The Weekly Wave

Happy Weekend Short Avenue Families and Friends!

Good morning and Happy Sunday!

Our week of vacation is coming to an end today and we are returning to school tomorrow at 8:15am. I hope that all in our community - our students, our parent partners, our extended family, and our staff - had a relaxing and restful week of family, friends, and food. Of all the holidays I think Thanksgiving is my favorite. We get to eat. We get to bond and reconnect with people. And the focus is on expressing appreciation and gratitude. With all that is happening in our community and in the world just imagine if we all started from a place of thankfulness.

I am thankful for a healthy family and being able to spend several days with my daughters home from college. I am thankful for a patient wife who understands the time and effort spent to support my Short Ave family. I am thankful for parents and guardians who support our efforts to provide the best learning environment we possibly can. I am thankful for our students’ joy, laughter, and love of learning. And, yes I am going to mention attendance, I am very thankful for our attendance efforts this year - we have the strongest attendance rates in years (we are not done though - keep up the good work - be at school tomorrow)!

This year the instructional calendar is odd with only two weeks between Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break. We have ten days of school and then three weeks of vacation. But they are days of school. We are looking forward to amazing learning opportunities, fun activities, and our Winter Celebration Assembly on December 13. I am going to be looking closely at the weather and will likely announce a community walk to school event during the second week so keep an eye on Class Dojo and our Instagram.

Finally, all Parents and Guardians are encouraged to attend the Morning Brew with Mr. Lamb meeting tomorrow at 8:20am in the Auditorium. We will do our best to simulcast the meeting on Zoom but the wifi is sometimes difficult and this might not work. I will be sharing information on the new LAUSD Cell Phone and SmartWatch ban and I will share some information about coming budget issues for the 2025-2026 school year. I hope to see you there!

Please enjoy the rest of your weekend and these final hours of vacation. I am looking forward to seeing you all back at Short tomorrow!

See you Monday!

Mr. Lamb

December 2nd - Morning Brew & Updates with Mr. Lamb, 8:20am, Auditorium

December 2nd- Marina Del Rey Middle School Information Night, 6:00pm

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!

SEEDS UPDATE! We have more progress!!!! This week another portion of the project was completed, and we moved even closer to a finished project. Last week they added DG and mulch to the staging area. We are still on track for January completion.

Congratulations to Ms. Leslie's class - TK Room 10 for winning this year's Penny Wars! 🥳 They topped both total points AND total currency value and will receive the silly string pizza party prize in December!

A huge shoutout to our honorable mentions: 2nd place goes to Ms. Lowry's class and 3rd place to Mrs. Baker's class!

Thank you to everyone who participated and made this event a success! 🎊💰 Let's keep the school spirit going! 🌟

🍩☕️ Help Us Spread Some Friday Cheer!

We’re looking for volunteers to sign up and bring coffee & pastries to the Teacher’s Lounge every Friday! 🧁

✅ What’s Needed: Snacks (pastries, fruit, coffee, etc.)
✅ For: 40+ teachers, aides, and staff
✅ Drop Off: Front office, Friday morning between 8:30-9:30am
✅ Sign Up: In Class Dojo in events section

Let’s show our amazing teachers and staff some love! 💖

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!

📢 Attention Short Avenue Community!

Join us for the next FoSA community meeting on Thursday, December 12th, 8:20am in Room 12, this is an in person meeting.

We’ll be discussing the funds raised to date, our expenses, and upcoming events and fundraisers.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to stay informed and get involved!

We look forward to seeing you there! 🌟

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. RSVP Link

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.

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:

A reminder that it was Early Dismissal Week, Staff Pie Fest, Restaurant Week Flyer, 3rd Grade field trip to Olivera St, and 5th Grade Friendsgiving!

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