After the students finish their lunch period (around 12:45), students' families are invited to come and share the remaining food.

If you are interested in volunteering to help setup, serve, or clean up at the Thanksgiving Feast, you can let us know through the flyer or online at http://www.nimitzpta.org/feast/. If you have questions, please email diversity@mrjim.com.
     -Nimitz Diversity Committee

building kinetic rollers powered by marbles, desigining simple pulleys, windmills and springboard catapults, experimenting with air pressure by floating a ball above a cone cup by blowing through a straw, balancing weights on a ruler using a fulcrum triangle, and making a ball appear to defy gravity by rolling uphill. 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.

Books will be paid for that night and delivered about a week later. There will also be a preview of the books and opportunity to order on Wednesday, December 2nd at 2:30 pm in Room 19. Cash and checks only will be accepted, sorry no credit cards. This year as well as the popular hot chocolate we will be opening Nimitz café, so there is no need to worry if dashing from work. The Liu family will be providing some delicious food for very reasonable prices.

The money raised will be used for the take home reader books that I'm sure a lot of your children have benefited from using. We have more demand than books at present.

If anyone would like to help on the evening with food, watching the books, etc. please contact tracey.terrett@gmail.com.

Our lost and found bags are overflowing with shirts, jackets, lunchboxes and backpacks. Please remember to check the bags located near the restrooms. Any unclaimed items will be donated to charity over the Thanksgiving break. Please write your child's name on their backpacks, lunch boxes and on the labels of their jackets, so that items can be returned if they are lost and then found.

Please be patient and give yourself plenty of time to drive your students to school in the morning. It will take more time to drop off and pick up your children.

In the mornings when you are dropping off your children, please have their backpacks, lunch, and other belongings in the car, not in the trunk. This will help expedite traffic flow during the morning. Remember to pull your car up to the furthest available position.

We are in need of the following items:

• Egg cartons! We need soooo many (for painting)
• Paper plates (for painting)
• Old wrapping paper from parties, birthdays, weddings, baby showers (collage)
• Scraps of cloth (collage)
• Old buttons (collage)
• Sponges

Please drop them by the art room any time and leave them on the table. Thanks!

     -Angela Hansen, Nimitz Art Teacher

With school vacations coming up, you may be planning to take your child out of school for an extra day or two. You'll just ask the teacher for advance homework. Missing a few days won't really matter, will it? Actually, those few days of absence can matter a lot. Think about the things your child may be missing that can't be made up with homework.

The class discussion about the book they are reading can't be captured in homework. Neither can the science demonstration or the group project for history. In some subjects, like math, missing even a few days is a problem because learning builds on what students already know.

Extra homework will not make up for the things your child misses when she's out of school. So instead of taking your child out of school, make an extra effort to improve her attendance this month.

         -Reprinted with permission from Parents make the Difference! Â

This presentation will address five ways you can encourage your child to grow wings, so they will be ready to take flight as adults. These are:

• Helping your child confront challenges
• Encouraging your child to take responsibility for mistakes and to fix them

• Enabling your child to do what they are capable of
• Seeing your child pursue their own talents
• Supporting your child to make decisions with confidence

Maria Klein is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She is committed to helping families work together through difficult times. We hope you will attend this special presentation.

SELPA II (Special Education Local Plan Area II) is proud to host the following guest speaker presentation to parents of students with special needs.

Thursday, November 19, 2009
"Parents Helping Parents"
Speaker: Lonnie Allen
PHP helps families who have children of any age with special needs. This workshop will focus on recent changes to the IEP and 504 processes and what parents need to do to navigate the new process.

The event takes place at Bishop Elementary School (450 N. Sunnyvale Avenue in Sunnyvale) in the auditorium from 6:30-8:30 PM. There is no registration required to attend the event. Onsite childcare is available, but registration is required for childcare and closes one week prior to the event, with no exceptions. For childcare contact Linda Toda at (408) 522-2474.

Saturday, January 30, 2010 starting at 5:30 p.m.
Fairmont Hotel, San Jose

CEEF GALA - HONORING OUR TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

The CEEF Gala has been acknowledged as the Valley's premiere "party with a purpose" - raising critically needed funds for arts and innovative technology programs at each of our district schools. Join us in celebrating educational excellence in our schools and honoring our Teachers of the Year on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. As an incentive for schools to begin organizing Gala tables, 50 drawing tickets will be awarded to each school table of 10; principals who help organize tables will receive a Golden Ticket for a chance to win a catered lunch for their teachers For more information, please email CEEF at gala@ceefcares.org.

The Cupertino Early Intervention Preschool offers a Special Education program for preschool children between the ages of three (3) and five (5) who demonstrate a significant delay in speech and/or language development. Parents, teachers and/or day care providers interested in having a child tested may call Pupil Services at the CUSD District Office, 252-3000 to request an evaluation and receive an information packet.