The Weekly Wave
Short Avenue Newsletter- Week of November 27, 2023
Short Avenue IB Learners Strive to Be...
Mr. Lamb's Updates
Happy Weekend Short Avenue Families and Friends!
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope all of our families and community members had an amazing week full of family and friends and, most importantly, a time to reflect.
I find giving thanks to be one of the easiest and most elusive elements in my life. There are countless times during a day where somebody does something - often a little action in a moment - and I am thankful. I try to remember to say thank you but I know there are times where I forget. We get too in the moment with work, or with family, or with whatever is at hand and the moment is gone. I also find myself wondering and doubting if a simple thank you is enough.
Thanksgiving is my favorite of the holidays. Friends and family gather to enjoy each other's company. You get to catch up. You get to laugh. There is no gift pressure. And I enjoy the food. It is harder now with family and extended family to see everyone but those across the state or country or world are a call/email/text away. And, this is a day to just say thank you and to reflect on what we are thankful for.
I am thankful for a healthy family and a job I enjoy with a team that shares my passion for our students. I am thankful for my leadership support staff who have made my transition successful. I am thankful for our parents and our community for your passion, your concern, your support, and your willingness to trust us with your child’s social and academic growth.
We have three weeks of school until our three-week Winter Break. There are several upcoming events so please check the calendar on Fresh Schools and the events listed in this Weekly Wave. Please remember that the LAUSD Winter Academy is the first three days of Winter Break. It is being held at Walgrove Elementary. If you are thinking about registering please do so ASAP. Also, please assist us with our attendance goals by not starting your vacations until after December 15. And, please assist us with the students by keeping the focus on school as we approach the various holidays and the vacation. Let’s come together to make the close of 2023 as strong as possible!
As always, please be safe. And please enjoy the rest of your weekend.
See you Monday!
Mr. Lamb
Important Dates- Mark Your Calendars
11/20-11/24- No School, Thanksgiving Break
12/01- All School Assembly, Dolphin Cafe
12/04- Coffee With the Principal @ 8:20 am
12/14- Winter Program
FOSA Updates
SEE’S CANDY FUNDRAISER 🍫
LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LEFT TO GET YOUR ORDERS IN!
Something sweet for the holidays while giving back to Short Avenue! From chocolates, truffles, and more! Shop See’s Candy and support Short Ave with your purchase, a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to Short!
Orders must be placed by December 1st to receive them in time for the holidays!
Share the link to our shop with family and friends! The more people who shop it, the more $ we raise for Short Ave!
Order directly online with this link, select your candies, and ship them directly to your home or your loved one.
WINTER BAZAAR ❄️
Save the date! December 9th, 11 AM - 4 PM, please join us at our Winter Bazaar fundraiser for holiday shopping. Located on the front lawn, a variety of local & artisanal vendors will be selling their goods. We will have food trucks, music, and a kids crafting table. A portion of all sales will go back to our school. Please come and enjoy our Winter Bazaar, this event is open to the entire community.
Calling all parent-owned businesses! If you have a business and would like to sell your product or services at the Short Ave Winter Bazaar booth, we have spots available. Please reach out to cristina@friendsofshortavenue.org ASAP.
UPCOMING COMMUNITY DATES & EVENTS 🙌
Thanksgiving Break - November 20th - 24th
All School Assembly & Dolphin Cafe - December 1st, 7:30 AM - 9 AM
Coffee with the Principal - December 4th - 8:20 AM
Winter Bazaar - Saturday, December 9th on the front lawn, 11 AM - 4 PM
VOLUNTEER 👷♀️
As a parent, you play a vital role in shaping the education experience for your children, and we invite you to join us in making a difference. We are still looking for Event/Program Committees & Volunteers for YearBook & Hospitality. To sign up, please click here. Remember to see the Volunteer Section at the bottom of this newsletter for all the information to become an approved volunteer!!
BIRTHDAY MESSAGES ON THE MARQUEE 🎉
Do you want to have a birthday message for your child on the Marquee? It costs $25, and you can purchase this on our school store on the website, linked here. Be sure to put the date that you want the message to run, and check to make sure that your date does not fall on a weekend:) We will use first name and the initial of the last name if you would like. We ask that you give at least a full week's notice, but if you want a last minute message, please email Avril, at avrilstyle@gmail.com, and she will do her best to accommodate you.
SPIRIT WEAR RECYCLE/REUSE PROGRAM ♻️
Free, gently used Spirit wear is here!
We are collecting new and gently used spirit wear items that are still in good condition. Please leave your new or gently used spirit wear items in the spirit wear bin, located in the office. We will have this bin out at all spirit wear sale days for you to look through or have a peek at what’s in it in the office during the week and please feel free to take an item or two!
FOSA COMMUNITY MEETINGS 🙌
FoSA community meetings are held monthly and all are welcome to join!
They take place on the 3rd Thursday of every month, September*- June, and alternate between virtual (6:00 PM on Google Meet) and in-person (8:20 AM on campus). Meeting invites will be sent through FreshSchools.
* January 18th, 8:20 AM is our next FoSA Community meeting. This will be a an in-person meeting in Room 12.
FOSA ANNUAL BUDGET 📈
Are you wondering why FOSA asks for donations and where the funding goes? See FOSA’s updated 2023 Annual Budget here.
Thank you Short Avenue Community for always bringing your love and care to our school. Our children feel it, our teachers and staff feel it, we all feel it. Together, we can achieve anything! Thank you ❤️. For any other questions regarding our school community, or to get in touch with a FOSA board member, please reach out to fosaboard@friendsofshortavenue.org
Community Rep Corner
Spring Semester After School Enrichment Info is Coming!!!!
Please keep a lookout for an email from me through FreshSchools with ALL the info for Spring Semester After School Enrichment. Here is what I can tell you now!!
- Spring Enrichments will start the week of January 29th, 2024.
- It will be a 12 week session ending in late April or early May, depending on the no school holidays.
- We have some **new** classes coming, as well as some old favorites!!!
- Enrollment will open BEFORE the Winter Break, so if you are planning holiday gift shopping, please consider buying an Enrichment Class!!
LAUSD's Winter Acadamy on December 18, 19, & 20:
Website: https://www.lausd.org/winteracademy
Information regarding registration, sites, and a FAQ are available on the website. The host site for this year's academy will be Walgrove Elementary School.
Winter Academy enrollment portal link: https://enroll.lausd.net/winter-academy. Portal will close on November 13, 2023 to begin processing transportation requests and site assignments.
See the flyer below!!
Got Game Winter Holiday Camps:
Click this link for more info and to register
LAUSD's Family Academy, November Offerings:
The Family Academy is designed to leverage families’ assets to be empowered as they support their child from the early primary years to college and career success. This effort will complement family knowledge by connecting them to actionable learning focused on their child’s development, as well as opportunities to accelerate their own careers and quality of livelihood.
November 27, 2023, 5:30 - 7:00pm - Unlocking Reading Success with Structured Literacy: Building the Foundation
Webinar Recording English | Spanish
November 29, 2023, 5:30 - 7:00pm - Joy and Wellness in the Holiday Season: Strategies to Support Our Well-being
Webinar Recording English | Spanish
Social Media: The week before break I posted on our Instagram and Facebook : A Veteran's Day Post, A Parent Teacher Conference Week Reminder, pics from a special visit from an astrophysicist and parent in 4th grade, A Thanksgiving Door post, Pics from a live Zoom reading with author Kwame Alexander, the 5th grade field trip to the Gene Autry Museum, The Kindergarten Publishing Party, The 5th Grade Friendsgiving, and Rocio and Abuela twinning!!
We are at 997 followers on Instagram , we gained 6 new followers!! I would love to get to 1000 by the end of the year!! Please follow and like our social media posts, it is a wonderful way to see what is happening on campus!
Karen and Mr. Lamb!
5th Grade Friendsgiving!
Rocio and Abuela!
Previously Published...
Are You Registered On the Parent Portal?
Please make sure that you have registered for an account on the Parent Portal. The Parent Portal is is an online system that connects parents and guardians to their child's information. The website to register is: http://parentportal.lausd.net. Make sure to link your student(s) to your account. Please call the office if you need any help in obtaining your child's student ID # or any other assistance registering on the portal.
Sibling Enrollment for 2024/25 School Year:
Do you have a younger sibling at home who you would love to come to Short Ave next school year? We are starting a SIBLING LIST, and ask that you please fill out this Google Doc, so that we have you all in one place! This list is for both our current neighborhood families with younger siblings, and our families on permit with younger siblings. To be eligible for TK/UTK, children need to have birthdays between September 2, 2019 and September 1st, 2020.
https://forms.gle/rUtjhx7CCyd1tbMS8
Please know that we have become VERY popular with our resident neighborhood families, and expect that Kindergarten for 24/25 will be very full. Resident neighborhood families are guaranteed a spot. But we do not know if we will have spots in Kindergarten for siblings on permit. We do anticipate being able to take siblings for TK from our current families on permit, but will most likely delay enrolling siblings until later in the spring when we have a better sense of our numbers. This is a change from last year, when we enrolled siblings in March with our neighborhood families.
Current Short Ave families do not need to take a tour, and we kindly ask that you leave tour spaces for new families. All enrollment and tour info is now on our website. For those families with friends who want to tour Short Ave, the tour RSVP will open November 1st, when a google doc to sign up will be on our school website. Families on permit with younger siblings will be at the top of the waitlist and will have priority over new families trying to enroll to Short for the first time.
If you have questions about this, please reach out to me at avril.lipsky@lausd.net
Attendance
Health Updates
- Individuals who test positive must stay home and follow isolation instructions for 5 days (Day 0 is the day an individual tests positive).
- Parents of a student who tests positive are strongly recommended to upload their test result to the Daily Pass.
- Individuals who test positive may be released from isolation on or after Day 6, provided any symptoms are improving, and they are fever-free for the past 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.
- Students returning between day 6-10 may unmask if they have two sequential negative tests taken at least a day apart.
If you need any Covid tests, you can pick them up in the main office or request them from your child's teacher.
Additionally, there have been a few cases of lice this week. Please check your child's head regularly and notify the school if your child has lice. It is best to keep hair pulled back to avoid any spread.
Volunteering
ALL Volunteers must watch this MANDATORY VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION, BEFORE volunteering on campus!!
https://bit.ly/ShortVolunteers
1. Please sign up through this LAUSD VOLUNTEER LINK!
2. Volunteers must have a negative TB test. New volunteers must have a recent negative test within 60 days of application. You must email your negative result to avril.lipsky@lausd.net so that they can be inputted into your application. You can get your TB test at CVS. TB tests for returning volunteers are good for 4 years.
3. Volunteers need to sign a Liability Waiver and the Commitment Form electronicallyin the application.
4. Please see the LAUSD Volunteer Page for answers to questions.
https://www.lausd.org/volunteer
If you are a RETURNING VOLUNTEER from last year, you still need to fill out the LAUSD Volunteer Application online at LAUSD VOLUNTEER LINK! We should already have your negative TB test. TB test's for returning volunteers are good for 4 years.
Becoming a volunteer can take a little time, but we promise you it is worth it!
Short Avenue Elementary
Email: wlamb@lausd.net
Website: shortavenueelementary.org
Location: 12814 Maxella Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: 310 397-4234