Dear SMASHing Families,
This Monday, February 10th SMASH (along with John Muir) will be practicing our LockDown procedures during Lunch time at 12:35. Please note the gate will remain locked and we will not be responding to phone calls or emails during this LockDown drill.
This Monday, February 10th SMASH (along with John Muir) will be practicing our LockDown procedures during Lunch time at 12:35. Please note the gate will remain locked and we will not be responding to phone calls or emails during this LockDown drill.
Please refer to the email I sent directly to SMASH
families for further information.
Thanks for
your support,
Jessica
Jessica
***************************
VALENTINE CRAFT NIGHT FOR KIDS!!
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14
4:30 - 8:30pm
$20 per child suggested donation
Activities for Core 1, 2 and 3 Students and their siblings (who are fully
potty-trained)
Lead by SMASHing 8th
Graders
Drop
your kids and enjoy a romantic evening!
Each child should bring a
“sack dinner”
Sign-up in the SMASH office
Snacks!
Entertainment!
Crafts!
***************************
DATES TO REMEMBER
Fri, Feb 14 - 4:30-8:30pm - Valentine Craft
Night
Mon, Feb 17 - Presidents’ Day - SCHOOL
CLOSED
Tues, Feb 18 - 6:30-8pm - Leaving to Learn
book talk
Wed-Fri, Feb 19, 20, 21 - AstroCamp
Sat, Feb. 22 - 7:00-10:00pm - Arts &
Letters. Buy tickets now at SMASHartsale2014.eventbrite.com
Mon, Feb 24 - 9:00-10:30am - SMASH school tour
Wed, Feb 26 - 6:00-8:00pm -
SMASH Multicultural Potluck
Thur, Feb 27 - Elementary
Music Disney Trip
Fri, Feb 28 - 1:30-3:00pm - Black History Month Celebration
***************************
Only 5 more weeks until
the
SMASHing Jog-a-thon 2014
·
T-shirt design! This year’s
t-shirt design has been decided!
The designer is Kaiden Krepela in Core 4
·
Volunteer! We still need
volunteers to help with refreshments,
lap counting, etc. on the day of the event.
·
Pledge! Pledge packets
will go home 2/14 so look for your child’s pledge packet and read the
information that accompanies it. Help
your child fill out the form and collect pledges.
·
Save the date! Jog-a-thon ‘14 happens Friday, March 7th . Come run with your athlete and/or
cheer on the rest of the runners.
For questions
or to volunteer:
Lillie
Schlessinger lillie.schlessinger@transamerica.com
Yvonne
Lockhart paradisekid@verizon.net
*******************
The SMASH Jog-a-thon t-shirt needs you!
Deadline: February 7th 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.)
***************************
Sustainable Works First 2014 Green Living Workshop!
Did
you know it takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef? You
save more water by not eating a pound of beef than by not showering for 6
months!
Join
a FREE Sustainable Works Green Living Workshop and learn how information
like this will help you save money and positively impact your family,
community, and ultimately the planet!
When:
6 Wednesday Meetings: February 26,
March 5, 12, 19 & 26, April 2, 7pm-8:30pm
Where: Santa Monica Main Library Community Room, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. SM 90401
Where: Santa Monica Main Library Community Room, 601 Santa Monica Blvd. SM 90401
Your
friends, family and neighbors are becoming sustainable, why not you?
Attend
1 meeting or all 6, whichever fits your schedule.
•Reduce your Water & Energy usage
•Save $ on Utilities
•Cut landfill Waste
•Reduce your Family's Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
•Reduce your Transportation Impact
•Make more sustainable Shopping & Food choices
•Save $ on Utilities
•Cut landfill Waste
•Reduce your Family's Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
•Reduce your Transportation Impact
•Make more sustainable Shopping & Food choices
Receive FREE resource saving tools
Water saving hose nozzles, Energy saving light bulbs, Reusable shopping bags,
Water saving hose nozzles, Energy saving light bulbs, Reusable shopping bags,
safe cleaning supplies, healthy energy bars, and
more...
Visit www.sustainableworks.eventbrite.com to reserve your space at an upcoming workshop.
***************************
WHALE OF A WEEKEND at the SANTA MONICA PIER AQUARIUM
Celebrate the annual migration of the gray whale!
Saturday and Sunday, February 15 and 16 12:30-5:00pm
Whale of a Weekend highlights
the annual migration of the Pacific gray whale, which completes one of the
longest migrations of any species,
traveling 10,000 to 14,000 miles round trip between the arctic seas and the
warm lagoons of Baja California,
Mexico. This migration takes the whales past the Santa Monica Pier - sometimes
within viewing distance from the west
end observation deck.
The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium will provide a wildlife observation station at the
west end of the Pier, stocked with binoculars and field guides, giving visitors
the opportunity to search for whales and other local wildlife. Volunteer Naturalists staffing the observation station
can address questions about these gentle giants. The Fish Contamination and Education
Collaborative will be on hand to run
a fishing game teaching which fish are safe to eat.
Inside the Aquarium, guests
can make a variety of whale related arts and crafts. Learn more interesting
facts about these migratory mammals at
the Aquarium through story time, film screenings and fun, interactive
presentations for all ages Visitors can feel the heft of a whale rib, check out
bristly baleen and try on a layer of (simulated) whale blubber for warmth. Kids
of all ages can have their faces painted and make a whale visor to take home.
1-4 p.m. Wildlife Observation
Station (West End of the Pier)
2:30 p.m. Presentation: Whale Migration
3:30 p.m. Whale of a Tale Story Time (Saturday Only)
3:30 p.m. Shark Feeding and Presentation (Sunday Only)
2:30 p.m. Presentation: Whale Migration
3:30 p.m. Whale of a Tale Story Time (Saturday Only)
3:30 p.m. Shark Feeding and Presentation (Sunday Only)
- See more at:
http://www.healthebay.org/event/whale-weekend-smpa#sthash.QqDyOuxk.S2AJeof7.dpuf
***************************
6th Annual Sustainable Santa Monica
STUDENT POSTER CONTEST
It’s Up To Us Santa Monica!
Submission Deadline: Friday, March 28
Santa Monica currently gets about half of its water
from local wells, the other half comes from very far away. Our Plan is to become “self-sufficient”,
meaning our groundwater wells will be able to supply all of our water.
Your challenge is to show us ways we can do this.
What do you think it means to use water “well?”
·
In your poster, show what you think it
means to conserve and use water wisely
·
All entries will be honored at awards
celebration.
·
Grand prize winning posters will be framed
and showcased.
Complete information and rules available in the SMASH office.
http://www.smgov.net/Departments/OSE/categories/education.aspx
***************************
CREST SPRING SPORTS
REGISTER NOW—Space is limited
SOCCER *** TRACK
*** VOLLEYBALL
ELEMENTARY K-5th grades *** MIDDLE
SCHOOL 6th-8th grades
Fee: $125 Clubs/ $130 Leagues
Youth Office at Reed Park Sports Program
1133 7th Street; Santa Monica CA 90403
Info: 310-458-8540; Fax:
310-451-3569
Email: crest@smgov.net; Website: www.smgov.net/crest
Register online: www.smgov.net/reserve
***************************
Tidbits From SMASH PTSA
Would you like to participate in
choosing next year's PTSA Board? If you have someone you would like to
nominate, please contact Jamee Tenzer by February 28th at jameetenzer@gmail.com.
As of today, the following people have
been nominated for the positions listed below:
President: Marni Ayers Brady
Vice President: Sabine Werk
Treasurer: Rachel Ginnerty
Financial Secretary: Snow
Lam-Hansen
Parliamentarian: Dan McGee
Legislative Representative:
Jeff Jarow
We are also taking
nominations for:
V.P. Fundraising (please
talk to Marni Ayers if you are interested)
In addition, we are looking for
Committee Chairs. Please contact Jamee Tenzer if you have questions about any
of these positions at jameetenzer@gmail.com:
Volunteer Coordinator
Jogathon (need 2 co-chairs)
Graduation Chair
Multi-Cultural Potluck
The election will take place at the PTSA
Meeting on Wednesday, March 5th at 8:30am in the school library.
Please join us!
The SMASH Alumni site is now up and running
Anyone that wants to stay connected to SMASH and upcoming events, including
the 40th Anniversary Celebration
is encouraged to sign up so you can get the emails and updates! Hope to see
you all in May for the family event at
SuperSMASH and then the adults only celebration on Main St! Please share
with everyone that you are in touch with that are alumni! Cheers! www.smashalumni.com
*****************
We have lots of great SMASH events coming up this year, but we need your
help to pull them all off!
Whether you volunteer 2 hours or 100
hours - everything is appreciated. Click here to volunteer!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dFRJQU9sNTBEQ3poNnc0YTJlTXMtWVE6MA
*****************
40th Anniversary of SMASH, SUPERSMASH and SILENT AUCTION
You may not believe it, but we are already working on
putting together SuperSMASH and the SMASH Silent Auction - May is just around
the corner!
Plus,
we are going to be inviting all SMASH Alumni to attend the event this year to
celebrate our
40TH
Anniversary - which means lots of people and lots of fun.
To
pull it all off, we need you to help in any way you can. There are many small
and large tasks that can be done off campus, leadership roles, and ways you can
help during the actual event. Please contact the Chairs for these 3 events to
see which jobs are available and if there is one that is a good fit for you.
Silent Auction Chair: The fabulous Sabine
Werk visionwerk@mac.com
SuperSMASH Chair: The marvelous Naren
Desai narendesai@icloud.com
40th Anniversary Co-Chairs: The
awe-inspiring Summer Germann summergermann@aol.com
STORAGE SPACE NEEDED:
We are looking for some space close to school to use
for Silent Auction Storage. If you have space available or know of someone who
might, please contact me: jameetenzer@gmail.com. We might even be able to pay a small rental fee!
*****************
***************************
**SMASH Bash Sign-Ups for Remaining Spots! **
Spring SMASH Bash was a huge success -- thanks to all
of our wonderful SMASH Bash hosts, parent
volunteers, and SMASH families who signed up last Friday. We raised
about $4000 for our school (and raised
about the same last fall as well).
If you missed the SMASH Bash Sign-Up day last Friday,
you're in luck -- there are 6 BASHES with
remaining spots. Act quickly though, as some have few open spots
remaining. The remaining bashes with available spots are:
* Hands-Only CPR and AED Training
* Afternoon Card Bash
* Cocktails and Kvetcing with Local Officials
* Recycled Racecar races
* Art Party for Grown Ups
* Core 2 and 3 Obstacle Course Mystery Adventure
To sign up to attend a SMASH Bash, please do the
following:
1) Look through the SMASH Bash folder in the office
and pick the events you want to attend (that still have space)
2) To claim your spot, write your name on the page of
the event(s) you will attend.
3) Take a "Registration Form and Receipt"
from the front of the SMASH Bash folder, mark the events you will attend and total your payment.
4) Leave payment (check or cash) with Janice.
5) Take the yellow copy and leave the while one in the
folder-- along with the necessary signed waivers
***************************
“If I Could Invent
One Thing to Make the World a Better Place . . .
This year Google
is asking students to create doodles based on the theme “If I Could Invent One
Thing to Make the World a Better Place...” To enter the competition simply
download the application form, print it, doodle your version of the Google logo
based off this year's theme and submit online or by mail. Here is the link: http://www.google.com/doodle4google/start.html
**************************
Core 1 News
VALENTINE’S DAY TRADITION
Valentine’s Day will be on Friday, February 14. Core 1 celebrates the
friendships we share by “showering” our friends with love and valentines during
Magic Circle. Each child gets a turn to sit in the middle of the circle while
the group sings,
Will you be our
Valentine, Valentine, Valentine?
Will you be our
Valentine? We Love You!
The children toss the valentines at the child in the
middle, who then collects the cards and puts them in his/her bag. Your child is
invited to make 25 valentines for all the children in his/her Circle
Group. We ask that the cards be
signed by your child, but not be addressed to specific children.
Addressing individual cards could create confusion and disappointment. We also request no sweets. Your children’s love and kindness are sweet
enough!
Guest Speaker
Core 1 was visited by SMASHing mom and Director of
Residential Greening Program for Sustainable Works, Gina Garcia. Gina’s presentation included information
about the city’s current water consumption, the limited resources, and ways to
conserve water. The children were
invited to participate in the city-wide poster contest to persuade others to
conserve water.
Field Trip
Our field trip to see Flight of the
Butterflies (in 3-D) at the California Science Center
will be on Thursday, February 20. We
will be riding a school bus. Please
read, complete, and return the permission slip.
We were amazed as we observed the complete life cycle
of the Monarch Butterflies in the Small Yard at school. We raised butterflies
in our core and then released them. We
hope to learn about their incredible journey.
Reminder
Let’s take some time to prepare for the rain by
labeling sweaters, jackets, raincoats, and umbrellas.
Have a great weekend!
Christian (ccarter@smmusd.org) and Nadja
**************************
Core 2 News
Parents often ask what they can do to support us at school or how they can
support their kids at home.
Tamara, Jayme, Mimi, and Malaika put a lot
of time, effort, and thought into planning the best
field trips to connect with C2, the perfect math homework to practice the
skills taught in class, the ideal sequence of learning activities/guest
speakers/videos for theme, the crucial aspects of helping students develop
independence as readers and writers, and what to communicate to you each week
in the Friday Letter.
The Friday Letter is our main form of
communication, and we want to keep that home/school connection strong. We also enclose math packets, field trip slips, and other important papers
in your child’s Friday folder – so it really helps to have the folders!!!
Please make time to go through your child’s Friday Folder and read the Friday
Letter/Core 2 page together each week. We admire your efforts to help SMASH be
more green, so thank you for reading your Friday Papers via email or the SMASH
website. We are a community of learners; we are all in this together – and your
participation is critical to our success.
The most important homework is
family time together: cooking, chores, games, favorite activities, read alouds,
sports, etc. But since some of you asked…cursive, computer keyboarding, spelling lists
of high-frequency or commonly
misspelled words, and memorization of times tables are some skills that
can be reinforced at home. Our district
makes typing program available for our students! Your child can log on with their first and
last name (use full first names and not nicknames) with the passcode 123456. The district is trying out this program
because typing is a good life skill and for the future state test which will be
online and require some short answer typing.
Any free online typing game or program works. This is another one available to our
Core: https://smmusd.typingclub.com/ (If there are issues logging on,
don't fret! We'll get the kinks out.
We're already aware that logging on is not always working 100% for everyone.)
The math letters attached to the math
homework are for you - this resource helps parents understand
the foundation of each math unit and provides helpful examples of how your
students are learning various concepts. Our Homework Mantra is, “Start with
what you know, do what you can, bring it in and ask for help.” but we hope
you’ll get involved in your child’s math learning by playing the games we send
home, being their “partner” on worksheets, and helping them practice their
combos of ten and multiplication facts. Ask questions to encourage children to
develop problem-solving ideas and defend their thinking: Why did you solve the
problem in this way? Will your strategy always work? What else did you try?
After you ask a question, be patient. Don't automatically give your child the
answer. Instead, give your child time to think.
Parent Math Resources: For more about Investigations check out http://investigations.terc.edu, A great article
from SMMUSD ~ “The Myth of I’m bad at Math” to change
the mindset to “Everyone can do math!” http://www.theatlantic.com/education/print/2013/10/the-myth-of-im-bad-at-math/280914/, Another great article is Doing Math Together - Expect Your Child to
Work Hard and be Able to Learn Math (Google it).
Core 2 is ramping up our Word Work (spelling, parts of speech, grammar, punctuation, penmanship) to twice a
week. Some students will also receive
spelling homework in their Friday Packets.
We hope this extra word study will help all of our readers and writers
gain more confidence and independence. Remember,
daily independent reading is the most important literacy homework your child
will ever do.
Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday, February 14. Core 2 traditionally delivers “mail” to their classmates during our Valentine’s Day celebration. Bringing cards is optional - your child may
bring in 25 Valentines for all of the children in her/his Advisory group or 50
Valentines for the entire Core. Keep it simple - your child may simply sign the
cards From: __________ or Love, ___________.
Please do not write To:__________ NO candy please! Thanks to your generous Crispy Rice Cereal donations, we
will be making Rice Crispy Treats in class – please let us know if your child
has any food allergies or dietary restrictions to butter, marshmallow, or
crispy rice cereal.
Wish List: Cold & Flu season depleted our supplies ~ we need tissue boxes and pump
hand soap refills.
*Please sign and return the trip slip for
the Morgan-Wixon & Picnic on Thursday, 2/13 8:30 – 1:00!
We look forward to switching Advisory Groups next week!
Tamara: tmugalian@smmusd.org Mimi: mimilichterman@yahoo.com
***************************
Core 3 News
Thanks to all the parents and their tired hands for filling
out all the permission slips and for those who have contacted us to chaperone
the upcoming fun trips! If you
haven't filled them all out or turned in your donations, please do so! We need to make sure we can cover all of our
costs.
Theater of the Blind, the only entirely blind
theater troupe in the country, will be performing "Sit" an original
play based on the life of a cast member.
@the Promenade Playhouse, Fri, Feb 21-Sun, Mar 2 (right in Santa Monica!). $15/tickets
but we can get a group discount for the March 2nd 7:00pm
show, which Kristy and Genie will attend.
More info@ http://www.creoutreach.org/ Cast Members
will also come talk to Core 3 next week as it ties together theater with our
health issues and inclusion. For
tickets for the March 2nd 7:00pm show: Visit: http://tinyurl.com/sit-play, enter
discount code: smash
6th gr Math with Erin: Last week we
completed our unit on Ratios. Ask your student if they felt confident with the
material on the final assessment. This week we began our Geometry "dream
room" projects. We are jumping off by watching an episode of Extreme
Makeover - Home Edition. Next week students will begin looking at square
footage and bring what they learned in our ratios unit to create floor plans.
5th gr Math with Genie: We have
begun to multiply fractions by starting with multiplying whole numbers
with fractions. We looked at problems like Stuart rode his
bike 3 2/3 times the distance around the perimeter of a lake that is 60 miles.
How many miles did he ride? What
kind of math did you have to do to solve this problem? What is the equation? What is the equation with the fraction? We say number sentences like 3 and 2/3 of 60
is _____. How is the 'of' and 'is'
symbolized in math?
Interdisciplinary Project: Medical Issues: Knowledge of Diseases,
Conditions, and Syndromes and their
Inclusion within Society: This week in our project time we
focused on group dynamics and engaging in thorough research.On Monday students reflected on
the group norms they created the week before. What norms/rules have been working? What hasn't? Groups
brainstormed and made any changes to help their group work to their
fullest potential.We also spent
time this week talking about thorough research. Some of the scientific details
behind various medical issues have been very tough to understand. We talked
about not giving up and how to approach difficult material. Giving up and saying, "Oh
it looks too hard, I'll skip that part," is not an option. Students thought
about how they could: approach and discuss with a teacher, read the material
again and again while looking up new vocabulary, draw out things like genes and
chromosomes to get a better understanding of how they relate to each
other.Learning can often push us to challenge ourselves. This is when learning
is most exciting and fun!!
Reading/Writing Workshop with Genie: We are beginning a new read aloud From the
Notebooks of Melanin Sun by
Jacqueline Woodson. This is a book whose
protagonist, Melanin, is dealing with life and wanting to be 'normal' (similar to Catherine in Rules). He is as a quiet African American boy growing
up in Brooklyn and processes his life through writing in his notebook. As we continue to work towards understanding
the depth of characters in our reading work, we will continue to use that
understanding in our writing work. We
know even though we are working on science fiction short stories, our
characters need depth to make our stories more interesting and watch carefully
to see how writers create multi-layered characters.
Dramatic Arts with Kristy: This week we
finished our scripts and read through them to make sure they captured the
feeling and energy of the chapter each group had to adapt. They also read carefully to revise and edit
for format, spelling, and making sure the dialogue fits with each character.
Homework:
5G math: packet #19—same packet. Due 2/14/14
Nonfiction Reading sheet due Wednesday, 2/12/14
Reading 30 minutes every day!
WW: collect 2 entries (full pages) in writing notebook each week.
Genie, Erin
and Laura
Genie: ghwang@smmusd.org Erin:ehaendel@smmusd.org
**************************
Core 4 News
Humanities
·
Reading - Students are
presenting their book club project on February 13, 2014 during the Humanities
block. They currently have 2 weeks left
to read a book of their choice.
·
Writing - We had a great
writing celebration last Thursday.
Students were able to read their classmates’ writing and see a different
perspective about their trip to Yosemite.
·
Social Studies - Students
are continuing to work in small groups to complete their project for
comparative world religions. They have until Friday, February 14, 2014 to
complete this group project.
Science: We are finishing our work with genetics and moving on
to evolution. During the 8th grade trips
to the aquarium, the students were pulling together their understanding of
ecology by learning about population sampling. Ask them about transects and
quadrats.
7th Grade Math - We are continuing our work with graphs and functions.
One group had a chapter 7 packet due on Monday.
8th Grade Math - We did not
have a lot of math time this week due to the aquarium trip. We should be back on schedule next week.
One group is learning about:
·
Integer Exponents (Review)
·
Multiplication and Division
Properties of Exponents (Review)
·
Adding, Subtracting, and
Multiplying Polynomials
·
Radical Expressions
Another group is reviewing
·
Equations, Proportions, and Formulas
·
Simple, Multi-Step, and Compound
Inequalities
·
Function Concepts and Applying Functions
·
Characteristics and Using Linear Functions
Important Dates
February 14th - Valentines Craft Night
February 17th - President’s Day Holiday (No School)
**************************
