Mt. Washington Elementary School
Remote Learning, May 11 - 15, 2020
Thank you!
On behalf of the teaching staff at Mt. Washington, I want to thank all of our families for a wonderful teacher appreciation week filled with lots of love and thoughtfulness. I really appreciate all the sweet pictures and kind words I received throughout the week.
I miss and love each and every one of you!
May is Asian-Pacific Heritage Month
During the month of May we celebrate the many contributions Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have made to the United States. They have impacted politics, medicine, sports, aviation, military and entertainment.
Did you know that in May 1843 the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States? What president declared May as Asian-Pacific Heritage month? To learn more about Asian-Pacific Heritage month, check out these websites:
https://asianpacificheritage.gov/
https://www.pbs.org/specials/asian-pacific-american-heritage-month/
Virtual Spirit Week
Monday, 5/11 - Kindness Monday
Tuesday, 5/12 - Chatty Tuesday
Wednesday, 5/13 - Yoga Wednesday
Thursday, 5/14 - Thirsty Thursday
Friday, 5/15 - Walking & Spirit Friday
Have a Great Weekend
If you need to call the school during the school closure, call (323) 421-3988
Creating Structure at Home
Children, all children, thrive from structure. When they know the expectations, children feel calm and happier. Creating structure is not an easy task, as children love to test boundaries and see how far they can push these boundaries. They will also test you, see if you really mean what you said. Children not only behave like anthropologist with you, parents, but with us, their teachers, as well. Ask any teacher about the first few weeks of school and they will tell you how exhausting it is because they keep repeating themselves all day long for 6 hours. Teachers will set the expectations in collaboration with the students, but will need to repeat these expectations constantly, until students know that the teacher means what she/he said.
Do you find yourself repeating the same thing over and over with your child ignoring you? How do you handle this dynamic? During quarantine, are you struggling with finding time to do your job (if working from home), help or teach your child, do the house chores? The day does not seem long enough to do EVERYTHING that needs to get done. I completely understand!
Joe Newman, author of Raising Lions, has a 10 part series to help parents establish structure in a respectful and clam way. If you have not watched these short videos yet, I highly encourage you to take time watching them.
Number Sense Routine
Updates
I have completed my virtual SEL lessons with all 17 classrooms. It was very special for me to reconnect with the students. We started our lesson with a morning meeting routine, talking about our feelings for the day. I then read I Am Peace by Susan Verde and discussed how the character calmed his thoughts in the story. With the younger grades, we practiced taking deep breaths as a way to help us calm down when feeling upset or anxious. With the older students, we discussed what strategies help them calm down. The students were very articulate in discussing their feelings and what helps them feel better. Keep reminding your children to do things that will help them calm down and enjoy their surroundings.
This Thursday, May 14, at 3:00 pm, Ms. Kitchen and I will hold a parent workshop, "Social Emotional Support at Home." During quarantine, you might have noticed your child acting out in ways that are not common for them or maybe have noticed your child reverting to old behaviors. This is normal, as children try to understand why their lives have changed so drastically. Through these behaviors, our children are asking for support and reassurance. What can we, as parents, do to support our children through this difficult time? I will send out the Zoom link via email and text on Wednesday evening. I hope to see you on Thursday at 3:00 pm.
We Are the Home of the Wolves
Email: gxg4631@lausd.net
Website: https://mtwashington-lausd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Location: 3981 San Rafael Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: (323) 421-3988