Dear Marengo Community,

May at Marengo is where things begin moving at warp speed!  There are so many important and fun activities as we begin the final stretch to the end of the school year.

We will be having California Standards Testing (also known as 'STAR' testing) for grades 2 to 5 during the first two weeks of May.  Each teacher can share his or her class schedule with you.  Parents often ask about how to prepare their children for the testing.  Academically, this preparation needs to be made gradually throughout the year.  Parents can find out more about the California Standards testing at www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss.  The best thing parents can do during testing is the same thing we ask throughout the year: make sure your student has a quiet place to study in the evening, gets a good night sleep, and has a healthy breakfast! 

The week of May 3rd is Teacher Appreciation Week, and two weeks later is Classified Employees Appreciation Week. I would like to take this time to thank the faculty and staff for working together to try to provide the best for our students. Even with the fallout from the State's budget crisis, including layoffs and downsizing, our focus has been on refining our work to continually improve instruction for students, and to the extent each employee has contributed, I am very appreciative. I would also like to thank the PTA volunteers who, throughout the year, have made the whole staff feel so special with treats and special lunches.

The end of the month we will celebrate our students through our annual Open House.  Open House is a time for our students and teachers to show off all their accomplishments for the year.  Marengo is a wonderful place for growing and learning and I am proud and honored to be a part of the Marengo Learning Community!

Sincerely,

Kim Sinclair, Principal

ksinclair@fc.spusd.net 

Dear Marengo Families,

I recently finished reading the book, Nurture Shock, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. Joining me were several teachers and Ms. Sinclair. The book challenged the way we think about children and how we respond to their behavior. We asked each other which chapter left the greatest impression.  Many us were surprised by the facts discussed about sleep.  Most people acknowledge the importance of sleep, but few of us realized the negative impact of sleep deprivation on students and their academic performance.  Bronson and Merryman site multiple research studies that suggest without proper sleep, children's cognitive development, attentiveness, emotional wellbeing and even test scores can suffer.

I am completing this Pawprint article as my clock strikes midnight. (Perhaps a bit of self examination is overdue?)  As a working parent, I sympathize first hand with the challenges of too much on the family plate. Getting to bed early while juggling individual activities and schedules is easier said than done.  But maybe together we can take this challenge in the next weeks as our children prepare for testing and a month filled with exciting events.  With proper sleep, they will benefit from improved concentration and mood and may very well perform their best.  

Me too.  Sounds like a wonderful idea to sleep on.

Best,

Kathryn Hutto

khutto@fc.spusd.net 

Marengo Kids Use Wits and Handiwork to Compete in Regional and State Tournaments

About 200 elementary school, middle school, and high school students from throughout Southern California competed in the Destination ImagiNation regional tournament March 5, held at South Pasadena High School.  A national after-school enrichment program, Destination ImagiNation (http://www.idodi.org/) develops diverse skills ranging from teamwork, critical thinking, creative problem solving, improvisation, organization, engineering, construction, art and music through the solving of difficult "challenges" prepared each year by the organization.

Out of nineteen elementary school level teams, five were affiliated with Marengo Elementary School, including the top-two finishers.  Both competed in a challenge category that required building devices and tools to grab and move objects up and down a six foot high tower.  Taking First Place, fifth-grade team, DI Fantastic VI, also garnered the prestigious "Da Vinci" award.  The "Da Vinci" is presented to the team tournament-wide that displays exceptional creativity, courage, and "out-of-the box" solutions.  Fourth-grade team, The Shaggy DIs, took a very close Second Place.  Both teams moved on to the statewide tournament held April 9 in Oakhurst, near Yosemite National Park, where the fourth-grade team nosed ahead of the more seasoned fifth-grade team!

The Marengo team participants expressed a great deal of satisfaction in the opportunity to work alongside their friends in preparation for the event.  Fifth-grader Cade Okohira said: "I learned many things about researching, building, and having a great time.  While working, you really get to know your friends on your DI team."  Said fifth-grader David Seo, "DI is a really great way to learn a lot, build, and have fun.  You can really let out all your thoughts.  Every idea counts, even if it's almost impossible, because those ideas can lead to ideas that are awesome." 

In addition to the challenge of constructing devices to accomplish a specific task, teams are asked to compete in "instant challenges" that involve impromptu solutions that may require performance, comedic and task-based skills.  Said fifth-grader Jeffrey Han: "You need to use your wits, instincts, and debating abilities to succeed."  One member of the Marengo team "Five Stick Figures" summed up the Destination Imagination experience: "What I got out of the experience is that you need to work as a team, be focused and stay on task.  I really enjoyed doing DI and would like to do it again."

Much congratulations go to all our Marengo participants: Evelyn Bea, Lauren Bea, Jeremy Becker, Hannah Betts, Ariadne Cambanis, Cameron Cheung (La Canada Preparatory), Ella Cornwell, Micah deLeon, Eugenia Frank, Viola Frank, Jason Gomez, Eli Grossman, Jeffrey Han, Olivia Jung, David Koh, Johann Li, Ryder LiuLin, Jenna Noueihed, Timothy Okitsu, Cade Okohira (Monterey Hills Elementary), Rachel Ostrowski, Jasmine Park, John Peters III, Lance Santana, Max Santana, Thomas Sawano, David Seo, Maya Turun, Mason Whang, Maylis Whetsel, Aaron Wong, Will Wygonski, and Raymond Yeo.

Many many thanks go to Principal Sinclair and our tireless parent Team Managers: Dennis deLeon (South Pasadena Foilers), Jim Ostrowski (The Shaggy DIs), Sandra Santana (Five Stick Figures), Henry Wong (DI Adventurers), and Cynthia Liu & Lakshmi Turun (Rising Stars Non-Competitive Team).  This incredible learning experience for kids and parents alike would not have been possible without their vision, guidance, courage, and sweat.

For more information, please see the teams' demonstrations at Open House or contact Audrey Wu at audrey@audreywu.com.

Audrey Wu,Team Manager (DI Fantastic VI)

Destination Imagination, Regional Board Member