D E C E M B E R

1 5 - 2 0 ,

2 0 1 4

El Semanario

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS School Smarts Parent Academy, an award-winning parent engagement program is coming back to Edison in 2015! This program helps parents better understand the big picture of how the education system works AND helps maximize the success of your child. This intensive academy provides seven-weeks of training with a small group of fellow Edison parents, here on the Edison campus. Workshops are interactive and include fun activities, light refreshments, and are conducted bilingually. Enrollment is limited, so if you’re interested in learning more about School Smarts, please return the attached flyer or contact Yoly Gutierrez directly at (310) 828-0335, ext. 61-307 or ygutierrez@smmusd.org. Donate to the Education Foundation for the Vision for Student Success before the end of the year and you’ll be automatically entered in a raffle sponsored by the Edison PTA for two tickets to Disneyland or four wristbands to the Santa Monica Pier. Two lucky families will be selected the week of January 5 when we return from vacation and get verification of all Edison donations between 8/1/14 and 12/30/14. You can donate on line at http://www.smmef.org or leave a check payable to SMMEF in the Edison office by 4:00 pm on December 18, 2014. The raffle is our way of thanking you for investing in our students and supporting such important services and programs. Remember, every dollar counts and we’re all in this together! Facilities Update – All the buildings on the old campus save the library were demolished th between December 4 th and 6 – ahead of schedule! Debris is being cleared and the site readied for grading. As soon as abatement is finished in the library, it will be taken down. Demolition of asphalt and concrete foundations is still scheduled to happen over winter break. Adjustments to the Building Management System, leveling of cement walkways, and other fixes will occur at the new school over break. For more information: http://fipcontractors.smmusd.org/edison-newconstruction.aspx.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK: THE GIFT OF TWO LANGUAGES It’s funny how the pendulum swings in education. In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 227, attempting to ban bilingual education. This last spring a bill was introduced put the measure back on the ballot to ease those restrictions. A November editorial in Education Week even cited recent research to argue that bilingual education is so beneficial that it should be mandatory for all students! Many of the points the author references we also find true in our program, where students not only learn two languages but learn how to learn, have higher academic achievement than many of their peers, become more skilled at intercultural communication and collaborative learning, and become more and more fluent over time. I’m so grateful we have the opportunity to share these advantages with our students from a very early age. Here are the advantages the editorial cites as evidence for dual language programs:  Bilingual Children have an Academic Advantage. Exposure to languages at an early age gives children a distinct academic advantage throughout life. Bilingual children are able to focus more intently on the topics at hand and avoid distractions from academic pursuits. They are also able to demonstrate higher levels of cognitive flexibility, or the ability to change responses based on environment and circumstances.  Bilingualism Improves Life-Long Learning Skills. The more that children can take advantage of new concepts, the more in tune their brains will be to all learning throughout life. Some studies have also found that the aging of the brain is slower and the employment rate is higher in adults with bilingual capabilities.  Dual Language Programs Provide Cultural Benefits. When children learn two languages together they can lend their language expertise to each other and have better intercultural communication.  Dual Language Programs Lead to Collaborative Learning and show students a broader world-view.  Early Bilingual Education Increases Fluency in Later Years. It generally takes 5-7 years to be proficient in a second language and those who start early in life to learn a second language are more fluent. Start early for maximum fluency by adulthood. If you’re interested in reading the whole editorial, you can find it at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2014/11/

December 15 – Edison Safety Committee Meeting 3:00-4:00 p.m. – Community Room

December 16 – K1 Choral Concert , 6:30-7:30 pm. Dinner at 5:30 pm. Cafeteria

December 17 – Noche de nd th Canto (2 ) y Baile (5 ) 6:30-7:30 p.m. –Cafeteria Dinner at 5:30 pm.