Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: What’s at stake if Menlo Park’s TIDE Academy shuts down?

Happening soon: Beach Break Film Festival on the Menlo Park Patch calendar

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Saturday December 27th Patch AM
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Good morning to you Menlo Park! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • What’s at stake if Menlo Park’s TIDE Academy shuts down?
  • Which 2025 crime cases in Menlo Park remain unresolved?
  • Can you ace this quirky 2025 Midpeninsula news memory quiz?

Also on today's calendar: Beach Break Film Festival and 8 more events.

Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: How many sheep does it take to make a sweater? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Menlo Park-Athertonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Saturday: Times of clouds and sun, with a high of 53 and low of 39 degrees.
  • Sunday: Mostly sunny, temps: high: 58, low: 39.
  • Monday: Sunny to partly cloudy, with a high of 57 and low of 40 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Education in 2025: New beginnings and administrative tensions (almanacnews.com) — Menlo Park families saw big school changes in 2025, from new district leadership and expanded bike-safety efforts to a pioneering e‑bike policy in local schools. The year also brought grief over a beloved Menlo Park coach’s death, mounting lawsuits in the Sequoia Union High School District, and uncertainty over whether Menlo Park’s TIDE Academy will be closed next year.
   

• Following up on the crimes that made headlines in 2025 (almanacnews.com) — Several major 2025 criminal cases tied to Menlo Park saw key developments, from a prison sentence in a near-shooting at the Menlo Park 7‑Eleven to unresolved bike burglaries and elder fraud arrests. The article also updates residents on a West Menlo Park shop raid, an attempted SLAC break‑in, and Atherton burglary and scam cases still moving through the courts.
   

• How good is your memory? Take the quiz (padailypost.com) — Menlo Park gets a playful shoutout in this tongue‑in‑cheek 2025 local news quiz, which tests how well you remember quirky headlines from around the Midpeninsula. From crosswalk jokes in Menlo Park and neighboring cities to controversies involving local officials, it’s a lighthearted recap of the year’s most memorable moments.
   

📸 Around Menlo Park

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Menlo Park

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events
    Sunday December 28
  • It's Sew Easy: Gift Bags
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    12:00 pm
    • Monday December 29
  • Baby Bounce Storytime With Stay and Play!
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    12:00 pm
  • 3D Printing for Families
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    5:30 pm
    • Tuesday December 30
  • Noon Year’s Storytime Celebration With Curious George
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    11:00 am
  • Open Lab: Drop In Memory Lab
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    1:00 pm
  • Maker Exploration
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    5:30 pm
  • Drop-In Sewing
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    5:30 pm
    • Wednesday December 31
  • Tech Tutors Drop-In Sessions
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    10:30 am
    • Friday January 9
  • Lunch and Learn Series - Eat Healthy and Care for the Earth
    Local Restaurants
    11:30 am

📣 Menlo Park Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

    Saturday December 27
  • Meditation with Sara
    Palo Alto City Library , 1213 Newell Road , Palo Alto
    10:15 am
  • Family Storytime with Stay and Play!
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    10:30 am
  • Portola Art Gallery Presents "Six by Six" -- Small Works by Gallery Artists
    Portola Art Gallery , 75 Arbor Rd # W , Menlo Park
    11:00 am
  • Maker Exploration for Families
    Atherton Library , 2 Dinkelspiel Station Lane , Atherton
    11:00 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Menlo Park PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • All lanes on Northbound CA-1 South of Pomponio Beach in San Mateo County are open.
    3:43PM on Dec 25: Landslide on Northbound CA-1 South of Pomponio Beach in San Mateo County Blocks Northbound Lane. (Nextdoor )
  • Encore posted a job opening for Event Technician, Audio Visual - Menlo Park in Menlo Park. Apply here.
  • PacBio posted a job opening for Associate Director, Sales (West Coast) in Menlo Park. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Menlo Park here.

🗞 Nearby News

East Palo Alto

  • The heroes, villains and biggest stories of 2025 (paloaltoonline.com)
  • UPDATE: Flash flood warning for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties until Thursday morning (sacbee.com)

Stanford

  • Scientists achieve breakthrough on quantum signaling (scientificinquirer.com)
  • Stanford physics paper appearing to be from 49ers star goes viral for wrong reasons (newsnationnow.com)
  • Steve Jobs Used This Method To Think Better — And Neuroscience Validates It (yourtango.com)

San Mateo

Ok Menlo Park! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I have no idea. I didn’t even know sheep could knit.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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