Short Avenue IB Learners Strive to Be...

A Message from Mr. Lamb:

Happy Weekend Short Avenue Families and Friends!

With just 12 days left in the school year, we ask that you continue to partner with us to maintain high expectations through the final days. Let’s encourage our students to finish strong by showing up on time, staying respectful and kind, and completing all assignments with care and effort. These final weeks are filled with meaningful learning, celebrations of growth, and lasting memories. We want every student to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when they walk out the doors on the last day, June 10.

A huge congratulations to our 5th grade students, who participated in our annual Exhibition event on Thursday evening! This milestone in the IB Primary Years Programme allowed our students to showcase their learning and the actions they are taking to improve the world around them. From environmental advocacy to promoting kindness and equity, their projects were inspiring examples of what young learners can achieve when they think globally and act locally. We are so proud of them!

Friday, we experienced something truly special - me getting dunked in a Dunk Tank. Thank you to all who came for the donuts and hot chocolate and stayed through our assembly to the waterlogged ending. Thank you to our entire community for hitting that fund raising goal to make my soaking a reality. And thank you to FoSA for handling the logistics to make the event happen. It was definitely a crowd pleasing event.

As you begin to make summer plans, don’t forget about Summer School! Summer School is a great way for students to catch up, maintain, or even grow their academic skills—all while staying active, engaged, and surrounded by friends. It’s free, fun, and led by LAUSD educators. To enroll, visit enroll.lausd.net and search for “Summer Program.” Let’s keep the learning going!

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and for being part of our incredible school community. Let’s finish this year on a high note—together.

See you on Tuesday!

Mr. Lamb

Mark Your Calendars...

5/25- Memorial Day, No School

6/01- Morning Brew With Mr. Lamb

6/09- 5th Grade Graduation, 9am

6/10- Last Day of School, 1pm dismissal

Bottles Needed- Help our 5th Grade Students!

Please help our 5th graders with their exhibition project by sending in any empty plastic bottles that you have at home. The bottles should be labeled as CA CRV or CA Cash Refund. The goal of their project is to eliminate the amount of plastic that ends up in the ocean. They will use the money raised from the bottle recycling drive to adopt an endangered sea animal. You can drop off your bottles in the box outside the front office. Thank you!

LAUSD Summer of Learning

Program runs from June 22 – July 20

Los Angeles Unified provides students with core academic support, opportunities to enhance their mastery of academic subjects for college readiness, and enrichment courses designed to engage and motivate students in learning through self-selected courses of interest. The TK-7th Summer School program will be offered in person and is designed to support core instruction, provide targeted academic intervention in a small group setting, as well as in-person enrichment activities in the Arts and Sciences at all participating TK-7th summer school sites. Click this link for more info. (Including participating school sites)

Student registration will open April 9, 2026. More details to follow.

FoSA

We need your help, parents!

We have THREE open positions on FoSA for the 2026-2027 school year!

5th Grade Coordinator- Must have a child in 5th grade in the 2026-2027 school year. The 5th Grade Coordinator liaises with the teachers, administration & FOSA Treasurer for scheduling and approvals. They also recruit parents & caregivers to serve on 5th grade committees and work closely with them to plan 5th grade traditions and events. Deadline to submit is Tuesday 5/26 9am as this role will kick off this school year.

5th Grade Activities Committee: We will need volunteers to make 5th grade traditions fun and memorable, including Friendsgiving, Field Day, the dance and Culmination. Signups coming soon!

Cultural Community Liaison - Works in close collaboration with school admin to ensure bilingual families are included and feel represented on campus.

Bookkeeper - The Bookkeeper supports the Treasurer with FoSA’s day-to-day financial recordkeeping and helps ensure financial information is organized, accurate, and up to date.

For more information on the roles and to show your interest, click here: https://forms.gle/CDf4p4Z1Jx2qW2Qz8

Submissions will close for all roles (except 5th Grade Coordinator) on 5/31. In the event there are multiple submissions, there will be a vote.

If you have any questions about the roles, please reach out to admin@friendsofshortavenue.org.

🍭🍫 You’re invited to Short Avenue Elementary’s production of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka!

Our talented students have been working so hard, and we can’t wait for our community to see this sweet and magical show!

🎟️ 4 nights only!

Cast A: Wednesday 5/27, Thursday 5/28

Cast B: Wednesday 6/3, Thursday 6/4

Doors open at 5:15pm, Show begins at 5:30pm.

🎟️ Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased via:

• Venmo: @marinadavis

• Zelle: (323) 377-8011

• Cash at the door

If purchasing via venmo or zelle, please put date you’d like to purchase for in notes.

📸 Yearbook Sales! 🎉

Our 2025–26 Short Avenue Yearbook is almost here. We have limited stock for those who did not pre-order to purchase for $45. Please consider buying an extra copy to Pay It Forward for a family who might not be able comfortably afford one.

Yearbooks are hardcover and will be delivered to school in June. Please note priority distribution will go to those who pre-ordered and some copies purchased now may arrive after school is over.

To purchase a copy

Complete this Google Form: https://forms.gle/VGStjgDLhmtsxYfT7
Submit payment via Zelle to friendsofshortavenue@gmail.com (be sure to include your “child’s name + yearbook” in the notes)

Avril's Community Corner

5th Grade Exhibition!

This week, our 5th graders participated in their annual PYP Exhibition. They explored the UN Sustainable Development Goals and each selected a problem they would like to address through research and action. We are so proud of the way they worked collaboratively to apply the skills they have developed as IB learners at Short Ave. Elementary. Congratulations!

All Stars Soccer Team

Congratulations to our Short Ave. All Stars soccer team for getting 3rd place at South Gate So Five soccer stadium in the tournament this Saturday. Big thank you to our AMAZING All Star staff Diego Moreno and Ana Santos for spending their Saturday supporting our kids.

The Short Ave. Dolphins played as a team and did a fantastic job representing their school!

Congratulations to our All Stars:

Sunny Ormesher

Milo Ormesher

Aris Garefis

Theo Garefis

Stepan Filonenko

Lev Polkhovski

Ronald Perez

Lilyana Crespo-Pfannkuch

2026/27 VOLUNTEER PORTAL OPENS MAY 26TH!

Hey Short Ave Volunteers, The Office of Student and Family Engagement will open the Volunteer Program Application for the 2026/27 school year on May 26th! Mark your calendars to fill out a NEW APPLICAION to be approved and ready to volunteer at the start of NEXT School year! If you are a new volunteer you will need to get me a recent negative TB test. The Volunteer portal for THIS school year is CLOSED!

Social Media

This last week of school, I posted on our Instagram and Facebook:

The 5th Grade Exhibition Flyer, The Homestate Restaurant Nights Flyer, Photos from Spirit Days "Dress like a staff member", "Crazy Hair", and "Anything but a Backpack", as well as photos from the Multilingual Awards, and a video of Mr. Lamb getting Dunked at Friday's Assembly!!

Please set you Instagram notifications to be notified when I post, so you don't miss anything, and of course like and comment on our posts, it is the best way to see what is happening on campus and get important reminders!

Crazy Hair!

Josue Jr. and Josue!

Anything but a Backpack!

Student Council!

Perfect Attendance!

Kinders as Bugs!

Previously Published

🎨 Short Ave Art Banner Program

Did your kids create a lot of art over break? Let it shine on campus!
Students can submit artwork to be printed and displayed on outdoor banners around school.

https://friendsofshortavenue.org/collections/art-banner

🎉 Birthday Marquee

Celebrate your child’s birthday in lights. The Birthday Marquee is a fun way to make their week extra special.

Please allow at least 72 hours notice for requests.

🎈 Reserve your spot:

https://friendsofshortavenue.org/collections/birthday-marquee

Sibling Interest List for 2026/27

Attention Short Ave Staff and Families with younger children/silbings who you would like to attend Short Ave next school year, 2026/27. PLEASE fill out this Google Form so we know who you are! This includes.both Neighborhood Families and those on Permit.

https://forms.gle/cHu2nmr2wFjN3R3h9

Please understand that we cannot guarantee a spot for our sibling and staff children who do not reside in our designated neighborhood. But if we do have room for permits, you will recieve priority over outside families looking to permit in. PLEASE have a solid plan B in place in case our neighborhood numbers exceed our capacity. We are seeing a trend that more of our neighborhood families are enrolling, and thus we might not know our numbers for sure until after school starts in August 2026. After this week, this link will live in the Already Published section at the bottom of the Wave.

Volunteering

Are you interested in volunteering in your child's classroom, the library, the garden, or going on a field trip? We LOVE volunteers and hope that you will be one!! PLEASE NOTE: Everyone who wants to volunteer MUST FILL OUT THE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION EVERY YEAR!

1.You must be an APPROVED volunteer with a NEGATIVE TB TEST to volunteer on campus in the classroom, or attend a field trip. Please email Avril your Negative TB test first, soon after filling out the LAUSD Volunteer Application.

New volunteers must have a recent negative test done within 60 days of filling out your application. PLEASE email a photo of your negative result with your name, date of test and place and/or doctor who performed the test visible to avril.lipsky@lausd.net so that I can enter it into your application. TB tests for returning volunteers are good for 4 years. If you are a Returing Volunteer, you still must fill out a Volunteer Application every year. Your TB test should auto populate in the application. Please check your TB test date. If you did your original test in 2021, it will expire on your date in 2025. If you did it in 2022, it will expire in 2026.

2. Please fill out the Volunteer Application through this LAUSD VOLUNTEER LINK! This is for BOTH new and Returning Volunteers. Do NOT check Tier III assignments, as we do not typically have volunteers do those jobs. Tier III requires a fingerprint, if you want to be cleared for Tier III please email me to discuss avril.lipsky@lausd.net .

Here is a link to the 2025/26 Volunteer Information Guide

And here is a link to the 2025/26 Volunteer Job Aide to become a volunteer, if you want a step by step visual of how to fill out the volunteer application.

3. Volunteers need to sign a Liability Waiver and the Commitment Form electronically in the application..You do NOT need to email them to me.

4.. ALL Volunteers (both new and returning) MUST WATCH The Mandatory Volunteer Orientation Zoom , if you did NOT attend the live Zoom on 9/24.

Here is a link to the 36 minute recording:

Https://bit.ly/4pX9Xi7

5. Approval can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on how many volunteers the district is processing. You will recieve an email from the district when you are fully approved.

Parent Portal

In early September a letter was sent home to families who do not have a registered parent portal account. The LAUSD Parent Portal is LAUSD’s Parent Access Support System portal. It is a one-stop online system that connects parents and guardians to important information about their child's education. It is secure...it is personalized to your child...and it is custom-made for YOU, our parents and guardians. Please sign up for the Parent Portal, at this link. If you are having any difficulty with your account, please try resetting your password. You can also contact the main office if you are having any other difficulties.

Weekly Wave

Week of May 24, 2026

Short Avenue IB Learners Strive to Be...

A Message from Mr. Lamb:

Mark Your Calendars...

Bottles Needed- Help our 5th Grade Students!

LAUSD Summer of Learning

FoSA

We need your help, parents!

🍭🍫 You’re invited to Short Avenue Elementary’s production of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka!

📸 Yearbook Sales! 🎉

Avril's Community Corner

5th Grade Exhibition!

All Stars Soccer Team

2026/27 VOLUNTEER PORTAL OPENS MAY 26TH!

Social Media

Crazy Hair!

Josue Jr. and Josue!

Anything but a Backpack!

Student Council!

Perfect Attendance!

Kinders as Bugs!

Previously Published

🎨 Short Ave Art Banner Program

🎉 Birthday Marquee

Sibling Interest List for 2026/27

Volunteering

Parent Portal

Short Avenue IB Learners Strive to Be... Short Avenue IB Learners Strive to Be...

A Message from Mr. Lamb:

Mark Your Calendars...

Bottles Needed- Help our 5th Grade Students!

LAUSD Summer of Learning

FoSA FoSA

We need your help, parents!

🍭🍫 You’re invited to Short Avenue Elementary’s production of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka!

📸 Yearbook Sales! 🎉

Avril's Community Corner Avril's Community Corner

5th Grade Exhibition!

All Stars Soccer Team

2026/27 VOLUNTEER PORTAL OPENS MAY 26TH!

Social Media

Crazy Hair!

Josue Jr. and Josue!

Anything but a Backpack!

Student Council!

Perfect Attendance!

Kinders as Bugs!

Previously Published Previously Published

🎨 Short Ave Art Banner Program

🎉 Birthday Marquee

Sibling Interest List for 2026/27

Volunteering

Parent Portal

Short Avenue IB Learners Strive to Be...

FoSA

Avril's Community Corner

Previously Published