Laurel School still needs just a few more amazing volunteers! Interested in any of the following: Web Management, Membership, School Souvenirs, Business Alliance and Book Fair. We won't be able to offer support in these areas without you! Please click here for detailed information, and/or contact Carla Posthauer at cjpost( at )pacbell.net for more information!

Come Honor Nancy Hendry at the Laurel Spring Fling!

Friday, May 29, 2009
Time: 5:00 p.m.
2nd Grade Field

Please Note: Current Laurel students need to be in their classrooms by 5:15 to get ready for performance with Mrs. Beckstrom!

Join us as we wish our Principal, Nancy Hendry, a fabulous retirement! Please come, and invite any and all from the Laurel School community past and present. We'd love Nancy to be able to see faces from all different times of her tenure at Laurel School!

Bring the family, a picnic, a blanket and a dessert (finger-dessert, please) to share. Guaranteed to be a fun time as well as an historic event all rolled into one!

Volunteers are needed at the dessert tables. 30 minute shifts, starting at 5:00pm. Please contact Joni Weseloh at joni( at )weseloh.net.

Incoming Third Grade Parent Orientation - Next Thursday, May 28th

We hope to see our incoming third grade parents next Thursday, May 28 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Encinal Library for a parent orientation meeting. Meet some of our third grade teachers, learn about our program and hear how Encinal is growing and changing! Childcare will be provided for school-age children on the kindergarten yard.

Sign-ups for Shuttle/Bus Service

If you will have children at both Laurel and Encinal next year, one way to solve the problem of picking them up in two places at the same time is to sign up for the Shuttle service.

Dismissal times for next year have not been finalized yet for Laurel and Encinal school. We hope that the shuttle and yellow bus service will be able to operate between Encinal and Laurel as they have this past year. Currently, the "Yellow Bus" and "Newton bus" run everyday, Monday through Friday (including minimum days), leaving Encinal after dismissal and arriving Laurel 5-10 minutes later. The Menlo Park City Shuttle (White shuttle) runs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, leaving Encinal and arriving Laurel 5-10 minutes later (NOTE: the white shuttle does NOT run on Thursdays nor on minimum days).

Due to high demand, riders will be assigned by lottery. We will collect names and information of interested riders until Thursday, June 4th. All information must be provided for entry into the lottery. When we get closer to the start of the new school year, and available capacity is determined, you will be notified of your child's assignment based on lottery number. A waitlist will be maintained if we are unable to assign your child for the beginning of the school year. Incomplete and late entries will not be part of the lottery and will be added to the end of the waitlist.

If you are interested in having your child ride on one of the Shuttles, please email the following information to Darcy Leschly at dleschly( at )comcast.net by Thursday June 4th. Please write "Shuttle" in the subject line of your email.

Encinal Child Name and grade in fall
Encinal Child birthdate(s)
Laurel Child name and grade in fall
Mother's/Guardian's name
Father's/Guardian's name
Home address
Home phone number
Cell Phone Mother/guardian
Cell phone Father/Guardian
Email address Mother/Guardian
Email address Father/Guardian
Name and cell phone of other caregiver picking up child
Preference - yellow bus, white shuttle, either
Days of week requiring transportation: All, M, T, W, TH F

Honorary Service Awards Ceremony

Please join us in congratulating our 2009 Honorary Service Award winners! These parents and teachers have gone above and beyond to help our schools and our district. Many school programs would not exist were it not for this formidable group of volunteers. Click here to learn more about these incredible individuals.

A formal ceremony to honor these recipients will be held on Thursday, May 28th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Oak Knoll School. All District families and friends are welcome!

Library News

SSA and HSA Recipients

Congratulations to all Laurel School Service Award and Honorary Service Award recipients! Each recipient has had a book donated to the library by the PTO in his or her honor. Recipients, please enjoy the book and return it to the Laurel Library by May 29th.

ALL LIBRARY BOOKS ARE DUE NOW!

Please help your students find their library books and return them to the library asap. Thanks to all who have already returned their books. Once all the books are in, we can begin inventorying the collection and find out what is missing or "lost" on library shelves because it is in the wrong place! Thanks for helping keep our library in order for all the children to enjoy books.

MPAEF News

A big THANK YOU to all the classroom ambassadors who helped increase participation in our Foundation this year. Thanks to all of your support, the MPAEF will provide vital funds to the District to maintain the high quality of instruction for the children in our schools.

Interested in becoming a Foundation Ambassador next year? Join an award-winning team of volunteers and help the MPAEF increase participation in our Foundation. If interested, please email our MPAEF ambassador coordinator, Katie Angioletti, at katieangioletti( at )hotmail.com.

Chinese After-School Program at Laurel - Fall 2009!

With thanks to all of you who have enthusiastically expressed interest and support, we will have a Chinese after-school program starting in the fall of 2009 at Laurel!

The program will be offered by Hwa Shin Chinese School, which currently offers afterschool Chinese programs at Las Lomitas in Menlo Park and Fairmeadow School in Palo Alto. Based on feedback from you, the program will offer 2 classes, Beginner and Level 1. Each class will meet twice a week for 1.5 hours on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. An optional enrichment program will be offered after the language classes. For more details of the program and enrolment information, look out for the flyer in the Back-to-School packet!

FREE Obsolete Textbooks!

Open to the Public
Monday, June 8, 2009
9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Laurel Elementary School - Community Room
Encinal Elementary School - Library
Oak Knoll Elementary School- Gym

Bring a bag and help yourself to these old but useful textbooks!

Community News

Kepler's Family Events

Story Time with Stephanie Trelogan and Katharine Armstrong, Mask Parade Forest Animals

Sunday, May 24, 2009

11:30 a.m.

Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino, Menlo Park

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

Menlo Park Legends Summer Baseball Camp

This is a brand new camp run exclusively by COLLEGE BASEBALL PLAYERS! Designed to develop kids at ALL levels from ages 6-15, your child will receive small group and private instruction from the Menlo Park Legends Semi-Pro team! No where else can your son have such great exposure to knowledgeable coaches and positive role models! Feel free to check out our website at www.menloparklegends.com or call David at 650-387-4427 to learn more about the Legends and our exciting summer camps!

MP Strikers Soccer Teams

Tryouts will be held for boys and girls who will be U8, U9, U10 in the fall. The tryout dates are May 26th, 28th, and June 2nd at Hillview. For players who will be U8 +U9 in the fall the tryouts are at 3:45-5:15 p.m. For players who are U10 in the fall the tryouts are at 5:15-6:45 p.m. For more information please visit our website www.mpstrikersfc.com.

FREE Introductory Lacrosse Clinic

Try Lacrosse! A fun summer camp offers beginners to advanced the chance to learn the hottest new sport in West Coast schools. We will group players based on age and experience level. For players with more experience looking to take their game to new heights-check out our new PRO SERIES camps!!

Who: Boys & Girls Ages 7 & up
When: Sunday, May 31st
Where: Atherton - Holbrook Palmer Park
Camps: Week long Sessions June - August

For more information please visit our website www.AthertonLacrosse.com or email AthertonLacrosse( at )Gmail.com.

Pop Warner Summer/Fall Football Season

Is your child is interested in learning the basics of football? Registration for the Menlo-Atherton Vikings is now open. Pop Warner is open to boys and girls ages 5-15. Practice starts in August, and games start in September. There is a discount for registering before June 1. Go to www.mapopwarner.com for more information. If you have questions feel free to email info( at )mapopwarner.com.

Camp Menlo Session Added!

Due to the district's early summer vacation, Camp Menlo at Burgess Park Pool has officially added Session 0 from June 8 to June 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The camp offers aquatic instruction of fundamentals mixed in with water and land activities. For details about all camp sessions, go to: http://www.menloswim.com/menlo/kids_camps.html.

Menlo Park Library Summer Reading Program

Keep children and teens of all ages reading throughout the summer with the Menlo Park Library's June 1st - July 30th , 2009 Summer Reading Program. Featuring the theme "Be Creative ( at ) Your Library", the Summer Reading Program helps students maintain and improve the reading skills they've developed during the school year. Registration is easy. Either come to the library to pick up a registration packet or register online at www.menloparklibrary.org beginning June 1st. Visit the library regularly for fun rewards. Free entertainers throughout the summer. Click here for more information.

Menlo Mavericks Swim Team

Welcoming swimmers age 5-18, beginner through advanced, with level-appropriate workouts year-round. Starting June 15, summer Mavs includes swim meets and morning practices at the Burgess Pools in Menlo Park. For more Information and registration click here.

College Men's Basketball Program

Join us for two, 4-day summer basketball camps the weeks of June 22-25 and July 20-23. Grades K-5 will be from 9am-2pm, while Grades 6-8 will be 3pm-5pm. Camps will offer instruction of basic fundamentals, skill development, teamwork, games, and loads of fun! Sign up today for early-bird and sibling specials! Contact Chris Cobb at 510-909-4824 or email at menlobasketball( at )aol.com. Click here for more information.

Dance Lessons

Dance this summer with Maryanne at the Menlo Park Recreation Center. On Mondays, from July 2 to August 3, Beginning Jazz/Hip Hop (4th - 8th grade) will be offered from 5:00-6:00 p.m. and Intermediate Teen/Adult Jazz will be offered from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Dance Camps are also available for 4 - 15 year olds. Contact Maryanne and Jane at Maryanneshowbiz( at )yahoo.com and Janeshowbiz( at )yahoo.com.