GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF JANUARY 25 - 31, 2021
~NEW TRANSLATION OPTION INTO 100 LANGUAGES!~
~ ¡NUEVA OPCIÓN DE TRADUCCIÓN A 100 IDIOMAS! ~
Para leer la Gaceta Gecko en otro idioma, mire a la derecha del boletín y haga clic en "TRADUCIR EL BOLETÍN". ¡Ahora puede elegir entre 100 idiomas!
~ በ 100 ቋንቋዎች ውስጥ አዲስ የትርጓሜ ምርጫ! ~
የጌኮ ጋዜጣ በሌላ ቋንቋ ለማንበብ እባክዎን በራሪ ወረቀቱ በስተቀኝ በኩል ይመልከቱ እና “የትርጉም ጽሑፍ” ን ጠቅ ያድርጉ ፡፡ አሁን ከ 100 ቋንቋዎች መምረጥ ይችላሉ!
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Monday, January 25th: Grades 4-5 Materials & Supplies Pickup Day: This includes art program materials needed for art classes: 9:00 - 2:00 PM >>> Auditorium
- Monday, January 25th: PS Arts program begins. See your teacher's individual schedule for your child's art day and time.
- Monday, January 25th: School Site Council Meeting: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM >>> Link to Zoom Meeting Here Meeting ID: 863 8415 4118 Passcode: 634391
- Thursday, January 28th: TK/Kindergarten Roundup for prospective TK/Kinder parents at 9:00 AM >>> Please contact Karen Miller for details at kmiller@smmusd.org
- Monday, February 1st: Student Workday: All students attend Morning Meeting at 8:30 AM and then engage in asynchronous work for the remainder of the day so teachers can plan for the second semester.
- February 1st - 28th: Black History Month and Black Lives Matter at School- Activities and celebrations take place in individual classrooms all month long as well as schoolwide.
- February 2-5: Virtual "Career Day" Week - Presentations will be held in classes this week. See your teacher's schedule for days and times.
- Monday, February 15th: NO SCHOOL - PRESIDENTS' DAY
- Monday, February 22nd: School Site Council Meeting
- Monday, March 1st: Student Workday: All students attend Morning Meeting at 8:30 AM and then engage in asynchronous work for the remainder of the day so teachers can plan.
- Wednesday, March 3rd: ELAC Meeting: 8:45 AM
- Tuesday, March 16: JOGATHON! - Details TBD
- Thursday, March 18th: Student Picture Day. The format of picture day is to be determined due to the pandemic. More info as we get it.
- Thursday, April 22nd: Student Picture Day Makeups. The format of makeup picture day is to be determined due to the pandemic. More info as we get it.
- Thursday, April 22nd: Earth Day. Stay tuned for activities all week long!
~Grant School PTA Executive Board - Openings 2021/22!~
It's that time of year when we need to start looking at the formation of our new PTA Executive Board. Our Election takes place mid March and we need to have the new slate confirmed by our PTA meeting on February 17, 2021. So yes, now is the time and we are ALWAYS looking for new parents to get involved!
In particular this year we are looking for:
- Treasurer - records and writes all our outgoing checks
- Financial Secretary - records and deposits all our incoming checks
- Auditor - checks our PTA financial books are all in order
- Safety Chair - works with our administration on all things safety around the school.
- Corresponding Secretary - takes notes at all our meetings…. great intro to the world of PTA
- Parliamentarian - helps manage meetings and advise on procedure...another great intro position
Some need a little more experience than others but first and foremost we are just looking for team players who want to help our school community and come to our meetings a couple of times a month. It's going to be even harder than normal to connect with people this year so please if you have any interest just drop me an email and let's chat!
Thank you! Erika (president@grantpta.org)
~DID YOU KNOW...?~
~History of Grant School~
~ A NOTE ABOUT UPCOMING DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS ~
During the fall, winter, and spring, teachers administer assessments to students and use the results to design and deliver instruction best suited to their needs. We are currently in the January assessment window for reading and math assessments depending on the grade-level. These assessments provide us with valuable information about students’ reading development and proficiency.
In the primary grades, these assessments are completed one-on-one so teachers will be meeting with students one-on-one at various times throughout the day. In addition, teachers in some grade-levels will need to plan some asynchronous afternoons to administer and complete all of the assessments in the given assessment window. Please pay careful attention to your teacher's schedule over the next couple of weeks. As always, contact your child's teacher if you have any questions. Thank you for your understanding.
~ INFORMATION REGARDING DELAC AND ELAC ~
DELAC: Each California public school district with 51 or more English learners must form a District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) unless the district designates for this purpose a subcommittee of an existing district-wide advisory committee.
Responsibilities
The DELAC shall advise the school district governing board on at least the following tasks:
- Development of a district master plan for education programs and services for English learners. The district master plan will take into consideration the school site master plans.
- Conducting of a district-wide needs assessment on a school-by-school basis.
- Establishment of district program, goals, and objectives for programs and services for English learners.
- Development of a plan to ensure compliance with any applicable teacher and/or teacher aide requirements.
- Review and comment on the school district reclassification procedures.
- Review and comment on the written notifications required to be sent to parents and guardians.
- If the DELAC acts as the English learner parent advisory committee under California Education Code Sections 52063(b)(1) and 52062(a)(2), the DELAC shall also review and comment on the development or annual update of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).*
Composition Requirements
Parents or guardians of English learners shall constitute the majority membership (51 percent or more) of the committee.
ELAC: Each California public school with 21 or more English learners must form an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC).
Responsibilities
The ELAC shall be responsible for the following tasks:
- Advising the principal and staff in the development of a site plan for English learners and submitting the plan to the School Site Council for consideration of inclusion in the School Plan for Student Achievement.
- Assisting in the development of the schoolwide needs assessment.
- Ways to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance.
- Each ELAC shall have the opportunity to elect at least one member to the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC). Districts with 31 or more ELACs may use a system of proportional or regional representation.
Composition Requirements
Parents or guardians of English learners shall constitute at least the same percentage of the ELAC membership as their children represent of the student body.
Grant School's ELAC officers are:
- President: Vivian Machare
- Vice-presidents: Elizabeth Rocca Ramirez
- Secretary: Vacant
Grant School's DELAC representatives are:
- Yheisi Alfaro
- Alicia Mignano (Also newly elected DELAC Secretary! Congratulations, Alicia!)
If you have any questions about ELAC or DELAC please contact Viviana Machare or Alicia Mignano (lcruz.alicia@gmail.com)
~P.S.ARTS Virtual Family Dance Night - Friday, January 29th 4:30pm~
~GRANT LIBRARY CURBSIDE PICKUP~
Library Book Curbside pick up will continue in 2021. Instructions for placing holds, accessing the library catalog, and the library website are all in the PDF attached. Students will be notified when holds are ready for pickup. Contact Ms. Wolfe if you have any questions. pwolfe@smmusd.org
Pick up days will be:
Monday - 9:00 - 11:00
Wednesday - 9:00 - 11:00 and 2:00 - 4:00
Friday - 9:00 - 11:00
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE BELOW INTERACTIVE DOCUMENT:
~HELP WITH DISTRICT ISSUED LAPTOPS~
- Your child's laptop is not working
- You are moving out of the school district
- Troubleshooting issues
If your child is currently using a district-issued laptop to engage in distance learning and you require technical assistance, please email our technology specialist at:
If you require translation services for this assistance, please contact Bilingual Community Liaison Florencia Rams at frams@smmusd.org.
~ A MESSAGE FROM THE GRANT SCHOOL PTA ~
~ DONATE TO THE GRANT PTA AND SANTA MONICA EDUCATION FOUNDATION TODAY! ~
Your donation does so much for Grant!
Please consider donating to the two organizations that enhance education for all Grant students: the Santa Monica Education Foundation and Grant PTA. Your donations are still so important, even during distance learning. Check out the crucial staff, programs, technology, and materials funded by your donations in this chart!
Our goal is for 100% of Grant families to give to PTA and the Ed Foundation. ANY amount makes a difference to our kids. If you have already donated, thank you!
¡Su donación hace mucho por Grant!
Considere hacer una donación a las dos organizaciones que mejoran la educación de todos los estudiantes de Grant: la Fundación Educativa de Santa Mónica y la PTA de Grant. Sus donaciones siguen siendo muy importantes, incluso durante el aprendizaje a distancia. ¡Consulte el personal, los programas, la tecnología y los materiales fundamentales financiados con sus donaciones en esta gráfica!
Nuestra meta es que el 100% de las familias de Grant den a la PTA y a la Fundación Ed. CUALQUIER cantidad hace la diferencia para nuestros hijos. Si ya ha donado, ¡gracias!
~Grant's SMEF Donation Participation~
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
*Some events and resources not sponsored by or affiliated with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
~ CITY OF SANTA MONICA - CREST ~
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION IS HAPPENING NOW!
This fall, the City of Santa Monica's after-school programs will continue to reopen with limited capacity to ensure community safety. City staff are working to make the necessary changes to the schedule due to modified hours of operation, staff reductions, social distancing, and infection control guidance. The City of Santa Monica offers financial assistance to qualifying moderate to low-income Santa Monica Residents and non-residents attending an SMMUSD school. Financial assistance is available and can be applied to City youth program fees such as: CREST Club, CREST Enrichment, Santa Monica Swim Center classes, community classes, and seasonal day camps. A completed application for financial assistance is required annually. We are currently accepting applications for fiscal year 2020-2021. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
You may email completed applications (which must include the necessary income, address and identification information) to our office at crest@smgov.net or by drop-off through the mail slot at the CREST Youth Office at Reed Park 1133 7th St.
Did you know that CREST Club is running in-person camp from 12:00PM to 5:15PM at Reed Park for youth ages 8-14?
The health and safety of all participants, staff and parents is of the utmost importance. We would like to share that CREST Club will run and look differently. CREST will still be devoted to having fun-filled and engaging activities that you expect from our CREST Program.
We are taking guidance from the CDC and LA County Public Health Guidelines for programs providing Day Care for School-Age children, additional Safety Protocols and Procedures are being implemented to keep everyone safe while in programming.
Visit smgov.net/crest for more information