JAMS Dragon Dispatch: Week of October 18, 2020

October 20th - Greenleaf Fundraiser:

On, Tuesday October 20th, Greenleaf Santa Monica will be hosting a fundraiser for JAMS PTSA. Greenleaf SM offers take out and they also have a small patio if you choose to dine-in. PTSA will receive 20% of all orders placed, including beverages, during the window of 4-7pm. This includes all beverages too! Flyer and URL are below, and the flyer must be mentioned or presented when ordering. I don't know about you, but the idea of a night off from cooking and helping a local business plus our PTSA all at the same time sounds like a win/win! Looking forward to this night!

https://www.greenleafchopshop.com/locations/santa-monica

"I Matter Because..." Reflections Contest Deadline EXTENDED

Due to technical difficulties, we are extending the deadline for submissions for the Reflections Art Contest until Friday, October 23, 2020.

An unexpected error occurs when students use their SMMK12 email, which is a district limitation. Please use a personal email or a parent's email to submit the form.

Happy creating!

The Salvation Army Angel Tree
The online application portal for is live and will be open through Monday, October 30.

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

Must live in our service area: 90024, 90025, 90049, 90064, 90066, 90067, 90073, 90095, 90263, 90264, 90265, 90272, 90290, 90291, 90292, 90294, 90295, 90401, 90402, 90403, 90405, 90406, 90407, 90408, 90409, 90410, 90411.
- We will not be making exceptions for families who received help in years previous who did not live in our service area. Please refer inquiring families outside of our service area to their local Salvation Army for help. You can enter their zip code here to determine the nearest center. TSA LOCATION SEARCH or they can contact our office to learn where the closest center to their residence is (310) 451-1358.
Must be low income.
Must be able to upload proof of income, proof of residency, and children’s birth certificates or social security cards.
Must have children ages 0-12 in their home; older children and adults do not benefit from this particular program, nationwide.

Applications can be completed online at saangeltree.org or they can navigate to that site from santamonica.salvationarmy.org. The online application is available in English and Spanish. Clients can start their application and complete within one week, if needed. There will be no “in-person” applications at our site.

If anyone asks what is provided through this program: pre-selected, unwrapped toys that are age and gender appropriate for children ages 0-12 in the family as well as a full food box with items for a holiday meal including a frozen turkey. There will be no “toy shop” for parents/guardians to shop from this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The distribution date and pick-up time will be provided via email to those whose applications have been approved.

We will not be operating the Adopt-A-Family program with the school district this year and encourage all families in need to apply for regular assistance through the Angel Tree program.

Thank you!
Erin L. Wikle
Corps Officer & Silvercrest Coordinator

The Salvation Army Santa Monica Corps
1533 4^th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401
o: 310.451.1358 x2113 | c: 615.495.9082
santamonica.salvationarmy.org

From: City of Santa Monica - Outdoor Places To Play

Schoolyards at Edison, Franklin, Grant, McKinley, John Muir, Roosevelt, and Will Rogers are open to the public on weekday afternoons and weekends through partnership with SMMUSD.
We have reopened City playing fields to permitted youth sports.
We are reviewing new State and County health protocols to begin phased reopening of City playgrounds late next week. We should have estimated dates of opening for various playgrounds by early next week so please feel free to check back in.
Curbside library pickup is now available at the Main Library, Pico Branch Library, and Montana Avenue Branch Library. A complete list of times and information is available here.

In the meantime, we’ve been working to expand outdoor dining and permitted adult fitness activities too. We hope everyone will get out, enjoy themselves, and support our local businesses.

Also, with record heat and record crowds in our beaches and parks, please remind everyone to wear face coverings, practice physical distancing, and help us by breaking down and disposing of trash properly.

Also, there are some limited pods that have opened at PAL, Virginia Avenue Park and Crest.

Her Drive

A JAMS alum is leading a drive to support young women. Please see the information below for donation opportunities.

Her Drive is collecting new/gently used bras, menstrual care products, and general hygiene items for people who need them. Most recently, they donated 7500+ items to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Navajo Nation Covid-19 Relief Fund, Center for Abused Women and Children, and Deborah’s Place.

If you or someone you know wants to donate, we will be hosting a Drive Through Drop Off at JAMS on Tuesday, October 20th from 3:00-5:00 PM! We will be stationed with a donation box on 16^th Street directly in front of the attendance office. Wearing masks, we will come right to your car to receive the donation.

We’re also doing pick-ups within the Westside of LA. The link to the google form to have your items pick up is below. As well as collecting items, we also accept monetary donations through Venmo @herdrive — Please share this with family or friends who may be interested. I’ve attached a list of the items being collected. Thanks everyone!

We Collect:

New / lightly used bras and bralettes
Sports bras
Bikini Tops
Menstrual Pads
Pantiliners
Tampons
New Period Underwear
New Diva Cups
Travel-size toiletries
Hair products for natural hair
Hand sanitizer/sanitary wipes
Vanity products (new makeup, nail polish etc.)
Socks
Dental Care
Body wash/perfume
Deodorant
Bar soap/conditioner/shampoo/lotion
OTC medications (Advil, Plan B, allergy relief, multivitamins, etc.)
Pregnancy tests
Other menstrual or general hygiene products

https://tinyurl.com/yy5sfrza

$190,328 raised during Pledge Week!

Thanks to 342 donors, $190,328 was raised during our Pledge Week campaign last week! These donations will go a long way toward funding programs for students next year.

Pledge Week donations will fund programs like elementary arts classes and instructional aides. Donations will also support a stretch grant for each school, which is often used for STEM programs, student wellness and teacher training!

Do you know what else these wonderful donations made possible? We met the generous, anonymous $30,000 match to fund tutoring for homeless and foster youth in Santa Monica schools! Thanks to the wonderful match partner and Pledge Week donors' big hearts, these vulnerable students will get the academic support they need to thrive during distance learning.

Even if you missed our Pledge Week drive last week, it's not too late to give! Your donation is still needed to fund staff and programs in Santa Monica public schools.

Unfortunately, the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis are affecting fundraising for Santa Monica schools. Donations are about 25% lower than this time last year.

Please know that gifts of ANY amount are greatly appreciated. Every single gift, no matter the size, shows your support for our students. Please give now for Santa Monica students at smedfoundation.org/donate.

¡$190,328 fueron recaudados durante la Semana del Compromiso (Pledge Week)!

¡Gracias a 342 donantes, se recaudaron $190,328 durante nuestra campaña Semana del Compromiso la semana pasada! Estas donaciones contribuirán en gran medida a financiar completamente los programas para los estudiantes el próximo año.

Las donaciones de la Semana de Compromiso financiarán directamente programas como las clases de artes de primaria y los asistentes de instrucción. Las donaciones también respaldarán una subvención amplia para cada escuela, que a menudo se utiliza para programas STEM, bienestar de los estudiantes y capacitación de maestros.

¿Sabes qué más hicieron posible estas maravillosas donaciones? ¡Pudimos reunir el reto de la generosa contribución anónima de $30,000 para financiar la tutoría para jóvenes sin hogar y de crianza temporal en las escuelas de Santa Mónica! Gracias a nuestro maravilloso contribuidor para igualar y los grandes corazones de los donantes de la Semana del Compromiso, estos estudiantes vulnerables obtendrán el apoyo académico que necesitan para prosperar durante el aprendizaje a distancia.

Aun si se perdió la campaña de la Semana del Compromiso (Pledge Week) la semana pasada, ¡no es demasiado tarde para donar! Su donación aún es necesaria para financiar al personal y los programas en las escuelas públicas de Santa Mónica.

Desafortunadamente, los impactos económicos de la crisis de COVID-19 están afectando la recaudación de fondos para las escuelas de Santa Mónica. Las donaciones están aproximadamente un 25% más bajas que en esta época del año pasado.

SAMOHI Baseball Fundraiser - Holiday Wreaths & Trees

I know, I know, Halloween hasn't even happened yet. That said, to anyone and everyone who’ll be buying a Christmas tree this year....will you be looking for the freshest and most beautiful wreath or tree ever?!?! These trees are guaranteed to be cut down within 72 hours of you receiving it!! That means they are cut down, put on a truck, and brought straight to you. No Home Depot lines. No driving from lot to lot to find the freshest tree. One stop (and easy) shopping for the most amazing tree or wreath you have ever had!!! Say what? You don’t buy a tree?!? Donate one to Trees for Troops. Its easy and just a few clicks away!!! THE BASEBALL PROGRAM AT SAMOHI IS COUNTING ON THIS FUNDRAISER!!! PLEASE BUY OR SHARE!!! Last day to order is November 8th & Delivery or Pickup date is December 5th.

https://fundraiser4us.com/zz/SMHSbaseball/

SMMUSD Requests Community Input as Elementary, Middle School Projects Move Forward

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will hold a series of online community meetings in October and November to gather feedback on nine campuses from parents, school neighbors and community members. The meetings are part of the district’s campus assessment process as the district continues to align its instructional programs and environments to the way students learn and the jobs of the 21^st-century and to make those environments adaptable for future changes in coming decades. The online presentations will take place as follows:

John Muir Elementary/SMASH: Oct. 14, 5:30-7 p.m.
Franklin Elementary School: Oct. 20, 6-7:30 p.m.
Will Rogers Learning Community: Oct. 21, 5:30-7 p.m.
Lincoln Middle School: Oct. 22, 6-7:30 p.m.
Edison Language Academy: Oct. 27, 5:30-7 p.m.
Roosevelt Elementary School: Oct. 28, 6-7:30 p.m.
John Adams Middle School: Oct. 29, 5:30-7 p.m.
McKinley Elementary School: Nov. 4, 6-7:30 p.m.
Grant Elementary School: Nov. 10, 6-7:30 p.m.

Those interested in attending can find meeting login information prior to each meeting at https://www.smmusd.org/campusassessments.

A campus assessment is the first step in planning changes to campuses and classrooms to align with the district’s educational specifications, which were finalized in 2019. The district has hired architects to assess and propose projects for nine campuses. The final assessments will recommend changes and improvements to address where the current campus environment needs alignment with the goals of using 21st-century teaching and learning methods.

The district is completing Phase 3 of the campus assessments. Based on feedback from community meetings in the spring (Phase 2) and other information, architects have been working with district staff to refine their plans to include phasing, or a suggested order of projects (for instance, removing portable classrooms, relocating parking and then erecting a new classroom building). They are also obtaining estimates of costs for each item in a proposed construction phase.

The upcoming meetings are part of Phase 4, during which refined plans will be shared with educators and community members for more feedback.

After ensuring alignment with educator and community input, Phase 5 will see district staff work with the Facility District Advisory Committees to make project recommendations to the Board of Education to approve funding and choose which projects move forward.

Design would begin in January 2021 with construction scheduled to begin in 2022 and 2023 depending on the complexity and ability to schedule the project.

Projects that result from these assessments will be paid for with approximately $100 million in funds from the voter-approved Measure SMS, which raised $485 million in school construction bonds for Santa Monica schools in 2018.

SMMUSD Chief Operations Officer Carey Upton has cautioned that not all projects can be funded. “There will be real, tangible projects that come out of this process, but this process will not address all needs of all campuses,” he said.

Questions can be directed to Carey Upton at cupton@smmusd.org. Schools in Malibu are making progress as part of the Malibu Campus Plan, funded by bond measures.

Facility Improvement Projects Department

Superintendent’s Message: Virtual Town Hall Meetings Planned for Oct. 21 & 26

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, and Community Members,

Please join us for two virtual town hall webinar meetings to learn about our reopening plans, October 21 at 6 p.m. for a secondary school focus and October 26 at 6 p.m. for an elementary school focus.

Zoom webinar link for both dates:

https://zoom.us/j/94920613876?pwd=OENmRUFJdUN3L2syWTlNbWJUYUEyQT09

(meeting ID: 949 2061 3876; passcode: U2D7z6)

Or call in phone number: 669-900-9128; passcode: 648481 (same meeting ID.)

During the town hall meetings, audience members will be able to submit questions to the panelists through the Q & A feature. Panelists may answer questions live or they may be added to the planned Frequently Asked Questions webpage currently in development. Given the time constraints and length and detail of this presentation, we will only be able to answer questions for 30-40 minutes following the presentation.

Both sessions will be recorded for future viewing, in case you are unable to watch live.

We will post the recordings on the home page of your school website and www.smmusd.org.

The presentation for the town hall describing the two reopening models for consideration is here: Presentation.

We are working on compiling a Frequently Asked Questions document as a result of questions from various stakeholder group meetings this month, town hall meetings and Let’s Talk submissions, and will post them online when complete.

Our school board will hear a presentation on reopening, including all the required safety measures we are taking in preparation of in-person learning, and will finalize the decision regarding reopening models at a special board meeting scheduled for Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Board meeting agendas are posted online a few days before each meeting.

Thank you to our parents, teachers and secondary students for taking the recent distance learning district survey, so that we can continue to improve the learning and teaching experience for our students and staff this semester. We had a great response. We will use the information gathered to address areas where we can improve, while continuing to deliver what is working. The results of the parent, teacher and secondary student distance learning survey is here: Results. The Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association conducted a teacher survey, as well, with the results included in this document for comparison.

My message to you last week detailed our plans for reopening with regard to the safety and health protocols we are implementing now to prepare for reopening.

Parents, staff, students and community members may submit comments through our Let’s Talk portal, clicking on the school reopening input button. We will have a school reopening survey for parents, employees and secondary school students following the two town hall meetings to gather your feedback on the reopening models and identify your preference.

Thank you to our parents and staff for your continued support of our students during this challenging time.

For COVID-19 information, testing sites, health FAQs and Halloween celebration guidelines visit: www.smmusd.org/Coronavirus.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ben Drati, Superintendent

YEARBOOK 2020-2021
The Coronavirus and Distance Learning will not stop this year's JAMS yearbook class from publishing the 2020-2021 John Adams Yearbook. The price is $30 and you do not want your child to miss out on these precious memories! You can purchase your yearbook at www.jostens.com

Save The Date: Upcoming Parent Education Series
Thursday, November 12th: Suicide Prevention: A Proactive Approach

Thirty-Third District PTA - Connecting Community Speaker Series Information & Registration

To help families manage during these difficult times, the Thirty-Third District PTA has developed the Connecting Community Speaker Series- Workshops and Conversations Supporting Mental Health. We bring together subject matter experts on a wide range of topics to share strategies for coping with stress, change and uncertainty.

Registration link below is for our community to sign up for the speaker series. Sessions begin at 7pm.
Registration: https://forms.gle/DJHgwzb3idSemAsv5

Remaining Fall Schedule:
Oct 20 - Conversations with High School Parents
Nov 3 - Strategies and Tips During the College Admissions Process
Nov 17 - Conversations about Equity
Dec 1 - Connecting with Mindfulness

Questions? Contact Beth Meyerhoff, 33rd District PTA VP Community Concerns at pta33rdcommunityconcerns@gmail.com

Technology Support

Technology Support:

If your district-issued Chromebook is broken fill out the incident report. You can find the “Chromebook Incident Report” on our website in the upper right-hand corner under “Find It Fast” or click on this link. Incident reports must be filled out within 30 days and must be complete in order to process the request for accidental insurance. For general tech support needs contact jamssupport@smmusd.org.

Español:

Soporte tecnológico:

Si el Chromebook proporcionado por el distrito no funciona, complete el reporte del incidente. Puede encontrar el "Informe de incidentes de Chromebook" en nuestro sitio web en la esquina superior derecha en "Encuéntrelo rápidamente" o haga clic en este enlace. Los reportes de incidentes deben completarse dentro de los 30 días y deben estar completos en orden que se pueda procesar la solicitud del seguro contra accidentes. Para otras necesidades de soporte técnico, comuníquese mandando un email a la siguiente dirección jamssupport@smmusd.org.