We are less than 3 weeks away from the Santa Monica 5000! We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to learn about this race and contribute in any way they can. SMASH community, parents, students and staff, we have the opportunity to raise money that will go directly to support SMASH P.E.
There are two simple steps:
1. People who want to run or walk in the race can sign up on www.runforschools.org
For every registration fee, $15 is shared: $7.50 will go toward SMASH P.E. and $7.50 goes to the Education’s new Athletic Endowment.
That means that if we had 100 people sign up for the race and designate SMASH P.E., $750 would go to SMASH P.E. from registration fees alone.
2. People have the option of donating directly to SMASH P.E.’s donation page. Here is SMASH P.E.’s link: http://www.active.com/donate/santamonica5000/SMASHPE
You can use it to donate directly to SMASH P.E., OR if you’re participating in the race, you can send it out to everyone you know and get them to donate money on SMASH P.E.’s behalf. It’s that easy.This is a nice connection to our nutrition/fitness community-wide goals. Hope you are able to participate.
Jessica
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DATES TO REMEMBER
Sat, Sept 17: 9am-noon - Heal The Bay Coastal Cleanup Day, Lifeguard tower #27
Sat, Sept 17: 11am-4pm - Celebration of Live. Senior & Family Arts Festival; 1450 Ocean Ave
Mon, Sept 19: 6:00pm - Core 4 Forum –PLEASE NOTE THIS NEW DATE
Wed, Sept 21: 6:00pm - Core 3 Forum - Childcare Available
Fri, Sept 23 - Deadline for School Directory Designs
Fri - Sun, Sept 23-25: 2:00pm - SMASH Camping Trip (reservation sheets available in the office)
Thurs, Sept 29 - Admissions Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
8th Grade Camp Hess-Kramer trip has been rescheduled to October 24-26
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SAVE THE DATE: SMASH Rummage Sale - Saturday, October 22
The SMASH Rummage Sale is around the corner.. please start collecting your gently used items and plan to drop them off between 8:15am and 10am on Friday, October 21. Also, we need large boxes so that we can sort clothing for the sale. If you have any large boxes that you can donate, please contact Jamee at jameetenzer@gmail.com or Kelly at kebolance@yahoo.com.
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SMASH School Directory 2011-12 Designs
Any student who wants to submit a design on a 1/2 sheet of paper, needs to turn it into the front office by the end of the school day Friday, September 23. Advisories will be voting on finalists Monday, September 26.
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THINGS TO DO
Heal the Bay Cleanup Day
Saturday, September 17 at Lifeguard Tower #27
For info, registration and waiver, go thttp://sites.healthebay.org/volunteer/ccd/2011/participate.asp
• All children under the age of 18 must have a signed waiver before joining in the clean-up.
• All minors under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
• All toddlers and babies must be with their parent at all times.
Belinda Waymouth (core 1’s Fionnula Johannsen’s mom) will be at tower #27 to help you get started.
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Tuesday Sept 27 at 6:30 pm - Royal Reading with Queen Laura of Dramagination, Ocean Park Branch Library (Ocean Park & Main) 310-458-8633. Bedtime fairy tales, pretending w/magic wands and lots of fun. Free
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GOOD FOOD FESTIVAL
Santa Monica Farmers Market’s 30th Anniversary
Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18
10:00am – 6:00pm — Santa Monica High School
$10 admission includes Grow Your Own!, Chefs at Play, Good Food for Thought Speaker Series, and Preserve It!
Two days featuring exhibits with family farmers and artisanal food producers.
Watch demos from LA’s best chefs.
• Eat street food from vendors that source from the Santa Monica farmers market.
• Hear national and local Good Food for Thought leaders
• Browse food-focused bookstore with author signings.
• See Rediscovered Gems: WPA Agricultural Art.
• Watch workshops on gardening and urban home-steading
• Enjoy music, great people, and the beautiful campus of Santa Monica High School.
For tickets and schedule of events go to: http://goodfoodfestivals.eventbrite.com/
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Shortboard Revolution & Surf Design 1967-1984 at the California Heritage Museum -Ocean Park & Main
For some, the surfboard is not only a piece of athletic equipment but an art object. This exhibit was curated by Nathan Pratt, surfer, shaper of boards, and one of the original “Z Boys” of the 1970’s skateboarding fame. Several of Pratt’s creations are on display as well as other surfboards from Zephry/Horizons, formerly located on Main Street. There is a second exhibit at the Heritage, “Aloha Spirit,” wehre you can see furniture and artifacts influenced by Hawaiian cultureincluding some hula dancer lamps. California Heritage Museum, 2612 Main St; 310-392-8537
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SANTA MONICA CITYWIDE YARD SALE
Saturday, September 24 8am-1pm
If you register by 9-16, you will be posted online and published in the Santa Monica Daily Press. For more info and to register online, go to
http://www.smgov.net/Departments/PublicWorks/ContentRecycling.aspx?id=16908
Remember to bring all the good stuff that didn’t sell to the SMASH Rummage sale on October 22!!
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4th Annual Senior & Family Arts Festival Celebration of Life - FREE
Saturday, September 17 - 11:00am to 4:00pm
1450 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica
A Day of Music, Dance & Art
www.smgov.net/seniors or www. seniorartsfoundation.org
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VOLUNTEER GARDENERS NEEDED
Our wonderful SMASH gardener, Holly Wright (Rhu and Joe’s mom) will not be able to work in the garden this year. We want to give a huge shout out to Holly for all the work she has done for the past few years! We are looking for parent volunteers to work along with some of John Muir’s parents (and kids from both schools) to keep our gardens going. If you are interested, please contact Holly at hollyjessicawright@gmail.com or at 310-428-4033.
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ptsa news
president’s message
Dear SMASHing Parents,
I would like to thank all parents who attended the Core 1 & 2 forums this week. It was a great start to the new school year. Not only did we get to meet new SMASH parents and reconnect with friends, it was great to hear from Candis, Chrysta, Graciela, Laura, Jayme and Tamara about the plans for the new school year in Cores 1 & 2. Next week, we will have the Cores 3 & 4 forums and we look forward to seeing another good turn-out.
We had our first PTSA meeting of the 2011-2012 school year on Wednesday morning and it was well attended. It was great to see so many parents involved and interested in contributing their time and effort to the school.
Next weekend we have the SMASH camping trip, at Camp Josepho in Pacific Palisades, just a short distance away from Santa Monica. For those who did not make the camping trip last year, it was great experience for the SMASH community. Because Camp Josepho is conveniently located, it allowed those kids committed to Saturday activities like soccer to go to their games and get back to the camping trip. There will be hikes, campfire activities, archery and plenty of bonding for both kids and adults. If you missed the trip last year, please consider attending this year. Even if you are not interested in camping in a tent or cabin, consider going just for the day, to participate in activities and be a part of this fun community building event.
Thanks, Dan McGee
ptsa annual family investment drive
• Public school is free – a great education is not. Hence the SMASH Annual Family Investment Drive is the single most important fundraiser of the year. Your contribution pays 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, 2011. We suggest an investment of $575/student, but no amount is too much or too little. We are aiming for 100% participation, so give what you can and give as soon as possible. Please check your first day packet for our Annual Family Investment Letter, the form and envelope. If you have any questions, contact Marni Ayers Brady (marniayers@gmail.com) or Helga Schier (helgaschier@verizon.net).
ptsa membership
• Don’t forget to turn in your completed PTSA membership envelope and check ($8 per membership, payable to SMASH PTSA). Membership buys you the invaluable SMASH Directory, which is your portal to the SMASH community.
SMASH camping/cabin trip
• If you have not signed-up for the SMASH camping trip on September 23rd, 24th & 25th at Camp Josepho in Pacific Palisades and are still interested in Hiking, Campfire Activities, S’mores and more with the SMASH community, please contact Elizabeth Kramer, elizabethrita@gmail.com, (310) 433-5612
SMASHbash Sign-up
• Please calendar Friday October 7, 2011, to sign-up for a SMASHbash for the 2011-2012 school. As most of you know, a SMASHbash is a party, event or activity hosted by a SMASH family or group of families. Each SMASHbash has a limited number of people who can attend. The cost of the event is donated by the sponsoring SMASH family (or families) and participants pay a small fee to attend the event. SMASHbash has become a major fundraiser for the SMASH PTSA. SMASHbashes are a total blast to attend and a great way to bond with our community. Don’t miss out on your chance to participate.
SMASHing meetings
• Our next PTSA meeting of the new school year is on Wednesday October 12, at 6:00 p.m. PTSA meetings are held once a month and alternate each month between morning and evening meetings to accommodate all schedules. We need your voice, your support, and your involvement. Look for flyers posted around campus announcing the location. Be there!
• Heal the Bay’s Annual Coastal Clean Up Day:_Sat., 9/17 9am -noon. This is California’s biggest annual environmental day of action. It is a great opportunity for the whole family. If you any questions please contact Core 1 mom, Belinda Weymouth, who will be at Lifeguard Stand #27, for whoever wants to come on down.
• Santa Monica Citywide Yard Sale: Sat., 9/24 8am-1pm. Hold your own yard sale and be listed in a community yard sale directory. If you register by 9/16, your sale will be posted online, published in the SM Daily Press), and printed copies can be found at City Hall and the R3 office at the City Yards. Shoppers will be able to search online for sales by street, neighborhood, multi-family sales, sale category, and "notable" items identified by sellers. For more info and to register online, go to http://www.smgov.net/Departments/PublicWorks/ContentRecycling.aspx?id=16908
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JOIN SMASH PTSA
Parent Teacher Student Association
Have you joined the SMASH PTSA yet? Complete the white PTSA membership envelope that came home with your child in the First Day Packet. Drop the completed envelope and check (payable to SMASH PTSA) at the office. Extra envelopes are there too.
It costs only $8 per membership to join. We recommend that you purchase a membership for every member of your family. 4 family members --> 4 memberships --> 4 SMASH Phone Books --> $32.
Don’t be afraid that if you become a member, something will be expected of you. While we welcome anyone who wants to volunteer or come to meetings, we don't require our members to volunteer or attend meetings. Your membership simply shows that you support what we are doing for the teachers, the kids and the school. The extent of your commitment to us is your $8 dues. When you join, WE make a commitment to YOU.
And if you do want to get more involved, awesome! Baby steps are fine. You’re welcome to come to one of our monthly meetings and just listen. Get to know who’s working on what. Maybe find something you’re interested in and get involved. Your involvement in PTSA will build skills in leadership, communication and advocacy.
Any questions, email Snow Lam-Hansen (mother of Kim and Tia Hansen/Core 1) at snowwht@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Snow Lam-Hansen
PTSA Membership V.P.
Daniel McGee
PTSA President
Jessica Rish
Principal
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IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM NURSE SANDY
All students 7th though 12th grade have until September 30 to turn in proof of their Tdap booster immunization (whooping cough and tetanus vaccine). This is NOT a new vaccine, most children have had it - the state is requiring a booster because California is experiencing an increase in whooping cough).
If you want to sign a waiver it can be done by coming by the office before September 30.
This is a new waiver specific to this immunization - prior waivers do not apply.
Students without proof of immunization or waiver will be excluded from school as of September 30, 2011
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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 & Suzanne, Library Coordinators
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SMASH PTSA Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 8:30 am
Welcome
Dan McGee opened the meeting at 8:35 am.
There were no minutes to approve as this was the first meeting of the year.
Attendance
See attached attendance sheet.
Principal Report (Jessica Rishe)
SMASH has a community wide goal of better nutrition this year. We launched a new program, “Play First”, this year where the 2nd – 8th graders are playing on the yard at the beginning of lunch. The yard is then closed at the end of lunch for eating.
The staff has noticed children sitting, eating and socializing. Less trash has been observed at the lunch benches and no trash on the yard. Yard conflicts have been resolved at this time before going back to class.
Bake Sales have been reduced to only Friday which we alternate with John Muir and health choices are being discussed.
There is a new menu at the ala carte window of the cafeteria with some healthy choices. John Muir has a plan to reduce the number of candy grams they do throughout the year.
On Monday, August 29th ALL staff from John Muir and SMASH attended a 3 hour training together to talk about how to help children to feel empowered to step up and stop negative behaviors at school. What they can do when they see someone excluded or teased. They also came up with a plan to be in sync with appropriate redirecting language.
President Report (Dan McGee)
Faye Jarow is working on our annual audit. PTSA approved technology money at the end of last year and we will be getting
2 class sets of laptops plus an iPad for each core this year. Jamee Tenzer will take over as Financial Secretary.
Treasurer Report (Dave Sparling)
Our Taxes have been filed and our books are in order. Family Investment Donations have been coming in.
See attached treasurer report.
Fundraising, Family Investment (Marni Ayres)
Our goal for Family Investment this year is for 100% participation. Please give what you can. This year monthly payments
can be set up automatically through PayPal. We will have an e-mail drive again this year to families that have not donated.
Fundraising, SMASH Bash (Marni Ayres)
We have many parties already lined up. If you have an idea or a great location Marni can team you up with another family.
Sign Ups will be on the small yard October 7th before and after school. First come, first served.
Fundraising, Rummage Sale (Jamee Tenzer)
We will be accepting donations on Friday, October 21st of gently used items to raise money for our school. We need volunteers
to put up posters, sort and help with the bake sale. Contact Jamee Tenzer jamee@jameetenzer.com .
Fundraising, Super SMASH (Dan McGee)
Dan plans to take over Super SMASH next year when he passes on PTSA president. He will help this year to learn the ropes
from Helga. We need many volunteers to head different areas.
Halloween Carnival (Helga Schier)
We need a Halloween Carnival Chair ASAP. Helga has 8th graders and won’t be here next year.
Bike Club (Gabriel Schier and Diego Marvel)
SMASH will participate in “Bike it Day” on Wed, Oct 5. The Bike Club will be giving training sessions to students.
Camping Trip (Elizabeth Kramer)
Our SMASH Camping / Cabin trip will be September 23, 24, 25. We have about 20 families already signed up split evenly
between tents and cabins, representing all cores of our school. Checks are due Friday, Sept 16, after this date only cash will
be accepted with sign ups. Elizabeth will coordinate with Dave Sparling for a check to pay the camp.
Yearbook (Elizabeth Kramer)
Nina Fresco will co-chair the yearbook committee with Elizabeth this year. They plan to get the core 3 and core 4 students
involved in creating their collage pages. They also plan to have the pages created just after the events they are representing.
Nina suggested that Photoshop may not be the best layout program to use and if we could get Creative Suite for the new laptops
it would include a better program to use for the 8th graders to create their yearbook pages. Due to discounts and grants
there may be extra money in the PTSA technology budget. Jessica Rishe will investigate this.
Volunteer Signups (Andrea Kahn)
This year volunteer signups will be on-line. Grace Akazawa and Andrea have created a Google doc survey that will be emailed.
This will eliminate hours of compiling work and is designed to be easier to fill out. Jessica will send it out today.
Meeting Adjourned 10:40 am
Next PTSA Meeting will be Wednesday, October 20 at 6 pm.
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SMASH BIKE Club News
2nd SMASH/John Muir Bike It Day
October 5, 2011
In preparation, get your
Helmets, handle bar grips and other accessories
at the Bike Club sales table
near the SMASH main gate on these dates
Tuesday, 9/13 5:45PM (Core 1 Forum)
Wednesday, 9/14 5:45PM (Core 2 Forum)
Monday, 9/19 5:45PM (Core 4 Forum)
Wednesday 9/21 5:45 PM (Core 3 Forum)
Don’t miss the Sustainable Streets
Bike Training Sessions
Saturday, 9/17, 10AM to 12:30AM at JAMS
Saturday, 9/24 10AM to 12:30PM at Lincoln
Questions? Contact Gabriel Schier at gbsicebat@gmail.com or 310-779-3165
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CORE 1 NEWS
Dear Core 1 Families,
Our Friday Letter is our weekly form of communication. Thank you for reading it and for referring to it for
important information.
Core 1 Forum: Thank you to the many families who participated in our forum last Tuesday. We appreciate
that you took time from your busy lives to prepare for this school year. You exchanged information about
your children, you thought about your child’s development, you heard a description of your child’s day, you
asked questions about this year, and you were asked to save the dates for Fall Conferences. If any questions
come up for you, please contact your child’s workshop teacher. If you are interested in volunteering regularly
or if you are interested in volunteering for a special project, we will have a meeting on the week of October
10th.
School Attendance: Schools across the district, including SMASH, have a new system of taking attendance
online. We are taking attendance at the door as your child enters his or her workshop room. If your child
arrives at school after the class has entered the room, please walk your child to the main office to be sure that
your child is not marked absent. Janice or Wende will give your child a late slip to take to the teacher that
indicates that the attendance was updated.
Visual Arts: Our visual arts program has taken off. The children meet in their circle groups to work with
Candis, Chrysta, Graciela, and Julianna, our wonderful artist in residence. Because we have four teachers at
this time, we have formed a fourth group for art called the Mountain Group. The children have embarked on
a process to make meaning of portraits. They are using photography, line drawing, painting, and sculpture in
their exploration. Our art lessons are on Wednesday morning during our project time. A great question to
ask your child on Wednesday afternoon would be, “What materials and tools did you use to create art today?”
Birthday Bash: If your child has a birthday in the months of August or September, please sign up to bring a
birthday snack. The sign ups are on a clipboard outside of Candis’ room. We request that the snacks be
peanut-free. The snacks will be shared by 75 children, and they will be offered with your child’s lunch. Our
birthday bash will be on Friday, September 23rd. We will gather in Candis’ Room (The Magic Garden) at
11:45. Family and Friends are welcome.
Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible.
No one can do more.
Loris Malaguzzi
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!
Candis, Chrysta, Graciela, Jackie, and Nadja
Candis:cberens@smmusd.org
Chrysta:cwyse@smmusd.org
Graciela:gbarba-castro@smmsud.org
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CORE 2 NEWS
Friday, September 16, 2011
Announcement s
• Collection Sharing: next week the children will be sharing a personal collection. We would like
everybody to bring in a small sampling of one of their collections by Thursday. It needs to be able to go in their cubbie.
• Conferences begin on Monday, October 3 and end Friday, October 7. Sign up sheets will be available in
the Main Office.
• Music ‘N Motion Dance program for the 3rd graders begins Monday, September 19 and continues for a
total of 5 weeks. It will be instead of their PE on these Mondays.
• Tamara’s group visited the Media Center this week. Laura’s will go next week. Children will be
allowed to check out 2 books and bring them home. Help them be responsible for their books.
• Thursday/Friday, October 13 & 14 Camp Josepho Trip. More info as it becomes available.
•
• Come see the Core 2 “Hopes and Dreams” dioramas that will be exhibited at the Senior Arts Festival:
A Celebration of Life to be held on Saturday, September 17 from 11:00- 4:00pm at the Senior Recreation Center on Ocean Ave & Palisades Park.
Dates to Remember:
Saturday, September 17 – Art Share, see above information
Monday, September 19 – beginning of dance for the 3rd graders for 5 weeks, 8:35
-- bring in personal collections
Thursday, September 29 – Admissions Day Observed, no school
Week of Oct 3 – 7 –Core 2 Fall Conferences, 1:30 dismissal Wednesday-Thursday-Friday
Wednesday, October 5 –Bike it Day
Thursday/Friday, October 13 & 14 Camp Josepho Trip
Friday, October 14 – Core 2 Bake Sale
Tuesday, October 18 – Picture Day
Friday, October 28 – Halloween Carnival, 1:30 – 3:30
Wish list:
Kitchen timer, digital cameras (they can be gently used)
Laura: lsherman@smmusd.org
Tamara: tmugalian@smmusd.org
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EXTRA NEWS FOR CORES 3 & 4
Core Forums
Core 4: Monday, Sept 19 6:00-7:30pm
Core 3: Wednesday, Sept 21 6:00-7:30pm
Join the SMASH Site Council as the 3 Student Representatives!
Are you available 7 Wednesday evenings this year from 5-6pm to help determine where we spend our
Site Council monies and show how we are or are not reaching our school goals?
If you are interested and available,
please let Jessica know in person or at jrishe@smmusd.org.
Join Upper School Student Council (Core 3 & Core 4)!
*Plan 2 Upper School Dances for Core 3 and Core 4 students ONLY…
theme, music, food, decorations!
Raise money for your trips to Astrocamp, Catalina, Yosemite, and Hess Kramer.
*Write, edit, and publish a SMASH newspaper!
Articles about your interests, interviews, photos, even comics, we’ll have it all!
*Make Student Council about YOU and YOUR school—community service, fundraising,
whatever YOU want!
Please talk to Jayme or Tamara if you are interested!
First meeting: Wednesday, September 21 at lunch in Tamara’s Room.
TRIPS:
5th GRADE ASTRO CAMP: Wed-Fri, February 22-24
6TH GRADE CATALINA: Mon-Wed, October 10-12
7TH GRADE YOSEMITE: Sun-Fri, January 8-13
8TH GRADE CAMP HESS-KRAMER : OCTOBER 24-26
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CORE 3 NEWS
Thanks for using our website! Keep checking it for updates! https://sites.google.com/site/smashcore3/
6th grade parents! The Catalina trip is right around the corner and full payments are due! Malaika left
messages as reminders this week. Contact Genie or Kurt if you have questions.
D.A.R.E. STARTS NEXT FRIDAY AND WE NEED THOSE PERMISSION SLIPS! Students will be unable to
participate in the great opportunity unless they have turned in the form signed by you. Please let us know if you need a
new form.
6th Grade Math with Carrie: We expanded our study of factors by moving into products. We learned a new game -
"The Product Game" and honed our skills at identifying factors and products as well as challenging ourselves strategically.
6th Grade Math with Erin "Data About Us": We continued our exploration of data and graphing. Students learned
about (or in some cases reviewed) the ideas of median, mode, and range. Students spent time figuring out the mode, median, and range of given graphs and then had to create their own graphs given a certain mode, median, and range. See if you can complete this challenge with your child: Create a graph of 18 students' names lengths. The mode is 13 letters,
the range is from 8 - 18, and the median is 14. How many different graphs could there be?
5th grade Math Workshop with Genie: We have been busy looking at factors and finding all the prime factors of a
number. Also, we are exploring if we know all the factors of 21, then that can help us with finding the factors of 210
and finding all the factors of 2,100. We continue to look at different large number multiplication strategies and exploring
numbers through more complex number puzzles.
Science with Carrie: This week we did a check-in about the sun and its properties and began our exploration of the
Solar System. We created scale models of the solar system and learned that most of the planets are REALLY TINY
compared to the sun and they are really far from the sun. Ask your child to share what they learned with you! Next
week we will start our group project where we will become experts about different planets. The specifics of the project
will be on our Core 3 website along with some great websites they can visit and actually see the planets close up. Check
them out - they are really pretty cool!
6th Grade Quick Science Challenge opportunity: Our 6th graders have an opportunity to participate in the Quick
Science team challenge. A few Core 4 students came and talked with us about it this week and interested students
should write them a letter (DUE MONDAY at the end of the day) stating why they want to be part of it. The details for
the letter are on the Core 3 website and here is a link to the Quick Science challenge so you can see details about the
project: http://www.usc.edu/org/cosee-west/quikscience/QuikScienceChallenge.html
Social Studies and Geography with Erin: We continued our exploration of our frames of reference. Why do we each
think the way we think? Can you really ever know what another's life is like even if you "walk a mile" in their shoes? In
Geography we began work on our whole-class world wall map. Students are familiarizing themselves with the different
countries around the world as they work to get the map up on the wall.
Reading and Writing Workshop with Genie: Reading Workshop is only a few times a week so please make sure your
child is reading every day in the same book. Volume is important. You can ask them about supporting characters in
their book and how they help create stability and change for the main character.
Art: We used the very cool new tool, compressed charcoal as we continued our lessons on drawing with Juliana. Our
website has great photos of our models holding still for our artists as we looked at the contour lines.
Homework:
6G math: Assignment #7 due 9/19 (p. 15 is required, p. 4 is extra credit). I will post them on the Core 3 website in case anyone is missing their copy. There are also extras in class in a folder by the supplies in Carrie/Erin's room.
5G math: packet #3. Due 9/23/11. Learn multiplication combinations! And practice addition facts, too!
RW: read every day for 30-40 minutes (around 100 pages a week) Ask your child if they have logged in a book yet on
their yellow log in card.
WW: work on drafts (finish or close to being finished)
Genie: ghwang@smmusd.org
Carrie: cferguson@smmusd.org
Erin: ehaendel@smmusd.org
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CORE 4 NEWS
Darwin:
As you will have heard by now, everyone’s adored teacher, Darwin, is out for two weeks on bereavement leave. His father died suddenly and with no warning Tuesday morning. He is deeply committed to his teaching practice and our kids, but has family duties he must attend to under this life changing circumstance. Happily, we have Bailey (BFD) who in addition to her roles as a SMASHing thought leader, humanities instructor, and general inspiration was able to arrange her family’s life to allow her to join us full time for this period of leave. Many thanks to BFD and her family for their unending support for SMASH. She and I have crafted a plan that will allow us to find an educational silver lining on this sad event. Please let us know if your child needs any special care during this time as a result of this event.
Forum: Core four forum is coming up next week at 18:00 on Monday the 19th. Bailey and I will take you through the plans for the year, check in about the social curriculum, and answer questions of general interest. We start on time out of respect for everyone’s family commitments. If you are a parent of an 8th grader please allow extra time to check-in with Jessica and Kurt after the general forum. We will be covering SMASH’s high school transition plan, graduation requirements, and helping to create a fine meshed safety net under these risk loving young adolescents.
Trip Info: It is time to complete the financial details about our upcoming trips to Hess Kramer and Yosemite. If you have an outstanding balance on one of these trips from April’s pre-payment period please consider giving us a check at forum. If that is not possible arrange to make those payments by Oct 7th. This is our 90 day cut-off for paying vendors and after this point or we will not be able to hold a spot for your child. Partial scholarships may be available and we shall know once interested parties contact Kurt or Jessica.
Conferences Begin: I have started goal setting conferences already and if you are the parent of an 8th grader, I urge you to email me (Kurt) to schedule a goal setting conference in the next two weeks. Early conferences
are especially important if you are considering private high schools or feeling any anxiety over the transition to high school. The “normal” conference period begins Oct 4th and we will be reserving those for the parents of our current 7th graders. In essence, I am just allowing myself the extra time to understand your
child before we meet. To help with our conference process, I would like parents to perform two small tasks that are normally a lot of fun. First: write an essay about your child and your hopes and dreams for them. Please, keep this under ten thousand words. My second mini-homework for you is to answer the question: What is the most important thing my child should be doing now? This question is intentionally open
because what is most important may not be academic or even school related. Include it in the essay or separate it as you please. Thanks in advance for sharing this important information with me. Many past essays have been touching, inspirational, and fun to read; all will help me serve you and your child better. Have fun and
please drop around to see us!
Artist Kristy needs 4 flip cameras for the Core 4 drama program. If you have one to donate or loan to Core 4 student filmmakers, please bring it to the front office.
Monday, Sept 19, 6:00-7:30pm; Core 4 Forum: Please note this new date
8th Grade Camp Hess-Kramer trip has been rescheduled to October 24-26
