OCTOBER 1, 2010

Dear SMASHing Families,

As the November 2nd SMMUSD School Board, Santa Monica City Council and California General Election approaches, this is a great time to show your child one way to make a difference in our
community: by being an informed voter.

Find out about the candidates as a family.
· Come hear your Santa Monica City Council, and SMMUSD Board of Education candidates participate in the “2010 Squirm Night.” No talking points are allowed.Questions from the Santa Monica Daily Press editorial board and from the community at large will be presented.
Candidate forum #1 is October 4
MLK Auditorium at the Santa Monica Public Library. 601 Santa Monica Blvd.
6:00 p.m. – Board of Education Candidates
7:00 p.m. – Discussion on Measures Y and YY (Proposal to increase city sales tax)
7:35-10:00 p.m. – City Council Candidates
Candidate Foreum #2 is October 6
SMMUSD District Office, 16th & Olympic
7:00-8:30pm
* See candidate profiles for Governor, US Senator, Supt. of Public Instruction, and Judges
in the Easy Voter Guide managed by the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund at the
following link: http://lwvc.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=easyvoter_home
Get informed and help your child understand too.
* Follow your concerns in the news to see what you do and don’t agree with.
Speak out together.
* Contact the people elected to represent you and let them know what you think. Send a letter, fax or e-mail. Have a specific suggestion or question and ask for a response.Write your local newspaper or call the radio. Let others know your ideas on how to solve a problem.
Don’t forget, you must be registered by October 18 to vote in this election. Voter registration forms will be available at the Friday, October 8th Muir/SMASH PTSA Coffee at drop off by the front gate or go on-line to: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm to register today.
Let’s work together to inspire our kids to be knowledgeable active citizens by modeling civic participation ourselves.
Truly yours,
Jessica

P.S.It’s not too late to attend the Responsive Classroom Training for Parents this Saturday, October 2, 9:30-12:30 in the Cafetorium. I look forward to being with the 30 families who have signed up, to think through proactive ways to promote the behaviors we want to see in our children at home and to think through ways to address misbehaviors we experience as well.

DATES TO REMEMBER
Sat, Oct 2 - 9:30-12:30 - Responsive Classroom training for parents. Auditorium
Sun, Oct 10 - 5:30p.m. - 8:30 p.m SMASH Phone Banking at Yes on Y & YY headquarters, To sign up to volunteer, email Helga Schier at helgaschier@verizon.net or Dan McGee at dmcgee@mcgeelerer.com
Wed, Thurs, Oct 6 & 7 - Minimum Days 1:30 dismissal - Fall Family Conferences. Sign up in office.
Wed, Oct 6 - 6:00pm - PTSA Meeting
Wed, Oct 6 - 6:00-9:00pm - SMASH Night at El Torito Restaurant , 3360 Ocean Park Blvd. Kids eat free with adult dinner. 25% of dinner proceeds go to SMASH
Fri, Oct 8 - 8:45am & 1:30pm - SMASH BASH Sign-Ups
Oct 11-13 - 6th grade Catalina Trip
Fri, Oct 15 - Student Council sponsors: CRAZY HAIR DAY!

THINGS TO DO
Fri & Sat, Oct 1 & 2 - 10am-5pm - ALTCAR Expo - SM Civic Auditorium - FREE this two day expo showcases the latest in electric, hydrogen, natural gas and other technologies. Visitors can also test drive the newest cars on the market

Fri, Oct 1 - 7:00pm - Meet Mr. Miyagi - Santa Monica Pier - Watch the original “Karate Kid” - FREE Arrive early to claim your area with chairs, blankets and food. Free bike valet available and no alcohol allowed. No RSVP is necessary

Sat, Oct 2, 9:00am-Noon - 55th Annual HUCK FINN DAY; West end of the Santa Monica Pier. Learn to fish; Huck Finn consume contest; coloring & Face Painting; Pie eating contests; Crafts, Games & Prizes

Fri, Oct 8, 1:30pm - Grades 4-8. Cheerleading. Meet at the lunch benches

BOO!
Now through Nov 7 - Spider Pavilion! Walk through the enclosed habitat to see hundreds of free-roaming arachnids. Natural History Museum, LA 213-763-3558; nhm.org

Oct 8-31 (Thursdays-Sundays) - Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. Ride down a dark wooded trail with scary scenes, ghost stories around the campfire & a haunted carnival. Griffith Park 877-342-6618; losangeleshauntedhayride.com
Oct 9 - Hollywood Cemetery Walking Tour. Guided walking tours at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. 310-659-3326; adsla.org

Oct 31 - Haute Dog Howl’oween Parade, Long Beach. Parade of more than 600 costumed dogs, games and contests. Livingston Park 562-439-3316; hautedogs.org or hawloween.info

HOLIDAY SINGERS!
Wednesdays, 3:00 - 3:30
Dian Andrews will once again offer free Holiday Singing sessions beginning Wednesday, October 20 All ages are encouraged to join. Meet in Core 1 Performance at Main Street Farmer's Market, Sunday, December 5 at 8:30am

220 SMASH PTSA memberships purchased so far.
If you haven't joined yet, here's why you should:
· Costs only $8 per membership.
· Each membership purchased gets you a copy of the SMASH Phone Book.
· Gets you more informed about what's going on at SMASH and districtwide.
· Leverages our volunteer power to benefit our kids and SMASH.
· Connect with other parents to share ideas and concerns.
· A strong PTSA improves our school's reputation in the community.
To join, fill out the white PTSA envelope that came in your child’s first day packet, or pick
up an envelope at the office. Insert a check for $8 per member, payable to SMASH PTSA.
Drop the envelope off at the office. Any questions, email Catherine Lerer (mother of Molly
McGee/Core 2 and Sadie McGee/Core 1) at clerer@mcgeelerer.com.
Sincerely,
Catherine Lerer,PTSA Membership V.P.

Daniel McGee, PTSA President

Jessica Rishe, Principal

Greetings from the Muir/SMASH Library/Media Center
Throughout the year students will visit the library to check out books both for free reading and for research reports.Please help your child to return books on time.Students who do not return their books may not check out new ones until they are returned.Library books should not be kept for more than two weeks, and lost or damaged books must be paid for promptly.
Stop by anytime to see our beautiful library.Thanks for your support!
Claire Miller and Suzanne Moscoso, Library Coordinators

Come hear your Santa Monica City Council, and
SMMUSD Board of Education candidates participate in the
2010 Squirm Night!
This is not your usual candidate forum.
Squirm Night is the best attended and most engaging forum in town.No talking points allowed!
Difficult questions from the Santa Monica Daily Press editorial board and from the community at large will be presented, as well as questions from the audience.
Light snacks will be served before and during the event outside of the auditorium.
Squirm Night 2010 Guide
Who: Santa Monica Daily Press & OPA
What: Squirm Night 2010: A candidate forum and discussion on Measures Y and YY
When: Oct. 4, 2010
5:30 p.m. - Doors open
6 p.m. – Board of Education Candidates
7-7:30 p.m. – Panel discussion and debate on Measures Y and YY (Proposal to increase city sales tax)
7:35-8:35 p.m. – City Council Candidates (2-year term)
8:35-10 p.m. – City Council Candidates (4-year term)
Where: MLK Auditorium at the Santa Monica Public Library. 601 Santa Monica Blvd.
Why: You should be informed before you vote
Sponsors: Ocean Park Association, North of Montana Association, Mid City Neighbors, Pico
Neighborhood Association, Friends of Sunset Park.
Open to the public.
For more information, call the Santa Monica Daily Press at (310) 458-7737

Join us at a Muir/SMASH
Pre-Election Day Coffee
Friday, October 8
8:15 a.m. To 9:00 a.m .
in front of school
REGISTER TO VOTE!
Learn more about Props Y & YY
on the November 2nd ballot.
Prop Y could generate an estimated $12 million each year
for the City of Santa Monica.
Prop YY is an advisory measure, directing that 50% of that
revenue be spent on local public schools and afterschool programs.

Calling All Cheerleaders!
If you would like to be a SMASHing cheerleader, and you are in grades 4 th-8th
then grab your pom poms and come sign up to be on the cheerleading squad! Sign ups will be held at the lunch benches right at the entrance to the big yard. Hurry! Space is limited to 16.
Classes will be taught by Charmine Johnson, Shaneé Campbell and Malaik a Boyer
Questions? Contact Charmine at carevillage@sbc.global
Sign ups will be held on Friday October-8-2010 at 1:30

SMASH/JOHN MUIR

HALLOWEEN PARTY

Friday, October 29, 2010
1:30PM to 3:30PM
Free family fun!
To volunteer, contact
Helen at 310-279-3671 or helenhkim2002@yahoo.com
Helga at 310-828-8421 or helgaschier@verizon.net

ptsa news
president’s message
Dear SMASHing Parents,
Those of you who attended the Core Forums over the past two weeks heard the SMASH PTSA
presentations and heard me discuss the SMASH culture of social responsibility, community involvement and volunteering. This month, leading up to the election on November 2, 2010, is extremely important to all Californians and especially parents of children in our school district. Not only will we be going to the polls to vote for legislators in Congress and the California State Legislature, but there are many other positions to be decided at both our state and local levels.

In addition to a tightly contested governor’s race between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman, we will be voting to decide many other races and propositions that will directly impact your family and your children’s education. Those of importance include the contests for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, SMMUSD School Board, Santa Monica City Counsel and Propositions Y & YY.

A recent informal crosscheck of Los Angeles County voter roles with the list of SMMUSD parents revealed that only about 60% of Santa Monica parents of school children are registered to vote in Santa Monica. While I believe that the vast number of SMASH parents are registered to vote and regularly participate in our election and political process, it is very important that we set an example for our children to become informed about the issues and candidates in the upcoming election and we do our part to make a difference by voting.

Over the next few weeks there will be numerous opportunities for everyone to get more informed about the issues and candidates and I ask every SMASH family to discuss the upcoming election with each other and participate in our political process.
Thanks,
Dan McGee

prop Y & YY phone bank
SMASH parents are asked to join the Prop. Y & YY phone bank on Sunday, October 10, 2010, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 pm. If you can only come for a few minutes or an hour or two, please REMEMBER the more calls we make, the better chance we have of passing Y & YY. Who better to call than a parent calling another parent. Campaign headquarters are located at 3000 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite 3005, 310-562-6003.

To sign up to volunteer, email Helga Schier at helgaschier@verizon.net or Dan McGee at
dmcgee@mcgeelerer.com. It’s easy. They give you a script to follow.

ptsa annual family investment drive
The SMASH Annual Family Investment Drive continues moving forward. Many families are making the SMASH PSTA suggested investment of $575 per student. We are looking for 100% participation and we hope that everyone can make a commitment for something. Please make a commitment for whatever amount your family can afford. Donations can be made by check, Paypal or credit card. Annual Family Investment (AFI) envelopes are available in the office. Even if you cannot make an investment at this time, we request that everyone make a commitment and let us know when you can make a payment or if your Annual Family
Investment needs to be paid in installments. Your investment helps pay for classroom teaching assistants, reading and math specialists, the SMASH fine arts program, science equipment, technology upgrades, professional development and so much more. Please make your tax deductible contribution or commitment by October 1, 2010. If you have any questions, contact Marni Ayers Brady (marniayers@gmail.com) or Helga Schier (helgaschier@verizon.net)

SMASH business directory
· The deadline to place your ad in the SMASH Business Directory is today. If you need a little extra time, contact Catherine Lerer (clerer@mcgeelerer.com) to see if your ad can still be accommodated.
SMASH Rummage Sale/Car Wash
· Volunteers are needed for the SMASH Rummage Sale and Car Wash, which is scheduled for Saturday, October 23, 2010. On Friday, October 22nd, volunteers are needed to sort and display the sale items. Volunteers will be needed on Saturday during the sale and car wash. Please contact Jamee Tenzer (tenzer@lifeworks4coaching.com)

or Kelly Lance(kebolance@yahoo.com) to volunteer for the Rummage
Sale and John Zemke (zemkejohn@gmail.com) to help with the car wash.

SMASH bash
· Sign-ups to attend a SMASH Bash event will be October 8, 2010, 8:45 a.m. -1:30 p.m. at SMASH. So far we have 24 SMASH Bashes scheduled to take place. If you didn’t have a chance to experience a SMASH Bash last year, don’t miss out this year!
SMASHing meetings
· Our next PTSA meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 6 at 6:00 p.m. to be held at El Torito Mexican Restaurant, 3360 Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica. It will be both a PTSA meeting and a SMASH restaurant night for the entire SMASH family. El Torito has agreed to donate a portion of the sales to the SMASH PTSA. Please see the attached flyer, which you must bring to El Torito, to assure the SMASH PTSA receives a portion of the sales proceeds. Please plan to attend with the whole family.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 6:00 p.m., PTSA meeting and SMASH family restaurant night at El Torito Mexican Restaurant, 3360 Ocean Park Blvd.

Santa Monica- Malibu School Board Candidates Forums:
Come hear, meet and ask questions of all the Santa Monica-Malibu School Board Candidates.
Monday, Oct 4, 6:00-10:00pm - MLK Auditorium, Santa Monica Public Library,
601 Santa Monica Blvd
Wednesday, October 6, 7:00 to 8:30pm - SMMUSD office at 16th & Olympic Blvd
Friday, October 8, Pre-Elections Day Coffee, 8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., in front of school, Register to
Vote & learn more about Prop. Y & YY.
Sunday, October 10, 2010, SMASH Phone Banking at Yes on Y & YY headquarters, 5:30p.m. - 8:30 p.m. . To sign up to volunteer, email Helga Schier at helgaschier@verizon.net or Dan McGee at dmcgee@mcgeelerer.com

Saturday, October 23rd, SMASH Rummage Sale/Car Wash

Friday October 29th, SMASH/Muir Halloween Carnival, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Free family fun!

Viva La PTSA!!!!
SMASH NIGHT at El Torito
Kids eat for free!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
3360 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, 310 450-8665
25% of all food sales will go to SMASH
PTSA Meeting at 6:00 p.m.
Dinner fiesta for all of our SMASH amigos before, during, and after the meeting Join Us!

Tripping over toys?Fishing through kids clothing that no longer fits?
Wishing you had more room in your closets and drawers?
Why not take a few minutes this weekend - stash some goodies that you no longer need
and bring them to SMASH for the Rummage Sale?
Drop off donations
Friday, Oct. 22 8:15am – 4:00pm
Volunteer to help Anytime Friday or Saturday
Come to the Rummage Sale Saturday, Oct. 23 9:00am – 1:00pm
To help us organize, we would appreciate you using the following guidelines:
Please make sure all items are clean and in good condition
clothing: no holes or stains; no undergarments
electronics, bikes, etc.: tested; working condition
toys, games, puzzles: no missing or broken parts; please tape boxes closed
household items; excellent condition only, no over-used plastic ware
shoes:Please make sure there are two and tie them together if possible
baby items: no car seats or boosters and please only clean strollers & high chairs
Please do not mix items together (a blender, hat and board game in one box)Put similar
item together in a labeled bag or box (‘women’s shoes,’ ‘boys’ clothes,’‘kitchen,’ ‘dvds,’ etc.)
We also need clothing racks, tarps and plastic sheeting.
Please let Kelly or Jamee know if you can donate any of the above
Please call Jamee Tenzer 310/720-7363 or Kelly Lance at 310/463-5344

The Fun is Back!
SMASH BASH
A Series of Fundraising Parties and Events Throughout the School Year
Have Fun with Friends while Raising $$ for SMASH
HOW TO GET INVOLVED?
HOST A PARTY OR EVENT
· Sponsor a Backyard BBQ, Dinner Party, Moms Night Out, Kids Party, etc.
( Hosting Commitment Deadline is 09/29/10 - see contact info below)
· ALL costs are 100% tax deductible.
· SMASH friends will buy a “spot” to attend your event and everyone will have a blast!
· All proceeds go toward making SMASH flourish.
ATTEND A PARTY OR EVENT
· On October 1 you’ll receive a SMASH BASH Catalogue listing all 2010/2011
events.
· Come to the SMASH BASH Sign-Up Coffee on Friday, October 8 (at drop
off AND pick up) to buy “spots” to the events you want to attend
· First Come First Serve - so be sure to get there early!
For more information about Hosting or Attending a SMASH BASH event
contact Marni Ayers Brady: 310-460-8128 or marniayers@gmail.com

CORE 1 NEWS

Family Conferences are this UPCOMING WEEK – October 6, 7, and 8.
There will be 1:30 dismissal for all children on those days. Please sign-up for your appointment in the main office.
Conferences generally last 30 minutes each. Your child is expected to come to the Family Conference to share his/her experiences and thinking in Core 1. We would like to offer the last 10 minutes for adults-only. In order to do this, please consider arriving 10 minutes early to help supervise two or three children in the small yard. The more helpers we have, the better we can use our conference time. Please take a moment to prepare for your conference with your family. With your child, talk about all of the fun, positive things happening in Core 1, and talk about any concerns.

THEN, PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR FAMILY CONFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

(in this week’s Friday Folder) and return it to Core 1 by Tuesday, October 5.

CORE 1 PROJECTS:
Now that the children have spent a lot of time learning about the materials and routines in the
classroom, we will begin more investigative, open-ended, project-based learning in October.
Next week, Candis is gong to begin an investigation around WATER. The children will begin by
exploring water with different materials. Our exploration will inevitably reveal opportunities for
more focused exploration.
The Core 1 Water Study may present opportunities for getting wet. Please talk to your child about his/her comfort level in getting wet. Your child may need an extra set of clothes every week during this study. We will need your help keeping our young investigators comfortable at school. Also, please consider donating: funnels, turkey basters, or recycled clear plastic pumps such as those used to dispense liquid soap
Thank you for your support!!!
Chrysta, Candis, Graciela, Karin, and Jackie
Candis: cberens@smmusd.org

Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org

Graciela: gbarba-castro@smmusd.org

CORE 2 NEWS
The Conferences are coming, the Conferences are coming…
Fall Family Conferences are next week! If you haven’t signed up yet, please call or stop by the office. If you don’t see a time that works for you, talk to your child’s advisor to find a time that does. SMASH conferences are a community effort: this meeting allows us to share the SMASH/Core 2 Goals and work together with students and their families in the areas of citizenship, reading, writing, and math. We’ll also explain how we will be conferring throughout the year for individual goal setting, progress checks, assessments, and different ways of celebrating achievement. The students have been busy preparing for their contribution to the conferences. Please prepare for your contribution by taking a minute to fill out the Core 2 Fall Family Conference Survey and bring it with you to the conference.
Advisory News: This week our Leadership focus was on the “R” in CARES, Responsibility. We have been reading about, discussing, and practicing responsibility as individuals by being responsible for homework and getting to school and music on time, as partners by turning and talking during read alouds and sharing math thinking, as table teams by working together on class jobs and taking care of tables and nooks, and as a whole group by using time wisely and responding to/following signals and directions. Ask your child how and when they use their Responsibility in Core 2. HW: Make a list of responsibilities they have at
home—is it time to change, add to, or update their responsibilities?
Literacy: We continued to live our readerly and writerly lives in Core 2 this week. We hope students continue to lead readerly and writerly lives outside of school, as well.
***RW HW: All Core 2 students should be reading for at least 30 minutes at home each day
(independent reading, reading aloud to a family member, and listening to a read aloud all count).
***WW HW: Your child made a list of their chores. Share some of the practical ways you use
writing in your life—“to do” lists, shopping lists, emails, jotting down recipes, taking notes for work, etc.
Math: Our academic focus this week was on Math. In Advisory groups, the students created different ways to represent their birthday information and discussed how to solve this problem 62+198+39 and what it means to “show your work” or explain your thinking. Laura’s 3rd graders began working with the number 100. Tamara’s 4th graders continued exploring arrays, dimensions, factors, and multiples. You will notice family letters coming home with the Math HW packets from time to time—please keep those letters as a reference for discussing the homework from the unit with your child. Our HW Mantra is: start with what you know, do what you can, bring it in and ask for help. We never want homework to become a source of confusion or frustration for you or your child.
Media Center: No Media Center this week. Next week both advisory groups will have the opportunity to visit, return, and check out Media Center books. Children will be allowed to check out 2 books and bring them home. Ask your child to show you their Media Center books, so you can help your child be responsible for caring for them at home and returning them when they are due.
Science, Botany: thanks to Mike Bone, a former Core 2 parent, each child in our core received a small succulent (meaning: juicy) to be responsible for. Mike taught them how succulents propagate and how to care for their plants.
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, October 6, 7, 8 – 1:30 dismissal, Fall Conferences, sign up in the main office
Friday, October 15 – Crazy Hair Day sponsored by Student Council
Tuesday, October 19 – Picture Day, more info to come
Wednesday, October 20 – field trip to the Morgan Wixson Theater, 9:30 – 2:00 More information and
Permission Slip in next week’s letter
Have a great weekend!
Tamara, Laura, Jayme, Nadja, and Karin
Laura: lsherman@smmusd.org

Tamara: tmugalian@smmusd.org

Jayme: j.wold@smmusd.org

CORE 3 NEWS
Field Trip to Getty Center, Tuesday, Oct 5! Bus leaves at 8:30 sharp. Help your child get on that bus!

6th grade Math w/ Carrie: We continued our investigation of prime and composite numbers by looking deeper into factor pairs.We are working to understand what greatest common factors and least common multiples are.The students have homework due next Monday - Additional Practice #1-8.Please help remind them.
6th Grade Math w/ Erin: This week students continued to learn about mean, median, and mode. The students have
homework due next Thursdays - Pages 21 and 22.
5th grade Math Workshop with Genie: We began thinking about prime factorization and how that helps us understand numbers which helps with understanding how to operate with them especially with multiplication. Give your child a number and ask them to find all the factors and break them down into the prime numbers. We were also busy reflecting and setting goals for our upcoming family conferences.
Science w/ Carrie: We are taking a closer look at how the Periodic Table of the Elements is organized by looking at the individual atom formations of protons, neutrons, and electrons.We started working on "Atom Trading Cards" and will use them to help us see how the entire table works.Students have homework to complete Steps 1 and 2 of the "Periodic Table Basics".This is due on Monday. "We learned a new song called, The Atoms Family.See if your child can sing it to you!"
Theme w/ Carrie: We added a new component to our investigation of Building this week by starting to create floor plans for our own model homes.During this unit, students will become "apprentice architects". They will use geometry and measurement to design and construct a model home and estimate the cost of building an actual-size version.We know many of you (parents, family members, and family friends) are involved in the world of building
and design and we hope you will be able to come and share your expertise with us.Please let us know if you are interested and available!
Social Studies and Geography with Erin: On Wed, students worked to complete their Biopoems. Thurs, we thought more about identity - this time introducing the idea of what other think of us, not just what we think of ourselves. Students drew and wrote storyboards as they listened to a read aloud from The Bear That Wasn't. The story describes
the life of a bear who is told what he is (or is not) by others. Afterward, students were asked to make two separate identity charts for the bear - one about what the bear thinks of himself and one with details about what others think of the bear. On Fri we talked more about how people label others and why this can be hurtful and confusing. The students have Soc. Studies homework due next Thurs. This week in geography students started the hour by working
with a "map scrap" in small groups. Students had to identify the place they were looking at and answer questions in groups. Later, students had a chance to look at and appreciate each others amazing world maps that were created last week. Please come and take a look at them when you have the chance.
Reading and Writing Workshop with Genie: We have been setting goals for our reading lives and many have set goals to read a lot and to read daily. What an incredible reading community we have! Please help your child have books they want to read, space to read them in, and time to read. This is important homework! As writers, we have been furiously finishing drafts, revising, editing, using a mentor text, and a rubric to help guide us in our personal
narratives. Check your child's writing to see if they use capital letters conventionally. Please join us Mon. for our writing celebration and bring your own personal narrative writing piece if you had the chance to write it.

Monday, 10/4: Personal Narrative Writing Celebration—Parents welcome! Orange 1:05-2:00 and Blue 2:00-2:50 in room 490.
Tuesday, 10/5: Trip to the Getty Center for an Architecture Tour—if you are interested in chaperoning, please email us. (Field trip slips will go out on Oct 1 and we are asking for $7.00 donation to pay for the bus.)
Wed. 10/6, Thurs. 10/7, Fri. 10/8: Fall Family Conferences. Sign-ups are in the office. You can sign up with any teacher for the student led conference.
Art supplies REALLY needed (Thanks for all that donated furniture catalogs):
~card board (at least 2'x2') any square or rectangle shape to be used for the base for our stage diagrams
Genie: ghwang@smmusd.org

Carrie: cferguson@smmusd.org

Erin: dodgers44@hotmail.com

CORE 4 NEWS
Parent Partners,
I left the Core 4 Forum feeling very fortunate to work within this extended family of friends whose shared purpose is the raising of fine young people. We spent time discussing the methods of our social curriculum, explained the teaching assignments for this year, and enjoyed an introduction to the middle school’s web-site. Darwin’s work on this site should enhance communication, provide visual back-up to discussions, and give parents increased means of holding our young adolescents to their commitments.
Speaking of amazing, our trips to the Skirball were a creative constructivist’s dream. Our entire Core created a three dimensional landscape in the Getty gallery along with the allied social contracts, organizational structures, governmental entities. Working alongside our students to perform these tasks, as vibrant music pulsed through the space, was great fun even as we engaged serious themes and topics. You may visit the gallery on Sunday to view the work and your child has a free pass for the family. I urge you to take this opportunity.
Weekly Learning Reports (WLRs = Old Progress Reports) and checks upon Daily Pages (DPs) begin next week! Be sure to review these routines and discuss the WLRs with your learner. The intention is to develop a three way learning conversation that goes into the details of what is happening here at school. If a parent follows through on the practice of weekly questioning, you will be providing strong support to your child and our shared efforts.

Thanks for the gift of working with your children. They are bright gems emerging from an ocean of adolescent impulsivity and distraction. Do drop around. We would love to see you often!

Darwin and Kurt
Kurt: kholland@smmusd.org

Darwin: dmendinueto@smmusd.org