Enews May 15, 2018
Post date: May 18, 2018 2:43:3 AM
What's Happening at Walnut Acres - May 15, 2018
Check out Community Announcements at the bottom
Mark Your Calendars!May 14-18: Darcie Jones Book DriveMay 15: Kindergarten Orientation Meeting, 6pm, MURMay 15: PFC Meeting, 7pm, MURMay 18: Student Council- School Wide Pajama Day
May 18: Zero Waste Lunch Challenge
May 23: Sing Out, 8-9am
May 24: Open House Festival
May 28: Memorial Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
May 30: "Wow Weather!" Assembly with Meteorologist Paul Deanno
May 31: Kindergarten Performance of "Squirm", 7pm, MUR
June 6: 5th Grade Moving on Ceremony
June 7: Last Day of School- Dismissal at 12:30pm
For the PFC Key Dates Calendar 2017-18, click here
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Darcie Jones Book Drive - This Week!
This community service drive was named after Darcie Jones, a Walnut Acres parent who started a book drive in the spring of 1994 to benefit the summer reading program at Meadow Homes Elementary School in Concord. After she died of cancer on December 31, 1996, the PFC renamed the book drive “The Darcie Jones Book Drive” and planted a tree outside the 3rd grade wing in honor of all that she had contributed to Walnut Acres Elementary School.
Please help us continue this tradition of collecting new and gently used books to benefit the Meadow Homes Elementary School summer reading program. Drop off your books in the collection bins in front of the school office Monday May 14th thru Friday May 17th.
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2018 Walnut Acres Zero Waste Challenge We are having a Zero Waste Lunch Challenge on Friday May 18 to raise awareness about reducing the landfill waste we generate every day. The grade that does the best job reducing their trash will get 5 extra minutes of recess later in the year!
We need YOUR support to help make this possible. Some ideas we had are to:
use reusable containers
buy snacks in bulk,
bring your own reusable straw, utensil and napkin.
Some things to avoid are plastic baggies, single use straws and utensils, and single serving snacks bags. Ask your students to help you out!
We are all in this together, so let’s team up and make this an awesome 2018 ZERO WASTE CHALLENGE for our school.
Yours truly,
The Walnut Acres Recycle Club
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Student Council Presents:
Friday May 18th
School-wide Pajama Day!
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Open House, Thursday, May 24th from 5-7:15pmOur annual Open House Festival will be held on Thursday, 5/24, from 5:00-7:15 p.m. Bring the family to enjoy a pizza dinner, entertainment, specialty rooms, and your child’s classroom. Visit next year’s grade levels, as well, to get a taste of life in 2018-19! Do remember that this is a time to visit with this year’s teacher. At Back-to-School Night in the fall, you will have an opportunity to hear from your child’s 2018-19 teacher. During the Open House, our neighbors, Walnut Acres Children’s Center, invite you to stop in to their Open House from 6:00pm-7:30pm.
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"Wow! Weather!" Assembly with Meteoroglist Paul Deanno, May 30th
We are looking forward to having Meteorologist Paul Deanno present two assemblies to Walnut Acres Elementary students on Wednesday, May 30th. Paul is the Chief Meteorologist for KPIX-TV in San Francisco, CA, author of "WOW! Weather!", and a former Walnut Acres parent.
Walnut Acres – and its amazing students – inspired many of the stories found in Paul’s new book “WOW! Weather!”. The students will learn about lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, and how many ‘elephants’ a cloud weighs! Bring your copy of “WOW! Weather!” to Paul’s weather presentation & book reading on May 30… and Paul will sign it for you! We encourage you to order your copy now if you'd like to have Paul sign it at the assembly.
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Mark your calendar for the first-ever Walnut Acres International Festival! "Small World..Big Dreams" on June 1, 2018 from 5-7pm
This event is FREE to all Walnut Acres students and their families! Join us for an evening of fun, food, and games from around the world…right here at Walnut Acres! Students will get their own passports stamped as they travel from country to country, learning how kids in other countries play, live, dress and eat. There will be booths from nearly 30 countries at this event!
A big THANK YOU to all of the families who are volunteering as Family
Ambassadors to help our children “travel the world”.
Not ready to be a Family Ambassador but still want to help? We need volunteers at our Welcome Center to hand out passports and maps! We can also use some hands for set up and clean up. Please contact Jenny Kim:internationalfair@walnutacrespfc.net
See you at the Festival!
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Drive Thru Sign Ups by Grade Level- 1st and 2nd Grade Parents!
Thank you to the 3rd Grade parents who stepped up to open doors and greet our students at the Drive Thru during the month of April. Each month, a different class level is responsible for helping at the Drive Thru. May is the 1st and 2nd grade parents! CLICK HERE for 1st and 2nd Grade May 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 - 8:00am, but it makes a huge difference in getting our school days off to a good start!
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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 more information, or to sign up, go to the PFC website or click here. Payment is due by May 29.
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Noon Supervisor Position Open at Walnut Acres Elementary Hello Walnut Acres Community! Would you be interested in a Noon Supervisor job at school? We are seeking two kind and patient folks who want to help children be successful in the MUR and on both the 1st-5th and kindergarten playgrounds. Training will be included to support peace path and problem solving strategies with our students. The positions are 7.5 hours per week. One position is daily with hours from approximately 11:10-12:45 a.m. daily (less time on Wed.) The other position is M, T, Th, and F from 11:10-1:00 p.m. Salary begins at $13.43 per hour. Please apply on EdJoin if you are interested! If you have questions, give Dr. Dowd a call at 939-1333.
Walnut Acres Teacher Finalists at MDEA Academy Awards
The 6th Annual MDEA Academy Awards was held May 10th celebrating the accomplishments of many Mt. Diablo Unified School District superstars: teachers, students, parents, district employees, and community groups!
Nominees recognized from Walnut Acres were:
Ellen Bellendir - Lifetime Achievement *Finalist!*
Jane Erdiakoff - Lifetime Achievement *Finalist!*
Lauren Lux - Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to you all!
Each year in January/February you can nominate anyone for these awards, including categories for parent volunteer, community organization, outstanding office support, classified support, and administrator. Let's send in even more nominations next year!
Walnut Acres parent Cherise Khaund was the Keynote Speaker on behalf of the new nonprofit MDUSD Education Foundation, showing photos of their funding at work this spring with visiting chalk artist Mark Wagner (www.drawingonearth.org) and Art in Action. She encouraged everyone to be "all in for all kids" by donating any amount at www.mdedf.org to ensure enrichment opportunities for every student.
We were also entertained by stellar student talent from Westwood Elementary School Show Choir under the direction of Cyndi Sharp and Concord High School's Mariachi Bandunder the direction of Gary Courtney. A beautiful celebration of our diverse district!
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Macy's "Make Life Shine Brighter" Event
Saturday, May 19th, 10am - 6pm
Macy’s - Downtown Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek Student Showcase:
11:00am Student & Teacher Fashion Show
Limited seating, RSVP for this free event at
https://tinyurl.com/MacyFashionShow
12:00pm Foothill Middle School Jazz Ensemble and Bancroft Elementary School Choir
12:30pm Foothill Middle School Choir
1:00pm Encore Student & Teacher Fashion Show
2:00pm Bancroft Elementary School Choir
4:00pm Additional performances TBD
Special MACY’s Promotions going on all day!
Enter to Win prizes • Gifts With Purchase • Kid-friendly activities Complimentary makeup consultations
Macy’s Make Life Shine Brighter event will benefit the Walnut Creek schools supported by PEAK Education Foundation and the Walnut Creek Education Foundation.
Great public schools just don’t happen - they are supported by parents and the community they serve. Thank you Macy’s for supporting Walnut Creek’s public schools.
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