GECKO GAZETTE
GRANT SCHOOL - SANTA MONICA
WEEK OF JANUARY 11 - 17, 2021
~NEW TRANSLATION OPTION INTO 100 LANGUAGES!~
~ ¡NUEVA OPCIÓN DE TRADUCCIÓN A 100 IDIOMAS! ~
Para leer la Gaceta Gecko en otro idioma, mire a la derecha del boletín y haga clic en "TRADUCIR EL BOLETÍN". ¡Ahora puede elegir entre 100 idiomas!
~ በ 100 ቋንቋዎች ውስጥ አዲስ የትርጓሜ ምርጫ! ~
የጌኮ ጋዜጣ በሌላ ቋንቋ ለማንበብ እባክዎን በራሪ ወረቀቱ በስተቀኝ በኩል ይመልከቱ እና “የትርጉም ጽሑፍ” ን ጠቅ ያድርጉ ፡፡ አሁን ከ 100 ቋንቋዎች መምረጥ ይችላሉ!
~ IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER ~
Please review these important dates:
- Thursday, January 14th: 5th-Grade student activities parent information meeting: Zoom link to be sent to 5th-grade parents emails this week.
- Monday, January 18th: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
- Wednesday, January 20th: PTA Executive Board Meeting: 6:00 PM
- Wednesday, January 20th: PTA General Meeting: 6:30 PM
- Monday, January 25th: School Site Council Meeting: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM >>> Link to Zoom Meeting Here Meeting ID: 863 8415 4118 Passcode: 634391
- Thursday, January 28th: TK/Kindergarten Roundup for prospective TK/Kinder parents at 9:00 AM
- Monday, February 1st: Student Workday: All students attend Morning Meeting at 8:30 AM and then engage in asynchronous work for the remainder of the day so teachers can plan for the second semester.
- Thursday, March 18th: Student Picture Day. The format of picture day is to be determined due to the pandemic. More info as we get it.
- Thursday, April 22nd: Student Picture Day Makeups. The format of makeup picture day is to be determined due to the pandemic. More info as we get it.
- Thursday, April 22nd: Earth Day. Stay tuned for activities all week long!
~ A MESSAGE REGARDING THE RECENT UNREST IN THE NATION'S CAPITOL ~
Dear Grant Parents and Caregivers,
I hope you all are doing well despite the recent unrest in our nation's capital. The images being broadcast from the Washington DC area can be quite disturbing and in times like these, as an educator and parent, and particularly now, my thoughts turn towards our students and how they may be perceiving these events.
As professional educators, we often are presented with opportunities or teachable moments to help our students through traumatic experiences by allowing them the space to share their feelings and perspectives. This last week our teachers gauged their students' level of worry and concern and engaged them in compassionate and thoughtful discussions, if necessary. In a number of classes, discussions did not seem warranted. We will continue to monitor current events and react accordingly.
Should you speak with your children about recent events, below are some prompts that may assist you:
- How are you doing? Do you have any thoughts, comments, or reactions to events that happened in Washington D.C. on January 6?
- What have you observed since the election in November?
- How should our leaders be talking to each other?
- What is an appropriate way to speak to each other to get our point across?
- How are you feeling? If you are feeling anxious, upset, angry, etc…, what might help these feelings?
- How might what you have learned in class help you to process what is going?
Tips:
- Articulate the fact: What happened? What are some of the reasons? What is the current status of the election, including congress?
- Model inclusive dialog.
- Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them.
- Adult feelings are not always the same as those of our young people. Often times the way adults show worry and fear can incite increased anxiety in children.
Resources:
- Primary Children: Sesame Street: Offering Comfort in Stressful Times
- All students: Common Sense Media: Explaining the News to Our Kids
- All students: KidsHealth: How to Talk to Your Child About the News
- All students: Waterford: 51 Mindfulness Exercises for Kids in the Classroom
- Child Development Institute: How to Talk to Kids About Tragedies in the Media
- NPR: Now is a Good Time to Talk to Kids About Civics
- These are just a few resources but there are many from which you can draw.
We are available for support and can provide you with additional resources. Many of our staff members have been trained in social/emotional wellness and support, and mindfulness. Please reach out to us.
Thank you for all of your support day-in and day-out during these unprecedented times. We continue to be stronger together.
Stay safe and well,
Christian Fuhrer
Principal
Grant School
~ A NOTE ABOUT UPCOMING DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS ~
During the fall, winter, and spring, teachers administer assessments to students and use the results to design and deliver instruction best suited to their needs. We are currently in the January assessment window for reading and math assessments depending on the grade-level. These assessments provide us with valuable information about students’ reading development and proficiency.
In the primary grades, these assessments are completed one-on-one so teachers will be meeting with students one-on-one at various times throughout the day. In addition, teachers in some grade-levels will need to plan some asynchronous afternoons to administer and complete all of the assessments in the given assessment window. Please pay careful attention to your teacher's schedule over the next couple of weeks. As always, contact your child's teacher if you have any questions. Thank you for your understanding.
~SPRING 2021 GRANT SCHOOL TALENT SHOW SIGN-UPS!~
THE GRANT TALENT SHOW IS NOW OPEN FOR SIGN-UPS UNTIL JANUARY 11TH!
Performers will work with our volunteer directors and small peer groups to develop a 90-second act that will be presented in video format this Spring for our community to celebrate!
Silver Lining for 2021: Your act won’t take place in the Grant auditorium, so there are very few limits on the talent you can showcase!
Ideas include: theatre monologues, instrumental music, songs, dance, magic, poetry reading, comedy, gymnastics, circus arts, performance art, martial arts demonstrations, aerial arts, or anything else special you want to share! (However, all acts must be approved in advance. Please carefully review the rules when planning your entry.)
How to participate:
1. Review the 2021 Talent Show Rules with your parent/guardian. (See below)
2. Sign up NOW for the Talent Show using the form linked HERE. Hurry - space is limited!
3. Send us your music choice ASAP and no later than Jan. 4, 2021, if you’re using music in your act. (See Rules for details on how to do this.)
4. Start practicing! Once your act is approved, you will be invited to upload a “first take” of your act!
5. Attend the “Talent Show Kick-off” Zoom in January (date TBD).
Performers will be expected to participate in short online coaching sessions (about once per week) to work on their acts with our directors to get feedback, provide encouragement to their fellow performers, and build community!
As always, participation is FREE and FUN! But space is limited; please sign up now! If you have questions after reading the attached flyer, please contact Julie Hoskin at juliehoskin2002@yahoo.com or 818-216-0809.
~VIRTUAL CAREER DAY IS COMING!~
Grant's Career "Day" will take place over the week of February 1-5. We have so many talented parents in our community with such diverse careers! We are looking for parents to share their experiences and passions with the kids over Zoom. It might be especially interesting to share with them how the pandemic has and has not affected your work. The exact time and day during that week is TBD and will be worked out with the individual classroom teachers and volunteers. We'd especially love to highlight the heroic efforts of the essential workers and frontline healthcare workers. If you are in this category a) Thank you! and b) I'd love to talk to you. Even if you can't manage a classroom "visit", I'd love to see if we can share some of your stories in another way (video, writeup, etc).
Please contact Julie Hoskin by email at juliehoskin2002@yahoo.com to volunteer or for more info.
~ INFORMATION REGARDING DELAC AND ELAC ~
DELAC: Each California public school district with 51 or more English learners must form a District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) unless the district designates for this purpose a subcommittee of an existing district-wide advisory committee.
Responsibilities
The DELAC shall advise the school district governing board on at least the following tasks:
- Development of a district master plan for education programs and services for English learners. The district master plan will take into consideration the school site master plans.
- Conducting of a district-wide needs assessment on a school-by-school basis.
- Establishment of district program, goals, and objectives for programs and services for English learners.
- Development of a plan to ensure compliance with any applicable teacher and/or teacher aide requirements.
- Review and comment on the school district reclassification procedures.
- Review and comment on the written notifications required to be sent to parents and guardians.
- If the DELAC acts as the English learner parent advisory committee under California Education Code Sections 52063(b)(1) and 52062(a)(2), the DELAC shall also review and comment on the development or annual update of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).*
Composition Requirements
Parents or guardians of English learners shall constitute the majority membership (51 percent or more) of the committee.
ELAC: Each California public school with 21 or more English learners must form an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC).
Responsibilities
The ELAC shall be responsible for the following tasks:
- Advising the principal and staff in the development of a site plan for English learners and submitting the plan to the School Site Council for consideration of inclusion in the School Plan for Student Achievement.
- Assisting in the development of the schoolwide needs assessment.
- Ways to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance.
- Each ELAC shall have the opportunity to elect at least one member to the District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC). Districts with 31 or more ELACs may use a system of proportional or regional representation.
Composition Requirements
Parents or guardians of English learners shall constitute at least the same percentage of the ELAC membership as their children represent of the student body.
Grant School's ELAC officers are:
- President: Vivian Machare
- Vice-presidents: Elizabeth Rocca Ramirez
- Secretary: Vacant
Grant School's DELAC representatives are:
- Yheisi Alfaro
- Alicia Mignano (Also newly elected DELAC Secretary! Congratulations, Alicia!)
If you have any questions about ELAC or DELAC please contact Viviana Machare or Alicia Mignano (lcruz.alicia@gmail.com)
~GRANT LIBRARY CURBSIDE PICKUP~
Library Book Curbside pick up will continue in 2021. Instructions for placing holds, accessing the library catalog, and the library website are all in the PDF attached. Students will be notified when holds are ready for pickup. Contact Ms. Wolfe if you have any questions. pwolfe@smmusd.org
Pick up days will be:
Monday - 9:00 - 11:00
Wednesday - 9:00 - 11:00 and 2:00 - 4:00
Friday - 9:00 - 11:00
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE BELOW INTERACTIVE DOCUMENT:
~FAMILY SERVICE OF SANTA MONICA- REFLECTIVE PARENTING WORKSHOPS - PLEASE NOTE THE TWO DIFFERENT AGE GROUPINGS BELOW ~
Greetings to each of you! And, Happy 2021!
As we initiate this new year, we at Family Service of Santa Monica are happy to announce free parenting programs being offered to parents and caregivers, called Reflective Parenting Program (aka RPP). This program is free to families who are a part of Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, who are willing to commit to 10 weeks of programming, 1.5 hours a week to obtain support, guidance, and tools to enhance their relationship with their children. Parents who have participated in this program in the past have truly, truly enjoyed the group and find it helpful in more ways than one especially during this difficult time due to the pandemic.
Registration is free to parents and caregivers. Topics covered during the 10-week group are the following: culture and temperament, discipline, parent-child attachment, trauma, and other relevant topics. The groups are offered in English and Spanish. For parents of school-aged children, 6-12, we have two groups, one in English and one in Spanish. For parents and caregivers of teens, 13-18, we also have two groups being offered in English and Spanish. See details below. As of today, we have plenty of spaces and would like to ensure all spaces are filled before registration closes on January 15th.
Here are the groups being offered via a virtual platform, Zoom:
· Parents of School-Aged - English, Tuesdays, 1/19-3/22 5:30pm-7pm
· Parents of School-Aged- Spanish, Wednesdays, 1/20 -3/24 5pm-6:30pm
· Parents of Teens - English, Tuesdays, 1/19-3/22 5:30pm- 7pm
· Parents of Teens -Spanish, Thursdays, 3/11 – 5/27 5pm-6:30pm
Registration is simple. Parent/Caregivers can use the QR code or click on the live link to register that is located on the flyer. Flyers are attached and can also be found in Peach Jar.
~HELP WITH DISTRICT ISSUED LAPTOPS~
- Your child's laptop is not working
- You are moving out of the school district
- Troubleshooting issues
If your child is currently using a district-issued laptop to engage in distance learning and you require technical assistance, please email our technology specialist at:
If you require translation services for this assistance, please contact Bilingual Community Liaison Florencia Rams at frams@smmusd.org.
~ A MESSAGE FROM THE GRANT SCHOOL PTA ~
~ DONATE TO THE GRANT PTA AND SANTA MONICA EDUCATION FOUNDATION TODAY! ~
Your donation does so much for Grant!
Please consider donating to the two organizations that enhance education for all Grant students: the Santa Monica Education Foundation and Grant PTA. Your donations are still so important, even during distance learning. Check out the crucial staff, programs, technology, and materials funded by your donations in this chart!
Our goal is for 100% of Grant families to give to PTA and the Ed Foundation. ANY amount makes a difference to our kids. If you have already donated, thank you!
¡Su donación hace mucho por Grant!
Considere hacer una donación a las dos organizaciones que mejoran la educación de todos los estudiantes de Grant: la Fundación Educativa de Santa Mónica y la PTA de Grant. Sus donaciones siguen siendo muy importantes, incluso durante el aprendizaje a distancia. ¡Consulte el personal, los programas, la tecnología y los materiales fundamentales financiados con sus donaciones en esta gráfica!
Nuestra meta es que el 100% de las familias de Grant den a la PTA y a la Fundación Ed. CUALQUIER cantidad hace la diferencia para nuestros hijos. Si ya ha donado, ¡gracias!
~Grant's SMEF Donation Participation~
~COMMUNITY RESOURCES for FAMILIES~
*Some events and resources not sponsored by or affiliated with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
~ CITY OF SANTA MONICA - CREST ~
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE APPLICATION IS HAPPENING NOW!
This fall, the City of Santa Monica's after-school programs will continue to reopen with limited capacity to ensure community safety. City staff are working to make the necessary changes to the schedule due to modified hours of operation, staff reductions, social distancing, and infection control guidance. The City of Santa Monica offers financial assistance to qualifying moderate to low-income Santa Monica Residents and non-residents attending an SMMUSD school. Financial assistance is available and can be applied to City youth program fees such as: CREST Club, CREST Enrichment, Santa Monica Swim Center classes, community classes, and seasonal day camps. A completed application for financial assistance is required annually. We are currently accepting applications for fiscal year 2020-2021. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
You may email completed applications (which must include the necessary income, address and identification information) to our office at crest@smgov.net or by drop-off through the mail slot at the CREST Youth Office at Reed Park 1133 7th St.
Did you know that CREST Club is running in-person camp from 12:00PM to 5:15PM at Reed Park for youth ages 8-14?
The health and safety of all participants, staff and parents is of the utmost importance. We would like to share that CREST Club will run and look differently. CREST will still be devoted to having fun-filled and engaging activities that you expect from our CREST Program.
We are taking guidance from the CDC and LA County Public Health Guidelines for programs providing Day Care for School-Age children, additional Safety Protocols and Procedures are being implemented to keep everyone safe while in programming.
Visit smgov.net/crest for more information
~A MESSAGE FROM WEST LOS ANGELES LITTLE LEAGUE~
Dear Friends -
It's time to get ready for Spring Baseball at West LA Little League! It is my great privilege to invite you all to click here and register for the 2021 Spring Season at West LA Little League. Home of the famous, Bad News Bears fields. Welcome back!
On December 14th the California Department of Public Health (cdph.ca.gov) published their revised return to play guidelines for youth sports for the State of California. Importantly the guidance cemented our shared belief that access to play for our kids is essential and all communities, regardless of COVID tier status, should be permitted to allow a degree of organized play while we work through the challenges of the pandemic. Like the recent guidance offered by the City and County of Los Angeles over the last 10 days, according to the State, while Los Angeles remains in the Purple Tier (Widespread), permitted little leagues will continue to be allowed to offer skills and drills training to their communities. The State's guidance additionally notes that competition for baseball and softball may potentially begin as early as January 25, 2021, if conditions improve locally and we are able to move to the Red Tier (Substantial).
With positive guidance from the City, County, and State, the WLALL Board of Directors has voted to move forward with our Spring Season at West LA Little League and we plan to make the most of it! Here is what we have in store:
T-Ball and Coach Pitch are coming back! For Spring, we will be offering three sessions of play for our youngest players - Early Spring, Spring, and Summer. As parents, we appreciate how difficult it has been to find great programming for these kids and want to make it a priority to welcome these players back to their park. Session 1 will begin in mid-January, Session 2 will follow Spring Break and Memorial Day will kick-off Session 3. Three sessions will allow us to serve more families and give our players the best chance to hopefully enjoy the experience of gameplay next year.
If you should have any questions about your child participating in the upcoming T-ball / Coach pitch season, please do not hesitate to email me here.
Wishing you and your family a joyful holiday season,
Jack Bitton
Director of T Ball Division - West LA Little League