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NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2016

Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies inspiration

imagination

innovation

S HINE ON SERRANIA - ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN 2015-2016 LAUSD and tax dollars DO NOT cover most of the engaging programs all students experience every day at Serrania.

A tremendous to the families who have already participated.

Your Light helps us Grow!

Only because of your donations to “Shine on Serrania” can these programs exist.

Here are a few examples of your dollars at work for our kids!

Campus Beautification

Computer Lab teacher and technology upgrades

P.E. Program

by Coach Danni

Vocal Music Instruction

Science Lab teacher

5th Grade Ballroom Dancing

Art Instruction

4th Grade Club K.I.N.D. Manners Program

New library materials AND Accelerated Reader

We are currently at 33% participation and we need EVERYONE to help do their part!

HELP US REACH OUR GOAL OF 100% PARTICIPATION! To donate go to www.SerraniaCharter.org Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies • 5014 Serrania Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91364 • (818) 340-6700 • www.SerraniaCharter.org

PRINCIPAL CORNER

Let’s Talk About Bullying

N

o child is immune from bullying and neither is Serrania. Children of every race, gender, grade and socio-economic sector are impacted. The latest research shows that more than half of all children are, at least on occasion, directly involved in bullying either as a perpetrator, victim, or both. Many who are not directly involved, witness others being bullied on a regular basis. However, it does not have to be the case.

Although we try our best to educate our children about kindness and respect for others, we need all parents, as our partners, in the fight against bullying.

The way we carry ourselves in front of our children sets a pathway for the way our children behave. If we are not mindful of our surroundings, and pay no regard to how we act with others, our children will reflect similar patterns in their behavior. It is time for us to have a discussion with our children, or a refresher, about the different types of bullying most typically found at school.

The most common types of bullying found at school are: physical bullying, verbal and non-verbal bullying, social or relational bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment, and discrimination.

As you begin to develop a plan on how you will have this discussion with your children, I would like to share with you some of the latest findings about bullying: • In the US alone, it is estimated that 160,000 children miss school due to a fear of attack or intimidation by their peers.

• 1 in 7 students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying

and empathy towards others, there are some incredible results that occur such as: • Self-efficacy leads to higher achievement, goals, and positive behavior • People who are kind and compassionate are usually the most successful • Happier children have greater academic success • Building self-value circumvents depression • Engaging in an act of kindness creates a larger cycle of kindness • The happier you are, the happier others around you will be (This one really hits home for all of us parents) • Being kind can reduce stress and leads to a healthier life style Once again, the fight against bullying cannot be fought only by your child and teachers. We need you all as partners in this fight, and together in a coalition between parents, students, and school staff, we will ensure the safety and happiness of all our children attending Serrania.

Sincerely,

Your Partner in the Fight Against Bullying

“Even though boys and girls are different, doesn’t mean they can’t be friends” –Lianne, Room 18

• Top years for bullying are from 4th-8th grades • Around 50% of teens have already been victims of cyber bullying • 77% of students are being bullied whether physically, mentally, or verbally • The personal impact of bullying leads to low selfesteem, feelings of worthlessness, isolation, lack of love, absence of compassion, higher anxiety, lower academic success, substance abuse, depression, poor social skills, anger & violence, and ultimately suicide.

There are horrific consequences to such mean and cruel behavior. However, on the opposite side of the spectrum when we look at the personal impact of teaching our children about kindness and compassion

Joshua Linez Herrera Room 36

Student Corner 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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How Do I Help My Child Balance Their Schedule?

By Ryan Rosen, Director, Camp Kinneret Summer Day Camp and Volunteer Parent Seminar Series Facilitator

F

rom Karate, to religious class, to tutors, to art class, to a drama program, or to a sports team, children have more enrichment options today than ever before.

And while all of these activities seem like great options, they have seemingly taken away down time, filling it with exciting options that are constantly keeping children stimulated. As a parent, you are either exhausted from running your child around town to participate in all of these activities or you work and can’t take them, and therefore fear them falling behind their peers. But is it good for them to have this much to do? Is it good for you to not have some quiet time with your child?

Take a few minutes to think about your child’s average day (twenty-four hours) and how they spend it. In elementary school, there are generally eight categories that fill a child’s day: sleep, school, extra-curricular activities, chores, screen/media time, homework, family time, and unstructured time. Are you happy with the outcome of this exercise for your child?

What I hear from parents when doing this workshop is typically that they are sad with how much screen time their child has and how little family time they have. Often the “chores” and “unstructured time” categories remain empty too. Is this what you want for your child later in life?

Perhaps sit down with your child before the school year and decide together on one or two extra-curricular activities (depending how much time each takes), allowing for some down time each week (If they are struggling because they don’t want to miss out on something, help them to understand that we don’t always get to do everything that we want.) That down time becomes an opportunity for your child to take on a chore around the house, to help cook dinner, to sit down and read for fun, or to be creative and come up with something new (this should not be filled with more screen time!).

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A recent TIME article discussed that today’s children struggle in college with the unstructured time, since they are only in

J o i n S e r r an i a In T h e

Fight Against

Cancer

At R e l ay F o r L i f e !

Serrania cares about supporting those who need our help! We are “Kids in the Community,” and one of the many ways we demonstrate our spirit of giving is through our participation in Relay For Life of Woodland Hills, a community event that is all about raising awareness, funds and support in the fight against cancer!

Want to help in the fight against cancer? Please join the Serrania Suns team at Relay For Life on May 21st at Pierce College.

For a 4th year in a row, Serrania will be there to cheer on cancer survivors at the inspiring Opening Ceremony. We will be there to honor and remember loved ones who have fought cancer at the beautiful Luminaria Ceremony. All the while we will enjoy music, food, games, a Kids Club, and lots other festivities as we stand together with our community and support those who have had to face cancer!

You can register now at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/SerraniaSuns Any questions? Please contact Yevette Peterson at ywpeterson@gmail.com

Serrania’s Got Talent Come Watch our Stars Shine!

Friday March 18th 6:00pm T h e S e r r an i a A u d i t o r i u m

Singers, Dancers, Gymnasts, Magicians, Comedians and More!

This program, event or activity is not presented, endorsed, recommended, supervised, approved or sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The district assumes no liability or responsibility for any loss or injury arising out of participation and is merely permitting this material to be disseminated at this facility because of the possible interest of students/faculty.

class for 12-15 hours a week. Because they have learned to run from one activity to the next, college students don’t know what to do when nothing is scheduled. Help your child to learn valuable life skills by taking the time to teach them how to make these types of important decisions. So by the time they get to college, they know how to make dinner and to do their own laundry!

Ryan is the owner/director of Camp Kinneret and is an active member in the ACA and the local community.

For more information: ryan@campkinneret.com and @campk_ry

Academic Parent Workshops These workshops are presented every Wednesday from 8:15-9:15 am. Topics will vary but will focus on educating Parents on our curriculum program at Serrania. Parents can learn about Common Core, Smarter Balance testing, and methods that can use at home to help their kids.

Pa r e nt i n g S e r i e s April 5 Social Media

8 am, Tue.

Ryan Rosen, executive director of Camp Kinneret

MAY 3

Self-Validation vs. The Need for Approval

JUNE 7

Media Use/App Watch

8 am, Tue. 8 am, Tue.

Ryan Rosen, executive director of Camp Kinneret Mr. Paquini

o ma r k yo u r c a l e n t e tim y e a r ’s S e r r a n i a F dars s ’ un It this Fa i r r! o f ack by popular demand are all your favorite booths, along with tons of new interactive games for you and your family to enjoy.

Join us Saturday, April 16, 2016 here at Serrania from 11am to 4pm and enjoy a fun filled day with friends, family and your favorite Serrania teachers.

Thanks to our amazing and supportive sponsors, Camp Keystone, Ameci Pizza, Rumack and Harmer Pediatric Dentistry, and Lonnie Mintz, this year’s Serrania Fun Fair promises to be bigger and better than ever before!

your friends and classmates.

Don’t want to get wet? Then maybe you’d enjoy sticking your hand into the infamous Nickelodeon Slime Barrel!

Or maybe you’d rather relax and enjoy our delicious BBQ or treats from the Snack Shack?

Whatever you fancy, you are sure to find it at the Serrania Fun Fair.

Joining us again this year will be Wax Creations, Tarzana Kids Art, Tudor Doctors, Eder Bean Face Painting, Universal Airbrushing, Art Academy and many, many more fabulous vendors.

Only at the Serrania Fun Fair will you be able to soak your principal and teachers at the Famous Serrania Soak N’ Wet booth! Be sure not to miss your chance to soak Principal Alvarado, Ms. Tenzer, Ms. Arnesen, Coach Justin and many more. You’ll also get your chance to play a massive game of Water Tag with

If you’d like to volunteer and/ or participate at the Fun Fair please contact Debi Shaolian and Jen Cole at Serraniafunfair@gmail.com. See you at the Serrania Fun Fair on April 16, 2016!

A GREAT AUCTION BEGINS WITH What will YOU donate?

We are creating Grade Level Baskets for the Silent Auction at the Fun Fair on April 16th Pre-K/TK/ Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

Lego Mania

Rainy Day Essentials

Gardening Galore

(Legos, Lego holders, Lego anything!)

(Umbrellas, Games, Crafts, Movies, etc.)

(Wheelbarrow, hoses, seeds, tools, etc.)

3rd Grade

Summer Fun

(Chairs, Coolers, Fire Pit, Water/Sand Toys, etc.)

4th Grade

Adults Only

(Wine, Beer, Restaurant Gift Cards, Snacks)

5th Grade

Crazy for Cooking

(Aprons, Cookbooks, Pans, Gift Cards, Tools etc.)

You can help in one of two ways: 6

1) Bring items to go into your grade level basket or 2) Simply send in a cash donation with your name and Room #, and we’ll do the shopping for you! DONATIONS NEEDED BY APRIL 8th Any questions, please email us at auctionserrania@gmail.com

SERRANIA KEEPS IT MOVIN’ WITH THE 2016 WALK-A-THON

W

hen two brand new TK parents volunteered to take on the school’s second largest fundraiser, neither of them had a clue what adventure lay before them!

The 2016 Serrania Walk-A-Thon kicked off with a BANG at a fun-filled assembly full of silly string and hysterical laughs as students enjoyed the 2016 Walkathon video featuring their teachers and staff hamming it up to a Serrania version of “Walking on Sunshine” written by Rich Sperber and sung

by Gina Eckstein. The kids were excited, the volunteers were ramped up, and we were off to the races!

We set the bar high with a goal of $35,000.

Each student was encouraged to participate at any level and prizes were awarded at $25, $50, $100, $150 and $250. Children who hit the $250 Super Star goal were able to choose from five different AMAZING experience parties: a Lego building

extravaganza, a dance party with local favorite DJ Keithalan, a once in a life time outing with the LA Galaxy Riot Squad and mascot, a princess tea party with Frozen’s Anna and Elsa, as well as a super hero lunch with Spider Man and Captain America.

As the Prize Patrol began to make its rounds, the pledges continued to roll in! By the time the Walk-A-Thon arrived, we had already surpassed our goal of $35,000! We kicked off the Walk-A-Thon with an awesome assembly, tons of balloons, the SCES Cheer Squad cheering for the kids, and parents and teachers walking hand in hand with their students. DJ Keithalan kept the music going while the Walk-A-Thon Team and the LA Galaxy Riot squad encouraged the kids to “Keep Movin’ Serrania!” The day was an absolute success and SUCH A BLAST! What an awesome school we have!

Pledges closed on Friday, February 12th

bringing in more than $46,000 – 31% OVER our original GOAL! That is beyond amazing!!

The top 3 fundraisers in each grade have the joy of silly stringing Principal Alvarado, Coach Danni, Coach Justin and a few teachers at our Walk-A-Thon celebration assembly.

In the weeks to come, every class that hit their 100% participation goal will get to take part in either a glow dance party (TK3) or a kick ball party (4-5). The classes who hit their dollar goals will enjoy a movie and popcorn party in the auditorium. The excitement continues… and we cannot believe just how much money you all raised for our school!

The Walk-A-Thon Co-Chairs, Amy Feder and Lacey Donahue want to thank every single parent, child and volunteer that made this fundraiser for our school so extremely successful. A HUGE thank you to the core team of Yevette Peterson (queen of everything), Jeff Sturges (king of Prize Patrol), Alan de la Rosa & Jeff Cole (kings of Jib Jab) and Melissa Mandyam (queen of all things money & accounting), for their countless hours and efforts in making every part of this both FUN and SUCCESSFUL! Another BIG thank you to the Room Parents for keeping their families motivated to participate, and to the parents who helped with planning the prize parties.

Keep Movin’ Serrania!!

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