March 1, 2010

Dear Families:

Greetings! We have passed the 100^th day with much fanfare and learning. Although February was a short month, it was marked with many educational highlights. We celebrated Black History Month with a Los Angeles Jazz Society performance and student presentations and projects; conducted our First Annual Spelling Bee and sent 4 students to a Local District 3 Spelling Bee, 3 of whom were in the Top 5 of 47 contestants; competed in the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee and celebrated all of our Spelling Bee champions at a school-wide assembly; raised over $6,000 from our Great American Spell Check pledge drive; and hosted our very first Radio Club performance, launching our own radio station: KCDA, the Heartbeat of Venice. All of this could not have been accomplished without the dedication of our staff, the hard work of our students, and the overwhelming support of you, our families. Thanks as always for all that you do for your school.

As we approach the end of the second marking period and near Spring Break, remember to make sure that your child reads every day and completes his/her homework. Take time to sit with your child and assess his/her understanding as s/he completes assignments. We are fortunate to have such a talented staff who make every minute count. Together, we can ensure that every child meets grade level standards. A useful resource with which to become familiar is the state's website (http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/). There you will find all of the grade level standards that your child is expected to know. Our California State Test assessment window is from May 10 - May 28. This is an important time for students to get plenty of rest, eat a good breakfast, and attend school on time.

Here are some updates that I will be sharing with families at my Coffee/Tea with the Principal on March 5, 2010 at 8:15 AM:

·        STAR Education Programs will be offering enrichment classes for fee on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting the week of April 26, 2010. The sessions will run for 8 weeks. We intend to offer these classes next year if there is enough interest to warrant continuing the program. In addition, we will be offering enrichment classes for students who are identified as gifted and academically promising in Grades K - 5. That will begin after Spring Break as well. Notices about both programs will come home after the break.

·        We have minimum days on March 5, March 24, and March 25 from 8:05 AM to 12:35 PM. Family conferences are the week of March 22, 2010. Please plan on attending. Spring Break is the week of March 29, 2010. School will resume on April 5, 2010. Prospective Family Days are April 13 and May 25. Open House is Thursday, May 20, 2010.

·        As of yet we have no firm news on how the District's budget shortfall will affect our programs. I shared with you possible impacts in December. Once I hear something, I will let you know. We have begun discussing in our School Site Council meeting and at our staff meetings how best to meet the needs of our students if class size increases to 29 students in Grades K - 3. We are looking at ways to flexibly use staff and monies so that adult to student ratios stay at reasonable levels. Be mindful of the fact, though, that teacher effectiveness has greater impacts on student learning than low class size. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated, innovative staff.

·        School Site Council (SSC) and English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC) meetings this month will be opportunities for all stakeholders to prioritize our budget for the 2010-2011 school year. All stakeholders are welcome to attend these meetings to hear the discussions and add input as needed.
Minutes from the SSC meetings are posted in the office.

·        Be on Time, Be on Winner has been a huge success and motivator for students to attend school on time. Every student has an assigned number and each day one is randomly called. If that student is in line at 8:15 AM, s/he can redeem a ticket for a prize in the office during recess. Thanks to families who have donated prizes: pencils, erasers, rings, etc. If you would like to donate prizes (the kind you might find at a 99 cents store), please give them to Nancy Robbins in the office. Our goal is to have an attendance rate of 96% this year. Thanks for helping us reach that goal.

·        Parking in the Coeur d'Alene (CDA) Avenue lots continues to be an issue. Please honor the "Staff Only" parking spaces and do not block others in when visiting our school. Also, cars have sometimes parked on the grass area in the larger lot on CDA Avenue. Please use parking spaces. If the lot is full, please use street parking. Unfortunately, we have received complaints from our neighbors on CDA Avenue that people deposit trash on the street or grassy areas as they exit and enter their cars. Let's all work together to take pride in our community and abide by rules and parking guidelines. Finally, I am working with the city to have the street cleaning signs on Garfield Avenue covered so that we can park on Thursdays in the morning.

·        Be mindful of our school dress code, especially as the weather gets warmer. Students are not to wear sandals or tank tops with large, oversized armholes. Socks are required and we do not allow open-toed shoes. Thanks.

·        Free Arts Day is this Saturday, March 6, 2010 from 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM. This is a RSVP event, as we had to give them a lunch count this past Friday. I will be here along with many volunteers so you are welcome to drop off your children. Please be prompt, though, when picking them up. We are also having an E-Waste collection, the proceeds of which benefit our school monetarily.

·        Finally, see below for scheduled meetings and locations. These meetings are open to all stakeholders! Please plan on attending.

 

 

Thanks as always for your continued support. Enjoy your time with your family over the Spring Break!

 

Sincerely,

 

Andrew Jenkins

Back to the List of Principal's Messages