Monday (1/18) @LASchools will be closed in observance of birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr @History

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a Baptist minister and social activist who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. Inspired by advocates of nonviolence such as Mahatma Gandhi, King sought equality for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and victims of injustice through peaceful protest. He was the driving force behind watershed events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, which helped bring about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and is remembered each year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a U.S. federal holiday since 1986. (http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr)

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
  
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Washington DC 
  
• Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Georgia
  
• Activity: "I Have a Dream" Speech
• Audio Recording: "I Have a Dream" Speech 
  
• Guide: Curriculum for Empowerment
  
• Lesson Plans
  
• Timeline

ratified by #ContinentalCongress on 1/14/1784 ending #AmericanRevolution #History @librarycongress

The Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris on January 14, 1784, officially establishing the United States as an independent and sovereign nation. The Continental Congress approved preliminary articles of peace on April 15, 1783. The treaty, signed in Paris on September 3, 1783, required Congress to return the ratified document to England within six months. (Image: The horse America, throwing his master)

Although Congress was scheduled to convene at the Maryland State House in November, as late as January 12 only seven of the thirteen states were legally represented. Operating under the weak Articles of Confederation, Congress lacked the power to enforce attendance. With the journey to England requiring approximately two months, time was running short.

• Continental Congress Ratified the Treaty of Paris - America's Story 
  
• Continental Congress's Ratification of the "Treaty of Paris" - House of Representatives 
  
• Today in History 
  
• Treaty of Paris, 1763 - State Department 
  
• Documents: Treaty of Paris - Library of Congress 
  
• Lesson Plan: Ending the War, 1783
  

Thursday 1/14/16 (11a-10p) @BigMamasNPapas & @5LineTavern will donate 15% of receipts

Support Eagle Rock Elementary and enjoy a meal at our local Big Mama's & Papa's & 5 Line Tavern this Thursday, January 14 where from 11:00a - 10:00p they will donate 15% of receipts! Eat in, pick up or have BMPP deliver and remember to tell your waiter and drop your receipt in the ERE box!

For online orders please write "EAGLE ROCK ELEMENTARY" in the special requests box

Thursday, January 14, 2016 (11:00a - 10:00p)
BMPP & 5 Line Tavern
2136 Colorado Bl
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 255-8500 

Reminder that Spring Club applications are due today, Thursday 1/14 to the parent center

runs from Dec 21, 2015 thru Jan 10, 2016 | Classes resume Mon, January 11, 2016 | See you Next Year!

On behalf of Eagle Rock Elementary PTA, we wish all of our school community a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. Be safe this holiday season and enjoy this time with all your loved ones. See you next year when classes resume on Monday, January 11, 2016!

returns to Pasadena’s @kidspacemuseum Dec 26 to 30 | Play in Real Snow | Free with Admission @kpcc @kcrw

Celebrate the Season at Kidspace! Break out your mittens, boots, and snow hat for a day of winter wonderland fun! Play in real snow, build a snow family, perfect your snowball making skills, and make snow angels. There will also be snow and winter themed activities throughout Kidspace. Click the banner at right for more information.

Kidspace 
480 N Arroyo Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 449-9144

Saturday, Dec. 26 - Sunday, Dec. 27
10:00am - 5:00pm

Monday, Dec. 28 - Wednesday, Dec. 30 
9:30am - 5:00pm

Kidspace Member Preview
Must be current Kidspace members on these dates to get the museum to yourselves one hour before we are open to the public.
Saturday, Dec. 26 at 9:00am - 10:00am
Sunday, Dec. 27 at 9:00am - 10:00am

took place on Monday, Dec 21 at 8:49p PST marking start of Winter with Longest Night/Shortest Day

Late dawn. Early sunset. Short day. Long night. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice marks the longest night and shortest day of the year. Meanwhile, on the day of the December solstice, the Southern Hemisphere has its longest day and shortest night. No matter where you live on Earth’s globe, a solstice is your signal to celebrate. Follow this link to learn more.

#LAUSD has announced that all @LASchools and After School Activities will reopen Wednesday 12/16/15

Statement from Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines:

Good evening, Los Angeles Unified Parents and Guardians,

Today has been a difficult day, as L.A. Unified schools were closed for the first time in decades. Thanks to the extraordinary effort by Los Angeles Unified School Police and our law-enforcement partners, all L.A. Unified schools and charters have been inspected and Chief Steven Zipperman has given the all-clear for students to return to campus. Classes and after-school activities will resume tomorrow, December 16.  All staff and students are expected to return.

The District will have crisis counselors available for students and employees who may need additional support. I know that today’s events disrupted the lives of our students, our employees, and our families.  I could not be more grateful for your understanding, trust, and support. When it comes to the well-being of our children, we will never take chances. 

Thank you

Threat that prompted closure of @LASchools appears to be hoax @RepAdamSchiff http://lat.ms/1O2NdST

Live Updates (LA Times & LAUSD)

Please note that the following text is an excerpt from the LAUSD Live Update page on their website:

Creative ideas to keep those minds sharpened over the coming Winter Break #PTA4Kids @CaliforniaPTA

Families should read together during holiday break to help make a smooth and successful return to school, without forgetting important skills students have already learned so far this year. There are many ways to read without cracking open a book. Get creative this holiday!

Here are some fun ideas to help your kids remember important school skills like reading, writing and math:

• Ditch those school books and replace them with fun classic holiday books. Make sure even the big kids are included by taking turns reading. My oldest loves reading the Night Before Christmas for her little sisters and cousins.
• Get your kids involved with holiday cooking. Have them read the recipe while you all prepare the meal. It works great with cookie baking, too!
• Make your holiday cards this year, have the kids write them out and display their art work. Who doesn’t love a handmade card?
• If you’re driving this holiday break, then use signs and license plates to find hidden alphabet letters, or try and find all the states license plates on a map. Have them color in each state on a map!
• Grocery shopping is always a fun way to practice counting and reading with your kids without them even knowing! The bigger kids can learn math by helping you stick to your budget. Tell them what you want and how much you’d like to spend. The smaller ones can read and cross off the items on the list. You can even give each child a color and they have to find items for it, for example, yellow = bananas.
• Play games as a family that require reading, math and spelling. One of my 6-year-old’s favorite games is Yahtzee! It was so much fun—everyone was playing, grandpa, uncles and aunts! She was so happy! Little did she know it was reinforcing her math skills.
• To keep your kids up on their computer skills, ask the teacher for links to the websites they use at school for math, spelling and reading.

Use your imagination because reading can be so much fun!

(Source: PTA One Voice Blog)