Co-chair Cecily Harrison | gogreen@losfelizarts.org

Earth Day was April 22 this year, and we randomly asked LFCSA students what they were planning on doing for Earth Day. Some responded that they would “help something grow,” or “plant a tree.” The Green Team encourages everyone to discuss with their children how they can strive to make a difference.

A new development at LFCSA for which the Green Team is grateful is our regular lunch recycling volunteers. These are parents who help the children with the concept of recycling by assessing their finished lunch meals and containers and sorting what can be recycled into our blue recycling bins. A huge thanks goes to Sherrell Cuneo (Mondays), Susan Fink (Tuesdays), Betina Papadeas (Wednesdays), Jennifer Del Barrio (Thursdays), and Kirsten Dickerson (Fridays). According to Green Team co-chair Sherrell Cuneo, students are ready to take on a zero waste lunch policy. Congratulations to the Green Team lunchtime volunteers, as well as to all the students of LFCSA who are quickly becoming professional recyclers! Fliers went out to parents regarding a fundraiser for lunchbox “systems,” which we encourage parents to use, and be on the lookout for the Green Team’s classroom presentations educating on the benefits of reusable and/or recyclable lunch materials.

A big thanks goes to Ms. Dovico, who gave us great ideas and volunteered her second grade class to be “Recycling Raccoons,” and even incorporated recycling into a math lesson.

Our goal is to transition LFCSA into being a zero waste campus, similar to many other campuses in California and the nation. Please contact gogreen@losfelizarts.org with all of your school-related recycling questions.

Dear Parents,

I have exciting news to announce this month! We have received a grant from two foundations totaling $17,500.00 that will enable us to implement innovative math materials developed by the Mind Institute, located in Orange County. This is the organization that worked with UC Irvine on the ground-breaking brain research study, known as the Mozart Effect that identified the connection between early instruction in music and the increase in math scores.

The Mind Institute’s Math Materials are brand new and follow the California State Standards for all eight strands at each grade level. The materials focus on critical thinking skills and creativity, and they were developed in a computer game format that is familiar to our children. The materials are self-paced, which allows the individual student to work at her/his own learning speed. An additional benefit is that the materials designed for each math strand include higher level thinking appropriate for gifted students.

These materials will be used to enhance our current successful math program that relies heavily on concept development through the use of manipulatives and differing problem solving approaches. We will be one of the few elementary schools in California to begin next year with this program. I can’t wait to formally present this program to you when we begin school in the fall.

Another grant that we received earlier this year is from C.I.B.E.R., the Center for International Business Education and Research, in conjunction with UCLA. We received approximately $12,000.00 to begin to develop lessons and units of study for primary students in the area of globalization. The lessons teach the concept using the four arts areas. A small group of teachers and arts specialists are working with coaches and Dr. Robert Spitch, professor from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA. We are in the beginning phases of this project and expect to receive additional monies for this coming school year to begin the writing of the curriculum.

As you can see, the staff and I continue to learn and grow, searching for ever better ways to educate our children. LFCSA is truly a “Learning Community.”

Best of Living,
Karin

As anticipated, we are sold out. We will not be accepting walk-ins at the door. We look forward to seeing those of you who purchased your tickets in time tomorrow night. We hope to see the rest of you at next year’s Big Night Out!

Dear Parents,

As I know you are aware of all the energy that is going into making sure our new site can become a reality, I want to shift the focus for a moment and share with you some exciting curricular things that are happening.

Since January, and continuing through April, the teachers, Nancy, and I are spending time each month at UCLA’s Seeds Elementary School for intensive staff development. These sessions are designed to help us teach children how to manage all of the information that comes their way, especially that found on the computer and though the media. As all of us are bombarded by an ever-increasing amount and variety of information, we as educators recognize the need to teach children how to evaluate and understand the messages they experience. One aspect of our curriculum is to teach our children to become wise consumers of information.

The programs the teachers are experiencing at Seeds deepen our project-based approach to learning by teaching students specific skills they need to create research projects: how to formulate questions, key words used to search for information, evaluating the relevance and validity of information, note taking, and how to compile the information into a report. Many of our teachers have already begun to incorporate what they are learning into their lessons. You may hear your students talking about “one inch, one foot, or one yard questions,” and/or you might see, in your child’s classroom, questions posted and categorized that children have written.

Finally, I want to thank those of you who have been able to attend our Parent Education evenings, organized and hosted by Audrey Fann. Last week, the math presentation lead by Nancy Martorelli was well attended and the parents present felt that they received a lot of information so they can assist their children with math. Please watch for our next Parent Education event so you can learn more specifics about LFCSA’s unique approach to education.

Karin

More and more, one has to recognize the need for doing things differently in terms of energy and waste. Educating our children about recycling, reusing, and renewing will introduce them to a completely different and creative way of sustainable life.

Have you noticed those two blue 50-gallon rolling recycling bins in the auditorium? These aid in transporting lunchtime recycled waste to the main recycling bin in the parking lot. The Green Team purchased those with profits from tote bag sales. Our next step is to recruit lunch volunteers to help the kids recycle properly and show them how to identify recyclable items and dispose of them correctly.

In February, members of the Green Team attended lunches for an assessment of waste, and we were happy to see that some children were bringing lunches that produced relatively little waste. We are also in the process of establishing a recycling system for festivals and other events on campus (if it has a code, it’s not trash!).

In addition, The Green Team is preparing a No Waste Lunch demonstration for each classroom. In the future, we would like to have a sustainable lunch container (lunchbox) fundraiser, featuring a product such as “Laptop Lunches” or “To-Go-Ware” that leaves no waste and gets packed back up when lunch is over.

Also on our agenda is looking into supplying trays and silverware for the hot lunches, rather than disposable cartons, utensils, etc.

Green Team
co-chair, Cecily Harrison | gogreen@losfelizarts.org

by Nancy Martorelli | photos by Megan Hirsch and Cynthia Smalley

For our first and second grade students the concept of fractions is being introduced and/or reinforced in dance class. And they are having fun.

What might a dance class that integrates math look like?

As in most dance classes, students begin with a warm-up activity to stretch and strengthen their muscles and to pump up the blood. The warm-up to prepare students for the Circle Dance begins with a practice of movements in 8 beats, then beats of 4 + 4, 2 + 2 + 2 + 2, and finally 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1. Students discover that all of the above are equal to 8 (the math concept of equivalency). Next, students practice moving “across the floor” in counts of 8, 4, and 2. Anyone who has studied dance formally knows the value of the “across the floor” segment of the dance class, in which students learn to synchronize their movements with a partner, observe other students performing, and move up in their line and get ready for their turn.

The Circle Dance is introduced through a visual – a chart of a circle divided in halves and quarters. The circle is also marked with hours of the clock, so that the symbols for time – another math concept – can be related to the fractional pieces. Students perform the dance by visualizing a circle around themselves on the floor, then jumping “quarter turns,” “half turns,” and “whole turns” in beats of 4. The “whole turn” is the most challenging because one must jump in the air and make a complete turn. You should see them having fun trying to do that one!

Dear Parents,
Congratulations to our entire school community! We have secured a location for our school within the greater Los Feliz area. We are now embarking on the next step of our exciting journey—creating the best independent charter school in California. With this crucial step behind us and the security of knowing that we will have a suitable site for our school in the years to come, we can have confidence in our continued success.

Throughout this exhausting process of finding and securing a location for our school, I have observed a small dedicated group of people make this happen through the sheer force of their energy. It is impossible for me to paint a clear enough picture of the personal sacrifices in time and effort these folks have made, but I want to tell you that in all of my professional experience, I have never seen this complex a situation resolved by volunteer efforts.

I want to personally thank George Abrams, President of our Board, for his energy, enthusiasm, and for the untold hours he has donated toward finding and securing this location. Without his dedication, determination, and drive we would not be in this position.

Additionally, I want to express my admiration and gratitude to Marta Alcumbrac and Kevin Mulcahy, who have tirelessly assisted George and taken the lead in shepherding this project through the obstacle course required by law. Kevin, our lead architect, has guided the process through all of the planning offices at the City level, gaining the necessary approval at each step of the process. Marta has worked closely with Kevin and serves as a liaison with City officials, maneuvering the City’s complex political structure.

Several other people deserving of special thanks are Wayne and Soo Choi, and Sanjiv Bajaj. Wayne’s commercial real estate expertise was so necessary throughout this process and Soo did an amazing job as our liaison to the New Hope Chapel. Sanjiv is also an architect working with the Site Committee and will assist with the actual construction of our portables.

Again, I can not overstate the gratitude I feel toward these amazing individuals and their dedication to education. We all owe them a huge thank you!!

Karin

by Reg Jones

LFCSA is starting a PTA (Parent Teacher Association) and you are invited to join! As you’ll learn from the overview below, there are many benefits of having a school PTA and getting involved. The first meeting is tonight, which will be filled with great information and the candidates for officer positions will be presented.

What is the function of the PTA? The PTA functions as an entity to, first and foremost, bring our community together in an organized fashion to further the progress of the school. We really want to encourage all of our families to join and participate. We have an amazing school, but we are in our infancy, and our growth and success depends on our community. There are other benefits of joining the PTA, such as terrific insurance, as well as health and dental care for those in need. The list goes on.

Why has LFCSA chosen to start a PTA and how will it help the school? Last year, there were presentations by PTA, PTO (Parent Teacher Organization), and a “Friends of LFCSA” option was also considered. Our community listened to the presentations and opted for a PTA. The great benefit of a PTA for our school, instead of the other above-mentioned organizations, is that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. With so many needs in our first couple of years as a school, the blueprint offered by the PTA organization is a welcome relief. It is much like a franchise. Our PTA program offers us a map by which we can find so many elements that will benefit the growth and organization of our school community.

What benefits does membership offer? There are so many values to PTA membership, but the biggest value is the opportunity to participate in making our school community tremendously successful. Our commitment to our school and PTA is directly tied to the long term success of our children.

How much does it cost to join and what does the money pay for? Membership to PTA is $20 per year for an individual, or $30 per family. Part of the dues go to our membership district, state, and national PTA. The balance of the dues will be used to fund our officers’ attendance at PTA seminars and conventions, and most importantly to fund membership for those in our community who would not otherwise be able to join.

When will meetings be? Our first meeting is tonight, November 1st at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. At this meeting we will have an overview of PTA and give the officer nominees an opportunity to introduce themselves. Once officers are elected, the frequency of meetings will be determined. Elections will be held November 8th. Ballots will be sent home in the Thursday packet.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting, and are pleased to be providing yet another way for parents to get involved in the school community.

Ms. Pardo’s kindergarteners now have second grade reading buddies from Ms. Marcy’s class.

Every other Friday, the second graders come to the kindergarten class for 20 minutes to read with their new reading pals.

Each second grade student has an assigned kindergarten reading partner to whom they read books. The first meeting on October 27 was a great success.

Both Ms. Marcy and Ms. Pardo agree that this literacy activity is a great way to build community AND create a reading partnership that is mutually beneficial to both students.