February may be a short month but we still have interesting programs and activities planned at Hickory. To start off the month, don't forget to take a break from cooking and join us at the California Pizza Kitchen on February 1 and 2. You can take your friends to lunch and your family to dinner!

Nancy Munekata and Jeanette Kiok have been working very hard to plan Multicultural Week for the week of February 6th. Some of the activities planned are dance performances, multi-cultural costume parade, and snacks from around the world. We want to celebrate our diverse student body while teaching our students about different cultures. Thank you, Nancy and Jeanette.

We also kicked off a Nutrition Program at Hickory. Much like the Adventures in Art, our wonderful parent volunteers have gone to Torrance Memorial Hospital for a workshop to learn about nutrition and have already started teaching our children in classes. My son, Mike, loved the yogurt, peach, granola concoction that was served as a part of this program. He's asked me to go buy them so that he can make them at home. Thank you, Debbie Oviedo, our new wonderful Cafeteria Supervisor, for heading this program.

For 4th graders, their core curriculum on California history comes alive when they experience Walk Thru California. It is an interactive assembly where they "walk through" the history of California through role-playing, singing, and just having a blast! Thanks to your generous donation to the PTA, we are able to bring this amazing program to our students.

I also want to thank Roxanne Arroues and Paige Hamilton for running such a successful Toy Donation Program. I hope this gave an opportunity for our children to think about those that are less fortunate. Because our donation brought in such a huge amount, Ms. Marcia Benitez from L.A. County Dept. of Public Social Services (to whose program we donated the toys), came to Hickory and presented us with a plaque to thank us. Great job, everyone!

And did you have a chance to stop by our scarf & fashion accessories fundraising sale held on Friday, January 27th? Wow!!! What a success that was. We raised over $5,400 from this fundraiser. A huge thanks to Junko Okuda, of Tokumitsu USA, Inc. who donated nearly 4,000 scarves, hats, and gloves to us. Another huge thanks to Sharyl Yamada-Oda for organizing this successful fundraiser.

Please note that we have had some date changes. Our Annual Election Meeting on Thursday, March 29th, 2012. The Talent Show will be on Wednesday, April 4th. Finally, the PTA will host another Spring Family Night on Friday, May 18th. This year, however, we will not be having a Fair as we did last two years. We are anticipating starting our construction any day and had to limit the use of our school grounds. Instead, we have planned a Family Magic Show from 7pm-8:30pm. We will also have In-N-Out trucks, Mexican Riviera, and other vendors for you to enjoy before the show. So plan a family night of Dinner and a Show on May 18th! More information will come later.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sincerely,

Grace Gee
Hickory PTA, President
Grace's email