UPDATE Regarding Acceleration Days w/Registration Info

Dear Walgrove Community,

This is an update regarding the Acceleration Days scheduled for December 19 and 20.

While our site will NOT be open for the Acceleration Days (the District did not select us as a site), I am pleased to share that our families and employees can participate at a neighboring site: 

 

ACCELERATION DAY SITES IN OUR COMMUNITY OF SCHOOLS:  

Elementary: Broadway, Braddock 

Middle: Marina Del Rey, Mark Twain

High: Venice

Special Ed Center: McBride

Monday, December 19, and Tuesday, December 20.

Over the next several days, we will receive and provide additional information about this important program, but I wanted to share the following: 

• Walgrove students will report to Broadway.

• LAUSD is extending student registration for Acceleration Days. There is another opportunity for students to register this week. 

• Parents, if you would like to register your children to participate and have not already via the District survey, please contact the school office or, better yet, complete this google form so Tracy and I can easily and accurately facilitate registration: https://forms.gle/y5k3Tkdh1XgT3weu8

• Employees may also still register. Employees interested in participating should contact Tracy or myself. 

• Students and employees participating will receive confirmation letters beginning the week of 12/5.

• The deadline for additional student and staff registration is Tuesday, 12/6.

Please remember that Acceleration Days offer key opportunities for both intervention and enrichment. The schedule will mirror our regular daily schedule, and we will have Food Services and Beyond the Bell after-school care available.  

 

Thank you, and please see me if you have any questions. 

Best, 

 

Dr. Andrea Kittelson

Principal 

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Weekly Walgrove Message

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11.27.2022

Dear Walgrove Families and staff,

I hope you had a stupendous week of stupendous frolicking, wonder and joy.

There are three weeks of instruction before Winter Break with much to look forward to, including Volunteer Day Saturday, December 10, and our Holiday Program "Winter Sing" coupled with Holiday Market, both December 15. 

In addition, on December 19-20, there are two additional days of optional instruction for those who desire. Parents and Staff, if you answered the survey saying you are interested in attending or working, the District will let you/us know soon where to report. I, myself, have signed up to work on those days. 

Here is some of what is coming up this week at Walgrove:

MON

• Councilman Mike Bonin visits Ms. Zeena’s class and Dr. K in the afternoon

• Violin 2:30 in the Auditorium

• After-school tutoring

TUE

• Safety Collaborative 9-10am at Coeur D’Alene – Jackie Robnett and/or Mike Nicholes to attend

• Angel City Youth Chorale 1:45 in the Auditorium - Last Rehearsal Before Concerts December 3 & 4 at Royce Hall

• Staff Meeting and PD 2pm in Rm 19 followed by Grade Level Meetings

• After-school tutoring

WED

• PAJAMA DAY - Students, staff and parents are invited to wear pajamas ALL DAY!

• LDW principals gather in the Walgrove Library from 8-12 and from 9-10:05 visit classrooms looking for student engagement, student voice and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) during CGI math

• Ms. Pliska and Mr. G have a field trip to the Ballona Wetlands

• 2:45 SSPT

• After-school tutoring

THU

• After-school tutoring

FRI

• 8:05am Assembly in the Quad. Ms. Biolatto’s class to lead the Pledge

• FOW meeting in the Parent Center right after the assembly

• Submit student writing to Dr. K for the first 2022-2023 edition of the literary journal “Wings”

• 4:30pm Memorial Service for 30-year volunteer Michael Stenger in the Auditorium and Wildlands. All are welcome! 

SAT

• ELPAC Training (Dr. K and perhaps Ms. Webster)

• 7pm Angel City Chorale with the Angel City Youth Chorale (including 20+ Walgrove Students) at Royce Hall - BUY TIX HERE!

SUN

• 3PM Angel City Chorale with the Angel City Youth Chorale (including 20+ Walgrove Students) at Royce Hall - BUY TIX HERE!

Let's have a great week, Walgrove!

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Friday, Nov 18 8:45 AM

Join us Friday, November 18 at 8:45am in the Upper Yard adjacent to the Edible Garden for a ribbon-cutting ceremony during which we unveil our student-designed chicken habitat.

During the 2021-2022 school year, under the guidance of STEAM Studio teachers Francesca Forcucci and Robert Apodaca, second- and third-grade students studied human habitats, animal habitats, chicken habitats, and chickens. Next, they brainstormed the ingredients of an optimal chicken habitat, met with an architect, designed a rendering, built scale models, measured land and made a list of materials. 

Then they, their parents, and the STEAM Team (mostly their parents and the STEAM Team) built it!

Now, it's ready for hens Kevin, Rose, Seline, Potato and Chickpea (listed in apparent pecking order) and any new hens we may add to the happy, well-housed flock!

So, come on Friday, and for an added lay-er of fun, dress like a chicken (in whatever way you feel henspired)!

Boc-boc!

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Acceleration Day Info

To support students who may need extra support, the District is providing four additional days of school December 19-20 and April 3-4. 

Classes will happen at several conveniently located sites. 

Administrators, staff and students who opt-in will be assigned to these sites, which may or may not be the same as their typical site.

The District sent surveys to all families and staff. So that the District leaders and site administrators can plan, please answer that survey, which was sent to your email. 

While all students are invited to attend, students who meet these criteria are specially invited:

The District will provide more information imminently, such as specific information on which sites will be open with which staff members. 

I signed up to work December 19-20 and April 3-4. So, if Walgrove is selected to be a site, I will be here with bells on. If I am assigned to another site, it will likely be close by and will likely involve 

Walgrove students.

I will share with you more information, as I receive it. 

So, stay tuned!

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Upcoming Student Council-Sponsored Events

Walgrove's Student Council is hard at work planning altruistic and fun events and activities!

For the month of November:

> Canned Food Drive November 14-18. Bring non-perishables to place outside Rm 8. 

> Pajama Day, November 30. Wear your PJ's to school!

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Daylight Savings Time ENDS Tonight!

Tonight at 2am (which is really tomorrow), turn your clock back one hour. Then sleep some more!

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To ignore the clock, press "snooze."

Para ignorar el reloj, presione "snooze."

Translating Electronic Messages

Did you know that Walgrove families speak over 20 languages? 

Walgrove students and families speak Brazilian Portuguese, Armenian, Telugu, Bulgarian, Polish, Farsi, Spanish, Swedish, Hebrew, Tagalog and more. 

So, how do we communicate with so many families who speak so many different languages?

One way is to demonstrate embedded translation features. 

One such feature: right-click, choose "translate," and then select your language of choice. 

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Walgrove Free Tutoring

In the spirit of offering additional academic support to those who may need or desire extra support, the District is offering a tutoring system comprised of three layers, one for each level of increased support:

Tier 1 - Universal: Tutoring for ALL LAUSD students via paper.co, which is a virtual (albeit live) program wherein live tutors respond to queries, explain concepts, review work, give advice and more. This is free of charge and available 24/7 to all LAUSD students. Simply log into Schoology using your Single Sign-On (SSO), which is your LAUSD email and password, click the "Paper" link, and a live tutor will immediately respond. (No separate login for parents. Parents access through the student interface.) The program currently offers four languages: English, Spanish, French and Mandarin, and every session is recorded and saved for future reference. There is no video. This is not over zoom. Instead, paper.co involves chat, voice memos, a shared whiteboard, an upload feature and more. It is seemingly quite robust and very user friendly. ATTEND A ZOOM MONDAY AT 5PM IN DR K'S ZOOM ROOM FOR A DEMO WITH CO-HOST JUAN MADRIGAL.

Tier 2 - For Some in Need: After-school tutoring in small groups for 6-10 weeks for students invited based on DIBELS, Edulastic, SBAC and/or IAB scores. The tutors are Walgrove teachers that volunteer to work overtime. Last Spring, Ms. Webster provided this service. This Fall, it is my understanding that she will again with one or more additional teachers. More information is forthcoming. 

OR

After-school tutoring, either 1:1 or in small groups, in the Library for 30 minutes for an unspecified number of days/weeks. Tutors are high school students from Venice and El Segundo High. This program was created by high school students. An El Segundo High School student named LaV and I co-administer this program. We are currently serving approximately 20 students. There are more on our list that we hope to serve imminently. This is the sign-up sheet. If you are interested (and in Tier-2 need), feel free to sign up. Not everyone who requests is guaranteed a spot, but we will do what we can. 

Tier 3 - For Smaller Few in Greatest Need: "High-Dosage" tutoring for students demonstrating the greatest need in the schools with the greatest need. Currently, Walgrove is not one of these schools. 

OR

After-school tutoring 1:1 for as many days/weeks as are mutually agreed upon with certificated teacher who volunteers to work overtime. 

***

Please speak to your teacher(s) to see if they recommend tutoring for your kiddo(s), and please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. andrea.kittelson1@lausd.net

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Kindness Cocoon

Just as Walgrove honors parents who donate anywhere from $1 to $1,000,000 with butterflies on the wall, we honor students who are caught committing acts of kindness, empathy, peer-advocacy, altruism and more with caterpillars on the wall. 

Teachers and staff add names to our growing schoolwide list of caterpillar earners. 

Then, our Caterpillar Team comprised of rotating altruists helps me cut out the caterpillars, write names and dates on them, and post them on the wall!

Because it is important to honor folks for their generosity!

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Volunteer Dos and Don'ts

Walgrove currently boasts over 50 registered volunteers. (If you are not yet registered to volunteer, you may register here). 

To spend time on campus during the school day (other than for a meeting, scheduled and approved class observation, short special event or longer single event with advance permission) you must become a registered volunteer. 

To volunteer outdoors on the weekends, there is no need to become a registered volunteer.

If you are a registered volunteer, please know and follow these basic Dos and Don'ts:

DO be willing to help wherever help is needed.

DO sign up ahead of time for a task. 

DO sign in when you arrive (or beforehand).

DO treat all children equally (for example, don't focus on your own child, and do not reprimand other people's children or adults for perceived slights against your child/ren. Instead, if there is an issue that involves your own child, please involve the teacher, and if no resolution, the principal). 

DO seek permission to be on campus (do not invite yourself to your own child's class. You must have an appointment and permission from the principal who will coordinate with the teacher ahead of time). While we LOVE it when parents are on campus, we don't want to interfere with the teacher-student dynamic or encroach upon the educational experience of others. We need to be mindful and global in our approach. 

Here is the Volunteer Commitment Form. 

For more information and a Q and A about volunteering at Walgrove, join our Volunteer Zoom Wednesday, October 26 at 6:30pm in Dr. K's Zoom room.

Thank you, IMMENSELY, for your support. We wouldn't be Walgrove without your INCREDIBLY generous efforts!

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CURRENT COVID PROTOCOLS

What are the current COVID rules?

• Don't come to school when sick!
• If sick, test daily over the first few days because COVID takes time to show up on a test. 
• If positive, upload the results to the Parent Portal AND tell the teacher and Dr. K who will ask about your closest indoor contacts. 
• Positive cases isolate at home and test again on Day 5 (the first day of symptoms or a positive test are Day 0), So, really, Day 6 and/or beyond. Basically, test to return to work or school. 
• Close contacts monitor, mask while indoors for 10 days, and test on Day 5 (and beyond, as necessary).

Approximately 70% of last year's Walgrove students were vaccinated. 100% of Walgrove staff and registered volunteers are vaccinated. Studies show that vaccination is the greatest defense against severe illness. 

Here are the current recommendations from the CDE. 

Thank you for your collective vigilance!

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Updated School Calendar!

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Tentative Agreement between Superintendent Carvalho and UTLA Includes NO Wednesday Acceleration Days

Dear Families, 

Superintendent Carvalho and UTLA came to a tentative agreement (the union ratified it, and the LAUSD Board will likely formalize it tomorrow evening). 

What this means is that there will be school per usual on all the Wednesdays previously deemed "Acceleration Days." 

All teachers and staff are required to report to work on those days. 

There will instead be new "Acceleration Days" during the first few days of Winter vacation and Spring Break. 

Those days are optional for all staff (and hence I will notify you closer to the time what the staffing will likely look like). 

As soon as I have more information, I will share it. 

In the meantime, feel free to visit the UTLA website and LAUSD.NET

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LAUSD Attendance Achievement Calendar

 

Attendance Info and AttenDANCE

 Here are a few factoids about school attendance in LAUSD:

• Education is compulsory for children ages 6 and up (until graduation).
• While full-day attendance is the law, any student who is present for at least 30 minutes of an hour is marked present. (Ideally before 9am, which is when attendance submittal is due.)
• The State of CA funds schools based on their Average Daily Attendance (ADA). So every absence costs the District $. Every student at school brings the District $. Each student absence costs the District approximately $70. 
• The State of CA and the District evaluate a school's effectiveness, in part, based on the number of students deemed Chronically Absent, which means absent 10% (or more) of the # of school year (see the CA Dashboard). In 2022, we were again deemed in ATSI Program Improvement due to our high rate of Chronic Absenteeism. Hence, we have a School Site Council (SSC) and create goals and strategies to address Chronic Absenteeism.
• Parents may excuse absences for illness or other reasons within 10 days of the absence (see Ed Code 48205); however, excusing an absence doesn't make it disappear. It still counts as an absence for the purpose of state funding. However, since teachers only have access to attendance for four days, parents should provide a signed note as soon as possible upon return to school. 
• Why do we "excuse" absences, if this does not make the absences disappear? This is to distinguish absences due to illness (or another acceptable reason) from those due to truancy. Because school is compulsory, the state and the District keep track of student attendance. This distinction is relevant in law enforcement, custody, and child welfare matters.
• Attendance is important not just for funding, of course, or to stay off the radar of government overlords, but for bonding, automaticity and momentum. The more students are in school, the more they bond with teachers and peers, the more automatic and routine their skills become, and the more momentum they build, propelling them with increasing force toward successful futures. 

For more detailed information, visit the Parent-Student Handbook. 

Enjoy this shortened version of the Walgrove AttenDANCE:

Attendance Calendar

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E-Choices Enrollment Oct 3 Through Nov 18 & Walgrove GATE Info Session Tues @ 6pm

 To enroll your kiddo in a magnet, SAS or other middle school next year, please click here:

To find out more about Walgrove's role in Unified Enrollment and/or to learn about Walgrove's Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) offerings, come to an informational Zoom Tuesday, October 11 at 6:00 in Dr. K's Zoom room.  

For those who cannot make next Tuesday's Zoom, we will also discuss GATE and E-Choices enrollment at any/all upcoming Coffee and Diet Coke with the Principal meetings, which are every Friday right after the assembly.

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How to Access Curriculum in Schoology

STEP 1

Register for a Parent Portal account.

STEP 2

Log into the Parent Portal.

STEP 3

Add your children, one at a time, to your account using your unique PIN for each child. If you did not receive this unique PIN via email (the email comes from Tracy), then contact the office and Tracy or Nery will share the PIN(s) with you. Each parent has a unique PIN for each child. 

STEP 4

Log into the Parent Portal and see all the classes assigned to each of your children. 

HOW DO STUDENTS LOG INTO SCHOOLOGY?

Students go to lms.lausd.net, enter their LAUSD email address and password (also called Single Sign-On), and voila!

If they forgot their password, they either reset it here at https://mylogin.lausd.net/ or contact their teacher who has their email address and PIN (and in most cases their password). 

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Back to School Night Thursday, September 15

 

Back to School Night, Thursday, September 15 4:30-6pm

Schedule:

4:30 Mill About the Quad and Buy Pizza and Baked Goods

4:50 Assemble in the Quad. Dr. K Will Introduce the Awesome Teachers

5:00-5:25 Classroom Presentation #1

5:25 BELL

5:30-5:55 Classroom Presentation #2

5:55 BELL

If you turned in a childcare form to Richard Medina from STAR (or it your kiddos are in STAR), you may bring your kiddos. Otherwise, please make other childcare arrangements. 

Unlike Open House, which is where kiddos show off their wares, Back to School Night presentations are typically for an adult audience. Kiddos do not attend the Classroom Presentations. 

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you Thursday!

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