WEEK OF MAY 25, 2020
El Semanario Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK Dear Edison Families, Each year as we wind down instruction and prepare for promotion, we also take stock of the current year and start planning for the next. Part of that reflective process is gathering input from stakeholders. We look at the lessons we’ve learned about what works well and what is important to keep and build u[on. We also look at things that didn’t serve us as well or provided challenges to student growth. And we look to research, data, and feedback from our community to chart a course for next year. Faculty hold these discussions each year, ranking priorities, sharing promising practices, and identifying areas for further professional growth. This is also traditionally the time of the year that we collect input from parents – during Coffee with the Principal, ELAC, PTA and School Site Council (SSC) meetings, and via SSC’s annual Edison Parent Survey. The SSC parent survey serves as an annual needs assessment and an important way to hear from ALL parts of our diverse community. We feel it is urgent to collect parent feedback now, to be able to incorporate it in immediate planning for opening the 2020-2021 school year as well as for the more formal School Plan for School Improvement (SPSA). Additionally, in a time of deficits and cuts, it’s crucial to have a good sense of what our community feels are the most essential services to maintain, and which might be good but less critical, or perhaps could be done differently. Site Council will be sending out a link to the survey out later this week and I urge you to take a few thoughtful moments to advise us on what is working and what has been challenging from your perspective. We want ALL parent voices to be heard, so please respond to the Edison survey. This year has been dramatically different than past years. We’ve spent the last three months apart – engaging in distance learning in the middle of a global pandemic. Our teachers had to pivot very quickly to a medium that they had not used before to deliver all instruction, and parents were thrust into the role of being their children’s learning facilitators from home.
We sent over 130 Chromebooks home and families who had never had to deal with Google Classroom, Zoom, SeeSaw, or Class Dojo suddenly needed to learn how to navigate these platforms as well as to help their children log in from home to many of the individualized tech programs they use at school. To say that the learning curve has been steep for everyone would be an understatement! As we learn more about the Corona-19 virus, it is becoming apparent distance learning will probably be around for a while. Most higher education institutions in California (Community Colleges, the California State University and the University of California) have already announced that they will offer distance learning for at least fall semester. Public school districts Pre-K-12th grade will follow the state and county public health guidance, but it does appear that distance learning may be a part of our children’s life for a while longer. We want to get as good as we possibly can in using distance learning tools and are looking at state guidance and what other Dual Language schools are doing so we can learn from each other. It will be a busy summer as we continue learning and prepare for next year! But whether it be in person, via distance learning, or some combination thereof, we will be ready to offer a high caliber dual immersion program for Edison students. As the state begins to slowly re-open in stages, please continue to pay attention to social distancing requirements. Use masks in public, stay at home as much as is possible, maintain 6 feet of distance, wash and sanitize your hands frequently, and practice selfquarantine if you have been exposed or have symptoms of Covid-19. Stay safe and careful dear friends!
Lori Orum
Announcements Report Cards – including mid-year grades and a narrative that provides an overview of the child’s progress this year will be sent home on June 10. The narratives will identify areas of strength and provide