How time flies!! Next week is Thanksgiving and there will not be a newsletter so let me take this opportunity to wish each and every one of our Marquez Families a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you are able to spend the holiday with family and friends and really have a great time together.

CATCH Thanks

It is with tremendous thanks that I recognize all the volunteers we have here at Marquez. I want to thank Helene Dameris for pulling this year’s CATCH (Caring Adults Teaching Children How) mentoring program together. We now have over 50 volunteers working one-to-one with children in an area of need. Of course if you are interested in helping please let me know.

Directory Thanks & Corrections

I want to thank Vinci Cheung and her team for putting together this year’s directory.  This is no small task. Directories are a great source of information for each of us.  There are a couple of corrections we need to note: Laurie Saltzman is our Governing Board Representative for Special Education, and is a Resource Specialist Teacher working with students in grades 3-5. She teaches in room 22. Jackie Gowey is our second Resource Teacher. She works in room 10 with children in kinder to 3rd grade. The email for Dana Fein, second grade teacher should read danafein2@mac.com.

Wrapping Paper Drive Thanks

I want to thank Robin Aronson for heading up this year’s Wrapping Paper Drive which has just concluded and I know that she would want to thank all the families that participated in our gift wrap fundraiser. We sold $26,000—that is a $13,000 profit for Marquez. The top 2 sellers were: #1  Kevin Iacopino (3rd grade—Mrs. Farrell) sold 79 items, or $832 in sales. #2 Piper Mape (Kindergarten—Mrs. Hain) sold 75 items, or $684 in sales. Also, want to thank the volunteers to helped deliver the gift wrap boxes when they arrived and to the helpers that helped distribute the catalogs before the sale began.

Upcoming Calendar Highlights

Next week school will be dismissed at 1:55 on Wednesday, November 26 and will be closed on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. The following week marks two special activities which include a special schedule. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, school will begin at 8:55 for grades 1-5 and will be dismissed at 2:35 in order to accommodate parent conferences. Kindergarten hours will remain the same: 8:30-1:30 M-F. Kindergarten conferences will be held in late January and early February.  During the parent conference period, don’t forget to stop by the auditorium and the HUGE MARQUEZ BOOK FAIR. What a great place to check out the latest in kids’ books, find out what is on the teacher’s wish list, and even do some holiday shopping. You’ll find books of interest for everyone on your list.

Gelson’s Scrip Info

Our December Gelson’s Scrip order is coming up. Did you know that if you shop at Gelson’s you can support Marquez through the scrip program? Remember that scrip also makes a great holiday gift. Signing up is simple and fast. Go to our Marquez website, look under Fundraising and follow the steps. Or, you could always contact Daniela Winter at (310) 454-3655 or ddw64@roadrunner.com no later than Wednesday, November 26.

Committee Thanks

Thanks to our facilities committee that has been working so hard trying to prepare our school for the annual Office of Environmental Health and Safety. This review will take place on December 11. We are striving for high marks. We had an excellent Shake Out Drill last week and by practicing for the inevitable we can better prepare ourselves and be sure that we are safe and secure.

Food Drive Reminder

Don’t forget that right now the Marquez food drive is taking place. Next time you are at the market, don’t forget to pick up a little something for the Westside Food Bank. This year there are many more families that require some additional assistance and they turn to places like the Food Bank for this type of help. This program is an Official Kids for Kindness Program at Marquez. Please help support the 4th grade in raising awareness and donating items to the Food Bank. Bins are available for donations at the front entrance to the school. Please talk to your children and let them know how important it is for them to give back to the community in which they live.

This Week’s GREEN CORNER:

Did you know that it is the little things we do that help to make our planet greener? Do you buy eggs in cardboard cartons? If not, this is one simple way in which you can help. Cardboard egg cartons are generally made from recycled materials and biodegrade relatively quickly. Egg cartons made from Styrofoam or plastic not only lie in our landfills for a long period of time, they also give off harmful byproducts.

As always, you can reach me at phollis@lausd.net

Calendar for Next TWO Weeks

WEDNESDAY, NOV 26th

• SHORTENED DAY - School Out 2:35 p.m.
  

THURSDAY, NOV 27th

• THANKSGIVING BREAK - No School
  

FRIDAY, NOV 28th

• THANKSGIVING BREAK - No School

MONDAY, DEC 1st

• LATE START - 8:55 a.m.

• SHORTENED DAY - 2:35pm

• Book Fair

• Parent-Teacher Conferences
  

TUESDAY, DEC 2nd

• Book Fair

WEDNESDAY, DEC 3rd

• LATE START - 8:55 a.m.

• SHORTENED DAY - 2:35 p.m.

• Book Fair

• Parent Teacher Conferences

THURSDAY, DEC 4th

• Book Fair

FRIDAY, DEC 5th

• LATE START - 8:55 a.m.

• SHORTENED DAY - 2:35 p.m.

• Book Fair

• Parent Teacher Conferences