The Marin County Office of Education and Parents Place of Marin present: "Challenging Cyber-Bullying: What Parents Need to Know" on Wednesday, May 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Parents, guardians and educators welcome. Download the Challenging Cyber-Bullying.pdf for more details. 

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on May 14

This Memorial Day weekend will be packed with family fun and plenty of ways to celebrate with our community. Check out this unbelievable calendar of events:

Kiddo! Family Carnival
Beginning Friday, May 25 and running through Monday, May 28, please join us for a real old-fashioned carnival at the Mill Valley Community Center. There will be rides for all ages, plus food and games. The littlest ones in your family will love the Berry-Go-Round and the Tune Train, while your teenagers will be thrilled with the Sizzler, Zipper, Tilt-A-Whirl and the Texas Tornado, among many more. Click www.californiacarnival.com for more information. Advance discounted ticket books will be available in the Kiddo! office Monday through Friday, May 21-24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Advance books are $15 and $25 once the Carnival begins. Books may be turned in for a one-day wristband for unlimited rides. Food and games extra.

Memorial Day Parade
This year's parade theme is "Our Kids-Our Schools-Our Future," so join the Kiddo! Float on May 28 and march along to the tunes of the Mill Valley Middle School Jazz Band as we wind through downtown Mill Valley to celebrate Memorial Day.

Kiddo! 30th Anniversary Community Celebration
Immediately after the parade on May 28, Kiddo! is throwing a free party on the fields of the Mill Valley Community Center to celebrate our 30th anniversary. There will be live music presented by the Sweetwater Music Hall and games for the kids. Delicious food and drink from local vendors will also be available for purchase.

So please join us and help celebrate Memorial Day in true, local style! Get more info at www.kiddo.org.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on May 14

Friday, May 4 is Kiddo! Donation Day, when Kiddo! launches its Annual Giving Campaign for the 2012-13 school year. Why is your contribution so critical on Donation Day?

•Kiddo! provides essential funding for many school programs, including art, music, drama, classroom and library aides, and technology.

• New in September, Kiddo! will also fund the P.E. programs for our kids.

•Your new donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to $70,000! Several generous district families are funding a matching program to increase the impact of your contributions. Donate before June 15 and Kiddo! will match new donors' entire donation, and match prior donors' incremental donation over last year's donation.

•We start fundraising now for next year's programs, which will be in jeopardy without your support. All children benefit from Kiddo! programs so we need all families to participate.

Ask questions and donate at school on May 4, or donate online anytime at Kiddo.org.

Reminder: Kiddo! Giants Night is also on Friday, May 4! Join friends and family as the Giants take on the Brewers at AT&T Park. The MVMS Eighth Grade Chorus will sing the national anthem! More info at Kiddo.org.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on April 30

Parents: Are you registered to vote in Mill Valley? You need to re-register if:

• You moved to a new permanent residence
• You changed your name
• You changed your political party choice

Pick up a VOTER REGISTRATION CARD in the SCHOOL OFFICE if you need to register or re-register to vote.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on April 30

Mill Valley's kindergarten enrollment is at an all-time high. So why don't we receive extra funds from the State of California? Mill Valley is a Basic Aid School District, which means that our funding from local revenue, including property taxes and parcel taxes, outpaces what we would receive from the State if we were funded on a per-pupil basis.

School districts do not choose their source of funding; they are automatically Basic Aid Districts if local revenues are higher than state funding on a per-pupil basis. In our community, we are also heavily dependent on other sources of local funding, such as Kiddo! and our PTAs. Get educated on our school district's budget situation. Check out Superintendent Paul Johnson's latest podcast.

Posted by Tom Slattery on April 15

Join us in Park School's auditorium from 7 to 8 p.m. to hear renowned educational consultant and behavioral expert Diane Provo discuss Executive Functioning. Provo has more than 35 years of intensive child development experience. She will provide an overview of executive functions and explain how weak executive functioning skills can compromise a child's learning experiences at school. She also will discuss strategies to help children with planning, organization, working memory, initiating skills, transitions, directions, and self-regulation. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Ross Buffington

Posted by Tom Slattery on April 15

The Marin County Office of Education invites parents, teens, school personnel and community members to an important presentation about laws that affect teens. Topics will include laws pertaining to alcohol and drugs, sex, cyber-bullying and Marin County's Social Host Ordinance. This event will take place at the Marin County Office of Education from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. To register, click here or call 499-5816.

Posted by Tom Slattery on April 15

Parents Place of Marin and Marin County Office of Education are pleased to announce a presentation for parents on cyber bullying. Parents will learn how bullying has moved from the playground into cyberspace, including how bullying can now occur 24/7 through text messaging, social networking sites, chat rooms, blogs, websites, bash boards, and Internet gaming. The presentation will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Community Room of the Marin County Office of Education. Please RSVP to: by calling 499-5816 or e-mailing safeschools@marin.k12.ca.us.

Posted by Tom Slattery on April 15

Young people are using the Internet and mobile technologies to explore, connect, create and learn in ways never before imagined. But this 24/7 online culture also presents risks such as cyber bullying and privacy concerns. Join Common Sense Media at the Marin County Office of Education from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. to learn how to help your kids stay safe and secure in today's connected culture. Parents, educators and kids are welcome. To register, click here or call 415-499-5870.

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on April 2

Parents of children with learning differences face many challenges. Our coffees provide a chance for parents to share information and support each other. Please join us at our next coffee at 122 Stadium Avenue, from 9 to 11 a.m., on April 20. We look forward to seeing you!

Posted by Dorothy Odonnell on April 2