The Weekly Wave

Happy Weekend Short Avenue Families and Friends!

This week is one of our most important weeks of partnership with our families. As I shared last week, Parent Teacher Conferences are a formal occasion to come together to meet and talk about your children and our students. As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher. You have the same desire that we have at the school site: We want our children to learn and do well. When we talk to each other we can share important information about your child’s talents and needs. We each can also learn new ways from each other to help your child. While this is an optional Conference Week for students who are on grade-level or above, I am encouraging conversations for all so that our partnership stays strong as we move into the final third of the school year.

It is my expectation that our conferences are two-way conversations with an emphasis on learning with a chance to share opportunities and challenges. You should expect to hear about grade-level standards, grades, data, and effort. Teachers should expect to hear about what your child is like at home and get insights on how to help your child continue to do better to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. The focus is on progress made and progress still to come. Please come prepared with any questions you may have and please come with an open mind to share ideas or suggestions with your teacher. We are in this together. We are on the same team. We have the same goal. We ALL want our children to grow and achieve to be the best they can be. This is truly a time to celebrate our partnership.

Finally, please be reminded about our schedule this week:

• Monday and Tuesday are regular days with regular dismissal at 2:38/1:38pm

• Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are Minimum Days with 1:00pm dismissal.

Thank you for your continued support. Please enjoy the rest of your weekend.

See you Monday!

Mr. Lamb

Mar. 3rd- Silent Auction Ends, 9pm

Mar. 5th, 6th, 7th- Minimum Day Dismissal (1:00pm) for parent conferences

March 13- Spring Pictures (optional)

March 31- No School, Cesar Chavez Day

April 10- Cultural Diversity Day

April 14-18- Spring Break

A Huge Thank you to Sarah Kroskrity and the Silent Auction Committee for countless hours or hard work in putting together an incredible event and procuring an amazing selection of auction items.

Erika and Dave Menon for hosting us tonight—thank you for opening your home and making this event possible!

Mr. Lamb, Rachel and our incredible teachers, aides, and staff—thank you not only for everything you do for our kids but also for generously donating experiences to the auction. Your dedication makes a world of difference.

Thanks to Avril for capturing the night through photos and keeping the energy alive on Instagram—make sure to follow along!

Thank you to Short Ave parents Elishah Urbaez (energy reader) & Anisa Kassim (Acupuncturist) for providing activations and donating 50% of their profit back to Short Ave.

Thank you to our amazing sponsors:

The beautiful florals tonight, courtesy of Kaitlin Ormesher

Short Ave parent Andrew Fowler and LA Ale Works and the brand Lalo for keeping SPIRITS high all evening.

Finally, a massive thank you to our generous community members who have donated their homes, services, connections and auction items—you are making a real impact!

What’s your auction style? Set an autobid/maximum bid and forget it? Do you pounce on your Auction item at the last minute? Or do you prefer items and experiences at a set price on our Buy It Now page?

This is your final chance to bid on all the amazing items in this year’s Silent Auction — and every dollar raised goes right back to supporting Short Avenue Elementary! 💙✨

Funds raised primarily go towards funding aides in every classroom, making a direct impact on our students’ learning experience.

There’s something for everyone, including:
🎉 Summer camps
💪 Wellness & fitness packages
🏡 Airbnb stays
🎲 Games & toys
⛵️ A Duffy boat ride, tickets to many museums
🌟 And so many more unique experiences!

Plus, don’t miss out on the one-of-a-kind Short Avenue exclusives:
🍎 Teacher for the Day
📋 Front Office for the Day
🎓 Principal for the Day

Get your bids in before 9pm tomorrow night — let’s make this our best auction yet!

Check out our Buy It Now Teacher Experiences and some Buy It Now items. They’re selling out quickly!

Bid in our Silent Auction and keep bidding til it closes on Monday, 3/3 at 9pm. New Items added daily! Check out these Instructions for how to set your auto and max bid so you can set it and forget it.

Auction Item Fulfillment: Many items are digital gift cards and will be emailed to you after March 5th. Physical items and gift baskets will be available for pickup on the front lawn at morning dropoff on Thursday March 6 and Friday March 7, 2025.

The Spring 2025 Season of the Dolphin Discovery Club (DDC) will be starting at the end of March.🎉

Classes begin the week of March 31st. There is space still available in many of the enrichment classes. For information about the classes offered and how to register, please check out the DDC FAQ here - https://friendsofshortavenue.org/pages/dolphin-discovery-club

📅 Spring 2025 Season - 8 weeks!

• Duration: March 31st - June 2, 2025

• Registration Opens: Sunday, March 9th at 9:00 AM

• Registration Closes: Midnight, March 25th

📝 How to Register

• Register directly with vendors for Got Game, Prime Time, and Chess Wizards

• Register for Spanish classes and Zine Club via the FoSA store
  💻 Registration links provided in the FAQ document (linked above)

🎨 Classes Offered - Many MORE TK/K options available!
From soccer and chess, from Spanish to fashion & design, culinary, and more—there's something for every student’s interests!

If you have additional questions not in the FAQ, please email us at DDC@friendsofshortavenue.org.

QUICK LINK ABOUT DDC: For all information related to DDC, please review theFAQ here - https://friendsofshortavenue.org/pages/dolphin-discovery-club

🐬☕ Our March Dolphin Cafe is Friday, March 14 from 7:30 - 8:15 AM on the front lawn.

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

Join us for the next FoSA community virtual meeting on Thursday, March 20th from 6-7 PM on Google Meet. We’ll be discussing the funds raised to date, our expenses, and upcoming events and fundraisers. We also want to hear from you! We welcome your ideas and feedback.

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

Meeting Link: https://meet.google.com/wqc-jsve-cnr

🍩☕️ 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!

Marina Middle School is hosting a Telescope Night Thursday, March 6th from 6:30 to 8:00pm

See flyer below, it is a free event.

The Joy of Jewish Dance with Bruce Bierman

A smorgasbord of global Jewish music, moves and grooves, this participatory dance celebration welcomes all ages, bodies and backgrounds.

Hosted by the Sholem Community (They rent our auditorium on Sundays)

Sunday, March 9, 2025 in the Auditorium, Short Ave Elementary School

10:00 a.m. Check-in, bagels & coffee

10:30-11:30 a.m. Workshop for adults
11:45 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Workshop for children

FREE - all are welcome!

NOTE for families: Sholem’s (non-religious) Jewish Sunday school classes will be in session for the first hour while the adult programming is taking place. Families with children 4 years and up are welcome to sit in on a class. Please contact Sholem principal Ross Helford for more info: ross@sholem.org.

The Joy of Jewish Dance — a smorgasbord of global Jewish music, moves and grooves including: the ancient hand gestures and steps of traditional Yemenite dance, the dancing shoulders of the Ethiopian Jews, soulful Hasidic nigun dancing, mad hot Klezmer and the choreographic gems of classic Israeli Folk dance. This participatory dance celebration welcomes all bodies and invites all backgrounds to learn the moves of the ancestors to the grooves of your own imagination.

Bruce Bierman is the co-artistic director of the award-winning Yiddish Theatre Ensemble of Berkeley and is a leading presenter of Jewish dance throughout California. Among his extensive credits, Bruce was a lead dancer and teaching artist with the acclaimed Aman Folk Ensemble of Los Angeles and a regular at the Skirball Museum with Mostly Kosher and John Anson Ford Theater with the L.A. Jewish Symphony.

Click for a short video introducing you to Bruce:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH2Uh7fxSQw&t=1s

For more info about Sholem or this program: info@sholem.org or 310-984-6935

LAUSD Family Academy March Catalogue:

See the flyer below for the March LAUSD Family Academy Classes

Spring Break Camps:

reDiscover Spring Break Tinkering Camp See flyer below

Summer Camps:

Prime Time Camp at Short Ave this summer!

Little Yellow House Art Camp

Euro Soccer

Got Game Summer Camp

reDiscover Center Summer Camp

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

Lots of Silent Auction Teaser Lot posts, plus a Morning Brew with Mr. Lamb reminder, a photo of Mr. Lamb and our Regional Director Agnes Kaman, a photo of Rocio, Mr. Lamb and myself at the Region West Family Engagement Prof Development Summit, photos from our Black History Door Tour and photos from our awesome Spring Parent Mixer!

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!

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.

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