Santa Rita brews ‘Witches’ Delight’
Ghoulish goblins and wacky witches are planning to attend Santa Rita Elementary School PTA’s 45th annual “Witches’ Delight” Halloween carnival, scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 29 at the school, 700 Los Altos Ave. The event attracts hundreds of local families and is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit.
The Magic Makers will entertain. Children can “pay to play” unlimited carnival games. Prices are $5 for preschoolers, $10 for kindergartners and above, and $25 for families of three or more. The admission fee includes a cake walk, cookie decorating and a costume contest. Don’t miss the Haunted House, built and hosted by the sixth grade.
Lunch items and treats such as cotton candy, sno-cones and home-baked goods will be sold.
All children must be accompanied by a mummy or a daddy. Everyone is encouraged to come in costume. Be there or be scared!
State budget topic of public discussion
Join EdVoice President and CEO Christopher Cabaldon and economist Stephen Levy for a tour of the California budget, then test your priority-setting skills with Next Ten’s budget simulation 4-6 p.m. Sunday at the Los Altos Youth Center, 1 N. San Antonio Road.
The event is sponsored by Community Dialogues on Education, the Los Altos-Mountain View League of Women Voters and the Los Altos Community Foundation. For more information or to make a reservation (not required), contact Nancy Lippe at nlippe@losaltoscf.org or 949-5908.
Commercial scholarship competition announced
The sixth annual Courageous Persuaders student ad competition invites high school students to create a 30-second television commercial targeted toward middle-school students to discourage underage alcohol abuse.
The grand-prize-winning entry is eligible for more than $12,000 in scholarships and will be broadcast on television. The top prize-winning teams will also receive Courage First trophies, award certificates, and scholarship monies to be split among team members.
The 2005-2006 Courageous Persuaders deadline for submitting a commercial is Feb. 28, 2006. Individual students or schools should register now to ensure that all program updates or changes are sent directly to the registered e-mail address.
For more information, contact Katherine Maggi at (248) 526-6700 or AuBree Taylor at (248) 203-8126. To register, visit www.CourageFirst.com.
Reading specialist speaks at Covington
Kristin Powell, reading specialist and founder and director of The Reading Clinic, will speak at 9 a.m. Oct. 19 in the Covington Elementary School Multipurpose Room.
Powell’s talk is sponsored by the SELPA 1 Community Advisory Committee (CAC), an all-volunteer group of parents of children with special needs, and will cover such topics as critical thinking skills, what it takes to be a good student in an aggressive and competitive environment, and auditory and visual processing for reading and comprehension.
The event is free and open to all parents in Los Altos, Palo Alto and Mountain View. Coffee will be served at 8:45 a.m. Covington Elementary School is located at 205 Covington Road in Los Altos. For more information about SELPA 1 CAC and its events, call Karen Mueller at 964-3689 or e-mail mueller4@ix.netcom.com. For more information about The Reading Clinic, visit www.the
readingclinic.com or call (800) 790-5302.
Waldorf schedules arts and crafts fair
Waldorf School of the Peninsula has scheduled its fourth annual Arts & Crafts Faire for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday on the campus, 11311 Mora Drive.
More than 30 artists and artisans will sell handcrafted jewelry, paintings, photographs, ceramics, textiles and drawings. Children can participate in several crafting activities especially for young artists.
In addition to its academic curriculum, Waldorf teaches knitting, sewing, crocheting, gardening, bread baking, soup making and playing the recorder and the violin.
Admission and parking are free. For more information, call Francesca Harbert at 948-8433, ext. 105, or visit www.waldorfpeninsula.org.
Personal safety for young children
Los Altos Parent Preschool has scheduled a KidPower seminar on personal safety for children from infancy to age 5 for 7-9:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in the Los Altos High School Eagle Theater, 201 Almond Avenue. Parents, guardians, teachers and other school personnel are encouraged to attend.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $17 at the door.
For more information, call 947-9371 or e-mail speaker@lapp.coop.
TV production course for middle schoolers
KMVT Community Television will hold workshops 3:30-5:30 p.m. twice weekly for six weeks to introduce sixth- through eighth-graders to video production. Students will use KMVT’s studio and equipment to gain basic skills in screenwriting, storyboarding, camerawork, sound design, acting, directing and editing as they produce two studio and field videos that will be broadcast on KMVT 15.
Sessions will be offered through December. The cost is $250 per attendee.
For more information, call Emily Rowley at 968-1540.
Lego robots to scrimmage
Tuneup scrimmages for 23 teams of fourth- through eighth-grade local students and their Lego League robots are scheduled for 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday in the Covington and Oak Avenue elementary schools’ multipurpose rooms.
The Los Altos Robotics FIRST Lego League qualifying tournament is scheduled for 1:15-5:30 p.m. Nov. 19 in the same locations.
This year’s worldwide theme, “Ocean Odyssey,” investigates ways robots can be used to meet the challenges of maintaining our oceans’ health, biodiversity and productivity.
The public is invited to watch the fun, cheer the teams on and consider being part of a team next season.
For more information, visit www.LosAltosRobotics.org or contact Michael Schuh at Michael@LosAltosRobotics.org or 965-8037.
Pinewood auction set for March 4
Pinewood School in Los Altos has announced that its Second Annual Auction and Gala will take place March 4 at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña Hotel in Palo Alto. The theme of the 2006 gala is “Carnivale,” and money raised will benefit the Teacher’s Retirement Fund.
For more information, call Pam Perez at 857-0422.
