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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING
A Letter from Lisa Zimmer
Dear Family,
The school year is off to a wonderful start! I enjoyed seeing all of you who came to Back to School Night. Thank you to our teachers who spent many hours preparing for this annual event. Please stay connected to our website for updated school information, our weekly Pony Express newsletter, school calendar of events, lunch ordering information, and much more.
The teachers are hard at work creating classroom websites to be launched in late October. We couldn’t have done it without Jason Snell, our parent volunteer “tech extraordinaire” who has spent countless hours training our teachers and getting this set up.
Our annual International Potluck was a great way to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Many thanks to organizer Amy Sherman and all of the volunteers, including Edna parent Patrick Siu and the students at West America Tae Kwon Do for their terrific demonstration.
Take a moment to stop by our garden if you haven’t already. Students are enjoying fresh-picked snacks and exploring Edna’s extraordinary outdoor learning environment. Thank you to Saor Stetler, our parent volunteer garden coordinator, for all the work he does to manage such a large classroom! He has the help of many dedicated parents and teachers, but we couldn’t do it without him.
Our school’s Thursday afternoon Farmer’s Markets are a huge success. Last week’s market brought in $391! Thanks to everyone who helped harvest, cook, juice, and work the tables: Mr. Stachon's class, Mari and Thomas Allen, Ms. Morgan's class, Stirling Somers, Karen Olson, Yoni Cassel, Lori Fineman, Jody Branham, Lisa Joss, and Lisa Santos.
Edna would not be such an incredible place without all of the parent volunteers. You are much appreciated; and there are so many ways to help! Please contact Val Wynn at howval@comcast.net if interested.
Our school will be working with Next Generation this year, who will conduct eco activities and work with staff to provide assemblies, interactive lessons, and field trips about environmental issues. Our first assembly will be Wednesday, September 24th at 10:15 a.m. and will remind our students to rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot! Next Generation will be at Edna every Thursday to work with students, staff, and our Green Team.
The Cool the Earth Campaign to reduce our carbon footprint will be starting with a kick-off assembly Friday, October 3rd at 11:00 a.m.
The Measure A Campaign is off to a great start. To find out more about this effort to Keep Mill Valley Schools Great, contact Dan Kelly at dkelly@hbblaw.com.
Steeplechase, our school fundraiser, is on October 17th, and the Edna Maguire Mustangs will be off and running! Our goal this year is to raise $125,000 to fund teacher wish lists, classroom funds, grade level funds, and 60 laptop computers. The kick-off pep rally is scheduled for Friday, September 26th (more info below).
It’s a pleasure to know and work with all of you,
Lisa Zimmer
Principal, Edna Maguire Elementary
Lara Day
Heartwarming doesn’t even begin to describe the outpouring of support, hope and love witnessed at Lara Day, the bone marrow donor drive held September 13 for Lara, a first grader at our school who was diagnosed with leukemia.
At the event, more than 700 people registered to be potential donors. This number is apparently unheard of! We also raised approximately $30,000 to sponsor the lab processing fees. Some great pictures of the event are posted on our website.
Thank you Lisa Zimmer and Laura Marks, Lara’s kindergarten teacher, who were on hand the entire day and have supported Lara and her family all summer. Kudos to the numerous other teachers at our school who came to be tested, and to Judith Barry in particular who helped cheek swab when things got extra busy!
Many Edna parent volunteers were also there in full force! Thanks especially to Denise and Mark Steele, Kristen Silmore, Val Wynn, Rena Chase, Laura Gooden, Kate Sergueev, Kusum, Christine Del Castillo, Jewel McSwain, Jody Branham, Carlos Fretes, and Tawnya Napoli. A big thanks to Stacy Ciauri, Cheryl Reiss, Barbara Zamost, and Shawn Marshall for helping publicize the event. And finally, thanks to everyone who ordered pizza at Stefano’s in support of Lara Day, enabling Stefano’s to contribute $500 toward the drive’s lab costs.
Now we wait, as the lab tests will take four to six weeks to be processed. From the smile on Lara’s face when she was presented with all the cards that children and their parents made for her at the event, to the tears of gratitude on the cheeks of her parents when they heard about how many people came together to try and help Lara, we know that by being a part of Lara Day you have truly made a difference!
Hot Lunch Update: Pizza Coming in October!
The PTA hot lunch program with Revolution Foods is in full swing. Starting in October, we will have some new menu items: pizza, franks-n-beans, and sesame chicken salad. The ordering deadline is 5:00 p.m. each Wednesday for the following week, so you can make changes on a weekly basis. You can access the Revolution Foods website from the Edna homepage, then click on the Revolution Foods Logo. Please contact Kathy Sonderby at ksonderby@yahoo.com to request the access code. Complete ordering instructions can be found here. Make checks payable to Edna PTA and drop them off in the office with your child(ren)’s name and room number in the memo field. Please support the hot lunch program!
PTA and Emergency Preparedness Funds
We urge all parents to join the PTA! Almost all of the $7 per parent cost of an annual membership is spent right here at Edna. The PTA pays for emergency preparedness supplies (including water, food, first aid supplies, and blankets) for all children at Edna. Please donate $5 for Emergency Supplies for each child in your family. If you are unclear as to what you have already purchased on your One Stop Form, contact Kathy Bishop at kathy.bishop@gmail.com. Our school relies on this money to fund many important programs, events and supplies. Please send in your One Stop Forms today.
Steeplechase Pep Rally: Mustangs on the Move!
Come out and rally for Steeplechase! Everyone’s invited to the multipurpose room on Friday, September 26th at 11:30 a.m. for grade-level cheering, a skit, and a boost of school spirit. Wear your old Steeplechase t-shirts or anything green and white. It’ll be a ton of fun!
Did You Know?
Did you know that many companies have a matching program for when their employees make a charitable donation? The Edna Maguire PTA is a tax-exempt organization. Make your donation dollars go further by checking to see if your company will match your Steeplechase donation. For Edna’s tax ID, contact Katrina Kehl at kkehl@pacbell.net.
International Potluck
At the International Potluck, Edna families enjoyed an impressive selection of family recipes from around the world and listened to Drew Pratt's great music. Many of us, big and small, came home decorated with Hajara's gorgeous henna tattoos.
The courtyard looked wonderful thanks to Jennifer Oreste, teacher Kate Sprague, and the interior courtyard classes. Thank you Claudia von Welczek, Jamie Passot, Erin Griffis, Tracy Ginther, Marie Cardinal, Katie, Steve, Max Perkoff, Joung Yoon, Leslie Fielder, Pat our custodian, Lisa Zimmer, Katrina Kehl, and Leslie Lewczyk. The Edna spirit was strong and so many people came together for a great start to our year.
Garden Kudos
Thank you to Bruce Cardinal and his crew, who were in the garden again clearing space and installing new drip irrigation. We now have two more areas (around the bird baths and in Ms. Zimmer’s literature garden) that no longer need manual watering!
Big thanks to all of the generous Edna parents who support the garden-to-market effort, particularly to Lisa Santos for organizing the events. Anyone interested in participating, especially cooks and bakers who can prepare items for sale, please contact Lisa at lsantos@rightnowconsulting.com.
Book Fair Volunteer Meeting
Help out at a favorite annual fundraising event by unloading books, working cash registers, decorating the venue, or reviewing books. This year's Book Fair, sponsored by Lafayette Books, will run from November 17th to 20th. Any time you can spare before, during, and/or after the event will be appreciated. To find out more, please attend our first Book Fair Volunteer meeting on Friday, October 3rd at 8:45 a.m. in the multipurpose room.
If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to volunteer, or have any questions, please contact Book Fair Chairs Mari Allen at allenmari@hotmail.com or Jessica Ryan at jessicaryan3@hotmail.com.
Edna FAQ’s about Fundraising
We’ve prepared answers to some frequently asked questions about the fundraising that goes on in the school and the district. If you have additional questions, please contact Katrina Kehl at kkehl@pacbell.net or Leslie Lewczyk at lesliepta@gmail.com.
Safe Routes to School
Edna Maguire’s goal this year is to encourage all students and their families to bike, walk, or carpool to school! This will help the environment and reduce traffic in the area. Please join us in celebrating International “Walk n’ Roll to School Day” on October 8th, when we will join 40 countries and millions of people in this effort.
Safe Routes to Schools is looking for volunteers willing to organize meeting points for neighbors to walk and bike together and to help lead groups. Please contact Rhonda Campbell at rhonda@kcfilm.net or Lisa Gilmore at lgilmore@iapsf.com.
PTA Meeting Minutes Available
September’s PTA Executive Board and Association Meeting minutes and agenda are available on the Edna website. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Katrina Kehl at kkehl@pacbell.net.
It Takes a Village, Special Education PTA
“Overview of Mill Valley School District Special Education Programs”
Speaker: Dr. Kerri Mills
Thursday, October 2, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. (new date)
District Office, 411 Sycamore
Dr. Kerri Mills, Assistant Superintendent, will speak about Mill Valley School District’s special education programs. Stay tuned for more details.
Girl Scout Informational Meeting Date Change
The informational meeting for Girl Scouting has changed to October 14th. Please come learn more about the Girl Scouts at Scout Hall. You can also contact Jennifer Oreste at jenoreste@pacbell.net or 388-7938 for more information.
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