MEMORIAL DAY - MONDAY, MAY 27
SCHOOL CLOSED!
***********************
Dear SMASH
Families,
As you know,
our District has adopted a new fundraising model. Over the past 18 months, we,
along with several other SMASH parents, have been committed to helping shape
the plan to ensure that it benefits SMASH, and all SMMUSD schools. We are very
pleased to share with you in this letter the results of this hard work and
Superintendent Sandra Lyon's vision for our District. Specifically, we want you
to know how this new plan will benefit our children at SMASH
We would
also like you to join us to hear Superintendent Lyon present the Vision For
Student Success Plan on Tuesday, May 28, at 5:30 at the JAMS Auditorium at 2425
16th St, Santa Monica.
The Name:
The first
thing you should know is that the plan has a new name: SMMUSD's Vision for
Student Success Plan.
WHAT THE
VISION FOR STUDENT SUCCESS PLAN WILL FUND AT SMASH:
The Student
Success Plan has four components that mirror SMASH's priorities:
Kindergarten,
1st & 2nd grade, Visual and Performing Arts Program (from a menu of choices
including dance, music, drama, or visual art)
·
3rd,
4th & 5th Grade Visual Arts Program (our SMASH program will stay in place
in addition to the existing
3rd-5th grade District music
program)
·
Classroom
Support (we will continue to have highly trained aides in the classrooms)
·
Professional
Development Coaching and other resources for teachers to receive training in
order to support high quality instruction for all SMASH students (kindergarten
through 8th grade)
·
Additional
Professional Development Grant of $10,000 to support training for all staff and
collaborative work unique to SMASH
Discretionary
Enrichment Grant of $19,589 to enhance SMASH’s instructional program by
supporting programs in science, technology, engineering, math and the arts for
grades K-8.
The Good
News
Education Foundation has already raised $525,000 toward the
$4 million goal for the first year (2014-15) and allocated an additional
$750,000 to fund these programs
How does
this affect our current staff?
The district
is working with all our current staff to maintain continuity for our children.
What Can
You Do Now?
Join us to
hear Superintendent Lyon present the Vision For Student Success Plan on
Tuesday, May 28, at 5:30 at the JAMS Auditorium.
Please do not
hesitate to contact us with your questions and concerns. This will be a discussion
item at our SMASH PTSA meeting Wednesday, June 5th at 6:30pm.
Sincerely,
Jessica Rishe Jamee Tenzer Yvonne Lockhart
SMASH
Principal PTSA President, SMASH SMMEF SMASH liaison
***********************
DATES TO REMEMBER
Mon, May 27 - Memorial Day - School Closed
Tues, May 28 -
5:30-7:30pm - JAMS cafeteria. Superintendent presents Centralized Fundraising
Conversations with SMASH, Grant, Edison & Rogers
parents.
Wed, May 29 -
Restaurant Night - California Pizza Kitchen at 210 Wilshire Blvd, SM
Thur, May 30 -
6:00pm - Choir Concert - 4th-8th grades
Fri, May 31 -
9:45am - Core 1 Assembly
Fri, May 31 -
3:00pm - Last day to turn in SMASH application for 1st -8th
grade lottery
Mon-Tues-Wed,
Jun 3, 4 & 5 - 8th grade San Diego trip
Tue-Wed-Thurs,
Jun 4, 5 & 6 - 7th grade Fulcrum Trip
Wed, Jun 5 -
6:30pm - PTSA Mtg
Mon, June 10 -
10:00am - SMASH 8th grade graduation
Tues, June 11
- Last Day of School Beach Day
Thur, Aug 22 -
First day of school!
***********************
2013 SuperSMASH Raffle Winners
5/30/13 event
Picnic
in the Park - hosted by Core 1 Staff
Thursday
5/30/2013 3 - 4:30pm
Jade F. (c1)
Meghan M (c1) Juliette R.(c1) Katell B. (c1) Marlee T.(c1) Summer N.(c1) Lucia
C. (c1)
Nola B. (c2)
Lia W.(c1) Nick H.(c1) Lily C.(c2) Marielle R.(c1) Jadyn M.(c2) Violet V.(c1)
Rowan C-M(c1)
5/31/13 events
Principal
for a Day - Lucca N. (c2)
Friday
5/31/2013 8:30am - 1:30pm
Janice
for a Day - Zelda S. (c3)
Friday
5/31/2013 8:30am - 1:30pm
Wende
for a Day - Luca T. (c1)
Friday
5/31/2013 8:30am - 1:30pm
Movie:
Iron Man 3 and a treat from the candy store ride the Big Blue Bus to the 3rd St
Promenade*
hosted by
Coach Tony & Malaika
Friday
5/31/2013 1:30pm - TBD Jobin
Z. (c3) Sydney P. (c2) Oisin W. (c2) Kai N. (c1) Lily T. (c3) Alana G. (c2)
*students
need money for movie snacks
Co-ed
"Slumber" Party with Taco Bar, Homemade Ice Cream, and a Movie at
Tamara's House
hosted by
Core 2’s Tamara & Jayme
Friday
5/31/2013 6pm-10pm
Mariana F. (c1) Sofia
Marie L. (c2) Nola B. (c2) RamRattan K. (c2) Maggie P. (c1)
Hannah B. (c2)
Theadora L.(c2) Jade F. (c1) Keira D. (c2) Lily T. (c3)
Jewelry/friendship
bracelet making.
Snacks provided.
hosted by Core
1’s Laura & Nadja
Friday,
5/31/13 2pm - 4pm - Meet in Core 1 Maggie P. (c1) Jade F. (c1) Cathy
C. (c1) Dixie L. (c2)
Marielle R.
(c1) Elisa C. (c2) Lia
W. (c1) Emie M. (c2)
6/7/13 event
Movie
(lucky winners choice), a milkshake from Johnny Rockets, and a treat from the
candy store and ride the Big Blue Bus to the 3rd St Promenade* hosted by Coach Tony
Friday
6/7/2013 1:30pm - TBD Juliette R. (c1) Lily
T.(c3) Giulia T. (c3) Liliana M.(c2)
*students
need money for movie snacks
6/29/13 event
Go to
Dodgers Stadium with Candis to watch the Phillies play hosted by Candis Saturday 6/29/2013 6pm - 9:30pm
meet at
SMASH - game starts at 7pm Lily T. (c3) Ajax
H. (c1) Marielle R. (c1)
***********************
SMASH &
John Muir Elementary
Choir Spring Concert
Thursday May 30, 2013
6:00pm
4th, 5th & Middle School Choirs –
Auditorium
We are looking forward to sharing
this evening with you!
Ms. Cruz & Mrs. Spike-Gravelle
Students: Please arrive 15 minutes before your
performance time. Please wear nice clothing.
***********************
Do you have SMASHING Books to donate?
We've got the perfect donation
location right on our campus at the corner of 6th and Ocean Park Blvd.!
American Book Drive
During Spring
Break, American Book Drive book bins were placed at all school sites, with the
exception of Edison, Olympic, Malibu and Samohi because of construction. The
District has a one-year contract with American Book Drive as a pilot fundraiser
to support our school libraries. The bins will be on school sites until at
least April 2014 and were purposely placed on school campuses where the public
could also drop books and have 24/7 access. The Education Foundation receives
25% of the online proceeds from American Book Drive in support of our school
libraries. If people have over 100 items to donate, they can arrange a pick-up
with ABD by going to www.americanbookdrive.com.
Because the
Education Foundation is listed on this website, we have gotten donations from
people with no connections to the District, which means we have a wider reach.
Our contact at American Book Drive says that we are off to a successful
start and has been surprised by how quickly this has grown!
***********************
Classic movie night
Santa Monica High School - 601 Pico Blvd.,
Saturday, May 25
5:30 p.m. — 11:30 p.m.
Eat|See|Hear, a Los Angeles outdoor movie series
presented by SHOWTIME, will be showing ―The
Princess Bride.‖ The event will also include live
music and food trucks. General admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased
online, as can $20 Popchips-sponsored ―Fashionably Late‖ tickets that allow
attendees to arrive late and still have access to premium reserved seating.
There will also be a limited number of passes available at the door for $12.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit
schedule.eatseehear.com.
***********************
Good-bye to the Civic
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
1855 Main St.,
Saturday, May 25
7:30 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.
The Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra will be conducting
a concert as a tribute to the Civic Auditorium, which is slated to be shuttered
at the end of June. The concert is free. For more information, visit
smsymphony.org.
***********************
SMASH Camping / Cabin Trip
At Camp Josepho Fri. Sept. 20 - Sun. Sept 22, 2013
3000 Rustic Canyon Road, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
SMASH invites you to join us for a fun community building outdoor
event
CABINS ARE LIMITED AND FIRST COME FIRST SERVED
TENT CAMPING WELCOMES THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
It is so close you can come for the whole weekend or just for one
day
Bring: Sleeping Bags, FOOD and Charcoal. BBQ pits are
provided.
FRIDAY
2:00 PM Check in (please arrive before 7:30 pm)
9:30 PM Quiet Time
SATURDAY 10:30 AM ARCHERY
/ Games (details being finalized)
1:30 PM Group HIKE
6:30 PM Campfire w/ S’MORES
9:30 PM Quiet Time
SUNDAY 10:30
AM Group HIKE
1:00
PM Check Out
Pre-registration is required to receive the Gate Code.
e-mail: snowwht@gmail.com
Last minute call Snow Lam-Hansen 561-985-5222
______________________________________________________________________
detach and return to Janice or Wende in the office
Children must be accompanied
by their parent or guardian, unless specifically pre-arranged
Parents: ________________________________________________________________________
e-mail:_______________________________________________
phone: _____________________
SMASH Children / Core:
___________________________________________________________
We want to stay FRIDAY
______ and/or SATURDAY _______ night(s).
We want to share an 8 person
CABIN ____ (friend request:
______________________________)
# people ______ * # nights
______ * $14 (per person per night) = $________
We will bring our own
tent(s) ____ (pre-K children don’t
count if in tents)
# people ______ * # nights
______ * $9 (per person per night) = $________
We just want to come for the
day _____ # people ______ * $4 =
$________
WRITE NON-REFUNDABLE DONATION TO SMASH PTSA
PAY BY JUNE 10th, PRICE GOES UP IN FALL
***********************
FundRaiser in Support of SMASH
Wednesday, May 29 – All Day
California Pizza Kitchen
210 Wilshire Blvd, SM
210-393-9335
Look for Flyer Attached in Fri Ltr &
in Front Office!
| *********************** |
CORE 1 NEWS
Information
Reading and Writing in Core 1
The Partners, the Bigs and the Mentors
have been studying information texts in their literacy workshops. As readers,
they have selected books on interesting topics to read, they have learned to
look in books to find answers to their questions, and they have learned to
extract information from text features such as photographs, diagrams, and
captions. As writers, they have selected topics they know very well and can
teach others. They have organized information that their readers need to know
and have provided them with features such as illustrations, diagrams, and
chapter headings.
As a group, the Mentors read and wrote
about tornadoes and The Red Cross this week. Some Mentors watched news reports
at home and used the internet to learn more about these topics. They have
summarized what they have learned for you, and they hope to persuade you to
make a donation.
Information
About Tornados
Kai, Sadie, Aiden, Alani, Luca, Violet,
A tornado is a
funnel-shape vacuum that sucks up anything in its path. A vacuum cleaner cleans
your house but a tornado wrecks it. Tornados start from warm and cold air
mixing. They also get started by big storm clouds. They usually get started by
waterspouts. The waterspouts sometimes pick up fish and other animals like
frogs. When the spouts hit land they drops the fish, frogs, and other animals.
If you see things or animals falling from the sky, it’s a sign of a tornado coming.
Hailstones are another early sign of a tornado. Tornadoes can be caused by
hurricanes.
Oklahoma
City Tornado
Stella, Micah, Keera, Marlee, Quillen,
The Oklahoma
City Tornado started on May 21st when the Mentors finished reading the Magic
Tree House book Twister on Tuesday. It was a coincidence! The twister in
Oklahoma destroyed many things like homes, people and animals. The tornado was
a mile long at the bottom, so you can imagine how big it was at the top.
Organizations are helping people that are hurt. People are finding people under
buildings. They are trying to help people find new homes and have food.
Information
about the Red Cross
Katell, Skylar
The Red Cross
was started in Italy in 1859. Clara Barton started the American Red Cross. The
Red Cross helps people get better, they save lives, and they help them find
shelters and a home. There is a Red Cross in Santa Monica. The website is
www.redcross.org.
Persuasive
Message for Donations
Simone, Tali, Dominic, Fionnula, Keira, Matthew,
Genevieve, Marielle, Owen, Izzy, Ana-Sofia
Please donate
money for the Red Cross. It can save someone in Oklahoma. It will save many
lives and it will save children’s lives. It will save lives from fires,
hurricanes, tsunamis, wars, tornados and other emergencies. You can also donate
blood. You can go to the Red Cross to donate blood. It will help. You can send
money to the Core 1 Mentors. We will give it to the Red Cross.
Upcoming
Birthday Bashes
June birthdays will be celebrated on
Friday May 31 from 11:45 to 12:15
July birthdays will be celebrated on
Friday, June 7 from 11:45 to 12:15
Core 1
Assembly: Friday, May 31, 9:45-10:15
Reminders
*Pick up your
child’s clothing from the lost and found. Your child may not be able to
recognize their clothes without your help. Clothes left at school will be
donated to a charitable organization. Please contact us if you would like to
volunteer to take on this task.
*Return books
to school. You may have books that belong in Core 1. These may have a color
dot on the spine or on the top right-hand corner or they may have our names
written in them. School library books have a barcode on the inside cover.
Candis, Chrysta,
Graciela, Nadja & Laura
Candis: cberens@smmsud.org Chrysta: cwyse@smmusd.org
Graciela: gbarba-castro@smmusd.org
***********************
CORE 2 NEWS
Because our
Thematic Unit includes READING historical fiction books and nonfiction
informational resource books, WRITING and ILLUSTRATING historical fiction
stories, conducting SCIENTIFIC explorations, and RESEARCHING social
studies/history topics…it’s
almost all we’ve been thinking, talking, planning, and writing about lately! We
will be teaching each other all about it Monday, 6/3 and Friday, 6/7 between
8:45 – 9:45 am. You are welcome to drop in to see us in action either or both
days.
Since food,
water, and shelter are among the most basic human needs for survival, Jayme is helping the kids explore how to
build structures to withstand various elements. They are also making maps of
California’s different regions to learn about how different groups met their
food, water, and shelter needs.
Because
students have learned that once a group has met their basic needs for survival,
they are free to move their attention to loftier ideals, Tamara is helping the kids research how
different groups used CARES, guidelines/laws, leadership, cultural
experiences/art/music/dance, spirituality, economy, goods and services,
education, medical care, transportation, etc. to create a safe, healthy, happy
community. The students are working in small groups to learn how their group
met these needs/rights.
Since the
purpose of this unit is to help students understand how different people work
together to create a happy, healthy, and safe community…we’ve been relating the experiences
of different groups from history/different historical events to more
contemporary experiences. This week the students discussed the difference
between a human need and a civil right. Gay marriage came up as one example of
a contemporary civil rights issue the students know about. This would be a
wonderful topic for students to learn more about and discuss further at home
with your support.
***Theme
HW: This weekend/week, EVERY CORE 2 STUDENT should do additional research about
their group at home. That could be finding a book at the library, watching a
documentary, reading a magazine article, interviewing someone about the topic,
finding photos or info online. Please help your child find appropriate
information about their topic. Thank You***
California
Communities
~and the
students who are studying them
The Chumash
People
~Kim &
Liliana, Samy & Clair
~Lola &
Erin, Oisin, Hayden, & Jack Z
Spanish
Missionaries
~Shira
& RamRattan, Alana, Lucca, & Josh
~Shai C.
& Leo, Sophia, Emie, & Eliana
Pioneers/Prospectors/Cowboys
~Emily
& Ocean, Cole, Rio, Kaleb
~Nola &
Dixie, Esai & Jack L
Mexican Ranchos
~Sam &
Shai G, Keira & Lola K
~Sydney,
Elisa, & Andrea
Railroad
Workers/Immigrants from Asia
~Sofia
Marie & Nalani, Marcus, Myles, & Quinn
~Jadyn,
Charlie, & Thea, Olin & Mateo
Migrant
Farm Workers
~Sadie,
Hannah, & Lilly
~Jovana
& Lauren
Enjoy your holiday weekend!
Tamara, Jayme, and Nadja
***********************
CORE 3 NEWS
·
Students
are getting to school before 8:30 deserves a SHOUT OUT! Keep it up, Core 3
Families! And thanks for reading the Friday Letter!
·
We
need a parent volunteer to color print our brochures! Please talk to Genie!
·
Tanaka
Farms Field Trip, Monday,
June 3, 8:30-2:15. We will take the first 7 chaperones, who want to join us
for an organic farm tour and strawberry picking in Irvine. We are excited to
take one last field trip after all our amazing field trips to celebrate one of
our major themes of the year, Food (Food and Nutrition, Omnivore's Dilemma,
Food, culture, and history). Field trip slips went home today! We are asking
for $10.00 bus donation. The $15/person field trip fee has been generously
donated by Owen Doyle's family! Thanks!
·
Core
3 Fun Day, Friday, June 7! 10:15-1:30!
Chaperones needed! This involves walking to picnic tables near the beach next
to the hardscape designated for skateboards, bikes, scooters and skates (just
north of Ocean Park). Please join us for our last celebration in Core 3.
Students are welcome to bring food to share in addition to their packed water
and lunch. We will have pizza delivered to the park as well.
6G Math
with Mimi: This
week, we took our last quiz of the school year and went over all the problems
together. We will continue working a bit more on decimals next week before we
wrap up our school year.
6G Math
with Erin: On Monday
we had a wonderful visit from Nathan and Nick's mom Lisa who talked about how
she uses math in the genetics lab at UCLA. She showed slides of the lab and
equipment and then demonstrated how she uses algebraic equations and ratios to
dilute concentrated solution that the use to see DNA up close. The students
each got a chance to use some real lab equipment as they worked on math
problems to dilute a "solution" of green food coloring and water in
the correct ratios. The students learned many things from the presentation and
heard about new fields of study as well. Thank you for visiting Lisa!
5G Math
with Genie: Algorithms.
We looked up the definition and learned that basically it means steps or
procedures that are often repeated. We talked about how recipes are basically
an algorithm because they are the steps to follow in order to get the same
results, but sometimes we learn how to change a recipe to make it better. The
same can be said about an algorithm. Mathematicians change how they solve
problems depending on the numbers. Understanding the numbers and having
flexibility with strategies is important and what we teach at SMASH. The US
Multiplication Algorithm has many steps and it works well and can be the
fastest way to solve some problems. But since it starts with the smallest parts
of the numbers, the ones place—place value and therefore the overall value can
be off without realizing a careless error. Educators are aware that for those
individuals who find math very challenging, having one procedure to solve a
problem is simpler than saying you have all these choices to understand and
choose from. So the US Multiplication Algorithm is one way to try and solve a
problem but we continue to stress estimation and starting with the largest
place value to get a better sense of the answer's value. For 128x34, start with
100x30, not 8x4.
Science
with Mimi: Research
projects are under way. This week, we worked on writing our facts onto a Boxes
and Bullets sheet to help us organize our thoughts and projects in general.
Some groups found they needed more facts. Some groups discovered that the facts
they found did not support their research statements. Please ask your student
about their statement and the three main ideas they are trying to get across in
their project. You can also ask them what format they will use to share the
information they find. We have three more days of science to completely finish
our projects! Help your student stay on track! Thursday 6/6 celebration at 9am
for Blue and 9:40am for Orange.
Social
Studies with Erin: Students
have finished the research portions of the Rome project and are now working on
their pages towards our class Rome activity book. Students will have next week
to work on it in class as well. We hope to complete it by next Friday. Each
student will enjoy a copy of the final book to look through and work in this
summer.
Reading and
Writing Workshop with Genie: Our Independent Writing Project's deadline is fast
approaching, Thursday 6/6 celebration at 9am for Orange and 9:40am for Blue.
Some writers are finishing up their drafts because they do a lot of revising
and editing as they write and some writers are done with their drafts and are
revising now. As Eion Colfer reminded us, writers revise about 10 times. There
are only 6 more in class writing sessions! Check in with your writer to make
sure they will be published on time. Wonder continues to surprise us as
we learn more about characters because they are sharing their thoughts and
their experiences with us. We are beginning to realize that we don't always
know everyone's story and need to keep that in mind as we act and react to each
other in our own lives. If we are shocked by how people act and react in the
book, we should be shocked at ourselves in our real lives.
Homework:
5G math:
Packet #35 Due 5/31/13 Read and Write every day! This never stops being
'homework'!
***********************
CORE 4 NEWS
7th Grade
The Fulcrum
Adventures at Camp Hess Kramer is eleven days away. The trip is scheduled for
June 4th to June 6th. A field trip packet has been sent home on Wednesday.
Please completely fill and sign the first three pages of the packet and return
them to school by Tuesday, May 28. Please keep the last page, which is the
itinerary and the packing list, as a reference. Also check the weather a couple
of days before the trip and pack accordingly.
If you have
any questions, please contact Darwin at dmendinueto@smmusd.org.
8th Grade
Congratulations
to all of the 8th grade students for completing their exit project
presentations. Many hours of hard work were put into designing these creative,
amazing, outstanding, and high quality presentations. There were also many
innovative, inspiring, and entertaining activities that complemented each
presentation. We also want to give a shout out to all of the parents and other
visitors for participating with this wonderful journey. What a great
exclamation to a fabulous 8th grade year.
Upcoming
Events
May 27 No
School - Memorial Day Holiday
May 28 UCLA
Trip for 8th Grade
May 29
Possible Trip to Ice Skating Rink in Culver City for 8th Graders
June 3 - 5 8th
Grade Graduation Trip to San Diego
June 4 - 6 7th
Grade Fulcrum Trip
June 10 8th
Grade Graduation, Early Dismissal
June 11 beach
day, Early Dismissal, Last Day of School
Darwin
Mendinueto - dmendinueto@smmusd.org
Kurt
Holland - kholland@smmusd.org
***********************
