Walnut Acres PFC eNews, October 4, 2022
Mon, Oct 3 4:33pm

What's Happening at Walnut Acres - October 4, 2022

Mark Your Calendars!

10/8         Community Service Day
10/10       Teacher In-Service Day - No School
10/12       Walk/Bike to School Day
10/13       CUYT 2nd/3rd Mini-Musical “Go Fish”
10/15       Fall Carnival 3-6pm
10/17-28 Parent/Teacher Conferences
10/18      PFC Meeting on ZOOM 7 pm 
10/31      Halloween Costume Parade

For the entire calendar, please see: PFC Key Dates 2022-2023
Want to add PFC events to your personal calendar? Go to the Konstella calendar and click "Sync to My Calendar" (web) or "Sync" (mobile app). Never miss a PFC event again! 

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Community Service Day is October 8th

Jaguar families mark your calendar for Saturday, Oct 8th for the annual Walnut Creek Community Service Day. Bring friends and family from 8:30am to 11:30am for a morning of celebration and service.   

There are outdoor projects around Walnut Acres for all ages, interest and ability!

Want to save time? You can print, fill out your waiver and bring it the day of the event. (one waiver per family but each adult needs to sign for themselves)

Sign-ups are available in Konstella for volunteering, donations or for lending supplies. 

Questions? Contact Brendan Byrd at: communityserviceday@walnutacrespfc.net 

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Walnut Acres Fall Carnival

Come One, Come All to Walnut Acres Fall Carnival. Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 15th from 3-6pm. You won’t want to miss the fun with games, food, music, airbrush tattoos, prizes, and more! Discounted $13 Unlimited Games wristbands NOW available via Konstella here

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Principal Ashton's Announcements

Conference Schedule:

Grade

Times

Transitional Kindergarten (AM)

8:00-11:00 AM

Transitional Kindergarten (PM)

9:00am-12:00 PM

Kindergarten (AM)

8:00-11:00pm

Kindergarten (PM)

9:00-12:00pm

Grades 1 -3

8:00-1:25pm

(recess & lunch time remains the same)

Grades 4-5

8:00-1:27pm 

(recess & lunch time remains the same)

 

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE AWARDS 

MDUSD plan to resume our recognition of those people or groups who have gone far above the call of duty to make a difference in the lives of disabilities.  This event will be November 15th but nominations are due October 26th.  The nomination form is attached and can be sent to Melody Royal at RoyalM@mdusd.org. This event will recognize those who have gone above and beyond. This includes students, teachers, service providers, classified staff, community members or parents- essentially anyone who is worthy of nomination for this award.  Nominations will be reviewed and the selected award recipients will be notified by October 31.   

School Site Council 

Please take a moment to vote for your 3 School Site Council representatives. Vote on this Google Form.

Covid-19 Update

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that it is ending the COVID-19 policies that required weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated and under vaccinated workers in high-risk workplaces and schools.  The August 11, 2021 State Public Health Officer Order concerning Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools will be rescinded effective September 17, 2022. As the Vaccine Verification for Workers in Schools public health order ends, Mt. Diablo Unified School District will no longer require COVID-19 vaccination for volunteers, effective September 17, 2022. 

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Walk/Bike To School Day - Wednesday, October 12th (date changed!)

 

Join us in ditching the car and walking or riding your bike to school on October 12th!

The optional meet up spots to walk or bike with other Walnut Acres students will begin at 7:20 with a departure time to school at 7:40. Otherwise you can walk or bike to school with a buddy and/or your family! There will be additional bike parking out on the blacktop.

The meet up spots are:

  • Cafeto Drive/Arbolado Drive
  • Cascade Drive/Wiget Lane
  • San Antonio Drive/Los Felicas Ave
  • Ebano Drive/Grande Camino Drive

Area parents are encouraged to plan to meet at these intersections and join your children in riding or walking. This is an important opportunity to gather as a school or community, encourage physical activity, and promote safety in your neighborhoods and near schools.

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Curtains Up Youth Theater **Enrichment Opportunity

GREAT NEWS FOR 4TH AND 5TH GRADERS! 

Registration is open for the big musical this year:  ALICE IN WONDERLAND!

This full-scale musical has been a tradition at Walnut Acres for over 25 years.  Sign up now, and join the fun!  See sign-up info below. 

The Directors can’t wait to start working with you on this fun-filled musical!

KEY DATES: 

-- Our Audition Info Meeting is November 8 from 2:45 – 3:45 pm.
-- Group auditions will be November 28-30 (please note all registered students will be cast in the show in one of two casts – auditions are only to help the directors assign roles).
-- Rehearsals run from early December through early March. Rehearsals are generally every Tuesday or Thursday, from 2:45 to 5:00 pm.
-- Two performances for each cast will be March 10, 11, 17, and 18.

TO SECURE YOUR STUDENT’S SPOT, click here to complete the online registration and pay the deposit of $50/program by Venmo to CU YT (please note the space between the U and the Y) or mail a check to CUYT c/o Judy Ryken, 957 Chandler Ct. Concord, CA 94518.

 To learn more about our programs, visit our PFC Enrichment webpage

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Northgate High School Instrumental Music Booster

(NIMB)

This year, Northgate High School Instrumental Music Booster (NIMB) is holding a new Spaghetti Feed Dinner Fundraiser + Live Music event that is open to families throughout the community.  
We encourage everyone to attend (or pick up curbside) for a casual evening, and would love for younger musicians to see what is in store for them when they continue their musical journey all the way to Northgate.
Your ticket will support Northgate’s Concert Band, Symphonic Winds, Orchestra, Jazz Band I & II, Marching Band and Auxiliary.

Tickets can be purchased here; https://nimbconnect.org/store/448/2140
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Recycle Club eNews
Help your child to be a superhero when it comes to lunch time. Check out the attached visual and discuss with your kids at home, so they are prepared to do the right thing when it’s time to discard off their compost, recycling and trash. Thank you for your support from home!
 
Tapitas Bank

Join us in supporting children with cancer in Mexico. Tapitas Bank was created by a group of college students in Mexico. They took over the task of bringing plastic lids to be recycled and use that money to support children with cancer. Any plastic lid helps (deodorant, medicine, detergent, juice, soda, oil, energy beverage, milk, and yogurt). On recycling days you will see a box that says “Tapitas Bank” please bring your lids and place them into the box or contact Griselda Oliver Bucio (griseldao@gmail.com) to coordinate pick up on any other day. 

Collection will be in September, October and November only. Lids will travel to Mexico at the beginning of December to be recycled. Your help will allow children with cancer to receive chemotherapy sessions, hotel stay, transportation and more.

October CRV collection 

Drop off your CRV plastic bottles and cans by the car line - Monday through Wednesday (10/3 - 10/5 from 7:40-8:00am)

What can be recycled?:

  • Empty plastic bottles and metal cans
  • TerraCycle recycling - Garnier and Colgate empty toothpaste tubes, shampoo/conditioner/soap containers

Please separate items into different bags.

Thank you for supporting our composting and recycling efforts at Walnut Acres. Every small positive action counts.

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Calicraft Social Night
Join us for a fun night out on Wednesday, 10/26 at 5pm at Calicraft  Brewing Co! Stop by for a quick "hello" or stay all night. You are welcome to bring your kiddos (Califcraft is kid-friendly), or get a sitter and enjoy some adult social time. As always there will be a food truck if you decide to stay for a bite to eat. 
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Yearbook!!!

 Buy your 2022-2023 Walnut Acres Yearbook NOW for $35!

CLICK HERE to order and enter school code: 10053

Want to share your amazing pictures for the yearbook?

  1. Go to: www.hjeshare.com; Enter school code walnutacres
  2. Click "select images for upload". Click "Browse for Images".
  3. Locate our images, click on them, then click "Open".
  4. Enter the information for each image. Please include "grade(s) of students" and provide the teacher's name if known. For "student(s) shown", type N/A.
  5. Click "upload images"

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4th Grade Parents- October is Your Month to Host Drive Thru

4th Grade Parents: Please help us in the Drive Thru line as we open doors and greet students while they are arriving at school. As in previous years, we are having each grade level help out at the Drive Thru during specific months. We would appreciate 2-4 helpers each day. Can you help for 20 minutes in the morning, 7:40 - 8:00 am? If so, please sign up!

4th Grade Parents and Caregivers sign up HERE

Here’s what to expect in the coming months in terms of the monthly volunteer schedule:

5th Grade: September & February
4th Grade: October & March
3rd Grade: November & April
2nd Grade: December & May
1st Grade: January

And all of the Walnut Acres Dads and Grandpas, remember that Fridays are for YOU!  Come help out at Drive-Thru line.  It’s an easy way to get involved in the school community!

Important Message! Please make sure to drive SLOWLY in our Walnut Acres School Zone and please observe all “No Parking” signs.  It’s crucial for the safety of students!

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Lunch & Recess Duty sign-ups

 We need parents daily to help supervise students during lunch and on the playground to make sure they play safely, as well as assist in cleaning the tables between student lunch shifts. All volunteers must be cleared by MDUSD to help at lunch. Sign-up HERE

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                SAY IT IN LIGHTS! 

Support the PFC and put a smile on your child's face! For $25.00, the greeting “Happy Birthday ‘Your Child’s Name’” will be on display on the Walnut Acres' electronic Marquee from 7am-9pm on your date of choice. Click HERE to purchase.
Is your child’s birthday during the summer? Consider a “half-birthday” greeting 6 months after their birthday.

The deadline for submitting an order is one week prior to your child's birthday.

Questions? Email Justin Pickering at marquee@walnutacrespfc.net

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Drive Thru Procedures

  • Pull up to a volunteer for assistance getting your student out of the car
  • Do NOT get out of your car 
  • Have your child ready (goodbyes said, backpack ready) to exit curbside
  • Do NOT go around other cars if you are "empty"
  • Do NOT park in the drive thru line

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Managing your Konstella Notifications

Did you know you can manage how & when you receive Konstella messages? Go to Account Settings > Notifications to manage your preferences.