Visit the Edna Maguire website

View the complete calendar for the 2009/2010 school year.

Principally Speaking
A Message from Lisa Zimmer

Dear Family,

It's been so fun to see your children back at school with their smiling faces and excitement for the year ahead. One of our new students told me, "This very well could be the best year of my life!" We are all prepared to work with each one of your children to make it exactly that – the best year of their lives! If you need anything throughout the year, please email me directly at lzimmer@mvschools.org.

We're very excited about the new Car Line for drop off and pick up in the back parking lot. After school, teachers are taking all students to the back parking lot for pick up. Please do not pick up or drop off in the front of the school; this causes congestion for the cars driving into the Car Line. It's only taking about 10 minutes to load children into the cars – it's quick, efficient, and safe. Please watch this short video of how the Car Line works. If younger children need help getting to their classrooms in the morning, please let the volunteers know and they will get them to class safely.

Each classroom is assigned a few weeks during the year when they are responsible for staffing the Car Line. You can download the car line schedule (pdf). Please sign up to help, even if it is for only one shift. Thank you to Debra Carney who organized this effort over the summer and to Ken Campbell for filming the video. The Car Line is getting better and faster each day, thanks to the volunteer parents.

This issue of the Pony Express is overflowing with great information about upcoming events, our weekly Farmers' Markets, volunteer opportunities and thanks, Kiddo!, Measure C, and much more. You can keep up with the latest news by following Edna on Twitter, looking at the Google Calendar, and visiting the website.

Best Regards,
Lisa Zimmer

One Stop Shopping and Volunteer Forms
Please turn in the PTA One-Stop and Volunteer Forms from your first day packet ASAP! Extra copies are available in the office and on our website (pdf). For more information on how our students and teachers depend on your financial and volunteer support, visit the PTA section of our website.

International Potluck Dinner
Thursday, September 17th
Start off your school year with some fun at the International Potluck Dinner on Thursday, September 17th, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the interior courtyard. Please bring a dish to share that serves 8 to 10 people and label it with the name of the dish and/or country of origin. Also bring place settings, cutlery and non-alcoholic beverages for you and your family. Everyone is welcome and we ask that you please stay within our school's "nut free" guidelines if possible (if your dish requires nuts, please indicate this on your label).

There will be great music, henna tattoos ($5 suggested donation for PTA), and much more! Any questions please contact Amy Sherman at amyhsherman@gmail.com.

Support the Children's Garden and Farmers' Market
Edna Maguire will be holding a Farmers' Market every Thursday after school with tables in front of the office and at the back parking lot. Pick up some fresh produce, herbs, flowers, and terrific baked goods! Please remember to bring cash and donate generously to support the Garden. If you would like to be on the Garden email list to learn about upcoming events, or if you'd like to volunteer to staff the Farmers' Market or other garden activity, please contact Saor Stetler at sstetler@earthlink.net.

Free Lunch Tasting Monday, September 14th
Revolution Foods is back with an improved menu of healthy, nutritious lunches served in eco-friendly containers. Every day there are two cold and two hot options, including a "kid favorite" such as hot dog, soup, or pizza. Stop by school on Monday, September 14th at 11:45 a.m. for a free tasting. Encourage your children to try the food and be sure to ask them about it.

This year, lunches come in one size (last year's "smaller" size), and cost $4.75 each. Revolution Foods now accepts credit cards! Click on the Revolution Foods logo from the Edna website for ordering instructions. The deadline is 5:00 p.m. each Wednesday for the following week.

Our lunch program is run solely by volunteers, and we can't do it without you! We specifically need volunteers for every other Monday or Wednesday or Friday from 11:20 to 12:20 to help pass out lunches. Please contact Josie Viscardi at jv64@sbcglobal.net if you can help out. For other lunch questions, contact Suzy Slomiak at suzmquz@gmail.com or Lisa Church at churchlady@pacbell.net.

Lice Check Friday, September 18th
Lice check is next Friday, September 18th, at 11:00 a.m. for kindergarten (8:30 a.m. for Room D) and 2:00 p.m. for grades 1 through 5. We need two volunteers per classroom. Please sign up on the sheets outside classroom doors. Don't forget to send your children to school that day with clean, loose hair. In the meantime, if you think your child may have lice, contact Edna parent Joe Locke at jnlocke@hotmail.com and he'll check.

PTA Association Meeting Vote September 11th
Please come to the staff room on Friday, September 11th at 8:30 a.m., so our PTA can vote on the following:

• Should the Edna Maguire PTA support Measure C, the Mill Valley School District bond measure to be voted upon in November 2009?

• Should the Edna Maguire PTA support Measure C by approving allocation of $999 from earned income to Carico Smith Design for the preparation, printing, and/or mailing of campaign literature as designated by the PTA guidelines?

Fundraising Through Amazon.com
Did you know that all of your Amazon.com orders can benefit Edna Maguire School? Amazon.com will give 10 percent of your total purchase back to Edna when placed through this link. Add the link to your bookmarked pages or shop via the Amazon School Rewards logo on ednamaguire.org so a portion of your purchases will go to help our school.

Fundraising Through Book Passage
Shop at Book Passage in Corte Madera and 5 percent of your purchase goes to help the Edna Maguire School Library. At the counter, just mention our school and the cashier will make a note of it. At the end of each fiscal year, Book Passage sends a gift certificate to our librarian, Lisa Monge, to purchase books for the library. For more information, contact Mari Allen at allenmari@hotmail.com.

Thank You Collation Volunteers!
Thank you to our collating angels who put together the first day packets for our families this year: Karen Carr, Meagan Thurman, Katina Kehl, Maria Troucoso-Zamodioi, Mari Allen, Leslie Lewczyk, Hiroko Mary Helmer, Lyra Kelly, Suzanne Alpert, Lauren Snell, Cathy Wilmoth, Barbara Bleckman, Deb Carney, Janie Karp, Kathy Bishop, Lynn Henderson, Jennifer Hollander, Carolyn Preis, Erin Griffis, Chrisitne Freda, Yoni Cassel, Jodi Bricker, Justine Whitehead, and Ronnie Sharpe.

A special thank you to Lyra Kelly, Leslie Fielder and Leslie Lewczyk for organizing the new "Do Not Duplicate" system for siblings. Maybe someday we'll be paper free! 

Thanks for the First Day Coffee
For organizing a fabulous first day coffee, thank you to Karen Olson and her amazing team of volunteers: Michelle Zimmerman, Robert Zimmerman, Karen Carr, Mari Allen, Erin Griffis, Christine delCastillo, Chris Osborn, and Deb Luster. Special thanks to all parents who signed up to help out with a PTA Committee this year. We couldn't do it without you!

Unexcused Absence Information
Regular attendance plays an important role in student achievement. Students who are out of school for unexcused absences are responsible for making up any work missed while away. When planned in advance, teachers will try to provide students with assignments and homework during the absence. However, there are many assignments that cannot be made up and may result in adversely impacting a student's grades.

Students who are out of school due to unexcused absences for more than fifteen (15) consecutive student school days will be removed from their school rolls and must re-enroll with the district upon return.  There can be no guarantee that a student, upon re-enrolling, will return to the school and class from which he or she left.

Kiddo! 2009 Annual Campaign Update
Thank you to the 785 families who have already donated to the 2009 Annual Campaign. Your generous contributions will help us preserve the following important programs for our students at Edna Maguire:

• Art with Jackie LaLanne, Amy Faulkner and Katie Mostert
• K-3rd grade Music with Nora Thomas
• 4th and 5th grade Music with Anna Stearns
• 3rd and 4th grade Chorus with Nora Thomas
• 5th grade Chorus with Jessica Stewart
• 5th grade Band with Cayce Carnahan
• 4th and 5th grade Orchestra with Phoebe Dong
• K, 4th and 5th grade Dance with Alan Scofield
• Poetry Specialists in 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades
• Drama in 2nd and 5th grades
• Library aide
• Classroom aides in multiple rooms
• School technology specialists
• Mobile laptop carts
• Art and music supplies
• Teacher mini-grants

Unfortunately, our family participation rate is only 42 percent, which means that more than 1,000 families have not yet made their Kiddo! donation for this school year. Please help us continue to preserve important programs for our students by making your donation now. The recommended donation is $750 or more per student. Contributions at all levels are appreciated and our goal is 100-percent family participation. Donate online at www.kiddo.org, mail your contribution to Kiddo! at 409 Sycamore Ave., or call the Kiddo! office at 389-7789 to arrange for an installment plan that meets your family's needs. Thank you for helping Mill Valley kids reach their full potential!

Kiddo! Business Campaign. Do you have a local business? Help our schools and get some exposure to the nearly 2,000 families in our district by becoming a business partner. You can sponsor your child's classroom, school or the district. Contact Business Campaign chairperson Becky Houha for more details at becky.houha@comcast.net or call the Kiddo! office at 389-7792.

Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival. Come to the Mill Valley Arts Festival in Old Mill Park September 19th and 20th and stop by the Kiddo! food booth for some coffee, pizza and snacks. If you'd like to volunteer to work at the booth, contact Kiddo! volunteer coordinator Wendy Johnson at wrjohnson67@gmail.com or 531-5311.

Shop for the Arts in our Schools. Last year Kiddo! and Mill Valley Schools received nearly $80,000 from eScrip contributions. This program costs you nothing! If you are already signed up, you must renew your grocery loyalty cards (like Safeway) and update your credit and debit card information by October 31st in order for your purchases to continue generating rebates. Just fill out and return the bright green 2009 Shop-4-Kids Sign-Up & Renewal Form that was in your first day packets and is available at the front office or go on line at eScrip.com to enroll or update your information. Our goal is 100-percent parent participation. Remember that grandparents, relatives and friends can also register with eScrip.

Bungalow 44 BBQ and Outdoor Music Party. Sunday, September 13th, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. Great music provided by Tim Hockenberry, Timmy 2 Times and the All Star Band. The music is free and food is available for purchase. For more info call 381-2500.

Mill Valley School District Bond: Measure C Vote on November 3rd
Mill Valley is fortunate to have some of the best elementary and middle schools in the state. A critical element in maintaining our excellent educational quality is providing our teachers and students with safe, modern schools in which to teach, learn and thrive.

However, the majority of our schools are now between 50 and 100 years old and are in need of significant modernization. Making piecemeal and temporary repairs to the aging classrooms and buildings is no longer cost-effective. The school district has spent the past two years studying the current and future facility needs.

On November 3rd, Mill Valley voters will have the opportunity to approve a bond to fund Phase 1 of the Mill Valley School District's Facilities Master Plan. Measure C would upgrade and modernize our elementary schools to address critical safety and capacity issues, including:

• Updating aging and outdated fire safety and emergency communication systems
• Repairing and replacing leaking roofs and windows
• Providing sufficient classroom space for all students and teachers
• Repairing and replacing aging plumbing and electrical systems
• Improving access for the disabled, as required by law

Please learn more about this important measure by visiting www.SafeModernMVSchools.org or contact your school's field representatives: Ronnie Sharpe at ronnie@tadpolephotography.com or Tim Peters at tjpeters99@gmail.com.

Please also make sure you're registered to vote and that your registration is current. Deadline to register is October 19th. Call the Marin County Registrar at 499-6456.

It Takes a Village Special Education PTA

Parent Coffee
Friday, September 11th, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., 900 Ventura

Our coffees provide a chance for parents of children with learning differences to share information and support each other. Please join us. If you have questions, please contact Pam Sowerby at psowerby@comcast.net or 380-9680.

Speaker Event: David Flink: "Project Eye to Eye – Learning Outside the Lines"
Wednesday, September 16 (note date change)
6:15 p.m. meet and greet; 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. program
MVMS Multi-Media Room, 411 Sycamore

David Flink, Executive Director of Project Eye to Eye, will address how mentorship through art can empower students who learn differently to realize their full potential. Project Eye to Eye is a national program where high school students with learning differences act as tutors, role models and mentors for elementary and middle school students with similar issues. Mr. Flink will be joined by students from local high schools who have participated in the program.

Playgroup is Back! Strawberry Point School
Our playgroup is a great chance for kids with learning differences to build relationships with coaching from parents. Check our website for general information. To confirm schedule or to check weather cancellations, contact Strawberry Point parent Mark McGahan at markmcgahan1@mac.com or 306-3463.

Community Connection

Join Girl Scouts Today!
Through Girl Scouts, girls build character, gain self-esteem, serve their communities and have fun! Kindergarten through third grade girls and their parents are invited to a Popcorn and PJ Party/Girl Scout information meeting on September 22nd from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Scout Hall, 177 E. Blithedale Ave. The girls can wear their pajamas and bring a favorite stuffed animal for games, crafts and to learn about Girl Scouts. A new Kindergarten/first grade troop is forming! Contact Laurie Mandigo-Stoba (Skye's mom from Room A) at stoba3@comcast.net or 384-0331. If you are interested in being in a troop, would like more information, or would like to start a new troop, contact Jennifer Oreste at jenoreste@pacbell.net or 388-7938 or Sheryl Graab  in the Girl Scout council office at 1-800-447-4475 ext. 118.

Mill Valley Public Library welcomes you back to school!
It was a great summer, thanks to all of you who unplugged yourselves and participated in our wildly successful summer reading program. September is New Library Card Sign-up Month, time to get your first library card and a special gift.