Smash Friday Letter

Monday, January 16 - Martin Luther King. Jr. Day - SCHOOL CLOSED
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Dear SMASHing Families,
In his 2010 essay, “Quality Education as a Civil Right,” Ernesto Cortes Jr. reminds us that “a good education is more than a civil right; it is the foundation necessary to sustain our democracy and modern civilization.” Students and their families, through participation in the educational institution, must learn to question, interpret, and contextualize encounters in order to avoid being “prey to the demagogues of hate.” “Real understanding and insight require not just a grasp of what was said, but also its context—the person’s story, history, and experience. “ Thank you to Superintendent Sandy Lyon, Board Member Oscar de la Torre, Director Peggy Harris, our wonderful facilitators Maria, Ivan, Kim, and Lisa, and all the parents who joined together Wednesday night to participate in our SMASH/Muir Dialogue on Race, where we attentively listened to one another and hopefully built greater understanding of each person’s story and experiences.

I look forward to further visiting and storytelling as we join together on Wednesday, January 18, 6-7:30pm for the Multicultural Potluck. I will be sharing a specialty dish from my own Russian Jewish background and will enjoy the wonderful variety of nationality dishes you’ll be bringing. I truly appreciate the way SMASH is full of friendly conversationalist families who enjoy each other’s company, and I know what a great turnout we get at this event.

It is very dark around campus at night and in order to keep everyone safe and supervised, families need to follow these guidelines for the evening: Dinner and Visiting 6-7:30pm in the Cafeteria and Lunch Benches. Front office and lunch area bathrooms will be open. Lunch bench area is open to students who are with their adults. The yards and other areas of campus are closed. Parents, please remind your children to stay in designated areas.

Thank you in advance for following these guidelines to make this a delicious, fun, SAFE, interactive evening for all.
Jessica
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DATES TO REMEMBER
Mon, Jan 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr Day—SCHOOL CLOSED
Wed, Jan 18 - 6:00-7:30pm - Multicultural Potluck Dinner
Mon, Jan 23 - 9:00-10:30am - SMASH School Tour
Tues, Jan 24 - 6:00-9:00pm - Music Concert
Fri, Jan 27 - 8:45am - Yosemite Assembly - Auditorium
Fri, Jan 27 - Last day to submit Jog-a-Thon t-shirt design
Tues, Jan 31 - 6:30pm - Virginia Avenue Park - State of Our Schools
Wed, Feb 1 - 2:00-2:50pm - Camp Josepho sharing - in Core 2
Wed, Feb 1 - 5:00pm - Site Council
Thurs, Feb 3 - Last day to be a Jog-a-Thon T-shirt sponsor!
Wed, Feb 8 - 6:00pm - PTSA Meeting

SAVE THE DATE
Fri, Feb 10 - 6:00-8:00pm - SMASH Family Dance - details to come
Fri, Feb 17 - 8:30-9:30am - Parent Ed - Creating Upstanders: Anti-bullying efforts at SMASH/John Muir
Fri, Mar 9 - SMASH Jog-a-Thon. Sign up now to volunteer
Tue, Mar 13 - 6:00pm - SMASH Talent Show
Fri, Mar 16 - 9:15am - Astrocamp assembly
Fri, Mar 30 - Last day to apply for SMASH for September (ALL siblings MUST have their applications in)
Sat, May 19 - SuperSMASH. Sign up now to volunteer.
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Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2012 National Holiday “Weekend of Celebrations”
Presented by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Westside Coalition. Sponsored by City of Santa Monica, City TV-Santa Monica, The Santa Monica College Assoc, The Rand Corporation, Soka Gakkal International (SGI-USA) and Santa Monica College

Fri, Jan 13, 7:30-9:00am Westside Interfaith Prayer Breakfast $20/person; Calvary Baptist Church; 1502 20th St

Sat, Jan 14, 9am-noon - MLK Kidz Party - Free. Virginia Ave Park, Kidz Zone; 2200 Virginia Avenue

Sat, Jan 14, 1-6pm - MLK Westside Teen Unity—Peace In - Free. The Talking Stick Coffee Lounge; 1411 Lincoln Bl

Sun, Jan 15, 3:30pm - MLK Weekend Family Concert; Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra - Free. SGI-USA World Culture Ctr Auditorium; 525 Wilshire Blvd

Mon, Jan 16, 9:00am-Noon - 27th Annual Celebration Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday. SGI-USA World Culture Ctr Auditorium; 525 Wilshire Blvd.

For more info: 310-207-4500 or e-mail mlk_westside@verizon.net or on Facebook
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Santa Monica Family YMCA Open House
Saturday, January 14 - 9:00am-3:00pm
1332 6th Street 310-393-2721 www.ymcasm.org - Join the fun, take a tour, receive a Free 1-Week Guest Pass
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Pathways to Student Success Through the Arts
Importance of Creative Thinking, Emotional Intelligence and the Arts for Students in the 21st Century
Saturday, January 14
2:00pm - $10 per person/at the door
SOL-LA Music Academy; 1812 Stanford St, SM - info@sollamusicacademy.org
Violinist Robert Gupta is passionate about education and outreach, both as a musician and as an activist for mental health issues. Subjects covered will include benefits of music; inspiring student growth and practice; the role of the parent in music education; development of creative thinking, emotional well-being and imagination; preparing for the challenges of the 21st century.
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YWCA Girls Winter 2012
Basketball League - Girls ages 7 through 14
Saturdays: January 21-March 24.
Each age division plays each hour starting at 1pm and ending at 7pm. One week night practice.
Contact Hilton Brown, Athletic Director, 310-452-3881 x 125, hbrown@smyca.org, $99 per player
YWCA Santa Monica/Westside; 2019 14th St, Sign up: 310-452-3881; www.smywca.org or YWCA front desk
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Spring 2012 Santa Monica Swim Center
Priority for residents on-line February 1 at 6am. Registration Feb 1 - Feb 7 is online only. Non-residents online registration begins February 8 at 6am. An approved account is required for all on-line registration. Apply for an on-line account NOW at www.smgov.net/recenroll. Proof of residency is required for Santa Monica residents.
Santa Monica Residents - Proof of Residency Requirement: Depending on the program, residents may receive priority registration, reduced fees, financial assistance, or other benefits. In addition to a driver’s license or government issued picture ID, one of the following in the registrant’s name is required to verify residency: rental agreement, mortgage statement, current utility bill.
Mail-In and Drop-Off Registration: Beginning February 8. Drop off registration forms will be accepted at the Swim Center Monday through Friday, 5:30-8:00am and 3:00-7:00pm. Saturday and Sunday drop off 8:00am-5:00pm.
The Santa Monica Swim Center
2225 16th St; Santa Monica 90405
Phone: 310-458-8700; Fax: 310-450-5076
www.smgov.net/swim
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Reflective Parenting Workshop For parents of preschool and school aged children (3-9)
Tuesdays, February 7 - April 3: 7-8:30pm
This innovative 10-week workshop provides parents with a model, which views children’s behavior as meaningful. The group will focus on specific topics such as temperament, discipline, and emotional regulation as well as developing an understanding of the thoughs and feelings that underlie your interactions with your child.
Goals: To increase confidence in parenting; new ways to think about children’s behavior and effective interventions for difficult behavior.
Family Service of Santa Monica
1533 Euclid Street, Santa Monica
Fee: $200 individual/ $350 couple (sliding scale opportunities)
To register, or for more information contact: Annie Wilson, LCSW or Jennifer Chen Speckman at 310-451-9747
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EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS
Career conference for girls in grades 5-8. - Saturday, March 17
Mount St. Mary’s College, Doheny Campus; 10 Chester Place, Los Angeles
Space is limited to the first 200 students, so please register early!
Twenty-five women who work in math-and science-related careers will present hands-on workshops in fields such as veterinary medicine, civil engineering, theoretical physics, and chemistry.
For information & registration contact Dr. Eleanor Siebert at 310-954-4015 or www.ExpandingYourHorizonsLA.org
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GREEN LIVING WORKSHOPS
Save Money by Learning Solutions to Today’s Greatest Environmental Challenges
Upcoming Green Living Workshops
6-WEEK SERIES
Traditional action Oriented. Six 1.5 hour meetings
Wednesdays: Jan 18 - Feb 22. 7-8:30pm - Santa Monica Main Library
GLW 101
3 hour condensed version of the 6-week workshop. Sat, Feb 4; 10am-1pm. Center for Environmental & Urban Studies.
ENERGY WORKSHOP
LED Demonstration workshop covering energy issues.
Tuesday, Feb 28; 7-8:30pm. Santa Monica Main Library
Sign Up at Sustainableworks.eventbright.com
$50 for 6-week series - Free for Santa Monica residents (suggested $25 donation)
Sustainableworks.org 1744 Pearl Street, Santa Monica 310-458-8716 x 4
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7th Annual Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Distinct
STATE OF OUR SCHOOLS
Community Report
Superintendent Sandra Lyon and special guests present the latest information on:
· Student Achievement
· Educational Initiatives
· SMMUSD’s financial health
Monday, January 30 - 6:30-9:00pm
Malibu City Hall; 23835 Stuart Ranch Road, Malibu

Tuesday, January 31 - 6:30-9:00pm
Virginia Avenue Park, Thelma Terry Building
2200 Virginia Avenue, Santa Monica
For more information, e-mail: swahrenbrock@smmusd.org
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FREE COMPOST - SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 7am-2pm
City Yards at 2500 Michigan Avenue - residents may fill 5 large burlap sacks with compost
For information: 310-458-2223; www.smgov.net/r3
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Run for your lives! The SMASH
Jog-a-thon is coming Friday, March 9
Submit a t-shirt design by 1/27. Open to all students. Simply draw your design (black/ white or color) on an 8 ½ by 11 piece of white paper. Include your name on the back and turn it into the office by January 27.

Save the date. The Jog-a-thon takes place Friday, March 9. Come run with your child and/or cheer on the rest of the runners.

Volunteer. We need lots of volunteers to help with refreshments, donations, accounting, etc. both before and the day of the event.

Become a t-shirt sponsor by 2/3. T-shirt sponsors defray the cost of the t-shirts so that all students get a free Jog-a-thon shirt. Become a Corporate sponsor by donating $150, $200 or $250 or a SMASHing sponsor by donating $25, $50 or $100. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. As a token of appreciation for your generous support, your name will adorn the back of the shirt.*

Questions?
Contact Lillie Schlessinger – lillie.schlessinger@transamerica.com
or Darlene Flanders – dflanders@quixo.com

*Please use the form below for making t-shirt donations and return to the office with your
cash or check made payable to SMASH PTSA by no later than February 3.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sponsorship: Corporate ___ $250 ___$200 ___$150
SMASHing ___$100 ___$50 ___$25
Name (as you would like it to appear on the t-shirt):

_____________________________________________________________

Child’s name (so we know who you are!): ________________________________

Size preference for complimentary t-shirt: ___XXL ___XL ___L ___M ___S (All sizes are adult sizes since all students will already receive a complimentary t-shirt. If you specifically want your complimentary t-shirt to be a child’s size, please note this.)
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ptsa news
president’s message

Dear SMASHing Parents,

Now that winter break is behind us and we look forward to an outstanding new year, let’s get ready for the big events that will take place in 2012, including the Jog-a-thon, SuperSMASH and the Arts and Letters Sale.

Please note the Arts & Letters Sale will be rescheduled and the new date is still to be determined. The Jog-a-thon is set for March 9th, and our kids will soon start getting pledges for the laps they will run. In addition, there will be a new SMASH Jog-a-thon T-shirt, which will be designed by a SMASH student. The jog-a-thon is one of our major fundraisers of the school year and it is a great community building event. If you have not attended the SMASH Jog-a-thon, it is a morning school day event that is over by noon and requires parent volunteers to make sure it runs smoothly. Make plans now to attend.

This year SuperSMASH will be a couple of weeks earlier than last year, before Memorial Day on May 19. Though we are more than four months away, preparations are already underway. There are lots of opportunities to get involved. As many of you know, SuperSMASH is our biggest fundraiser of the year. This year will be the last year for Helga to help lead the effort and as always, we need everyone to participate to make this event a SMASHing success.

Are there any SMASH parents interested in getting involved in the new plan for centralized fundraising in our school district? If so consider attending a meeting of the SMMUSD Education Foundation. In light of the apparent revenue shortfall and proposed state budget cuts, we need SMASH voices to help make sure this new policy is a success.

Thanks,
Dan McGee

SMASH bash
If you have not been able to enjoy a SMASH bash event, please consider attending an event in the new year. Please contact Marni Ayers Brady (marniayers@gmail.com) at your earliest convenience and find out what upcoming events are still available.

SMASH green tip
Renters Right to Recycle Act: Beginning January 1st, apartment buildings in California with five or more units are mandated to provide recycling services for paper, plastic, bottles and cans. Visit http://www.californiality.com/2011/09/california-renters-recycling-law.html for more information.

Nature's Air Filters: Houseplants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen; however, many plants also eliminate significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde, and/or trichloroethylene. Some of these plants include varieties of Dracaena, palm, English ivy, rubber plant, and Peace Lily. The NASA Clean Air Study recommends one potted plant per every 100 square feet of indoor space. For a more complete list, visit http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Plants/clean.htm

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CORE 1 NEWS
WHAT IS Phonemic Awareness?
Phonemic Awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. We know that giving children experiences in manipulating sounds in language helps them learn to read. Phonemic Awareness activities can be done without any reading materials at all. Here are four early Phonemic Awareness activities that are fun activities to try in the car. Rhyming is one of the aspects of phonemic awareness that children enjoy. Children develop their reading skills when the sing songs with silly rhyming lyrics such as Down By The Bay and Willoughby Wallaby Woo. They enjoy guessing Rhyming Riddles like “I’m thinking of a word that starts with the /c/ sound and rhymes with bake.”
Alliteration is another aspect of phonemic awareness. Carole King‘s song Alligators All Around and the ZooPhonics song are examples of song with alliteration. Children enjoy the challenge of listing words that begin with a given sound. How many words can you think of that begin with /c/?
Segmenting or breaking up words into their individual sounds is another activity to develops phonemic awareness. Let’s break up the word cat into two parts: /c/ /at/. Now let’s break up the word cat into three parts /c/ /a/ /t/. Putting the sounds together is called blending. I’m going to break up a word and I want you to put it together: /m/ /op/.
By playing these games, you can help your child strengthen his her reading muscles without having to hold a book!

BIRTHDAY BASH
Children have a need to feel a sense of significance, belonging, and fun at school. Birthday bashes are one way we celebrate each child and invite him/her to share a favorite snack with others. If your child will be celebrating his/her birthday this month, you will be receiving a Birthday Bash Invitation Letter. This is a new routine that we are trying out. We will celebrate January birthdays on January 20 at 11:45am. Friends and family are welcome to join us!

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY-Monday, January 16th
Enjoy celebrating Marting Luther King Jr. Day. We can’t wait to hear about how your families celebrated.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!
Candis, Chrysta, Graciela, Jackie, and Nadja

Candis: cberens@smmusd.org
Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org
Graciela: gbarba-castro@smmusd.org
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CORE 2 NEWS

Core 2 Enjoys Field Trips and Outdoor Adventures Because …

...we are outside with nature, learning about place around you, and you can connect with other Core 2 kids. (Giulia)

...we spent time around nature – plants/rocks. (Malia)

...we can practice what we learned about using our freedom with responsibility. (Jobim)

...we went to a new area learning place. (Maya)

...we can learn about environment and to leave nature where it is. (Carissa)

...hiking isn’t boring, it is fun and we learn a lot. (Audrey)

...of the archery. I got to relax. (Eli)

Hannah, Ocean, Audrey, and Jack Z enjoyed the campfire and singing.
Quinn. Leo, and Nalani liked the archery.
Eleanor liked the Daddy-Daughter cabin.
Dixie, Josh, and Morgan liked making smores.
Nathan had a SMASHing time being with friends at night.
Nalani enjoyed knot tying.
Lilly C liked everything especially the archery.

You are invited to come to our Camp Josepho sharing on Wednesday, Feb 1, beginning at 2:00 – 2:50 in
Core 2! Come see, discuss, and relive our first outdoor adventure trip.

Upcoming Field Trips and Events in Core 2!
Monday, Jan 30, 9-2:00, field trip to Star Eco Station and picnic lunch, school bus
Please sign and return the attached permission slip ASAP

Monday, March 26, Symphonic Adventure, concert at Barnum Hall, Samo 9:30-12:00, we are walking

Monday, May 21, California Science Center, 9-2:00, school bus

Laura: lsherman@smmusd.org
Jayme: j.wold@smmusd.org
Tamara: tmugalian@smmusd.org

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CORE 3 NEWS

· NO SCHOOL MONDAY!

· SMASH Bake Sale after school Fri 1/20

· MULTICULTURAL POTLUCK DINNER Wednesday 1/18 6:00pm

6th gr Math w/ Carrie: Our investigation of fractions and decimals continued by working on moving back and forth between fractions and decimals. We also looked at place value. Something that can be worked on at home is changing fractions like 72/10, 72/100, 72/1000, 72/10000 into the decimal form.
6th gr Math w/ Erin: This week we began the UCLA Math Games study. UCLA is studying how students progress through various math concepts by using their games. We are excited about the opportunity to participate in this study. Ask your student what they think of it.
5th gr Math w/ Genie: We worked on comparing fractions. How do we know which is bigger between 7/8 and 5/6?
Ask your child all the different ways they know how to compare fractions.

Science w/ Carrie: This week we talked about search engines (google, yahoo. bing, ask, factmonster, quintura), directories (yahoo directory, lycos, about, open directory, dmoz, and ipl2), and meta-search engines (dogpile and MetaCrawler). We compared search results of "World Cup 2010" using different searching techniques. Ask your child what they learned about it and if they found any new ways to search that they think are useful.

SS w/ Erin: This week we did various activities in Social Studies and Geography. On Monday students worked on a world geography search. They also read and briefly discussed an article from the Los Angeles Times about Ethnic Studies classes in Arizona public K-12 schools being deemed illegal. We will be reading and discussing a different non-fiction Social Studies article each week as part of our Core 3 reading program. On Wednesday students had a chance to share their Civil Rights final unit projects with the school community. I hope you were able to be there. Today we had a great visit from Liam's dad, Tom Hayden. We thank him for sharing his experiences and expertise about the Civil Rights Movement with the class (I would provide more details of his visit, but due to Friday letter deadlines, I write this in advance of Friday!).

RW/WW w/ Genie: Our word of the week is droned. Ask your child what it means and some examples. We have been busy revising our science fiction drafts by changing verbs to stronger verbs, adding in metaphors and similes to build a stronger picture for our reader, and making sure our character is known to our reader by how he/she looks, feels and thinks. We also shared some nonfiction articles and had to stop a lot to make sense which is a good nonfiction reading strategy. Find an interesting article and read it together with your child!

Organization 101 w/ Carrie: We had our first organization check this week. Carrie looked for pencils, HW binders, reading books, and writing journals. In your child's HW folder there is a sheet indicating whether he/she had all of the required items. Please check the sheet. Next week we will have the same check and spend a little time making sure backpacks are relatively organized and not filled with massive amounts of unnecessary items!

Homework:
6G Math: 8B is due Thursday, January 19
5G Math: Packet #16 due Fri 1/20.
Writing: edit and publish your science fiction short story-we'll be working on this all next week in class. Your child may need help typing or time to type at home.
Reading: read every day for 30-40 minutes! Read some nonfiction that interests you!

Genie: ghwang@smmusd.org
Carrie: cferguson@smmusd.org
Erin:ehaendel@smmusd.org
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CORE 4 NEWS

Dear Core 4 Families,
Core 4 will soon begin our Risk Resiliency Unit including Egg Babies, Planned Parenthood, Effects of Substances, and generating exit strategies when under peer pressure.

Before entering this curriculum we ask that all Core 4 parents join us Wednesday, Feb 1; 6:30-7:30pm for a Core 4 Parent Education Night. Parents only, no students.

We will review:
1. Information regarding known risky SMMUSD adolescent behaviors. We know this is
important information for you as parents to have. We want your input to determine to
what degree we share this information with our SMASH 7th/8th graders.

2. Understanding the teenage brain and how to talk with your teenager.

3. How to support your child regarding peer pressure and generating possible Exit strategies.

Please mark your calendars and make arrangements to join us that evening.

8th grade Yearbook cover submissions are due to Jessica on Friday, January 27 by the end of the school day.

Kurt: kholland@smmusd.org
Darwin: dmendinueto@smmusd.org
Bailey: baileyfield@mac.com