DineUniversity Sponsored by the Diversity Committee

DineUniversity

Purpose: To build a stronger Archway community family by family by learning about each other.

The DineUniversity concept comes from the Diversity committee commitment to encourage open communication, and celebrate our differences. We want to encourage families to get to know other families that they would not normally meet or dine with.This is an opportunity for families to come together and share what is unique about their family, culture and/or traditions.

DineUniversity Guidelines

1. Each group consist of 3 families; each individual family has the opportunity to host dinner in your home for the other two families (for a total of 3 dinners through out the year)

2. We encourage Pot Luck Style dinner or brunch. We encourage your creativity.

3. Ask if there is any dietary considerations for the guest families

4. The host family is invited to share what is unique about their family, culture,
and/or traditions.

5. We want the DineUniversity experience to include both the parents and children.

6. We encourage the children to write an age appropriate report or present an oral
report about their experience (we are working to see how they can get credit for
it)

8. Attached is the final list of family-trios (there might have been some changes since
back to school night.)

9. We ask that the first Dinner be held before November 20,2009(Harvest Festival lower campus), Second Dinner held by before January 18, 2010 (MLK Holiday), and Final Dinner by March 20,2010 (Spring Fling Auction)

10. Opportunity for families to share about their DineUniversity experience will be made available at the multicultural pot luck on December 13,2009

Questions & Support for upper campus contact Questions & Support for lower campus contact:

Yulanda Hendrix 510-595-1032 Jackie Lemoine 510-865-3661 c 757-3570

Asara Tsehai 510-268-1720 Susan Sterling 510-848-9899 c 847-5192

Reminder: Lower Campus Harvest Festival

Dear Lower School Families,

TOMORROW is our Harvest Festival, and I wanted to make sure everyone remembered that we are celebrating with food and appreciations, beginning at 1pm.
Please send your kids with their regular snack. They will have their lunch recess from 12-12:30, and then go inside for some quiet reading time. During 12:30-1pm, we'd love some help setting up the tables and food for the meal. Please feel free to drop off your contributions in the morning OR between 12:30 and 1pm in Mr. Barry's kitchen.

Forgot what your class was asked to bring?
KINDERGARTEN: Drinks
FIRST GRADE: Salads
SECOND GRADE: Main Dish
THIRD GRADE: Sides
FOURTH GRADE: Desserts

We have plates and utensils, and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Our proposed schedule is to eat between 1-2pm (roughly) and then to do an appreciation activity with parents and students together from 2-3pm (roughly). If we finish earlier, you are welcome to take your child (and dishes) home! ASP, of course, is availalbe til 6pm.

Thank you,
Ms. Mel :)

Reminders: School Closures Nov. 7th and Nov. 10th

Hi,

Just a reminder that school will be closed Friday Nov. 7th for staff development and Monday Nov. 1oth for parent teacher conferences. Though many of you have likely met either formally or informally to check in about student progress, this is a time for you to discuss any concerns, reflelct on progress thus far, discuss what lies ahead and any number of other areas that may be important to your family.

Most of all, this is a time when parents and teachers come together to develop plans to meet the needs of the children. There are ways parents can prepare for the scheduled event that will make the most of the time available. The National Education Association has a number of useful suggestions, the Family Education site offers Five Must Ask Questions and Discovery Education is similar to the Family Education site but expands on it somewhat. And of course, you can google for your own ideas.

Please note that child care will not be available for Friday Nov.7th and will be available for parent teacher conferences.

APTA General Meeting Agenda, November 2008

APTA MEETING AGENDA

November 11, 2008 – Berkeley Campus


6:45 – 6:50
· Meet & Greet

6:50 – 7:00
· Head of School Report (Sarah Flowers / Melissa Castello)

7:00-7:15
· Green Turf/Playground Task Force Update (David)

7:15 – 7:30
· Interplay Review for Winter Potluck (updates from families who attended sample interplay on 11/5)

7:30-7:45
· Call for Committee/Chair Updates

7:45
· Close meeting and clean up

Halloween Candies You Should Avoid

Rachel McMullin, one of Matan's (5th grade) moms, wanted to pass along this information she received from momsrising.org It is a heads up about some Halloween candy that could be bad for kids and that email is copied below:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to consume White Rabbit Creamy Candy or Koala's March Crème filled Cookies because they may contain melamine. And, the Canadian government is warning the public not to consume Sherwood Brands Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, which may also have reached the U.S.

What's wrong with these candies? You've likely heard about the dangerous chemical, melamine, which was recently found in the Chinese milk supply and sickened thousands of children in China. We've now seen reports that melamine tainted milk has been used in some Chinese candy products that have been shipped to the United States.

The good news is that Chinese candy makes up only 0.7% of the candy sold in the U.S. and the risk of serious harm from minor exposure to melamine is considered low by the World Health Organization. That said, we wanted to send this out to you because we don't want our kids eating candy with any toxic ingredients.


*Please forward this email to friends, family, and your school email list so all can be on the lookout for this tainted candy on Halloween. (And, if you're not already a member of MomsRising, please sign on now so we can keep you informed: http://www.momsrising.org/fighttoxins)


MomsRising has created a page where you can easily share this information with friends, as well as see pictures of the tainted candies, get more information, and download a flyer that you can post on your school or other community bulletin boards.

Let's Cross the Finish Line Strong

Dear Archway Families,

A highlight of fall at Archway is the annual walkathon—an event as colorful and exciting as our community itself—and this year's event was no exception. 85% of our students participated; and along with a number of costumed dogs, siblings, teachers, and supporters, we enthusiastically came together to raise money for our school's visual and performing arts programs. On top of that, the walkathon (as many of you are aware firsthand) is produced entirely because of the efforts and countless volunteer hours of its planners, all of whom are parents, and all of whom are invested in its success. Once again, the Archway community has stepped up (literally) to put feet where mouths are in a meaningful and gratifying demonstration of community support.

In a time of economic queasiness, it takes a little more courage than usual to ask friends and grandparents and colleagues for their pledges. With that in mind, the good news and the not-so-good news are the same. The goodnews is that walkathon pledges, based on preliminary calculations, total around $14,500. The not-so-good news is that pledges, based on preliminary calculations, total around $14,500.

Why? Even taking into account the pledge amounts not yet turned in, we are not on target to reach our goal of $20,000, and what's more, our enthusiastic participation belies the fact that the average per-student contribution appears thus far to be at an all-time low. Regardless of the reasons, we urge you to think about the following:

25% of the pledge sheets submitted at the Walk-a-thon were blank.

40% of the pledges we are expecting, based on the pledge sheets submitted at the Walk-a-thon, have not been turned in.

$60 per family is the average cost to host this event including incentive prizes.

If you did not sign up any pledges or if you have not collected all of your pledge money please consider a donation as a way to show support for your child's efforts and to cover the costs of the walk-a-thon -- the food, prizes, and all the fun activities throughout the day. There is no minimum contribution requirement, and any amount helps.

Without question we all feel in some way the effects of the current economy. Perhaps some of us feel uncomfortable about being asked to support the Annual Fund while also trying to raise Walk-a-Thon pledges. You may feel you have done what you can do, and we want you to feel no less appreciated.

Our Walk-a-thon chairs have said that they need ALL PLEDGE MONEY BY THIS WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29 IN ORDER FOR PARTICIPANTS TO BE ELIGIABLE FOR INCENTIVE PRIZES. Please help your children meet this final deadline and turn pledges in to Angela or Kym in front office of either campus. You may choose to write a single check to cover the whole pledged amount and then collect individual pledges at your leisure. Make checks payable to Archway School, with your child's name on the memo line, and please, no cash.

We appreciate all of your contributions and hard work. Thank you, once again, for illustrating the heart of our community so brilliantly.



Sincerely,

Bridget Rivezzo

Development Director

APTA Newsletter, September 2008

Apta Sept Newsletter - Upload a Document to Scribd