John Muir Elementary School Parent Newsletter
February 2017
Monthly Edition
Volume 2, Issue 4
PTA President- Bethany Harrington
Foundation President- Anahit Mouradian
PTA President’s Message
By Bethany Harrington
Hello friends,
Contents
PTA President’s Message
1
EEELP Families
1
JMEF’s Message
2
New Staff Warm Welcomes
2
Muir Student Updates
3
Principal’s Message
3
Construction Corner
3
Free Spanish Computer Class 4
Star Nova Classes at Muir
4
Upcoming
Events
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No School (Lincoln’s
Birthday) 2/13
Valentine’s Day 2/14
School Site Council Mtg.
2/16 6:00-7:00pm
No School (President’s
Day) 2/20
PTA Founder’s Night
2/21 6:00 pm
Chuck E Cheese Family
Event Night
2/24 3:00-9:00pm
Coffee with the
Principal 2/27 8:15 am
As we begin the new year with a new
president and the swift changes that have
already occurred, I am reminded that since
its inception, the PTA has been an advocate
for inclusion and diversity in our schools and
our communities. In 1898 Alice McLellan
Birney, National PTA Co-Founder, stated,
‘[The National PTA], irrespective of creed,
color or condition, stands for all parenthood,
childhood, homehood”.
Read this short article for more on where
the National PTA stands in regards to
Inclusiveness and Diversity.
Simply put, PTA is here to advocate for you
and your children.
If you are in need of extra support or help
due to recent changes in government policy,
please contact me at
[email protected] and I will do
everything in my power to connect you with
agencies or individuals who can assist and
guide you.
We are a family at Muir, a community. We
may not always agree, but isn’t that true for
every family? What is important is not that
we are all the same but that we respect
each other’s differences and celebrate our
diversity.
Last year, a Budget Committee made up of
volunteers in our PTA Executive Board met
to decide how our hard-earned funds would
be best used for this school year. We chose
to continue funding the busses for field trips
and to continue reimbursing teachers for
$100 worth of classroom supplies.
In addition, we decided to bring assemblies
for our students that will serve to remind us
of our important and constant quest for
equal rights; assemblies that remind us of
the purpose of the PTA, which is to advocate
for every child.
In order to achieve this goal, our children
will participate in assemblies that focus
on Women’s History, an Armenian
Memorial assembly, and Black History.
We are also very excited to bring an
evening event celebrating the amazing
diversity in our community at Muir called
Kaleidoscope; Our Differences Make Us
Beautiful.
These, plus the 5th Grade ‘Spotlight
Dance’, a spring fundraiser, a first-ever
Science Fair Presentation and the
everyday support and advocacy of our
children and families are among the
amazing work of your PTA.
If grass-roots advocacy and change are
something you are interested in, the PTA
is a great place to start. We are currently
looking for nominations for next year’s
PTA Executive Board.
If you have not yet become a member,
it’s not too late, our Membership drive
lasts all year. Again, email me for more
information.
Please check our website at
http://www.johnmuirelementary.net/do
main/43 and also your child’s Thursday
folders for details on when the special
events PTA is planning will occur. I will
send the dates to our principal, Mrs.
Shahijanian as soon as they are finalized
to update the website.
My sincere hope is that all of you and
your families are happy, healthy and
celebrating the new year together.
Bethany Harrington
John Muir Elementary School PTA
President
Glendale Council PTA Recording
Secretary
Advocate, Mother, Sister, Friend
Early Education and Extended Learning Programs
The first Parent Advisory Council meeting for
all EEELP parents/guardians is scheduled for
the month of February 2017. The purpose of
this meeting is to discuss and advise upon
issues of mutual concern affecting the
center. Please look for upcoming
notices from Mrs. Alleson. All EEELP
parents/guardians are encouraged to
attend the meeting.
Page 2 of 4
Parent Newsletter
John Muir Elementary Foundation’s Message
Parents,
The Foundation is excited to announce some
of upcoming monthly events to continue to
raise funds for the school Music program.
Our first event night will be Friday,
February 24 at Chuck E. Cheese! Bring the
school flyer or tell the cashier that you are
with John Muir Elementary and 15% of Food
and Token purchases will be donated to
the Foundation. Each student will also
receive 10 FREE tokens.
Ms. Cheryl Cameron,
Assistant Principal
We are planning these monthly events to
create family fun. Next we will have a day
at Chipotle and looking at Moonlight
Rollerway in April. May 5 will be our big
Spring Festival event with silent auction for
great gift baskets created by each class and
fantastic raffle prizes. If you would like to
volunteer for the Spring event, please email
us at [email protected].
Foundation Monthly Event Night
Friday, Feb 24 Chuck E Cheese at Eagle
Rock Plaza (2700 Colorado Blvd Los
Angeles) 3PM to 9PM
Sun. March 19 Chipotle 132 N Glendale Ave.
Glendale
Please visit our website at
www.muirfoundation.com. You can also
email us at [email protected].
LIKE and FOLLOW us Facebook page to see
our music program in action and get the
latest on what the Foundation is up to.
New Staff Warm Welcomes
Ms. Veronica Maciel,
Spanish-Speaking Front Office Clerk
Ms. Serina Panosian,
Librarian
Ms. Cheryl Cameron: Assistant Principal
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I am so privileged to be part of the Muir
community! I’m happy to have an
opportunity to introduce myself. Prior to
coming to Muir Elementary, I worked as a
teacher-leader in the Saugus Union and
Castaic School Districts. There, I was part of
planning and training staff for
implementation of our new state standards,
and I was a mentor teacher for one-to-one
laptops and SmartBoard technology. My
background prior to education is in music
and theatre. As a result, I worked with the
Kennedy Center’s Education Outreach
program for five years. With the Kennedy
Center, I learned to integrate arts into the
curriculum, and then taught other teachers
to do the same. I hold two masters degrees,
one in Curriculum and Instruction with Ed
Tech emphasis, and the second in
Educational Leadership. When not at school,
you can likely find me spending time with
my 17-year-old son, on a hiking trail
enjoying nature, enjoying live theatre and
music performance, or reading a book on
education.
Ms. Veronica Maciel: Spanish-speaking
Front Office Clerk
As a FLAG Spanish school, John Muir
Elementary is excited to welcome our new,
Spanish-speaking front office clerk, Veronica
Maciel. Here is a bit about her:
I worked for the County of L.A. Registrar
Records Office in Norwalk, CA as an Election
Assistant.
I was thankful to be a candidate for the
GUSD as a substitute. Mr. Gonzalez
informed me that John Muir was looking for
a bilingual clerk..... I was blessed to be
selected and I am thankful every day!
Ms. Serina Panosian: Librarian
Get to know our awesome new librarian:
My name is Serina Panosian. I started
working at the Glendale Public Library three
years ago. I gained so much experience by
working with various librarians. I
participated in numerous events such as,
bookmark contests, scavenger hunts, crafts,
movie nights, outreach events, and story
times, which are taking place in the library
for children. While I am working part time at
the Pacific Park Branch Library and Library
Connection at Adams Square, I am fortunate
to be able to get the job as John Muir
school's librarian. This library feels like
home. The environment in John Muir is so
warm and welcoming. It is a great pleasure
to work in such environment with these
amazing students and staff.
In the past two months, I managed to meet
most of the students and familiarized myself
with the library. I try my best to introduce
the students to our wonderful collection.
Besides keeping the library organized and
clean, my goal is to make the library a place
where children would always want to come
and be encouraged to read. My job is also to
teach them how to use the library, how to
locate their desired books, connect with
them, and gain more information.
Ms. Cheryl Cameron
Assistant Principal
Page 3 of 4
Parent Newsletter
Muir Student Updates
Student Council visited Windsor Manor
this month and worked with the seniors
cutting out snowflakes and decorating
them.
The Robotics and GATE clubs are busy
preparing for the district-wide 9th
annual robotics tournament to be held
on March 3 at Roosevelt Middle
School. Members will be participating in
robot design, programming robots to
complete missions and the presentation
of a STEM PowerPoint on the topic of
"Explain how computers and robots can
be used together to improve human
actions."
The John Muir Career Day will be on
Tuesday, May 15. If any parents would
like to participate by talking to the
kids about their careers, please
contact Mr. Der-Megerdichian at
[email protected] for more
details.
For parents of 6th grade students, the
upcoming middle school open house
dates are as follows:
March 2nd Toll 6:30pm
March 2nd Rosemont 6:30-7:30pm
March 9th Wilson, 5:15-8:00pm
March 30th Roosevelt, 6:00-8:00pm
Principal’s Message
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Vocabulary is a crucial element in
developing reading comprehension.
Understanding the vocabulary in the
text builds on the students’ background
knowledge. The following are some tips
that you may utilize to support your
children’s vocabulary development.
•Keep the new word active in your
house. When your children are exposed
to a new word, take advantage of
opportunities and use the new word in
conversations.
•Use the same high level vocabulary
that you would use with an adult when
talking with your children.
•When your children read an unfamiliar
word, ask them if they know what it
means.
•Give your children an opportunity to
read DAILY. Reading exposes children to
new and rich vocabulary.
•Give your children an opportunity to
explain what the word means.
Thank you,
•Assist your children in finding the
meaning of the word in the dictionary.
Juanita Shahijanian
Principal
Construction Corner
John Muir Elementary School New
Construction Update
Construction Start Date: June 20, 2016
Projected Occupancy Date: August 1,
2017
Current Percentage Complete: 48%
New Overcrowding Relief Grant Project
consists of a new 2 story classroom
building consisting of 10 new classrooms
and support services room (Restrooms,
Janitors Room etc.…) that is intended to
replace the current bungalows on
campus. The project when completed
will provide a permeant facility for the
students of the area and add valuable
leaning facilities to the current campus.
Our current project status has the
structural steel in place and framing is
in progress on the first and second
floors. The installation of Fire sprinkler,
plumbing and electrical is in progress
and will be ongoing. Weather
permitting, the roof installation is
projected for Mid-late February which
will, upon completion, allow work to
progress without regard for weather
going forward. The project is on
schedule and progressing as planned.
We have scheduled a student assembly
in February where information will be
shared with our students regarding this
project. Students will have an
opportunity to ask questions and learn
about the construction process.
Muir Elementary School’s
New Construction
is 48% Complete!
Free Spanish Computer Classes for Beginners
Clases de Computación Básico Gratuitas
Para Principiantes los viernes del 3 de
febrero al 17 de marzo de 10am-12pm en
Library Connection @ Adams Square
1100 E Chevy Chase Dr., Glendale, CA 91205
John Muir Elementary School
912 Chevy Chase Drive
Glendale, CA 91205
Phone:
(818) 241-4848
Fax:
(818) 241-1058
Editor:
Karen Eshed
[email protected]
Kids do better when parents
are involved. Grades are
higher. Test scores improve.
Attendance increases.
-www.pta.org
We’re on the Web!
www.johnmuirelementary.net
Learn Basic Computer Skills
Fridays, February 3-March 17, 2017.
10am-12pm
Library Connection @ Adams Square
1100 E Chevy Chase Dr., Glendale, CA 91205
applications in the operating system
Windows 7. Additionally, you
will learn how to create documents like
letters, invitations, and
calendars in Word 2010. We will also cover
the basics of Internet
browsing. Students will learn how to surf the
internet, make simple
and advanced searches using different
search engines such as Yahoo
and Google, and about internet safety.
This class is divided into seven sessions. We
will cover the basic
operations of the computer like how to open
and close programs and
Limited Seating.
For more information or to register,
please contact Juan Garcia
at 818-937-7818 or [email protected]
Star Nova Classes at Muir
Starting January 31-March 28 Star Nova will
be offering the following classes at Muir:
Culinary Arts: Healthy Holiday Seasonal
Winter Delights
Tuesdays
2:30pm-3:30pm (K-5)
3:30pm-4:30pm (K-5)
Fee: $160
Scholarships are offered and you get a free
trial class! To register online go to
http://johnmuir.starinc.org.
If you have any questions or suggestions of
classes for the future, you may contact the
Star Nova Director, Stella Sargsyan at 310892-6155 and at [email protected].
Mission to Mars: Engineering to Live on Mars!
Tuesdays
2:30pm-3:30pm (K-5)
3:30pm-4:30pm (K-5)
Fee: $144
GUSD K-5 Math Textbook Adoption Book Fair
GUSD Elementary K-5
MATH TEXTBOOK ADOPTION
PARENT and TEACHER BOOK FAIR
We invite your feedback on the two K-5
math textbook options currently being
piloted and considered for implementation
in the 2017-2018 school year:
•EnVISION Math 2.0 (Pearson)
•Math Expressions (Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt)
Come and share your feedback!
Questions? Contact:
Dr. Mary Mason, Director, Teaching &
Learning at [email protected].
When & Where
GUSD Administration Building
Main Lobby from 8:00 am-5:00pm daily
beginning on
December 12, 2016-February 29, 2017
and
Board Room on the two following dates from
2:00-8:00pm
Thursday, December 15th, 2016
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017
GUSD Administration Building
223 N. Jackson Street
Glendale, CA 91206