Friends, Food and Fun.

Our 9th Annual Tricky Tray and Auction is only a week away!!! We have 250 guests on our list already and it promises to be a really fun evening. Emcee Derek Romanaux and DJ Jeremy Moss will set the pace and tone of the evening and the prizes this year are AWESOME!

During this week we will give you a sneak preview of the prizes, so you can come ready to bid that night. And remember, we only take cash and checks.

Today, we are going to give you a peek at the fabulous dinner parties that are being auctioned off. These are part of our live auction. Take a look below, check your calendar, and come ready to bid for a seat at one of these wonderful events. Read the opening paragraph for details on how to bid.

DINNER PARTIES
This year, once again, we will be auctioning off seats at sumptuous dinner parties hosted by Clinton parents. Here’s how it works: During the live auction, one of our emcees will announce each dinner party separately, the date it will take place, the number of seats available, and the opening bid per seat. If you’re interested in buying a seat, raise your program with your paddle number showing (it’s on the back of the program). If you are bidding for two seats, hold up two fingers. You can bid on a maximum of two seats per dinner. Example: Chinese dinner, 8 seats, $25 per seat. Maybe 30 people show their paddle number. At that point the emcee will raise the bid per seat to $30. This time only 15 people may show their paddle number. He will keep raising the bid until only 8 people are left. Those 8 people will each win a seat at the dinner. All guests must be at least 21 years old.

Dinner Party #1
A Traditional Korean Dinner on Saturday, April 28th at 6:30pm
Jung Lee Masters and Kathleen Hong invite you to sample some authentic Korean fare such as Bul Kalbi, Bul Go Gi, Taegi Kalbi Gui, Chapch’ae, Man Doo, and so much more! All will be deliciously home-made, including Mama Lee’s famous Kim Chee. Wash it all down with traditional rice wine, Mak Gul Re. 8 guests. Opening Bid: $25 per seat.

Dinner Party #2
A Fabulous Italian Feast on Saturday, April 14th at 6pm
Hosted by Jackie LaFalce Lahey and Scott Lahey, this authentic Old-World dinner will include an antipasto platter, lasagna, meatballs and sausage, and Italian pastries, with wines selected by professional wine expert, Scott, and will feature a menu based on Grandma’s mouthwatering recipes. Salud! 10 guests. Opening bid: $25 per seat

Dinner Party #3
Make Your Own Sushi on Saturday, April 21st at 7pm
Pass out the chopsticks and create some sushi magic at the home of Leah and David Gomberg. Rolling your own sushi is much more fun than heading out to a noisy restaurant and you don’t need a fancy sushi chef. Don’t be intimated–everyone can do it. Just think of sushi as the origami of good food. With just a few items, the Gombergs will show you how to transform your kitchen counter into a fabulous sushi bar and you’ll eat a delicious dinner in the process. 8 guests.
Opening Bid: $25 per seat

Dinner Party #4
The British are Coming, or at Least Hosting this Dinner, on Saturday, March 31st at 7pm
Jane Bleasdale and Ginny Reilly invite you to an evening of Anglo-Irish pub grub. Bangers and mash, toad in the hole, bread and butter pudding, fish and chips and warm beer! Enjoy some English humor mixed with Irish hospitality. 8 guests. Opening Bid: $25 per seat

Dinner Party #5
Oktoberfest, on Saturday, June 9th at 6 pm
Enjoy a true Oktoberfest dinner hosted by the Sailturi and Rios-Leto families. Succulent and slow cooked German short ribs with oatmeal stout macaroni and cheese. Traditional wurst accompanied by sweet Belgium fries. Dessert includes homemade Black Forest cake, which is light and delicious. The best part of the dinner will be the beer tasting with Rob Leto himself, part time microbrewer and fulltime beer consumptionist. A variety of beers will be presented, including a home brew. 8 guests. Opening Bid: $25 per seat

Physical Education teacher Jordyn Freede requests that everyone please wear RED on FRIDAY FEB 3 (Clinton School Pride Day & GO RED for Women).

February is HEART Healthy Month!! Heart Disease is the No.1 Killer of Women.

See links below:

Getting Healthy on Heart.org
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

Last but definitely not least, the performance of the Clinton School Chorus at the Winter Concert can now be seen on the school district website.

Check out the video clip here:
Clinton Elementary School District website

Here’s to the Song Birds. Thank you for a great job!

Don’t miss this wonderful exhibit on Sunday, February 5th. The Community Building Project is the result of a collaboration between five local architects and students in five elementary school in South Orange Maplewood who took their After School Enrichment architecture class. The Clinton architect is Jung Lee Masters, former PTA President. The students’ work is impressive so check it out on Sunday.

Click the flyer for more details.

Take-Home Math: Helping Your Child Succeed in Mathematics

The SOMSD Mathematics Department and The Parenting Center’s LEAP TO SUCCESS Committee present “Take-Home Math” – Helping Your Child Succeed in Mathematics.

Help your child experience the fun and joy of Math while building important skills! Join Math Specialist Katie Costello for a workshop on:

• Curriculum – What are student learning in the classroom?
• Games, activities and strategies for parents and students to use at home.

Grades K-­‐2 ~ Tues., Jan. 31, 2012 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Clinton School
27 Berkshire Road, Maplewood

Grades 3-­‐5 ~ Tues., Feb. 28, 2012 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm
Seth Boyden School
274 Boyden Ave., Maplewood

Flyer with complete details here.

We are pleased to announce that our assistant principal, Ann Bodnar, has won a grant to bring the United Way of Essex County’s Celebrity Reads Program to Clinton School this year. Designed to bring ‘celebrity’ readers into our schools, foster an excitement of reading, and open up what reading can bring into our lives, the program offers special guests the opportunity to visit schools that day to share a little bit about who they are and what they do, read with a class, and answer questions from students.

Guests are invited to join the school administration for breakfast and then visit classes on Friday, February 17. The event begins at 8:30 and finishes by 11 am.

Do you know a ‘celebrity’, a community leader, or other role model who might like to share his or her time, talents, and story with our students? For us, the word ‘celebrity’ means someone who may have accomplished something of note as well as a person who may have made a particular decision or done something that fostered a change for the better, a foot forward for citizens, or chosen to share important ideas, words, or actions in our world.

Please let us know if you might have someone to invite to be part of our Clinton community for the morning, or, better yet, put them directly in touch with Elizabeth Aaron, PTA President, or Jordyn Freede, physical education, teacher and event coordinator.