Hi Malcolm X Parents,
Please remember to turn in Walk-a-Thon pledges by Monday, November 3rd so we can tally up the totals!
You can drop pledges in the PTA mailbox in the main office. Thanks again for all your support!
Malcolm X PTA
Looking for a good book, a reading suggestion or a game to help with math skills or typing? Please check out Malcolm X’s new library website (http://library.berkeleyschools.net/malcolm-x-library/).
It not only has a new look but also lots of new resources. To search for a book, find an online resource or to read an ebook, click on the Library Catalog icon. Leveled reading lists, great book recommendations as well as stories to listen to and read can be found by clicking the Reading Suggestions icon. These are just a few of the things you’ll find on the new website. Have fun exploring!
You will need passwords to access some of the resources:
World Book Online
username: mxwb
password: student
Teaching Books
username: busd
password: busd
Follett Shelf ebooks (in the Library Catalog)
username: malcolmx
password: shelf
Happy Reading!
-- Jennifer Gordon, Library Media Tech, Malcolm X Elementary School
This Book Is Alive!
Family Literacy Night is on Thursday, November 13.
Come learn about how to breathe life into your family's reading together: no zombie readers, no zombie listeners, no zombie books.
Dinner will be provided at 5:30. Teachers will offer an interactive read-aloud presentation for the whole family from 6:30-7:15.
Se invitan las familias hispanohablantes para presentaciones y libros en español.
We need donors of cups, plates, napkins, forks, and knives (300 each). We also need volunteers for set-up and clean-up.
To donate or volunteer, please contact Kate McGlashan at (510) 682-8546 or freshmilkshake@mac.com.
Hello MX Families,
We have a few sizes available in the this year's 2014-2105 Limited Edition T-shirt.
Please contact me if you are interested; saw@eviltron.com. Shirt sales will be first come first serve. Shirts will be labeled and left in the MX office and can be picked up from Lyz with full payment, checks made out to "MX PTA".
Prices:
Youth $15
Adult Unisex/Woman $20
Quantities/sizes available:
(1) youth XL
(1) adult S
(1) adult M
(1) adult XXL
(2) woman S
(4) woman M
(2) woman L
All proceeds go to support MX arts and academic programs.
Thanks,
Sara Wolf
Berkeley PTA Council Hosts School Board Candidates Night Tuesday, October 28, 2014 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School 1781 Rose Street, Berkeley
Join us at the first Berkeley PTA Candidates Night as those running to lead the Berkeley Unified School District address questions and concerns from those most directly impacted by their actions - the students and their families in the school community. Questions prepared from within the PTA Community - available for viewing with Candidates written responses on the Berkeley PTA Council website http://berkeleypta.org/advocacy/election/2014_questions - will be addressed with time reserved for audience questions. Come share an evening that will be both meaningful and informative to the Berkeley Community.
Berkeley PTA Council Executive Board Tracy Hollander, President
http://www.BerkeleyPTA.org / President@BerkeleyPTA.org
Musical Fun for All Ages!
Bring the whole family to Berkeley Symphony’s popular “Meet the Symphony” concerts on Saturday, November 1, at 10:00am and 11:30am at Malcolm X Elementary School (1731 Prince Street).
Along with special guest Dawn Harms, the Symphony’s Education Director Ming Luke leads these fun and interactive concerts, explaining how the instruments of the orchestra are organized and how to identify each unique sound. Bring the whole family! Free admission. $10 suggested donation per adult.
Jessica Sadler
Associate Director of Marketing & Box Office Manager
Berkeley Symphony
1942 University Avenue, Suite 207
Berkeley, California 94704
510 841 2800 x301
Congratulations to the 3 classes who had the most walkers:
- Ms. Fouche' (15 participants)
- Ms. Huntington (13 participants)
- Ms. Richerson (13 participants)
You all earned a cookie party! Thank you for coming!
For each grade, 2 students win a prize (gift certificate delivered to you soon...) for doing the most laps:
TK: Rushdy W. (14 laps), Dany D.S (10 laps)
K: Arquis B. (40 laps), Ian O. (26 laps)
1st: Satchel R. (47 laps), Simeon R. (56 laps)
2nd: Anyah R. (45 laps), Amare R. (36 laps)
3rd: Malachi S. (80 laps), Vincenzo D. (74 laps)
4th: Nick M. (71 laps), and a tie: Nathan P. and Jackson S. (60 laps)
5th: Maya S. (53 laps), Kevin O. (37 laps)
Great job! Thank you all for making the day great!
Please turn your pledges into the PTA mail box on the wall in the main office, or give them to Ms. Lyzanna, by Monday, Nov 3. Thank you.
Thanks to everyone who helped out this last weekend with completing the installation of our new MX Mosaic Signs! Youth Spirit is super pleased to announce we will not need the grouting day planned for Sat. the 25th because we are DONE! Artist Rachel Rodi will finish grouting and YSA will finish other final touches by Nov. 3.
The whole neighborhood and school is invited to the MX Mosaic Signs Unveiling PARTY:
When: Saturday 11/15
Time: 2:30pm to 4pm
Where: Ellis Street at Ashby Ave.
Enjoy free food and drinks, speakers, music, kids art making and poetry! For info text: 510-282-0396.
Sally Hindman
Executive Director, Youth Spirit Artworks
1740 Alcatraz Avenue Berkeley, CA. 94703
http://www.youthspiritartworks.net
Berkeley PTA Council Hosts School Board Candidate Night October 28, 2014 at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
The Berkeley PTA Council, the representative body for the Berkeley School PTAs, is pleased to announce a special opportunity to hear candidates for the Berkeley School Boards address issues of concern to the PTA community. With active units in every BUSD school, the PTA is a major representative organization for our students and their community and is uniquely situated to understand the challenges and opportunities of the District. This special event is designed to provide an opportunity for candidates to address concerns of the community they hope to represent.
Questions for the candidates will be generated by the PTA membership and provided to the candidates before the event for written responses. Responses will be published on the Berkeley PTA Council website http://www.BerkeleyPTA.org and the candidates will provide their answers to selected questions at the event. Time will also be reserved for audience questions at the event.
This is the first time in recent elections that the Berkeley PTA Council will host a candidates event. The community, the PTA represents, is directly impacted by actions of the Berkeley School Board. We hope that this event will be both meaningful and informative to the Berkeley community and invite everyone to join us.
Event Details:
What:
Berkeley PTA School Board Candidates Night
Where: Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Theater, 1781 Rose Street, Berkeley, CA
When:
Tuesday, October 28, 2014, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Berkeley PTA Council Executive Board
Tracy Hollander, President http://www.BerkeleyPTA.org
President@BerkeleyPTA.org
Hey Walk-a-Thon-ers!
Thank you so much for finding sponsors, showing up to participate, volunteering and making it such a fun day while helping our school!
There were 268 registered walkers!! That is a record! Stay tuned for more Walk-a-Thon news coming soon!
Next monthly meeting of Berkeley Advanced Learner Support and Advocacy (BALSA): Monday, October 27, 2014 from 7-9 p.m. at 2020 Bonar, Room 126. All are welcome!
"Advanced learners and BUSD: Finding the Way Forward Together"
Join Superintendent Donald Evans and Director of Programs and Special Projects Pat Saddler for a discussion of the "State of GATE" in our district. A middle school math coach will also be present to talk about differentiating within the Common Core.
Topics will include:
· Strategies for challenging advanced learners in math and other academic areas
· New proposals for district-sponsored enrichment
· Plans for professional development in differentiation
· The current BUSD rubric for GATE (“Gifted and Talented Education”) identification
More information is available at http://berkeleyadvancedlearner.weebly.com/speakers.html
Berkeley Half Marathon Individual School Teams - Ready to Go!
In its second year, the Berkeley Half Marathon has again named the Berkeley Public Schools Fund; http://www.berkeleypublicschoolsfund.org/ as the race's official local charity. Last year, the Schools Fund raised $30,000 with the help of runners at each school - $10,000 of which went to individual PTAs.
The race is Sunday, November 9. This year there will be a 5k race in addition to the Half Marathon, which will make it easy for families to run together to support their school.
The Schools Fund has already set up individual school teams; http://www.crowdrise.come/schoolsfund2014 on Crowdrise and there's a how-to video; http://www.berkeleypublicschoolsfund.org/video/2014-team-schools-fund/ for signing up. Also, joining an individual team qualifies runners for a discount registration code.
Running for an individual school will direct 50% of your fundraising to your school PTA and 50% to the Schools Fund. Last year, the Schools Fund directed money raised through the Half Marathon to a districtwide grant assisting curriculum transitions in 4th and 5th grade math at all elementary schools.
Some schools have identified a school project that they're fundraising for - find out if your school has a fundraising project goal. Let's try to double the funds raised for Berkeley schools this year!
Please contact us at any time with questions about the Berkeley Public Schools Fund or Berkeley Schools Volunteers!
Schools Fund schoolsfund@berkeley.net 510.644.6244 Erin Rhoades, Executive Director Diane Dew, Grants and Finance Manager Laura Brewer, Communications Coordinator & Program Assistant
Berkeley Schools Volunteers bsv@berkeley.net 510.644.8833 Jill Coffey, BSV Director
Ariana Cohen, Progam Assistant
BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD VIDEO UPDATES
BUSD Board Updates provides highlights of Board Meetings and other Board activities.
Note: Board Packets & associated documents are available at our website and on line at all Berkeley public libraries.
Public Information Office (510) 644-6320 BUSD Web Site: http://www.berkeley.net
BUSD Board Meeting October 8, 2014:
Closed Session and Approval of Agenda The Board approved the agenda. All Consent Items were approved.
See Closed Session: https://vimeo.com/108925287
See Approval of Agenda: http://vimeo.com/108847104
See Approval of Consent Calendar: http://vimeo.com/108847107
Meeting Overview
See Overview: http://vimeo.com/108847105
Public Comments
See Public Comments: http://vimeo.com/108847680
Union Comments
See BFT Comments: http://vimeo.com/108847106
Committee Comments
See PTA Council Comments: http://vimeo.com/108847687
Board Comments
See Board Comments: http://vimeo.com/108847682
Information Items
- Facilities Plan Update
**
- Maintenance and H/BB Third Quarter FY 2014 Report
**
Note: The Board does not receive a presentation on Information Items unless requested by a board member.
Discussion Items
- Update on EL Master Plan
** See Discussion Item 1: http://vimeo.com/108847683
- Update on Enrollment and Capacity
** See Discussion Item 2: http://vimeo.com/108847685
** Information about starred items can be found in the October 8, 2014 Board packet online in the Board Meeting section of the BUSD website: http://www.berkeleyschools.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Packet-10-08-2014.pdf?864d7e
All Board meetings are broadcast live on Berkeley Community Media Cable Channel 33 and re-broadcast the following Thursday morning at 9:00 AM and the following Sunday at 2:00 PM.
Schedule of Upcoming Board of Education Meetings:
Note: Listed below is upcoming board meeting dates, with associated major action or conference items as currently scheduled.
October 22 – November 5 – November 19 – December 10
-- Mark Coplan, Public Information Officer Berkeley Unified School District
510-644-6320 Cell: 510-472-3811
Get your order in by Sunday, Oct. 19 at midnight for a fantastic turkey from Farmigo and support your school!
I'm writing, to make sure you heard the word about the bird! Turkeys are back and can be pre-ordered through Farmigo in the Market Place through this next Sunday, Oct. 19th by midnight only. So, if you want your turkey for Thanksgiving- and you want to support Malcolm X- this is a big money generator for the school.
https://www.farmigo.com/malcolmxelementary (this is our marketplace site)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me: rebecca.a.matthews@gmail.com
These are quite the turkeys, so it's easy to see how they'll go fast. The birds BN Ranch roam in grassy pastures, grazing and foraging, their diet supplemented with non-GMO feed when necessary — and of course, they're never fed any unnecessary antibiotics or other hormones.
By the way, in case you're wondering what the difference is between the White Turkeys and Heritage Turkey...Heritage turkeys mate naturally, and aren't bred for one trait over another the way commercial turkeys are, and are an important part of promoting genetic diversity. These heritage birds are the direct descendants of five distinct breeds: Standard Bronze, Narragansett, Bourbon Red, White Holland, and Spanish Black. They also have a greater dark-to-white meat ratio, and are intensely juicy and flavorful!
When you receive your turkey the week before Thanksgiving, Farmigo will send you an e-mail stuffed with recipes and cooking suggestions, whether you want to brine, baste, rub, or spatchcock your bird. Just to round everything out, we'll have a few tips on side dishes and desserts, too!
If you want to reserve your Thanksgiving turkey, just order either the Small (which feeds about 7-9 people) or Large (11-13 people) Turkey Deposit item in the marketplace — that's all you need to do!
On 11/19/14 you'll be charged the remainder of the price and your turkey will be delivered to you along with your usual Farmigo order.
If you're looking for bigger Heritage birds, or an extra large turkey somewhere in the 22-26 lb. range, they have those on hand too — just send an email to help@farmigo.com to ask about placing a deposit!
Some tips about placing your turkey order:
Be sure you didn't place your deposit as a recurring order! You can double check this by logging into your Farmigo account and viewing your shopping cart. Your Holiday Turkey deposit should have a "frequency" of "One-time" and not "Weekly". The number of deposits you placed will correspond to the number of turkeys you get.
The remainder of the price for the turkey will be charged to your account on 11/19/14, based on the exact weight of your turkey — for reference, the price is $5/lb.
Your turkey will be delivered to you on 11/19/14; now that you've placed your deposit, all you need to do is wait!
Your turkey will come frozen, so make sure you have room in your freezer, and that you leave enough time for it to thaw.
Remember, if you've ordered the Holiday Turkey (10-14 lbs.), it will feed roughly 9-13 people. This is also true of the Heritage Breed Turkeys (10-14 lbs.) If you ordered the Holiday Turkey (14-18 lbs.), it will feed roughly 12-16 people.
Join Coaching Corps and Cal Athletics for our 8th Annual College Sports Day at UC Berkeley!
On Sunday, October 26th from 12pm-2pm, at the beautiful Memorial Stadium, young people grades K-6 will have the opportunity to get coached in sports drills by Cal Athletes. Over 15 teams will be present, including Lacrosse, Football, Soccer, Rugby and more!
At 2 pm, Coaching Corps coaches will guide children and their families on a college tour of the UC Berkeley Campus.
This event is FREE and open to the public, so invite your students, families, friends, schools, and community organizations. Click on the orange button below to download the official flyer and the gray button to download the waiver form.
We look forward to seeing you there!
- The Coaching Corps Team
Adults must accompany youth at all times and all youth must have a parent-signed registration form. Forms are available in advance or at event registration.
Contact Stacey Manley at staceym@coachingcorps.org, 510-496-5127 for the Spanish-version of the flyer or for more information.
More info:
Waiver- http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101485297738-309/College+Sports+Day+Reg+Form+Fall+2014+Update.pdf
Flyer-http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101485297738-310/Fall+2014+College+Sports+Day1.pdf
Fall Clinics updates:
Our fall clinics are just around the corner. We are again this year offering clinics for players, pitchers and parents.
These clinics are free and are open to ABGSL players from last season as well as any other interested girls in grades K to 9. Pitching clinics are open to any girl with an interest in pitching, regardless of experience. Parent clinics are open to adults regardless of experience -- we particularly encourage adults who have little or no experience to participate. Coach Bo will be leading be leading the skills and parents clinics, and Jen Deering will be leading the pitching clinics.
Clinic Dates: all fall clinics will be held on Sundays in Codornices Park (on Euclid between Eunice and Bayview. Upper field across from the Rose Gardens) *Sunday 10/19/14 *Sunday 11/2/14
Clinic Times: clinic times are based on grade level or pitching experience:
12-1:00 pm - Kindergarten and 1st grade players (New Micros)
1-2:00 pm - 2nd and 3rd grade players (Younger Division)
2-3:00 pm - beginners pitching clinic
3-4:00 pm - 4th-5th grade and 6th-9th grade players (Middle & Older Divisions)
4-5:00 pm - intermediate/advanced pitching clinic
Players should come to the clinic for the division they're going to be in next Spring, not the division they were in last season.
Players should dress in clothes that allow movement, bring their gloves, cleats and water. (We'll have a limited number of gloves available for new players to borrow.)
Parent clinics run concurrently too!
A Work Of Art
Be a part of the legacy!
Many of us will already be on campus for the Walk-a-thon this Saturday so why not stop by and Join Youth Spirit Artworks this coming weekend Sat Oct 18th & Sun Oct 19th-- any time 10am to 6pm as they complete the work of grouting Sign 1 and installing mosaic tiles on Sign 2. Bring gloves. It's tons of fun! For more info text: 510-282-0396
These two signs will be a hallmark of our school for years to come and you can say you were a part of it, not just a sign but a Work of Art, a Labor of Love and when your children send their children to MX they can tell them how they helped create these beautiful pieces!
Hope to see you this weekend!
Vicki Davis, MxPTA
TALES FROM VARLEY MANSION
(Episode One: The Brat Machine)
WHAT: TALES FROM VARLEY MANSION (Episode One: The Brat Machine) An interactive musical comedy for kids 6+. Runtime: Approximately 45 mins.
WHERE: THE MONKEY HOUSE, 1638 University Ave. Just 3 blocks from N. Berkeley BART (510) 898-1979 info@themonkeyhouse.org
WHEN: October 18, 3 PM and 7:30 PM, October 19 3 PM, October 25, 3 PM and 7:30 PM, October 26 3 PM
TICKETS: Opening day tickets, $5 donation. All other shows, $10 donation. Doors open 30 mins prior to showtimes and tickets are available at the door.
Reservations suggested: reservations@themonkeyhouse.org
SYNOPSIS: A cranky scientist buys a long-abandoned mansion, in hopes of finding solitude to perfect his brilliant new invention. But instead, he finds himself in the company of a flamboyant ghost, a soft-hearted zombie, and worst of all, an audience full of curious children -- your children. Find out what happens when "the lucky ones" are invited onstage to serve as subjects for a strange and untested device.
Tales from Varley Mansion was a labor of love written by Ira Marlowe, the current composer/lyricist for the San Francisco Mime Troup. It's a fun musical Halloween show for kids, it's smart and engaging, and it features two very talented comic actors from the troupe. The Monkey House is a small, 50-seat storefront theater on University Ave.
Find out more here:
http://www.themonkeyhouse.org/MONKEY_HOUSE/VARLEY_MANSION.html
Annie Barrows will be at Mrs. Dalloway's bookstore this Saturday, October 18th at 10:30 am, to present Ivy + Bean + Me A Fill-in-The-Blank book AND Magic in the Mix, the sequel to The Magic Half. Ages 6-10.
-- Jennifer Gordon, Library Media Tech, Malcolm X Elementary School
The Walk-a-thon is just a few days away and Malcolm X Elementary needs your help!
In years past we've raised over $1,000 from the sale of baked goods. The bakesale is one of the simplest and most effective ways to raise money for the school. Cakes, cookies, brownies, bars - it doesn't matter what you make, hungry walkers will eat it up!
To volunteer to bake something for the sale, email April Lee ASAP or call her at (510) 508-5333.
And don't forget to get pledges for this crucial fundraising event!
Together We Can!
Also, we still need volunteer helpers for the Walk-a-Thon this Saturday Oct. 18th, now we are begging! Please go to this link to sign up to make the day great and help our school!
http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/urhno