In This Issue
Summit & Everest Info 
 Night

PTO News
8th Grade Graduation
 Party


MPCSD News     

MPAEF News

Programs/Activities
ASB
Drama
Library
Music
Science Fair
Service Club
Sports

Parent Education

Q uick Links


Questions? Email:
This Weektop  

Monday, October 31 to Friday, November 4
  • "We Scare Hunger" Canned Food Drive, Drop off in PAC lobby, 8:00 - 8:25 a.m.
Monday, October 31
  • 7/8 Band performing at the Oak Knoll Halloween Parade, 8:30 - 9:00 a.m., Oak Knoll Elementary School
  • Halloween - Extended Lunch
Tuesday, November 1
  • Summit Prep and Everest High Schools Information Night, Hillview Tank (upstairs in the library), 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 3
  • 8th Grade Graduation Party Informational Luncheon, 12:00 p.m., RSVP to Sonya Fletcher by November 1
  • Hillview Drama, The Diary of Anne Frank, 6:30 p.m., Hillview PAC
Friday, November 4
  • Hillview Drama, The Diary of Anne Frank, 7:00 p.m., Hillview PAC
Looking Ahead 
 
Thursday, November 10
  • Deadline to register for Hillview Science Fair

Friday, November 11

  • No School - Veterans' Day
Monday, November 14
  • Hillview Site Council Meeting, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m., Hillview Office Conference Room
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Hillview School NewsHVNews

Summit Prep and Everest High Schools Information Night
Join us at the Summit Prep and Everest High Schools Information Night on   Tuesday, November 1, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. in the Hillview Tank (upstairs in the library). Click here to see flyer.

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PTO News ptonews 
 
Volunteer Opportunities for the 8th Grade Class Graduation Party
Looking for a wonderful opportunity to get involved with the 8th grade class of 2017? Come to this informational luncheon and learn how you can help make the final event of your child's years at Hillview a night to remember! Party co-chairs Sonya Fletcher & Sharon Purcell will fill you in with all the details on how you can help with planning and executing this super fun graduation tradition. The meeting will be held on Thursday, November 3 from   12:00 - 1:00 p.m. at 12 Wood Lane in Menlo Park, and lunch will be served. Please RSVP to Sonya by November 1.
   
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MPCSD Newsmpcsdnews 
     
Budget Cuts & Parcel Tax Update
Thanks to all those who attended one of the public input sessions regarding MPCSD's Budget Deficit. We received a great deal of input in person and online. Transcripts and videos of the sessions will be available on the front page of the district website as they are completed.

There's still time to provide formal input for the public record, but only 24 more hours! The   online input form  is live until   8:00 p.m.  on   October 31--that's   THIS MONDAY. Thanks to the over 400 individuals who have already completed the form. 

Everyone is invited to the next regular Board meeting on   Wednesday, November 9 at 6:00 p.m.  in the Hillview PAC. Superintendent Dr. Ghysels will present a prioritized list of reductions set against various levels of a potential parcel tax. The Superintendent's Advisory Committee on Communication will present the record of public input received from the community. The Board will begin public discussion regarding next steps and can offer direction to staff on reductions and/or parcel tax efforts.

Something from MPCSD is coming YOUR way...
Have you checked your mailbox? Don't throw away the white envelope with no return address that began arriving in Menlo Park on Friday, October 28. This envelope includes your personal invitation to the First Annual MPCSD Community Survey we've been advertising for the last few weeks. In partnership with Panorama Education, the leading K-12 survey and data analytics company, all 16,000+ registered voters within the MPCSD boundaries and all parents of MPCSD students will receive an invitation to participate in our first-ever community-wide online survey. Aligned to our Strategic Directions, we prioritize community input and engagement, as well as building a feedback-rich culture. The Community Survey will become an annual event as MPCSD pursues goals designed around the needs and desires of our students, staff, parents, and community. Help us get the word out. Remind your neighbors to complete their surveys. We want to hear from YOU. Questions? Contact commadvisoryteam@mpcsd.org.

"This is the most consequential election for school board in Menlo Park history."
- Erik Burmeister, Asst. Superintendent, 10/26/16
Hillview PTO General Meeting Q&A

This is a special message from the Hillview PTO. Please educate yourself and vote in this November's election for the two open positions for The Menlo Park City School District Board.

This board will have a great deal of influence over the resolution of the district's structural deficit and the outcome of any potential parcel tax measure. These individual board members will impact the tenor of and priorities for the working relationship with MPCSD's leadership, teachers, and staff. The importance of this election cannot be overstated.

Please take the time necessary to visit each candidate's website and familiarize yourself with his or her positions before you vote by November 8 (note that Scott Hinshaw has withdrawn from the race, even though his name still appears on the ballot):


Be informed. Spread the word. Vote.

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MPAEF Newsmpaefnews  
 
Just 5 Days Remain in the MPAEF's Annual Parent Campaign
With  November 4 approaching fast, the MPAEF would like to thank you, the parents, for your generosity and participation in this year's Annual Parent Campaign. For those of you who haven't given yet, there is still time to give or pledge. Click here.
 
Please join the 737 families who have already given, and help us support our teachers, specialists and students. We are counting on full participation to be able to grant $3.7 million to fund these amazing programs and teachers. 

Please donate or pledge today at  mpaef.org. And don't forget, many companies provide  corporate matching to increase the impact of your donation dollars.
Without your MPAEF contribution, the school district's budget deficit will grow. This year, the school district is counting on the MPAEF to grant $3.7 million in order to fund 8% of next year's budget, so if we do not make our goal the district's shortfall grows even larger.

There is still time to donate or help. The district has proposed significant cuts to critical programs next year but it is also looking at solutions for avoiding some or all of the cuts. If we can't bridge the gap, class sizes could increase as we lose teachers, or there could be cuts to technology, art, music, world languages and our libraries. This year more than ever the district needs our support to bridge the funding gap as well as help find solutions to the broader funding issue.

Our kids need all the support we can give. Supporting the MPAEF today is an opportunity to show the teachers, schools, district and community, as well as our children, that we care deeply about the quality of education in our district.


We look forward to celebrating the end of a successful joint campaign and the close of the MPAEF's Annual Parent Campaign on Are You In Day,   Friday, November 4! Send your student to school in orange and be part of the celebration.

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Programs & ActivitiesPrograms
 
ASB and Service Club
Hillview ASB and the HV Service Club are hosting its annual "We Scare Hunger" Food Drive benefiting the Second Harvest Food bank! You can help reach our goal of 3500 cans/food donations by sending your child with a donation to drop off in the PAC Lobby between   8:00 - 8:25 a.m . until November 4. This week only!!

This is also a spirit competition between academies. Please label your donations with your child's academy name so they get counted!!!

The Food Bank accepts all non-perishable food donations, but especially needs these nutritious items:
  • Meals in a can (soup, stew, chili)
  • Tuna or canned chicken
  • Peanut butter
  • Canned foods with pop-top lids
  • Canned fruit in its own juice or water
  • Low-sodium canned vegetables
  • Olive or canola oil
  • Spices
  • Low-sugar whole grain cereals
  • Healthy snacks (granola bars, nuts, dried fruit)
  • * Please avoid items packed in glass. No candy or soda please.
Hillview ASB thanks you for your help!!

Drama 
Hillview Drama Presents The Diary of Anne Frank
Hillview Drama is proud to present   The Diary of Anne Frank  directed by Mr. Bill Hairston. The cast of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will continue their performances with the Understudy Cast Show on Thursday, November 3 at 6:30 p.m. and the 6th Grade Cast Show on Friday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m. All performances will be held in the Hillview Performing Arts Center. Click   here  to purchase tickets.

The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most famous and haunting stories to emerge from the 20th Century. The memoirs of this young Jewish girl, forced to hide for nearly two years to escape Nazi persecution, are an essential part of how we remember one of the darkest periods of our human history. This Pulitzer Prize award-winning script by Goodrich and Hackett breathes life into this passionate, complex young woman, allowing us to share her relatable experience of adolescence as a modern teenager. For nearly two years, Anne, her father, mother, and sister, joined with the Van Daan family, to hide in a secret annex space above her father's former office in Amsterdam, as the Nazis deported the Jews of Holland to their deaths. In her secret attic, Anne comes of age: she laughs, plays, fights with her mother, and falls in love for the first time. In spite of her oppressive circumstances and the horrors that surround her, Anne's spirit transcends, as she voices her belief, "in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." Anne's dynamism, her luminous spirit, and her story of resilience continue to resonate deeply, making her story as vital today as when her diary first was published.

Library
Books Come Alive
Students who dress up like a character from a book should bring their book to the library on Halloween! We'll take your picture and you'll get a treat. :)

Mock Election
Katniss Everdeen of the Hero Party is running against the Grinch, of the Villain party. Who will win? Students get to vote on election day,   November 8! Check with ASB or the library for information on this spirit competition.

NaNWriMo
November is National Novel Writing Month! Young writers interested in the program are invited to take our survey  so we can see how to best support them. Check out more info on NaNoWriMo's Young Writer's Program.

Music
Upcoming Concerts
On Halloween,   October 31, we will be performing at Oak Knoll from   8:30 - 9:00 a.m. Get your Spooky Vibe going and come and hear us!

Science Fair
Registration Is Now Open for the Hillview Science Fair 
Last year there were over 100 students who participated in the Hillview Science Fair with some truly innovative and interesting experiments on a wide range of topics!
  • Students can register by joining the Edmodo group using the code: 58pzah, then following the link.
  • Our first meeting will take place on November 9, at lunch in the PAC. Students do not have to be registered to attend. 
  • Registration closes on November 10, 2016.
  • Students can earn up to 10 Block H points!
  • The Science Fair will be held on January 26, with support meetings between now and then. 
  • Questions? Students can go see Mr. Espinoza, Mr. Ritter, Ms. Hilborn, or Mr. Green
Service Club
Halloween Costume Drive Thank You
We collected 127 Halloween Costumes in the Costume Drive for the Children Fund of San Mateo. A big thanks to students and their families for helping to bring joy this Halloween season and making trick-or-treating a possibility for youth in our county.

Halloween Candy Drive
If your student collects more candy than you know what to do with for Halloween, we have an answer! Please drop your extra candy in a bin in the office between   Friday, November 4 to Thursday, November 10. The Service Team is participating in Operation Gratitude again this year where we will be sending a candy care package to our troops who are serving overseas.   At our Service Team meeting on November 10, we will be making cards to be sent with the candy that is collected (no powder candy, please).

Sports
Intramural Sports
Intramural sports will continue this week with indoor soccer and hockey in the gym. All students welcome, but only a certain number can play at a time. If there is more than the limit we will rotate players on and off the court. Spectators are welcome to sit on the bleachers or the stage. Please, no food or drink in gym.

Burgess League Volleyball
The 7th set of League games will take place this week at Arrillaga Gym. 6th graders play Tuesday. 7th/8th graders have no games this week. Click here to view the schedule.

Flag Football
The games this week include:
  • Tuesday, November 3: 7th grade hosts La Entrada at 3:45 p.m.
  • Friday, November 4: 6th grade travels to Woodside Elementary at 3:45 p.m.
  • Friday, November 4: 7th grade hosts La Entrada at 3:45 p.m.
  • Friday, November 4: 8th grade travels to La Entrada at 3:45 p.m.
The full Flag Football schedule can be found here.

Tournament Team Basketball
Both boys and girls tournament teams will practice this week. Check with Coach Art for the girls and Mr. Eaton for the boys if you have any questions.

Burgess League Basketball
Registration for all Hillview Students is now closed. Anyone attempting to register will be placed on a waiting list. We will try to get wait listed players on a team as best as we can. Burgess League Basketball Team Placement workouts will take place on Thursday, November 3 for 7th/8th grade girls, Saturday, November 5 for 6th/7th grade boys and 6th grade girls, and Sunday, November 6 for 8th grade boys. Specific times and gender/grade levels are noted on Sportability. We expect all players to attend team placement workouts unless you have notified Mr. Bell in advance. Teams will be formed by November 7 and practices will begin just before or after the Thanksgiving Break.

Please direct questions regarding any of the sports programs to   Harry Bell, Athletic Director,
(650) 483-4049.

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Parent Educationparented  
  
MPCSD Parent Education Series: Parenting in the Digital Age: My Digital TAT2 
Presenters: Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet and Erica Pelavin, co-founders of My Digital TAT2.
November 16, 6:30 p.m. , Hillview PAC

Our kids are "digital natives" - they have grown up in a world of online access and ever changing media devices. Do you wonder how to teach your child responsibility and ethics online, how to ensure they are aware of their actions, and how to best parent them in the digital age? Come join My Digital TAT2 for a highly engaging and informative discussion. Recommended for anyone interested in an overview of the digital landscape and learning about thoughtful ways to navigate media with their children. You will come away with strategies that support both you and your child. This event is free and open to the public. Free childcare available for potty trained children. Light refreshments will be served. Click here for additional information or email.

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Newsletter DetailsNewsletter
 
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.