[Ma-pta-enotes] eNotes for the weekend

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

*Coming Events*

November 2 - Dia De Los Muertos  celebration.  5:30 pm outside the Career Center.
November 2 - Darfur  event    6:30 - 8 pm at the library
November 3 - Varsity Football Game 10:40am Senior Day -  admission will be charged
November 7 - Thriving  Teens . . . Got Sleep?  M-A Parent Education 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the M-A  Library November 8 - Community Resource Center Grand Opening.  In  B-20

*Announcements*

It's Not to late for Dedications!
Send your fashion show senior a great wish of encouragement or your best wishes-- just $25 for 25 words. Your dedication will be included in the program. We can take dedictions up until Tuesday, Nov. 6. Email N.Sterling at comcast.net and send your check made out to MA PTA to 83 Lupin Lane, Atherton, CA 94027

IMPORTANT: PTA General Meeting on Wednesday, November 7th, 8:30 a.m. in Room F-15 (near the rear of the campus).  Our guest speaker will be Assistant Superintendent Ed La Vigne from the District Office informing about the Sequoia Union High School District Bond Measure, which will go out on the 2008 Presidential Primary Ballot on February 5, 2008.  We will also hear from Committee Chairs on past and future events.  Please come hear about our upcoming PTA Website!  We are very excited about it.  Hope to see you there!


Campus map and special on-campus parking permit is available on the right hand column of the homepage on www.mabears.org.


THRIVING TEENS . . . GOT SLEEP?

M-A  Parent Education - Wednesday, November 7, 7-9 pm in the M-A Library.

Teen  Sleep in the News!
Last Tuesday (10/23) The New York Times devoted its entire  "Science Times" section to sleep. Jane Brody's article in particular  highlighted the challenges of teen sleep. The same day, /The San Francisco Chronicle/ featured a front page article that also addressed teen sleep.  
If you didn't happen to see these, retrieve a copy or go on line to get the full story.
M-A's Teen Sleep Program story is:

* Your teens  need 9.25 hours of sleep to stay safe and alert
* Most teens carry a large  "sleep debt"
* Adequate sleep improves teensâ   ability to perform in sports  and academics, build a healthy resilience to stress and enjoy better  moods

Hear what the Teen Sleep Program is planning this year, and learn  sleep strategies from dynamic sleep scientist, Mark M. Rosekind, Ph.D., and M-A parent and sleep apnea specialist , Jerry Hester, M.D., on *Wednesday, November 7 at 7 pm* in the library. As part of M-Aâ  s Parent Education Series, we will present fascinating facts and true stories about sleep from distinguished sleep experts and M-A faculty and students. Join us!  Hear about:

- Sleep and Competitive  Advantage

- Driving Under the Influence of Drowsiness!

- To Sleep,  Not to Breathe: The Sleep Apnea Risk

PARENT CHAUFFEURS
Parents/Guardians - If you will be driving students in your car for Music, Sports or any other club or related M-A activity please complete the Personal Vehicle Use Form http://www.seq.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,337/Itemid,34/  and turn into Sandy Nelson, in the Admin building.

SENIOR YEARBOOK PAGES
It's time to buy senior pages!

If you or  your child wants to buy a personalized senior page,  go to www.jostensadservice.com today to create it.  The deadline to submit your  page is Tuesday, January 8, 2008.

If you would like an informational  brochure, contact the M-A yearbook staff at _ma_yearbook at yahoo.com_ (mailto:ma_yearbook at yahoo.com) .

FASHION SHOW TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
If you've never been to the PTA Fashion Show, you have really missed out.   There still are tickets available for all of this year's shows. The lunch is almost sold out, so please order your tickets soon. We still have plenty of seats for the 4:00 and the very popular 7:30 show. Find the ticket order form on the M-A website. Find downloads on the top bar, then go to PTA. Support the PTA's main fundraiser and enjoy the entertainment and fashions from the class of  2008. 

COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER GRAND OPENING
On Thursday, November 8th at  lunch, Menlo-Atherton High School will be holding the grand opening of our  Community Resource Center (CRC) located in Room 
B-20 on the M-A campus.   The CRC is the place for students to check out community service opportunities,  look for that ideal job, or find assistance to get them through a tough  time.  

The purpose of this centralized Resource Center is to  connect our students with Community Based Organizations (CBO's) who provide  services such as mentoring, tutoring, case management, violence prevention and  more.  Students will also be able to find information on community service  and volunteer opportunities that can help to improve our community as a  whole.

The Community Resource Center will be open for drop-in use before  school, at lunch, after school, and by appointment during class time.  It  is our goal to provide a centralized location to unite our local community with  our Menlo-Atherton student community. 

Need to give something back? Need  that perfect job? Just want a little help for hard times? Then come check out  the grand opening of the Community Center on Thursday, November 8th to check out  the action! Get help, give help.

For more information, please contact Miki Cristerna, Student Services Coordinator, at 650-322-5311 x. 5254. 
Miki Cristerna, Student Support  Coordinator
mcristerna at seq.org

FRESHMAN CHALLENGE DAY SUCCESSFUL
Hey  Freshman! Once again, congratulations on getting through Challenge Day! 

Now it  is YOUR time to continue that challenge day spirit, to carry it within yourself  both inside and outside the classroom. Be inspired and be that change you  absolutely positively wish to see, even to experience in the world.  

We  challenge YOU the class of 2011 to remember what you learned last Monday and  Tuesday, and support each other as we head deeper into the school year!  

CHALLENGE DAY: Whew! You did it! A big thank you to the 160 adult volunteers (122 small group leaders, 20 registration and 18 lunch helpers) who helped with Challenge Day last Monday and Tuesday. MAHS students and the whole campus are all the better because of your enthusiastic response to Challenge Day. The day started out with the most awesome thing. A boy showed up late and out of breath and as we hussled to get him a nametag he told us he had just skateboarded all the way from Redwood City to make it. Our jaws dropped - he skateboarded to Challenge Day and that it meant that much to get there. The final cap to the day was at about 4:00, a couple of adult helpers were standing by the gyms when a boy walked over to them and out of the clear blue said one short sincere statement: "Hey, thanks for putting on Challenge Day" and then nodded his head and left. Small things like these are huge as we continue to create the "school of our dreams". To all the helpers, thanks for your part. You made our day! 
Betsy Bowersox betbowe at earthlink.net and 
Teri O'Neel, PTA Challenge Day Coordinators 


PROJECT BACKPACK STILL NEEDS BACKPACKS
Thank you to everyone who has  brought in donations for Project Backpack. To date we have 157 backpacks. We  need 41 more to reach our goal. We still still need clothing donations as well  as hats and gloves, mittens and scarves, blankets and coats. Please bring all  donations to the Career Center.
Permission slips for distributng the  backpacks on Nov. 30 will be given at the Outreach meeting on Monday, Nov. 5.  all signed slips will be due Nov. 19.   Also we need parent drivers. Please  contact Geri Nicholas at ext 5020 if your parent can drive.


DARFUR  AWARENESS MEETING
Attention Bears! If you are aware of the genocide in  Darfur, then you must know that over 400,000 Sudanese civilians have been killed  since 2003 and that every day the Darfurian people are subjected to torture and  rape simply because of their race. If this is news to you, or if you want to  learn how you can put an end to these atrocities, come to the Darfur Awareness  night this Friday, November 2nd from 6:30-8 pm in the library. Tickets are $5  each and will be sold at the door, and 100% of the monetary profits will go  towards aiding the victims of genocide in Darfur.

*Clubs*

RUNNING  FOR A REASON
Attention members of Running for a Reason. This Thursday at  lunch Running for a Reason did NOT have a meeting in B-20.  We will meet  this Sunday, Nov. 
4th at Stanford track at 2:30 for a fun workout and club  planning. See you there! Bring an M-A friend to be entered into a raffle for  Nike gear. 


SUMMER TRIP TO GUATAMALA
Attention all  students!!!  Do you love traveling?  Do you want to help build a  school, work in a hospital, or help plant trees?  If so, you may love the summer trip to Guatemala.  For more info, come to room C-10 at lunch on Thursday.  Hasta pronto!

*Athletics*

M-A GIRL'S TENNIS TAKES  PAL TITLE
The top two players on the Girl's Tennis Team, Marietta Tiuonetoa  and Marjorie Adams, undefeated on the season, teamed up for the PAL Individual Tournament.  The Bears dominated their competition, losing only 4 games on  their way to the doubles title.  In the finals, they overwhelmed the top  Menlo team, 6-1, 6-2.  With the win, they continue their partnership in the  CCS Individual Tournament in 2 weeks.  

The team is back in action  next week as they begin the CCS Team Playoffs.    
  

BASKETBALL TRYOUTS
Just a reminder, boy's basketball is having  try-outs this week, in the new gym.  If you are a junior or senior, varsity  try-outs will be held Friday the 2nd, at 5 p.m. and Saturday the 3rd, in Ayers  Gym, at 12:30 p.m.   For freshmen and sophomores, your tryouts are  Thursday at 630 p.m., Friday at 3 p.m. 
and then resume on Monday, in Ayers Gym  at 6 a.m (yes, in the morning!)  You must be cleared academically through the  office, have a physical, have filled out your sports paperwork and bought a $25  P.A.L. sticker in order to try-out. 
Go to M-ABoosters.org for more  info.
We look forward to seeing you there.

Attention all  athletes:
Winter sports begin TODAY!  Get your clearance done!

GO  BEARS.  Grrrrr.