Foothill e-Gazette  

  Published by the Foothill PFA                                                        January 9, 2019
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Important Dates 

Jan 11 - Last day to order a 2018-19 yearbook (only available for purchase online)

Jan 14 - 1st semester report cards mailed home

Jan 16 - PFA meeting at 7 pm in the library

Jan 21 - No School - 
Martin Luther King Jr. Day

For the complete Foothill calendar, click here.

In This Issue
Lunch Accounts
Ed Fund & Tech Fund Update
Faculty and Staff Lunch
Save the Date
Northgate Information Night for 8th Graders
Donors Choose
Important Dates for 8th Grade Families
2019 Yearbook
Volunteer for Events at Foothill
After School Sports
Konstella at Foothill
Shop and Earn for Foothill
Community Announcements
Online Parent Community
                                                                                                                                                   
MDUSD Lunch Accounts:

Here is the link to add money to your child's lunch account. Additionally, here is  the link to check for the menu selection.

                                                                                                                                                   
Ed Fund and Tech Fund Update

Thank you so much to all the families that have "Asked for the Match!" We are moving towards meeting our matching donations budget!! As always, it's never too late to put in your matching donation request - please reach out if you need a copy of your donation receipt. Asking usually just takes a few minutes on your company portal.  

Anne Foley
Ed Fund Chair
                                                                                                                                                   
Help Feed our Hardworking Faculty and Staff!

The second Faculty and Staff luncheon of this school year is coming up on Thursday, January 24. If you are interested in donating food or gift cards to show your appreciation for our fabulous Foothill staff, further information and items needed are listed here.
 
You can alternatively contact Kathy Lawrence kfinucan@outlook.com if you have any questions or issues signing up.  

Thanks for your support of Foothill!

                                                                                                                                                   
January 16 Special Presentation from BeSMART prior to the January PFA Meeting  
 
 On Wednesday, January 16 from 6:30 - 7 pm, BeSMART, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to promote gun safety for kids will be making a presentation prior to the general PFA Meeting. Their presentation is for adu lt parents/ guardians, not kids.  All are welcome to come, listen, learn and ask questions.  For more information about this organization, visit their website http://besmartforkids.org
  
                                                                                                                                                   
Save the Dates - 8th Grade Information Night at Northgate & Northgate Open House 
 
Northgate will be hosting an Information Night for incoming 8th grade students and parents. More details to follow, but mark your calendars, 7 pm on Monday, January 28, 2019.
  
Northgate Open House is scheduled for Thursday, February 21 at 6 pm. While this is primarily an event for current families to see what their students are doing in the different classes, it can also be an opportunity for 8th grade students to see the classrooms and project displays. 
 
                                                                                                                                                   
Donors Choose Projects

We appreciate all of the financial support our community donates to all of our programs. Providing a list of our teacher's Donors Choose projects is not intended to keep hitting the same people up financially. However, we are sharing this list since our community members were asking for local funding opportunities. Donors Choose is designed to reach contributors beyond the parents and guardians at Foothill Middle School. 

The holidays are about giving towards worthy causes, why not donate towards your childs teacher through Donors Choose!  If you would like to donate towards a project we have some really great Donors Choose Projects.

Mr. Meier has two projects -   Amazing Audio for Student Created Films and another project request for tablets to help his students create animated films.


Mr. Davis from wood shop has a project request for a MIG welder for the welding class.


Ms. Wesser-Singh has a project request " Keep Calm and Picnic On!"  She is requesting a picnic table for outside the classroom to be used for collaborative learning while being outdoors.


All of these projects are terrific and maybe you know someone who would like to donate this holiday season, if so, pass it on!  All of these projects need to be funded by the middle of March.
                                                                                                                                                   
For Your Planning - 8th Grade Families
   
Friday, May 31  - 8th Grade Activity Day 8:15 am to 4:30 pm

Monday, June 03  - 8th Grade Party 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm MU 

Wednesday, June 05  - 8th Grade Promotion 10:00 am - 11:00 am Foothill Sports Field
 
                                                                                                                                                   
Buy Your 2019 Yearbook Now!

The 2018 yearbook sold out!  If you wait, your child may not get a yearbook.  Yearbooks will only be sold online via Herff Jones' Yearbook order center. 

LAST DAY TO ORDER IS JANUARY 11!
   
Go to www.yearbookordercenter.com and enter school code 6047. 

Thank you!
                                                                                                                                                   
Volunteer for Events and Activities at Foothill

Foothill needs parent volunteers throughout the year to help with various events and activities such as Teacher Appreciation Lunch, Change Wars, Open House, etc.  These events usually require only a few hours of time. Pl ease click the link below to sign up . You will then be contacted by the PFA chair of the event at a later date.
 
                                                                                                                                                   
After School Sports

Interested in any upcoming sports?
 
Some upcoming important dates for Fall/ Spring 2018-19 Sports!
 
Coed Intramural Beach Volleyball 2.0 @ HF (6 & 7 & 8)
 
Season: T & TH, 3:30 - 5 pm
Dates: 2/19 - 3/28
Registration Deadline: 2/14
Location: Heather Farms Park
 
Coed Competitive Golf (6 & 7 & 8)
 
Tryouts: 2/26 & 2/28
Season: T - TH, 3:30 - 5 pm
Dates 3/4 - 5/22
Registration Deadline: 2/21
Location: Boundary Oaks Golf Course

  Boys Intramural Basketball (6 & 7 & 8)
 
Coaches will work on the fundamentals of playing basketball in their beginner friendly drills. After a week of trainings, coaches will begin matches against each other to put training into games!
 
Season: T - Th, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Dates: 1/15 - 2/21
Registration Deadline: 1/10
 
Registration is online! Register here.

If you have any questions, feel free to email either Athletic Director, Phillip Wcislo at wcislo@walnut-creek.org or Assistant Athletic Director, Chris Chavez at  cchavez@walnut-creek.org
                                                                                                                                                   
Student Directory Goes Online - Konstella at Foothill

New this year, Foothill PFA will be moving to an online directory using Konstella.

Go to www.konstella.com, then click on "Find Your School" and type in Foothill.

Enter your email address to receive an invitation and then follow the link to register.  You will be prompted to enter a password as well as add a child.  If you have multiple children at Foothill, you can add each one to their grade.  You will be able to set your privacy preferences to select what information is shared in the directory.

You may also download the Konstella app for your phone so that you can have directory and calendar information on the go.  Konstella also allows you to sync our calendar with your Google, iPhone, or other online calendars.

Besides the directory feature, we plan to use Konstella's calendar feature to keep parents informed of important events.  Consider joining now to be ready for back to school in August.

                                                                                                                                                   
Shop at Amazon to Earn for Foothill

Remember, you can support Foothill every time you shop Amazon.  Foothill's special link earns up to  5% for Foothill each time you shop!

Take a minute,  click this link  and then bookmark it to the top of your browser. Ask your student to help you :)
 
This link is also available on the homepage of the  Foothill PFA website . 

There is more information available on the  Fundraising page of the PFA Website.  Thanks for shopping for Foothill!  
  
                                                                                                                                                   
Community Announcements

Af ter School Center Located Right on Campus!

The Creek Teen Youth Center has been part of Foothill  Middle School  for the last 14 years.  We are open Monday-Friday right after school until 6 pm.  We offer great  after school  snacks, on-site tutoring, homework help, computers, outdoor activities, games, arts, community service and so much more!!! Take a look at our website to see what we currently have going on.

                               
 

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LCAP Speaker Series - "Social Media's Impact On Young People's Self Image"

Experts say young people view social media through the lens of their own lives. If they're struggling to stay on top of things or suffering from low self-esteem, they're more likely to interpret images of peers having fun as confirmation that they're doing badly compared to their friends.
 
Please join us on Tuesday, January 22, starting at 6 pm at Mt. Diablo High School, as we welcome back Speaker Series favorite, Thomas Dodson with  Above  the  Above the Fray to give families the tools they need to begin meaningful dialogues about the  digital lives of young people, the pitfalls and the positives. Spanish translation will be provided!
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Youth Ambassador Exhange
 
Walnut Creek Sister Cities International (WCSCI) organizes a Youth Ambassador Exchange (YAE!!) for 8th grade students with our two sister cities: Noceto, Italy and Siofok, Hungary.   
 
For ten days in the Fall, the students and chaperones experience life and culture in one of our sister cities. In the Spring, the Walnut Creek students host their exchange students in Walnut Creek.  
 
Attention 7th grade parents - there will be an additional meeting for Foothill students who might be interested in the Sister Cities Youth Ambassador Exchange program. If you have a seventh grade student who is a Walnut Creek resident and is possibly interested in applying for the 2019/ 2020 exchange, and you missed the informational meeting on January 6, come by Mrs. Villers room (A-8) after school on Thursday (around 3:00). Students and parents are welcome. Applications are due February 1. 
 
For more information about WCSCI and YAE!!, please visit our website at www.wcsci.org    
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If you know of an interesting community event or activity that you think the Foothill Community would benefit from knowing about, please send the information to  foothill.enews@gmail.com  so we can pass it along. Community Announcements will be included in the regular e-Gazette that is published the first and third Wednesdays of each month.

                                                                                                                                                   
Online Parent Community

Need to ask a question, get reminders about upcoming PFA activities or connect with other parents at Foothill? Join the  Foothill Middle School Parents group on Facebook. Once logged in, request to join the group.

                                                                                                                                                   

  
The Foothill PFA publishes the e-Gazette the first and third Wednesdays each month. Our goal is to provide information to the Foothill community in a timely manner. To submit an article for review, please send 150 words or less article as text in an email to foothill.enews@gmail.com. Please send picture/clip art that you would like included with your article as an attachment in .jpg format. 

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