BLACK AND WHITE AND READ ALL OVER — Celebrating its 30th year of helping keep Orinda's public schools outstanding is the Educational Foundation of Orinda, which in that time has raised more than $17 million to aid local school kids living in a state ranking a low 47th out of 50 in educational funding. That's three from the bottom, nationally "... in golden California?

So despite our uncertain economy, the educational foundation is launching its fall campaign with a goal of a half-million dollars, which combined with site-specific donations from concerned parents can keep Orinda's K-though-12 schools, including Miramonte High, flying.

A total of 250 people celebrated past, success and future determination with a "Pearls of Wisdom" party, gathering around the Orinda Country Club's pool on a warm, starry night. The party had a black-and-white theme, for whence wisdom begin to enter our collective heads "... in our schools, of course.

So all attending were cautioned to appear in black and white, the "colors" of reading. That's easy for men in white shorts and black shirts or vice-versa, but requiring for women, some intuition — such as fashionista Sheena Lafhotia's slightly off-shoulder, broad-bowed number she picked up in Portugal, as well as Debra Trevarchen's dramatic black-on-white eyelet.

Event chair Catherine Soso, mother of two boys in Orinda schools, was garbed in a Kenneth Cole maxidress of

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black print on white. She also made table center runners of every yard of black and white fabric she could find in the stores. Fat white candles glowed through their black-laced rounds; bouquets of white balloons, tied in black ribbon, swayed in the breeze while the upbeat hard-rock band and "Pearlinis," a drink concocted with Sky citrus vodka and lemonade, splashed with black currant liqueur, made buying raffle tickets easy. (These came with an investment of $20 in individual faux pearl bracelets).

Starting with "Oyster Hour," the crowd happily slurped — that's the German "schlurfend" term meaning "to suck in," the only way to eat shucked oysters — six bushels of fresh Hog Island oysters, washed down with the island's signature mignonette sauce (white flesh and blacktipped oysters, mind you). Up-to-date spinach salad, followed by chicken salad and healthy veggies, emphasized our parents and teachers conforming to the adage "Doing what we do as well as what we say."

Politician Nancy Skinner commended the foundation-ers' efforts while Joe Jaconette, superintendent of the K-12 Orinda Union School District and a Miramonte High School mentor from the Acalanes school district professed, "the (education foundation) is vital to our mission to provide excellent schools."

Wasting no time in their quest to raise $500,000 this year, Soso — a product of Orinda schools herself — and her loyal assistants sold the handsome faux pearl bracelets to enter the raffle. A real cultured pearl bracelet was won in the raffle by Madame Diane Bode, who teaches French at Orinda Intermediate School, while runner-up Martha Erisman won a black South Seas pearl bracelet, as did Bill Thompson, whose wife Betty was all smiles.

On the high heels of the "Pearls of Wisdom" party, watch the education foundation's fundraising thermometer posted at the Crossroads, said Jane Krekhaefer, current foundation president.

WATCH OUT FOR THE BIRDS at Orinda's Theater Square: Alfred Hitchcock's classic film "The Birds" will be shown there Friday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m., thanks to the California Independent Film Festival. Now in its 12th year, and after several successful seasons in Livermore, the festival is moving to Orinda's big art deco theater, capacity 750 seats.

It's a kickoff event to precede the film festival's four-day main event, scheduled for April 22-25, 2010, said Beau Behan, Tippy Hedren, star of "The Birds," will be on the stage to answer questions and provide inside stories on the making of this spectacular film.

In addition, festival organizers are planning a dinner with Ms. Hedren — for no more than 25 people — at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, before the screening, at Shelby's Restaurant in Theater Square. Spaces at that table are $125, and are fundraisers for the festival.

Tickets for "The Birds," at $20 for adults and $15 for students, may be obtained now by clicking on www.caiff.org for the special showing or first-come, first-served for dinner with the star. Or call the Orinda or Rheem theaters.

GRATEFUL CORRECTION: Sunbeams is guilty of, in the Aug. 28 column, forwarding a phony cell phone "tip" given by unsuspecting e-mailer Joan Bruzzone to the Moraga Movers newsletter, and published therein by George Fisher, whom I've known for years as a reliable source. But it turns out to be a hoax that's been going on since at least 2004.

Thanks to alert Moraga and Orinda readers, here's the true skinny: Your cell phone number is not being given to telemarketers, and won't be, because Federal Trade Commission regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Further, though you may do so, it is not necessary to register cell phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry to be protected from most telemarketing calls to cell phones.

Helpful comment from watchful Moragan Robert Seymour: "I would encourage anyone who receives such e-mail messages to check on them, at either www.snopes.com, a clearinghouse that collects and checks on stories circulating on the Internet, or on the FTC Web site (ftc.gov/donotcall). Heartfelt thanks to Mr. Seymour, Col. Robert Recker, Nancy Schick and Bobbie Hazersbedian.