From the Parent Association President

We have come to know all of the various elements of the school that make Crystal such a special place — the inspiring faculty, administrators and coaches, the innovative programs and the challenging curriculum, the amazing student body, the beautiful facilities and the powerful sense of community.

It is the central mission of the Parent Association to help build community here at Crystal. Our goal is to provide programs and activities that promote communication throughout the community and enable families to feel truly connected to each other and the school. All CSUS parents are automatically members of the CSUS Parent Association, so I encourage you to get involved in whatever way feels right for you and your family. Come to parent get-togethers during a dance, come hear one of our guest speakers, volunteer to help out on a committee, bring your son or daughter to a Mother/Daughter or Father/Son event or freshen up on your spelling and come to Madcap: The Crystal Spelling Bee — Spelling for a Cause.  There are so many fun opportunities and we will be happy to have your participation in any and all activities!  There is a complete listing of all of the Parent Association committees and activities in the back of the CSUS directory (to be distributed to students next week) as well as on the website.

If you are interested in volunteering for a committee, please keep an eye out for sign-up sheets that will be passed around at the back to school luncheons or look to sign up online --(coming soon).

Once again, Welcome.  Welcome.  Welcome.  I look forward to seeing you at the school events!

Thanks!
Special thanks to the Co-Chairs of the New Parent Committee, Lori Solorzano and Laura Westley, for making calls to welcome our new families to the school and planning the wonderful New Parent Breakfast which was held August 23rd.

As we continue our efforts to be "greener" commuters this year, we have two very special volunteers: Nathalie Joseph our Train Liaison and Kathy Barker Hayes our Carpool Coordinator this year.  We appreciate Nathalie's assistance in demystifying the train routine and Kathy's efforts to coordinate carpool families down the Peninsula.  You can reach Nathalie at s.nathalie@comcast.net, 650-269-2446 and Kathy at kathybhayes@gmail.com, (650)364-4072.

There will be many opportunities to share a meal and visit with parents in your grade this year.  Our Back to School luncheons were graciously organized by your VP's for Parent Reps Lauri Kober, Martha Nora, Carmen Ericson, and Christian Smith and Class Level Parent Reps. Thank you for planning such a wonderful set of luncheons!

Although Madcap2012: The Crystal Spelling Bee — Spelling for a Cause, our annual Parent Association Fundraiser, is still many months away, this year's Co-Chairs Gaby Rojas and Khristine Holterman have already put in countless hours over the summer planning for a memorable and successful evening. Be on the lookout for more details of what will surely be a great event!

Upcoming Events:
Parent Class Luncheons:  These annual "welcome back" luncheons for parents in each grade will be held the week of August 29th.  Please come visit with other parents in your grade, meet some faculty working with your students, hear from Amy Richards on the upcoming year and from Parent Association representatives about upcoming activities.

LUNCHEON SCHEDULE (all luncheons begin at 11:30 AM)
6th Grade:  Friday, September 2nd
7th and 8th Grade:  Monday, August 29th
9th Grade: Tuesday, August 30th
10th and 11th Grade:  Wednesday, August 31st
12th Grade:  Thursday, September 1st

Food, Folks and Fun BBQ:
This special event after school on Friday, September 9th is hosted by the 8th grade class.  Come and join the fun!  There will be food, games and prizes.  Proceeds help fund the 8th grade graduation night party.  Everyone is welcome!

Block Party and Curriculum Night:
Kids aren't the only ones who like to see their friends at school!  Parents, please join us for the CSUS Block Party on Thursday, September 15th at 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM, prior to Curriculum Night.  The Parent Association will offer a casual dinner so you won't go to class hungry.  Chat with other parents and then be ready to hear about what your students will learn this year at Curriculum Night, which begins at 7 PM. For questions or to offer help with this event, please contact Catherine Park at (650)561-3827 or email her at catherinepark@mac.com.

Parent Association General Meeting:
Wednesday, September 21st, 8:30-10 AM
Please join us for the first Parent Association meeting of the year.  After a brief business meeting, Head of School Amy Richards will bring us up to date on school news and then our guest speakers from BOORA Architects will give a special presentation featuring plans for the new campus.

Common Ground Speaker Series:
CSUS is a member of the Common Ground Speaker Series Group, a consortium of Peninsula schools that sponsor education talks for parents, faculty and staff.  Series speakers are renowned in their field of education or parenting.  The Parent Association representatives to Common Ground are Jude Thornton-Clark and Linda Griffin.  We are pleased to be hosting one of the events on Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 7 PM. If you are interested in volunteering at the event, please contact Jude at: judetc@comcast.net or Linda at ljgriff1@comcast.net.

Please feel free to contact me directly at Lum5family@yahoo.com or by phone at (650) 558-8615.