CAnCer - Serrania Charter For Enriched Studies

NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2016
Serrania Charter for
Enriched Studies
inspiration
imagination
innovation
S HINE ON SERRANIA - ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN 2015-2016
LAUSD and tax dollars DO NOT
cover most of the engaging
programs all students experience
every day at Serrania.
Your Light helps us Grow!
Only because of your donations
to “Shine on Serrania” can
these programs exist.
Here are a few examples of your dollars at work for our kids!
Campus Beautification
Computer Lab teacher and technology upgrades
5th Grade Ballroom Dancing
Vocal Music Instruction
P.E. Program by Coach Danni
Science Lab teacher
Art Instruction
New library materials
We are currently at 33% participation and we need EVERYONE to help do their part!
HELP US REACH OUR GOAL OF 100% PARTICIPATION! To donate go to www.SerraniaCharter.org
Serrania Charter for Enriched Studies • 5014 Serrania Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91364 • (818) 340-6700 • www.SerraniaCharter.org
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PRINCIPAL
CORNER
Let’s Talk About Bullying
N
o child is immune from bullying and
neither is Serrania. Children of every race,
gender, grade and socio-economic sector are
impacted. The latest research shows that more than
half of all children are, at least on occasion, directly
involved in bullying either as a perpetrator, victim,
or both. Many who are not directly involved, witness
others being bullied on a regular basis. However, it
does not have to be the case.
Although we try our best to educate our children
about kindness and respect for others, we need all
parents, as our partners, in the fight against bullying.
The way we carry ourselves in front of our children
sets a pathway for the way our children behave. If
we are not mindful of our surroundings, and pay no
regard to how we act with others, our children will
reflect similar patterns in their behavior. It is time
for us to have a discussion with our children, or a
refresher, about the different types of bullying most
typically found at school.
The most common types of bullying found at
school are: physical bullying, verbal and non-verbal
bullying, social or relational bullying, cyber-bullying,
harassment, and discrimination.
As you begin to develop a plan on how you will
have this discussion with your children, I would like
to share with you some of the latest findings about
bullying:
• In the US alone, it is estimated that 160,000
children miss school due to a fear of attack or
intimidation by their peers.
• 1 in 7 students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a
victim of bullying
and empathy towards others, there are some incredible
results that occur such as:
• Self-efficacy leads to higher achievement, goals,
and positive behavior
• People who are kind and compassionate are usually
the most successful
• Happier children have greater academic success
• Building self-value circumvents depression
• Engaging in an act of kindness creates a larger cycle
of kindness
• The happier you are, the happier others around
you will be (This one really hits home for all of us
parents)
• Being kind can reduce stress and leads to a
healthier life style
Once again, the fight against bullying cannot be
fought only by your child and teachers. We need you
all as partners in this fight, and together in a coalition
between parents, students, and school staff, we will
ensure the safety and happiness of all our children
attending Serrania.
Sincerely,
Your Partner in the Fight Against Bullying
“Even though boys and girls are different, doesn’t mean
they can’t be friends” –Lianne, Room 18
• Top years for bullying are from 4th-8th grades
• Around 50% of teens have already been victims of
cyber bullying
• 77% of students are being bullied whether
physically, mentally, or verbally
• The personal impact of bullying leads to low selfesteem, feelings of worthlessness, isolation, lack of
love, absence of compassion, higher anxiety, lower
academic success, substance abuse, depression,
poor social skills, anger & violence, and ultimately
suicide.
There are horrific consequences to such mean and
cruel behavior. However, on the opposite side of the
spectrum when we look at the personal impact of
teaching our children about kindness and compassion
Joshua
Linez
Herrera
Room 36
Student Corner
Hey kids! Do you have a poem, art piece,
cartoon, etc. that you want to submit to the
newsletter? If so, please see Debby Dustin
or, place it in the suggestion box, in the office
along with your name and room number with a note
stating it’s for “Kids Corner!”
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How Do I
Help My Child
Balance Their
Schedule?
By Ryan Rosen, Director, Camp Kinneret Summer
Day Camp and Volunteer Parent Seminar Series
Facilitator
F
rom Karate, to religious class, to
tutors, to art class, to a drama
program, or to a sports team,
children have more enrichment
options today than ever before.
And while all of these activities seem like
great options, they have seemingly taken
away down time, filling it with exciting
options that are constantly keeping children
stimulated. As a parent, you are either
exhausted from running your child around
town to participate in all of these activities
or you work and can’t take them, and
therefore fear them falling behind their
peers. But is it good for them to have this
much to do? Is it good for you to not have
some quiet time with your child?
Take a few minutes to think about your
child’s average day (twenty-four hours) and
how they spend it. In elementary school,
there are generally eight categories that fill
a child’s day: sleep, school, extra-curricular
activities, chores, screen/media time,
homework, family time, and unstructured
time. Are you happy with the outcome of
this exercise for your child?
What I hear from parents when doing this
workshop is typically that they are sad with
how much screen time their child has and
how little family time they have. Often the
“chores” and “unstructured time” categories
remain empty too. Is this what you want for
your child later in life?
Perhaps sit down with your child before the
school year and decide together on one or
two extra-curricular activities (depending
how much time each takes), allowing for
some down time each week (If they are
struggling because they don’t want to miss
out on something, help them to understand
that we don’t always get to do everything
that we want.) That down time becomes
an opportunity for your child to take on
a chore around the house, to help cook
dinner, to sit down and read for fun, or to
be creative and come up with something
new (this should not be filled
with more screen time!).
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A recent TIME article
discussed that today’s
children struggle
in college with the
unstructured time,
since they are only in
J o i n S e r r an i a In T h e
Fight Against
Cancer
At R e l ay F o r L i f e !
Serrania cares about supporting those who need our help! We
are “Kids in the Community,” and one of the many ways we
demonstrate our spirit of giving is through our participation in
Relay For Life of Woodland Hills, a community event that is all
about raising awareness, funds and support in the fight against
cancer!
Want to help in the fight against cancer? Please join the Serrania
Suns team at Relay For Life on May 21st at Pierce College.
For a 4th year in a row, Serrania will be there to cheer on cancer
survivors at the inspiring Opening Ceremony. We will be there to
honor and remember loved ones who have fought cancer at the
beautiful Luminaria Ceremony. All the while we will enjoy music,
food, games, a Kids Club, and lots other festivities as we stand
together with our community and support those who have had
to face cancer!
You can register now at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/SerraniaSuns
Any questions? Please contact Yevette Peterson at [email protected]
Serrania’s Got Talent
Come Watch our Stars Shine!
Friday March 18th 6:00pm
T h e S e r r an i a A u d i t o r i u m
Singers, Dancers,
Gymnasts, Magicians,
Comedians and More!
This program, event or activity is not presented, endorsed, recommended,
supervised, approved or sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The district assumes no liability or responsibility for any loss or injury arising
out of participation and is merely permitting this material to be disseminated
at this facility because of the possible interest of students/faculty.
class for 12-15 hours a week. Because they
have learned to run from one activity to the
next, college students don’t know what to
do when nothing is scheduled. Help your
child to learn valuable life skills by taking
the time to teach them how to make these
types of important decisions. So by the time
they get to college, they know how to make
dinner and to do their own laundry!
Ryan is the owner/director of Camp Kinneret and
is an active member in the ACA and the local
community.
For more information:
[email protected]
and @campk_ry
Academic Parent Workshops
These workshops are presented every Wednesday from
8:15-9:15 am. Topics will vary but will focus on educating
Parents on our curriculum program at Serrania. Parents can
learn about Common Core, Smarter Balance testing, and
methods that can use at home to help their kids.
Pa r e nt i n g S e r i e s
April 5
Social Media
8 am, Tue.
Ryan Rosen, executive director of Camp Kinneret
MAY 3
Self-Validation vs. The Need for Approval
JUNE 7
Media Use/App Watch
8 am, Tue.
8 am, Tue.
Ryan Rosen, executive director of Camp Kinneret
Mr. Paquini
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o ma r k yo u r c a l e n
t
e
tim y e a r ’s S e r r a n i a F dars
s
’
un
It this
Fa i
r
r!
o
f
ack by popular demand are all your
favorite booths, along with tons of
new interactive games for you
and your family to enjoy.
Join us Saturday, April 16, 2016
here at Serrania from 11am to
4pm and enjoy a fun filled day
with friends, family and your
favorite Serrania teachers.
Thanks to our amazing and
supportive sponsors, Camp
Keystone, Ameci Pizza,
Rumack and Harmer Pediatric
Dentistry, and Lonnie Mintz, this
year’s Serrania Fun Fair promises to
be bigger and better than ever before!
your friends and classmates.
Don’t want to get wet? Then maybe you’d
enjoy sticking your hand into the
infamous Nickelodeon Slime Barrel!
Or maybe you’d rather relax and
enjoy our delicious BBQ or
treats from the Snack Shack?
Whatever you fancy, you are
sure to find it at the Serrania
Fun Fair.
Joining us again this year will
be Wax Creations, Tarzana Kids
Art, Tudor Doctors, Eder Bean
Face Painting, Universal Airbrushing,
Art Academy and many, many more
fabulous vendors.
Only at the Serrania Fun Fair will you be able
to soak your principal and teachers at the Famous
Serrania Soak N’ Wet booth! Be sure not to miss your
chance to soak Principal Alvarado, Ms. Tenzer, Ms.
Arnesen, Coach Justin and many more. You’ll also get
your chance to play a massive game of Water Tag with
If you’d like to volunteer and/ or participate at the
Fun Fair please contact Debi Shaolian and Jen Cole at
[email protected]. See you at the Serrania
Fun Fair on April 16, 2016!
A GREAT AUCTION BEGINS WITH
What will YOU donate?
We are creating Grade Level Baskets for the Silent Auction at the Fun Fair on April 16th
Pre-K/TK/
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
Lego Mania
Rainy Day Essentials
Gardening Galore
(Legos, Lego holders,
Lego anything!)
(Umbrellas, Games, Crafts,
Movies, etc.)
(Wheelbarrow, hoses,
seeds, tools, etc.)
3rd Grade
Summer Fun
(Chairs, Coolers, Fire Pit,
Water/Sand Toys, etc.)
4th Grade
Adults Only
(Wine, Beer, Restaurant
Gift Cards, Snacks)
5th Grade
Crazy for Cooking
(Aprons, Cookbooks, Pans,
Gift Cards, Tools etc.)
You can help in one of two ways:
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1) Bring items to go into your grade level basket or 2) Simply send in a cash donation with your name and Room #,
and we’ll do the shopping for you! DONATIONS NEEDED BY APRIL 8th Any questions, please email us at [email protected]
SERRANIA KEEPS IT MOVIN’
WITH THE 2016 WALK-A-THON
W
hen two brand new TK
parents volunteered to
take on the school’s second
largest fundraiser, neither of them had
a clue what adventure lay before them!
The 2016 Serrania Walk-A-Thon kicked
off with a BANG at a fun-filled assembly
full of silly string and hysterical laughs as
students enjoyed the 2016 Walkathon video
featuring their teachers and staff hamming
it up to a Serrania version of “Walking on
Sunshine” written by Rich Sperber and sung
by Gina Eckstein. The kids were excited, the
volunteers were ramped up, and we were
off to the races!
We set the bar high with a goal of $35,000.
Each student was encouraged to participate
at any level and prizes were awarded at
$25, $50, $100, $150 and $250. Children
who hit the $250 Super Star goal were
able to choose from five different AMAZING
experience parties: a Lego building
extravaganza, a dance party with local
favorite DJ Keithalan, a once in a life time
outing with the LA Galaxy Riot Squad and
mascot, a princess tea party with Frozen’s
Anna and Elsa, as well as a super hero lunch
with Spider Man and Captain America.
As the Prize Patrol began to make its rounds,
the pledges continued to roll in! By the time
the Walk-A-Thon arrived, we had already
surpassed our goal of $35,000! We kicked
off the Walk-A-Thon with an awesome
assembly, tons of balloons, the SCES Cheer
Squad cheering for the kids, and parents
and teachers walking hand in hand with
their students. DJ Keithalan kept the music
going while the Walk-A-Thon Team and the
LA Galaxy Riot squad encouraged the kids
to “Keep Movin’ Serrania!” The day was an
absolute success and SUCH A BLAST! What
an awesome school we have!
Pledges closed on Friday, February 12th
bringing in more than $46,000 – 31% OVER
our original GOAL! That is beyond amazing!!
The top 3 fundraisers in each grade have
the joy of silly stringing Principal Alvarado,
Coach Danni, Coach Justin and a few
teachers at our Walk-A-Thon celebration
assembly.
In the weeks to
come, every class
that hit their 100%
participation goal
will get to take part
in either a glow
dance party (TK3) or a kick ball
party (4-5). The
classes who hit
their dollar goals
will enjoy a movie
and popcorn party
in the auditorium. The excitement
continues… and we cannot believe just
how much money you all raised for our
school!
The Walk-A-Thon Co-Chairs, Amy Feder
and Lacey Donahue want to thank every
single parent, child and volunteer that
made this fundraiser for our school so
extremely successful. A HUGE thank you to
the core team of Yevette Peterson (queen
of everything), Jeff Sturges (king of Prize
Patrol), Alan de la Rosa &
Jeff Cole (kings of Jib Jab)
and Melissa Mandyam
(queen of all things
money & accounting), for
their countless hours and
efforts in making every
part of this both FUN and
SUCCESSFUL! Another BIG
thank you to the Room
Parents for keeping their
families motivated to
participate, and to the
parents who helped with
planning the prize parties.
Keep Movin’ Serrania!!
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