Weekly Wave

Short Ave. IB Learners Strive to Be...

Happy Weekend Short Avenue Families and Friends!

What an incredible Fall Festival last night! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the overwhelming number of parent volunteers who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into making this annual tradition another tremendous success. From logistics and coordination, to the Haunted House, booths, and costume contest, it takes an extraordinary amount of time, energy, creativity, and teamwork to pull off an event of this magnitude. Our volunteers continue to demonstrate what makes Short Ave so special: a community that comes together to create memorable experiences for every child and family. Thank you for giving so generously of yourselves!

We are looking forward to another very FUN week as we build toward our Halloween Parade and School-wide Assembly on Friday and Halloween itself on Saturday! On Friday, please be prepared to visit our powerful Dia De Los Muertos display in the Parent Center as well. And, as you head out for trick-or-treating Saturday night, please make safety a priority. Watch carefully for cars, stay together with your groups, remain aware of your surroundings, and make good choices. We want everyone to enjoy the festivities and return home safely with wonderful memories.

Speaking of safety, I will be hosting our next Safety Meeting on Zoom Monday evening at 6:00pm. We will share important school safety information about being United Against Hate and the meeting will include positive behavior updates with Ms. Marina. Thank you for partnering with us to keep Short Ave a safe, welcoming, and positive place for all.

Finally, we are just ONE WEEK away from the implementation of LAUSD's individual screen time limits for students in grades 2–5. Second- and third-grade students will be limited to 100 minutes per week, or 20 minutes per day, of individual device screen time. Fourth- and fifth-grade students will be limited to 150 minutes per week, or 30 minutes per day. This time each week will be used for specific and targeted learning activities and should not include games or free time. We expect that there will be some growing pains and I thank you for your support and patience as we implement these guidelines.

Have an amazing week, enjoy the Halloween festivities, and remember to be safe! I look forward to seeing you on Monday!

Mr. Lamb

10/25- Del Rey Day, Bill Rosendahl Park, 11am-4pm

10/30- Halloween Parade and Assembly @ 8:30am

10/29-10/30- Dia De Los Muertos Ofrenda viewing

11/02- Dia De Los Muertos Conchas and Hot Chocolate

Sunday, October 25th is Del Rey Day at Bill Rosendahl Park! This year, we wanted to reach out to the parents and let everyone know that we will have a new addition to our booths—The Del Rey History Project.

Maria, a former board member of the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation, a current a docent at the Centinela Adobe, and life-long Del Rey resident has used her energy and experience to bring the history of Del Rey to the Community on Del Rey Day. The Del Rey History Project incorporates information on the Tongva, the Native Americans of the Los Angeles Basin, Rancho La Ballona and the Machado Family and the Japanese Community of Del Rey.

The booths will have information and artifacts related to our local history—and an opportunity to speak to the members of our community whom Maria invited.

Maria has invited the following people to this year’s Del Rel Day:

• Angie Behrns representing the Gabrielino-Tongva Band of Mission Indians and the Kuruvugna Cultural Center and Museum at University High School
• Diane Sembrano representing the Centinela Adobe and the Centinela Valley Historical Society.
• Del Rey Residents: Mary Nakaji, whose family was in Manzanar and Jimmy Kita, whose family had the Kita Farm where Marina del Rey Middle School is today and his wife, Gail.

We will also have an art activity at the booths.

We hope our endeavor sparks a renewed interest in discovering and sharing our local history and learning about each of our places in the Del Rey Community!

Does your family celebrate Diwali? Would you love to help bring your traditions and celebrations to Short Avenue? We're putting together a Diwali Committee and would love for you to be part of it! Join our WhatsApp group to get involved and help us plan something special for our school community. Join here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HBGILRJ8kYC3v3wrMGVX1v?mode=gi_t

NEW NEW Parent Portal UPDATE!!:

We are now at 95% with our Parents signed up to the Parent Portal!! This means we have 24 students who do NOT have at least one parent signed up. This is for ALL your children who attend Short Ave. We are striving for 100%!!! If you are one of those 24 families, you received a letter in your child's backpack this past week with the information you need to sign up for the Parent Portal. We will be calling families who have not signed up in the coming weeks:)

LAUSD releases a Family Newsletter every Wednesday at 4pm

• Here is this week’s update.

It is time to sign up for Winter Academy! Taking place January 4th through 8th, 8:30am to 11:50am. Meals will be served, and Beyond the Bell After School is available. During Winter Academy, elementary students will work with credentialed teachers to receive small group instructional support in literacy and numeracy, while also participating in enrichment experiences in areas such as financial literacy, social-emotional learning, and the arts. Spots will fill up, so be sure to sign up!

Our school location this year will be Kentwood Elementary , 8401 EMERSON AVE LOS ANGELES, CA 90045.

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

Halloween and Fall Themed Books in our library, photos from the Middle School Options Night featuring many of our Short Ave Alumni, photos of Ms. Ju's 1st graders painting to the sound of the rain, a Haunted House teaser, and photos from Astro Camp!

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!

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!! You must be an APPROVED volunteer with a NEGATIVE TB TEST to volunteer on campus in the classroom, or attend a field trip. Please know approval can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks depending on how many volunteers the district is processing.

ALL Volunteers (both new and returning) must watchThe Mandatory Volunteer Orientation Zoom recording, if you did NOT attend the live zoom on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16TH. There is a Code Word in the video that you will be asked!

2026/27 Mandatory Volunteer Orientation Recording

1. ALL Volunteers (New AND Returning) must first fill out the LAUSD Volunteer Application through this LAUSD VOLUNTEER LINK! Please only check Tier II assignments. 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 .

2. All Volunteers must have a Negative TB test. Please email Avril your Negative TB test AFTER filling out the LAUSD Volunteer Application. TB tests are good for 4 years once you are approved.

SEE THE FLYER BELOW ABOUT A FREE DISTRICT TB SCREENING on Tuesday August 25th from 5:00 to 6:30pm at Daniel Webster Middle School.

New volunteers must have a recent negative test done within 60 days of being processed by me, meaning if you did your TB test more than 60 days ago, you will need to have it re-certified by a medical professional, get a new test or pass a TB assessment. PLEASE email a photo of your negative result with your name, date of test and place and/or medical professional 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 Returning 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 2022, it will expire on your date in 2026. If you did it in 2023 it will expire in 2027.

Here is a link the the most recent Volunteer Guide 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. Please see the LAUSD Volunteer Page for answers to questions.

https://www.lausd.org/volunteer

5. Your official Volunteer Badge will be mailed to the office and will live there on the counter in our Badge Bin. Badges are filed alphabetically. You are responsible for wearing your badge when you are volunteering on campus, and for RETURNING your badge to the bin. Please DO NOT take your badge home!

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. We ask for every student to hav e at least one parent or guardian signed up for the Parent Portal. Please sign up for the Parent Portal, at this link. You should have received a letter in your child's backpack at the beginning of school with your child's student ID and your own parent pin. 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.

From classroom adventures and playground friendships to field trips and Dolphin spirit, there's so much to remember about a year at Short Avenue! 💙

Our 2026–2027 Yearbooks & Yearbook Ads are officially ON SALE! Snag Your Yearbook at the Presale Price!

Get your copy for just $40 through January 11, 2027! After that, the price jumps to $45.

🌟Give Your Dolphin Their Own Moment in the Spotlight! Want to add an extra-special surprise to their yearbook? A personalized yearbook ad is the perfect place for a favorite photo, a sweet message, or a big "We're so proud of you!"

Choose the perfect size for your shoutout:

Full Page — $100
Half Page — $50
Quarter Page — $25

Order your yearbook or purchase an ad here:

https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/shortave2027

Turn your child’s masterpiece into an Art Banner featured on our art wall along the perimeter fence! Their artwork will be enlarged and displayed on campus for an entire year for our whole community to enjoy.

It’s such a special way to celebrate your student’s creativity while adding color and personality to our campus!

🎂 And don’t forget about Birthday Marquee messages! Celebrate your student’s birthday with a personalized message on the Short Ave marquee.

Both are fun ways to make your Dolphin feel extra special — while supporting FoSA and our school! 💙

Art Banners: https://friendsofshortavenue.org/collections/art-banner/products/art-banner
Birthday Marquee: https://friendsofshortavenue.org/collections/birthday-marquee

Did you know you can wish your child a Happy Birthday on the Short Avenue School marquee?

Light up their day and proceeds benefit FoSA and help support Short Avenue! Click below to purchase and remember to enter your child’s name and birthdate in the Special Instructions section at checkout, and we’ll take care of the rest!

Purchase now so you don’t have to remember later. We’ll schedule it and make sure their birthday message goes up when their special day arrives!

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

I am Avril Lipsky, your Community Rep. I was a parent here at Short from 2013 to 2019, and was hired as the Community Rep in 2019. I am responsible for approving volunteers, (more on that below!!) helping families sign up for the Parent Portal, taking photos and posting to our Instagram and Facebook. I also help spread the word about LAUSD Family Academy, and lots more district resources. I am here to answer your questions, or get you to the person who can! Please don't hesitate to reach out. My email will be in every Weekly Wave: avril.lipsky@lausd.net

The Parent Center has moved! We are now just past the front office in Room 4, please come visit!

Each month LAUSD offers a variety of classes, both in person and on zoom. Please click this link to learn more:

LAUSD Family Academy