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Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS Parent Teacher Conferences Nov. 6-9. A conference gives you an important opportunity to review your child’s progress and talk with the teacher about your concerns or questions. If you have not already done so, please sign up for a conference! Please note that the school schedule is different during conferences. Monday, November 6 is a pupilfree day (no classes). Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (Nov. 7, 8, 9) are Minimum Days to allow more time for conferences in the afternoons. On Minimum Days, Pre-K, TK, and Kinder leave at 12:25 st nd rd th th pm, 1 and 2 grades at 1:35 pm and 3 -4 -5 depart at 1:50 pm. Blue Dog Deliveries – If you purchased items during the Blue Dog Catalogue sale, they will be delivered this week beginning on November 2. Please check in the Community Room for your items and pick them up promptly. The student reward party for the Blue Dog fundraiser will be held that day afterschool. PTA VP for Fundraising Luhanda Garvin will be sending permission slips to those children who were the top sellers AND to a group of lucky children chosen by lottery to participate. Please address any questions about Blue Dog (items or the party) directly to Luhanda at Edison.fundraising.vp@gmail.com After School Support – Not all children learn to read, acquire a second language, or become proficient at math at exactly the same pace . Some may need different or additional support in order to close the gap between where they are now and where they should be to meet grade level standards. We are able to provide some different support (small groups with a specialized teacher) during the school day. But some students also will need some additional minutes of instruction. During your parent-teacher conferences, your child’s teacher will let you know if there is an after-school support program recommended for your child. th 5 Grade – Catalina Trip – The $50.00 deposit for the Catalina trip is due by October 30. nd November 2 , there is a mandatory Catalina parent meeting at 6:00 pm in the cafeteria. Important trip information and forms will be distributed.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: WHAT DIFFERENCE DO A FEW MINUTES MAKE? Recently, I was meeting with a group of our teachers talking about writing instruction. One shared with the group that when they scored and analyzed student writing together, they’d noticed that there was a particular area of word work that the students were missing. So that team had carved out some instructional time to work every day on that area -first thing in the morning when young minds are fresh! Another group of teachers shared that they had done the same thing with a quick daily math warm up and review because students need to see number patterns and solve problems in lots of different contexts. Another teacher noted that her class had their morning meeting and practiced focus and problem solving skills first thing in the morning. What all these teachers lamented is that there was a group of children in each of their classes who consistently arrive 5-10 minutes late. They were regularly missing all or most of this critical instruction. While 510 minutes doesn’t seem like very much – the time mounts up. If a child is late 10 minutes over 20 days in the course of the year, they are missing 100200 minutes of instruction and practice that their peers have had. That doesn’t help us close achievement gaps. In fact, it makes them wider. Imagine how much more solid students’ skills could be if they all had that 200 minutes of instruction. When we do our tours for prospective parents, I always say that regular on-time attendance is especially essential in an immersion program because we teach an extra language in the same amount of time that other schools teach one language. We have to use every available instructional minute and we really limit interruptions to instructional time. Our district also makes a big push for regular and on-time attendance and creating a culture of attendance -- every day, every month. And so, we send letters, make phone calls, and make home visits to encourage regular attendance. And we periodically remind you of the important things children miss when they are not here or come late. We do this because achievement and student success are inextricably linked to attendance. One of the most important things parents can do to support academic success is to get students to school every day and every day on time. It’s the top indicator of being on track for graduation and college readiness and in elementary school, good attendance is related closely to good reading skills. When we work together, we can recover valuable learning time for our students. Thank you for your dedication all year long—together we can make a difference and boost achievement! November 2 – Blue Dog Orders Arrive – After school Blue Dog Reward
November 3 Make Up Picture Day
November 6 – Pupil Free Day for Conferences Nov. 7, 8, 9 – Minimum Days for Conferences