F E B R U A R Y

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El Semanario

Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS VALENTINES DANCE – On Friday, February 12 from 5:30-8:30 pm come for delicious food, a family dance, lotería, karaoke, raffles, and more! And sign up to help at one of the activities – it takes a village to run a great Valentines Dance!! CORAZON DE VIDA COLLECTION -- We are continuing to collect new underwear and socks for the children in the Corazon de Vida orphanage in Ensenada, B.C. There are boxes in each classroom and in the breezeway. Can you add to the Edison donation that will be delivered by some of our families on February 27? AFTERNOON VALET FOR KANSAS AVE– Wanted: a responsible adult to staff a Kansas Avenue afternoon pick- up zone from 2:303:30 on M-T-Th-F and from 1:20-2:20 pm on Wednesdays. If you have those times free and are interested in helping Edison children depart safely from campus in the afternoon (for a modest hourly rate), please contact Principal Orum for more details. UCLA SCHOOL FUNCTION CLINIC Appointments are available for the February 8 and March 14 consultations with Dr. Alice Kuo and Bobby Verdugo. If you have concerns about behaviors or challenges that may be affecting your child’s functioning in school and would like a free consultation with a developmental pediatrician an a social worker, please email Bobby Verdugo at BVerdugo@mednet.ucla.edu or call the Edison office and we’ll connect you. THE EDISON SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL will meet on Wednesday, February 10 from 4:006:00 pm. Agenda Items include: Review of School Site Plan and Budget , Discussion of Implementation Strategies and Timelines, Scheduling of Site Learning Walk for Site Council Members, Planning for Parent Survey.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: LOVE YOUR SCHOOL MONTH February is a short but powerful month at Edison. There’s the Dia de Amistad/Valentines Dance – where we gather as families to break bread, dance, play loteria, sing some Karaoke tunes, and enjoy each other’s company. Then there’s our Corazón de Vida Service project where we reach out to share some of what we have with the children living in the Corazón de Vida Orphanages in Baja California. And don’t forget the Kindness and Justice Challenge as our students spend a month honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by practicing intentional acts of kindness and justice with each other. It’s also the mid-point in the school year when we take a look at the progress students have made toward mastering grade level skills and content. Teachers have been conducting and analyzing mid-year assessments and are preparing progress reports to parents to go home on Friday, February 5. I’ve just read the 430+ comments on progress reports, and I’m so impressed with the progress our students are making and the ways that families and teachers are working together to support student growth. Staff are now adjusting intervention and support programs and school-family success plans to make sure we can bring the students successfully to their goals by June. Mid-year is also a time of reflection for our parent groups. Each group sets goals and a calendar of activities and evaluates the work still to be done to accomplish those goals. As our PTA has been reviewing progress, it’s becoming apparent that programming and services are on track, but we are behind where we need to be in fundraising. Yet, the expenses we’ve jointly committed to in the PTA budget in September continue – salaries for supervision staff, costs for assemblies, field trips, supplemental classroom supplies, Kid Biz, scholarships, etc. Two of our largest sources of revenue (direct donations from families and funds that we receive from Ralphs when people register their Ralph’s Reward Cards to give a percentage of every purchase to Edison) are way down. Only 23 families this year have gotten around to making their direct donation. So, the Edison PTA will be contacting all families, asking if you will show your love for our school by making a direct donation and make sure your Ralphs card is registered. You can donate at any school event, on-line, or return an envelope that will be coming home shortly. You can make a one-time donation or stretch it out in payments. PTA will take cash, checks, credit cards – or even PayPal. We have approximately 330 families at Edison and all of our students benefit from the things that PTA provides. If everyone contributes what they can afford to share, PTA will be able to provide these important services for our students. Please show your love for Edison in February and make a direct donation to PTA! February 10 ELAC Meeting 8:30 am

February 10 Site Council – 4:00 pm.

Feburary 15 Presidents Day Holiday – NO CLASSES