Wednesday, November 25 - MINIMUM DAY - 1:30 Dismissal
(Playground Access Closes at 3:45 on 11-25)
Thursday and Friday, November 26 & 27 - SCHOOL CLOSED
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Dear SMASHing Families,
For those who were unable to attend, I thought I’d highlight some user friendly ideas from the parent education evening this Wednesday. Dr. Charlotte Reznick opened with research studies showing how practicing visualization techniques help students improve athletic skills, develop self-regulation skills, and increase overall health. Two research studies particularly caught the attention of the audience:
Gerald Jampolsky, PhD in Imagery and Reading Achievement, looked at helping elementary age struggling readers. After one month of visualizing stories, readers improved 1 ½ years reading levels. One year later they showed continued improvement.
In another study about visualization for basketball players, one group practiced shooting from the foul line and showed 24% improvement. One group imagined taking shots and showed 23% improvement, one group did nothing and showed 0% improvement.
Tips if you want to try visualization with your child:
1. Start with what your child is interested in. You as the adult may want them to be nicer to a sibling or focus more on academic assignments, but they are most interested in getting better at sports. Then once they’ve felt successful with sports experience, encourage them to try it out on the next issue
2. Visualize how it is going for them now and how they would like to be. If they imagine where they’d like to be, then we can help them get there. For example, if your child has problems falling asleep, ask your child to describe or draw what his/her body looks like when s/he is trying to fall asleep and can’t. Then describe or draw what it needs to look like so s/he can fall asleep.
3. Try using a guided imagery CD together as a family then talk about how it felt to be still, eyes closed listening to the CD.
Giving kids tools for life. Other techniques to try for managing stress.
Practicing the balloon breath. Breathe 2-3 inches below belly button. Breathe in slowly through your nose until your belly pops out. Let it out your nose and feel your belly flatten. Try it with your eyes closed. It makes it more relaxing, easier to let go of distractions. Kids have so many video and texting distractions.Information is so fast, you can lose yourself so fast. Time your child and see how few breaths s/he can take ina minute.
Drawing out feelings. Identify where your child stores stress in his/her body. Ask your child to label a picture of his/her body with where s/he keeps feelings. What color is that feeling? Where does it live? (red anger in the belly, white fear blocking the throat, black confusion in the brain) Get your child to say how s/he feels and ask for what s/he needs to feel better.
Hopefully some of the above stress relievers or others you practice in your own family will help our students feel calmer and more creative. Next Friday Letter will be Friday, December 4th. Happy Thanksgiving until then.
Truly yours,
Jessica
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SMASH FILM to Debut on Diversity Night!
Hey Everyone! We are filming at SMASH on Monday, December 7 in all four Cores. We will be creating a video for our Diversity Night and for SMASH, so please come ready to be filmed!
We will be filming all day during normal school activities and also setting up a time and a place to conduct on-camera interviews with anyone who is interested in participating. Release form is included in today's Friday Letter Attachments and must be completed to be in film.
ADULTS - We ask you to comment on how the philosophy of SMASH agrees with you interpretation of
teaching and how this philosophy motivates students to thrive and learn.
STUDENTS - We just want to know what makes you, well - YOU! Your hobbies, interests, background…whatever you would like to share with us about how special and unique you are - and how this school helps you to express yourself.
We look forward to seeing all of you on December 7 to film you at school! Elaina Archer, Core 4 Dylan's mom
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Stop for Lunch & Shop
at the SMASH
Holiday Boutique & Art Affaire
When: Friday, December 4
11:30am - 5:30pm
Where: SMASH 2525 5th Street Corner of Ocean Park Blvd. & 5th Street
Shop for Gifts
(Great place for kids to shop too!)
Jewelry
Felt Wear
Cozy Scarves
Terrific Togas & Ponchos
Original Designer Clothing
Ohhh Baby Clothes
Sumptuous Soaps
Core Arts and Crafts
Lots more
Food & Drinks
The Flying Pig Lunch-mobile
Homemade Waffles
Hot Cocoa, Coffee & Cider
Kids Creation Zone
Roll Your Own Bees Wax Candles
Spin Art
Make Your Own Buttons
Make Your Own Bracelets
Live Music
Free Admission
Bring Friends & Family!
A portion of all proceeds benefit SMASH
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SMASH ANNUAL CANNED FOOD DRIVE
Now until December 10
Cans of: Tuna, Vegetables, Soup; Fruit & Fruit Juices; Pork & Beans; Stews & Other Meats.
Packages of: Pasta, Lentils, Pinto & other Beans; Macaroni & Cheese & Packaged Dinners; Instant Soups; Hot & Cold Cereal; Peanut & Other Nut Butters; Nutritional Bars: protein, granola, energy or breakfast bars.
For Babies: Infant Formula; Jar Foods-All flavors & stages; Crackers, teething biscuits & cookies; Raisins & Fruit Snacks; Juices: jars, cans, pouches & boxes; Infant & children's cereals.
No glass - unless it is jars of baby food.
Please check expiration dates if you are donating from your cupboard. THANKS!
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WEDNESDAY BAKE SALES
Healthy Treats & Fun Items Sales start at 2:30 pm (Muir dismissal)
CORE 1 December 2
CORE 2 January 6
CORE 3 December 16
CORE 4 December 9
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DATES TO REMEMBER
Wed, Nov 25 - MINIMUM DAY - 1:30 DISMISSAL
Thurs & Fri, Nov 26 & 27 - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - SCHOOL CLOSED
Wed, Dec 2 - 6:30-8:00pm - PTSA Mtg - Media Ctr
Fri, Dec 4 - 12:30-4:00pm - SMASH HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE & ART FAIR And Book Fair Sneak Peek!
Mon, Dec 7 - Filming for Diversity Night, details in Friday Letter, releases in attachments.
Mon-Fri, Dec 7–11, 8:00-8:30am & 1:30–3:30pm - SMASH BOOK FAIR
Wed, Dec 9 - 6:00-8:00pm LITERACY NIGHT
Tuesdays through December 1, SMASHing Holiday Singers, 3:00-3:30 in Core 1.
Performance at Sunday Main Street Farmer’s Market on December 6 at 9:15-9:45 am.
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THINGS TO DO!
Sat, Nov 21 - noon -6pm ZJ Hurley Store Grand Opening Party, free food & drinks, Main St & Ocean Pk Bl
Nov 27 & 28 - Noon-4:00pm - Make a Merry Memory with Santa - 3rd Street Promenade Bring your own camera for photo opportunities. Santa is dog friendly
Sat, Dec 5 - 5:00pm - Light Up The Season with 94.7 the Wave & Brian McKnight 3rd Street Promenade will light up for the holidays.
Sat & Sun, Dec 5 & 6 - CommUNITY Literacy Program, FREE. Dec 5; 10am-noon at 11066 Santa Monica Blvd, W. LA; 2-4pm at 2002 Wilshire Blvd and Dec 6; noon-2PM at 262 S. Beverly Drive Details in attachments
Dec 5-14 - “Best Gift Ever” PAL Gift Drive. Drop off unwrapped gift or cash donation for children ages 6-17.
Gift drop locations: SMPD Substation 1433 2nd St (between Santa Monica Blvd & Broadway)
Police Activities League 1401 Olympic Blvd (Memorial Park)
Dec 11-18 - Sundown - Chanukah Menorah lighting ceremony every evening of Chanukah
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THANKS To DAN RIVERA!
(Core 4 Kamele’s dad) FOR PAINTING THE CORE 4 LIBRARY
IT’S BEAUTIFUL!
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National Council of Jewish Women, Los Angeles
Annual FREE Clothing Giveaway
SUNDAY, December 6 9:00am-noon (rain or shine!)
NCJW/LA Parking lot; 543 N. Fairfax Ave (1 block South of Melrose at Clinton)
Select from 1,000s of pieces of clothing and books Do not bring backpacks or bags - bags will be provided
For information: 323-852-8515 or Elizabeth@ncjwla.org
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The Book Fair is coming
Sneak Preview December 4, 12:30 – 4 (during the Holiday Boutique)
Book Fair December 7 – 11, 8 – 8:30 & 1:30 – 3:30
Literacy Night Wednesday, December 9, 6 – 8
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Ofer Grossman at oglaw@gmail.com.
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The SMASHing Times
Friday, November 20, 2009 Book Review
TENTACLES, By Roland Smith
Reviewed by Gabriel Schier
Tentacles is about a team of scientists that go to an island in search for dinosaur eggs. Marty and Grace’s parents, lead scientists, mysteriously disappear. Bad guy Noah Blackwood is after the eggs too, and attacks the scientists on the island. To save their lives they have to leave the island with the dinosaur eggs, but without Marty and Grace’s parents. Safely back on their ship, they start a search for mysterious creatures of the sea… a group of giant squid.
Will Marty and Grace be reunited with their parents? And will the scientists find the squid? Or will Noah Blackwood capture them all?
I like the book because there is adventure and danger at every turn. People who like science-fiction and travel books might enjoy reading this book. But beware: Tentacles doesn’t really capture the reader, and the book can be confusing at times. The open ending is great for a sequel, but not so great for those who want or need a conclusion. I’d give it only five out of ten stars.
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Holiday Boutique & Art Fair December 4, 12:30 – 5:30
If you are interested in selling your art (jewelry, scarves, art work and the like),
please contact Birte Reimer at reimer.birte@gmail.com
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Ptsa news
Don’t forget the family donation drive: ptsasmash.blogspot.com
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Don’t shop for the holidays until you’ve been to our annual
Holiday Boutique & Art Fair
December 4, 12:30 – 5:30
See flier attached!
If you are interested in being a vendor/artisan, or want to volunteer at the event, contact Birte Reimer at reimer.birte@gmail.com
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Our next PTSA meeting is on Wednesday, 12/2 at 6:30PM.
Come join us if you have issues to discuss, questions to ask, ideas to bring to life or just want to know what’s up.
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Did you sign up for a SMASH Bash yet?
If not, rush over to the small yard for our
Sign-up bash FRIDAY, 11/20 during drop-off and pick-up.
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Our annual Book Fair is coming.
Friday, December 4 – Friday, December 11.
Literacy Night (PJ PARTY!!!) Wednesday, December 9.
Reading Around the World
Check out the book review in this week’s Friday Letter.
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CORE 1 COMMUNITY NEWS
After learning about 2D and 3D geometric shapes; going on a community walk; and reading plenty of books on towns and maps, including Roxaboxen by Alice Mclerran--we were ready to create our town! First, during Morning Meeting, we created quick drawings of building that appear on (and just off) a “Main Street”. Then, we took a “Museum Walk” of the available materials we had to work with. Next, we got a piece of property, in the form of a foam core rectangle, and made a plan of what we wanted to create. Most worked in small groups, some chose to work independently. Then it was time to create!
Some of the children’s ideas include: a police station, a car wash, an ice cream parlor, bridges, a volcano, power lines, a cemetery, homes, an ocean, lakes, rivers, a railroad, a pet store….
“BUILDING OUR TOWN” CELEBRATION: We are beyond touched by, and appreciative of, our Core1 Community. Thank you so much for all the materials donated to create our town. We look forward to celebrating what we are creating on Wednesday, November 25. We will exhibit our town (whatever part of the process we are in on that day) and plan to make FRIENDSHIP SOUP. We are asking that each family bring in a washed and prepared vegetable to contribute the soup. We will provide organic vegetable stock. We will also need extra crock pots, if you have one. Please check your Friday Folder for more details on the day’s events!
REQUEST TO ALL SMASHing FAMILIES Core 1 has been trying to think of a creative way to raise money for a new laserjet color printer - one that is much more efficient with its ink-usage and provides better photo prints than the printer we currently use. We hope to use this printer to create more documentation and communication about our classroom activities for families, children, and other professional opportunities. If you know of a great way for us to get a printer, we'd love to hear it. In the meantime, we will be collecting empty ink cartridges through December, and hopefully we can raise enough money ($3 for each cartridge!) to make the expense more reasonable. If each Core 1 family turns in ONE ink cartridge, that's $138 off the price!!
WISH LIST: Crayola washable markers; masking tape; crock pots for Wednesday
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO & HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!
Candis, Chrysta and Jackie
Candis: cberens@smmusd.org
Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org
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Core 2 Community
Are you looking for new and exciting books to read? The Scholastic book order forms were due on today. We know – it is a busy time of the year! If we do not receive any orders we will try again later in the year.
There is a new Goodwill collection center at Sepulveda and Washington Place. The best part is that it sells children’s books for $.49. They are in great condition. They also sell CDs, DVDs, and hard covered books.
The 2nd grade mathematicians learned how to play Turn Over 10. This game can be played at home with the deck of cards they used to play Tens Go Fish. The 3rd grade mathematicians had the opportunity to work with Rosa Seratore, the District Coordinator of Teacher Support and former math teacher, this week. Rosa is doing professional development with SMASH and the Core 2 and 3 teachers this year.
New projects are hatching before our eyes in Core 2. One proposal involves campus clean up/ beautifying shared space on campus. The proposal will be reviewed by librarians, cafeteria and office staff. We are thrilled to see service learning in action. Please contact us if you are able to help with a worm/composting project.
Our next Stars of the Week presentation will be on Wednesday, November 25. The Stars will be: Alie and Trent. Our community snack will be provided by the Stars. We use 46 forks, napkins and plates each week, and we need donations. We prefer the sustainable, starch-based products that can be composted.
We have revised our weekly—schedule see attached draft.
Wish List : Hand sanitizer, and 46 forks, napkins and plates (each week for Star of Week). We prefer the sustainable, starch-based products that can be composted.
Dates to remember:
Wednesday, November 25 Alie and Trent’s Star of the Week, 9:00
Wednesday, November 25 – Minimum Day - 1:30 Dismissal - NO Friday Papers
Thursday and Friday, November 26, 27 – Thanksgiving
Wednesday, December 2 – the Art of Ecology with Julianna begins
Friday, December 11 – October, November, and December Birthday Bash,11:45 – 12:20 more info in the 12-4 Friday letter
Have a wonderful weekend!
Laura: lsherman@smmusd.org
Graciela: gbarba-castro@smmusd.org
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CORE 3 NEWS
Homework What do we expect? What should you expect?
In Core 3, homework provides an opportunity for your child to practice responsibility and independence. They need to be responsible for being organized to take home what they need each day. They need to be responsible for making time in their day at home or during Flex-Time to complete their homework, neatly and thoroughly, each week. They need to be responsible for turning it in on time. And, of course, they get the daily independent practice they need in reading, writing, and math.
What your child needs from you to be successful at being responsible and independent:
Remind your child to do their homework, but don’t nag or sit with them.
Make a 30-60 minute time of the day, that works for your family, that will allow your child time to quietly do homework— no tv, no computer, no video games, no distractions, no interruptions.
Remind your child to pack their backpack with their writing notebook, reading notebook, Just Right book, and math packet each day—so they have what’s needed for school.
Remind your child if they have a question or didn’t have time to do their homework to use daily Flex-Time to work on homework or ask a teacher for help.
Remind your child that being responsible means making a plan for the day / week that balances freedom with responsibility. Help your child find a way to “reward” themselves after they finish their homework, like “After I finish my math packet on Thursday I get to ___________(fill in the blank with a fun activity).” Or “I will do my reading and writing homework right when I get home after school so I can ____________(fill in the blank with treat).” Or “I had a fun play date yesterday, so I will use Flex-Time to do my homework instead of doing an activity with a friend.”
Your child should be reading for 20-40 minutes a day and logging their reading (title, pages, and reading time) in their reading notebook. Your child should be writing 4 entries a week in their writing notebook on any topic they choose (your child should spend 15 minutes with their writing notebook to count as an entry--the entry could be several pages or just a few words). And your child should take time to think before solving problems and show/explain their math thinking neatly in their math packet and do a little bit of math each day (ideally).
We know that reading and writing homework is at your child’s level and ability, whether that’s reading more pages or writing more sentences or the thinking they do during these activities. The math packet is designed to provide practice
and review of what your child has been taught or, occasionally, to preview upcoming lessons. If your child works on the packet for 15-20 minutes over 4 – 5 days, with little assistance, then it is just right. If the math is challenging for your child, they should come see a teacher and we can give them strategies or modify it. If it is a breeze for your child, then please encourage your kids to create problems for themselves—add digits or use higher numbers in the problems
from the packet, play games or explore games online (google
Friday, November 20, 2009
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
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