2015 SMMUSD - Great Public Schools by Santa Monica Daily Press

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

2015-2016: Off to a great start SMMUSD

Sandra Lyon – Superintendent s we begin another exciting educational year, we welcome you to one of the most engaged, vibrant learning communities anywhere: the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Our district is committed to providing a high quality public education to each and every student in our schools and we are so fortunate to have community members who are as passionate about the possibilities of public education as we are and who so enthusiastically support all of the students in our school district. Every day, our staff works to provide a rigorous, creative, supportive learning environment that ensures college and career readiness by the time our students graduate. However, we know that while academics are our focus, achievement can only happen in a setting where the social-emotional and physical wellbeing of our students is considered every day. We

also know that the work world of the 21st century requires our graduates to be creative, critical thinkers who communicate effectively and can collaborate well with others. We need innovative, adaptive life-long learners who will strive to make the world in which we all live a better place. For the past three years, we have been focused on creating a culture of collaboration and that work continues this year as we know that true collaboration between staff, students, parents and community is necessary if we are to fulfill our vision and mission as a learning community. Our mission statement is: Extraordinary achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap. As we continue to work toward that goal, this year we also dig deeper in our work to eliminate access and equity gaps across our district. Our work with the Santa MonicaMalibu Education Foundation is essential in achieving that goal. Their partnership with us ensures that we have visual and performing arts programs in every elementary school (TK-5th grade); instructional

assistants in all elementary schools to support student learning; and stretch grants in all schools (TK-12th grade) to allow schools to bolster their programs based on their own community needs and interests, whether it is enhanced STEM offerings, computer coding, intervention or enrichment. Our community understands that state resources are still not enough to offer all the high quality programs we want for our children and we are so grateful for the local support that makes our district even better. For more information or to donate, please visit the SMMEF website: smmef.org. It is a thrilling time in education and we are fortunate to have excellent staff, supportive parents and committed community members who are willing to collaborate and do whatever it takes so that our students have every opportunity to reach their full potential.

Sandra Lyon

Table of Contents p3

Superintendent p7 Achievement welcome letter for all students .

About this publication

Meet the board p8 SMMEF success of eduction | PTAs: based on partnerships Partners for our students p9 Learning outside p6 Building a the classroom better district p10-15 Principal messages p5

This publication is a collaboration of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the Santa Monica Daily Press. Santa Monica Daily Press Editor-in-Chief Matthew Hall served as editor and primary author of the publication along with SMMUSD Community & Public Relations Officer Gail Pinsker. School site principals, as well as Superintendent Sandra Lyon, also wrote for this publication. Photos were provided by both the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the Santa Monica Daily Press. Santa Monica Daily Press Production Manager Darren Ouellette designed this publication.

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Meet the board of education hey are a group of seven community-minded men and women who are often seen visiting school sites, attending student performances and events and supporting the mission of the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation. They are laserfocused on the goals of the district and they devote countless hours day and night to direct policy and oversee the success of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Meet the SMMUSD Board of Education. . . Board members are elected by voters in Santa Monica and Malibu. Current board members include: Laurie Lieberman, president; Dr. Jose Escarce, vice president; Maria Leon-Vazquez, Ralph Mechur, Oscar de la Torre, Craig Foster and Dr. Richard TahvildaranJesswien. The board includes student board members, representing the district’s three high schools. This school year they are Ally Sidley, Malibu High School; Mirai Miura, Santa Monica High School and Revenn Stone, Olympic High School. The student board members provide an update of school activities at each board meeting, can ask questions and comment during discussions, and have an advisory vote on most matters. The district mission statement is the focus by which the board develops policies and makes decisions. The statement reads: Extraordinary achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap. The board works with Superintendent

Maria Leon-Vazquez

Sandra Lyon to review staff reports and recommendations, provide direction on policies and programs, monitor the district’s budget, approve spending and set goals. Currently, the board is working on numerous initiatives, including the recent board approval to contract with Dr. Pedro Noguera, to review equity and access practices across the district and create an action plan to close the achievement gap. Noguera is a noted author, sociologist and educator, who recently joined UCLA’s education faculty, after 12 years as a professor of education at New York University. “We are extremely pleased to be working with Dr. Noguera,” board president Lieberman said. “He and his staff are currently conducting an equity review by visiting and observing classrooms and interviewing teachers, parents and students at all 16 schools.” The board will be meeting with Noguera for advisement, direction and program implementation to close the opportunity and access gaps, so all students will be college and career ready when they graduate from high school. SMMUSD recently held the first joint board meeting with Santa Monica College Board of Trustees to strengthen the partnership as a transitional kindergarten to grade 14 community and share data and ideas to foster student success. Both boards are working to ensure that students are better prepared for college and career by aligning instruction,

Ralph Mechur

ensuring students are able to pass college placement tests through instructional opportunities and offering dual enrollment to high school students. Recently, they have begun to discuss a plan for overlapping counseling services for SMMUSD students planning on attending SMC. Successful programs such as the Young Collegians is an example of this strong and growing partnership. “Young Collegians is a program for high school students who wish to gain college credits during high school within a structured and supported program,” board member Leon-Vazquez said. “Many students in this fantastic program are the first to attend college in their families. We have students who have used this opportunity as a launch pad to a four-year university and have successfully earned a bachelor’s degree.” SMMUSD board members and staff understand that academic success starts with early childhood education, in the very informative infant and preschool years. SMMUSD is currently working with the City of Santa Monica on the Cradle to Career Initiative including how to better prepare children for kindergarten. The mission: Santa Monica Cradle to Career: Working Together to Help Children & Families in Santa Monica Thrive, is extended to our work in the Malibu community, as well. The board is currently reviewing the prospects of adding additional pre-school classes to the successful program offered by

SMMUSD to get even more three- to five-year-olds off to a good start toward a successful academic future. The board is tasked with decisions on new facilities and modernization and is currently overseeing several final Measure BB projects, while implementing Measure ES projects. One important aspect of this initiative is the installation of technology to create 21st century classrooms and updated computer and science labs. “Most of our buildings throughout our district are a minimum of 50 years old and don’t really meet the needs of future students, plus upgrades were needed with the implementation of the California Standards and new computer testing,” board member Mechur said. “Thanks

to Measure ES and the support of local voters, we are in the process of installing state-of-the-art educational technology, infrastructure and equipment at all sites.” "At the end of the day, the school board is responsible for everything that happens in the schools,” board member Foster said. "At the top of that list is student achievement and closing our achievement gap and this year the board, superintendent, and district staff have new initiatives moving forward to address these vital responsibilities.” The Board welcomes public input and holds regular meetings with the opportunity for public comment. For more information, meeting dates, times, agendas, minutes and location, visit: www.smmusd.org/board.

Laurie Lieberman

Dr. José Escarce

Craig Foster

Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein

Oscar de la Torre

PTAs: Partners for our students ith nearly 6,000 members representing all 16 schools across the district, SMMUSD’s Parent Teacher Associations advocate for the education, health and welfare of all children and families. Santa MonicaMalibu PTA Council supports CA PTA’s School Smarts Parent Academies --

recently recognized by the White House -- sharing research-based information on how parents can help their children and opening the door for meaningful involvement to even more parents. PTA facilitates communication between school and home, and organizes informative parent meetings and fun family

events. PTA builds leadership and mobilizes volunteers to advocate on policies, legislation and ballot measures that directly impact children. In addition, PTA supports the operations of schools by raising funds for a variety of needs at each school site, ranging from books and supplies to field

trips and technology. PTA partners with the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation to raise funds for programs that benefit all students in all SMMUSD schools. “PTA provides parent education and advocacy on topics such as parenting skills, student health,

education funding and other issues of concern to parents,” Rochelle Fanali, SMMPTA Council president, said. “We are fortunate to have an active and engaged parent community and we welcome all parents to get involved with our work to support all SMMUSD students through PTA.”

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Building a better district anta Monica and Malibu voters gave our children enormous gifts in 2006 and 2012 with the passage of bond measures BB and ES. Students across the district are now seeing, using and experiencing those generous gifts first hand. The district is currently funding many capital improvements thanks to Measure ES, a $385 million general obligation bond approved by voters in 2012. The money is specifically targeted for new facilities and technology upgrades districtwide. “We couldn’t be more grateful to be in a community that is as supportive of local public education as Santa Monica and Malibu have been over the last several years. It is because of this community commitment to our students that we can offer them the very best technology, in safe and nurturing facilities, and a top notch education,” said SMMUSD superintendent Sandra Lyon. Under the terms of the measure, Samohi will see $180 million toward the Samohi Campus Redevelopment Plan and at least $77 million (or 20 percent of the total) will go to projects in Malibu. Of the remaining cash, about $34 million has been allocated to technology upgrades throughout the district. Those projects include infrastructure upgrades, computers needed for the new state tests, computer lab upgrades and classroom improvements. Measure ES provided for new circulation computers that were installed over the summer and now houses new circulation software, including handheld scanners. Librarians have undergone additional training on the software and the upgrades will standardize procedures. As part of the district’s 21st century classroom initiative all classrooms throughout the district will have Smartboards and interactive boards installed, including new ceiling-mounted projectors and mobile devices. New audio systems with microphones and speakers to ensure all students can hear the teacher clearly regardless of their seat, and an ELMO document camera, which can display paper documents or objects, including microscope slides will also be installed. Upgrades began in the summer and are expected to be complete by next summer.

Samohi ASB president Dean Chien leads Samohi administration, SMMUSD board members, administrators and Measure BB members in the official ribbon-cutting of the $55 million Samohi Innovation Building in early September.

“We are working hard to create 21st century classrooms in each classroom at every school,” Superintendent Lyon said. “These installations take time as we must evaluate and update infrastructure such as wireless access points and address electrical specifications, which in many of our aging buildings, are not sufficient for the added burden of technology.” Measure BB provided funding for new facilities and modernization of some older buildings. Recent projects that have been completed or near completion are the rebuilding of Edison Language Academy, the Lincoln Middle School library and classroom building, and just opened in August, the

Lincoln Middle School’s state of the art library, opened in 2014

new Samohi Innovation Building with classrooms, science labs, a high-tech auto shop, offices, and other learning spaces. There have been improvements to safety and security through fire alarm upgrades and gate access improvements, as well as building renovation, addition of classrooms and office space, parking and ADA improvements throughout the district. A few projects are still outstanding including a district data center and Malibu High School project, which is currently going through Coastal Commission review. Facility improvement projects take time and it is important for the district to have an

ongoing cycle of renewal and renovation to maintain high-quality learning environments that will meet the needs of students now and well into the future. “We are fortunate to have a community that understands there will never be enough facility improvement money provided at the state level to meet our building needs,” board president Laurie Lieberman said. “Yet our aging buildings require we continuously plan and fund modernization and rebuilding projects. The continued support and generosity of our community in supporting facility bonds is the only way we will continue to provide high quality learning environments for our students now and in the future.”

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Achievement for all students

Board of Education recognizes new SMMUSD National Board Certified Teachers.

“

xtraordinary achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap,” reads the SMMUSD mission statement. This core goal motivates and drives all SMMUSD teachers, staff members, administrators and board members every day. SMMUSD is a high-performing school district with test scores exceeding those of its peers in Los Angeles County and the state of California, but until the achievement gap is closed, the hard work continues. SMMUSD seeks to hire talented staff, who share the core values of the district, then fosters continuous improvement and leadership while incorporating best practices to enhance staff effectiveness. The goal is for all students to be not only college and career ready, but also successfully prepared for life. SMMUSD graduates will be flexible, adaptive and have a passion for lifelong learning, have a deep understanding and respect for diversity, be technologically savvy, able to think critically, be creative, analytical and have strong written and verbal skills in English and proficiency in other languages.

How does SMMUSD go about filling this tall order? Through PERCS goals of course! PERCS is the acronym that stands for: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) Equity and Access for Student Success Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Curriculum Each school is guided by these goals and while they may all implement in a slightly different manner, all are making a big impact on students inside and outside the classroom. Administrators talk about PLCs as a collaboration of teachers, administrators, parents and students, who work together to seek out best practices, test them in the classroom, continuously improve processes and focus on results.

“PLCs take the view of educating and nurturing the whole child and all partners playing a role in student outcomes and achievement,” Superintendent Sandra Lyon said. “Our goal is to have everyone working together, providing instruction and support to every child in the way they need, in a safe and nurturing school environment.” Equity and access for student success focuses on school and district culture; teaching and learning; mentoring and advocacy and policy and practice. The equity review underway by Dr. Pedro Noguera will inform our future practices to ensure we are reaching this goal. Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) is the systematic, data driven approach to instruction that benefits every student. Teachers have embraced this instructional technique and this is a topic in professional development sessions on an ongoing basis. Additional cohorts of teachers are receiving training through the USC Capstone Project on Depth and Complexity. This instructional delivery method introduces depth and complexity to students in order to uncover the full potential of every single learner. SMMUSD has incorporated Thinking Maps training this year, which is being taught to students to help organize thinking in a graphic format and has also been embraced by teachers and administrators as a great method of discussing topics and problem-solving. SMMUSD teachers embraced the challenge of adopting new English language arts and math standards in the 2013-14 school year, and the results of this early adoption show in the first results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) new computer testing this year. "Ongoing teacher training (professional development) is key to raising test scores in both language arts and math,” reported Sarah Braff, President of the Santa Monica / Malibu Classroom Teachers Association. SMMUSD teachers are doing more than ever to sharpen their own skills. They are participating in local training provided by the district. Some are even traveling 3,000 miles to Columbia Teachers College in New York for its renowned reading and writing workshops. “Our teachers are unsurpassed in their dedication to our students,”

Braff said. SMMUSD teachers rose to the occasion, working hard, often collaborating with each other, to adapt and deliver the new standards focused on problemsolving and critical thinking with real world application. Teachers are incorporating Cognitively Guided Instructional (CGI) practices in teaching math starting in preschool. CGI is a professional development program that increases teachers’ understanding of the knowledge that students bring to the math learning process and how they connect that knowledge with formal concepts and operations. “We are aligning curriculum and instruction from preschool to fifth grade,” Dr. Terry Deloria, superintendent of educational services said. “We are pleased to have Dr. Megan Franke from UCLA, a developer of CGI, working with us on our efforts to foster collaboration between preschool and kindergarten teachers, which is a very unique practice that benefits all children.” Earlier this year, the SMMUSD Board of Education recognized 17 National Board Certified Teachers, raising the percentage of NBCT teachers in the district to 13 percent, greatly exceeding the state average of two percent. "It is absolutely amazing for a school district of our size to have so many new and renewed teachers reach certification level," Lyon said. "Our teachers’ commitment to continued and higher level learning advances the quality of instruction our students receive and strengthens our community as a whole." The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is recognized as the gold standard in teacher certification. It is a voluntary professional development opportunity that allows teachers to reflect on their own practice. It was developed by teachers, with teachers, for teachers, and is a symbol of professional teaching excellence. The final component to PERCS: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum is a critical

part of the 21st century college and career track. SMMUSD is working to deepen and expand these instructional areas with the vision of incorporating from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Programs like Project Lead the Way (PLTW) have been implemented at all middle and high schools with the current emphasis on the engineering pathway and expansion planned in the future to other programs PLTW offers, including biomedical science. The educational services team, led by Dr. Deloria, stays on the forefront of best practices in curriculum, instruction, research and assessment, including providing critical professional development throughout the school year. “The number one predictor of student success in the classroom is the teacher. At the school level, it’s the principal. So investing in teachers and principals is key to closing achievement gaps while promoting high levels of learning for all students. And, the training we provide includes opportunities for our staff to review student work in a collaborative environment where ‘what works’ is shared by all,” Deloria said. “That is how SMMUSD will move from a great to an amazing school district.”

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

SMMEF success based on partnerships

n Santa Monica and Malibu schools, generous communities provide financial support for extraordinary staff, programs and equipment above and beyond what the state provides. Thanks to critical partnerships between the school district, PTAs, businesses/corporations, foundations, community supporters and the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation (SMMEF), SMMUSD students experience an excellent education with a rigorous focus on academics, vibrant arts programs, memorable field trips and experimental learning. Established in 1982, SMMEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded to raise funds to enhance and supplement the curriculum in SMMUSD. The organization has supported programs for students for 33 years and officials said the past few years have been particularly important. The 2014-15 school year was the inaugural year for a set of new SMMEFfunded programs at every

school in the district. Elementary classroom teachers had instructional assistants to facilitate small-group learning, teacher training was improved, literacy coaches worked to advance reading instruction at each elementary school, elementary students benefitted from comprehensive arts education and each school received an enrichment grant to fund programs chosen by their school. Many schools used these grants to provide science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) or visual and performing arts programs. Some schools also used these funds to hire additional health clerks, augment on-site counseling programs, or run other programs focused on student wellness. District-wide fundraising allowed the funds for these programs to be leveraged by economies of scale and ensures every student benefits. Last year, 31% of the funding was donated by parents in the district, 19% was donated by community members, and 15% was donated by businesses. The remaining

funds came from foundations, endowments and other managed funds, and events. This year, donations to SMMEF support elementary arts programs, elementary instructional aides, and enrichment grants for each campus. Fundraising this year has continued to improve with donations currently running about 70 percent higher than this time last year. Donations have come from 1,900 different donors with 23 percent of SMMUSD families donating by the early October. In addition, SMMEF endowments and earned income fund teacher grants for necessary visual arts materials and supplies; secondary school theater programs and dance classes; semi-private music lessons and instruments for qualifying students; recorders for all third graders and library supplies. Executive director Linda Greenberg said she hopes donations would continue to rise as more families gained first-hand experience with the programs. “We have been working diligently to explain the new fundraising model to parents,” she said. “As parents see the impact of the programs on their children, they recognize the value of their donations.” Superintendent Sandra Lyon said the SMMEF funds are a vital source of revenue for the district.

While state funding is increasing, it’s still far below pre-recession levels and isn’t projected to return to its full amount until 2020. California students receive half the money per capita compared to some other states and Lyon said the SMMEF programs are critically important to student development. “Our students learn to express themselves through art and shine in internationally recognized music programs that start in the primary grades,” she said. “They reach new frontiers in science, technology, engineering and math programs preparing them to work in an ever-more technical world. They are taught and supported by a group of educators, parents and community members dedicated to their advancement.” SMMEF has made outreach a priority this year. The organization has already stepped up their presence at PTA meetings and back-to-school nights. SMMEF also raised over $439,000 during Pledge Days, a new fundraising drive in which all gifts were matched by an extremely generous $100,000 anonymous donor. The organization is planning two large events for the spring: a concert on March 5 and a wine and food tasting and auction on April 17. For more information, visit http://smmef.org.

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Learning outside the classroom

traditional school day is packed with required classes and a variety of electives, but for many students, the true connection to school is involvement in extracurricular activities. Many Santa Monica and Malibu high school students take part in one or more of the many opportunities offered including athletics, visual and performing arts, clubs and community service. Both schools maintain a commitment to diversity, and equity and access, ensuring that every student has ample opportunities to participate. “We have something for almost every student between sports, performing arts and about 30 clubs,” Malibu High Assistant Principal Phil Wenker said. “And, students can start a new club, as long as it meets certain criteria and they have a staff member willing to be the advisor.” Samohi, with nearly 130 clubs, plus athletics and music, has a similar system for starting a new club on campus. Many clubs aim to be socially impactful and include clubs focused on environmental, religious, political or health issues, as well as, cancer awareness, study groups, recreation activity clubs and career interest clubs. While many school districts across the state have cut funding for visual and performing arts, it is an

extremely important part of the culture of SMMUSD. The district offers a robust music program where students in third grade are taught general music once a week and all fourth and fifth graders participate in music twice a week with certificated teachers, choosing a string or wind instrument or chorus. All third graders participate in a dance program, Music in Motion, and all fifth graders participate in the ballroom dance program, Dancing Classrooms, funded through a grant from the LA Arts Commission and the SMMEF. Additionally, SMMEF funds elementary arts with the P.S. Arts program. Both high schools have award-winning visual and performing arts programs, including a wide variety of classes offered in drawing, painting, digital design, photography, ceramics, film, dance, theatre and large band, jazz band, orchestra and choir programs. The music programs at the middle and high school levels send more students to All State and National Honor ensembles than other districts in the state and nation and they perform locally, nationally and internationally. "SMMUSD is fortunate to have an extraordinary visual and performing arts program for all students thanks to the generous support of our parents, communities, SMMEF and partners,” Tom Whaley,

visual and performing arts coordinator, said. “The classes are taught by a team of exceptional teachers who are extremely passionate about their specific arts discipline and their students.” Some of the specific areas that are taught through the arts are creativity, confidence, problem solving, perseverance, focus and teamwork. Earlier this year, the Malibu High School choir performed at Carnegie Hall and the Malibu High School orchestra is invited to perform in the summer of 2016. Samohi’s choir performed in Europe during spring break of 2015, while the wind ensemble played at Carnegie Hall. During spring break of 2016, the Samohi Symphony and Chamber will be performing Paris, Amsterdam and Bruges, Belgium. In February 2016 the district will present the 67th annual Stairway of the Stars concerts featuring incredibly talented students from elementary school, middle school and high school over three nights in orchestra, choir and band. Both Samohi and Malibu High School have competitive sports

programs, fielding teams in numerous sports for boys and girls that may include football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, swimming, lacrosse, tennis, golf, water polo, track and field and more. “At Malibu High School, a majority of students are involved in a sport,” Principal Dr. Brandon Gallagher said. “There is also overlap with students who are involved in both athletics and arts.” Both high schools have very active and involved parent booster organizations helping to maintain the quality of athletic programs, improve athletic facilities and coordinate fundraising activities. “Studies show that the more students are engaged in school activities, along with classes, the more connected they feel to the school community and the more likely they will succeed in high school and continue on with post-secondary education,” Superintendent Lyon said. “We are proud of our award-winning extracurricular programs and encourage all students to participate as part of a well-rounded educational experience.”

Lori Orum, Edison Language Academy

Edison Language Academy

Lori Orum – PRINCIPAL Bienvenidos al año escolar de 2015-2016 en la Academia de Idiomas Edison! This year, Edison Language Academy begins its 29th year as SMMUSD’s only dual immersion elementary school. This is my 10th year as Edison’s principal and I still count it as such a privilege to watch another cohort of Edison students start their journey toward bilingualism and to work with such a strong and dedicated team of dual language educators. We have so much to celebrate this year at Edison! We are nearing the end of an ambitious multi-year construction project that produced a brand new school and playfields for Edison. While we loved our little 1940s-era escuelita, the buildings were old and all the systems were in need of major repairs. Today we are nearly at the end of the journey and, thanks to Measure BB, Edison students have an amazing new facility! We have the space we need to offer enrichment and after-school programs, an abundance of modern technology tools to support 21st century learning, and a smaller carbon footprint. Construction is projected to be nearly finished by the end of October – just in time for Edison’s famous Festival de Otoño and Día de los Muertos celebration on November 7. We’re also celebrating the resources that we have through SMMUSD, SMMEF, our Title I grant, and our Edison PTA, that provide bilingual instructional assistants for all classrooms, coaches and intervention teachers, and online programs to differentiate and extend learning. Thanks to the generosity of our parents and hard work of the Edison PTA and SMMEF, we also have a robust arts

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Deanna Sinfield, Franklin Elementary School

Jezelle Fullwood, Grant Elementary School

Steven Richardson, John Adams Middle School

program – including theater, visual arts, and music at all grade levels, dance for 3rd and 5th graders, and an after-school Ballet Folklorico class. Finally, we are celebrating the strong academic progress our students made again last year, including our 4th consecutive year as a California Business for Education Excellence Honor Roll School. Preliminary data from State achievement tests indicate that Edison students also did very well on the State exams – all while learning in two languages! It’s going to be a great year as we set our sights ever higher!

to stretch our students. We use Thinking Maps to help students organize their thinking and will be using part of our stretch grant from SMMEF to continue to deepen our use and understanding of Thinking Maps and Write From the Beginning (the writing program associated with Thinking Maps). We use Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) to assist in deepening students’ conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts. Thanks to SMMEF, we were able to send 11 staff members to the CGI conference over the summer. We also sent four teachers to Teacher’s College in New York to train in Reader’s Workshop. We are a community of life-long learners. I look forward to working with every parent during my second year as principal of Franklin School. I welcome back Dr. Ashley Benjamin as assistant principal. Please join us in making it our priority to provide every student with an outstanding education while maintaining a safe and supportive school community.

relying on you the families who are our most important partners to ensure a quality education for every student! Everything we do is carefully designed to create the best learning environment for our students. I am honored and privileged to work with a dynamic community of teachers and staff that cultivate an environment where students achieve and believe in themselves and their school. With our school’s aim of having an emphasis on academic outcomes and high student achievement school-wide, Grant Elementary will continue to incorporate the core values of Respect, Trustworthiness, Fairness, Responsibility, Citizenship, and Caring. Using these as our guiding principles, each child will be encouraged and supported in working to his/her full potential academically, socially, and emotionally. Remember, it does take a village to raise a child; and I add it takes a very special school like Grant Elementary to educate them. Please know that I welcome your participation, support, and efforts as they are greatly valued and appreciated. We are in this together! Wishing you a wonderful upcoming year of success!

Franklin Elementary School

Deanna Sinfield – PRINCIPAL elcome to the 2015-2016 school year! Franklin School is a community that prides itself on being engaged, forward thinking, passionate and generous. We continually work hard to fulfill SMMUSD’s mission of extraordinary achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap. At Franklin School we are committed to exemplary instruction designed to educate the whole child so that he or she may become a productive and contributing member of the global economy. Our devoted staff, supportive PTA, and Site Governance Council are dedicated to providing an education that readies students for the challenges they may encounter throughout their lifetime and encourages lifelong learning. The entire school community has worked in unison to provide a safe and nurturing environment where students can attain their highest level of achievement while meeting the diverse needs of all. We differentiate instruction in many ways in order

Grant Elementary School

Jezelle Fullwood – PRINCIPAL elcome to the 2015-2016 school year! I am so excited to join the Grant Elementary family as the new principal. As we begin another school year, I am reminded of an African proverb; “It takes an entire village to raise a child.” This seems fitting when I consider the accomplishments achieved and those to come! Your commitment to your child’s education, past and present, are excellent examples of what is required of that village to achieve success. Therefore, one of the goals of this school year is to help build and support an even stronger village by

John Adams Middle School

Steven Richardson – PRINCIPAL elcome to John Adams Middle School (JAMS). We strive to meet the academic and social emotional needs of every student who walks through our doors. We are a diverse community that mirrors our

SEE PRINCIPALS PAGE 11

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Paula Lytz, John Muir Elementary School

Dr. Pam Herkner, Juan Cabrillo Elementary School

PRINCIPALS

John Muir Elementary School

FROM PAGE 10

Paula Lytz – PRINCIPAL

County in terms of race, ethnicity and socioeconomics. This organic diversity benefits all stakeholders by inserting a broad range of perspectives into the academic and social culture at JAMS. Our academic and social emotional curriculum are driven by three core concepts: excellence for all; authentic care for our community; and, a shared destiny among all stakeholders. Through these drivers we look to create a connected community and a student population who identify and develop the gifts they possess. We do this a number of ways. First, we build a strong sense of community through an intentional emphasis on building relationships. Teachers, counselors, administrators, custodians, secretaries and more come together to ensure that every student has a meaningful connection with a peer group. This sense of community is also supported through our schoolwide mindfulness focus. Our mindfulness tenets include: make a personal connection with your teacher; build a sense of community; and make a new friend every day. JAMS honors the gifts and passions of its students. We look to nurture these gifts by offering a broad range of academic courses. Our school has developed exemplary programs across the academic spectrum. They include our science magnet; music program; visual arts studio; engineering courses; mindfulness; coding opportunities and an app academy among others. By providing multiple entry points into our academic program, we are able to support student engagement and foster college and career readiness.

elcome to the 2015-2016 school year at John Muir Elementary School! I am honored to be your new principal, and look forward to a great year with our wonderful students, staff, and families. Before joining the Muir team, I was assistant principal at Lincoln Middle School for the past two years. Prior to working in SMMUSD, I was assistant principal in a K-8 school, and was a Spanish and ESL teacher to students in grades 5-8. As the Muir vision statement outlines, together with staff and parents I will work to “maintain and nurture a positive, supportive, and respectful environment that promotes powerful learning and exceptional achievement.” I envision a school community where all students feel safe and connected. We will focus on the whole child, and build strong relationships with our students and families to pave the way for academic excellence. I look forward to getting to know the Muir staff and all of our families. I consider it a privilege to be able to lead John Muir and to make it a school that we can all be proud of. Please stop by and introduce yourself!

Juan Cabrillo Elementary School

Dr. Pam Herkner – PRINCIPAL elcome to Juan Cabrillo Elementary School. It takes three ingredients to make a successful school. Cabrillo has skilled, talented and dedicated staff as the first ingredient. The staff is committed to providing ALL students with a positive learning environment. The parents and community members

Florence Culpepper, Lincoln Middle School

are next. They contribute to the formal education of the student by supporting the teachers and the total school program. The third and best ingredient is the child. His or her conduct at the school helps create an environment where learning can best take place. We are pleased to have you share with us the excitement of teaching and the joy of learning. You are invited and strongly encouraged to become involved and active in the educational program of your child and community. Parent and community members’ support, expertise, and commitment are KEY to our strong academic program at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School. We look forward to working with all of you! Hand-in-Hand, TOGETHER We Can! Filling Buckets and Developing the Future Together!

Dr. Brandon Gallagher, Malibu High School

A favorite quote of mine is from James Baldwin who said, “For these are all our children, we will all profit by or pay for whatever they become.” I keep this at my center when making decisions for our school community. As a parent to four children I understand the instinct that can sometimes lead us to think about “what’s best for my child” as opposed to “what’s best for all of our kids.” I challenge our entire community to think about the students in other classes and schools within our district as we make decisions. Even if they don’t come home with us each night, it is in our best interest to be concerned about “other people’s children” and to recognize that if they aren’t successful, neither are we.

Malibu High School

Dr. Brandon Gallagher – PRINCIPAL

Lincoln Middle School

his has been the start of a great school year at Malibu High School. As I have settled into a new position, we are working hard as a staff to develop a shared school vision for MHS that will extend the tradition for success into the future. The foundation of our vision for MHS is rooted in our Expected School-wide Learning Results (ESLRs), which were developed by a committee of MHS staff during the 2014-2015 school year. The end product of the work to help define the underpinning of the work at MHS was an agreement that MHS would uphold and model maturity, humanity, and scholarship. The goal of this year is to continue to build out a vision that is connected to maturity, humanity, and scholarship by our mission statement and supported

Florence Culpepper – PRINCIPAL t was with great excitement that I took the helm at Lincoln Middle School on July 1, 2015. After spending two years as I House principal at SAMOHI, two years as assistant principal at John Adams Middle School, in addition to my years of administrative and teaching experience in LAUSD, I have multiple perspectives to tap into as I lead at LMS. The staff at LMS is committed to looking at the whole child in our approach to educating our students. This means a continued focus on a strong academic program that challenges and pushes our students’ thinking, coupled with the social-emotional supports so necessary in this stage of adolescent development.

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Susan Yakich, McKinley Elementary School

Anthony Fuller, Olympic High School

PRINCIPALS

McKinley Elementary School

FROM PAGE 11

Susan Yakich – PRINCIPAL

by a strong school plan. While this may otherwise be a daunting task, I have been fortunate to join a team of professional educators who have students at the center of their thinking and a robust system of parent support. This being the case, MHS is well positioned to move forward collectively in a positive direction as we continue to define our collective future. Aside from planning for the future of MHS, I have enjoyed being part of the MHS experience on campus. As the new principal of MHS, I have been able to watch our students thrive in a number of areas. This has included working with students to expand club offerings at the high school, taking part in an outstanding Homecoming, and trying not to mess up very well-prepared Minnow TV interviews. The student experience at Malibu has been one where I feel fortunate to be principal and appreciate that our students challenge us to bring our best to the table on a daily basis to support their futures. Moving forward this school year, I would encourage parents and the community to become involved with the continuous improvement of MHS and work together with a “can” attitude. Keeping students at the center of the work we are doing will be important in order to work through personal differences and competing interests to ensure we are doing our best to produce the most positive possible outcomes for each student at MHS, as well as all of our programs. I thank the community, staff, and students for the support so far and look forward to continuing to work with everyone to bridge transition and cross over to progress.

elcome to the 2015-2016 school year! As this is my second year at McKinley, it’s nice to be able to work once again with staff and parents to support our students. This year we will continue to focus on helping each child reach his/her academic and emotional goals. We will do this through differentiation, professional development and grade level collaboration. We have two AMAZING literacy coaches, Mike Ostrom and Mary Scrifes who will be working side by side with teachers in the area of language arts. Grade level teams will work together to analyze data, create student goals and plan lessons to meet the needs of each student. Literacy coaches are one of many SMMEF funded programs we enjoy. We also have two AWESOME math coaches, Hayde Cervantes and Sandra Kim who will support teachers in the area of math. Teachers will be collaborating and participating in a book study by reading/discussing, Children’s Mathematics Cognitively Guided Instruction. In an effort to assist students in reading, we will be launching our RTI program (Response to Intervention) in October for grades 2-5. Grade levels will have a dedicated RTI time for reading where students will be assessed and grouped accordingly to differentiated instruction to meet their unique needs. Those students who need extra assistance will be provided instruction by our reading teacher. Moreover, students who have mastered the California Standards will be challenged by a trained staff member. Special thanks to our hardworking PTA and parent volunteers for all they do for our school

Mark Demick, Point Dume Marine Science School

community. Our school community is a special place due to everyone working together collaboratively. We couldn’t do it without staff and parents so thank you for your time, dedication and support! Have a great year!

Olympic High School

Anthony Fuller – PRINCIPAL lympic High School was honored as a Model Continuation High School in the State of California for 2014. This designation is for three years and only awarded to some 25 schools of more than 500 each year in the entire state. This is a tremendous accomplishment and I am proud of our teachers, staff and students for making Olympic the top-notch continuation school program it is today! The Olympic High School campus offers a variety of Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) -accredited educational opportunities for the non-traditional learner: a continuation high school, two opportunity classrooms, an independent study program, and an adult school program. Our students are a highly diverse population visibly engaged in a personalized academic environment supported by a highly qualified and devoted staff of instructors, counselor and support personnel. Our programs build on evident student strengths as we assist each learner in achieving academic success through a structured, respectful and supportive process. As a campus, Olympic wholeheartedly embraces and provides guidance to those students who may have fallen behind in academic credits as well as those who may need a more intimate learning

Natalie Burton, Roosevelt Elementary School

environment to thrive. Students have individualized instruction programs with a strong emphasis on a California Standards based curriculum, intensive support/counseling and an ever-expanding projectbased focus. Our campus understands what the author Malcolm Gladwell is talking about when he uses the term “outliers.” Our students are non-traditional learners by nature and thus our task is to promote emotional growth, responsible behavior and selfawareness. Our absolute belief in the potential of all those entering our halls goes beyond academic success -- our aim is to help them learn the necessary skills to become productive members of the workforce, participating and involved community members, effective and caring family members, informed consumers and gregarious lifelong learners. Many Olympic students attend college or other post-secondary education after earning their high school diploma from Olympic High School. Olympic students earn thousands of dollars in scholarships each year, donated by generous local non-profits and corporate supporters.

Point Dume Marine Science School

Mark Demick – PRINCIPAL s the principal representing our distinguished staff, it is our privilege to guide your child on their elementary journey at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School (PDMSS). Our mission is to empower all students by balancing academic excellence and the arts to become globally conscious citizens who shape our world by making

SEE PRINCIPALS PAGE 13

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Jessica Rishe, Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH)

PRINCIPALS FROM PAGE 12

positive, innovative and responsible choices. Our K-5 school consists of about 200 students and is located in beautiful Malibu. PDMSS has been identified as a California Distinguished School (2010, 2014) and is ranked in the top 5% of schools statewide. Through attention to rigor, relevance and positive relationships, we will provide the foundation for staff, parents and community to continue to build a world class school for each child who enters our doors.

Roosevelt Elementary School

Natalie Burton – PRINCIPAL would like to welcome everyone to the 20152016 school year! We are off to a great start and the students are thriving in their classrooms with an outstanding group of professionals at the lead. It is wonderful to see the many people that make the Roosevelt community so special; enthusiastic and committed parents, a dedicated staff that goes above and beyond, and the children, who make everyone’s work worthwhile. We look forward to a strong homeschool partnership, which will make for an outstanding school year! Thanks to the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, we have a great group of instructional assistants in all kindergarten – 2nd grade classrooms. We look forward to having our students benefit from all that SMMEF is providing for Roosevelt this year; a part-time health clerk, a parttime counselor, and a phenomenal visual, musical,

Eva Mayoral, Santa Monica High School

and performing arts program through P.S. Arts., and a ballroom dancing program for our fifth graders! We are also thrilled that our SMMEF stretch grant has provided us the opportunity to further the professional development of our teachers by being a project school with Columbia University Teachers College in New York City, which provides us with 12 days of onsite coaching both inside and outside of our classrooms by the senior staff developers at Columbia University. Thank you to our Roosevelt PTA for funding our ongoing Character Book of the Month Program at Roosevelt! All K-5th grade teachers read a book each month and then discuss the character trait that is exemplified in the literature: Respect, Cooperation, Responsibility, Courtesy, Kindness, Honesty and Citizenship. We look forward to the great reading and to the meaningful connections and conversations that our students will have across all grade levels. We encourage families to make monthly trips to the public library to check out the books we are reading and to enjoy reading them at home. The joy and power of literature is infinite! Wishing everyone a wonderful 2015–2016 school year!

Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH)

Jessica Rishe – PRINCIPAL elcome to the new school year! This fall, we are focusing on two overarching SMASH staff goals K-8 that directly link to our core-specific focal points and curriculum. We are focused on inquiry and project-based learning (PBL) with science and engineering as the drivers, and our social emotional

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learning (SEL) curriculum and cultivation of mindfulness practices are integrated throughout our school. During professional development time, SMASH teachers and classified staff will focus on developing inquiry-based science lessons that engage students’ natural curiosities. With the guidance of three experts, we will deepen our understanding of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which are designed to help us solve real world, complex challenges. Using the Exploratorium’s Institute for Inquiry curriculum, the staff exploration of NGSS standards will include process skills, questioning skills, approaches to inquiry-based teaching, and experiences with scientific concepts. We invite parents and community partners to serve as guest teachers and mentors during Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM)- related projects. Additionally, I want to focus on our second school-wide goal that is a continuation and enhancement of our 2014-15 implementation: integrating our social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum and cultivation of mindfulness practices throughout our school. Our Responsive Classroom/Developmental Designs social emotional curriculum works from the outside in. During advisory meetings and community circles, students practice skills with each other: communication (“I” messages, needs statements, appreciations), upstander moves (speaking up or taking action when something unkind is occurring),

or conflict resolution processes. We cultivate a community of children and adults who: cooperate with each other, respectfully assert themselves, act responsibly, show empathy, exercise self-control, and develop independence. Our mindfulness practices work from the insideout. Breathing techniques, movement, or guided meditation help us notice our physical sensations, and our thoughts and emotions. We “name it to tame it,” meaning we notice where we are at and then are better able to find homeostasis. We create a community of children and adults who tune into what is happening inside their bodies and minds and use the tools to then: communicate thoughts and needs clearly, self-regulate emotionally, maintain focus and attention, and manage anxiety or stress. In order to help connect these experiences between home and school, please watch for the schedule of family (parent-child) education sessions on Monday mornings and parent education evening events throughout the year.

Santa Monica High School

Eva Mayoral – PRINCIPAL elcome to one of America’s top 500 high schools! That’s right, out of 30,000 high schools across our great nation, Santa Monica High School outcompeted 29,528 other schools to ring in at a stellar number 472 (Newsweek Ranking).

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2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

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PRINCIPALS FROM PAGE 13

How do we here at Samohi interpret this? Just 471 to go! What’s the plan? Improve the way in which we support one another and work together to invest in, inspire, ignite, and support growth and learning in every single student, every single hour, of every single day. To inspire, cultivate, and support students in engaging in behaviors that support their own, as well as one another’s, best learning interests. The practices and mindsets Samohi will use to achieve these are our continued commitments, and growing sophistication, in functioning as a truly Restorative Professional Learning Community. Our course-alike collaborative groups within each department will continue to develop techniques and strategies to support high achievement for all within the California State Standards. Through the addition of a full time Restorative Justice (RJ) Coordinator, Samohi gains phenomenal and experienced daily support in moving full steam ahead toward full realization of our goal of building a truly restorative community, climate, and culture amongst and between students, staff, and parents alike. Our work will center around building capacity amongst student, staff, and parent leaders in facilitating this growth, as well as in supporting our community in developing awareness of, and sensitivity to, the full extent of the ripple impact (whether positive or negative) of their behaviors on individuals, as well as on the community at large. As a Samohi community, we listen, and we are heard. We care, and we are cared for. And, importantly, we do what it takes to build and restore faith and trust in one another. In short, we hold one another accountable in ways that grow and strengthen the

2015 Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

fabric of our community, and thereby strengthen the bonds that nurture, connect, and support each of us as individuals. The Samohi PTSA is committed to parent education and communication throughout the year. Check out the Viking Voice reference issue or website for important events, college planning guidance and access to other communication tools. This is an exciting time to be a part of the Samohi community! We welcome and embrace all you are, and all you bring! Come be a part!

Webster Elementary School

Dr. Susan Samarge-Powell – PRINCIPAL t Webster School, staff, parents, and community members work together ... Our Vision Statement begins with these words and there is no better way to begin to describe our school. Webster’s 300 students take great pride in their school, in their learning, and in themselves because they are immersed in an environment where it is abundantly clear that everyone around them cares very deeply about their happiness and success. Our teachers welcome each child into their classrooms and provide a stimulating and challenging curriculum as they strive to ignite the passion for learning that lives within their students. The children see their parents volunteering regularly and students also interact consistently with community members who contribute their knowledge, energy, and talents to the students’ educational experiences. Our teaching staff has also delved deeply in to the California Standards, so they are able to academically prepare students to face any future of their choice. This year we are continuing to develop our

Dr. Susan Sumarage-Powell, Webster Elementary School

Elizabeth Cochran, Wil Rogers Learning Community

Character Counts Traits! We are working to be Respectful, Responsible, Caring, Trustworthy, Fair and Good Citizens! We will also start our work with the Olweus Bully Prevention Program so we continue to raise students who are conscientious citizens who stand up for those around them and care for the greater community. As 21st century learners we have Chromebooks in all of our first through fifth grade classrooms and all of our students also participate in P.S. Arts, a SMMEF-funded program, where they have opportunities to learn about music, visual art and theater arts. Many additional programs are funded either through the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation or through the hard work of our Webster School PTA. As this is my 20th year in the school district and my third year at Webster, I know it is thanks to the caring adults in our world that our students are having a “Whale of a Time” at Webster School. Come by and visit!

development in Responsive Classroom. We use Responsive Classroom strategies to develop a community of learners in the classrooms and in the school as a whole. The staple of Responsive Classroom is morning meeting, and we encourage parents to volunteer in the classrooms during this time so that they become part of our community of learners as well. We are continuing our work with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) this year. As a STEM school, we create opportunities for students to act as scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. Teachers facilitate inquiry-based learning that emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, and effective communication skills. Students conduct experiments, build and program robots, design and build structures, and apply real-world math skills. We thank our parent community for outfitting our STEM lab, and for volunteering during STEM learning activities and events. Thanks to support from the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, we have two literacy coaches who work with teachers to design and deliver literacy instruction that meets the needs of all learners. Within the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework, teachers provide high quality standards-based instruction to all students and provide additional targeted instruction based on what each student needs, whether the student is working far above grade level or below. We appreciate this support from SMMEF because it enables us to continually refine our practices and ensure that we are providing the best instruction possible for each student. We know that our school is strongest when we partner with families. We hope to see parents volunteering in classrooms and at our many community events.

Will Rogers Learning Community

Elizabeth Cochran – PRINCIPAL elcome to the 2015-2016 school year! We look forward working with parents to ensure a successful school year for all students. We appreciate our collaborative community and are grateful for your efforts to support our school. At Will Rogers Learning Community, we believe that social development is as important as academic development. Our social curriculum is Responsive Classroom, an approach to teaching that improves teaching practices, student achievement, and school climate. We have been using this approach for many years, and as part of our continued learning this year, we are participating in ongoing professional

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