CONGRAULATIONS to CARRIE FERGUSON
New Mother to a Beautiful Baby Girl
MEGAN LESLEY FERGUSON
Born Wednesday, January 21 - 7 pounds, 20 inches
Mother and daughter are doing well
You can contact Carrie at cferguson@smmusd.org
New Mother to a Beautiful Baby Girl
MEGAN LESLEY FERGUSON
Born Wednesday, January 21 - 7 pounds, 20 inches
Mother and daughter are doing well
You can contact Carrie at cferguson@smmusd.org
SMASH IS IN SESSION Monday, January 26.
SAMOHI, Malibu High, JAMS and Lincoln are closed for secondary contract day.
Our contract day was November 19.
Dear SMASHing Families,SAMOHI, Malibu High, JAMS and Lincoln are closed for secondary contract day.
Our contract day was November 19.
It was thrilling to watch the Inauguration with our students this week, to hear their interest in the words of the oath, to see them asking each other questions about the meaning of the Inaugural address. In Parade Magazine’s 1/18/09 article “What I Want for You-and Every Child in America” then President-elect Barack Obama wrote a letter to his daughters that stated, “These are the things I want for you—to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That's why I've taken our family on this great adventure.” As President Obama enlists all of us on an adventure including service and best efforts, it is a prime moment to have a family discussion about what we each can and feel compelled to contribute. Some SMASH student examples of service learning from the week include: A Core 1 group investigating what is graffiti, what’s not, and what can we do about it around our campus, Core 2 and 3 student council members preparing for Muir/SMASH campus cleanup day, and a Core 4 drama group using Invisible Theater to identify changes they can make to their community.
Truly Yours,
Jessica
Does your SMASH student have a
SIBLING READY TO START KINDERGARTEN IN SEPTEMBER?
Please come into the office and fill out an application as soon as possible!
DEADLINE for Kindergarten applications is MARCH 31.
Applications after that time will no longer be guaranteed a place in class
T-shirt sponsors make it possible for all students and teachers to take home a Jog-a-thon ’09 t-shirt. The t-shirts are designed by one of SMASH’s own students and make a striking fashion statement. Sponsorship is tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. As a token of appreciation for their generous support, the t-shirt sponsors’ name will adorn the back of the shirt.
Contact Lillie Schlessinger (213) 742-3394 – lillie.schlessinger@transamerica.com
*Please use the form below for making t-shirt donations and return to the office with your cash or check made payable to SMASH PTSA by no later than February 2:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsorship: Corporate ___$250 ___$200 ___$150
SMASHing ___$100 ___$50 ___$25
Name (as you would like it to appear on the t-shirt):________________________
Child’s name (so we know who you are!):________________________________
Size preference for complimentary t-shirt: ___XXL ___XL ___L ___M ___S (All sizes are adult sizes since all students will already receive a complimentary t-shirt. If you specifically want your complimentary t-shirt to be a child’s size, please note this.)
Dear SMASHing Parents,
In the spirit of renewal expressed so eloquently by our new President, Barrack Obama, let’s roll up our sleeves and do what’s necessary to make SMASH the best school it can possibly be.
· Let’s start with the first annual joint SMASH/MUIR Spirit Day this Saturday from 9AM to 2PM. Please come equipped with cleaning, painting and gardening supplies, as well as lots of energy and good spirits.
· Renew your commitment to SMASH. If you have not yet done so, please make your family donation now, early in the new year. We all know that our children’s education is the best possible way to spend our money.
Thanks! David Saltzman and Helga Schier
SMASHing Needs
· We’d like to establish lasting relationships with our alumni families. There are so many ex-SMASH students and parents out there who would like to contribute to the school. We’d like to tap into this resource. We are looking for a volunteer to handle alumni relations (e-mail list, occasional mailings…) Please contact Helga at helgaschier@verizon.net or 310-828-8421. Thanks!
SMASHing Activities
· SMASH/Muir Spirit Day, TOMORROW, Saturday, January 24, 2009, 9AM to 2PM. Volunteers and donations needed to work on the garden and to clean up the shared spaces on campus.
SMASHing Fundraisers
· Make your Family Donation online. Go to http://ptsasmash.blogspot.com/ and give what you can! To pay by credit card, check or cash, or to establish a payment plan, see Janice in the office. SMASH depends on you! Thanks!
· Save the Date: Jogathon, Friday, February 27, 2009.
SMASHing Committees
· The Parent Ed Committee will host a joint SMASH/Muir Event on innovative and non-fearful Safety Training with Safely Ever After (www.safelyeverafter.com) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 6:30PM. Food and Childcare will be provided. See the flyer in this week’s Friday Letter
· Friday, February 13, 2009 is National Have Lunch with your Kids Day. The Health Committee invites you to participate in your child's school day by joining them and their friends for lunch. For more information, please see the note in this week’s Friday Letter.
SMASHing Meetings
· Our next PTSA meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 5 at 6:30PM.
Certified Child Safety Educator, Pattie Fitzgerald, will be presenting a 90 minute, informative workshop for parents and caregivers interested in learning how to effectively talk to their children about personal safety in an easy, non-fearful manner. Ms. Fitzgerald’s programs have been presented at several SMMUSD schools including: Grant, Roosevelt, Franklin, Webster, Pt. Dume, JAMS, and Lincoln Middle School.
· The ineffective reality about “stranger-danger”
· Protecting kids from people they: “know, don’t know, or know just a little bit”
· Establishing and modeling appropriate physical and personal boundaries
· Information on Megan’s Law in California
· The Super-Ten “Safe-Smarts” Rules for Kids and Grownups
· 10 Prevention Tips for every parent
· 10 Most Common Lures and Tricks
· 11 Red Flags and Warning Signs
· How to spot a “Tricky Person!”
· Recognizing “thumbs up & thumbs down” situations
This event is free to the Muir/SMASH Community.
The SMASH 8th Grade will be providing childcae for a nominal fee for school aged kids.
Please make your childcare reservation in the office.
Goals of the Workshop: Increase confidence in parenting New ways to think about children’s behavior More manageable and effective interventions for difficult behavior
To register contact Kristen Lemon, LMSW, CLAD at Family Services of Santa Monica 310-451-9747x2204
Please bring cleaning supplies (think green) and tools (think mop, broom, sponge, paint brush, rake and stuff).
For more information, contact SMASH parent Helga Schier at helgaschier@verizon.net
or Muir parent Helene Seisay at heleneseisay@yahoo.com
DID YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE BLOGGERS? Visit our blog page on the SMASH website to learn more about what is going on in Core 1! We are primarily using this space to communicate what is going on during Projects, but you never know what new and exciting Core 1 happenings you might find out about! Go and check it out!!! To get there, go to http://www.smash.smmusd.org/, click on “Core 1” at the bottom of the page, and then click on “News”.
COMMUNITY SNACK We are attempting to offer community snack during Projects time. This will give children an opportunity to eat when they are hungry in the mornings and will reduce our morning clean-up time. This will provide more time as a community to share and reflect after Projects. Please keep an eye out for more information in the Friday Folder.
This Thursday during lunch we had an OPEN STUDENT COUNCIL MEETING to discuss our clean-up goals for the SMASH/John Muir Spirit Day on Saturday, 9 am - 2 pm. All students planning to attend were welcome to join the meeting.
CORE 3 READING BUDDIES started this week. Each Core 1 student was matched with at least one Core 3 student. These buddies will stick with each other throughout the year. We will meet almost weekly to read to, and with, each other!
Reminders, Announcements & Thank Yous:
We appreciated the support we receive during Projects. Parents have proven to be additional teachers in the room, facilitating learning in the classroom. We would also like to thank you parents, as always, for your continued donations. We have received building materials for our Construction Group that will pique the interest and spark creativity in all children involved!
Thank you for the wonderful supply of paper towels!!! We are now just in need of large containers of drinking water and 2 Gallon sized Zip-loc bags (for our Just Right books).
February 24: Field Trip to the LA Zoo. More information to follow!
Have a great weekend!
Candis, Chrysta and Jackie
Candis: candis.berens@smmusd.org
Chrysta: wyse@smmusd.org
Student-led conferences are coming in February. Your child’s conference will be with their original advisor from September. Each advisor will have a student-teacher conference in order to prepare the students for the family conference.
In Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop: We are continuing our “How to Stories”. The Oompa Loompas are writing a guide to brushing your teeth and the Pancakes are writing how to make a PB&J Sandwich. In reading, we began our new unit! The students are practicing their reading with emotion. Each student is becoming the characters in their stories! We want to change our “Robot Reading” into natural speaking voices with emotion and feeling.
In Social Studies this week: In Government, we continue planning the presentations (in Core 2) and writing all of our facts in a paragraph form. These presentations will be spread out across the first week in February. There will be 2 presentations per day at 9:00am. We will attach a full schedule next week.
Core 2 was able to watch the Inauguration and witness history being made! We watched our new President being sworn in and his Inaugural Address.
In Math, the 2nd graders looked for shapes around the classroom and at home. They also figured out shapes within shapes. For example, there are 6 small triangles that make up 1 large trapezoid.
The 3rd graders worked though the problem of how many of the I-shaped tetrominoes they would need to cover a page of 72 squares. They needed to use their previous knowledge about arrays, dimensions, and tetrominoes to get their answer.
In Arts, for music this week the children worked on their songs: Frida Little and Lita Little, Australian song, and their self-created song. They focused on using various learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to learn and express themselves through song.
**Dian would like to have music from the countries of your family’s origins to have connections to the each student’s own culture. It can be on a separate CD or on the original CD. Our collection has begun, thanks to the families who already sent music in.
Upcoming dates and events:
Want to help make our shared campus more beautiful than it is on Saturday? See attached flyer.
Wednesday, February 11 – 100th Day of School, activities to be held in our Core.
Friday, February 13 – Core 2’s Valentine Day Shower – more info to follow
February: Student-Led conferences
Tuesday, February 24 – field trip to Weather Station at UCLA, more info to follow
Friday, February 27 – Jog-a-thon, more info to follow. Start building your endurance!
Friday, March 6 – January, February, and March Birthday Bash – more info to follow
Have a FANTASTIC weekend!
Laura’s e-mail: sherman@smmusd.org
Jayme’s e-mail: jayme.wold@smmusd.org
Tamara is back from Yosemite--sharing about her experiences seeing bears, deer, and raccoons, plopping right down in the snow to eat a picnic lunch on the trail, and waterfalls so high that they start off as water, but end as a pile of snow! Hopefully, every SMASH student will be able to experience this amazing trip someday!
What an exciting week with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day leading right into the Presidential Inauguration Tuesday morning. We all watched this historic event via the internet on the Smartboard. The students wrapped up the unit on water today, using Academic Choice to create and present a variety of projects. They came up with lots of creative ways to show what they know and explore their ideas.
Juliana, our new visual artist in residence, has also been using the Smartboard and the Elmo document projector to share examples of art pieces/techniques and art history. She jumped right in--on our first day the students got their hands dirty with clay. After only 3 art sessions the students have made 2 vessels and painted them! As Juliana works with us in studying Human Needs, she’s sharing how art was a part of early human cultures in the everyday utility items like vessels for storing and cooking. Next week we will learn how to weave on a cardboard loom. She is also planning to show us how to weave baskets and then move to carving—all examples of early art forms that were functional and beautiful. In planning with Juliana, we wanted to connect our visual arts trimester with our theme as we move from Water to the local Native Americans and how their land’s geology and geography affected how they took care of their Physical Needs, Safety Needs, Love/Affection/Belonging Needs, Self-Esteem/Respect Needs, and Self-Actualization (art is a great example of self-actualization) Needs.
Ask your child about artifacts and how they help us understand human activity from ancient cultures. Is a fossil an artifact?
FYI—we will be walking to attend a concert at SAMOHI’s Barnum Hall on Monday, 1/26 at 9:30 a.m. No chaperones needed—thanks!!!
Tamara, Genie, and Malaika
mugalian@smmusd.org
genie.hwang@smmusd.org
SIBLING READY TO START KINDERGARTEN IN SEPTEMBER?
Please come into the office and fill out an application as soon as possible!
DEADLINE for Kindergarten applications is MARCH 31.
Applications after that time will no longer be guaranteed a place in class
The SMASH Jog-a-thon needs t-shirt sponsors!
Deadline: February 2
Deadline: February 2
T-shirt sponsors make it possible for all students and teachers to take home a Jog-a-thon ’09 t-shirt. The t-shirts are designed by one of SMASH’s own students and make a striking fashion statement. Sponsorship is tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. As a token of appreciation for their generous support, the t-shirt sponsors’ name will adorn the back of the shirt.
Become a Corporate Sponsor
(donations of $150, $200 or $250)
or
Become a SMASHing Sponsor
(donations of $25, $50 or $100)
Questions?(donations of $150, $200 or $250)
or
Become a SMASHing Sponsor
(donations of $25, $50 or $100)
Contact Lillie Schlessinger (213) 742-3394 – lillie.schlessinger@transamerica.com
*Please use the form below for making t-shirt donations and return to the office with your cash or check made payable to SMASH PTSA by no later than February 2:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsorship: Corporate ___$250 ___$200 ___$150
SMASHing ___$100 ___$50 ___$25
Name (as you would like it to appear on the t-shirt):________________________
Child’s name (so we know who you are!):________________________________
Size preference for complimentary t-shirt: ___XXL ___XL ___L ___M ___S (All sizes are adult sizes since all students will already receive a complimentary t-shirt. If you specifically want your complimentary t-shirt to be a child’s size, please note this.)
PTSA news
Presidents’ NoteDear SMASHing Parents,
In the spirit of renewal expressed so eloquently by our new President, Barrack Obama, let’s roll up our sleeves and do what’s necessary to make SMASH the best school it can possibly be.
· Let’s start with the first annual joint SMASH/MUIR Spirit Day this Saturday from 9AM to 2PM. Please come equipped with cleaning, painting and gardening supplies, as well as lots of energy and good spirits.
· Renew your commitment to SMASH. If you have not yet done so, please make your family donation now, early in the new year. We all know that our children’s education is the best possible way to spend our money.
Thanks! David Saltzman and Helga Schier
SMASHing Needs
· We’d like to establish lasting relationships with our alumni families. There are so many ex-SMASH students and parents out there who would like to contribute to the school. We’d like to tap into this resource. We are looking for a volunteer to handle alumni relations (e-mail list, occasional mailings…) Please contact Helga at helgaschier@verizon.net or 310-828-8421. Thanks!
SMASHing Activities
· SMASH/Muir Spirit Day, TOMORROW, Saturday, January 24, 2009, 9AM to 2PM. Volunteers and donations needed to work on the garden and to clean up the shared spaces on campus.
SMASHing Fundraisers
· Make your Family Donation online. Go to http://ptsasmash.blogspot.com/ and give what you can! To pay by credit card, check or cash, or to establish a payment plan, see Janice in the office. SMASH depends on you! Thanks!
· Save the Date: Jogathon, Friday, February 27, 2009.
SMASHing Committees
· The Parent Ed Committee will host a joint SMASH/Muir Event on innovative and non-fearful Safety Training with Safely Ever After (www.safelyeverafter.com) on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 6:30PM. Food and Childcare will be provided. See the flyer in this week’s Friday Letter
· Friday, February 13, 2009 is National Have Lunch with your Kids Day. The Health Committee invites you to participate in your child's school day by joining them and their friends for lunch. For more information, please see the note in this week’s Friday Letter.
SMASHing Meetings
· Our next PTSA meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 5 at 6:30PM.
The SMASH PTSA & JOHN MUIR PTA
INVITE ALL PARENTS TO ATTEND THIS SPECIAL
PARENT ED NIGHT
“AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION”
Keeping Our Children Safe
presented by Pattie Fitzgerald, founder, Safety Ever After, Inc.
INVITE ALL PARENTS TO ATTEND THIS SPECIAL
PARENT ED NIGHT
“AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION”
Keeping Our Children Safe
presented by Pattie Fitzgerald, founder, Safety Ever After, Inc.
Date: Wednesday, February 4
Location: SMASH/Muir Cafetorium
Time: 6:30 PM Dinner
7:00 p.m. PresentationLocation: SMASH/Muir Cafetorium
Certified Child Safety Educator, Pattie Fitzgerald, will be presenting a 90 minute, informative workshop for parents and caregivers interested in learning how to effectively talk to their children about personal safety in an easy, non-fearful manner. Ms. Fitzgerald’s programs have been presented at several SMMUSD schools including: Grant, Roosevelt, Franklin, Webster, Pt. Dume, JAMS, and Lincoln Middle School.
· The ineffective reality about “stranger-danger”
· Protecting kids from people they: “know, don’t know, or know just a little bit”
· Establishing and modeling appropriate physical and personal boundaries
· Information on Megan’s Law in California
· The Super-Ten “Safe-Smarts” Rules for Kids and Grownups
· 10 Prevention Tips for every parent
· 10 Most Common Lures and Tricks
· 11 Red Flags and Warning Signs
· How to spot a “Tricky Person!”
· Recognizing “thumbs up & thumbs down” situations
This event is free to the Muir/SMASH Community.
The SMASH 8th Grade will be providing childcae for a nominal fee for school aged kids.
Please make your childcare reservation in the office.
Reflective Parenting Workshops - Available to all SMASH and John Muir parents
Offered by Family Service of Santa Monica
This innovative 10-week workshop series provides parents with a reflective parenting model, which views all children’s behavior as meaningful communication that can be understood. This reflective capacity lies at the heart of sensitive, effective parenting, which research has demonstrated is an effective way to help parents strengthen relationships with their children. Workshop to begin in February (dates to be determined).Offered by Family Service of Santa Monica
Goals of the Workshop: Increase confidence in parenting New ways to think about children’s behavior More manageable and effective interventions for difficult behavior
To register contact Kristen Lemon, LMSW, CLAD at Family Services of Santa Monica 310-451-9747x2204
Time to clean up the shared spaces on campus
First annual
SMASH/John Muir Spirit Day
January 24, 2009 9AM to 2PM
First annual
SMASH/John Muir Spirit Day
January 24, 2009 9AM to 2PM
We’ll dust, we’ll scrub, and we’ll paint. We’ll also work in the garden. We’ll have coffee and pastries and pizza and a little fun.
Please bring cleaning supplies (think green) and tools (think mop, broom, sponge, paint brush, rake and stuff).
For more information, contact SMASH parent Helga Schier at helgaschier@verizon.net
or Muir parent Helene Seisay at heleneseisay@yahoo.com
CORE 1 HAPPENINGS
DID YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE BLOGGERS? Visit our blog page on the SMASH website to learn more about what is going on in Core 1! We are primarily using this space to communicate what is going on during Projects, but you never know what new and exciting Core 1 happenings you might find out about! Go and check it out!!! To get there, go to http://www.smash.smmusd.org/, click on “Core 1” at the bottom of the page, and then click on “News”.
COMMUNITY SNACK We are attempting to offer community snack during Projects time. This will give children an opportunity to eat when they are hungry in the mornings and will reduce our morning clean-up time. This will provide more time as a community to share and reflect after Projects. Please keep an eye out for more information in the Friday Folder.
This Thursday during lunch we had an OPEN STUDENT COUNCIL MEETING to discuss our clean-up goals for the SMASH/John Muir Spirit Day on Saturday, 9 am - 2 pm. All students planning to attend were welcome to join the meeting.
CORE 3 READING BUDDIES started this week. Each Core 1 student was matched with at least one Core 3 student. These buddies will stick with each other throughout the year. We will meet almost weekly to read to, and with, each other!
Reminders, Announcements & Thank Yous:
We appreciated the support we receive during Projects. Parents have proven to be additional teachers in the room, facilitating learning in the classroom. We would also like to thank you parents, as always, for your continued donations. We have received building materials for our Construction Group that will pique the interest and spark creativity in all children involved!
Thank you for the wonderful supply of paper towels!!! We are now just in need of large containers of drinking water and 2 Gallon sized Zip-loc bags (for our Just Right books).
February 24: Field Trip to the LA Zoo. More information to follow!
Have a great weekend!
Candis, Chrysta and Jackie
Candis: candis.berens@smmusd.org
Chrysta: wyse@smmusd.org
CORE 2 NEWS
Dear Core 2 Community,Student-led conferences are coming in February. Your child’s conference will be with their original advisor from September. Each advisor will have a student-teacher conference in order to prepare the students for the family conference.
In Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop: We are continuing our “How to Stories”. The Oompa Loompas are writing a guide to brushing your teeth and the Pancakes are writing how to make a PB&J Sandwich. In reading, we began our new unit! The students are practicing their reading with emotion. Each student is becoming the characters in their stories! We want to change our “Robot Reading” into natural speaking voices with emotion and feeling.
In Social Studies this week: In Government, we continue planning the presentations (in Core 2) and writing all of our facts in a paragraph form. These presentations will be spread out across the first week in February. There will be 2 presentations per day at 9:00am. We will attach a full schedule next week.
Core 2 was able to watch the Inauguration and witness history being made! We watched our new President being sworn in and his Inaugural Address.
In Math, the 2nd graders looked for shapes around the classroom and at home. They also figured out shapes within shapes. For example, there are 6 small triangles that make up 1 large trapezoid.
The 3rd graders worked though the problem of how many of the I-shaped tetrominoes they would need to cover a page of 72 squares. They needed to use their previous knowledge about arrays, dimensions, and tetrominoes to get their answer.
In Arts, for music this week the children worked on their songs: Frida Little and Lita Little, Australian song, and their self-created song. They focused on using various learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) to learn and express themselves through song.
**Dian would like to have music from the countries of your family’s origins to have connections to the each student’s own culture. It can be on a separate CD or on the original CD. Our collection has begun, thanks to the families who already sent music in.
Upcoming dates and events:
Want to help make our shared campus more beautiful than it is on Saturday? See attached flyer.
Wednesday, February 11 – 100th Day of School, activities to be held in our Core.
Friday, February 13 – Core 2’s Valentine Day Shower – more info to follow
February: Student-Led conferences
Tuesday, February 24 – field trip to Weather Station at UCLA, more info to follow
Friday, February 27 – Jog-a-thon, more info to follow. Start building your endurance!
Friday, March 6 – January, February, and March Birthday Bash – more info to follow
Have a FANTASTIC weekend!
Laura’s e-mail: sherman@smmusd.org
Jayme’s e-mail: jayme.wold@smmusd.org
CORE 3 NEWS
Hi Core 3 Families!Tamara is back from Yosemite--sharing about her experiences seeing bears, deer, and raccoons, plopping right down in the snow to eat a picnic lunch on the trail, and waterfalls so high that they start off as water, but end as a pile of snow! Hopefully, every SMASH student will be able to experience this amazing trip someday!
What an exciting week with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day leading right into the Presidential Inauguration Tuesday morning. We all watched this historic event via the internet on the Smartboard. The students wrapped up the unit on water today, using Academic Choice to create and present a variety of projects. They came up with lots of creative ways to show what they know and explore their ideas.
Juliana, our new visual artist in residence, has also been using the Smartboard and the Elmo document projector to share examples of art pieces/techniques and art history. She jumped right in--on our first day the students got their hands dirty with clay. After only 3 art sessions the students have made 2 vessels and painted them! As Juliana works with us in studying Human Needs, she’s sharing how art was a part of early human cultures in the everyday utility items like vessels for storing and cooking. Next week we will learn how to weave on a cardboard loom. She is also planning to show us how to weave baskets and then move to carving—all examples of early art forms that were functional and beautiful. In planning with Juliana, we wanted to connect our visual arts trimester with our theme as we move from Water to the local Native Americans and how their land’s geology and geography affected how they took care of their Physical Needs, Safety Needs, Love/Affection/Belonging Needs, Self-Esteem/Respect Needs, and Self-Actualization (art is a great example of self-actualization) Needs.
Ask your child about artifacts and how they help us understand human activity from ancient cultures. Is a fossil an artifact?
FYI—we will be walking to attend a concert at SAMOHI’s Barnum Hall on Monday, 1/26 at 9:30 a.m. No chaperones needed—thanks!!!
Tamara, Genie, and Malaika
mugalian@smmusd.org
genie.hwang@smmusd.org
CORE 4 NEWS
Super Secret Lined Paper Advisory: We had a nice week together with fun morning meetings, interesting discussions, and a notable increase in wakefulness amongst our young loved ones, you have raised some great kids. Our six graders are blossoming with increased levels of discussion participation, injections of personal humor, and assumption of various leadership roles. Please drop around for a morning meeting and see the magic! Conferences are coming up and are formally scheduled for Feb, 18-20. As is my habit, I would prefer to start early as academic goals are of critical importance. In addition, my leave of absence disrupted the schedule this fall making earlier conferences a good idea. Please email me with your preferences. In general, I am available at lunch, before school-even very early- and occasional evenings. I am happy to meet at school, your house, or down on Main Street somewhere, but lets meet!
Ciencia and Trips: This trimester we are doing a joint unit with my teaching partners. Science class will be looking at the biogeography of Mediterranean climate regions with a close look at both California and Europe. Our method will involve map creation, modeling of landforms, and as always, choice elements.
In addition, we shall be doing Independent Investigations to reinforce our science inquiry skills sets. Each student will pick a subject to investigate while I work with them on how to perform the investigation in a scientifically valid manner. Students will be choosing between experimental investigations, observation based projects, or a modeling type of inquiry. Most of this work will be performed in class, so as to share each child’s creativity, but expect to help with materials and documentation activities (photos, typing, videos…) at home. Drop around if you have questions or email.
We are off to the aquarium Feb 2-4 to mess with fish and launch our spring field studies. Let me know if you might enjoy a mornings outing with inspiring young people. We shall be leaving SMASH at 08:45 and returning around 12:20. Lots of fun to be had! Don’t miss out.
Core 4 Humanities update: Happy Friday. It was nice to have the whole Core together again after a special week. We had a short but powerful week, starting with the entire Core watching the inauguration. We will create an "In the News" wall in the room, so if you have any powerful news articles or photos from the inauguration that you can share with your child and send into the room, it would be wonderful. I know many profound photos were taken and placed on internet news sites' photos galleries. Please explore these and discuss the meaning of the new administration with your family. We are starting our unit on Ancient Greece, so we opened with government systems and the birth place of democracy, connecting it to the peaceful transition of power. Simultaneously, I developing vocabulary to discuss history in a way that allows us to connect to it personally, so intersperse more "ourselves lessons' in my teaching.
Next week the 8th grade will start reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and discussing the origins of Buddhism at the same time the Western world was developing democracy. Please have the book in the 8th graders backpacks for Monday morning and contact me if there is a problem.
Wednesday, January 28, the 6th and 7th grades will be going on a field trip to Santa Monica Museum to create an art project as art of "Wall Works" if you would like to assist on the trip there is not likely to be room on the bus, so if you can transport yourself, let me know if you would like to join us. We will be gone from 8:30-12:15. I NEED the PERMISSION SLIPS RETURNED for this trip ASAP!!!!
If anyone has special knowledge of either Ancient Greece, Ancient India or Buddhism, your sharing with the Core could be very rich. Finally, if your child is a reader, the historical fiction book on Ancient Greece would be an excellent compliment to our unit. Two books I recommend are Troy by Adele Geras and Odyseus in the Serpent Maze, by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris. Greek myths and plays are also wonderful. I hope to teach as a class excerpts of "Antigone", "Clouds" and or The Judgment of Paris and the Battle of Troy.
Nuts and Bolts: I list all assignments on a big sheet of paper in the room. Feel free to come check out what is expected of the students. I will perform a journal and notebook check next week.
Math: 6/7: Celebrate Good Times! Over this past week, the mathematicians took time to share their Personal Inquiry Projects with each other. Through a sharing style called a “gallery walk”, they exhibited their projects and talked with their peers who visited their “exhibits”. The mathematicians discussed how they executed their plans of action within the community and shared stories of how their projects influenced their lives, a powerful part of this experience. In the Friday letter this week and in the following weeks, you can see how some of the mathematicians used this publication to reach out to the community. Throughout the class share time, we also celebrated all our hard work throughout the unit and made a toast to continue experiencing these successes! We will look to persist and dive deep into geometry as our next unit.
Algebra: The mathematicians have worked hard to develop their abilities in solving equations with inequalities. They are discovering the rules of inequalities rather than simply memorizing them. This creates a deeper and lasting knowledge base for future Algebraic concepts. We will continue to work through Chapter 3. On another note, students had a chance to correct their Chapter 2 tests and reflect on their Chapter 2 work. They were to engage in a conversation with you about their work throughout this unit, and then they were to have you sign the reflection sheet. Please inquire about this conversation and completion of this work.
Kurt: holland@smmusd.org
Kelly: k.kulsrud@smmusd.org
Bailey:baildyfield@mac.com
BAKE SALE - WEDNESDAYS HEALTHY TREATS AND FUN ITEMS
JAN. Core 4 - Jan 28
FEB Core 3 - Feb 4 Core 2 - Feb 11
Core 1 - Feb 18 (1:30 dismissal) Core 4 - Feb 28
March 25, 9-10 am Last Tour Before Kindergarten Lottery (K application deadline 03-31-09)
May 13, 9-10 am
May 13, 7:00 pm for middle school students. Students entering 6th, 7th & 8th grade may attend with parent.
May 27, 9-10 am - Last Tour Before 1st-8th Grade Lottery (1st-8th application deadline 05-31-09)
Ciencia and Trips: This trimester we are doing a joint unit with my teaching partners. Science class will be looking at the biogeography of Mediterranean climate regions with a close look at both California and Europe. Our method will involve map creation, modeling of landforms, and as always, choice elements.
In addition, we shall be doing Independent Investigations to reinforce our science inquiry skills sets. Each student will pick a subject to investigate while I work with them on how to perform the investigation in a scientifically valid manner. Students will be choosing between experimental investigations, observation based projects, or a modeling type of inquiry. Most of this work will be performed in class, so as to share each child’s creativity, but expect to help with materials and documentation activities (photos, typing, videos…) at home. Drop around if you have questions or email.
We are off to the aquarium Feb 2-4 to mess with fish and launch our spring field studies. Let me know if you might enjoy a mornings outing with inspiring young people. We shall be leaving SMASH at 08:45 and returning around 12:20. Lots of fun to be had! Don’t miss out.
Core 4 Humanities update: Happy Friday. It was nice to have the whole Core together again after a special week. We had a short but powerful week, starting with the entire Core watching the inauguration. We will create an "In the News" wall in the room, so if you have any powerful news articles or photos from the inauguration that you can share with your child and send into the room, it would be wonderful. I know many profound photos were taken and placed on internet news sites' photos galleries. Please explore these and discuss the meaning of the new administration with your family. We are starting our unit on Ancient Greece, so we opened with government systems and the birth place of democracy, connecting it to the peaceful transition of power. Simultaneously, I developing vocabulary to discuss history in a way that allows us to connect to it personally, so intersperse more "ourselves lessons' in my teaching.
Next week the 8th grade will start reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and discussing the origins of Buddhism at the same time the Western world was developing democracy. Please have the book in the 8th graders backpacks for Monday morning and contact me if there is a problem.
Wednesday, January 28, the 6th and 7th grades will be going on a field trip to Santa Monica Museum to create an art project as art of "Wall Works" if you would like to assist on the trip there is not likely to be room on the bus, so if you can transport yourself, let me know if you would like to join us. We will be gone from 8:30-12:15. I NEED the PERMISSION SLIPS RETURNED for this trip ASAP!!!!
If anyone has special knowledge of either Ancient Greece, Ancient India or Buddhism, your sharing with the Core could be very rich. Finally, if your child is a reader, the historical fiction book on Ancient Greece would be an excellent compliment to our unit. Two books I recommend are Troy by Adele Geras and Odyseus in the Serpent Maze, by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris. Greek myths and plays are also wonderful. I hope to teach as a class excerpts of "Antigone", "Clouds" and or The Judgment of Paris and the Battle of Troy.
Nuts and Bolts: I list all assignments on a big sheet of paper in the room. Feel free to come check out what is expected of the students. I will perform a journal and notebook check next week.
Math: 6/7: Celebrate Good Times! Over this past week, the mathematicians took time to share their Personal Inquiry Projects with each other. Through a sharing style called a “gallery walk”, they exhibited their projects and talked with their peers who visited their “exhibits”. The mathematicians discussed how they executed their plans of action within the community and shared stories of how their projects influenced their lives, a powerful part of this experience. In the Friday letter this week and in the following weeks, you can see how some of the mathematicians used this publication to reach out to the community. Throughout the class share time, we also celebrated all our hard work throughout the unit and made a toast to continue experiencing these successes! We will look to persist and dive deep into geometry as our next unit.
Algebra: The mathematicians have worked hard to develop their abilities in solving equations with inequalities. They are discovering the rules of inequalities rather than simply memorizing them. This creates a deeper and lasting knowledge base for future Algebraic concepts. We will continue to work through Chapter 3. On another note, students had a chance to correct their Chapter 2 tests and reflect on their Chapter 2 work. They were to engage in a conversation with you about their work throughout this unit, and then they were to have you sign the reflection sheet. Please inquire about this conversation and completion of this work.
Kurt: holland@smmusd.org
Kelly: k.kulsrud@smmusd.org
Bailey:baildyfield@mac.com
BAKE SALE - WEDNESDAYS HEALTHY TREATS AND FUN ITEMS
JAN. Core 4 - Jan 28
FEB Core 3 - Feb 4 Core 2 - Feb 11
Core 1 - Feb 18 (1:30 dismissal) Core 4 - Feb 28
SMASH School Tours for 2009-2010 School Year
February 4, 18, & 25, 9-10 amMarch 25, 9-10 am Last Tour Before Kindergarten Lottery (K application deadline 03-31-09)
May 13, 9-10 am
May 13, 7:00 pm for middle school students. Students entering 6th, 7th & 8th grade may attend with parent.
May 27, 9-10 am - Last Tour Before 1st-8th Grade Lottery (1st-8th application deadline 05-31-09)
PARENT YEARBOOK HELPERS NEEDED
We are looking for parents to help put the yearbook pages together digitally. We need volunteers to work on Core pages (Cores 3 and 4 only needed) as well as SMASH event pages (like Halloween, Jog-a-thon, etc.). If you can help, please contact Carrie at cferguson@smmusd.org. It's not too early to start - share your creative talents!Friday, February 13, 2009 is National Have Lunch with your Kids Day
The Health Committee invites you to participate in your child's school day by joining them and their friends for lunch. SMASH lunch time is 12:20 p.m. Bring a lunch from home or explore the SMMUSD hot lunch and Farmer's Market Salad Bar offerings. Make it a fun and educational experience. We hope to see you there! For more information, please contact lunchproject@gmail.comFREE DENTAL CARE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS OF AGE
UCLA Venice Dental Clinic Saturday, February 7 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
323 Lincoln Blvd (Lincoln & Rose), Venice 310-392-4103
Free Fillings, FREE Exams, FREE Sealants, FREE X-Rays, FREE Cleanings, FREE Treatment323 Lincoln Blvd (Lincoln & Rose), Venice 310-392-4103
