El Semanario
November 7-11
This Week at Edison
November 7 -Student Leadership Teams Meet; PTA Board Meeting 6:00-8:00 pm via zoom
November 8 - School Leadership Team subbed out for work with Innovate Ed 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. -- 5:00 pm Students for casting actors and 6:00 pm Audience for the show in the Cafetorium
November 11 - Veterans Day No school
From the Principal's Desk
November is designated as national Native American Heritage Month . It is a time to explore the heritage, culture, and experience of Indigenous peoples -- both historically and in contemporary American life This year’s theme is ”Maintaining our Traditional Integrity; celebrating our Cultural Identity”. While social studies standards in many grades involve learning about Native Americans at various points in US. History (pre-Columbian tribes and, indigenous communities on the local, state, and national levels, it's important both to look at historical events through native lenses AND to teach about the Native American experience today. One of the common refrains from indigenous peoples is “We’re still here!” If your family has indigenous background and you have resources to share about your family heritage and culture, your child's teacher would love to hear from you.
Thank you for attending Family-Teacher Conferences last week. We hope that you had a productive discussion with your child's teacher about their strengths and needs during the first reporting period. The conferences are also designed to equip you with the information you need to support your child as we move forward. If your student was working significantly below grade level, you should now have an Academic Improvement Plan developed with the teacher. This plan spells out the extra intervention support and/or classroom differentiation that your child will receive and asks for parent support with reading at home, completing homework etc. While we do not have another round of schoolwide Family-Teacher conferences, please know that you can request a status conference with your child's teacher as needed and that we want to work with you to carefully monitor your child's progress.
Please sign and return the School-Parent Compact that teachers have been sending home. As s schoolwide Title I school, having such a compact that the school, families, and students agree to each year is one of our responsibilities. Edison's funding from Title I (federal education funds) supports many of the initiatives we use to improve instruction for all students and reduce achievement gaps. These initiatives include: Reading Intervention Teacher and Instructional Assistants, Science in the Garden and many of our on-line adaptive programs the enrich learning for all students (STMath, Kid Biz/Achieve 3000, Lexia Core 5 Reading, Raz Kids, Learning Patio, and Discovery Education. Our school would look very different without our Title I grant, so thank you for helping us meet our responsibilities as a
The state of California has now released the CAASPP data from 2021-2022, including calculations of changes between student scores in 2019 and scores in 2022. These scores have been anxiously awaited to look at the extent of "learning loss" that students may have suffered during all the disruptions and school closures in 2020 and 2021. SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Drati wrote parents on November 3 reporting that while the results show that the majority of districts dropped significantly in the state and county, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District on average showed a slight increase with the English language arts and a small decrease in math.. Dr, Drati reported:
"The take away when we compare SMMUSD’s results show that although we did not see the growth we anticipated prior to the pandemic, our student scores do not reflect the learning loss as indicated by this measure so many districts in the nation and state have experienced. We know our students would have had better results without the pandemic.."
Edison's scores showed a very slight decline (-1.07%) in overall English Language Arts scores in grades 3-5 between 2019 and 2022 and an increase in math scores of +10.8% in the same time period. Edison had the second lowest rate of learning loss in ELA and the highest gain in math scores of all elementary schools in SMMUSD. We look forward to seeing what our students can do in 2022-2023 with a full year of in-person learning without the social distancing and masking protocols that made it hard to do small group instruction last year.
On a personal note, I got called for Jury Duty last week and actually put on a jury. So I have been away from campus last week and will probably also be away this week while the trial winds its way through court. While it's inconvenient to serve during the school year, the right to a trial by jury of one’s peers is the hallmark of our judicial system and an essential feature of our democracy as a whole. If you need immediate assistance in my absence, call Alicia Alvarez and ask to be connected to Assistant Principal Elizabeth Ipiña. I will catch up on emails and phone messages during the lunch break or at the end of the day.
November Calendar
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. -- Vote on School Safety Plan
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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 on Parents
Parent Engagement Policy: Guiding Principles
Edison's Guiding Principles serve as a sort of compass or litmus test that we use when we consider programs and policies. They help us to hold true to the kind of diverse, equitable, inclusive child-focused community we aim to be. Each year the Edison Site Council reviews these principles, making adjustments as necessary and approving the principles for the year. These are then shared with the community and with all parent groups as they govern the way we work together. The seven principles are summarized below with the full text available at the link below.
Principle 1: Our school community should model and uphold civil and respectful discourse -- among adults, between adults and students, and among students.
We have a shared interest in cultivating and maintaining a mutually respectful and effective intellectual environment that is safe, civil, and free from disruptions. All persons at Edison Language Academy (parents/guardians, family members, staff, and students) are important and valuable members of our school community. Together we create a positive school climate for both students and adults.
Principle 2: Our school should provide for equitable language use.
To demonstrate respect for both of the primary languages in our school community and facilitate meaningful access for English and Spanish speakers, Edison: 1) provides all communications from the school and its parent groups in both languages; 2) conducts public events in both languages; 3) to the extent feasible, alternates the language in which translation is offered; 4) works with after-school partners so that homework support is available in both languages; and 5) encourages and supports the PTA publication of an annual school-wide telephone directory to facilitate communication.
Principle 3: Our School Should Facilitate Meaningful Parent Participation.
To provide parents with meaningful opportunities to participate in their children’s education and build capacity for involvement, Edison provides families with: information in both languages; regular updates on achievement and progress toward standards; information on individual student progress; and training on how to support young learners and how to use the school’s adaptive learning programs at home. We support monthly meetings of the PTA, ELAC, and Site Council, periodic Town Hall meetings to share information on topics of interest and seek input, and informal “chats” with administrators. We also conduct an annual parent survey/needs assessment, have a home-school compact and home school communication plan, and operate a volunteer screening and training process.
Principle 4: Our School should provide equitable access to programs and activities regardless of family economic resources.
To avoid having economic resources limit access and participation in the community, Edison structures its special events and fundraising efforts to be accessible to all, supports fundraising for scholarships for special activities, and takes other measures to make sure that income does not determine access.
Principle 5: Our school should actively promote understanding and respect for the cultures represented at Edison.
To increase our own cross-cultural competence and support respect for each other’s cultures, Edison staff and parents work to teach and model respect for all cultural groups represented in the school and larger community, select inclusive literature, and explain the background of traditions or practices that may not be common across cultures and welcome the participation of all groups.
Principle 6: Our School should help families become acquainted, create community, and reinforce goals of multiculturalism and bilingualism.
Our PTA recruits and trains bilingual room representatives in each classroom, creates an annual telephone directory, has a PTA board position to work on Community Integration, fosters an independent Community Support Network that raises funds to offer some financial resources to Edison families in times of particular need. We also sponsor schoolwide events each year simply to gather and celebrate and support a family singing circle to build community.
Principle 7: The way that Edison and its organizations raise and use funds to enhance the learning experience for all students should reflect the school’s values.
Edison works with its PTA and any other entities raising fund at Edison so that fundraising for the benefit of the school and/or its students is guided by the following questions:
- · Are we raising funds for programs that can benefit all children, advance the core mission of the school, and help us close achievement gaps?
- · Are there a variety of ways that parents can contribute financially to the school?
- · Do fundraisers add value or provide a service to families and children who participate?
- · Do we recognize contributions in such a way that the families on our campus who cannot contribute do not feel stigmatized or that their children are excluded from recognition?
- · Do we structure student incentives so they are fair and inclusive?
- · Is a fundraising event consistent with Edison’s core values and the health and safety messages we want to send to families?
Announcements
Parent Singing Circle
Reminder -- Edison offers a Singing Circle for parents/family members on Friday mornings with Maestra Jacqueline Fuentes in Room 109. No prior experience necessary -- just the desire to learn and experience some good fellowship on Friday morning!
Siblings Ready for Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten in 2023-2024?
If you have a younger child who will be of age for Kindergarten or Transitional Kindergarten next fall (2023-2024 school year), and you're interested in having them attend Edison, it's time to let us know!
Please email Jessica Hernandez (jessicahernandez@smmusd.org) or call her at (310) 828-0335 ext. 61-306 and she will send you an application. Younger siblings of immersion program students do have a preference for enrollment as long as we have space in an appropriate program to meet their needs. In order to take advantage of this preference, you must submit a complete application before the deadline -- February 10, 2023. We cannot assure sibling preference for late applicants. If you have an older child who is still at Edison, you do not need to attend an orientation. However, if your older child is in middle or high school, it's time for you to come to another orientation. Policies and programs can change! We will have three orientations this year -- two on Saturday mornings and in the evening and all in person.
- Saturday, November 19 - 9:00-10:30 am
- Saturday, December 10 - 9:00-10:30 am
- Thursday, January 26 -- 6:00-7:30 pm
You must sign up in advance to assure that we have room. Please spread the word to interested friends and neighbors, have them sign up on line, and help us recruit the next Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten Edison students!
Student Leadership Teams and Golden Eagle Tickets
Edison's Student Leadership Teams are working with teachers to announce the resumption of Edison's Golden Eagle Ticket Awards. These tickets are awarded to students who are observed by staff to use behaviors that exemplify our school rules: Be Safe. Be Kind and Respectful, Focus on Learning. Tickets can be given by any adult staff member that observes these pro-social behaviors that help lift up our community. Following safety rules without reminders, picking up after ourselves in the lunch and snack areas, showing good sportsmanship on the yard, being kind and supporting peers, respecting each other and our different ideas, focusing on learning during class, etc. All of these behaviors make our community a better place. When students receive a Golden Eagle Ticket, it gets placed in a box in the library and when the box is filled, the whole community earns a fun reward. The reward chosen for this first round of Golden Eagle Tickets is a Crazy Hat and Hair Day. We are hoping to earn enough tickets to make that happen before winter break. If you'd be interested in volunteering to help students design some truly CRAZY hats to celebrate their efforts, please let your room reps know as we head into December.
Young Storytellers The Big Show is This Week!
All Edison families are invited and encouraged to attend to enjoy the show and celebrate the work of Edison's 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!
Mathletes Club begins this Tuesday at lunch and lunch recess time (bring your lunch). Come to Maestra Murcia's room. You can still sign up at https://forms.gle/TfUP8fD5zDYX5tHU6. All students who enjoy a good challenge and love math are welcome to participate. . You do not need a teacher recommendation, but parents should be aware of the expectations and that students 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.
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
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