Excerpts from The Hall Weekly Bulletin - September 24, 2007 : Volume 13:05
Calendar		Principal's Message
This Week Tuesday, September 25 • 6-7pm | Musical Cast Parent Meeting Wednesday, September 26 • 6pm | School Board Meeting Thursday, September 27 • 3:30-5pm | School Site Council Meeting Friday, September 28 • Summer Reading Ice Cream Rewards Upcoming Friday, October 5 • 5th Grade Wrapping Paper Sale Ends Saturday, October 6 • 3-7pm | Neil Cummins Hoedown Friday, October 12 • Chalk Festival | Hall Blacktop		Running Back The other day I went for a run.  Given my recent exercise pattern, this was a noteworthy event in its own right, but it is not the run that I think is worth writing about.  It was definitely not worth bragging about – not at my pace and distance. The remarkable thing about the run was the memories it evoked.  There must be something about the smell of eucalyptus on a September early evening.  I felt a rush of olfactory-inspired nostalgia that I had not experienced for quite a while.  For as much attention that our society gives to sights and sounds, I have always found that smells elicit the strongest emotional responses. My present moment and distant memory met where summer begins to recede.  I was drawn back to the end of summer when the evenings that seemed to last forever were beginning to shorten and the faint smell of fall was on the horizon.  I was in seventh grade and on the swim team at a pool several miles from our house.  My younger brother would always walk with me to and from practice.  He didn’t swim on the team, but he went with me and sat and watched practice every day.  Then we walked back home again, together.  Every evening, as the light changed to a deeper orange and illuminated the sides of the trees and buildings, we walked home through the local golf course.  The smell of cut grass, mixed with eucalyptus, filled the evening air.  Nothing dramatic ever happened, like one would expect in the movies.  We didn’t find a dead body or discover buried treasure.  This story isn’t about some dramatic event that happened to me.  It’s about the quiet peace of a walk in the early evening, and the way I felt.  At the time I never thought I would look back at those days and feel nostalgic about walking home after practice.  It’s not like the time was notable or dramatic.  I just walked home, feeling a little tired, a little waterlogged and very content. As I reflected upon this memory and the feelings that came with it, I was reminded that some of our most powerful moments come from the simple moments in life – the quiet space in between life’s events.  I did nothing more than walk home from swim practice with my brother.  The memory still has a warm, soft glow around it twenty-nine years later. I share this story because I want to remind everyone that the experiences and feelings of the children at Hall will someday be the memories that cause them, as forty year-old men and women to catch their breath when the vividness and power of a long-gone moment in time rushes up to meet them.  We spend so much of our time filling their days and their evenings with life’s events – I hope our children also have the time and the space to feel the moments in between the events.  With all of the perpetual motion they experience, I hope that they can find time in their lives to walk on a late afternoon with their brother and smell the eucalyptus. - Daniel Norbutas - Hall Principal
		School News
		Odyssey of the Mind Coaches Needed Another competition season is upon us for Odyssey of the Mind!  This international program provides an opportunity for students to work together in creative problem solving situations and present their ideas at various levels of competition. These competitions include teams from around the world.  Larkspur Schools have always made an impressive showing at these competitions.  We would like to continue this tradition!  We are in need of parent volunteers to coach grade level teams.  If you are interested in being a part of this exciting process, please contact Alexis Ahle at 927-6978 ext. 2215 or aahle@marin.k12.ca.us. Wanted:   High School Musical Technical Director We are actively seeking a parent to serve as Technical Director for our fall 2007 production of High School Musical.  We have got a great production team, a wonderful script, and a talented cast, but we still need a Technical Director to oversee the lighting and sound elements for this show.  If you have technical experience/knowledge of theatrical lighting and sound, WE NEED YOU.  Interested?  Please contact Linda Sudduth at ldsudduth@sbcglobal.net  or 730-0458. High School Musical Parent Meeting September 25 Calling all Cast Parents!  The Parent Meeting for our Musical Theater production of "High School Musical" will be held Tuesday, September 25, at 6pm in the Hall Library.  All cast parents need to attend this informational meeting.  We'll keep it brief, but we need to see you there tomorrow evening.  Please think about what area you’d like to volunteer with to help us bring this musical to Hall.  Parents are welcome to sign up in multiple areas if they are so inclined!  We appreciate the help!  Areas include Video Sales, Stage Director, Costume Coordinator, Set Designer/Builder, Props person, Refreshment Sales, Advertising, Ticket Sales, Cast Party Coordinator, and Rehearsal & Performance Assistants.  Let's work together to support our talented kids! Private High Schools There are many upcoming events for private high schools in the bay area.  Please check 8th grade backpack mail for a list of upcoming events or contact Nancy Waters, Hall school counselor for more information.    - Nancy Waters - nwaters@marin.k12.ca.us