Dear Parents and Families,

I have a special treat for you this week...photographic proof that your children do know how to get down and dirty in the garden. This week, dozens of students at Corte Madera got out the shovels and trowels and planted over 600 native and drought tolerant plants all over the school grounds.

Continuing our collaboration with Acterra Stewardship, we had Nancy Rhodes' 5th grade class and the 7th grade science classes earning their green thumbs. We are deeply indebted to PVSD parents Alex von Feldt and David Smernoff for their intrepid championing of this project. This is one of those investments that is certain to grow in the months to come.

Also, with March being Wellness Month, I thought I'd give a shout out to our own PVSD Schools Foundation and to the Sequoia Healthcare District Foundation who have supported a variety of health centered activities for our students and staff. We've had Healthy Lunches, Nutritionist Assemblies, and "Make-it-Take-it" Healthy Meals. Pictured below are kickball for adults and students, yoga for staff and students, and "Make-it-Take-it" in progress.

Another feature of Wellness Month was an excellent presentation for parents by Dr. Joseph Gumina on Student Stress and Anxiety. Dr. Gumina covered a lot of ground, both practical and theoretical, and provided links to key research and recommendations. Click here if you missed last night's event and would like to check it out; it's at the bottom of the scrolling list of PVSD parent activities.

Kudos to the Wellness organizers at CMS and ORM: Todd Patterson, Tamryn Miller, Kristen Bouman, Kate Cox, and Kristen Shima. 

Finally, don't miss the announcement below concerning next week's family night in East Palo Alto: Helping Your Student with Homework and Technology.