Foothill e-Gazette  

  Published by the Foothill PFA                                                          April 11 , 2018
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Important Dates 

Apr 12 - Spirit Day;
Vans vs Converse

Apr 18 -  PFA Meeting @ 7:00 pm i n the Library

For the complete Foothill calendar, click here .

In This Issue
Day of Silence
Foothill's Dine & Donate Success
Change Wars Start Next Week
PFA Volunteers Needed for 2018/19
Foothill's Education Fund
After School Sports
Shop at Amazon to earn for Foothill
Yearbook
Online Parent Community
Community Announcements
                                                                                                                                                   
Day of Silence, April 27
 
For the third year, interested Foothill students have requested to participate in the Day of Silence on Friday, April 27. The GLSEN website describes the Day of Silence as a student-led national event where students take a vow of silence to highlight the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ people at school. The Day of Silence is intended to spread awareness about the effects of the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students.
 
No Foothill student is required to participate but we ask that all respect those who choose to remain silent.
 
                                                                                                                                                   
Foothill's Dine & Donate a Great Success!
 
Thanks to all the Foothill families who helped support the PFA by participating in 
our first two Dine & Donate events at Rocco's and Chipotle.  Together they raised over $1000 for the PFA!   A big thanks as well to Lisa Berndt and Bonnie Bullis for organizing.

The next Dine & Donate event will be at Mod Pizza on May 17th. 
 
                                                                                                                                                   
The CHANGE WAR starts Monday April 16 - grab your coins!
 
It's homeroom-against-homeroom during CHANGE WARS at Foothill! The war runs April 16 - 27
Your spare change will make a big change as we help fund brand new water bottle refilling stations and other school programs!
Students bring loose change (or bills) and compete to fill their homeroom
jars as full as possible. The homeroom in each grade level that brings in the most
money will be declared the Change War Champions!
The three winning classes will enjoy an ice cream sundae bar, as well as an extra-long lunch period and ... they get to SLIME MR. JACKSON (6 TH ), MS. ELLIOTT (7 TH ),
AND MS. BUSH (8 TH )!
Start collecting those coins!
                                                                                                                                                   
Get Involved at Foothill - Volunteers Needed for 2018-19 PFA.
 
The PFA needs YOU in 2018/2019!   Be a part of the PFA volunteer team that helps make Foothill great.  Without parent volunteers certain events and activities may need to be cancelled for next year and funding for various programs curtailed. Opportunities are available to meet a variety of interest levels and time commitments.  If you have questions or are interested in getting more involved next year, contact Melissa Sunbury at  president.foothillpfa@gmail.com     
  • 8th Grade Activities Committee - (4-6 volunteer team)
  • Teacher Appreciation Committee - (5-6 volunteer team)
  • Book Fair Chair/Co-chairs (spring event)
  • Magazine Drive Chair/Co-chairs (fall fundraising event)
  • Health Fair Chair and committee (February event)
  • Directory Advertising (fall)
  • Emergency Preparation
  • Kick-Off Day- many volunteers for one day commitment Aug 9th
  • FormSite online forms volunteer
  • Campus Beautification / Facilities Enhancements Chair (Oct. event)
The PFA's next meeting is Wednesday,  April 18 at 7pm in the library. 
We will be reviewing the 2018/19 proposed budget which will be voted on at the May 16 meeting

                                                                                                                                                   
It's Never Too Late to Give to the Foothill Education Fund
 
It's never to late to make a tax-deductible gift to the Foothill Education Fund. We are still short of our budgeted goal year-end donations greatly appreciated.
The Education Fund supports:
  • Reduced math & science class sizes in all grades
  • School-wide technology upgrades 
  • Lunchtime library access for students
  • Computer lab instructional assistant
  • Crossing Guards 
  • Technology support for students and faculty
Click Here to access our online donation link

Don't forget to get your donation matched by your employer. This is FREE MONEY for our school! 
It only takes a minute to submit a matching request and it makes a really big difference for our school. The information you will need is simply: 
 
                                                                                                                                                   
Sign-up today for an After School Sport!

Boys Competitive Basketball Training 2.0:
Come out and get competitive training from this season's 8A competitive coach! Former Northgate Basketball Coach, Coach Mark, has constructed a training program for all types of skill levels to reach their next goals. The program is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who want to take their competitive skills to the next level and beyond! All trainings will be held in Foothill Gym.
Season and Dates:
Mondays and Wednesdays,  4:30 - 6:00 PM
4/9 - 5/23
Spots still available! If interested please send an email to:  Foothillsports@walnutcreekrec.org
 
Girls Competitive Volleyball Training 1.0:
If you are interested in taking the next steps in your volleyball career, this training is here for you. Our coach, a D2 bound volleyball commit, is ready to help players who are serious about getting to the next level of volleyball reach their goals. Drills will focus on improving all skills, whether beginner level or advanced level of play. The program is open to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders of all skill levels! All trainings will be held in Foothill Gym.  
Season and Dates:
Tuesdays and Thursdays,  4:30 - 6:00 PM
4/10 - 5/24
Spots still available! If interested please send an email to:  Foothillsports@walnutcreekrec.org
 
Girls Intramural Volleyball:
Want to come try out volleyball in a fun and open environment? Come out for our Girls Intramural Volleyball Season! This great for beginners program is coached by some of the highest quality players in the area who focus on getting down the fundamentals and learning about the sport of volleyball before moving to some intermediate and maybe even advanced skills towards the end of the season! Teams are created and will play against one another twice a week with a practice session in the middle of the week. We'll even compete against Walnut Creek Intermediate throughout the season before our JAMBOREE at the end of the season!
Season and Dates:
Tuesdays through Thursdays,  3:30 - 4:30 PM
4/24 - 5/31
Registration Deadline: 4/12
 
Coed Intramural Tennis:
Interested in an easy beginners/intermediate intro tennis program? Sign up for Coed Intramural Tennis! The program is run by Lifetime Activities which will provide an excellent coaching staff to help our beginner and intermediate player grow and love the sport! The program takes place at Heather Farm Community Park in the Tennis Center.
Season and Dates:
Tuesdays through Thursdays,  4 - 5:30 PM
4/24 - 5/31
Registration Deadline: 4/12

Sign-ups are now online!  Click here to get registered and check out some of our other programs!
If you have any questions please feel free to contact:  Foothillsports@walnutcreekrec.org
 
In case link does not work, the website is https://cityofwalnutcreek.perfectmind.com/

                                                                                                                                                   
Keep Shopping with Foothill's Special Link for Amazon

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! 
                                                                                                                                                   
Don't Forget to Order Your Yearbook!

Yearbooks  for the 2017-2018 school year are available to purchase online. 
 
Please visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and enter code 6047.

Yearbooks are $65.00.  Please click here for the Yearbook flyer.

                                                                                                                                                   
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.

                                                                                                                                                   
Community Announcements
 

Attention 7th Grade Parents: Washington DC Trip Information Meeting
On  Tuesday, April 24 at 6pm in Foothill's MU room, there will be an informational meeting for this year's 7th grade parents and students about next year's Washington, DC, Gettysburg, and New York City trip.  The trip will occur during Spring Break of 2019 and is for 8th graders only. Trip information will be provided and registration materials will be available.

Please contact Sue Hinchliffe at hinchliffes@foothillmiddle.org  with questions.

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PEAK & Forma Gym Join Forces to Get You Fit! 

Forma Gym is continuing to help support Foothill via PEAK Education Foundation by offering a special gym membership initiation rate of just $49 (normally $199) and they are then donating this $49 back to PEAK.  As the host of the annual Walnut Creek Turkey Trot, Forma Gym has been supporting PEAK Education Foundation for many years.  At it's March meeting, Forma Gym presented PEAK with a check from the 2017 Turkey Trot for $15,000! 

Forma gym offers over 100 classes a week, has an outdoor swimming pool with water aerobics plus excellent childcare services.   See the attached flyer or click here for more information.


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Looking for a w ay to have your son give back to his community while gaining personal, leadership and community serv ice skills? Boys team charity (btc) is a volunteer service organization dedicated to developing an altruistic spirit in young men through active participation of parents and sons in  philanthropic projects in their communities. The Diablo League of btc is accepting applications starting March 2 for rising 7th-12th grade boys. 
 
Please click here   f or further information about boys team charity or contact Anna Saunders  with questions.
 
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U.C. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth 
 
The U.C. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) provides a two-week introduction to the business world from the Haas School of Business.   B-BAY, now in its 10th year, introduces youth from around the world to the disciplines and skills that make business work. B-BAY students learn from BerkeleyHaas faculty, PhD candidates and corporate guest speakers who are at the top of their field. Class projects and presentations give students hands-on experience in a safe learning environment-all on the vibrant  UC Berkeley campus.


There are three two week sessions running from :
June 16 - August 4, 2018 from 9:00 - 3:30 pm
Where:  U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business
Who:     Middle School Age Students (rising 7th, 8th and 9th grades) High School Students (rising 10th - 12th grades)
What:    an invaluable introduction to the business world

Program:  Detailed instructions and applications are available on 
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High School Placement Test practice exam offered at Carondelet High School 
  
If your student is applying to a private high school that requires a placement exam, you might want to take advantage of the practice test opportunity at Carondelet.  This prep test is available for both boys and girls, and will be held at the Garaventa Center from 8:30-11:30am on Saturday, May 5th. 
 
Here is the link to register:  https://www.carondeleths.org/ admissions/testing 
The cost will be $50 per child.
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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.
 
                                                                                                                                                   

  
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. 

Please click here for the e-Gazette submission deadline and publication dates.