January 25, 2008

Laurel School Newsletter
Next Week
Monday, 1/28  
  - China Best Fundraiser begins (see article below)
 
Tuesday, 1/29
  - Deadline for Laurel PTO Exec Board nominations
 
Wednesday, 1/30
  - No events scheduled
 
Thursday, 1/31
  - No events scheduled

Friday, 2/1  
  - PTO District Council Meeting, 8:30 a.m. 
  - School Spirit Day - Wear Blue and White
  - Walk or Bike to School Day
Upcoming Events
2/1          PTO District Council Meeting, 8:30 a.m.
2/12        Box Tops for Field Trips Deadline
2/13        PTO Board Meeting, 8:45 a.m.
2/15        No School, Staff Development
2/18-22    No School, February Break
2/27        Site Council Meeting, 3 p.m.
3/7          PTO District Council Meeting, 8:30 a.m.
3/10-14    Staff Appreciation Week
3/12        PTO Board Meeting, 8:45 a.m.
3/17-21    No School, Spring Break
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
China Best Benefits PTO
PTO Board Positions
Encinal PTO Board Nominations
Art & Science Fair Volunteers Needed
Box Tops for Field Trips
Community News
Thank You Bake Sale Donors
Quick Links
Join our Mailing List!
China Best Benefits PTO
Take an evening off from cooking and help support our schools.  Starting Monday, January 28, through Friday, February 1, China Best Restaurant will donate 20% of proceeds from dinners ordered by Laurel and Encinal Families back to our schools. Select any dishes from their menu, which can be accessed via the Internet at www.chinabesttogo.com.  When you order online, or if you phone in your order to 323-7759, inform them that you are a Laurel or Encinal family.  Delivery under this special promotion is fast and FREE!  So ... Get a jump on the Chinese New Year and enjoy some delicious food.  Special thanks to the Liang Family for their generous support of our schools!
PTO Executive Board Positions 2008-2009
Now is the time to consider a position on the 2008-2009 Laurel PTO executive Board! This is an opportunity to recommend yourself or someone else who would like to get more involved with the Laurel PTO. Positions to be filled are:
Vice President: Assists the President with planning and is responsible for the weekly newsletter (or may appoint a newsletter coordinator).  Commits to be President the following year.
Financial Secretary:  Works closely with the Treasurer in keeping records of income, receipts, and disbursements. Commits to be Treasurer the following year.
Recording Secretary:  Responsible for recording the minutes of the monthly Executive Board meetings.
Corresponding Secretary:  Responsible for incoming and outgoing correspondence.
Historian:  Preserves a record of activities for the year.
Auditor:  Audits PTO financial records two times per school year.
Head Room Parent Coordinator:  Coordinates information between the Head Room Parents and the PTO.

Print out your Nomination Form or look for one in the school office.  To nominate or volunteer by email, click here. Please respond by January 29.  Contact : Daren Tuchman, dbtuchman(at)hotmail.com.
Encinal's PTO Needs Nominations
If your child will begin at Encinal next year, consider participating in the Encinal School PTO Executive Board. Print out a Nomination Form and submit it to the Laurel or Encinal office by February 1, or email your nominations to Christie Tonsfeldt at cdtonsfeldt(at)yahoo.com.
Art & Science Fair Volunteers Needed
The Laurel Art & Science Fair will be held this year on Thursday, April 24, from 9 to 11 a.m. This wonderful annual event features more than 50 unique workshops; each child gets to experience four workshops of their choice.   The Fair is run entirely by parent volunteers, and we need you to lead or assist with workshops!  We have lots of workshops with prepared instructions, or get creative if you want.  If you are interested in helping out with this exciting and popular event, see the volunteer form for more information.  Please fill out and return the form or contact Carolee Hazard at carolee1(at)yahoo.com.
Box Tops for Field Trips
Our Winter Box Tops Drive is going on now through February 12!  Let's keep that momentum going by helping the kids collect and tally the General Mills Box Tops you already have around the house.  We will be reminding you to submit them in their blue folders as the deadline approaches.
 
For details on the Box Tops Program and a list of products that carry the Box Top, see the Box Tops flyer.  If you didn't receive your child's Box Tops Collection Baggie after the last drive, please help your students complete a new Tally Sheet and submit it with the Box Tops in any baggie or envelope.
 
Also, when doing your online shopping, don't forget to check out the Box Tops Marketplace.  Hallmark and 1-800-Flowers (for your Valentine's Day needs), Gap, Nordstrom, Old Navy and so many more contribute up to 8% of your purchase back to the PTO when you access their site through this link.
 
Thank you for your support - we're looking forward to another successful drive!

Contact: Amy Barry at aminibarry(at)hotmail.com.
MPAEF
Get on board!  Your gift of any size can help us raise an additional $25,000 from the new bonus fund.  Created by a group of local families who are passionate about MPAEF New Logosupporting our schools and inspiring others to do the same, the bonus fund is set to make additional contributions to the MPAEF, $5,000 at a time, when the number of donor families reaches 800, 850, 900, 950, and 1,000, for a total bonus of $25,000.
 
Thanks to the participation of 804 families who have contributed to date, we've already earned our first $5,000 bonus!  And we need 46 more families to make a gift of any size and help us earn our next $5,000 bonus.  If you haven't made your gift yet, MPAEF board members and volunteers will be calling on January 29 and 30 with a reminder - so if you want to avoid the call, get on board today!  Donate online at www.mpaef.org/donate.html.
Community News
Kepler's Family Story Time
  • Outer Space Story Time
  • Sunday, January 27, 2008
  • 11:30 a.m.
  • Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

Kepler's Sunday Story Time blasts off into outer space for an adventure of universal proportions. If You Decide to Go to the Moon with us, you're sure to see plenty of Stars! Stars! Stars! along the way. An out of this world craft will complete our trip during this fun and informative Journey to the Moon.

**Remember to mention Laurel School at the register and 10% of your Kepler's purchases comes back to our PTO.**
Thank You Bake Sale Donors
The Laurel School PTO thanks the community donors who contributed to the success of this year's Winter Sing Bake & Gift Sale!

Steve Rasmussen - The Milk Pail Market
Anne Vollen - Green Zebra Local Savings for Sustainable Living
Katherine Guisto - A Bed of Flowers, Floral & Garden Design
Roger Reynolds Nursery
Hobees Restaurant, Town & Country Village
Starbuck's Coffee, Marsh Manor
Mrs. Hirsch's 2nd Grade Class
Ms. Cressey's 2nd Grade Class

Thanks also go to all the wonderful parents, grandparents, friends, and staff whose purchases support PTO programs throughout the year.

Cyndi Nolasco & Julie Wong
Bake Sale Committee Chairs
Submit newsletter items by Wednesday at noon or attachments by Tuesday at noon to newsletter(at)laurelpto.org
or phone: 473-1299