Welcome back to a new school year!  We hope you had a wonderful summer.

The PTO has many fantastic programs and activities planned this year - starting off with Welcome Back Coffees, BBQs & Picnics, 4/5 Cocoa Breakfasts, Photo Days and Book Fairs. Take a look at our website, www.pvpto.com, for event and volunteer info as well as CMS After School Athletics registration/payment.

We want to thank all the parents who have already committed to lead a PTO program in 2018-19 and look forward to more parents becoming involved this year. Please stop by for a social coffee on the first morning of school to say hello and learn more about PTO events.

CMS Welcome Back Coffee at 7:45 - 9:00 am (courtyard behind the front office)

ORM Welcome Back Coffee at 7:45 - 9:00 am (inner courtyard, in front of library)

PTO reps at both sites will be able to answer any questions you may have and explain our many volunteer opportunities.

You may also sign up for volunteer opportunities online - including Head Room Parent roles. Online registrations begin August 20: pvpto.com/volunteer

PTO donations help fund over 30 PTO programs and services, including cultural assemblies for students and popular community events. In addition, this summer the PTO was thrilled to help the district with funding for a new water bottle filler at each campus. CLICK HERE to join the PTO today and support these programs as well as to order your school directory.

We look forward to seeing you Wednesday morning and hearing from you throughout the year. Your ideas, feedback and questions are always welcome.

Sincerely,

Kim Zamboldi - CMS PTO President ([email protected])

Stefanie Trenchard - CMS PTO Vice-President ([email protected])

Lalanie Robins - ORM PTO President ([email protected])

Daphne Melendez - ORM PTO Vice-President ([email protected])

2018 ART project

The Portola Valley Schools Student Directory is perhaps the highest-circulation publication of local origin, and its release each fall is surrounded with considerable excitement and glamour. It's an invaluable local resource, highlighting the generosity and diversity of local businesses, providing essential information on our schools, and enabling the social lives of our children.

For the forthcoming 2018-19 edition, we'd like to continue the tradition of featuring the work of an up-and-coming local artist on the cover. We are inviting Ormondale and Corte Madera Students, from rising kindergartners through emerging eighth-graders, to send in their cover designs. We'll choose one to be this year's cover. The winner's family will receive a complimentary copy of the directory, suitable for autographing.

The cover format is standard letter size, 8.5" x 11", portrait orientation, in color.

Please send entries to [email protected] by Friday, August 31.

Please include the artist's name, grade level for the upcoming school year, and parent's name.

PTO Thank you!

A HUGE thank you to Daphne Melendez, Wendy Keefe, Heather Cunningham, Kimberley Rosen, Camilla Lynch and Erin Murarka for hosting the incoming TK/Kindergarten playdates this summer. What a great, relaxed way for our youngest students and their families to get to know each other!

THANK YOU to Camilla Lynch, Amanda Smoot and Sarah Vincenzo for hosting the TK/Kinder Welcome breakfast!. What a fun event and tradition for our youngest and newest students!

THANK YOU to Sarah Dorahy and Camilla Lynch for giving a warm welcome to new PVSD families at the New Family Welcome on 8/17.

volunteer!

Sign up to volunteer for PTO programs online this year! Visit pvpto.com/volunteer to sign up for Head Room Parent and many other roles.

Kinder Recess Volunteers! Help supervise Kinder Recess this year! Great way to check in with your child during the day. Choose a day: 10:15-10:35am. Contact Camilla Eckstein at [email protected] or sign up HERE.

Art in Action Volunteers! Once a month, help teach your child's class a pre-designed art lesson, set up materials and clean up after. A great way to get to know your child's teacher and their class. (Need one sign up per class). You do not need to be an artist to volunteer! Contact Sarah Vincenzo or sign up HERE.

Hot Lunch Volunteer! It's a wonderful opportunity to support the Program and a great way to connect with and be a part of the students' experience at Ormondale. Contact Leeza Eren ([email protected]) or sign up HERE if you can help out. 

back to school bbq!

Friday September 7th from 5-7pm. Mark your calendars now! Plan to celebrate the return to school with a family-style barbecue! The PTO will provide the main course from BBQ Boys and families are asked to bring a side dishes to share. 

We will need volunteers to: help with set- up, manage food table and welcome table, clean-up or Supervise/8th grade student council. Please sign up for a volunteer spot HERE or contact Linda Kamran ([email protected]) if you have questions.

CMS Back to school picnic

Mark you calendars for Friday, September 14th, 5:30 to 7:00 pm

Join other CMS families for dinner and family fun! Games, music, inflatable obstacle course and friends! Spirit wear will be available for order also.

Amigos Grill will provide burritos and families are asked to bring their favorite salad, side, or dessert to share.

Volunteers will be needed to help with the welcome table, set-up, and clean-up. Contact Erin Sanders ([email protected]) if you are interested in volunteering or have questions.

4th & 5th grade cocoa breakfast

Friday, August 31 at 7:30 am

4th and 5th grade families mark you calendars for the first cocoa breakfast of the year! Kids will enjoy the traditional bagels, hot cocoa and whipped cream. Parents please feel free to join and visit also!!

CMS volunteer opportunities

Sign up to volunteer for PTO programs online this year! Visit pvpto.com/volunteer to sign up for Head Room Parents (4th and 5th), grade level parents (middle school), and many other roles. 

Contact Kim Zamboldi ([email protected]) if you have questions or interest in getting more involved with the school and PTO. We have opportunities to volunteer for the staff, kids and/or the campus depending on what you love.

CMS HOT lunch program

Helping out with the hot lunch program is a GREAT way to touch base on campus and visit with the kids, staff and other volunteers. Please consider signing up for one of the daily slots by contacting Veronica Jerng ([email protected]) or signing up online​.

AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS REGISTRATIONS AND UPDATES

2018 FLAG FOOTBALL - registration was completed in June and there are 2 full teams. Registrants received information and a payment link recently. Please contact Dan Flahavan if you have any questions: [email protected]. Practices will begin on Monday, 8/27 / 3:15 - 4:45, and the season will conclude at the end of October.

2018 FALL VOLLEYBALL registrations ARE NOW OPEN for interested 4th-8th grade girls. Note that we need to have enough girls per grade level to form a team... and coaches to run them. We are still in need of coaches for the the 4/5th team and the 6th grade team. Please contact Kate Cox at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering or know of someone who might be. Please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

2018 FALL CROSS COUNTRY - registrations ARE NOW OPEN for interested 5th-8th graders. Please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

2018-2019 GOLF - registrations ARE NOW OPEN for interested 5th thru 8th graders. Players need a set of clubs, and some golf experience is recommended. Please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER​.

SAN FRANCISCO BOYS CHORUS

In our 71^th year of operation, the San Francisco Boys Chorus is hoping that you will look into our program if your son is between the ages of 4 ½ and 14 years old and likes to sing.

We teach boys with unchanged voices how to sing, read music and perform.  We teach classes on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00-6:30PM at the Congregational Church of San Mateo located at 225 Tilton Avenue in San Mateo.  We run 2 summer music camps a year and sponsor an international and national tour every other year.  Our boys perform with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Jose Opera, and San Francisco Opera.  The boys perform also at sports games with the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco Giants.

If you would like to learn more about our program,  please visit our website​

chess class at ormondale

Chess Class at Ormondale Fall 2018 Session Starting Monday, September 10

Open to All Grades

More Information and registration at www.chesskingcorp.com​

Discover the fascinating and challenging world of Chess! Develop important life skills such as critical and abstract thinking and creative problem solving. Increase mental fluency, memory, reasoning and originality while raising I. Q. Improve patience and sportsmanship. Capture the essential elements and play winning chess! Learn the basics or train deep into advanced tactical and positional play and everything in between. Participate in semi-formal tournaments and optional homework. Learn intriguing history. Move up in the rankings and achieve awards. See how the masters do it!

fall hip hop classes with sangini

Choreographer PV Mom (and former Stanford Dollie) Sangini Majmudar Bedner will be returning to teach Kids' Hip-Hop at two locations this fall. Her classes prove that exercise can be fun, discipline can be enjoyable, and self-expression can boost confidence. Sangini thrives on infusing all students with her endless enthusiasm and energy and truly looks forward to working with your child! For more information go to www.sanginimb.com.

Kinder-1st Grade Hip-Hop at Ladera Oaks (Boys and Girls, Ages 5-7*):

Wednesdays, 2pm-2:45pm at Ladera Oaks Club  August 29th to December 5^th

Ladera Oaks Members:  13 Classes for $273 / Non Members:  13 Classes for $312 Drop-In Class Rate Members:  $24/Class / Drop-In Class Rate Non-Members:  $26/Class

To register, please do these two steps:  1) Email Elizabeth at [email protected]  2) Mail or hand deliver a check for the full amount made out to Ladera Oaks. Address is 3249 Alpine Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028

“Older” Kids’ Hip-Hop at PV Town Center (Boys and Girls, Ages 8-12*):

Wednesdays, 3:15pm-4pm at The Portola Valley Town Center August 29th - December 5th

13 Classes for $312 (registration system is all online payment) To register for the session, please go online.​

*Please contact Sangini if you have an interested student outside of this age range

Family Night @ Burgess Friday, 8/24 from 5pm-8pm 

Alpine Strikers welcomes you back to school and sports at our Family Night on Friday, August 24, 5:00-8:00 pm at Burgess Park. This event is open to the public and raises money for our soccer club scholarship program. Alpine Strikers offers scholarships for our club teams and is committed to never turning away a player based on financial need. Fun for all ages with food trucks, jump houses, beat the coach games, soccer obstacle courses, dribbling and shooting challenges, juggling competitions, prizes and more!  

For more information or to donate online please visit.

Is your child interested in learning French?  

EFBA (Education Française Bay Area), a nonprofit organization promoting bilingualism, is opening a new location at Woodland School in Ladera (360 La Cuesta Dr, Portola Valley) starting this fall.   Classes are offered based on age and language level (native and non-native), and are held 2x per week for 1.5 hours each class session throughout the school year.

EFBA is a unique French school for children ages from 5 to 14.  Since French is a minority language in the Bay Area, they have created several programs aiming to offer sufficient exposure to the language to help children become bilingual effortlessly and willingly.  They offer 3 interdependent programs throughout the year.

You can find more details about EFBA’s afterschool program here.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact me or the local coordinator, Gabrielle Durana at [email protected].

PV Cub Scout Pack 163

Cub Scouting is fun!  For both boys and girls! No matter what grade you are in, 1st through 5th, it can be a blast.  Do you like to learn by doing?  This is just the place. You can learn to tie knots, set up a tent or how to properly fold the US flag.  Have you ever cooked a meal on a campfire?  Sent a secret code to a buddy?  Built a birdhouse?  Hiked? Earn rewards for doing these things in Cub Scouts!  

Portola Valley Cub Scout Pack 163 welcomes all interested families with boys and girls entering 1st through 5th grade to join the cub scout program.  Please contact Tobias Freccia ([email protected]) for more information!

PV / woodside scouts

Join Troop 64 for camping, hiking, rafting and other great activities. Boys and girls age 11-18 are welcome at the PV / Woodside Scouts. Visit our website to learn more and submit a contact request. 

If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click unsubscribe below.