The SMMUSD Wave- Sep. 2023

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, Students and Community Members,

Welcome back after a well-deserved summer break. I hope you had an opportunity to relax and enjoy summer with your family and friends.

I would like to thank teachers, staff, administrators, parents and students for the very smooth start to the school year. Our leadership team and school board members visited our campuses on the first few days of school and reported happy, smiling students and educators and staff ready to support student belonging and success.

Access and opportunity for all students continues as front of mind awareness so that all students may reach their full potential. As your new superintendent, we will continue our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, with the addition of three focus areas: belonging, curiosity and empowerment.

Parents are part of this broad community effort and will learn about our plans and goals through back-to-school nights and PTA meetings. We strongly encourage parents, teachers and staff to join PTSA at your school site. We are fortunate to have an engaged and supportive parent network at every site, along with our SMMPTA Council. Find your PTSA / PTA webpage on your school website, or visit: www.smmpta.org

Refer to my full letter for information regarding district goals, our staff convocation, school safety, facility readiness, indoor air quality, staying home if sick, Covid-19 and staying connected and informed. English / Spanish.

Sincerely,

Dr. Antonio Shelton
Superintendent

You can read prior Superintendent Messages here.

Welcome to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Dr. Douglas Meza, new Director of Human Resources; Dr. Amy Onyendu, new Roosevelt Principal; Greg Schellenberg, new Malibu Middle School Principal, and Adela Rogers, Family Engagement and English Learner Programs Coordinator! We are thrilled to have such accomplished and dedicated professionals in these key roles, and there expertise and passion will undoubtedly contribute to our mission of providing exceptional education and support to our students, families and community.

Attendance impacts student achievement and fosters a sense of belonging. SMMUSD is committed to ensuring that every SMMUSD student succeeds academically and social emotionally.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/AttendanceAwareness2023

Team building and professional development: The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District hosted its 2023-24 Management Retreat in early August. This year's retreat continued on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. Leadership from all schools and the district office focused on curiosity, belonging and empowerment. The retreat also provided a sense of community, strengthened trust and built resiliency among the team.

Watch the video photo slideshow here: https://bit.ly/SMMUSDMgmtRetreat2023.

Success! Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District students headed back to school on 8/24! To kick start the school year, SMMUSD hosted its 2023 Convocation. Nearly 1,000 staff members from all sites focused on belonging, curiosity and empowerment using a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion lens. Staff members from each site focused on personal core values and how each "one of us" can make a lasting impact/difference on students.

Watch the video here.

Watch the photo slideshow here.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District is pleased to announce its high ranking in the 2023 Best School Districts in California by national academic ranking service, Niche. SMMUSD is ranked ninth in Los Angeles County and 16th in California of 440 school districts included. The ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/2023NicheRankings.

U.S. News and World Report has ranked Malibu and Santa Monica high schools in the top four percent for 2023 out of nearly 18,000 public schools in the nation and in the top 110 schools in California. Malibu High School ranked 93 in the state and Santa Monica High School ranked 106. Both schools moved up in the rankings from the prior year reflecting hard work and efforts of SMMUSD educators.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/USNewsRankings2023.

Attention SMMUSD parents! School meals in California are free, but did you know that by applying for the Reduced & Free Meal Program, your school receives funds for educational benefits like parent workshops, enhanced education supports and more? Yes, they do! Help your school reach the funding threshold!

Fill out the application here: https://bit.ly/MealApplications2023-24.

Calling all SMMUSD parents, guardians and staff! We're excited to invite you to our Restorative Justice two-session workshop on October 7 and 14.

These workshops are an opportunity to learn about Restorative Justice practices and how they can positively impact our school community. Your participation is crucial!

RSVP is required, so please use the QR code or visit https://bit.ly/SMMUSD-RJtraining1023 to secure your spot. Don't miss out on this chance to make a difference in our schools!

Let's work together to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all. See you there!

A session will be conducted with Spanish interpretation on two Saturdays, December 2 and 9. More info coming soon. Save the dates!

The annual Choir Cabaret concert is coming up on Friday, October 13 at 6 p.m. in the MHS auditorium. The theme for this year's Cabaret is "Hits from the Decades." There will be student emcees, student solos and choral selections from the 20's until now.

Admission is free! Donations are always appreciated to any school program.

Get ready for a mesmerizing evening of musical enchantment as Santa Monica High School's talented orchestras take center stage on Friday, October 6, 2023 at 6:15 p.m. in Barnum Hall. Students will showcase their extraordinary musical prowess, captivating the audience with their melodious symphonies.

Buy your tickets now! Samohi Orchestras Fall Concert 2023

The Santa Monica Rotary held its annual outstanding service awards luncheon in August, honoring SMMUSD Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources Dr. Mark Kelly for his near 25-year milestone as a dedicated school and district leader.

Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton presented the award stating, "Mark is a strong and thoughtful leader who always has the best interests of students in mind. He is a skilled problem-solver and negotiator, extremely solution-oriented and truly cares about the academic success and well-being of students and staff. He is a strong partner for non-profit groups that serve students, including PTA, Santa Monica Education Foundation, Malibu Shark Fund, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Malibu and Santa Monica, Police Activities League and more."

Dr. Shelton noted how much he appreciates Dr. Kelly's support, mentorship and wisdom and thanked him for his continued guidance, thoughtfulness and ongoing support.

Rotarians also honored recipients from other local agencies.

Photo: Board members Laurie Lieberman and Alicia Mignano with Dr. Kelly and Dr. Shelton

SMMUSD held a new teacher academy prior to the start of the school year as part of its new teacher induction program. The program strives to develop and retain highly qualified teachers by cultivating reflective practices through mentorship, professional learning, and inquiry. The program is guided by the following core values: collaboration, equity, flexibility, growth, knowledge, meaningful work, reflection and support. Ms. Tristen Gartrell is the program coordinator. SMMUSD has hired nearly 30 new teachers for the 2022-23 school year.

New teacher induction (formerly known as BTSA) is a statewide program aimed at guiding newly credentialed candidates beginning in their first year in the teaching profession. Induction assumes that no matter the experience and strengths, everyone wants to continue improving teaching and student performance over time. The Induction program is organized around job-embedded learning experiences crafted individually by teachers working on improving their own practice and student performance. Induction uses a series of on-going inquiries and observations that provide opportunities for continual self-assessment and feedback. It is not summative, nor is it a form of external evaluation. Instead, it provides a chance for self-analysis and growth, a good habit to continue to work on throughout a teaching career. The work completed within the program will not be considered or evaluated for employment purposes.

The program aims to support teachers in: Knowing students in their class well; assessing students’ current understanding of subject matter; planning lessons to meet all students’ needs; examining student work to inform teaching practices; selecting and designing appropriate assessments; using analysis of student work to plan future teaching and using evidence to inform reflection and decision-making.

Welcome new teachers and staff to SMMUSD for the 2022-23 school year!

Congratulations to Samohi's Victoria Davis, senior; Sahana Lindsey, sophomore, and Emmaline Thorpe, senior, on winning the California Young Artists Expo contest. Now their amazing artwork is lighting up the kiosk on the Promenade at Arizona. Swing by to soak up their creativity and check out 100+ more pieces from California students. More info about the organization: https://californiasummit.org/art/

Congratulations are in order as Samohi alumni continue to shine brightly in the music world. A big round of applause to Ryan Roberts, captivating audiences with the English horn and oboe in the New York Philharmonic; Andrés Pichardo-Rosenthal, skillfully holding the position of assistant percussionist at the Detroit Symphony, and Maki Kubota, enchanting listeners as a gifted cellist with the Houston Symphony. Congratulations on their remarkable musical journeys!

AAPI Alliance welcomes SMMUSD families and staff who identify as AAPI or an ally to the AAPI community.

As the new school year begins, AAPI Alliance invites you to join the nonprofit organization to achieve their purpose to support Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) students and their community by promoting cultural heritage, advocating for their rights, and empowering them to reach their full potential.

Please join them at their next event, an open meeting on October 1. To learn more, please visit: https://www.aapialliance.com/

Read more about Rapoport here: https://bit.ly/GabrielRapoport-Spotlight

(Photo courtesy of Gabriel Rapoport)

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) continues to evolve, and with taxpayer’s support, school facilities are transforming into the progressive cutting-edge 21st-century learning spaces required to provide an exemplary education to students for generations to come.

Read more here.

Watch the extensive video history of Santa Monica Schools here.

Malibu video coming soon.

We understand that living near a school has its rewards and its challenges. From construction projects to athletics, evening and weekend events, fire alarm testing and traffic, we know that these events may have an impact on you and your family. Our goal is to inform our neighbors about upcoming events to enhance your experience living near an SMMUSD school. To help keep you in the know about upcoming events and activities at your neighborhood school.

Please join the Neighbor Email List here if you are not a current parent or staff member: https://bit.ly/HelloNeighborSignup. You may join more than one school on the email list.

Share your voice. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s (SMMUSD) Facility District Advisory Committees for Santa Monica (FDAC-SM) and Malibu (FDAC-M) are looking to fill vacant seats. The FDAC-SM is filling eight vacant seats. It is expanding its committee from nine members to 15 members in order to broaden the participation and advice coming from stakeholders. FDAC-M is looking to fill two vacant seats on its nine-member committee.

Apply here.

Facebook:

@smmusd

@MalibuSchoolsPathway

Twitter:

@smmusd

@malibupathway

Instagram:

@smmusd_official

YouTube

@Santa Monica-Malibu USD

LinkedIn

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Download our mobile app

Apple App Store

Google Play

Let's Talk: Compliments? Concerns? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Wave story ideas?

Not a parent or staff member? Join our Community Email List to get all SMMUSD communications, news and superintendent messages!

The SMMUSD Wave is published monthly by the SMMUSD communications team: Gail Pinsker, Community & Public Relations Officer; Diana Bouchaaya and Esmi Careaga, Communication Specialists. Do you have news or interest stories about our students, programs or staff? Please share through Let's Talk.

The SMMUSD Wave:

2023 Winner of the Award of Excellence by the California School Public Relations Association