F E B R U A R Y
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Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS Box Tops for Education –Bring those Box Tops in now through February 13. Valentines Raffle –If you’ve already sold your tickets, parents can pick up additional tickets from the front office. There are cash prizes for winners and incentives for individual students. Mid-Year Progress Reports -- At the end of this week, students will be bringing home a mid-year progress report showing their growth during the first semester and progress toward the end-of-year standards. Remember, that this is a report on progress toward standards that they are not expected to master until the END of the year. If you have any questions about how to interpret the progress report, or how to use this information to support your child’s continued growth, please contact your child’s teacher. Immunizations – Please see the letter from School Nurse Rachel Bressler included in this week’s packet. The current measles outbreak underscores the risk for unimmunized children to contract a preventable disease. Please be aware that during outbreaks, unimmunized students (including those who have not provided documentation of immunization) may be excluded from school for the length of the incubation period. That’s 21 days for measles! The re-introduction of these preventable diseases also poses risks to students who are “immune deficient” and cannot be vaccinated. SMMUSD recommends that all children have up to date immunizations. Westside Family Clinic at 1711 Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica provides FREE immunizations for children under 18 years old the first Saturday of each month from 12-2:00. No appointment is necessary. Facilities Updates: Copies of the construction schedule are posted in the office and on the windows in the breezeway/ cafecito area. For more detail about facilities projects at Edison, visit: http://fipcontractors.smmusd.org/edison-newconstruction.aspx or join us at our weekly Wednesday meetings at 7:45 am in the community room. th 5 Grade Parent Meeting on Math in Middle School – John Adams Middle School (JAMS) Principal Steven Richardson will speak about what Common Core Math Standards mean in middle school and how JAMS organizes its math offerings. In the Edison cafetorium on Monday, February 9 from 8:30-9:30 am. Need Information About Health Care Enrollment? Come to a workshop sponsored by the Pico Youth And Family Center on February 5 at 6:30 p.m. at PYFC at 715 Pico Boulevard (310) 396-7101
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: CORAZON DE VIDA SERVICE PROJECT All our months at Edison are busy, but January and February are especially packed. There are lots of academic activities as the first semester ends and we evaluate progress. Our faculty is also continuing lots of professional development work on math problem solving and writing in the Common Core. And there are an enormous number of special projects in January/February: Box Tops Collection, a Raffle, the Corazon de Vida Project, the Kindness and Justice Challenge, Valentines Dance, Silent Auction, Family Engagement Night, School Smarts Academy, parent workshops on Sexual Development of Children and Dealing with Anxiety in th Childhood, Catalina 5 grade trip, and the list goes on. Whew!!! Friday we hosted several visitors from Corazon de Vida, the foundation that we partner with to support orphanages in Baja California. Each year Edison collects supplies for the orphanages and some families take them to Tijuana. I want to particularly encourage you to contribute something to the Corazon de Vida drive. Place it in the box in the breezeway near cafecito. Whatever you can give enriches the lives of children and we’d like to fill the bus with supplies. And if you would like to give your children a real learning and service experience, sign up for the February 28 bus trip by going to: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/february-28-2015-edison-school-trip-to-thecasa-hogar-maria-imaculada-orphanage-hacienda-tijuana-tickets-15215533069 -It’s $50/ticket and the bus sells out quickly. Our Friday visitors included three young adults who grew up in the orphanages and are now in college. They shared their life experiences with some rd th th of our 3 , 4 , and 5 grade students in what was a really eye-opening conversation for our students. Some of them were orphaned, others were abused or their parents could not feed or clothe them. They spoke about sharing a bedroom with 20 other children, having nothing that was their own except their tooth brushes, days that were scheduled from 6:00 am to lights out at 8:00 pm, and what it was like to live with 50-100 other children and just a few adults. When students asked what they did if they didn’t like the food that was being served, they answered that they didn’t have that luxury (“You just eat what’s there or go hungry.”) Birthdays were discussed (“If they remember it’s your birthday, everyone gives you a hug and sings Las Mañanitas.”). They spoke about having nobody to help with homework (“You just work at it until you figure it out.”). They told of washing clothes and linens without washing machines, making their own tortillas and helping cook and clean. And they spoke of their determination to succeed in school in order to reunite brothers and sisters still in orphanages, to create loving families of their own, and help the orphanages that raised them. They told our students that if they were lucky enough to have parents, to please thank them for all they do to feed, clothe and love them. Their lives were almost utterly lacking in the things our students take for granted – but they are rich in motivation, gratitude and determination. It was a powerful learning experience! January 28 Site Council Meeting 4:00-6:00 p.m. Community Room
February 4 PTA Executive Board Meeting 6:00-8:00 p.m., Community Room
February 13 Valentines Dance and Silent Auction