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Principally Speaking
Dear Family,
As many of you know, our district is facing serious budget cuts due to California's budget crisis. Please stay informed with updated information on the district website and click on Budget Development Updates.
Toward the end of the year, we look ahead to next year's classroom placements. We know some parents would like to request a certain teacher, or that a certain friend be in class with their child. All of our teachers are wonderful and represent a wide range of teaching styles. Your child will benefit from working with all kinds of "mentors" during the six years they study with us.
Our staff spends many hours working in teams to establish balanced classes. We take into account varying interests, needs, strengths, cultural backgrounds, and languages. For children with very specific and individualized needs (e.g. physical, emotional, or learning disabilities), we work as a team to assure those special areas are accommodated by the new class placement. If there is an extraordinary circumstance, you may share this with us. (A desire to be with a certain teacher or with a certain child is not an extraordinary circumstance.)
Once the classes are set, there will be no changes unless there is a truly unusual situation that is discussed fully with parents, teachers, principal, and superintendent. No changes will be made during the first two weeks of school. We generally find that once students settle into their new classes, they acclimate quickly. Children make new friends and can always see other friends during recess, lunch, field trips, and all-grade activities.
We ask for your trust and we thank you for respecting our professional judgment. Please do not put teachers in an awkward position by requesting a certain teacher. If you do say, "Please put my child with ____," the staff will respond, "I'm sorry, we cannot promise matches with personnel or students."
We appreciate your cooperation with this placement procedure.
Best Regards,
Lisa Zimmer
School Pool Works! Please Register
Edna Maguire has led Marin County in green trips to school – carpooling, walking, biking – three of the last four years. We have a chance to win a cash award in the Green Ways to School Challenge, but we need more signups on www.schoolpoolmarin.org. Please consider registering for a SchoolPool to carpool, walk, or bike to school with neighbors who live along your route to school. You can also register for the Green Ways Challenge if you do not need a SchoolPool at this time. Let's all do our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion in Mill Valley. You can register on-line. For more information, email info@schoolpoolmarin.org.
Yearbook Time!
The yearbook staff is wrapping up the yearbook for publication. We need class photos from the third, fourth and fifth grade classes. If you have photos, please email them to Jackson Butler or leave a cd in the yearbook box in the office and let Jackson know they are ready. We need them ASAP!
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle your Recess Equipment, April 19-April 23
"Double Dutch," "Downies" and "Pitcher's Poison:" does this take you back to your school days on the playground? Some things never change and kickball, 4-square and jumprope are as popular as ever. We could really use your gently used playground balls, hula hoops, jump ropes, soccer balls, footballs, and basketballs. This is the perfect time to get a little spring cleaning done – we would love to reuse your playground accessories. Please drop them off in the box in front of the office this week, through April 23rd. Please NO HARD BALLS!! Questions? Please contact Karen Carr.
PTA Executive Board and Association Meeting April 21st
Please join us for the PTA meeting this Wednesday, April 21st at 10:45 a.m. in the teacher's lounge. We will be voting on the Exective Board slate of nominees for the 2010-11 school year. Everyone is welcome! Plan stay for our annual all-school Garden Sing and bring-your-own picnic which begins at 11:15 a.m.
Unclaimed Lost and Found Rummage Sale April 22nd and 23rd
As the seasons change, kids shed their jackets and unfortunately leave them behind. It's that time of year again, and we need to empty out the unclaimed clothing rack. The spring unclaimed clothing sale will be held this Thursday and Friday, April 22nd and 23rd, before, during and after school in the multipurpose room. Each item is $3.00, and all proceeds go the PTA. Anything left over will be donated to charity.
Reminder: Reimbursements for PTA Receipts
Thanks to the Edna teachers and parents who have bought supplies for various events this year. If you wish to be reimbursed for your purchases, please turn in your receipts with a completed reimbursement form to the PTA Treasurer's (Suzanne Alpert) mail box in the Edna office. Reimbursement forms can be found on our website. Thanks!
"What's On Your Plate?" Movie Screening to Benefit Edna's Garden
Whole Foods Market presents a benefit screening of "What's On Your Plate?" All proceeds will go to the Edna Maguire School garden! "What's on Your Plate?" is a witty and provocative documentary produced and directed by award-winning Catherine Gund about kids and food politics.
April 25th at 11:45 a.m.
Smith Rafael Film Theater
1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael CA 94901
Tickets $5 (100% of funds go to the Edna Maguire School Garden).
There will be a reception after the screening for all ticket-holders.
Tickets available starting Monday, April 12 at Whole Foods Market, 414 Miller Ave, Mill Valley.
More movie details at: http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/
Information about tickets: susan.grelock@wholefoods.com
Edna Fifth Grader Wins Runner-Up in National Science Competition
Edna's own fifth Grader, Sona Dolasia won runner-up in a national science competition! Sponsored by The National Science Foundation, The Kids Science Challenge is a nationwide science competition for third to sixth graders to submit experiments and problems for real scientists and engineers to solve.
Kids from across the country submitted an original question, problem or experiment in one of three scientific or engineering categories: Bio Inspired Designs, Sports On Mars, or Detective Science. Sona was one of the runner-ups in the Detective Science category. Her entry involved finding the person guilty of eating gumballs from a new gumball machine that she and her sister received for Christmas. She thought that someone could create something similar to Litmus paper, which would change color when it touches sugar. Parents could then add it to water and maybe even insert it into toothpaste tubes. That way they would be able to spot the culprit the moment he or she drinks the water or uses the toothpaste!
Congratulations Sona!
Donuts with Dad Pictures
The dads were out in full force for our annual Donuts with Dad event! More than 360 donuts were consumed by happy dads, moms, kids and friends as everyone visited in the multipurpose room. A big thank you goes out to Anne Buxton, Karen Olson, Katie Shine-Harris, Leslie Myers, Laura Winter Spence and Lori Fineman for organizing and serving up this wonderful event. See some great photos from the event here.
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