El Semanario

Monday, March 17

• HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY - Wear green!

• St. Patrick’s Day Clover Hunt (organized by Student Council)

• Parent Singing Circle, rm. 109, 8:30 am

Tuesday, March 18

• St. Patrick’s Day Raffle winner announced

• Perez Play Rehearsal, Cafeteria, 8:30-10:00 am

• Garden Classes begin for Kindergarten/Garden lunch club continues

• Family Constellations Workshop (Aileen Salmaggi), MPR, 8:45-10:30 am

• JAMS Parent Night (for incoming 6th grade families), 5:00 pm

Wednesday, March 19

• PTA General Meeting, 8:30 am, Library

• 5th Grade Visits JAMS, 9:20-12:00

• Young Storytellers begins (select 5th graders), 12:30-1:15, MPR

• Perez Play Performance, Cafeteria, 6:00-7:00 pm

Thursday, March 20

• CUE Conference - Cotsen Teachers out

• Morales Play Rehearsal, Cafeteria, 8:30-10:00 am

• Morales Play Performance, Cafeteria, 6:00-7:00 pm

• Mathletes, rm. 200 (students dismissed from class at 12:20 pm)

Friday, March 21

Dear Edison Families,

I want to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for the incredible support and involvement we've received from our parent community this school year. It has truly been a pleasure working alongside all of you. Our school thrives because of the dedication, time, and effort that so many parents contribute—whether it's volunteering in the classroom, chaperoning field trips, helping at events, taking on special projects, or simply spreading the word about resources. Your commitment to our school is also evident in your attendance at performances, events, workshops, and important meetings, as well as your willingness to support families in need.

Research shows that students whose parents are actively involved tend to perform better academically, and we know that the success of our students is a direct result of your engagement. We are deeply grateful for everything you do, and I know that your children are thankful too.

This month’s newsletter highlights various ways to continue your involvement, and I understand that balancing work and family life can be challenging. To help you find the opportunities that best fit your schedule, I’ve included a short list of ways you can participate. More details and links can be found throughout the newsletter below.

FAMILY SURVEY: We need ALL families to fill this out. This lets us know about your experience and we use this information to meet our famlies' needs and improve the school.

JOGATHON: This is our biggest fundraiser. Give what you can and ask others to donate for your child. Come cheer your child on this FRIDAY.

NOCHE DE CESAR CHAVEZ: Parents of 1st and 2nd graders will see their children sing and parents of Maestra Cachú-Rios will see their children perform "El Inmigrante" on the stage. ELAC will provide delicious food. Everyone is invited to enjoy on MARCH 28.

CAREER DAY: We are looking for bilingual parents, family members, or community members who use two languages in their job and would like to share their career with our students. Please help us find people so our kids can see the future advantages of being bilingual.

MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL: All families are invited to participate. Let us know what your cultural heritage is so we can connect families of similar heritage groups to put together a cultural table on May 16th.

SITE COUNCIL NOMINATIONS: If you or someone you know would like to be one of the 5 parents who help design our school plan and make budget decisions for next year fill out the nomination form.

Thank you for all you do to make Edison such a wonderful place to learn and grow!

In gratitude,
Directora Ipiña

Each year we ask families to respond to our EDISON FAMILY SURVEY. This survey is designed by our School Site Council with input from ELAC and it provides families with the opportunity to let us know more about their experience at Edison. We use this information to continue what is going well and to make improvements. There are two versions of the survey, one in English and one in Spanish. Choose the language you feel most comfortable with. WE NEED ALL FAMILIES TO RESPOND BY MARCH 28!

EDISON FAMILY SURVEY LINK_ENGLISH

EDISON FAMILY SURVEY LINK_SPANISH

Thank you!

Each Wednesday, from 8:30-10:00 am, we have parent meetings in the Library. All parents are invited. Meetings are bilingual and there is a Zoom option at this link.

This week we will be hosting an PTA General Meeting. We will be announcing the slate for next year's PTA officers and hearing about a parent volunteer native plant garden project on campus, as well as much more!

Get ready to run, jump, and groove at Edison Language Academy's Jog-a-Thon this Friday! This exciting event will have our students running to fun music, with parents cheering them on from the sidelines. Every child will receive a Jog-a-Thon t-shirt as they race toward their goals. Not only will it be a great time, but it's also a fantastic way to help raise money for the outstanding education we provide at Edison. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so please collect all the donations you can this week!

Here are the run times:

• 8:15-8:40 - 2nd grade (25 mins)

• 8:45-9:10 - 1st grade (25 mins)

• 9:15-9:35 - Kinder (20 mins)

• 9:40-9:55 - PreK/TK (15 mins)

• 10:00-10:25 - 3rd/4th grade (25 mins)

• 10:30-10:55 - 5th grade (25 mins)

Important Details:

• Parents spectators will enter from the Kansas Avenue gate 5 minutes before their child's running time and will stand on the cement track around the grass. We encourage you to bring signs, pom poms, or any other things to make it festive and cheer our students on! Spectators will only have access to the grass area.
• Parent volunteers will enter through the front office so they can be checked in and receive a pass to enter all areas of the school.
• Make sure your child comes with running shoes and water bottles all week, but especially on Friday. They will receive their Jogathon shirt on Friday right before they run.

Let's make this event a perfect combination of fitness, fun, and funds!

We are so excited to celebrate this important Civil Rights leader while showcasing our 1st and 2nd grade choral music program and a special play performance of "El Inmigrante" by the class of Maestra Cachú-Rios. There will be delicious food provided by our very own ELAC community. It is sure to be a memorable evening.

We are looking for parents or community members to participate in our very first Career Day. We are looking for individuals who are bilingual and use their two languages in their work. If you or someone you know, would like to participate, please use the following link to let us know. CAREER DAY INTEREST FORM. PLEASE RESPOND BY MARCH 21

Edison's first-ever Multicultural Festival will be on Friday, May 16th from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. While the event is still a few months away, we're already planning this incredible celebration where each family has the chance to share their unique culture with our community.

We are looking for families to host a cultural table representing their culture. Imagine vibrant displays showcasing folk art, crafts, traditional clothing, musical instruments, photos, books, toys, and decorations—whatever brings your culture to life! Every table will offer delicious bite-sized food samples, so our students can taste the flavors of your homeland. Our students will travel through the festival with a passport, experiencing the world in one exciting afternoon.

We can’t make this event happen without YOU! Sign up now to be part of this amazing opportunity! We’ll pair families with similar heritage so you can collaborate on creating your country’s display. Let’s work together to enrich our students' understanding of their own cultures and of those around them!

CLICK HERE TO LET US KNOW YOU WANT TO BRING YOUR CULTURE TO OUR FESTIVAL

The Edison School Site Council is a very important group. This group of five parents/community members and five staff make important decisions about our school. In addition to approving the Safety Plan, Parent Engagement Policy, and Parent/School Compact, they have the important job of creating and monitoring our School Plan. This plan determines our goals for the year, how we will achieve those goals, and how we will spend our school budget. The council looks at school data and collects information from the community to make these decisions. We meet once a month for two hours and it is a two year commitment. We have three open positions for next year and are looking for nominations so we can have an election. If you or someone you know would be a good fit for this, click the link below to nominate them.

EDISON SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL NOMINATION FORM

Please drive safely around our school. We know that access to our school is a challenge due to the narrow streets and many cars coming and going, but please drive safely around our school. We have had some close calls because parents are in a rush. Here are a few reminders:

• Drive slowly - This is a school zone and it is important to take your time while driving around so you can see if kids are crossing the streets. Make a complete stop and look both ways at the stop sign on Virginia Aven.
• Drive in the right direction - Traffic flows best if parents drive in the direction suggested by Safe Routes to School: East on Virginia Avenue and West on Kansas Avenue. It also allows you to drop your child on the school side of the street so they don't have to cross.
• Do not double park - If you double park all traffic stops. Please don't do this.
• Pick your child up from the teacher: You must come within 10 feet of the teacher to pick up your child so the teacher sees you and the child is released safely to an adult.
• Leave early and park at Virginia Park - This makes everything work better if you can do this. Plus it gives you the opportunity to walk and talk with your child - a cherished moment.

Let's all work together to make arrival and dismissal the best it can be for our community.

Our fantastic librarian, Yoly, would like to send a huge THANK YOU to all of the families that have bought books. We keep getting new books! The kids have been so excited to get the books that they have been asking for. If you would like to buy a book and donate it to our library, our students would be very grateful. Click here to see our Edison Library Wishlist.

We want to reassure our community that Edison and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) remains steadfastly committed to ensuring that every student, regardless of their immigration status, has access to a safe, secure and nurturing learning environment. You can find resources regarding information regarding immigration at the link below.

District Immigration Resource Page

At Edison, we deeply value our community and are committed to ensuring that all families receive the support they need. If you’ve been impacted by the fires, immigration laws, job loss, or are in need of food or mental health assistance, please reach out to our Bilingual Community Liaison, Jessica Hernandez. She can connect you with support services available in the LA area. Don’t hesitate to get in touch – you are not alone, and we are here to help.

Email: jessicahernandez@smmusd.org,

Phone: 310-828-0335 ext. 61-311

PLAY SCHEDULE

• March 17: Final Play: Murcia (rehearsal, 8:30 am, show 6 pm)

• March 18: Final Play: Perez (rehearsal, 8:30 am)

• March 19: Final Play: Perez (show, 6pm)

• March 20: Final Play: Morales (rehearsal, 8:30 am, show 6 pm)

STUDENTS SHOULD ARRIVE BY 5:15 PM ON THE NIGHT OF THEIR SHOW

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

Thank you to the parents and students who came to help us set up the stage this weekend!! We still need parent help:

• Backstage help for each show (rehearsals and performance). We need people to help with teh curtain and supporting students backstage with costumes and enter times. Please note - if you help backstage you will BE backstage and not seeing the show. So it may be best to volunteer for a night your child is not performing, if you would like to be in the audience.
• Clean up after each show. We will need to return all costumes and props to their proper bins backstage.

VOLUNTEER SIGN UP BELOW:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0D44AAA82EA2F94-55281970-5thgrade#/

The Class of 2025 Panoramic Portrait taken by Cornerstone Photography will be provided to all 5th grade families free of charge! This is part of the 5th grade budget for the year. Sorry for any confusion.

Our 5th graders will be attending Emerald Bay Science Camp on the island of Catalina next week - March 24-26th. Click the link below to see our last meeting presentation which contains all information about packing, forms, medicine, and departure/arrival times.

CATALINA PARENT INFORMATION

Most important is to make sure you arrive on time on Monday morning - 6:30 am! We want to make sure we have enough time to check everyone in before the bus leaves. If you have any questions, contact your child's 5th grade teacher.

Dates: June 23- July 25, 2025

Location: Franklin Elementary School

Scholarships are available for qualifying SMMUSD students.

After-care is available with CDS for an additional fee.

Online registration begins March 3 at 7:30 a.m.

Need registration support? In-person assistance is available on March 3, 7:30am-11:30am at Lincoln Middle School (1501 California Avenue).

NEW THIS YEAR: You must fill out the Medical Information Form during registration. You will need the name and contact info for your child's doctor and dentist, the name of your insurance company, and information about allergies and medications.

Visit us at summer-adventure.org

Please click here to read about the upcoming family engagement events for families whose students attend school in Santa Monica, and for all other interested families.

• March 24-26: Catalina Camp (5th graders)

• March 26: Parent Cafecito, 8:30 am

• March 26-29: CABE Conference

• March 28: Noche de Cesar Chavez, 5:00-7:45 pm

• March 31: No School - Caesar Chavez Day

• April 2: Coffee with the Principal and Experts, 8:30 am

• April 2: PTA Executive Board Meeting, 6:00 pm

• April 3: Career Day

• April 3: Edison presents to BOE

• April 4: Dress as your favorite book character

• April 5-20 Spring Break

• April 26: Mathletes Competition, 9:00 am

• April 21-25: Earth Day Workshops: Reuse Selfies

• April 21-May 9: STAR Testing

• April 25: 3-5 Movie Night

• May 5-23: CAASPP Testing

• May 16: Multicultural Festival, 3:30-5:30 pm

• May 19-23 Book Fair

• May 22: Open House