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This Week ThisWeek 

Monday, September 16
  • Evacuation Drill, after lunch, Hillview campus
  • New Family Welcome, 4:00 - 6:00 pm, The Dutch Goose, Moroney Room, 3567 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park
Friday, September 20
  • After-School Programs enrollment deadline, 6:00 pm, here

Wednesday, September 25
  • Sign-up to be Basketball Coach, deadline for Google form here
Tuesday, October 1
  • Music Potluck, 5:00 - 8:00 pm, PAC
Wednesday, October 2
  • MPCSD Speaker Series, Eighth Grade, movie screening and moderated discussion, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, PAC
Friday, October 4
  • Last Day of One Community Campaign
Monday, October 7 - Friday, October 18
  • Canned Food drive
Thursday, October 10
  • PTO Executive Board Meeting, 9:00 - 10:30 am, Hillview large conference room
  • MPCSD Board Meeting, 6:00 - 10:00 pm, TERC building, 181 Encinal Avenue, Atherton 94027

Tuesday, October 16 - Friday, October 18
  • Minimum Days, Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences


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Hillview School News  hillviewschoolnews
  
Evacuation Drill - Practice
Monday, September 16, after lunch, Hillview campus
Hillview will hold the first emergency drill of the year this week. Students will practice the evacuation drill, in preparation for an emergency that requires all students to leave the main portion of the campus.  Teachers and students will walk out to the field and will review the protocol of safe and orderly evacuation. 

Note that each of the Big 5 Emergency Protocols, described here will have a practice drill at some point during the school year to support teacher / student preparedness. 

              New Family Welcome!


Monday, September 16, 4:00 - 6:00 pm at The Dutch Goose, Moroney Room, 3567 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park.

Join Principal Willy Haug, Superintendent Erik Burmeister, along with members of the Hillview PTO and MPAEF in welcoming all new Hillview families to the Menlo Park City School District.  Come for some great conversation, good cheer while meeting new friends. Food and beverages will be served. Pop in for as long or as little as you can! We are thrilled to have you as part of our community.


Borrow a Class Textbook for the 2019-20 School Year
Email Monica Bosch here to request a book. It will be sent home with the student. 
Textbooks are the property of Hillview Middle School and will need to be returned at the end of the school year in similar condition in which the student / family received it. Failure to return or care for it appropriately can/will be subject to a fine payable by the last day of school.

Hillview Advisory Groups 
Students and their facilitators met for the first time last Friday to discuss ownership of goals for the year. Each student went through a goal-setting process and created roadmaps to success on how to reach their personal and academic goals. We encourage parents to continue these conversations with their kids at home.

iPad Insurance
Each year, about 8% of our iPads suffer damage to the screen that is covered by insurance - but ONLY if you are insured! iPad insurance is $35 for the whole year and covers lost or stolen iPads and iPad damage. It does not cover accessories like the case, charging block or charging cable. Without iPad insurance, families are responsible for lost or stolen iPads at a cost of $400, and damaged iPads can be up to $250. You may purchase iPad insurance here.

8th-Grade Parent Information
TIDE Academy 8th-Grade Parent Information Night
Thursday, October 17, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, 150 Jefferson Drive, Menlo Park
Come learn about TIDE Academy, Sequoia Union High School District brand new high school! The 2020-21 students will form the second cohort at TIDE, a small public high school that prepares students for STEAM careers through it's Early College Program and interdisciplinary curriculum centered around design thinking and project-based learning. Shadow dates and times to be announced. For more information here.

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One Community Campaign

Why Do We Need To Fundraise? 
As a community-funded District, we rely on our wonderful families, like you, to
participate in the One Community Campaign to bridge the gap of what the District
does not receive from the State and local taxes. With the help of your generous
contributions last year, over $4m was raised between the MPAEF and the four PTOs! 
Why does our school district need to ask for donations from parents? 
Here are some answers:
  • The funding our school district receives from the state is inadequate to maintain our current quality of education.
  • Even in our strong housing market, property taxes are not enough. In Menlo Park, property taxes only cover 62% of the cost to educate our children. Menlo Park spends $16,500 per student, which is the lowest among our neighboring high-performing districts (for example, Las Lomitas spends $20,000/student). 
  • Our district only receives $12,000 per student from property taxes and government funding. That leaves a $4,500 gap that our community needs to fill with community fundraising and a parcel tax.
  • The suggested donation is $2,000 per student- the first $250 per child will go to your child's PTO and the rest will go to the MPAEF. We appreciate your donation at whatever level you feel comfortable- our goal is 100% participation. 
  • Please donate or pledge here today! The campaign ends October 4.
Why I Donate
We donate to the PTO and MPAEF because we believe everyone deserves an excellent public
education. Some of the programs PTO and MPAEF help support, such as music, art, and P.E.,
have been shown in study after study to enhance academic learning and creativity. Having
children in our community who are becoming well-rounded, curious learners and
compassionate, courageous leaders is good for everyone.
-Kelly and Michael Morehead.

It's Time to Donate to the One Community Campaign! 
One gift. One goal. Together we can.


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Hillview PTO News


Beat the heat!
Staying hydrated is incredibly important during warm, sunny days and has numerous amounts of benefits. Adequate hydration can improve your student's concentration and memory, help prevent tooth decay, and reduce excess weight gain. More information can be found here. Cheers to a healthy, hydrated you!


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Programs & Activities programsandactivities
  
Hillview Homework and Math Place
Math Clinic 
Meet in small conference room in the library
  • Monday and Tuesday, 3:20 - 4:45 pm 
  • Wednesday and Thursday, 2:45 - 4:30 pm 
Homework Center
A drop-in program held in the Library
  • Monday and Tuesday, 3:20 - 4:45 pm 
  • Wednesday and Thursday, 2:45 - 4:30 pm 
This program is for students who would like a quiet place to do homework after school. 

Hillview Library
Looking To Donate Books?
If you are cleaning out your bookshelves, the Hillview Library would love your gently used middle grade novels, YA novels, and graphic novels for either the library collection or classroom libraries. We would also love any gently used cookbooks for middle school students. 
Books can be dropped off at the school office (marked to donate to the library) or you are welcome to visit library to donate the books. Thank you!

After-School Program
Program Enrollment
Friday, September 20  at 6:00 pm, deadline to enroll! Description of classes are here. You may also see more information on individual programs, vendors and registration at Homeroom. After-school programs  has moved to a single online portal called Homeroom, visit  here .
  • Beginner & Advanced Mandarin
  •      After School Lacrosse 
  •           Fall Cooking
  •                Fall Cross Country with Coach Stella
  •                     Hillview Writing Workouts
  •                          Rock Music Band Class
  •                              Speech and Debate
  •                                    Starfire Coding - Python Level I & II
  •                                         Starfire Coding - Advanced Python
  •                                              Starfire Electrical Engineering

Lunchtime Clubs for Students
Clubs begin this week
The annual Clubs Fair was this past Friday, September 13. Hillview has over 20 lunchtime clubs for students who want to get involved! Clubs begin meeting at lunch this coming week. Check out the full clubs list here.


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Athletics
  
Girls and Boys Basketball Coaches Wanted!
Wednesday, September 25, deadline for Google form
Attention parents and guardians, Hillview staff, and local high school students! Flag Football and Girls Volleybal l may be in full swing, but it's time to get ready for Hillview Basketball. First step - coach recruitment. Whether you have coached at Hillview or elsewhere for several years or want to be an assistant for the first time, fill out the following Google form here .

Coaching Clinics
Offered at the beginning of the season to help new and returning coaches.

Coaching Commitment
Typically two days a week practice. Days and times (weekdays or weekends) will be chosen by your team based on your schedule and the gym availability. Practices can be as early as 3:30 pm or end as late as 9:00 pm. Sometimes it works to split your practices with your co-coach. 

Games
Held at Arrillaga Family Gym, Hillview Gym, or at visiting gyms within a 20 mile radius of Menlo Park for away games. Game days are usually on weekdays.

For questions, email Hillview Athletic Director, Amar Patel here


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Community News
 
Menlo-Atherton Volleyball Community Clinic Saturday, September 21, M-A Ayers Gym, access and parking off Ringwood, 7th and 8th grades: 10:00 - 11:30 am, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades: 12:30 - 2:00 pm. Join the M-A High School Girls Varsity Volleyball team at their annual Community Clinic! We welcome all players regardless of skill or experience. $35 in advance, $40 at the door. All proceeds support the M-A Girls Volleyball Program. For more information or to sign-up, visit our website here.

Grade K-5 Classroom Volunteers Needed  An Hour a Week Could Change a Student's Life 
Join other parents volunteering in eastern Menlo Park or East Palo Alto schools. You'll help tutor kids in grades K-5. Over 80% of students are performing below grade level in reading and math and are eager to work with you. Our volunteers go once a week to the same classroom for about an hour, building relationships with students throughout the school year. All Students Matter provides training, ongoing support and coordinates logistics. Volunteering begins in mid-September. You can make a real difference! To learn more or to signup, visit here or contact Keri Tully here.
 
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Newsletter Details Newsletter
 
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 to the Newsletter : The deadline to submit to the Hillview Newsletter is Wednesday at noon . Email your submission to  hvnewsletter@mpcsd.org . 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. 

Submissions with Photos or Names of Students: Provide the names of the students in the photo to the administrator of the school that the student attends. Request that the administrator send approval for the use of photos and student names to hvnewsletter@mpcsd.org.

Submissions for Off-Campus Community event: E mail your announcement to  communitynews@mpcsd.org . The submission deadline is Tuesday at noon.

Archives: Look up past issues in our  online archive.