Support your PTO and take a break from cooking! Dine in, take-out or get it delivered on March 30, 31 or April 1 between 4-9pm and they will give our PTO 30% of the cost of your meal! (Does not apply to online orders). Just mention "Laurel/Encinal PTO" when you place your order with the University Avenue location. Allow extra time for your delivery order as this event is very popular each year! Choose from their wide variety of pizzas and salads by checking out their menu online. See the flyer for more information. Thank you for helping our schools while someone else makes your dinner time a breeze!

Call for Service Award Nominations

Every year our district is lucky enough to have parents, teachers, staff, and community volunteers give of their time, skills, and creativity to our schools. Many programs would not exist if it was not for this formidable group of volunteers, the "Pillars of our Community". Honorary Service Awards (HSAs) as well as the School Service Awards (SSAs) are our way of recognizing those individuals who have contributed in an extraordinary way to our District and/or our school.

Please take a moment to nominate someone you know who goes above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference. You can complete a nomination form and email it back to Leslie Burke at pto_president( at )laurealpto.org, or drop it off in the school office. Nominations are due Friday, April 17, 2009. Please refer to the Menlo Park Honorary Service Awards Selection Criteria as a guide.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Reminder

When dropping off and/or picking up your child(ren), please remember to observe school policy. Parents/caregivers dropping off their child(ren) in front of the school should not leave their cars to walk their child(ren) to class. Additionally, parents/caregivers parking their cars should remember to park in the appropriate parking area (i.e., not in handicapped parking spaces). Thank you!

PTO Council Call!

The Menlo Park City School District is looking for volunteers to serve on the 2009-2010 PTO Council. The Council includes representatives from each of the four district schools with the purpose of fostering cooperative relationships among the PTO's, the MPAEF, the District and the School Board. The PTO Council creates the district wide speaker event, recognizes PTO volunteers at the end of each school year, and coordinates the completion of the school directories. Nominate yourself or someone you know to serve as: President, Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor, Parliamentarian, VP of Programs, or VP of Recognition. Nominations will be received through this Wednesday, April 1. Click here for a description of each position. Email Katie Ferrick at katieferrick( at )comcast.net or Alys Smith at legalmommyof2( at )aol.com with your nomination.

Gently Used Books Needed in the Laurel Library

If you have any gently used books for ages 4-8, please consider donating them to the Laurel Library! Our "Take One, Leave One" box has been getting smaller and needs replenishing. This box allows students with overdue books to take a donated book home with them so as not to leave the library without a book. These books are "honor backs" and may be returned anytime or replaced with a donated book from home. Lately, we've had a lot of "takers" and fewer "leavers" so any donations would be appreciated!

Paper Bags and 2-Liter Bottles Needed

The Laurel Art & Science Fair needs your used paper grocery bags and 2-liter bottles. We're going to try to re-use bags this year, rather than asking Trader Joe's for new bags, which means we need to collect 450 bags! Please save your bags this week (large size, good condition, handles only please) as well as your empty 2-liter bottles (we need 100!) and drop them off in the bins in front of the Laurel Office next week, beginning Monday, March 30 through Wednesday, April 1. If you are in the carpool drop-off lane you can hand your bags and bottles to the curbside volunteer. Contact Becky Jackson at becjackson( at )comcast.net with questions. Thanks very much for helping out!

MPAEF News

Rock the Foundation!

Are you counting down the days until April 25th when you can "Lively Up Yourself" at the Rock the Foundation event? Well, the fun doesn't have to stop there! This year's silent auction offers more than 225 rockin' parties and ragin' teacher items for you to choose from. Fill your social calendar with some of the most creative and exciting celebrations that Menlo Park-Atherton has ever seen!

Ladies, enjoy a dose of relaxed summer fun at the Flip Flop Lemon Drop party (a district-wide mom's night out). Gentlemen, exercise your competitive spirit and have a ball at the Dad's March Madness event or the Go-Kart Challenge. Looking to get lucky? Sign up for the all-district Casino Night or Party Like a Poker Star with the world's #1 player, Phil Hellmuth, Jr. East-side partiers won't want to miss the Willows Wobble, Brady's Surf Safari, or the Beers Around the World festivities. On the west-side, party animals can get their fill at the Cotton Street Spring Fling, the Pioneer Inn Beer Bash, or the Oktoberfest/Sound of Music mash-up!

A complete listing of all auction events and activities will be sent home soon. Detailed information about the auction and the Rock the Foundation party can also be found at www.mpaef.org/springevent. Remember, tickets are available online through Friday, April 17th or at the event on Saturday, April 25th. See you there!

Lost and Found

Parents PLEASE take time to look through the huge pile of lost coats, sweaters, shirts, gloves and lunch boxes in the Laurel Multipurpose room. You may find one of your child's missing belongings. Thank you!

Save the Date: Laurel/Encinal Pancake Breakfast

The family won't want to miss this annual Laurel/Encinal tradition! You'll enjoy lip-smacking pancakes, gourmet bacon/sausages, delicious fruit, and hot/cold beverages -- all happily prepared by volunteers.

Saturday, May 16

8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Encinal School Arbor

Volunteers are needed for the event! Anyone interested in helping to set-up, flip pancakes, serve or clean-up, please sign up using the Pancake Breakfast online sign-up page. Any questions? Contact Rebecca Wang at rebs1( at )aol.com or 888-8085. Encinal students with accompanying parent may also volunteer. All volunteers receive a free meal! This is a zero-waste event.

Ongoing Events

Survey: Chinese After-School Language Program - We are conducting a survey to assess the interest in a Chinese after-school language program at Laurel School. If you are interested, please send an email to April Tan at apriltan( at )pacbell.net.

Art & Science Fair - The Art & Science fair is next month (April 23rd)! We still need one leader for the 1st & 2nd grade Origami workshop. Interested? Contact Carolee Hazard at carolee1( at )yahoo.com or (650) 324-8019.

Pennies for Peace Campaign - Thanks to everyone for their support of our great Pennies For Peace program! We have collected approximately 60,000 pennies to date! Thanks also to Mollie Stone's Markets for donating the use of their coin machine. Please keep the pennies coming through this Wednesday, April 1. Donation containers are in the classrooms. Contact Amy Hamilton Kratzer at adkratzer( at )yahoo.com with any questions.

MPAEF Brick Campaign - You can still order your personalized bricks which will be placed in walkways and courtyards of our new school campuses. Check out inscription examples online at www.mpaef.org. It's a great opportunity to leave a lasting impact while supporting our schools!

Community News

Earth Hour

Switch Off Your Lights!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

This event marks the world's first global election, between Earth and global warming. For the first time in history, people of every age, nationality, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote. Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth - leaving them on is a vote for global warming. Tell your friends -- and turn off the lights to enjoy the stars at 8:30 pm this Saturday! For more information, please visit the Earth Hour website.

Kepler's Family Events

Llama Llama Story Time, Llama Llama Misses Mama, Llama Llama Mad at Mama and Llama Llama Red Pajama

Sunday, March 29, 2009

11:30 a.m.

Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino, Menlo Park

GreenSTART Challenge Continues

The challenge for you as a family is to make as many changes as possible and sustain these changes through new habits. Many of the challenges, such as walking or biking to school, eating vegetarian for a dinner and using reusable containers instead of ziplock bags, are simple to incorporate into daily life. The challenge for us as the Laurel Community is to get as many families involved as possible and stand out!

Parents: If your family wants to participate, please sign the Challenge Worksheet where indicated and have your child return the raffle slip at the bottom of the flyer in the blue folder. Kids: if you sign up and return the raffle slip, you'll have a change to win weekly prizes. We will hold a weekly drawing with all the raffle slips. First prize will be a cool silicon signature GreenSTART bracelet. The winners will be announced in the Community News section of this Newsletter.

To get in touch with us, please send an e-mail to greenstart( at )hotmail.com, or put a note in your child's blue folder. We'd like to hear how you're doing with the Challenge!

Homemade Dresses for Apple Valley Days at Laurel

Now is your chance to purchase a homemade dress for your daughter and/or someone special! For every 5 dresses ordered, I will donate one dress to the second grade class. Dresses cost $40 for one or $65 for two. After selecting a fabric from my fabric swatches and providing the details of the dress, including size, the dress will be delivered to you approximately 1-2 weeks later. Please contact Kris Fichou at kris( at )fichou.net or 322-9011 for more information.

The Annual Atherton Dames Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, April 11, 2009

10:00 a.m. - noon

Holbrook-Palmer Park, 150 Watkins Avenue, Atherton

This fun event is for children in 3rd grade or younger and is $5 per person. Bring your own baskets and camera! Easter egg hunt (10:15 a.m.), Gerald the Magician, photos with the Easter Bunny, police car and fire truck viewing and breakfast food and drinks (specialty coffees for adults) for all! To reserve your spot, email Veronica at vkogler( at )yahoo.com or call 853-0503.

'Hoops for a Cause' Spring Clinic

The Menlo College Men's Basketball program is sponsoring 'Hoops for a Cause', which will consist of a series of Springs Clinics with 25% of proceeds being donated to the Autism Society of America. Clinics are open to all boys and girls, grades K - 8. Clinics will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on April 12, April 26, May 3 and May 10. For detailed information please click here or contact Chris Cobb at (650) 543-3760 or menlobasketball( at )aol.com.

Kidz Love Soccer

Signups are now underway for Kidz Love Soccer's Spring class session through the City of Menlo Park's Community Services Department. These are non-competitive instructional soccer classes for children 2-12 years of age. Visit www.kidzlovesoccer.com to learn more or click here to register.

Spring Down Horse Camps

Learn quality riding instruction, groom your horse and learn how to be safe around and on horses. Under our careful guidance of instructors and helpers, we group you according to experience. We are offering a week long camp over spring break as well as one day mini camps on March 21, April 25 and May 30th. Visit www.springdown.com for more information.

FREE Introductory Lacrosse Clinics

Free Clinics for Boys and Girls Ages 7 & Up

Sundays, April 26, May 16 and 31, 2009

Atherton & Los Altos Hills

Try Lacrosse! Come out to learn to play this fantastic sport (Sports Illustrated calls it the "fastest growing sport in the U.S.") and have fun with new friends. For more information please visit our website at www.AthertonLacrosse.com or email AthertonLacrosse( at )Gmail.com.

Implementing Social Thinking Concepts and Vocabulary into our School and Home Day

Friday, May 8, 2009

9:00am - 4:00pm

1400 Roosevelt Avenue, Redwood City

Michelle Garcia Winner is having a one day workshop to introduce the concept of social thinking and explore how it impacts both academics and social interaction. The audience will be introduced to the "Social Thinking Vocabulary" as well as other techniques such as teaching "Superflex", another aspect of the social thinking curriculum. This could help very helpful for parents of children with special needs or of children that have a difficult time understanding social situations. Please see the attached flyer for more details and information on how to sign up.

SOLO Aquatics
Located at Burgess and MA High pools, SOLO Aquatics announces sign-ups for two four-week spring and one seven-week summer swim sessions. This seasonal swim program is designed to improve stroke technique and conditioning in a fun environment. Prices have been reduced in response to the economic climate. For more information or to register please visit www.soloaquatics.com or call Coach Tom at 851-9091.