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Warm Wishes this Holiday Season
from your PTA Co-Presidents
Wishing you and yours the best of holiday seasons and a bright and healthy 2009! Thank you, thank you for your energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and continued support. The staff, administration, and all the wonderful families of Edna Maguire make our school such a magical place!
All the best,
Katrina and Leslie
Pajama Day is This Friday
This Friday, December 19th, students and teachers will wear their pajamas to school. What better way to welcome winter break?
Winter Holiday Assembly
This year's winter holiday assembly is set for Friday, December 19th, at 11:00 a.m. in the multipurpose room. Come see your kids sing their hearts out to some favorite holiday songs.
Hot Lunch Update
Revolution Foods had a food tasting last week with some of Edna's third, fourth and fifth grade students. The kids tasted chicken noodle soup, cheese tortellini, and the new pasta with parmesan before completing surveys about the food. All three items got great reviews! The January menu is available online now, and it includes pasta with parmesan and the popular Chicken Caesar salad. Please click here to place your orders, make sure your account is up to date, and support the PTA hot lunch program.
Calling All Dads!
January 3rd Beautification and Clean-up
Looking for a way to volunteer at Edna that doesn't conflict with your workweek? Come be a huge help to our school and have a great time meeting other Edna dads!
We need a few good men (actually lots of good men would be even better!) to give the school a sprucing up on Saturday, January 3rd. From 9:00 a.m. to noon, VP of Beautification Bruce Berlinger will lead a group to:
- power wash the campus
- clean classroom windows
- clean trash cans and around trash areas
- paint parking lot curbs
- plant the area by the back parking lot
- clean up and remove leaves
All the necessary equipment will be provided as well as some fortifying snacks. We need YOUR brawn to help keep this wonderful school looking great. If you can help work the power tools, please contact Bruce at bruceberlinger@yahoo.com.
Winter Party Ideas from the Nutrition and Wellness Committee
We would like to thank all parents for their fabulous efforts to keep all Edna kids healthy. This ranges from refraining from snack and lunch items with nuts (you've all been doing great!) and addressing lice issues promptly and thoroughly, to keeping sick kids home from school and reminding children to wash their hands well, especially during cold and flu season! Before the year is over, we want to pass along some great ideas for healthy snacks (pdf) for class winter holiday parties. We hope these are helpful to you!
Songs for Lara
“Songs for Lara” is a beautiful, professionally recorded CD with music sung by Edna third grader Maia Ciambriello. It is a fundraiser for Maia's friend Lara Akmehmet, who is fighting leukemia. The CD is available for purchase in the front office.
Garden Work Day Kudos
Last week's garden work day was a big success. Thank you volunteers Yoni Cassell, Pam Takahama, Rich Ross, Jill Anderson, Katrina Kehl, and the many Edna kids and four Tam High students who helped weed, spread wood chips, amend the pumpkin patch, and repair the tool shed roof. Thanks also to Ken Campbell for repairing an unused worm bin to double our composting capacity. Whole Foods once again provided coffee, juice, bagels, pastries, cookies and other goodies. Thanks to everyone for coming out and moving the garden forward.
Shop and Support Edna Too
The holidays are upon us, but there are still a few shopping days left. You can support Edna Maguire by shopping at the following retailers:
- Amazon.com, through this link or by using the Amazon button on our website, will give up to 10 percent to Edna
- Book Passage will donate a percent of sales when you tell the cashier you'd like to support Edna Maguire School
- Kids Konserve will give 10 percent to Edna Maguire (select our school from the drop-down menu upon checkout)
- Don't forget to order your Lands' End Spirit Wear!
It's not just for the holidays – these retailers will support our school all year!
Terrific Tuesday
This week's Terrific Tuesday is at Pizza Antica. Come join your friends for a delicious dinner and support Edna Maguire.
On December 16th, Pizza Antica in Strawberry Village will donate 20 percent of your dining bill to our school. Just tell your waiter you are with our school and be sure to write Edna Maguire on your restaurant bill.
January PTA Agenda
Come to the PTA Association and Executive Board meeting on January 7th from 8:40 to 10:00 a.m. in the Teachers' Lounge. The meeting agenda is posted on the PTA section of the website. The meeting minutes from the December meeting will be posted on the PTA section of the website soon.
Holiday Food Drive
This holiday season Edna Maguire is helping The Marin Community Food Bank to donate much-needed food supplies to the community. Please donate one or more of the highly needed items shown in the list below. You can leave donations in the barrels in the front office all this week. Food recipients include families with children, seniors, and shut-ins; seniors and shut-ins appreciate any artwork that your child might want to draw on the paper bags.
- Canned green beans and corn
- Rice and stuffing mix
- Canned peaches and mixed fruit
- Dried fruit and nuts
- Canned meats: tuna, chicken, ham, and salmon
- Canned chili, pork and beans, soups, and stews
- Macaroni and cheese
- Spaghetti and canned spaghetti sauce
- Cereal and dry milk
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Rice and dry beans
- Canned vegetables and fruits
- Canned juices, tea bags, and ground coffee
- Paper bags with two handles and clean egg cartons
It Takes a Village Special Education PTA
www.itavmv.org
Speaker Event: "Encouraging an Engaged Learning Style: A Developmental Look at Executive Functioning"
Thursday, January 8th, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at the MVMS Library
Karen Seekamp and Patricia Holden will speak on one of our most popular topics of the year: understanding Executive Functioning needs from elementary through high school. Executive Functioning issues include difficulty with planning, organizing, and managing time and space. They also affect one's ability to pay attention to and remember details. While the brain continues to mature and develop connections well into adulthood, many students can benefit from strategies that can be implemented now. Karen and Patricia will discuss these strategies and more!
This educational program is provided in collaboration with the Mill Valley School District PTA and It Takes a Village Special Education PTA.
Parent Coffee
Friday, January 16th, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., 186 Corte Madera Dr.
Parents of children with learning differences face many challenges. These coffees provide a chance for parents to share information and support each other. Please join us at the home of Tam Valley parent Erica Kelly. If you have questions, please contact Erica at 381-8866 or erica.kelly@gmail.com.
Thanks to Dedication to Special Education!
Dedication to Special Education is an organization that raises money for special education in Marin County. It recently announced grants to Colleen Cavin, a District occupational therapist, for handwriting materials and to Teri Hagan, an Edna resource teacher, for a computer and software. Congratulations to Colleen and Teri. Also, check out Dedication to Special Education's raffle at www.specialed.org. Tickets are $20 each and the grand prize is a Toyota Prius! |
