SES PTSA

2 days ago

𝗦𝗘𝗦 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝟴/𝟮𝟲/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰
Dear Sunnyside Community,
Hello all you beautiful humans! I am so excited to have students return to the building Tuesday August 27th for 1st through 6th grade, Wednesday August 28th for 1st through 8th grade, and the first full day of kindergarten is Tuesday September 3rd.

Please remember that school starts at 8:45. Please have your student to their meeting spots by 8:40. Students can come for breakfast starting at 8:30 but MUST enter at the back doors by the cafeteria and stay in the cafeteria. There is no supervision before or after school so make sure to drop off and pick up promptly.

As many of our returning families know, 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗻𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀. 𝟱𝘁𝗵-𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 (𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀) 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 (𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀) 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹. Do not send your student with cell phones/apple watches, or anything that can connect to the internet in grades K-4. This is non negotiable and very important for our student mental health. Please see this important article about social media and mental health for our young people (and all of us).

www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/23/surgeon-general-issues-new-advisory-about-effects-social-media-...

At Sunnyside we strive to connect our students to the world around us and facilitate their relationships with each other. We will not be using Chromebooks for breaks or rewards and will instead continue our rich history in place-based education and going outside whenever possible.

At Sunnyside we have worked as a community to set expectations for how we move through this building and treat one another. For a slide link to K-5 expectations, see here. Middle school expectations are found here in our tracking sheets. Please note that we build communities in our classrooms that welcome differences, celebrate each other, and ask that everyone take part in the community. When issues arise, we use our Sunnyside Climate Handbook and the District Handbook to set consequences and next steps.

Over the past few years we have worked as a staff and Site Council to redo our Sunnyside Mission and Vision. As we sunset last year, we made a commitment to our Sunnyside Pillars that are borne out of our Mission/Vision. These pillars are: Field study, Community and Curriculum, Service Learning, and Celebration. Our professional development this year will be focused on these four pillars and how we always keep equity at the root of everything. We had a staff retreat on Friday where the founders came to speak to us about the origins of the school and to inspire us with their strength of vision and steadfastness in bringing this school to life. Big shout out to Jan and Sarah! We are ready to start with all of you.

Since I was inspired this summer on the train reading Joy Harjo, I leave you with this poem to start out the year. Welcome one and all, we are so excited to have you.

September Moon
Last night you called and told me
about the moon over San Francisco Bay.
Here in Albuquerque it is mirrored
in a cool, dark, Sandia sky.
the reflection is within all of us.
Orange, and almost the harvest
moon. Wind and the chill of the colder
months coming on. The children and I
watched it, crossed San Pedro and Central
coming up from the state fair.
Wind blowing my hair was caught
in my face. I was fearful of traffic,
trying to keep my steps and the moon was east,
ballooning out of the mountain ridge, out of smokey clouds
out of any skin that was covering her. Naked.
Such beauty.

Look.
We are alive. The woman of the moon looking
at us, and we looking at her, acknowledging
each other.

Dr. Berg
Principal, Sunnyside Environmental School
www.pps.net/sunnyside
She/ Hers/ They (Why?) ... See MoreSee Less

Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health

www.hhs.gov

Surgeon General Urges Action to Ensure Social Media Environments are Healthy and Safe, as Previously-Advised National Youth Mental Health Crisis Continues