taking the iPad home later this year.
iPad Internet Connectivity at Home (7th and 8th graders only) Some 7th and 8th graders are experiencing difficulty accessing the Internet at home. This is a result of our content filter settings, which apply the same level of protection for students on their iPads at home that they enjoy at school. Hillview's technician, Mr. Brian Benelli, is making himself available at brunch and lunch in the library to address this problem, and he has been able to resolve it for those students who have visited him. If your student is experiencing these "proxy" challenges, remind them to visit Mr. Benelli.
Pick Up and Drop Off
Parents, please be conscientious and aware of your surroundings when picking up and dropping off your students. Be sure that you are not blocking driveways and that you are not parking or waiting in the red zone on Elder Avenue. This is dangerous and causes traffic problems. We want to be respectful of other drivers and those who live in our neighborhood.
Hillview Silver Hawks Service Team
We want to thank everyone who helped last year and the Relay for Life event participants on May 15, 2015. What a great turn out!! Team Hillview was the second largest contributor for the Menlo Park Relay for Life event, having raised $26,000 for the American Cancer Society. You should be very proud of your students!
The first meeting is at lunchtime on Thursday, September 10th, in the PAC. We will be announcing the date for the 2016 Hillview Relay For Life, and will start to pool ideas for the service work we want to participate in this year. Please remind your kids about the meeting! Parents welcome. We want service to be a community activity! Any questions or comments please email.
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PTO News
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Parent Education Speaker Series Logistics Coordinator Needed
If you are a fan of the MPCSD Speaker Series, which is presented in conjunction with the Hillview PTO, this could be your perfect volunteer opportunity! We are looking for someone to organize volunteers for each of the Speaker Series events, coordinate with Hillview staff to ensure students are present to provide childcare, and attend each event to make sure the hospitality portion of the evening runs smoothly. If you are interested, please email. You can learn more about the MPCSD Parent Education Speaker Series and see the 2015-2016 schedule of events
Academy Support Needed 8th grade parents, our students need you...to volunteer as an Academy Parent! Teachers count on the support of Academy Parents to help them communicate with families and coordinate activities and events throughout the year, and we still in need 5-6 8th grade parent volunteers for this important job. Being an Academy Parent does not require a significant time commitment, and is the ideal opportunity for parents who want to stay connected but cannot be on campus during the day. Please sign up by clicking here today.
Help with Hot Lunch
Calling all 6th, 7th and 8th grade parents, we need you to help serve Hot Lunch! We have 25 volunteer slots to fill. Please consider signing up for a once a month position. It is less than an hour commitment and one of the best ways to connect with the students during the school day. Please email hotlunch@hillviewpto.org to sign up.
Volunteering and Staying Connected at Hillview
We would love to keep you in the loop about fun activities and rewarding volunteer opportunities at Hillview. To receive information throughout the year about the events, activities, and volunteer opportunities that interest you, please complete the online volunteer form. Filling out the form takes only a few minutes and will ensure that you hear about volunteer opportunities in the categories that you select.
Hillview Information
For additional information about upcoming school events, After-School Sports, After-School Programs, a regularly updated calendar of events and more, please visit our Hillview PTO website here. Did you know that Hillview also has a Facebook page? Please follow Hillview to keep up on the latest!
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A frequently asked question is: why does my family need to support both the PTO and the MPAEF? The answer is that these organizations support our schools in complementary ways.
When you support the PTO, you make curriculum enrichment, field trips, community building events, and well-supplied classrooms possible.
When you support the MPAEF, you are putting 32 more teachers in our classrooms, as well as making sure our schools are supplied with guidance and wellness counselors and credentialed specialists in science, library, physical education, technology, and the arts.
When you support the PTO at $250 per child and the MPAEF at $1500 per child, this is the real difference you make in their education:
Together, we INSPIRE in our children a love of learning
Together, we INVOLVE ourselves in their learning journey
Together, we INVEST in their future
PTO donations are due by September 30. Please make your gift or pledge to the MPAEF by November 6. You can also reach out to your PTO Membership Team, Tracy Watt and Kathy Motemedi, and MPAEF school ambassadors Laura Paul and Elizabeth Lorenz with any questions. Click here to support these organizations today. Thank you for your support!
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Programs & Activities
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Hillview After-School Programs
After-school programs begin this week. Below are the room assignments. Classes begin about 10-15 minutes after the last bell, so please report quickly to the specified location after your last class of the day. If P.E. is your last class, you'll need to change quickly!
Questions? Contact Erica Galles, PTO After-School Programs Coordinator.
Debate Night
Come meet Coach Brier Buchalter, a Speech and Debate expert, who runs the Hillview Debate Team, as well as teams at Encinal and Oak Knoll. He organizes debate tournaments and programs across the Bay Area to benefit a wide range of students. Coach Brier's mission for his students is to live an examined life, continuously grow and change the world! He and his students would like to invite you and your children to come take part in the experience, starting with Debate Night on Thursday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Hillview PAC. Students will develop and apply critical thinking and reasoning skills, powerful delivery and effective communication techniques, rapid synthesis of information and paraphrasing of text, and skills to collaborate and effectively engage with diverse partners and consider multiple viewpoints.
Fiber Arts Club
Mrs. Glasser and Mrs. Cardosi will be hosting Hillview's Fiber Arts club on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Room A8. If you have any crochet hooks or knitting needles that are hiding in your closets, we'd happily take them off your hands. At this point, we have a great selection of yarn from donations last year (thank you) and can use more hooks and needles. Any donations can be dropped off in the office to Mrs. Cardosi.
Library News
Come find a great book at your library! Returning students can check out one book at a time for the next few weeks until all classes have been through the library. Sixth graders will be coming with their classes this week to check out a book. Returning students can also check out up to three eBooks on OverDrive. Click here for directions or bring your device (school iPad or personal device) to the library for help. Book Clubs: Book clubs are starting up! Students interested in meeting monthly at lunch in the library to discuss great books should take one of our surveys. Contest: Tell us all about your favorite book of the summer and be entered into a contest for a gift card! New Teen Section: 8th graders, check out our new TEEN section, full of fabulous books! Be sure to turn in your signed permission slip. Hillview Sports
Intramural Sports: Intramural sports will begin next week on Tuesdays and Thursdays
during lunchtime. All students are invited, but there is a limit on how many may participate at once. The first activity will be announced during Hawk Talk.
Flag Football: Flag football practice begins this week. 6th and 7th graders will have their first practice tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8 from 3:15 - 5:00 p.m., and 8th graders will have their first practice tomorrow from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. All players must have a mouthpiece to participate in games. Teams are full, but waiting lists are still open. Please click here to sign up for a wait list.
Boys Volleyball: The Menlo Park Recreation Department has started a new boys volleyball program. This program will be open to all 4th - 8th grade boys in Menlo Park and outlying areas similar to their current Burgess League girls volleyball and basketball programs. To create interest in a Spring League, Burgess has offered the use of the Arrillaga gym this Fall for a boys only clinic. Registration is now open. The program begins on Wednesday, September 23 and continues on Wednesdays from 5:15 - 6:45 p.m. for middle school boys through October 28. The coach is Felipe Gonzalez.
Girls Volleyball: Registration has officially ended although there still may be room for more players. If interested, click here to join the waiting list. Team placement workouts
will be held on Monday, September 14 for all registered players. League begins week of September 28.
Tournament Team Volleyball: The 7th/8th grade Girls Tournament Team has now been selected. Practice will begin this week on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. We are happy to announce the team will be coached again by Felipe Gonzalez. Questions regarding any of these programs should be directed to Harry Bell at 650.483.4049.
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Parent Education
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MPCSD Speaker Series
Wednesdays have a whole new meaning in Menlo Park! The MPCSD Speaker Series, presented in conjunction with Hillview PTO, has a fabulous line up of speakers for this year. Click here for the flier and schedule. All events will be held at the Hillview PAC. Free onsite childcare and food will be available."Surviving and Thriving the Middle School Years: Supporting Your Student at Hillview"
Join us for our first event on Wednesday, September 16, at 6:30 p.m. with Principal Haug presenting.
"Navigating the Tides of Adolescence" Panel Discussion This event will take place on September 14, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Preparatory School's Harman Auditorium, 150 Valparaiso Avenue, Atherton. This event is free and open to the public. Click here to register as seating is limited. StarVista and Sacred Heart Schools present a panel discussion on the challenges facing our teens today, including stress, pressures of social media, mental health, and wellness. Panelists include Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of the highly acclaimed book, How to Raise and Adult and former freshman dean at Stanford University; Dr. Steven Adelsheim, Stanford child psychiatrist and Director of Community Partnerships at the Stanford School of Medicine; and child psychologist Dr. Yalda Uhls, a media expert for Common Sense Media and author of the upcoming book, Media Moms & Digital Dads. The panel will be moderated by Rachael Myrow from KQED.
"Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain"
An evening with Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, Wednesday, September 16, at 7:30 p.m. M-A Performing Arts Center (PAC). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Click here for tickets. Internationally acclaimed author and UCLA psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Siegel will share the exciting neuroscience behind the heightened social, emotional and creative energy that drives teen behavior, showing parents how to turn one of the most challenging developmental periods in their children's lives into one of the most rewarding. Between the ages of 12 to 24, the brain changes in important and, at times, challenging ways. In Brainstorm, Dr. Siegel dispels a number of commonly held myths about adolescent behavior and demonstrates that during these years children learn vital skills, such as how to leave home and enter the larger world, connect deeply with others, and safely experiment and take risks. Drawing on important new research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology, Siegel explores exciting ways in which understanding how the brain functions can improve the lives of adolescents, making their relationships more fulfilling and less lonely and distressing on both sides of the generational divide. This event is open to parents, students, faculty/staff, and community members. Questions? Please contact Charlene Margot or 650.868.0590.
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MPAEF News
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Shop MPAEF: With every back-to-school purchase you make via MPAEF's shopping portal, you earn money for smaller classrooms, credentialed arts and science specialists, and our teachers' professional development. start at Shop.MPAEF.org and then:
 CLICK on your favorite merchant to activate our referral bonus. We have more than 80 great merchants including Amazon, Target, Nordstrom, and many more.
 SHOP and pay for items as you normally would.
 EARN up to 10% of your purchase total for our schools. It's that EASY!
We do not collect any personally identifiable information, so no new IDs or passwords to remember. Just start at Shop.MPAEF.org, click, shop, and earn for all our schools every time. We've got scads of participating merchants, but start by getting your pens and pencils at Target, your new togs at Gap/Old Navy, and fall sports equipment at Sports Authority.
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Community News
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Cub Scouts: Wednesday, September 16, 6:15 pm, Laurel School Multipurpose Room
Calling all 1st - 5th grade boys: Do you like camping, hiking, building, and learning new skills? Pack 565 in Menlo Park would love to introduce you to the world of scouting. If you have questions, please email Pack LeaderTyson Clark.
Sunday, September 20, 1-3 pm, Oak Knoll Elementary School All interested families with boys entering grades 1-4 are invited to join us at Menlo Park's Pack 222 Ice Cream Social. For more information, visit the pack web site or email Robert Freeman.
Design Farm: Wednesdays or Thursdays, September 23 - December 17, after school at the Mitchell Park Community Center. Calling all teens! Rock your entrepreneurial spirit and join Design Farm! Ever wonder how people come up with great ideas? We'll show you how using the design thinking process! Do you have an idea but are feeling overwhelmed about how to move forward? Connect with mentors to move your idea forward. In our program, we don't want to talk about design thinking, we do it! Harness your natural creativity to define why and when, and our mentors will show you how and when to make it real. Whether it's a widget, a social problem, or something for your own personal development. For more information and registration, click here.
Menlo-Atherton Girls Volleyball Fall 2015 Community Volleyball Clinic: The Menlo-Atherton Girls Volleyball team welcomes all kids in grades 3-8 to participate in their Fall 2015 community volleyball clinic on Friday, September 18, from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. (check-in begins at 3:30 p.m.). This all-skills clinic will take place at M-A High School, Ayers Gym. The cost is $30. The current M-A girls teams will lead the clinic stations and work directly with clinic participants. Please join us for this wonderful opportunity to engage with positive role models and strengthen your volleyball skills! All proceeds go to support the Menlo-Atherton Girls Volleyball program. Space is limited, so submit your online registration early here (click camps / clinics). Menlo-Atherton Lacrosse: Local Lacrosse Club M-A Grizzlies is hosting a Fall Ball Program Sunday afternoons from September 27 to November 15. This program is open to all local area boys and girls ages 5 to 15. Affordable, great fast-paced fun! Come on out! Click here for more information and to register. Midpen Media Center: Sunday, September 13, 2-5 pm, 900 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto The Midpen Media Center is celebrating 25 years of community storytelling with a "Mosaic" event: "Telling Your Story Brings the Whole Picture of Our Community Together." John C. Hollar, CEO of the Computer History Museum, will be the keynote speaker.
2015 Menlo Movie Series: The 2015 Menlo Movie Series features FREE movies in Downtown Menlo Park on the Chestnut Paseo (Chestnut St. & Santa Cruz Ave.) each Friday night in September. Click here for more information. All movies are subject to change. Parental discretion advised.
Mid-Peninsula Water Polo Club: If your young athlete enjoys swimming and would like to try the fun and fast game of water polo, check out fall water polo for middle school kids at Menlo-Atherton High School this fall. International pro water polo player Bruno Antonino (Italy) will be coaching this economical two month program that will take your young athlete through the fundamentals and deep into the skills and game awareness needed to play competitive water polo. Don't miss this fun and exciting opportunity! Sign up here. For more information, visit the club web site, email or call ( 650) 387-5932.
Newton Center: This daily after school program provides a supportive environment for homework, reading and supervised playtime. For more information, email or click here to re gister.
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Newsletter Details
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This newsletter is published by Hillview School 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 hvnewsletter@mpcsd.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. Submissions are eligible to run for up to two weeks.
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 other communications from the school? Look up past issues in our online archive.
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