MONDAY,
JANUARY 28
MINIMUM
DAY - 1:30 DISMISSAL
*********************
Dear SMASHing Families,
Two more genuine statements of
appreciation:
1) According to Dr. Eric Rasmussen, chair
of the Early Childhood Music Department at the Peabody Preparatory of The Johns
Hopkins University, “The brain of a musician, even a young one, works
differently than that of a non-musician. When you’re a musician and you’re
playing an instrument, you have to be using more of your brain. The benefit of
music education is you have a better understanding of yourself. The horizons
are higher when you are involved in music. Your understanding of art and the
world, and how you can think and express yourself, are enhanced.”
--Excerpted from “The Benefits of
Music Education” at www.pbs.org
THANK YOU to Robbie, Mike and Eleni, Sal, Jessi,
Kiersten, Jar-el, and Lindsay (our music instructors) for a spectacular 4th-8th grade music concert last Thursday and for
broadening our horizons and dedicating their talents and positive energy to our
campus!
2) THANK YOU to event chairs Lori
Nafshun and Barbara Williams for a festive, wonderful potluck event! And thank you to the generous multi-cultural
SMASH families for helping us explore the styles, foods, and cultural information of Japan, Israel, Ecuador,
Norway, India, The Southern US, Germany, Mexico, and Canada.
People of all ages enjoyed socializing,
dining, and learning from the amusing yet not too obvious questions for the multi-cultural quiz!
Truly yours,
Jessica
*********************
SMASH PTSA Resturant Fundraiser
Saturday, January 26 - 9am to 4pm
IHOP at 12115 Ohio Avenue at Bundy
20% of all sales will benefit SMASH PTSA
Use the flier in today's e-mailed version of the SMASH Friday Letter
*********************
DATES
TO REMEMBER
SMASH IHOP Fundraiser 9am - 4pm, Saturday, January 26
Come for breakfast, brunch or lunch.. 20%
of all sales will be donated back to SMASH PTSA
12115 West Ohio Avenue, Los Angeles. Flier
will be in e-mailed Friday Letter and in the SMASH office
Mon, Jan 28 - 9-10:30am - SMASH Tour
Wed, Jan 30 - 6:00pm - Dialogue On
Race, Part II - SMASH Library. Childcare available
Tues-Thur, Jan 29-31 - PE mile run. See
schedule in today’s Friday Letter
SMASH JOG-A-THON!! Friday, March 15
T-Shirt design submissions due by February
1. Sponsorship to have your name on the t-shirt due by February 8.
See form in today’s Friday Letter
*********************
Pedestrian Action Plan
Community Workshop
Monday,
January 28 7:00-9:00pm
Civic
Center, East Wing, 1855 Main Street
Please join the City of Santa Monica for a
community workshop to explore ways to make walking safe and enjoyable for
everyone, everywhere in Santa Monica. To make this happen, the City of Santa
Monica needs your help.
All of your trips include walking, even if
at the start or end of a car, bike, or bus trip. Everybody in Santa Monica walks.
Please join us to discuss:
· What Santa Monica can do to improve
pedestrian safety and comfort, and encourage people to walk in Santa Monica
· How walking can create independence for
youth and seniors.
· Improving health of residents by walking.
Your
input is needed to shape the Pedestrian Action Plan.
RSVP to
ensure accurate accommodations: transportation.management@smgov.net or
310-458-8341
Big Blue
Bus Lines 1,2,3,5,7,8 & 9 serve the Civic Center. Bike and car parking will
be available
*********************
Santa
Monica High School Theatre presents
Into
the Woods, a Musical
Barnam
Hall
February
8, 9, 15 & 16 at 7:00pm
Matinees:
Feb 9 at 2pm and Feb. 17 at 4pm
Tickets at
SamohiTheatre.org. Tickets $15 - Students $10
*********************
R/C
Club open to all SMMUSD students
1st
Saturday of each month at Lincoln Middle School
4:00 -
5:30pm
Santa Monica Youth R/C is a club for local
youth enthusiastic about Radio Controlled Cars. Our mission is to promote the
awareness of, preservation of, advancement of, and participation in building,
driving and racing radio controlled cars and trucks as a hobby.
Membership is free of charge and open to
all students of SMMUSD. Parents are welcome to encourage or volunteer.
Members also meet a various other
locations as their schedules permit.
For further information: Lori Brown at
310-567-0083 or loreb2@aol.com;
Tom Beaulieu at 310-567-7787 or
wedoit@korito.com; or go to www.SMyouthRCclub.com
*********************
Recycle
It! Textiles
Recycling Event
Saturday,
February 9 - 9am - 2 pm.
You can drop off any dry, used clothing or
other textiles for reuse or reycling at the City Yards. They prefer that you take reusable goods to reuse donation
centers, but they will take any dry textiles (clothing, linens, shoes,scarves,
hats, bags, belts, rags). Yes, even those holey
socks, yucky rags, and stained clothing can be recycled into things like compost or insulation.
*********************
The SMASH
Jog-a-thon t-shirt needs you!
Deadline:
February 8th
T-shirt sponsors make it possible for all
students and teachers to take home a Jog-a-thon t-shirt. Sponsorship is tax
deductible to the extent allowable by law. Sponsor names adorn the back of the
t-shirt. As a token of appreciation for their generous support, t-shirt sponsors
receive a complimentary t-shirt. Fill out the form below and drop off in the
office by the deadline above.
Make your check payable to SMASH PTSA.
Become
a Corporate Sponsor
(donations
of $150, $200 or $250)
or
Become
a SMASHing Sponsor
(donations
of $25, $50 or $100)
Questions?
Contact Lillie Schlessinger (213) 742-3394
– lillie.schlessinger@transamerica.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.)
*********************
Valentine’s
Day
Kid’s
Craft Night
Drop your
kids off at SMASH and
enjoy a
Valentine’s Day Date Night
while your
kids are having fun!
8th
graders will provide babysitting and fun activities,
with adult
supervision. Pizza available for purchase
at drop
off and healthy snacks provided.
Proceeds
go to the 8th grade graduation trip!
Thursday,
Feb. 14, 6pm-9pm
in the
Cafeteria
Suggested
Donation for Admission:
$5 per
child
*********************
Dear Families,
The Education Foundation’s Annual Appeal,
the Dollar A Day Campaign, is underway! If you haven’t already contributed to
this important campaign, please consider a gift of a dollar a day ($365) per
student in your household, or whatever you can give. The goal is 100% family
participation and to raise $4 million by January 2014, and every January after
that, to fund the District’s most critical needs. Any contribution you can
generously give makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our children. You
can donate online at www.smmef.org.
Bloomingdale’s, one of the Education
Foundation’s corporate partners, is hosting an event on Saturday, February 23
to thank donors to the Dollar A Day Campaign. Join Superintendent Sandra Lyon
and District Principals at the event, and also shop at Bloomingdale’s that day
– the store will donate 10% of all tracked purchases to the Education
Foundation.
Please read the invitation in the e-mailed version of the SMASH Friday Letter. Every
donor to the Annual Appeal campaign, no matter the size of the gift, is invited
to participate, so please consider making a donation soon! RSVP information is
included in the invitation.
*********************
NEW
ROADS PARENT EDUCATION EVENT
Stress
and the Anxiety of Parenting
With
Richard B. Cohen, Founder, Of One Mind
Tuesday,
February 12 at 7:00pm
Lincoln
Middle School (15th and Ocean Park Blvd)
Richard B. Cohen is a renowned
psychotherapist, certified behavioral specialist, and master addictions
counselor who has developed and operated a leading innovative treatment program
on the Westside for over 25 years. He is the founder and president of Of One
Mind, which is dedicated to helping teens, young adults, and their families
resolve behavioral challenges, psychological issues, and chemical dependency problems.
Richard is considered an adolescent expert and uses his creative skills and
psychotherapeutic strategies in producing successful results. He is a well
known speaker in the community on various issues and has been well received by
the parents who have attended his seminars
RSVP
or questions contact
Josie Breger at jbreger@newroads.org
*********************
ALL
STUDENTS GRADES 1-8 WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE PE MILE RUN
Tues,
1/29: Core 2, Core 3 blue, Core 4 boys; Wed, 1/30: Core 1 grades 1 & 2;
Thurs, 1/31: Core 3 orange, Core 4 girls
Please
make sure your child is properly dressed for this PE activity
*********************
Calling
all Santa Monica Students!
The City of Santa Monica's Office of
Sustainability & the Environment, the Santa Monica Disabilities Commission
and Sustainable Works are very excited to
announce the 5th Annual Sustainable Santa Monica Student Poster Contest open
to all K-12 students that attend school and/or live in Santa Monica!
This year,
students will investigate sustainability and accessibility through art,
answering the question,
"How
do people with disabilities access and enjoy nature in Santa Monica with their
friends and family?"
Classroom presentations are available for
all Santa Monica Schools offered
by the City! Presentations range from 20-30 minutes and will discuss principles
of sustainability as it promotes a healthy community and environment, highlighting how disabilities awareness
and accessibility are a part of a sustainable community.
FREE 11
x 17 poster paper available for Santa Monica Classrooms.
Posters
are due on Friday, March 22, 2013.
If you have any questions, are interested
in scheduling a classroom or all-school assembly presentation, or to get the 11”
x 17” poster paper for participating classrooms, please contact:
Samantha Sommer, samantha.sommer@sustainableworks.org
*********************
Santa
Monica’s Morgan-Wixson Theatre presents
A
Midsummer Night’s Dream OR
The
Night They Missed the Forest for the Trees
February
2—17
Reserved
Seats: $10 adults, $7 Children 12 years and under For tickets:
www.morgan-wixson.org or 310-828-7519
*********************
SMASH Site Council Minutes
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 3:30 PM
In
attendance: Mimi
Lichterman, Jessica Rishe, Aurora Delaney, Graciela Barba-Castro, Candis Berens
, Chrysta Wyse, Molly Lague, Janice Wold
Absent: Darwin Mendinueto, Malaika Boyer, Jack
Lichterman, Quinn Lichterman
Motioned
by Chrysta. Seconded by
Aurora. Adopted Agenda.
Motioned
by Mimi. Seconded by
Aurora. Approved minutes of last meeting.
Community
participation: none
Reports
and Announcements
(regular agenda items)
Principal’s
Report: Music Concert is
tomorrow 6-9pm. January 23 6:30pm Multicultural potluck includes a dozen family
booths this year from various backgrounds. January 30 6pm Dialogue on Race part
2 will be a Muir/SMASH parent ed event.
Student
Reports: Junior Great
Books book clubs begin as a Muir-SMASH joint venture this week. Core 3 is
preparing for Election research presentations about animal rights,
homelessness, women’s health, gay and lesbian rights. Core 2, Core 4, Olympic
High School students, and parents are invited as audience members. 6th graders continue to build their dream bedrooms as part of the
geometry unit.
Community
Organization Reports (to
include but not limited to the following):
PTSA: Jogathon preparations are underway.
Student
Council: Student Council
is preparing for the Family Dance and the assembly to advertise the event. A
spirit day will also be planned.
Old
Business--none
New
Business— Motioned by
Candis. Seconded by Graciela. Approved math, school climate (with one typo
revised), and literacy goals of final site plan. Discussed
literacy research that says: 40-50% of a class is natural readers, 30-40% are
teachable readers just need explicit teacher instruction, 10% are tutorable
readers, 1-8% are dyslexic or have other processing issues. So in each class we
typically get 4-5 students who need the 1:1 time and we are grateful to the
partnership with John Muir that allows us to access the 1:1 reading support
twice a week for 45 minutes via Reading Partners.
Community
participation (if
applicable): none
Motioned by Aurora. Seconded by Candis.
Meeting Adjourned.
Next
meeting: February 13, 2012 3:30pm
*********************
SMASH and
John Muir Elementary are proud to co-sponsor our
2nd Annual
DIALOGUE
ON RAC E
Join us as
we explore stereotypes and how they contribute to our
Dialogue
on race with Ouch! That
Stereotype Hurts!,
A
presentation and discussion led by Peggy Harris,
Director
of Curriculum and Instruction
Wednesday,
January 30
SMASH/Muir
Library
6:00 -
8:00 pm
Childcare
will be available
So that we
may plan appropriately, please let us know that you will be attending by
contacting
Elisabeth Bourdeau at el662001@yahoo.com
or send
the bottom of this sheet to your child’s teacher.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
I will be attending the Dialogue on Race on Wednesday, January 30 at 6:00pm
Name:__________________________# of
people attending (include yourself) ____
Names(s) of additional attendees ________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
I will need childcare
Names and ages of children ___________________________________
____________________________________________________________
*********************
JONATHAN MOONEY
Author, Public Speaker. Different
Tuesday, February 12, 6 to 8pm in SMASH/John Muir Library
He is one of the foremost leaders in LD/ADHD, disabilities, and alternative education.
He's the author of two books, "The Short Bus" and "Learning Outside the Lines."
He is the founder and President of Project Eye-To-Eye, a mentoring and advocacy non-profit for students with learning differences. He is a graduate of Brown University with an honors degree in English Literature.
He didn't learn to read until he was 12 years old.
He's dyslexic.
Called an "academic failure" early on in his school career, Jonathan Mooney broke the rules and broke out of the box.
If you are able to attend, please rsvp to Elisabeth at o1662001@yahoo.com and let us know if you will need childcare.
*********************
CORE
1 NEWS
REMINDER!
1:30
DISMISSAL - MONDAY, JANUARY 28
100th DAY of SCHOOL
100th DAY OF SCHOOL HOME LEARNING– Please bring a collection of 100
items to share in class
(e.g.,
pennies, pasta noodles, grains of rice, straws, puzzle pieces…or get creative).
Please
bring them on, or before, the 100th Day of
School, which is FRIDAY, February 1.
FIELD TRIPS
SANTA MONICA MUSEUM OF FLYING-Rain check!
GRACIELA'S CIRCLE GROUP AND 1/2 OF
CHRYSTA'S CIRCLE GROUP WILL BE GOING Friday, Feb 8.
Please Email Candis if you would like to
chaperone. Because we are having TWO field trips for that group that week, we will REALLY need extra help.
CALIFORNIA SCIENCE MUSEUM –
We will be taking a school bus to the California
Science Museum to participate in a study of ladybugs - then visit the ENDEAVOR exhibit. Finally, we'll see the
space shuttle up close and get some answers to our questions! Children will need to bring snack and lunch – and
VERY COMFORTABLE WALKING SHOES. Expect an email with signups for chaperones.
Tuesday, January 29 9am – 1:30 pm (GREEN
permission slip)–
Candis’ Circle Group and ½ of Chrysta’s Circle Group
Tuesday, February 5 9am – 1:30 pm (YELLOW
permission slip) -
Graciela’s Circle Group and ½ of Chrysta’s Circle Group
BIRTHDAY BASH
January & February Birthday Bash–
We will be celebrating January and
February birthdays on Friday, February 1 at 11:45 AM in The Magic Garden (Candis’ room). If your child’s birthday
will be celebrated, we’d love for you to join us! On the day of Birthday Bash, the birthday child is invited to
bring his or her favorite fresh fruit or vegetable to share with the
Core 1 community. Other snacks will not be
served. The child can bring a fresh fruit or vegetable (as it was purchased) to school at 8:30. The birthday children will
prepare the fruit or vegetable by washing it, cutting it, and presenting it during Projects Time from 9:00-10:00.
Birthday families are invited to help at that time. At 11:45 the whole core will gather in Candis’ room for a story, a
poem, and a song. At about 12:00 the children will snack on the fruits and vegetables that were prepared by the
birthday children and they will eat their lunch at that time. We always need
help to set-up the buffet tables on the small
yard, to serve the food, and to help the children clean up. Our reusable dishes will need to be taken home by a birthday
family to be washed in a dishwasher. Please let Graciela know if you can help or if you have any questions. Her
e-mail address is gbarba-castro@smmusd.org.
WISH LIST
Self-care: band-aids, jojoba oil, Vaseline, and hand
sanitizer.
Repurposed materials: milk jugs and long cardboard tubes for
making instruments.
Storage materials: gallon- sandwich- and snack-size ziplock bags
Project materials: assorted tapes such as packing tape, duct
tape, electrical tape, office tape, masking tape, painter’s tape.
HAVE A
GREAT WEEKEND!!
Candis,
Chrysta, Graciela, Nadja & Laura
Candis: cberens@smmsud.org
Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org
Graciela: gbarba-castro@smmusd.org
*********************
CORE
2 NEWS
REMINDER!
1:30
DISMISSAL - MONDAY, JANUARY 28
Core 2 students LOVE independent learning:
free reading and writing
with friends, learning from books and each other during free drawing time,
flexing their entrepreneurial skills by creating and publishing their own
comics. While the process and product of this learning may not be as easy to
quantify, it’s equally important to your child’s growth and development as anything
on the upcoming narrative report card.
During our current Thematic Units in Core
2, we are tackling topics and engaging in activities that the students genuinely care about. There
are several avenues for students to take in information (interviews, personal experiences,
resources, videos, experiments, nonfiction books, etc), as well as creating a
variety of ways for them to demonstrate what they have learned (written report,
poster, speech, skit, debate, etc.). We call this Multiple Ways of Knowing
and Showing. In addition to meeting a variety of learning styles, we are
also trying to create opportunities for students to develop and pursue their
personal interests and curiosities. We call this Choice and Voice. This educational
philosophy and practice is one of the many key components of a SMASH education.
These practices also impact student motivation, interest, and joy.
In a recent article by our Responsive
Classroom guru, Margaret Berry Wilson, Building Community Through Academics,
she writes, “The key to
planning a unit of study that will have this sort of effect is to choose a
topic that will enmesh students in deep academic thinking while
also enhancing their feelings of being part of a powerful and purposeful
community. When they are working towards a common goal, engaged in a
fascinating topic, or trying to figure out a solution for a
meaningful problem, students feel more connected to school and each other.
Engaged learners have lots to talk about, including discoveries
and interesting facts, experiments, predictions, and what they are
looking forward to learning next.”
Educational psychology has identified two
basic classifications of motivation - intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation arises from a desire
to learn a topic due to its inherent interests, for self-fulfillment, enjoyment
and to achieve a mastery of the subject. On the other hand, extrinsic
motivation is motivation to perform and succeed for the sake of accomplishing a
specific result or outcome. Students who are very grade-oriented are
extrinsically motivated, whereas students who seem to truly embrace their work
and take a genuine interest in it are intrinsically motivated. According to Student
Motivations and Attitudes: The Role of the Affective Domain in Geoscience
Learning, teachers have a lot to do with their students' motivational
level. A student may arrive in class with a certain degree of motivation. But
the teacher's behavior and teaching style, the structure of the course, the
nature of the assignments, and informal interactions with students all have a
large effect on student motivation.
Most importantly to us, learning should be
engaging, worthwhile, and fun. We looked to When Learning Is Fun, by Suzy Ghosh, as a sort-of checklist for a successful
Theme Unit: They make choices of what to learn about, use
researching skills, practice note-taking, and persevere when information is
hard to find? Check. They feel competent and accomplished as a
result of this work, and the experience is one [they can] refer back to when
they have an opportunity to research and learn something new.
Check. The students are excited, engaged learners—a sight that makes
any teacher smile. Check, check, check!
Field Trips are fun, too! And there are
lots of real-world learning opportunities coming up in the next few weeks.
Please sign and return the trip slip for our exciting adventure to the Disney
Concert Hall on February 5. We are also walking to SAMOHI’s Barnum Hall to see the New West
Orchestra next week, having a playdate with a group of special needs
kids February 11, and going on our overnight outdoor-education trip to Temescal
Canyon February 21 - 22. More details on these exciting upcoming trips
to come. Please check your child’s Friday Folder each week for important
information. If you would like to help chaperone one of these trips, please
let Tamara and Jayme know.
Have a
great weekend!
jwoldflorian@smmusd.org
Jayme, Tamara, and
Nadja tmugalian@smmusd.org
*********************
CORE
3 NEWS
REMINDER!
1:30
DISMISSAL - MONDAY, JANUARY 28
Core 3
Needs Boxes of Tissues! We are all out since it's been a season of colds!
Thanks!
6th Grade Math with Mimi: We continue our work with fractions by
adding and subtracting. An important skill that we are practicing a lot is changing
fractions in equations so that they have a common denominator. Once they have a common denominator, then we can add
or subtract them easily. HW is due 1/31.
6th Grade Math with Erin: Only one day of Geometry this week due to
the Monday holiday and the Friday field trip. Students completed an assessment to gauge
their understanding of area and perimeter of various polygons and circles.
5th grade Math Workshop with Genie: Now we are practicing to add and subtract
fractions in a game called Fraction Track. They can strategize by breaking up
a fraction they get on their turn. For example, if they get the 7/8 card they can
move ½ + ¼ + 1/8 or know that 7/8 – ½ = 3/8. The cards from the In Between Game
is what we use for our new game and flipping a card up at the dinner table and
talking about all the combinations that could equal that card would be great
dinner conversation!
Science with Mimi: Our experiment this week was "Yeast
as an Indicator". Ask your student what we used as food for the yeast to
metabolize. You can also ask them about the by-product of the metabolism and
how we measured it. We also read an article on SUGAR and took notes. Many
students made connections with the topic of artificial sweeteners.
Social Studies with Erin: Students worked hard to put the finishing
touches on their semester projects. We hope you can come and see some of the presentations
next week. If you misplaced the schedule of what day your child is presenting, you
can check in last week’s Friday letter or feel free to email Erin at ehaendel@smmusd.org.
Reading & Writing Workshop with Genie:
The Fantasy stories are
ready! We will be celebrating all of our hard work and creativity on Fri 2/1
10:30 Blue and 11:30 Orange. Please join us if you can! Also, if you can please
gather any institutions, museums, or brochures you
come upon for our upcoming writing unit, Brochures, we will use them to study good
brochures. Getting immersed in a genre helps us know how to write them well.
Our read aloud is getting exciting! Parvana just bumped into another 'boy' who
is a girl from her school and so together they are able to work together to think of other ways to make more money
since they are now the breadwinners for their families.
Homework:
5G math: packet #19. Due 2/1/13
6G math: homework due 1/31/13
RW: Please remind your child to do some nonfiction reading!
WW: Fantasy pieces, rubrics and illustrations are due Feb 1st!
*********************
CORE
4 NEWS
REMINDER!
1:30
DISMISSAL - MONDAY, JANUARY 28
Science
In Science this week the 7th graders learned more about
scientific formulas including D=M/V (Density = Mass Volume). We also learned
about the top five formulas and made flashcards. On Wednesday we went to the
beach and learned about the Santa Ana winds, how it disperses, and why it has
been so hot.
Humanities Reading Workshop
In Reading Workshop this past week the 7th graders worked
on annotating several articles such as Howard
Zinn’s Empire or Humanity and Ray Raphael’s Re-examining
the Revolution . In active reading we write down questions, connections,
things that surprise us and/or excite us, and things we already know and/or are
learning. It’s important that we learn these things so we can process the
things we read and use the information we read to write essays and such.
Math
In 7th grade Math we have been working on our personal
plans and doing lessons with Darwin per chapter.
We recently got new seats and table groups on Wednesday.
Written by Lydia and Kate
Darwin Mendinueto - dmendinueto@smmusd.org
Kurt Holland - kholland@smmusd.org
*********************
