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January 11, 2010

Dear Coeur d'Alene Families:

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fun-filled Winter Break. Three weeks go by quickly; but I am sure that it provided opportunities to spend time with family and friends, rest, reflect, and look forward to new adventures and challenges in the year 2010! I am excited to usher in a new year with you at Coeur d’Alene Avenue School. Even though December was a short school month, it was filled as usual by many exciting events and changes. We enjoyed two amazing holiday performances under the leadership of Ms. Babchenko and Ms. Fukushima, our music teachers; marveled at the talent that Chad Scheppner was able to inspire in our students as they performed The Wizard of Oz; increased student interest and motivation in learning with the successful installation of LCD projectors, documents readers, and 5 interactive SMARTboards; and exceeded fund raising goals by raising approximately $8,500 at our Holiday Bazaar and $5,284 through our Class Basket Silent Auction. I came across a quote recently by Thomas Edison that reminded me of how hard-working our families, students, teachers, and support staff are: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” We certainly are fortunate to have taken advantage of so many opportunities through hard work and determination. I look forward to continued success as we move into the New Year.

This month, we will be introducing a school-wide set of rewards and consequences for behavior. Additionally, we will be implementing a set of incentives for regular and on-time school attendance. We are fortunate to have so many excellent teachers who have in place a set of rewards and consequences for classroom behavior. These will remain in place because they are working to the extent that we receive very few office referrals for behavior. We have found, though, that we need a more explicit system for out-of-classroom behavior so that our students understand what is expected of them and what they will gain or lose. We also need to provide incentives to families for arriving at school on-time and for attending school, except in the event of an excused absence. Before the break, we sent home attendance and tardy policies that we are required by the District and State to follow. With those policies come mandatory reporting procedures for what is considered truancy. Now is a good time to review these policies with your child(ren) along with policies and guidelines in LAUSD’s Parent/Student Handbook. (A link for the handbook is posted on our website.) In particular, I recommend reviewing the sections “Students’ Rights and Obligations” on pages 15-16 and “Student Discipline: Suspension, Expulsion, and Opportunity Transfer” on pages 19-22. Everyone benefits from being reminded of expectations and the consequences for egregious behavior. Finally, I will be sharing our school-wide discipline and attendance policies at my monthly Coffee/Tea with the Principal this Thursday, January 14, 2010, at 8:30 AM in the auditorium. Before I unveil them to our students, I would appreciate your input.

As we move into the fifth month of school, here are some updates that will be shared at our meeting this Thursday:

• Our 5 new SMARTboards have been installed giving us a total of 6. Our 6 teachers received a 1-hour complimentary technology professional development on the use of SMARTboards with our new mathematics program, enVisionMATH, and a 3-hour Level 1 professional development on the features that their SMARTboards afford them in order to enhance their instruction. A Phase 2 professional development will be scheduled for sometime in February.
• In discussing dismissal procedures with families and staff, an organized “valet” pick-up for students does not appear to be an overwhelming need or desire. Thank you for your attention to parking restrictions, use of the Coeur d’Alene Avenue lot, and drop-off guidelines. We are still working on ways to make the street cleaning times for Garfield Avenue more amenable for our drop-off.
• The teachers and I are keeping our focus on ensuring academic success for all students. This month we will reflect on and refine our vertical articulation of concepts in mathematics and identify and enhance programs and strategies we have in place for our gifted and talented students.
• We are still faced with budget uncertainties for the 2010-2011 school year. Now more than ever, we need to stay focused on our fundraising goal of $200,000 in order to fund all of the staff and programs that we currently have. Thank you to all of the families who have donated to our Annual Giving Campaign. Our goal is 100% participation, no matter the amount donated. Additionally, if you have time to review the possible ways our budget may be cut in the next school year and express your concern by emailing our board member, Steve Zimmer, by going to http://laschoolboard.org/ and clicking on the link to contact him, our voices could make a difference as decisions are made. (The list of possible reductions can be found in December’s newsletter.)
• Superintendent Cortines has decided not to re-norm classes mid-year, which would have required some schools to reduce or enlarge teaching staff. (If you recall, this is the process that we go through every October.) He has asked us, though, to boost our enrollment by reaching out to our community and showcasing the great programs we have at our school. Because we are a neighborhood school, we are only able to attract from within our boundaries. We do want to make sure, though, that all families who live in our area take advantage of our amazing community. One of the ways we can do this is by submitting reviews to www.greatschools.org, a nationally recognized website that rates schools and provides information to families and other stakeholders. If you have the time, take a minute and write a quick review of how Coeur d’Alene has made a difference in your child’s educational career.
• Our after school theater program with Chad Scheppner will resume on January 22, 2010. They will be rehearsing and staging a performance of Wicked. Flyers went out via email and school mail before the break. He will also be doing another session after Spring Break. The Lorax will be the featured play. Additionally Mad Science? will resume on Wednesday, January 27, 2010. We will do two more back-to-back 8-week sessions, through the end of the school year. Flyers will be coming home in school mail this week or next. After school physical education resumes in March, and the Radio Club will continue through February 4, 2010. Finally, we will add 5 more classes to our arts education program through LAUSD. (This is separate from PSArts.) 5 classes experienced drama last semester. Those 5 classes plus 5 more will benefit from 10 weeks of visual arts with Michelle Baldanado, and then another instructor will teach 10 weeks of dance.
• Flu season is still here. Please remind your children to wash their hands frequently and to sneeze and cough into the crook of their arm. Children should stay home for 24 hours after a fever clears. For updates and information on Swine Flu (H1N1) you can go to www.aft.org/topics/h1n1, www.pandemicflu.gov/professional/school, and www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/states.htm.
• Free Arts Day for students is scheduled for January 23, 2010, from 10 AM – 1:30 PM.
• 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. As a reminder, Monday, January 18, 2010, is a school holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. I look forward to working in a collaborative manner with you as we strive to make Coeur d’Alene Avenue School a world-class institution of learning!

Sincerely,

Andrew Jenkins
Principal

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. - Martin Luther King, Jr.