The Weekly Wave

Happy Weekend Short Avenue Families and Friends!

It seems that we just started the school year a moment ago and here we are at the last week of instruction in 2024. There is quite a bit of information in this week’s Weekly Wave so I will try to be brief so that each of you can absorb all that we are sharing.

Last week I shared about the LAUSD Cell Phone & Device Ban at my Morning Brew meeting on Monday and at the Local School Leadership Council (LSLC) meeting on Thursday. The slide deck shared can be accessed here (CLICK HERE FOR SLIDE DECK). More details will come in 2025 in advance of the February 18 launch of this policy but here are the most important points:

• We are asking that all cell phones and smart devices stay home;

• If a cell phone or smart device (watch) does come to school it is to be turned off and in a student’s backpack for the entire time student is on site at Short Ave (this includes after school)

• If there is an emergency, teachers will inform students when it is safe to contact families and I will utilize the mass contact system to keep families informed

• If a student has a special reason (health need or language translation) a device can be in use

• Violations of our policy will be dealt with in progressive fashion from warning, to meeting with me, to device being confiscated and parent picking it up.

This week is Spirit Week hosted by our Student Council. Details for each day are in the Wave below. Also, please remember that our Winter Program is our School-wide Assembly on Friday at 8:30am on the main playground. And on Friday we have Minimum Day dismissal at 1:00pm to launch our three-week Winter Break.

As we move closer to the big holiday season it is inevitable that our children will begin to get the bug of “want.” This is natural. My challenge to our community is to make sure there are thank you cards written with appreciation shown and, if possible, to give back through donation. For every new toy or new dress or new book our children can select a gently used toy, dress, or book to donate. This is a simple and powerful move that helps us, helps others, and keeps your homes slightly less overwhelmed with stuff.

Finally, on behalf of the entire Short Avenue staff please have a safe and joyous holiday season!

As always, please be safe. And please enjoy the rest of your weekend.

See you Monday!

Mr. Lamb

December 8th-12th- Winter Spirit Week (See Below)

December 10th- FoSA Sponsored Cookie Exchange For Teachers and Staff

December 11th & 12th - FoSA Restaurant Nights at Humble Potato

December 12th - FoSA Meeting, 8:20am in Room 12

December 13th - Winter Assembly, 8:30am and Minimum Day Dismissal, 1:00pm

December 16th - January 3rd - Winter Break!

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 their 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. We might not be able to give an answer until late May. We encourage you to have a backup plan for your younger sibling. If you already filled this out, no need to do so again.

It's that time of year that we are seeing an uptick in respiratory illness, influenza, and Covid. Please talk with your child about washing their hands throughout the day and covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze. We have masks available in all classrooms so make your child aware that this is an option to prevent the spread of illness. As always, communicate with your child's teacher if they are home sick for any reason. Let's try to work together to keep everyone safe and healthy this season.

✨ Annual Staff Cookie Exchange Alert! ✨

Let’s spread some sweet holiday cheer to our amazing staff! We’re asking families to donate store-bought or homemade treats for our Staff Cookie Exchange. 🍪❤️

Drop off your goodies on Tuesday, December 10 at drop-off in the Front Office. Please be sure to label items with your name and ingredients to help with food allergies and intolerances.

Let’s make this holiday season extra sweet for our hardworking staff!

Do you have time to help set up the cookie stations for the staff? If so please sign up clicking this evite sign-up link

🍔🎉 Restaurant Nights at Humble Potato tomorrow & Thursday 🎉

Join us on December 11th & 12th for a delicious dining experience at Humble Potato! Enjoy our unique Japanese-American fusion menu featuring mouthwatering burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, sake & more. 🍔🌭

📍 Location: 12608 Washington Blvd B, Los Angeles, CA 90066

✨ Special Offer: A portion of your bill will be donated to Short Avenue Elementary School – just mention HPSA when you order in person or over the phone!

Let’s eat good and give back! See you there! 🎁

🐬☕ Our December Dolphin Cafe is this Friday from 7:30 - 8:15 AM on the front yard.

❗ Make sure to stay for the schoolwide assembly on the large blacktop. Every grade will be performing. 🎵

🎁✨ Holiday Shopping Guide: Shop Local & Give Back! ✨🎁

This holiday season, support Short Avenue School while shopping for unique, thoughtful gifts! We’ve partnered with amazing local vendors who are donating 10-15% of your purchase back to our school.

🛍️ How It Works:
1️⃣ Shop from the curated list of vendors below.
2️⃣ Use the exclusive codes at checkout or reply to order confirmations with "SHORT" where indicated.
3️⃣ Enjoy your holiday treasures while supporting Short Avenue programs!

💡 Featured Vendors:
🌿 Earth Melody: Spa-quality skincare to uplift your spirit. Note "SHORT" at checkout.
🛁 Fizz Bath Co.: Handmade bath bombs with charm. Note "SHORT" at checkout.
☕ Yes Your Majestea: Specialty teas from around the world. Reply "SHORT" to your order confirmation.
🎨 Salted Ocean Dyes: Hand-dyed garments & goods inspired by nature. Reply "SHORT" to confirm.
🖋️ Studio Soprano: Vintage letterpress cards. Code "SHORT" for 5% off.
🛋️ Otantica Home: Organic Turkish cotton robes & towels. Code "SHORT" at checkout.
💎 Samata Stones: Jewelry rooted in Ayurvedic wisdom. Code "SHORT" for free shipping.
🦄 Lolo Unicorn: Fun resin accessories. Reply with "SHORT" to confirm.
✂️ Super Awesome Cuts: Cool kids’ salon. Code "SuperAwesome Short."
👕 Short Avenue Spirit-Wear: Show your spirit—no code needed!
🎩 Andeana Hats: Handcrafted hats preserving South American crafts. Code "SHORT."
🍪 Chocolate & The Chip: Delicious, allergen-friendly cookie dough. Code "SHORT2024" for free delivery.

💻 Shop Now: Check out the full guide and start shopping here: Short Avenue Holiday Guide.

Together, let’s make this season magical for everyone! ✨🎄

Do you have questions about what FoSA? Are there topics you want to learn more about, ideas you have or events/fundraisers or discussions you’d like to have in our community meetings?

Submit your comments, questions, ideas here! We will use these to guide discussions in our meetings staring in January 2025!

Winter Break Camps (Looking ahead 2 weeks!)

Got Game Winter Camp at Short Ave

reDiscover Winter Camp

Euro Soccer Winter Camp

Prime Time Winter Camp

Let's Play LA Winter Camp Let's Play is partnering with Onward Industries for an Ice Quest/Arctic Adventure.

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

Photos of our students bundled up for Tuesday's lunch, Hula Hoop-ing girls, a beautiful butterfly in the garden, a reminder of next week's events, photos from Room 22's care package project for the Midnight Mission.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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