El Semanario
September 26-30, 2022
This Week at Edison
- Monday, September 26 – Local Holiday/Rosh Hashanah – No Classes
- Wednesday, September 28 – Site Council 4:30-6:30 pm – Via Zoom - Meeting link:-- https://smmk12.zoom.us/j/7021647348?pwd=VjdwZEJ2TWtRVE5iamJyTkRJSXFQUT09 -Meeting ID: 702 164 7348; Passcode: IPINA
Classified staff professional development PD 9:00-10 and 2:00-3:00.: Responsive Classroom 3 R’s and Interactive Modeling
- Friday, September 30 – Duck and Cover Earthquake Drill
From the Principal's Desk
Upcoming local school holidays for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur -- This Monday begins the High Holy Days for the Jewish members of our community, with Rosha Hashana or the Jewish New Year. School is closed on Monday. Rosh Hashana celebrates God's creation of the world and is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days, beginning ten days of penitence. The High Holy Days culminate on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement and repentence, observed from the evening of October 4 through the evening of October 5. School will be also closed on October 5. We wish all the members of our community who celebrate Rosh Hashana L'Shana Tova or Happy New Year!
This week our Science in the Garden program began with Maestra Lorissa Boxer. Over the course of the year, all Edison students will have the opportunity to have an eight-week series of classes in the garden. During this cycle all Kindergarten and third grade classes visit the garden on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Students began their classes by examining the garden beds and the plants that "went to seed" over the summer, learning how all plants produce seeds. They harvested seeds and began the process of watering and preparing the beds for new planting. This program is made possible through our stretch grant from the Santa Monica Education Foundation.
Students enjoyed visiting the Book Fair in the library this week and seeing all the wonderful books in Spanish and English. The PTA partners with both Scholastic Book Fairs and La Librería (a bookstore specializing in books written in Spanish and started by two Edison parents) so that there is a good selection of books in both languages. Even after the physical book fair ends this week, you can still use the link in to the on-line bookfair and any purchases until October 3 will benefit Edison. https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/edisonlanguageacademy1.
Edison teachers and students have also been observing Hispanic Heritage Month in our classrooms in a variety of different ways integrated with each grade's standards. TK students are exploring identity this month, learning where they are from and reading a variety of books by Latinx authors. Kindergartners are focusing on what independence means to Latin American countries (many of which celebrate independence from colonial rule in September). They are making "Celebremos la independencia" flags with their 3rd grade buddies. First graders are learning about César Chávez and his contributions to the community. Second graders have also been learning about the independence days of Latin American countries and as part of their unit "Government at Work" and as part of their study of the U.S. Constitution. They also used art to honor these countries, creating a painting inspired by Fernando Llort. Llort's art has strengthened the Identity of the Salvadoran people by depicting their indigenous symbols, daily activities and familiar landscapes. Other second graders studied the life of Supreme Court Justice Sonía Sotomayor, learning about the judicial system as part of their study of government and drawing portraits of Justice Sotomayor.
Third graders are using Carmen Lomas Garza's "Cuadros de la familia" book as a mentor text for their personal narrative writing unit. They are learning about the author's use of childhood memories and heritage and creating their own stories based on their own heritages. Third and fourth graders will also be learning about the ancient Guatemalan tradition of making "barriletes gigantes" (giant kites) as part of their observance of Día de los Muertos. They will be teaching the sophomore class at Crossroads High School about these and other traditions around Día de los Muertos as part of a collaborative project culminating in a visit by Crossroads students to help our students make our own versions of these kites. Edison 5th graders will be taking a field trip to LA Plaza Cocina, the first museum dedicated to Mexican food and an extension of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, in Downtown Los Angeles to see an exhibit titled "Voces de las Abuelas: Mexican and Mexican-American Women’s Oral History Project." The exhibit includes a former Edison parent and is curated by another former Edison parent! Speech pathologist Sasha Piper's students have been talking about Mexican hojalata tin art in speech class and making their own beautiful creations.
Our classes will be mounting their student work on the classroom and campus windows and we'll have a campus-wide "gallery walk" at the end of the month so we can appreciate and learn from each other's investigations. If you're on campus on Monday morning, October 17 for the PTA meeting, you're invited to join us after the meeting for a "walk about" to see the gallery of student work.
October Calendar
- October 3 - Parent Volunteer Training 8:30 am Library
- October 3 - PTA Executive Board Meeting 6:00-8:00 pm - Zoom
- October 5 - Local Holiday -- No School
- October 7 - Fire Drill
- October 10 - Professional Development for Instructional Assistants
- October 12 - PICTURE DAY; ELAC Meeting 8:30 am Room 208
- October 13 and 14 - Visit from Crossroads High School Sophomores-- Collaborative Project
- October 14 - Safety Committee Meeting- 1:45-2:30 pm
- October 17 - PTA Association Meeting 8:30 am - Library (Hybrid Option)
- October 19 - Bike It, Walk It, Bus It Day
- October 20 - Great California Shake Out! -- Statewide earthquake preparedness drill
- October 21 - Olweus Anti-Bullying Program Training (Maestros Perez and Cachú, Coach Fabian, and Principal Orum)
- October 26-27 - Maestra Mejia and AP Ipiña at Restorative Justice Training
- October 26 - Site Council Meeting 4:30-6:30 pm via Zoom
- October 27 - Begin setting 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 12-5
- October 31 - Halloween Costume Parade at school 9:00-10:00 am
Focus on Assessment
Assessment and Using Assessment Results to Improve Learning
Recently, all our students took the STAR diagnostic assessments. These assessments are designed to measure students' skills at the beginning of the year compared to grade level standards. Edison students in grades 3-5 take three STAR assessments: English reading, Spanish reading, and Math (given in Spanish). Students in TK, K, and 1st grade take an early literacy assessment in Spanish with some embedded numeracy questions. 2nd graders -- the year when we formally introduce reading in English -- take the STAR Early Literacy in English, the STAR Reading in Spanish and the STAR Math in Spanish.
The STAR assessments are adaptive tests, administered individually on the computer. For our younger children this is the first time they have independently taken a digital assessment (on the computer)- and there is a learning curve for anything new! These assessments will be given twice more over the course of the school year to help teachers and parents monitor student growth and changing instructional needs. The STAR is not the only source of data we use to guide instruction and monitor progress; in reading we check the STAR results against reading assessments given 1:1 with the classroom teacher. However, the STAR tests are useful, standards-based measures and tend to be predictive of how our older students will do on the CAASPP at the end of the year.
How does the school use information from the STAR? Our Site Leadership Team, Grade level teams and individual teachers are already analyzing test results and using them to guide classroom instruction, identify students who may need targeted assistance, and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students. Site Council is being briefed on the data this week and it will also be shared at ELAC and PTA Meetings. These briefings are to invite questions and dialogue and provide ideas about how parents can use the information to support students at home. We also use STAR data, last year's CAASPP data and the individual reading assessments currently being conducted to look for areas of our program where teachers or students may need more support or where we need to work on alignment between grade levels and/or classes. At a school level, we also use the information to plan professional development, provide coaching, and organize learning walks, and review allocation of resources.
A report on your child's scores on this assessment will soon be sent by the district directly to parents. I want to give you some background and advice about how to understand your child's scores and use the information to support them this year. The most important thing to keep in mind as you look at your child's scores is that these are diagnostic and not summative tests. They measure progress toward what your child should master by the end of the year.
My child 's scores indicated a need for urgent intervention. What will happen now? Those students whose STAR scores indicated an urgent need for intervention were also given an individual reading assessment (Fountas and Pinnel or the WRAP assessment) by one of our two reading Intervention teachers to even more precisely pinpoint their areas of need in reading. These students will be provided with additional, targeted small-group reading instruction during the school day and their progress will be frequently monitored. If your child qualified for this type of reading support, you received a letter last week either from Maestra Naranjo Badillo or Maestra Salmaggi letting you know about this additional instruction. If your child has an IEP with areas of need in reading, their special education teacher did these reading assessments and will be using the STAR information to inform their SAI services. In either case, parents will want to monitor their student's growth and participation very carefully and work closely with the teacher this fall. Please take advantage of any of the special, supplemental programs your child may qualify for -- like after-school tutoring, before- or after-school classes, or summer school, avoid any non-essential absences, and make sure your student reads regularly at home.
My child's scores in reading indicated that they were below the fall benchmarks. They were designated as needing intervention in the classroom or being "on watch" to meet grade level standards. What happens for them? In the next couple weeks, their classroom teachers will be giving them an individual reading assessment to gain more information about their specific reading needs and see how these individual scores compare with the STAR scores. Teachers use this information to design differentiated instruction to accelerate reading progress, match students with books at their own instructional level, and group students for small group literacy instruction. They also use the STAR data to provide additional instruction in weak skill areas. You will want to work with the teacher to closely monitor your child's growth, make sure they read at home and take advantage of any extra support reading programs for which your child may qualify.
My child did well on the STAR test -- meeting or mastering many standards! Does that mean that they have already mastered all the skills required at their grade level? No, it doesn't. It means that -- at this time of the year -- your child's reading and math skills are at the level that they can access grade level instruction and texts without modifications. It also indicates that, if your child continues to receive instruction, attends school regularly, is engaged and puts forth effort in class, and regularly reads at home, their skills should continue to grow at a rate that will let them meet or master grade level standards by the end of the year. However, be aware that benchmarks will continue to rise over the course of the year, so students need to keep growing to keep pace with increasing expectations. Keep up the support, make sure they finish class assignments and homework, and keep reading at home. Let the teacher know if anything changes to impact their ability to be fully engaged at school.
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. And when classes have been exposed, students can continue to attend school if they test negative and are symptom free and IF THEY MASK indoors for 10 days.
Announcements
Site Council Meeting
The Edison Site Council meets on Wednesday September 28 at 4;30 pm via Zoom. Site Council will receive a briefing on the results of the recent administration of the STAR diagnostic assessments, and the process for updating the school's Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP).. Site Council input will be sought about safety concerns and CSSP. Members of the public are also invited to share input on the update of the CSSP during the Public Comment section of the meeting. A formal meeting notice and copy of the agenda is posted on the Edison website. The meeting notice, zoom link, and agenda will be posted on the Edison website at https://www.smmusd.org/Page/715. Congratulations to Community Liaison Jessica Hernandez who was elected by the Classified Staff to represent them on the School Site Council. Welcome Jessica!
ELAC
Congratulations to our 2022-2023 ELAC Officers:
President: Lucy Prieto
Vice President: Blandina Lopez
Secretary: Angelica Cortes
DELAC Rep: Alicia Mignano
DELAC Alternate: Yesenia Arana
PTA Reflections Art Contest
PTA is sponsoring the Reflections Student Art Contest inviting Edison students to submit original works of visual arts, music, dance/choreography, photography, film, or literature. All works should reflect the theme "Show Your Voice" and should include an artist's statement that connects to the theme. Student submissions are due by October 7 and may be turned in at the main office or submitted online, To obtain a digital form, go to https://tinyurl.com/EdisonReflections
The Research Corner
Raising Bilingual Children: Common Parental Concerns and Current Research
Sometimes it feels like everyone has an opinion about our decision to raise a bilingual child. Lots of people have personal experiences that they want to share -- often with contradictory information! I'm frequently part of meetings where I hear parents wonder if their choice to foster two languages will give their children cognitive and cultural advantages or if it will confuse their child. I wanted to share the following brief research from the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) as it looks at these questions and shares some research evidence that may help parents feel more at ease. The full digest is linked below and can be downloaded in either English or Spanish.
The brief shares four summary points:
- "Although many parents believe that bilingualism results in language delay, research suggests that monolingual and bilingual children meet major language development milestones at similar times.
- Despite many parents' fear that using two languages will result in confusion for their children, there is no research evidence to support this. On the contrary, use of two languages in the same conversation has been found to be a sign of mastery of both languages.
- Many parents rely heavily on television to teach the second language; yet this is best considered a fun source of secondary support for language learning. Human interaction is the best method for fostering language learning.
- Contrary to the widespread notion among parents that bilingualism results on "bigger, better brains," parents more realistically can expect their bilingual children to gain specific advantages in targeted areas, such as greater understanding of language as an abstract system."
The CAL brief concludes recommending that professionals should encourage and not discourage the use of two languages in the home. Parents' use of their home language is important in providing children with a rich linguistic environment and promoting bilingualism. They also caution parents to be aware of the quantity and quality of their children's exposure to both languages and to try to create a "safe space" for the minority languages to flourish at home.
How Does the Brain Change when Learning Two Languages
I've also linked below a very interesting video in Spanish from the BBC News about the kinds of changes that occur in the brain when children learn two languages. Although the video is recorded in Spanish, English speaking parents can access subtitles in English by going to the settings icon (looks like a gear) on the toolbar and turning on captions to autogenerate in English.
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