San Marino Unified School District

Spring 2015 Newsletter 
  
In This Issue
Superintendent's Community Survey
Message from the Board of Education
Nam Jack Award Recognition
State Testing Update
Spring TECH Academy
What's Happening in our Schools
Student & Teacher Recognition
Mobile Apps
Quick Links
Our Schools
SMHS
San Marino High School
HMS Front
Huntington Middle School
Carver
Carver Elementary School
Valentine Thumbnail
Valentine Elementary School
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Superintendent's Community Survey


We want to hear from you. Please take the Superintendent's Community Survey to help us better understand the concerns, hopes, and aspirations of parents, staff, and community members within the San Marino Unified School District.


We have designed the survey to capture the widest possible range of views about future district priorities with regard to school climate and culture, curriculum and instruction, school facilities, food services, educational technology, and communication.
 
Thank you for your on-going support.

   
  Dr. Alex Cherniss

  Superintendent of Schools

Message from the Board of Education  
 

It continues to be an exciting school year! Under the guidance of Superintendent Alex Cherniss and through the efforts of dedicated administrators, teachers, and staff, the 2014-2015 school year has brought new and improved educational opportunities for our students. SMUSD has experienced lower class sizes, enhanced curriculum, improved technology, increased college and career support, and many student successes in the classroom and extracurricular endeavors, to name a few. San Marino teachers have successfully incorporated state-required Common Core standards into the curriculum and have prepared students for 21st Century Learning and new mandated testing.  

 

The Board and District personnel have placed an emphasis on improved communications with parents and the community. In addition to programs on Common Core implementation and English learner development, the District has published its goals and objectives and developed a communication tool through mobile apps. Please review Superintendent Cherniss's 2014-2015 Annual Goals and Objectives and Mid-Year Assessment, as well as the state-mandated Local Control Accountability Plan, for information regarding the District's accomplishments and recommendations for future action. If you have not already done so, please download the new District and school mobile apps so that you will remain connected to and updated on what's happening at your student's school.

 

The Board and District are so grateful to the San Marino community for once again demonstrating your support of public education in San Marino through the renewal of the Measure E parcel tax. Thanks to your much needed generosity, including donations to the San Marino Schools Foundation and participation in PTA/PTSA fundraisers, San Marino schools are able to compensate for insufficient state funding and are currently well positioned to continue to experience and achieve excellence. As 2014-2015 comes to an end, we are working toward an even better 2015-2016 school year for San Marino students.

Lisa Link, President

Nam Jack, Vice President

C. Joseph Chang, Clerk

Chris Norgaard, Member

Shelley Ryan, Member
Nam Jack Award Recognition                         

 


On April 18, 2015, SMUSD Board Member Ms. Nam Jack was honored by U.S. Congresswoman Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) as a recipient of the 2015 Women of Distinction Award. 
 

The award, now in its 6th year, honors 14 women across the San Gabriel Valley. Rep. Chu stated: "I am so proud of the honorees and their incredible contributions to our district. This year's women are teachers, executives, scientists, activists, entrepreneurs, community leaders, volunteers, and professionals. Each was nominated by somebody in their community in recognition and appreciation of their hard work. And with this award each year, I look forward to this opportunity to express our appreciation as well." 

 

Ms. Nam Jack is also the President of the San Marino Tennis Foundation and the past President of the San Marino National Little League.

State Testing Update              
All SMUSD schools successfully participated in the new computer-based California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress ("CAASPP") interim assessments in March and early April.

 

Interim assessments enable teachers to check student progress prior to the end-of-the-year summative assessment. Completing the optional interim assessments positions our students and teachers to improve their outcomes for the summative assessment in May.

 

The summative assessment schedule is:

  • Carver: May 4 - May 14

  • Valentine: May 4 - May 22

  • Huntington: May 4 - May 8

  • SMHS: May 18 - May 22

As a partner in your child's education, we offer these CAASPP test-taking tips:

  • Mark the test dates on your calendar to remind you and your child to plan accordingly.

  • Talk to your child's teacher if you have any concerns. Verify any accommodations and supports that your child may need.

  • Ensure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before the test.

  • Have your child take a practice test online to become familiar with the interface and format.

Spring TECH Academy


Our Technology Department continues to support and prepare staff with the necessary technology integration skills to excel in the Common Core environment.

 

This Spring, the TECH Academy is offering 40 sessions to both classified and certificated staff, focusing on Google-based tools. We encourage staff to create an individualized learning experience by offering sessions for each skill-level. Over 100 of our staff have already signed up for the Spring TECH Academy.

For more information about this innovative technology professional development program, please visit http://techacademy.smusd.us

What's Happening in our Schools 

 

San Marino High School

On April 14th, the San Marino High School counselors hosted the College Admissions Case Study Program for 200 junior and sophomore parents and students. 18 directors of admissions from college and universities across the country attended to present a first-hand experience of reviewing a series of mock applications. The exercise pointed out the intricacies of the admissions process and the importance of assembling a strong application. Guests gained insight and understanding as to what is valued in the application.  The event concluded with a mini college fair which allowed students and parents to speak directly to admissions representatives on admissions questions. 

The Concert, Mens', and Womens' Choirs traveled to Colorado to participate in the Winter Park Music Festival April 16-19.  All three choirs were award Superior ratings, and the Concert Choir won their division.  We are proud of the SMHS choirs!


The Speech Showcase held on April 10 was hosted by Class of 2010 Alumnus James Shechet.  It was a rousing success and our program is sending eighteen team members to State Championships and eight to Nationals.  Coach Matthew Slimp is a mighty leader!


Beginning Monday, April 27, the blacktop, football field, and track are off-limits to all persons while we install a new field and track in time for graduation on June 6.


Five members of our Wrestling team earned CIF individual championships.  Zander Silva, Julian Flores, Luke Troy, and Zander Wick went on to become Masters Champions.


Girls' Soccer ended their season as Rio Hondo League Champs. They were undefeated in league play!

 

Huntington Middle School

A year of growth and change at Huntington has seen increased use of technology to engage and support students and teachers in learning. Through Schoology, Google Classroom and numerous other applications, students have demonstrated their thinking and understanding of valuable skills and concepts. With an even greater focus on critical thinking, logic and problem solving, Huntington students are poised to remain at the top.
 

The final months of school at HMS are a very busy time. All of our music classes are preparing for and attending competitions all over the Southland. Our 8th grade students and parents are attending informational meetings on their transition to the high school and the 5th grade students from Carver and Valentine are visiting HMS in preparation for their transition to HMS. Additionally, we have our College Week beginning April 27th, our Open House April 30th and our first Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment the week of May 4th. Add to that our 8th grade panoramic picture, our choirs' Pops Concert, the Oratorical Contest, 8th grade Magic Mountain trip, and Spirit Day and we get to the most anticipated day of the year for our students, the last day of school and 8th grade Commencement!
 

Carver Elementary School

In all Carver School classrooms, students use Chromebooks and iPads for many assignments.Using technology isn't simply about knowing how to use the devices or playing games; Carver students are using a variety of applications to communicate many of the skills and concepts they've learned in all subjects. While in computer lab, students learn about software as they develop projects illustrating concepts that they're learning in class.  Working in teams, fifth grade students created color brochures about human body systems studied in science.  Kindergarten children used a drawing program to create and label parts of a flower. A new app, Aurasma, allows parents to view speeches and oral presentations made in class. In many classrooms, teachers present assignments using Google Classroom, and students collaborate with partners to draft, revise, and edit their work via Google Documents. Students can also access their assignments from home using Google Docs, and submit their work to their teachers. We are proud of our young students and we continue to find ways to engage them in learning through new technologies.  

 

Valentine Elementary School

Our students and families celebrate another great year of learning at our 77th annual May Day Celebration on Friday, May 1st. Parents and community members, who as volunteers have gone above and beyond to support our students, will be honored as Heart of Gold recipients. Each grade level will perform a dance choreographed by our PE teacher, Laura Pollard. Our fifth grade students are excited to continue our time-honored tradition by performing the May Pole and Hilt-and-Point dance dressed in their fancy attire! Members of the community are invited to join our celebration.


Valentine second grade students celebrated Earth Day this year harvesting vegetables from our new learning garden. The garden was built this winter by Farmscape, the largest urban farming venture in Los Angeles, with funds from our generous PTA. Our students have been working weekly with teachers and Farmscape educators to prepare the soil, plant and care for the garden as part of the second grade science curriculum. Students are enjoying seasonally oriented lessons on subjects such as garden design, plant and animal life cycles, symbiotic relationships, sustainability, and simple preparation of the garden's harvest. Students have used their skills in observation to get up close and personal with garden flowers and insects.  Through conversation and a round table discussion they are able to vocalize their curiosities of nature and/or record the farm flora and fauna in their artwork. Future harvests will be donated to local food banks.


Our Playground Improvement Committee has been hard at work this year designing some exciting new upgrades for our Kevin Riley Playground. We look forward to providing our younger students with new opportunities for outdoor play and exercise next year!

Student & Teacher Recognition   


Each year, the San Marino Masonic Lodge recognizes the most improved students from each school, as well as the District teacher of the year. The Lodge recognized the following honorees at the annual Public School Appreciation Night on April 22, 2015:


 

Shyhiem Parker, San Marino High School Student

Carlin Liang, Huntington Middle School Student

Irene Chen, Valentine Elementary School Student

Michael Azinge, Carver Elementary School Student

Susan Jones, Huntington Middle School Teacher

Mobile Apps  


We are excited to announce the release of our new District and School mobile apps. Key features include notifications, events, news and more! The apps are free and available for download from the Apple App and Google Play stores. For more information or downloads, please visit our mobile app webpage.