Don’t forget Measure A ballots are due May 25.
Thursday, April 15 most of the staff attended a faculty workshop with Alfie Kohn that Genie and Tamara briefly overviewed in their April 23rd Core 3 Friday Letter entry. Some of you contacted me asking for more information from the workshop.
Below please find my attempt to capture his big ideas, many of which I embrace fully and some of which I still struggle to accept given the practical application within a school setting. I encourage you to consider the ideas the same way our staff is: looking to see how SMASH relates currently to these ideas and what questions we have for further consideration based on these ideas.
Alfie Kohn is the author of 11 books on education, parenting, and human behaviors including Punished By Rewards (1993), The Schools Our Children Deserve (1999), Unconditional Parenting (2005), and The Homework Myth (2006). If you want to learn more about him go to www.alfiekohn.org.
Performance vs. Learning: The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement
“Educational researchers have discovered that there is a significant difference between getting students to think about their performance (that is, how well they are doing) and getting them to think about the learning itself (what they are doing). These orientations often pull in opposite directions, which means that too much emphasis on performance can reduce students’ interest in learning and cause them to avoid challenging tasks. When the point is to prove how smart you are, to get a good grade or a high test score, there is less inclination to engage deeply with ideas, to explore and discover.”
Task Motivation/Learning
A student's goal is to…
Figure out why a character leaves home at the end of a book
Find a different solution to the math problem
Design a science experiment
A question a parent might ask from a learning mindset: How did you decide what to write about?
Performance Motivation/Achievement A student's goal is to… Get a good grade on this assignment Get all the answers right
Do better than all the others in the class A question a parent might ask from a performance mindset:What did you get on the paper?
experiences themselves, or the following 6 things can occur.)
1. Kids see learning as a chore. School work is no longer stuff they want to figure out but stuff they have to get better at. Even if they are doing well, the more you focus kids on how well they’re doing, the less they care about what they’re doing. Of course this is exacerbated if it is a focus on how one is doing compared to others.
2. Kids think success is due to their fixed ability instead of their effort. The more we have kids examine their degree of success, the more kids attribute their success to ability, a factor out of their control. UCLA researcher Bernard Wiener defined 4 categories that might influence success: effort, ability, luck, task difficulty.
3. Risk Avoidance instead of Intellectual Risk-taking. If we are going to focus on how well they’re doing, kids will be more likely to pick the easier thing to do if given a choice.
4. Emotional Cost. Kids sense of self is based on the external feedback they get for their academic success (could be grades or could be narrative feedback) but they lose the intrinsic motivation to struggle through an experience and value the learning process for itself.
5. Effect on social interaction. We don’t want kids seeing each other based on where they fall on some graded or qualitatively
described continuum of achievement.
6. The more a school is focused on achievement, the lower the quality of learning. Kids focused on an outcome look for an answer, not a clue to set them further along the learning path.
Alfie Kohn posed the following question to each school at the workshop:
· What does [SMASH] do that leads students to focus on how well they are doing, not what they’re doing?
· As a parent looking at the school program, how would you answer?
· As a parent looking at the way you speak to your child about school at home, how would you answer?
Nothing is more important than a kid’s desire to learn. As a result of the evening with Alfie Kohn, the staff will continue to explore our thoughts about what he calls “back door grades,” our beliefs about homework, and what it takes to keep students focused on their learning experiences. I invite you to share any of your thoughts from the questions I’ve listed above.
Truly Yours,
Jessica
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Join Us!
Our First Annual SMASH Bingo Night
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The SpitFire Grill at 3300 Airport Blvd, in the Santa Monica Airport
Bingo from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Food and drinks from 6:00 until closing
ALL AGES WELCOME!
PRIZES!
HAPPY HOUR PRICES!
10% of the proceeds from all food and drinks
will be donated to SMASH
RSVP requested but not required
elainaba@gmail.com
Volunteers needed too!
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SMASH TALENT SHOW
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12 - 6:00-7:30PM
Talented Students Wanted! NO AUDITIONS
(only 20 slots and a 3 MINUTE LIMIT!)
Performers must show up by 5:30 to prepare!
Call Dian Andrews (aka Diane Michelle) at (310)392-0600 to sign up.
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***Student Council Press Release***
re: Come to the Family Dance!!!
We, the SMASHing Student Council, are very happy to tell you that this year’s
annual Family Dance is a 1950’s SOCK HOP. It will be a blast—there will be games, dancing,
food and much, much more. There will be a live band performing right in front of your eyes!!
When? Friday, May 21, 5:30 – 7:30
Where? At SMASH
Who? All students and their friends and families!!!
~Abbie, Bailey, Zelda, Lily, Giulia, Abigail, Iris, and your Student Council
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DATES TO REMEMBER
May 10-14 - continuation of state testing for grades 2-8
Tues, May 11 - 6:00-8:00pm - SMASH BINGO night at Spitefire Grill
Wed, May 12 - 8:30am - PTSA Meeting
Wed, May 12 - SMASH Talent show - 6:00-7:30pm
Wed, May 19 - Last day to purchase Meal Deal lunch prepayment
SMASH Family Dance - Friday, May 21, 5:30-7:30.
Tues, May 16 - 5:00pm - Site Council Mtg
June 1-8 - (NEW DATES) 8th grade presentations
SMASH Annual Camping Trip - Friday and Saturday, June 11 & 12. Details to come!
Tues, Jun 1 - 6:00-8:00pm - Spring Instrumental/Choir Concert - in auditorium
Sat, Jun 5 - SUPERSMASH
Tues, Jun 8 - 7:00pm - Orchestra Spring Concert - John Adams Auditorium
Wed, Jun 9 - 6:00pm - SMASH Open House and Arts Sharing
Wed, Jun 9 - 7:00pm - Band Spring Concert - John Adams Auditorium
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PLEASE SIGN UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
YEARBOOK PHOTOS NEEDED. Send to Barbara (barbar@earthlink.net) or Kjersti (kjersti@rtd-la.com)
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SANTA MONICA FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, MAY 8 - CLOVER PARK - 11am-6:00pm
ENJOY eclectic music and colorful dance, EAT fresh and local food, SHOP for earth-friendly artistic wares
and DISCOVER how to live in a greener, healthier and more sustainable way. On the Ocean Stage: Elementary school youth orchestra (11:15am) and Santa Monica High Jazz Combo (12:10pm)
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SMASH BAKE SALE CORE 1 - May 26; CORE 2 - May 19; CORE 3 - May 12
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SMMUSD FOOD SERVICES
Wednesday, May 19 is the last day that we can accept prepayments for the Meal Deal for this school year. Meal credits and cash balances can only be transferred between siblings. Meal credits cannot be used to pay negative balances. There are no refunds for unused. Meal deal is $50 for 20 lunches. Any balance due must be paid before meal deal purchased. Regular price for lunch is $3.00 per day ($2.50 with meal deal)
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STAMP OUT HUNGER FOOD DRIVE
SATURDAY, MAY 8
The National Association of Letter Carries in conjunction with the United States Postal Service will be collecting nonperishable food items like canned meats and fish, canned soup, juice, pasta, vegetables, cereal and rice to help families in need in our community.
You can help by placing your food donation at your mailbox on May 8 before your letter carrier arrives with the day’s mail. It will be taken to the Post Office and then delivered to local food banks or pantries. Please do not include expireditems or glass containers. For more information visit www.usps.com/stampouthunger
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ptsa news
Dear SMASH Community,
Only six more weeks left in the school year. Let’s celebrate them! Participate in our upcoming events: Bingo Night on May 11, Talent Show on May 12, Family Dance on May 21 and SuperSMASH on June 5. Come enjoy time with your family and SMASH friends while supporting SMASH.
The end of the school year also signals the turnover of your PTSA board. Elections will be held at our next PTSA meeting on Wednesday, May 12 at 8:30AM. The new board will take over in June.
Please do join us!
Helga Schier and David Saltzman
PTSA Co-Presidents
SMASHing Fundraisers
SMASH Bingo Night Tuesday, 5/11. Come join us for a game of Bingo and delicious food at the Spitfire Grill. See the flyer in this week’s Friday Letter.
SuperSMASH is coming up Saturday, 6/5. We need it to be a success, and to make it a success we need your help. We need donations. We need volunteers. We need help publicizing the event.
Our Family Donation Drive is about $12,000 short. We can get way closer to our goal. Donate online (http://ptsasmash.blogspot.com/) or drop off your check in the office. Every dollar counts. Seriously – every single one.
SMASHing Community Events
Talent Show Wednesday, May 12, 2010.
Family Dance Friday, May 21, 2010.
SMASHing Measure A
Measure A is an all-mail-in ballot election that will raise 5.8 million dollars annually for Santa Monica/ Malibu schools. To learn more about Measure A, go to http:// www.SaveSantaMonicaMalibuSchools.org. SUPPORT MEASURE A AND MAIL your ballot NOW. PHONE BANKING continues, Monday through Thursday from 6:00 to 8:30PM at SMMCTA Headquarters 1508 18th Street (southwest corner of 18th and Broadway). Go any day and help make sure that our supporters mail in their ballots!
Are you looking to lose a few pounds/inches before summer? If so, PRECINCT WALK. What is a
precinct walk? You meet at SMMCTA Headquarters 1508 18th Street (southwest corner of 18th and Broadway) and walk to houses/apartment buildings identified by the Measure A campaign and place an informational flyer at the door. Calorie burn range: 300-600 calories per hour. Exercise and help the campaign at the same time. Bring your kids. Precinct walks are, Saturdays 10:30AM to 5 PM and Sundays 12PM to 5 PM. No precinct walk on Mother’s Day. Go to
www.savesantamonicamalibuschools.org or just show up at SMMCTA Headquarters 1508 18th Street.
SMASHing Meetings
Next PTSA meeting Wednesday, 5/12, 8:30AM
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Got donations?
Go to your favorite restaurant, hairdresser or store
and ask for a donation to our SILENT AUCTION
Ofer at 310-367-7504 or omglaw@gmail.com
Got time?
Volunteer to manage a booth. We REALLY need you!
Helga at 310-828-8421 or helgaschier@verizon.net
Got a crock pot?
Our CANDLE BOOTH needs a few crock pots to handle the wax.
And we could use empty coffee cans, too.
Lori at 310-452-5700 or gettalife1@mac.com
Got old hats?
Don’t throw them away just yet!
Our DECOUPAGE BOOTH needs old
bags/purses/belts & magazines/newspapers
Hillary at 310-291-1466 or hdrollins@verizon.net
SuperSMASH ’10
Saturday June 5,11:30 to 5:30
Commit to volunteer NOW.
We need you. Really.
Helga at 310-828-8421 or helgaschier@verizon.net
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CORE 1 NEWS
A Season for Celebrating in Core 1
The Month of May is here!! With 6 weeks left of school, this is the time of year when we reflect on all of the relationships and growth we have made since September. Some of the celebrations we look forward to include:
May 28th – Cores 1 & 2 Barbeque (See below)
June 5th – Super SMASH
June 9th – Open House / Children’s ART Show
June 17th – Graduation Day / All-School Pot-Luck
June 18th – All-School Beach Day / Last Day of School
Mark Your Calendars!! We hope to see you there!
Cores 1 & 2 Barbeque – It’s one of our favorite traditions! Cores 1 & 2 are inviting families to join us in the SMALL YARD for a community pot-luck barbeque. We will be having our (almost) end of the year barbeque on Friday, May 28th at 11:00 (we're firing up the grills at 10:30) in the Small Yard. We are sending out food/drink/supply requests in this week’s Friday Letter. We hope you can join us for this fun event! (We need grills and coolers! If you can bring your grill or cooler, please let us know. We’re also looking for cooks!)
MIMI & MAGGIE CLOTHING FUNDRAISER, FRIDAY, MAY 28: This year during the Cores 1 & 2 BBQ, and after school, we are also having a fabulous shopping opportunity!
The Mimi & Maggie clothing line is supporting us with a new SMASH fundraiser! Their fabulous clothing line will be available for $5-$25 per piece--75%+ off retail. SMASH receives 10% of all sales! The items are from overstock & barely imperfect merchandise, size 12 months - Girls 14. It is a great time to shop for your children or for some upcoming gifts! We will be selling these items out of Core 1 during the BBQ. If you would like to help set up, or help during the BBQ, you will have first pick at clothing pieces! Email Chrysta if you are interested (cwyse@smmusd.org). To check out the Mimi & Maggie line go to www.mimiandmaggie.com. Looking for samples hanging up around school soon! More information to follow. Keep your library book for an extra week! This Monday, May 10th is a District Librarian’s Meeting and the library will be closed. Our next library visit will be Monday, May 17th.
Dates to remember:
Tuesday, May 11 –Bingo Night at the Spitfire Grill
Wednesday, May 12 –Talent Show
SMASH Family Dance - Friday, May 21, 5:30-7:30.
Friday, May 28 – Core 1 & Core 2 BBQ Save the date!
Wednesday, June 9- Open House and Art Sharing
Thursday, June 17 – 8th grade Graduation and Pot Luck Lunch
Friday, June 18 – Beach Day, last day of school year
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!
Candis, Chrysta and Jackie
Candis: cberens@smmusd.org
Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org
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CORE 2 NEWS
May 7, 2010
Dear Fabulous Core 2 Families and Friends,
STAR testing began this week. Please remember to arrive on time to school to avoid having to take a make-up test.
More families read our Friday letter this week. The Friday Letter Trivia Game generated enthusiasm for reading the Friday letter. We will be asking for questions again.
This week in Reading Workshop, students kept a written record of their reading. They met in their book clubs to discuss their opinions about characters and found supporting evidence from the text. The read aloud in Laura’s advisory is The Indian In the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks. In Graciela’s advisory we are reading aloud Twister on Tuesday from Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series. In Writing Workshop students revised their poems. They paid attention to line breaks when forming poetry chains. They are working on a series of Who Am I? poems.
In Math this week, the 3rd graders taught the 2nd graders two NIM games – Sprouts and Stuff.
You can find out about the history or NIM activities and play some of the activities on the following sites: illuminations.nctm.org and www.archimedes-lab.org/game_nim/nim html.
Congratulations to David Saltzman! He was the top candidate to apply for the Core 2 Shutterfly
Historian volunteer position. His resume was impressive. His tenure as PTA co-president was among his many achievements. He has hired Zelda Saltzman to be his assistant. Can you say nepotism? : ) Thank you to Zelda’s David for volunteering to be the Core 2 go to guy for our yearbook pages on Shutterfly.
Friday, May 28 – Core 1 & Core 2 BBQ Save the date! We will be having our (almost) end of the year barbeque on Friday, May 28 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! Please let us know if you can bring a grill! See the attached ½ on what your food assignment will be for this event.
Can you believe there are only 29 days left of school? Time flies when you are having fun!
Next week, there will be no Stars of the Week because of state testing! Remember to bring your snack.
Dates to remember:
Tuesday, May 11 –Bingo Night at the Spitfire Grill
Wednesday, May 12 –Talent Show
Friday, May 14 – Birthday Bash for April, May, and June Birthdays, see attached ½ sheet attached
Friday, May 21 – Poetry Celebration, 9 – 10 AM in Core 2
Friday, May 21 - SMASH Family Dance - 5:30-7:30
Friday, May 28 – Core 1 & Core 2 BBQ Save the date! We will be having our (almost) end of the year barbeque on Friday, May 28th 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! Please let us know if you can bring a grill!
Friday, June 4 - 3rd Grade Music Presentation 11:15 in Core 2
Wednesday, June 9- Open House and Art Sharing
Friday, June 11 – July/August Birthday Bash
Thursday, June 17 – 8th grade Graduation and Pot Luck Lunch
Friday, June 18 – Beach Day, last day of school year
Laura (lsherman@smmusd.org)
Graciela (gbarba-castro@smmusd.org)
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CORE 3 NEWS
Testing has raised our awareness about many things: how to use CARES for ourselves and others so we can listen to and follow oral directions; increase our stamina to work independently for prolonged periods of time; apply what we’ve learned to answer questions that may use different vocabulary and/or formats; and to really think about why we are taking the test and how to interpret the results. All of these factors go into your child’s test-taking experience and affect their scores. Our emphasis has been on learning good test-taking strategies, understanding the purpose and design of the test as a measure of the California State Standards (and how well teachers have been teaching them), and interpreting their scores as a reflection of how well they did on the test on any given day, as opposed to how well they are doing at SMASH or how smart they are.
The Last Six Weeks. Can you believe the end of the year is upon us! At SMASH, we follow Responsive Classroom strategies during the First Six Weeks of school to build our community, take ownership of the classroom, and set the tone for guidelines, norms, and consequences. This foundation is integral to the success of the school year. The last weeks of the school year are just as important, and there are many tools and techniques we can use to make these weeks powerful, engaging, and fun. There are two important endof- year goals: encouraging reflection on accomplishments and celebrating community. We will reflect on our individual goals/progress/challenges in different curricular areas. We’ll look at our Advisory Hopes and
Dreams from the beginning of the year and discuss what worked and/or didn’t work. Students will participate
in Moving-up Days to spend time in their “new” core groups to prepare and plan for next year. We will also engage in Learning Celebrations to share our achievements with the community. And, school wide, there will be several community events—The Student Council Family Dance, Core BBQ’s, Parent Appreciations, SuperSMASH, Open House Arts Sharing Night, and 8th grade graduation—to end the year on a positive note and bring closure to the school year for families, students, and teachers.
There are also things you can do at home to help your child stay focused, positive, and involved in the closing weeks of school. Summer is in the air and the days are getting longer, but your child still needs a full night’s sleep and enough time to eat breakfast before school. We still have nightly reading and writing homework and weekly math packets—maintaining this routine helps students stay connected to life at school.
There are changes afoot with potential teacher layoffs, friends getting ready to transition to Core 4 or other schools, and lingering questions about music, nurses, and libraries. Engage your child in conversations that allow them to express their concerns and help them focus on the positive. And keep in mind--it is common for children to regress a bit before they transition into a new developmental level. We’re seeing that in the classroom, too. Addapted from an article by Andy Dousis, a Responsive Classroom senior consulting teacher and co-author of The Research-Ready Classroom.
Dates to Remember:
May 10-14 - continuation of state testing for grades 2-8
Tues, May 11 - 6:00-8:00pm - SMASH BINGO night at Spitefire Grill
Wed, May 12 - SMASH Talent show - 6:00-7:30pm
SAVE THE DATE -
SMASH Family Dance - Friday, May 21, 5:30-7:30. Details to come
SMASH Annual Camping Trip - Friday and Saturday, June 11 & 12. Details to come!
Tues, Jun 1 - 6:00-8:00pm - Spring Instrumental/Choir Concert - in Auditorium & Library
Wed, Jun 9 - 6:00pm - SMASH Open House and Arts Sharing
Have a great weekend—and be ready for school on Monday!
tmugalian@smmusd.org Tamara, Genie, and Malaika ghwang@smmusd.org
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CORE 4 NEWS
Hi Core 4 Families,
We have had a very successful first week of testing. Thank you for helping your children get to school on
time.
In Humanities, We have completed a US History Time Line project as a class. Come look at the walls in the room, if you get a chance. We are now beginning to write the "Feature Article" or Literary Essay on the topic of student's choice. Some are reading historical novels; some are researching an era in US History.
THESE PAPERS ARE DUE MAY 20.
Steps and Due dates for this HUMANITIES Project are:
Select a Topic or novel Ask 10 probing questions
· Research and complete minimum of 15 notecards Due Tuesday, May 4
· Write a LEAD Due Thursday, May6
· Complete a “Boxes and Bullets” Outline: Due Monday, May 10 (Have novel complete)
· Write a draft of the feature article. Use details, and examples
· Revise, edit and publish Week of May 11-18
· Write a Bibliography MLA standard (like in Science) ( Not for novels)
· Final Article due Thursday, May 20
The WHOLE CORE is working in Bioregion groups to research the plants, animals, human geography and make maps and Biomes. They will also create a booth, a performance and a speech emphasizing what the water needs and concerns are of each region. Science, art, humanities, and math will all play a part.
IMPORTANT DATE:
Thursday, June 10 10:30-2:30 "California's Water Wars" day at SMASH. presented by Core 4.
Also, All Core 4 is engaged in a Reading / Writing Workshop on Memoir. Students should be reading from a BLUE memoir packet we made a school or reading a full length memoir of choice. After May 20 students will be all engaged in the writing of personal memoirs. Stay Tuned
Thanks for helping to keep your children engaged in school these last weeks. We want to make these days in school meaningful and productive.
Bailey, Kurt and Kelly
Kurt: kholland@smmusd.org
Kelly: kkulsrud@smmusd.org
Bailey: baileyfield@mac.com
DATES TO REMEMBER
May 10-14 - continuation of state testing for grades 2-8
Tues, May 11 - 6:00-8:00pm - SMASH BINGO night at Spitefire Grill
Wed, May 12 - SMASH Talent show - 6:00-7:30pm
Fri, May 14 - SMASH Movie Night—CANCELLED
June 1-8 - (NEW DATES) 8th grade presentations
SAVE THE DATE -
SMASH Family Dance - Friday, May 21, 5:30-7:30. Details to come
SMASH Annual Camping Trip - Friday and Saturday, June 11 & 12. Details to come!
Tues, Jun 1 - 6:00-8:00pm - Spring Instrumental/Choir Concert - in auditorium
Tues, Jun 8 - 7:00pm - Orchestra Spring Concert - John Adams Auditorium
Wed, Jun 9 - 6:00pm - SMASH Open House and Arts Sharing
Wed, Jun 9 - 7:00pm - Band Spring Concert - John Adams Auditorium
