Get the latest Friday News:
FN6-13-08.pdf

Get the latest PTA minutes:
Min09-19-07.pdf

Malcolm X contacts:
Principal: Cheryl Chinn

Secretary: Loren Nakamura
Home Sch. Liaison: Lisa Cullen
Curriculim: Jai Waggoner

Records: Maru Hiratzka
Phone: 510-644-6313
Fax: 510-644-6297

Malcolm X PTA contacts:

President: 

 
Cheryl Eccles 510-898-1786
Executive VP:  
Holly Scheider  

The Berkeley PTA Council

 

Updated 6/17/08
by rkilhick@sfsu.edu

 


 
 
 
 
 
 

 

PTA News

Get in the Malcolm X spirit!
Spirit Week this year will be June 2 - 6. The themes will be:
Tuesday, June 3: Pajama Day
Wednesday, June 4: Twin Day
Thursday, June 5: School Colors Day (also Spring Fair day). Wear your MX T-shirts, performance shirts, or school colors (yellow and purple).
Friday, June 6: Crazy Hat/Hair Day

March for public education
On Saturday, April 19, 2008, California Assembly Majority Whip Fiona Ma will be marching to celebrate and commemorate the life and work of labor and civil rights leader – Cesar Chavez. You are invited to join our contingent. Our theme for this year's March will be "Public Education is Social Justice." Fiona Ma's group will assemble on 24th and Harrison streets at 11 a.m. Wear a red top and bring signs expressing support for public education. To RSVP, please contact Ma's San Francisco Office by e-mailing Bob Twomey or calling 415-557-2312.

Sign a petition to stop the cuts
The Governor's proposal is to cut $4 billion in K-14 education funding -- more than $700 per student! Our local schools here in the 14th Assembly District and elsewhere are going to get hit hard.

Take 30 seconds to sign the list and forward this on to everyone you know who is angry that the budget is being balanced on the backs of our kids!

Sign here!

Budget events
Rally, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 at 5 p.m. at the BUSD Administration Building (2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way)
Join our community in protesting the governor's proposed budget. Join Berkeley Federation of Teachers members, other BUSD Union members, parents, students, and community members in demanding that our state legislators raise revenues and avert the devastating cuts to public education included in the Governor's proposed budget. Come support our teachers with layoff notices as they head into layoff hearings April 15th through April 17th.
For more go to: BFT

Note from the BUSD Public Information Officer: The superintendent, board members, principals, and other administrators will be out there in support of the BFT in the struggle we all have to make together in order to insist on a responsible budget from a state government elected by the people. Responsible planning includes revenue enhancement.
This is not a spending crisis; it is a revenue crisis.

March on Sacramento, Thursday, April 24. Get on the bus! For more info: contact Solange.


New MX Library website
The Malcolm X Library website is up and running! Check out the amazing amount of information available!
http://libraries.berkeley.k12.ca.us/malcolmx
—Thanks, Betty Seaton!


KALW News story on Mal X
www.publicbroadcasting.net/kalw/


Middle school forum
Monday, Jan. 14, 7 - 8 p.m.

Malcolm X Library -- parents/guardians discussion with Longfellow and Willard principals and parent/guardian representatives from these two schools. Spanish Translation available.

MX Cafeteria -- 4th & 5th grade students question & answer with current middle school students at these two schools. A parent moderator will be present.

Room 110 -- childcare for children over 3.

Any questions: Contact Cheryl Eccles (MX PTA president) at cleccles2@comcast.net or 922-1838


The play is the thing!

From the backstage chaos to the on-stage brilliance, the show must go on!

cafeteria chaos

Apt time for a little nail biting: Teacher and students make last-minute adjustments to their acting assignments when some of the play's actors didn't make it to the evening performace of Ms. Gold's second grade rendition of "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" on Dec. 13, 2007. The show went on (as it must) with some young actors taking on extra, unexpected roles. (I'm sure the audience couldn't tell.) It's all part of the rich experience Malcolm X offers. See more.


Family Heritage Night was great fun!

cafeteria chaos

Attendees to the Family Heritage Night on Dec. 12, were treated to a performance by Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble. (See some photos by Eugene Chan.) Although the performaance was delayed by an unscheduled fire alarm, it was a great evening!


Help beautify Malcolm X's grounds

Malcolm X Collaborative is organizing a "grounds planting day" on Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join MX children and families, neighborhood residents, and some 150 Cal students on a number of improvement projects. Funded by a grant from the Northern California Grassroots Environmental Fund to buy plants, and the City of Berkeley with tools, food, and on-site landscapers.

Volunteers are needed to lead/organize other volunteers on specific projects, such as gardening, painting, and weeding. This would involve showing up at the event 30 minutes early for training.

Donations of baked goods, paper napkins, or sticky nametags would be much appreciated. We would love to borrow plastic tableclothes if you have any. Please let me know if you can participate in any way!

Thanks!
Ariana Milman, Malcolm X Collaborative, Coordinator
644-6314

Get involved! Malcolm X Work Day
Saturday, Nov. 17, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Meet at the front of the school.
Snacks provided.


'Seussical, the Musical' fundraiser announced -- get your tickets now!

Berkeley Playhouse invites the MX community to a witty production of "Seussical, the Musical" in our neighborhood theater, The Ashby Stage (Ashby and MLK streets). This musical fantasy weaves together characters from more than fourteen Dr. Seuss stories into a fable about being an independent thinker, keeping promises, and believing in yourself. Come join your MX friends on 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, or 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25, to help raise money for our school too.

Berkeley Playhouse has generously offered MX families discounted tickets and will donate half of each ticket price to the MX PTA. Tickest are purchased through the PTA for $18 adults, $12 children (16 and under). Order forms were sent home but are also available in the MX main office. Return the form to a box in the main office with your check made out to the MX PTA.

This is sure to be a fun afternoon for the entire family. Order early as we expect this to be a popular event!


Members of the Malcolm X School Governance Council (SGC) announced

Matt Eccles -- Chair
YaVette O'Shea
Concepcion Ramirez
Catherine Lazio
Michael Mascuch
Darretta Smith

Alternates: Solange Gould, Dan Sawislak


Vote now for members of the Malcolm X School Governance Council (SGC)

The SGC will oversee the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA); the spending of federal, state, and local funds to support the SPSA; and participate in a district-wide SGC committee.

Download the ballot (PDF). Vote for up to six members and turn in to your child's teacher or the office by Wednesday, Sept. 26.


MX gains significantly in "Star" state testing

Malcolm X reported significant gains in both math and English scores on the annual state-wide tests, which were recently distributed to all families and reported in the news. As the Berkeley Voice reported earlier this summer, "some of the best news" in Berkeley was OUR school, which imporved by six percentage points in English and eight percentage points in math over the last year. This is better than statewide average performance and reflects the dedication of our staff and kids. Some of the gains may also be attributed to our implementing Project Connect which gives extra instruction to targeted students according to our strategic plan. See the results. For questions, see Curriculum Coordinator Jai Waggoner.


Rivka honored with "Jefferson Award" from local TV station
Malcolm X Elementary's own gardening instructor Rivka Mason was honored on Thursday, May 23, with local KPIX Channel 5's "Jefferson Award" recognizing the positive effects of her outdoor "life labortory" classroom on the children.
http://cbs5.com/jeffersonawards/local_story_143124343.html


Measure A passes!
To all of the Malcolm X supporters of Measure A:
We did it! We won by 79% of the vote and we only needed 67%. Thanks so much for all of your help. It was because we all pitched in (and families from other schools did as well) that we got such a high vote. It restores my faith in Berkeley!
It was a great experience working with everyone. So nice to work hard for a good cause and then actually WIN and win big!
Until next time -- Holly

MEASURE A WINS BIG! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
As of 1:40am today, with 90% of the precincts reporting, Measure A has exceeded our wildest expectations ... we have captured 78.76% of the vote!

I wanted to say a few words of thanks to all of the people who have been so instrumental in making such an historical impact for our schools. The more I thought of it, however, the more I realized my message would be close to the length of a book if I did so. This campaign has truly been a community-wide effort, with so many people from 2 year olds in strollers with Measure A signs to grandmothers pitching in to lend a hand.

I hope that it will suffice to say how much I personally have appreciated working with all of you -- it is a rare treat and a genuine blessing to have had the opportunity to work alongside so many passionate, dedicated and giving people. Our children are indeed fortunate to live in a town where they are valued as much as your involvement indicated, and as much as our voters affirmed!

We all have so much to be proud of ... our campaign was one of integrity, truth, passion for our kids, commitment to public education, and a willingness to go the extra mile. We had a true community feeling to our efforts, and the campaign felt very much to me like a family gathering.

Many is the time when I knew that another e-mail announcemnt or phone call from me or the campaign office was going to be met with groans...but I also counted on the fact that the groans would soon be followed with some incredible energy to keep the ball rolling. So many of you created campaign opportunities with original and innovative ideas from mini-rallies across the city to PTA fundraising drives, and we were especially fortunate to have a REALLY strong youth presence to our campaign as well, with over 50 students from BHS involved, and countless elementary and middle school kids.

Again, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! And may each of us take a degree of satisfaction in knowing that we helped to shape a strong future for our kids and our schools for the next 10 years!

Together in Service,
David W. Manson, Jr.
Campaign Coordinator
Berkeley Measure A
Renewing Support for our Public Schools

Friday News:
(latest at the top)

FN06-13-08.pdf
FN06-06-08.pdf
FN05-30-08.pdf
FN05-23-08.pdf
FN05-16-08.pdf
FN05-2-08.pdf
FN04-25-08.pdf
FN04-18-08.pdf
FN04-11-08.pdf
FN03-28-08.pdf
FN03-14-08.pdf
FN03-07-08.pdf
FN02-29-08.pdf
FN02-22-08.pdf
FN2-14-08.pdf
FN2-8-08.pdf
FN2-1-08.pdf
FN1-25-08.pdf
FN1-18-08.pdf
FN1-11-08.pdf
FN12-20-07.pdf
FN12-14-07.pdf
FN11-30-07.pdf
FN11-08-07.pdf
FN11-02-07.pdf
FN10-12-07.pdf
FN10-05-07.pdf
FN09-28-07.pdf
FN09-21-07.pdf
FN09-14-07.pdf
FN09-07-07.pdf

PTA Minutes :
(latest at the top)

Min09-19-07.pdf

In progress:

Posting PTA budget and meeting reports.

Posting reviews of events (with photos).