NO LETTER NEXT WEEK
APPLICATIONS
FOR SIBLINGS STARTING KINDERGARTEN 2013-14 ARE DUE MARCH 22
Applications
are in the SMASH office and online at www.smash.smmusd.org
*********************
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 -
6:00 - 7:30PM - ARTS SHARE/OPEN HOUSE
*********************
Dear SMASHing Families,
Big
thanks to Jog-a-thon Co-chairs Lillie Schlessinger and Yvonne Lockhart for creating such a magnificent event
full of fun, fitness, successful fundraising, and celebration. We enter the
last week before Spring Break with some other community-spirited traditions. Wednesday,
March 20 we have the Art/Drama Shares by day and Open House by night (See Core News for details). We also have
Field Day March 22 thanks to Student Council vision and leadership. We hope you
can join where your work and other family commitments allow.
*********************
Friday,
March 22 is SMASHing Field Day!
In K-8
Community Groups, we’ll have relay races, P.E. games, snacks, and more team
building activities.
SCHEDULE
10:45-11:15 Meet in Community Groups:
Spirit
gear/accessories, cheer practice,
Sportsmanship
& Cooperation reminders.
11:15-12:45 4 Rotations on the Big Yard
12:45 Whole School to lunch benches
There will be two Site Council Parent
Representative openings for 2013-2014. If you are available to take on this
site governance role, please submit your 3-5 sentence bio explaining your
interest in the position to jrishe@smmusd.org by Friday, March 22 so that we can share
your bio and election ballots in the Friday, April 12th Friday Letter. We have one more Site Council meeting this school
year, Wednesday, April 17 at 3:30pm where we will count the ballots and contact
the two newly elected SMASH Site Council members.
Truly yours,
Jessica
BECOME A MEMBER OF THE SMASH SITE ADVISORY
COUNCIL
It’s time again to think ahead and select
the parents to represent you at the SMASH Council for next year. This group of
parent, staff and students meet once a month to:
A. To establish and oversee the use of the School Improvement (SI)
funds as provided in Section 52012 of the California Education Code.
B. To oversee and assist in the development of the annual School
Improvement Plan (SIP). The SC shall Identify areas of need and goals for improvement as mandated by
California Ed Code 52014: “Each plan shall be based on an assessment of school
capability to meet the educational needs of each
pupil, specify improvement objectives, and indicate steps necessary to achieve
those objections including intended outcomes.”
C. To maintain periodic analysis of implementation and
effectiveness of the SIP. The SC shall analyze and draft an SIP ANALYSIS
based on the actual outcomes of the
improvement plan on reports from the SMASH community. The SIP ANALYSIS shall be
utilized in development of subsequent School
Improvement Plans. California Ed Code 52021 states the SC, “...shall have
ongoing responsibility to review with the principal, teachers,
other school personnel and pupils the implementation of the school improvement program and to assess periodically the
effectiveness of such program.”
D. To provide a forum for all SMASH constituents to communicate
their concerns related to the development of the annual School Improvement Plan including areas of need,
goals for improvement, outcomes and effectiveness of School Improvement Plans.
E. To communicate the actions and goals of the SC to the entire
SMASH community.
F. To ensure that the annual School Improvement Plan supports the
goals, philosophy and vision of SMASH as established in the school handbook.
DATES
TO REMEMBER
TONIGHT! Fri, Mar 15 - 6-8pm - Core 3 Art
Exhibit at SAMOHI Roberts Art Gallery
Wed, Mar 20 - 6:00-7:30pm Arts Share and
Open House
Fri, Mar 22 - Last day to turn in
kindergarten applications for siblings for 2013-2014 school year.
March 25 - April 5 - SPRING BREAK
*********************
SMASH BASH EVENT
SMASH Poker Party (Adults
Only) Saturday, March 16 from 4pm to ?
(location and time tbd)
$40 Buy In
Marni Ayers Brady at
marniayers@gmail.com
*********************
Dear SHOPPING SMASHERS,
Thank you for making purchases through the
dedicated SMASH AMAZON link! 14 of you have clicked and purchased so far!!
Please keep the link on your computer as a "favorite" and earn 5% for
SMASH every time you make a purchase. Please share the link with friends and
family... http://tinyurl.com/AMAZONSMASHPTSA
And here's another easy way to make money
for SMASH:
Simply sign up for the Sip to Support
program at Jamba Juice and earn 10% for SMASH with each smoothie!
Go to jambajuice.marqeta.com and register for your Jamba Juice Sip to Support Marqeta Card.
- Be sure to select SMASH as your organization to support.
- The Card will arrive in the mail in a week.
Happy Spring Break everyone!!
Jamee Tenzer and David Saltzman
*********************
Santa Monica Airport
ARTWALK
Saturday, March 16 -
Noon to 5:00pm
The ArtWalk is from noon to 5 p.m.
Admission and parking, for cars and bikes, are free. Parking will be at Santa Monica
College's Bundy campus, at Bundy and Centinela.
Meet the resident artists of the airport
arts community and discover a unique, creative cultural resource. Explore
artist studios, watch artful demonstrations, try
your hand at an arts workshop, enjoy live music, local restaurants and food trucks,
all in one of LA County’s oldest operating airfields. More than 60 local
artists, performers and venues will open their doors to the public free of
charge, including: Santa Monica Art Studios and AREA 1 Gallery, Santa Monica College
Art Mentor Program and Ceramic Arts, Ruskin Group Theatre, Santa Monica Airport
Artist Studios and The Museum of Flying.
Live
music throughout the day
by the Leftover Cuties.
Food
trucks: Dogtown Dogs,
Sweet E’s & King’s Road Coffee.
*********************
Fix
a Leak Week - March 18-24
Did you know the average American
household wastes more than 10,000 gallons of water each year from easy-to-fix household leaks? Finding and fixing leaks
is as easy as “check, twist, replace”:
CHECK for silent leaks in the toilet with a few drops of food
coloring in the tank, and check your sprinkler for winter damage
TWIST faucet valves, tighten pipe connections, and secure your
hose to the spigot
REPLACE old plumbing fixtures and irrigation controllers that are
wasting water with WaterSense labeled models that are independently certified to use less
water and perform well. For more information
visit www.epa.gov/watersense
*********************
LOS
ANGELES MARATHON - SUNDAY, MARCH 17
HOW TO
GET AROUND TOWN
City officials are advising residents to
stay home, or at least avoid driving, the day of the Los Angeles Marathon,
March 17, when major streets will close and the
cost to park downtown will go up as up to 24,000 runners are expected to cross
the finish line north of the Santa Monica Pier and as many spectators will line
the streets .
Street Closures:
The eastbound lanes of San Vicente and all
of Ocean will close at 6 a.m. the day of the race. Some sections may be closed as early
as midnight. "It's going to be really impossible to cross San Vicente
that entire day," said the city's assistant finance director Don
Patterson.
Other closures include the California
Incline; Main Street from Colorado Avenue to Pico Boulevard; Olympic Boulevard from Main to Fourth Street; and
Wilshire Boulevard, Arizona Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard, Broadway and Colorado each from Ocean to
Second Street.
Traffic restrictions will also be in place
on streets in the heart of downtown, between Seventh Street and Ocean and
Wilshire and Colorado. The closures are scheduled to end at 8 p.m., but will
likely be lifted by 5 p.m.
The cost to park in downtown garages 1-9
will increase to $2 for every 30 minutes, or a $20 flat rate. The Civic Center garage is reserved for runners, but
any unreserved spots are a flat $25 before 6 a.m. and $10 after.
To get around, officials are encouraging
residents to walk, bike or take the bus.
A free Big Blue Bus shuttle is
available to the public from 6am to 6pm, offering rides around downtown and to
the bus hub on Olympic Boulevard and 11th Street.
All Big Blue Bus services will stop at the hub, except for routes 4 and 9, which will not be in service on race day.
From the bus hub, riders can take the Big
Blue Bus Rapid 10 to Union Station, transfer to a Metro bus and catch Big Blue Bus Routes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8. A
free Metro shuttle will take riders to the Expo line station in Culver City.
Two free bike valets will be
available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bike Center on 2nd and Colorado and at
Washington Avenue and Ocean. The city says the best
streets to ride to and from downtown are:
· From
the north: Second, Fifth or Seventh streets
· From
the south: Main Street
· From
the east: Washington, California, Arizona or Ocean Park Boulevard
*********************
SUMMER ADVENTURE
Elementary
School
Five
affordable weeks of non-stop fun, exploring and creating.
June
17-July 19 - (5 weeks, closed July 4)
8:30am -
12:30pm daily
WILL
ROGERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2401 14th
Street
$525 for
full morning program
Childcare
available for an additional fee.
Scholarships
available for qualifying students enrolled in SMMUSD for August 2013
Discounts
Available! -Sign up by April 15 and pay $500 for the full morning program
Registration
Starts on March 18
Online at
www.smmpta.org or www.smmef.org
In person
at the District Office
March 18
& 19, 8:00am-2:00pm
And
10:00am - 2:00pm thereafter
********************
Resource
Recovery & Recycling Division FREE Compost Workshop
Saturday,
March 16 - 10am
Virginia
Avenue Park, 2200 Virginia Avenue, Patio Room
For more
information: 310-458-2223, www.smgov.net/r3
*********************
It’s high time
to gear up!
SuperSMASH
Saturday May 18, 2013
11:30AM to 5:30PM
SuperSMASH means
Carnival Rides • Games • Live Music • Delicious Food
and an
Amazing Silent Auction
All the proceeds from the auction will go directly to SMASH. And
that means:
We need your help to make it a success!
Go to your favorite
stores • restaurants • salons • businesses
and ask for a donation to our Silent Auction.
Be a donor yourself and offer your
services • talents • goods • ideas
All donations are tax-deductible.
Go out and get as many donations as you can.
Thanks!
Naren Desai at 310-666-1680 or n.desai@bep-la.com
Dan McGee at 310-993-0707 or dmcgee@mcgeelere.com
*********************
Core
1 Celebrates Art!!
Thank you to Julianna, our ARTist in
Residence, who has
engaged us in Visual Arts with a variety of materials in new and creative ways. Wire, Paper, and
Fabric were transformed as we began to smush, bend, wrap, embroider, twist, weave these materials into amazing
creations.
Last week,
every child chose one ART study to focus on and to create their own individual pieces
– using the techniques and skills and inventive
mind-set we’ve been practicing since January. The children drew their plans
last week, and are well into developing their
pieces.
Graciela’s group is focusing on individual sewing
projects - putting together pillows, embroidering quilts, etc. In Chrysta's
room, they are diving into new fashion trends with duct tape, paper,
cardboard, and fabric. Candis’ group began by creating characters
with wire, then designed sets and developed stories for our characters.
The children will be sharing their ART
pieces on Wednesday, March 20 – during the day 10:30-11:30am and at Open
House at 6:00pm. Come see the collective creativity of Core 1!!
More to share…
Congratulations to the Core 1 Partners for
publishing their second books in Writing Workshop!! This time our focus was on
using “Quick and Easy” words and sounding out words. We are growing thoughtful,
independent writers!! Since our books are so short, we would like to share them
at Morning Mtg on Tuesday, March 19. You’re invited to join
your child with his/her circle group to celebrate their hard work!
Upcoming Field Trips!
Core 1 will be going to the Morgan-Wixson
Theater on Thursday, March 21 to see the musical production of
Madeline and the Gypsies. We’ll be leaving around 10:30 to take the Big Blue
Bus to see the 11:15 show. Please sign and return your child’s permission slip
ASAP.
Because of Yellow Group’s cancelled field
trip, we are asking for the following suggested donations:
Green Group $10 and Yellow Group $5.
Chaperone sign-up will be emailed shortly
via Google Doc. We are limited to 10 chaperones for this trip.
After Spring Break, each Workshop Group
will be visiting the Promenade Farmers’ Market.
April 10 – Bigs (form is in this week’s
Friday Folder)
April 17 – Partners
May 1 – Mentors
“Reading With Your Child” Parent Dialogue
Night - Rescheduled for Thursday, April 11 at 5:45 pm in Core 1
In your child's narrative, you read about
the continuum of the Developmental Stages of Reading. Come see how we support
these stages differently in the classroom - and at home, how you can meet your
child at his/her developmental stage and gently bridge them to the next
stage.
This is a night you don’t want to miss!
Please RSVP to gbarba-castro@smmusd.org
if you plan to attend.
We are asking for at least 20 responses so that
our night can be filled with rich discussions and learning. CHILDCARE WILL BE AVAILABLE!!
Will you be home for Spring Break?? Franklin is looking for a home where he
can be well cared for over the holiday break. If your family would like to
provide a safe and cozy vacation home, please email Candis ASAP to make arrangements.
PLEASE REFER TO OUR GOOGLE CALENDAR WITH
CURRENT UPDATES
Candis,
Chrysta, Graciela, Nadja & Laura
Candis: cberens@smmsud.org
Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org
Graciela: gbarba-castro@smmusd.org
*********************
CORE
2 NEWS
Can you
feel it in the air? SPRING BREAK, we’re almost there! J
Core 2 Homework Part II: We’ve launched our first Mini Independent
Research Project, giving the students a chance to practice the skills they
learned in Theme with Tamara and Jayme. Just like we go through a series of
steps to complete a WW writing piece, we also go through a series of steps to do
research: 1.Brainstorming “researchable questions” about a topic of interest,
2. Gathering “Just Right” reliable resources, 3. Finding facts about our topic
and putting the information in our own words, 4. Citing the title, author,
website, page number, etc., 5. Checking for understanding and thinking about
our audience, 6. Putting the facts into a paragraph using transition words, and
8. Adding an introduction and a conclusion.
This is where the homework comes in: We gathered a few resources from the Media
Center. Many students will need to find additional resources from outside
of school (the library, websites, magazine articles, etc.). As with any
computer work, we hope parents will assist their
child in finding appropriate, “Just Right” and reliable internet information.
We’d like every student to have at least
one internet resource. Please print and bring the information to school on Monday, March 18 so we can use it
during class.
*RW HW: Read for 30 - 45 minutes at home
every day. Good reading
skills, strategies, and habits are the best predictor of school success. *Learn
more about your topic by reading informational text—a nonfiction book, website, magazine article, etc.
*WW HW: Write at home for fun. You may work on your free-writing pieces
or poetry at home. *Take notes from a book, documentary, interview, or website
about your topic.
*Math HW: 3G & 4G - complete your math packets
and bring in to school by Friday, 3/22
Spring
Break Homework
2 weeks is a long (and much-needed) time
away from school. Core 2 will not be giving any official homework, yet students should continue to practice their
basic skills while on break.
Reading - Continue reading Just Right fiction and nonfiction books.
This is a great time to share books with family and friends hanging out during the break.
Writing - This is a perfect time to use those “real world” writing
skills! Start a blog or write letters/emails to friends and family or do research and take notes.
Math - Students can play math games with family and friends,
measure ingredients for a new recipe, or work on multiplication facts.
Theme- Now that we all know how to develop questions, do
research, and take notes about topics we want to learn more about, the sky is the limit! What are
YOU wondering?
We are mixing it up—AGAIN—here in Core 2! After the Break, we come back to NEW
ADVISORIES! On the first day back, April 7, students can
check the advisory room doors to find out where they should go.
REMINDER: Wednesday, March 20 Art
Share/Open House.
Art sharing at 9-10am and at Open
House at 6:00-7:30pm
Have a
wonderful, restful, and fun-filled break.
J
Tamara,
Jayme, & Nadja
Jayme: jwoldflorian@smmusd.org
Tamara: tmugalian@smmusd.org
*********************
CORE
3 NEWS
Gather
those pledges! Your child deserves it after all that running!
TODAY
from 6:00-8:00 - DISTRICT VISUAL ART SHOW at the Roberts Art Gallery in
Samohi's campus,601
Pico Blvd. SMASH is showcasing our puppets!
For more information:
http://www.samohi.smmusd.org/art/
Please
join us for light refreshments and fantastic art!
Mark Your Calendars! Next Year's
Overnight Field Trips Parent Meeting, Wednesday, 3/20 in Genie's Room.
5th graders/Incoming
6th graders (Catalina trip) @ 6:30-6:45
6th graders/Incoming
7th graders (Yosemite trip) @ 6:45-7:00
Dramatic Art Share—The Premiere of our
Dramatic Arts Puppet Variety Show at 1:15 in the Cafeteria!
Open House—Come see our Dramatic Arts
Puppet Variety Show from 6:00-7:30 in Core 3!
6th Grade
Hip Hop Share from 2:30-3:00 in the Cafeteria! Did you know your 6th grader had district dance?
~We are requesting a $10.00 donation for
each child to cover the cost of Omnivore's Dilemma.
Please check with your child if they have
turned in their donation.
~Students are welcome to bring in a cut up
'fractioned' treat to share on Thurs 3/21 (5th and 6th grade mathematicians studied fractions recently). They will be
enjoyed while watching the documentary, "What's On Your Plate?" –more
info at http://whatsonyourplateproject.org/ No
nuts please! Less sugar and healthier snacks appreciated!
6G Math with Mimi: Students learn a variety of strategies for
thinking about and solving math problems. In our fractions unit, we first focused on
solving problems by using diagrams. This helps students understand what the problems
are really asking. For example, ⅓ x ¾ could be interpreted as “What is ⅓ of ¾
?”. ⅓ ÷ ¾ could be interpreted as “How many times does ¾ go into ⅓?” In real
life situations like cooking and building, it is often NOT the standard algorithm
that we use but our knowledge of basic fractions and numbers and how they
relate to each other that really help us to arrive at an answer.Students
learned the standard algorithms after they were exposed to using diagrams to solve
problems.
6th Grade Math with Erin: Thank you to everyone who was able to stop
in on Monday to check out the Geometry Dream Room projects. Many students had
worked feverishly over the weekend putting on their final details. If you did not
get a chance to check out the floor plans and models, they will be on display
at our Open House next Wednesday evening. Next unit: Data!
5th Grade
Math with Genie: We are
working on rounding decimals and adding decimals as well as turning fractions into
decimals using the calculator. We know that ¼ is 1÷4 which equals .25. We have
learned several games to practice our ability to add decimals—Decimal Double
Compare, Two Fill, and Close to 1. Your child should keep their fraction cards
for future homework playing games with them.
Science with Mimi: This week, we discussed the results of our
Vitamin C test. Ask your student which drinks are a good source of Vitamin C.
We also had a discussion about how much information is available and that we
are constantly bombarded with new and /or conflicting information everyday. For
example, we learned that Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. This means that
any extra Vitamin C that our body does not need is flushed out via our urinary system.
However, there is more information that megadoses of Vitamin C can cause
different health issues. As in other parts of our Food and Nutrition Unit, we
talked about eating a variety of foods in moderation to achieve a balanced, healthy
diet.
Social Studies with Erin: Students for the most part have completed
their research and begun their books and Food and Culture from their chosen country. The
students are preparing beautiful bound informational books about how the food in
their given nation relates to the culture, religion, geography, history, etc.
of that nation. Please plan to join us on Thursday, April 18 at 1:30 for our
International Food Festival in the Cafetorium. Students will be sharing their
books, food samples, and other food products from their countries at their food
stand. If you have time over spring break, it would be great if you and your
child could visit a restaurant or market from their chosen country to get to
know the cuisine even better!
Reading and Writing Workshop with Genie: Please read a lot over spring break and
finish Omnivore's Dilemma.
Also encourage your child to write in
their notebooks. And don't forget to rest and have fun with family and friends!
Homework:
5G math: Packet #28 due 3/22. No homework over Spring Break!
RW: Finish Omnivore's Dilemma over spring break!
*********************
CORE
3 testing information
March 6, 2013
Dear
SMASH 6th Grade Families,
SMASH is one of a limited number of
schools in the country randomly selected to pilot the Smarter Balanced
Assessments this Spring. This is the online assessment that becomes
official in the 2014-15 school year, that will replace the current CST paper/pencil multiple
choice tests. Darwin, Genie, and I recently went through a training regarding the types of test items and how
to administer the online test.
For SMASH, students in 6th grade have been selected to take the pilot test in math April
30, May 1, May 2 and in 7th
grade to take the pilot test
in Language Arts next Monday and Thursday, March 11 and March 14. The
assessment will take about three hours of your child’s time. While SMASH is
required to administer the pilot, student participation is voluntary and
confidential. Your child’s performance on this pilot assessment does NOT
get scored or reported anywhere.
The pilot has been designed to assist
Smarter Balance to gather data about:
The
implementation of the online software
How the items
function and their technical quality
The
effectiveness of test administration materials
Areas for
improvement prior to the tests becoming operational in 2015.
If you would like more information about
Smarter Balanced, please visit the Smarter Balanced website at http://
www.smarterbalanced.org/. If you do not want your child to
participate in the pilot, SMASH office MUST receive your request by MONDAY, APRIL 29
at 4:00pm.
Your request letter MUST contain the
following:
Child’s full
legal name, birth date and grade
That you wish
to opt your child out of the 2013 Smarter Balance Assessment
Contain the
parent/guardian name, signature and be dated no later than March 8
Sincerely,
Jessica
BOARD OF
EDUCATION
Ben Allen
Oscar de la Torre Jose Escarce Maria Leon-Vazquez Laurie Lieberman Ralph Mechur
Nimish Patel
Sandra
Lyon, Superintendent
*********************
CORE
4 NEWS
The Core 4 Girls Bike Safety class started on Monday, we fitted helmets,
took a pre-test, and got some packets. On Tuesday we watched a pedal smarts video
and learned more about bike safety and riding on the street. We finished the class
by heading out to the basketball courts and practicing starting and stopping.
On Thursday we went down to the bike campus at the beach and practiced how to
be safe at an intersection. It was our first outdoor activity and it was a lot of
fun! We all did very well and we got to ride back to SMASH on the street. We
are excited to continue our class and learn more about being a safe bike rider
on the streets.
This week in art we worked on finishing our art and putting all of our
pieces on a post board, to present on Wednesday. In our art class we mainly
focused on causes and using advertising to show/express our thoughts. We each
choose our cause and used magazines to create collages. We learned a lot about
many different styles of art techniques. The Art share for Core 4 is at 11:30
next Wednesday.
Written by Kate, Duncan, and Solal
Darwin Mendinueto - dmendinueto@smmusd.org
Kurt Holland - kholland@smmusd.org
*********************
March 6, 2013
Dear
SMASH 7th Grade Families,
SMASH is one of a limited number of
schools in the country randomly selected to pilot the Smarter Balanced
Assessments this Spring. This is the online assessment that becomes
official in the 2014-15 school year, that will replace the current CST paper/pencil
multiple choice tests. Darwin, Genie, and I recently went through a training regarding the types of test items and how
to administer the online test.
For SMASH, students in 6th grade have been selected to take the pilot test in math April 30,
May 1, May 2 and in 7th grade to take
the pilot test in Language Arts next Monday and Thursday, March 11 and March
14. The assessment will take about three hours of your
child’s time. While SMASH is required to administer the pilot, student participation is voluntary and
confidential. Your child’s performance on this pilot assessment does NOT get scored or reported anywhere.
The pilot has been designed to assist
Smarter Balance to gather data about:
The
implementation of the online software
How the items
function and their technical quality
The
effectiveness of test administration materials
Areas for improvement prior to the tests
becoming operational in 2015.
If you would like more information about
Smarter Balanced, please visit the Smarter Balanced website at http://
www.smarterbalanced.org/. If you do not want your child to
participate in the pilot, SMASH office MUST receive your request by FRIDAY, MARCH 8 at
4:00pm.
Your request letter MUST contain the
following:
Child’s full
legal name, birth date and grade
That you wish
to opt your child out of the 2013 Smarter Balance Assessment
Contain the
parent/guardian name, signature and be dated no later than March 8
Sincerely,
Jessica
jrishe@smmusd.org
BOARD OF
EDUCATION
Ben Allen
Oscar de la Torre Jose Escarce Maria Leon-Vazquez Laurie Lieberman Ralph Mechur
Nimish Patel
Sandra
Lyon, Superintendent
*********************
