SME SMORE/eBlast: 1/23/22
Announcements from the SME Principal, PTA, SEEDs and AFB!
Principal Lewis' Sunday Update for the week of 1/24/22
Sunday Call for week of January 24th, 2022
Good evening Sierra Madre Families, this is Mrs. Lewis, your principal. This is our last full week of January and our 21st week of the school year! I hope you are just as excited as us to see the “learning light bulbs” go on in your kiddos, as we are!
Here are the announcements for this week:
Monday, January 24th we will have our BRAVO morning assembly starting at 7:50am. Please have your kiddo on time to school between 7:35-7:48am.. This also is our kick off day for our new PTA program, “Read it Forward!”
Wednesday, January 26th we will have our SSC meeting to discuss our Safety Plan and school needs. Please join us at 4pm using the link in the SMORE.
Thursday, January 27th we will have our COVID-19 testing team on campus. Even if your kiddo is fully vaccinated, it is recommended that they test weekly. Please register using this link.
Announcements
Take Home Antigen Kit Pick-up
If you were not already able to pick up the Antigen home test kit for your kiddo, we will have additional dates/time this week. Please see the SMORE for specifics by grade.
Diverse Bookroom Read Alouds
Please check out Mrs. Jane Devlin reading Shintaro's Umbrellas by Marjorie Jackson, for our diverse bookroom read aloud this week.
PTA
Our new PTA program Read it Forward is happening this week! Send your student to school with lightly used or new books to donate to our sister school Madison Elementary. Bonus points if your student signs the book, and writes a sentence on why the student receiving it will love it. Students can drop the books in the designated boxes in the Main Office hallway.
Our Virtual Family Dance is coming up on Feb. 5 -- and registration is now open! You must register by this Thursday in order for your student to receive a dance party swag bag. Link to register is in the smore.
SEEDs
SEED invites everyone to their next meeting on Monday, January 31st at 6:30 p.m.. Come find out how you can contribute to the SME SEED community and their mission to promote equity and inclusion.
Save the date! SEED is sponsoring a diversity and inclusion Summit on Thursday, February 17th. Please look out for upcoming details in the SMORE and Wednesday folder.
January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The January SEED resource guide has valuable information to recognize this important day.
AFB
Please mark your calendars for the AFB Auction on April 23, 2022! The evening will include silent auction, cocktail hour, dinner, live auction and dancing. Tickets will go on sale in mid-February!
For more event information, please be sure to visit our school website at sme.pusd.us
We are excited to see all of our students tomorrow morning at SME where we launch our journey of nurturing learners, and growing leaders.
And now, for this week’s riddle. What kind of band never plays music? Don’t forget to check the very bottom of my SMORE for the riddle answer.
Please check out the SMORE for specific information from our parent groups.
Continue to stay healthy and safe! Bye Bye
COVID Screening and Testing at SME
Please STAY HOME if you have ANY symtoms.
Screening Questions Daily before coming to school
- Do I have a fever?
- Do I have a cough?
- Am I experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing?
- Am I experiencing any other symptoms?
- Have I been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days?
- In the last 10 days, have I been directed to quarantine, isolate or take a COVID-19 test?
How and Where PUSD Students and Employees Can Get Tested
PUSD offers COVID-19 PCR oral or nasal swab tests on campuses and at the District’s Primary Clinic, 8 a.m. - 3:30 pm. By appointment, please call (626) 396-3600, ext 88180
On PUSD campuses(SME) weekly testing, on Thursdays, is available for ALL students and staff.
Register your student for weekly testing at SME on the Color system here: https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=19648816021737students
We are holding at 86% of students registered.
STEPS to follow if you get a POSITIVE COVID test result
1. Immediately isolate from all others(family, school, sports, after-school enrichment and daycare)
2. Contact Mrs. Lewis/Ms. Rupp to notify POS results
3. Expect a phone call/contact from Health Department for specific information and quarantine next steps
4. Receive a short-term independent study agreement from SME
5. Complete assigned school work, if feeling well
6. Call and/or contact school/teacher if any questions
STEPS to follow if you are requesting and Independent Study(IS) Agreement
1. Send an email to your kid's teacher and Mrs. Lewis to request an IS agreement
2. Include which days you are agreeing to work remotely on the Canvas work posted by the teacher.
3. Include if you are choosing to do an IS or if you are needing to, due to an exposure or POSITIVE COVID-19 lab confirmed PCR test.
*If your kiddo is fully vaccinated, they will NEED to test at school, or outside of school with a PCR lab-confirmed test EVERY week, in order to bypass quarantine guidelines!
Mask Wearing Information
Please see the following updates from the Los Angeles County Public Health Department for employees and students masking.
The key to this message is that "Cloth face coverings alone are no longer acceptable, as they do not provide the same level of source control or personal protection as a proper surgical mask or higher level PPE."
2021-22 Housing Questionnaire
Assembly Bill 27
Under new law, all Local Education Agency (LEA), such as Pasadena USD, must ensure that each of their schools identifies all of their homeless children and unaccompanied youths. LEAs are required to post on their website a list and contact information of their liaisons for homeless students and unaccompanied youths. The bill also requires LEAs to post specific information on homelessness, including information regarding the educational rights and resources available to persons experiencing homelessness. The bill requires the CDE to provide best practices and guidance that assist LEAs in identifying and obtaining accurate data on homeless children and unaccompanied youths enrolled in schools.
In order to obtain accurate data, Pasadena Unified will be disseminating a questionnaire during the weeks of January 10-30, 2022. The survey will ask specific questions about your housing situation. It is not an anonymous survey as it does require verification. The purpose is to further our support both in PUSD and statewide to ensure our students and families are well-served.
This effort will be an annual questionnaire that will be located in the data confirmation at the start of each school year via our Parent Portal. However, since this was just passed, we must participate in the 2021-22 school year. Therefore, we are asking all PUSD families to participate in this housing questionnaire for every child in your guardianship.
Please click on this link to fill out online. Otherwise click on the link below to fill out a paper copy.
PTA Announcements & Flyers
Read It Forward ▸▸▸
We are thrilled to announce a totally new PTA program: Read it Forward
What it is: A way for our students to share their gently
used or even new books with our sister school Madison Elementary.
When it's happening: January 24-28 (THIS WEEK!)
How it works: Send your student to school with K-5th books you'd like to donate, and they can deposit them into the boxes in the Main Office Hallway.
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2022 Virtual Family Dance: Feb. 5
We hope you can join our 2nd ever Virtual Family Dance. Last year's event was a blast! If you plan to attend, please register in advance so that your student/s will receive a dance party swag bag delivered to their classroom.
Each dance party is 45 minutes:
Grades K/1: 4pm
Grades 2/3: 5pm
Grades 4/5: 6pm
Register by 1/27 in order to receive a swag bag. You can register after that, but your student will not be eligible for a bag: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0Krx5rmDlqyof5s5ovriM8gUbPrylPoKxxHfvOdt7CGHngg/viewform
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★ It's Not Too Late to Join PTA! ★
Parents and families help link our community together. That is what the P stands for in PTA after all: Parents! Did you know that you can buy a PTA membership for anyone? Invite aunts, uncles, and grandparents to purchase a PTA membership, or even better purchase a membership for your student/students or your family pet.
In this socially distant world, it is even more important to be connected. We can do more together; such as supporting critical educational needs, taking action to support student success, building community, and advocating for all students.
Purchasing a membership is easy. See the link below to purchase a 2021-2022 PTA Membership.
Join Here: https://jointotem.com/ca/sierra-madre/sierra-madre-elementary-pta
SEED's Announcements
SEED invites everyone to their next meeting on Monday, January 31st at 6:30 p.m.. Come find out how you can contribute to the SME SEED community and their mission to promote equity and inclusion.
Save the date! SEED is sponsoring a diversity and inclusion Summit on Thursday, February 17th. Please look out for upcoming details in the S'more and Wednesday folder.
January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Please check out the January SEED resource guide for valuable information to recognize this important day.
Annual Fund Boosters(AFB)
Please mark your calendars for the AFB Auction on April 23, 2022! The evening will include silent auction, cocktail hour, dinner, live auction and dancing. Tickets will go on sale in mid-February!
Donate today at tinyurl.com/smeafb2022
Diverse Book Read Aloud
Mrs. Jane Devlin (Kinder teacher)
Book Title: Shintaro's Umbrellas by Marjorie Jackson illustrated by Linda Finch
Mrs. Lewis' Riddle
Answer: A rubber band.
Yearbook Picture Entries
Great Kindness Challenge at SME
Please see the below instructions on how your kiddo can enter Doodle for Google to show kindness to ourselves through Self-Care.
We will be partnering this challenge with a checklist of ways to be kind at school!
Please encourage your kiddo to show off their kindness in these next few weeks! There will be school BUG tickets and prizes for those that participate!
Community Events and Info
USC Mobile Dental Clinic for kids between 5-18 years old
SME Pics
Contact Info
Email: lewis.lindsay@pusd.us
Website: sme.pusd.us
Location: 141 W Highland Ave Sierra Madre, CA 91024
Phone: 626-396-5890
Take-Home Antigen Testing Kits...continued
Thank you to those who were already able to come pick up their kiddo's Antigen home test.
As a reminder, this test kit is for you to keep on hand just in case your kiddo has symptoms, and you want piece of mind OR, if you want to take to the district office to use for your kiddo to return from quarantine on day 8 and your PCR test results are not back yet.
If you haven't yet picked up your one rapid antigen testing kit for your K-5 grade SME student, we will have additional distribution dates/times this week as follows:
Monday and Tuesday, January 24th and 25th at drop off on Highland Ave between 7:30am-8:15am
Wednesday, January 26th on the front porch of SME between 8:30-10:30am and 12:00-2:00pm
Thursday and Friday, January 27th and 28th at drop off on Auburn Ave. between 7:30am-8:15am
Must wear mask
This one-time testing kit is provided for your student’s use.
As a reminder, we will continue to do weekly PCR tests at school on Thursdays during the school day.