The Fall Semester ends on Friday, February 3, a minimum day. The Spring Semester begins on Monday, February 6. We hope your child was successful in school this semester and will do even better in the coming semester. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's progress, contact his or her counselor.

Progress reports are sent home with your child after the 5th and 15th weeks of the semester. Report cards are mailed to you after the 10th and 20th weeks of the semester, so your child's final Fall Semester report card will be mailed to you after the semester change.

Starting January 23, nearly 200 Starbucks locations around Los Angeles are giving away DonorsChoose.org gift cards, first come first served. These gift cards can be redeemed on behalf of Palms Middle School teachers who register their wishlist items at the Donorschoose website. At least one Palms teacher has already done so. If you're a regular Starbucks customer, why not take advance of this program to pick up a gift card and help teachers get classroom materials? Everyone wins!

The January issue of the Middle Years newsletter has tips about reading motivation, sportsmanship, New Year's resolutions, Internet use, promptness, school electives, procrastination, money management, and how parents can initiate good conversations with their children.

On January 19, Apple Inc. introduced iBooks textbooks for iPad in partnership with school textbook publishers McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. These are digital versions of school textbooks that are interactive, always up-to-date (via downloadable updates), more affordable than printed textbooks, and of course extremely lightweight and portable. That leaves the question of whether this new technology will be used at LAUSD schools in an era of relentless budget cutbacks. LAUSD is certainly interested in the prospect. LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy was interviewed in a promotional video (you can hear him at 5:13 in the video). He says the following:

"We had decided to adopt iPad technology as we were trying to provide ways for increasing student engagement. With these interactive textbooks we're going to see huge leaps in what's possible to students. They're phenomenally going to change the landscape of education. I think it will re-ignite the whole passion about why we came into teaching to begin with."

Palms Middle School has moved ahead on its own by purchasing 30 iPads and an iPad cart, now in use by several Palms teachers. If digital textbooks for our curriculum are made available, Palms may get a chance to test the use of digital textbooks.

Take your family for lunch or dinner at California Pizza Kitchen near the corner of Venice and Overland in Culver City. From Monday February 20 through Thursday February 23 CPK will donate 20% of your payment to Palms. Click below to download the flyer and be sure to take it with you. Share copies with friends, neighbors, and coworkers as well!

The mission of the LAUSD Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) is to provide a safe and healthful environment for the students and employees of the school district. The OEHS establishes procedures, sets guidelines, and performs routine inspections. Each school has an Asbestos Management Plan and an AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) Report that is updated every six months. In January 2012 specially trained personnel will return to our school to check on the condition of any asbestos-containing building material. A copy of the inspector’s written report will be included in our Asbestos Management Plan, which is available in the Main Office.

Please remind your child to come to school with all of their supplies. If by chance an item is forgotten they will need to check the drop-off table located in the Student Services office. Students will not be notified or summoned regarding items that are left for them to pick-up. This policy will help reduce classroom disruptions and distractions. Your cooperation is appreciated.