NEWSLETTER - JANUARY 2016
Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies inspiration
imagination
innovation
Written by Yevette Peterson
errania kids are working hard to help others in our community! While rigorous academics will always be a core priority at our school, we believe that in order to become well-rounded contributing members of our global society, our children need to understand what it means to step outside of their own wants and needs by learning the value and power of giving back to their community, and helping others who need it. We are in our fourth year of Serrania’s “Kids in the Community” initiative– a campaign that focuses on finding ways students can support those in need. Here are some of the highlights of the latest Kids in the Community activities: In October, Serrania families donated tons of Halloween costumes through the “Big Sunday” organization, who distributed them to kids in need throughout Los Angeles County.
Serrania kids selflessly gave up bucket-loads of their own Halloween Candy and donated it to Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends more than 150,000 care packages to U.S. soldiers, veterans and their families stationed throughout the world. One soldier expressed his extreme appreciation by saying how these care packages make him feel like he has a little bit of home with him while deployed in Afghanistan! In November, Serrania families donated five overflowing grocery carts worth of food to the West Valley Food Pantry! The West Valley Food Pantry feeds more than 3,000 people every month, and was extremely grateful for our help! In December, Mrs. Sperber’s 5th
grade elves jingled bells throughout our classrooms and collected more than 400 toys! Our donated toys went to the Spark of Love organization and Hope of the Valley, an organization that helps homeless and hungry families throughout the San Fernando Valley. On December 11, Mr. Ken Craft, the President and CEO of Hope of the Valley, visited our morning assembly and explained how very thankful their families will be watching the joy on their children’s faces as they open their new toys. We are gearing up for our 3rd annual Pony-Up Serrania Cut-A-Thon on Friday, February 26th, 2016, where students, teachers and parents will donate their ponytails to be made into wigs to help people with cancer! We held our Pony-Up Kick Off announcement with a long line of our former Pony-Up participants, and are already signing up people for the 2016
Cut-A-Thon! Each generation of Cut-A-Thon participants inspires the next, and that’s what it means to build a legacy of paying it forward! On May 21st 2016 the “Serrania Suns” and “Serrania Teachers Teaming to Cure” will participate in our 4th year at Relay For Life of Woodland Hills– an inspirational event that raises support, awareness, and funds in the fight against cancer. In 3 years we have raised more than $12,000 to help fund research and programs. But more importantly, participating in Relay For Life has been an important way for our kids to show that they can DO something about cancer! At Serrania, our kids know there is no such thing as being too young to understand or too young to help. Our kids know just how powerful they can be when they work together, get involved, and do something important to make a difference in other people’s lives!
Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies • 5014 Serrania Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91364 • (818) 340-6700 • www.SerraniaCharter.org
PRINCIPAL CORNER
The Importance of Having Your Child Come to School Everyday and How This Impacts Your Child’s Education
Attendance is a twofold symbiotic relationship. Just as plants need people to breathe out carbon dioxide and we need plants to give to us oxygen, so is the relationship between the school and your family. My staff and I are on campus daily striving to create a nurturing environment that provides a top notch education for your child, but we cannot do that without your sons and daughters present. Even our best efforts are not enough to ensure your child’s educational pathway if he or she is constantly tardy or absent. As parents, we are the most important factor in this equation. We need your support in order to ensure your child comes to school every day. With the increase in accountability for our school district surrounding the Common Core Standards Test (SBAC) and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation of 2001, educators are faced with a significant challenge of reducing the rate of absenteeism to increase students’ scholastic achievement. Research has shown that students who are absent from school not only receive fewer hours of instruction, but they also often leave
Student Corner
education early and are more likely to become long term unemployed, homeless, caught in the poverty trap, dependent on welfare and involved in the justice system” (House of Representatives, 1996 p. 3). Additionally, punctuality is an important key in ensuring the success of your child’s educational future. Being consistently late or absent will not benefit students well with their potential future employment responsibilities (KDE Dropout Prevention Resource Guide, 2003). Together, let’s strive to find ways to inspire our Serrania children to keep healthy and come to school every day. The staff and I are implementing fun ways to recognize our students’ attendance efforts, but it is our biggest goal that the children develop such a deep rooted love for the great enriching experiences in our classrooms and on our campus that they themselves strive towards perfect attendance. Thank you all for everything you do at home and at Serrania. I am looking forward to a fantastic 2016 year for our students at SCES! Sincerely,
Principal, Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies
Jonathan Lainez-Herrera - Room 35
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any of you reading this article know that I continuously stress the importance of school attendance. For those of you that have not had the opportunity to join us at morning assembly and other occasions, please know that I always tell the children, “Boys and girls please make sure you come to school every day.” Attendance is vital and in this month’s Principal Corner column, I would like to share with you the importance of bringing your child to school every single day, and how this impacts their academic achievement.
Hey kids! Do you have a poem, art piece, cartoon, etc. that you want to submit to the newsletter? If so, please see Debby Dustin or, place it in the suggestion box, in the office along with your name and room number with a note stating it’s for “Kids Corner!”
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Get ready! The Annual SCES Walk-A-Thon is coming... February 5 At Serrania,WE SHINE... so this year our goal is to hit 100% participation in EVERY classroom! Last year we raised $32,000. This year we’ve increased our goal to $35,000! and with every student’s help, we can reach our goals. This year we have prizes for every student that raises: $25, $50, $100, $150 & $250! Special incentives for our FIRST ONLINE DONATIONS AND our first $100 DONATIONS. Don’t wait, start now! Let your friends & family know that we’re getting ready to raise money for our PE program by taking Walk-A-Thon pledges! All donations are tax-deductible and go to a GREAT cause!
Online donations will begin on January 19th Stay tuned for more information about your $250 Experiences, prizes, classroom parties & more.
Donate Your Hair To Help People With Cancer! Join Serrania Students, Teachers and Families at the
S E R R A N I A
and Relay For Life Kick-Off
Friday, February 26th at 8:00 am It only takes an 8 inch ponytail to help make a wig! Layers are OK! Color-treated hair is OK, too!
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SIGN UP NOW to receive your commemorative “Pony-Up” t-shirt! Contact Yevette at: ywpeterson@gmail.com - 818-378-3068 Even Little Kids Can Make A Big Difference!
Can’t donate your hair? Show your support by purchasing an exclusive “Pony Up” beanie! On sale soon!
What does MATH look like... when it takes over the WHOLE SCHOOL? We would like your family to join us for a MATHMATICS FESTIVAL And see for yourself how interesting MATH can be!
Family Math Night
DATE: Wed, Jan 13 TIME: 6:00 – 7:00 pm PLACE: Serrania Charter, Auditorium
presale Green Team Campus Beautification Day is coming up Saturday, January 23 from 8 to 11am Join the fun, lend a hand and help make our Serrania campus shine. This is your opportunity to be part of the movement to improve the appearance of our campus. Adopt a planter bed or newly planted tree! Do you have a connection with a nursery or the city for free top soil / mulch? Let us know! Our planter beds could use some extra love. Are you an artist itching to paint a mural? We have walls... let us know your thoughts. Campus beautification day is a great way to get involved. I look forward to seeing you there. Sincerely, Jennifer Termini Serrania Green Team Chair
$27 $32 soft cover
hard cover
Quantities will be limited when they are delivered in late May.
Don’t miss out, order your yearbook today! NEW! Upload your photos for consideration in the yearbook. www.PictavoCommunity.com Cash or checks payable to Serrania Charter
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Serrania’s
competition dance team wins gold for the 4th year in a row! Written by Amy Klosterman
On November 12, 2015, eleven Los Angeles dance teams gathered at RFK Community High School to compete in 5 classic ballroom dances: the Foxtrot, Tango, Merengue, Rumba and Swing. We had our December Restaurant Night at California Pizza Kitchen. While it’s always great to see our regular restaurant night attendees, my eyes light up when I see and meet a new Serrania family! January, 2016 Restaurant night pairs a tried and true with something new.
Generously sponsored by Friends of Serrania, The Dancing Classrooms program involves all of Serrania’s 5th grade students. For 10 weeks, these ladies & gentlemen learned 6 ballroom dances taught by Ms. Baja. Not only does this program teach students how to dance, it teaches confidence and self-esteem, honor, respect, communication, cooperation, breaks down social barriers and eliminates bias among all who participate. At the end of the program, 12 students were chosen to be on the competition team lead by 5th grade teacher, Laurie Rodstein. Congratulations to Mrs. Rodstein & the “Red Team”: team captains Moogeh Salem & Tamir Iny, and dance teams Ben Klosterman & Rebecca Kovacs, Osiris Nalls & Miah Rivas, Laily Gholikhani & Jacob Estrada, Bianca Serban & Jonathan Lainez-Herrera and Mehki Wilber & Shirine Ekhteraiy. The judges were wowed with our team’s focus, elegant moves and sheer joy of dancing! A big thank you to Mr. Alvarado & the many Serrania families who came to cheer on our terrific dance team! In May, the team will compete again at the Grand Finals for the giant trophy located in the Library. More details to come.
Please join us at McDonald’s for Friends of Serrania Night 18909 Ventura Blvd (cross street Wilbur Ave.) January 14th from 5:30-9:30 pm
We will be raffling two brand new bikes! Raffle tickets are $1.00 each and will be available for purchase after school.
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Have you made your annual donation to Serrania yet? Without EVERY SINGLE FAMILY participating, we cannot fund the important programs that help make Serrania such an amazing school. Please don’t leave it to someone else to provide valuable enrichment for your children. Although we ask for $250 per student, any amount is appreciated. Have you seen the thermometers around campus tracking our progress? Notice we don’t track the amount of the donations. We track PARTICIPATION because a community is created when everyone pulls together for a common good. Every single family who donates $25 or more will receive a sun on our contribution wall. Let’s join together to create a wall of Serrania Suns all the way to the front gate! It takes a village... or in this case - EVERY SINGLE family in our school community!
Donate today! Go to www.serraniacharter.org and click on the donate button.
Serrania is GOING GREEN! We are so excited to announce our Weekly Tuesday Packets will now be EMAILED to you in lieu of a hard copy! This has been a tremendous effort that will save us lots of parent volunteer time, money, and of course trees! (Note: You will occasionally get hard copy forms that must be signed and returned and flyers from local businesses that pay to advertise with us.)
You should already be receiving the weekly emails every Tuesday afternoon with a link to the online Tuesday Packets. If not, please stop by the office and ask the staff to sign you up. Our Tuesday packets are an important way for us to communicate. To make this an easy transition and to make sure you don’t miss out; here are all the other ways you can view it: All classrooms will get a hard copy so teachers can share information with students. There will be a new display box in the main corridor with the weekly Tuesday Packet flyers posted where parents and students can always access the most recent information. A limited number of hard copies will be available in the office. If you don’t have access to a computer, the Parent Center in Room 29 has a computer and printer where you can print a copy. If you still wish to receive a hard copy on Tuesday in your child’s backpack, please stop by the office and request to Opt In and sign up for a hard copy delivery. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Jodi Maranville at jodimaranville12@gmail.com or Debby Dustin at deborah.dustin@lausd.net.
Help fund valuable programs like PE, art, computer lab and many more!
On the evening of December 10, 2015, the ballet graced the Serrania stage. Thank you to the performing group Ciara Dance Alliance led by Cindy McGee, who often do performances of “The Nutcracker” at Pepperdine, but carved out a special night in their schedule just for Serrania to share their talents with our students and families. The dancers crowded onto our suddenly tiny stage and put on a performance of beautiful movement and artistry accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s famous Nutcracker Suite. The children watched in wonder as the story of Clara’s magical night was acted out with a full cast of dancers, including Serrania third grader, Sara Valvo. The ballet begins with a party scene on Christmas Eve at the Stahlbaum house. The story was set into motion when Clara receives a Nutcracker as a gift from her Godfather. As she drifts off to sleep, her dreams come to life on stage. The great battle scene between the Mouse King’s mouse army and the army of toy soldiers led by the Nutcracker held the children enthralled. Clara’s dream continues as the Nutcracker turns into a Prince who escorts her through the Land of Snow and the Land of Sweets. This is where we first see the Sugar Plum Fairy who rewards the Prince and Clara with a celebration of dances. Ciara Dance performed the various dances with skill and beauty.
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Special thanks to FOS and their musical theater team, Alan de la Rosa and Jeff Struges for organizing the event and, to Carolanne Valvo for bringing the ballet to Serrania. It was a truly unforgettable night that will go down in Serrania history.
Pa r e n t i n g S e m i n a r S e r i e s
By Ed Orozco, Deputy Probation Officer
This month’s Parenting Seminar Series topic was “Peer Pressure” and it was my pleasure to host this important yet sensitive topic. I was pleased to see the interest that we as parents shared as we as a group became a bit more aware about the dangers and pitfalls that peer pressure can bring to our children. We discussed five steps that we as parents can use to teach our children to deal with peer pressure and we shared personal experience in dealing and coping with peer pressure. I was delighted to see that we could have easily kept talking for another hour as this is in my humble opinion a topic that each parent will have to deal with their children in one way or another at some point in their life. As a probation officer I have seen firsthand the consequences of minors giving in to peer pressure. No parent ever wants to see his or her child become entangled in the criminal justice system, become addicted to drugs, get bullied, smoke, or even get tattoos before their legal age. Yes, all that was discussed too. Peer pressure can contribute to all of these topics and while some are not criminal they carry lifelong consequences such as smoking or drinking. This is why it is very important to address the issue before it becomes worse. Talk to your children, get professional help or make sure that their time is consumed by positive influences such as Karate, baseball, or any type of sport or activity where we build our kids’ self-esteem. Keep track of where they go and who they are going with. Get to know their friends and their parent’s friends. It might seem like a little too much but as I remember my childhood my parents always kept track of me and I think that was a big factor in me making good decisions. I was reading a short and to the point common sense article online that talked about dealing with peer pressure and mentions 5 steps in dealing with peer pressure. I felt that this was in the end the most important thing would be to address the situation and to get us as parents to start talking about the subject. The full article is online and it’s put out by greatschools.org. I
“mean” kids. Breaking the rules or misbehaving in class: Your child could get sent to the principal’s office and even sent home from school. He could also lose privileges and face other consequences at home. Shoplifting: He could get caught and be taken to the police station. Doing something dangerous (jumping skateboards off a wall): He could get hurt or damage public property and be fined or taken to the police station.
encourage all parents to go online and read the article as it offers good information about dealing with peer pressure. Here are the 5 steps from that article that you can tell your child to take when dealing with peer pressure from friends:
1. Take a breath first. Teach your child the “take a breath” technique. When a friend suggests he do something he’s uncomfortable with, or knows might be bad for him or for others, tell him that he doesn’t need to answer or do anything for a moment. Instead, tell him to take a breath and think about the suggestion. 2. Find the words. After your child’s taken a
breath, teach him to give words to what his friend is suggesting he do. If he’s being told to say, bully (someone) or jump off a high wall or shoplift, tell him to name the action: “That’s mean.” “That’s dangerous.” “That’s stealing.” “That’s against the rules.”
3. Think it through. Ask your child to take each risky behavior and list what might happen if he takes that step. For example: Being mean to another child: Will make that child sad, hurt, or even become self-destructive. Ganging up and bullying another child: Might make your child feel “cool” in the moment, but can make your child feel bad afterwards when other kids and teachers see him as one of the Source: www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/5-steps-resist-peer-pressure/
4. Ask, “What could we do instead?” Talk with your child about what to say to friends who are pressuring him. Experts suggest young kids practice saying, “What could we do instead?” Kids facing peer pressure tend to get caught in the trap of listing all the bad things that could happen (“We might be caught and have to go to jail”), but then being “Aww, we won’t get caught.” Instead teach your child to suggest another activity the kids could do. This makes it easier for friends to “save face” and go along with your child who could suggest: “Why don’t we take the skateboards over the the parking lot instead?” 5. Walk away. If your child finds that his friends are determined to do something risky or mean, he’s going to have to learn to walk away. But, experts say, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do this. Instead of saying something angry (which can start a fight), the child can say “Okay, well, I’m going to go skateboard in the park. If you change your mind, come on over.” Or, instead of shoplifting say, “I’m going to ask my mom to give me my allowance and take me to the mall. Do you want to come?” If the peer pressure happens in class or somewhere else at school, the child may need to move away and sit or work elsewhere (or ask a teacher or parent to help him make the move). In this case, he can say “I’m going to get in trouble if I don’t finish this reading, so I’m going to sit over here.”
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