SMASHING FRIDAY LETTER
May 9, 2008
Principal search update: A second round of interviews was held this week at the district offices. We are hopeful that a recommendation will be made to the School Board at either next week’s or the following School Board meeting. As soon as information becomes available, I will communicate it with you.
Teacher search update: All schools have been asked to hold off on setting up interviews for any teaching positions because of the potential layoffs and to make sure that all teachers who have been on leave or on special assignment have been given positions in the district. There are many highly qualified, talented teachers who have been either on leave or on special assignment and will be looking to return to the classroom. Many may be interested in working at SMASH. I will keep you informed as to how we will proceed as a school to ensure that we have the best teacher to replace Mana in Core 1.
PE Update: I am sad to inform you that our dear Coach Lewis will not be returning next year. He has been such a wonderful part of our staff and we will miss him dearly. I will let you know when we will be setting up interviews to find an amazing new coach. If you are interested in being a part of that process, please let me know.
Small Schools Task Force: The District Small Schools Task Force has written a proposal that will be taken to the School Board next Thursday night. The committee is proposing that a new, small high school be approved to open in the fall of 2009. This is an exciting step for our district and I will keep you informed as to the progress. If you are interested in sharing your opinion about having a small high school in our district, you may share it at the School Board meeting on Thursday night or in writing to School Board members.
From now on, the Friday Letter will be available at our website (www.smash.smmusd.org). Just click on Friday Letter. Thank you Birte for getting it set up! Also, teachers will be able to update the website more frequently.
IS YOUR CHILD RETURNING TO SMASH NEXT YEAR?
We are in the process of making plans for next year’s enrollment and it is important for us to know if you are planning on returning to SMASH.
If your child will be attending another elementary or middle school in the Santa Monica-Malibu School District, you must submit an intradistrict form BEFORE May 31, 2008 to the District’s Student Permit Office. Forms are available in the SMASH main office.
Please fill in the form attached to this week’s Friday Letter and return to the main office no later than May 16.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Tues-Wed-Thu, May 13,14,15 - 8th grade tripThu, May 15 - New Kindergarten Parent Meeting - Core 1
Wed, May 21 - SMASH school tour - 10 am
Mon, May 26 - Memorial Day - School Closed
Tue, May 27 - Site Council Mtg. 6:30pm
Sat, May 31 - SuperSMASH Carnival and Silent Auction
HEALTHY BAKE SALE WEDNESDAYS!
May: Core 2 – May 14 Core 3 – May 21 Core 4 – May 28
Just a reminder—no donuts, frosted cupcakes, candy, or any high sugar treats.
Bake Sale Set up is between 2:15-2:30
(start popcorn at 2:15 or earlier in time for John Muir dismissal.).
Please do support our bake sales.
All of the bake sale proceeds are shared by all cores
to help pay for special projects, trips, study materials, etc.
FIREHOUSE PANCAKE BREAKFAST
Fire Service Day - May 10
Breakfast served at the Fire Station on Hollister and 2nd Streets
9:00 - 11:00 am
Bring your family to this neighborhood get together.
Meet your local firefighters and tour the station!
Parking limited - please plan to walk or ride your bikes!
Bike to Work Day Thursday, May 15, 2008
Consider biking to SMASH on Thursday and enjoy a healthy, relaxing, green way to get to school while easing traffic and pollution problems!
REI (402 Santa Monica Boulevard) and Santa Monica City Hall (1685 Main St.) will both be hosting pit stops that day from 6-9 am. At the pit stops, cyclists receive encouragement, minor repairs, prizes, bicycle accessories, maps, and energy bars. The SM City Hall pit stop has an even bigger spread, with doughnuts, coffee, and all sorts of refreshments.
Combine your bike trip with a bus ride. Metro buses will be offering free rides to cyclists on Thursday. Visit the MTA's official website:
www.metro.net/projects_studies/bikeway_planning/biketowork/default.htm
PARENTS !!
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS WEARING
PROPER SHOES TO SCHOOL!!
Students are very active during the school day.PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS WEARING
PROPER SHOES TO SCHOOL!!
“Flip-flops” and other open-toe sandals, Uggs and shoes with no back or a high heel are not appropriate for most school activities and are never appropriate for P.E.
Please join
Santa Monica Malibu Council of PTAs
The Santa Monica Malibu Special Education District Advisory Committee
And
The Santa Monica Malibu Board of Education
For a Special Meeting and Workshop
Santa Monica Malibu Council of PTAs
The Santa Monica Malibu Special Education District Advisory Committee
And
The Santa Monica Malibu Board of Education
For a Special Meeting and Workshop
Creating a Culture of Inclusion
In Special Education and Beyond
Tuesday, May 13 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District Board Room
1651 Sixteenth Street Santa Monica
Special presentations:
“Serving Every Child”
Nancy Vandell
San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs Immediate Past President
Founder, Special Needs Committee
San Ramon Valley Unified School District IEP Systems Project Manager
“Achieving Success in Special Education: A Collaborative Approach”
Todd Gary, Special Needs Liaison
San Ramon Valley Unified School District
Community Discussion and Workshop
SuperSMASH ‘08
is just 3 weeks away!
Got Donations?
Donations due 5/15/08
Donation forms available in the SMASH office
SuperSMASH ‘08
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 11:30AM to 5:30PM
This just in…
SuperSMASH is always fun.
But this year we’ll spice things up with a few new attractions:
Casserole Corner
We want to sell homemade frozen casseroles.
Just pop them in the oven (or microwave) and enjoy a delicious dinner for four!
Please contribute a homemade casserole to be sold at SuperSMASH!
Contact Carol Koncan at 310-664-0033 or sonagenics@gmail.com
Tattoo Art
Ever wondered if a tattoo might be your style? At SuperSMASH you can try it out.
Come visit our Tattoo Art booth!
Basketball
Not only can you kick that soccer balll and swing that wheel of fortune,
this year you can also try your luck at a basketball booth!
Back by popular demand:
SMASHing food
WildFlour Pizza
Popcorn and Popsicles
Massages
Art Booths
Fish Bowl Toss
Water Slide
Spin Art
Water Balloon Toss
SuperSlide
Tie-dye
Wheel of Fortune
Soccer Kick
Cakewalk
Prizesand
music music music
Help us make this the best SuperSMASH ever. Volunteer!
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
Come one, come all… You, your family, your friends, your neighbors!
SuperSMASH ‘08
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 11:30AM to 5:30PM
HOW U CAN HELP
We still need volunteers to lead and help run booths. Interested? Please call!
Silent Auction
Ofer Grossman 310-392-5729 ogrossman@glassgoldberg.com
Student Art Projects
Tracy Story 310-453-4396 tracymstory@hotmail.com
Art Booths
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
Games
Erin King 310-399-1004 erinandmattking@hotmail.com
We still need LEADS for the PRIZE BOOTH and the BEAN BAG/MILK BOTTLE BOOTH.
Rides
Lori Nafshun 310-452-5700 gettalife@earthlink.net
Music
Lori Nafshun 310-452-5700 gettalife@earthlink.net
Cakewalk
Yvonne Lockheart Delaney 310-450-5663 paradisekid@verizon.net
Food
Tracy Saltzman 310-397-0013 rhubarb@earthlink.net
Our grill master needs a smoker. David Story at 310-453-4396 or storytym@gmail.com
Drinks
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
We still need LEADS for the DRINK BOOTH.
Raffles
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
We still need a COORDINATOR for our RAFFLES.
Casserole Corner
Carol Koncan 310-664-0033 sonagenics@gmail.com
This is a new attraction. We want to sell your homemade frozen casseroles.
Contact Carol if you can contribute a homemade casserole to sell.
Decorations
Marianne Smith 310-396-7245 msmithblue@yahoo.com
Set-up and Clean-up Coordination
David Saltzman 310-397-0013 saltzmans@earthlink.net
AND
Don’t forget to go out there and get donations, donations, donations!
ptsa BOARD
Here’s our new PTSA board as confirmed in this week’s PTSA meeting. Congratulations! And welcome!
The new board will take over in June.
is just 3 weeks away!
Got Donations?
Donations due 5/15/08
Donation forms available in the SMASH office
SuperSMASH ‘08
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 11:30AM to 5:30PM
This just in…
SuperSMASH is always fun.
But this year we’ll spice things up with a few new attractions:
Casserole Corner
We want to sell homemade frozen casseroles.
Just pop them in the oven (or microwave) and enjoy a delicious dinner for four!
Please contribute a homemade casserole to be sold at SuperSMASH!
Contact Carol Koncan at 310-664-0033 or sonagenics@gmail.com
Tattoo Art
Ever wondered if a tattoo might be your style? At SuperSMASH you can try it out.
Come visit our Tattoo Art booth!
Basketball
Not only can you kick that soccer balll and swing that wheel of fortune,
this year you can also try your luck at a basketball booth!
Back by popular demand:
SMASHing food
WildFlour Pizza
Popcorn and Popsicles
Massages
Art Booths
Fish Bowl Toss
Water Slide
Spin Art
Water Balloon Toss
SuperSlide
Tie-dye
Wheel of Fortune
Soccer Kick
Cakewalk
Prizesand
music music music
Help us make this the best SuperSMASH ever. Volunteer!
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
Come one, come all… You, your family, your friends, your neighbors!
SuperSMASH ‘08
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 11:30AM to 5:30PM
HOW U CAN HELP
We still need volunteers to lead and help run booths. Interested? Please call!
Silent Auction
Ofer Grossman 310-392-5729 ogrossman@glassgoldberg.com
Student Art Projects
Tracy Story 310-453-4396 tracymstory@hotmail.com
Art Booths
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
Games
Erin King 310-399-1004 erinandmattking@hotmail.com
We still need LEADS for the PRIZE BOOTH and the BEAN BAG/MILK BOTTLE BOOTH.
Rides
Lori Nafshun 310-452-5700 gettalife@earthlink.net
Music
Lori Nafshun 310-452-5700 gettalife@earthlink.net
Cakewalk
Yvonne Lockheart Delaney 310-450-5663 paradisekid@verizon.net
Food
Tracy Saltzman 310-397-0013 rhubarb@earthlink.net
Our grill master needs a smoker. David Story at 310-453-4396 or storytym@gmail.com
Drinks
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
We still need LEADS for the DRINK BOOTH.
Raffles
Helga Schier 310-828-8421 helgaschier@verizon.net
We still need a COORDINATOR for our RAFFLES.
Casserole Corner
Carol Koncan 310-664-0033 sonagenics@gmail.com
This is a new attraction. We want to sell your homemade frozen casseroles.
Contact Carol if you can contribute a homemade casserole to sell.
Decorations
Marianne Smith 310-396-7245 msmithblue@yahoo.com
Set-up and Clean-up Coordination
David Saltzman 310-397-0013 saltzmans@earthlink.net
AND
Don’t forget to go out there and get donations, donations, donations!
ptsa BOARD
Here’s our new PTSA board as confirmed in this week’s PTSA meeting. Congratulations! And welcome!
The new board will take over in June.
PTSA BOARD
Co-Presidents: David Saltzman and Helga Schier
Co-Vice President: Ross Furukawa and Jeff Jarow
Treasurer: Mimi Ison
Auditor: John Smith
Recording Secretary: Andrea Morgan
Financial Secretary: Faye Jarow
VP Fundraising: OPEN*
Parliamentarian: Ofer Grossman
Historian: Lori Nafshun
BOARD MEMBERS FOR ANOTHER YEAR are:
VP Membership: Susan Alinsangan
PTSA COMMITTEES
In addition to the Board, here are the new committee chairs and open positions:
Parent Ed Committee: Ken Downing
Legislative Committee: Gina Garcia
Green Committee: Gina Garcia
Core Representative Coordinator: Tracy Saltzman
Hospitality: Cyndra Lopez-Mercier
COMMITTEE CHAIRS FOR ANOTHER YEAR are:
Database: Tracy Saltzman
Foreign Language Chair: Helga Schier
Diversity Chair: Elaina Archer
*Please note that we are still looking for a VP Fundraising.
ptsa news
president’s note
Dear SMASH Community,president’s note
SuperSMASH is closer than we all think. Please check out the fliers in this week’s Friday Letter, and help us make this year’s SuperSMASH the best it’s ever been. Due to a downturn in the economy, donations are down this year. While most contributors have donated again, most of them donated less than in previous years. For example, where we received eight movie tickets in the past, this year we only received four. To make up for this “loss,” we’d like to ask you to double your efforts this year, and perhaps get one more donation that you originally planned. Every little bit counts. We can never have too many donations.
In this week’s PTSA meeting we approved the new board, which will take office in June. Please check out the flier in this week’s Friday Letter.
Thanks!
Ofer Grossman
SMASHing fundraisers
3 more weeks to SuperSMASH on Saturday, May 31, 2008. A cool carnival, a super silent auction, amazing art and fabulous food…this fun-filled day is our major fundraiser. We need your help to make it a SMASHing success. We still need key personnel for the following booths: Prizes, Bean Bags and/or Milk Bottles, Drinks, Raffles. Interested in coordinating any of these booths? Please contact Helga Schier at 310-828-8421, or helgaschier@verizon.net. Thanks!And don’t forget to get as many donations as possible. Donations are down this year. To make up, we need to solicit as many donations as possible in the next few days. The catalogue closes on May 15. If you want your donation to be listed in the catalogue, PLEASE bring them in by then. Donations that come in after May 15 will be listed in the addendum only. Thanks!
John Muir/SMASHing workshops
The “Green Committee” of John Muir Elementary has put together a “green living workshop” taught by non-profit environmental specialists “Sustainable Works.” The workshop, open to parents from SMASH and John Muir, will meet on Mondays for six weeks, starting this coming Monday, May 12. Parent/children participants are welcome. To make this workshop happen, we need at least 15 participants. For more information, contact SMASH parent Gina Garcia at ginagplus2@msn.com. Thanks!BECOME A MEMBER OF THE SMASH ADVISORY COUNCIL
It’s time again to think ahead and select the parents to represent you at the SMASH Council for next year. This group of parent, staff and students meet once a month to:
A. To establish and oversee the use of the School Improvement (SI) funds as provided in Section 52012 of the California Education Code.
B. To oversee and assist in the development of the annual School Improvement Plan (SIP). The SC shall identify areas of need and goals for improvement as mandated by California Ed Code 52014: “Each plan shall be based on an assessment of school capability to meet the educational needs of each pupil, specify improvement objectives, and indicate steps necessary to achieve those objectives including intended outcomes.”
C. To maintain periodic analysis of implementation and effectiveness of the SIP. The SC shall analyze and draft an SIP ANALYSIS based on the actual outcomes of the improvement plan and on reports from the SMASH community. The SIP ANALYSIS shall be utilized in development of subsequent School Improvement Plans. California Ed Code 52021 states that SC, “…shall have ongoing responsibility to review with the principal, teachers, other school personnel and pupils the implementation of the school improvement program and to assess periodically the effectiveness of such program.”
D. To provide a forum for all SMASH constituents to communicate their concerns related to the development of the annual School Improvement Plan including areas of need, goals for improvement, outcomes and effectiveness of School improvement plans.
E. To communicate the actions and goals of the SC to the entire SMASH community.
F. To ensure that the annual School Improvement Plan supports the goals, philosophy and vision of SMASH as established in the school handbook.
We will be electing four (4) parents to serve a one-year term. To be elected, please bring in statement, no longer than 50-words, of your interest and qualifications to Janice in the SMASH office no later than 3:00 on Wednesday, May 14. Late submissions will not be accepted.
The candidate statements will be published in the May 16 and May 23 Friday Letters. Ballots will be sent home with the May 23 Friday Letter and are due by 1:30 on Friday, May 30. No late ballots will be accepted. Representatives will be announced in the June 6 Friday Letter.
We also need one parent to serve on the SMASH Council Election Committee. This must be a person who is not currently on the Council and does not plan to run. Their role will be to make sure the election process is followed. Please let Carrie or Janice know if you are interested in serving on the election committee by Friday, May 16.
IS YOUR CHILD RETURNING TO SMASH NEXT YEAR?
We are in the process of making plans for next year’s enrollment. It is important for us to know if you are planning on returning to SMASH so that we can provide other children the opportunity to enroll.
If you are planning to attend another school in the district, you MUST complete and submit an Intradistrict Open Enrollment Application to the district’s Student Permit Office BEFORE May 31. Applications are available in the SMASH main office.
Please fill in this form and return to the main office by May 16.
Return one form for each child enrolled.
_____ YES, we will be returning
_____ NO, we will not be returning
If no, please let us know the reason and where your child will be attending so that we can transfer school records. Thanks.
__________________________ __________
Child’s Name Current Grade
__________________________________
Parent or Guardian Signature
CORE 1 NEWS
Community WalkCore 1 will be going on a Community Walk to Joslyn Park on Friday, May 16th from 10:30 – 12:00. The kids will be able to play in the park as well as on the grassy field. We would like to have as many chaperones as possible (the more, the merrier!). If you would like to join us, please sign up in the Peaceful Room.
Exploration
The students continue to enjoy writing transformation poetry. This week they spent time coming up with titles for their poems and then writing/illustrating their final drafts. These poems will be on display in Core 1 soon!
We are having fun observing and caring for our silk worms (soon to be moths!) and our Painted Lady larva (soon to be butterflies!). We will be releasing lots of butterflies and moths in the coming weeks.
Reading
Did you know that we have Core 3 Reading Buddies who come over and read with our students every other week during Just Right Reading time? Ask your child about his/her buddy. This is a great way for Core 1 kids to connect with the kids in the upper cores.
Are you reading with your child every night? It is very important that you spend at least half an hour each night reading with your child (listen to them read and/or read aloud to them). Have you been to the Santa Monica Public Library lately? Take a trip this weekend to pick up some fresh books. Keep it fun and exciting by discovering new authors and titles. This home connection is critical in helping build your child’s ‘reading muscles’.
Cores 1&2 BBQ
Save the date! We will be having our (almost) end of the year barbeque on Friday, May 23rd at 11:00
(we're firing up the grills at 10:30) in the Small Yard. Cores 1 and 2 are joining together for this festive culminating celebration. Food/drink/supply requests have been attached to the front of this week’s Friday Letter. Please let us know ASAP if there is a problem with what we’ve asked you to bring. We hope you can join us for this fun event! (We need grills! We have very few volunteers for grills, so please let us know if you have one we can borrow. Thanks!)
The Peaceful Room has become a huge Lost and Found!
There are tons of sweaters, hats, and sweatshirts that we’ve found around Core 1. There are also plates and bowls from bake sales and other events. Please stop by to see what belongs to you.
All left items will be donated to Goodwill at the end of May.
Wish List
Thank you for your donations! We could still use extra snacks, heavy duty plastic forks and paper plates.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!
Mana, Candis, and Jackie
Candis: candis.berens@smmusd.org Mana: mhale@smmusd.org
CORE 2 NEWS
Dear Core 2 Community, May 9, 2008Save the date! We will be having our (almost) end of the year barbeque on Friday, May 23rd at 11:00 (we're firing up the grills at 10:30) in the Small Yard. Cores 1 and 2 are joining together for this festive culminating celebration. We will be sending out food/drink/supply requests next week. We hope you can join us for this fun event! (We need grills! We have very few volunteers for grills, so please let us know if you have one we can borrow. Thanks!) Attached are the slips that go home with the food/drink assignments.
In Social Studies, the students published their creative advertisement. In Computer Lab read an article about
In Science the students completed and shared Invention #2. You will be able to see their inventions in action at our Invention Convention in June. More info in future letters.
In Literacy, the students are publishing their poetry books. They continue reading Just Right books and are creating an advertisement for it. Their next focus will be on Invention #3.
In art with Christine Marie the children finished and shared their 6 cell comics.
The 2nd graders are learning and teaching the 3rd graders a Hawaiian dance, tiningling. They will be sharing with you at our Core 1/Core 2 BBQ. In district music, the 3rd graders returned the form for next year’s musical instrument choices and continued learning more recorder songs.
Core 2’s Standardized testing is completed, except for some make-up tests next week.
Good news! You can now check our website -- smash.smmusd.org -- to read a blog from Laura and Jayme. Thanks, Birte!
Wish list: wipes, and non-electric carpet sweeper.
Dates to remember:
Friday, May 23 -- annual Core 1/Core 2 BBQ -- see attached _ sheet
Monday, May 26 -- School Holiday, Memorial Day
Have a great weekend!
Jayme, Laura & Najia
Laura: sherman@smmusd.org Jayme: jayme.wold@smmusd.org
CORE 3 NEWS
***The Wave, The SMASH Paper is here—attached to this week’s letter***
No music next week, due to the testing schedules in other schools--hope you’ve been practicing at home!
We are going on a field trip to LACMA on Tuesday, May 13. We will be leaving at 9:00 and returning to SMASH by 1:30. We will be providing snacks and drinks for the students and all students need to bring a lunch that day. Please complete and return the attached permission slip by Monday, May 12. We can only take 2 adults from each advisory, so please let us know if you would like to join us--first come first served! We are using a district bus for the first time this year (Yay for the BBB!), so we are asking for a $5 donation from each family. Thanks!
We continue exploring multiple perspectives of why people move in Social Studies/Science. Many students still haven’t completed their family interviews about why a parent/grandparent may have moved (or not moved!)—please check in with your child and get this done asap! And if you haven’t done your 3 plant observations—do that, too! This week, the students made maps of the major rivers in the U.S. and watched The Return of the Cuyahoga, a wonderful documentary about the effects of the industrial revolution on the rivers and lakes that made industrialization possible, point and non-point pollution, and the amazing difference people have been able to make in the clean-up and preservation of the nation’s waterways. Ask your child what they learned from the movie and what good things have happened since the river caught fire!
In Reading Workshop the students listened to a funny read aloud, The Scrambled States of America and read their Just Right Books. We can’t wait to start mixed-group book clubs with all our new Scholastic books! The Bridge to Terabithia/Golden Compass fabulous double-feature movie party is Wednesday, May 14, from 3 – 7 p.m. Please complete and return the bottom portion of the flyer from last week’s Friday Letter, so we know who will be joining us. You’ll find extra copies by the sign-in sheet.
In Writing Workshop, we worked on the Independent Writing Pieces. I.W.P.s are due Monday, May 12th. Please help your child use their checklist to make sure they can publish their stories by Monday! Henry’s Ron will be sharing his writerly life with us on Monday morning. If you are a writer, editor, or journalist—please contact us if you’d like to come share your knowledge with us as we work on our feature articles!
Fourth grade mathematicians worked on fractions and place value with Swann. It’s time to get a grip on the the basic mathematical concepts and skills they’ll need for future math. Ask your child what they need to work on: Addition/subtraction facts up to 100? Combinations of ten? Multiplication tables? Place value? Fifth grade mathematicians continued a mini-unit on Algebra. They worked in small groups to create vocabulary worksheets, which are part of this week’s homework! Tamara worked with each small group on Algebra. Ask your child about the “zero rules”, ways to solve for unknown variables, and the Order of Operations. Remember homework is due on Fridays—over half of the fifth graders neglected to do their homework last week! Please take advantage of the Core 3 Homework Club Mondays from 3 – 4, which is also a great time/place to practice basic math facts and skills!
We continued songs about moving in Music with Dian by rehearsing for our upcoming performances on Wednesday, May 21 at 8:45 SMASH Assembly. Some of our musicians are working on accompanying our singing on various instruments. This performance is not to be missed, so try to join us for the assembly or our trip to The Ocean House later that morning.
Instrumental music next year: We have been talking with the District Music Staff about how we will continue to grow the Middle School music program here at SMASH. As you know, this year was the first year we offered middle school instrumental music on campus and it is our goal to continue to expand and enhance the program each year so that all children have the opportunity to continue to pursue their talents here at SMASH. There will be a letter from the music department in next week’s Friday letter explaining the plans for the program and we will be having a parent night on Wednesday, May 28 at 6:00pm. Please plan to join!
SuperSMASH is coming up! Each core is creating a multicultural basket for the silent auction. Please add an item of cultural/regional significance for your family to Core 3’s basket with your name and info on it--Thanks! Contact Dylan’s Elaina for more info.
Happy Mother’s Day to all Moms, Mr. Moms, and Moms-in-Training!
Tamara, Genie, Malaika, and Ingrid
Mugalian@smmusd.org Genie.Hwang@smmusd.org
CORE 4 NEWS
El Charrombly Advisory: We are creating beautiful sixties rock posters during advisory art rotation. What fun! This is part of the last thematic project of the year entitles “US Musical Journeys.” Our last expo and learning celebrations of the year are on May 21 at 11:00 and June 4 at 8:45. In each case we have significant new work to show you, so please make time to show your support. Signing, art, musical theatre and good fun. Don’t miss these celebrations!Ciencia: We are rocketing along with our projectile and rocket. Early these indicate some design flaws in our launcher and quality control issues with the rockets. After some post flight analysis, we are moving towards our next generation rockets that will be used to send an Egg-o-naut aloft. What a relief after ten days of testing to be working with the students instead of just watching them.
6/7 Math: Deepening Our Number Sense: Because testing has led Core 4 to follow a different schedule, the sixth graders spent a large portion of this week with me. As a result, we were able to deepen our understanding of various skills that the mathematicians did not possess confidence towards. One of these skills involved fraction number sense. This skill requires students to have some intuitive feel for fractions and not simply that fractions involve equal parts. It involves students knowing how various fractions are related to each other across a number line. When comparing fractions to benchmark fractions such as 0, 1/2, and 1, it allows students to have some sense of other fractions’ values. The mathematicians worked through a few different examples, and then had to explain their answers to their peers in our group discussion.
Toward the latter part of the week, we resumed a normal schedule and got back into our routines. We bridged our understanding of variables and general patterns to writing and evaluating algebraic expressions. The mathematicians will be exposed to various situations such as “Drama is five years older than Henry”, and they will represent it with an algebraic expression: h + 5= d . Students will work through several different story problems where writing and evaluation algebraic expressions will be the focus.
Music: We had a great rehearsal this week. Our concert is in TWO WEEKS! We will be singing at the assembly on May 21. That same day we will be walking to the Saffran House at 1:00 for our second performance. Parents are welcome to join us.
Instrumental music next year: We have been talking with the District Music Staff about how we will continue to grow the Middle School music program here at SMASH. As you know, this year was the first year we offered middle school instrumental music on campus and it is our goal to continue to expand and enhance the program each year so that all children have the opportunity to continue to pursue their talents here at SMASH. There will be a letter from the music department in next week’s Friday letter explaining the plans for the program and we will be having a parent night on Wednesday, May 28 at 6:00pm. Please plan to join!
Algebra: We took the Chapter 10 test today. We will know the results on Monday.
8th graders:
· Final draft of Exit Project papers were due TODAY!
· Presentations are being set up for the first week of June. We will send invitations home so you know when your child’s presentation will be.
· We leave at 8:30 on Tuesday morning for our trip! Don’t be late! If you have any last minute questions, please contact Carrie.
Have a great weekend!
Kurt, Kelly, Erin, Carrie, Ingrid & Karin
Kelly: kkulsrud@aol.com Kurt:holland@ Erin:erin.haendel@ Carrie: cferguson@ smmusd.org
