September 21, 2007

Laurel School Newsletter
Next Week
Monday, 9/24
 - No Events Scheduled

Tuesday, 9/25
  - No Events Scheduled

Wednesday, 9/26
  - PTO Membership Donation Day
  - Free Obsolete Textbooks, Conf. Room, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  - PTO General Meeting, 7 p.m. (6:15 Refreshments)

Thursday, 9/27
  - No Events Scheduled

Friday, 9/28
  - LAST DAY of PTO Membership Drive
  - Walk and Bike to School Day
  - School Spirit Day - Wear Blue and White
Upcoming Events
10/5        PTO District Council Meeting, 8:30 a.m.
10/8-12   Laurel-Encinal Book Fair
10/10      PTO Executive Board Meeting, 8:45 a.m.
10/17      Laurel Site Council Meeting, 3 p.m.
10/18      MINIMUM DAY, school dismisses at 11:35 a.m.
10/19      NO SCHOOL, Staff Development
10/23      Laurel Picture Day
10/23      Last Day to Submit Box Tops for Fall Drive
10/23      Deeelish! Meal Building Session, 6:30 p.m.
10/31      Halloween Parade, 8:30 a.m.
11/2        PTO District Council Meeting, 8:30 a.m.
11/12      NO SCHOOL, Veteran's Day
11/14      PTO Executive Board Meeting, 8:45 a.m.
11/14-15 MINIMUM DAYS, school dismisses at 11:35 a.m.
11/14-15 Teacher Conferences
11/21-23 NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Vacation
11/27      Picture Make-up Day
11/28      Teacher Holiday Luncheon, noon
11/28      PTO District Council Meeting, 3 p.m.
 
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Join the PTO
PTO General Meeting
Book Fair
Used Books Needed
Edge Road Parking
Quarter Gourmet Dishes
Deeelish!
Note from Kid Chow
Berlitz
Drop-off Volunteers Needed
Drop-off Tips
Hillview Gift Wrap
MPAEF
Community News
Thank You
Quick Links
Join our Mailing List!
The PTO Membership Drive is Flying High
PTO Membership DriveNext week is your last chance to help make our Laurel/Encinal PTO Membership Drive a soaring success!  This year's drive ends Friday, September 28.  Kindergarten is at 56%, 1st grade is at 56% and 2nd grade is at 63%.  Overall Laurel participation is at 58%.

PTO Membership Donation Day will be Wednesday, September 26.  PTO parents will be in front of the school to take your donations at student drop-off and pick-up on both days.  You'll also have an opportunity to join at the Laurel PTO General Meeting on Wednesday, September 26. 

Don't put it off any longer!  Please donate by downloading a membership form and dropping it off with your donation at the school office or by joining online using a credit card. Together we can help all of our kids soar to new heights.
PTO General Meeting
  • Wednesday, September 26
  • 6:15 p.m. Refreshments
  • 7 p.m. General PTO Meeting
  • In the Laurel Multi
All Laurel parents are invited to attend this year's first PTO general meeting (the next general meeting will be held in the spring). Enjoy appetizers before the meeting while chatting with Principal Nancy Hendry, Laurel teachers, and other parents. The meeting will feature Superintendent Ken Ranella, who will update all of us about the upcoming facility changes and other hot topics.
 
The PTO will provide free babysitting from 5:45 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Laurel library. The deadline for reserving babysitting is Sunday, September 23.  To reserve, send the names and ages of your children to Jeremy Gundel at pto_vicepresident(at)laurelpto.org.
Book Fair Blizzard
  • October 8 through 12
  • In the Laurel Multi

Come chill out at the Book Fair Blizzard at Laurel.  See the schedule for hours and special events, and enter the coloring contest by printing out the entry form and returning it to the Laurel office no later than October 5.

Remember, gift certificates are a great way to help teachers build their classroom libraries. To order, return the gift certificate order form to the office with your check. All gift certificates may be picked up at the fair.

Donate Your Used Books
Gently-used books are very much needed for the 2007 Laurel/Encinal Book Fair! Please donate adult fiction and children's books - 100% of the proceeds will go to our PTOs. Drop off your book donations in the Donation Box outside the Laurel and Encinal school offices September 24 to October 5.  Please no board books, magazines, coloring books, text books, or books that are in really bad shape.  Volunteers to staff the used book area are also needed.  Contact: Susan Tanner at mstanner(at)bluetopazsolutions.com.
Edge Road Parking
When parking on Edge Road, please be careful not to block two-way traffic.  The Atherton Police Department explains that there is no parking within 50 feet of any "No Parking" sign, no parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, and no parking in any intersection (such as where Lowery meets Edge). Please remember that there is no parking on Edge Road at any point along the school property.  Also, the police will ticket or tow any car that is parked blocking a driveway.
Pick Up Your Quarter Gourmet Dishes
Thank you for participating in Friday night's Quarter Gourmet. Please pick up your serving pieces in the multi-purpose room kitchen right away. Items not picked up by Wednesday, September 26, will be donated.
Deeelish!
When you sign up for meal building at Deeelish! , this local business will donate between $15 and $25 of each order back to the PTO.  Be sure to add that you are a PTO member in the "notes" section when you place your order and they will take care of the rest.

You are invited to join the first Laurel-Encinal PTO Meal Building session of the school year:
A Note From Kid Chow
It has been a pleasure serving your children Kid Chow lunches.  During these first weeks it's common for kids to change their minds as they sample Kid Chow's lunch entrees and determine which ones are their personal favorites.  We don't expect any child to like everything on Kid Chow's menu and offer a lot of variety so there will be plenty of opportunity to find appealing lunch options for your kids.  We highly recommend ordering things you know your child will really like before experimenting with new things.  While Kid Chow does not serve hot lunches, we do offer several classically warm/hot dishes at room temperature (e.g. pizza, burritos, and pastas).  Feel free to give them a try based on your child's personal palate.  If your child doesn't like something please contact us - we'd be happy to make lunch changes. Contact: chow(at)kidchow.com or 415.830.0089.
Berlitz Communications
Next week is the second week of classes for the Berlitz afterschool language program. There is still space available, including in the 12:45 Tuesday Beginning Spanish class for AM Kinders.
 
Some families enrolled in the program report that they have not received information emails sent by Berlitz. Please check your spam filters to ensure that you can receive emails from Berlitz addresses such as briant.sarris(at)berlitz.us. Berlitz will rely on email communication for class newsletters and other announcements. Any questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you.Contact: Cara Henry at carahenry(at)yahoo.com or 321-6160; Susie Morse at susan_c_morse(at)yahoo.com or 329-0432; or Briant Sarris at briant.sarris(at)berlitz.us.
Drop-off Volunteers Needed
Want to make a difference for our school?  Volunteer to help our kids out of their cars and into their backpacks one morning a month! Share your winning smile and great attitude while keeping kids safe, and our dropoff area flowing smoothly!  It's the easiest, most enjoyable 15 minutes of volunteer time! Contact: Marcia Bever at marcia(at)premierbenefits.com or 322-8869.
Laurel Drop-off Tips
Here are some ways you can make the morning drop-off easier:
  • When turning left from Edge Road into the school driveway at drop-off, either cross the right lane to enter the parking lot or stay in the left lane (there are two driveway lanes) until you reach an open spot at the curb.
  • Please consider making a right turn out of the school driveway in the morning (there are two right-turn lanes). You can get back to Middlefield via Oak Grove and avoid the jam at Edge and Ringwood.
  • Pull as far forward as you can to find a spot along the curb to drop off your child.
  • We are really encouraging morning carpooling as a way to mitigate the traffic backups that come with having 525 kids on our campus. Every extra child in a car means one less car, both on the road and in our congested drop-off area.
  • Please make sure your children are ready for school before leaving your driveway. Shoes on, hair done and backpacks on laps means less time spent in the dropoff line.

Contact: Marcia Bever, 322-8869 or marcia(at)premierbenefits.com

Hillview Gift Wrap Fundraiser
It's time to replenish your gift wrap supplies!  The Hillview PTO Gift Wrap fundraiser is in full swing, and this is your chance to order high quality festive gift wrap, ribbon, and gifts from Sally Foster.   The Hillview PTO earns 50 cents on every dollar spent.  Orders can only be placed online at www.sallyfoster.com. Remember to enter the Hillview account number (0357229) so the school gets credit for your purchases. Orders ship within 1-2 weeks. Orders including food items ship November 1. Fundraiser ends at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 1. Contact: Jill Roumeliotis at jroumeliotis(at)sbcglobal.net or Kim Guthrie at kimguthrie(at)earthlink.net.
MPAEF - New Website
MPAEF New LogoThe new MPAEF website is now live! You can visit the site at www.mpaef.org.  We think you'll find the new website visually appealing, easy and intuitive to navigate and a great source of information about the MPAEF.  You can find details about the MPAEF, what we fund and how you can participate. Now you can easily donate online to support critical programs to continue to support teaching excellence, technology for learning and curriculum enrichment.   For any comments, please email Lois Giovacchini, Executive
Director of the MPAEF, at loisg(at)mpaef.org.

Great Kids, Great Schools, Great Community
The Foundation Starts With You

Community News


Cub Scouts Raingutter Regatta
Cub Scouts, old and new, are welcome to join Pack 206 for Raingutter Regatta build-your-own boat races in Flood Park on Sunday, September 23,1 to 3 p.m. (boat building) and Sunday, October 7, 2 to 4 p.m. (boat racing). Contact: Rich Collyer at 327-2806 or David Chaiken at 324-3654.

Story Time at Kepler's

  • Kami and the Yaks with Andrea Stryer
  • Sunday September 23, 2007 11:30 a.m.
  • Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

What makes you different, makes you stronger. Kami is a young, deaf Sherpa boy living with his family in the Himalayas, tending their yaks. When some go missing, Kami bravely goes to find them and becomes a hero. We'll have a volunteer on hand to sign the story as author Andrea Stryer reads. Afterwards, stay a bit longer for a fun Sign Language Workshop!

**Remember to mention Laurel School at the register and 10% of your purchases comes back to our PTO.**

NJB Basketball Sign-ups are Now Open

  • Boys and girls teams for 1st through 8th grades
  • Competitive basketball against teams throughout Silicon Valley
  • Entirely run by volunteers
  • Practices at Payes Place in San Carlos
  • Games at Payes Place and local high schools
  • Register online at www.redwoodnjb.org by September 16th to get the early-bird discount!!!
Thank You - Quarter Gourmet
Thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who made Quarter Gourmet so fun for all of our Laurel families this year. There are too many people who helped contribute to name each of you, but please know that all of your hard work, fabulous food, time and energy is truly appreciated.
Submit newsletter items by Wednesday at noon or attachments by Tuesday at noon to newsletter(at)laurelpto.org
or phone: 473-1299