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Pledge Packets are Due
Have you turned in your Steeplechase Pledge Packet? Don't wait… do it now!
Steeplechase is the only Edna Maguire PTA Fundraiser for the Year!
The Steeplechase campaign ends this Friday. Please turn your packets into the office or your child's teacher as soon as possible and help your child's class reach their 100-percent participation goal. You can Make a Difference this year! Thank you for supporting Edna Maguire School.
Here are some terrific photos of Steeplechase and the Steeplechase pep rally.
A Message from Lisa Stapp
"Thank you Janie Karp, Justine Corey-Whitehead, the PTA, and the entire Edna Maguire community for remembering my daughter, Shevaun Rose, with this year's Steeplechase. My family and I are so appreciative of this loving tribute and your warm support."
– Lisa Stapp, Room B Kindergarten Teacher
Fall Harvest Festival and Chili Cook-Off
The Fall Harvest Festival is this Sunday, November 8th from noon to 4:00 p.m. It's an old-fashioned harvest festival with a pumpkin and gourd sculpture contest, wreath making, potion creation station, pie eating contest, and much more. Come help judge the chili cook-off, play some games, and have an amazing time while supporting the Children's Garden! There will be food from Grilly's and a bake shop too.
Operation Coffee Club
Join us for our second Operation Coffee Club at drop-off on Friday, November 6th in front of the Main Office. From 8:15 to 8:45 a.m., you can enjoy a free cup of coffee provided by Green Beans Coffee and contribute to Cup Of Joe For A Joe.
For just $2.00, you can give a deployed member of our armed forces a little taste of home. Cup Of Joe for a Joe gives everyone an opportunity to express their support for our men and women in uniform by buying a cup of premium organic coffee and having it delivered with a personalized message of thanks to a soldier serving overseas. For Every Cup of Joe order, Green Beans Coffee will donate 20 percent back to Edna Maguire.
Due to very limited parking on campus, consider coming early and taking a nice morning stroll with your child. There is plenty of parking in the Rite Aid/Whole Foods lot and at the far end of Lomita. For more information, contact Mari Allen or Karen Olson.
Halloween Candy Drive for Soldiers in Iraq
Bring your extra Halloween candy to school this Friday, November 6th. All donated candy will be sent to Army soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Your extra lollipops and chocolate bars will surely brighten the day for our brave troops! Look for donation tables at the front and back parking lots on Friday before and after school. Green Beans Coffee has offered to ship all of the candy for us at no cost! If you have any questions or would like to help collect donations, please contact Karen Olson.
The Lost and Found Rack has Reached Critical Mass!
The trusty rack by the front office is groaning under the weight of too many lost jackets. There are also three racks of unlabeled, unclaimed items in the multipurpose room! Please come look through the racks to collect any items you have lost.
As of October 28th, there were labeled items in the green bin by the front office that belong to the following families: Ames, Asch, Batroff, Carney, Chai (two jackets) Cohen, Colson, Dunne, Freda, Friedman, Gilmore (three jackets), Lieser, Nanola, Newell, Noa, and Talkoff. Come collect your items!
Edna the Beautiful
This Saturday, November 7th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon is the Fall Campus Cleanup, sponsored by the kindergarten class. We need a hand from families in all grades to help get the school ready for Edna's Fall Harvest Festival on Sunday! Bring the whole family; there are jobs for everyone. Snacks will be served. Contact Laura Figueirinhas for more information.
Third Grade Sponsored Garden Work Day This Saturday
November's Garden Workday is also scheduled for Saturday, November 7 from 9 a.m. to noon and is being sponsored by the Third Grade. Everyone is welcome but we hope third graders and their parents make an extra effort to come out and support the garden. As always, everyone is encouraged to participate; no gardening experience necessary. Tasks include getting the garden ready for the Fall Harvest Festival, weeding, adding compost and soil to the beds, mulching the beds and the orchard, repairing the greenhouse, amending the soil, repairing irrigation lines, organizing the tool shed, and much more. Whole Foods will provide plenty of refreshments and breakfast snacks. Questions: contact Saor Stetler.
Book Fair News: Taking Flight With Books
Mark your calendars for our annual Book Fair, November 16th through 19th! All proceeds from this year's Book Fair will benefit our school library. We need your help and support to make this a success. Decorating starts today, and we'll be unloading the books on Tuesday, November 10th.
On Thursday and Friday, November 12th and 13th, students will visit the book fair and prepare their wish lists. Then the Book Fair opens Monday, November 16th, and runs through Thursday, November 19th. Daily hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Monday, November 16th is opening day! Teachers' preview is from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
At 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17th, join us for morning snacks and the Lafayette Book Store Book Chat! We'll get recommendations on great adult books and current bestsellers, then children's librarians Lisa Monge and Jessica Ryan will discuss their top picks in children's books.
On Wednesday, November 18th, Mill Valley Children's Librarian Naima Dean will visit students in kindergarten through second grade to read books available at our Book Fair.
On Thursday, November 19th, local author and illustrator M. Sarah Klise (Regarding the Fountain, Dying to Meet You) will hold three assemblies geared to kids in third through fifth grades.
The Book Fair Evening Café is Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., and features Scott Ellison, photographer of the North Bay Farmers Markets Cookbook and brother of our own Shana Stewart! Scott will be signing copies of the cookbook during the evening. The café will be open from 5:00 to 7:00, and the Fair will remain open until 8:00. Join us for dinner at the Cafe before shopping for books at the Fair.
Finally, you can pre-order your copy of John Flanagan's newest addition to his Ranger Series, Erak's Ransom. Click here to download the form.
Questions? Contact Mari Allen.
Book Collection at the Book Fair
The fourth graders in Edna's Girl Scout Troop 30453 will be collecting gently used children's books to benefit The Children's Book Project, which provides free books to children in the San Francisco area. The collection will take place during the Book Fair. Please consider donating a book or two – no adult books, please. We appreciate your help and generosity!
We Want Your Measure C Lawn Signs!
With the election almost over, the PTA is collecting lawn signs to use for future projects and events around school. For a week beginning this Wednesday, November 4th, you can drop off signs in the box in front of the office. Don't spend the rest of November looking out the window at your lawn signs – let Edna PTA reduce, reuse and recycle! Contact Ronnie Sharp for more information.
Election Day Tomorrow
Your Vote Counts! Polling Places Open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Election Day is tomorrow, November 3rd, and 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 middle and elementary schools to address critical safety and capacity issues. Please learn more about this important measure by visiting www.SafeModernMVSchools.org. And please remember to vote!
Attention Vote by Mail Voters. The deadline for the Registrar of Voters to receive your voted ballot is 8:00 p.m. on November 3rd. You may return your ballot in person to any polling place in Marin County on Election Day, or to the Registrar of Voters' Office, 3501 Civic Center Drive, Room 121, San Rafael, CA 94903.
A Big Thank You From the Nutrition and Wellness Committee
Thank you to everyone – teachers, room parents, and Edna families – for making such a great effort to provide healthy treats for the classroom Halloween parties. We'd also like to thank everyone for keeping to our Nut Alert Policy at Edna.
Check out 10 Steps to Creating a Healthy and Fun Lunch.
Nurturing Tolerance
During November and December, schools throughout the District will focus on the core values of tolerance and respect for others. Here is an article on ways parents can nurture tolerance and respect differences, written by our elementary counselor, Claudia Trinklein-Engman.
It Takes a Village Special Education PTA
Speaker Event:
Jeffrey Leiken, MA: "From the Back of Their Head to the Center of Their World: Being the Rare Adult That Youth Will Listen To"
Thursday, November 5th, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Mill Valley Middle School Multi-Media Room, 411 Sycamore
Professional Counselor, Jeffrey Leiken, M.A., will discuss how following common wisdom can lead to fundamental errors that contribute to a disconnect between parents and their children. He will offer provocative insights on what doesn't work and why, and what does work and how to do it! Mr. Leiken will provide practical actions that can be implemented immediately to deepen the bond between parents and children. This education event for parents is presented by It Takes a Village in collaboration with the Mill Valley PTA Council.
Parent Coffee
Friday, November 13th, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
8 Eagle Rock Road, Mill Valley
Parents of children with learning differences face many challenges. Our coffees provide a chance for parents to share information and support each other. Please join us. If you have questions, please contact parent, Sara Iqbal, 381-5817.
Annual Holiday Appreciation Party
Wednesday, December 9th, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley
Mill Valley's special education staff members will be the guests of honor. Parents and children from all of the District's schools are invited to attend and support our teachers. We will have lots of food and beverages. Please come and enjoy!
Mill Valley Middle School Tour for Parents of 5th Graders
December 11th, 8:45 a.m.
Mill Valley Middle School, 411 Sycamore
The Mill Valley Middle School ITAV tour will introduce parents to how the resource centers work. Parents are encouraged to call and make a reservation if they want to attend (389-7711 ext. 2800).
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
November News from the Mill Valley Public Library
The 2009 Bookmark Design Contest winners are now on view at the Library! Congratulations to our winners and thanks to all the amazing artists who submitted designs and to everyone who voted for their favorites. Five beautiful new bookmarks will be available in mid-November. Come by and pick up your own set of these cool, collectible masterpieces.
Have you tried HelpNow? It's our live, on-demand, online tutoring service for students in grades 3 through 12, available from public computers in the library or from your home computer.
DIY Holidays – Make holiday greeting cards, ornaments, laminated bookmarks, and more. Drop into the Creekside Room on Wednesday afternoons in December at 3:30 p.m. for seasonal stories, hot apple cider, and a place to get in touch with your creative side. All ages, no advance sign-up required.
Coming soon: Children's Winter Break Film Festival. Don't miss our FREE family movies and popcorn in the Creekside Room during Winter Recess. Films screen Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, December 21-23 and 28-30. Check our website for complete listings.
Richardson Bay Audubon Center
In November and December, The Richardson Bay Audubon Center has some wonderful family programs, including a Green Holidays craft project on November 14th, the Restoration Work Day on November 21st, and a Welcome Winter Birds program on December 5th. For more information, visit the Weekend and Family Programs section of their website. | 
