Arts Magnet Weekly News

Dear Altadena Eliot Arts Magnet Families,

Everyone is getting into the swing of things on both campuses as summer gives way to fall. We had a great Back to School Night at the elementary campus and our Hispanic Heritage celebrations, led by our fabulous ASB, continue at our middle school campus.

Thanks to all who joined us at Rounds this weekend to support the Eliot Arts PTSA! You can still go pick up that delicious burger all day on Sunday! This week join us at Chipotle on Wednesday for the AAM French program. See the flyer below. Lots of great stuff going on this week. Please read on.

ELEMENTARY

Fall picture days are this week- Thursday is K-2 and Friday is PreK and grades 3-5 (fifth graders will come over to the elementary campus to be photographed). All photos will be taken in the garden and students should wear their Altadena dress code or spirit wear.

The photographer's system will email parents when the gallery goes live. There are 2 weeks of free shipping. Parents will receive an email them when that 2 weeks is almost up as a reminder. Gallery will stay live until sometime mid summer. It will also email them right before the gallery expires.

Bedtime Story with the Principal this Thursday 9/30/21 @ 7:00pm! Special guest reader, Ms. Teresa Garcia will read her book "Paletas" in Spanish and then Dr. Scheckel will read in English. After the reading, Dr. Scheckel and author, Ms. Garcia will discuss what it's like to be a published author. Middle School students are welcome to join too! You can join on Google Meet http://meet.google.com/twa-zvec-xhx or on Facebook Live on AAM's page.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Wednesday we will celebrate our reclassified English Learners with a root beer float party at lunch!

Thursday we have our first School Site Council meeting of the year at 3:30pm. Please join us at http://meet.google.com/qxx-ntov-aez

Join us for our Eliot Parent Connect!

On Monday, 9/27/21 @ 5:30pm, join the admin team for a special Eliot Parent Connect virtual meeting via Google Meet http://meet.google.com/xpd-zqxp-qnv We will be sharing with families our safety plan, our RtI practices and other information about our wonderful school community. There will be a question and answer period at the end.

I wish you a wonderful Sunday.

It's a great year to be an Altadena Cougar and Husky!

Yours in Service,

Dr. Scheckel, Principal

Eat Chipotle, help Altadena Arts Magnet

Calling all burrito lovers,

Foil your dinner plans and stop by the Chipotle at 3409 E Foothill Blvd in Pasadena for our fundraiser on Wednesday, September 29 from 4:00pm - 8:00pm. We're raising money to support Altadena Arts Magnet, so just download a flyer from the link below or mention the fundraiser at checkout and they'll donate 33% of the proceeds to the cause!

Click here for more details.

Can't wait to see you!

Students should wear their school uniforms/colors for a beautiful portrait in our garden. Photo packages will be available for sale approximately two weeks after the session.

Dear French Families,

We are happy to report the overwhelming support our French students are receiving beyond their fabulous teachers.

Two interns from Pasadena City College's French program have joined us!

Emmanuel on Tuesdays and Amber on Thursdays. Mlle Durand has created a schedule for them so that all students get to learn from these two French college students.

Mr. Sean Durkin, a French student teacher from Pepperdine University begins this week through December. Mlle Durand will be his mentor teacher and be providing him with his schedule to support our program and to learn from our excellent teaching staff.

Of course, you know Jules and Stanislas, our French interns from France are with us all year supporting your children.

So, it's a full house of target language support for our French students :)

Third grade update!

Our human resources department has given the green light and agreed to paying an extra rush fee to get Ms. Pauline Rouat processed to teach in the USA. Our district immigration attorney will be working with Ms. Rouat to get her here and in the classroom as quickly as possible. Until then, Madame Preschler and Ms. Zendejas continue to deliver quality instruction to our third grade French students under the guidance of Mlle Durand.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to our teachers directly.

Thank you,

Dr. Scheckel

Join Dr. Scheckel and special guest author, Maria Teresa Garcia who will read her book, "Paletas" in Spanish. Dr. Scheckel will then read in English and students will be able to hear from the author what it is like to publish a book! This will be broadcast on Facebook Live and on Google Meet http://meet.google.com/twa-zvec-xhx Middle School students are welcome to join in the fun!

Reflections is a National PTA program that provides opportunities for recognition of students artistic talents and creativity. We already know at AAM this boosts student confidence and success in the arts and in life.

Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. This 50+ year-old program helps them explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.

The 2021–2022 Reflections theme is I Will Change the World By…

Students submit their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts.

Students participate in the appropriate division for their grade: Primary (Pre-K - Grade 2), Intermediate (Grades 3-5). Students who identify as having a disability and may receive services under IDEA or ADA: Section 504 may enter in the Special Artist Division or grade division most closely aligned to their functional abilities.*Winners at AAM then have a chance to compete district wide, Statewide and even Nationally.

Ms. Victoria Camargo is the lead art teacher on this project. Please reach out to her for more information at camargo.victoria @pusd.us

Picture days are coming! Photos will be available for purchase a few weeks after the sitting. Because we're an arts school, students will be photographed near one of our beautiful school murals.

Dear Families,

We have a strict mask mandate on both our campuses to keep all students, staff and families safe from infection with COVID-19. We understand the masks can be uncomfortable for students to wear all day long, but they are necessary. We will follow the process below for students who do not/can not wear a mask over their nose, mouth and chin:

1. First time, Verbal warning to wear their mask
2. Second time, Phone call home
3. Third time, Recommendation for PUSD Independent Study for 3 days

Student will be placed on our regular independent study program for 3 days. This program keeps the student enrolled at their present school with work delivered on Canvas. After 3 days the student returns to their home school and the process starts all over. Each time we get to step three, we add an additional day of independent study until we reach the maximum which is 15 days. After that, student will be referred to our district's CIS program for the rest of the school year.

If you have any questions about this policy, please reach out to principal Scheckel.

We are excited to kick off our annual fund activities and goals at both campuses and to share the vision as we move forward as one school, two campuses!

For this year, both annual funds will remain separate, but both school communities will have the opportunity to support each other, knowing that each fund will support all our children in arts and French!

Elementary Annual Fund

Our Annual Fund Chair is Tasiah LeConte

Tasiah has an executive board who assists in reaching the goals of the fund.

Fundraising Goal: $100,000.00 per year for post magnet grant art sustainability

Major Fundraising Events

Free Dress Fridays

Holiday Tree/Wreath Sale

Altadena's Got Talent

Capital Campaign

Middle School Annual Fund

Our Annual Fund Chair is Felicia Lee

Felicia has an executive board who assists in reaching the goals of the fund.

Fundraising Goal: $100,000.00 per year for arts and French program sustainability

Major Fundraising Events

Silent Auction @ Altadena Country Club on February, 25, 2022!

Capital Campaign

My vision as your principal is that all elementary families will buy tickets and attend the Eliot Gala at the Altadena Country Club and all proceeds will go to Eliot's annual fund to support our arts and French programs and in turn, all Eliot families will participate in Altadena's holiday tree and wreath fundraiser with all proceeds going to support Altadena's arts sustainability plan.

When we work together, all our children benefit!

A big thank you to our parent and community leaders for coming together to make our fundraising efforts successful!

As you know, PUSD was running low on testing kits. We expect this situation to be resolved shortly. Please read below how testing will work on both campuses, when we have enough kits.

What kind of COVID-19 test is given?

The COVID-19 test is a nasal swab PCR test that the students can self-administer under the supervision of a PUSD nurse. Testing materials are provided by Valencia Lab and results will be received within 24-48 hours.

Who will be tested?

Students with informed consent will be tested. Any interested staff can be tested.

How can parents give informed consent?

Parents can provide informed consent through two ways:

• Register through the online platform: https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=cdph094
• Complete the hard copy registration forms in English or Spanish which will be provided for you by the COVID-19 Response Team.

What do parents and staff need to do prior to testing?

We encourage parents and staff to register with the COLOR system prior to arriving for testing, however, the Color system currently is available only in English. Therefore, we will provide hard copies of an informed consent form in English and Spanish at the registration table. If the student or staff member has tested with PUSD before, they will not have to register again.

To register for COVID-19 testing, please use this link:

https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=cdph094

The COVID-19 Response Team will also bring posters of the QR code that connects directly to the testing link.

When does the COVID-19 Response Team come to my school?

Multiple COVID-19 Response Team members are organized to go to each school one time per week. As resources increase, teams will begin to go to each site for more than one scheduled visit.

The schedule to begin on August 30 is as follows:

• Mondays, 7:45-11:00: Marshall, PHS, Muir, Blair
• Tuesdays, 7:45-3:30: Altadena, Field, Washington ES, Norma Coombs, Focus Point
• Wednesdays, 7:45-3:30: Longfellow, Don Benito, Washington MS. Willard/PALS/CIS Jackson, McKinley ES
• Thursdays, 7:45 - 3:30: Webster, Sierra Madre ES, Madison, San Rafael, McKinley MS
• Friday: 7:45-3:30: Eliot, Sierra Madre MS, Hamilton, Cleveland, Rose City

How will testing be conducted during school hours
More information on this procedure will come to you.

What happens if a student is in quarantine or isolation?

If a student is in isolation, then they are confirmed positive and do not need to test for 3 months after they received their lab-confirmed positive result

If a student is in quarantine, then they need to test off-site. They can:

• Test with their medical provider
• Make an appointment with the PUSD Primary Care Clinic at 351 S. Hudson Ave. by calling 626-396-3600 xt 88180.
• Participate in the drive-through clinic on Mondays at 351 S. Hudson Ave. in the south parking lot, enter on Oak Knoll.

When will the student or staff member receive their results?

Results will come in 24-48 hours.

Will Incentives be given to students for participating?

Yes, we will be providing students with various incentives for their participation in the testing program.

https://home.color.com/covid/sign-up/start?partner=cdph094

If you or your child are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, do not come to school for testing. Stay home. You can come to the PUSD Primary Care Clinic at 351 S. Hudson Ave. Please call 626-396-3600 xt 88180 for an appointment.

Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 3 months, recovered, and are not showing any symptoms, are not recommended to test.

Dear Families,

As you may be aware the Delta variant, coupled with the fact that children under age 12 cannot yet be vaccinated, has put us all on high alert to ensure our safety practices are as robust as possible alongside the desire to get students back to school in person.

This fall we will continue with most of the safety protocols we had in place last spring.

• Masks are mandatory for all staff and students
• Purposeful hand washing and sanitizing
• Air purifiers in all classrooms
• Ventilation maximized by keeping doors open, as often as possible
• Maintaining 3 feet of social distancing whenever possible
• Having students eat outside, weather permitting
• Daily self health screening of students and staff
• Care room for isolating any student or staff member with symptoms of any kind
• 10 day quarantine for any person who tests positive
• Siblings of any positive cases must also remain home and in quarantine
• Weekly testing for staff and students (optional at this point)
• Campus COVID Safety Teams are still in place and will continue to meet virtually
• Families will be notified if they have been exposed to a positive case at school

Vaccinations

We are now able to mandate vaccinations for our employees. PUSD is working on the plan to ensure all employees are vaccinated.

Class Sizes

This is the one change from last spring. We will not limit class sizes, beyond the mandated ratios in K-5 classrooms.

Will my child be safe?

This is the #1 question principals are getting right now. The answer is, no one can say with 100% certainty that no one will get sick when we come back in person. However, all district employees that I know, who have children attending PUSD schools, are sending their students back to in person school. PUSD is committed to keeping all students and families safe. If the variant proves to be a threat to public health, I am confident PUSD will be ready to shut down in person school and pivot back to an online delivery model.

With that being said, every family must make their own decision about what's best for their child.

Independent Study

Independent Study run through our CIS school, is a viable option for those who need to keep their children at home. Government funds will not allow for specialty programs such as, IB, AP and DLIP to be offered in this format. However, PUSD is committed to hearing parents' concerns. If you are considering independent study but have questions about specialty programs, please fill out the interest form and book a consultation with the CIS team. They may be able to offer you a solution that is not ideal, but palpable until you are able to send your child/ren back to school in person.

If you would like to set up a conference or have more information, please see the attached PDF at the end of this newsletter.

As always, if you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are all in this together and we all want what's best for our students.

Respectfully,

Dr. Scheckel, Principal

If you are an elementary family, you received a hard copy of this handbook in the mail in June. If you are a middle school family, please take a look at this digital copy: Altadena Eliot Arts Magnet Academy Family Handbook

The Eliot specific information is not yet complete, but I wanted to make sure you had something before next week.

We will continue to update the calendar of events and other pertinent information this week. This is a live document so added information will be updated automatically.

Before leaving home all students, employees and parents must conduct a self check. Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have a fever?

• Do I have a cough?

• Am I experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing?

• Am I experiencing any other symptoms?

• Have I been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days?

• In the last two weeks, have I been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19?

If you respond "yes" to any of the questions, you must stay home and it is recommended that you contact your primary care physician for further medical advice. If you have a fever with cough or shortness of breath, you are urged to contact your primary care physician as these symptoms may be attributed to COVID-19. To protect others, stay home, wear a facemask when you seek medical care and follow the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Home Isolation Instructions. For more detailed symptom self-checker visit the Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s COVID-19 Symptom page.

September

● 9/6 Labor Day ALL SCHOOLS CLOSED

● 9/7-9/8 Rosh Hashana

● 9/8 Cougar Values Awards Assembly @ Elementary School

● 9/9 Eliot BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT Students dismissed at 11:45am

● 9/10 PTA Reflections Interest Forms due to Ms. Camargo grades K-5

● 9/13 Virtual Grandparents/Grandfriends Day @ 8:30am

● 9/13-9/27 Virtual French Book Fair

● 9/14 GATE Parent Meeting @ 10am

● 9/14 SSC for Elementary @ 2:45pm virtually for parents, in person for staff

● 9/14 JOINT PTA Meeting more info TBD

● 9/15 Hispanic Heritage Month begins

● 9/15 DOT Day grades K-5

● 9/15-9/16 Yom Kippur

● 9/17 Free Dress Friday grades K-5, Fun Friday @ lunch grades 6-8

● 9/22 Elementary Back to School Night 5:30pm via Google Meet Students dismissed at 11:30am

● 9/20-9/24 Hispanic Heritage Spirit Week @ Middle School campus

● 9/27 Eliot Parent Connect @ 5:30 pm via Google Meet

● 9/29 Elementary Chipotle Fundraiser

● 9/30 Elementary Fall Picture Day K-2

● 9/30 Bedtime Story with the Principal

October

● 10/1 Fall Picture Day PreK and 3-5

● 10/1 Eliot Parent Connect @ 5:30pm via Google Meet

● 10/6 National Walk to School Day

● 10/7 AAM Virtual School Tour at 9am

● 10/7 Eliot Behind the Scenes in person Tour at 6pm

● 10/7-10/8 CogAT testing begins for all 3rd graders and 4 and 5 graders new to PUSD

● 10/12 Elementary SSC @ 3pm and joint PTA meeting @5:45pm

● 10/13 Cougar Values Awards Assembly @ 8am on the playground

● 10/14 Cafe con Scheckel @ 8:30 am

● 10/15 Elementary Parent Teacher Conference Day, Pupil Free, Virtual conferences for parents will be scheduled

● 10/19-10/20 Eliot Yearbook Photo days

● 10/21 Great California Shakeout Earthquake Drill @ 10:21 am both campuses

● 10/21 Reflections Art Contest Celebration

● 10/22 Free Dress Friday at the elementary campus

● 10/25 - 10/29 Red Ribbon Week!

● 10/29 Book-O-Ween celebration at the elementary campus, Costume fun day a the elementary campus and Movie Night and Holiday tree and wreath sale kickoff!

● 10/14 Joint ELAC Meeting @ 6pm for both campuses

Email: scheckel.benita@pusd.us
Website: https://www.pusd.us/Page/9
Location: 743 East Calaveras Street, Altadena, CA 91001, United States
Phone: 626-396-5650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altadenacougars/
Twitter: @altadenaES