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Monday, January 23
  • MPCSD Parent Education: Susan Stone Belton, 6:30 p.m., Hillview PAC
Thursday, January 26
  • Hillview Science Fair, Public viewing from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., Hillview PAC
Friday, January 27
  • Hillview Site Survey Due
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Monday, January 30 to Friday, February 3
  • ASB Rafiki Week, Colors for Causes
Tuesday, January 31
  • Introduction to Menlo-Atherton High School with Simone Rick-Kennell, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Hillview PAC
Friday, February 3
  • 7th/8th Grade Valentine's Day Dance, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Hillview PAC
Monday, February 20 to Tuesday, February 21
  • NO SCHOOL - President's Day Plus
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Hillview School NewsHVNews

Annual School Site Survey

This month is your one and only opportunity to complete Hillview's annual site survey. As of   Thursday morning, January 19, 220 parents, or 14.1%, had completed the survey, but we'd love more participation. Mr. Burmeister has promised a special reward for the school with the highest rates; if it's nothing more than bragging rights, we hope this will still be sufficiently motivating for you to provide valuable feedback! Each week we are sending reminders to those who have not completed the survey; the next reminder, which will come with your personalized link to the survey, will arrive   Monday, January 23. If you feel you have not received your invitation yet to complete the survey, you can request support from Panorama at support+menlopark@panoramaed.com. Please be sure to provide your name and your student's name.  

You will have until 
January 27  to complete the approximately 30-minute survey, and we will look forward to reviewing and reflecting on your thoughts during "Feedback February." All survey responses are confidential. If you have additional questions, please contact  Hillview 's Site Council President, Elizabeth Ouren.

Dropping Off Students
Please be careful when dropping off students in the mornings. Some students are being dropped off on the opposite of Elder Avenue and crossing the street in the driveway area. Whenever possible, please drop your students off on the school side of Elder Avenue so they can cross with the crossing guard. 

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Hillview PTO Newshillviewptonews

2017-2018 Hillview PTO Board Nominating Committee Formation
Six parent volunteers are needed to identify and nominate members to the 2017-2018 Hillview PTO Executive Board. The Nominating Committee will consist of three parent volunteers from the west side of town (Oak Knoll), and three parent volunteers from the east side of town (Encinal/Laurel). The Committee will meet a few times between February and April in order to identify potential candidates for the 2016-2017 Hillview PTO Executive Board slate. You may nominate yourself or someone you know to this committee. Please email Michelle Box with your nominations.

Eighth Grade Parents and Students: Introduction to Menlo-Atherton High School

Mark your calendars to hear Simone Rick-Kennel, Principal of Menlo-Atherton High School, give an overview of M-A's academic, athletic and extracurricular offerings on Tuesday, January 31, 2017, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the Hillview PAC. Get the inside scoop on life at M-A from Mrs. Kennel, M-A's Counselor, Megan Corazza, and former Hillview students as part of our panel
 
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MPCSD News mpcsdnews

MPCSD Parent Education Event with Susan Stone Belton on January 23
MPCSD Parent Education returns with a stellar line-up for the Winter and Spring. Click here to see the full line up. We kick off the next season with a must-attend for parents of all ages on Monday, January 23, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hillview PAC.  

EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE FROM TODDLERS TO TEENS
A talk by Susan Stone Belton, Coach, Speaker, Author   
Learn what discipline really means and really looks like, and why consistency is so important. Learn the three steps to calmly and competently manage your child's behavior (and yours!) in any situation.

As always, free childcare for potty trained children will be available.  

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Programs & Activities Programs 

ASB
RAFIKI WEEK (Colors for Causes) at Hillview
In previous years, Hillview has dedicated a week for students to partake in charities and dress up for the spirit week. We are taking a new approach this year by celebrating one global charity, Me to We. They sell Rafiki bracelets in 5 designs and we felt it was important to support these 5 branches: Food, Health, Education, Income and Water. Each rafiki bracelet is dedicated to a pillar. The profits of that specific bracelet will help that pillar. For example, if a rafiki bracelet focusing on water is sold, the money will go to creating wells for people to have access to clean water.

You can assist us in our quest to get Hillview students involved in helping the world by letting them or giving them the funds to buy a rafiki bracelet. These bracelets sell for $10.00. At a high price, one bracelet can in fact change a life. Rafiki's are made by mothers who live in third world countries. The income that they get from making rafiki's enables them to support their families.This event will take place on Monday, January 30 through Friday, February 3. Throughout the week we will be selling these rafiki bracelets in the PAC lobby at lunch.
Because we are taking a new approach this year, we are branding the name to Rafiki Week. We hope for students to engage and be aware for what and who they are supporting. There will be more information shared on HawkTalk to help students understand the cause and how the can help!

While we feel that buying a rafiki is important, there are other ways you and your child can help out without a donation.
  1. Dressing up each day with the colors of the week will help with their spirit competition as well as showing support for the cause.
  2. Pledging to be kind through our Character Strong program will also allow students to earn a chance to win a free Rafiki bracelet.
  3. Buying other spirit items during lunch for as little as $1.00.
The following are the themes and colors for each day of the week of January 30 to February 3: 
  • Monday: Food-- Green
  • Tuesday: Health-- Red
  • Wednesday: Education-- Orange
  • Thursday: Income-- Purple
  • Friday: Water-- Blue
Valentine's Dance for 7th/8th Graders on February 3
Hello Hillview Parents! This message is from your Hillview ASB students. As you know, we are approaching Valentine's Day, which means the annual Valentine's Dance for 7th and 8th graders is just around the corner. It will be held on   Friday, February 3,from   6:00 to 8:00 pm, and the decided theme of this year's Valentine's dance is the Heart Attack Dance! Don't worry, by this we mean that the room will be full of hearts and tons of fun! 
 
Like all of our dances, this is a  casual dance (no formal attire required!)  and nobody should ever feel obligated to 'bring someone' despite the Valentine's theme. Everyone is welcome! We will have a game room, concessions, and an awesome DJ.  A few reminders for parents: 
  • The dress for success norms outlined in our handbook apply so please have your child dress appropriately. 
  • The dance ends promptly at 8:00 p.m., so please be on time picking your child up.
  • If your child arrives after 7:00 p.m., he/she must be accompanied by a guardian.
  • If your child wants to leave prior to 8:00 p.m., he/she must be picked up in the PAC Lobby by a guardian.
Thank you, and we hope to see your daughter or son at the Heart Attack Dance on Friday, February 3!

Science Fair
Hillview Science Fair Open House
Come to the PAC this Thursday, January 26, from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., for the Hillview Science Fair Open House. Over 70 unique and interesting exhibits will be on display with scientists on hand to describe and explain their projects.
 
Service Team
Collecting Used T-shirts and Towels for Pets In Need 
Please drop off any old long or short sleeved t-shirts and old towels in a collection bin the Hillview Office this Monday orTuesday(January 23-24). At our service team meeting this week we will be making pet toys to take on our field trip to Pets in Need. Thank you so much!
 
Sports
Intramural Sports 
Indoor half court or full court basketball games will continue through at least February. All students invited, but the maximum amount of players on the court at anytime will be 32. If there are more than 32 players we'll rotate. Spectators are always welcome. Please remember, no food/drink in gym. 
 
After-School Sports 
Burgess League and 8th Grade MPMSL Basketball 
Games continue this week with 6th grade girls on Tuesdays, 6th grade boys on Wednesdays, 7th grade girls on Thursdays, and 7th grade boys on Fridays. All 8th graders will play on Mondays. Click here to see the game schedules for 6th and 7th graders. The 8th grade schedule is available here on the PTO website. 6th and 7th graders play in the Arrillaga Gym. 8th graders play at either Hillview, La Entrada, or Woodside Elementary.

Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament Teams will conclude their seasons this week in the annual St. Simons Tournament in Los Altos. We wish them both the best of luck. The Hillview community is invited to come and support both teams. First games will be held on Thursday, January 26. The boys will play at 5:15 p.m.; the girls play at 6:30 p.m. The games will continue on January 28 and 29.

After-School Tennis Program
Registration will begin next Sunday, January 29 and be open for only one week. The program will begin with tryouts on February 26. All players who register will receive two tryouts and make either the Varsity A or Varsity B team.

Other Spring Programs to keep an eye out for include: Track, Boys Volleyball, Spring Volleyball, May Madness (Friday Basketball Clinic in May).

Questions regarding any of these programs should be directed to Harry Bell, Athletic Director, at 650-483-4049.  
 
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MPAEF Newsmpaefnews  
 
Buy Summer Camp Gift C ertificates Before Tuesday at 9:00 p.m.
The MPAEF  online auction of local summer camps is open! Bidding & "Buy It Now" are underway until  Tuesday night at  9:00 p.m. ( January 24). Camps include Kennolyn, Galileo, Legends Baseball, Hi-Five, Imagineerz, Steve & Kate's, Mountain Camp, MVCode and more. Act fast! Click here to get started.

P.S. Our Auction Party is  March 25. Want to help?  Email us!

Thanks to Our Realtor and Business Partners
We want to take the opportunity to shout out some appreciation to just a few of our many realtor and business partners in the community. Thank you for your support!

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 Community News community  
 
Girls' Softball: For girls ages 5-14 who live in Menlo Park and Atherton, there are two local options for playing softball: Redwood City Girls Softball (RCGSL) and Palo Alto Girls Softball (PAGS). PAGS and RCGSL are both non-profit organizations that offer a recreational league in the spring and a more competitive league in the summer. Both organizations accommodate beginners to advanced players and have catcher and pitching clinics for all levels. Registration for both leagues is now open, and there are no residency requirements. Visit our websites for more information -- Redwood City Girls Softball and Palo Alto Girls Softball.

Little League:
The last day to register for the Menlo-Atherton Little League 2017 Spring Season is January 28! If you are a returning family, please use your existing email to log in when prompted -- this will save significant time when registering. M-ALL is offering seven playing divisions to players age 5 to 13:
  • T-Ball (minimum of age 5 as of 8/31/17), Coach Pitch (advanced T-Ball)
  • Single A (machine pitch), Double A, Triple A (player-pitch)
  • Minors, Majors
We are also registering YOUTH UMPIRES, ages 12-17 (as of April 30, 2017). The M-ALL also offers a Challenger Division for special needs players age 6 to 18. For more information and to register, please visit our website.

SUMMER CAMPS
Summer camp registration is here! MPCSD runs blurbs for 501c3 non-profit camps in the newsletters; for a more comprehensive list, see the  District summer camp webpage .

Camp MAC: Give your rising eighth or ninth grader an introduction to journalism and advance his or her writing skills by signing him or her up for Camp MAC, a five day summer camp held from July 31 - August 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the state-of-the-art Media Arts Center at Palo Alto High School (50 Embarcadero Road, 94301)! All proceeds of the camp go to support Paly's Media Arts program. Camp MAC is taught exclusively by student journalists from Paly's award-winning publications. Campers will write news stories, sports features and food reviews, as well as learn 21st century journalism skills like video broadcasting. At the end of the week they will work with their counselors to make their own printed publication! Early bird ends March 1, so sign up now! Click here to view sign ups, prices, and more information!

Galileo Innovation Camps: Pre-K-8th Grade : At Galileo, we combine a mindset-shaping, innovation-based approach with crazy, summertime fun -- and run captivating camps that kids love. Our 2017 programs include Camp Galileo (pre-K-5th graders), Galileo Summer Quest (rising 5th-8th graders), and Summer Camps @ The Tech (rising 4th-8th graders). 
 
Musical Teamwork Happens at BandWorks Summer Camp! For kids 8+, BandWorks award-winning Rock n' Roll Camp is open to young beginners through advanced, older teen players. Top professional musician-instructors create a team environment while teaching kids the skills they need to play in a rock band! By the end of the week, students are rocking out in a live performance in the classroom. Locations in Oakland, San Rafael, and Los Altos. For registration and more info about BandWorks Summer Camp, please contact us today or call 1-800-854-3684, or visit the BandWorks website. Register by February 28 to save $25 per week. 

Steve & Kate's Camp - Atherton Info Night: February 1, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m., Encinal Library
This summer, put your kids in charge. At Steve & Kate's Camp, we put kids in the driver's seat of their own learning experience by giving the freedom to make their own choices, explore their passions, and trust their own judgment. So whether they want to be the next big film director, an up-and-coming fashion designer, or the best baker in town, we've got something for everyone. Want to know more? You're invited to join us at Encinal Elementary to learn more about our program and meet the camp director, Hannah. RSVP here .
 
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T his newsletter is published by Hillview School parent volunteers every Sunday of the school year, except for Sundays preceding a full week of vacation.
 
Submissions : The deadline to submit for the Sunday Hillview Newsletter is the preceding  Wednesday at noon . Please email your submission to hvnewsletter@mpcsd.org . Please note that submissions may be edited for content and/or length. Submissions received after the deadline will be eligible for inclusion the following week. Submissions are eligible to run for up to two weeks.

To submit an announcement for an off-campus community event, please email your announcement to  communitynews@mpcsd.org. The submission deadline is  Wednesday at noon for the following Sunday newsletter. 

Archives: Missed an exciting edition of the Hillview Newsletter or other communications from the school? Look up past issues in our  online archive.