1. education
2. school

Kensington Elementary School
Judy Sanders, Principal
April 30, 2015
When I was growing up, my mother used to enjoy telling the story of how my younger brother once
discovered a sure-fire way to get her off the phone – which was, in those days, firmly anchored to the wall
in our dining room. He was probably about three or four years old at the time; just about the right height for
the collection of 78 rpm records that lined a shelf in our living room. He systematically took the records out
of their jackets, lined them up on the floor like rocks crossing a wide river, and stepped on them, one after
the other. I can only imagine that the brittle discs made a very satisfying crunch to a preschooler, and the
immediate attention of mom was worth any scolding he might have gotten!
I thought about that story a few weeks ago when I was in the airport traveling to visit my daughter, observing
family after family walking purposefully toward or away from their flights, children in tow and cellphones in
hand. Almost universally, the children were talking to their parents while the parents were focused on their
hand-held devices. At one point, a child planted her feet firmly on the ground, refusing to move. She looked
up at her father and yelled, “Dad, are you even listening to me?”
Then, as is so often the case, I recalled a story on NPR that made me consider both what I had recently seen
and what I had remembered from my own childhood. I had heard a pediatrician discuss the troubling
consequences of parents who are routinely distracted by their mobile devices. Dr. Jenny Radesky talked
about how, and what, children learn from face-to-face interactions with their parents: “They learn language,
they learn about their own emotions, and they learn how to regulate them.” When Radesky studied the
behavior of parents with their children, she discovered that kids with parents who were most absorbed in
their hand-held devices were more likely to act out and engage in attention-getting behaviors. Obviously,
when I think back to my brother and the records, this is not new behavior. What is new is that it occurs
everywhere now; in the grocery store, walking in the park, at sporting events. I recall an evening a number
of years ago when a parent came to school to watch his child perform in a play. Just as his son came onstage
the father’s phone rang; he got up, walked out of the MPR, took the call, and walked back in just as his son
was exiting the stage. I have to believe that no phone call could have been important enough to miss his
son’s brief moment onstage.
I think it is critical to consider the consequences of focusing on our digital lives ahead of our children and
our families. We need to consider what messages we are conveying. We also need to consider that in this
arena, as in all others, what we do is so much more important than what we say. We can talk about how our
children are our number one priority, but if those same children see us routinely prioritizing our phone calls,
texts, and emails, that speaks volumes.
Dates to Remember:
•
•
•
•
May 5 – Dads’ Club – 7:00 - MPR
May 7 – PTA Meeting – 7:00 – MPR
May 8 – Coffee with the Principal – 8:30 – Library (note new date)
May 9 – School Carnival – 11:00 – 3:00
KHS PTA
Events
KHS PTA invites you to join us for a
Discussion of Carol Dweck’s
book Mindset
Thursday, May 7, 7:00 PM in the MPR
Please join us on May 7 for a facilitated discussion of Carol Dweck’s book Mindset. We’ll explore how to encourage our children to be resilient, to embrace
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come even if you haven’t read the book!
Free childcare provided.
Last Coffee-with-the-Principal
of the School Year
Friday, May 8, 8:30 a.m. in the school library
Come join us next week for the last of this year’s coffee
with the principal events!
Learn more about what’s is happening at the school, in
the district and beyond. And get all your questions
about next year answered first-hand as well.
Never had a chance to come before? This is a great
way to get to know other parents and our stellar
principal, Judy Sanders!
These get togethers are very informal. Younger siblings
are welcome. Feel free to come late or leave early if
you need to.
Hope to see you there!
Questions? Email jentreuting@yahoo.com
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PTA & DADS’ CLUB 68TH ANNUAL
SPRING CARNIVAL
SATURDAY, MAY 9 + 11 AM - 3 PM at 90 HIGHLAND BLVD.
RAFFLE + Grand Prize: HANDMADE QUILT! + Runner Up Prizes:
SHOPPING SPREES AT ARLINGTON AND COLUSA CIRCLE SHOPS!
Proceeds fund the PTA's purchase of school supplies, assemblies, & emergency readiness kits.
+ COTTON CANDY + CARNIVAL RAFFLE + PLANT SALE + WHITE ELEPHANT SALE + SNO CONES + GAMES +
+ CRAFTS + PIE BAKING CONTEST + USED BIKE SALE + DADS' CLUB GRILL + CAKE WALK + PHOTO BOOTH +
+ KENSINGTON HILLTOP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA +
RE!
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IT'S + PTA & DADS’ CLUB SPRING CARNIVAL +
PRE-ORDER CARNIVAL TICKETS
PRE-ORDER YOUR CARNIVAL GAME PUNCH CARDS & LUNCH TICKETS!
....and avoid lines on Carnival Day.
All pre-ordered tickets will be sent home with your student on Friday, May 8th. See you
at the Spring Carnival on Saturday, May 9th, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.!
Student Name
Teacher & Room No.
Carnival Game Punch Cards
(Cannot be used to purchase lunch)
Game and booth tickets will be sold
in the form of a punch card. One
punch card contains 10 ticket punches.
Games/activities range in price from 1
to 8 punches each, with most costing 2
punches. How many ticket punch cards
would you like to buy?
Game Punch Card
x $5 = $
Total Game Punch Cards $
Carnival Lunch Orders
(All meals include a slice of watermelon,
a bag of chips, and a drink)
Hot Dog ................ $5 x
=
Double Dog ........... $7 x
=
Sausage ................ $7 x
=
Hamburger ............. $6 x
=
Veggie Burger ......... $6 x
=
Tri Tip Sandwich ...... $8 x
=
Additional Drinks ..... $1 x
=
Total Lunch $
ORDER TICKETS ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE!
WWW.KENSINGTONHILLTOP.ORG/CARNIVAL
Game Punch Cards $
Lunch $
Total $
Cash or check payable to Dads’ Club + Include form and payment in an envelope
labeled Carnival Tickets. + Turn in to class or office by the morning of May 8th. +
Questions? Contact Amy Mullarkey at shmullarkey@gmail.com or Christina Pollack at
cpollack1991@gmail.com
+ SPRING CARNIVAL The PTA & Dads’ Club only fundraiser of the year +
RE!
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IT'S + PTA & DADS’ CLUB SPRING CARNIVAL +
33RD ANNUAL CARNIVAL RAFFLE
TICKETS – SELL ‘EM
Thanks so much to those of you who have
already sold your tickets! Students went
home with two $10 packets of tickets to
sell. Our goal is for every child to sell both
packets….and with your support and this
year’s prizes, it should be easy!!!
As an incentive to students, the Top 3 sellers
get prizes of their own!!
+ Top Seller receives $75
+ Second Top Seller receives $50
+ Third Top Seller receives $25
Need more tickets?
Contact Serena Heaslip at (510) 290-8095
or serenaheaslip@yahoo.com.
The Raffle Ticket winners will be announced
at the Spring Carnival on Saturday, May
9th.
TICKETS – BUY ‘EM
$2 a ticket, sold individually or in packs of 5
Grand Prize Handmade quilt
“Water Garden”
Arlington Avenue Shopping Spree
Gift certificates to The Arlington +Country
Cheese Coffee Market + Inn Kensington +
Kensington Fine Foods + Kensington Home
& Hardware + Kensington Nail Spa +
Ele Thai Cafe + Pacific Acupuncture +
Young’s Market
Colusa Avenue Shopping Spree #1
Gift certificates to 4 Cats +Kensington Vet
Hospital + Circle Salon +The Fuse Fitness
+ Kensington Optometry + Semifreddi’s
Colusa Avenue Shopping Spree #2
Gift certificates to Alchemy Skin Spa +
The Fuse Fitness + Hendrickson's Clinic +
Colusa Market + White Magnolia Tai Chi
School + Benchmark Pizza
A special thank you to Mark Choi of Marvin Gardens for underwriting raffle ticket costs.
+ SPRING CARNIVAL The PTA & Dads’ Club only fundraiser of the year +
IT'
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S H + PTA & DADS’ CLUB SPRING CARNIVAL +
SPRING CARNIVAL CHECK LIST
SATURDAY, MAY 9TH 11 AM - 3 PM
+ 33RD ANNUAL CARNIVAL RAFFLE +
Tickets – Sell’em
+Students received $20 worth of tickets to sell. +Turn in raffle ticket money by Friday,
May 8th. +Prizes for top individual seller and top classes! +Top 3 sellers
receive cash prizes!
Tickets – Buy’em
+$2 a ticket, sold individually or in packs of 5. Contact Serena Heaslip
at serenaheaslip@yahoo.com if you need additional raffle tickets.
Prizes
+Grand Prize: Handmade Quilt +Runner up prizes #1: Arlington Avenue Shopping
Spree +Runner up prizes #2 & 3: Colusa Circle Shopping Sprees
+PRE-ORDER CARNIVAL TICKETS +
Carnival game punch cards & lunch tickets can be pre-ordered on the school website!
www.kensingtonhilltop.org/carnival
Tickets will be delivered to your child’s classroom on Friday, May 8th.
+ENTER IN THE PIE BAKING CONTEST +
+Submit a Pie Contest Entry Form (www.kensingtonhilltop.org/
carnival) and pay entry fees prior to 11:00 am Friday, May 8th.
+On Saturday, May 9th, bring pie to the MPR between 11:00 11:30 am. No refrigeration will be available. Winners will be
announced at 1:45 pm.
+Kids 13 and under will compete in the Student Baker Category.
Everyone else will compete in one of three categories: Nut, Dairy and Fruit.
+Pies will be judged on taste, presentation, and flakiness of crust.
+DONATE USED BIKES TO DEALS ON WHEELS! +
+Bicycles + Tricycles + Foot-to-floor Mobiles + Anything with wheels! +
+Drop your bike off at Kensington Chevron Station before May 8th and receive 10% off
labor for any service! Services must be completed in the month of May.
+Drop off your bike at Kensington Hilltop on Friday, May 8th behind
the MPR or contact Rob Dunn (rododu@gmail.com) to arrange a pick
up.
+DONATE TO THE WHITE ELEPHANT SALE +
One of the highlights of Hilltop’s Carnival! It’s like hitting 100 garage sales
all in one place! Bring us your gently used items and we will help the find
a new home!
What we need
+Clothing – Women’s gently worn only please, jewelry, housewares,
craft supplies, pottery, china, toys, musical instrument.
+No computers, electronics, large furniture or baby clothing.
Drop off donations
+Leave smaller bagged items at the front of school during morning drop off between
8:00 - 8:45 am from Monday, May 4th through Friday, May 8th.
+Drop off at the MPR between 9:00 - 6:00 pm on Friday, May 8th.
+Contact Mary Shaughnessy at mary5thof10@comcast.net to arrange a pick up.
+DONATE YOUR TIME +
Over 200 volunteers shifts are needed that weekend! Sign up to volunteer
through your child’s classrooms, Dads' Club! It’s a fun and rewarding way
to spend time with the kids and other parents.
+Each classroom will be assigned a booth (i.e. game, activity, tickets, prizes, lunch, plant
sale or white elephant sale). Sign up for your classroom’s assigned booth at www.kensingtonhilltop.org/carnival/volunteer/classroom. Sign up for more than one shift if you can!
+Dads’ Club will need additional volunteers for set up and tear down on Friday and Saturday. Please sign up at www.kensingtonhilltop.org/carnival/volunteer/dc.
+ SPRING CARNIVAL The PTA & Dads’ Club only fundraiser of the year +
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The yearbook order has been placed but
100 EXTRA COPIES
WERE ORDERED
They will now be sold on a first come
first serve basis until sold out!
Just $30.00
per copy.
Order online at
www.kensingtonhilltop.org/yearbook
Or
You can also pay by check — make your check payable to
¢.()8SSHU*UDGH)XQG£DQGGURSLWRIILQWKHVFKRRORIҕFH
Or
Simply click on the big blue button
on the right column of the Thursday Packet.
SPRING PORTRAIT REMINDER!.PAYMENTS DUE!!
If you have already paid for your portraits, Thank you!
If you still need to pay, use the envelope provided in the portrait
package to send in a check or!.
Select your favorites and pay online!
1. Go to mylifetouch.com.
2. Log in with your Portrait ID and Access Code, which is on your
portrait package insert.
3. Please return portraits that you do not want to your school.