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SCHOOL NEWS
Family Math Night
Family Math Night is coming up on January 23rd and is presented by the Lawrence Hall of Science. It is an interactive event for ALL Edna Maguire families, kindergarten through 5th grades. Come play games from around the world with your child between 6:00 and 7:30 p.m. It'll be hard to tear your children away from doing math at this event!
Giving Tree Week and Tree Planting in the Garden
Next week is Giving Tree Week at Edna Maguire Elementary. All are welcome to come plant an apple tree (and garden clean up, too!) on Saturday, January 19 between 9:00 a.m. and noon. We look forward to sharing this special landmark day with the community!
We are gathering to celebrate the one year "rebirth" in the Mill Valley Children's Garden by replanting one dozen heirloom apple tree whips. All trees are "giving trees," particularly the very special apple trees in our garden, which through the years have yielded thousands of pieces of fruit for our children. They provide shelter from the sun and sanctuary for the birds. Planting a tree with a child and watching it grow over the years is a memory we should all cherish. We have that wonderful opportunity again here at Edna Maguire. It happened for the first time in 1998, when the original apple orchard was planted. Today, many parents still visit and recall their memories of that day. Come and make your own memories!
Shel Silverstein's book The Giving Tree illustrates the lasting relationship between a boy and an apple tree and provides the theme for our week, which will focus on the relationships of child to tree, child to garden, child to community, and child to environment. The curriculum during Giving Tree Week will be tied to giving and to Shel Silverstein's books, and each class will have a special project based on his works.
The Giving Tree was written in 1963 is much beloved. It has over 18 million copies in print and is translated into more than twenty languages. The story is about a relationship between a young boy and an apple tree, who become best friends. The tree always provides the boy with what he needs: vines to swing from, shade to sit under, apples to snack on, and branches to build a house. As the boy grows older and older he requires more and more of the tree. The tree loves the boy very much and gives him anything he asks for. In the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, the tree lets the boy cut her down so the boy can build a boat in which he can sail. Many years later, the boy, now an old man, returns to the stump and the tree says "I have nothing left to give you." The boy replies that all he needs is a quiet place to sit and rest in his old age, and the tree happily obliges.
Garden Photos
Room 8 second graders made a beautiful wreath as a gift for their teacher, Ms. Barry. All of the items in the wreath came from our campus and garden! Third graders show off the wonderful new garden tools we received from Smith & Hawken!
Green Team – Fourth and Fifth Graders Work to Clean Up and Help Out
By Sarah Asch – Fifth Grader
Digging through the trash! (Don't ask why!) Some kids in the fourth and fifth grades found way too many uneaten items to ignore! This is why we formed the Green Team, a group designed to compost, re-use lunch waste, and save the environment. With the help of kindergarten teacher Lisa Stapp, fifth grade teacher Teresa Shern, Principal Lisa Zimmer, instructional aide Margot Bishop, and parent Saor Stetler, this team of kids could go far. We will be working with the whole school to educate the students of Edna Maguire on the 5 R's: Re-use, recycle, reduce, re-think, and rot! Look for more to come in future editions of the Pony Express.
REMINDERS
Kindergarten registration starts next Monday, January 14.For more information, visit the Mill Valley School District website.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Happy New Year from the Mill Valley Public Library
New Year’s Resolution: Read, read, read! We add over 50 new books to the children's collection each month, so you’ll always have plenty of hot-off-the-press titles to choose from. Don’t forget to check out 100% Hand-Picked to see what’s new. If you're in fifth grade and need help deciding what to read, you can get a customized list of just-right books for you by signing up for PeRP, our Personalized Reading Program.
Coming February 6: Very Valentine Workshops. Drop in and create artsy, awesome Valentine cards and bookmarks from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. (K-5, no sign-up needed). Toddlers can attend our Very Valentine Picture Frame Workshop on the same day. (Advance sign-up required; call for time and details.)
Got Homework? Check out Live Homework Help, our fabulous, FREE online tutoring service All you need is a library card, a computer, and homework. If you don’t have a computer, come to the library and use ours. For Mill Valley residents, grades 4-12+.
Call 415-389-4292 x106 for details on any of our programs and services. |
