O C T O B E R
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El Semanario
Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS PARENTS SINGING CIRCLE – Join other Edison parents/families for the Parents Singing Circle with Maestra Jacqueline, Friday mornings 8:30-9:30 am in Room 109. It’s a lovely way to start your day! CORO EN ESPAÑOL – The 3-5th grade Spanish afterschool chorus with Maestra Jacqueline Fuentes still has room for more students on Mondays from 3:10-4:10 pm in Room 107. Enrollment is limited to 35 students. Complete and return the flyer if your child is interested. VOLUNTEERS – If you completed a recent volunteer training, please turn in your application, TB clearance, and a small picture to Yoly asap. We are currently recruiting for volunteers during 4th and 5th Grade Theater Classes (1 hr per week --M-W-F 8:30-10:30 am), support in the Edible Garden (Thursdays – variable times), and as gate monitors/safety valets at drop off (8:00-8:30 am) or pick up time (2:45-3:15 pm). If you are interested in volunteering at the drop off/pick up zone or at the gates, we will provide you with additional specific safety training. PLEDGE DAYS -- Although Pledge Days are over, it’s never too late to donate to the Ed Foundation! Even a small donation goes a long way. Edison had the highest participation rate in the District last year. Let’s do it again and make sure that all Santa Monica schools benefit and that Edison has the resources to provide music in Spanish, theater, classroom instructional assistants, safety supervisors, an afternoon health office aide, professional development for teachers and more! WALK, BIKE OR BUS TO SCHOOL ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9 – Participants will get a sticker and a snack bar at the gate to thank you for participating. Last year, we came in second throughout the entire district. Help us do it again! .
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: OCTOBER IN EDISON October is prime instructional time – with no school holidays during the month. So let’s maximize attendance! Because October is also the beginning of flu season, here are a few tips to make illness less likely: 1) Pay extra attention to good nutrition, early bedtimes, and good hygiene; 2) Stress frequent handwashing with soap and water; 3)Teach children to cover their mouth or nose with a tissue or sleeve when they cough or sneeze; 4) Teach children to wash hands and not rub their eyes during cold and flu season to stop the spread of pink eye; and 5) The County Health Department recommends flu vaccinations for everyone except infants under six months of age. If your child does get the flu, then keep them home until any vomiting or diarrhea has stopped and your child is fever free. On Halloween morning, October 31, Edison starts the day with a costume parade. It’s a lovely morning to linger a little and enjoy the fun with your child (don’t forget the cameras!). An alternate activity will be available. Also in October, students, staff, and parents are also hard at work planning for one of the most distinctive and beloved Edison events – the Fall Festival and Día de los Muertos celebration -- held this year on Saturday, November 3. Volunteers are needed for food preparation and sales, set up and clean up, and operating booths and games. Please see the sign-up sheets in the breezeway or let your classroom Room Rep know how you can help. While there are parts of this event that you would find at any other fall carnival – it is also a cultural observance of Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos and Edison’s gallery of altars is the centerpiece of the festival. We ground our work in the Social Justice Standards in the domains of Identity and Diversity -- highlighting an important cultural observance AND looking at the various traditions that cultures have developed to deal with a universal human experience. Día de los Muertos has been celebrated among indigenous peoples in modern-day Mexico and Central America for 2,500-3,000 years. It is based on the belief that for two days each year the spirits of the deceased can come back to visit their families. In contemporary societies, we all have ways of honoring the memories of people important to the community -- inscribing their names on memorials, observing their birthdays as holidays, or naming streets, airports, and schools after them. Our Edison commemoration of Days of the Dead incorporates several different cultural traditions, including the custom of creating ofrendas from each classroom. Each classroom decorates a table with things that honor departed loved ones (people and sometimes pets) special to the children in that learning community. What are the traditions in your family – or your family’s culture of origin?
October 5 Seaside Preschool Orientation – Prospective Parents 9:30 am
October 10 ELAC Meeting 8:30 am
October 17 PTA Association Meeting 8:30 am