Newsletter
SENDAK NEWSLETTER FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 17 - 21, 2025
WORTH POSTING AGAIN..Congratulations to the entire Sendak Team! We are now a Tier 1 school.
Based on Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) performance and growth in both English Language Arts and Mathematics from 2024 and 2025, Sendak El has been identified as a Tier 1: Base Instructional Support school for the start of the 2026-27 school year. The identification for our school is based on High Growth on Distance from Standard (DFS) in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. This identification will remain until we are re-identified for the 2028-29 school year. Let’s keep this up.
Tuesday Banked-Time PD and Staff Meeting
Banked Tuesday: PDSA Cycle continued – Teachers to meet by grade level. K-2 in Room 119 and Grades 3-5 will meet in Room 225 (Mrs. Smith)
RDRS Window is open for administration:
The Reading Difficulties Risk Screener assessment window is now open for Grades K-2 teachers to administer to all their students. All teachers should have taken the PD for this assessment.
As a school, we agreed to administer this assessment the Thanksgiving Break so that the Winter Program practices do not hinder with the administration. So please ensure that you have scheduled time for the RDRS administration this week so that you are done by this Friday. If you have any questions about administration, please speak with Gina.
Winter Program is Around the Corner
The Winter Program is scheduled for Thursday, December 18. Grade levels should start planning for their performances for the show. Each grade level is to have 2 songs. There are plenty of Winter songs out there, so let’s keep the show creative, original, and entertaining. (Example: Rock Around the Christmas Tree has been banned….Bah Humbug!) A sign up for the grade level will be posted by the teachers’ mailboxes, so that we don’t have any duplications of songs.
WEEKLY iReady COMPLETION RATES: Week of 11-10-2025
Students should be completing 2 lessons weekly during their designated My Path for both Math and ELA. If they are not doing that and/or are not passing with a score of 70% or higher, they should be targeted for your small group instruction.
MATH iReady Completion is 88% with 91% of students scoring 70% or higher.
READING iReady Completion is 79% with 75% of students scoring 70% or higher.
CONGRATULATIONS to the 100% Club:
Math: Carrera, Orello, Smith (4&5), Miller, Sanchez, Beery, Backos, Rubio
Reading: Carrera, Smith (4), Sanchez, Beery, Backos
CONGRATULATIONS to the 90-99% Club:
Math: Jimenez, Garcia, Schumacher, Valenzuela
Reading: Orello, Smith (5), Miller, Garcia
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
11/30 Gema Beery
Monday, November 17 Pajama Day
At Sendak: Rose Jauregui-Santillan (AP-EIS Alt. Tues), Nurse Patrick, Margaret Younan (LAS) Alexandra Calabria (Psych.)
7:55 First Bell and Morning Assembly
8:00-8:15 Breakfast in the Classroom
8:30-12:00 Angie, Maria, George at Budget Meeting (zoom)
2:25 Dismissal
Tuesday, November 18 Silly Socks Day
At Sendak: Rose Jauregui-Santillan (AP-EIS Alt. Tues), Nurse Patrick, Margaret Younan (LAS) Alexandra Calabria (Psych.)
7:55 First Bell
8:00-8:15 Breakfast in the Classroom
1:25 Dismissal
1:40 PD: PDSA Cycle by grade level
Wednesday, November 19 School Colors or School Shirt Day
At Sendak: Nurse Patrick, Elizabeth Rebozo-Diaz (Music) Sergio Flores (PETIP), Alexandra Calabria (Psych.)
Off Campus: G.Khatchadourian to Principals’ Meeting (all day)
7:55 First Bell
8:00-8:15 Breakfast in the Classroom
9:00 Operation Warm jacket giveaway in the MPR.
2:25 Dismissal
Thursday, November 20 Cozy Flannel Day
At Sendak: Rose Jauregui-Santillan (AP-EIS), Nurse Patrick, Cindy An (SSS), Northia Reyes (PSA), Margaret Younan (LAS)
7:55 First Bell
8:00 Student Success Awards Assembly on the yard (unless it is raining)
8:30 Breakfast in the Classroom
2:25 Dismissal
Friday, November 21 Crazy Hair Day
At Sendak: Rose Jauregui-Santillan (AP-EIS), Nurse Patrick, Cindy An (SSS), Northia Reyes (PSA), Margaret Younan (LAS)
7:55 First Bell
8:00-8:15 Breakfast in the Classroom
9:00 Field Trip to Warner Bros. – Jimenez, Ruano, Smith
12:50 Dismissal
1:00-4:00 Parent Conferences
Upcoming Important Dates:
Nov. 20 Student Success Awards
Nov. 24-28 Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 4 Make-up Picture Day
Dec. 12 Coffee w/ the Principal
Dec. 17 Winter Program – Dress Rehearsal
Dec. 18 Winter Program – Parent Show
Dec. 22 – 1/9 Winter Break
Our 6 Instructional Priorities for the school year are:
- Literacy – reading, writing, and speaking across all subjects
- Numeracy – real world application of math concepts
- Science – Integrating Next Generation Science Standards
- Assessments informing instruction – DIBELs, DRDP, iReady, and SBA
- Professional and Leadership Development – ILTs
- Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycles
Small Group Instruction
Here are some of the look-fors in implementing systems and structures in SGI.:
- Visual aids and clear explanations introduce the purpose and structure of small groups.
- Group norms and expectations are posted and are evident in the classroom.
- Explicit modeling/review of activities, routines, and transitions.
- Visible and accessible schedule for small group sessions integrated within literacy and math.
- Time management that maximizes instructional efficiency.
- Clear transition cues and smooth operation of group transitions.
- Use of templates to organize objectives, instructional strategies, and assessments.
- Reflective sessions with students to reinforce routines and expectations.
To ensure District-Wide coherence, the following 7 Teaching and Learning Framework elements will be the focus for professional development, PDSA, Instructional Rounds, and classroom observations.
1b1. Awareness of Students’ Skills, Knowledge, and Language Proficiency Uses information about students’ academic strengths and needs, language proficiency and social emotional wellness in planning.
2a3. Academic Climate The academic environment is safe and supportive; risk-taking is encouraged, students freely share their culture, language, and ideas, and student mistakes are treated as learning opportunities, never with ridicule.
3a4. Use of Academic Language Academic language is used to communicate and deepen understanding of the content and is inclusive of the culture and language of students.
3b2. Discussion Techniques and Student Participation Techniques are used to ensure that all students share their thinking around challenging questions including strategies that affirm students’ culture and language.
3c1. Standards-Based Projects, Activities and Assignments Standards-aligned learning activities cognitively engage students in the lesson.
3c2. Purposeful and Productive Instructional Groups Students are grouped in order to promote productive cognitive engagement in the lesson.
3d3. Feedback to Students Students receive specific, culturally sensitive and timely feedback that will move their learning forward.
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