El Semanario
October 24--29, 2022
This Week at Edison
- October 24 - Safety Committee Meeting 1:45-2:30 pm
- October 26-27 - Maestra Mejia and AP Ipiña at Restorative Justice Training
- October 26 - Morning Assemblies for students "Hoop it Up!" ; Site Council Meeting 4:30-6:30 pm via Zoom
- October 27 - Set Up Altars 3:00-7:00 pm Cafeteria
- October 28 - Decorating Altars 1:30-8:00 pm; Dia de los Muertos Altars Reception 6:00 pm
- October 29 - Fall Festival at Edison 1:00-5:00
From the Principal's Desk
We're finishing up a month of exploring Hispanic/Latinx heritage. In addition to reading age-appropriate books by Hispanic/Latinx authors, each grade level picked a focus and has created displays of student work classroom windows so that we can take a schoolwide "gallery walk" and learn from each other. Here's a little synopsis of focus areas by grade level in case you'd like to walk the hallways and see the exhibit while you're on campus for family conferences. Our TK students read books by Hispanic authors and explored identity by learning about where their families come from. Kindergartners learned about Latin American independence and flags. First graders studied about César Chávez and his contributions to the community and created collaborative art projects. Second graders studied national symbols of various Latin American countries and the role of constitutions. They also learned about Justice Sonia Sotomayor and created art in the tradition of Salvadoran artist Fernando Llort. Third graders were inspired by Carmen Lomas Garza's "Cuadros de familia" book and used it as a mentor text for their own personal narrative writing unit. Students learned about her use of childhood memories and heritage and created their own stories based on their own heritage. Fourth graders explored different members of the Hispanic community that worked for human and civil rights. Third and fourth graders also learned about various traditions in celebrating Día de los Muertos and taught them to visiting high schoolers from Crossroads. 5th graders used food as an anchor to study different Hispanic cultures and took a field trip to La Plaza de Artes y Cultura and La Cocina museum. We invite you learn with us and "read the windows" the first week of November!
Please make sure you have signed up for a parent-teacher (or family) conference. Teachers are offering in person or virtual conference times during our pupil free day on Tuesday, November 1 or in the afternoons on November 2-3-4. Check with your child's teacher and find a time that works for you. Teachers are looking forward to sharing observations about the first 12 weeks of school and assessment results with you. They are also anxious to hear your observations about your child's strengths and needs. This is a great opportunity to make a plan to work together to help your child have a successful year of academic and social-emotional growth!
This week we finish up interim assessments take our gallery walk for Hispanic Heritage month displays, complete art projects for the ofrendas, and finish parent sign ups for conferences. Parents will start building the infrastructure for the altars on Thursday evening and classes and parents will begin decorating the altars and assembling the alfombra -- getting ready for Fall Festival on Saturday from 1:00-5:00 p.m. Join us!
November Calendar
November 2-3-4 - Minimum Days for Conferences
November 7 - PTA Board Meeting 6:00-8:00 pm via zoom
November 8 - School Leadership Team subbed out for work with on School Improvement Plan
November 9 - 8:30 am ELAC Meeting Room 207; Make Up Picture Day; 6:00 pm THE BIG SHOW! Young Storytellers.
November 11 - Veterans Day No school
November 14 - 8:30 am Coffee with the Principal, Edison Library
November 15 - Field Trip to Acquarium Maestras Cachú and Mejia; 10:30 Fire Drill
November 17 - Shelter In Place Drill; 1st Grade Dental Presentation 2;15 pm
November 19 - TK-K Prospective Parent Orientation 9:00-10:30 am
November 21 - PTA Association Meeting 8:30 am Library
November 22 - Maestras Melendez and Jimenez field trip to Japanese Cultural Center
November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Holidays - No School
November 30 - School Site Council, 4:30 pm via Zoom
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Covid Health Precautions
Antigen Testing
Please continue to use an antigen test on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings to make sure your child is testing negative for Covid and ready to attend school on Monday. Keep students home if they have symptoms of Covid and if they test positive. Notify the office to report any illness-related absence (melinagarcia@smmusd.org) or (310) 828-0335, ext. 61-348. Antigen tests for students are sent home Fridays with students. Thank you to the wonderful parent volunteers who come in on Friday mornings to count out and deliver tests to the classrooms. We appreciate your attention when you receive a notice that there was a Covid exposure in your child's class and your diligence in sending your child masked to school for the 10 days following the exposure. Everyone is fatigued with masking, but the support of families in taking appropriate precautions in those situations has resulted in very low rates of transmission for exposures at school. Covid boosters for better protection against the omicron strain are available now for adults and most age groups of children. Flu shots are also highly recommended this year (before Halloween if possible!) as flu rates are already high.
Focus: Parent Involvement
Family Engagement Policy and the Home School Compact
Most elements of Edison's Parent Involvement policies and programs are contained in the Edison Family Handbook -- posted in English and Spanish on the Edison website under the Parents tab. In addition to the items in the parent handbook, Edison's Full Parent Engagement Policy also contains Edison's Guiding Principles and Home-School Compact. (sometimes also known as the Title I Parent Compact). Every school with Title I funds -- and Edison is a federal Title I Schoolwide school -- must develop a compact that spells out what various stakeholders pledge to do to provide children with an education that meets California's high standards. The Compact recognizes that the effective education of children requires a working partnership between schools and families and details what Edison will provide and what we ask that parents and students also pledge to do. Students will be reviewing and signing the compact in class and parents are asked to review and sign the document on line. Next week teachers will be sending the Compact home with their parent letters including a link for parents to acknowledge that they have read and understand the compact. You can review the Compact here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CPnfABYlDsyb1dzpxuqBkKxsO59zfApi/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101646978151216629374&rtpof=true&sd=true
Safety
Safety Committee Update
A Successful Great Shake Out! Last week, Edison participated in the Great Shakeout! -- the world's largest earthquake drill to prepare for a major earthquake. We practiced duck and cover and safe evacuation of the buildings and the students did a great job! During these drills we work with a series of possible scenarios of things that could happen in a major quake to make sure we would be able to respond appropriately. All of our staff are assigned to different teams in an emergency and practiced their roles. Search and Rescue Team searched the buildings, seeking "missing" persons, rescuing "injured" persons, and bringing them to the First Aid Team for triage and treatment. Thanks to several of our older students who took on role plays of injuries. Our facilities, supplies, request and reunion gate teams, and incident command center all functioned well and the assembly area team took great care of our students while we did this practice. We learn something new every time we do drills like this -- and the practice keeps us all better prepared to keep students safe should there ever be a major earthquake during the school day. Much appreciation to Assistant Principal Elizabeth Ipiña and all the members of the Edison Safety Committee for the planning and training!
What parents should know in the event of an earthquake -- If there were to be an earthquake during the school day, we keep emergency supplies on campus to care for children until their parents can come to pick them up. We would be in touch with our district's Emergency Operations Center and -- if internet communication were possible -- we would also message parents with pick up instructions. But even if communications were not possible, as soon as it would be safe to travel, parents would make their way to campus and go to the Request Gate (the staff gate between the large Edison parking lot and the campus). There you would show your picture ID and staff would review your child's emergency card to make sure that you were allowed to pick them up. Then you'd be sent to a Reunion Gate on Kansas Avenue to be reunited with your child and a record made of who picked up the child and when in case multiple family members arrive at school at different times. For the protection of all on the site, all other perimeter gates would be locked. It's a good moment to make sure you know where the Request and Reunion Gates are located and review the names on your child's emergency cards to make sure that these are the people who you would want to pick them up if you were not able to do so.
Announcements
Parent Singing Circle
We're excited to announce the the Edison Parent Singing Circle has returned! After a hiatus during Covid, we're able to gather on campus again with Maestra Jacqueline for a unique Edison experience. The Singing Circle is an informal way for parents to gather, meet other Edison families and spend a relaxing half hour singing. Our Música en Español teacher Jacqueline Fuentes leads the circle and teaches songs from Latin America and we have fun learning and singing together. No prior vocal experience required and you do not need to speak Spanish to participate. This is an immersion learning experience -- we learn as we do! Sometimes the group has joined the children in concert -- usually at Noche de César Chávez in March - and sometimes we just sing for our own enjoyment and fellowship. Any Edison family member is invited to attend on Friday mornings at 8:30 am in Room 109. Stop by the office to screen and get a pass. We'll leave the doors and windows open and sit at a bit of a distance in recognition that Covid is still among us, but masking is optional.
Halloween Parade
Because we serve young children and this is intended as a fun and not scary event, we ask that costumes not be gruesome and we do not allow any representation of weapons to be carried in the parade. Please leave any such props at home. For safety sake, please leave the masks at home too. Children should either wear their regular school clothes under their costumes or bring a change of clothes as we will be getting back to "school as usual" immediately after the parade. Finally, the costume parade is our only nod to Halloween -- we do not "celebrate" the holiday and there are no class parties and no candy at school. If, for any reason, you do not want your child to participate in the parade, we will have an alternate activity in the library during this time.
5th Grade Dance
This week our 5th graders started their 20 lessons of American Jazz and Musical Theater lessons with the Santa Monica Dance Academy. During two extended PE periods each week, they are learning dance sequences from West Side Story. Parents, please save the date for the culminating performance -- Friday, December 16 at 8:40 am in the Edison Cafetorium.
Student Leadership Teams
Each classroom K-5th grade elects a representative and an alternate to the Edison Student Leadership Team. The Leadership Team meets every other week with Principal Orum and Instructional Assistant Pilar Mansfield to represent student voices, work on school rules and positive behavior reinforcement, and plan special student activities. Last year's Council created Golden Eagle Tickets to support positive student behaviors and created a fun schoolwide scavenger hunt when students hit their goal. This year's group has just begun to meet and is working on developing their leadership skills and will soon be rolling out Golden Eagle Tickets, planning for student spirit days, and sharing other student ideas and concerns. To make sure that all the members of the leadership team have a chance to actively participate, we divide this 18-member team into three smaller teams: K and 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and 4th and 5th graders and involve all in decision making. Stay tuned for more news from this year's young school leaders.
Young Storytellers The Big Show!
Edison is fortunate to once again be working with the Young Storyteller's Foundation. A group of six Edison 5th graders are working with volunteer writing mentors and learning to write their own screenplays. Under the leadership of Head Mentor Damon Lira, the writing mentors work with students on campus on Wednesdays from 12:00-2:00 pm. At the end of the program, Young Storytellers recruits a troupe of volunteer actors to come and perform the screenplays at a Big Show! All Edison families are invited and encouraged to attend to enjoy the show and applaud the work of these young writers on Wednesday, November 9. Students cast the actors beginning at 5:00 pm and the show begins at 6:00 pm in the Edison Cafeteria. We are grateful to the Young Storytellers Foundation for partnering with us for nearly two decades and enriching the writing lives of Edison students.
Attention 5th Graders: Join the Edison Mathletes!
For 5th graders who love math, Maestra Constanza Murcia will be leading a Mathletes club at Edison. Mathletes will meet on Tuesdays at lunch and lunch recess time (bring your lunch). Participation is entirely voluntary and any student who enjoys a good challenge and loves math is welcome to attend. You do not need a teacher recommendation but you should make your parents aware of the expectations and that you will be giving up lunch recess one day a week. In the spring, Mathletes will participate in a Math Olympiad at Edison. For more information, see the attached flyer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FO7Y35VzIGEVoR0d-Z9DNENdF1ErFTqK92Oi-1dC2rM/edit?usp=sharing and fill out the form at: https://forms.gle/TfUP8fD5zDYX5tHU6
Announcing: 4th and 5th Grade Chess Club
Do you like playing chess? Would you like to learn or just practice your skills? Maestro Carlos Morales will be sponsoring a Chess Club for interested Edison 4th and 5th Graders on Thursdays during 4th/5th grade lunch and recess time. Bring your lunch and come learn this 1,500 year old game of strategy and logic. Chess is not only fun, it also improves visual memory, attention span, and spatial-reasoning ability and builds concentration. If you're interested, register at the following link: https://forms.gle/Zetb8LYWgRnYrvne7
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Thank You for Supporting the Santa Monica Education Foundation!
Thank you for your contributions to the Ed Foundation during Pledge Week! If you missed Pledge Week, there's still plenty of time to make a gift and help support programs that enrich our students.
About Us
El Semanario is the weekly family newsletter from Edison Language Academy in the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District. Edison is a school of choice and offers a 90-10 Spanish-English dual immersion program for all students. Edison's PreK-5th grade program is the first of three schools hosting SMMUSD's PreK-12 grade Language Academy. Students promoting from Edison can continue the dual immersion program at John Adams Middle School (JAMS) and Santa Monica High School (Samohi).
Edison is a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, twice named as a California Distinguished School, a multi-year recipient of the State of California's Title I Academic Achievement Award, holder of a Seal of Excellence from the California Association for Bilingual Education, and a multi-year Honor Roll designee from the Education Results Partnership. This is Edison's 35th year as a dual immersion academy.
Email: lorum@smmusd.org
Website: www.edison.smmusd.org
Location: 2402 Virginia Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
Phone: (310) 828-0335