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IN THIS ISSUE
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Welcome Back to School!
School Schedule
Message from PTA President
Welcome Back Coffee
Back-to-School Night
Back-to-School Family Social
Parent's Night Out
Fall Online Auction
Breakfast Book Club
Walnut Grove Run Club
Thank You WTR Volunteers
Join Our Email List
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ON THE CALENDAR
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AUGUST
25 - First day of school
Welcome Back Coffee
28 - Back-to-School Night
SEPTEMBER
12 - BTS Family Social
17 - PTA General Meeting
OCTOBER
3 - Parent's Night Out
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WG PTA Volunteer Opportunities
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Birthday Marquee
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Birthday Marquee Form
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Welcome to the 2014-2015 School Year
at Walnut Grove Elementary!
Hopefully, your summer break has left you relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready for the new school year! This Roadrunner newsletter will keep you up-to-date with all of the great back-to-school activities that we have planned at the Grove! See you on the first day of school, Monday, August 25!
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Schedule for the First Three Weeks of School
Kindergarten: 8:15-11:40 (M, T, Th, F); 9:15-12:55 (Wed)
Grades 1-2: 8:15-2:50 (M, T, Th, F); 9:15-2:50 (Wed)
Grades 3-5: 8:15-2:50 (M, T, Th, F); 9:15-2:50 (Wed)
*Staggered schedule starts for kindergarten and 1st and 2nd grades on Monday, September 15.
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A Message from Our PTA President
Emmeline Chen
Welcome to all the new families at Walnut Grove, and welcome back to all of our returning families!
The PTA Executive Board has been meeting over the summer, and we are looking forward to a great year with all of you at the Grove!
PTA focus: Building school community
Our focus this year will be on building a strong school community and partnering with our new principal and our wonderful school staff to provide the best school environment possible for our students.
New cultural events at Walnut Grove this year
We are hoping to introduce some new events at Walnut Grove this year. Principal Jan Steed has asked the PTA to organize a Multicultural Fair (date to be determined -- maybe in February?) We are excited to invite our entire school community to share our cultures -- hopefully with lots of food and entertainment! Please contact Kym Gentry-Peck if you would like to help out.
We are also taking advantage of a grant funded by the City of Pleasanton to invite Cheza Nami to share African culture with our students through dance, music, and games at two school assemblies in November. Thank you, City of Pleasanton, for covering the entire cost (typically $1850) of these assemblies!
Thank you!
Thanks to all who joined the PTA or donated to our Dollar-a-Day campaign during fall registration. Your membership and donations truly make a difference -- and make possible many things at our school, including Jiji math, school musicals, the spelling bee, art programs, science fair, and much more. (Don't worry -- if you would like to join the PTA or donate, you can still do so through our website!)
And a HUGE thank you to everyone who volunteered at Walk-Through Registration. We appreciate you making childcare arrangements and giving up part of your summer vacation, and we also appreciate the patience of all who attended. Thank you also to our office staff and to our custodial staff, Mr. Mike and Ms. Nubia, for their help with setup and cleanup!
I especially want to thank PTA Executive Vice President Jen Skinner for overseeing the whole process (from the PTA side) and WG parent Darian Shimy, who created the online registration website for the entire Pleasanton school district! Thank you for ushering in a new era!
Please let us know your ideas
You can add your suggestions online at the PTA website or talk to us in person if you see us on campus or at any of our events (e.g., Welcome Back Coffee on the first day of school, the Back-to-School Family Social on Sept. 12, and Parents Night Out on Oct. 3). And we hope that many of you will attend the first PTA general meeting (7:30 pm in the MPR on Sept. 17).
If you see me or any of the PTA Executive Board at school, please say hi. We'd love to meet you and hear your ideas on how we can partner together as a school community working for the best for our students. |
Welcome Back Coffee 
On the first day of school, right after drop-off, the Walnut Grove PTA invites parents to catch up with friends, make new ones, and hear what our new principal, Jan Steed, has to say -- all while enjoying a cup of coffee!
Come join us at the Walnut Grove Multi-Purpose Room from 8:15 to 9 am on Monday, Aug. 25.
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Back-to-School Night -- Thursday, Aug. 28
This year, Back-to-School Night will be held on Thursday, August 28.
Back-to-School Night is a great opportunity for you to meet your student's teacher and become acquainted with classroom policies, curriculum, and activities for the year.
This is a parent/guardian-only event.
Teacher presentations will be held in your student's classroom at the following times:
Grades K, 1, & 2 -- 6:00 - 6:45 pm
Grades 3, 4, & 5 -- 7:00 - 7:45 pm
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Back-to-School Family Social
The Walnut Grove PTA invites families to join us for a community-building family social on Friday, September 12, from 5 to 8 pm at Walnut Grove. Come join us for dinner, dancing, and catching up with friends.
Food Truck Mafia will provide on-site food trucks for those who wish to buy dinner and/or dessert. Or bring your own picnic and enjoy the music and company. It's a great time to reconnect with other Walnut Grove families as we begin the school year.
Interested in helping out at this fun event? Please contact Jill DeMichiel or Summer Bowers.
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Walnut Grove's 3rd annual Parent's Night Out will be held on Friday, Oct. 3, from 7 to 11 pm at Handles Gastropub in downtown Pleasanton.
The ticket price includes appetizers, a non-alcoholic drink, a raffle ticket, and live entertainment.
Please come out and join the Walnut Grove community on this fun-filled evening. You can purchase tickets in the Walnut Grove office. Advance tickets are $20 per person. At the event, tickets will cost $25 each.
For more information, contact Jen Skinner.
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Family donations for fall online auction
Needed by Wednesday, September 24
We're looking for donations from our wonderful Walnut Grove families for our fall online auction. If you have items or services to offer, please contact Samantha Riegels.
Here are some ideas for things you could donate:
- Tickets - Concert, theater, ballet, sporting events, museums, amusement parks
- Trips - Sailing, fishing, vacation rentals, hotel stays
- Electronics - iPad, iPhone, Xbox, TV, laptop
- Wine Pull donations - Wine and/or gift cards valued at $20 or more
And here are some ideas for ways you can donate your talents:
- Run sports-themed activities at a child's birthday party for an hour.
- Run a 1-hour "arty-party" for kids interested in arts and crafts.
- Provide face painting or henna designs at a child's birthday party.
- Deliver 1 dozen fancy cupcakes for a party.
- Teach an Indian/Chinese/Italian cooking class for 3 couples & then have dinner.
- Teach a bread-baking class.
- Teach a knitting, sewing, or crochet class.
- Provide a 1-hour landscape design consultation.
- Offer a 30-minute family photo shoot with digital images.
- Offer a wardrobe editing/makeover.
- Help redecorate a room in someone's home.
Thanks so much for your generosity!
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Join the Breakfast Book Club!
There is still time to join the Breakfast Book Club!
The Breakfast Book Club (BBC) meets on seven Wednesday mornings throughout the year from 8:15 to 9:00 am. All students in 1st to 5th grades are welcome, although club membership is limited to 110 students each year. Club members share breakfast together and then take part in fun book discussions in small groups led by trained, volunteer parent leaders. The BBC member donation covers the cost of books, breakfast, a potential author's visit, and the BBC end-of-the-year party.
The sign-up deadline to participate in the BBC for the 2014-2015 school year is Friday, August 29. You can drop your child's registration form in the BBC box in the school office.
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Join the Walnut Grove Run Club
Come on out and join the Walnut Grove Run Club!
We meet under the sun shade, near the garden, every Friday morning at 7:30 am -- starting the first week of school (Friday, August 29).
We do a bit of stretching and then spend 20 minutes running and walking around the blue line on the playground.
All ages are welcome, and we encourage parents to join us as well. Students earn charms for mileage run as well as for attendance. Questions -- contact Audrey Gillette. |
Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers and Walnut Grove school staff for your time and energy in creating a successful Walk-Through Registration Day.
Our school could not function without your help!
| Jen Amiel | Julie Kenney | | Sarah Baer | Kim Kirschner | | Candee Banman | Tara Krekorian | | Emily Barraclough | Esther Landhuis | | Summer Bowers | Christina Mantha | | Tiffany Chapman | Betsy McClellan | | Emmeline Chen | Louise McGeown | | Angeline Chin-Petch | Lisa Miller | | Larry Damaser | Mary Molitor | | Denise Delamain | Brian Morrow | | Enian Dhanabalan | Elias Muniz | | Robin Dias | Cori Parker | | Gwen Drain | Mike Payne | | Shelly Elkins | Kym Peck | | Molly Falcione | Sarala Rajagopalan | | Sue Falls | Jim Rodgers | | Jen Gable | Ketaki Sakharande | | Nubia Garcia | Joyce Sanborn | | Audrey Gillette | Elizabeth Shackelford | | Laura Hall | Bindu Shah | | Donna Hamilton | Jen Shea | | Cindy Harrington | Jen Skinner | | Heather Heath | Jamie Soares | | Adrienne Herz | Jan Steed | | Rocio Hoerz | Andrea Stokoe | | Lisa Hopkins | Chandrika Sunkad | | Vicki Hubbard | Tracie Vollgraf | | Soojin Hwang | Shelley Walker | | Anita Iyer | Lisa Williams | |
Leena Joshi
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Khim Yang
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Becky Keenan
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Grace Yeung
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Do you have a friend who is new
to Walnut Grove?
If so, please forward this email and encourage your friend to join our email list to receive the PTA's Roadrunner newsletter and the WG Weekly newsletter from the school office.
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