El Semanario
August 29 - September 2, 2022
This Week at Edison
- Tuesday, August 30 - MINIMUM DAY for Grades 1-5
- Tuesday, August 30 - BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT for Grades 3-4-5, 5:30-7:00 pm
- Wednesday, August 31 - Rules Assemblies; Edison Site Council 4;30-6:30 pm via Zoom
MONDAY, AUGUST 5 IS THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY -- SCHOOL IS CLOSED
From the Principal's Desk
The students did a great job with their first safety drills this week. They should be able to tell you what they're learning about how to stay safe during an earthquake or an emergency where we would need to evacuate the buildings. We take our responsibility for safety very seriously, with a Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP) that defines procedures for a variety of types of emergencies, perimeter security, ingress and egress procedures, how to use our campus safely, and student behavior. You can see a summary of key safety policies in the Edison Family Handbook on the Edison website, https://www.smmusd.org/domain/4517. The full safety plan is available for review in the office upon request. We update the CSSP each year and invite parent volunteers to serve on the Edison safety committee.. Assistant Principal Elizabeth Ipiña chairs this committee; please let her know if you're interested in joining the committee (eipina@smmusd.org) or (310) 828-0335, ext. 61-305.
Regular Safety Routines and Drills. Each classroom has an emergency clipboard posted near the door with reminders of safety procedures and evacuation routes and reunion areas, so that any adult in the classroom (for example, substitutes or specialists) can keep students safe in an emergency. Regular safety drills help kids develop "muscle memory" about what to do in emergencies and learn to stay calm and follow the steps that they learn. In an earthquake, we want students to be able to quickly get to a position of safety from any potential falling objects. In classrooms we usually have them get under desks and teach them to cover their neck and head and hold on to a table leg. Outdoors, students get on the ground away from power lines and anything else that could fall on them. We practice evacuations, following safe routes designed for each classroom and heading to an assigned spot for each class on the playground. We practice silent evacuations with eyes on the teachers so students can hear safety directives. One on the field, we account for all children, reconciling any children who are not on the field with the list of absent students; in an actual emergency we would have a search and rescue team go look for any missing students or adults. If visitors are on campus when a drill occurs, they participate in the drill. If you come to campus while we are practicing, you will see a sign on the door announcing the drill and asking you to wait until the drill is concluded.
Staying Safe At Home -- What fire and earthquake safety measures to you have in place at home? As children learn about safety routines in school, this can be a good moment to look at your own safety plans and routines. Safety experts recommend that families also develop and teach those earthquake and fire routines at home. In a fire, it's important to "get out and stay out". Try to identify two different ways to get out of your home and have a pre-arranged reunion spot outside. If you live in an apartment building, make sure you know where fire extinguishers and emergency exits are. In your home, functional smoke alarms (tested monthly and batteries replaced yearly) are critical as is a home fire extinguisher. To avoid the risk of fire, be careful not to overload electrical circuits or plug too many devices into extension cords, keep matches and lighters out of children's reach, and teach fire safety. Experts also say that all children should know about stop-drop-roll if their clothing should ever catch on fire. Check out the link below from the American Red Cross for more ideas about about Fire Safety for Kids. October is Fire Safety Month and the month of the Great California Shakeout, so we will be revisiting these themes again and encourage all families to take steps at home to promote fire and earthquake safety.
September Calendar
- Monday, September 5 – Labor Day Holiday – No Classes
- Tuesday, September 6 – PTA Board Meeting 6:00-8:00 pm Via Zoom
- Monday, September 12 – Coffee with the Principal 8:30 -9:30 am Library “Discipline Policies”
- Wednesday, September 14 – ELAC Meeting 4:30-6:30 pm -- Via Zoom
- Monday, September 19 – PTA Association Meeting -- 8:30- 9:30 am Library
- Tuesday, September 20 – Fall Book Fair – Library (September 20-23)
- Wednesday, September 21 – Fall Catalogue Sale Begins
- Thursday, September 22 – Fire Drill 10:45 am
- Thursday, September 26 – Local Holiday/Rosh Hashanah – No Classes
- Wednesday, September 28 – Site Council 4:30-6:30 pm – Via Zoom
- Friday, September 30 – Duck and Cover Drill – 1:30 pm
Covid Health Precautions
If your child develops Covid-like symptoms at school, the health office will call for someone to pick your student up; students should remain at home until symptoms resolve, they are fever free, and they have a negative covid test result.
If your child's class is exposed to Covid, you will receive an email notice advising you of the exposure so you can do follow up testing and monitoring at home and send your child to school with a face mask. Your child can keep attending school if they test negative and are symptom and fever free, however, they must wear a well-fitting mask for the next 10 days when indoors.
Antigen tests are being sent home each Friday to help families conduct weekly antigen testing. Thank you everyone for taking precautions so that we can minimize the spread of the virus at school and keep students and staff in the classrooms.
Announcements
Back to School Night for Grades 3-4-5 This Tuesday
Parents and Guardians of students in 3rd-4th-5th grades are invited to join us on Tuesday evening, August 30 for Back to School Night! Start at 5:30 pm in the cafetorium for a brief meeting with the principal, assistant principal, and parent leaders. At 6:00 pm, head to your student's classroom for a presentation and Q&A with your child's teacher.
PTA will have a membership booth and spirit-wear available if your child is ready for a new Edison t-shirt or sweatshirt. Boys and Girls Club and CREST will have information available. Remember, this evening is designed for adults so please leave your student at home with another family member if possible. For their own safety, students who do attend should remain with their parent at all times.
Remember that Tuesday is a minimum day but only for students in Grades 1-5!
CREST Enrichment Classes
CREST announces its fall Enrichment Classes held on the Edison campus. See attached flyer for the details. CREST also announces that their offices are now located at Virginia Avenue Park so it's even easier to walk in and register for classes. The office opens at 9:00 am : CREST Youth Office at Virginia Ave. Park, 2115 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405.
Santa Monica Boys and Girls Club
Santa Monica Boys & Girls Club (SMBGC) announces that they have had a strong response to the on-site Playground Club (formerly Playground Access) at our campus for on-site supervision afterschool until 4:30pm M-F. For safety’s interest they waitlisted some families, but as they continue to hire & prepare, they are now able to open that enrollment up to a total of 50 students per site. *This will relieve the vast majority of currently waitlisted enrollees.
The Playground Club supervision program will operate at a 25:1 ratio (student:staff). Any applicants above 50 will be temporarily waitlisted until SMBGC can meet the need safely with staff. The maximum potential enrollment per site will be 75 students. Enrollment is first come first served, scholarships are available for qualified members so don’t hesitate to register now: https://www.smbgc.org/memberships/become-a-member/
More comprehensive, structured programming is available, with transportation, at the SMBGC Main Branch on Lincoln Blvd. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Nina Kiefer the program lead will respond to families on August 31st nkeifer@smbgc.org
**Elementary sports Flag Football and Volleyball are also still available for grades 2-5 enrollment this Fall starting Sept 12th. For more information, please visit https://www.smbgc.org/sports/
$25,000 Matching Grant for the Santa Monica Education Foundation
Kilroy Realty is offering a $25,000 match to start off the new school year! All donations to the Santa Monica Education Foundation, up to $25,000. will be match dollar for dollar through August 30!
Essential staff and programs in Santa Monica schools depend on your donations. At Edison SMEF funded programs include PS Arts, Música en español, STEM in the Garden, and instructional aides – Which this matching grant, your contribution can go twice as far! Thank you for giving as generously as you can for our students. Please make your gift at smedfoundation.org/donate today to double your impact.
5th Grade Mariachi Class -- SIGN UP NOW!
The deadline for registration in the afterschool Mariachi program is approaching! Register by September 6. The class meets Tuesdays and Fridays from 3:30-4:30 pm. Classes begin on September 13. https://tinyurl.com/MariachiClassRegistration . If you have any difficulty registering on line, Edison’s Community Liaison Jessica Hernandez can assist you (310) 828-0335, ext 61-306.
Register for Ballet Folklórico Classes After School at Edison
SMMUSD Folklorico Dance Classes - Grades 3-5 will once again be offered by SMMUSD at no cost to families! Classes require 20 or more enrolled students to be offered. Student participants will attend two 90-minute classes after school each week. Classes at Edison will be held Mondays and Wednesdays. While the classes were announced as meeting from 3:30-5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, that schedule did not account for Edison's early release day on Wednesday so we are anticipating a time adjustment so that the Wednesday class occurs earlier. If your student is interested in enrolling, please click on the link and complete the online form. The deadline to complete the online registration is Tuesday, September 6, 2022. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRQZp87XCxFFHAC26TzXymURS-NItv80BCxlHVjmn9FB3Bcw/viewform
The Research Corner
How Long Does It Take Children to Become Proficient in a Second Language?
Well, it depends on how you define proficient and what our goals are for students! For many years in California, state policy was to use very short-term interventions for English Learners (1-3 years of English immersion). That approach was a resounding failure for English learners and in 2017 the state changed its approach -- creating the English Learner Roadmap. This policy supports multilingualism and insists that English learners receive a comprehensive ELD program (with designated and integrated ELD) and a rigorous standards-based academic program. The goal of the current policy is much more reflective of the research on how much time it takes children to acquire that level of proficiency.
Research suggests that if we are aiming for academic proficiency, it takes time and a rigorous program that provides both language instruction and access to academic instruction.
- Hakuta, Butler and Witt (2000) examined the question of how much time it takes for students to acquire English and noted that while ORAL PROFICIENCY can happen in 3-5 years. BILITERACY may take 4-7 years, and ACADEMIC PROFICIENCY can take up to 10 years.
- Researchers have long distinguished between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS), which we typically use for casual interaction, and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). CALP is the set of skills we need to handle academic listening, speaking, reading and writing and is critical if students are going to learn content through their second language at any level close to that of native speakers. And CALP takes more time to acquire.
- Programs lead to to higher student outcomes when they are provided to the participating students for a period of at least 6 years. This is the average time required to reach native-like proficiency and grade-level achievement, as confirmed by a number of evaluation studies on immersion and bilingual programs and by large-scale studies on English learners (Carroll & Bailey, 2015; Genesee et al., 2006; Hill, Weston, & Hayes, 2014; Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2010; Parrish et al., 2006; Thompson, 2015; Umansky & Reardon, 2014) as summarized in the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in their Guiding Principles: Effective Practices for Dual Language Programs.
- The most successful outcomes in English achievement, as measured by norm-referenced standardized tests, occurred among English learners who received home language instructional support over a longer period of time. (August, McCardle, & Shanahan, 2014; August & Shanahan, 2006; Genesee et al., 2006; Lindholm-Leary & Genesee, 2010.)
In recent years, it's become popular to think about "reclassification" as some sort of time-bound prize, but that mindset misreads the research about language acquisition and may lead us to settle for a level of proficiency that won't support true academic competitiveness. If we are guided by the research and students are actually receiving a solid language acquisition program and are growing each year, we don't need to worry if students in dual language programs are not reclassifying until upper elementary grades -- or even early in middle school. The "prize" we're striving for is for English learners to have success on the pathway that leads to college and careers and true biliteracy -- and that level of achievement takes more than just a few years.
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