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Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS SITE COUNCIL BALLOTS – Thank you to the four parents who offered to stand for election this year to Site Council. There are three parent seats available and these individuals are committing to give at least two hours per month of their time to help support and guide our school. Ballots are included in this Wednesday packet. One ballot per family please. Please take a few minutes to help select THREE individuals who you believe would be good additions to our Site Council. Thanks! MAKING MEETINGS ACCESSIBLE – Each year we try different strategies to make parent meetings and workshops accessible to Edison Families. We seem to be about split down the middle in terms of people who can come for morning meetings (8:30-9:30 am) and those who can come back for evening meetings (usually 6:00-7:00 or 7:30 pm). While evening meetings might seem to be more accessible, we’re a commuter school. So for many families, coming back to school at the end of the day entails another rushhour commute. Evening meetings can also make it hard to get young children to bed at an early enough hour (and we do thank you for trying to make sure children get all the sleep they need!). To increase access, we’re experimenting with some live streaming and/or video taping. It will probably take us a bit of time to work out all the kinks, but we’re going to see if taping or streaming will make meetings more accessible. Get Ready for Family Salsa Night! Mark your calendars for Family Salsa Night on Friday, December 6. This event also includes a best salsa competition, so dust off your favorite salsa recipe (in addition to your dancing shoes!) and share some of your “killer salsa.”
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: TECHNOLOGY AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS We’re holding orientations for parents of prospective 2020-2021 students and it’s been interesting to hear the questions that today’s parents are asking about technology. With respect to technology, even five years ago, parents wanted to know how many computers we had on campus and whether or not every child had access to a computer. Lots of technology was seen as a hallmark of a good school. These days, most of the questions I get about technology are related to concerns about limiting student screentime. Not only have many of us developed first hand experience with how addicting screens can be and how challenging it is to limit on-line time and monitor it to keep kids safe on line, there’s now more research urging us to limit young children’s access to screens. A recent study using MRIs and looking at children ags 3-5, cautioned that the brains of children who get more screentime than doctors recommend are developing differently, with less white matter in areas having to do with language. https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/04/health/screen-time-lower-braindevelopment-preschoolers-wellness/index.html This not a blanket indictment of screentime, but it should make all of us reflect on how much screen-time children actually get and for what purposes are they interacting with computers, tablets, and phones. A recent PTA sponsored workshop on Children and Media, featured information from Common Sense Media (thank you Maestro Carlos Morales!). This website has great resources for parents. For example, this link https://www.commonsensemedia.org/screen-time will direct you to scores of research articles about kids and screen-time. As you think about kids and holiday gifts, I’d like to ask that you take a look at some of these cautions before you think about giving your elementary school child a SmartPhone for the holidays. Even if you believe your child needs a way to communicate with you by phone after school, they really don’t need a SmartPhone that gives them unfettered access to the Internet and social media. Flip phones or phones without access to the internet can often be completely adequate for communication needs. And please remember that Board and School Policy does not allow elementary school children to use cell phones at school. If children do have cell phones at school, they must have a waiver signed by parents, and the devices must be turned off and stored in back packs during the school day. We’re starting to see very young children playing on-line games, surfing the net and sharing social media posts with their friends during breakfast. Please review rules for phones with students and think twice about whether a Smart Phone is really necessary for young children. 11/27 Minimum Day
11/28 and 11/29 Thanksgiving Holidays NO SCHOOL
12/4 PTA Executive Board 6:00-8:00 pm