[Ma-pta-enotes] eNotes for Thursday

[ma-pta-enotes at listserv.seq.org]

HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING (READ eNotes FOR MORE INFO)

March 16:  Tell Me When to Glow all-school dance in J-Building from 7 - 10 pm; robotics competition begins

March 23: Frosh movie night in the J building from 7 to 10 p.m; deadline for returning summer book order forms to teachers; minimum day.

March 29: Grease begins its run

April 5: Open House

TELL ME WHEN TO GLOW

An all-school dance will be held tomorrow from 7 to 10 pm in the J building. Students can buy tickets tomorrow during the day for $5 outside B-21 or for $7 at the door.  Attendees should wear white shirts, blouses, sweaters, or other tops.

RACK N ROLL

Come join in the thrills as M-A's robot takes on the competition this Friday, March 16, and Saturday, March 17 from approximately 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Silicon Valley Regional Tournament that will be held at San Jose State University Event Center.   Seeding matches will be played all day Friday and Saturday morning; the exciting final rounds are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.   Last year, M-A won this tournament, and the team hopes for a repeat performance.  Admission is free, and all events are open to the public.

For more information and photos of the robot, designed and built in only six weeks, see the M-A team website at www.marobotics.org

SCHEDULE CHANGES NEXT WEEK

Because of the CAHSEE exam for sophomores, Tuesday, March 20 will be a 1,3,5,7 block day, and Wednesday, March 21, a 2,4,6 block day.  March 22 will be a regular 1-7 day

ENVISIONING OUR FUTURE

The Sequoia Union High School District invites the community to help create a new vision statement for the district.   There are still two sessions that you can attend to provide input.

March 20 from 6 to 8:15 p.m. in the district office at 480 James Street in Redwood City.  

March 24 from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. in East Palo Alto.  (You will receive information about the location when you RSVP).

If you would like to attend either session, you need to RSVP to Pat Gemma at pgemma at seq.org

SCHOOL ACCREDITING COMMISSIONERS VISIT

Next week, Friday, March 23 will be a minimum day in conjunction with a visit from WASC, the accrediting commission for schools (see http://www.acswasc.org/about_criteria.htm). The WASC evaluators will visit the campus from March 25-28.


FRESHMAN PARENTS

Freshman movie night is scheduled for next Friday, March 23, from 7-10 in the J building.  The movie will be Anchorman, selected by the students as their top choice.  Admission is $3, with tickets sold only at the door.  Snacks, drinks, and fruit smoothies will be sold inside the event.  Students must remember to bring their IDs!

SUMMER IS ON THE WAY

Spring is here, which means it is time to order your students' summer reading books.  Your students should have received reading lists and order forms from their English teachers; you can also find the form in the March Trivocis or download it from www.mabears.org. Complete the forms and return them to teachers by Friday, March 23.   Students are required to read these books and will need them for assignments in English next year. For questions, please email Virginia Weiss at weissland at comcast.net

FIRST ANNUAL BAY AREA GAP YEAR FAIR

A gap year gives high school graduates an opportunity for personal growth, potentially leading to clearer direction and greater motivation for college or whatever path the student pursues.  The gap year may include travel, cultural immersion, directed study, service or conservation projects, internship opportunities, and more.  The conference will be held at Albany High School in Albany, on March 24 from noon to 3 p.m.  For more info, contact Carolie Sly at csly at dynamy.org

SAT PREP COURSE

M-A's own SAT Prep is enrolling students for the session that begins March 26 and prepares students for the May or June SAT.   Classes meet on campus, Mondays from 3:30-5 p.m. for math and Tuesdays, same times, for English.  The course lasts five weeks and there is a nominal fee.  Email Jane King at jccking at juno.com to enroll your students or ask questions.


GREASE IS THE WORD

Dress up in your favorite 50s costume and enjoy the fast pace and pulsating tunes of the musical Grease with stars Myles Rowland and Amanda Tachis.  This all-student production, directed by Jenni Brandon with assistance from Paolo Lopez and choreography by Sam Steele, will be staged in the J building.

The show will premiere on Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m., with repeat performances on Friday, March 30 at 7 p.m, Saturday, March 31 at 7 p.m., and Thursday, April 5 at 4:30 p.m. (April 5 is Open House, so you can arrive at school early, get a terrific parking space, and watch a great show too.)  There will also be a special understudy matinee on Saturday, March 31 at 2 p.m.

Don't miss it! Get your tickets ($8 regular; $5 matinee) by contacting April Paye at apaye at seq.org or purchase tickets at the door.

JUNIOR/SENIOR PROM*

*will be here before you know it.  This year's prom is scheduled for Friday, May 11 at the San Francisco Regency Center at 1300 Van Ness Avenue from 8 pm to midnight. Guest passes will be available April 1.  For more info, contact Jenna Carson at jcarson at seq.org.

WANTED:  OLD COMPUTERS FOR NEEDY STUDENTS

Do you or your business have an old computer that you do not need any more?  We will securely erase all the data, refurbish it, and send it home with a deserving M-A student who has no access +to a computer at home.  Help clear out your garage and bridge the digital divide!  Contact Sue Kayton, kayton at alum.mit.edu, 650-853-1711.

SPORTS www.m-aboosters.org

Driving directions From M-A to schools we compete against can be found at http://www.m-aboosters.org/sports/drivingdir/Driving_Directions.html

FORE!

The 3rd Annual M-A Bears Golf Classic is scheduled for Saturday, April 28 at Coyote Creek Golf Club in San Jose.  All golfers at any level are welcome to participate, enjoy a day of fun, and support the Menlo-Atherton Boys Golf Teams.  Contact tournament director Norm Hall at putt4doe at gmail.com for more info.

FOOTBALL PARENTS

If your son is playing football next fall, you must attend a meeting on Thursday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in the J Building. Coach Bob Sykes will talk about what is in store for the new season. Please contact Jennifer Disibio at jjdisibio at sbcglobal.net or Susan Mohr at smdmohr at aol.com if you have any questions.

GOLF

Our golfers are on a roll.  On Monday, JV defeated Menlo by a score of 225 to 242, led by Brian Jordan with a 39.  Meanwhile, at Sharon Heights, the varsity squad was victorious over Burlingame with a score of 196 to 214.  Leading the pack were Nick Sako (35), Greg Sako (38) and Jake Hall Toy (39).  The Bears face last year's PAL champs, Carlmont, this afternoon.

LACROSSE

The girls JV team now holds a 4-0 record with a 15-8 win over Menlo.  Scorers included Alex Fanelli (4 goals), Monserrat Benavides (4 goals), Chloe Peters (2 goals), and Kendall Eder, Molly Murphy, Elise Rudolph, Taylor "T-Dog" Wentz, and Julia Schroeder, each with one goal.

Meanwhile, the girls' varsity team completed a sweep of Menlo by beating the Knights 12-7.  The scoring was led by sophomore Casey Burnett with three goals and senior Kayla Ushman with two goals and four assists.  Also contributing to the scoreboard were seniors Sam Bassin (2 goals), MacKenzie Rodgers (2 goals), Katie Fanelli (1 goal), and sophomore Adrian Holland (2 goals).  Junior goaltender Julia Robinson kept Menlo at bay.  M-A is 3-1 on the season, and 1-0 in PAL play.

BADMINTON

Attention badminton fans!  Your 2006 Ocean Division Champion Varsity Badminton Bears defeated Woodside yesterday 13 matches to 2.  Tomorrow the bears travel to Sequoia for the last of their pre-season meets.


SOFTBALL

Varsity softball improved their record to 2-3 by defeating Los Altos 7-1, led by the pitching of Tami Vujovich, who struck out 12 and allowed only one hit. M-A 's offense was led by Larissa Epstein with 3 hits and Tami Vujovich, Ellen Knapp, and Olivia Vagelos with two hits each.

TENNIS

The boys' team evened its league record to 1-1 and avenged last year's PAL Playoff loss by dominating the Dons of Aragon earlier this week.  Led by freshman sensation, Alec Haley at #3 singles and the #3 doubles tandem of junior Taylor Burwell and super soph Takai Tuionetoa, the Bears cruised to a 6-1 victory.  Other winners included, Roland Smith and George Horowitz in singles and Matt Hubble/Carson Weiss as well as Zack Schwab/Noah Greenberg in doubles.  With a 4-1 overall record, the Bear Netters travel to top ranked Menlo for a showdown today.

GO BEARS

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