Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

We still need five more parent volunteers to man our interactive stations on Family Science Night, this Thursday. No Ph. D required--it'll be fun! Lawrence Hall of Science employees will show you exactly what to do. Training takes place at 5:40 p.m. and the Medical Mystery Program runs from 6 to 7:15 p.m. If you can help, please contact Janie Karp at jkarpj@comcast.net.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

Get some great deals on unclaimed Lost and Found items during our pre-holiday rummage sale. The sale is going on in the multi-purpose room and ends TODAY Tuesday, November 30. All items will be available for $3 each. Please bring your payment to the office. Anything that isn't sold or claimed will be donated to charity. Proceeds from the sale support the PTA.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

Hello! Green Team is here to help you with your green problems. One of your biggest concerns is what to do with old electronics. We have an answer for you. Edna is having an E-Waste Drive on Saturday, January 29, at 9 a.m. So save all of your electronics for the school! Your old computers, printers, screens and cell phones can earn our school money. So, bring them in on January 29, but, please, leave your batteries, light bulbs, and appliances at home! Thanks!

This article was written by third grade Green Teamers Justin Carr, Luke Chase and Elias Michael. Way to go, guys!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

It's your day to help prep the garden for winter. Stop by from 2 to 4 p.m. this Sunday to lend a hand and have some fun. We'll have a scavenger hunt with prizes, plus drinks and snacks from Whole Foods.

And don't forget THE GARDEN CONTEST! At the end of the year, the sponsoring grade with the biggest turnout of students for their Garden Work Day wins a pizza or ice cream party. So tell your friends (especially your fellow fourth graders), bring your family and get ready for a great afternoon. As always, all other grades are welcome! Contact Saor Stetler (sstetler@earthlink.net) for more information.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

You can register your future kindergartner at the Mill Valley School District office on January 10 and 13 or February 7 and 10. To download registration forms, go to www.mvschools.org

If your child is bound for sixth grade, be sure to sign up for a tour of the Mill Valley Middle School. All tours begin at 8:45 a.m. unless otherwise noted and are for ADULTS ONLY. Here are the dates:

February 9
March 24 -- 6:30 pm (evening tour)
April 7
May 3
May 26

To sign up, call or e-mail Deric Carter at 389-7711, extension 2874 or dcarter@mvschools.org. If you need to leave a message, please include your contact information and the date of the tour you'd like to take.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

Looking for that perfect holiday gift for an Edna student or someone else on your list? We've got you covered! Just click on http://www.ednamaguire.org/spirit-wear-2008.html to order shirts, fleece wear, bags, hats and other items sporting Edna's Mighty Mustangs logo. Let your Edna spirit shine this holiday season and all year long!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

A Toys for Tots box is now in the front office. Please drop off your new, unwrapped and unopened toys through December 17. We welcome any donations, but would especially appreciate gifts for two age groups that are often overlooked: Infants and Preteens. No teddy bears, please! For more information, contact Erin Griffis at erin.griffis@sbcglobal.net

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

A big shout out to all our August, September and October Birthday Book donors! We truly appreciate your gift to the Edna Maguire Library. It's not too late for your child to share his special day with us. To contribute a Birthday Book in your child's name, just fill out the form and order one today!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

Thanks for having a ball with us at this year's Book Fair. Due to your generous book and raffle ticket purchases, our Book Fair raised $6532.47 for our school library! This amount represents 20% of all book sales and 100% of raffle ticket sales.

The Book Fair Coordinators--Jessica Ryan, Christine Freda, and Mari Allen-- could not have made this event possible without the enthusiasm and dedication of our army of volunteers. Click here to see the complete list.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

Audubon at Home Workshop: Native Plants & Wintering Birds 

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 30

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 23

• Order online at www.JostensYearbooks.com

• Or bring cash/check to the school office with this order form. Make checks payable to Edna Maguire PTA.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 22

Edna Maguire's annual book fair, this year themed "Have a Ball with Books", was a HUGE success! Thank you to all the students and their families, teachers and staff who purchased books in support of our library.

Click here to view some pictures of the event.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 19

Add one to your holiday table and benefit the Children's Garden. Large wreaths are $25 and small wreaths are $15.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 15

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 15

Under dreary skies, the multi-purpose room was magically transformed for the Haunted Harvest Festival! Witches stews were brewed, potions were concocted and all sorts of fun was had by all!

See some pictures of the event here.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 15

With over 90% of our students participating in our Steeplechase fundraising campaign, the Edna PTA met its goal of earning $130,000 for this school year. We will be able to provide all of the budgeted assemblies, supplies, books, materials, equipment, balls, specialists and much more for your children this year. A special thanks to the students, teachers and families of Rooms A, C, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 15 for reaching 100% participation in Steeplechase donations. Thank you EVERYONE for being a part of this year's Steeplechase campaign and supporting your child's education!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Support the Edna Maguire School Library by shopping at the Book Fair. Stop by now through Thursday, November 18, to buy birthday and holiday gifts. New this year, you can also buy $10 cards for kids to use at the fair instead of cash. We'll mark off the appropriate amount each time your child makes a purchase. Cards are good for this year only; unused dollars will be gifted to the library.

Fair Highlights:

Tuesday, November 16: Join us from 8:45 to 10 a.m. for snacks and the Lafayette Book Store Book Chat! We'll get recommendations on great adult books and current bestsellers. Children's librarians Lisa Monge and Jessica Ryan will discuss their top picks for young readers.

Wednesday, November 17: Mill Valley Children's Librarian Naima Dean will visit students in kindergarten through second grade to read books available at our Book Fair.

Thursday, November 18: Local author and illustrator Elisa Kleven (The Paper Princess, The Lion and the Little Red Bird) will hold three assemblies geared to kids in second through fifth grades. Later, join us at the Book Fair Evening Café from 5 to 8 p.m. for dinner and some last-minute shopping. Local author and Edna Maguire mom, Joyce Maynard, will be on hand to sign copies of her books (The Good Daughters, The Cloud Chamber).

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

The Book Fair Evening Café will be open for dinner this Thursday November 18, from 5 to 7 p.m. Join us for what has been a fun Edna tradition for more than 15 years! Skip the hassle of making a meal at home and treat the whole family to an inexpensive, yummy and varied dinner. Then stick around for the raffle drawing at 7:30 and get in some holiday--or other--shopping before the Book Fair closes at 8 p.m. Don't miss this night of good food, shopping for good books and the chance to have a ball with family and friends at the Book Fair Cafe! If you have questions or can help set-up, serve or clean up after the café closes, please contact Christine at christine@spendlocally.com or 516-0360.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Girl Scouts Troop 30453 (Edna fifth graders) is sponsoring a Used Children's Book Drive during the Book Fair. We'll be collecting gently used books to contribute to the Children's Book Project in San Francisco and the Bridge the Gap tutoring program in Marin City. Drop off your books in the multi-purpose room any time during the fair, November 15-18. No adult books, textbooks or magazines, please. Thank you for supporting the Girl Scouts and kids who need books!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Students are not allowed to use the microwave in the mutli-purpose room. Please do not send your child to school with a lunch that requires cooking or heating. Thanks for your cooperation.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Don't have time to read every school-related e-mail that comes your way but want to stay up to date on Edna news and activities? Just go to our improved website, www.ednamaguire.org, at your convenience. Thanks to our very own web guru, Tim Schultz, the Edna website is now your one-stop source for regularly updated school announcements, event information, photos, district news, community happenings and more. You can even download old issues of the Pony! And back by popular demand, bite-size reminders of important dates and events are once again available on Twitter.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Revolution Foods is always expanding its menu of tasty, nutritious lunch items to keep our students fueled-up and satisfied. You and your kids can test-drive their Chicken Bites tomorrow between 1:30 and 2 p.m. Just look for the Revolution Foods table in front of the school.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

2 to 4 p.m

It's your day to make your mark by helping the garden get ready for winter. We promise it will be a fun afternoon with a scavenger hunt and prizes - Whole Foods will keep everyone happy with drinks and snacks.

And there's one more thing - you'll probably want to win THE GARDEN CONTEST!

At the end of the year, the sponsoring grade with the biggest turnout of students for their Garden Work Day wins a party-pizza and ice cream at the end of the year! So tell your friends (especially your fellow fourth graders), bring your family and come out for a great Sunday afternoon. As always, all other grades are welcome!

It's always good to get a little dirt under your nails!

Contact Saor Stetler (sstetler@earthlink.net) for more information.

No gardening experience required!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Score some great deals on unclaimed Lost and Found items during our pre-holiday rummage sale. The sale will be going on in the multi-purpose room on Monday, November 29 and Tuesday, November 30. All items will be available for $3 each. Please bring your payment to the office. Anything that isn't sold or claimed will be donated to charity. Proceeds from the sale support the PTA.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Yearbooks are on sale NOW. For just $20, you can relive the incredible events and experiences of this school year every time you open your 2011 yearbook. Each colorful page will capture the friends, fun, favorite teachers, classes, games, music, art --and everything in between--that made for a memorable year.

The deadline for orders is January 31. Absolutely NO orders will be accepted after this date! Here's how to get your copy of the yearbook:

• Order online at www.JostensYearbooks.com

• Or bring cash/check to the school office with this order form Make checks payable to Edna Maguire PTA.

Please Note: If you already ordered a yearbook on the PTA One-Stop Shopping form at the beginning of the year, you do not need to fill out another form.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

The Marin Food Bank barrels will be in the front office until December 13. Please drop off your donations of high protein food such as canned tuna, salmon, chicken and peanut butter. The bank also needs staples like canned fruits and vegetables, dry cereals, rice, beans, pasta, pasta sauce, hearty canned soups and nutritional drinks such as Ensure. And for the holidays, seasonal fare such as canned yams, cranberry sauce, canned ham, packaged potatoes are also appreciated. Happy Holidays!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Edna Maguire recently tied with Coleman Elementary to win the Kaiser Early Bird School Award. We earned the award for signing up the largest percentage of our families for SchoolPool in the first month of the school year. SchoolPool reduces traffic congestion by promoting carpooling, biking and walking to school. More than 60 schools currently participate in the program. Edna and Coleman will split the $500 cash award. Way to go, everybody!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Last month, Edna fifth graders took a special emergency preparation class based on the popular "Get Ready" program. Get Ready Fifth Grade participants completed exercises and discussed emergencies they might experience, such as earthquakes, fires and floods. They also learned about creating a family emergency plan, what supplies they would need to shelter at home, and what to take with them in an evacuation. Parents interested in taking the original "Get Ready" class can call 380-1105 for information.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Wet weather couldn't put a damper on all the Haunted Harvest fun. A BIG SHOUT OUT to the tireless volunteers who made this event such a smashing success! We especially want to thank Fest Coordinator Barbara Bleckman for her relentless enthusiasm and for recruiting a fantastic team of committee heads: Suzanne Alpert, Bruce Berrol, Jody Branham, Cheri Chamberlain, Mary Cronander, Jill Dimaio, Samantha Fazio, Amy Fierstein, Lori Fineman, Lisa Gilmore, Erin Griffis, Nicole Lamb, Heidi Longo, Carrie Morgan, Rebecca Mullaney, Marcia Myers, Karen Olson, Amy Price, Hajara Salenbhai, Jennifer Sheets, Simone Slattery, Lisa Stapp, Tina Taylor, Rob Thomure, Sam Toole and Donna Wenig. We also thank the numerous other volunteers---too many to name--who helped prepare for, set up, run and clean-up the festival. We appreciate each and every one of you!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on November 15

Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make our Farmers' Market a HUGE success this fall. We raised over $500 for Edna's garden thanks to our harvesters, bakers and sellers: Lori Fineman, Tracy Ginther, Kit Harris, Beth LaDove, Lisa Nave, Kristin Silmore, Simone Slattery, Paula Stetler, Crystal Von Pischke and Natasha Wells. The Farmers'Market will re-open for business next spring--see you then!

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 15

Coming in December - Winter Craft Programs and Winter Break Film Festival. Make hand-crafted holiday greeting cards, one-of-a-kind ornaments, laminated bookmarks, and more on Wednesday afternoons in December. Enjoy seasonal stories, hot apple cider, and a place to get in touch with your creative side. During Winter Break you won't want to miss our FREE family movies and popcorn in the Creekside Room. For details on these and all of our children's programs, please visit http://millvalleylibrary.org/kids.html or call (415) 389-4292 x106.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 15

Learn restoration and conservation skills you can apply in your own backyard and neighborhood. Audubon at Home Workshops focus on basic restoration and conservation actions that save water; improve and beautify landscapes; and attract important and enjoyable birds and pollinators to the backyard. It's easier than you think! The workshops are usually done in conjunction with our Saturday Restoration Work Days, so you get hands-on help from our staff in identifying and removing invasive species; planting and propagating native plants; learning to compost; and more. The workshop fee is $10 per person; $5 for Restoration Work Day participants.Contact Rueben Brandt at 388-2524 x 150 for more information.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 15

The Writing Mamas invite you to join them for their next Mama Monologues event at Book Passage in Corte Madera this Thursday, November 18, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Members of the Marin-based group of mothers who write--including Edna mom Margaret Schultz-- will perform their funny and touching pieces. Special guest Kelly Corrigan, author of The Middle Place, will be the evening's keynote speaker.

Tickets are $25 and available at www.writingmamas.com. The cost includes beverages and appetizers from Sol Food. Proceeds from the event will go to a single mother of three who was shot and paralyzed. Click here to see the flyer.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 15

The rain threatened to dampen our spirits, but the annual Edna Maguire Halloween parades went on as planned. There were witches, rock stars, players from various sports teams, chickens, peacocks,bees, dinosaurs, princesses, Hogwarts students, Greek goddesses, ghouls, goblins and all sorts of other beautiful, funny and scary creatures... We all cheered on the Giants, which undoubtedly assisted with their World Series win!!!

See pictures of the event here:

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 11

You are cordially invited to a presentation by a best-selling author and nationally recognized speaker

Dr. Leonard Sax: "Why Gender Matters in Educating Boys and Girls"

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010
Presentation Activity Center

Open House 6 PM
Lecture 7 PM

FOR DETAILS AND REGISTRATION CLICK HERE

Please feel free to share this with your friends, or better yet, invite a friend to attend with you. Whether you have sons or daughters, I think this will be a very informative presentation not to be missed.

We hope to see you there!

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 10

Join us in the Multi-Purpose Room Nov. 15 ~ 18; 8:15 ~ 3:15 daily.

100% of Book Fair proceeds benefit our school library whose funding depends solely on the Fair and Birthday Books.

See the schedule for information about special events throughout our Book Fair.

For questions, please contact Mari Allen (allenmari@hotmail.com)

Please bring gently used children's books

New this year, you can also buy $10 cards for kids to use at the fair instead of cash. We'll mark off the appropriate amount each time your child makes a purchase. Cards are good for this year only; unused dollars will be gifted to the library.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 10

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 8

Dear Family,

I would like to thank all the families who participated in our Halloween celebration. The children always look forward to this event. But probably not as much as I do! I LOVE Halloween--dressing up in costumes is fun for kids of ALL ages! And at Edna Maguire, we love to have fun while we're learning.

In keeping with this mission, I'm pleased to tell you about an exciting new program coming to our school. Thanks to funding from Steeplechase and the PTA, our staff will be trained in the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) program. VTS uses visual images to help students build language literacy. Working in groups, students learn to listen attentively to others and to share their own ideas. By stretching their vocabulary and learning to clearly articulate their thoughts, they in turn strengthen their writing skills. They also learn to expand their visual memory, which leads to better reading comprehension.

The VTS program is an ongoing, three-year project. For more information about VTS, please visit www.visualthinkingstrategies.org. Or go to http://www.edutopia.org/visual-thinking-strategies-art-curriculum to find a great article about the program: The Eyes Have It: Potent Visuals Promote Academic Richness

In other news, on Wednesday, October 13, we participated in our annual school emergency disaster drill. This drill prepares us to react quickly to an event such as an earthquake. We coordinated it with the Mill Valley Fire Department, which allowed us to practice our procedures with them, and receive feedback on ways to improve our process. Thanks to Edna Maguire parents Ken Campbell and Steve Podesta for assisting us with the drill and providing valuable feedback. And thanks to our PTA for all your efforts to collect disaster drill funds to keep our emergency container stocked with supplies, food, bandages and water.

Finally, I want to express my appreciation to all of the Car Line volunteers. You are out there rain or shine, and I thank you! Please remember - children are not allowed to assist with duties such as being a crossing guard. And please keep them back from the sidewalk and on the benches.

Go Giants!!!

Lisa Zimmer

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

Bring your extra Halloween candy to school this Friday, November 5, and make life a little sweeter for our 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 November 1

Mark your calendars for our annual Book Fair, November 15-18. The fair will be open daily in the multi-purpose room from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All proceeds from this year's Book Fair will benefit our school library. We need your help and support to make this a success. With the California State budget cuts, the Book Fair and Birthday Books are THE ONLY SOURCES OF FUNDING for our school library.

Wednesday, November 10: Book Delivery -- we need as many people as possible to help us unload the thousands of books that will be arriving from Lafayette Books.

Thursday, November 11: School Closed, but Book Fair setup continues!

Friday, November 12: Preview Day #1 -- students will visit the book fair and prepare their wish lists.

Monday, November 15: Opening Day Teachers' preview from 8 to 8:30 a.m.; second day of student previews.

Tuesday, November 16: Join us for morning snacks from 8:45 to 10 a.m. and the Lafayette Book Store Book Chat! We'll get recommendations on great adult books and current bestsellers. Children's librarians Lisa Monge and Jessica Ryan will discuss their top picks in children's books.

Wednesday, November 17: Mill Valley Children's Librarian Naima Dean will visit students in kindergarten through second grade to read books available at our Book Fair.

Thursday, November 18: local author and illustrator Elisa Kleven (The Paper Princess, The Lion and the Little Red Bird) will hold three assemblies geared to kids in second through fifth grades.

Book Fair Evening Café is Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. Featuring Joyce Maynard, local author and Edna Maguire mom signing copies of her books (The Good Daughters, The Cloud Chamber) during the evening. The café will be open from 5 to 7. Join us for dinner at the Cafe before shopping for books at the Fair. Raffle prizes will be drawn at 7:30.

Friday, November 19: CLEANUP day -- help us pack up the Fair!

Contact Mari Allen (allenmari@hotmail.com) if you can help with set-up or tear-down or if you have questions.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

Have you turned in your Steeplechase Pledge Packet? If you want to be counted, do it TODAY! Our campaign ends on Wednesday, November 3. You can drop off your packet in the office or give it to your child's teacher. Help your child's class reach their 100% participation goal. Remember, every donation counts! Steeplechase is our ONLY PTA fundraiser for the Year! Thank you for doing your part to help keep Edna a great school.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

Last week, the City of Mill Valley received a state Safe Routes to Schools grant for $363,130. The grant for this project was one of only 85 selected from 400 applications submitted statewide. This is great news for our kids who will benefit from a variety of safety improvements as they make their way to and from school. Some of the planned improvements include a pedestrian crossing beacon at Almonte and Miller; upgraded school area signs and pavement markings; and wider sidewalks and curb extensions on East Blithedale at Elm and Alta Vista. Construction of the improvements is slated for 2011/12. If you have questions, please contact Senior Civil Engineer Jill Barnes at 388-4033.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

Thanks to you - Edna students, parents and staff--Steeplechase 2010, a.k.a the Chicken Run, was a great success! It took LOTS of helping hands to pull off this event. We appreciate all the volunteers who helped set up and tear down the course, asked questions, marked lap cards and performed many other tasks. And we'd like to give a special shout out to Jon Cronander for clearing sand from the course and Chris Newell for playing great tunes that kept everyone's feet moving.

Thanks also for our ice cream scoopers for rewarding our hot, hard-working kids with a cool treat: Anne Buxton, Deb Carney, Suzanne DiBianca, Monika do Valle, Molly Farrell, Shawn Marshall, Maija Muncy, Tim Peters, Stephanie Phillip, Kathy Reed, Simone Slattery, Lyra Waugh, and Joung Yoon.

And thank you Steeplechase committee members for your countless hours behind the scenes: Mari Allen, Suzanne Alpert, Dawn Davis, Leslie Fielder, Barb Gerraty, Kit Harris, Janie Karp, Katrina Kehl, Deb Luster, Julie McCrady, Sean Norton, Nicole Palmer, Ronnie Sharpe, Stirling Somers, Justine Whitehead, Cathy Wilmoth, and Lisa Zimmer.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

The PTA would like to extend a special thanks to this year's Steeplechase sponsors. Together, they donated more than $17,000 towards our kids' education! Please show your appreciation for their generosity by supporting them throughout the year!

Logo Sponsors

Camino Pet Veterinary Hospital & Wellness Center
Catamount Ventures
dogonews.com
Faubel Construction Inc.
Flying Horses
Green Space
Henry's Toyshop
Hillstone Restaurant
Main Street Research LLC
Mill Valley Investment
Mill Valley Swirl
NetSuite
West America Tae Kwon Do
Whole Foods Market


Other Sponsors

Amazing Adventures Travel
Art Start
Bagrationi Sparkling Wine
Balboa Cafe Mill Valley
Betty's Beauty Boutique
John E Boland, DDS, MSD
Burge - Pacific Enterprises, Inc.
Cabana Home
Can Do Kid, Inc.
Carlson Orthodontics
Cat Clinic of Mill Valley
Dr. Robert S. Christensen
Concordia Bookkeeping & Business Advisory Services
Critterland Pets
Doggie Styles
Fullerton Soccer Camps
Gila C. Dorostkar, DDS, PC
Shere Goo, State Farm Insurance
Goodman Building Supply
HILLTOP 1892
Jessup Associates Architects
LB Productions
Levinson Construction
Lexington Law Group
Malugani Tire
marysacupuncture@gmail.com
Mill Valley Dentistry
New Dimension Custom Builders
Noci
Novato Pediatric Dentistry
Proof Lab Surf Shop
Redwood Security Systems, Inc.
Dr. Dorothy Slattery
Tamalpais Paint & Color
Tamalpais Pet Hospital
Terra Teak & Garden
Think Clean Cleaners
Town Hall Restaurant
Dr. Ladan Vakili, Pediatric Dentistry
Vasco Restaurant
Woody's Yogurt Place

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

See The Flyer


Come hear a fantastic concert featuring Violist and Edna Maguire mom Jenny Douglass AND support Kiddo at the same time!! This special event is this weekend - Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7:30pm in the Marin Center Auditorium at the San Rafael Civic Center. Buy your tickets now at www.kiddo.org/donate/index2.php and 50% of the ticket price goes to Kiddo! Tickets are $70 for adults and $20 for students 17-and-under (with an accompanying adult ticket). Tickets for this special Kiddo fundraiser will be held at the Marin Center box office's 'will call' window and cannot be purchased on the day of the show. So buy them today!!

Are you receiving Kiddo!'s monthly newsletter?

It's a visual delight filled with photos and information. Check out past issues on our website and you can send an email to update@kiddo.org to add your email to our distribution list. If you have photos you would like to submit, please contact Kelly Cacic at kcacic@kiddo.org.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

By: Claudia Trinklein-Engman, School Counselor

A young adolescent came to see me the other day and announced that she and her family had just returned from a trip to the South to visit some relatives. In the past, these people had always visited Mill Valley. This was the girl's family's first visit to their small town in Alabama. With a half-smile, she said: "You know, no one looked like me. I don't mean white. I just mean, you know, like me. They didn't talk like me, they didn't dress like me and they certainly didn't believe the same stuff as me."

This middle school female experienced deep culture shock. She said that most of the time she was there, all she wanted to do was come home to where she felt she belonged. In this case, perhaps more exposure to different life styles and culture would be in order. But from a more global perspective, we all need to appreciate that people elsewhere are not necessarily like people in Mill Valley.

You don't need to go to the South to discover this and, hopefully, build more tolerance for different people. Visit Chinatown or other ethnic communities in San Francisco. Or explore San Rafael's Canal District. Have the whole family observe the differences and similarities between these communities and Mill Valley. Shop in their markets and notice the different product labels and foods. Mi Casa and the oriental market behind Whole Foods, both in San Rafael, are incredible. Cook new foods, learn a word in a different language and perhaps use it in one of these groceries. Experience dance from other cultures. Watch movies about other areas--the Mill Valley Film Festival usually has many to offer.

You can build tolerance and empathy in your own neighborhoods as well. Branch out a bit and see if there might be a needy child or family in your community. Perhaps a child needs a ride to and from school. (A child who probably wouldn't be an automatic choice as a friend for your kids.) Youngsters often experience differences as threatening. As parents, we need to expose our kids to different people, environments and belief systems. We need to teach them that differences can be enriching and healthy. Differences help us learn about others--and about ourselves.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

ITAV, Mill Valley's Special Education PTA, invites you to join us for next parent coffee. These monthly events provide parents of kids with learning differences to meet and get support from each other. Our next coffee is coming up on November 12, from 9 to 11 a.m. at 186 Corte Madera Avenue. Visit http://www.itavmv.org for more information.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

Come and get 'em! The five winning bookmarks will be available in mid-November. Pick up your own set of these cool, collectible masterpieces. Congratulations to our winners! And thanks to all the amazing artists who submitted designs and to everyone who voted for their favorites.

Little Pim - online language instruction for the very young. This pint-sized component of Mango Languages introduces children (ages 0-6) to foreign languages in a way they can understand - even at the youngest ages. It's easy, fun, and FREE (with your Mill Valley library card).

Celebrate El Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on Friday, November 5 at 4:15 pm by creating your own personal altar. (Grade 2 and up, advance sign-up required.)

Don't miss our special Family Story Time on Saturday, November 20 at 11:00 am. Join local children's author Jackie Broad in the Creekside Room for a reading of her new book Eat Your Breakfast or Else! You'll learn why flying to Mars without your breakfast can be hazardous to your health and get to sample some yummy pancakes, too.

For details on these and all of our children's programs, please visit http://millvalleylibrary.org/kids.html or call (415) 389-4292 x106.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1

Worm Bin Workshop
Saturday, November 6, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Learn how to make a worm bin for your home or classroom! Worm bins keep food waste out of landfills and produce wonderful soil for your garden. Cost: $40 (includes bin, info packet, & starter worms). Advance registration required: 388-2524.

Restoration Work Day
Saturday, November 13, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Bring your family and friends for a morning of restoration and clean up at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary. Help us remove trash, invasive plants or assist with restoration projects. Appropriate for families--including young children--and individuals. Children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Please bring a re-useable water bottle and wear appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes. This program is FREE. Please call 388-2524 to RSVP.

Posted by Tim Schultz on November 1