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Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: LEARNING TO LIVE IN COMMUNITY
Shanah Tovah (Happy New Year) to our students and families celebrating Rosh Hashana on September 21. SMMUSD has declared the day a local holiday and both school and child care will be closed. PTA Association Meeting – Wednesday, September 20, 8:30 am in the Cafeteria. Parking - We need to ask for your help. We had two unfortunate incidents with parent parking last week – one parent blocked a lunch delivery on campus and one ended up damaging a patient’s car at the Venice Family Clinic while illegally parking there. Please make sure that everyone who drops off your child knows that there is NO visitor parking or drop off in the Kansas Avenue parking lot and Edison parents parking in the Venice Family Clinic Parking lot are trespassing and face ticketing or towing. Thanks for your help and cooperation! Hurricane Relief – Several of our 4th graders were moved to help victims of Hurricane Harvey. They designed posters and collected over $300 during Back to School Night and sent it to the Houston Food Bank. Thanks to all who contributed. Reading Intervention Classes designed accelerate reading progress of striving students begin this week. Volunteer Trainings – The last volunteer training for 2017-18 will be held Monday morning September 25 at 8:30 am in the cafeteria. If you want to volunteer in classrooms, on field trips or in any activity where you work directly with students, you must have current volunteer status. School Smarts Academy begins next Thursday morning (9/28) from 8:30-10:00 am. Workshops are small and it’s a great way to get to know other parents and learn about effective advocacy. Contact Yoly Gutierrez at ext. 61-305 or ygutierrez@smmusd.org to enroll. Picture Day is Coming this Friday, September 22. Watch for the flyer in the Wednesday packet with information about ordering pictures.
Early in each school year, we go over school rules with students and begin teaching the problem solving tools we want them to use. At fall Safety and Rules Assemblies, we review the rules for safe use of the playgrounds, the Buddy Bench, the Cool Tools for problem solving, our school’s anti-bullying pledge, and remind children to stay away from strangers. In addition to teaching Cool Tools and the Olweus Anti-Bullying strategies as school, we’re also working to equip students with the tools to calm themselves when they are angry or stressed and to stretch their abilities to focus. We’re starting this work by teaching about the human brain and practicing mindful listening and mindful breathing. But basically, what we are teaching students is how to live respectfully in community with each other. We have such low mobility in the immersion program that most often students will be together for all or part of the day for 13-14 years. So it’s important to build healthy relationships, respect each person’s space and privacy, and learn to solve problems together. It takes a while for children to internalize social skills and apply them in different situations. They are learning to inhibit impulsive actions, use their developing language skills to resolve problems, and to make good choices. And not everyone learns these skills on the same timetable. When they act in a hurtful fashion or make a poor choice, we have a progressive discipline system that is based on teaching, coaching and making amends. But when a child appears stuck in the same negative behavior patterns or hurts another child, you can expect a call so we can work together to support your child and change behaviors. At one time or another while your child is in school, there may be another child who speaks unkindly or who reacts to a problem with physicality and not words. It may even be your child who makes an impulsive decision or poor choice! If you feel that your child needs support in dealing with a classmate’s behavior, if a classmate is hurting your child, or if your child is having behavior challenges at school please let the teacher know and we will help. However, we also ask that you not scold another person’s child or approach another parent with a litany of their child’s offenses. Remember, you will also be in community with the other parents for a long time. Please go to the teacher instead and let us investigate, help, and/or draw on our counseling resources. And don’t assume that a child with challenging behaviors is a bad person or will never learn. Children grow and change every day!
Last Week for the Blue Dog Sale! Thank you for supporting this important school fundraiser!
October 4 – Bike It, Walk It, Bus It Day! Leave the car at home.
October 4 – PTA Executive Board Meeting 6:00-8:00 pm Community Room
October 11 – ELAC Meeting 8:30-9:30 am Community Room