S P R I N G
B R E A K ,
2 0 1 6
El Semanario
Edison Language Academy – Together Through Two Languages (310) 828-0335 www.edison.smmusd.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS JOGATHON IS COMING! We’re getting ready to run in the annual Edison Jogathon on April 6! Start gathering sponsors now! Prizes can include a Jogathon T-Shirt, Backpack hang tag, raffle tickets for extra suprises and the grand prize of a limo ride and lunch – and there are prizes for every child who runs! In addition to being an important fundraiser for the school, this is a wonderful, healthy and fun event. Come and cheer the students on and help out on Wednesday, April 6. We need lots of parent volunteers! NOCHE DE CESAR CHAVEZ –We had a wonderful Noche de César Chávez gathering last week with music and great food. Our appreciation to Maestra nd Jacqueline Fuentes and 2 grade teachers Sylvia Jimenez, Elizabeth Martínez, and Brisa Meléndez. The ELAC leadership and PTA Board prepared a delicious meal and Jacqueline led us in singing the Corrido of César Chávez. What a great evening! EDISON LOST AND FOUND – Last call to come claim your child’s missing jackets, lunchboxes, water bottles, and umbrellas. We have dozens and dozens of jackets and sweaters. So please come, take a look and pick up missing items! STATE TESTING -- Edison students in grades 3,4,5 will take the CAASPP tests on selected days from May 2 – May 16, 2016. If you would like to know the exact days for your child’s grade level, speak with their teacher. If you have any general questions about the testing process, please contact Edison’s Testing Coordinator Elizabeth Ipiña.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK:
THE ARTS AT EDISON The arts are such an important part of the Edison experience. We invest resources and school time in our arts programs because they are a living manifestation of the cultures of the school and create another pathway to learning. The arts are also associated with improved motivation, teamwork, critical thinking and stronger cognitive skills, as well as increased academic achievement. Although we fiercely guard our instructional time since we teach in two languages, our arts programs have proven to be a wonderful complement to academic instruction. A district-funded general and instrumental music program is offered rd in English for all students in grades 3-5 (40 minutes per week for 3 grade and th th 120 minutes per week for 4 and 5 graders). However, in all other domains of the arts, our teaching artists and classroom teachers develop curriculum with thoughtful integration. And, in keeping with our immersion model, other visual and performing arts focus on the cultures of the Americas with instruction delivered in Spanish. Edison’s Spanish choral music program for K-2 students and an afterschool Spanish music program for students in grades 3-5 that we piloted this year, have just ended for the year with a series of concerts. If you were lucky enough to have attended our Noche de César Chávez evening last week, you heard 70+ second graders and approximately 30 of the afterschool students taught by Maestra Jacqueline Fuentes treat us to an hour-long concert filled with songs of peace, fellowship and justice from all over the Americas. Our partnership with PS Arts has provided a weekly theater program in Spanish all Edison students for a dozen years. We’ve been so lucky to have had the same teaching artist, Maestra Martha Ramirez Oropeza, with us for all th of that time. If you haven’t yet had a chance to see one of the 5 grade plays, come and see what children can do with six years of theater education in a dual language program! They are performing La Gran Carpa Edison: The Un-told History of California on Thursday evening, March 17 at 6:30 pm in the Edison cafeteria. Maestra Martha also serves as the teaching artist for a classroombased visual arts program as she consults with teachers to design instruction that enhances curriculum, and pushes into the classrooms for a series of directed visual arts lessons. We also invest funds in mural making and other visual arts installations. In the two years we’ve been in our new buildings, we’ve completed one mural and are currently finishing the design phase for a second major mural on the amphitheater in the central courtyard. Thanks to all the parents who shared their stories in brainstorming meetings! March 11 Noche de Cesar Chavez – 6:00 pm.
March 17 th 5 Grade Play Parent Performance 6:30 p.m.
March 18 th 5 Grade Play – Student Performance – 9:00 am