🐬 Dolphin Digest 🙏 Begging for Volunteers Edition
Sun, Oct 20 9:14pm

 

Dear Lafayette Community,

 

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! In case you missed it, we must mention: school closures aren't happening next year, and SFUSD will have a new superintendent [announcement]. 

 

Now, back to Lafayette business. Next weekend is the Autumn Carnival -- see you there! If you haven't signed up to volunteer yet, please scroll down for the signup link. We still need more folks to make the fun happen, and each volunteer shift leaves you with plenty of time to enjoy the event, too.

 

Speaking of fun, you can make a lot of kids very happy by volunteering as a yard monitor during recess. They'll have more choices for recess activities if we can simply get more adults out on the yard regularly. Please read on for details on helping as a yard monitor and much more!

 

 

In this week's Dolphin Digest:

 

🚨 High Need: Yard Monitors Needed for More Play Options at Recess
📖 Last Call: Volunteer Readers
🍂 Autumn Carnival - October 26th - Volunteers NEEDED + Beat the Line, Buy Tickets Wed/Thu/Fri Morning
🚲 Last Call: Wheel Kids Bike Club - Thursdays After School
🐴 Donations Requested for Kinders' Elkus Ranch Trip
🍩 Donut Dash Top Fundraiser Is...
🗳️ Voter Info - Proposition Endorsements from California PTA
📷 Lately at Lafayette
👋 Community (Non-PTA) Corner:
- Lafayette Neighborhood Trick-or-Treating Map - October 31
- Seeking T-Ball Players (and Coaches)!
- Help Local Seniors with "One Hard Thing" - Saturday Nov 11th

 

 

 

 

🚨 High Need: Yard Monitors Needed for More Play Options at Recess

As you've heard if your child is a fan of tag, recess options have been limited lately. Why? The schoolyard needs more adult supervision to make sure everyone's safe while having fun. So until we have more yard monitors, games with a higher chaos factor like tag aren't happening.

 

Can you help as a yard monitor? 

 

The time commitment is 2 hours a week. We need volunteers daily, but especially for Tuesday and Thursday from 11 to 1. This is a volunteer job that comes with bonuses: You get to know the kids and spend time outside! Reply to this email to get started, or just talk to Mr. K.

 

 

📖 Last Call: Volunteer Readers

We'd like to get our Reading Volunteers program started for the school year, but we need more people to sign up. [Editor's note: I read with a few kids last year, and it was a wonderful experience! I always looked forward to seeing my readers' excited faces when I arrived.] 

 

All you need is patience and 30 minutes once a week, and you're qualified for this role reading 1:1 with students for extra help. Sign up to be a volunteer reader!

 

🍂 Autumn Carnival - October 26th - Volunteers NEEDED + Beat the Line, Buy Tickets Wed/Thu/Fri Morning

The Autumn Carnival is coming up Oct 26th 12pm-4pm! Beat the lines and get your tickets and wristbands before the event.

 

Dates: Wed Oct 23 - Fri Oct 25th
Time: At drop off 7:30-8:00am

 

Autumn Carnival tickets and wristbands sale

 

1 Ticket: $0.50

Carnival Games - 1 ticket
Inflatables - 4 tickets
Pumpkin Decoration - 4 tickets
Cake Walk - 6 tickets
The Witch's Lair - 4 tickets

 

Wristband: $10.00 
Unlimited Carnival Games and Inflatables

 

We need LOTS of help to make this fun event happen. Donate stuffies for prizes (Wed/Fri this week)! Volunteer for a shift (or more) on the day! Bring a donation for the cake walk! Help with your class's teacher table!

 

Volunteer sign-up sheet is HERE!  

 

Volunteer shifts are designed to leave you plenty of time to enjoy the event with your family.

 

Help with:

  • Setup before the event
  • Games/activities/prizes during the event
  • Cleanup after the event (for the true heroes)

You can also bake or buy a (nut-free) donation to the Cakewalk.

 

Details of games and activities will be provided on the day of the event. If you can only do 1 hr, we can still use your help. Just email Autumn Carnival Cochairs Mariela (mariela.pauli@gmail.com) or Priscilla (priscillalindsey81@gmail.com).

 

Extra high-fives to the following classrooms for having the most parents signed up to volunteer:

  • Ms. Martinez's class - 6 volunteers
  • Ms. Carpenter's class - 5 volunteers
  • Mr. Cuevas's class - 3 volunteers
  • Ms. Rolph-Morales's class - 3 volunteers
  • Mr. Kent-Uritam's class - 3 volunteers
  • Ms. Huang's class - 3 volunteers

Thank you ALL in advance for your participation and time. We are super excited to get the party started!

 

 
 

🚲 Last Call: Wheel Kids Bike Club - Thursdays After School

Does your child love to ride bikes? Or do they want to get better at riding? Sign up for Wheel Kids! It's our new after-school bicycle club on Thursdays from 2:05pm to 4pm. They will pick your child up at Lafayette, explore the many trails in Golden Gate Park, teach new biking skills, and then drop the students back off at Lafayette for pickup. And if you don't have your own bike or equipment, Wheel Kids can provide it.

 

Last chance to sign up and tell your friends!
 
SIGN UP HERE for Thursdays 2:05-4pm
Grades: 1-5
Dates: 10/24 to 12/12 (seven classes)
Sign up by October 21

 

🐴 Donations Requested for Kinders' Elkus Ranch Trip

From our K teachers, a donation request:

 

Each year, all of our kindergarten classes take a field trip to Elkus Ranch in Half Moon Bay, California. It is a day when our city kids get to see what life is like on a ranch, a place many of them have never been. They learn about gardening, taking care of farm animals, working on a ranch, sustainability, and so much more.

This trip provides real-life experiences that connect to what students have learned in the classroom. It creates memories and learning moments that are not typically accessible to many of our kids living in an urban city. This is our favorite field trip of the year and well worth the high transportation costs and entrance fees. Your donation will help pay for our two charter buses and the entrance fees for the ranch. 

They're less than $400 away from hitting their goal! You can donate right here.

🍩 Donut Dash Top Fundraiser Is...

We are thrilled to announce that Nathan Lu is the winner of this year's Donut Dash fundraiser. Nathan raised $800!! As this year's winner, Nathan has won a popsicle party for his entire class AND a gift certificate for a bowling party at Presidio Bowl. Nathan and family, we'll be getting in touch with you this week to get you your much deserved prize.

 

In addition to Nathan, we'd like to thank everyone who put in the time and effort to fundraise for our school. Together you helped raise $4,890, which is on top of the money brought in from the race itself. THANK YOU! WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH!

 

🗳️ Voter Info - Proposition Endorsements from California PTA

For the November 5, 2024, Statewide General Election: California State PTA, or CAPTA, takes positions on statewide ballot measures that have the potential to significantly impact the lives of California’s children, youth, and families.

CAPTA supports each of the following four measures slated for inclusion on the ballot for the November 5, 2024, Statewide General Election.

  • YES on Prop 2 - $10 billion for school bonds
  • YES on Prop 3 - Marriage equality
  • YES on Prop 4 - $10 billion for climate protection
  • YES on Prop 5 - Affordable housing

 

Studies were undertaken to research the content, background, impact, and PTA authorities associated with each ballot measure; links to these study reports are shown on CAPTA's website, along with links to the ballot measures as posted by California’s Secretary of State.

Download the PDF of CAPTA's 2024 Ballot Measures Flyer to share and advocate locally.

📷 Lately at Lafayette

I don't have any pictures from this week! If anyone has pictures from school to share in the Dolphin Digest, please send them to lafayetteschoolpta@gmail.com. It's always fun to see what's been happening!

 

 

📅 Calendar at a Glance 

OCTOBER 23, 24, 25

- Purchase Autumn Carnival tickets & wristbands @ 7:30-8:00am

OCTOBER 26

- Autumn Carnival

OCTOBER 31

- Halloween Festival

NOVEMBER 1

- Principal's Coffee @ 10am - Lafayette cafeteria

NOVEMBER 6

- Secure Drill @ 10:40am


👋 Community (Non-PTA) Corner

Community announcements are shared as a service to our members and are not from the PTA. Do you have events, resources, or other info to share with the community? Email lafayetteschoolpta@gmail.com to request a spot in the Dolphin Digest.

 

Lafayette Neighborhood Trick-or-Treating Map - October 31

Lafayette Neighborhood Trick-or-Treating Map - October 31
When: Thursday October 31st, 5-8:00pm

Where: Richmond District

 

This year’s 🎃 Halloween Trick or Treating 🎃 encourages our students' love of costumes (and treats!) while building friendships in our community. 

 

Visit houses in our neighborhood instead of the craziness of Lake Street and Hellvedere, and encourage community bonding (as well as exercise). Here's how:

  1. Fill out this form by the end of the day Friday, October 25th, to be added to the address list, map, and suggested route.
  2. Prepare treats you'd like to leave out for Trick or Treaters to take. Savory food, water bottles, and non-food items also welcome!
    Decorate a bowl of treats (nut free!) to leave on your porch if you plan to be out walking the route.
  3. Keep an eye out for the address list and map in your email on Monday, October 28th.
  4. On Thursday, October 31st, set your labeled treat bowl out by 5:00pm.
  5. After an early dinner, print out the address list, map, or suggested route, don your costume, grab a tote bag and a flashlight, put on your walking shoes, and head out to enjoy our neighborhood decorations along with some treats! Hopefully you'll see friends along the way. 

The Trick or Treating might continue well after dark, but our route will most likely wrap up by 8 p.m. so we can put our treat bowls away before bedtime. The earliest Trick or Treater gets the first pick! 

 

Please email us at atimandatiw@gmail.com with any questions.

 

Thanks!

John, Stephanie, Tara, and Aidan

 

Seeking T-Ball Players (and Coaches)!

Lafayette parent Jack Goggans is working to organize two t-ball teams for the SFYBL season, with registration starting November 6th.

Looking to form a t-ball team and a "coach-pitch" team for Kindergarten and 1st Grade kids that know how to play already. Jack is available to be an assistant coach, but both teams would need head coaches as well. Reach out to Jack if you're interested! 

 

Email- Jackgoggans@gmail.com
Phone- 941-587-5497

 

Help Local Seniors with "One Hard Thing" - Saturday Nov 11th

One Hard Thing 
SATURDAY 11/16/24
9:30 am - 12:00 pm 

 

Meet at: Richmond Senior Center 6221 Geary Blvd. 3rd Fl. 

More information: 
Email/Call Joey: 
Jyu@ggsenior.org
(415) 525-2571 
Sign Up on this Form
or visit: ggvillage.org/volunteer

 

"It’s no surprise that older people have a harder time taking care of their homes. Whether it’s weeding, clearing clutter, cleaning hard-to-reach areas, flipping a mattress, seniors often don’t have the strength, energy or stability to handle these chores. 

"That’s where 'One Hard Thing' comes in. One Hard Thing, a project of the Golden Gate Village (GGV), matches able-bodied volunteers with Village members needing help with the difficult chores they cannot handle on their own... [READ MORE IN RICHMOND/SUNSET BEACON]" 

 

 

Thanks for reading this week.

Go Dolphins! 🐬

 

Patricia Wada

VP, Communications 2023–25

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Lafayette Elementary PTA

501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization

Tax ID# 94-6172049