On Tuesday, November 9, the Community of Schools office hosted a Middle School Fair inviting all 5th-grade families to come to check out the amazing Magnet and SAS programs our middle schools have to offer. Lawrence, Columbus and Nobel Middle School brought wonderful booths along with over 20 clubs and leadership booths from Chatsworth High School. Over 500 people attended the event. Raffle prizes were given to lucky 5th grade and 8th-grade students (check out the next video to see the winners!) and everyone went home with a Community of Schools goodie bag. We are already planning the next community event and hope to see even more families at our future events.

With the deadline for students to upload their vaccination records into Daily Pass is soon approaching, the District along with our Community of Schools office is offering incentives for students who have completed it. Congratulations to our first CoS winner from Canoga Park High School and Chatsworth High School.

Gift cards to their favorite places such as Starbucks, In-n-Out, Chipotle, and AMC along with school swag, food and ice cream trucks and BMX stunt assemblies are just some of the great things offered. Don't delay in uploading your vaccine information into Daily Pass at https://dailypass.lausd.net/. Contact the Parent Center Director at your school for more information on incentives and help with uploading if you need assistance.

Congrats to Chatsworth High School students who were the winner of the $100 Amazon gift card and Disneyland Tickets, just a few of the many wonderful prizes for the LAUSD Safe Steps to Safe Schools incentives for those that are vaccinated. Weekly winners are announced. Community of Schools offices are also having school-specific incentives so get your vaccine and upload it to the Daily Pass to be entered.

Canoga Park Elementary students got Christmas brought to them a few weeks early thanks to the Los Angeles Police Dept. that surprised every student with presents, a visit from Santa and even police horses to say hello. Thank you to LAPD for these special memories for the students and for keeping our community safe daily.

How do you support your child when they are feeling depressed?

Sadness is something we all experience. It is a normal reaction to a loss or a setback, but it usually passes with a little time. Depression is different. Depression is an ongoing problem, not a passing one. It consists of episodes during which the symptoms last for at least 2 weeks. One sign a child or teen may be experiencing depression is problems at school. This could be due to common depression symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, lack of motivation, a drop in grades, frustration with school, restlessness or difficulty staying awake in class and poor attendance. Depression in young children and teens can look very different from depression in adults. Symptoms can include an irritable/angry mood, unexplained aches and pains, extreme sensitivity to criticism, withdrawing from others, and thoughts of death or suicide.

What can I do to help manage my child’s depression?

Ask for help. Reach out to a mental health agency to talk about your child’s symptoms and inquire if mental health treatment may be helpful for your child. Be patient and know that treatment takes time to work. In the meantime, you can encourage your child to stay active and exercise, even if it is just going for a walk. Help your child keep a regular sleep schedule. Spend time with and talk to your child. In regards to school, you can help your child break down school or work tasks into smaller ones and organize them in order of what needs to get done first.

Here are some ways you can find support:

* National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 24 hours, 7 days/week: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

* Department of Mental Health (DMH) ACCESS, 24 hours, 7 days/week:

1-800-854-7771. DMH can help find counseling resources if your child has Medi-Cal insurance

* If you have private insurance, they are required by law to offer mental health treatment. Check with your provider for a list of therapists.

Chatsworth High School partnered with our Local community college to offer you an opportunity to work on college courses now! Current students should speak with their counselor to help decide which class to register. For more information and to sign up go to Concurrent enrollment at the Pierce admissions office.

Concurrent high school enrollment students can register for class online on or after their registration appointment date and after they have submitted the Los Angeles Community College (LACCD) Supplemental Application for Admission of Students in Grades K-12 to the Admissions & Records Office. The student can only enroll in those courses approved on the Los Angeles Community College (LACCD) Supplemental Application for Admission of Students in Grades K-12.

Columbus Middle School provides students and the school community with positive opportunities to celebrate students' culture and achievements. This monthly newsletter features students' success stories, teacher highlights, and the amazing partnerships the school is doing with the community.

Let us know what you think! Take the 2021-2022 School Experience Survey to share what you think about your and your child’s experiences with PRCS. Be sure to complete our survey to help us learn about your experience with your children. One survey per household per school please. Parents can access the ONLINE Parent Survey by clicking HERE.

To support families during the holiday season, Grab & Go meals will be available for all families at local schools. We will be able to provide meals for families during the holiday week while giving Food Services staff a much-needed break to spend time with their families. The proposed distribution times are from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. on the dates listed below:

• November 22, 2021

• December 20, 2021

• December 27, 2021

• January 3, 2022

Chatsworth High School will be one location for these selected Grab & Go dates. You can also find additional location by clicking here https://achieve.lausd.net/domain/126

Los Angeles Unified has job openings for people who want to have a lasting impact by helping kids prepare for success at school and in life.

The District has opportunities not only for passionate, well-qualified teachers, but there are also a wide variety of full and part-time positions available for School Climate Advocates, Custodians and Custodian Trainees, Instructional Assistants, Student and Family Resource Navigators, Special Education Paraprofessionals, and Food Services Workers.

Learn more here, and please share this news with the great people in your life who might be interested!

Winter Break is from December 20-January 10. Do you have plans? We are excited to share that we have created a flyer for students and families for winter break. Within each grade span we are featuring popular student resources that support learning across subject areas. This includes literacy, math, social studies, science, social-emotional learning, and physical movement. We also have translated these flyers into seven languages. Please see all flyers at the link below.

2021 Family Winter Break Flyers

https://discoveryed-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/p/sjohangiry/EsWv5tErm6ZEsThZTgaLdoIBGPJl_BcoSTlbe5uaBtf4NQ?e=6Ux0fv

We wish you a safe and wonderful Holiday season and a Happy New Year!!

December 6, 2021 - January 8, 2022

This winter, experience the enchantment of books. Join the Winter Reading Challenge and let a book charm, intrigue or transport you!

Register and track your progress online or on the Beanstack Tracker App, or pick up a game board at any Los Angeles Public Library location. Complete five activities and be entered into a drawing to win a prize from The Library Store.

For more information, visit lapl.org/winter.