Attention Room Parents!
The first Room Parent meeting has been rescheduled for Monday October 20, 2008 from 8:00-9:15am, in the parent’s center. There will be coffee.  And doughnuts.

The Giving Tree
The leaves may be falling outside, but there’s one tree on our campus that’s still full of colorful leaves this fall.  It’s just inside the door of the school office, and it’s called the Giving Tree.  Each of the leaves on this tree represents an item that our teachers need to enhance your child’s learning experience in the classroom. Our job is to make sure that this tree is as bare as the ones outside! Here’s how it works.  There are all different types of classroom supplies on our tree, requested by all of our teachers.  There are big items, and there are small items.  All you need to do is to choose a leaf, pluck it from the tree, and purchase or bring in the item on the leaf. Take your item, along with the leaf, into the office and it will be delivered to the teacher who needs it.  Now, did you know that just about every teacher here at Webster has an entire list of items that they need for their classrooms? We will be posting wish lists from our teachers here on the website, so please check back often.  And if you’re wondering why your teacher hasn’t posted a list, why not ask for one?  Chances are, your teacher will be happy you asked!

Miss McLaughlin’s Wish List:
Kleenex
Paper Towels
Purell Hand Sanitizer
Band-Aids
Crayola Markers (broad, pack of 10, classic colors) (20 needed)
Post-it notes (3x3 or 2x2)
Copy Paper, white
High-Capacity 3-hole paper punch
HP 74 Black Inkjet Cartridges
HP 15 Black Inkjet Cartridges
HP 75 Tricolor Inkjet Cartridges
World Globe
Electric Pencil Sharpener (2 needed)

Miss Chapman’s Wish List:
electric pencil sharpener
colored xerox paper
coat rack
hand sanitizer
black and colored ink for Brother printer LC-51 series
10 clear plastic containers appox 10 x 12
kickball
prizes for "Good behavior"

October 22nd Staff Development Day-No School
October 29th Garden Open House
October 31st  Money Machine Fundraiser due
November 5th & 7th School Picture Day
November 11th Veterans Day-No School
November 11th-13th Fundraiser-The Kitchen
November 19th  PTA Meeting-Childcare provided

Get on the Bus!
It’s hard to believe that October is already here!  Before you know it, you’ll be ushering your Batmans and ballerinas around the neighborhood then Thanksgiving will be on the way.  We have a lot of exciting things happening here at Webster this fall, and we want to keep you informed and involved.  The best way to do this is by joining the PTA!  Did you know that our PTA is part of the largest national child advocacy organization in the nation?  Our job here at Webster is to support our teachers so that they can do their jobs effectively.  Among the many things we do is organize room parents to help in the classrooms, work to beautify our campus, and raise money for field trips, classroom supplies and school improvements like our soon-to-arrive shade structures. By increasing our membership in the national PTA, we show everyone from our local community here in Pasadena to the folks in the national PTA headquarters that Webster is a school with parents who are excited and involved in their kids’ education.  Now, you may have noticed that line of buses outside of the School office.  Every teacher and child whose parents have joined the PTA will have their names listed on their class “bus.”  So get on the bus! Take a minute to fill out that PTA envelope and return it to your child’s teacher.  Because when you join the PTA, you are putting your money into the most worthy cause of all…your children!

Want to Party with the Stars?
We’re not talking about Hannah Montana…we’re talking Andromeda, Orion, Pegasus and Aquila. That’s right, the real stars! In conjunction with the world renowned Carnegie Observatories, Webster School will be hosting an evening “star party” in early November.  Bring your family, your friends, your neighbors for a fun evening of stargazing. More details to come!

Upcoming “Fun-draisers”
Here at Webster, we really do put the “fun” in fundraiser!  Case in point:  we’ve got five fantastically fun ways to raise money for our school this fall, and we can’t wait to get started!
• During the month of October, we are kicking off our Signature Catalog Fundraiser.  Your child will bring home a catalog after October 17th, and all you have to do is subscribe to or renew your favorite magazines, pick up some great gifts and some pretty paper to wrap them in well before the holiday rush.  Get all of your friends and family involved because the kids who bring in the most orders will receive prizes and have the opportunity to attend a magic show.  The highest sellers will get the chance to try their hand at the money machine! Orders are due October 31st.
• Are you wondering how you’re going to fit holiday portraits into your busy schedule?  Not to worry! Webster will be hosting a portrait fundraiser right here at school in early November.  So dress up the kids in their holiday finery, gather the whole family, and even include your pets!  You can order all your cards, and don’t forget…pictures make great gifts for grandparents!
•  And speaking of Holiday shopping…Your sister wants a manicure.  Your best friend wants to send her daughter to ballet classes.  You want to surprise your husband with a trip to the Rose Parade.  Well, look no further than the big Webster Silent Auction December 15th-19th.  We will have tons of fantastic items on the table, including the opportunity to throw a pie in the principal’s face!   You won’t want to miss out!  We are also currently looking for donations, so if you are a buiness owner, or if you own a vacation home or have any other cool connections, please contact Emilline Nice at emillinenice@yahoo.com
• One of our favorite holiday traditions here at Webster are Gobble Grams. These little treats are the perfect way to say “you’re awesome!” to your child…and your kids love sending them to their friends and teachers.  We’ll be selling Gobble Grams for $1.00 each during the week before Thanksgiving.
• When your kids start asking if they can go to the School of Rock, just tell them that their school already Rocks!  That’s right, Webster school is kicking off winter break by hosting a rock concert and music festival right on our own playground.  So mark your calendars for Saturday, December 20th and tell all your coolest friends to come on down to Pasadena to see two great indy bands and some seriously talented kid rockers; while chowing down on some fantastic food prepared by local restaurants owned by Webster families!  The event is co-sponsored by the Burbank Music Academy.

We Dig our Garden!
How many of you have walked by the corner of Washington and Pepper and wondered, “what’s up with the garden?” Well, you can find out on October 29th right after school, when, as part of California School Garden Week, we will be hosting a Garden Open House. Bring a packet of seeds, a plant, a bulb or a gardening tool to leave in the garden and come get your hands dirty!

Your Vote Counts!
Did you know that Webster school is 85 years old? Like many historic buildings here in Pasadena, our school is big on charm, but in need of repairs. Measure TT will provide a appx $3.9 million for safety upgrades and modernization to our school. Need more info? Visit www.yesontt.org

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie…don’t you just get into the mood for some good Italian food?  Well, lucky for you we are having a fundraiser at The Kitchen in Old Town Pasadena from November 11th-13th so be sure to stop on by for your favorite pizza pie!

Hooray for Room Parents!
Great news!  We now have room parents for almost all of the Pre-K-6th grade classes.  Thank you to all who have signed up to help out in your child’s class.  We’ll be having a meeting on Friday, October 17th at 8:00-9:00am to put our plan ways to support our teachers.  If you would like to help the middle school teachers or need more room parent related info, please contact Maggie Brandow at maggiebrandow@yahoo.com.

Bring in those Box Tops…
This month, Box tops for Education is offering to DOUBLE your box top haul!  That’s right, for every 30 box top turned in, they’ll donate 30 more to Webster, meaning your child will receive credit for 60 box tops.  All you have to do is stick the box tops to the grid provided by your child’s teacher.  You can fill up two sheets-which adds up to a total of 120 box tops!  Turn your sheets and any other box tops you’ve collected in by October 24th.  Questions? Contact Carrie Dillard at astropad@aol.com

For:                         Players and their parents

When:                    Tuesday, October 28^th

Time:                       6:30 pm - ?

Where:                   Heather Hill Baptist Church Youth Hall                  

                              1421 N. German Church Rd, Indianapolis             

                               (on German Church Rd between 10^th and 21^st St.)

What to bring:      Every family bring a 2-liter drink.

                                Senior families will provide main Italian dishes.

                      We need salads, breads, fruit, fresh vegetables,                             and desserts.    

Please RSVP by either calling Pam Glaze at 326-2890 or responding to this email by Oct. 24 if you are coming and what food item you will bring.

Any questions:  Call Pam at 326-2890 or Marla at 590-5275.

Frei nach "a softer world":

"Fuck politics, I just want to burn shit down!"

Portrait Photography is really difficult, of course especially for me. This needs another talent which I have none. But I do love watching this kind of photography. That is absolutely different from what I have always done, but who knows,

A force de voir beaucoup de photos, j'arriverai peut-être un jour faire des portraits, mais en gardant mon style. : ) Qui sait !

Lunch Trays.

Lunch Trays? 

Yea.

Think about it…

…OK

You can fit a lot of food on lunch trays. 

Too much food actually… I was sitting in the dining hall today (alone because I’m stranded at school during a long weekend and everyone went home) and I started to notice all the extra food which students didn’t eat.  Trays were over flowing with plates stuffed with tater-tots, runny eggs, bagels engorged with cream cheese, sausages, waffles, you name it.  Half of it wasn’t even touched.  Where did it end up?  The trash.

That’s a lot of waste.  That’s a lot of food which could have been saved.

Seriously though… lunch trays should be eliminated. 

This would force kids to take a plate, fill it up with food, and eat it.  It would be impossible for them to get more than they could actually eat.  Heck, maybe some people would even lose a little weight. 

The dining hall would also manage to save money too.  Fewer trays would mean fewer dishes; less trash, labor, and they would even save on producing less food.

It’s a win/win situation. 

I figured it out.   

AAA was called.  AAA towed. 

My car is out of commission until at least midweek. 

Crap. 

How the hell am I gonna get to G-Ster tomorrow?

My presentation:
[slideshare id=650748&doc=ceee2008pata-1223716826598038-8&w=425]

El control del dolor es actualmente uno de los retos de la medicina moderna. Muchas de las personas que padecen dolor derivado de enfermedades cardiacas, diabetes o cáncer, entre otras, no alivian de manera efectiva este dolor con la ingesta de antiálgicos que normalmente se emplean o, si lo consiguen, han de sufrir algún tipo de efectos secundarios. El descubrimiento de una nueva diana terapéutica podría suponer un nuevo avance en el control y abordaje del dolor, según ha puesto de manifiesto un equipo formado por investigadores de la Universidad de Carolina del Norte (UCN), de la de Escuela de Medicina Chapel Hill, ambas en Estados Unidos, y de la Universidad de Helsinki, en Finlandia, y que parece ser ocho veces más efectivo para eliminar el dolor que la morfina, indican en un estudio que se publica en el último número de Neuron.

Marcadores específicos
En concreto, se trata de una proteína celular cuyo papel y actividad se ha identificado, que interfiere en las neuronas que intervienen en la transmisión de estímulos dolorosos de células nerviosas y cuya supresión puede aliviar el dolor.

Según Mark Zylka, de la UCN y Pirkko Vihko, de Helsinki, el desciframiento de las bases fisiológicas del dolor es complejo, por lo que diversos estudios previos han utilizado marcadores basados en proteínas para concretar qué señales sensoriales intervienen en su control.

En el trabajo, la diana ha sido la ácido fosfatasa resistente a fluorida (FRAP), que ha sido estudiada desde hace tiempo pero de la que nunca se ha identificado el gen que codificaba. "Se ha demostrado que FRAP es idéntica a la fosfatasa prostática ácida (PAP), proteína rutinaria en el diagnóstico del cáncer de próstata y que parece ser una potente diana para el control del dolor", han manifestado.

En el mismo evento, 9 Signos Grupo Editorial presentará la segunda edición póstuma del libro de cuentos “Catálogo de claroscuros”, de Rafael De León-Jones (1969-2001). Se trata de un libro de 23 textos escritos con gran maestría y profundidad, que nos sacuden por su fuerte confrontación vital con los avatares del absurdo. La primera edición la publuicó en 2000 la Fundación Cultural Signos. El expositor en esta presentación será el escritor Enrique Jaramillo Levi.

Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá y 9 Signos Grupo Editorial invitan a la presentación del poemario Animal, sombra mía –Premio Centroamericano de Literatura “Rogelio Sinán” 2007-2008—, del poeta Porfirio Salazar (1970), coeditado por 9 Signos Grupo Editorial y la U.T.P. El evento se realizará en el Salón 306 del Edificio de Postgrado en el campus “Víctor Levi Sasso” de la UTP, el jueves 30 de octubre, a las 7:00 p.m. El expositor será el poeta Salvador Medina Barahona.

Porfirio Salazar es abogado y juez. Además del Premio Centroamericano de Literatura “Rogelio Sinán” 2007-2008, ha ganado en dos ocasiones el Concurso Nacional de Literatura “Ricardo Miró”. También ha merecido tres veces el Premio “León A. Soto” (Municipio de Panamá), además del Premio “Demetrio Herrera Sevillano” (Universidad de Panamá), el Premio Signos de Poesía “Stella Sierra” (Fundación Cultural Signos) y en dos ocasiones el Premio de Poesía Joven “Gustavo Batista Cedeño” (INAC). Ha publicado los siguientes poemarios: “Los poemas del arquero” (1991), “Selva” (1995), “Guitarra de fe” (1998), “Canto a las espumas del reino” (1999), “No reinarán las ruinas para siempre” (1999), “Ritos por la paz y otros rencores” (2001), “La cítara del sol” (2002; 2008).