MAY 28, 2010

MEMORIAL DAY - MAY 31 - SCHOOL CLOSED
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Dear SMASHing Families,
Last night after a warm, chatty, wonderful Core 4 parent appreciation night at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium beautifully coordinated by Kurt and co-hosted with Kurt, Kelly and Bailey, I went to the Board meeting. I did not stay for all of the decisions, but here is one we’re all interested in related to staffing and class size

Class Size: I expected 30:1 K-5 so this is actually good news.
K-3 27:1 4-5 30:1 6-8 35:1 (although with the formula they use for staffing it looks more like 30-32:1 in classrooms)

Although Human Resources cannot say for sure until K enrollment and staff transfers are complete, they estimate that 8 of 33 elementary teachers laid off will be rehired with this class size.

The Board directed everyone to focus immediate fundraising efforts to people who voted yes on Measure A, those who had planned to pay the $198 per household, and that any monies raised will go towards reducing class size to 25:1 K-3 thereby rehiring more of the laid off teachers. Please attend the PTSA meeting Wednesday, June 2 at 6:30pm to be part of our discussion as I share plans to address staffing shifts and increasing class sizes.

The Board did approve revisions to the 2010-2011 District Calendar. A hard copy of the new district calendar is being sent home with each student. To access
online go www.smmusd.org and go to calendar link)
· The first day of school has been moved up to Tuesday, September 7 so that the first week of school we attend school Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Monday and Thursday are holidays.
· There is a Furlough day Monday, March 14.
· Spring Break has been moved up 1 week to April 11 – April 22.
As both a staff member and SMASH parent next year, I’m ready to address fiscal realities with you in ways that maintain the dynamic, creative learning experiences we want for our children.
Truly yours,
Jessica
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IS YOUR CHILD RETURNING TO SMASH NEXT YEAR?
We are in the process of making plans for next year’s enrollment and it is important for us to know ifyou are planning on returning to SMASH. Let Janice know by Tuesday, June 1
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City of Santa Monica’s Annual Memorial Day Observance at Woodlawn Cemetery - FREE Mon, May 31, 11am
Includes musical performances fan aircraft flyover. Parking is available at SMC parking structure at Pico & 16th and at the southeast corner of Pico & 14th St. The Big Blue Bus will provide free shuttles from 9:30-1:00pm.
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DATES TO REMEMBER
Mon, May 31 - Memorial Day - School Closed
June 1-8 - 8th grade presentations
Tues, Jun 1 - 6:00-8:00pm - Spring Instrumental/Choir Concert - in auditorium
Tues, Jun 2 6:30pm - PTSA Meeting, Computer Lab
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
Fri, Jun 11 - Last day to accept checks for lunch. Balance need to be cleared by this date.
Fri-Sat, Jun 11 &12 - SMASH Annual Camping Trip
Fri, Jun 11 - Last day for Salad Bar. Last day to pay for lunches by check.
Thurs, Jun 17, 8th grade Graduation and luncheon
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SMMUSD FOOD SERVICES
Friday, June 11 is the last day Food Services will be accepting checks for meals. All negative balances must also be paid by that date. To get your child’s balance, you can call Connie at SMASH 310-396-2640 ext 64211
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Elemental Strings Auditions
Elemental Strings is a youth orchestra for 4th and 5th grade violin, viola, and cello students, which meets on Fridays after school at Samohi. Auditions for next year will take place on Wednesday, June 2 at Will Rogers Elementar School between 3:30-5:30pm. All students with at least one year experience on their instrument are invited to audition. To sign up for the audition and for additional information, please go to www.elementalstrings.com.
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FOR THE ARTS BENEFIT CONCERT
SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 8:00-10:30PM
Barnum Hall, Santa Monica High School, 601 Pico Blvd
VENICE & Guests Colin Hay of Men at Work, Curt Smith of Tears for Fears & Fee Waybill of The Tubes
Venice and students will perform songs of Led Zepplin, Queen, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye and more.
100% of proceeds fund and sustain arts education in the Santa Monica-Malibu public schools. Bid on exciting LIVE AUCTION items featuring autographed guitars and other great items To purchase tickets go to: www.smmef.org
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The Census Door to Door Campaign is in full swing and if you have not returned your Census questionnaire you will be visited by a Census taker at your home. The Census Taker will carry an official government badge and may also carry a Census Bureau bag. Census employees will never ask to go inside your home or ask for social security numbers or banking information. You will only be asked the 10 questions on the Census form. By participating, you are helping
our community receive our fair share of $400 Billion dollars in federal funding for new schools, Title 1 funds, new roads, hospitals and social programs. Thank you for participating in the Census count in 2010!
Marycarmen Moran
Partnership Specialist; U.S Department Of Commerce; U.S Census Bureau
9301 Corbin Ave. Suite 1000; Northridge, CA 91324; (213) 923-2523
mary.c.moran@census.gov; www.census.gov/losangeles http://www.census.gov/losangeles
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NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM AT SMASH
If you have called lately, you will have noticed our new district installed telephone system.
It is confusing and inaccurate - not all of our staff begins with 77 plus their extension
If you have problems - just dial 0 and you will be directed to the main office.
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Santa Monica Symphony - FREE Concert, Saturday, May 29 — 7:30pm
Allen Robert Gross, Music Director & Conductor
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium - SMSymphony.org
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GET READY FOR SUMMER!
READ! READ! READ!
Encourage your children to read this summer. Summer reading lists can be found at http://www.smmusd.org/
reading/. The Santa Monica Public library will have all these books available at their branches, and will also provide
wonderful children's programs and prizes for summer reading with the theme "Make a Splash - Read!". – Claire
REMINDER: ALL SMASH LIBRARY BOOKS MUST BE RETURNED NO LATER THAN JUNE 4.
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CORE 3 ARTS SHARING - Wednesday, June 9 - 6:00pm
6“Domingo y Siete”, SMASH’s Core 3 is putting on an amazing show with ogres and fairies and hunchbacks played by six incredible kids. The audience will love it if you like exciting and funny shows. Friends and family are welcome so make sure to spread the word.
The play is about a good hunchback Juanita who helps fairies that help her out. She lends a hand to the three villages. The main idea is helping some one can go a long way.
For more information contact the publicity group: Reaph, Jasper, Izzy Sky, Noah
“The Spellbook in the Forbidden Room”, Once upon a time in the mountains of Poland there lived a father with his three daughters, who did not know how to read. Just as their father tries to find a tutor, two mysterious men move into town and the adventure begins turning their lives upside down. Directed and performed by Core 3 Tamara’s class in the auditorium, this is one show you don’t want to miss.
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SPRING MUSIC CONCERT
Tuesday, June 1 , 2010
6:30 pm - 4th Grade– Auditorium
7:30 pm- 5th Grade– Auditorium
Smash Middle School – Library
We are looking forward to sharing this evening with you!
Ms. Bersch, Ms. Cha, Ms. Spike-Gravelle,
Mr. Loyd, Mr. McKeown
Students: Please arrive 15 minutes before your performance time and wear nice school clothes.
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SMASH RAFFLE
$1 EACH
Available Wednesday and Friday afternoons
and at SuperSMASH!

Learn to Make California Rolls ! in Core 3
Tuesday, June 15, 1:30-3:00pm
with Tamara, Genie & Malaika
15 Children Total
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Wende for the day!
Includes snack & lunch
Tuesday, June 15
1 Student
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Principal Jessica for the day
Includes snack & lunch
Tuesday, June 15
1 Student
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Pizza & a Movie at Jayme’s House!
Parent to drop off & pick up child
Friday, June 11, 5-8pm
with Jayme & Janice
4 students total
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Make Your Own Smoothie & Bagel Breakfast! in Core 1
Monday, June 14, 8:00-8:30am
with Chrysta & Graciela
10 Students Total
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Bake Cookies & Make Desserts for the SMASH Graduation! at Kelly’s House
Parent to drop off & pick up child.
Monday, June 14, 2:00-4:00
With Kelly & Genie
5 students total
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Messy Art & Fruit Juice Snow Cones at Jessica’s House
Parent to drop off & pick up child
Monday, June 7, 3:30-5:00
With Jessica & Laura
15 Students Total
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Lunch & Movie at 3rd Street Promenade!
With Coach Tony
Tuesday, June 15
3 Students Total
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Janice for the day!
Includes snack & lunch
Tuesday June 15
1 Student
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Bowling at Bayshore Bowl!
Walk to & from Bowling Alley
Tuesday, June 15 2:00-4:00
With Kurt, Kelly & Bailey
25 Students Total
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Temescal Canyon Hike & Afternoon Snack!
Parent to drop off & pick up child.
Tuesday, June 15, 2:45-4:40
With Candis & Jackie
12 Students total
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SuperSMASH ‘10
Saturday, June 5, 11:30AM to 5:30PM
New this year:
SILENT AND LIVE AUCTION
In addition to our usual Silent Auction, we’ll add a live auction this year.
At 5PM a few special items will be live-auctioned on the field.
Here’s one:
Justin Bieber Guitar, signed
Also in the live auction:
Core Art Projects
Fixie Bike
Red Hot Chili Peppers Guitar, signed
In our Silent Auction watch out for
Beacher Cruiser
Stay at a Hawaiian Ranch
And the ever popular Uglydolls in all shapes and sizes
For all other fantastic auction items
Check out that Catalogue!
http://www.ptsasmash.blogspot.com/
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ptsa news
Dear SMASHing Community,
Measure A did not pass. This is somber news. Devastating news. It is also a wake-up call.
Because Measure A or not, we want, no, we NEED the best education possible for our children. We have no choice, our children are our future.

This means a ‘no’ on Measure A can’t stop us. It has to fuel us.

It is clear what you can, no, MUST do to fuel SMASH: stay informed and get involved. We need
you, each and every one of you to do what it takes to help SMASH strive. We need you RIGHT
NOW as much as we’ll need you in the weeks, months and years ahead.

SuperSMASH is one week away, and there’s still a lot of work to be done. Take these three easy
steps and help make it a success.

Spread the word. Post a poster/lawn sign, send a postcard, forward the .pdf we sent this week.
Get one more donation for the Silent Auction. Donation form attached
Volunteer at least two hours of your time (helgaschier@verizon.net or 310-828-8421)

This is not a time to shrug your shoulders and think that you can’t make a difference. You can, no, you MUST. Together we can navigate this crisis. As a community we can stay strong and move forward.

This is our last letter as PTSA Presidents. Clearly we wish we’d be able to end our tenure on a more positive note. It’s been a tough two years. Budget cuts have forced us to focus on fundraising more than we would have liked. Yet many of our fundraisers are so much more than that. They are community builders as well, and we sincerely hope that they have not only brought in the necessary Funds, but also helped the community it takes to make SMASH the amazing place it is.

But it’s been a rewarding two years, too. In part because of the help and support we’ve received
from the SMASHing community. SMASH is an amazing place. Every minute we spend on helping
our children’s school go strong always was and will be well worth it. Your new PTSA President Dan McGee and Vice President Andrea Kahn will have tough waters to navigate as well. In leaving we ask you to support the new board as much as you possibly can.

Every little bit of help is needed. Every little bit of help makes a difference.

Thank you.
Helga Schier and David Saltzman
helgaschier@verizon.net and saltzmans@earthlink.net

SMASHing Meetings
Next PTSA meeting Wednesday, 6/2, 6:30PM

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IMPORTANT
—————————
Measure A didn’t pass.
What does this mean for SMASH?
How can you help?
Find out at the
SMASH PTSA Meeting
Wednesday, 6/2
6:30PM
Computer Lab
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IMPORTANT
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SUPERSMASH AUCTION DONOR FORM
Saturday June 5, 2010
SMASH
2525 5th Street, Santa Monica CA 90405

NAME:_________________________________________________________________________________

COMPANY:_____________________________________________________________________________

TITLE:_______________________________________

E-MAIL__________________________________

ADDRESS:_____________________________________________________________________________

CITY/ST/ZIP:____________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE:___________________________________

FAX:____________________________________

Name of SMASH community Member:______________________________________________________

DONATION DESCRIPTION FOR AUCTION CATALOG (or we will write one)
__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS/RESTRICTIONS
ESTIMATED VALUE: $_______________ EXPIRATION DATE: _________________

SIGNATURE:___________________________________TODAY’S DATE: ___________________

PLEASE CHECK ONE:
__ TO BE DELIVERED __ TO BE PICKED UP
__ DONATION ENCLOSED __ CREATE CERTIFICATE
SMASH IS A 501 c (3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION (Tax ID#:95-4439445)
PLEASE ATTACH GIFT CERTIFICATE & MAIL by 05/14/10 TO:

Santa Monica Alternative School House
2525 5th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
PHONE: 310-396-2640 FAX: 310-452-4353
CERTIFICATES need to be received BY MAY 21, 2010

Santa Monica Alternative School House
2525 5th Street - Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone 310-396-2640 - Fax 310-452-4353
Jessica Rishe, Principal

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Got time?
Volunteer to help set up or manage a booth.
We REALLY need you!
Helga at 310-828-8421 or helgaschier@verizon.net
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 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
Got e-mail?
Send the .pdf (should have come to you yesterday) to your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues and ask them to come.
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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SuperSMASH ‘10
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 11:30AM to 5:30PM
Signed up yet?
Give us a few hours of your time.
We need you. Really.
Volunteer to coordinate/lead a booth.
Being a lead means: overseeing set-up/breakdown, helping to recruit other volunteers,
in short: being the overall point person for the booth/ride/game
Caterpillar
Putting Green
The following booths have leads already but need volunteers.
Pizza
Plinko
Tie-dye
Prizes
Drinks
Raffles
Soccer
Decoupage
Water Slide
Football Toss
Fish Bowl Toss
SMASHing food
Candy Necklace
Obstacle Course
Wheel of Fortune
Bean Bag TicTacToe
Roll-Your-Own Candles
Make-Your-Own Button
New this year: Lemonade
Help set up the Silent Auction or the Carnival
Sign up now! Right NOW!
Helga Schier at helgaschier@verizon.net or 310-418-5787

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SMASH Site Council Agenda
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
5:00 PM Core 2
In attendance: Jessica Rishe, Laura Sherman, Candis Berens, Jackie Boyd, Elizabeth Kramer, Nina Furukawa, Michael Tenzer

Absent: Chrysta Wyse, Kelly Kulsrud, Liz Grossman

Adopt Agenda: Jackie Boyd moved. Nina Furukawa seconded. Approved.

Approve minutes of last meeting: Michael Tenzer moved. Jackie Boyd seconded. Approved.

Community participation:
Music Video given by Frank Strick about vegetarianism could possibly raise awareness and create dialogue/ research about the issue in classrooms.

Nina Furukawa recently completed a parenting class given by Brian from the Center for Non-Violent Education and Parenting. She would recommend this class and they would like to offer the class again on the Westside, but they are looking for a couple more parents to sign-up.

Reports and Announcements (regular agenda items)
Principal’s Report –
Measure A has not passed and the Board will be meeting for the next two evenings to make decisions about budget cuts.

Student Reports - none

Community Organization Reports (to include but not limited to the following):
PTSA – SuperSMASH on June 5th , volunteers and donations still needed

Student Council – Family Dance raised around $860 and LOTS of fun!!
Other :
Old Business
Elections –
Elizabeth Kramer has been voted into Site Council for school year 2010-2011.

New Business
Schedule first meeting for 2010-11 year – Wednesday, September 22 at 5pm
Community participation (if applicable) - none

Adjourn – Jackie Boyd moved. Jessica Rishe seconded. Approved.


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Core 1 News
Thank you to all of the Cores 1 & 2 families for a fun-filled barbeque and clothing sale.
Thank you for your donations, set-up, clean-up, and grilling help.
Have a great 3-Day Memorial Day Weekend!

The Partners will be celebrating their Fiction Writing on Thursday, June 3; 8:45-9:15. Family and friends are encouraged to join us as our young authors share their original stories and illustrations.

A Getting-Ready-for-Summer Field Trip to the Santa Monica Main Library on Friday, June 4th.
We will enjoy storytime and learn about all of the fun things that happen at the public library during the summer. Core 1 will be leaving via Big Blue Bus around 9:30 and will return before lunch. All students need to bring a snack and wear walking shoes. Many, many chaperones are encouraged to come. Please sign-up in the Magic Garden if you would like to join us!

PLEASE TURN IN YOUR PERMISSION SLIP FOR OUR LIBRARY TRIP ASAP!!

We will be welcoming our guest teacher Jayme to Core 1 on Thursday and Friday of next week. Chrysta will be attending her sister-in-law’s wedding reception in Colorado.

The Parent Appreciation Tea will be Friday, June 11th at 12:30 (right before pick-up). The children will be sharing some treats, appreciations, and poems prepared for you. We will also distribute the Pirates and Fairies DVDs and Books that day.

Our regular MONDAY library times are cancelled for the rest of the school year due to holidays and district meetings. We will be scheduling an extra library time during the week of June 7th so the children can return all of their books before the year ends. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL LIBRARY BOOKS ARE RETURNED OR REPLACED BEFORE THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL. Thanks for your help!

SAVE THE DATE!! (new events added)
June 3rd – Partners Fiction Writing Celebration
June 4th – Field Trip to the Santa Monica Main Library
June 5th – Super SMASH
June 9th – Open House / Children’s ART Show
June 11th – Parent Appreciation Tea at 12:30 (details to come)
June 15th – July and August Birthday Bash
June 17th – Graduation Day / Luncheon
June 18th – All-School Beach Day / Last Day of School

HAVE A RESTFUL 3-DAY WEEKEND!!
Candis, Chrysta and Jackie

Candis: cberens@smmusd.org
Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org
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CORE 2 NEWS
Dear Fantastic Core 2 Families and Friends,
Thank you for a wonderful Core 1 and Core 2 Barbeque. With only 14 days of school left, we are thinking of ways to celebrate the fun we’ve had this year. We are looking forward to seeing you at Open House and at the Arts Sharing when we will celebrate this year’s successes.

Drama On June 9th at 6pm Core 2 will share their educational videos created in Drama this session. Ala "Schoolhouse Rock" we have worked with Kristy to create two videos that will teach kids How to do research and How to fracture a fairytale. We hope you will join us for the world premiere screening of our videos at ARTS NIGHT. Also playing that night Core 3 student directed and produced plays as well as visual arts sharing by Cores 1&4.

Music All 3rd graders attended a District music assembly and were introduced to the instruments that are available for them next year. Please discuss and sign the attached orange sheet for their first and second choice. Return the signed form to Laura by Thursday, June 3rd.

Portfolios For years, children at SMASH have enjoyed making portfolios and looking back at some of their work. This year, we plan to continue with this tradition. As some of you may know, some second graders’ portfolios have, unfortunately, been lost. We will work with families and Core 1 teachers to try to re-create entries from last year. We also have students who are new to SMASH. We want to invite them to create some entries with work samples, photographs or teacher documentation from their previous schools. If you have a 3-ring binder at home that you would like to use, please bring it to school this week. You could bring photographs and work samples from past years. The portfolios will be ready to be shared for Open House. We plan to pass the portfolios to next year’s teachers.

End-of-year reminders
·Return all Media Center Books and Core 2 Books as soon as possible. The end-of-year narrative will be held in the office until all books have been returned or debts have been paid
Core 2 Lost and Found items need to be picked up from the Muir-SMASH Lost and Found Area near the lunch benches. Whatever was not picked at the barbeque was dropped there. We suggest that sweaters be kept inside backpacks to prevent the spread of lice and to prevent them from getting left behind. Please make a habit of reminding children to take their sweaters and lunchboxes home at the end of each day. We need your help with this.

There are only 14 days left of school. There’s still so much to do!

Dates to remember:
Friday, June 4- 3rd Grade Music Presentation 11:15 in Core 2
Saturday, June 5- Super SMASH
Wednesday, June 9- Open House and Art Sharing
Friday, June 11 – July/August Birthday Bash
Thursday, June 17 – 8th Grade Graduation and Lunch
Friday, June 18 – Beach Day, last day of school year
Have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!
Laura (lsherman@smmusd.org) Graciela (gbarba-castro@smmusd.org)

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CORE 3 NEWS
Thank you to all the parents and siblings who were able to sneak away to join us today as we celebrated our wonderful writing and, more importantly, the process we use to learn, practice, and polish our written pieces!

Spending weeks on one piece of writing is not the way most of us spent the Language Arts period in school. Many of us spent our time memorizing spelling words, learning parts of speech in isolation, diagramming sentences, and practicing grammar, punctuation and vocabulary on worksheets. If we did any actual writing, it was generally assigned topic informational essays and book reports. The only personally relevant writing we did was each September
when we wrote a page on what we did over the summer.

During their year(s) in Core 3, your children have used the same process most professional writers use (collecting ideas, nurturing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing) to choose personally relevant ideas to nurture and develop, draft, revise, edit, and publish over two to four weeks. These pieces emphasized meaning, ideas, and structure. Through this process, we have noticed that your children have all grown as spellers and grammarians, increased their vocabulary usage, and refined their ability to formulate and support ideas around a variety of
topics—especially if they are committed to the daily practice of writing for homework in their Writing Notebook (And, of course, all that reading helps, too!). We really focused this year on meaning. If the books we read were written to convey the author’s personal message or ideas to their readers, then the pieces we write need to mean something and convey that message to the readers, as well. One way to make sure you focus on meaning as you read your child’s written work is to say, "To me, this piece is really, really about…" and then you can ask, "What was your
intended message or big idea?"

In Non-narrative writing, the students have learned how to support their ideas with reasons and examples. They have also learned that nonfiction writers have opinions about their subjects that they convey through their writing using word choice, style, and tone. Finally, they learned that writers adjust their writing for the audience.
These are all ways writers angle their pieces toward a meaning. One thing you can look for in your child’s nonnarrative
writing is the idea they have about their topic and the reasons and examples they express to support that idea. You should be able to argue another point of view.

We are enormously proud of the growth we have seen in all aspects of their writing and we hope you are, too!! On the year-end narrative evaluations we reflect on the objectives and skills taught in fiction and nonfiction writing and we comment on the students’ use of CARES in Writing Workshop: Are they cooperative in terms of following the writing process and responding to peer and teacher feedback on their work? Do they assert their ideas clearly and
confidently? Do they use their school and home writing time responsibly? Does the heart of the story or big idea demonstrate compassion and understanding? And do they exercise freedom with responsibility to stay on task during work periods and meet publishing deadlines?

Summer Reading lists have been posted by schools, libraries, and districts across the nation. Bookstores and libraries gear up to keep kids reading all summer long. We hope you encourage your child to write as well. Decorate a summer notebook. Make a family travel journal. Continue an email correspondence with your child on current events. Write your own story—true or fiction—and share it with your child. Even Twittering is a writing form that asks the writer to be succinct and clever and thoughtful about meaning! So encourage your child to write all summer long!

Dates to Remember:
Spring District Music Concert on Tuesday, June 1
Open House Arts Sharing--Core 3 drama plays on Wednesday, June 9
Field Trip to the Getty Villa on Thursday, June 10

Have a great weekend—enjoy that extra day of rest!!!
Tamara, Genie, and Malaika
tmugalian@smmusd.org
ghwang@smmusd.org
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SMASH CAMPING TRIP
AT DECKER CANYON CAMPGROUND IN MALIBU
JUNE 11 & 12
LET’S GET TOGETHER IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS!

WHERE: Decker Canyon Campground is located about 25 miles up the coast from Santa Monica, on Decker Canyon Road off of PCH.

IT’S A BIG BEAUTIFUL SITE, AND WE’LL BE THE ONLY GROUP THERE!

WHAT TO BRING: *Tent, Bedding, Food, Supplies, etc. *Food should be stored in plastic
bins to keep safe from critters. *Bring charcoal if you plan to use the on-site grills, or camping
stoves if not. *Bring marshmallows & fixins for s’mores. *Instruments, games, sports gear,
hiking gear. *Sunscreen, bug repellent, first aid kit, flashlights, etc. *Bring beach gear if you
want hit the gorgeous nearby beach.

>> YES--THERE ARE REAL TOILETS AND FREE HOT-WATER SHOWERS <<

PRICE
Overnight Campers: $10 per person, per night
Daytime Campers: $8 per person, per day
Checks payable to SMASH PTSA, due by Thursday, June 10
Sign-up sheet in SMASH office

TIME
Check-in: anytime after 11:00am, Friday June 11
Check-out: by 2:00 pm, Sunday, June 13
FOR INSURANCE REASONS - NO DROP-OFFS ALLOWED
ALL CHILDREN MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THEIR PARENT OR GUARDIAN

BE PREPARED FOR FUN, FUN, FUN !!!

Contact Dave Sparling (Olivia’s dad) with questions at (310) 562-1501 or davesparling@gmail.com

This is a PTSA-sponsored event

GEAR UP FOR THE SMASH CAMPING TRIP!!

Wild camping: backpack-in expeditions favored by the seriously outdoorsy.
Mild camping: the cabin-style experience where you enjoy the outdoors
without leaving behind many of the creature comforts of home.

So where in this range is the SMASH Camping Trip at Decker Canyon? Much closer to the mild
side, for sure.

An easy drive up PCH, the facility offers full Women’s and Men’s bathrooms with free hot-water showers, built-in hibachis for grilling with charcoal, and is minutes away from conveniences like the Trancas Canyon Market and cafes (yes, including Starbucks). Tents get pitched adjacent to the parking area so there’s no long-distance lugging of gear from car to campsite.

What about activities? Hiking trails begin right at the campsite, and there are several secluded
beaches just a few minutes away by car. Campers generally bring games like horseshoes, badminton, Frisbees, hacky sacks, etc.

Never set up a tent before? No problem. Many seasoned “camping families” are perennial attendees, so there’ll be plenty of help available.

So come on out and enjoy a night or two “under the stars!” Still unsure? Then roll out with the family for a daytrip to the campsite on Saturday the 12th—plenty to do!

The 2010 SMASH Camping Trip: one night, two nights, or daytrip—make some memories outside! June 11 and 12 at Decker Canyon Campground in Malibu.

See detailed flyer elsewhere in this week’s Friday Letter for the full scoop. Or for more information contact Dave Spar ling (Olivia’s dad) davesparling@gmail.com / 310-562-1501

“I’ve gone on the SMASH Camping Trip for the last four years—major thumbs up! Check
it out!” --Olivia Sparling, Core 3