Visit Portola
Please plan to attend the Portola Open House on Thursday, March 14 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. to visit your student’s classrooms and meet with teachers. Students will have a minimum day on March 14.
Get Involved
Everyone is invited to attend the next PTSA meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12 in Room 7. We will be discussing items including the Spring Faire, scheduled for April 20. We need your help to plan the Spring Faire — please contact Evangeline Ireland at emireland@yahoo.com to get involved.
*Band parents will meet at 6 p.m. on March 12, while 8th grade parents will meet at 8 p.m.
Congrats to Math Contest Participants
Portola’s team at the MathCounts competition held at U.C. Berkeley finished fourth out of 19 schools. 8th grader Gwennie Gilbert-Snyder finished in the top 5 of all 135 students competing individually and will represent Portola at the state competition in March.
*Thanks to Math Club volunteers, in particular Todd Groves but also Kazue Nakahara, Evangeline Ireland, Chie Haflich and Pamela Gilbert-Snyder.
*Students participating in the competition also included: Athena Lynch, Abdul Mohiz, Raqeeb Chang, Marcelo Monsalve, Nicholas Adion, Muhammad Arsalan, Helen Gilbert-Snyder, Katrina Ireland and Ramon Verdin.
Testing
On Tuesday, March 5, 7th graders will take a writing test on subjects including fictional narratives and persuasive essays.
*Fitnessgram physical fitness tests for 7th graders begin on Monday, March 11 and will be conducted over two weeks. Areas such as aerobic capacity, abdominal/upper body strength and flexibility will be tested.
Support Student Musicians
On Monday, March 4, the Portola jazz ensemble will perform at Yoshi’s at Oakland’s Jack London Square, together with the El Cerrito High School jazz ensembles. Tickets are $15 per person – please order through Ms. Carrico, with checks made out to “Friends of El Cerrito Music.”
*Volunteers are needed to help with a band fundraiser by working the concession stands at Golden Gate Fields on Sunday, April 7, anytime between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Please contact RulaAdranlyatradranly@quest-world.com to get involved.
Get Those Baby Pictures Turned In
8th graders are encouraged to submit baby pictures for publication in the yearbook by Friday, March 1. Please submit your baby pictures to the school office with your name on the back of the picture. Pictures will be returned in April. Pictures without names will not be returned. Pictures may also be emailed to pmsyearbook@yahoo.com
Book Battles Coming Up
The Portola Battle of the Books will take place on March 11. The winning team will go on to compete at the district Battle of the Books, which will be held after school on March 28 at Pinole Middle School. The books for this year’s competition:
The Skin I’m In by Sharon Draper; The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time by Mark Haddon; Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; Hatchet by Gary Paulsen