From the Desk of Lupe Garcia

 

Dear Palo Verde Parents, Staff and Community,

At the end of the year it is absolutely appropriate to reflect on the things that have made a positive difference in our school community and while we analyze test scores, plan and schedule activities and events to strengthen the academic and social rigor for all our students, we can’t forget that this work is a human enterprise.  It is about people who make a difference— who touch our lives and inspire us to do our best.  Many of you have made such a difference to the students, the staff, our community, and to me personally.  To you, I offer our sincere gratitude for helping us do our best work possible.  On behalf of the entire community, I say “THANK YOU” for the generous and kind work that continues to make Palo Verde special. 

Other items and updates:

• A HUGE THANK YOU to Kim Amsbaugh, our current and continuing PTA President, for her thoughtful, can-do leadership.  Her positive approach and ongoing support of children, parents and staff in our community have been instrumental in making this year a success. Kim’s strong efforts are commendable. We wish her continued success this coming year, as she will continue as PTA President. 

• Other Thank Yous: I’d like to acknowledge and say “thank you” briefly to several other individuals who have quietly performed valuable work on behalf of our school community:

¬ Tory Bers, Gail Foelsch & Julie Schwardt for managing our communication efforts at Palo Verde (Voice, Enews and signage).  Communication was clear and organized, always concise and to the point! Their expertise and care comes through loud and clear—and always kept the community informed. 

¬ Amanda Tummiaro and others for providing Noon Art every other Wednesday.  The hands-on experiences they provided our students made noontime fun and enjoyable for many children on an ongoing basis. 

¬ Fidelia Wang for organizing and hosting the Noon Games on a bi-monthly basis.  It sure made a difference for those students who prefer to be engaged with table games.

¬ Tania Nanevicz & Nicola Willits for leading Palo Verde’s PiE fundraising efforts.  Their singular efforts paid off for our school and community.  Thanks also to our community for their generosity in times of hardship. 

¬ Brinda Govindan for her ongoing efforts and support on behalf of the students and community—from the International Fair to the Bike Registration.  

¬ Lynn Drake for her TIRELESS efforts and leadership in the area of Traffic Safety.  She single handedly and in an ongoing basis worked with city and district officials to ensure the safety of all our students!  Kudos for a job well done!!!  Thanks also to George and Silvie Pierce for taking over this most important role for next year.

¬ Graduating parents, you’ve left your imprint with us.  Thank you for giving us “your best efforts” in providing a nurturing environment for our children at Palo Verde.  You’ll be missed! Best wishes with your upcoming middle school endeavors.

• Staff Updates: I write this part of my letter with mixed emotions: sad for losing a highly regarded colleague and educator, but happy for her, as she embarks on the next phase of her life.  By now you must know that Pat Hanley will be retiring.  She is apprehensive about leaving Palo Verde, but excited about the new and exciting opportunities ahead.  Pat, we wish you and yours the absolute best.  THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES! Laura Losier will take over for Pat as Library Media Teacher (LMT).  Laura is a terrific replacement for Pat.  She has worked in various roles and positions in the Palo Alto Unified School District, most recently at Briones and Addison Elementary Schools as LMT.  Laura is ecstatic about coming to Palo Verde.  I am really looking forward to working with her again.

The staff is excited about the coming year, as we continue to focus on our mission of “teaching and learning”.  I will be soliciting your help and support in moving ahead.  It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and your children. Have a restful and fun-filled summer.  See you in August of 2009.

Warmest regards,

Lupe

Dear Palo Verde Parents, Staff and Community,

At the end of the year it is absolutely appropriate to reflect on the things that have made a positive difference in our school community and while we analyze test scores, plan and schedule activities and events to strengthen the academic and social rigor for all our students, we can’t forget that this work is a human enterprise.  It is about people who make a difference— who touch our lives and inspire us to do our best. Many of you have made such a difference to the students, the staff, our community, and to me personally. To you, I offer our sincere gratitude for helping us do our best work possible.  On behalf of the entire community, I say “THANK YOU” for the generous and kind work that continues to make Palo Verde special. 

Other items and updates:

• A HUGE THANK YOU to Kim Amsbaugh, our current and continuing PTA President, for her thoughtful, can-do leadership.  Her positive approach and ongoing support of children, parents and staff in our community have been instrumental in making this year a success. Kim’s strong efforts are commendable. We wish her continued success this coming year, as she will continue as PTA President. 

• Other Thank Yous: I’d like to acknowledge and say “thank you” briefly to several other individuals who have quietly performed valuable work on behalf of our school community:

• Tory Bers, Gail Foelsch & Julie Schwardt for managing our communication efforts at Palo Verde (Voice, Enews and signage).  Communication was clear and organized, always concise and to the point! Their expertise and care comes through loud and clear—and always kept the community informed. 
• Amanda Tummiaro and others for providing Noon Art every other Wednesday. The hands-on experiences they provided our students made noontime fun and enjoyable for many children on an ongoing basis. 
• Fidelia Wang for organizing and hosting the Noon Games on a bi-monthly basis.  It sure made a difference for those students who prefer to be engaged with table games.
• Tania Nanevicz & Nicola Willits for leading Palo Verde’s PiE fundraising efforts. Their singular efforts paid off for our school and community.  Thanks also to our community for their generosity in times of hardship. 
• Brinda Govindan for her ongoing efforts and support on behalf of the students and community—from the International Fair to the Bike Registration.  
• Lynn Drake for her TIRELESS efforts and leadership in the area of Traffic Safety. She single handedly and in an ongoing basis worked with city and district officials to ensure the safety of all our students!  Kudos for a job well done!!! Thanks also to George and Silvie Pierce for taking over this most important role for next year.
• Graduating parents, you’ve left your imprint with us.  Thank you for giving us “your best efforts” in providing a nurturing environment for our children at Palo Verde. You’ll be missed! Best wishes with your upcoming middle school endeavors.

• Staff Updates: I write this part of my letter with mixed emotions: sad for losing a highly regarded colleague and educator, but happy for her, as she embarks on the next phase of her life.  By now you must know that Pat Hanley will be retiring.  She is apprehensive about leaving Palo Verde, but excited about the new and exciting opportunities ahead. Pat, we wish you and yours the absolute best.  THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES! Laura Losier will take over for Pat as Library Media Teacher (LMT).  Laura is a terrific replacement for Pat.  She has worked in various roles and positions in the Palo Alto Unified School District, most recently at Briones and Addison Elementary Schools as LMT.  Laura is ecstatic about coming to Palo Verde.  I am really looking forward to working with her again.

The staff is excited about the coming year, as we continue to focus on our mission of “teaching and learning”.  I will be soliciting your help and support in moving ahead.  It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and your children. Have a restful and fun-filled summer.  See you in August of 2009.

Warmest regards,

Lupe

 

Thank You From Pat Hanley

Dear Palo Verde Families,

It is difficult to realize that my wonderful tenure at Palo Verde has come to an end. What an incredible journey it has been! I have had the exceptional privilege of working with so many families. I have seen your children enter Kindergarten, graduate from Palo Verde, go on to Middle School, and graduate from High School. And yes, because of my 27 years here, I have seen them return after graduation from college. Some of you now have children attending Palo Verde. Only a few teachers have the golden opportunity of working with all of the students on a campus during their elementary years. Certainly all of us celebrate their accomplishments and delight in hearing about their adventures when they revisit the site of their earliest years in school. Like you, I have watched your children grow every year with special pride and amazement. 

Your kind words and beautiful gifts at the assembly are deeply appreciated. I am thrilled that the Palo Verde Library has been dedicated in my honor. What an amazing tribute! It was a labor of love to work on the plans and many revisions and watch this special place for children become a reality.  

The students and I have had a delightful time sitting in my special reading chair. It is a stunning addition to the story room.  I do plan to return and sit in my rocker and share some of my favorite books.  

Your lovely orchid will receive all the TLC needed to keep it thriving.

Disraeli said “The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to them their own”. I hope my lessons and the books I have shared with your children have accomplished this. I have learned so much from them and from all of you.

While I have turned the last page of this treasured tome called Palo Verde, it will be read again and again. It will bring warm smiles, cherished memories and immeasurable joy forever.

Thank you.

Love,

Pat Hanley

Library Advisory Commission Volunteer Opportunity

Recruitment closes Wed. June 17, 5:30pm

Want a chance to make a difference in the Palo Alto Public Libraries, facilitate positive change for your community, and insure quality services for future of your libraries?  If so, give the City a call.  The Palo Alto Library Commission is looking for three volunteers to serve in unexpired terms.  The Commission meets once a month and is responsible for advising the City Council on a variety of matters relating to the Libraries.

Click here for more information. 

Palo Alto Library Summer Reading Program

Sign-ups for the Library’s summer reading programs began last Monday, and as of Wednesday afternoon they already had 379 children and teens registered.  More information on the kids’ program, Be Creative @ Your Library!, can be found  here. 

Happy Birds Performing Parrot Show at the Menlo Park Library

Fri. June 12, 11:15am,  Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park

The Menlo Park Library celebrates its Summer Reading Program with a performance by the Happy Birds Performing Parrot Show.  Loved by children and adults alike, the Happy Birds have been featured on the Tonight Show, The Ellen Show, and Animal Planet’s Amazing Animal Videos. Free and open to the public, made possible by the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.

Click here for information or to register for the Summer Reading Program. 

Dear Parents,

The end of the year is quite exciting and HECTIC.  Everyone (kids and adults) is looking forward to the end of the school year excitedly, but at times too emotional. With all of this energy, it is important to make sure you keep your dog at home when DROPPING-OFF or PICKING-UP your child.— MINIMALLY, if you have to have your dog with you, stay by the SIDEWALK, where you can say “Bye” or “Hello” to your child.

 

Unfortunately, we had a biting incident recently that we do not want to repeat.

PLEASE KEEP YOUR DOG/S OFF CAMPUS.  Thank you for your cooperation and help with this matter

Regards,

Lupe Garcia

Principal

Calendar

Wednesday, June 3, 7:45 AM, Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
Wednesday, June 3, 1:30 PM, 1:30 PM, Bike Registration
Thursday, June 4, 8:30 AM, 4th & 5th Grade Music Concert
Wednesday, June 10, 3:30 PM, Site Council Meeting
Thursday, June 11, 9:00 AM, 5th Grade Promotion
Thursday, June 11, Last Day of School — MINIMUM Day, 1:25 PM dismissal for ALL students

Bicycle Registration

On June 3rd from 1:30-2:30 Palo Verde students and families can get their bikes licensed and registered with the Palo Alto Police Department.  In case your bike gets lost or stolen this is a good way to increase the chances of getting it back.

All you need to bring is your bike and it’s FREE!

Music Concert

The Palo Verde Fourth and Fifth Grades invite you to attend their End-of-Year Concert on Thursday  June 4  at  8:45 AM.  Please come and enjoy the music by our school Band, Orchestra, Beginning Strings, and General Music classes.

5th Grade Promotion

This is a reminder that 5th grade promotion will be held on Thursday, June 11 at 9:00 a.m. in the blacktop where we hold our school-wide assemblies every week.  More information is to follow– but make sure to reserve the date and time for a most important event in the life of the 5th graders and their families.

Stanford EPGY Program for 2009-2010 School Year (Staring 06/01/2009)

The Stanford Educational Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) is a web based math and language arts tutorial program.  Developed with the gifted student in mind, Stanford has found that EPGY is valuable FOR ALL LEVEL OF STUDENT.  EPGY starts at the K-2 level and continues with course offerings through secondary school, including AP and college level, thus providing a runway that parallels potential academic trajectory in school.  See: http://epgy.stanford.edu/

EPGY is being offered to ALL STUDENTS as a parent-supported, extracurricular opportunity, in conjunction with Palo Verde PTA or PAUSD. It is not part of curriculum and is purely optional at the discretion of parents as to whether it would be useful for their children.  Neither Stanford nor the EPGY program is endorsed or sponsored by Palo Verde PTA, but we wanted to take advantage of the benefits of participating as a school community – substantial cost discounts and a “no test-in” policy, which helps provide access to this unique program for all.

Cost will be $135 PER SCHOOL YEAR. On your own, the cost would be around $165 PER MONTH.    This is for access to what EPGY calls its “elementary level” program, including math from the K-2 level ending at Pre-algebra (grade 7), and English covering the 3rd-6th grade level.  Access to secondary school curriculum must be done on an individual basis.  Existing EPGY families can take advantage of the new pricing.

Children progress at their own paces through the program.  Courses are arranged in six different learning strands.  The student cycles through the strands and is moved forward in each strand independent of their performance in other strands, giving the student the opportunity to fully master each concept.

To register go the EPGY District Open Enrollment page at http://epgy.stanford.edu/district/signup.html Fill out the registration form and select “Palo Alto” for the district then write or type in “Palo Verde”.  It takes ten days or less to get accounts up and running.

To ask questions or indicate interest in EPGY for the Fall please call Pak Panitchpakdi, Palo Verde EPGY Coordinator, at 650-424-6409 or cell 650-269-0508 or send email to pakpanitchpakdi (at) hotmail dot com. Please include the following information in your email when you express interest: Your child’s or children’s names and grades, parent/guardian names and your phone number/e-mail. Please visit our Yahoo Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paloverdeepgy/. To subscribe to the our Yahoo Group:  http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/PaloVerdeEPGY

Community News

Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra’s ‘Sinfonia’ Season Final Concert
Sunday, June 7, 3PM, Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford
The season’s final concert of Sinfonia Ensemble, PACO’s second-highest level, conducted by PACO Music Director Benjamin Simon, will feature five winners of PACO’s annual concerto competition.  Five extremely talented young musicians will perform a wide range of solo works:  Sarasate Navarra for two violins, Vitali Chaconne, Kreisler Praeludium and Allegro, and the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1.  Also on the program will be Franz Josef Haydn’s delightful Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major.  Tickets are $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students.
Info: 856-3848, www.pacomusic.org

Books Inc.’s Picture Book Pals welcomes Judy Sierra
Saturday, June 20, 11AM, Books Inc., Town & Country Village, Palo Alto
Store favorite, Judy Sierra will join their regular Picture Book Pals storytime to read from her latest picture book, The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town, a book for youngsters who are learning their ABCs..
Info: 321-0600, www.booksinc.net

Relay for Life to Benefit the American Cancer Society
Saturday, August 15, 10AM to Sunday,  August 16, 10AM, Palo Alto High Track
Palo Alto is hosting its 4th annual “Relay for Life” to benefit the American Cancer Society. As in previous years, participants will have at least one team member walking the track for 24 hours to symbolize that the battle against cancer never stops. The event is a chance for all members of the community to come together to fight back against cancer, and support the American Cancer Society in its mission to provide education, patient services and conduct research to find a cure for cancer.  On the day of the event, there will be live music, food, and games for kids, along with information about cancer prevention. The teams will set up camp at Paly High, lending a festive atmosphere to the whole event.  Members of the community are encouraged to come out and support the relayers as they take their laps.
For more information on how to get involved, please go to www.relayforlife.org/paloaltoca or contact Lucy Lu at lucyn.lu (at) gmail dot com

Excel Swim School
Group and Private Swim Lessons for ages 4 and up.  Palo Alto High School Aquatic Center, Sessions Run June 15-July 31.  Excel Swim School is managed by Danny Dye, the head Boys and Girls Swimming Coach at Palo Alto High School; the teachers for Excel are members of the Palo Alto High School Swim Team.
Info: www.excelswimschool.com or Coach Dye, 861-1093, dyedanny (at) hotmail dot com

Community Kiosk

Calendar

Wednesday, May 13 8:35 AM – PTA Coffee

Wednesday, May 20, 6 – 6:30 School-wide pot-luck on the Green

Wednesday, May 20, 6:30 – 7:45 Open House

Thursday, May 21 – Classroom Placement Forms due in main office (see below)

Wednesday, May 27, 8:20 AM Farewell to Pat Hanley at Assembly

From the Desk of Lupe Garcia…

Dear Palo Verde Parents, 

Classroom Placement Process and Parent Input: Please note the information below regarding our classroom placement procedure.  If after you review the process you would like to provide us with information about your child, complete the attached form, address it to Lupe Garcia, and hand it in to Chris McGranahan in the Main Office by Thursday, May 21, 2009. 

Classroom Placement Procedure for 2009-2010:

There are a variety of factors that the Palo Verde staff considers when we begin the process of developing classroom groups for the following school year. These perspectives include:

• The needs of the individual child
• The need to create balance within each classroom
• The need to create balance among classrooms at grade level

Using these guiding principles, considerable thought and attention go into formulating classes that will work best for all students, as well as for the individual child. 

Individual Child

• Compatibility between the child’s working style and the classroom environment.
• Compatibility between the child’s learning style and the teacher’s instructional style.  (Note: even in the case of teachers new to the school, their teaching style is not an unknown.  Each of our staff members will has gone through an extensive interview process and has been observed teaching in the classroom.)
• Compatibility of the child and other children in the class.

Balanced Classroom Composition

• Learning Needs: does each class reflect the range of learners, from independent to needing special support?  Does each class reflect the range of academic abilities?
• Individual relationships: will the social dynamics of the class work to foster a positive learning environment?
• Gender: is there a balance of boys and girls in the class?
• Ethnicity: Does each class reflect the diversity of all children in that grade?
• Parental participation: does each class have parents who are interested in and able to help with in-class activities?

Balance Among Classrooms

Finally, are all classrooms at the same grade level “balanced” and have similar compositions? This may include such variables as balancing children who tend to be more “time intensive” (both behaviorally and academically), students new to the school, students for whom English is a second language, etc.  

We take the classroom placement process seriously. We always try to put the most important educational interests of the children in the forefront, and we expect parents will trust and respect the judgement of the staff in making placement decisions.  

Parent input plays a part in this process too. Although your child’s teachers are in the best position to see your child as a learner in the school setting, you bring the unique perspective of the parents, which can be useful to the grouping process. Any information that you think is relevant please put in writing by completing the Class Grouping Form, which will help you organize the information. A copy of this form is attached. Requests for specific teachers will not be considered.  Please do not make such a request. Make sure to turn in the input form at the Main Office by Thursday, May 21, 2009.  If you feel that your child may have some special needs for next year that cannot be addressed on the parent input form, please make arrangements to see me personally before the deadline. 

One final thought… although this activity begins at the end of May, a number of variables and unpredictable factors, such as late registrants, the need to realign classes, potential staff changes, and so on, delay the final class grouping assignments until shortly before school begins in the fall. For this reason, and to avoid having class lists announced, only to be changed, class lists will not be posted in the school office until August 21, 2009, the Friday before school begins.  

Other items and information:

>   Palo Verde’s Open House will be on May 20, 2009.  This year we would like to invite our community to begin the evening by having a potluck “Dinner on the Green” before visiting classrooms.  This would be a great opportunity to sit with family and friends in a relaxed manner, perhaps meet new families as well, before going into the different classroom to see the wonderful student projects and displays in the classrooms.  The evening schedule is as follows:

         • 6:00 – 6:30 Pot-Luck Dinner on The Green

         • 6:30 – 7:45 Visit Classrooms

Please join us for an extremely enjoyable evening of food, followed by the classroom visits.

> Pat Hanley will retire at the end of this school year.  Join us to acknowledge Pat’s contribution to Palo Verde.  Yes, it is true!  She has been such a central figure at Palo Verde for such a long time— that it will be difficult to imagine school without her.  Please join us on May 27 at 8:20 a.m. at our school assembly where students and community will acknowledge Pat for all she has done for our students and our community.  We will forward more information in the days ahead.  Plan to be there! 

Warmest regards,

Lupe García

PALO VERDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASS GROUPING FORM 2009-2010

(Optional Form) 

Dear Parents,  

We believe that your child’s teacher possesses the necessary information and understanding concerning your child in order to make an appropriate classroom placement for the coming school year. 

 

If you would like to provide insights into your child’s academic and social needs, please respond to the following questions.  Please remember NOT to name a specific teacher. This is not the intended purpose of this form.  Return the completed input form to the Principal by Thursday, May 21, 2009. 

- - - - - - - - - - - -  

Student Name__________________________________ 

Current Teacher ________________________________

(If new Kindergarten registration, leave blank) 

Grade level in 2009-2010__________________ 

• 1. What do you feel is really important in creating a positive and productive learning environment for your child? 

• 2. In your opinion, what are your child’s strengths? Areas of difficulty?  

• 3. How do you think your child best demonstrates understanding and knowledge? (e.g. by writing, through oral discussion, via projects, through arts, etc.)  

• 4. To what kind of feedback does your child respond best?  

• 5. What do you feel is the most important variable for your child when determining class placement?  (e.g. being with a close friend, a match between teaching style and learning style, etc.)  

• 6.  In your opinion, is there anything else we should know about your child that would help us make this placement decision?  

From the PTA President

School Year Coming to a Close – FAST! With only five more weeks of school left, the end of the year is coming fast! Here are two key events happening in May:

 

PTA Coffee (May 13th)

The PTA will have another Wednesday morning coffee on May 13th. We also will be posting our slate of Executive Officers. We are still looking for Executive Vice President, VP of Fundraising, VP Social Events, Parliamentarian and VP of Communication. Pop by the coffee table if you would like to find out more about these and other open PTA positions. Or contact Kim Amsbaugh, PTA president, for more information.

 

Open House (May 20th)

Palo Verde’s Open House will take place on May 20th from 6:30 – 7:45 pm. This is a great opportunity to visit your child’s classroom as well as poke into other grades to get a sense of what’s in store for next year. We invite all Palo Verde families to bring a picnic dinner

to eat on the grass from 6-6:30 pm. Classrooms will then be opened from 6:30 – 7:45.

 

I hope everyone enjoys these last few weeks of school.

Kim Amsbaugh

PTA President

 

International Fair a Great Success!

Plenty of students, parents and family members took a trip around the world last Sunday as part of the Palo Verde International Fair. A huge thank you needs to go to Brinda Govindan, who without her dedication and work the Fair would never had taken place. Also, thank you to all the volunteers, parents, family members and staff, who helped put such a terrific Fair together. Taiwan, Russian, Thailand, Isreal, Mexico, India, Italy, Brazil and Indonesia. Each booth was decorated with classroom art work, food and activities that reflected each country’s culture and history. We also had two fashion shows, which entertained the crowd with traditional clothing from countries around the world. If anyone is interested in helping organize the Fair next year, please let Kim Amsbaugh know. This year’s Fair was Brinda’s last as her son is graduating from Palo Verde this year.

 

Thank you to all of the volunteers who made this year’s International Fair a big success:

Booth Leaders: Pak Panitchpakdi, Queenie Huang, Rituparna Das, Rosie Kasim, Laila Craveiro, Heather Schultz, Michal Yaron, Amalia Cardenas, Priya Chari

 

Volunteers: Fidelia Wang, Mala Nayak, Jasmine Kuen, Stanley Chow, Candace Kuen, Sheena Chin, Matt Wang, Maria Daehler, Bhaskar Ghosh, Priya Junnarkar, Deepika Thukral, Padmini Krishnan, Krishna Varia, Archana Devi, Jai Sharma, Sudha Bala, Kala Lansberg, Nirada Vijay, Uma Sonak, Dipti Joshi, Bina Shah, Shubha Ranga, Pradipta Ghosh, Sampath Srinivas, Vishnu Srinivas, Vidur Thukral, Nikhil Ghosh, Luxwin Bala, Rashmi Sharma, Soenkyung Lee, Rani Muhdie, Andy Maas, Mike Frankel, Eli Frankel, Max Frankel, Enzo Santos, Tatiana Cardoso, Daniel Rabello, Bia Rabello, Ken Schultz, Colin Schultz, Aaron Schultz, Beatrix Willow, Alison Cormack, Louise Valente, Michael Loran, Ira Livneh, Michal Braude, Olga Gary, Irena Smith, Maria Zajac, Cheryl Lamin, Amalia Cardenas, Alma Landa, Janet Rose, Kim Amsbaugh, Heather Brownlee, Diane Jakubowski, Evelyn Guernsey, Aditi Periyannan, Theivanai Palaniappan, Gaby Boscacci, Kelly Berschauer

 

Fashion Show Participants:

Samantha Guernsey, Audrey Jakubowski, Antonia Boscacci, Brianna Boscacci, Claire Berschauer, Reetu Joshi, Anushka Shah, Manav Shah, Mia Gualdoni, A.J. Gualdoni, Tanvi Raman, Diya Thukral, Neha Joshi, Rohin Ghosh, Harini Desikan, Sarika Lansberg, Aishah Maas, Amirah Maas, Hamzah Maas, Samantha Ratanavipupong, Hanlong Fan, Yuenjo Fan, Yonhao Fan

 

Thanks to Moises Aguilar, Chris McGranahan and Lupe Garcia

for their enthusiastic and tireless support of the fair.

*Special thanks* to Nik Pascal, owner of the Crepes Cafe in Menlo Park, who generously donated ALL of the crepes enjoyed at the fair. Nik and Jeremy even stayed “overtime” to ensure that everyone got to enjoy delicious free crepes.  His kindness and generosity to our school community is greatly appreciated, and is an inspiring example to all of us.

–Brinda Govindan

 

Crepes Cafe Gives (and gives and gives…) to Palo Verde

If you were at the International Fair on Sunday, chances were you enjoyed a crepe from Crepes Cafe in Menlo Park. From the Fair’s beginning to beyond its end, Crepes Cafe was making crepe after crepe after crepe for all those in attendance…for free! The crepes were

delicious and were enjoyed by everyone! Please show them our appreciation and gratitide for donating not only their food but their time by dining at their restuarant. Crepes Cafe is located at 1195 Merrill St. in Menlo Park, which is one block north of Santa Cruz Ave. on the corner of Oak Grove Ave. and Merrill St. across from the Cal Train parking.  

 

Palo Verde Kids Club

  

Contracts for Palo Verde Kids Club for the 2009-2010 school year are available starting Monday May 4^th and will last until May 15^th.  This is the time for new Kinder families and current PACCC families to register their child/ren for child care for next school year.  A deposit, which is 1/2 month’s tuition, is required with a completed contract. 

On Monday, May 18th, registration will be open to all. We offer child care from 11:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily and are open most school/district holidays.  For more information please visit PACCC for the monthly tuition fee schedule.  You are welcome to call and set up a tour and pick up a contract. Call Kari or Raqiyyah at 650-852-9475.  We are open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily.

Facebook for Parents – What You Need to Know

Tuesday May 12    7 – 8.30 At Spangenburg at Gunn     FREE

 

This is recommended for parents of 5th graders who will soon be in middle school.

 

This is an exciting opportunity to hear the condensed version of Fogg & Phillips’ hugely popular Facebook for Parents class at Stanford.  You will hear the latest research, learn to use Facebook efficiently and be able to help your kids reach their full potential in their online world.

 

It is not realistic to tell your preteens and teens not to use social networking sites, but rather to be ahead of the game and be able to guide them to use the site safely and responsibly.

 

RSVP/more info facebookforparents.org/important

 

Carpooling and rsvp recommended to give the organisers a heads up on numbers to expect.

 

Garland Community Meeting

The Palo Alto Unified School District will hold a Garland Community meeting to present schematic design plans and elevations for Garland Elementary and listen to community input.  The Garland Community meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at the Jordan Middle School Library. (750 N. California Avenue.)

Classic Math School

We would like to invite parents and students to our Open House which will be held on May 19th, Tuesday, at 7:00 pm in JLS Middle School (480 I. Meadow Dr., Palo Alto)  Room 730.

 

This is a great opportunity to meet with our teachers, learn more about Classic Math School overall teaching principles and ideas as well as School-Year-Round programs. Your questions will be answered, your students will be offered a free Placement Test, mandatory for students in grades 4 and above, but recommended for all students. Light refreshment will be served.

 

The Open House Night is also the time, when we expect you to complete your enrollment process to secure your child’s space in the Summer Math Camp. Please be advised that we do not accept credit cards, only checks or cash. We are looking forward to meeting you and your child on May 19th!

City of Palo Alto Summer 2009 Camps and Aquatics

The City of Palo Alto offers over 100 different types of summer camps and aquatics activities for your children to Enjoy!  The high quality camps are affordable and fun. Camps include arts, sciences, dance, theatre arts, nature, aquatics, therapeutics, recreation and sports as well as specialized camps for middle school students.  Pre and post care if offered for many of the camp sessions.  For a complete listing of all available summer camps and aquatics programs, please visit our website or call the Lucie Stern customer service staff at 463-4900 for more information.

 

Community Kiosk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got Jeans?  – Blue Jeans Drive though May 11th.
Fifth Grade Girl Scout Troop 60688 is conducting a blue jeans drive to

benefit the Ecumenical Hunger Program. We will decorate the jeans for girls

with jewels to give them new life. Jeans for boys, teens, and adults will be

donated as is. Please bring your unwanted jeans to the collection box in the

school office by Monday, May 11th.
We are accepting all jeans in new or good condition. No rips, stains, or

holes please. We especially need jeans for boys and teens. Any questions?

Email Troop60688@gmail.com

Celebrate Earth Day!

Walk, Bike, Bus, Carpool to School

Wednesday April 22, 2009 at Palo Verde

Cancel school commute car trips and use alternative modes of transportation like walking, bicycling, riding the bus, or carpooling more often.  Invite friends to share your commute.

For more information about safe, sustainable school commutes, click here. 

Calendar:

Friday, April 10, NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, April 15, Site Council Meeting, 3:30 PM
Wednesday, April 22, Walk to School for Earth Day
Sunday, April 26, International Fair, 3 – 5 PM

From the desk of Lupe Garcia…

Dear Palo Verde Parents, Students, and Community,

I can’t believe it’s already April!  Time has gone by quickly and we are now heading into the busiest time of the school year, for students and staff alike.  Parents, please be sure to stay in touch with your child’s teacher in order to support and guide your child as needed and appropriate.

General Information and Upcoming Events:

• STAR Test: The mandated State Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) for grades 2-5 will take place from May 4 through May 15.  The STAR Test assesses students by grade level in the areas of reading, language, mathematics, spelling, and science at fifth grade.  The information we receive for each individual student allows us to plan thoughtful, relevant instruction to meet the child’s needs.  Information regarding our school results assists us in reviewing the success of our curricular program.  These assessments are an opportunity for students to show at least one aspect of what they have learned to date, as measured against grade level curriculum standards.  For now, please help your student and us by NOT scheduling family excursions or medical/dental appointments, especially on the mornings of the dates indicated above.  If you have questions, please contact us directly.
• Site Council Vacancies: The Palo Verde Site Council will have two parent vacancies for two-year terms beginning in the 2009-2010 school year. If you would like more information about the Site Council, please feel free to contact one of the current members: Parents: Geoff Butner, Kristin Foss, Joanna Schloss, Linda Verhulp or any of the staff members: Sheri Cundall, Chris McGranahan, Jocelyn Mason, Trebor Winslow or Lupe Garcia.
• Other Thank Yous: we are most appreciative of the depth of parent and community involvement.  Many of you are actively and quietly involved in the classrooms in an ongoing basis.  The staff and I would like to say “Thank You” to all who provide essential support to our children.  In addition, major school events happen because individuals step up and take responsibility for organizing, coordinating, and taking care of the “details”.  To these individuals, I would also like to say, “We are most grateful”.  Needless to say, it takes the participation of many helpers (quiet hands) to put on an event, so please forgive me in advance if your names are not mentioned (though I would personally like to express my gratitude to each of you directly).  Thank you to:

• Tory Bers and Gail Foelsch for producing such a high quality VOICE, our community newsletter and Enews.  Much thought, care and effort is given to ensure that this ongoing communication vehicle meets its deadline in order to inform our community.
• Tania Nanevicz and Nicola Willits, the PiE TEAM, for their tireless and successful leadership with the PiE fundraising campaign. Way to go! You set a very high bar for next year.
• Carol Rogers for continually monitoring and organizing many lost articles and for finding the rightful owners for many of those items.
• The PTA Executive Board (Kim Amsbaugh-President, Kathleen Pasin, Margaret Renteria, Lili Nova-Roessig, Julie Schwardt, Amanda Tumminaro, Heather Brownlee, Kathryn Shugart, Louise Valente, and Mala Nayak) for their leadership, guidance, and ongoing support they provide our entire Palo Verde Community.

Please join us for all the upcoming community events: Earth Day on April 22; the International Faire on April 26; the May Fete Parade on May 2nd; and our School Open House on May 20. All of these events are sure to be fun and engaging, as well as provide a great opportunity to get to know other members of our community.

The end of the school year is fast approaching and typically, students have long-term culminating projects and activities. These assignments usually require the students to plan, organize, and manage their time and activities well so that their work is done thoughtfully and the finished product represents their best effort.  You can help your child by staying abreast of what needs to be done, so you can guide and counsel appropriately.   You may need to contact the classroom teacher for specifics so you and your child can be on the same page.  Let us know how we can help.

Warmest regards,
Lupe García

From the PTA President….

The Palo Verde PTA is proud to announce this year’s slate of officers. Thank you to those who volunteered for next year. This slate will be voted on during our open meeting on May 13th. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at 650-813-1669 or amsbaugh@gmail.com. We still have plenty of officer positions open so if you are interested in joining the PTA Executive Board for next year, let me know. We also have plenty of committee-based positions open. So if you are interested in getting involved on any level, please let me know.

Kim Amsbaugh
PTA President

2009-2010 Slate of Officers
President: Kim Amsbaugh
Executive Vice President: OPEN
VP of Fundraising: Kathleen Pasin
VP Parent Education: Patricia Stayte
VP Social Events: OPEN
VP Communications: OPEN
Secretary: Lili Nova-Roessig
Treasurer: Johnna Cornett
Auditor: Heather Brownlee
Parlimentarian: OPEN

International Fair, Sunday, April 26th, 3 – 5 PM

Help! We need some more booth leaders for the International Fair….we are still seeking leaders for the following countries:

Korea, Iran, Russia, Mexico

and any other country you would like to represent at the Fair.  Please contact Brinda (brinda (at) sfsu dot edu) if you are interested.

Thank you for your donations to PiE!

Because our community pulled together in such an extraordinary way we have raised an additional $2.57 million for our schools next year! Of this $1.5 million is slated for the elementary school fund.

It is truly amazing the generosity especially in these uncertain economic times. So many families helped both financially as well as donating their time.

63% of Palo Verde families donated to PiE this year.

40 additional Palo Verde families donated in comparison to last year.

61% of elementary families donated district wide.

39% of middle school families donated district wide.

29% of high school families donated district wide.

70% of Ohlone familes donated (the highest of any school).

Multiple Palo Verde families donated a second time in the last month to help us make our goal.

Our participation rate breakdowns:

5th grade 66%

4th grade 55%

3rd grade 75%

2nd grade 56%

1st grade  60%

Kinders  70%

We had tremendous support from our teachers! 100% donated to PiE. We are the only school in the district with this honor and our teachers have been recognized by our superintendant Dr. Kelly Skeff. THANK YOU TEACHERS for supporting our school in so many ways!

If you have any questions about PiE or want to help out with the campaign next year please contact me. Final results are posted at papie.org.

Thank you,

Tania Nanevicz

(Benjamin, Sofie and Josie Vogel’s mom)

Donate LEGOS to Palo Verde School

Do you have Legos your children and/or you no longer use?  Please consider donating them to Palo Verde School for students to use during recess.  Several students are specifically seeking Lego building pieces as a way to be engaged with each other during free play: during morning recess and during lunch recess.  Know in advance that your donation will be greatly appreciated and will help engage children in positive and constructive ways.  Questions? Contact Lupe Garcia at lgarcia (at) pausd dot org.

Celebrate Earth Day, Wednesday April 22, 2009

Walk, Bike, Bus, Carpool to School – Cancel Car Trips
Palo Verde’s Earth Day goal is to reduce school commute related greenhouse gas emissions by cancelling school commute car trips and using alternative modes of transportation like walking, bicycling, riding the bus, or carpooling more often.  Make it fun! Invite friends to share your commute. Create your own “walking school bus.”

BE the Fuel for Climate Change
Last year more than half of PAUSD elementary school students reported that they usually walked, biked, skated, scootered, took the bus, or carpooled to school. Numbers of middle and high school students using alternative modes have steadily climbed for the last decade.

You can make a difference. If you live too far to walk to school, try biking a couple times a week or finding a carpool partner to split the driving. Try an alternative to driving solo once a week – find a carpool partner or choose a human powered form of transportation that works for you.

For more information about safe, sustainable school commutes, visit www.saferoutes.paloaltopta.org

More Earth Day Fun
The City of Palo Alto will celebrate Earth Day with a fun-filled celebration on Saturday, April 18, 2009, at the Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road. The festivities will begin at 10 a.m., rain or shine. There will be children’s activities, live music, resources from local environmental for/non profits, cooking and garden demonstrations, great food, a farmer’s market and much more. For more information, go to www.cityofpaloalto.org/earthday

Community Kiosk:

Please click here for the current edition.

Other Community News:

Math Adoption Q & A
Many of the questions raised in the community concerning the K-5 math adoption are in a question and answer format with extended resources and links for further research at:

http://pausd.org/community/Committees/MathAdoption/Q&A.shtml
Opportunity to Observe an Everyday Math (EDM) Lesson
To inform parents further about Everyday Math, which has been recommended for adoption by the Elementary Math Adoption Committee, parents are invited to observe an EDM lesson at a PAUSD elementary school.
To sign up for the 40-60 minute observation, please contact the schools below for observation dates (these will be between April 8 and April 21), times and locations.
School            Contact #
Addison          322-5935
El Carmelo     856-0960
Hoover            320-8106
Nixon               856-1622
Walter Hays    322-5956

K-5 Parent Math Evening
Tuesday, April 21, 7-8:30 PM, Nixon Elementary School, 1711 Stanford Avenue, Stanford

For parents to learn about the Everyday Math program.  Sessions will be held on the components of the materials, the use of technology, and the home-school connection.  Childcare will be provided, and Spanish translation will be available.  Questions: Assistant Superintendent Ginni Davis, 329-3709, vdavis (at) pausd dot org
Kepler’s Books Author Event, Tuesday April 28, 2009 10:30 AM:
(Remember, mention Palo Verde at the register and Kepler’s donates 10% back to the school)

Susan Linn will be at Kepler’s to discuss her new book, The Case for Make-Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World, a clarion call for preserving play in our material world.

In the nationally celebrated Consuming Kids, Susan Linn provided an unsparing look at how modern childhood is molded by commercialism. The resulting threat to children’s play is the subject of her timely and fascinating new book. In The Case for Make Believe, Linn argues that, while play is crucial to human development, nurturing creative play in modern-day America is not only countercultural-it’s a threat to corporate profits.

At the heart of the book are gripping stories of children at home, at school, and in a therapist’s office using make believe to grapple with real-life issues from entering kindergarten to the death of a sibling. In an age when toys come from TV shows, dress-up means wearing Disney costumes, and parents believe Baby Einstein is educational, Linn lays out the inextricable links between play, creativity, and health, showing us why we need to protect our children from corporations that aim to limit their imaginations.

7th Annual Running of the Bulls 5K run and Kid’s Races
Saturday April 11, 9 AM and 10 AM,  Gunn high school
A morning of fun-filled athletics for the whole family, the Running of the Bulls 5k Run & Walk and the Running of the Calves Kids’ Fun Runs are humanely inspired by the annual bull-running in Pamplona, Spain. Here in Palo Alto Bulls and Cows are local runners in costume, who have a delayed start and run in timed intervals, so, whether you run or walk, you’re bound to rub hooves with one along the way.  A fundraiser for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America and the Gunn Senior class.  Used shoes will be collected on race day for donation.
9 AM – Running of the Bulls 5k Fun Run and Walk,
10 AM  – Running of the Calves Kids’ Races for All Kids 12 and Under
Register Now at http://www.active.com.  Registration is limited to the first 500 runners.
Info: http://www.bulls5K.com or call the race hotline 599-3434.

Registration for Fall 2009 AYSO Soccer – April 13  to June 19
AYSO’s philosophy is that registration is open to anyone who wants to play, everyone plays, teams are formed that are balanced, positive coaching and promote good sportsmanship.  It’s best to register eaerly, as there is a limit to the number of kids for each age group.  AYSO is a volunteer organization, and the more who volunteer (no experience needed – training for coaches & referees provided), the more kids we can support.  Registration, questions & more information is at the website http://www.ayso26.org

Children’s Health Council Event: Afternoon of Jazz, Sunday, April 26th, 3-6PM,
Children’s Health Council,  650 Clark Way, Palo Alto
CHC Auxiliary presents the 2nd Afternoon of Jazz.  Join old and new friends for an afternoon of jazz music and dancing featuring jazz vocal stylist Cookie Wong and the Jazz Quintet. This event, benefiting CHC, will include food, wine and a raffle. Tickets are $40 per person.
Reservations are required and can be made by calling 326-4437 or email: charlene (at) chanteloup dot com.
Info and registration: http://parentseducationnetwork.org/resources/documents/edrevblast_overview.html

FREE Introductory Lacrosse Clinics in April & May
Try Lacrosse!  A fun summer camp offers beginners to advanced the chance to learn the hottest new sport in West Coast schools.  Come out to learn to play this fantastic sport (Sports Illustrated calls it the “fastest growing sport in the U.S.”) and have fun with new friends.  We will group players based on age and experience level.  For players with more experience looking to take their game to new heights-check out our new PRO SERIES camps!!

Who: Boys & Girls Ages 7 & up
When:  Sundays – April 26 May 16, 31
Where: Atherton  & Los Altos Hills
Camps: Week long Sessions June – August

For more information including clinic dates please visit our website www.AthertonLacrosse.com or email: AthertonLacrosse (at) Gmail dot com

Capitol Steps (Political satire group from DC) Coming to Palo Alto for a Limited Engagement
Sunday, May 17, at 4 PM and 7 PM, Spangenberg Theater
Gunn High School Robotics Team (GRT), is organizing the 3rd Annual Benefit Capitol Steps performances. The Capitol Steps have recorded twenty-six albums, and appeared on “Good Morning America,” the “Today Show.” “20/20,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “Nightline,” CNN’s “Inside Politics,” dozens of times on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and 4 times a year on “Politics Takes a Holiday” radio specials.
Info on Capitol Steps: www.capsteps.com
Tickets: $35, $45 & $50 through TicketWeb, www.ticketweb.com
Tickets are also sold (without a service charge) at the Student Activity Center at Gunn.
Don’t wait, the tickets are selling fast! There will only be 2 shows.
Questions:  capitolsteps_grt (at) yahoo dot com

Klutz 14th Annual School Benefit Day
Saturday, May 16, 10 AM – 5 PM, Klutz parking lot (new location) 450 Lambert Avenue, Palo Alto
Klutz will give away 100% of sales to the K-12 public school of your choice.  Free entertainment all day.
Contact:   laurie_bryan (at) klutz dot com, 857-0888

Minimum Day Reminder

This Friday, March 20, 2009 is a minimum day for all students.  Our normal Wednesday schedule will be in effect (8:15 am – 1:25 pm).

Please be on time to pick up your students, this is also a minimum day for the Staff.

Have a safe and relaxing Spring Break.  School will resume on Monday, March 30, 2009.

Community News:

Baja Fresh Fundraiser for PACCC

Friday, March 20, 11am-10 pm, 3990 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) provides child care at most of the PAUSD elementary schools, and provides early education services to children in the Mid-Peninsula region.  They also have a Subsidy Program that provides assistance to children from low-income families. As a fundraiser for this program, Baja Fresh on El Camino in Palo Alto will donate 15 percent of the proceeds on March 20 to PACCC.  All you have to do is order your favorite foods and bring in a flyer to get credit.  For a copy of the flyer, please email Cory Ervin, cervin (at) paccc dot com.

Paly Theatre Play in a Day

Saturday, March 21, 8 PM, Haymarket Theatre, Palo Alto High School
Come and see “Play in a Day,” Paly Theatre’s most popular event.  Doors open at 7:30.  Show up early for the best seats.  Tickets are available at the door, $5 for students and seniors and $7 for adults.  Don’t miss this wildly entertaining evening of short one acts, written, rehearsed and performed within twenty four hours.

GARLAND BOUNDARY DISCUSSION MARCH 18 @ 7 PM

Scott Laurence, with the Garland Boundary Committee and Palo Alto Unified School District, will be at Palo Verde Wednesday evening, March 18th, 7-8 pm in the MP Room. Scott will be there to discuss the proposed elementary school boundary changes as PAUSD brings Garland Elementary School, currently the Stratford School on N. California next to Jordan Middle School, back into the district in the next couple of years.

This impacts the Palo Verde community as the proposed Garland boundary crosses south over Oregon Expressway.  So future students and families living within a few blocks of Oregon in South Palo Alto may be designated as Garland students.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, the 18th, at 7 pm. This event is sponsored by the Palo Verde PTA.

Calendar:

Monday, March 16:  Restaurant Night, Fresh Choice in Mountain View
Wednesday, March 18, 7 PM – Elementary School Boundary Discussion, MP Room
Friday, March 20:  1:25 Dismissal ALL Students – District Wide Minimum Day
Monday – Friday, March 23 – 27 -  NO SCHOOL – Spring Break
Wednesday, April 15, 3:30 PM – Site Council Meeting

From the desk of Lupe Garcia…

Dear Palo Verde Parents, Students, and Community,

What a successful series of science events we had last week! The Lawrence Hall of Science demonstration was quite an exciting beginning to the week, followed by the Science Fair, which was sensational.  To have two hundred fifty four students submit a project for the fair is quite a feat.  All the student projects, from kindergarten through fifth grade, were wonderfully designed.  Kudos to everyone, participants and organizers!

Updates and Other General Information:

• 2009-2010 Planning Forms:  This Friday, 3/13/09 you will be receiving via your child a planning form for the 2009-2010 school year. This important information helps us track enrollment numbers across all grade levels for the site and District. Please take a few moments to complete. We are asking for this form to be returned to the classrooms or the Main Office by Friday, March 20, 2009. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our office staff at 856-1672.

• Site Council Vacancies: The Palo Verde Site Council will have two parent vacancies for two-year terms beginning in the 2009-2010 school year. If you would like more information about the Site Council, please feel free to contact one of the current members: Parents: Geoff Butner, Kristin Foss, Joanna Schloss, Linda Verhulp or any of the staff members: Sheri Cundall, Chris McGranahan, Jocelyn Mason, or Trebor Winslow.

• Other Thank Yous: we are most appreciative of the depth of parent and community involvement.  Many of you are actively and quietly involved in the classrooms in an ongoing basis.  The staff and I would like to say “Thank You” to all who provide essential support to our children.  In addition, major school events happen because individuals step up and take responsibility for organizing, coordinating, and making sure to take care of the “details”.  To these individuals, I would also like to say, “We are most grateful”.  Needless to say, it takes the participation of many helpers (quiet hands) to put on an event.  I’d like to personally thank Ms. Brinda Ghosh for organizing and bringing the Lawrence Hall of Science demonstration to our school last week.  The MP Room was packed with eager observers and wild cheers.  The scientific demonstrations were captivating!  I would also like to thank all the students who participated in the Science Fair, as well as Pandu Nayak and Leigh Klotz for organizing and bringing it to fruition.  Pandu’s and Leigh’s demonstrations peeked student interest (along with the Lawrence Hall of Science demonstrations), which resulted in such a high turn out of individual student experiments: 254 students participated by coming up with their own scientific experiment and creating a display that summarized their work, from prediction to results.  All was a great display of the Scientific Method!

Thank you for returning the school questionnaire.  Your input will help us better plan for next school year.

Warmest regards,
Lupe García

Fresh Choice Restaurant Night, Monday, March 16, 4-9 PM

Palo Verde’s next Restaurant Night is Monday, March 16th, from 4-9 pm at Fresh Choice in Mountain View. Simply bring in the Fresh Choice/Palo Verde flyer included in your child’s Friday folder and Fresh Choice will donate 15 percent of group sales back to Palo Verde. We hope to see you there.

Garland Boundary Discussion,  March 18 @ 7 PM

Scott Laurence with the Garland Boundary Committee and Palo Alto Unified School District will be at Palo Verde next Wednesday evening, March 18th, 7-8 pm in the MP Room. Scott will be there to discuss the proposed elementary school boundary changes as PAUSD brings Garland Elementary School, currently the Stratford School on N. California next to Jordan Middle School, back into the district in the next couple of years.

This impacts the Palo Verde community as the proposed Garland boundary crosses south over Oregon Expressway. So future students and families living within a few blocks of Oregon in South Palo Alto may be designated as Garland students.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, the 18th, at 7 pm. This event is sponsored by the Palo Verde PTA.

Science Fair Update

We had a very successful Science Fair on Wednesday, March 4th.  Student participation was very strong: 258 students prepared 254 projects.  More importantly, students were very enthusiastic about describing their projects and finding out about their friends’ projects!  You can continue to build upon this enthusiasm throughout the year by doing small weekend projects with your children.  We’ve compiled links to a variety of resources for science projects and do-it-yourself technology projects at http://www.pandunayak.com/paloverdesciencefairlinks  Check it out and enjoy!

The Science Fair would not have been possible without help from a lot of people.  Thanks to Becky Burwell, Brinda Govindan, Yuki Klotz-Burwell, Corinna Leung, Mala Nayak, Nandeeka Nayak, and Nirada Vijay who helped run things smoothly on the day of the Science Fair.  Thanks also to all the parents who volunteered to be “visiting scientists” in their children’s classrooms.  And, of course, thanks to Lupe Garcia, Chris McGranahan,, Moises Aguilar, and Carlos Valencia for all their help throughout the process.

Pandu Nayak and Leigh Klotz

Wizard’s Lab on Wheels

Thanks to the Lawrence Hall of Science for engaging over 150 excited kids and parents with “Wizard’s Lab on Wheels” on February 24.  We could not have programs like this without the support of our Palo Verde PTA! Thanks to our fabulous volunteers for keeping everything under control:  Fidelia Wang, Pandu Nayak, Heather Schultz, Priya Srinivas, Yasmin Shirole and Bhaskar Ghosh.

Brinda Govindan

International Fair, Sunday, April 26th, 3 – 5 PM

Help! We need some more booth leaders for the International Fair….we are still seeking leaders for the following countries: Japan, Korea, China, Israel, Russia, France, Germany, Mexico and any other country you would like to represent at the Fair.

Please contact Brinda Govindan (brinda (at) sfsu dot edu) if you are interested.  Thank you!

Volunteer for the PTA

Thank you to those who so far have offered to volunteer for the Palo Verde PTA next year. We appreciate your time and commitment to our school, our community and our children. We still, however, are in need a few key positions for the Executive Board. This includes: Executive Vice President, Treasurer, VP of Communications, VP of Social Activities, VP of Fundraising, and Parliamentarian.

We also are looking for volunteers to help organize some key fundraising events. This includes the annual Kepler’s Book Fair, Sally Foster Gift Wrap Sales and the Auction. These three events, combined, total more than $20,000 worth of funds that goes directly to Palo Verde in the form of new computers for the classrooms, books for our library and playground equipment, such as the Ball Walls.

We also are looking for a Traffic Safety Volunteer, who helps organize our annual Walk to School and Earth Day celebrations. This position also helps ensure overall traffic safety for the school and acts as a liaison between the school, the district and the city of Palo Alto.

Please contact me if you have any questions about volunteering for the PTA.

Sincerely,
Kim Amsbaugh
PTA President

Below you will find brief descriptions of the Executive Board positions and descriptions of the social and fundraising volunteer positions currently open.

Executive Board Descriptions
For the Executive Board positions described below, a more comprehensive description exists on the California PTA website: http://www.capta.org/.

Treasurer (Required)
Maintains the books for the Palo Verde PTA, tracking all incoming and outgoing funds while writing checks to individuals and organizations in an effort to pay all bills and expenses. The Treasurer also helps develop the annual PTA budget and prepares the books for the periodic audits conducted by the Auditor. The Treasurer also attends monthly PTA meetings as a member of the Executive Board.

Executive Vice President
Acts as the president in the event the President is unavailable. Attends monthly PTA meetings. Works with the school administrative staff to ensure a cohesiveness of programs and fundraising efforts.  Helps ensure all PTA-related events and activities are meeting the appropriate deadlines and timelines.

Vice President of Fundraising
Helps ensure that all fundraising activities are meeting the appropriate deadlines and timelines. In this position, the VP of Fundraising is not responsible for any one event. Instead, the VP of Fundraising acts as a liaison between the PTA Executive Board and the chairs of the Palo Verde fundraising events, which are the Auction, the Book Fair, Box Tops, e-Script, Gift Wrap, Kids Art Note Cards, Restaurant Nights. The VP of Fundraising also attends monthly PTA meetings as a member of the Executive Board.

Vice President of Social Events
Helps ensure all school-wide social events are meeting the appropriate deadlines and timelines. In this position, the VP of Social Events is not responsible for any one event. Instead, the VP of Social Events acts as a liaison between the PTA Executive Board and the chairs of the Palo Verde social activities, which are the Back to School Ice Cream, Back to School Potluck, PTA Morning Coffees, Harvest Fair, Ice Skating Party, International Fair and the May Fete Float and Parade activities. The VP of Social Events also attends monthly PTA meetings as a member of the Executive Board.

Vice President of Communications
Helps communicate school-wide the varying social, educational and fundraising events and activities. Works closely with the publishing volunteers of The Voice and the PTA and Palo Verde website volunteers to communicate information on those events. The VP of Communications also attends monthly PTA meetings as a member of the Executive Board.

Parliamentarian
Familiarizes him/herselft with the Palo Verde PTA bylaws in an effort to be educated enough to answer any questions about procedures and rules that may come up during meetings. The Parliamentarian also organizes the Nominating Committee, which each year uncovers volunteers for the Executive Board and all social and fundraising committee chairs. The Parliamentarian also attends monthly PTA meetings as a member of the Executive Board.

Social and Fundraising Volunteer Positions

Auction
Helps coordinate all aspects of the event, including reserving the location, pursuing donations, and organizing publicity, food and entertainment.

Back to School Ice Cream Social
Organizes, sets up and breaks down the ice cream social that occurs the day in August class assignments are posted at Palo Verde.

Back to School Packet
Organizes the Back to School Packet of information that is sent out prior to the start of school.

Bike and Traffic Safety Rep
Acts as the liaison between the school and district to promote safe and green methods of transportation to and from school. Also helps organize Walk to School and Earth Day activities.

Book Fair
In collaboration with Kepler’s Books, coordinates and works at the annual Palo Verde Book Fair.

Box Tops
Coordinates the annual Palo Verde Box Top drive in the Spring.

eNews/PTAWebsite/Palo Verde Website
Communicates school news and events via email distribution (eNews) and on the Palo Verde and PTA websites. Works closely with the Palo Verde Voice volunteers.

Gift Cards
Organizes the selling the Gift Cards at school prior to the Winter Break.

International Fair
Organizes the annual Palo Verde International Fair that takes place in the Spring.

Kids Art Note Cards
Organizes the annual Kids Art Note Cards drive, where kids have the opportunity to make a note card design and parents can purchase a set of cards with their children’s design on them.

Lice Patrol
Coordinates the all-school lice checks that take place 3 times per year.

Membership
Communicates PTA membership drives that occur at the beginning of the year.

Morning Coffees
Organizes, sets up and breaks down the PTA morning coffees that periodically occur before school. The goal is to find up to 8 volunteers so the PTA can host one coffee per month. With 8 volunteers, each volunteer would donate their time only once.

Noon Art
Organizes the bi-weekly art activity held in the MP Room during lunchtime.

Noon Games
Organizes game activities during lunchtime. This committee coordinates these games with the YMCA.

Palo Verde Voice
Develops the bi-weekly PTA school newsletter.

Restaurant Nights
Identifies and coordinates the monthly restaurant nights.

Sally Foster Gift Wrap
Organizes the school-wide sale of Sally Foster wrapping paper and gifts.

Science Fair
Helps organize the annual Palo Verde Science Fair in Spring.

Science Night
Organizes the annual school-wide Science Night that takes place in February/March

Community News

Working Wonders:
Gently-Used Baseball and Softball Equipment Drive
March 9-20, Walter Hays and  Duveneck
It’s that time of year- baseball and softball season has arrived.  The gloves, bats and other baseball equipment that your child has outgrown can open a whole world of opportunities for an under-resourced child.  Working Wonders will be collecting gently-used baseball and softball mitts, youth aluminum bats (under 21 oz), batting helmets, cleats, and unstained white pants as well as new baseballs and softballs. Note: gently used items are not damaged or in need of repair.  Pitch in at collection points at  Walter Hays and  Duveneck Elementary Schools.  Questions:  Jean Young, jean (at) jeanyoung dot com.

Working Wonders After-School Activity
Wednesday April 8, Walter Hays MP Room
Kids:  Come help clean, oil and polish donated baseball and softball equipment and make it like new.  Then we’ll wrap it up with your personal note to send to an under-resourced child.
Questions:  Jean Young, jean (at) jeanyoung dot com.

Palo Alto Children’s Theatre Spring Break Classes March 23-27
Palo Alto Children’s Theatre is offering fun, high quality, interactive theatre classes over spring break that enliven imaginations, get kids working together, and instill a lifelong love of theatre.  All classes are taught by professional teaching artists with a talent for teaching kids.  Classes include Story Acting (age 4-6), Playing Along (age 7-8), Camp  Sneak Preview (age 8-11), Beginning Hand Sewing (age 10-13), Intermediate Machine Sewing (age 13-18), and Scenic Painting (age 11-18).
Info: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/childrenstheatre or (650) 463-4930.

Palo  Alto Children’s Theatre 10 Minute Playwriting Contest
Deadline March 31
The Palo Alto Children’s Theatre (PACT) is now accepting entries for its first 10 Minute Playwriting Contest.  These original plays may be submitted in one of three categories:  Child (age 8-11), Teen (age 12-14), and Young Adult (age 15 – high school).  Winning plays receive a staged reading and reception at PACT directed by a professional director and performed by members of the PACT acting ensemble, as well as a cash prize donated by the Friends of the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre.  For more information or to obtain an entry form, please call the Children’s Theatre, 463-4930 or visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/childrenstheatre.

Palo Alto PTA Council Honors Outstanding Service to Children
Members of Palo Alto’s PTAs, schools and community devote energy, enthusiasm and initiative in countless ways that benefit our youth. Each year, PTA awards are presented to individuals who have given outstanding service to children. This year’s awards will be presented at the 2009 PTA Council Honorary Service Award (HSA) Luncheon on Friday, June 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Cabana Hotel. This event is an annual highlight!

The Palo Alto Council of PTAs (PTAC) honors service with local and California State PTA awards in several categories. Among considerations are longevity and significance of service, breadth/depth of service, and contributions that benefit more than an individual school.

The Palo Alto Council of PTAs invites you to submit nominations.  The nomination form is due April 3rd 2009; it can be found on the PTAC website at http://www.paloaltopta.org/council/HSA_NominationForm-2009.pdf

Questions? Contact Terry Godfrey at bgodfrey (at) pacbell dot net

PTA Snow Clothing Rentals
The Palo Alto Council of PTAs operates the PTA Wardrobe and Snow Clothing Rental service.  Founded in 1934, the Wardrobe provides new and gently used clothing in all sizes at no charge to families within PAUSD.  To support this service, the Snow Clothing Rental allows individuals and families to rent entire outfits (jacket, pants, snow boots, scarves, etc.) for the snow for a two-week period for only $15 for children and $20 for adults.
The PTA Wardrobe is located in a portable at Jordan Middle School, 750 N. California Avenue, in the rear of the Middlefield parking lot.  Open Wed. 2-5pm and Sat. 10am-1pm. Closed school holidays.
Donations are welcome during open hours: clean, gently used clothing and books; new underwear and socks especially appreciated.
Info: http://www.paloaltopta.org/news/wardrobe.html or (650) 858-0654

PiE Online Survey – Partners in Education really wants to hear from you!
PiE is planning for next year and looking at ways to improve their efforts to support educational excellence in PAUSD schools.  The survey should take 3-5 minutes and will provide your invaluable input!    Please complete the survey by April 3rd.
www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=YAjORg6iLQ1FqyiBzk0qYw_3d_3d

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