Do you shop at Target, Lucky, Walgreens, CVS, or hundreds of other Bay Area retailers? Do you ever shop online through Amazon, iTunes, Overstock, Groupon, or other destinations? Do you ever eat in restaurants? Do you purchase gift cards for the holidays? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then start using Great Lakes Gift Cards and earn fundraising dollars for MNS! While we often think of gift cards as only for giving, purchasing cards for your own use at places you frequent benefits MNS all year long.

Order your cards online by registering as a Family, and entering Enrollment Code 22637L3822522. MNS will receive a percentage (typically 2-8%) of each card purchased. There is no cost to participate, either for you or for our school ~ your gift cards will be for the full amount.

FARMER JOHN’S UPDATE: The morning classes are still scheduled to visit Farmer John’s on Wednesday, October 12. Please give your child’s teacher the $8 fee by FRIDAY. The Pre-K trip has been rescheduled for October 27! READ MORE

OCT. 12 BUSINESS MEETING: Don’t forget our Business Meeting on Wednesday, October 12 (7pm)! Not only is it mandatory that one parent attend, but we’re also hosting special guest Pablo González, who will speak about Positive Parenting. Mr. González is an author and the founder of CIMA, a parenting program that provided monthly trainings to Latino parents for over twelve years. He is also the cofounder of Hermanos, a program aimed at helping young Latino high school students pursue their academic goals. As a community member, Pablo has served as a Parks & Recreation Commissioner, president of the Mexican Cultural Center and many other non profit organizations in the city of South San Francisco and the County of San Mateo.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS: The deadline for this round of Scholastic Books is October 28. Order online, and MNS receives free books for the classroom! READ MORE/ORDER

OUR ONLINE CALENDAR is now up and running, and you can easily sync it with your own Google calendar, as well as iCal and other popular computer and phone-based applications. VIEW THE MNS CALENDAR

SECOND HARVEST FOOD DRIVE: If you haven’t noticed the large barrels in the classrooms, your kiddos probably have! It’s Second Harvest Food Drive time! Bring in non-perishible food items to contribute to our drive. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate generosity and charity for our children.

Better yet … get them involved! Take your child to the grocery store and allow him/her to choose a certain number of canned goods (5, 10, 15 … it’s up to you!) for the drive. Allow your child place the food in their classroom barrel (with your lifting help), and let them know that they’re doing a very good thing by helping other kids who don’t have enough to eat.

PARENT ED WEEK: Parent Ed takes place for 30 minutes after your workday during the week of October 17. Lunch is provided for your child while you attend this mandatory meeting. It’s a great time to discuss your workday, any observations or concerns, and learn from our teachers about our school, our children, and parenting techniques.

HALLOWEEN PARTY & PARADE: Our Halloween Party (hosted by the 3-4y class) is scheduled for Saturday, October 28 at 6pm, and our annual Halloween Parade takes place during your child’s class on Monday, October 31! Please come in costume for both events … but remember that no weapons or scary/gory costumes that could frighten the younger kids are allowed. This rule holds true for our students as well as for any siblings who attend the party.

“Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation.”
- C. Everett Koop

The PRE-K  TRIP HAS BEEN REscheduled, the new date is Thursday, OCTOBER 27th . …

Our annual field trips to Farmer John’s in Half Moon Bay are happening (Oct. 27th for Pre-K) and  (Oct. 12 for morning classes)! This is the 3rd year that Millbrae Nursery School has visited Farmer John’s … and that’s quite an honor, because schools must be invited back by the farm.

We love visiting Farmer John’s, which is not a bouncy-castle/train-ride/haunted-house/get-your-tickets kind of pumpkin patch, but rather a working farm that educates our kids (and us) about the growing cycle. There are always several extraordinary gourds to look at, and a stunning variety of pumpkins. Farmer John and his wife, Eda, treat our classes with respect, and we must reciprocate. Please take a moment to look at the Farmer John’s 2011 Guidelines in advance of the field trip.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• NO CELLPHONES! If you must have a phone with you (work, another child, etc.), please keep it in your pocket on vibrate, and step away from the group to take emergency calls only.
• No jumping, climbing or standing on pumpkins, teepee or hay pyramid.
• Pumpkins have needle-like prickles on the stems, so for everyone’s safety and to prevent the pumpkin stem from snapping off, pick up pumpkins from the bottom.
• Clean up ALL trash!
• When Farmer John, Eda, or any other educator is speaking, please help the kiddos to sit and listen quietly. There are always opportunities to participate, and to ask and answer questions.
  PARENTS: Please don’t treat this as an opportunity to socialize. We all need to demonstrate respect for the speakers as a model for our kids.

The $8-per-child fee includes a hayride, time in the teepee, teaching session, the opportunity to actually pick a pumpkin in the patch (medium-sized pumpkin included with fee), and the chance to see GIANT pumpkins and some other very special varieties. MNS will also provide a snack during our trip.

PRE-K CLASS
THURSDAY , OCTOBER 27th
Please be at school NO LATER than 12:15pm. If you are late coming to school, please meet us at the pumpkin patch. Our classes will arrive at the farm by 1:30pm.

2-3y & 3-4y CLASSES
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12
Please be at school NO LATER than 8:45am. If you are late coming to school, please meet us at the pumpkin patch. Our classes will arrive at the farm by 10:00am.

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