Enews- January 11, 2018

Post date: Jan 11, 2018 9:40:34 PM

What's Happening at Walnut Acres - January 11, 2018

And, check out the Community Announcements section at the bottom

Mark Your Calendars!

Jan 12: Last Chance! Complete the Walnut Acres Parent Survey

Jan 15: MLK Holiday - NO SCHOOL

Jan 16: PFC Meeting, 7 pm, Library

Jan 31 - Feb 2: Science Fair

Feb 5: TK/Kinder Registration Info Night, 6 pm, MUR

Feb 6: TK/K Registration

Feb 7: 1st-5th Grade Registration

Feb 12: Teacher In-Service Day - NO SCHOOL

Feb 14: Sing Out, 8 am, MUR

Feb 19: Presidents' Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL

Feb 19: Start of Online Auction

For the PFC Key Dates Calendar 2017-18, click here

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Please complete the annual Walnut Acres Parent Survey by this Friday, January 12th

Each year Mt. Diablo seeks input from parents in order to evaluate relationships among students, parents, and school staff. The data isused at the district level to assess needs, so your input matters! Results will also be reviewed by Walnut Acres staff, School Site Council, and our Safety Committee as we analyze our successes and challenges leading to next year’s goals.

By this Friday, please go to the California School Parent Survey to complete the anonymous 15-minute survey. You are welcome to request a pencil-paper copy of the survey from the office if you prefer.

However you choose to participate, we encourage you to complete the survey so that the data we collect will include YOUR PERSPECTIVE!

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Winter After School Enrichment ClassesEnrollment for the Fall Enrichment Classes is now open. Enrichment classes are held after school hours and are available on a first come/first serve basis for Walnut Acres students, grade K – 5. All registration is by mail directly to the class vendors.

Classes offered this Winter Session:

Monday: Black Dragon Chess (Grades 1-5), January 8-March 26

Wednesday: Basketball (Grades 1-5), January 24-March 28

Thursday: One on One Sports Dodgeball (Grades 1 - 5), January 25-March 29

Friday: Sarah’s Science - Toyology (Grades 1 - 4), January 26-March 23

Go to the Enrichment Page of the PFC website for more details.

Questions? Please email Kristen Gray at enrichment@walnutacrespfc.net.

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Got Aluminum Cans and Plastic Bottles?

NEXT WEEK, January 16-19th, at morning drop-off, we are collecting CRV-labeled aluminum cans and plastic bottles. No need to get out of your car - just hand us the bag (or open your trunk for us) as you go through the drive thru!

Every first week of the month, we will collect CRV beverage containers (please, no glass) from you as you drop your child off at school. Recycled materials will be exchanged for cash at a recycling center and the proceeds will be used for playground supplies, and for Walnut Acres Recycling Club supplies and activities.

Drive Thru and Drop Off every morning January 16-19th!

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Science Fair Volunteers Needed

Join the Walnut Acres students as they embark on a fun scientific adventure! We need parent volunteers to help with set-up, check-in of projects, judging, and clean-up.

Our greatest need is for volunteers to judge the projects. All it involves is talking to the students about their projects and asking a few questions from a prepared score sheet. It's lots of fun and exciting to see the projects and the pride that the students take in their work. No prior judging experience is required. A brief training and score sheets will be provided. We especially need parents with children in younger grades who are able to judge 4th or 5th grade projects. No experience necessary. Sign up here to volunteer!

Need more information? See the flyer that was sent home before the winter break, or visit the PFC website at www.walnutacrespfc.org/activities/science-fair. Or, refer to the project guidelines and judges standards for complete information on preparing for Walnut Acre's Science Fair.

If you have questions (or if you want to join the Science Fair Leadership team), please contact Science Fair Coordinators Marci Cole Ekberg or Vani Rajagopalan at sciencefair@walnutacrespfc.org.

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Save Walnut Acres Wine Walk

We need hosts for 2018! Help us keep this tradition going. Walnut Acres parents look forward to the annual wine walk event to break in the new school year. Meet new parents and visit with old friends, and help raise funds for auction at the same time! If you are interested in hosting but need more details, please contact: Courtney Biagi.

Wine Donations Needed

Thank you to everyone who has contributed already! Wine donations for auction are still needed, so drop off a bottle of your favorite at 115 Los Banos Ave or email Marisa Linquist to coordinate a pick up. ($20 minimum value per bottle please).

Gather your friends together to host a Kid Buy-In Party

We are still looking for hosts for Kid Buy-In Parties to be sold at the Auction. We are especially in need of hosts for 1st and 4th grade (1 party needed for each) and 3rd grade (2 parties needed). These parties are a great way to get involved and help raise much-needed funds for many of the wonderful extra programs offered at Walnut Acres Elementary. Moreover, they are lots of FUN for the kids and the hosts!! Some potential party theme ideas are: sports, swim, movie, crafts, picnic, scavenger hunt, or an art party. Please consider hosting a Kid Buy-In Party. If you would like to find out more, please contact Gosia Rees at kidbuyinparties@walnutacrespfc.net.

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Share your School Photos with the Yearbook

Students, parents and teachers can contribute photos to the yearbook staff by directly uploading them to the yearbook website for potential use. You can share photos of field trips, classroom events, school and community events or shots of your children and their friends. The more you share, the better our book can be!

Go to www.hjeshare.com and enter school code: walnutacres

5th Grade Families! The Deadline to put an Ad in the 2018 Yearbook is January 31!

Do you want to put a special message for your 5th Grader in the yearbook? Information on how to purchase and submit your personal ad can be found on the Yearbook page of the PFC website at http://www.walnutacrespfc. net/yearbook. Create and pay for your ad no later than January 31st.

Yearbooks are $30 dollars. They can only be purchased online this year. Please visit the yearbook page on the PFC website for information on how to order your book. April 15th is the last day to order a yearbook. Don't miss out on the memories!

Any questions please contact the yearbook committee at yearbook@walnutacrespfc.net.

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Drive Thru Sign Ups by Grade Level

Thank you to the 2nd Grade parents who stepped up to open doors and greet our students at the Drive Thru during the month of December. January is the 1st Grade parents' turn, and February is the 5th grade parents turn! Each month, a different class level isresponsible for helping at the Drive Thru.

CLICK HERE for 1st Grade January sign ups.

CLICK HERE for 5th Grade February sign ups.

We need 4 parents per day, Monday - Thursday. Fridays will continue to be Father Fridays with our awesome dads greeting the kids in the morning. Please sign up now - it's a short commitment - just 20 minutes from 7:40 - 8:00 am, but it makes a huge difference in getting our school days off to a good start!

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Join the PFC Team Today

It's never too late (or too early for next year!) to join the PFC team! We have a few roles for you to consider today:

PEAK Representative

The PEAK Education Foundation is a non-profit education foundation dedicated to the Northgate area with the purpose of raising funds to benefit Northgate schools and students. A member of each school community attends monthly meetings and acts as a liaison between the foundation and the school. If you are interested in learning more about PEAK and want to be involved in their efforts, this is a great way to help both our school and PEAK. Email Jill atpresident@walnutacrespfc.net to learn more.

Science Fair Lead "Apprentice"

Join this year's Science Fair crew to learn the ins and outs of running the fair. We will need some new leadership next year and this is a great way to get in and see what it's all about. If you love science and love seeing our kids experiment with cool stuff, this is a great job for you! The Science Fair is coming soon... Jan 31 - Feb 2, so join the crew now! Email Marci and Vani at sciencefair@walnutacrespfc.net.

Art Show Lead "Apprentice"

WAMOMA (Walnut Acres Museum of Modern Art!) is happening in March and it's a sight to behold! Our current Curator will lead the Art Show this year and is looking for someone to work with her this year and next. If you love ART and want to be a part of this cool and inspirational event, please contact Arsinoe Ferry at Arsinoe66@gmail.com.

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New Link! Shop and Earn for Walnut Acres at Amazon.com

Our Amazon.com link below will link you to the Walnut Acres Amazon Associates page, where you can place your Amazon orders, and up to 10% of your total will go directly to the school. Be sure to bookmark this page for future ordering: Amazon.com

Note: if you have previously ordered through the Walnut Acres AmazonSmile program, please change your bookmark to this Amazon Associates program link. It pays out a greater percentage than the AmazonSmile program.

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Watch the Movie Angst at St. Matthew Church, January 24th

Saint Matthew Church is hosting a FREE community-wide screening of the movie Angst to raise awareness around Anxiety. The movie features candid interviews with teens about anxiety, tools that help and hope. The screening is appropriate for children 10 and up. It’s produced by the same people that brought us Screenagers.

ANGST Movie, Wednesday, January 24 at 7 pm at St Matthew Church, 399 Wiget Lane. Reserve your FREE tickets and view a trailer for ANGST here.

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Boy Scouts Troop 810 Open House

Boy Scouts Troop 810 invites all interested 5th graders and their parents to attend our Open House on Tuesday, January 23 from 7:30 - 8:30 pm. The Open House will take place at Foothill Middle School at 2775 Cedro Lane, Walnut Creek. Our scouts will be showing you how to put up a tent that stays up, how to pack a backpack and not make it so heavy you can't carry it up a mountain, and how to tie knots. Games and snacks will also be provided. Come learn about the many things Troop 810 has to offer - monthly overnight camping trips, ziplining, snow camping, canoeing, just to name a few. This year we will be going to Emerald Bay and Wolfeboro for our summer camps.

Troop 810 is a boy led troop that values and promotes leadership development, community service, scout skills, fun and adventure. We were established in 1966 and have over 150 Eagle Scouts. We meet most Tuesdays evenings at Foothill Middle School. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Dorene Soe at dalouie8@yahoo.com or 925-932-0733. We look forward to meeting you. You can also check out our website at http://www.bsa810.org/

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For more Community Service Announcements, Click HERE to visit the PFC website.