Richard joining the Community Action elective to teach lettering, a gratitude jar made by one of our students, Cole cooking for math class, Pyp whipping up chicken and potatoes during Lick the Plate, and Chloe and Maddie doing their walk for water.
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It's the SCOOP for May 14, 2020
Your weekly news from Santa Barbara Middle School
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I was recently having a conversation with other parents and the common feeling was, “I can’t wait for this to be over.” While I couldn't agree more with respect to the pandemic, this sentiment left me feeling concerned for our kids. Santa Barbara Middle School was founded upon the importance of rites of passage. Our belief in and practice of traditions is one of the most special and unique aspects of our school. Our traditions, coupled with the importance of our students’ metamorphosis throughout these years, must not be minimalized. While we may feel a strong impulse to jump into summer or zoom through time, it’s important that we take a moment to truly honor all that our students have accomplished. Our kids are having a hard time during this period of history, but they are doing something for the greater good of society and the world. Their selflessness will be seen in history as heroic. Who they are becoming by getting through this is worth both reflection and recognition. We want them to recognize that this is a rite of passage in its own sense. Additionally, we need to acknowledge everything they accomplished before the pandemic. We must remember the beginning of the year, the memories they have, and all that we did together. As a result, we will give this end of year the importance it deserves and make it one to remember in its own way. We look forward to sharing our end-of-year activities with you and your families in the safest and most special ways that we can.
To the journey,
Bianca
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
SBMS CARES
Nearly two weeks ago, instead of hosting our Auction benefit, we launched
SBMS Cares
- a fund designed to support the SBMS community through times of hardship. In that time, our community has come together to raise over $60,000! All funding will go directly to supporting the greatest needs of our school, with the main focus of sustaining our diverse community by providing greater tuition assistance for families facing new financial constraints.
Our gratitude goes out to the many donors who have contributed so generously to help us raise this important funding. We still have progress to make to achieve our goal and will continue to raise funds through the end of May. If you are in a place to contribute, we would so appreciate a gift of any size to help us meet our community's needs.
Donations can be made online
,
or email
Phoebe
for more information.
If your family has been financially impacted by COVID 19 to the point that you are at risk of not being able to afford enrollment for the 2020-21 school year, we encourage you to reach out to Maida at
maida@sbms.org
to receive an application for emergency assistance from the SBMS Cares Fund.
LAST CALL - SUMMER MENTORS
We need you to be one of our
SUMMER MENTORS
for new families. Please email Sue (
sue@sbms.org
). It's an easy and fun way to connect with our new families and help continue to strengthen our SBMS community. (We are especially looking for current 6th and 7th grade families.)
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CALLING ALL SBMS COMMUNITY MEMBERS - BE A PART OF SONGFEST HISTORY
This year Songfest is going virtual online and we want to invite all current families to participate musically on one of the great songs we are planning for that.
We are putting together a cover version of U2's S
till Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
, patterned after the "Playing for Change" videos many of you likely are familiar with. We've already started building this song around some performances by alumni. If you aren't familiar with those wonderful song covers created by the Playing for Change project, here are a couple to check out: Bill Withers'
Lean on Me
and Marvin Gaye's
What's Goin' On
Sing it once. Sing it twice. Sing the whole song if you like. JUST SING and record yourself in any setting or locale you like!
Do this with your phone (or digital camera), the phone
held or propped up horizontally
, while you listen to the Youtube track on a separate device over speakers or through headphones. Once you've shared the love,
upload your finished video/audio clip
to our
Google Drive U-2 Song Upload Folder
.
DO NOT EMAIL CLIPS! (Email compresses and ruins video clips.)
This year's online "virtual" Songfest is set to
broadcast on Saturday, June 6, 2020
, time TBD. So please try to get your clip(s) uploaded as soon as you can (or by
Friday, May 29
at the very latest).
Let's seize this opportunity to make some magic together and make this year's Songfest another incredible event!!
Because of Them. Us. Because of Us. Them.
Love,
Marco
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BIANCA'S BLURB
I had a meeting with an 8th grade parent today, and when asked how her family is doing, she said, "You know...hanging in there...limping along. Among other things, I stay in the kitchen and just try to make sure that my whole family is fed well." As I sat down to write this blurb I was staring at a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Food, it seems, has become a theme of the self-isolation/quarantine time. I've noticed that my own family's new routines have revolved around baking, movie night treats, and special weekend breakfasts (think pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc!). I've also seen about a million memes about the amount of times kids ask for snacks during the day! And today, of all days, I read an article about nutrition during the pandemic and the "destabilization in [our] economies and a rising threat of food insecurity." Here are some recommendations from the article and other ideas on how to ensure a nutritious diet during this time:
- Decrease reliance on food imports--in other words, shop local! I've seen a lot of farms here in Carpinteria publish the dates when they will sell their goods directly to the public.
- Plant and pot an herb garden or build a vegetable garden box. What a fun outdoor hands-on project that can help nourish your family!
- Diversify. I am totally guilty of creating routines that reinforce the same food we always eat. Instead, we are starting the "Try it, you like it! Club." Each week we introduce a new dish to try out.
- Keep up the diversity! Cycle through the list of veggies and fruit so that you're not just sticking to the same ones. For example, I always serve carrots and broccoli as veggies and bananas and berries for fruit. Pears and plums, however, have made a comeback in my house! I have a pomegranate on my counter that is just calling my name.
- Keep baking and cooking together. Just make sure to communicate with your kids that the focus and purpose of baking and cooking together is togetherness, not necessarily the food. In fact, maybe you can share your baked goods and make special food deliveries to others.
- Join PA's "Lick the Plate" class and learn something new.
- And of course, make sure each meal is balanced... with veggies dominating the plate.
- Looking to make a difference and combine it with your love of food? SB County is still in need of volunteers to help distribute meals. Local public schools provide lunch for kids under 18 every day. Get out there and help bag some sandwiches. I hear the lunches sometimes have killer burritos in there, too.
Look back at all of Bianca's Blurbs
here
.
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THE WEEK AHEAD
Sunday, May 17
4pm-6pm Lick the Plate (details below)
Monday, May 18
N/A
Tuesday, May 19
Wednesday, May 20
4pm-6pm Lick the Plate (details below)
Thursday, May 21
9am Cups and Questions on
ZOOM
Friday, May 22
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FAMILY ACTIVITIES
CARPE DIEM BUCKET LIST 3.0
We have streamlined and improved our
Bucket List
and added new activities to keep your students engaged, active, and outdoors. What have you checked off so far?
Send us photos
!
DIAMOND TIME OFFERINGS
8:15am - 8:45am
Diamond Time has been added to each student's schedule in the HUB where they will be able to access the zoom links.
- Breakfast with PA (Monday)
- Monday Morning Movement with Kara (Monday)
- 7th Grade Life Skills (Tuesday)
- PE (Tuesday / Wednesday)
- Yoga (Wednesday / Friday)
PE CLASS WITH ERIK
We are moving the time of PE class up so it will now run from 2:30-3pm for 30 minutes of active movement. Tune in!
LICK THE PLATE WITH PA
Lick The Plate next week will be doing a two-part series on the foundation of all things delicious - Stocks, Broths and Soups. Guests may join either Sunday or Wednesday from 4-6pm, however, it's recommended to attend both. Sunday we'll be making our stock, learning the difference between stock and broth and creating a complex but delicious soup. On Wednesday, we are taking that stock and turning it into a sauce to be the basis of something wonderful. Those interested please email me for more info at
pa@sbms.org
. Here's the zoom info for those who simply want to tune in:
- Meeting ID: 958 4086 9038
- Password: foundation
- Meeting ID: 977 8324 1084
- Password: foundation
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PHOTO CONTEST
Evelyn
is our winner of last week's "details" photo contest! Look at that stunning shot!
Next week's theme is
food. Join PA's "Lick the Plate" class and share your creation, make your favorite dessert, or show us your best foodie Instagram pic. Make sure you have good lighting, consider plating your food so it looks fancy or make it more of a lifestyle shot.
Here is the link to a
Google Drive folder to submit your photos. Upload your images with your full name and title by next Wednesday at 10:00pm. Good Luck!
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COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
We are saddened to share the news that Maesyn Fitzgibbons, the sibling of a current SBMS student, was the passenger of a vehicle that was involved in a serious accident earlier this month. She suffered extensive injuries and is now facing multiple surgeries and has a long road of rehabilitation ahead of her. A
GoFundMe
page has been started to support her and her family through this challenging time. The SBMS family is holding Maesyn, Cainan, Lynette, Rusty, and their entire family in our hearts, and is grateful for any support that our school community can provide.
COMMUNITY HAVES + NEEDS
Thank you for all the great ideas that have built the community
Haves and Needs list
!
We'll continue highlighting ways for our school families to collectively make a difference for small businesses, individuals, and organizations needing support during this time. Please keep sending suggestions to
Phoebe
, and we'll do all we can to continue supporting our
Santa Barbara community.
CUPS AND QUESTIONS
We had another great Cups and Questions this morning. You can watch our discussion in the
recorded meeting video here. See you next Thursday morning at 9am!
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quaranTEEN VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
Below are the updated workshops from Youth Well. PAST VIDEOS are also on the website of each workshop. Workshops are every WEDNESDAY from 3:15pm-4:30pm for 7th grade-college age youth in Santa Barbara County.
May 13 at 3:15PM
, Cara Ferrick, co-owner CorePower Yoga will speak about the power of movement & breathing and how it improves your mood and relieves stress. Cara will talk about how exercise and movements affect both our physical and mental health. She will also share about the science of breath and why it matters that we take time to breathe. Sign up...
https://youthwell.org/teens/
May 20 at 3:15pm
, Managing transitions in a difficult time with Just Communities. The interactive workshop will help students gain a deeper understanding of how the destabilizing forces of change are impacting their lives.
https://youthwell.org/teens/
May 27 at 3:15pm
, community leaders, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, Assemblymember Monique Limón, SB County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido will do a Q&A with students to talk about COVID-19 and what is next for our community.
https://youthwell.org/teens/
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SB YOGA COLLECTIVE
Santa Barbara Yoga Collective (Jenna's yoga biz) is collaborating with 8 other local studios to host an ALL-DAY yoga FESTIVAL on Sunday May 17. We are asking for a minimum donation of $25 in order to access over 60 yoga classes on SUNDAY! EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR raised goes to the SB County Food Bank -- we are trying to raise $5000 which would provide over 40,000 meals!!
How to register? Head to
Santa Barbara Yoga Center's website
-- it will prompt you to register, and then once you do, you will get all the links to over 60 classes. Personally, I (Jenna) am teaching at 6pm that night, a "Yin" yoga class - slow and stretchy :) but there are TONS of awesome teachers ALL DAY!
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FROM THE PARENT ASSOCIATION
The school year is almost over, and we are looking for parents to be part of next year's Parent Association Leadership Team. We need help in areas such as Grade Representatives, Committee Chairs, and more. See the full list of jobs available
here
. Please contact me if you are interested in hearing more about the many opportunities. Most positions require only a small time commitment, so don’t hesitate to step up and join us!
If you have an activity or challenge that you have started in your house during quarantine, we’d love to hear about it! Email me at
debbiepopovich@hotmail.com
and we will share it in the Scoop (feel free to include pictures).
Our next PA Meeting will be Wednesday, May 27, at 9:15am.
At that meeting, we will be hearing about some summer opportunities for our students. Hope to see you then!
Stay healthy and safe,
Debbie Popovich
PA Chair
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SBMS ACTS OF GRATITUDE
Here are a few stories from our school's do-gooders who have been spreading gratitude in our community. Check back weekly for more!
Siena left Hannah a SURPRISE cookie making kit yesterday afternoon. Such a sweet surprise! Afternoon fun and incredibly tasty:) It might be the best chocolate chip cookie recipe we have had!
- Hannah and Candy
I have seen many families adopt a pet dog. For example, the Hendriks adopted a new dog. Another example is my mom's best friend decided to adopt a dog for her sons because she is working at the hospital all day. I have seen SBHS high schoolers giving back to the community; they have been picking up and dropping groceries off at various homes. Most of these customers are their parent's friends.
- Shalini
My family and I had a fast-food dilemma at In-n-Out when they gave us two extra fries! On the way out, we saw a homeless woman, so we decided to give the fries to her. But before we had the chance, the woman in front of us offered the homeless woman a sizable amount of money. The woman was so happy she started to cry, and when we handed her the fries, she was so grateful that she started crying even more. It made me happy to see her smiling even though her situation is rough.
- Isis
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ON THE HORIZON
*Please note that dates and events are subject to change*
Tentative EOY Dates
Friday, May 22: Faculty and Staff In-service Day (no school for students)
Monday, May 25: Memorial Day (no school)
Wednesday, May 27: PA Meeting at 9:15am
Friday, June 5: Last Day of Academic Classes
Saturday, June 6: Virtual Songfest (TBD)
Wednesday, June 10: Final Student Town Meeting
June 8, 9,10: GRADE LEVEL End of Year Activities (More to come)
Thursday, June 11: No School
Friday, June 12: Rites of Passage
Start Dates
August 31: Diamond Day for New and Returning Families
September 1: 9th Grade Orientation
September 2: First Day of School
September 3, 4: Orientation Trip
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