FEBRUARY 25, 2020
"BE YOURSELF. TRY YOUR BEST. NEVER BE AFRAID TO DREAM."
-SHARON CHRISTA MCAULIFFE
Race the Teachers!
Students raced teachers and admin last week for a chance to win a free registration in Run Seal Beach!
Dear McAuliffe Parents and Families,

Last year, McAuliffe students launched the first annual McAuliffe Film Festival. The event was great! We had 12 student films submitted, and about 35 students participate--not bad for a first year!

Tomorrow, Wednesday February 26th is our 2nd Annual Film Festival and I'm proud to report that in just one year our event has quadrupled in size! With over 50 films submitted and more than 200 student film makers, we are excited to see what films have been created under this year's theme: Never Be Afraid to Dream. We hope you will join us! For a complete list of student films and participants, click here .
, M
In this week's issue:
  • Science Olympiad team competes at regionals
  • Math Counts Club competes at annual Math Olympiad
  • McAuliffe Drama Play--A Lighter Shade of Noir--coming soon!
  • Announcing 6th Grade Robotics Team!
  • 8th Grade Panoramic Order Form
  • 8th Grade Parent Ed Meetings
  • What's happening this week in the Birdwatch! Click here.
  • Follow us on Instagram!


Keep dreaming big, Eagles!

Dr. Ryan Weiss-Wright
Highlights

Homework Club meets after school for 45 minutes Monday through Thursday in the Media Center. We also now have Homework Club before school in Room 24.

 
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH: 
 
Regular schedule, dismissal at 3:10
Transitioning to High School and Beyond Parent Ed Night, 6:30pm at Oak Middle School
 
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH: 
 
8th Grade Panoramic Picture
Regular schedule, dismissal at 3:10
 
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH: 
 
Dismissal at 2:05pm
MCAULIFFE FILM FESTIVAL! 5:00-6:30PM
 
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH: 
 
Regular schedule, dismissal at 3:10
All District Reflections Gallery, 5:30-8:00pm
 
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH: 
 
Deadline to order yearbooks! Order online here . Wondering if you already bought one? You can call and check with our office.
Regular schedule, dismissal at 3:10



For complete 19/20 School Year Calendar, click here .
Math Counts Club Competes at Math Olympiad
Math Counts is a club at McAuliffe that partners with the larger Math Counts organization to give students who love math an opportunity for competition and fun! This past weekend, our team competed at the regional competition at UCI--great work to all our students and a big thank you to Mr. Levy for leading this important effort!
Science Olympiad Team Competes at UCI!
In addition to our Science Olympiad invitational in January, students competed at the Regional competition on February 15th. Students were excited to compete against middle school students from across the region in a variety of group and individual contests!
CUTS FOR A CAUSE

NEED A HAIRCUT? WANT TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR OUR SCHOOL AND SUPPORT AUSTRALIAN WILDFIRE RELIEF AT THE SAME TIME? GET YOUR HAIR CUT AT GOOD FOLK IN SEAL BEACH ON MONDAY, MARCH 2ND!
8th Grade Pano Order Form
RUN SEAL BEACH!
Hey Eagles!!!
It is time for you, your family, and your friends to sign up for the annual Seal Beach 5k/10k!!! Join the McAuliffe Eagles team and be part of this awesome event!! Click on the link below and follow the simple steps or email Mr. Grillo for more information!! Race day is Saturday March 28th!!! Sign up now and start training!! 



Amazon Smile!
On your first visit to AmazonSmile  smile.amazon.com , you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Choose McAuliffe Middle School PTA ! Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at  smile.amazon.com  will result in a donation. AmazonSmile will occasionally contact you about donation amounts disbursed to your chosen charity or about the program.

Read the full letter here.
Community Service at McAuliffe!
VOLUNTEER HOURS?
If you know of any non-profit organizations offering volunteer opportunities for middle school students, please submit the name of the organization and their contact info (phone or email) and we will add them to our list! Send to mcauliffemiddlepta@gmail.com. All 8th grade students earning 100 or more volunteer hours during the school year will be recognized at 8th grade promotion. Beginning this year, 6th and 7th grade students may start accumulating volunteer hours and will be recognized for each year they achieve the 100 hour goal. To track your hours, use the "Community Service Log", available in the main office and online:  

Download Log here .

  1. Seal Beach Leo Club is always looking for new recruits!
  2. Los Alamitos Girls Softball League (LAGSL) is a 501 3C non-profit that plays out of Rossmoor Park. They have been serving the community with recreation softball since 1974. They have a snack shack during the spring season and anyone 14 years and old can volunteer for community service hours.  Contact: Regina Zawalick, SnackShack@lagsl.org, 562-900-3153
  3. Orange County Children's Theatre, occt.org, prodsecretary@occt.org, (714)-502-2244.
  4. Child Evangelism Fellowship, cefwoc.org, cefwoc@gmail.com, (714)-788-6889.
  5. Cornerstone Church Long Beach Children's Ministry, CCLBkids.org, kids@cclb.org, (562)-296-6487.

If you know of any volunteer opportunities, please email rweisswright@losal.org to promote!
Honorary Service Award Nominations!
The PTA Honorary Service Award Selection Committee is looking for extraordinary nominees or organizations who provide outstanding service to our students, teachers, and/or our community. Nominated individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions are eligible for an award. Honorary Service Awards were designed as a unique way to publicly acknowledge and honor those that have provided outstanding community service to students, children and youth in our community.

Too often, these extraordinary people go unrecognized because they are working behind the scenes. Too often, they are not nominated because we expect someone else will nominate them.

Be that someone else!
Please take a few moments to let us know who you think deserves to be recognized. Feel free to submit multiple nominations using a separate form for each individual.

You can nominate by downloading this form

OR you can nominate ONLINE by clicking this link .
PTA Silent Auction on March 26th
It's almost here -- Open House is fast approaching on Thursday, March 26th. We are looking for  donations and volunteers  to support our raffle and silent auction fundraiser, to be held at Open House. Last year, we raised funds to support STEAM programs at school. This year, our PTA plans on supporting multiple McAuliffe programs with this fundraiser.

How YOU can help: 
1.  Volunteer:  If you would like to volunteer to help with auction setup, please reply to this email with your name and contact information.
2.  Donations/Auction and Raffle Items:  Please ask any local businesses that you frequent for donations. Or if you own a small business, consider donating - we are a 501(c)3 charity so donations are tax deductible to the extend allowed by law! Some examples include: hair/nail/beauty salons, restaurants, specialty stores, dry cleaners, pet groomers, music lessons, or anywhere you frequent. If you or someone you know has Season Tickets to a local sports team, or a connection to a special event, hotel, condo, or amusement park, please let us know! If you have any unused gift cards that you would consider donating, if you are crafty and would like to donate something you have made, we would love to hear from you.

You can use the attached letter and donation form to request donated items. Please note the deadline of March 17, 2020. Thank you very much for your support!

Your PTA Auction Committee chairs,
Kristin Hunt & Kelly Das

This section is for all important reminders from the District and McAuliffe Middle School
8th Grade Parent Nights
Please mark your calendars and  SAVE THE DATE  for two upcoming presentations targeted at providing information on your student’s transition to Los Alamitos High School (LAHS).
 
 
8 th  Grade Parent Night
Tuesday, March 3 rd  at 7:00pm
Los Alamitos High School Performing Arts Center
Join LAHS Principal Chris Vlasic and the high school staff as they welcome all incoming freshman families and share information about life as a Griffin, the high school registration process, and how to get your student involved in the 4 A’s: Academics, Athletics, Activities and the Arts. Parents will have an opportunity to hear directly from their student’s high school guidance counselor as well.
 
McAuliffe Middle School | losal.org/mcauliffe | 714.816.3320 | 4112 Cerritos Ave, Los Alamitos, California