August 3, 2007

Laurel School Newsletter
First Week of School
Monday, 8/20
  • 12:00 p.m. PTO Back-to-School Luncheon

    • Tuesday, 8/21
  • No Events Scheduled

    • Wednesday, 8/22
  • 9:30 a.m. New Family Orientation

    • Thursday, 8/23
  • First Day of School
  • 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. Back-to-School Coffee

    • Friday, 8/24
  • 8:45 a.m. Head Room Parent Training Meeting
  • School Spirit Day - Wear Blue and White
    • Upcoming Events
    8/17      Class Assignments Posted at Office, 4 p.m.
    8/27      Head Room Parent Training,  7 p.m.
    9/3        No School -- Labor Day
    9/5        Carpool Pickup Begins
    9/6        Laurel Back-to-School Night, 7 p.m.
    9/11      Kid Chow Lunch Delivery Begins
    9/14      Quarter Gourmet, 5:30 p.m.
    9/26      PTO General Meeting, 7 p.m.
    In This Issue
    Upcoming Events
    Back-to-School Coffee
    Join the PTO
    Lunch Delivery
    School Details
    After-School Programs
    Luncheon Volunteers Needed
    New Family Orientation
    Laurel Newsletter
    PTO Executive Board
    Quick Links
    Join our Mailing List!
    Back-to-School Coffee
    • Thursday, August 23
    • 8:15 to 9:30 a.m.
    • Second Grade Arbor
    Please plan on attending the Back-to-School Coffee on the first day of school. Principal Nancy Hendry and PTO President Gina Watkins will give welcoming remarks, and you can sign up for volunteer opportunities.

    School t-shirts, sweatshirts and pennants will be available for sale, and coffee and refreshments will be served. This is a great chance to say hello to old friends and meet other Laurel parents at an informal event - and younger siblings are welcome to accompany parents.
    Soar to New Heights with the PTO
    The first day of school is only a few weeks away, and we need your support to make this another great year of learning for our children! That is why we encourage every parent to join the PTO Team for the 2007-2008 school year.

    The level of quality education that Laurel and Encinal families have come to expect is a direct result of this annual fund raising drive.  Please print out the membership form, or go online to join, and decide today how high your support for learning can be!
    Kid Chow Lunch Delivery
    This fall the PTO will launch Kid Chow's healthy brown bag school lunch service.  Lunches will be delivered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and you can select from a wide variety of options for any days and any weeks you wish.  For details and to order, go to the Kid Chow web site at www.kidchow.com beginning on August 5.
    Details
    School Times
    AM Kindergarten 8:10-12:10
    PM Kindergarten 10:10-2:40
    1st and 2nd 8:15-2:45
    Thursday "All Together Day" All K, 1st and 2nd 8:15 to 1:30
    School begins on Thursday, August 23.

    Lunch and Snack
    Don't forget to pack a lunch for your child (except AM Kindergarteners) and a separate snack (all grades) each day. The Kid Chow Lunch Program will begin on September 11.

    Information Links
    A number of flyers are being sent to your home in the summer mailing. We have posted most of these to the Laurel PTO Web Site for your convenience:

    Additional information is always available on our website at www.laurelpto.org If you are new to the school, you may want to look at the Laurel School FAQs on the Laurel School web site.

    To Unsubscribe
    If your children are no longer at Laurel this year, please scroll to the bottom of this message and use the "Safe Unsubscribe" link (in the small print) to remove yourself from our mailing list.

    Encinal and Hillview Newsletters
    If you have moved on to Encinal and not yet subscribed to their newsletter, do so now at www.encinalpto.com.  Or, subscribe to the Hillview Newsletter at www.hillviewpto.org.

    After-School Programs
    The PTO offers a variety of after-school programs to provide Laurel students with enrichment opportunities. This fall we are offering Chess, Berlitz Kids Language (French and Spanish), Sports 4 Kids, Basketball, Afterschool Math, Fencing, and Engineering FUNdamentals with LEGOs. Please see the After-School Program Overview for program descriptions and schedules.
    To Register, go to:
    Back-to-School Luncheon Volunteers Needed
    On Monday, August 20, the PTO Executive Board and Committee Chairs will host a Back-to-School Luncheon for all our Teachers and Staff. We can always use extra help throwing this warm, welcoming event. If you are able to help set up, clean up, or if you can bring a dish, please email the incoming PTO Vice President at jeremy.gundel(at)laurelpto.org.
    New Family Orientation
    • Wednesday, August 22
    • 9:30 a.m.
    If you are a 1st or 2nd grade parent new to Laurel School, or if you are a new kindergarten parent and did not attend the kindergarten orientation last spring, you are invited to attend a Laurel Orientation on the day before school begins. You must register if you wish to attend; call Pam Bonino in the School Office at 324-0186.
    PTO Committee Chair Position Available
    We are looking for a third Co-Chair to work with Celeste Baranski and Carolee Hazard to organize and run the spring Art and Science Fair.  This co-chair will be the "logistics" person (securing the facilities, organizing the grocery bag drive, communicating with vendors, preparing the workshop folders, copying, etc.).

    We are also looking for grade-level coordinators for the Art and Science Fair  (one for each grade level). These volunteers will be the day-to-day liaisons with grade level volunteers.
     
    For more information, contact Celeste Baranski at 322-1729.
    Laurel School Newsletter
    The weekly email newsletter is the primary means of communication for the PTO and the school. It includes notices of upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, safety information, schedule changes, and much more.

    On the first day of school, Thursday, August 23, all students will get the last paper newsletter and flyer packet of the year. After that, the Laurel PTO weekly newsletter will be distributed primarily via email, on Friday afternoons. Paper copies of the newsletter and flyers will be available for pickup in the office, but we will not send newsletters and flyers home with your child each week.

    Please make sure your friends and neighbors subscribe as soon as possible.  Forward this email so they can click on the link below:
    eScrip
    eScrip is a fast and easy way to give more money to the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation for our schools. Register your grocery and debit cards, and every time you shop, participating stores automatically give money back to the MPAEF.

    Don't forget to renew: Previously registered members MUST renew their Safeway Club Cards EVERY year between August 1 and November 1.

    Click here for details and easy directions!
    PTO Executive Board for 2007-2008
    President - Gina Watkins
    Vice President - Jeremy Gundel
    Treasurer - Katie Ferrick
    Financial Secretary - Veronica Kogler
    Recording Secretary - Jill Olsen
    Corresponding Secretary - Shelly Orlando
    Auditor - Laurie Sapp
    Historian - Karen Rist
    Parliamentarian - Roxanne Bozdog
    Room Parent Coordinator - Leslie Burke

    Laurel Principal - Nancy Hendry
    Teacher Representative - Kristen Owen