Fairmeadow Elementary School eNews

Where Learning is a Team Sport!
January 23, 2017
Fairmeadow News
Tickets for "Aladdin" On Sale Now!
Performances: January 26, 27 and 28
You can buy "Aladdin" tickets online now by visiting the Children's Theatre website. Here's how to navigate through the Children's Theatre website to purchase tickets:
  • Go to cityofpaloalto.org/childrenstheatre
  • On the right side column, click on BUY TICKETS
  • "Fairmeadow Elementary - OUTREACH" is second production in the list
  • Click on the blue tab that says "Buy Now"
The Children's Theatre will be selling tickets at the door,  but it's best to purchase tickets online ahead of time.

Special Free School Performance, Wednesday 1/25 at 2 pm-Fairmeadow students and staff are invited to a special free performance of the upcoming play, Aladdin, while the cast is completing the final dress rehearsal. Students and staff are invited to this rehearsal starting at 2 pm on Wednesday in the MP Room. This rehearsal is not open to the public, but is free for students and staff.
Family Math Games Night is Coming and We Need Your Help!
Thu, Feb 9, MP Room
Family Math Night takes place every year in the MP room. It is super popular, and completely free to attend. There's something for everyone: Games and puzzles related to logic, strategy, patterns, spatial skills, number sense, geometry, topology, pe-algebra, and more. 

Following last year's success, Family Math Games Night has grown. With an extra hour, we can accommodate more games and more families, but we also need volunteers to help this busy night run smoothly and enjoyably for all. 

Volunteering is fun and sociable, so come and share your love of math with our school community! If you're curious, please contact Nadia Priestley for more details.
Email:  Nadia@stodge.org or phone 650-665-3066.
Annual Fairmeadow Online Auction
The Annual Fairmeadow Online Auction is coming (February 19th to March 5th) -- but we need more stuff!  Do you have any gift cards you're not using? A service or item you can donate? Good Connections???

We'll have lots of awesome items for you to bid on or buy -- summer camps, food, home cooked meals, entertainment, and experiences -- but we need more stuff to raise enough money for our school! If you have anything to contribute, please go to our website to enter the donation details. If you have any questions or if you'd like to help our auction committee gather business donations, please email  fmauctiondonations@gmail.com.

For those of you who are not familiar with our online auction, the PTA gathers donations of tickets, gift cards, services, and special one of a kind items from businesses and generous parents. We then place the items up for bid on our Fairmeadow auction websiteAnyone interested in the offerings can sign into the auction site during the two week window, create a pseudonym, and bid on any number of items. Bids can be challenged by others in order to "win" the item. When the auction closes the highest bidder gets the item. All proceeds go directly to our school to help fund PTA programs. This years auction will take place from February 19th until March 5th.

PTAC News
Inclusive Resource Fair of Summer Camps, After-School Activities & Educational Resources
Thu, Feb 9, 6:30-8:30 pm, JLS Middle School Auditorium, 480 E Meadow Dr
Join us to meet 30+ providers of summer camps, after-school activities, and in-school programs who will present information about their programs and be available to talk 1:1 with parents. All providers can accommodate some students' special needs, either in an inclusive environment or a special program, and can discuss specific accommodations. Some offer on-site enrollment. Information on financial assistance available, and many providers offer fee waivers based on need.
 
Organized by the Palo Alto Community Advisory Committee for Special Education, and co-sponsored by Parent Advocates for Student Success (PASS), and the Palo Alto Council of PTAs. Childcare and snacks for kids will be provided, please RSVP for childcare to  here . For more information, including the complete list of vendors as it is finalized, go to  cacpaloalto.org.
Feria de Recursos de Campamentos de Verano, Actividades Después de Clases y Recursos Educativos
Jueves, 9 de febrero, 6:30 - 8:30pm, En el auditorio de la Escuela Media JLS, 480 E Meadow Dr
Acompáñennos a conocer a más de 30 proveedores de campos de verano, de actividades para realizar después de clases y de programas dentro de la escuela quienes estarán brindando información sobre sus programas y que también estarán disponibles para hablar 1:1 con los padres. Todos son proveedores que pueden admitir a niños con algunas necesidades especiales ya sea dentro de un ambiente incluyente o dentro de un programa especial y podrán conversar sobre ajustes especiales que su hijo/a pueda necesitar. Podrán existir opciones de inscribirse en el lugar. Habra información sobre asistencia financiera y muchos proveedores ofrecen becas que se adaptan a sus necesidades.
 
Se contará con servicio de guardería y refrigerios para niños, por favor RSVP para el cuidado de los niños a  paloaltocac@gmail.com . Para mayor información, incluyendo la lista de proveedores cuando está esté completa, ingrese a:  cacpaloalto.org . Organizado por el Palo Alto Comité Asesor Comunitario para la Educación Especial y co-patrocinado por Parent Advocates for Student Success (PASS) y el Consejo de Palo Alto de PTAs.
2017 Annual Sweetheart Awards - Call for Nominations
Is there a bus driver, friend, teacher, administrator, neighbor, aide, crossing guard, coach, fellow student, therapist, physician, volunteer, or relative that has done something (however large or small) for your special needs child with an IEP or 504? Honor that person by nominating him or her for a Sweetheart Award. Submit nominations using our online form by February 10th. The Awards Ceremony will be on Wednesday, February 22nd from 6-8pm at Nixon Elementary School. For more information or questions email or go to cacpaloalto.org. Co-sponsored by Palo Alto Community Advisory Committee for Special Education and the Palo Alto Council of PTAs.
Palo Alto Chinese New Year Fair
Sun, Feb 12, 2-5 pm, Mitchell Park Community Center
The Palo Alto Chinese Community cordially invites you to join our 2017 Chinese New Year Fair, which will feature performances of Chinese folk music, instruments, and dances by local talents as well as students from Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). Many facets of Chinese culture will be exhibited such as Chinese brush painting, Mahjong, dumpling-making, fung shui, board games, and crafts. The event is free to all Palo Alto residents, and food will be sold for fund-raising to support Palo Alto schools. This event is co-sponsored by City of Palo Alto and the PTA Council, and the goal is to promote friendship among residents of different cultures and contribute to the vibrancy and health of our diverse community. Hope to see you all there! Questions please contact Hannah Lu or Sheena Chin.

PAUSD News
Springboard to Kindergarten
Jan 30 - June 1
Will your child attend Kindergarten in the Palo Alto Unified School District in August 2017? If your child turns 5 on or before September 1, 2017 and if your child has not attended preschool, PAUSD invites you to apply for Springboard to Kindergarten. Springboard to Kindergarten is a free program for children who have not had a high quality preschool experience and whose family meets the City of Palo Alto Income Ceiling Criteria. For more information please call Greendell School at 650-856-0833 or see our flyer in English and Spanish.

Community  News
Youth Speaks Out (YSO): Special Art Reception and Fundraiser 
Fri, Jan 27, 5-7 pm, SM Law Offices, 379 Lytton Ave
Help Youth Speaks Out! (YSO) celebrate their partnership with Sheppard Mullin Law Firm. View student artwork being considered for commission by the law firm. Hear from our co-hosts Sheppard Mullin & Project Safety Net and YSO students, parents and teachers. Support YSO by purchasing student art for sale available at the event with a percentage supporting YSO supplies and visiting artists. Limited space available. Please RSVP here.
The 2017 Gunn Choir Staff Musical: And Then There Were Nuns
Feb 7, 8 & 9, 8 pm, Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center, 50 Embarcadero Rd
Students, families, and the whole community are invited to join the 160-voice Gunn Choir and your favorite Gunn staff members for the fabulous 2017 Choir Staff Musical! Join in the fun as Dorothy and Toto set off for the Big Apple to audition for a Broadway musical. Despite stumbling into a mob hit and getting spirited away to a nunnery as part of the NYPD Witness Protection Program, nothing can keep our heroine from her ambition to make it in show biz. Tickets ($20 for adults, $10 for students) are on sale on the website, at the Gunn Student Activities Center, and at the door. Proceeds benefit the Choir's scholarship fund for a singing tour to Ireland in June. The JLS choir will be featured on the 8th, and the Terman choir on the 9th.
Clear the Clutter & Get Organized
Thu, Feb 2, 7-9 pm, Parent's Place Palo Alto
Are you tired of the piles and chaos caused by too much clutter in your home? When you have good organization systems, your home and family life is simpler, calmer, and less stressful. Get expert tips from professional organizer Lori Krolik of More Time For You. In addition to learning the six steps to tackle any organizing project, you'll get tips and tools for creating organization systems for your entryway, your kids' rooms and toys, meals and cooking, as well as great information to manage the details of life (bills, calendars, tasks, and more). Details and registration can be found here.
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's Characters @ Play Spring Break Camp
Mon-Fri, April 3-7, 9 am - 3 pm, Nixon Elementary School
(Extended Care available 8-9 am & 3-6 pm, with only morning care on Friday)
During this week long camp, students will:
  • Learn acting, movement, and stage craft skills in a fun, playful, and engaging way
  • Make new friends and work together in a team
  • Learn from professional Teaching Artists who are experienced artists and educators
  • Create a new character to bring to life with their new theatrical skills
  • Show off all that they have learned during a final presentation for family and friends
Tuition: $350. Extended Care: $100. Need-based scholarships are available.  To take advantage of the Characters @ Play sibling discount when registering online, please use the following discount codes:  Two children in family:  2SBSIBS  ($40 off);  Three children in family:  3SBSIBS  ($80 off).

For more information on Characters @ Play Spring Break Camp, call 650.463.7146, email at learn@theatreworks.org or visit TheatreWorks' website.
Palo Alto Nursery School Open House
Sat, Jan 28, 11 am - 1 pm, 957 Colorado Ave
Palo Alto Friends Nursery School, a play-based nursery school for 3 and 4 year olds, invites potential students and their parents to an Open House. Stop by anytime between 11-1 to meet with teachers and see the school. Children who are 3 or 4 by November 1, 2017 are eligible for the programs. For more information, visit us at our website or call 650.856.6152 to schedule a tour. 
Violin Masterclass with Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Kim
Fri, Feb 3, 7 pm, Tateuchi Hall at the Community School of Music and Arts, 230 San Antonio Cir, Mountain View
Free event! Distinguished musician and educator David Kim, of the Philadelphia Orchestra, will conduct a violin masterclass on Feb. 3. Mr. Kim started playing the violin at the age of three, began studies with the famed pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the age of eight, and later received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Juilliard School. As a highly sought-after pedagogue, Mr. Kim has presented masterclasses at schools and institutions such as Juilliard, the New World Symphony in Miami, Yale, the Korean National University of Arts, and universities and colleges across the United States. The masterclass will feature five ECYS Senior Symphony violinists. Enjoy the free performance and observe a master teacher at work as he helps the students polish their pieces. For more information, call ECYS at 650-213-7111 or visit ecys.org.

Archives and Publication Guidelines
Fairmeadow eNews is a publication of the Fairmeadow PTA. Previous editions of eNews can be found at the  eNews archive  page.  Please see the PTA website for the eNews Publication Guidelines If you have any questions or would like to make a submission, please contact  Christy Moision , Fairmeadow's eNews editor.
In This Issue
Important Dates
Jan 26-28 Aladdin Children's Theatre Production
Feb 9 Principal's Coffee
Quick Links