Newsletter – May 13, 2010

Big Thanks

Thank you to the Marquez community and the PTA. Last week, the staff and teachers were treated like royalty during Teacher Appreciation Week. The flowers, the coffee, the lunches and the spectacular Friday breakfast were treats that were above and beyond expectations. Thank you Rebecca Aghalarpour and Daniella Winter for being the leaders of this terrific week!

Relay for Life

Last weekend, Marquez hosted the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. I am pleased to report that the Marquez teacher team raised over $3,000 for the charity. The teachers were reportedly the only team to have someone walking the entire 24 hours. Congratulations Marquez teachers. Thank you very much to Dena Fein for helping to organize the event. We’re also proud of Dylan Rosenthal who raised the most donations this past weekend, and spent both days down on the track.

Walk-a-Thon Coming Soon

The Walk-a-Thon is here on Friday, May 21st! This is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser of the year so please be sure to bring to return your pledges on the day before the Walk-a-Thon, May 20th. This event is a tradition that brings everyone together to salute the hard work of the school year, to celebrate Marquez itself, and showcase how special this school really is. Accordingly, the children will need to wear their blue Marquez Spirit T-shirt on the day of the Walk-a-Thon. We will also be selling Spirit Wear at the drop off and pick-up on May 14th and May 20th. Please join your child’s class for the big day of the Walk-a-Thon and cheer them on while they help raise money for our excellent school!

Testing Is Here

All grade levels have their own unique schedules, so it is important to be at school on time every day. Make sure your kids get plenty of rest and eat a good breakfast. Please let students know to take their time on the test, check their work, and to relax and just do the best job that they can.

FOM Garage Sale

Drop off your donations to the auditorium between 8:15 and 2:45 on Friday May 14th. Spread the word and ask your neighbors, local businesses, family and friends to drop off donations, too. Please do not disrupt the car lane drop-off routine. Donations must be clean and in working order, big and small items are all welcome.
Pick up a garage sale sign to display prominently on Thursday or Friday pick up. Remember to take them down on Saturday afternoon. Volunteers still needed for Saturday (from 7 am to 2 pm, 1 hour shifts!). Please contact Lydia Amar at lydia.amar@adelphia.net. Come to the sale and shop, send your friends! One person’s junk is another’s treasure. THIS Saturday May 15th 9 am – 1 pm. Also collecting used batteries and printer cartridges.

Governing Board Elections

We will be having our next Governing Board meeting next Thursday, May 20 at 2:00 pm in the auditorium. We also will need to elect 2 more representatives from our parent community to sit on the Governing Board for 2 years. Governing Board parent members sit on various committees and have a chance to really get involved with the day-to-day operations with curriculum, facilities, budget, standards and conduct, technology, and personnel for starters. If you are interested in becoming more involved and want to help shape the future of Marquez, please nominate yourself as a candidate for the Governing Board. We need 2 new representatives to fill the outgoing candidates, Anne VanMiddlesworth and Helene Dameris, who have completed their term–and we thank them immensely for all their contributions. Nominations are due to me by June 4th, 2010. If we have more than 2 candidates we will vote during the evening of Open House. Please consider nominating yourself or someone you think would take an active interest in school governance. We need you.

Marquez Spring Orchestra Concert

Next Wednesday, May 19th at 7:00 pm is the Marquez Spring Orchestra Concert. Larry Newman, Mandy Fey, Eric Patterson and Debbie Klak have all worked with our students each Wednesday over the course of the year. Please come and hear the fruits of their labor. All students performing in the concert should arrive to school by 6:30 pm for a warm-up rehearsal. Dress code is a black pants/skirt and a white top. Honor orchestra students should wear their black honor polo shirt. A cupcake reception will follow the performance. If you have questions, please email info@childrensmusicworkshop.com

Parent Technology Tour

Finally, I don’t have many RSVP’s for our first-ever parent technology tour. Aren’t you curious as to what we are doing with technology? We have won numerous awards and are a leader within LAUSD as far as technology goes, but do you really know what is happening? Can you tell other friends about our program? What are our plans for the future? How does it impact the school budget? All these questions and more will be answered as you tour through the classrooms on Thursday, May 27 from 9 – 11 am. This tour is open to all Marquez parents–come and see our technology program in action. RSVP to the school at (310) 454-4019 and tell them you want to come on the tech tour.

As always, I can be reached at phollis@lausd.net