To succeed, your child must attend school every day, and be on time! If your child will be absent from school for any reason, you must inform the office by calling our 24-hour attendance line at 736-2180 ext. 6, and leave a message including the child's name, room number, and reason for absence. You need to call in every day that your child is absent. While informing the teacher is courteous, your excuse can only be verified if it is called in to the office. Please note that absences due to vacation are not regarded as a valid excuse! Only personal illness, medical appointments, religious holidays, or family bereavement are acceptable excuses.

• Update your child's Health and Enrollment Card periodically with current information or changes such as: phone number, address, emergency contacts, etc. as they occur.
• If your child needs to take medication during the school day, please pick up a Medication Authorization form from the school office for your physician to complete. Bring the signed form along with the medication (in the original prescription bottle) to the office.

The Cupertino Middle School Parent Information Night for next year's 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will be held Thursday, March 13th. The 6th grade presentation will be at 6:00 pm in the big gym.

The 7th/8th presentations will be at 7:00 pm, with the 7th grade presentation in the gym and the 8th grade presentation in the multi-use room. The presentations will cover course selection, homework, expectations, extracurricular activities, and other topics. These presentations are open to all families who will have students at CMS next year.

An electronic copy of the presentation and any handouts will be made available upon request for any parents unable to attend the March 13th meeting. This meeting is for parents only.

Additional order forms are available in the office. The deadline for orders is Friday, February 1st.

Last Friday, our staff explored new math strategies in the morning and attended i-Movie training in the afternoon. Our staff appreciates the time for staff development. It offers the valuable opportunity to learn new strategies to support student learning.

We need two parent volunteers who can assist with hearing screening on Thursday, February 7th from 8am-2pm. If you can help out, please contact the office.

This helps keep our students in shape as they strive to reach their goal. This program is not possible without parent support. We need volunteers to help out during lunch (11:25-12:45), one day each week or every other week.

If you are available to punch cards or help supervise students, please email/call Tracy Burriss at burriss_tracy@cupertino.k12.ca.us or ph. (408) 732-4563. The Running Club would not be possible without the help of many parent volunteers who help keep things moving!

We are looking for an ELD parent to represent Nimitz Elementary School at the District English Language Advisory Council (DELAC) meetings. The meetings will be held at the district office on January 23rd, March 19th and May 14th at 4:00pm. Please contact the office if you are interested.

Pat Belvel will be teaching a class on parenting skills beginning on Monday, January 28 and running for five weeks. Classes will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the GLC on Monday nights through March 3. (There will be no class during the February vacation.) This class focuses on positive parenting skills and provides specific strategies for dealing with problem situations. Pat taught this class here at Nimitz two years ago, and it was received very positively.

A flier with more information and a sign-up form was sent home last week and is available in the office. Be sure to return the form as soon as possible as space for the class is limited, and it will be open to other schools in the district.

If you have twenty minutes to an hour once a week or every other week, we need people to help shelve the books. We will be glad to show you how to do this. In order for the kids to enjoy the library, the books need to be shelved in a timely manner. If you can help out, please contact Lenora Louie at lenora-pta@fortun8.com or 408-737-7787.

Kindergarten registration for the 2008-09 school year is scheduled for February 4th-14th. Remember to save your January or February PG&E bill, as it is required for registration. Open enrollment for all schools and Alternative Education is scheduled for the week of February 8th-14th. For more information, check the district website at http://cupertino.ca.campusgrid.net.

Charlotte Diamond will perform at Smithwick Theater at Foothill College on Sunday, February 10th at 1 and 4 p.m. In October, Charlotte gave a performance at Nimitz, singing songs that have become our children's favorites. Tickets are available by calling 650-949-3390 or at Linden Tree Children's Books, 170 State Street, Los Altos.

Studies prove that even one more hour of sleep can help your child. She/he will be more alert and able to pay better attention in school. The following are some guidelines to help your child get the recommended nine hours of sleep each night.

• Monitor caffeine. Do not allow your child to have caffeine within four hours of bedtime. Experts say children should not have more caffeine than what is in a 12-ounce soda per day.
• Get your child active and outdoors. Exercise and fresh air help children sleep better.

• Follow a schedule. Try to have the same times for meals and snacks, homework, games, TV and other recreation, and bedtime.
• Create a bedtime routine. Take a bath, put on pajamas, brush teeth, and read a brief story. Review something positive from the day. Then, lights out.
• Make your child feel safe. Put a night light in his/her room. Leave the door slightly open. Let your child know that you will check on him/her.

   -Parents Make a Difference

Registration and open enrollment dates for the 2008-2009 school year are as follows:

• Kindergarten Registration: February 4 - 14, 2008 at the neighborhood school.
• Open Enrollment Requests: February 8 - 14, 2008 at the school of desired attendance.
• Alternative Education Program Requests (Faria and Murdock-Portal grades K-5, McAuliffe and Home Study grades K-8, Mandarin Immersion Program grades K-8): February 8 - 14, 2008 at the alternative program of your choice.

Parents may only apply to one school or program. Detailed registration and open enrollment information is available on the district website www.cupertino.k12.ca.us or by contacting the staff in your neighborhood school office or the Student Assignment Office, (408) 252-3000, extension 110.

CUSD Teacher Intern Informational Meeting
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.
District Office Board Room
10301 Vista Drive in Cupertino
At this informational meeting, Santa Clara University (SCU) and district representatives will provide information and requirements for the SCU teacher credential program and intern opportunities in CUSD.

Applicants for the program must hold a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in the United States and meet qualifications for the intern credential. Applicants with foreign Bachelor's degree must have their transcripts evaluated to determine whether those degrees are equivalent to a Bachelor's degree in the United States. To register, please contact Pat Greenlee in Human Resources at (408) 252-3000, Extension 217.