Volume 27| 8 March 2020
Better Resolution Hillview Hawk
Middle School Newsletter
This Week
Monday, March 9
Hillview ASB Elections - informational meeting, lunchtime, room G4

Wednesday, March 11
Conversation Chat canceled

Jazz Collaboration Concert with Jessica Jones Quartet, Hillview Jazz Band, La Entrada Jazz Band and Stanford Jazz Workshop, 7:00 - 8:00 pm, PAC

Thursday, March 12
PTO Executive Board Meeting, 9:00 - 10:30 am, large conference room, Hillview office

Service Team Meeting, lunchtime, PAC

Regular Board Meeting, 6:00 - 10:00 pm, TERC Building 181 Encinal Avenue, Atherton
Looking Ahead
Wednesday, March 18
“Parenting in the Digital Age: Setting Your Kids up for Success”, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Encinal Elementary 195 Encinal Avenue, Atherton

Monday, March 23
ASB Elections
(through Thursday March 26)

Friday, March 27
No School - Staff Development Day

Monday, March 30
No School - Spring Break
(through Friday, April 3)

Hillview School News
Dear Hillview Families,

As Trimester 2 comes to a close, we hope you are enjoying the school year! We also wanted to acknowledge that we are all navigating our way through a challenging time as we wrestle with our concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Please rest assured that MPCSD is staying in touch with county health officials and following the latest guidelines and recommendations, and our district’s comprehensive COVID-19 webpage here (updated daily) is an outstanding resource, including all of Superintendent Burmeister’s recent communications. At this time, there are no known cases of COVID-19 in our district. 

To reiterate some of the best advice on the district FAQ page, we can de-escalate our fearful reactions during this time by staying calm, remaining informed, and controlling what we have control over, such as precaution and preparation. So keep washing those hands and be more conservative in keeping your children home if they are experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms. We should also be aware that while our children continue to be resilient and show up at school (our Friday attendance had 94% of our students present), COVID-19 is a cause of anxiety and uncertainty for them. The district FAQ page also has great resources about how to talk to our kids about this topic.

As preventive measures are being implemented with regard to the COVID-19, please check dates and times of all events before attending.

Thank you, and please continue to read MPCSD updates as the situation develops.

Sincerely,
The Hillview Team
paper_people_chain.jpg
Hillview Site Council - Seeking Parents
Applications due Friday, March 13

Hillview Site Council is looking for parent volunteers for two open positions for the 2020-2022 term.

All interested parents should submit their nominations by March 13. Interested in joining our team or have questions, contact Tamara Russel here . Additional information here .
Parent Volunteers for Science
Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, March 11, 12, or 13, morning
fireplace_feet_warm.jpg
6th-grade students are starting their thermal energy invention projects in science! They are designing and testing an invention that either holds in or keeps out thermal energy. 

One of the facets of Project-Based Learning is to have "experts" come in and be part of the process, give kids feedback on their ideas, very informal, walking around to table groups for about a half an hour.

All parents are welcome, whether your student has Ms. Hiiborn or not. Email Julie Hilborn here .
8th-Grade Parent Information
Hillview 8th-Grade Promotion
graduation-cartoon-header.gif
Checked in with your student? Are they on track to meet the promotion requirements:

  • Achieve 1.5 GPA over the course of their three trimesters of 8th grade, in all classes that students receive an achievement grade 

  • A 50% grade or higher in all four core classes (Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies) during the third trimester

If your student does not meet BOTH of these requirements, they will not be allowed to participate in the annual 8th-grade Great America trip, the promotion ceremony, or the graduation night party.

For questions or concerns about your student meeting these graduation requirements, reach out to their teachers or the 8th-grade counselor, Kellie Raczkowski here .
M-A High School Course Planning and Placement Night
Thursday, March 12, 6:00 - 7:15 pm, M-A PAC and library

Join M-A counselors for an informational presentation with Q and A will help to explain the high school course placement process. Parents and students are welcome.
M-A High School Open House
Thursday, March 19, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, PAC

Current and potential students are welcome to take a self-guided tour of campus and meet teachers in their classrooms, giving a school-wide view of M-A. 

Families may attend our new family resource fair in the PAC cafe. Families will receive information about course selection, address verification, summer programs and much more here
PTO News
Conversation Chat
Canceled

After meeting with Superintendent Burmeister, and learning about the most recent updates by the Department of Public Health, the decision has been made to cancel this event. We look forward to rescheduling this Conversation Chat in the fall.
Programs & Activities
Hillview ASB
Hillview ASB Elections - Informational Meeting 
Monday, March 9, lunchtime, room G4
raceResults
7th-grade students interested in running for Hillview ASB Student Council 2020-2021 can begin their journey this week! Students can join the Google Classroom, ask questions, and learn about the election process and rules.

Deadline to sign up is Thursday, March 12. Email Brian Darmanin here for questions.
Hillview Service Team
beach-surf.jpg
Service Team Meeting
Thursday, March 12, lunchtime, PAC

At our last meeting, service team enjoyed a visit from the Surfrider Foundation of San Mateo, learning how to become “coastal defenders” and help protect our oceans and beaches. For more information, or to learn about upcoming beach clean-ups, email here
Hillview Music
Jazz
March is Music In Our School Month!

Join the celebration of events at Hillview!

Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 pm, Hillview PAC. T here will be a Jazz Collaboration Concert featuring the Jessica Jones Quartet from New York City with the Hillview Jazz Band, La Entrada Jazz Band, And Stanford Jazz Workshop. Students are free. Adults are $10.

See the poster here ! More information on the Jessica Jones Bay Area Tour Schedule and biography here.

Friday, March 13, the Hillview 7/8 Band and Orchestra will perform in the CMEA Band and Orchestra Festival at Graham Middle School in Mountain View.  Here is the schedule. It is free and open to the public!

Did you know? On March 3, 1931, the Star Spangled Banner was adopted as our National Anthem?

The Big Think has been canceled . Sunday, March 15. The Hillview Jazz Band had been scheduled to perform at the Big Think at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. 

More information on Music In Our Schools Month here !
Hillview Library
March Madness in the Hillview Library 
This year we have four brackets for our March Madness/Battle of the Books: middle grade book, graphic novels, YA books, and books in a series. 

Voting for the first round starts soon, but there's still time to read! 
Check out the Hillview Library website here for the list of books voted in and come on in the library to see the brackets.

MPCSD News
MPCSD COVID-19 FAQ

During the ongoing novel coronavirus situation, MPCSD is keeping our COVID-19 FAQ page updated here .

Refer to MPCSD COVID-19 FAQ frequently to remain in the know about how our district is handling the situation.

The link to MPCSD COVID-19 FAQ is also available at the district homepage here under "Announcements" or "Quick Links."
“Parenting in the Digital Age: Setting Your Kids up for Success”
Wednesday, March 18, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, Encinal Elementary 195 Encinal Avenue. 

Sponsored by MPCSD and Common Sense Media, this talk will address concerns like managing screen time and digital well-being, teaching kids to act safely, responsibly, and kindly online, getting a smartphone, and keeping up with social media.

Step-by-step instructions for setting up parental and privacy controls!

Advance registration is requested here . Questions? Email Theresa Fox here .
MPAEF News
Auction Moves Online!

Due to the updated county health department recommendations, our auction team has decided that it was in the best interest not to host Saturday's party. 

There is a great silver lining for our entire community! We will now have EVERYTHING (all items, all parties, and fund-a-need) available at the Online Auction which starts at 11:00 am on Wednesday, March 11. Mark your calendars to start bidding!
 
To preview the auction before it opens, see the Bidding For Good website here . For more information and other updates, refer to the MPAEF website here .
Thank You
 
We want to take the opportunity to show our appreciation for our business and realtor partners in the community. Thank you for your support!

Silver
Personify here
Hessler Plastic Surgery here
 
Bronze
Mid Peninsula Orthodontics here
Judy Citron here
Community News
Riekes Center Summer Camps The Riekes Center has a variety of exciting and enriching programs across our Athletic Fitness, Creative, Arts, and Nature Connection departments. We would love to introduce your families to the many opportunities within our unique community here .

M-A Drama Presents: "Peter and the Starcatcher" March 13-15, 20-22, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm at M-A PAC.. Come see the thrilling comedy adventure at Menlo-Atherton High School! Buy your tickets here . More info here . The exhilarating and touching show for adult and teen audiences about the Neverland you never knew! 

The Mat Club-Middle School Wrestling Club An entry-level wrestling club, no experience is necessary to join, and both boys and girls are encouraged to participate. Wrestlers will learn basic offensive and defensive moves like takedowns, throws, escapes, and pins; we will also play many fun games like king-of-the-hill, sumo, and chess. Learn more? contact Caleb Prouty here .

The Coding School Learn to code with the most supportive, personalized, and risk-free coding experience possible. codeConnects Summer 2020 program offers one-on-one and small group coding lessons for grades 4-12 from top computer scientists at Google, JPL, Stanford, and more! Delve into cutting-edge tech fields, including Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, FinTech, and more. Learn more here and register here .  
 
Woodside High School presents The Addams Family, a New Musical Comedy March 13, 14, 15, and 20, 21, PAC, 199 Churchill Avenue, Woodside. Based on the classic Addams’ cartoon characters and the vintage TV series. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents. Tickets are available online here .   
 
Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) is an intensive and stimulating program where students are introduced to the fundamental principles of business, entrepreneurship, teamwork and leadership and are challenged to critically think. Collaborate with Haas faculty, PhD students, guests from corporate America, and international and domestic peers. Visit our website here .
 
Volunteers Needed for Stanford Research Recruiting healthy individuals, ages 6-65, to participate in a research study about individuals with hypothalamic-pituitary disorders to better understand the underlying causes of social impairments in individuals with these disorders. Participation includes a one-time study visit where individuals will complete questionnaires, behavioral tests, and provide a blood sample. Participants will be reimbursed $50 for fully completing study. Call (650) 498-5187 or visit here .
 
PVTC Theatre Conservatory A variety of fun camps for actors ages 3 years old - high school. Join us for a Summer of the Absurd - Escape from the hubbub of daily routine into worlds where the impossible can (and does!) happen. Take acting, singing, dancing, design, and attend special workshops with master teaching artists. Campers' hard work culminates in performances at the end of each camp session. Register online here

Torch Basketball Summer Camps for Boys and Girls Week-long (Monday – Friday) events where we pack as much basketball, team-building, and fun into each six-hour day. Kids will learn the basics of basketball, how to compete, and how to rely on one another. Awards are given at the end of each Torch Camp. Camps are located in Menlo Park and San Mateo. For more information visit here
 
Menlo Park Safe Routes to School Sunday , March 22, 2:00 - 5:00 pm, "The City of Menlo Park's SRTS Program is hosting a screening of the documentary Motherload here (the story of a Marin County mom who found freedom and connection via cargo bike). The event is free and family-friendly. Register here .
Quick Links