Pat Belvel will be teaching a class on parenting skills beginning on Tuesday, January 20th and running for five sessions. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the GLC on Tuesday nights through February 24th. (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 last year, and it was received very positively.

A flier with more information and a sign-up form will be sent home this week. 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.

The drive will run through Friday, November 14th. Students and parents can bring non-perishable food items to the bins located in the GLC. Some examples of food items are canned food, cereal, sugar, pasta, peanut butter, flour, etc. Please do not bring milk, frozen foods or items that require refrigeration. Please check expiration dates before submitting your donations.

The venue for Tuesday the 2nd and Thursday the 4th will be Judith Barnes- classroom, room 19. This will take place after school @ 1:30pm on Tuesday and 2.30pm on Thursday.

On Wednesday, December 3rd, there will be an evening event in the GLC starting at 6:00pm. There will be books to order and family reading for all grades. Bring a blanket and enjoy a hot chocolate while listening to our Nimitz teachers read to us.

Students engaged in activities such as building magnet cars, designing roller coasters out of plastic frames and tubing, experimenting with air pressure in a balloon, making pinball machines out of tag board, paperclips, strips of paper, marbles, and lots and lots of tape, simulating a traditional amusement park carousel making the horses go up and down using a crankshaft, experimenting with different types of balls in the skee ball station and designing paddle boats and testing them out on a water track. A big thank you to PTA for sponsoring the event and to all the teachers who volunteered at the stations. This was a fun way for students to experience hands-on science activities while learning science and physics concepts.

Purchase gift cards from Nimitz and help our school earn $$$! For every gift card you purchase, Nimitz can earn up to 23%! Gift cards are available from the following merchants:

Safeway	Home Depot
Ranch 99 Market	JC Penney
Barnes & Noble	Macy's
Borders	Sears
AMC Movies	See's Candy
Bath & Body Works	Sports Authority
Gap/Old Navy	Toys R Us

...And more!

Purchase for your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers too!

Complete your orders along with a check payable to Nimitz PTA. Return the form in your child's blue folder or to the school office by Thursday, November 20th, 2008. Orders will be available for pickup beginning on December 11th.

Need additional forms? Visit www.nimitzpta.org or go to the school office. Thanks for supporting Nimitz!

This program will take place twice a week from March to June. In order to have this program at Nimitz, we need two volunteer moms to act as coaches. Volunteers will have their own girl's participation fee waived ($175 value). We already have one volunteer coach, Nili Caspi. For more information, please call Nili at (408) 732-7729 and/or visit http://www.girlsontherun-sv.org/h3.htm.

Over 135 families provided delicious dishes from around the world. Students sampled traditional American turkey, macaroni and cheese and pumpkin pie along with sushi, pasta and meat balls, sticky rice and Mango lassi to name but a few of the epicurean delicacies. The event was a huge success because of the many parents who helped organize, set-up and serve students. What a great start to the holiday season! Special thanks goes to all of the parents who contributed dishes and served the students, and to the Nimitz Diversity Committee.

West Valley completed a total of 1,760 miles for the month of October. However, Nimitz completed 2,455 miles, so Mrs. Brown, the West Valley principal, is faced with wearing a cone head for a day. Both schools did a great job on the track!

• 2009-2010 REGISTRATION & OPEN ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
  Kindergarten registration: February 2 - 12, 2009, at the neighborhood school.
  Registration packets will be available at the neighborhood school beginning January 26, 2009. Registration packets are numbered sequentially. The registration number on the packet is valid for packets returned between February 2 - February 12, 2009.

• Open enrollment requests: February 6 - 12, 2009 at the school of desired attendance.
  
• Alternative education program requests (Faria and Murdock-Portal grades K-5, McAuliffe, Mandarin Immersion and Home Study grades K-8) February 6 - 12, 2009 at the alternative program of your choice.

• Registration for new students in grades 1 - 8 begins March 2, 2009.

  Parents may only apply to one school or program other than their neighborhood school.

Detailed registration and open enrollment information is available on the district website http://www.cupertino.k12.ca.us/, by contacting the staff in your neighborhood school office or by contacting the Student Assignment Office, (408) 252-3000, extension 110.

GATE REFERRAL PROCESS TESTING SCHEDULE

Dates For Referrals For Spring Testing ? Grades 3 and above
Referrals will be accepted beginning: November 3, 2008
Deadline for Spring GATE referrals: January 16, 2009
(Referrals for the above grades submitted before the November 3, 2008 or after January 16, 2009 date will be returned.)

NOTE: GATE testing of CUSD grade 3 and above students will take place during spring (March-April) 2009. This will be the only GATE testing offered during the 2008-2009 year.

CEEF's 25th Anniversary Gala: "From London with Love"
Saturday, January 17, 2009
5:30 p.m.
Fairmont Hotel, San Jose
Celebrate at CEEF's Silver Anniversary Gala with a chance to win a test drive in a Bentley or Aston Martin! Elegant British motorcars will add to the fun at CEEF's "From London with Love" Gala at the Fairmont Hotel on Saturday, January 17, 2009. Take your photo inside one of the convertible coupes or spin the London Eye Wheel to win a test drive.

Funds raised through CEEF's 25th anniversary event will support arts and innovative math and technology programs at all 25 district schools. Festivities will include an elegant buffet dinner, amusing games and prizes, auctions live and silent, entertainment, casino, and dancing.

For more information or to add your name to the invitation mailing list, please call 408 446-2333 or email inquiries to gala@ceefcares.org.