In This Issue
Back to School Night
Hilview Service Team
ASB Cards
Free Book Giveaway


Volunteer at Hillview

MPCSD on Twitter
Speaker Series

After-School Programs
After-School Sports

Open positions -
  MPAEF Director
  MPAEF Web master

Q uick Links

Questions? Email:
This WeekThisWeek
 
Monday, September 11
  • Staff Professional Development Day - No School
Tuesday, September 12
  • After-School Programs Begin
Thursday, September 14
  • Back to School Night, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Hillview Quad

Looking Ahead LookingAhead

Tuesday, October 3

  • Parent Ed:  Principals Panel, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Hillview PAC
Tuesday, October 24 - Friday October 27
  • Minimum Days - Conferences, dismissal 11:45 a.m.

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Back to School Night  
Join us in the quad at  6:30  p.m. this  Thursday, September 14.  This event, for parents only, begins in the quad with some aspirational words about the year from Principal Haug. Then, parents will follow their student's class schedule to meet the teachers. Check in with your student to complete a  class schedule  and review the  school map  prior to arriving. We look forward to meeting you!

Hillview Service Opportunities!  Students invited to join the Hillview Service Team
The Hillview Service Team is excited to get started. All students are welcome to attend our first lunchtime meeting Thursday, September 14 at 11:40 a.m. in the PAC. Bring your lunch to the meeting. We will meet twice a month on Thursdays. Parents are welcome to join the meetings to learn about how we plan to give back to our community. Students earn Block H service points for all service meetings and events.

Everyone Invited to our First Community Service Project
Coastal Clean-up 2017 is on Saturday, September 16, 9:00 a.m. - noon. Everyone is welcome to join! This annual  event brings communities together throughout the state to clean California's beaches, lakes and watersheds.  Students will earn Block H points for their participation. More information about waiver, what to wear, etc. click hereJoin us at our local watersheds:

Site 1, San Francisquito Creek, meet at 9:00 a.m. at the intersection of East Creek Drive and Alma Street
Site contact is Erin Banks Rusby  here.

Site 2,  Bedwell Bayfront Park,  Bayfront Expwy and Marsh Road, m eet at 9:00 a.m. at the second parking lot, nearest restrooms.  Site contact is  Davena Gentry (650) 814-3412 or email  here.

New Sidewalks and Bike Lanes on Santa Cruz Avenue 
Bicyclists should use our new bike lanes on Santa Cruz Avenue and pedestrians should use the brand-new sidewalks. Review bike safety - riding single file, stopping a stop signs, and wearing a helmet.  
 
ASB Cards
With an ASB card, you not only support ASB, but you also get your yearbook, a spirit shirt, and discounts to events like dances and the Talent Show. ASB cards with student photos will be delivered to students in their Launch class in late September. You can purchase here and bring your receipt to the student center to pick up your spirit shirt. Any questions? See Mrs. Fichou in the student center.  

Parking 
When picking up your students, pay attention to our parking lot signs. Parking in red zones or in handicapped spaces is prohibited while waiting for your student. When parking in our surrounding neighborhoods, keep driveways and intersections clear.

Free Book Giveaway
Hillview Middle School will give away instructional materials, textbooks, and novels at our upcoming Back to School Night, September 14, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.  Books will be available at Hillview between the Gymnasium and D building facing Santa Cruz Avenue. Books and materials are free for the taking. Come with your own bags and enjoy our collection of books that are looking for a new home!


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What has the PTO done for our teachers and specialists?
"We are so grateful to the generosity of this community, making it possible for the Hillview Library to promote reading in new ways. We also want everyone to know that while the school iPads give every student access to eBooks and audiobooks, OverDrive is also accessible from virtually any device, so long as it can connect to Wi-Fi or the internet. There is definitely a need to grow our audiobook collection though, as it would be great to have extra copies for high-need times such as Author visits and summer reading. We'd love to start a family collection of stories for the whole family, and grow our teen audiobook collection too. Your PTO donation dollars are going to keep the library open even when school is closed!"
Aimee Mathenia and Tracy Piombo, Hillview Teacher Librarians

"Being the Hillview School Athletic Director for 18 years (and former teacher of 24 years) I've had the pleasure of working with the PTO very often. If not for their support and guidance, our after-school sports program wouldn't be anywhere close to what it is (if anything at all.) Speaking as both a teacher and athletic director, I can say that the number of parents and staff members that have aided in making sure our children have had a terrific experience is immeasurable. I can speak as a parent too, as our son participated in many PTO activities when he was a student at Hillview and loved every minute of it."
Harry Bell, Athletic Director

How Your Dollars Make a Difference -  Support Our PTO and the MPAEF
Our PTO funds academic enrichment, including literacy programs, instructional materials, leveled libraries, and assemblies.
  • Classroom supplies for our art and science programs
  • Campus community programs - lunchtime clubs and After-School Programs and Sports support
  • Equipment for HawkTalk, our student run daily news program
Five Facts about the PTO & MPAEF
1.     The Menlo Park City School District is "community-funded," this means that approximately 88% of our school funding comes from local sources, including property and parcel taxes and from your support of our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF).
2.     Our PTO is a volunteer non-profit organization.
3.     It funds and organizes important school programs and activities.
4.     The MPAEF is a parent-led non-profit organization, raising funds to support education in our District schools: Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, and Hillview.
5.     It funds comprehensive education programs in the classroom and in specialized areas such as art, music, drama, library and science.
 
For more information about the PTO and to donate, please click here
 
In addition to supporting our PTO, please also make a contribution to the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF), our valued partner, providing vital funding to increase the per-pupil spending in our District.
 
For more information about the MPAEF and to donate or pledge, please click here to donate now.
  
 

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        Moe Hawk and his ASB friends celebrate Spirit Day by showing support for the PTO and MPAEF.

Volunteer at Hillview
Hillview is a community-supported school, not just with money, but with time. Our volunteers contribute hundreds of hours of time that save our school and district, thousands of dollars and free up time for our teachers and administrators to concentrate on what is most important: educating our children.

To be able to continue to offer our students innovative educational programs in a supportive environment, we need each family to contribute 5 hours of volunteer time per year. There are dozens of ways to share your time with our community - in a classroom, on campus, or from home. Would you like to co-lead your child's academy? Can you serve hot lunch once a month? Chaperone two dances or a field trip? Coordinate a special event for a teacher via email from home? Fill out our volunteer questionnaire here or contact Nancy  here and she will help identify a meaningful way for you to help!  

Breakfast Cafe
We are looking for volunteers to bring food for Breakfast Cafe,  a program that provides daily breakfast to Hillview students in the College Bound Program, offering an opportunity to these students to  gather and enjoy a healthy morning breakfast, and a positive connection to a member of Hillview's staff before school begins. Contact Naed de la Vega here for questions or to sign up.

Teen Section: Our library has a small, carefully curated collection of books, eBooks and audiobooks recommended for "junior high" (grades 8 and 9). 
  • New this year, 8th grade students automatically have access to this section unless parents opt out either by sending an email to Tracy Piombo or Aimee Mathenia, or with this form.
  • As in previous years, 7th grade students may access the entire Teen Section with parental permission by sending an email to us or use this form.
  • 6th grade students may get permission to access individual books with parental permission by sending an email to us or use  this form.
Questions about the Teen Section, or about finding great books for your kids? Contact Ms. Piombo here and Ms. Mathenia here with any questions.



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MPCSD Newsmpcsdnews

New Ways to Catch Up with MPCSD
If you're on Twitter, follow @goMPCSD for all the tweets and cute photos from district principals and campuses. And if you tweet, share your school story with  #gompcsd! If you want more details about upcoming initiatives and what's going on behind the scenes, videos of Board meetings are now uploaded to our website here. Find our Twitter and Vimeo channel on the district homepage. Let's get social.

"Between Home and School - Why Safe Routes Matter and How to Make Them Happen"
Jen Wolosin, Founder and Chair, Parents for Safe Routes, and MPCSD Parent.  In 1969, 50% of kids nationwide walked or biked to school. In 2009, just 13% did. Learn how your fellow parents are advocating for children in our community to be able to walk and bike to school safely. Through examining efforts around the country and internationally, be inspired to join the Safe Routes movement so your children and generations of kids to come, can experience the benefits of walking and biking to school (healthier bodies and minds, increased independence and confidence, more connectedness to neighbors and on.) If you're sick of driving your kids less than a mile to school and/or worried about traffic and safety on the streets, you won't want to miss this event. Following the speaker, there will also be a panel to answer questions including Menlo Park Mayor, Kirsten Keith, Menlo Park Complete Streets Commission Chair, Bianca Walser and others!  Tuesday, September 19 at 6:30 p.m.  Hillview Middle School, PAC, 1100 Elder Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025.  This event is free and open to the public.

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Programs & Activities Programs 

After-School Programs
Hillview After-School activities start this week! It's not too late to sign-up! The Hillview PTO is excited to offer a wide array of After-School Programs this fall. There's something for every student's interest. Scholarships available for qualifying students. For more information on scholarships, please contact your child's counselor, or click  here. Follow the links below to learn more about each program, including a course description, registration, and pricing information. Note that each program will only be offered if the minimum student enrollment is reached. 
Questions? Contact Jamey Hawkins, here PTO After-School Programs Coordinator

Mandarin at Hillview After-School
Learn to speak Mandarin Chinese or join our Intermediate/Advanced group and practice your Mandarin skills with your classmates! Hwa Shin Mandarin Chinese language instruction is tailored for students who do not speak Mandarin at home and focuses on teaching Mandarin in a fun and engaging atmosphere.  Hwa Shin has been teaching Mandarin in Menlo Park and Palo Alto schools for over 30 years. We will be offering two classes this year at Hillview - Beginning and Intermediate/Advanced Mandarin. Learn more and sign up  here The day of the week is currently listed as  Friday , but we can switch it if there is interest.

Sports
After-School Sports
Flag Football Practice has officially begun for all Hillview Flag Football teams. There are now four teams (with the 6th-grade having two.) Practice  is Tuesday and Thursday, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. unless coaches tell you otherwise. We  expect players to attend practice regularly. In the rare occasions a  practice (or game) must be missed, players need to notify the coach as  soon as possible. All players must have a mouthpiece to participate.

Girls Volleyball  Teams for all grade levels have now been formed. Practice  has officially started. All coaches are looking forward to a great  season. As is the case for all Hillview after-school sports, we expect  players to attend all practices regularly as well as games. If there are  any 6th graders who would like to sign up, we definitely have room for  at least one more player. Games will begin the week of September 18.

No refunds are available for all after-school sports after the registration deadline. Scholarships are available for all Hillview-supported sports.
We look forward to a great after-school sports season! Following Flag Football and Girls Volleyball, our PTO sponsors Basketball in winter; Tennis, Track, Boys Volleyball in spring. We thank you all very much.
For questions regarding any of these programs, click here to contact Harry Bell,  Athletic Director, at 650-483-4049 or here to contact Matt Ericksen,  PTO Registration Coordinator. 


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   Menlo-Atherton High School Newsmenloathertonnews

Get To Know M-A Programs 2017-18
8th-Grade Information Night Wednesday, October 18, 2017, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.  Campus Tours, first Wednesday of the month, October through March.  M-A Shadowing, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, October through February.  More information here and on the M-A website.


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MPAEF News   mpaefnews

Be Our New MPAEF Director! 
Susannah Hill, our rockstar MPAEF Director, is retiring and we are searching for a new rockstar to lead our team! We are searching for someone passionate about MPCSD who believes in the value of providing an excellent public-school education. The Director is responsible for providing leadership and operational management of the MPAEF to enable the organization to achieve its goals. Here is a job description. Forward resumes here. Contact Jennifer Dahmus here for more information.  

Become our Volunteer MPAEF Web Master!  Help contribute $1,000s to your kid's schools!  
A fun and easy volunteer job that can be done on your own time. The MPAEF web master will maintain the MPAEF web site, its content management system, and the email capabilities on a virtual private server. The web master is also in charge of the  mpaef.org  domain. The time commitment from October to July is 0 - 1 hour per week. The time commitment for August and September ranges from 2 - 4 hours per week. The web master will:
-Administer virtual private server on site5
-Update web page layout and content for  mpaef.org  and subdomains via Drupal
-Manage email addresses and forwarders for  mpaef.org
-Contact Stacey  here  for information on joining our awesome MPAEF volunteer Board!

New to Hillview? You're invited to the MPAEF New Family Social!
We look forward to welcoming all new families and those with new kindergartners to a casual New Family Social on  Sunday, September 24, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., at Hillview , hosted by the MPAEF. Our goal is to make this a fun and informative afternoon for you. You will meet other new/incoming parents and families and hear from district leaders, including Erik Burmeister, our new Superintendent, as well as school principals, School Board members and MPAEF and PTO leaders. We will also have Daffy Dave entertaining the younger kids, games for the middle schoolers and treats for all. Please bring the whole family! Click here to RSVP!

Mark Your Calendar!
We have a lot of fun activities on deck to further build community AND help support our kids and our schools. Make sure to add these to your calendar and bring your friends!
 
Dine Out in Menlo Park - Lunch and Dinner,  October 23, 24, 25, 26, 2017  Participating restaurants will donate a percentage of their proceeds to the MPAEF for all meals served these days.
 
Wine Walk on Santa Cruz Avenue  December 2, 2017  Enjoy wines from small, local boutique wineries of the Santa Cruz Mountains poured in various designated stores up and down Santa Cruz Avenue. All ticket proceeds benefit the MPAEF.
 
Schoolhouse Rocks 5K & Fun Run  May 20, 2018  Lace up your running shoes, recruit your neighbors and friends and grab your whole family to join this annual fundraising run. 

Volunteer with the MPAEF
Want to volunteer with the MPAEF? We are always looking for more parents to help us!  E-mail us here  to contact Amy Coolican or here to contact  Stacey Davis-Wueste  to learn more.


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Community Newscommunitynews

Cub Scout Pack 222 Ice Cream Social  September 17 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. , Oak Knoll Elementary School Playground.  Do you want to learn about Cub Scouting? All interested families with boys entering grades K through 5 are invited to join us for fun, activity-filled kickoff events! Email Oak Knoll parent, Jim Knox   for more information here, or visit the Pack 222 website here.

Girl Scouts Information Night  September 18, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m., Trinity Church - Angus Hall, 330 Ravenswood Avenue.  Interested in Girl Scouts? We are holding a parent information night to form new troops for this fall. Join families with K-5th-grade daughters from the area schools to learn about what Girl Scouts is and how you can be involved. Contact Cecilia Thomson  here  if you have questions.

Safe Routes to School Check out the Parents for Safe Routes Back to School newsletter here  to learn about two big Safe Routes events: the opening of the Oak Grove Bike Route, and the upcoming Safe Routes talk on September 19. Jennifer Wolosin will speak on "Between Home and School: Why Safe Routes Matter and How to Make Them Happen." The newsletter also contains key tips   here
for getting to and from school safely.

Ragazzi Boys Chorus Auditions
By appointment through September, 178 Clinton St., Redwood City  Ragazzi Boys Chorus, a CBS news "best choir of the Peninsula," will teach your boy to sing! Schedule your 7-10 year-old boy for a fun group audition. He'll learn a song and have a blast; no prior experience or preparation needed to try out. Ragazzi's opportunities include singing the National Anthem at a San Francisco Giants game, camps, and even world-wide touring. Appointments and more info here .

Ragazzi Boys Chorus' Music and Movement Class Open September-December, 178 Clinton St., Redwood City, Ragazzi Boys Chorus' engaging class is a great option for boys not quite old enough for Ragazzi's main program. This class is tailored for boys ages 5-7 with little or no previous musical experience. Contact lspaeth here or the website here for more info.  

Ongoing Study on Executive Function Looking for children ages 7-11 with a diagnosis of ADHD or with no diagnoses to participate in a study exploring changes in brain function in response to a novel neurofeedback training. Participation involves six sessions of cognitive training and two sessions of behavioral assessments. Contact Lindsay Chromik  here for more information.

Creative Art For Young Children  Fall 2017, Portola Valley Town Center. Native American Mythology will take us on a trip to the land of Kokopelli and his magical flute. The symbol of Kokopelli is well known; the kids will have fun drawing him, as well as. making clay pots to catch rainwater, big cardboard ladders to the stars, colorful cornmeal mandalas, Jackson Pollock splatter paintings, and other art projects. Register
online here.

Parent Education Series
"Social Contagion: How to Catch Resilience," Lee Daniel Kravetz and Julie Lythcott-Haims. September 21, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. M-A PAC. Register here.

"Clearing the Smokescreen: The Evidence on Marijuana," Tauheed Zaman, M.D., September 26, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., Woodside High School PAC. What does the current evidence show about marijuana (cannabis?) As a parent, what should you know about the potency of today's marijuana and its effect on the developing adolescent brain? Register here.

"The Well-Balanced Student: Challenge Success,"  Stanford University, September 28, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., Sequoia High School, Carrington Hall. When we are too focused on grades and performance, we deny our children the time and energy they need to tackle the demanding work of growing up. In this presentation, you'll learn how you can establish a healthier home environment for your school-aged student, reduce academic stress without sacrificing achievement, and increase your child's resilience, creativity, and well-being. Register here.

All three events are free and open to parents, students, faculty/staff and community members. Contact Charlene Margot, Director, for more information here.

Community Service Opportunities
Family Hands-On Volunteering with the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center A ll are welcome to join us in our ongoing hands-on volunteering opportunities for families, adults, and teens working on projects addressing issues of poverty, hunger, homelessness, aging, the environment, and more. Check our website often for project updates and to register here.

Ravenswood School District: Adopt-a-School and Adopt-a-Teacher 
The Ravenswood Education Foundation's Adopt-a-Teacher program offers the opportunity for individuals or small groups to help teachers in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park purchase much-needed supplies. REF is also launching a new teacher appreciation program with an opportunity for volunteers to set up and provide food for two meals honoring faculty and staff at a school. For more information and to learn about other volunteering opportunities, email here Jazmin Sosa or visit REF's website 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 : 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.