Thank you to Earth Day Participants!

Posted on April 23, 2012 by

Photos by Linda Geiser

I wanted to send a BIG Thank You to all the families that came out and helped beautify our school at Saturday’s Earth Day Clean Up. Thank you for squeezing in some time in between weekend sports activities, and busy schedules to clean up our campus.

22 Adults and 18 Madera students successfully pulled 11 Bags of Weeds and cleaned up 2 Bags of Trash!! Not even the heat could stop the collective effort it took to fill all of those bags.

I also want to send a shout out to the Dads Club who came and sanded and repaired the picnic tables. Madera is a little bit more sparkly thanks to everyone’s hard work.

All the best,
Linda

Posted in community, earth day, volunteers | Leave a comment

Blue Folder – April 20, 2012

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

PTA Announcements

School News / Save the Date

  • Garden Work Day
    Friday, April 20, 2012 | 2:40 pm – 4:00 pm
  • Madera Earth Day Spring Cleaning (PDF)
    Saturday, April 21, 2012 / register to participate!
  • Bid on Madera Auction items now!Madera Auction
    Saturday, April 28, 2012 | 5:00pm – 10:00pm
    @ Mira Vista Golf & Country Club
    Bid for items online until Wed. Apr. 25
    Advance tickets sales end on Thurs. Apr. 26 – Get your tickets now! (PDF)
  • Madera Farmers Market
    Friday, April 27, 2012 | 2:40 pm – 4:00 pm
    Yup, we are having our first Farmer’s Market at Madera in recorded history! We will open our small little stand in the garden near the shed, please come and support the garden by buying our produce.  The majority of the veggies and herbs for sale will have been grown by our 3rd grade student farmers.
  • Madera Dinner & A Movie Night – Save the date!
    Friday May 11, 2012 | 7:00pm
    6th grade Cafe Della Madera + Dad’s Club & PTA Screening of ‘Puss & Boots’

Community Happenings

Summer Camps

Posted in auction, blue folder, earth day, events, fundraising, Madera Garden Project, save the date, volunteers | Leave a comment

Support our Schools – Support Measure K!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

Support our Schools by Supporting Measure K in the June 5th election

Measure K is a parcel tax measure on the June 5th ballot that would extend and increase the existing parcel tax for 5 years.  The amount of the increase would typically be about $3 per month for the average homeowner.

If the measure does pass:  current K-3 class sizes will be maintained; middle & high school class sizes would decrease; and more AP classes could be added/reinstated in high schools.

If this measure doesn’t pass: class sizes will increase in K-3  (current plan is to increase to 28 for all K-3 class sizes), funding would be eliminated for district librarians, school counselors, and high school athletics.

Help our community pass this vital measure!

PHONE BANKING
Spend 2 hours calling other parents in Kensington and El Cerrito, encouraging them to vote for Measure K. You will be fed, trained, and joined by others from our school.

Where: Interactive Resources, 117 Park Place, Point Richmond, CA  94801
When:
Wednesday, April 18, 5:30-7:30 pm
Monday, April 30, 5:30-7:30 pm
Sunday, May 20, 1:00-3:00 pm
Wednesday, May 30, 5:30-7:30 pm

VOTING
Vote YES ON K on June 5th!
Too busy?  Receive an absentee ballot and vote early.

SPREADING THE WORD
Tell your friends and neighbors what Measure K funding will mean for our whole community.
Make sure they know there is a senior exemption!
For more information: http://www.protectwestcountyschools.com/about-measure-k/

Linda Geiser
Madera PTA President

Posted in budget, volunteers, WCCUSD School Board | 1 Comment

Online Silent Auction is open! *updated*

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

Bid on Madera Auction items now!Online bidding on Auction items is open until Wednesday, April 25, 2012 @9:00pm

Please join our inaugural online silent auction!

Dear Madera Friends,

Join the fun right now! Our online auction is open and the bidding is just underway. All proceeds benefit the Madera PTA = YOUR KIDS! Please spread the word to family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. All may participate. We have some exciting offerings, including: a ride on the bay in a catamaran, tickets to local theaters and museums, piano lessons, kids’ summer camps, and wine tastings. These items will ONLY be available online.

Detailed instructions for new bidders:

1) Create your account
a. fill out information, including your email address
b. check 2 boxes to accept terms of service and bidding rules

2) Check your inbox for your account activation email.

3) Log in and start bidding! You may view the catalog and save favorite items. If you are outbid, you will be notified by email.

Once your account is created, you may log in:
1) Go to: http://auctions.readysetauction.com/madera/home

2) Click “My Account” in the upper right corner (https://auctions.readysetauction.com/madera/account)

Please also join us on the 28th at Mira Vista Golf & Country Club as we celebrate our school year. Tickets are on sale now.

A listing of items that will be exclusively offered at Mira Vista are listed here:
http://auctions.readysetauction.com/madera/catalog/view/52 (Live Auction)
and
http://auctions.readysetauction.com/madera/catalog/view/53 (Silent Auction)

Kudos to Jen & Ron Toledo for all their hard work getting this up and ready. I would also like to thank: Marta Belanger, Cassidy Ellis, and Beckie Denio for their commitment to getting and organizing our donations. And Max Geiser for art designs.

happy bidding,
~steven

Posted in auction | Leave a comment

It’s Garden Time

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

Earth Day Garden Work Party
Farmer’s Market
Friday, April 20, 2012

Chard from the Garden

Trimming back the Chard (from maderaschoolgarden.org)

Hello all,

Quick reminder about our work party this Friday (April 20th) in honor of Earth Day.  We will be in the garden from 2:40 until 4:00.  Come on by to do work or just enjoy the surroundings.  We have mulch to move, a path to make, weeds to pull and trees to move.  I will be teaching a Master Gardener sponsored class on perennial edibles from 3-4 in the garden classroom area (which is full), but people are welcome to work in all other areas.  Come on out and have a good time.

All Madera students and siblings need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

ALSO….

The third graders are putting on their very first Farmer’s Market after school in the garden on Friday, April 27th from 2:40-3:30ish.  Stop by, purchase some healthy produce, and support the garden.   We still need donations of supplies for this event.  If items are not donated this week, we will need to purchase some of these things with our rather small garden budget.  Here is what we need:

Farmers Market Needs

(to be given or simply loaned)

1.  Largish baskets to hold different kinds of produce

2.  2 coolers (these could just be loaned to the garden for April-June)

3.  Rectangular tablecloths in bright colors (it would be great if someone had the old oil-cloth red and white plaid ones- but we will take whatever we can get.)

4.  Old small black board (to use as a sign)

5.  Twine, rubber bands, twist ties

6. Cash box (with or without cash) :-)

7.  If you have extra produce that has been grown without pesticides, herbicides, or heavy-duty fertilizers such as lettuce, herbs, lemons, etc.  we would happily sell your items at our market.  The money raised would go to the garden.

Contact me directly if you can donate any of these items.

Thanks so much for helping out- hope to see in the garden soon!

Molly

Posted in Madera Garden Project, volunteers | 1 Comment

Restaurant Fundraiser @ Crepevine Berkeley! *updated with correct flyer*

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

Tuesday, April 17, 2012
2:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Enjoy Great Crepes at our Local Crepevine – Crepevine at Berkeley will donate 50% of your transaction to MADERA PTA!

Please remember to print and turn this flyer in to the cashier to receive credit.

50% donation will apply to pick-up or dine-in orders only.

Posted in restaurant night | 2 Comments

Upcoming Reminders

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

Earth Day is coming to Madera!

April 21st! Show your love for the earth and your school and come join the fun in the City of El Cerrito’s annual Earth Day Celebration. Meet at Madera between 9:00-12:00 and help clean the campus. Then carpool down to the Rec Center for free lunch for volunteers. RSVP to me, or sign up online.

Roaring 20′s Spring Auction!

April 28th! Get your tickets now to the auction! Can’t attend the auction but still want to support the cause? Online auction starts this Wednesday the 18th!

Volunteer Of The Year Celebration!

May 14th! Get your volunteers hours counted! For every 3 hours you volunteer at Madera, you are eligible to win 2 Tickets to California’s Great America at our Volunteer of the Year Celebration at our May PTA meeting. Entries must be counted by May 11th. Entry forms are located on the bulletin board across form the school office.

Make sure your kids get plenty of rest and good breakfasts these next couple weeks for testing.

Lots of other exciting events are fast approaching. Be sure to check the calendar for up to date information. Questions about any of the items listed above, or upcoming events? Please feel free to email me.

All the best,
Linda

Posted in earth day, events, volunteers | Leave a comment