The Diversity Committee is planning a Cultural Festival to be held Friday, June 1st at 12:30pm. We hope to have all cultures represented via slideshow. If you can share a few slides introducing students to your country, please contact Lisa Grubb at eddgrubb@yahoo.com or call the school office with your best contact information. If you have any form of art that can be displayed on the GLC walls, please contact Susannah Vaughan at pta@mrjim.com. We also need 3 parents who have digital video cameras and can assist with filming during the rehearsals and the actual event. If you can volunteer, please email digvid@nimitzpta.org.

Bud White Spring Portraits will be taken on Monday, May 21st in the morning. Look for the order envelope in this week's blue folders. If you are interested in having your child's portrait taken, please have your child bring the order envelope to school Monday, May 21st.

Please make sure to return the 07-08 enrollment form by this Friday, May 18th. It is very important that we receive a form from each family regarding your enrollment plans for next year. This allows us to determine our enrollment numbers for the next school year. If we do not receive this information from your family, we will be contacting you. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Please take a moment and search under the beds and on student's bookshelves for any overdue books from the library or lost classroom textbooks. You will be receiving a notification from Mrs. Gallatin regarding any books that have not been returned. If your child cannot find the book, they will be charged for the lost book. Books are very expensive and we cannot afford to absorb the cost of lost or destroyed books. Students will not receive a report card until all library charges are paid. If the book is found after you have paid, your money will be refunded. Thank you for your understanding regarding this matter.

The SSC met May 10th and the following items were discussed:

• Art/PE/Music Block Grants
• Parent Survey Results
• Approval of GATE plan and Safe Schools Plan
• New SSC members for 07-09 announced: Sharmistha Ghosh, David Korn, James Liu, Rosa Fuller, Peggy Korn (alternate)

At the end of the school year a student must be in attendance on the last day of school to retain his/her place on the roster for the following year. For this school year, students must be in school on June 15, 2007, to retain their space for the 2007/08 school year. At the beginning of the school year, a student must be in attendance on the first day of school or they will not retain their place on the roster. When you are making your travel plans, please consider the possible ramifications.

Training for the 2007-2008 school year will begin in September, and includes basic music theory, songs and games, rhythm and movement activities, lesson planning, and classroom strategies. (No formal music background is required.)

Find out more about this rewarding volunteer opportunity by attending one of our upcoming Volunteer Information Meetings. Two meetings are scheduled for your convenience:

Tuesday, May 29th, 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Community Activities Building
1400 Roosevelt Avenue (Room 1) Redwood City, CA 94061

Thursday, May 31st, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Music For Minors
883 Shoreline Blvd., Suite C120
Mountain View, CA 94043

If you can't make these meetings, but are interested in becoming a music docent, please call 650-237-9130 or email ceci@mfm.org. To learn more about Music For Minors, visit us on the web at www.mfm.org.

Nimitz School along with the Nimitz PTA will be hosting a series of playgroup sessions for incoming Kindergarteners. Playgroups will meet weekly, on Saturdays from 10am to noon beginning July 21st through August 18th. Kids can share arts & crafts and play games and older siblings are welcome. We need a volunteer for each session to assist with the playgroup. If you can volunteer to arrive 15 minutes before the session and stay a few minutes afterwards or donate simple refreshments, please send an email to playgroup@nimitzpta.org. For more detailed information on the Kinder Playgroup Program and how to get your child involved, go to: http://www.nimitzpta.org/playgroup07/

Are you looking for a way to use your special talents and get involved at Cupertino Middle School next school year? We are looking for parents to fill an opening on the Executive Board and to chair some key committees. Contact Mary Depew for more information at 408-736-3522 or mary.depew@gmail.com.

Executive Board: 2nd VP, (in charge of the Reflections Program)

Committee Positions: BookFair Coordinator, CUSD Board Representative, Directory, Family Take Over Nights, Friends of the Library, 8th Grade Graduation, Magazine Drive, Membership and eScrip.

What simple activity can help increase student attention, decrease illness and absenteeism and increase test scores? Eating breakfast! Breakfast consumption reduces the physical symptoms of stomach pain, headache, muscle tension and fatigue, all of which interfere with learning. Making sure that students have breakfast goes a long way toward facilitating their success. Research studies indicate that children who eat breakfast:

• Have improved attention in late-morning task performance
• Retrieve information more quickly and accurately
• Make fewer errors in problem-solving activities
• Concentrate better and perform more complex tasks

What a child eats for breakfast is also important. A meal comprised of protein, fat, starch and sugar will prevent drops in blood sugar for several hours, whereas a breakfast of just starch and sugar will sustain a child for only one to two hours. A drop in blood sugar is associated with a decline in energy and the onset of hunger symptoms. Consequently, a meal that includes foods from several good groups provides the most benefit to the child, both educationally and physically. Simple breakfasts can be prepared quickly and easily:

• Juice and cereal with low-fat milk
• Toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit
• A fruit smoothie made with yogurt