Summer Newsletter 2020

Summer Newsletter 2020 In Memory of Mr. Ernie "At Wesley, we only had the opportunity of having him with us for a short period of time, but what a meaningful, impactful, and impressionable time it was."

Welcome from Julie Galles "In my initial conversations, the bonds between faculty, staff, administration, parents, students, alumni, and friends have been the most mentioned aspects of The Wesley School."

SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................

In Memory of Mr. Ernie

Welcome from Julie Galles Lower & Middle School News CODI Corner

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Page 3 Page 4

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Page 6

Parents' Association Update

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Alumni Corner: Toy LoanÂ

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Board of Trustees News ...................................... Page 12 Summer PD

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Page 13

Coach's Corner ............................................ Page 14

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Page 15

Admissions Office News

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Page 18

Virtual Kinder Camp

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Page 19

New Employees

Campus Kudos

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Page 20

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In Memory of Mr. Ernie Optimistic, genuine, compassionate, kind, wise, soft spoken, warm, generous, humble, brilliant, strong, gentle, collaborative, and happy. This is just a short list of the many adjectives often used to describe Dr. Ernie Levroney, III. At Wesley, we only had the opportunity of having him with us for a short period of time, but what a meaningful, impactful, and impressionable time it was.

Ernie joined us at the start of the 2019-20 school year and engaged our community in strengthening our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusivity. He shared his vision for Wesley by encouraging us to expand our curriculum, lay out our grade level learning goals, and continue to build on our already robust academic program. He was then forced to lead and guide us through the ever-evolving world of a pandemic and the heightened awareness of the systemic racism that occurs in our country. He did so with grace, vulnerability, and an open mind and heart which inspired others.

Ever since his passing on July 20, 2020, our community has been filled with a deep grief and sadness. However, that grief and sadness is simultaneously met with feelings of hope, gratitude, and the strong willingness to push our school and our community forward. We are all finding ourselves constantly asking the question "What Would Mr. Ernie Do?," and the simple answer is "Be More Like Mr. Ernie." For anyone that ever had the privilege of meeting him, you know exactly what that means.

On October 7, our school community will celebrate what will forever be known as "Mr. Ernie Day." This day, his birthday, will be in remembrance and in celebration of this beloved and extremely special human being. We will dress in purple and denim, eat chocolate, partake in science experiments, but most importantly we will laugh and be kind to one another. Because from now on, but especially on that day, we will all strive to Be More Like Mr. Ernie.

Lindsey Drasin Director of Communications & Alumni Relations/Associate Director of Admissions

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Welcome From Julie Galles Dear Wesley Families Connection. From the Latin con meaning together and nectere meaning to bind. Literally, to be bound together.

This is what I have been continually discovering over my first 20 days as the new Interim Head of School. The Wesley community is bound together. It has been a tumultuous summer, as the combination of the pandemic, the socio-political climate, racial and civil unrest, and the untimely loss of Wesley’s beloved Ernie Levroney converged. Fear, grief, anger, anxiety, and frustration have no doubt been frequent and deep emotions within our community.

And yet in my initial conversations, the bonds between faculty, staff, administration, parents, students, alumni, and friends have been the most mentioned aspects of The Wesley School. Certainly not for everyone all the time, but for most people most of the time, which is more than can be said for many schools or other similar organizations.

As we enter the fall, our continuing focus must be on preserving and strengthening these bonds. Students learn most effectively and joyfully when they feel seen by and connected to their teachers.

Parents feel more confidence and trust when they are connected with the school adults partnering with them in raising their children.

Faculty, staff, and administration can engage in more productive and collaborative conversations when they connect around a common mission and purpose.

Being bound together can, however, also be challenging. At times, we have to give up individual desires for the benefit of the whole.

Compromises and sacrifices become important to maintain the health of the whole community. Sometimes we have to speed up or slow down to accommodate all members of our community.

However, the benefits of true connection far outweigh temporary inconvenience or frustration. We emerge stronger and more focused, with increased positive energy and dedication to each other.

Last year, Ernie demonstrated his commitment to equity and inclusion and put several important wheels in motion toward that end. Those wheels are still turning as I engage with the community to continue and further this vital work. Only through consistent and determined efforts can we uncover, examine, and overturn systemic racism and create a school where all children and adults feel seen, heard, and valued. With persistence and patience, we work toward a place where academic excellence, character development, and a deep-seated belief in the dignity and humanity of every individual will define The Wesley School. I am proud and humbled to be bound to you all and look forward to the coming year.

In connection, Julie Galles Interim Head of School

Lower School & Middle School News

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School without students? That’s no fun at all! After a long summer, it feels like we’ve spent plenty of time at school with each other, but not nearly enough time with our students.

All of us at Wesley are thrilled to welcome the students back to school this week! Before long, they will be familiar with the new relationships, routines, and resilience of our virtual classroom cultures, and develop a sense of the predictability, consistency, and support that are necessary to experience some semblance of ‘normalcy’ in trying times.

In our roles as division heads, it has been our privilege since last spring to participate in intensive planning efforts--in conjunction with Ernie and the senior administrative team, serving on the “Return to School Task Force,” collaborating with dozens of our esteemed faculty colleagues, and facilitating the work of the “Blended Learning and Curriculum,” “Pedagogy,” and “Scheduling” subcommittees. As a result of these efforts by our professional community, we have designed highly effective “distance learning” and “blended learning” models of the Wesley School program that enact our school’s mission-based commitments, purposefully advance the learning of all our students, and protect the children’s social and emotional welfare during a most challenging time in all of their lives.

For those of you who may be less familiar with the rationales, structures, and details of our distance learning and blended learning models, here are a variety of resources where you can learn more: In our first major update this summer from the Blended Learning & Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Scheduling subcommittees on July 23rd, we provided an overview of the decision-making criteria and design principles of our distance learning and blended learning models.

In our second major update this summer on August 24th, we identified the driving questions we have been addressing in the planning process, recognized the intersections of these questions with parents’ wonders and concerns, provided some orienting guidelines for students and parents as they prepare themselves for our transition to distance learning, and described the essential design features of our daily and weekly schedules.

In our Parent Education event on August 27th--”How’s This Going to Work? An Orientation to Wesley’s Distance Learning and Blended Learning Models”--we shared a wealth of information in response to those driving questions we have all been asking about this new experience of “school.” If you were unable to attend, you can watch a recording of the event and/or access the presentation slide deck we used. This forum addressed intentional augmentations and improvements to our program and routines, considered lessons we all learned last spring, explained the rationales and design elements of our Lower School and Middle School schedules, offered suggestions for setting up your children for success at home, and outlined guiding principles for all of us to consider as we support the children’s learning ‘at school’ and at home.

Finally, our most recent update on September 2nd outlined our intentions for, and the structure of, our first few days of school in the Lower School and Middle School programs.

As is always true--but now more importantly than ever--we will spend a lot of time in these first few weeks intentionally helping students to develop new relationships, to become accustomed to new routines, and to cultivate their resilience.

And before long, our courageous Wesley “Distance Learning Lions” will be thriving in this new environment!

Warmly, Joey Campanella & Chris Thinnes Division Heads

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Community of Diversity & Inclusivity (CODI) Corner Even though the start of our school year will be while we are all still practicing “Safer at Home,� our work on the Community of Diversity & Inclusivity (CODI) will continue virtually until we can meet again in person. Below is information about CODI and upcoming activities.

Join the CODI Committee The CODI Committee is a Board committee comprised of parents, teachers, staff, admin, student reps, and Board members. By being a part of our Wesley Community, you are automatically a member of CODI and are welcome to join the Committee officially by signing up HERE! The CODI Committee conducts surveys, helps market guest speaker events, participates in panel discussions, and hosts the annual Multicultural Potluck Dinner (date TBD, pending our circumstances). All are welcome!

Our first CODI meeting will be on Tuesday September 29 at 7pm via Zoom.

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Wesley Connections:

Wesley Connections is commencing its 2nd year as resource group at The Wesley School!

Wesley Connections allows those in the Wesley Community who wish to connect with others an opportunity to connect based on cultural and social similarities. There are currently 10 groups being offered including: LGBTQIA+ Families Adoptive Families Single Parent Families 50+ Families Black/African-American Families Latinx/Hispanic Families Asian-American/Pacific Islander Families Families with Learning Differences.

International Families Only Child Families We will continue to expand our Wesley Connections groups and invite you to explore whichever feels right for you! If you don’t identify with any of these groups, please email CODI@wesleyschool.org and we’ll see what we can do to help you!

All are welcome – parents, faculty/staff, admin and allies. Get involved with Wesley Connections! We’ll provide more information on our launch soon so stay tuned. Let’s have some fun! To sign-up, click on the button below.

Sign-Up HERE!

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White Fragility Book Discussion We are planning on providing a space for us to talk about the book White Privilege: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in participating and you haven’t read the book yet, it’s not too late to catch up!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at CODI@wesleyschool.org. Hope to see you soon. Thank you!

Warmest regards, Bertha Muñoz, Melanie Elliott, Jackie Lay, and Trisha Singletary Your CODI Team

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Parents' Association Update

Welcome Back Wesley Families!

It’s an understatement to say we have been through a lot over the last six months. Starting with the shutdown of the school due to the pandemic, then the sudden loss of our beloved Mr. Ernie, as well as a handful of other unforeseen setbacks that seem to keep arising. However, not only did we overcome these challenges, we overcame them together, as a community. More than ever do the words of Mr. Ernie ring true; We are Wesley strong and together we will get through this.

The Parents' Association (PA) is working hard to maintain as many community events as possible.

They might look a little different than they have in the past, but the point of what they stand for will remain the same. Below is what we have planned for the next few months. As we all know with COVID-19, things are changing daily and the PA will adjust as needed.

We already brought back one of the original PA events...Uniform Recycle Sale! From now through September 11th, you can drop off old uniforms or purchase items for $5 each. Click HERE for more information sent recently.

Wesley masks are now on sale! We are offering adult and children masks. The youth masks are white with our logo on the side.

These masks can be decorated with sharpies allowing for personalization and for kids to get creative! Click HERE to order yours!

Administration is setting up virtual "potlucks."

This is a great chance to get to know your teachers, room parents, and hear from department heads. We are working on getting local restaurants involved so we can “share a meal” together during these gatherings. All "potlucks" are already on the calendar - invites coming soon!

10 Parents' Association Update Cont.

September 8th is the official kick off to school.

As the kids go through the back to school parade, the PA has made goody bags to mark the event with some fun Wesley items! Also, that evening will be our first PA meeting of the year.

Our first big PA event is usually the Wesley Family Picnic at Camp Keystone. Since the restrictions against large scale gatherings are still in place, this will not be happening in the fall -- but don’t worry, you’ll still get a chance to dodge all those bees! The picnic, if all goes well, will be moved to May and be the big end of year party for the school. Instead of the fall picnic though to kick off the new year, we are planning a City Scavenger Hunt on the afternoon of September 26th. Families will be given clues to find spots all over the valley that have significance to the school. You can upload pictures to social media and tag #thewesleyschool, and get a certificate for your participation. As it gets closer, we will send out more detailed information to an event that is shaping up to be a lot fun!

Book Star on Ventura Blvd. and Laurel Canyon is holding a month-long fundraising event for Wesley through September 30th. Stop by the store, pick-up curb-side, or order online and the school will get a kickback from your purchases.

Speaking of books, the first week of October, we will hold a book swap on campus. You can drop off books or grab any titles of interest to you on the tables that will be set-up outside the gates.

We all love Halloween! Since it falls on a Saturday this year, we would like the kids to wear their costumes the day before during Friday’s zoom lessons. We also ask that you send a picture of your child and we will create a slideshow of all the kids. Since most children will not be able to trick or treat, we are arranging for a couple of routes in the valley, where multiple families will volunteer and decorate their houses. Tables will be set outside with candy that kids can “trick or treat” at as well.

Every year we have a Community Day with the church in November. We are still planning that and will be setting up social distance activities that will focus on giving back to the community, as well as things you can do from home.

In December, we will hold the annual Holiday Boutique. This is a great chance for students to get something special for their family members.

We have set up a system on campus outdoors, where kids can still shop for the people they love. Stay tuned for more information as it gets closer.

And lastly, standby for information on how we will be handling two of Wesley’s most popular events this year: Gobbler’s Feast and Singing Santas. We are still figuring out ideas of how to make this happen! In the next few months, we will meet with the committee chairs to brainstorm how to keep these traditions alive.

But if you have any ideas, please feel free to email us at wesleypa@wesleyschool.org.

We are extremely grateful to all the members of our community who are helping to keep us connected, we can’t do this without all of you!

Thank you for the continual support and dedication.

Warmly, Jenny Hollier and Marissa Seeman PA Co-Chairs

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Alumni Corner:

Toy Loan - Thank You Dear Wesley Families, Hope you are all well. As we are still recovering from the tragic loss of our much loved Mr. Ernie, I’m glad to share something, which can hopefully make us smile.

We recently completed our summer used toys drive in support of Toy Loan. This drive has been happening once a year for the past 7 years and I’m starting to think this may have become a tradition at Wesley!

Because of COVID, Toy Loan was not sure about their ability to accept used toys donations this year. Thankfully they got permission just in time to catch the summer break and allowed us to run our summer toy drive.

Clearly, Wesley families had some extra time to purge, because this year the donations went through the roof. We collected some amazing toys in perfect condition, ready to go into the hands of new children. Because of COVID, and the recommendation to stay at home as much as possible, children of all ages need toys and games to play. Every child should have toys to play and yet it is heartbreaking that too many children in our city struggle with this basic need. I am glad that we were able to do our part again to support the less privileged kids’ right to play.

As I say goodbye to the wonderful Wesley community, I want to thank the administration for supporting this drive every year, as well as all the families for the amazing participation. Please say well done to your children for being so generous to let go of their toys. They are officially on their way to new kids.

Keep strong, Wesley community, especially during these challenging times. You are awesome!

William Abraham '20

Board of Trustees News

As September dawns, we acknowledge both the excitement and anxiety we all feel at the start of a new school year, but particularly this one. The pandemic has tested Wesley’s flexibility, but also sparked its ingenuity. Even though we start the year in Distance Learning, our Faculty, Administration, and Parents' Association have designed new ways for our children to connect to their curriculum, to each other, and to The Wesley School. We are grateful for their efforts and applaud their energy, enthusiasm, and expertise.

The Board of Trustees was honored to serve alongside our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Ernie Levroney. Board members and Administration are working together thoughtfully to create a lasting tribute to Ernie, whose impact on our school in his dynamic first year will never be forgotten.

All board level committees will meet virtually until we are able to get back on campus. These committees (Development, Finance, CODI, Committee on Trustees, Audit, and Executive) and their dedicated, volunteer members will continue to ensure our school holds true to its mission and help chart the path through this pandemic and for the years ahead. In the absence of a Development Director, our advancement efforts will lean more heavily on the Development Committee. Fundraising, even during uncertain times, plays a key role in our school’s ability to meet the needs of its students, and we want to thank them in advance for their efforts.

Shortly, the Board will begin the annual work of budgeting for next year. During this process, the impact of COVID-19 will be at the forefront of our minds, and we will work diligently to create a budget that not only reflects how our community has been impacted, but one that also ensures the health of The Wesley School. The Board of Trustees is excited to collaborate in this work with our Interim Head of School, Julie Galles. We welcome her to our community and will support her success as she leads the way to our eventual return to campus. We wish everyone good health and safety and look forward to being together again.

Board Communications Group

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Summer Professional Development At Wesley, it is a huge goal of ours to make sure that we are constantly learning, growing, and further developing our knowledge and skills as educators. Many of our faculty and staff members are able to take advantage of professional development opportunities over the summer. Below are a few examples!

Olivia Brown attended: Summer Zoom Academy - presenters were adept educators, experienced in virtual classroom lessons. They had many great suggestions, ideas, and resources to offer.

Tech Tools for On-line Tech - complete with sessions introducing Padlet, Jamboard, and other sites in order to enhance our virtual programs, making them more interactive for our students.

So You Want to Read About Race - educators presented books to make a difference in the teaching & learning about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). They also introduced books which can be used as tools for DEI work in the classroom.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Play - introduced ways to make play more equitable, while focusing on connections.

NAIS' Affinity Groups - taught ways to bring students into the conversation about understanding affinity.

Responsive Classroom - presented possible "Morning Meeting" openers, while holding space for connectivity in a virtual world.

Laurel Silver attended: Distance Learning: Strengthening World Language Instruction - a seminar that provided tons of online resources aimed specifically at teaching world languages.

Multiple Tech Tools for Online Teaching - this workshop focused on three particular distance learning applications, including Flipgrid!

Jenny Soriano attended: Investing Course from Next Gen. Personal Finance - explored revolutionary ways of teaching personal finance and recognized the value of equipping young people with the financial decision-making skills needed for them to thrive in the future. Such a great workshop for those teachers planning to introduce personal finance in their curriculum to help establish a foundation for students to reflect on their relationship with money and what they value, how they make decisions around money, and more!

Coach's Corner

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No sports?! I wish I could tell you otherwise. But in this pandemic, without an NBA bubble to successfully create, it is, unfortunately, true. Back in March, after we left campus, I sent an email informing all 4th through 8th grade parents that I was still hopeful for a “robust” spring season after the break. Haha! An April return gave way to hopes for some May tournaments, then May turned into June and you know the rest.

Both leagues in which we participate have suspended competition. The athletic directors from the various schools we play against have met regularly throughout the summer to discuss options. In a nutshell, we can only play it by ear, while keeping in mind the challenge of securing venues with COVID restrictions in place (indoor gyms vs. outdoor, soccer fields being used by high schools). When we are allowed to resume athletic contests, per the county and state guidelines, and then the individual schools’ decisions to do so, we will. Sadly, no crystal ball exists to tell us when. But we’ll be ready.

That said, we remain hopeful because we know how important it is for kids to play sports. Whatever the next few months hold, and whenever we get back on campus for hybrid learning, I aim to create some form of friendly competition on the sport court and the field, for Wesley students to compete against each other safely, individually, and perhaps cohort versus cohort. A free throw competition? Who can throw a football the farthest? How about some shotgun soccer challenges? Who’s the fastest student in 6th grade?

In the meantime, do be sure to get your kids outside, running around, shooting baskets, kicking balls, whatever is doable, whatever you’re comfortable with, and whatever gets your child moving and breaking a sweat. It is more important now than ever for kids to develop coping skills through exercise.

Endorphins are magical. So move those arms and legs! Dance! Jump! Wiggle! We’ll get through this and I look forward to cheering on the Wesley Lions sooner rather than later.

JoAnn Neil Director of Athletics Middle School PE Instructor

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New Employees Julie Galles

Julie joined Wesley as Interim Head of School in 2020, having spent twelve years in independent school administration in the San Francisco Bay Area. She started her teaching career in a Harvard-Westlake middle school science classroom and continued to teach for fifteen years before moving into administration.

Julie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Education, both from Stanford University, and was Board Certified in Early Adolescent Science Education by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Always a teacher at heart, Julie loves to work with children, parents, and faculty alike. When not at school, Julie finds time to train and teach the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do, in which she holds a black belt, as well as to enjoy spending time with her wife and children, preferably at a beach!

Christi Goodman

The opportunity to join Wesley this year confirms Christi's belief that life is an amazing journey. Her professional background was in the entertainment industry where she spent many years working and traveling for movie production. When stepping away to raise her daughters, she took pride in working on various parent association committees in addition to a seat on the school board. An explorer at heart, Christi's spare time is usually filled with dragging her family on new adventures.

Her interests are yoga, hiking, volunteering and of course, spoiling her two dogs.

New Employees

Johnna Hampton-Walker

Johnna joins Wesley as a 4th Grade Teaching Associate. Her teaching experience encompasses many roles where her passion for teaching science has been a consistent thread. Johnna comes to Wesley from The Oaks, where she was a co-teacher for 5th and 6th graders. Johnna has been a home school instructor, as well as a remote curriculum writer, specializing in science and nutritionbased curriculum. She founded and was the lead Science and Social Studies Specialist instructor for the Larchmont Charter Edible Schoolyard Garden program, where she helped students plant and tend edible and native gardens, as well as prepare food tastings from garden harvests. Prior to LCS, Johnna had been Assistant Director of Admissions at Crossroads School for 5 years, a role she enjoyed but left to be a stay-athome mom to her two children - Cleo and Jace. Johnna earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Mercer University, and her M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from George Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. Johnna is delighted to join the warm and welcoming Wesley community. In her spare time she might be found in a number of places, such as in her garden, scouting for interesting flora and fauna, spoiling her dog, Pippin, and, of course, spending time with her family.

Suzanne Lituchy

Suzanne has been finding joy in teaching for over 25 years, having taught preschool through eighth graders over her career. She has taught in independent schools in New York and Los Angeles as well in London, UK, where she lived abroad for thirteen years. Creating a caring and connected community of learners is her favorite thing about teaching. Suzanne considers herself a lifelong learner having mastered sourdough bread over the past several months as well as taking a creative writing course. She is an avid baker and is most happy when she can share her confections with others. Suzanne and her husband Todd have two grown children and she is proud to have passed the teaching torch on to her daughter.

Suzanne received a BS in Elementary Education from SUNY Oswego and then an MA in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

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New Employees Darryl Oliver

Twinkle Sukhija

Darryl joined the Wesley community in 2020 as the Communications and Social Media Associate.

Darryl graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and from Mount Saint Mary’s University with a Masters in the humanities. As a former educator, Darryl values community, learning, and growth. Aside from teaching, he’s been an editor, writer, and camp director. What drew him to Wesley was the inclusive community of life-long learners among both students and staff. When he’s not working diligently for Wesley, he can be found buried in a book, writing for fun, or watching basketball.

Twinkle joins our Wesley family as an Associate Teacher in Kindergarten. She earned her B.A. in Organizational Communication from Pepperdine University, and her M.A. in Teaching (Multiple Subject) as well as Multiple Subject Credential from the University of Southern California. Twinkle has served in a variety of positions managing staffing, coaching teams, and onboarding new employees. In her spare time, she enjoys working out and watching movies!

Admissions News: Enrollment Update

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I think most of you know that I’ve been attached to the school, basically forever! And never have I experienced a spring and summer like this one relative to admissions and our overall enrollment. Obviously we all know that we are in the midst of a global pandemic, something none of us have ever had to live through before. So there was no road map based on personal experience for any of us that we could check to see what to do next. Everything had to be reevaluated and reimagined without a lot of guidance.

The school pivoted as quickly as possible, not just on delivering our academic program, but also on how we communicate both internally and externally and how we message about The Wesley School to prospective families. Lindsey and I are usually spending the summer months figuring out our marketing plans for the fall and the new admissions season. This year, however, the time was heavily spent on our immediate enrollment. A number of our families needed to adjust their school plans and we worked to support them with their decisions during this time of transition. Some of these decisions then created openings at various grade levels and, fortunately, we found ourselves fielding a small explosion of inquiries from families that were looking for a new school for their child(ren) because things hadn’t worked out for them at the school that they were currently attending.

So, how to go about meeting families, giving them tours, meeting their children, and conducting assessments and interviews all during the pandemic? Everything had changed and we needed to figure things out quickly in order to respond to families wanting to learn more about The Wesley School. And, as I expected, folks got creative and helped our admissions team navigate a new way of getting to know prospective families. We met - sometimes in person, with face masks and with plenty of physical distance, sometimes only virtually depending on everyone’s comfort levels. We got to have great conversations about Wesley and their families in order to determine fit at all levels. It was a time that stretched us all and the experience was empowering.

As we are ready to begin a new school year, in a time of great challenge and uncertainty, the experience this summer has provided me so many opportunities to reflect on why we are all so fortunate to call Wesley our community, a place that is grounding and provides a profound sense of belonging. We have over 60 new students joining us this fall and most of them have come to us because of so many of you that continue to share about your Wesley experience and why you are grateful to call this place home. I know I can count on all our returning families to go out of your way, especially this year, to help us welcome all of our new students and their families. Together we will navigate this year together and I am confident that we will come out an even stronger community having held one another up during this challenging time.

Verena Denove Associate Head of School/Director of Admissions & Financial Aid

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Virtual Kinder Camp!

This was a curveball summer, but boy did the incoming Kindergartners knock it out of the park!

Approximately 25 of our kiddos joined our Kinder Team on Zoom for Kinder Camp this year and it was a great success. Thanks to stuffed bags full of supplies and labelled activities, parents were ready to go when the Zoom classes started. We used breakout rooms to practice letters, numbers, and fine motor skills. We did story times and had many special guests (i.e all the amazing teachers and staff the kids will meet again when the school year starts)! We watched the sharks in the Shark Lagoon at the Aquarium of the Pacific and took a virtual tour of The Wesley School. We did art and science projects. We ate snacks together and had several dance parties.

When you come to Kindergarten, be ready to dance (or at least bop your head) because we love to move! This year’s camp may not have been ideal, but our kids are resilient, creative, and ready to get started. We can’t wait to see them again soon.

Rachel Mottaz Kindergarten Teacher

Campus Kudos!

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It's definitely been an interesting summer for us all. Let's find out what some members of our faculty/staff have been up to during this unusual time!

From Traci Allen: Traci Allen graduated in July with a Masters of Arts degree from Pacific Oaks College in Advocacy and Social Justice. Congratulations, Traci!

From Barbara Anderson: Barb Anderson has found a lot of grace in small things this summer‌ long walks and yoga... A happy discovery while walking in her neighborhood was a Saturday night house concert of Reggae music. Everybody from the neighborhood showed up weekly wearing masks while distancing beach chairs from one another. Families showed up with their children on skates and bikes, old and young dancing in the street through the experience and joy of being a community. Another thing Barb did was renewed her Descanso Gardens membership. She used to take her kids there to run around when they were small. Classical music was piped in throughout the chaparral forest there, and people were laying on the ground looking up at the trees and listening to the beautiful music as though the trees were performing. She found ways to honor her mother’s 101st birthday and her niece’s graduation, through elaborate Zoom parties allowing family to be together, get creative, have fun, and be part of beautiful celebrations! These are the little things that have helped Barb to feel grounded and reminded her that we are all still part of something beautiful.

Reggae Video

Descanso Video

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Campus Kudos Cont.

From Liz Anderson: Liz Anderson took a big step this summer and finally moved out of her mother's home into her own studio near the equestrian center in Burbank. She found her favorite coffee shop called Basecamp, where you can drink coffee and pet horses. Liz is extremely excited to start this new chapter in her life and can't wait to see what this year has in store.

From Molly ArĂŠvalo: Molly ArĂŠvalo is grateful that being outdoors with members of your household is a low-risk activity during the pandemic, as she spent much of the summer backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The longest of these trips was the Tahoe Rim Trail, a 170-mile, 14-day trek that circumnavigates the famously blue lake on the California-Nevada state border.

From Andy Campanella: Over the summer Andy had the good fortune to take his two young daughters out to a little petting zoo experience, which is something they loved from the "before time." Looming over the bunnies, chickens, tortoises, and a sleeping hedgehog, were two adorable alpacas. Witnessing their gentle disposition and learning how lowmaintenance they are, Andy's retirement plans were settled: Alpacas de Andy in Sebastopol, California. He'll be sending lots of their wool to Ms. O, who will be knitting countless sweaters and beanies (Clare's Crochet Cabin??).

Campus Kudos Cont.

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From Kevin Greene: This past summer, Kevin Greene completed his testing and state requirements to officially enter into his student teaching program, which is the final step of his Master's of Education. Way to go, Kevin!

From Charles Kaitz: On July 8 at approximately 11:10am, Mr. Kaitz and his family were blessed with a new addition to their family. Yes, Mr. Kaitz is now the proud father of a Golden Retriever puppy. Replacing but not forgetting their Golden Retriever of 10 1/2 years that had to be put down about four months ago, Midas Kaitz was born on May 11 and hails from the great state of Missouri. Mr. Kaitz was able to find a great breeder online through the AKC and came across the cutest picture of a male Golden about the age of 4 weeks. It was love at first sight.

After conferring with his family, which only took about 2 minutes, the decision was made to purchase him and bring him to the West Coast.

On his arrival, he weighed a little less than 6 lbs. and was tinier than they had anticipated. His size is no indication of his personality. Although he is a very calm and chill puppy, he definitely thinks he's tough and struts around with some attitude.

Needless to say the Kaitz family is smitten, especially Mr. Kaitz. Attached is a picture of Midas at around 8 weeks old and a recent picture of him at 15 weeks old. What a difference a handful of weeks makes. Enjoy!

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Campus Kudos Cont.

From Mary McGregor:

Mary McGregor does NOT cook - I mean she can boil water, but she never takes time to cook and she NEVER BAKES! However, she LOVES great dessert!

Her husband is Australian - and she had her first bite of Pavlova in Australia, and it left a lasting impression‌. MMMMMMMM....

So - this summer - why not try to make a Pavlova? Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballerina - Anna Pavlova and it was created after one of her tours of Australia and New Zealand in the 1920’s. With a little help and advice from Mary Berry and Mary's Australian family members - she did it and it turned out pretty well!

Bon Appetit, Mary!

Campus Kudos Cont.

From Hannah Rodner: Hannah Rodner went on her first RV trip from CA to Ohio to meet her newest nephew! The RV was packed with four adults, three children, and two massive Newfoundlands. What a wonderful adventure!

From Laurel Silver: Sra. Silver and her husband took advantage of forced "at-home" quarantine time to build a brand new flagstone patio in their backyard. Sr. Silver did most of (well, all) of the heavy lifting of dirt and flagstone, but it was a collaborative effort to piece together and fully finish. The entire process took exactly four weeks. All that's left to do is plant California native plants around the edges and furnish with different furniture that better fits the space!

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Campus Kudos Cont.

From Jenny Soriano:

Every summer, Jenny usually goes home to the Philippines to visit her family, but she couldn't do so this year because of the current health crisis facing the entire world. So, she and her husband thought that they should spend their summer with his family instead. This is where the idea for a cross-country road trip with their humble Honda Civic to the East Coast was born.

Armed with supplies of hand sanitizers, face masks, gloves, and disinfecting wipes, they took off in June. The plan was to drive up to the north a bit so they could stop by a few of the US national parks.

It was such an extraordinary experience to see the beautiful parts of America - Grand Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park (where a family of bisons were freely walking along the road) - to name a few. They even drove along the Beartooth Highway and saw the most daring landscapes as the elevation rose from 5000 ft to 10,000 ft with just 12 miles.

Unfortunately, their trip was cut short due to unavoidable natural causes. They had a road accident in the middle of nowhere, along interstate 90 in South Dakota. Thanks to the kindness of the state highway patrol officer and the tow truck driver, they did get settled in one of the local hotels in the area.

She and her husband were both fine, just exhausted.

They then had to wait for their car insurance company to declare their car totaled before they could leave the area and continue to their next destination. However, once it was declared, there were no public transport services available (i.e Lyft, Uber, or a bus) for them to get to the nearest airport in Sioux Falls City. They ended up renting a 20 foot U-Haul Moving Truck - since it was the only available vehicle then!

Overall, it was a very enriching adventure.

Road Trip Video Part 1

Road Trip Video Part 2

Summer Newsletter 2020

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