Secretary--Cassandra Robles Attendance Clerk--Yvonne Torres-Jordan Principal--Christina Allison

Dear Whitney families,

March and April has brought more than daffodils for a busy Whitney Avenue as instruction and events are continuing full speed.

Moving forward, we are busy preparing to administer the CAASPP State test to all 3rd-5th grade students. We will begin testing Tuesday, May 3rd. It is very important to ensure your children are on time for school and well rested! This is the first time they will be taking the State test and we want to ensure they are prepared and ready for it. Thank you for your support!

As we enter the last trimester and focus on end of the year activities, we want to stress the importance of finishing strong!! We strive to ensure our students receive instruction and social emotional support until the last moment they are with us. Please help us make sure they are focused and attentive with us for the remainder of the year!

Communication is essential and we strive to connect to our students, parents and families, and community each and every day. We will continue reaching out to you with newsletters and text messages. We also encourage you to visit our website and follow our social pages including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @WhitneyElem for announcements, information, and celebrations.

Please reach out to Whitney Avenue staff, social workers, teachers, or myself if you needs any support. We are here to assist your student and family and will persist until we find the resources you need. We can't hide that Whitney Pride! Go wildcats!

As always, we wish to express our sincere gratitude toward our entire school community. We would not be the amazing school that we are without the help and support of all of you. Thank you and may you have a safe, healthy, and happy spring season!

Thank you all for everything that you do for our school.Take care and be safe!

Christina Allison, Principal

All Kindergarten students will attend M-F 8:15-12:15pm daily (unless shortened day). All 1st-5th Grade students will attend 8:15-2:45pm M, T, W, & F while attending 8:15-1:30pm on Thursdays.

Please see below daily guidelines for the return to school:

If your child is sent home, or is experiencing symptoms listed above, you must stay at home until you are symptom free for 24 hours AND either receive a documented negative COVID-19 test, OR a healthcare provider's note indicating the symptoms are related to an alternative diagnosis. This must be submitted to the school upon the return.

Visitors are allowed on campus for official business in the office only. Now more than ever we ask that you call school prior to coming to set an appointment. We are hoping most questions, or support can be done over the phone, but if not we will set up a time for you to come to the site. We are here to support you Monday-Friday from 8:00am-3:00pm.

Office Hours: 8:00-3:00pm Monday-Friday

Phone Number: 916.971.7407

Attendance 24 Hour Line: 916.979.8589

Attendance email: WhitneyAbsence@sanjuan.edu

Principal, Christina Allison (christina.allison@sanjuan.edu)

Secretary, Cassandra Robles (cassandra.robles@sanjuan.edu)

Attendance Clerk, Yvonne Torres-Jordan (yvonne.torresjordan@sanjuan.edu)

We understand there are many different schedules a family has to adhere to in order to drop off and pick up students. In returning to school during COVID, we have to follow guidelines set forth from the county and district to remain safe at all times. We have to keep to our 7:50am for breakfast and 8:05am drop off time if not eating breakfast. Pick up at promptly 2:45am MTWF and 1:30pm on Thursdays. We truly appreciate your support.

Please be patient as we work to get students out of cars for arrival and into cars for dismissal. We are asking that you please also follow the traffic flows and stay inside the coned area, or flow of traffic in the back parking lot. Please also stay to the two lanes of traffic in the front parking lot. The front parking lot of Eastern Avenue needs your help!! Please make sure you are parking in a spot if leaving your car for pick up or drop off. It is not safe, nor adhering to our parking procedures when we pull up and park diagonally in front of the school This is a school bus loading zone and must be free of parked cars at all times. Family members at this time, may walk students to the classroom door however visitors must remain outdoors at this time. We want to ensure safety for all and we appreciate your support!

The pandemic has ushered in a new way of teaching and learning. From in-person to virtual to a hybrid learning environment (all in one school year!), our students have faced challenging, yet innovative times in their learning and development—and teachers have been at the heart of it all!

It's time to show them our love and appreciation so let’s give the teachers in our lives a special thanks for all that they do during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2–6. That’s because Teaching is a Work of Heart!

Teachers continue to show up every day from the time our children get off the school bus to the time they’re back home safely in our arms. While there have been many challenges along the way, educators across America are committed to ensuring our children have the tools they need to reach their full potential.

Times have been tough, but our teachers are tougher. Now it’s time to celebrate the daily sacrifices teachers make for every child. For many of them, teaching is heart work. Teachers do it all for the children and youth they encounter each year.

During Teacher Appreciation Month, we will honor them for going beyond the call of duty to make a positive impact on our children’s learning and development.

From the Zoom calls, text messages and PTA meetings, to the emails, parent-teacher conferences and work they review—teachers touch hearts of our students in a special way and make a lasting difference on their lives.

Please see the items below and show our Whitney Avenue Teachers and Staff some love May 2nd-6th. Thank you for your support!

If you have been tested for COVID, or experiencing any symptoms, please do not come to campus. As you are waiting for results, we know it is hard not knowing, but we ask that you call the office for support rather than coming to campus. We want to keep everyone safe and not expose our staff, or other families to COVID. We appreciate your support!

Join us for a fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese on Friday May 6th from 3:00-9:00pm. Whitney will get 20% of the proceeds to use for student achievement!! We hope to see you there!

Please make sure you check out our coat rack as we have had several missing items on the cart. Come and grab your missing items when you get a chance!

Personal accountability is a virtue that we admire in others. We enjoy people who actually take responsibility for their own actions and responsibilities, not blaming others for their mistakes, not making excuses for things for which they are responsible and not procrastinating in doing their jobs.

Examples of Accountability

• Bringing Solutions To Problems. When you see problems, try finding solutions instead of complaining. ...
• Ensure Proactiveness rather than Reactiveness. ...
• Speak Up. ...
• Admit Your Errors. ...
• Accepting Criticism. ...
• Show Focus. ...
• Communicate Better. ...
• Show Up.

What is tested?

Tests students’ knowledge and skills in English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics.

How are students tested?

The Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments are computer adaptive. The online tests give students many different types of questions that allow them to interact with the test content. For some of the math questions, for example, your child might be asked to drag and drop things from one place on the screen to another or draw a graph to solve a problem. Computer-adaptive tests adjust the difficulty of the questions based on the answers that students give. As students answer questions correctly, they receive more challenging questions. Incorrect answers trigger easier questions. This helps keep the test short for many students and makes sure the scores are very accurate, especially for students who score very low or very high.

Why are students tested?

Test results are just one piece of information about how your child is doing in school. Together with report cards and other information, test results help in understanding a student’s readiness for success in higher grades, college, and career. For students in grade eleven, these results are used by some colleges in California to decide how ready students are for college-level classes.

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

You are an important part of your child’s education. Some things you can do to help your child are: „

• Discuss the test with your child and make sure they are not scared or anxious. „
• Tell your child that you and their teacher have high expectations and that you are both there to help them every step of the way. „
• Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast before testing.
• Review test results with your child and discuss with their teacher where they might need additional help.

Visit the Starting Smarter website at https://ca.startingsmarter.org to better understand Student Score Reports, review practice questions, and access resources to support your child’s learning.

Open House is set for May 26th. Time is to be determined and we will let you know asap!! Don't forget the following day, May 27th all students in 1st-5th grade will be dismissed at 12:25pm.

We all need time to unplug. But with everything going around, what we all need around screens right now looks very different from family to family. Let's come together and celebrate however you can. Whether it’s by unplugging for one day, shutting off your phone at dinner time, spending more time outdoors, or taking the whole week to only use screens for work and school enjoying some serious offline fun! https://screenfree.org/

Our monthly family newsletter, "Helping Children Learn", is available for download on our FACE website! These newsletters are available in three versions-- Elementary, Middle and High School. They are translated into Spanish, as well!

You can find the Newsletters here: https://www.sanjuan.edu/Page/5221

A partnership between San Juan Unified School District and Sacramento Public Library allows all SJUSD students to access electronic resources with their student ID number. Students have already been enrolled and can begin accessing resources now by entering a library card number and a PIN.

Library card number: SJ and their student ID number. For example: SJ123456789.

PIN: The four digits of the year they were born which is on record. For example: 2013

Both of these items can be confirmed on Infinite Campus.

With the Student Success Library Card, students can:

● Borrow up to 30 eBooks or eAudiobooks at a time.

● Receive free online homework help in English or Spanish 7 days a week

● Access Language Learning software to practice over 70 world languages, including English

● Find practice tests, courses, and eBooks for SAT, ACT, ASVAB, and other major tests

● Access ebooks, newspapers, magazines, and primary sources with no wait

If students want to check out physical materials from the library, they can go into any library branch with a parent or guardian and have the Student Success account converted to a full library card. The parent or guardian will need to bring their photo ID and proof of address.

Student Success Library Card accounts will be kept private in compliance with all laws and regulations regarding both student and public library data. For further information, or to access the opt-out form, visit: www.saclibrary.org/studentsuccess

Who are SPAC members?

Each school principal selects a member of their parent community to represent the school at SPAC meetings. The only requirement is that you are a current parent at the school you represent. Selections are made in the first few weeks of school. If you have an interest in serving on the SPAC, please speak with your school principal as soon as possible.

What do SPAC members commit to?

Members of SPAC should attend each scheduled meeting. Depending on the members' preferences, meetings may be held three to four times a year. Members are also responsible for taking the information shared at SPAC meetings back to their school site to share with staff and other parents.

Where can I access meeting agendas, minutes, and handouts?

SPAC meeting agendas, minutes, and other shared information can be accessed by clicking the links below:

2021-2022

SPAC Meeting Dates

Encina High school has a clothes closet available for families & community members in need! The clothes closet is open Thursdays from 1pm-4pm. If families can not make this time they can call Charlyn Perea to make an appointment. The number to call is 916-971-5891. See attached flier with more information.

Today more than ever, there is a high demand of literacy among the growing diverse population. Here at Whitney Avenue, we strive to bring awareness by engaging the community and families through the act of reading. Books in the hands of children have have a meaningful impact on improving literacy! That's why we have several locations for "Whitney Avenue Elementary School free Community Library." One of them is located inside the school, and the other one is located in our neighborhood park, Eastern Oaks Park, and the last one on the corner of Watt and Whitney right outside Faith Legacy. Don't pass by without taking a book, giving, and reading it.