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This Week! Donate to the Food Drive for MDUSD HOPE Food Pantry

Please help us collect nonperishable “Open and Eat” food items for the MDUSD HOPE Food Pantry. The Food Pantry provides food to many families in need within our school district. 

Drop off your items in the collection bins in front of the school office from Monday April 16 thru Friday April 20.

Items needed include:

• Juice Boxes, Capri Suns
• Bottled Water
• Granola Bars
• Raisins
• Cookies
• Breakfast Bars
• Pop Tarts
• Fruit Rollups or Fruit Snacks
  
• Peanut Butter or Cheese Crackers
• Jerky
• Trail Mix
• Nuts
• Fruit or Pudding Cups
• Cup-A-Noodles
• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Instant Soups
• Instant Mac & Cheese
• Hot Chocolate Packet (just add water)
• Instant Oatmeal Packet (just add water)
• Tuna/Crackers (ready to eat containers)

Canned foods are also welcome, but as some families lack access to kitchens, so please focus on “Open and Eat” items. 

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Planning Meeting for Small World, Big Dreams:

Walnut Acres' First International Festival

Parents, would you like to get involved in Walnut Acres' first ever International Festival? The event will take place on Friday, June 1 from 5-7pmat Walnut Acres. We are holding an initial planning meeting at the benches in front of the school office on this Friday, April 20th from 1:30-2:30pm. 

We need enthusiastic family ambassadors to represent various countries. Choose a country that is part of your own family’s heritage or just a part of the world that you admire. We would love to have many countries and cultures represented!  This is an opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity that exists at Walnut Acres and spark curiosity about the wider world.

Go to: International Festival to sign up. Please contact Jenny Kim for more information at smallworldbigdreamsforkids@gmail.com.

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Parent Volunteer Appreciation Event at Sing-out on April 25th - 8:00 am

The Walnut Acres staff would like to thank parent volunteers for supporting Walnut Acres Elementary School.  The celebration will be part of the Trustworthiness Sing-out on Wednesday, 4/25, at 8:00 am. and again at 8:30 am. (Our second event may start a tad later since we are adding to our usual 30 minute assembly.)

Every parent who ever volunteered in a classroom, on a field trip, or from home, who worked in some capacity to raise money for school programs or personnel, who opened car doors at drop-off or student thermoses at lunch: You are invited to be recognized and officially thanked by the staff, teachers, and students of Walnut Acres. We hope you will join us as our community celebrates your spirit of volunteerism! 

If you are ready to be part of next year's PFC team, complete this PFC Volunteer Surveyand let us know where you'd like to get involved!

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Soul Shoppe Parent Workshop Wednesday, April 25, 9:30-10:15am

“What’s in your balloon? Reinforcing Soul Shoppe Lessons at Home”  

Parents are invited to learn more about the Soul Shoppe social emotional learning concepts that we are sharing with our students here at Walnut Acres. 

• Hear about Walnut Acres’ initiatives to support social emotional learning.
• Learn about ”the balloon” as an analogy for holding negative emotions
• Learn to support your child in coping with difficult feelings in a healthy way
• Help your child learn to stand up for themselves and be a “SuperAlly” to others
• Share what’s working for you and hear what other parents are doing at home.

This Parent Workshop will be facilitated by our school counselor, Joanne Finn on 
Wednesday, April 25, 9:30-10:15 am (after the April Sing Out).

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Curtains Up Youth Theater Camp, “Summer Magic,” June 18 - July 21

CUYT presents “Summer Magic,” a musical story that connects three great scenes from three great musicals. The production is open to students who have completed 2nd-5th grades at the end of the 2017-18 school year. Camp runs from June 18 through July 21 on Monday-Friday afternoons from 2:00 - 4:30 pm. (No camp June 29 - July 6.) Performances will be at 7:00 pm on July 20, and 21. Auditions will be held on June 11 and 12. For further information go to the PFC website or click here.

The Mt. Diablo Unified School District Community Speakers Series will present School Readiness with First 5 Contra Costa on 4/18/18 at 6:00 p.m. atRiverview Middle School. Families are invited to attend and learn how to prepare for that first day of kindergarten, and how they can make the day as smooth and enjoyable as possible for little ones new to school. Parents and guardians will get expert advice on how to establish positive pre-school activities and routines at home to support their child’s success in school. Experts will also have tips for that important first-day “goodbye.”

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PEAK & Forma Gym Join Forces to Help You Get Fit!  

Forma Gym is continuing to help support Walnut Acres Elementary via PEAK Education Foundation by offering a special gym membership initiation rate of just $49 (normally $199) and they are then donating this $49 back to PEAK. As the host of the annual Walnut Creek Turkey Trot, Forma Gym has been supporting PEAK Education Foundation for many years. At it's March meeting, Forma Gym presented PEAK with a check from the 2017 Turkey Trot for $15,000! Forma Gym offers over 100 classes a week, has an outdoor swimming pool with water aerobics plus excellent childcare services. For more details, contact Forma Gym. 

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Join Common Sense Kids Action and their Annual Kid’s Day of Action -  April 23 in Sacramento
This year. Common Sense Kids is teaming up with MomsRising for a fun-filled, kid centered kickoff on the Capitol steps - followed by legislator visits. If interested in advocating for kids with CSKidsAction please fill out this form.

Also, if you are new to advocacy and would like to learn more in advance of the day - we will be hosting an Advocacy 101 training - open to all.

Common Sense Kids Action works with policymakers, business leaders, and other advocates across the nation to ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed. Last year, in California we fought to protect immigrant families from being split up by unnecessary deportations, we fought to expand paid-family leave, and to incorporate tests for early childhood trauma into Medi-cal's developmental screenings. California's legislative session is ramping up - and we are excited to share our priority legislation soon - in the meantime we are working to grow our parent army to demand all kids have a chance to thrive.

Join with parents, educators and advocates from across California on APRIL 23 and receive the training you need to share your concerns and important voice on behalf of kids and their families!