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Rockridge resident Jennifer Vetter reads her first children’s book, a modern telling of a venerable rhyming song at Diesel Books, May 5, 7 p.m. The Rockridge N e w s will have a review n e x t month. from page 1 remont Middle School. Of the funds, $2 million comes from the ...

By Jennifer Vetter

MM: Well, everyone’s trying. It’s hard. I’d by Jennifer Vetter Jennifer Vetter: My in-laws live in Sacra- mento and they enjoy going to your concerts there. How do you manage to conduct symphonies in Oakland and in Sacramento during the same season? Do you spend a lot of time on the road? Michael Morg...

By Jennifer Vetter

by Jennifer Vetter, Claremont parent With Claremont’s increased enrollment, the pressure is on to make the 7th annual auction bigger and better than before. Traditionally taking place the Saturday before Halloween at Uptown Body & Fender (401 26th Street), t...

By Jennifer Vetter

by Jennifer Vetter, Claremont parent The secret is out: Exciting things are happening at Claremont Middle School under the leadership of twin principals Reginald and Ronald Richardson. The resulting big bump in enrollment – from a projected 335 to 487 – is c...

By Jennifer Vetter

or contact Claremont 8th-grade parent Michelle Bilensky at mdb.pta.oakland@ gmail.com for more information. by Jennifer Vetter, Claremont Parent Claremont Middle School is now in its 100th year, something to celebrate! All are invited to come to the party: alumni, members of the community (past, present, and future), Knight athletes, members of the Claremont Band ...

By Jennifer Vetter

by Jennifer Vetter, Chabot Elementary School parent For the first time ever, Chabot Elemen- tary School’s annual Fall Carnival on the Sunday before Halloween nearly got rained out. But co-chairs Suzanne Skip- per and Hope Broderick refused to blink, snatchin...

By Jennifer Vetter

by Jennifer Vetter, Chair, Friends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) Gay Ducey, longtime children’s librar- ian at Rockridge, likes to say: “The children of Oakland deserve nothing but the very best.” She begins and ends her twice-yearly story-reading course w...

By Jennifer Vetter

Gala Anniversary Celebration Planned for Fall The Making of the Rockridge Library by Jennifer Vetter, Friends of the Rockridge Library T Fourth Bore Project Update Has Caltrans adequately planned to minimize Caldecott construction that will affect his September, the Rockridge Library, one of the most popular in the Oakland system, will ma...

By Jennifer Vetter

Volunteer gardeners needed for Rockridge Library pruning and landscaping project by Jennifer Vetter, Chair, Friends of the Rockridge Library With the aid of a generous donation from the Rockridge Women’s Club, the Friends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) recently re-landscaped the north, south and east sides of the library. Working closel...

By Jennifer Vetter

by Jennifer Vetter, Chair Friends of the Rockridge Library he Friends of the Rockridge Library would like to thank Jane Brunner, Ignacio De La Fuente, Jean Quan and the rest of Oakland’s city council for restoring the adult reference-librarian position to th...

... 2006, at 7 p.m, concurrent with the RCPC annual elec- tion (see page 1). Five 2-year seats on the FORL board will be filled in this election. Current candidates include: Karen Carlson; Kristine Carraway; Jenny Scholten; Penelope Wong; and Jennifer Vetter. Others who may be interested in running should contact Jennifer Vetter, FORL Chair, no later than April 15, at jrvetter@comcast.net or 595-1817. Balloting will be among all interested Rockridge residents who are eligible to vote in the RC...

Special thanks to John Gussman, and to Jennifer Vetter and Bernie Baltaxe whose 10th Anniversary articles were freely sampled for this article.

Local residents were recently informed of the proposed route in a letter from Paul Vetter and supporters. Photo: Jennifer Vetter

...w A Bill Becomes A Law: A Legislative Coloring Book. AMR, the ambulance guys, gave tours of their ambulance and handed out toothbrushes, and the ambulance crew and officers from the Oakland Police Department gave out Halloween Safety tips. Jennifer Vetter, formerly of the Friends of the Rockridge Library board, was an amazing storyteller, fascinating the kids with her stories and activities. This was her first year reading at the parade, but we hope it won’t be her last. Jennifer is also a ...

By John Gussman

For more information phone FORL Chairwoman Jennifer Vetter at 510/595-1817, or e-mail her at jrvetter@comcast.net.

By Patrick Daughton

... 48th St. New Condos No statements, photos, or speeches are required in order to stand for election to the FORL board. Everyone who loves libraries is welcome, including quiet bookworms. To place your name on the ballot, contact FORL Chair Jennifer Vetter by April 10, at jrvetter@comcast.net or 595-1817. in Temescal 12 Brand New Condos in Temescal 1 bed/1 bath from $389K 2 bed/ 1 bath from $475K I plan to remain active in the committee and will remain a member of the board with a special fo...

By Karen Hester

improving the library’s climate control and ventilation system. Persons with relevant technical expertise, who would be willing to help in this process, are urged to contact the FORL Chair, Jennifer Vetter, at jrvetter@ comcast.net. Cohousing communities combine the advantages of private homes with the ben- efits of more sustainable living, including shared common facilities and ongoing con- nections with neighbors. These intentional neighbo...

...ure parade success are Jennifer Kaplan from Rockridge Home; Nishan Shepard and Christian Ericksen from Rockridge Kids; RDA’s Mary D’Orazi; Dreyers; College Avenue Presbyterian Church; Halloween Parade Committee members Jason McBriarity and Jennifer Vetter; and Parents may take their kids at 10 a.m. and 12 noon each Saturday through December 24 for films including “Sponge Bob Square Pants” on December 3; “Shrek 2,” December 10; The Grinch who Stole Xmas,” December 17; and “Miracle on 34th St...

...e more board member, and would welcome anyone who cares about the library and can attend four evening meetings a year. Those interested in joining the FORL Board and/or making a contribution earmarked for something specific, please contact Jennifer Vetter, Chairperson, at jrvetter@comcast.net or 595-1817. PERALTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 5 Week minimum 460 63rd ST. (Telegraph & Alcatraz) M/W 5:30pm T/TH/F 6:15 SAT 9:00am AJ Benham 510-654-7078  '3&& %3:$-&"/*/( XJUI HBSNFOU PSEFST PWFS   ...

... conferences and with colleagues. JV: What was the process like? Were there big arguments? CR: I can’t tell you which books we Rhode Island, Minnesota, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Kansas. In this interview, she described her experience. Jennifer Vetter: How did you get to be on the Morris committee? Carla Riemer: I applied. There’s a

... ago, when I went to my first ALA Annual, I sat in on a panel of debut authors discussing their books: how cool is that! The idea of giving someone a boost at this point in their career, when CMS Librarian Helps in Morris Awards Judging by Jennifer Vetter Claremont students and library volunteers wondered why Ms. Riemer went to Chicago at the end of January in the middle of back-to-back blizzards. Finishing off a year of work, she was taking part in the final deliberations and awards ceremo...

By Theresa Nelson

ing out birthday presents and new-baby gifts... It’s a real loss to the neighbor- hood.” — Jennifer Vetter, Rockridge parent operated stores close, the loss is much more than simply a store – it’s a loss of part of the fabric of the community, part of what makes College Avenue a special place, rather than a series of chain stores and strip mall...

...uple of people going on leave, creating a domino effect. City budget cuts are also causing a lot of furlough days at the library, which many patrons only discover by accident when they go on a day that the library would normally be open. — Jennifer Vetter, ardent library supporter ■ ■Rockridge Ninjas Anime Club: Watch and talk about anime (Japanese animation). Second Tues. each month 5 to 6:30pm. ■ ■Fri, 2/17, 7pm. Ramona Ausubel: No One Is Here Except All Of Us. ■ ■Make your own duct tape ...

Off We Go!: A Book Review “Down by the Station,” by Rockridge resident Jennifer Vetter

...os- sible by a grant from Measure B, Alameda County’s half-cent transportation sales tax, administered by Alameda County Trans- portation Improvement Authority (ACTIA), and by support from Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefits Program. by Jennifer Vetter October was International Walk to School Month, and the Chabot School com- munity went all out to celebrate the event on October 8. Many families left their cars at home, travelling to school on foot or on bicycles, skateboards, scooters a...

Chabot parents and community members Pre-design phase community meetings set for March 5 and 22 discuss the school building process with project architects at a pre-planning community by Jennifer Vetter In June 2006, Oakland voters overwhelm- ingly approved Measure B, a $435 million bond issue for school facility improvements. $13.5 million has been slated for Chabot Elementary School, to replace the 18 portable classrooms there – some of...

...ill show preliminary con- cepts for the design and placement of the new wing. Thursday, 3/22, 7pm: Discussion of the preferred master site plan. Both meetings are in the Chabot School auditorium, 6686 Chabot Road. For more information call Jennifer Vetter at 595-1817. ó ó Small Office Specialists Small Office Specialists For a kitchen,

By Karen Hester

... this article, depends on donations from members and the public. Donations are tax-deductible. If you would like to donate to FORL — and especially if you enjoyed the September event — please use the form on the previ- ous page, or contact Jennifer Vetter at the above e-mail address. Green building practices will be empha- sized, and the design and size of the units and the common house will be determined by the group in workshops with the archi- tects; individual units are likely to range ...

Measure N for Libraries on Ballot ROCKRIDGE BRANCH LIBRARY 5366 College Avenue 597-5017 HOURS: Mon,Tues: Weds,Thurs, Sat: Friday: Sunday: Library program details: See Calendar, page 15. by Jennifer Vetter, Chair; Friends of the Rockridge Library WHAT IS MEASURE N? In a nutshell, Measure N proposes a $148 million construction bond that will pay for upgrades at all the branch libraries, expansion of six branches, building two new branch libra...

...and they have taken us with them. with renowned storyteller and children’s librarian Gay Ducey. Oakland Library Direc- tor Carmen Martinez and Deputy Director Gerry Garzon represented the City. Friends Of the Rockridge Library (FORL) chair Jennifer Vetter began the evening by assuring the audience that they were not going to be asked for money, which elicited a laugh from the audience. She went on to explain that FORL’s board had decided the best way to celebrate the library’s 10th annivers...

...am “One City, One Book” would appeal to a wide audience interested in both diversity and the world of magic realism and fantasy. The books were distributed liberally to every branch library and inspired many celebrations of Indian life. by Jennifer Vetter, Chair, FORL Friends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) meets four times a year at the library, and this is an especially interesting time to get involved: We are planning several events, including an author panel, for September, 2006 to cele...

...me cooking, she explained, is quite different from the res- taurant version most Americans know; it’s much lighter and contains far less oil. There are five open spots on the FORL Board. To place your name on the ballot, contact FORL Chair Jennifer Vetter at jrvet- ter@comcast.net or 595-1817. No statements, photos or speeches required. Shy and retiring

By Carol Bieri

from Oakland Technical High School. FORL also augments the library’s book, magazine and CD collections, and generally helps out in any way we can. by Carol Bieri, Abby Pollak, and Jennifer Vetter A Library (FORL) and the library staff would like to thank the community for its continu- ing support over the years and to welcome everyone’s participation in the celebration being planned for 2006. s we near the 10th anniversary of the R...

City Council Restores Rockridge Library Position Meet Putthy Yem, Rockridge Library’s New Summer Intern The summer intern position is funded by Friends of the Rockridge Library (FORL) by Rockridge Branch Library Staff Sby Jennifer Vetter, Chair Friends of the Rockridge Library The’s 17, has just finished her junior year at Oakland Tech, and is the fourth of six children born to Cambodian parents who emigrated to California in the mid-1980s. Bilingual in Khmer and English, ...

...ees activist, met with a group of 25 volunteers at  THREAT TO TREES, PAGE 10 NCPC Elections, Truancy Are Top Town Hall Meeting Topics Elected to two-year terms to the Rock- ridge Library Board: Marilyn Citron, David Hatfield, Kevin Flynn, Jennifer Vetter, John Gussman, Jim Good, Abby Pollack, Ashley Hawn, Penelope Wong, Nancy Miller, and Kristine Carraway. by Susan Montauk Hnew NCPC officers for the positions of

By Gay Ducey

...en’s Librarian Transportation picture books work hard. They circulate very briskly, take a lot of punishment, and give a lot of pleasure. While anything with a wheel or rudder will move well, we are always looking for more really good ones Jennifer Riggs Vetter, Rockridge author, can help us with that, because her new book, “Down by the Station,” is as good as it gets. Using the well-known song of the title, Jennifer has made the trip much more exciting by adding big, snazzy conveyances to ...

...uss and fiddle in support of his first novel, Scroll and Curl. Thurs., 4/30, 7pm. ■ ■ John Wray: Lowboy. Sun., 5/3, 3pm. ■ ■ Poetry Flash, featuring Carol Moldaw, Julia B. Levine and Ruth L. Schwartz. Wed., 5/5, 7pm. Rockridge resident ■ ■ Jennifer Riggs Vetter: debut picturebook, Down By the Station. DIESEL, A Bookstore, 5433 College Ave. Info: other events, book groups and Spanish discussion group El Grupito: 653-9965 or www.dieselbookstore.com. Hillcrest School Carnival

By Theresa Nelson

Christine Shields Kenji Spencer Damir Sudar Glen Tripp & Lauren Dutton The Vetters Weiss-Swiedler Family Marcia Whitebook and Carl Price Geof and Hilary Wills Doug Winger and Amy Ariel Betts Winger FROG Park Phase Two Donors (Note: where donors wished their gifts acknowledged in honor of another person, only the honoree is liste...