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On Friday, October 15, under clear blue skies, the Edna Maguire Students from Kindergarten through Fifth grade ran around the school like chickens to raise money for their education. After many sweaty laps, the students were awarded treats from Woody's Ice Cream and Yogurt Shop. Please stop in and thank Woody's for their sweet treat donation!!
This year's Edna PTA fundraiser, Steeplechase a.k.a. Chicken Run, needs everyone's support. To reach our goal of $130,000 we need each student to raise $300 or more. However, if this amount presents a hardship, please donate at whatever level you can. Your participation at any level is critical and is greatly appreciated.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 28
The 4th Grade families got together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to celebrate another Giant's win and enjoy time with Ms. Zimmer and each other.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 20
Dear Family,
This year's Chicken Run, also known as Steeplechase, was a big hit! Students love this event--it's great to watch them challenge themselves as they take another lap or cheer on their classmates. Thanks to all who ran, walked, cheered or volunteered on the course. And I want to extend a special thanks to Cathy Wilmoth and her team of volunteers for organizing this year's event.
As our primary fundraiser, Steeplechase is more important than ever this year. Your donations help pay for classroom supplies, technology and hands-on-learning for EVERY student. As you know, our state is experiencing major cut backs in education funding. Our local fundraising is critical to support programs here at Edna Maguire and throughout the district.
The teachers and I would like to thank you for all the support you give us to make our school such an incredible place to learn and grow. Our goal is to get 100% participation by every student in our school. We are asking each family to contribute $300 per student, but any donation is appreciated. Please turn in your pledge packets by October 29!
Lisa Zimmer and the Edna Maguire Teachers and Support Staff 
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
After a record-setting delay, the California Legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally passed the 2010-11 state budget. California State PTA believes that no one who cares about the welfare and education of children can be satisfied with this budget.
The budget suspends Proposition 98, the minimum funding guarantee for education, and our schools will receive billions less than otherwise required under the law. And once again, the budget was balanced with little in the way of new revenues, relying instead on spending reductions, anticipated federal funds and accounting gimmicks. After $17 billion in cuts to education the past few years, overall K-12 education funding will remain fairly constant from last year's funding level.
California State PTA is especially angered by the Governor's veto of more than $1 billion from critical programs for children and families - after the Legislature had voted to largely protect these programs. At a time when such help is needed more than ever, these vetoes are devastating.
Click here to view California State PTA's entire Informational Alert regarding the budget and to find additional links to the complete budget.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
Last week, Edna Maguire conducted its annual emergency disaster drill. The entire school participated in this important event. Each staff member was assigned a task in Communications/Volunteer Coordinators, Student Release, Search and Rescue, Damage Assessment, Safety/Security, First Aid or Shelter/Sanitation/Water. We coordinated the drill with parent volunteers, the district and the fire department. During the drill, we pulled out all of our disaster container supplies and did a mock run-through of our emergency procedures. After, our local experts provided us with valuable feedback we can use to improve our system.
On a related note, please remember to sign in at the office and receive a visitor badge whenever you are on campus! This is for the safety of our children and your safety. Should an emergency occur, we must account for EVERYONE on campus. If we don't know you're here, we won't know to look for you. In addition, if you take your child out of school early or arrive late, you must sign him or her in/out at the office. Thank you for your cooperation.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
As you probably know, we are fortunate to have a crossing guard in front of our school. The crossing guard has the authority to take whatever measures he or she deems appropriate to keep our community safe. This holds true for cyclists as well as pedestrians. If your child rides a bike to school, please review the following laws provided by the Marin County Bicycle Coalition:
- If you are within a designated crosswalk, dismount and walk your bike across the street.
- If the crosswalk is a connector/continuation of two bike paths, you can ride your bike as if you were still on the designated pathway. The Blithedale crosswalk is such a connector. The crosswalk at Lomita that ends at the flagpole in front of our school, however, is not a continuation of two bike paths. Therefore, you must get off your bike and walk it across the street.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
Edna's annual Halloween costume parades will march through campus on Friday, October 29. Come check out our students' fun and imaginative get-ups! The kindergarten parade kicks off at 1 p.m., followed by all other grades at 2:15p.m. Children who plan to participate in the parades should bring their costumes to school in bags on Friday. Parent volunteers will be on hand to help younger kids change into their costumes before the parades. No scary masks or pretend weapons, please.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
It Takes a Village is a support group and Special Education PTA (SEPTA) for parents of Mill Valley School District (K-8) students who learn differently. Our mission (click through to Mission Statement) is to promote the academic success of ALL students who learn differently--not just those with learning disabilities--through parent education and advocacy. We even have members whose children don't have learning differences. These parents simply want to learn more about strategies to strengthen their children's education.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
Recess isn't all fun and games for some kids. If your child struggles on the playground, ITAV and the Edna PTA encourage you to attend our next parent education program: Where is the Manual for Recess? Helping Children Learn to Navigate the Social Demands of Recess and Free Time. This informative presentation by child development experts Dominique Baudry and Jahna Pahl will take place on Thursday, November 4, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., in the Mill Valley Middle School multi-media room. Click here to see the flyer or contact Marianne Shine at Marianne@bssp.com for more information.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
Bring your extra Halloween candy to school on Friday, November 5. Your lollipops and chocolate bars will brighten the day of our brave soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Look for donation tables at the front and back parking lots on Friday, before and after school. Blue Star Moms of Marin (an organization run by mothers of enlisted soldiers), will ship the candy for free! If you have any questions or would like to help collect donations, please contact Karen Olson at cokobo@comcast.net.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
Kudos to fourth graders
Mikaere Todd and Jacob Berrol and fifth grader Damin Park for winning Edna's spelling bee! These super spellers will compete in the South Regional Bee on Thursday, October 19. We are very proud of ALL the fourth and fifth grade students who participated in our event. It's tough to spell words "on the spot" in front of a big group of people. Great job, everyone!
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
A huge crowd gathered at the Community Center on Wednesday, October 6, for International Walk & Roll to School Day. Thank you to all of the students, parents and teachers who joined millions of others worldwide in choosing green ways to get to school! And special thanks to Lisa Gilmore and Rhonda Campbell for all their help in organizing this event, and to our Cliff Bar volunteers for providing yummy treats.
Walk and Roll 2010 from Edna Maguire on Vimeo.
WALK AND ROLL WEDNESDAYS
Make every Wednesday a walk and roll to school day.
Edna Maguire encourages everyone to take a green way to school.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
Laura devotes many hours to beautifying our school. On Saturday, October 9, she painted the walls of Edna Maguire--by herself! Thanks to her efforts, our campus is a more attractive and inviting place for all of us to enjoy. Please take a moment to show your appreciation to Laura for all her hard work.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
Supervisor Charles McGlashan invites you to "The Truth About Education, Our Schools and Your Child." This free forum takes place on October 25 from 7:30 to 9 p.m., in the San Rafael City Council Chambers. It will focus on the link between physical activity and the brain, and how exercise enhances academic performance. Bay Area and national educators and researchers will present compelling studies on these important issues. Come join what promises to be a fascinating discussion and learn how we can use this information to help our kids get more from their education. See the flyer for more information.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 18
The 3rd Grade class came out in droves on a sunny Sunday to spruce up the garden.
The next Garden Work Day is on Sunday, November 7th from 2:-4:00pm, sponsored by the 4th Grade class. Marks your calendars! Posted by Tim Schultz on October 12
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 11
Kindergarten starts at 1PM and Grades 1-5 start at 2PM. Please come and cheer on our wonderful kids as they run/walk/skip and dance to help our school reach our goal.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 11
The Chicken Run is coming and we hope that everyone is working on getting pledges from family and friends. Our goal is $300 per student and 100% participation. Help us reach our goal to pay for basic school needs such as field trips, classroom supplies, Family Math night, P.E. Equipment, copier supplies, Library and Classroom books and much, much more!
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
Dear Families,
This Wednesday, October 6, is International Walk to School Day. I'd like to invite everyone to join me in walking to Edna Maguire! Along with Mrs. Harvey and Mr. Jett, I will meet you at the Community Center at 8:10 a.m. From there, we'll all walk or ride bikes together.
When you register for International Walk to School Day at School Pool Marin
(www.schoolpoolmarin.org) you'll be eligible to win a $5 Jamba Juice gift card. Plus, you'll help Edna compete for cash awards in the SchoolPool Challenge. The school with the most SchoolPool Early Bird sign-ups will win $500 contributed by Kaiser Permanente! It only takes a few minutes to register, so please sign up today. Put your best foot forward and join friends and millions of students worldwide by choosing a green way to get to school.
Silly Band Ban
On another note, students may no longer bring or wear Silly Bands to school. We have had incidents of students trading them, taking them from each other and arguing over them. They have been a constant disruption to our learning environment. The teachers and I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Lisa Zimmer
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get as many Steeplechase pledges as possible! In case you haven't heard this year's theme is the Chicken Run! Reaching our goal of $300 per student and 100% classroom participation would really be something to crow about. The fun kicks off at 1:00 p.m. for kindergarten and 2:00 p.m. for all remaining grades. Come and cheer on our kids!
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
Put on your smile and join us for a while.
We'll be having fun, painting style.
You don't need to be an artist.
No need to cut off your ear.
Come out and celebrate with us.
And we'll provide the gear.
Contact Ronnie Sharpe (ronnie@tadpolephotography.com) or Laura Figueirinhas (lfigueir@comcast.net) for more information.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
Come and get to know your child's classmates, their families and Lisa Zimmer at our remaining grade level family picnics. The fourth grade picnic is on Sunday, October 10; the fifth grade and kindergarten picnics are on Sunday, October 17. The fourth and fifth grade picnics will be in the main eating area in between the classroom buildings. The kindergarten picnic will be outside the kindergarten wing by the play structure. Both events are from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Please bring a picnic, plates, utensils and non-alcoholic beverages for your family. And thanks for adhering to Edna's "nut alert" guidelines. Contact Michelle Barenbaum at michelle.barenbaum@gmail.com if you have questions.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
Line up a babysitter and join us at 6 p.m. in the multi-purpose room on Thursday, October 14, for a special ADULTS ONLY showing of "What's On Your Plate?" In her witty and provocative documentary, award-winning filmmaker Catherine Gund spends a year following two 11-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain.
Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. They visit the usual supermarkets, fast food chains, and school lunchrooms. But they also check into innovative sustainable food system practices by going to farms, greenmarkets, and community supported agriculture programs. The two friends form sophisticated and compassionate opinions on the state of their society, and by doing so inspire hope and active engagement in others.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
Be a GARDEN BUG! Do a task for a few minutes or a few hours--whatever fits your schedule. Just check the "To Do" sign posted in the garden and choose a chore. Weed for ten minutes while you wait to pick up your child. Trim the roses. Put away work gloves. Every little bit helps keep our precious garden blooming! For more information or instructions for larger projects, please e-mail Barbara (barbaracrampton@comcast.net).
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
The rack by the front office is bulging with lost jackets! We also have racks of unlabeled, unclaimed items in the multipurpose room. Please come look through them if your child has lost anything. New this year: at the end of the month, we will take all lost and found items to the multi purpose room and box them up for our semi-annual lost and found sale.
The following students currently have items in the green 'Labeled Items' milk crate outside the office:
Jackets: Jacob Berrol, Corey, Sophie G., Gilmore, Leah, Lauryn I., Levine
Wanbua Musyoki, Pied, M. Zimmermann,
Miscellaneous: Kassidy Stetler - stainless food containers; Jessica Tempero - school homework folder
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
A big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped Edna's Picture Day go off without a hitch: Mari Allen, Christine Brandt, Marie Cardinal, Jill Dimaio, Nancy Ericsson, Margaret Krivoruchko, Simone Slattery, Josie Viscardi, Justine Whitehead, Cathy Wilmoth and Michelle Zimmerman.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
School Counselor Claudia Trinklein-Engman discusses how parents can help kids practice the character building skills they're learning in class at home and in the community. Click here to read the complete article.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
Celebrate El Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Friday, November 5 at 4:15 p.m. by creating your own personal altar. Collect natural treasures, learn about the meaning of the Day of the Dead (in English and Spanish), and enjoy a seasonal snack. (Grade 2 and up, advance sign-up required.)
HelpNow, our FREE online tutoring service, is available through the library's website, offering homework help and academic assistance for grades 3 - 12 and adult learners.
Call 415-389-4292 x106 or visit http://www.millvalleylibrary.org for details on all our programs and services.
Posted by Tim Schultz on October 4
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