February was filled with:

Field Trips - the 5th-graders attended the Valley Forge field trip or Adventure Week

Valentines (and lots of sweets)

Rainy Days - and rainbows like the one in the background of this newsletter, courtesy of Mrs. Redfern

Black History Month lessons

Newly Hired Staff - Teodoro Almanza (evening custodian), Anita King, Naomi Kruzic, Roderick Spilman, and Marcelo Ramirez (paraprofessionals)

Awards - Paws for Praise, PTA Reflections, California Distinguished School

Bees - thankfully, they are gentle bees

Behavior Reminders - Mrs. Blaney visited upper-grade classes to review the Discipline Matrix (found in the Parent Student handbook).

This newsletter will highlight some events of February and preview some upcoming events of March.

Sincerely,

Emily

LCE celebrated the accomplishments of Black Americans this month Specifically, in Music class, Mr. Leonard taught the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders The Star-Spangled Banner. They learned the vocabulary (twilight, ramparts, gallantly) and did a quick background of its composition during the war of 1812. In 1814, what did this line mean? "O say does that star-spangled Banner yet wave o'er the land of the free, and home of the brave?" At that time, most BIPOC Americans and women were not allowed to vote. Black Americans were still considered property, not people. As Americans, our strength is that we've continued asking ourselves the questions in the National Anthem to make our country freer, and we will always need to ask ourselves these questions.

The photo above was taken outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I learned about Julian Francis Abele when we visited the "Rocky Steps".

Our Social Studies Pilot is almost complete. Teachers who chose to pilot materials are starting their third round, using one of the chosen publisher's units to teach. Three different publishers (from the list of approved publishers from the California Department of Education) were selected last year, and this year, participating teachers used the materials in this order:

1. McGraw-Hill School Education - Impact: California Social Studies

2. Teachers’ Curriculum Institute – Social Studies Alive! California Series (K-5)

and

National Geographic Learning – National Geographic World History (6)

3. Pearson Scott Foresman and Prentice Hall – California History-Social Science: myWorld Interactive

Note that Round 2 curricular choices were different depending on the grade level. 6th-grade approved materials may differ if the publishers only offer materials for Kindergarten through 5th grade. The LCUSD Governing Board will have final approval on the selection to adopt.

Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash

The students learned a song (thanks to Mr. Leonard and LCFEF!) to thank Mr. Jose, our custodian who retired this year. They sang it for him at our Spirit Rally with the help of student leaders. It was lovely!

Video Credit: Chris Dodson

This month, I want the adults to please focus on the following:

• Do NOT block driveways when parking, even for a minute.

• Do NOT stop in crosswalks if you are in one of the carlines.

• Do NOT cut in front of others in the carline.

• Do NOT post photos of our drivers on social media.

• PRACTICE safety, courtesy, and respect!

Welcome to “The SpotLight” ! Introducing the place where LCE’s Wellness Room, “The Spot” will be featured each month with updates on how it is being used by our school community alongside our ongoing school counseling and support services. Keeping our families aware and informed will not only strengthen our ability to partner in supporting our students' social-emotional wellness but will empower our parents to continue conversations at home using the language our students are learning through their classroom counseling lessons. Our School Counselor, Nancy DeBoer, and Sage Therapist, Rachel Hirshberg value the partnership between school and family and are committed to their roles tending to the emotional and social well-being of LCE’s students.

The SPOT

If you have stopped by The Spot then you know what an oasis it is. The lights are low and there are many soft places to sit while taking a break to settle big feelings, journal or read. Many students are able to enter the room, grab a timer and an activity while they independently manage their challenging feelings for 10 minutes. Others request to meet with Mrs. DeBoer and talk things out in The Spot while seated comfortably on the floor, swing or in the tree house cozying up to many of the pillows or stuffed animals that live there. As the room has established itself as a safe, clean, calm space with an abundance of hands-on tools to explore and manage uncomfortable feelings, students report an increase in self-awareness through learning strategies to help them regulate during the school day. To our delight, students are able to return to class more regulated and ready to learn and engage. We have had group meetings with students to support better communication and assist them in understanding behaviors that can be problematic during recess and PE. The Spot has been hosting weekly sixth-grade groups. Students have been open about sharing their fears of the unknowns in anticipation of their transition to Middle School. Teachers visit The Spot to take a moment to provide support to individual students who need it and to partner with other staff to collaborate and find creative solutions to academic and behavioral issues. Each Wednesday morning from 9:30-10:30 is reserved for parent education opportunities provided by our Sage Therapist and Wellness Room Supervisor. Please feel free to drop in and visit on any Wednesday morning!

LCE’s Pilot Program

The Wellness Room is in its first year of implementation at LCE and proving to be a well-loved and utilized ‘spot’ on Campus. In its first trimester alone, The Spot supported approximately 85 students managing big feelings (not counting repeat visits), 40 families receiving guidance, coaching, and consultations, as well as 5 Parent Education opportunities.

School Counseling

The Counseling lessons are going strong. Our TK-6th Grade class lessons focus mainly on the themes of Character Development, Conflict Resolution, Social Skills, and Emotional Regulation. Since the beginning of the school year, Mrs. DeBoer has been working through these themes at each grade level with presentations that are developmentally engaging. The lessons and takeaways are reinforced on the playground, in the classrooms, and whenever discipline conversations take place. Recently Mrs. DeBoer presented a lesson on rumors and gossip to our 5th-grade students because this is the developmental age and time of year when social dynamics tend to become sticky and dramatic. In the spirit of “Name it to Tame it” teachers partner with our school counselor to address the undercurrent of conflict, whatever it is, so that students feel safe, contained, and informed of options to address conflict or better cope with it. Our TK-2nd grade students have been learning conflict resolution skills, including the difference between accident and purpose and how to make apologies with the help of Kelso the Frog. In our 3rd-6th grade classes, students continue to increase their feelings vocabulary, while learning how to identify feelings and regulate them through activities in which our students already engage (drawing, exercise, music, reading, etc). Students are internalizing the lessons and can be observed advocating for themselves and others, showing empathy and compassion to peers, and recognizing big feelings. All students are asked to consider the thoughts and feelings that impact their choices or decisions so that they are empowered to make alternative choices the next time they are faced with a similar situation. Mrs. DeBoer continues to work with students individually who need help during the school day with friendship struggles, peer conflicts, decision-making, and emotional regulation. “Within my counseling philosophy, I strongly believe in the partnership of the school and family. Therefore, I encourage our students to talk with their parents often about their sticky situations. I am here to help and support our parents as well, and can be easily contacted by email or by phone.” ndeboer@lcusd.net or (818)952-8356

For the 2023-24 school year, students turning 5 between Sept. 2 and April 2 will qualify for Transitional Kindergarten. TK classes are currently offered at LCE and PCR campuses. For enrollment information, please visit our website.

Website: lcelions.net
Location: 4540 Encinas Drive, La Cañada Flintridge, CA, USA
Twitter: @lcelions