Friday Letter September 19, 2008

September 19, 2008

Please note: The SMASHing Friday Letter is now posted on our website at:
www.smash.smmusd.org
We will no longer be sending home a hard copy of our letter unless requested


Dear SMASHing Families,

Beginning next week, SMASH/Muir welcomes District Office employee Terrence Baker to the front gate to greet and sign in visitors from 8:45am until 2:30pm Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesdays and 8:45am until 1:30pm Thursday and Fridays.
Please be prepared to:
· Greet Mr. Baker good-naturedly
· Show i.d.
· Sign your name, time in, time out, and destination on campus
· Receive and wear a SMMUSD visitor badge (sticker)
· Check in with Janice or Wende at the SMASH front office before proceeding into a classroom to coordinate classroom entry at a non-disruptive moment

The sign-in book will provide us with a log of who is visiting on campus during the school day and the SMMUSD visitor stickers provide a visual reminder of the extensive team of adults working on behalf of our students. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding as we launch a 2008-2009 pilot of the above outlined procedure.
Truly Yours,
Jessica

See everyone tomorrow, 9:00 am for COASTAL CLEAN-UP DAY!

REMINDERS

NO PARKING IN THE SCHOOL LOT DURING SCHOOL HOURS. PLEASE DO NOT PARK in the morning to walk your child in to school
(drop off begins after 8:15 am at the 5th street gate).
NO PARKING during the school day. If you see an open parking space -
that means a staff member left but is returning. Please don’t take their space!

NO PETS ON CAMPUS. We all love pets - but it is illegal to bring them onto campus.


PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF BEFORE 8:15 AM
Unless they have CREST in the morning.
They may come as early as 8:00 am IF they come directly to the cafeteria for breakfast.
Breakfast is $1.25 (or .30 if they are on the reduced meal program).

SIBLINGS IN THE CLASSROOMS
We enjoy having families visit the classrooms, however, we need younger children to stay
with their parents at all times. This is a school safety as well as classroom management issue.
Classrooms are not set up for children under 5.

THANK YOU!


DATES TO REMEMBER
EVENT DATE DETAILS
Heal the Bay CleanUp Day Sat, Sept. 20 9am to noon. Meet in the cafetorium. Joint Muir/SMASH event

Core 4 Forum Wed, Sept. 24 7:00-8:00pm Teachers meet with parents to explain this year’s curriculum. Childcare for school-aged children provided by 8th
Core 1 Forum Tues, Sept. 23 6:00-7:00pm grade SMASH students. $5.00 donation per child requested.
Local Holiday Tues, Sept. 30 NO SCHOOL

SMASH Picture Day Wed., Oct 1 8:30 am Flyers sent home today. Students must prepay for photos. All students will
receive a free student ID

Site Council Meeting Wed. Oct 1 6:30 pm Meet in Computer Lab, Upstairs rm 290



BAKE SALE - WEDNESDAYS - HEALTHY TREATS AND FUN ITEMS
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER
Core 3 - Sept 24 Core 2 - Oct. 8 Core 4 - Oct. 22
Core 1 - Oct. 15


SMASHing Core Reps
Please welcome this year’s Lead Core Reps.

Coordinator: Tracy Saltzman (rhubarb1@earthlink.net)

Core 1: Megan Zemke, meganzemke@yahoo.com
Andrea Kahn, trevellin@adelphia.net

Core 2: Jeannine Varner, driftersca@hotmail.com

Core 3: Teresa Galloway, teresa_galloway@spe.sony.com
Kathleen Murphy, whiteblom@verizon.net

Core 4: Hannah Galloway, gallowayh@gmail.com
Tracy Story, tracymstory@hotmail.com


FROM NURSE SANDY
I need volunteers to help me with vision and hearing testing
Tuesday, Sept. 23 between 8:30 am to 2:45 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 24 between 8:30 am to 2:00 pm
I can use you for any amount of time you can give me!
Needed: small zip-lock plastic baggies for ice.
A bag of ice does wonders for an injured student!

SMASH Picture Day!
Wednesday, October 1
Students must pay for photos
in advance. See today’s flyer.

SMASHing HOLIDAY SINGERS

GET YOUR VOICES READY!
Contact Dian Andrews 310-392-0600


SMASH and John Muir Elementary Join Forces
for Coastal Cleanup Day on September 20th!
Santa Monica's Heal the Bay (www.healthebay.org) is the proud organizer of the L.A. County portion of the nationwide Coastal Cleanup Day. Over the years, volunteers participating in these events have removed 1,000,000 lbs. of trash from our beaches and along inland creeks and waterways. Annually in L.A., 10,000+ volunteers hit the beaches and inland sites to make our shared environment a better and cleaner place!

The 2007 event in LA saw a whopping 73,772 lbs. of trash and 5,512 lbs. of recyclables collected by 11,020 volunteers countywide.

This year, SMASH and John Muir Elementary are excited to be part of this massive effort. On Saturday, September 20 from 9am to Noon, volunteers from both schools will grab trash bags and gloves and fan out in the neighborhood around the campus, collecting trash and recyclables that'd otherwise end up in Santa Monica Bay.



ANNUAL RUMMAGE SALE and CAR WASH!!

Don't throw out that stuff ... save it for the October 11th Rummage Sale.
You can bring your donations to the cafetorium on Friday, Oct. 10, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
We are looking for your quality cast-offs:
clothing, books, toys, dvds, furniture, electronics, home goods, jewelry, etc.

Please contact Tracy Story tracymstory@hotmail.com 310/453-4396 to help:

put up signs: Thursday, Oct. 9
sort: Friday Oct. 10 - 8:00-4:00
sell: Sat., Oct. 11 7:00 am - 1:00 pm
clean up: Saturday, Oct. 11, 1:00 - 3:00

We are in special need of trucks and vans to bring the unsold goods to charity.
We also need clothing racks and hangars to use for the day.

Contact John Zemke to help with the Car Wash. 310-315-1114



LEARN ABOUT YOUR LOCAL CANDIDATES

LEAD (Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability, Direction for Santa Monica-Malibu Schools) and
CEPS (Community for Excellent Public Schools) present

THE CANDIDATES FORUM
Monday, September 22
Santa Monica College-Bundy Campus 3171 S. Bundy Drive , Room 123
6:30 pm - Santa Monica-Malibu School Board Candidates
7:30 pm - Santa Monica City Council Candidates

Questions? Contact Debbie Mulvaney @SMMLead@aol.com
or Shari Davis@Shariceps@aol.com


PTSA news
President’s Note
Get involved. Give back to SMASH. Make a difference.
It is said that the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. And the more you put into PTSA, the more your kids get out of their education.
There are so many ways to find a role that suits you as a parent at SMASH. As this new school year kicks into high gear, don’t miss your opportunity to be part of your children’s school. We are looking for volunteers to help with our upcoming events such as the Rummage Sale and Car Wash (Oct.11), and the Pumpkin Sale (Oct.17). We will also need lots of spirited folks for the annual SMASH/Muir Halloween Carnival (Oct. 29).
Our growing Green Committee is planning many exciting projects this year; even our annual wrapping paper sale is going green! We have an informative Parent Education curriculum and a Diversity Night to plan. You are cordially invited to be a part of these activities. Please just call or email if you have any questions about getting involved.
PTSA is also in the midst of our annual Family Donation drive. We ask that each family contribute what they can to help PTSA reach its operating budget for our Arts Program, Spanish Program, Teacher Assistants, Field Trips and Technology purchases.
This year the recommended donation is $557.89 per child. We know this is more than some families can afford, and we don’t expect every family to donate that amount, but here is our goal for 2008-09: We want to reach 100% family participation in this fundraiser no matter how much you can give, and we hope to reach this goal by December 31st. So, when January comes, we can focus on all our other exciting events like Jogathon, Family Dance and SuperSMASH.
Good news, we’ve already received a few family donations… we’re on our way!
Best,
David Saltzman and Helga Schier

Upcoming Fundraisers
Our annual wrapping paper sale has received a sustainable face lift. We’ll do Greenraising this year. It’s recycled wrapping paper, and so much more… choose from a catalogue full of environmentally friendly goods such as bottles or lunch boxes. Watch for future fliers or contact Debbie Dempsey at 310-454-4428 or lantzdempsey@msn.com

SMASHing Programs
The Arts and Spanish Programs are back! Classes start next week.
Please welcome back our fantastic Artists-in-Residence, Marni Gittleman, Dian Andrews
and Kristy Pace, and our very own Ingrid Herrador in her new role as visual artist.
Nina Baumgartner, last year’s terrific Core 4 Spanish teacher, has moved to Core 1, and Diana Albarracin Alvarez, our outstanding new Spanish instructor, will teach Cores 2, 3 and 4. ¡Hola!


SMASHing Meetings
Our next PTSA meeting is on Thursday, October 2 at 6:30PM. Let us know if you have issues you’d like to discuss, questions to ask, concerns to raise, ideas to bring to life. We need your thoughts, your ideas, your voice. Come check it out.
Dear SMASH Family!

The school year is now in fully swing with countless educational experiences for our children, and many after-school events to celebrate our community of students, teachers, staff and parents.

Among them are two of our most fabulous programs, the Arts Program and the Spanish Program, which will be back in session next week. These programs are only possible with your financial support. Here are a few of the important and essential school support items that, sadly, are not provided for by federal or state funding.

Teacher’s Aides $ 26,000
Artists in Residence 35,000
Foreign Language Program (Spanish) 20,000
Classroom & Miscellaneous Supplies 10,000
Equipment/Maintenance (copy machine et al) 10,000
Field Trips 5,000
Total $106,000

With SMASH enrollment at about 190 students, we need at least $557.89 per student to provide what we believe we can all agree are just the basics of a well-rounded education.

Throughout the year, we hold a number of fundraisers, including the Rummage Sale in October, the Book Fair in December, the Jog-a-thon in February and SuperSMASH in May. These events help raise the funds necessary to sustain our Arts Program, grow our Spanish Program, and enhance our Technology Program. But, by far and away, our most important fundraiser is the Family Donation Pledge Drive. This fundraiser traditionally accounts for over a third of funds we raise throughout the year. Without a successful Family Donation Pledge Drive, we cannot sustain the services and educational opportunities we provided last year.

Not every member of the SMASH community can afford to make a donation of $557.89 per child. But we are asking that each of you make whatever donation you can. This year we are aiming for a 100% family participation.

Asking for money is never easy. So please, take a moment to make a donation now. We are hoping for 100% participation by December 31, 2008. Help us reach this goal. And, if your circumstances permit, make additional donations throughout the school year. You can make your donation by check or by credit card. Just see Janice in the office. You can also make your donation by paypal. We will e-mail the account information in the weeks to come.

We are grateful and thank you in advance for your support. Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Receipts, for tax purposes, are available in the office.

Sincerely,

Helga Schier and David Saltzman
SMASH PTSA


CORE 1 NEWS

Today we honored our “September Babies” with our first Birthday Bash of the Year! This year our focus is on serving healthy foods at each Birthday Bash, and the students are enjoying helping us brainstorm ideas. Our art, library and Spanish classes start next week! We are looking forward to meeting our new teachers, and having a very “enriching” year!

Reminders & Dates to Remember:
Please label lunch bags, backpacks and outerwear (on the tag, if possible) with your child’s name.
ReDiscover Field Trip: Our first field trip of the year will be to ReDiscover on October 24.
www.rediscovercenter.org More information to follow.
Core 1 Forum: Save the date: Tuesday, September 23rd from 6:00 – 7:00pm. This is a great night for parents to learn more about the Core 1 curriculum and about what we do on a daily basis. This will also be an opportunity to sign up for a volunteer job or for a time to help in the classroom, if you did not get a chance at Back to School Night. Childcare will be available (preschool-aged and up).

Thank you to all of the families for donating supplies, wish list items, and money for classroom materials. This week students got their hands on their new honeybee crayons, and are discovering new ways to be creative.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!
Candis, Chrysta and Jackie

Candis: candisberens@smmusd.org Chrysta: wyse@smmusd.org




CORE 2 NEWS
Wow! We enjoyed interacting with you at our Core 2 Forum.

In Reader’s Workshop the children read books, wrote a connection they have with the book on a post it and shared their ideas with a partner. In Writer’s Workshop, the students continue with pre-writes for their first story.

In Math the 2nd graders have been working on combinations that equal 10 and doubling. The 3rd graders began their discover of “things that come in groups”. They have homework attached to these papers that is due on Monday.

In Computer Lab the students went over the guidelines and procedures.

Levi’s Walker and Joe’s Holly, introduced gardening to Core 2. We visited the area on campus where we will be doing our planting, read books, and planted our first vegetable.

Next week, we will begin a visual arts rotation with Ingrid. We gave Ingrid money so that she could go out and buy supplies to support her curriculum.. And now, we are accepting voluntary donations to reimburse us. Any questions see Laura or Jayme.

We continue with our social curriculum with deciding on core guidelines and consequences, and introduced C.A.R.E.S. (cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control).

Ask your child how to play the large group outside activities of “Pirate Ship”, “Octopus”, and “Man on Mars”.

Upcoming dates and events:
Saturday, September 20 – SMASH/Muir Beach Clean up day
Monday, September 22 – Spanish begins
Wednesday, September 24 – Visual Arts with Ingrid begins in Core 2
Friday, September 26 – September Birthday Bash, see attached info (It is different than in Core 1)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Laura’s e-mail: sherman@smmusd.org Jayme’s e-mail: jayme.wold@smmusd.org


CORE 3 NEWS
Happy Friday, Core 3 Families! September 19, 2008

The SMASH staff has been discussing ways to streamline the Friday Letter and save a few trees--and one way is to have each core take just half a page. So instead of a brief overview of all the areas we are studying each week, we will highlight one area and rotate through our curriculum as we have new or special things to share (no more “This week in Readers Workshop we continued reading our Just Right Books”).

Advisory: we have started Quiet Time this year in Core 3. Quiet time is about 5 minutes long and happens when we come in from break, PE, and lunch. Quiet Time allows students to drink water, go to the bathroom, rest, read, draw, update planners, or work on unfinished work or homework (kids should bring their homework to school each day). We are all amazed at how much can get accomplished in 5 minutes and how ready we are to work after quiet time. Ask your child how they like to spend quiet time.

We’ve also been working on our Core 3 Guidelines and Logical Consequences using CARES (cooperation, assertion, responsibility, and self-control) as the backbone of this process. To help celebrate Constitution Day (September 17), we talked about how our Guidelines exist to protect our individual rights, as well as the rights of the community as a whole and signed our Core 3 “Bill of Rights” to show that we agree that the rules are reasonable expectations for our community AND that we will each do our best to follow them. Ask your child what guideline is most difficult for them to follow and why.

This will be the last paper copy of the Friday Letter to come home in order to be more environmentally friendly. If you would like a paper copy, please let us know and we can make sure you get a hard copy every Friday. Otherwise it will be available online at www.smash.smmusd.org

Have a Great Weekend!
mugalian@smmusd.org Tamara, Genie, and Malaika genie.hwang@smmusd.org



CORE 4 NEWS
Lights, Camera, Action (Kelly’s Advisory News): Toward the end of the week, the students focused on understanding a few key parts of our social curriculum here at SMASH. They explored various real-life situations involving responsibility, respect, and self-control by thinking about how to effectively act in these occurrences. In small groups, they chose a scenario that demonstrates one of these core values, and then performed a small drama to show the group effective language and actions to use in those situations. Six were chosen by their peers to perform in front of the whole Core as a celebration for their hard work. All of us were laughing on the verge of tears as we experienced this POWERFUL and HYSTERICAL time together!

Paving Our Own Paths : Math 6/7: Throughout this week, we invested time into thinking about our goals as mathematicians and cracking into assessing our strengths and weaknesses as mathematicians. By taking this assessment, it provided us with one way to determine goals for the upcoming year. Other strategies used for goal setting included: thinking about concepts they wanted to learn more about, skills they wanted to improve, their ability to demonstrate CARES, and most importantly their math attitudes. We will post these math goals in our room to help remind us of the ways we want to grow in math and to help hold us accountable to them. Next week we will jump into our first unit involving statistics and graphing.

Algebra: Over the past few weeks, the mathematicians have truly assumed their new role and the challenging concepts with gusto. As stated at the forefront, an integral part of succeeding in this class involves staying on top of the given responsibilities and demonstrating a serious focus. It has been exciting to see the students rid the angst toward this class and step up to the challenging material. I look forward to working with them as each challenge is introduced.

Humanities: This week in Humanities we began talking about our Fall theme - government and elections. The students engaged in small and large group discussions and analysis, note taking, and larger written work as we discussed different types of government, the U.S. and Core 4 Constitutions, voting, and political cartoons. We look forward to having any parents and friends with special knowledge about the election and surrounding issues to come into the room as guest speakers. Next week we will continue to talk about the political process as well as begin to delve into our summer reading, The Giver. Please make sure your child comes prepared with the novel.

Super Secret Lined Paper Advisory (Kurt): This bold and enigmatic moniker has been chosen by student led consensus to convey our quirky personality this year. A name of such obvious distinction is clear testament to our children’s abundant creativity, willingness to take reasonable risks, and growing capacity to manage them-selves. Well done!

Overnight Trip Mania! (Science Blurb) We now have three trips running within four months and I am aware of the demands that may make upon family resources, I wanted to provide information to inform any choices you may be considering. The Catalina trip is intended for every core four student as a bonding exercise, celebration of our social curriculum, and intro to our field science unit. Please join us! However, 8th grade parents should choose to join the trip to Camp Hess Kramer instead, if their child is going to attend only one trip this fall. This trip is focused upon leadership training and team building amongst our SMASHing seniors. It is important that all 8th graders experience this early in this critical year. The Yosemite trip is a particular joy, quite expensive ($600.), and done in collaboration with the Santa Monica Science Magnet at JAMS. Please consider having your child join us once in their three years in core four. An information meeting for Yosemite is happening at JAMS on the 25th of Sept. Please let me know right away if you are thinking about having your child join any of these adventures.

Transportation for Catalina and the 8th Grade trip are parent responsibilities. We will need substantially more drivers then have so far committed. To help you manage this task we have two marvelous parent leaders who have stepped up to help arrange car pools and coordinate drivers. Thank you Jennifer and Susan! Please contact them right away.

Catalina Transportation Coordination, Jennifer Betts: e-mail: jbreezie01@verizon.net

Hess Kramer (8Th Grade Trip), Susan Reiner: email: susannonie@earthlink.net

Chaperones: I will be organizing the chaperones for these trips over the next few weeks. Once the demanding safety and skills requirements have been fulfilled, I will lottery out any remaining chaperone spots. Please be aware that we have to pay for the adults as well as kids. With the result that chaperones end up, teachers too, paying for the pleasure of working very hard long hours under rustic, often dirty, but incredibly rewarding circumstances. Please email me with a header saying chaperone for… (name of trip) if you are into swimming through the kelp forest in the dark, crawling across logs fifty feet into the air, or hiking miles through the snow accompanied by our lovely SMASHites.

Please contact me, Kurt, if I may help in any manner at holland@smmusd.org

Enjoy the Weekend—Kurt, Kelly & Erin
Remember our Core 4 forum on Wednesday, September 24 from 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Kurt: holland@smmusd.org Kelly: kelly.kulsrud@smmusd.org Erin: erin.haendel@smmusd.org