|
|
| |
| Foothill e-Gazette
Published by the Foothill PFA April 25
, 2018
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Important Dates
Apr 23 - 27 - CAASP Testing
May 1 -
Minimum Day
Dismissal at 12:30pm
For the complete Foothill calendar, click
here
.
|
|
|
|
From the Foothill Office Team
- California Green Ribbon - Foothill Receives Recognition!!!
- Ride Your Bike to School Day
- Social Awareness Seminars
- CAASPP Update
- Open House, May 23
- Grade Level Activities
- Coffee with Dave
Dear Foothill Community,
Spring is the time for many Foothill activities and this year is no exception. Students are currently taking the ELA CAASPP assessment which they have been working diligently to complete this week. Please be sure to share the message of how proud our staff and admin team are of all our Foothill students who have shown such focus and great effort during this process. We are proud of each and every one of them! In addition, we have many grade level activities cumulating with our 8
th
grade celebrations. Time to stop and enjoy the great progress Foothill students are making this year!
GREEN RIBBON RECOGNITION!!!
Foothill has always been proud of the efforts our students have made in regards to reducing the footprint we leave everyday on planet Earth. On Thursday, May 3 Superintendent Tom Torlakson along with MDUSD Assistant Superintendent Jonathan Eagan will be recognizing Foothill as the recipient of the California Green Ribbon. This recognizes Foothill at a state level for the efforts we have made to reduce trash, conserve water, and use planet friendly supplies. I believe we are the first MDUSD school to win this recognition. Many thanks to the students of our ECK Club and their daily diligence in reminding us how to recycle properly. Kudos to Mr. Roe, Mr. Jackson, and Ms. Elliott for their contributions both large and small. Foothill can proudly say we are leading the way for MDUSD to be green!
Ride Your Bike to School Day!
Wednesday, May 9 is
Bike to School Day
! WHY bike? It's fun, it's healthy, it reduces traffic, and it's pollution-free! Students are reminded to use Street Smarts to stay safe while biking, skateboarding, or riding scooters:
- Wear helmets
- Ride on the right side of the road. Go in the same direction as traffic!
- Stop at red lights
- Make eye contact with other drivers when crossing intersections
- Walk bikes in the crosswalk and on campus
Parents are reminded to use Street Smarts while driving in the 20 MPH school zone. Your children - and their classmates - are worth the extra time it takes to drive safely.
Social Awareness Seminars:
On Thursday, May 3 students will be participating in a schoolwide social awareness seminar being hosted by Phil Arnold (2018 Contra Costa County Humanitarian of the Year), the Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, and staff leaders. The seminars will take place from 9:00- 10:00 am. The purpose is to raise awareness about the our need to be accepting and better understand the world around us, especially right here at Foothill. Please contact your grade level administrator if you have any questions.
Open House Is Coming!
Please be sure to join us on May 23 starting at 5:30pm with the annual Open House dinner. Food trucks this year will include tacos and Mediterranean eats starting at 5:30pm. There is no pre-payment this year. After you have fed the family enjoy visiting your child(ren)'s classrooms which will be open from 7:00pm - 8:00pm. In addition, at 5:30pm we will be holding a special ceremony in the Serenity Garden outside of the T-Wing. Shhhh...we will be honoring former science teacher Ariel Owen! Open House is always a well-attended event at Foothill and we look forward to seeing you there!
Grade Level Activities
The Core classes at Foothill are gearing up for exciting activities in May.
- The Renaissance is coming to Foothill on May 24 for all 7th graders.
- On May 22, the 8th graders will be treated to a Civil War demonstration by Roy Wells.
- On Friday May 18, 6th grade students will have the opportunity to participate in the 6th Grade STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) Day at Arbolado Park. Field trips forms will be going out at the end of April. If you would like to volunteer or make a donation to STEAM Day please email Devin Jackson (jacksondj@mdusd.org) or David Roe (roed@mudsd.org) .
Coffee With Dave
Don't miss your chance on Friday, May 25 for Coffee With Dave from 7:45 to 8:15 am in the Foothill Library.This is an opportunity for mingling, question asking, and getting to know more about Foothill. Mr. Roe will be your host!
Respectfully,
The O-Team
April Bush, David Roe, Theodora Pappas, Mary Phalon, Elizabeth Brathwaite
|
Lights, Camera, Appreciation!
It's time to celebrate our Teachers and Staff during Appreciation Week - Next Week - April 30 - May 4!
Every day will be a movie-themed celebration with Brunch-time treats. We're looking for parents to help with homemade or store-bought contributions. Support your Staff.
Sign up here or contact Stephanie Denman,
steph@denmans.us for more information. Looking for a Red Carpet that we can roll out too. Thank you for your support.
Last Faculty & Staff Luncheon is next Thursday May 3rd.
Help celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Apr. 30 - May 4, and feed our hardworking Foothill faculty and staff! The third and last Faculty and Staff luncheon of this school year is coming up in next week, on Thursday, May 3. If you are interested in donating food or gift cards for this date 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!
|
|
The CHANGE WAR continues!
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 homeroomc
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
)!
Keep collecting those coins!
|
|
CAASPP Testing
Currently, English Language Arts CAASPP testing is being held during the core classes of English and History. There is no change in the bell schedule during the testing time through Monday,
April 30.
Math CAASPP is starting Friday, May 04, 2018. To facilitate the testing in math for a two period block the schedule will be adjusted. Please see this link and look for a School Messenger with the adjusted schedule.
Foothill Administration and Office Staff.
|
Scholastic Book Fair is Coming May 21 - 25!
The Book Fair will be open in the library
Monday,
Tuesday,
Wednesday and
Thursday, during brunch, lunch and after school. Friday (5/25) before school, during brunch and lunch.
We will also be
open during Open House on
Wed. May 23 from
6-8pm.
Volunteers Needed! - If you think you can spare an hour or two volunteering your time at the fair whether you would like to help set up, take down or try your skills at the cash register please click on the link below for sign up times.
Don't miss your chance to check out the great books the Scholastic fair has to offer and get some early summer reading shopping done!
Hope to see you at the Book Fair!!
|
|
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.
|
|
Volunteers Needed for 2018-19 PFA!!
Without volunteers for the positions listed below, we will be forced to cancel various enrichment activities and make reductions to our PFA budget for next year. This can adversely impact both students and teachers next year in terms of staffing support, technology and PFA sponsored activities! Be a part of the PFA volunteer team that helps make Foothill great.
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, please contact Melissa Sunbury at president.foothillpfa@gmail.com
- PFA Executive Board - Secretary
- 8th Grade Activities Committee - (4-6 volunteer team)
- Teacher Appreciation Committee - (5-6 volunteer team)
- Book Fair - (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, May 16 at 7pm in the library. This is an important meeting because we will be voting to approve the 2018/2019 budget and the slate of PFA Board Members that make up the chairs and volunteers for all the various committees. Without a full slate of volunteers for all the committees and fundraising activities, we will need to reduce the budget and associated activities respectively.
|
|
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:
|
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!
and then bookmark it to the top of your browser. Ask your student to help you :)
|
Don't Forget to Order Your Yearbook!
Yearbooks
for the 2017-2018 school year are available to purchase online.
|
|
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
2018 Northgate HS Youth Football Technique Camp
June 12-15, 2018,
9am-Noon. Once again, the Northgate HS Football program is offering its amazing summer youth football technique camp! We welcome campers of all skill levels to attend and learn proper football technique to play the game smarter and safer. While the camp focus is on Football Fundamentals, it is also designed to develop individual confidence within a team philosophy. Campers will be instructed by Head Varsity Coach Ben Ballard, and the Northgate Football Coaching staff using the most current football techniques recommended by Heads Up Football, CIF North Coast Section, and Practice Like the Pros organizations.
Camp features: Camp shirt, Snacks, Daily Fundamentals and Techniques, Daily Competition, Daily Offensive & Defensive Instruction, Individual Awards, Personal Written Evaluation, and Professional Trainer On site.
Cost is only $150.00 per participant.
Click here for more info and registration.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAVE THE DATE for the PEAK & MACY's Event to Showcase Our Students - Saturday, May 19th!
Macy's and PEAK Education Foundation are organizing a community event to showcase the talents of Northgate, Foothill, Walnut Acres, Bancroft and Valle Verde students!
There will be a spring fashion show featuring teachers and students, a student art show, and performances by both instrumental and vocal groups from Foothill and several other schools. There will also be special shopping discounts. Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 19th and stay tuned for more details.
____________________________________________________________________________
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 5h.
The cost will be $50 per child.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
