F OOTHILLS M IDDLE S CHOOL P TSA A RCADIA C OUNCIL ,F IRST D ISTRICT 171 E AST S YCAMORE ,A RCADIA ,C A 91006 (626) 821-8363 Tricia Hartline, Principal Scott Martinez, Assistant Principal Lisa Lucas, PTSA President Tina Rodriguez, Newsletter Editor October/November 2008 Hotline (626) 821-4685 From our PTSA President… Lisa Lucas, 2008-09 PTSA President W We e l l c c o o m m e e to the 2008-2009 year at Foothills Middle School. Our PTSA has already lent a hand to build a solid foundation for a great school year… Scottie Days was a huge success! Our master planner and organizer for Scottie Days was Debbie Beveridge. I would like to extend a very big thank you to Debbie for making the registration process so easy and painless for all of our families. And, of course, a big thank you to the numerous parent volunteers and the HELP club members. We could not have done it without you! During Scottie Days, Carol Misakian and Annette Wheat were also hard at work promoting our PTSA Membership Drive. If you have not already joined, please consider joining our PTSA community. PTSA provides quality programs and events for our children, which add to their educational experience. PTSA also helps raise necessary funds that benefit all of our kids. Membership forms are available in the school office. Elida Rao and Anne Bishara are our fabulous Scrip Chairpersons and they would love to sell you lots of Scrip. Scrip will be available at each PTSA monthly meeting or you can call Elida at (626) 355-0475 or Anne at (626) 975-9712 to make a purchase. Please remember to provide your Ralphs and Vons card numbers so Foothills can earn money every time you buy groceries. Glenda Chi put on a wonderful First Day Coffee. Thank you for getting up extra early and laying out a wonderful spread. It was great to see many friendly faces and to meet parents new to Foothills. By now, the Book Fair chaired by Sandra Wallick will be complete. We were able to purchase great books for our families to read and enjoy, and the proceeds allow for the expansion of our library’s book collection. Additionally, the Magazine Drive chaired by Castalia Chan and Joyce Sakai, will provide the funding for virtually all the programs that PTSA sponsors. This is our main fundraiser of the year, so thank you for supporting the magazine sale. Coming in October and November are many exciting events, including the first school dance, Red Ribbon Week, Reflections, and the very popular Magazine Drive Prize Day. Please consult the calendar of events for the latest dates and times. This newsletter is a great source of information for what is going on at Foothills Middle School so I encourage you to read it. Another wonderful source of information is the monthly PTSA meeting. At each meeting, the Principal and Assistant Principal provide the latest information on what is happening at Foothills. A member of the ASB, typically the ASB President, fills us in from the students’ perspective. Additionally, you’ll get to visit with other parents, network, and socialize. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, please feel free to contact me. My home number is (626) 355-9254 or I can be reached by email at [email protected]. I look forward to seeing you at our next PTSA meeting on October 9 th , at 8:45 a.m., in the Foothills school library. Lisa Lucas 2008-2009 PTSA President
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FOOTHILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSAARCADIA COUNCIL, FIRST DISTRICT171 EAST SYCAMORE, ARCADIA, CA 91006(626) 821-8363
Tricia Hartline, Principal Scott Martinez, Assistant Principal Lisa Lucas, PTSA PresidentTina Rodriguez, Newsletter Editor
October/November 2008 Hotline (626) 821-4685
From our PTSA President…Lisa Lucas, 2008-09 PTSA President
WWWeeelllcccooommmeeeto the 2008-2009 year at Foothills
Middle School. Our PTSA hasalready lent a hand to builda solid foundation for a
great school year… Scottie Days was ahuge success! Our master planner and
organizer for Scottie Days was Debbie Beveridge. Iwould like to extend a very big thank you to Debbie formaking the registration process so easy and painlessfor all of our families. And, of course, a big thank youto the numerous parent volunteers and the HELP clubmembers. We could not have done it without you!
During Scottie Days, Carol Misakian and AnnetteWheat were also hard at work promoting our PTSAMembership Drive. If you have not already joined,please consider joining our PTSA community. PTSAprovides quality programs and events for our children,which add to their educational experience. PTSA alsohelps raise necessary funds that benefit all of our kids.Membership forms are available in the school office.
Elida Rao and Anne Bishara are our fabulous ScripChairpersons and they would love to sell you lots ofScrip. Scrip will be available at each PTSA monthlymeeting or you can call Elida at (626) 355-0475 orAnne at (626) 975-9712 to make a purchase. Pleaseremember to provide your Ralphs and Vons cardnumbers so Foothills can earn money every time youbuy groceries.
Glenda Chi put on a wonderful First Day Coffee.Thank you for getting up extra early and laying out awonderful spread. It was great to see many friendlyfaces and to meet parents new to Foothills. By now,the Book Fair chaired by Sandra Wallick will be
complete. We were able to purchase great books forour families to read and enjoy, and the proceeds allowfor the expansion of our library’s book collection.Additionally, the Magazine Drive chaired by CastaliaChan and Joyce Sakai, will provide the funding forvirtually all the programs that PTSA sponsors. This isour main fundraiser of the year, so thank you forsupporting the magazine sale.
Coming in October and November are many excitingevents, including the first school dance, Red RibbonWeek, Reflections, and the very popular MagazineDrive Prize Day. Please consult the calendar of eventsfor the latest dates and times.
This newsletter is a great source of information forwhat is going on at Foothills Middle School so Iencourage you to read it. Another wonderful source ofinformation is the monthly PTSA meeting. At eachmeeting, the Principal and Assistant Principal providethe latest information on what is happening atFoothills. A member of the ASB, typically the ASBPresident, fills us in from the students’ perspective.Additionally, you’ll get to visit with other parents,network, and socialize.
Take your family out to dinnerand support our incredible musicprogram! Upcoming RestaurantNights include:
November 5th - Souplantation,301 E. Huntington Dr.,Arcadia
February 4th - Daphne's GreekCafe, 3573 E. Foothill Blvd.,Pasadena
Pick up a flyer in the MusicRoom or download one fromMr. Morton's website, found at:www.teachers.ausd.net/classlink/foothills.Questions? Contact Molly Hetrickat [email protected].
TeacherTreats
A great way of saying “thankyou” to the awesome faculty atFoothills for what they do for ourchildren all year long is toprovide them with yummytreats. On September 26th, thefaculty appreciated all thewonderful food donated by ourcaring parents.
Please sign up now to help withthis special recognition of ourfaculty. Future treat dates will beOctober 24th, November 21st,and December 12th. For moreinformation on how you canhelp, please contact DragicaGrabovac at (626) 574-7110 [email protected].
Principal’s Message…Tricia Hartline, Principal
The 2008-2009 school year is off to a great start. We appreciate thetremendous volunteer support and student/parent participation at ourSeptember events. Currently, we are in the process of organizing themany extra-curricular activities that provide students with a variety ofexperiences both during lunch and after school. Students are informedof club opportunities through the daily announcements. Studentelections were held the week of September 15th and classrooms haveselected their room representatives for Student Council. ASB hasorganized several lunch time events. We encourage students toparticipate in the many student activities and clubs.
We are very proud of our California Standards Testresults. This year, our API was 955, exceedingour base of 934 by 21. This fall, we will bereviewing our test data and developing goals forour new Single School Plan for StudentAchievement. Our priorities will continue to beproviding students with an outstanding educationalprogram that provides engaging and meaningfulwork based on the curriculum standards and a safeschool environment.
We are pleased to welcome several new staff members. David Joneshas joined the 6th and 8th grade humanities team. Rick Clark will beteaching 7th grade humanities and Lisa Richmond will be teaching RSPclasses. Traci Garcia has joined the Foothills family as our schoolpsychologist.
This year, Arcadia students will study science using the CPO Scienceprogram. Arcadia Unified School District recently adopted CPO, whichteaches all of the California Science Standards using a variety ofengaging materials and instructional strategies. Guided-inquiry is theprimary emphasis of CPO Science. We are excited about thepossibilities and believe this program will stimulate curiosity, provideopportunities to learn skills as well as content, and guide students asthey build a solid foundation of scientific thinking. It is our hope thatstudents will love science, master the standards, and choose topursue science during their high school and college years.
It was wonderful to see so many parents at Back to School Night. Iencourage you to continue to take an active roll in your child’seducation. It is very important to maintain a strong home and schoolconnection. The staff and I look forward to working with you and yourstudent(s) this year.
A Message fromour Assistant Principal…Scott Martinez, Assistant Principal
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to a newyear at Foothills. It is an outstanding school with an incrediblestaff and strong academic programs, and offers a wide variety ofexperiences for students.
There are a number of extracurricular activities and clubsavailable to students. These are designed to help students makea connection to their school, develop friendships, and learn newskills. Information about these activities appears in the dailyannouncements and is available in the office. Dances are one ofthe most popular activities at Foothills and the first one isscheduled for October 23, 2008, from 2:40 p.m. to 4:40 p.m.Students need to be picked up immediately after the dance ends.
At Foothills, we are constantlylooking at ways to make ourcampus a safer environment forstudents. Traffic is an issue thatimpacts student safety atFoothills. By following a fewsimple guidelines, our studentsafety can be increased: When arriving at campus in
the morning, please pull as farforward in the parking lot aspossible before dropping off your student. This will allow asmany cars as possible to enter the parking lot and reduce thetraffic congestion on Sycamore and Second Avenues.
When waiting to pick up your student after school, please donot block the driveways of our neighbors or park on theirproperty.
Please remember that Oakhaven Rd. is not to be used as adrop off or pick up site for your student.
As a reminder, students who are walking to school shouldcross Highland Oaks Dr. and walk on the south side ofSycamore Ave. This allows students to cross majorintersections with crossing guards at both cross walks. Thisalso improves the traffic flow before school on Sycamore Ave.
I look forward to working with you and your students this year. IfI can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to callme at (626) 821-8363 or e-mail me at [email protected].
Scott Martinez, Assistant Principal
It’s time to show everyone justhow talented the students atFoothills really are! The Reflectionsprogram is now underway withthis year’s theme “Wow!” We willaccept applications in the areas ofLiterature, Visual Arts, MusicalComposition, Photography, DanceChoreography, and Film/VideoProduction through October 24,2008. Enter in as many categoriesas you would like.
We will be awarding prizes in allof the categories, plus allparticipants will receive somethingspecial! Participate and enjoyexpressing yourself creatively in thearts! Pick up your application format the school office today! Specialthanks to the Westfield SantaAnita, the Duarte Target, AMFBowling Square, BlockbusterVideo, Dave & Buster’s, JambaJuice @ Whole Foods, Jamba Juice@ Hastings Ranch, Starbucks nextto Pavilions, BJ’s Pizza andBrewery, Baskin-Robbins @Hastings Ranch, Pasadena), IslandsRestaurant, and the ArcadiaMcDonald’s for all their donations!
Please contact Diane Tran [email protected] or (626)446-1295, if you have anyquestions.
Dia De Los Muertos, or Day ofthe Dead, is often confusedwith Halloween. It, however,is not the scary holidaycelebrated on October 31st,but a two-day celebrationon November 1st and 2nd.The purpose of theholiday is to honor the spiritsof ancestors with offerings offood, flowers, and religiousartifacts. Families spruce upand decorate the gravesites offamily members who havepassed on, and manypeople also set up elaboratelyornamented home altars intheir memory. Decorationsusually include dozens ofyellow marigolds, skullsand skeletons, candles,and, of course, food.
Please join us as wepresent this festive holiday andshare some Mexican food. Thelocation of this event has yet tobe determined.
If you have any questions orwould like to assist with thisevent, please email Lisa Lucas:[email protected].
Meet Our Foothills Counselors!
Foothills is very fortunate to have two experienced school
counselors to work with our middle school students. One of ourcounselors is Mrs. Joanne Domenici. She will be at FoothillsMonday through Friday each week. She obtained her B.A. fromOccidental College and both her M.A. and Pupil Personnel ServicesCredential from Azusa Pacific University.
Our other counselor is Ms. Gina Zavala. She will be in thecounseling office on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays of eachweek. Ms. Zavala obtained her B.A. Degree from California State
University, Los Angeles in Child Development, specializing inYouth Agency Administration. She spent nearly 10 yearsworking in the non-profit sector for YWCAs in both Pasadenaand Glendale. Ms. Zavala returned to Cal State L.A. to earnher M.S. Degree in Counseling and her PPS credential in
School Counseling and Child Welfare and Attendance.
Ms. Zavala will be splitting her time between Foothills andArcadia High School where she will share the responsibilitiesfor counseling the ninth grade students. She is known asthe “Bridge” Counselor for Foothills; her job is to assisteighth grade students with the transition to high school.
Mrs. Domenici has been counseling in Arcadia Unified forthe past fifteen years. Her areas of specialty include
learning styles, test preparation, study skills, and academicintervention. Ms. Zavala has been a counselor in the districtfor the last six years working primarily with studentsdisplaying behavior, academic and/or attendance issues. Both
counselors have vast experience in counseling students in thepersonal/social, college/career, and academic domains as well.
Mrs. Domenici and Ms. Zavala look forward to another excitingyear during which they hope to expand their services and get toknow even more wonderful students, families, and staff at AHS andFoothills Middle School.
Joanne Domenici and Gina Zavala are available Monday throughFriday, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Stop by to schedule anappointment or to discuss any ongoing concerns you may have.The Foothills office phone number where they can be reached is(626) 821-8363.
Magazine DriveA big tthhaannkk yyoouu to all thefamilies, students, andfriends who supported thisyear’s Magazine Drive fundraiser.Your support provides funds for themany programs sponsored by the PTSA (e.g., RedRibbon Week, the Reflections Program, the annualtalent show, and much, much more), as well asprograms sponsored by the Associated StudentBody (e.g., peer tutoring and the school dances).So, once again, we say thank you, thank you,thank you!
We had an enormous amount of help by parentvolunteers tabulating and counting all the sales.We thank you all. You made our job so mucheasier.
Seventh and eighth grade students will have anopportunity to win some great prizes on Thursday,October 16th, and the sixth grade students willhave their prize day on Friday, October 17th.Everyone who had at least one sale will win a prizeand some with more sales will win many moreprizes.
Did you forget to order something or has someonesince the Magazine Drive asked about thefundraiser? If so, orders can be placed year-roundand Foothills will continue to share in the profits.Orders can be placed online at QSP.com. Simplylog on under our account number 425008772.
Magazine orders may take up to 12 to 14 weeks toarrive. If for some reason you experience aproblem with your order, you can ask forassistance by calling QSP Customer Service at(866) 230-0635. If they cannot assist you, pleasecontact us and we will be happy to assist you.
Once again, thank you foryour support! Together, wemake a difference atFoothills.
1 Music Club Meeting - 7:00 p.m. in theFMS Music Room
9 PTSA Meeting - 8:45 a.m. in the Library10 Chinese Club Meeting - 7:30 p.m.16 School Site Council - 3:00 p.m.20-24 Red Ribbon Week23 School Dance - 2:40 to 4:30 p.m.24 Reflections Turn in Day29-31 7th Grade Science Camp at Pali Mountain31 Halloween – Goblin Giveaway (Arcadia
Recreation Department)
November
1 Baldwin Park Parade & Band Review -FMS Band & Drill Team
5 Music Club Meeting - 7:00 p.m. in theFMS Music Room
7 End of 1st Quarter - Minimum Day10 Staff Development Day (no school)11 Veterans Day (no school)13 PTSA Meeting - 8:45 a.m. in the Library13 Footnotes Deadline (Dec. & Jan. events)14 Chinese Club Meeting - 7:30 p.m.20 School Site Council Meeting - 3:00 p.m.22 Arcadia Festival of Bands - Band and
Drill Team24 Intercultural Dinner - Arcadia Community
Center27-28 Thanksgiving Holiday (no school)
December
3 Arcadia Council PTSA ReflectionsCeremony
3 Music Club Meeting - 7:00 p.m. in theFMS Music Room
4 School Dance - 2:40 to 4:30 p.m.11 PTSA Meeting/Holiday Brunch - 10 a.m.
location TBA12 Chinese Club Potluck Dinner - 7:00 p.m.17 Winter String Concert - 7:00 p.m. in the
Cafeteria18 School Site Council - 3:00 p.m.22-31 Winter Vacation (no school)
Scottie Days 2008A Huge Success!
Thanks to all of our fabulous parent volunteers who helped out to make Scottie Dayssuccessful. We were able to register almost all of the students over the four day period andwe could not have done it without you!
8th Grade 7th Grade 6th Grade Make-Up Day
Anne Bishara Dana Beckon Jill Atkinson Castalia ChanCastalia Chan Stella Bonney Anne Bishara Denise ChangGlenda Chi Casatalia Chan Leigh Chavez Kathy Ford
Suzanne Coulter Leigh Chavez Kathy Chu Nora JungKathy Ford Glenda Chi Suzanne Coulter Bela KhilnaniEvelyn Haft Tess Crabtree Suin Forand Lisa LucasSusan Heldoorn Connie Diep Kathy Ford Alison MeyersKristen Holtzen Suin Forand Robin Guerette Carol MisakianBela Khilnani Kathy Ford Thalia Iovine Lan NguyenLori Kodama Lisa Lucas Linda Jenkins-Swift Julia QuinteroCarrie Li Agnes Ma Luci Keeler Elida RaoLisa Lucas Bonnie Mayeda Lori Kodama Yuli SiraSally Lum Karen McAlister Adriana Lim Heidi SmithSandra MacIntosh Carol Misakian Lisa Lucas Nancy TangCarol Misakian Mamie Okamoto Carol Misakian Annette WheatTina Rodriguez Elida Rao Dee Moritz Christy WongTerry Stellern Wendy Renfrew Talin Nigolian Karen WongMarilyn Torstenbo Nancy Tang Joyce SakaiJean Tsunashima Lau Nancy Utley Jean Tsunashima LauMasako Uwatoko Annette Wheat Nancy TangDiana Wakefield Karen Wong Carol VizcarraPaula Weil Alex Yee Jungchi WangIrene Welborn Jessica WeinerAnnette Wheat Annette WheatKaren Wong Karen Wong
My apologies if I missed anyone! I’d like to send out an extra special thanks to those ofyou who helped out on the 1st Day of School Registration: Leigh Chavez, Tess Crabtree,Janet Downer, Kathy Ford, Mary Beth Haney, and Annette Wheat.
Debbie Beveridge, Scottie Days Chair
Dancesprovide a fun opportunity for parentsto see a student in action at FMS, hear the latest music, aswell as see the new dance moves. Our first dance of the school year is fastapproaching! It will be held on Thursday, October 23rd, from 2:40 p.m. – 4:40p.m. The other three dances planned for this school year will be on December4th, February 5th, and April 23rd.
Thanks to all the parents who have already volunteered to help out. Wetypically need 10 to 12 chaperones per dance and 14 to 16 parents to providerefreshments, cookies, brownies, Chex mix, chips, donuts, taquitos, etc. To jointhe fun as a chaperone, please contact Lan Nguyen at (626) 254-0620 [email protected]. If you would like to help provide refreshments, pleasecontact Dragica Grabovac at (626) 574-7110 or [email protected].
MMUUSSIICC CCLLUUBB NNEEWWSS
We are off on a high musical note for the 2008-09 school year! We are pleased to welcome
our new 6th graders to the wonderful world of music at Foothills. We met with our new and
returning parents at the Music Club's Parent Orientation on September 17th, where they heard
Mr. Karl Morton, our Music Director, talk about his plans for the upcoming year. We would
love to see all of our Foothills families supporting the Band and Orchestra as they perform and
compete in parades, concerts, and festivals throughout the year. Stop by and give us a cheer!
The Highlander String Orchestra will be performing at the District Fall Concert on October
30th, 7:00 p.m., at Pasadena High School; the Highlander Band marches in the Baldwin Park
Parade/Review on November 1st; the Band marches again at the Arcadia Festival of Bands on
November 22nd; and the Highlander String Orchestra and Orchestra 6 play in the Foothills
Winter Concert on December 17th at FMS. We are looking forward to an exciting year of
