Recent News

Celebrating the Arts in our Schools

The grand opening of the second annual Kiddo! gallery show, “Celebrating the Arts in our Schools,” will be held on Tuesday, May 6, from 5-7 p.m. at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley. The show will feature children’s poetry and visual art from the Mill Valley public schools as well as photographs of student-artists by Laura Epstein-Norris. The show runs throughout May and all are welcome to attend the opening. The gallery is also open Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2-6 p.m. and by appointment. For more information go to www.142ThrockmortonTheatre.com or call the theatre at 383-9600.

Children’s artwork will also be on display at the Mill Valley Library May 1-15. The art can be viewed during regular library hours.

Kiddo! Donation Day May 1st

Help Save Library and Classroom Aides!

Currently, the Mill Valley School District faces a difficult financial environment, with significant budget cuts from the state= increasing student enrollment and an economic downturn that limits property tax revenues. As the MVSD’s main fundraising organization, Kiddo! is committed to raising the additional funds necessary to protect the quality educational programs over 2,400 Mill Valley students receive. With your support, we can do it!

This year’s requested annual contribution is $750 per student or more to cover the cost of programs provided. Your 2008 contribution will also save library and classroom aides, as well as preserve the vital arts and technology programs our children deserve. Please give generously.

Drop, Click, Mail Your Kiddo! Donation on May 1

Drop – you’ll find donation drop boxes at each school, making it fast and easy to make your contribution

Click – make your donation online at kiddo.org

Mail – send your donation to Kiddo! at 409 Sycamore Ave. Mill Valley, CA 94941

Giving on May 1st reduces paper, printing,
and postage costs as well as volunteer time –
and provides more funding for the kids!

New - Kiddo! Scholar Circle

Introducing the new Kiddo! Scholar Circle, a special program to recognize and celebrate our most generous donors, $5,000-$50,000+. Please consider joining us as a Founding Member as we increase our fundraising efforts to offset District budget shortfalls. Your 2008 contribution will save library and classroom aides, as well as preserve the vital arts and technology programs our children deserve. Click here for more information about this exciting opportunity.

Welcome to the New Kiddo! Website

Welcome to the new Kiddo! website! Thanks to the generous contribution of time and talent by our friends at Good Dog Design, we are proud to launch this new and improved site. Kiddo.org is now the best place to find out the latest information on Kiddo! news and events, upcoming performances, volunteer opportunities and much, much more. Part blog, part calendar, part video/photo clearinghouse – this is the place to learn what tremendous programs are in store for your children grade-by-grade, to view (and sniff through) our annual video, and to make a donation to help protect the exceptional education our children deserve. So please visit often and let us know what we can do to improve. With your support, we can continue to help Mill Valley’s children reach their full potential.

Kiddo! Student Art Show

Kiddo! is proud to announce the opening of the 2008 Student Art Show at the Mill Valley Community Center. The show, which runs from March 4 through March 29, features various works of fine art from Kindergarten through 8th grade students. The young artists are from each of the Mill Valley School District’s five elementary schools and middle school. Please join us at the Community Center for the opening reception on Tuesday, March 4 from 6 to 7:30pm.

March is Arts Education Month

The California Legislature has designated March 2008 as Arts Education Month, as a way to promote the arts as an essential part of a well-rounded education. The arts help children develop literacy skills such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The arts encourage divergent thinking and problem-solving skills, enabling students to think creatively. Current research shows that arts education can play a critical role in a child’s academic and social development. Well-designed and executed arts education leads to overall improved academic performance, builds skills necessary for workplace success, and has a positive influence on the lives of students. In addition, research shows that access to and participation in the arts helps decrease and prevent negative behavior by at-risk youth.

Thanks to the ongoing support of Mill Valley School District parents and community members, Kiddo! is here to fund the arts in our public schools. By providing excellent programs in art, music, dance, drama and poetry, we are helping each of our children reach their full potential and learn skills necessary for life. Thank you!

Mollie Stone’s Market Recycles for Kiddo!

Mollie Stone’s Market in Sausalito is setting up eScrip collection bins for recycling cell phones, printer cartridges, iPods and laptops in their store. Mollie Stone’s will return the waste to eScrip and all funds generated will benefit Kiddo! Cell phones and printer cartridges can also be recycled at the Park School campus in Mill Valley. Thank you!

Enchanted

Join us on Saturday, November 10 2007 at 3:30 PM
for a special showing of:

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Mill Valley students to enter robots in international contest

There are moments when the stars are aligned and the moon is in its house - and it all flat-out works for the first time. At Mill Valley Middle School such a moment erupted Friday and was greeted thusly by 12-year-old Nicholas Sullivan-Friedman: “Oh my God, we did it!” What Nicholas and his teammates had done after six months of trial and error was simply this: make RoboNova-1, a class-constructed two foot-long robot - inert and on its back for so long, energized by hope and little else - sit up, spring to its feet