Ms. Anja Strand, our textbook coordinator needs to take inventory of all the textbooks. Students are asked to return the home set of textbooks next week. Students are requested to bring textbooks following this schedule to allow for orderly returns:
Monday – Math
Tuesday – History
Wednesday – Spanish or ELD
Thursday – Science
Friday – English
Parents may return the entire set at any time between 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.
New PTSA Leadership
The PTSA elected new leadership for the 2013-2014 school year. Thank you to the following people for volunteering to lead the charge and thank you to the outgoing board for all of their hard work.
President: Kathy Guarneri
VP for operations: Leslie Reckler
VP for fund raising: Negar Souza
Treasurer: Katherine Meurer
Financial secretary: Natalie Page
Secretary: Alonn Ilan
Many more positions are available! Check out the list of open positions at http://portolanews.com/open-ptsa-jobs/. To get involved, email Leslie Reckler at lesmac@sbcglobal.net.
Volunteers needed for End of Year Celebrations
Help our 8th graders enjoy their last days of middle school. Volunteers are needed for 3 events:
1) The 8th grade lunch/dance will be held on Tuesday, June 4 from 11:45 a.m.-2:25 p.m. at the El Cerrito Community Center (next door to Portola)
2) The 8th grade picnic following the promotional rehearsal will be on Wednesday, June 5 from 11:15 a.m.-1:25 p.m. at Cerrito Vista Park (across street from Portola)
3) The 8th grade promotion ceremony is set for Thursday, June 6 at 7 p.m. at the El Cerrito High School Gym.
To get involved, visit http://vols.pt/FpHoGi to sign up to volunteer. You need to provide your email address but you don’t need to register.
Any questions, contact Rula Adranly at radranly@quest-world.com or 237-6049
Grown-up Fun
Enjoy wine perfectly paired with cheese in a fabulous garden in Kensington while helping raise funds for the PTSA from 4pm-7pm on June 1. Only $20 per person, with checks made out to Portola PTSA. For more information, email Leslie Reckler at lesmac@sbcglobal.net.
New Middle School
A groundbreaking for the new middle school at the site of the closed Castro elementary is set for June 2. Trying to get together a student band to provide music at the groundbreaking. If your student has their own instrument or rents an instrument outside of school and would like to participate, please contact Leslie Reckler at lesmac@sbcglobal.net.
Spring Fever
Some students have caught Spring Fever now that testing is over. Please encourage your student to continue to behave and perform in class.
Congrats!
Congratulations to Erich Fenczik Warnock for winning the iPod Touch raffle for the Cookie Dough Sales.
Everyone is Invited
The PTSA will hold its next meeting in Room 8 at 7 pm on Tuesday, May 14, to close out the year and elect a new executive board. 8th grade parents to meet afterwards to finalize end-of-year activities.
*Band families will meet on Monday, May 13, at 6 pm in the band room to elect new leadership.
*The English Language Advisory Committee will have its next meeting on Friday, May 17, at 4 pm in Room 8.
Career Day is Coming
Career Day will be held during 2nd and 3rd periods on Wednesday, May 15. If you are available to speak to students about your career, please contact Ms. Lodge or Mr. Fulumirani through the main office at 524-0405.
Progress Reports
Keep an eye out for Progress Reports, which are scheduled to be sent around May 10.
Yearbook orders
Yearbooks may be ordered at www.jostens.com or through the school office. They are $40 each. Checks will be accepted until Friday, May 10, after which only cash will be accepted. Yearbooks will be distributed the first week of June. To check if you have already ordered one, email pmsyearbook@yahoo.com
Support Student Athletes
The Portola track team will compete in a track meet at Benecia Middle School on Thursday, May 16.
End of Year Celebrations
Help our 8th graders enjoy their last days of middle school. The 8th grade dance will be held on Tuesday, June 4. The 8th grade promotional rehearsal followed by a picnic will be on Wednesday, June 5. Promotion ceremony for 8th graders is set for Thursday, June 6.
Bowling With Ms. Baldwin
Have fun bowling with Ms. Baldwin and support a good cause at the same time! Tickets are still available at $15 each, checks should be made out to Portola PTSA. The bowling session will be at Pinole Lanes on May 18th from 3-4pm. To participate, email emireland@yahoo.com.
Grown-up Fun
Enjoy wine perfectly paired with cheese in a fabulous garden in Kensington while helping raise funds for the PTSA from 4pm-7pm on June 1. Only $20 per person, with checks made out to Portola PTSA. For more information, email emireland@yahoo.com
Second-chance for Sweatshirts
Anyone that missed out on ordering an 8th-grade sweatshirt and would still like to get one should sign up at the office or email emireland@yahoo.com. A follow-on order will be placed if at least 20 people sign up. The sweatshirts will cost $30.
Yearbook orders
Yearbooks may be ordered at www.jostens.com or through the school office. They are $40 each. Checks will be accepted until Friday, May 10, after which only cash will be accepted. Yearbooks will be distributed the first week of June. To check if you have already ordered one, email pmsyearbook@yahoo.com
Everyone is Invited
The PTSA will hold its next meeting in Room 8 at 7 pm on Tuesday, May 14, to close out the year and elect a new executive board. Band families will meet May 13th at 6:00 pm in the band room to elect new leadership.. 8th grade parents to meet afterwards to finalize end-of-year activities.
After-school Program Policies
Please be aware that if a student is staying on campus after 2:30 p.m. for any reason, they must sign in and sign out with the after-school program. This policy is for the safety of the students as it allows supervisors to keep track of who is on campus. The policy covers all students regardless if a student is officially registered with the after-school program. It includes students participating in activities such as library, tutoring, finishing work in classrooms, track, basketball, etc. Any questions, please contact program coordinator Lila Banuelos at 510 559-7000.
Bowling With Ms. Baldwin
Have fun bowling with Ms. Baldwin and support a good cause at the same time! Tickets are still available at $15 each, checks should be made out to Portola PTSA. The bowling session will be at Pinole Lanes, with the date TBA. To participate, email emireland@yahoo.com.
Grown-up Fun
Enjoy wine perfectly paired with cheese in a fabulous garden in Kensington while helping raise funds for the PTSA from 4pm-7pm on June 1. Only $20 per person, with checks made out to Portola PTSA. For more information, email emireland@yahoo.com
The New Portola
A June 2 groundbreaking is planned for the construction of the new Portola at the site of the closed Castro elementary school.
Teacher Appreciation Day is May 7th!
Show the teachers you appreciate their hard work by sending treats and/or flowers.
Snacks for Hungry Test-Takers
California STAR tests are scheduled to be held on April 30-May 9. We need your help to organize snacks for the students on Monday, April 29 at 8:30 in Room 8. Please contact Evangeline Ireland at emireland@yahoo.com to get involved.
Yearbook orders
Yearbooks may be ordered at www.jostens.com or through the school office. They are $40 each.
Thank You
Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make the Spring Faire a success. Volunteers included: Sally Wagner-Foster (the fearless organizer of the event), Kara dela Paz (singlehandedly got the raffle going), Mary Schimda (the endless source of the prized clean stuff animals), Trish McDermott (still trying to figure out where you get all your energy!), Tre Curran and Michael Waxman (chefs for the day), Luisa Valiela, Cathy Whitenack, Peter Ireland, Cass Duggan, Manu Wong, Lina Wong, Andrea Dorn, Ching Hsiang Wang, Meg McHugh, Sonia Dunn-Ruiz, Katherine Meurer, Saidah Said, Elaine Suess, Natalie Page, Ella Chaqui, parents of GoPortola, Kathy Guerneri, Julie Brown, Harry Brown, Angela Marengo, Barbara Wansick, Romy Douglass, Rula Adranly, Ben Ragasa, Elaine Chu, Maggie Li, Debbie Marshall, Karen Veitch, Chris Novak, Diana Yamauchi, Eliana Navarrete, Fiona Grigg, Jeffrey Douglass, Jenny Parks, Yoko Morita, Kelly Whitney, Tammy Garretson. (Apologies if anyone’s name was forgotten or misspelled.)
Everyone is Invited
The PTSA will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, May 14, to close out the year and elect a new executive board. Band families will meet beforehand to elect new leadership. 8th grade parents will meet afterwards to finalize end-of-year activities.
The New Portola
A June 2 groundbreaking is planned for the construction of the new Portola at the site of the closed Castro elementary school. Time to be announced.
Congrats!
Congratulations to the winners of the Earth Day clean-up competition.
SAVE THE DATE! For the Wine and Cheese Party sponsored by GoPortola
Saturday June 1 from 4:00 pm-7:00 pm.
Wine and Cheese in a fabulous garden in Kensington. Enjoy wines perfectly paired with cheese. Don’t worry guys! They will also be serving beers and cheddars. The cost is $20 per person. Don’t miss the social event of the season!
Spring is Here and so is Spring Faire
Spring Faire is scheduled for 11am – 3 pm on Saturday, April 20, and features games, crafts, food, music and other fun carnival-type activities. We need your help to organize the event and also to volunteer on the day of the Spring Faire– please contact Sally Foster-Wagner at ksalkev@aol.com. Or click on the VolunteerSpot button to sign up!
Looking for Some Green Thumbs
Portola’s garden planters are in dire need of some TLC. With very little rain this winter, the plants are not doing well. If you are available to come once a week to give some love to these plants, the students and teachers would greatly appreciate it. Hoping more than one person volunteers for the Garden Crew so that you can rotate weeks –if there are enough volunteers, then you only have to come once a month. Please contact Evangeline at emireland@yahoo.com if you would be willing to be part of the Garden Crew.
Easy and Free Way to Help Portola
Clip and turn in to the school office “BoxTops for Education” vouchers located on the packaging of many consumer products, ranging from Cheerios to Kleenex. Each voucher is worth 10 cents for Portola, and the free money can add up fast. It costs you nothing to participate, just pick up a pair of scissors and start clipping – you may find that you have many of these products in your pantry. For more information on which products participate in BoxTops for Education see: http://tinyurl.com/c5388pq
Join the Track Team
Students are invited to join the Portola Track Team. Meet on Mondays and Thursdays at 2:35 p.m. in Ms. Baldwin’s room.
Volunteer Opportunities
California STAR tests are scheduled to be held on April 30-May 9. We need your help to organize snacks for the students on Monday, April 29. Please contact Evangeline Ireland at emireland@yahoo.com to get involved.
Help is needed for supervision while students are changing clothes for PE. Volunteers are needed to supervise students who have already finished dressing and gone outside, so that the teacher can be free to supervise inside the locker room. The need for help is greatest between 12:30 p.m.-12:50 p.m. and 1:25 p.m.-1:45 p.m. To get involved, please contact Mr. Burnham at mburnhma@wccusd.net or call the school office.
ELAC meeting
The next English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) meeting will be held on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 4 pm in room # 7. We will talk about the CST. You may ask Mr. Burnham questions. We also invite ELAC parents to a potluck meal for the meeting in May.
Thank you for all the parents who agreed to coordinate the Teacher Treat Day next year!
You’re invited to Portola’s 2nd Annual Spring Faire next Saturday April 20th. Admission is FREE! Raffle prizes included gift certificate for a class at the Crucible, spring season tickets to concerts at the Jazz School, and more! Cake walk and other fun carnival games with prizes. See you there!
Spring is Here and so is Spring Faire
Spring Faire is scheduled for 11:00 am-3:00 pm on Saturday, April 20, and features games, crafts, food, music and other fun carnival-type activities. We need your help to organize the event and also to volunteer on the day of the Spring Faire– please contact Sally Foster-Wagner at ksalkev@aol.com. We are also using Volunteer Spot for sign ups. Click the button:
Thank you!
Thanks to all the volunteers for supporting the recent PTSA fundraiser at Golden Gate Fields. Volunteers included Meg McHugh, Pamela Gilbert-Snyder, Matt Willis, Tre Curran, Romy Douglas, Mike S., Mary Schmida, Mike Gest, Nancy Donovan, Yvonne Noble, James Phalen, Lee Hamilton, Nick Adranly and Leslie Reckler. Thank you to RulaAdranly for helping to coordinate this fundraiser.
Congrats!
Congratulations to Portola’s Battle of the Books team, which finished in a tie for second in competition against the other middle schools from WCCUSD. The team consisted of Mohamed Arsalan, Raqeeb Chang, Marcelo Monsalve, Joonun Park and Isaac Sloan. Thanks to Portola librarian Ms. Bogie for supporting the team.
Portola Dance Party
Students are invited to attend the Portola Dance Party at the Arlington Café at 269 Arlington Ave. in Kensington, on Saturday, April 20, from 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, please pay by check made out to Portola PTSA. The venue can accommodate up to 30 students and the entry ticket include sodas, finger foods and desserts. For more information, contact: Trish McDermott at trishmcdermott@ix.netcom.com
Volunteer Opportunities
California STAR tests are scheduled to be held on April 30-May 9. We need your help to organize snacks for the students on Monday, April 29. Please contact Evangeline Ireland at emireland@yahoo.com to get involved.
Help is needed for supervision while students are changing clothes for PE. Volunteers are needed to supervise students who have already finished dressing and gone outside, so that the teacher can be free to supervise inside the locker room. The need for help is greatest between 12:30 p.m.-12:50 p.m. and 1:25 p.m.-1:45 p.m. To get involved, please contact Mr. Burnham at mburnhma@wccusd.net or call the school office.
We need a few volunteers to help coordinate Teacher Treat Day. During Teacher Treat Day, which is held once a month, families provide food for teachers and staff to enjoy during their lunch break. Coordinating Teacher Treat Day is straightforward and we are fortunate to have a generous community that comes together month after month to show their gratitude to the hardworking Portola teachers/staff. If you would be willing to help, please let Tre know at trecurran88@gmail.com. You will receive lots of support and info to make this an easy, enjoyable way to add to a positive school culture.
8th Grade Hoodies Re-Order
If you missed your chance at ordering the 8th grade Hoodie, here’s your chance! Sign ups are in the school office or email to emireland@yahoo.com with your name, size (s,m,l, xl) and phone number. Re-orders will be done only if there are 20 new orders. You will be contacted with payment information if re-order will be done. Last day to re-order is April 26th. No extras will be ordered.
PTSA will meet at 7:00 pm. 8th grade parents will meet at 8:00.
Band parents will NOT meet this April, but will meet Tuesday May 14th.
Up for discussion will be:
-the upcoming Spring Faire
-the future of Celebrate Portola
-nominations for the 2013-2014 Portola PTSA Executive Board.
Hope to see some 6th grade parents at this meeting as this meeting affects you!
Mr. Burnham tweets! Follow Mr. Burnham on Twitter @bhambytes. His tweets will also appear o in the column on the right side of the Portola News site.
Thanks to the Spanish 3 class, Portola News is now in Spanish! Check it out. Click on Spanish Portola News for the El Toro Weekly, and other Portola News pages in Spanish. The class also translates the El Toro Weekly for the PTSA. Thanks for organizing, Ms. Baldwin!
Great concert last night at the 1st Annual District Jazz Festival. Helms Middle, Pinole Valley Middle, Portola, Pinole Valley High, and El Cerrito High put on a good show. Good job band students and music directors!