2012 Olympics Day is March 16

“The most important thing in the Olympic games is not winning,
but taking part.” Pierre de Coubertin

As the children of Canyon Charter train for their Olympic Day race, excitement and expectation are growing around our campus.  Kids are talking about the race, wondering about what prizes could be won this year, and training with Coach Joey so that they might be one of the top runners in their class.  Even our teachers, who are fully occupied with their demanding duties, will take the time to participate and share in the Canyon Olympic spirit.

Teachers will call upon their students to work together to make a real and lasting contribution to their school.  They will encourage sportsmanship and determination by acknowledging the students who work hard and who help others along the way.  And finally, Canyon parents participate by helping their kids collect pledges.  Last year, some parents even stepped into the gap and wrote a check for Uncle Barry who promised $25.00 but never got around to putting the check in the mail.

At the end of last year’s Olympics Day when all the laps were completed and all the pledges counted, it was clear that the entire Canyon community had come together. Each of us had fully supported our children’s efforts and at the end of the day over $46,300 was raised for Canyon!  We ALL took part, and THAT is the most important part of our Olympic games.  It is with that kind of excitement that we anticipate the upcoming 2012 Olympics Day.

One of the main reasons I help with Olympics Day is to be an encouragement to our children.  I love the way this event brings everyone together for a greater good and we all have a load of fun in the process.  Watching our kids enjoy the competition and the effort of training is pure joy.  In the next few weeks, as Olympics Day approaches, take some time to share your favorite memories from the Olympics with your kids.  Will anyone besides me share with their kids Franz Klammer’s amazing downhill victory in Innsbruck during the 1976 Olympics?

In Montreal, Nadia Comaneci achieved in her sport what no Olympian, male or female, had ever before: perfection.  She was the first to score a perfect 10.

And let us not forget the US men’s hockey team victory over the undefeated USSR, called the Miracle on Ice! www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2B59i7Okkc

Go ahead, relive them with your children, and share what the Olympic spirit is all about.
Olympics Day is Friday, March 16.  For glory, for honor, for Canyon

By Ellie Laita, Canyon parent

3rd Grade Science Rocks!

Have you ever wondered why the moon appears to change its shape throughout the month?  Or what structures or behaviors allow crayfish to defend themselves in their environment?  Or have you ever wondered how energy travels from one place to another?  If so, just ask a third grade Canyon scientist as they conduct a variety of investigations in the following units: Sun, Moon & Stars, Structures of Life and Matter & Energy. At Canyon, scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations in the strands of Earth Science, Life Science and Physical Science.

Sun, Moon & Stars
Ms. Ikebe’s scientists began the year by conducting experiments on how objects move through the sky in regular and predictable patterns.  As a basis for this, students studied the patterns of the sun, moon and stars.  Students learned the phases of the moon, that the position of the sun changes during the course of the day and from season to season, that Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun and the Moon orbits the Earth.  “I never knew Native Americans told stories about how the constellations formed pictures in the sky.  It was fun making marshmallow constellations and stories of our own.” – Kaegan

Structures of Life
Currently, in Mr. Butts’s room, student scientists are discovering that adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival.  Through repeated observations, differentiating evidence from opinion and the use of numerical data, students will arrive at the conclusion that the uniqueness of all living things helps to ensure their survival in their individual habitats.  Students will also learn when the environment changes, some organisms survive well while others don’t survive at all.  “I’ve really enjoyed observing our seeds as they change each week and I’m excited that we’ll have living animals in the classroom.” – Steven

Matter & Energy
Last semester, Mrs. Howard’s scientists got “charged” learning about matter and energy.  The learning began with the idea that almost all energy comes from the sun and can be stored in a variety of forms such as food, fuel and batteries.  From there, students learned how stored energy is converted into heat, light and motion and that it can travel by waves.  Finally, students investigated three forms of matter: solids, liquids and gasses.  Students conducted experiments to see how energy travels, light moves and motors turn.  “I thought it was cool that you can make energy from many different sources like windmills and generators.” – Steven

With much learning still to go this year, we encourage you to support us by fostering a sense of scientific inquiry beyond the classroom.  In the words of Claude Levi-Strauss “the scientist is not a person that gives the right answers, he is the one that asks the right questions.”

Steve Butts, Kellie Howard, Sherry Ikebe

Check Out What is Happening in Art Class

Our wonderful Art teacher, Susan Haskell worked on a Chinese New Year celebration art project with the lower grades. She began the class talking about the significance of the Chinese New Year and students learned about the Chinese Horoscope and the characteristics of the different characters. They were all very excited to hear which was their individual character and how it was determined by the year they were born.

Mrs. Haskell then went on to show students a series of art books depicting drawings of ancient dragons from not only China but also from the Mayan culture and Indonesia.
She pointed out their similar and different stylistic features, and demonstrated how to draw different types of eyes, mouths and feet with claws. Guided by Mrs. Haskell students created amazing dragons, each a unique work of art – colorful, dynamic and special.

In the upper grades, in celebration of Black History Month, Mrs. Haskell introduced and studied the work of influential African American artists. Students created beautiful 3D collages, inspired by the work of Betye Saar, a local Southern California assemblage artist.

Susan Haskell, has been teaching at Canyon for over 25 years. She has a passion for art and teaching. She shares with students her vast knowledge of Art History while offering them a wide range of art projects using different and interesting mediums. Students participate in art class with her every other week, either on Thursday or Friday.  This Friday the upper grades are learning about Picasso’s blue period and next week the lower grades will do a project in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

Mrs. Haskell provides our Canyon kids with fun, creative and challenging new art projects and is excited about incorporating new ideas/projects in her lesson plans. As Director of Enrichment, feel free to send me any art project ideas you would like to share. I am also looking for some photographers to volunteer to regularly photograph students’ work and get materials ready for exhibit. Please email me your ideas and/or details to kimtana@verizon.net.

Thank you all for providing the funds that help fuel an important part of art education to our Canyon Students.

Tana Waldren
Parent and Booster Club Director of Enrichment

What’s Growing in the Garden?

Since our successful Canyon Work Day back in September (remember that?!), our garden has been growing. Most notably the favorite of most kids- sugar snap peas! Planted from seeds, these vines now tower above the trellis and are producing lots of samples for the garden lessons. Some of the third graders also planted carrots, shelling peas and sugar snap peas to keep the garden growing.

Certain plants, however, may not thrive and we use that as an opportunity to ponder why that might be. The students speculate that perhaps the plants are not getting enough sun or they are being damaged by pests, or perhaps they are getting too much or too little water.  We observe what is happening in the garden over time and prompt discussion.

The students also notice what other living creatures are in our garden. The praying mantis is the favorite but it has not been seen for a few months. Perhaps some mantis eggs were laid and could hatch soon. Whatever the creature, we encourage students to leave them be and not touch or move them around.

In January, the third graders enjoyed a delicious salad made by Miss Carmen after they learned about the plant life cycles. One parent volunteer said that her child did not like salad. After eating the salad we made from our garden, the child told Miss Carmen that he changed his mind and now he DOES like salad. Many students took home the recipe to make with their families. Perhaps you and your child would like to try it at home?

SIMPLE SALAD

Baby spinach (or mixed greens like arugula, baby lettuce, etc.)
Pomegranate seeds from one whole pomegranate
Olive oil
Orange
Lemon
Salt

Toss spinach and pomegranate seeds in the orange and lemon juices, olive oil and salt.

If you have not already done so, please visit the garden. We have umbrellas at the tables to sit under and anyone is welcome to use them. Just please put the umbrellas back down when you are finished. If you have any gardening suggestions or questions, contact Miss Carmen at carmenjoseph@mac.com.

Carmen Joseph, Canyon parent and garden/cooking teacher

‘Canyon Dragons’ Soccer Team Lets STAR Program Shine

Do you know your school has an undefeated, co-ed sports team? Do you know we have a new region-wide championship trophy that represents our soccer team’s hard-earned skills and remarkable sportsmanship?

Our Canyon Dragons soccer team may be the best program you don’t know about, and is a shining example of what a successful school sports club looks like.
Run by the revered after-school STAR enrichment program and going strong since 1998, the soccer teams deliver everything a school sport should: teaming, coordination and camaraderie for the group, a balance of healthy competition and school community, exciting Friday night ‘lights’ games, and an enormous sense of school spirit and pride for the kids who play for Canyon.

STAR operates two soccer teams: one for 2nd/3rd graders, and another for 4th/5th graders. This year, the 4th/5th grade team was undefeated the entire season, and deservedly won the STAR district championship trophy for the school, proudly on display in the STAR classroom. This season the soccer team opened up 17 positions to a team made up of both boys and girls, after a healthy dose of competitive tryouts in the fall. Every team member must pass a tryout, and while this can be an intimidating concept for youngsters, it’s an important, sometimes lost lesson in grasping what it means to want something, go after it, and earn it based on skill and merit.

Dutch, a 5th grader in Mrs. Watson’s class who plays forward position, says “I want to tell everyone not to be afraid. It might be scary to try out for a really good team, but if you want something, you should work hard for it, even if it means you have to keep trying.”
But the real secret in this special mix are the coaches: Coach Joey and Coach Carlos. Assistant Coach Carlos (Mr. Velado in the computer lab) and Head Coach Joey (still Coach Joey in Phys Ed) have formed extraordinary relationships with their players, and fostered an enviable solidarity among the team.

Arlo, a 4th grader in Mrs. Davis’ class who plays centerfield mid position, says “My favorite thing about playing soccer for Canyon are the coaches. Coach Joey is the best coach you could have. He makes sure we’re always having fun and improving our game at the same time. Plus, we get to be with our friends while playing an awesome sport.”
Arlo’s mom Susannah Grant says she has seen her kids, both of whom have played for Canyon, gain so much from this experience. She notes that they grasp what it means to earn and deserve respect, work hard to be effective and communicate with teammates, and pick up leadership skills while learning invaluable lessons from talented leaders.
Coach Joey has an especially excellent reputation for his demeanor with the kids. Dutch’s mom, Jody Lennon, says she sees him bringing discipline and focus to the kids, pulling them out of their shells with his special way of relating to them, instilling confidence while earning their respect. At the end of the season, they leave with a special connection to the school and a strong bond with each other.

Susannah Grant, Arlo’s mom, says, “It’s an exciting Friday night sporting event to look forward to. I can’t wait to get on that sideline and watch my son and his team play a great game. It’s a great way to start the weekend.”

“It’s an honor to play for my school’s team. The whole experience is really amazing.” Dutch
says. “Everyone is so supportive of each other. We all get along, there’s no fighting or criticisms on the team, and my best friends during the school day are also my best friends on the soccer field. I love the feeling of playing for my Canyon team.”

Coach Joey is infamous for putting his own skin in the game. Every year, he promises a crazy stunt in exchange for a winning team: blue hair, buzzed ‘do, shaved head, everything is game. So now that you know more about the Canyon Dragons, it will make sense when you see Coach Joey sporting his new mohawk this term. Be sure to give him a fist pump and help celebrate your school’s championship soccer season.

Elissa Robins, Canyon Parent

7 Year Old Dies at School after an Allergic Reaction – AP wire report.

It’s true. It happened on January 2th, 2012.  Ammaria Johnson died after eating food from another child’s plate. You can read that story here.

As one of several parents at Canyon who have a child with severe, life threatening allergies, this story breaks my heart and causes nightmares.  We plan as best we can. We fill out the forms, we meet with Joyce, the nurse, the teachers.  We tell room parents. Before going on play dates we tell other parents and care-givers about how serious the allergy is and train them to recognize the signs of a reaction and teach them how to use epi-pens. We send the reminders to the soccer parents not to bring processed food that could have peanuts or tree nuts in them. We do all we can, but how do you teach other 7 year olds not to give food to your child?  How do you comfort your child when for the 10th time, a classmate sits next to them with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and your child stops eating and leaves lunch hungry because they know they can’t be near that food?

Rainy days suck for us because on rainy days the kids eat in the classroom. And, even though the teacher establishes a “peanut free” classroom, there are still times when students and faculty come to school with foods that contains peanuts and tree nuts. On rainy days, students are stuck in a classroom where the kids are touching everything.  Scary.

I’ve heard at Canyon – “It’s all my kid will eat so I have to send PBJs to school” and “How real are these allergies? It seems every other kid has one, or why should the masses suffer for one child?” Seriously???

I’ve also had a mom vacuum her car out in advance of driving on a field trip because she knew she was driving my daughter and they ate nuts a week earlier in the car.  The first fieldtrip we let her drive in another parent’s car so she could be like the regular kids.  Fabulous!

I’ve had many moms double check recipes with me and parents modify dishes they bring in for special events.  Also fabulous.

I’ve also made mistakes and gone out without an epi-pen or let my child go home impulsively with someone because a bunch of kids were doing it and forgot to send an epi-pen. I kick myself and pray.

Teachers and staff at Canyon are trained. Steps are being taken since Ammaria’s death to add additional training for the aides who are on lunch duty to recognize the signs of a reaction. I hope that we never have to write the story that a child died at Canyon because people acted too slow or didn’t know what to do. I hope that no parent has to live this nightmare. My hope is that parents in Nut-Free Classes think twice about what they put in their child’s lunch bag and I hope that people truly stop bringing in “treats” that could kill my child.

A lunch table at Canyon  has been designated as a “Nut Free Zone”. Any child is free to sit at this table as long as they do not have peanuts or tree nuts in their lunch.  This table will have signs on it and the teachers will instruct their kids next week about it.  Keeping at least one table nut free always the children who have allergies a safe place to eat without risk of contamination during both lunch periods.
Canyon has also created some fact sheets for parents with children who have severe allergies.  If you would like to review it, please read it here.

Beth Preminger

Why Are Silent Auction and Fiesta Separate Events This Year and What Can You Do to Help Make It “Betta than Eva”?

Separations Can Be Difficult, but Sometimes Very Necessary

For as long as we can remember, Canyon’s annual Fiesta and Silent Auction made a terrific couple…. activities for the kids, food, great shopping for the adults, fun for the whole family right?  For many, many years… YES!  However, with the disappearance of the big carnival rides, the attendance and money raised at Fiesta and Silent Auction eventually decreased significantly and the volunteer labor to man all the new carnival game booths at the event has increased.  Many parents have also said they never make it into the silent auction room because they’re too busy watching their kids at Fiesta, they missed the category closing or the room was so crowded that it too overwhelming to walk in!

Based on these factors, it seems Fiesta and Silent Auction needed a “make-over.”  Your Fiesta and Silent Auction committees are willing to step out on a limb (a potentially big one) to find new ways to turn this downward trend around by making both events more current, fun and exciting.  Last year you saw the appearance of iPad bidding at Silent Auction – definitely a mixed bag of reviews on that change-up.  So, what better way to try something new this year: separate the events, call it theAUCTION, take theAUCTION to a cool venue, turn down the lights (think evening), add food and alcoholic beverages, turn up the music . . . all sans children?  Fiesta too will likely look different this year (details on that will be forthcoming as we get closer to the event).

How Can You Help to Make the Make-Over “Betta than Eva”???

First things first, we need donations!!! Our deadline is FAST approaching (January 23 if you’ve missed the multitude of reminders).  Less donations means less money raised and the committee’s efforts to turn things around will be lost!  Think of things you’ve won at previous auctions that have made lasting impressions on you and your family!  Here are some of those lasting impressions people have shared with us about things they’ve won at auctions:

My daughter and I have made it our annual tradition. One year, we bid on a one night stay at a nearby hotel and I took my daughter for some special time together. Now it’s become a mother/daughter ritual that I hope endures long into our future.

***

We adopted a dog and soon thereafter our family couldn’t imagine life without Rex. But as the prospect of our summer vacation loomed on the horizon, we realized we weren’t sure what we’d do with him while we were out of town. At the silent auction we bid on a dog boarding stay and were so thrilled when our dog came home to us well cared for and happy. We wouldn’t think of having him stay anywhere else.

***

My friend and her husband seemed to be always at each other, with bickering and disagreements coloring the air. On an impulse, her husband bid on a two-night stay in Ojai. After some juggling to arrange childcare, they went on a long overdue escape. They realized that reconnecting with one another, without the demands of parenting, went a long way towards rediscovering what was important to them.

***

Our daughter had been begging to play the violin since she was two years old and although my husband and I were daunted at the prospect, we finally indulged her with a two lesson offer we got at our school’s silent auction. That’s when Jessica came into our lives. Six years later our daughter’s still playing. The confidence this experience has given her is indescribable.

These are a few examples of the benefits we receive as parents when we participate in Canyon’s Silent Auction. The second and most important benefit is in how our children’s education is enhanced through the many programs this fundraising allows (please read the Enrichment Article in this Month’s Journal on these amazing programs).

Second, take the leap of faith with us to try something new, come join us at the new, (hopefully) improved Silent Auction this year.  It’s always a challenge to go outside of our comfort zone, what’s familiar and what has worked in the past.  But, your committees are working tirelessly to step-up the game and raise more money for all of our children for better enrichment programs and a well-rounded education.  It truly takes a village to raise children, and Canyon is a terrific village to be part of.  So, please, bring in your donations and come check out theAUCTION!!!

A recap: everything you need to know HERE!

theEVENT:   Silent Auction 2012

theLOCATION: James Gray Gallery @ Bergamot Station   2525 Michigan Ave, Suite D4 Santa Monica, CA 90404

theDATE: Friday, February 24, 2012

theTIME:  7 pm to 10pm

yourPART: Two donations per child are due January 23.  Download the donations form.
Come party, bring your friends, and bid on fabulous items!
Buy canyonCASH for food and drink tickets

Have questions?  Visit the site or email us at silentauction@canyoncharter.com.

Jeannie Choi-Wolff, Catherine von Goetz, Carol Esther, Kim Getty, Sharon Lavoisne, Kate Brooks & Tana Waldren, Silent Auction Committee Co-Chairs