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| Sunday, November 27, 2016 |
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The Paly Link is distributed on Sundays, except during school breaks and holidays. Changes will be highlighted as New/Updated/Corrected. To submit an article, see Submission Guidelines at the end.
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Calendar
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November |
College Visits & Scholarship deadlines (
C&CC)
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| Tuesday |
Nov. 29 |
Presidential Community Service Awards, 2-4pm, Paly Haymarket Theater
(PTSA) Volunteers needed, see below |
| Tuesday |
Nov. 29, Dec. 6 & Dec. 13 |
Parent Ed: Maintaining Wellness at Home, 6-7:30pm,
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| Wednesday |
Nov. 30 |
Continue the Conversation: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
8:30-10:00am in Paly EWC (library)
7-8:30pm at Gunn High School |
| Wednesday |
Nov. 30 |
Paly Tech Night,
7-8pm, Paly MAC auditorium (flyer)
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| Friday |
Dec. 2 |
Parent Network Meeting (Juniors), 8-10am
Play Library Conference Room (PTSA) |
| Friday |
Dec. 2 |
Winter Glass Sale (flyer), 3-6pm, Tower Bldg. |
| Saturday |
Dec. 3 |
Winter Glass Sale (flyer), 11am-4pm, Tower Bldg. |
| Thursday |
Dec 8 |
PALY Sports Boosters Holiday Boutique (Paly) 3 p.m - 9 p.m New |
| Friday |
Dec. 9 |
Staff Appreciation Luncheon (PTSA) Volunteers Needed, see below
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| Saturday |
Dec. 10 |
PAUSD Code Fest, 1-5pm, JLS Auditorium (
flyer)
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| Monday |
Dec. 12 |
Site Council, 3:45-5:30pm, EWC |
| Tuesday |
Dec. 13 |
Bell Schedule Review Committee, 3:05-4:30pm, EWC (
Paly)
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| Friday |
Dec. 16 |
End of Semester One
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| Tuesday |
Jan. 3 |
No School for Students (Teacher Work Day)
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| Wednesday |
Jan. 4 |
First Day of Semester Two ("C" day)
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| Tuesday |
Jan. 10 |
Freshman Assembly during FLEX |
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PTSA Items
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Presidential Community Service Awards
Tuesday, November 29th, 1:50-4pm, Paly Haymarket Theater
We need your help! Please sign up to help with the Presidential Community Service Award.
Many tasks, including passing out awards, and setting up the light refreshment to honor students.
Here is the link to sign up:
Community Service Awards Sign Up
Donations accepted through the Paly webstore, select community service;
any amount is appreciated.
Link here:
Paly Webstore
Parent Education event: Maintaining Wellness At Home
Tuesdays, Nov 29, Dec 6 & 13, 6-7:30 PM, Gunn Staff Lounge
Join us in this three-class series on ways to support your child's mental and physical wellness at home. Learn how to improve communication with your child, to recognize warning signs of distress, and to help your teens cope with stress and prevent reaching levels of distress. Taught by Dr. Moira Kessler, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist on faculty at Stanford University and at Bay Area Children's Association. Hosted at Gunn but open to all PAUSD parents. Please register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/maintaining-wellness-at-home-tickets-29261844966 Please contact Myrna Zendejas,
mzendejas@pausd.org, i
f you have any questions.
Continuing the Conversation: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain
Wednesday, Nov 30th, 8:30-10am, Paly EWC (in the library)
Wednesday, Nov 30th, 7:00-8:30pm, Gunn
Please come join us for a follow up discussion of Dr. Dan Siegel's talk on "The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain". You are welcome to join us whether or not you were able to attend Dr. Siegel's lecture on November 16th. Our goal will be to further discuss the main ideas of his talk, and focus on how to apply these ideas to our own parenting. The morning session will be held at Paly and led by Cari Anderson (Psychologist and Paly parent), and the evening session will be held at Gunn led by Kirsten Daehler (educator and Gunn parent) and Maria Daehler (psychiatrist and Gunn parent). You are welcome to attend either one. This event will be followed by a 4-session book club focused on Dan Siegel's book, Brainstorm to begin in January. Please contact Cari Anderson, cari@sundy.net, if you have any questions.
Class of 2018 (Juniors) Parent Network Meeting
Friday, Dec. 2, 8:00-10 a.m., Paly Library Conference Room. Please walk, bike, or carpool, if possible.
NOTE:
This meeting is being held on a different Friday than usual because of the Thanksgiving and Winter Break holiday breaks.
We are beginning this meeting earlier, at
8:00
a
.
m
.
, for any parents who would like to have extra social time to talk with other parents.
The meeting itself will begin at 8:30.
Our topic is non-traditional post-high school paths.
If your child is thinking about postponing college or doing something else altogether, this discussion is for you!
We will have a panel of current and recent Paly parents whose students went directly from Paly to an activity other than a standard 4-year college or university program. Examples include taking a gap year, pursuing a specialized arts program, working full time, and others.
Meetings for the rest of the year are tentatively scheduled for the mornings of Jan. 27, Feb. 24, March 24, April 28. As always, please let us know if you would like to suggest topics/speakers.
Questions? Contact Julia Kossack (
JuliaPalyParent@gmail.com) or Julie Tomz (JulieTomz@gmail.com).
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
December 9th, at Paly Performance Arts Center
Enjoy the holiday season by showing our staff how much we value them at the staff holiday appreciation luncheon. This is a FUN way to demonstrate our appreciation. Although the main course will be catered, it would be delightful to have a full set of volunteers to help with other tasks, including baking dessert. Not a baker? We could use your help setting up, decorating and clean up too. Or, grab a tray to pass out appetizers. Link to Volunteer:
Staff Appreciation Sign Up
Turkey Feast - Thank you, everyone!
A very big THANK YOU to all the parents who
baked & roasted, donated & shopped, carved & sliced, prepped & set up, greeted & assisted, scooped & served, wiped & washed. We couldn't have done it without you! And a big shout out to several local businesses who donated, discounted and otherwise helped us (Spot Pizza, Marchant Kitchens, Trader Joe's, Peet's Coffee, Piazza's and Marie Callendar's). Last but not least, thank you to Ernesto, Mary Ellen, Carl and the custodial staff who stepped in and helped wherever needed. It was a great day with plenty of sunshine, satiated students & staff and bountiful donations to the Ecumenical Hunger Program. Thank you, everyone!
Meals on Wheels Volunteers Needed: Throughout the School Year
Looking for a way to support others in an impactful, immediate and easy way? Please consider being a Meals on Wheels Volunteer for our Paly community! The Meals on Wheels program brings emergency meals to Paly families in crisis. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up here:
Are you a family in crisis and in need of help with some comforting dinners delivered to your door? That's what the Meals on Wheels volunteers are here for! They are ready and happy to help! Please contact Lori Merritt at
lomerritt@yahoo.com or call 650-644-6876. Include any dietary restrictions.
Americanized Chinese Parents of Paly
This is a group for Americanized Chinese Parents of Paly and Jordan students who embrace both the values of American culture and Chinese culture. Parents in this group speak English in their homes and value a balance of academics, social time, and extracurriculars. To be added to our mailing list, please email your name to:
americanized.chinese.parents@gmail.com
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Paly Items
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Call for Mentors! Rise Together Education (RTE)
relies on community members to inspire, motivate, and encourage students as they navigate the college preparation process. An RTE mentor may help a high school junior or senior:
- navigate nationalized testing (ACT or SAT)
- edit essays
- guide students through the application process
- apply for scholarships
- and other needs related to pursuing a college education
To ensure that students are able to foster strong relationships with their mentors, as well as to make sure students academic needs are met, we require all mentors to commit to at least 1-year with RTE. Of course, we'd love for mentors to follow students through the years and continue to provide support. Interested in Mentoring? Fill out this
form so we can learn more about you.
Earn Free $ for Paly Sports Boosters!
Download the free Benefit mobile app which lets you instantly buy gift cards from more than 200 major retailers, supermarkets and restaurants - including Safeway, Starbucks and Target. Redeem the cards in the checkout line or online. Simply designate Palo Alto High School Sports Boosters as your beneficiary. Paly Boosters receives $100 for every 10 apps downloaded from now until November 30th. All purchases earn up to 20% for our athletes!
Contacts:
Lisa Rimsa
mcrimsa@aol.com
650 319-5263;
Sandy Silver
ssilver@gmail.com
Paly Sports Boosters - Tiny Prints Fundraiser for Holiday Cards
The Paly Sports Boosters has partnered with Tiny Prints to help with the ordering and printing of your Holiday Cards. Tiny Prints is a leading retailer of premium personalized photo cards and has been recognized for their high quality prints and unmatched customer service. Each card ordered is also hand reviewed before it's printed to ensure quality and accuracy. To start your order through Tiny Prints, please click on the link below which will lead you to our co-branded Tiny Prints
Paly Sports Booster Passes for Winter/Spring Sports, reduced rates!
See
http://paly.net/boosters/sports-boosters for more information. Reduced Rates! Available for purchase online or at Winter Sports parents meeting on November 17th. Students, $20, Single $25, Family $40; Seniors $15! Here is the new form.
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College & Career Center
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Lunchtime Speaker Needed New
The Paly Career Month Lunchtime Speaker Series Team is in the process of planning the March 2017 Career Month! As always, we need speakers from various fields so if you know anyone who you think would make a good speaker please email us at
palycareermonth@gmail.com
with recommendations and their contact information.
Additionally, an important part of the Career Month Speaker Series is the fact that we supply a free lunch to students who attend these talks. Unfortunately, this food is not free, so we need donations from parents to make this a possibility. The recommended donation is $10, but we appreciate any contribution.
For more info about this event, please visit
this page and click on "Career Education."
College Rep Visits for Seniors (and Juniors, if space is available)
Students must have their teacher's permission one day in advance if missing class. Pick up a form in the C&CC, or download it at admit-class-form-college-and-career-center . Bring the signed form the day of the visit to ensure the absence from class is cleared and marked as an activity rather than a truancy. College visits scheduled for the next two weeks are listed below. For a full list of all visits through Spring, login to Naviance using your user ID and password; click on the "Colleges" tab then click "view all upcoming college visits" within the "my colleges" section. Or, you can check the calendar on www.paly.net/college .
Due to increased student attendance and limited space in the College Center, we are no longer able to permit parents to attend college representative visits, please click to read more information about this policy.
ON-CAMPUS VISITS:
Week of November 21:
United States Naval Academy 11/21 10:45 AM
American Jewish University 11/22 8:15 AM
Savannah College of Art & Design 11/22 12:15 PM room 106
Week of November 28:
Dartmouth College 11/30 9:00 AM
New
Cornish College of the Arts 12/1 10:00 AM
New
OFF CAMPUS:
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 12/10 Santa Clara
Scholarships and contests/competitions expiring through November 18, 2016:
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PAUSD
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"Being You" a RoadTrip Nation Documentary Film for the entire family
Thursday, December 1st 6:30pm to 8:30pm,
Palo Alto High School, Haymarket Theatre
This event is a screening of the documentary "Being You" followed by a facilitated discussion. RoadTrip Nation shares inspiring stories of struggle, self-acceptance and success. Follow three young people with learning and attention issues as they travel the country to seek advice from TV host Howie Mandel, ice sculptor John Rodrigues, and many more who have transformed their learning and attention issues from a struggle into an asset. What started as a road trip around the US sparked an annual documentary series, books, and a career exploration educational curriculum-all dedicated to helping individuals build meaningful livelihoods around the things they love.
Recommended for middle and high school students and their parent/caregivers. Jointly sponsored by PAUSD, Palo Alto Community Advisory Committee for Special Education and the Parents Education Network. For questions contact
paloaltocac@gmail.com
Renaming Schools Advisory Committee (RSAC) Survey
The PAUSD School Board created a Renaming Schools Advisory Committee (
RSAC
) and charged this committee to explore and recommend processes for naming or renaming schools based on community input and feedback. The community consists of students, parents, alumni, former parents, community members, and PAUSD teachers and staff. With this short
survey
, we would like to get your initial input concerning the criteria you consider to be most important for the naming of any district school. Your input will help the
RSAC
understand the community's values, and alongside other data, help inform the Committee's discussions and recommendations to the Board. The
survey
is very short and we appreciate you taking two or three minutes to give your input by completing and submitting this seven question survey
. Simply click the following link to begin
https://pausd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8JuFGmlO3CJ3Qgd
Food Service Department Open Forums
Palo Alto USD invites parents, employees, students, and community members to a series of
Food Services Department Community Open Forums held throughout the 2016-17 school year. Please visit:
https://www.pausd.org/food-service-department-open-forum
PAUSD Seeks Parent Member for Board Policy Review Committee
Arts Education Volunteers Needed
The Palo Alto Council of PTA's
http://ptac.paloaltopta.org/
seeks Arts Education Volunteers to support high quality arts education for all students and to share best practices and programs. Goals might include communicating about visual and performing art programs taking place at PAUSD schools and encouraging collaborative opportunities. All PTA members (both parents and teachers) are welcome to volunteer. Please contact PTAC President Audrey Gold (
president@paloaltopta.org
) if interested.
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Community and Volunteer Service
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Looking for an opportunity to help kids in need? Volunteer for DreamCatchers!
DreamCatchers runs an after-school enrichment program for low-income PAUSD middle school students - right here at Paly in the afternoons and evenings
Monday through Thursday. We are looking for the following:
- One-on-One Tutors (high school students) or Classroom Assistants (like a classroom aide - we need adults as well as high school students): contact Miguel Fittoria at
miguel@dreamcatchersyouth.org
- Adults or experienced high schoolers interested in helping with graphic design, web design, curriculum support, or general non-profit help, please contact Barbara Klausner at
barbara@dreamcatchersyouth.org
Family Holiday Volunteering
If you're looking for a way to get your family into the holiday spirit by helping others, check out
http://familyholidayhelpers.org, a non-profit web site created by a mom of two PAUSD students to help families find local volunteering opportunities during the holiday season. There are a variety of local opportunities for families, such as prepping/serving food for Thanksgiving, working a shift at a food bank or holiday warehouse, or donating food or gifts for those in need. Happy volunteering!
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Community
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Project Safety Net Community Collaborative Meeting
Wed, Nov 30th, 4 - 6 PM, Rinconada Library, Embarcadero Room, 1213 Newell Rd., Palo Alto
Are you interested in reducing youth mental health stigma and supporting youth voice? Please join Project Safety Net at its next
Be Safe. Be Seen. Bike lights are required by law for riding after dusk.
With shorter days, students are bike commuting in the dark when bicycle lights and reflectors are required by law. Visibility begins to decline at dusk, so bicyclists should turn on their lights as soon as light begins to fade. A handlebar headlight makes a bicycle visible to others and illuminates the road so the rider can see. Higher powered lights do a better job. Tail lights and reflectors should be mounted on something stable where they won't be obscured by bags, panniers or other gear on the bike. Lights are vastly superior to reflectors, so a rear red light is recommended for maximum visibility.
Make a difference: Tutor Low Income East Palo Alto 5
th
Graders in Reading or Writing - 8 one hour sessions
If you've enjoyed helping in your own child's classroom, or just love literacy, please consider tutoring 5th graders at Brentwood School in East Palo Alto (near IKEA). It is a special project to work with low income students from February 6th - March 31st. Volunteers would work in the same classroom one day per week, for an hour either at 9:45 am (reading) or 11:40 am (writing). All Students Matter provides a brief training in January and coordinates all details. You can make a real difference! To sign up, visit
www.allstudentsmatter.org
or to learn more contact Keri Tully at
keritully@gmail.com
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Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO) Opens its 51st Season!
Dec 18, 3pm
Holiday Extravaganza (Senior Orchestra)
Cubberley Theatre, 4000 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto
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Admission is FREE except for the Holiday Extravaganza (Adults $10, 18 & under FREE)
Award-winning youth orchestra PACO's Senior Orchestra will open its season with music by Handel, Britten and more. There is something for everyone at PACO concerts from small ensemble pieces to orchestra music as these dedicated musicians present an extraordinary passion for music making! Mark your calendars for the Holiday Extravaganza with guest performers from the Pacific Ballet Academy and Cantabile Youth Singers. More info and compete line-up of concerts on the 2016-17 season brochure or visitwww.pacomusic.org.
Walk & Roll to Palo Alto Libraries
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NEW Suggested Walking & Bicycling Routes Map
Check out City of Palo Alto 's new Walk & Roll map with suggested walking and bicycling routes to Palo Alto libraries from every neighborhood citywide. Palo Alto libraries are popular after-school destinations and they often are the center of fun family outings. Walking and bicycling is an active, healthy, fun way to get there! See the new Walk & Roll to Libraries brochure with map here
http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/documents/PASRTL_Map_Brochure_092116.pdf
Palo Alto Philharmonic Concerto Movement Competition
The Palo Alto Philharmonic is sponsoring a Concerto Movement Competition open to school-aged music students including both instrumentalists and vocalists. Each applicant should submit an unedited audio CD (5-15 minutes long) of his or her performance of a movement from a concerto or concert piece for soloist and orchestra. Applications, along with the demo CD and a non-refundable fee of $30 must be postmarked by December 31, 2016. For more information or to download an application form: http://www.paphil.org/pages/about/cmc.html
Sleep Study for Youth 18-21
The Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University is recruiting 18-21 year old youth to participate in a paid research study on sleep and mood. You and your youth will receive up to $215 for completing the study. For more information about this study, please contact
dailyrest@stanford.edu
or (650) 736-2689 or go to
http://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/research/dailyreststudy.html.
For general information about participant rights, contact 1-866-680-2906.
Sign up for Paly Glass Weekend Workshops
Sat & Sun. Dec. 3-4, Jan. 7-8, Feb. 4-5, March 4-5, April 1-2, May 6-7, June 3-4 9-3 pm at Paly's Glass Studio. The workshop will focus on beginning glass blowing techniques. It's an incredible, fun, hands-on experience and it benefits the Paly Fiery Arts Program. Repeating students progress from their last session. Advanced Sign up required. Class limit is 4. Teens and adults. $425 per person. Open to the public.
How To Get A Bike License
In Palo Alto bicycle licenses are required. Bike licenses help PAPD connect recovered stolen bikes to their owners and also can help emergency responders connect a bicyclist with family after an accident if the cyclist isn't carrying ID. You can get a license at any Palo Alto Fire Station between 4:00-5:00 pm. As long as they are not out on an emergency call, someone will be available to issue a license to you.
Check Your Student's Helmet!
Bicycle helmets should be replaced every five years, even if they appear undamaged because the rigid foam in the helmet will break down with time and won't protect your head in a collision. Helmets with cracks in the outer plastic shell should be replaced, as should helmets that are too small. (The helmet should touch the top of your student's head. To find out if it touches, put your finger in an air vent at the top of the helmet.) For tips on getting the helmet adjusted properly, see our new helmet
flyer.
Love Art and Art History?
Interested in O'Keeffe, Rivera, Thiebaud, or Jacob Lawrence?
Volunteer docents needed to give presentations about the lives and work of Master Artists to PAUSD elementary students. Training provided by Arts Coordinator, Sharon Ferguson. Art History background preferred but not required. Flexible hours. Volunteer docent meetings/training at held at Art Education, 25F Churchill Ave. For more information contact Emily at Art Education (650) 329-3939
Classroom Volunteers Needed - An Hour a Week Could Change a Student's Life
If you've enjoyed spending time in your child's classroom, please join other parents volunteering in east Menlo Park or East Palo Alto schools where there are virtually no parent volunteers. You'll help tutor kids in grades K-4. Over 80% of students are performing below grade level in reading and math. Work once a week in the same classroom for about an hour, building relationships with students. All Students Matter provides training and coordinates everything. We start in mid-September. You can make a real difference! To learn more or sign up, visit www.allstudentsmatter.org or contact Keri Tully at
keritully@gmail.com.
Trail Closure/Tree Removal Along San Francisquito Creek
As part of the
San Francisquito Creek flood control project, the Bay/San Francisquito Creek trail that runs from Geng and Embarcadero Road to the Friendship Bridge (through the Baylands Athletic Center, along the Golf Course) will soon be closed. The flood control project is scheduled to begin September 1, but the trail may be closed as early as mid-August. On the Palo Alto side of the creek, the trail is expected to be closed for the entire two-year duration of the project. Signs are being posted along the trail in advance to warn users about the upcoming closure and tree removals that are required for the construction project
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About the Paly Link
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The Paly Link is a Paly PTSA publication, emailed on Sundays, except during school breaks and holidays. Changes will be highlighted as
New/
Updated/
Corrected.
Deadline for submissions: noon on Saturday, the day before publication. Flyers must be submitted by noon on Thursday. Items run no earlier than 3 weeks before the event.
To submit an item, send to palylink@paloaltopta.org. Include a header or title line, then a line listing the date, time and location of the event. Follow with a brief (2-4 sentence) description of the activity, with the most important information first. List email, contact information and web links last. Items are published at the discretion of the editors.
--Shuchi Grover, Pavan Bakshi, and Anh Quan Paly Link Editors
--Bala Aiyar, Paly Link List Manager and Gordon Craig, Paly Link Webmaster
Click Here to sign up a new email address to receive the Link. Click on the "Update Profile/Email Address" link below to update an existing address.
Paly Link on the Web, Paly PTSA Web Site,
Paly Web Site, Paly Sports
Palo Alto PTA Council Web Site, Parent Education Events,
Community Service, Community Sports |
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