The Weekly Wave

Happy Weekend Short Avenue Families and Friends!

Good morning! I hope this week’s Wave finds you all enjoying your 3-day weekend. Sometimes holidays are too commercialized or are just a great reason for a “day off.” Veterans Day is one particular holiday that resonates with me.

I did not serve in our country’s Armed Forces ~ that was not my path. My grandfather, my uncle, and one of my brothers did for many years. Stories shared by my grandfather and my uncle were shared when I was little and, while I remember some, the stories did not resonate with me. My brother served for 20 years and was deployed around the world. Some deployments were during peacetime. Some were not. With each move I got to see the stress on him and his family. When he was sent, alone, into conflict my whole family shared in worry and concern. He is an electrician. But time was spent in forward positions because that is where help was needed. To this day there are some stories that have still not been shared.

It is easy to question politics and justifications and to have very specific feelings about conflict. On this day, however, I am reminded to set that aside. I will always honor and respect the bravery, the struggle, and the sacrifices made by our veterans and their families.

Please enjoy the day off on Monday. We all work hard and deserve it. But if you can, whether to a family member, a friend, an acquaintance, or event a stranger, take a moment to thank a Veteran.

Please enjoy the rest of your weekend.

See you Tuesday!

Mr. Lamb

November 9th & 10th- Donuts & Coffee fundraiser + Food Drive 8am - 12pm

November 11th- No School, Veteran's Day

November 14th- Emergent Bilingual Parent Meeting @ 8:20am, Parent Center Rm. 12

November 18th-22nd- Parent/Teacher Conference Week, 1:00 dismissal (1:35 on Tuesday)

November 21st- FOSA Community Meeting -This is a virtual meeting

We have six parents who have nominated themselves to serve on our Local School Leadership Council. This is a shared decision-making body tasked with creating and monitoring the school calendar of events, discussing and deciding on general budgetary matters, and discussing and deciding how certain resources are used and managed at the school site. LSLC has 8 total members: 1 Principal, 4 teachers, 1 staff member, and 2 parents. Please click on the link to vote for TWO parent members. Voting will close on Friday, November 15th. You may only vote once. Thank you!

Please join us for our second Emergent Bilingual Parent Meeting on Thursday, November 14th, at 8:20am, in Rm. 12, Parent Center. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents who speak another language, other than English, to come together to learn, offer support, and share common experiences. We will be focusing on the following topics at our meeting:

- Pathway to Biliteracy Awards for students in TK-5th Grade

- English/Language Arts, Math, and EL data sources

- Understanding the LAUSD Progress Report (report card)

Hello families with younger siblings who you would like to come to Short Ave for TK and other grades (BOTH neighborhood and permit families ), please let us know who you are by filling out this google doc:

https://forms.gle/2Gjc8ireNMEPfbjA7

Current Short Avenue families on permit are not guaranteed a spot for a younger sibling, but will be given priority, when accepting students off of the waitlist. We have to see what our neighborhood enrollment looks like before we can offer spots.

SEEDS UPDATE! We have more progress!!!! This week another portion of the project was completed, and we moved even closer to a finished project. The week was spent with framing and preparation and Friday brought us a concrete pour for a stage area. We are still on track for January completion.

We are hearing that there has been an increase in students with head lice. Please let the nurse and your teacher know if you have found nits or live lice in your child's head. We encourage you to do regular head checks and keep long hair pulled back to avoid spread. Click here to read important information from LAUSD regarding head lice.

Join Us for a Donut & Coffee Fundraiser!

We're excited to announce our upcoming fundraiser on November 9 & 10 from 8 AM to 12 PM on the front lawn of the school. Enjoy delicious Donutful donuts and warm coffee and hot chocolate from Maxine's, while supporting a great cause! All families are welcome to come show their support!

We're also partnering with the McNichol Bernbach team to collect non-perishable food items for those in need.

Support Short Ave with Coffee Commissary!

Join us for a special fundraiser at Coffee Commissary from Saturday, November 16 through Friday, November 22! When you mention "Short Ave" at the time of your purchase, Coffee Commissary will generously donate 15% of your total to Short Avenue elementary school.

Please note: This offer is valid for in-store purchases only—no delivery options are available. Grab your favorite brew and make a difference! Thank you for your support!

Join Us for Short Ave's Fall Book Fair!

We're thrilled to partner with our beloved neighborhood bookstore, Village Well, to bring an amazing selection of new books to our students! Make it a perfect addition to your Parent/Teacher conference day.

• When: November 18-21 Time: 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM (not open during recess and closed Friday, 11/22)

• Where: School Library

Every purchase helps stock our library with new books for all our young readers to enjoy! Support our school while supporting a local business - it's a win-win!

Would you like to volunteer at our book fair? Please sign up HERE

Our library does so much for our students—hosting incredible events, providing a cozy space to gather, and inspiring a love for reading. But all of this can’t happen without the help of our amazing community. Here are two ways you can support:

1. Help Us Clear the Library’s Wishlist: Every little contribution goes a long way in providing resources to keep our library thriving! (AMAZON LINK)

2. Join the NEW Library Committee: Organize Fundraisers
Recruit & Manage Volunteers
Advocate for Resources
Grant Writing
Promote Library Usage (SIGN UP HERE)

Your involvement, big or small, makes all the difference! Let’s work together to keep our library vibrant and enriching for all students.

#SupportOurLibrary #CommunityMatters #LoveForBooks

FOSA holds monthly community meetings the third Thursday of each month to inform our wonderful Short Ave community about important updates, events, and all things happening at Short Ave. Meetings alternate each month between in person, and virtual.

Rams Reading Challenge Update:

The 45 day Rams Reading Challenge ended on Friday, November 8th! Congratulations to all of our 1st-3rd graders for reading their hearts out!

The winner will be announced in mid-January. There are schools still in the challenge through December. After the last set of schools finish the reading challenge, ALL reading minutes will be submitted to The Rams for review, verification, and selection for the winning school. More details to follow.

We are competing against 11 schools, and the one with the most minutes read and logged will win....drum roll please...4 FREE TICKETS TO DISNEYLAND FOR EACH STUDENT IN GRADES 1st - 3rd!

Hopefully your kids will continue to be voracious readers!

LAUSD Winter Academy:

The Winter Academy is taking place from December 16 -18, 2024 and will provide students with opportunities to explore enriching concepts and receive additional individualized academic instruction through the support of a teacher.

The location closest to Short Ave is Bradock Drive El. Enrollment is open now! See the flyer below.

FAMILY ACADEMY:

Please take a look at the flyer below with our November Classes for the LAUSD Family Academy.

Workshops include: Mastering i- Ready: Unlocking the Power of Data for Your Child's Success on Thursday, 11/14 and Innovative Learning: Non-Traditional Options in LA Unified on Monday, 11/18.

MARINA MIDDLE SCHOOL TOUR:

Marina Middle School is hosting a school tour and informational meeting on Monday, December 2nd at 6pm in the school Library! You will met the principal, connect with the booster club and interact with a few of their dedicated teachers. This is a great chance to ask questions, gather information, and see what Marina Middle School is all about. See the flyer below!

RSVP Link

SOCIAL MEDIA: Last week I posted on our Instagram and Facebook:

Penny Wars Flyer, pics from Penny Wars, an election day photo of our candidates for President and Vice President for Student Council, the Winter Academy flyer, a photo of more work being done on the Green Space, a No School on Monday, 11/11 reminder, more Penny Wars pics, pics of our kids reading for the Ram's Reading Challenge that ended on Friday, and a reminder of our Donuts and Coffee Fundraiser and Food Drive on Saturday and Sunday till noon!

Please set you Instagram notifications to be notified when I post, so you don't miss anything, and of course like and comment on our posts, it is the best way to see what is happening on campus and get important reminders!

Families,

We want to remind you of our birthday party policy. In an effort to be equitable and keep our students healthy, we do NOT allow caregivers to send in cupcakes and treats for birthdays. While classes may organize celebrations for various occasions throughout the year, birthday parties should be held outside of school. Parents are welcome to arrange with the teacher to read a story in their child's class, or lead a fun birthday activity. Additionally, parents are welcome to donate something special to the class in honor of their child. We understand that birthdays are special , and every student and staff member will be recognized with a birthday song at our monthly assemblies.

Student attendance is a focus for us this school year. It is important that your child is present and on time for school EVERY DAY. An accumulation of absences can negatively impact students both socially and academically. The school is working closely with the District to monitor student attendance and reach out to parents when students are consistently absent from school. While it is understandable that students might become sick throughout the school year, the goal is for seven or less absences between now and June. Family vacations should take place during school holidays and scheduled during school vacations. Additionally, doctors' appointments should be scheduled after school or during vacations, whenever possible. If your child is out because of an appointment, we ask that you bring a note from your doctor to the main office, or your child's teacher. Please let us know if your family needs any support in getting your child to school.

Parents,

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. Once you are registered, you will be able to add your student(s) to your account with their student ID and your parent pin code. Letters were sent home last week with your parent pin codes. It is important that you link your student(s) to your account so you can view their information.. Please call the office if you need any help in obtaining your child's student ID # or any other assistance registering on the portal.

Click here for instructions to register for the Parent Portal.

Click here for instructions on how to add your student to your Parent Portal account.

VOLUNTEERING!

Are you interested in volunteering in your child's classroom, the library, or the garden, or going on a field trip? We LOVE volunteers and hope that you will be one!!

You must be an approved volunteer with a negative TB test to Volunteer for field trips, classroom projects, the garden etc.

1. All Volunteers must have a negative TB test. Please get your Negative TB test first, BEFORE filling out the Volunteer Application. 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. TB tests for returning volunteers are good for 4 years.

2. Please fill out the Volunteer Application through this LAUSD VOLUNTEER LINK! This is for BOTH new and returning Volunteers. Do NOT check Tier 3 assignments unless you are willing to get a Fingerprint. Email avril.lipsky@lausd.net for more info on fingerprints. Here is a link the the most recent Volunteer Guide if you want a step by step visual of how to fill out the volunteer application.

3. Volunteers need to sign a Liability Waiver and the Commitment Form electronically in the application..You do NOT need to email them to me.

4. Please see the LAUSD Volunteer Page for answers to questions.

https://www.lausd.org/volunteer

5. ALL Volunteers (both new and returning) must watch the The Mandatory Volunteer Orientation Zoom Recording, if you did NOT attend the live Zoom on September 11th.

6. Here is the Materials Folder Link that we spoke about in the Zoom Orientation, that includes the Orientation, Zoom, the Guide to Volunteering, The Volunteer Commitment Form, and the Quick Guide.

If you are a RETURNING VOLUNTEER from last year, you still need to fill out the LAUSD Volunteer Application online at LAUSD VOLUNTEER LINK! You Negative TB test should Auto Populate, if it is less than 4 years since you did the test. It takes 4 to 5 weeks to get you approved AFTER I get the TB test, so please do not wait

Please be aware that ClassDojo will translate into over 130 languages!

Here’s a brief overview of how parents can set language preferences in ClassDojo:

1. Content Language: This allows users to select the language for story and message translations.
2. Communication Language: This option lets users choose their preferred language for emails and push notifications.

You can reach out to Rachel Burris @ rjs6223@lausd.net or Avril Lipsky @ avril.lipsky@lausd.net if you need any assistance with translation. We are here to support you!

Looking for a hidden gem for your child’s middle school years? Marina del Rey is a fantastic option for Short Ave Elementary families, offering unique opportunities like a Performing Arts Magnet which includes theater, dance and music, an honors track for high achievers, and exciting programs like Marine Science and a beautiful garden! Let’s support our local school and explore all it has to offer. Interested in learning more or joining our parent group? Email dave@jdpropertiesla.com to join our list of Short Ave families discovering MdRMS!

Email: wlamb@lausd.net
Website: https://shortavees.lausd.org/
Location: 12814 Maxella Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Phone: 310 397-4234