Inside this issue:

Math 2

Art, PE 3

Science 4

Language Arts 5

Social Studies, Computer 6

2010 SEPTEMBER

First of all, I would like to say

hello to everybody and extend

a warm welcome to our new

students and their families. The staff at MSA has

been working very hard this summer to prepare for

the upcoming school year, and so far we are off to a

smooth start.

I would also like to sincerely thank those parents who came to our Parent

Task Force (PTF) meeting last week; more than 20 parents attended.

Other good news is that our API score increased by 6 points this year. It is

not as big of an increase as we had hoped for, but it is an improvement. Thank you

to all the students, parents and faculty for their hard work with their test prepara-

tion. Our goal is to increase the API score by 50 points this year. I believe in my

team; we can do it with our parents' support!

Book fair: Coming next week! Come and join us! (from Monday through Friday)

Enrollment: We need more 6th, 8th and 9th graders. It is very important for us to

fill all the classes to have a financially smooth year.

Home visit: You will be receiving a phone message from the office to schedule a

home visit at a convenient time for you, or you can call the office to schedule.

Lunch Program: Make sure you submit the new lunch application form to office

ASAP.

All the best,

Mustafa Sahin

From the Principal

Msa4 News

Magnolia Science Academy 4 11330 W Graham Place Los Angeles, CA 90064

venice.magnoliascience.org

Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival

2010

Our API score has

increased

by 6 points

MSA4 News Page 2

Hello parents!

Welcome back to another school year at MSA-4! My name is Ms. Cheng and

I am your child’s math teacher this year. I am very excited to see this year unfold

and to have the opportunity to work with your child to develop their math skills and

create inquisitive, eager learners.

I received my BA in Mathematics/Secondary Education and my M.Ed. from

UCSD. I previously taught at a high-needs charter school in San Diego and I am ex-

tremely hopeful for this first year of teaching in Los Angeles.

So far, the school year has started off great! My goal this year is for all stu-

dents to meet or exceed grade-level proficiency. Whether your child is in 6th grade,

9th grade, or anything in between, they should expect this year in math to be a chal-

lenge, and at times even a frustration. I offer math tutoring after school on Mondays

and Thursdays, however, students can come find me any day, any time for help. Ad-

ditionally, the syllabus your child received from me has all of my contact information

needed to reach me in the evenings or weekends, and is for them to use freely, re-

sponsibly, and as needed.

Math is a difficult subject to master, but I have every confidence that every

child can be successful in my class this year. Please feel free to contact me with any

questions or concerns you may have about your child’s progress in my class. I look

forward to meeting you and working closely with you throughout the year.

Best,

Ms. Cheng

Mathematics - Ms. Cheng

Welcome!

MSA4 News Page 3

Welcome to another year of Art!

ART, PE

This year the students at MSA 4 will be developing their

art skills and learning many new art terms and techniques. I will

also be introducing the students to several artists. The students will

learn about contemporary artists as well as artist from the past. Art

from several cultures will be covered as well as various types of art

from drawing, painting and photography to sculpture, film and ar-

chitecture.

I have included an art supply list with the Fine Art syllabus.

Please try to donate these supplies if you can. Donated supplies

will be kept in the art closet and shared with the students through-

out the year. Last year we were lucky to receive the supply list

from most students. These supplies kept us going all year.

Some parents suggested to me that we hold an art event in

the spring where the students can show their work. I am very ex-

cited about this and I hope that the students will feel inspired by this goal. I look forward to shar-

ing news about our art program throughout the year.

Ms. Nardini

Mr. Ramón Trejo Introduction

I am originally from Northern California where I received

my B.A. and Teaching Credential in Physical Education from

California State University Chico. Before I came to Magnolia Sci-

ence Academy 4 I was teaching Physical Education at Magnolia

Science Academy 2, where I also created a very successful athlet-

ics program and subsequently served as the unofficial Athletic Di-

rector. This year I will be serving as the Discipline Coordinator,

Physical Education teacher, and unofficial Athletic Director here

at MSA 4. As the Discipline Coordinator I will be dealing with

anything that has to do with discipline issues and procedures. As a

Physical Education teacher I will teach one to three periods of

physical education. My goal is to promote an active lifestyle by

exposing your children to a variety of physical activities in hopes

that they come across something they enjoy and want to continue

doing for the rest of their lives. As the unofficial Athletic Director

I will attempt to create and run a league in which our students

compete in against other schools.

If you have questions about any of these three things

please feel free to ask.

MSA4 News Page 4

Dear MSA-4 Parents,

My name is Ms. Daco and I would like to welcome your child to

my Science class. This is my 2nd year of teaching at MSA-4. I received

my Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies with a Science Concentration,

and my Master’s Degree in Education. I am looking forward to getting to

know both you, and your children, this year. I truly believe that good

communication between parent, teacher, and student is very important for your child’s academic growth.

I would like to briefly discuss my homework policy. I am not accepting any late work this year. I

do not give a great deal of homework. On most nights, it should average about 30-40 mins, sometimes less.

I usually do not give homework on Fridays. Occasionally, your child will have an opportunity to finish his

or her homework in class. Please let me know if you find that your child is regularly having more than one

hour, because this indicates that we need to talk.

The purpose of homework is two-fold: to reinforce what we have learned in class, and to teach re-

sponsibility. A child who has done his/her homework is prepared, in class, to hear explanations of what he

or she has had trouble with at home. A child without his/her homework done loses twice—both in learning

through reinforcement, and in listening to explanations in class. I am also trying, in middle school/high

school, to help students develop good work habits for future years. When a child arrives in class without

his/her homework done, it is my policy to mark it as zero (0) on CoolSIS. This is my way of communicat-

ing the importance of homework to your child. If an unusual circumstance prevents your child from doing

his/her homework (sickness, injury, or other serious problem), please send a note with your child in the

morning, so that he/she can be excused for not doing his/her homework.

I check my e-mail daily, and this is often the quickest and most efficient way to get in touch with

me, or to discuss any of your concerns. I will respond promptly. Please do not hesitate to e-mail me at any

time at: c.daco@magnoliascience.org.

I am looking forward to a great year.

From the Desk of Ms. Daco

Science

Very truly yours,

Cristina Daco

Science Teacher

MSA4 News Page 5

My name is Ms. Snipes, and I’m the Language Arts teacher at MSA4 - Venice. I’m really excited for

this school year! There are so many things to buckle down and learn, but also so many fun activities coming

up. We’re doing special units and activities for each grade – for instance, 7th graders will be writing a novel

(NaNo WriMo) during the month of November and 9th graders will be writing a script (Script Frenzy) during

the month of April. This year is going to be as exciting as it is thought-provoking; strap on your thinking caps!

:

Language Arts - Ms. Snipes

Welcome!

Days Ms. Snipes checks homework

Tuesday Wednesday

Thursday Friday

Days Ms. Snipes has tutoring

Wednesday Thursday

Days Ms. Snipes checks late work

On the last day of the chapter – make sure the

assignment is in the right spot in the notebook

and has the Late And Missing Excuse form

filled out.

How many spiral notebooks do I need for class

every day?

TWO, one for journal and one for assignments

(interactive notebook). They cannot be combined

with each other or notebooks from other classes.

Cheat Sheet for Language Arts

MSA4 News Page 6

I am Mr. Smith and this is my third year teaching at MSA-4 Venice. I will

continue to teach Social Studies this year for all 6th, 7th and 8th grade students.

Sixth grade will be studying ancient civilizations from the first known hu-mans cultures to the rise of the Roman Empire.

Seventh grade will be studying medieval civilizations from the fall of the Roman Empire to the discov-ery of the New World.

Eighth graders will be tackling American history from the original colonies to the industrial revolution.

Ninth graders are in for a treat because this year I will also be teaching Health. They will be discover-ing loads of great new things about physical and mental health that will help them throughout life.

I am already looking forward to the adventure we will all have this school year. I am excited to begin as you all move one step closer to graduat-ing high school and entering into college.

Mr. Smith

Mr. Smith - Social Studies

Social Studies, Computer

Mr. Deniz - Computer

Hello dear parents!

This is my second year at MSA4. I would like to thank all of you for supporting us in providing a qual-

ity education and good care. I hope the new education year will be more productive and fun at MSA4.

6th & 7th graders will be learning MS Office applications (Word,Excel,PowerPoint). 8th graders will

be doing project based assignments and web design. 9th graders will learn Digital Arts.

The following is a typical structure of the computer class;

Typing Practice: Students will develop their typing skills using ‘Typing Master’ software and various online

typing activities.

Independent Study: Students will do their assignment. There may be written tests and quizzes from time-to-

time. No homework will be given.

Educational Activity: After completing independent study students will be given Educational Activity re-

sources (Online web sites, Educational Software, etc…)

Typing Practice Independent Study ( classwork ) Educational Activity

5-10 min 5-10 min 20-30 min