Elizabeth Terwilliger Student Community Service Award Goes to Amelia Sharpe!

Each year the Elizabeth Terwilliger Student Community Service Award is given to a 5th grader who exemplifies the meaning of giving back to the community or world in which they live and grow.  This year the award is being given to Amelia Sharpe, a fifth grade student in Mrs. Shern's class!

Amelia's dedication has benefitted many local programs with her positive spirit and student service.  Each year, for Amelia's birthday, she picks a charity to support and her guests volunteer for that charity as part of her celebration.  In lieu of gifts, each guest donate to the charity and or purchase a membership.  In the past, Amelia's birthday wish has included:

• Making sure all children had a present to open for the holiday's.  Guests brought unwrapped gifts and financial support to the Mill Valley Fire Department in support of Toys for Tots.  She has bought toys every year since!
• Restoring of Paradise Park in which guests pulled weeds, mulched, planted trees and picked up trash.  This was arranged through Marin Parks Department.
• Cleaning the ocean!  Guests helped clean Muir Beach with the Golden Gate Parks Conservancy.
• Collected books for the Mill Valley Public Library.
• Cleaned the park and beach at McNears Beach County Park with the Marin Parks Department.
• Raised funds for the paleontology department at U.C Berkeley to help support important programs.

Along with all that, she donates a percentage of her own money that she receives from the holiday's towards supporting theatre groups, the parks department, animal and various children's charities.   Amelia also takes care of the school chickens and volunteers in the school garden with the community outreach program called, Unhunger. This program asks school gardens to grow food for the food bank.

As part of her 4H group, she volunteers at the Redwoods, which will host this special award event!  As part of her work with the Redwoods, she walked various animals to the residents including goats, dogs, guinea pigs and more for them to pet!

I am very proud of Amelia's work and dedication.  She is a wonderful student and a treasure to have at Edna Maguire!  Her smile and positive attitude are infectious! 

Amelia and her family will be honored at the Redwoods on April 25th.   The evening event honors outstanding teachers and students from all of our Mill Valley Schools.

Congratulations to Amelia!

Awesome Garden News!!

The garden has received a California State PTA Scholarship Grant to cover the cost of this year's Ladybug Release and the 

Green Teams' 6-Part Plant Fest!

A VERY SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to our wonderful Edna teachers: Adam Sanchez, Carrie Morgan and Shana Stewart for writing quotes for the grant about how the activities benefit their students and studies! It made a HUGE difference and added a special touch to our grant!  Many thanks to Ronnie Sharpe for writing the grant.  

The ladybug release and the 6 Part Plant Fest are some of our very best garden activities!  These activities are planned for the spring!  Stay tuned!

I love this school!!!!!

Edna Maguire's Nutritional Information with Regards to Food Distribution

Nutrition-Wellness

Birthday Treats Policy

We always enjoy celebrating each student's birthday with special recognition in his or her classroom. But due to the number of kids with serious food allergies and California's nutritional guidelines, we have a strict FRUIT ONLY policy when it comes to distributing birthday treats at school. Examples include a bag of apples, blueberries, grapes, strawberries or fruit kabobs. Check our website for other ideas and facts provided by our nutrition committee. Please do not bring in cookies, cupcakes or baked goods for birthday treats!

If you want to celebrate your child's birthday with something other than, or in addition to, fruit, we ask that you skip costly goody bags. Instead, let your child buy a Birthday Book through the library or donate a book to his or her classroom. Some children also like to invite a guest reader to share a book on their special day. Others are happy to celebrate with their friends and family outside of school.

We will continue to celebrate special events such as Halloween, the winter holidays and Valentine's Day with limited sweet treats during classroom parties. 

We refer to this as the 80/20 rule: 80% nutritious snacks; 20% treats.) Teachers will work with Room Parents to adhere to this policy. 

Educate yourself about good nutrition and why we should all be concerned.... 

Watch this important video 

New Place to Drop Off Students in the Morning! Avoid the congestion on Lomita!

Alternative Morning Drop-off Spot - 250 Camino Alto - Starts Wed January 29th.

Do you currently drop off you kids in Scott Valley behind school on Azalea, Underhill or Vasco Ct?

Now you can shorten your trip and drop them in a spot away from traffic and let them get a little exercise before they start the day.

Starting Wednesday, January 29th you will be able to use 250 Camino Alto parking lot as a drop off. (Immediately behind where the Cantina shopping center is.)

1. Pull in and drive to the back of the lot. 
2. Drop off your kids who will walk on the path to school (it's a 7-10 minute walk).
3. Proceed on out of the parking lot, do not park and unload. Volunteers will be there to help.
4. If you'd like to drop little ones, bring an adult who can go w/them and walk home after, etc.

Please email Deborah at dcole3@sbcglobal.net if you can take a turn to help kids get out and to keep the cars moving along and make this a success or sign up with her at the drop spot. We need a volunteer each morning at first.

Edna Maguire's Outdoor Garden is coming along!

Garden Update:
I just toured the garden this morning with the extraordinary Leslie Myers and Ronnie Sharpe.  This "one of kind" outdoor learning lab is unprecedented. The staff and students will soon be planting crops in our new garden beds!  I might add that they are gopher proof!!!  Those rascals have been enjoying our delicious plants for years and they will now have to find another source!  The chickens are happy in their chicken coop and I was even given one of Pearl's delicious eggs.  The sheds are build for storage and the student garden tool shed is also complete.  The green house, which will house our seedlings, is framed which you can see in the pictures.  The reading circle bench was transferred from the previous garden to it's new location!

It is an exciting time here at Edna Maguire Children's Garden!  Open Soon!

Greenhouse

Reading Circle Bench

Garden Beds

Chicken Coop

Pearl's Egg!

Kiddo Art Show for MVSD - January 31st - February 28th.

The Kiddo! Art show at the Mill Valley Community Center will run from Friday, January 31st - Friday, February 28th. There will be a reception for the artists and their families on Thursday, February 6th from 4:30 - 6:30pm.

I hope you can join us for the reception!

Artist List

Edna 

Moises Zarate 5^th

Tara Fullerton 1^st

Braden Dalma 4^th

James Hisanga 5^th

Alexa Sokolove 5^th

Helena Goddard 1^st

Lisa 

Road Paving on Azalea and Vasco - January 20-31st

Dear Families,

I wanted to let you know that during the weeks of January 20 – January 31^st the city is paving the streets of Azalea and Vasco.  There will be delays and very limited parking.  If you use that area, please find an alternate route during these weeks.

Thank you,

Lisa Zimmer