Charter News
May 24, 2019
“Who sows virtue reaps honor”. ~Leonardo da Vinci
Dear Parents,
I hope that you and your family have enjoyed a fine 3-day weekend; recognizing Memorial Day as a day to remember all who lost their lives while fighting for our country. It was originally known as Decoration Day, and began in the years following the Civil War; becoming an official federal holiday in 1971. Unfortunately, there have been many reasons for our children to join the military since the Civil War. We can only hope that wars are fought for virtuous reasons, and that deaths, when they come, are remembered with the honor that all lost loved ones deserve.
We only have 8 days left of school. I know that the thoughts of summer make it hard for some to stay focused on their work. Please help make sure your students keep their studies up all the way to the end.
Read on to hear from our counselor and end of year special activities.
~Rhonda
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Quail Hollow Integrated Arts has had a venue change for their advancement ceremony. It will now be held at Camp Hammer; same time and date. Please contact Amber Walker at [email protected] with any questions.
From our Counselor; Robin Bates
Summer
Peaceful sunny day
Munching on watermelon
Soft breeze hits my toes
© Izzy A. Erskine, published: June 2017
___________________
Hi Families!
So many of us are dreaming of this gentle picture of Summertime. Kids are pushing through exams and assessments, finishing up projects and coming back from field trips. Some are beginning to feel a little anxious or excited about entering new schools in the Fall and saying goodbye to friends and teachers they’ve loved.
Me? I’ve been reflecting on this year and all of it’s lessons for me as my first year in my new job starts to come to a close. Holy moly. I’ve learned so much about these students, this wonderful Charter School and it’s programs, the staff and teachers and most of all about myself - as a clinician, Charter community member, mother and adorer of children. I definitely have some new pieces to add to my identity after this year.
I’ve learned that identity changes...sometimes daily, sometimes slowly...as we continue to grow and learn more about ourselves and the world changes that happen around us. When I submerge myself with too much flashy media news, my identity stretches in one direction...whereas when I spend time with my immediate and extended family or the great outdoors, my identity stretches in another direction. My children are learning in their school that their choices contribute to their identity and feelings about themselves ultimately. A third grader has had a year full of challenges, experiencing some of the consequences associated with trying to please friends who weren’t so good for him after all. His self-esteem took a hit at first, but his learning expanded and I believe he is learning the power of his choices in the way he sees himself.
Many of my private practice clients have recited a quote they have learned in Alcoholics Anonymous, which states “self-esteem comes from choosing esteemable acts”. It’s always stuck with me. It reminds me of the interplay between choice, identity, and self-esteem. Much of our identity tries to emerge from within, and we can choose to push these things down or choose healthy environments where these positive identities can come up and shine. We can also help create the environment for others to explore safely who they are and grow in self-esteem.
Next year, we will expand on who we are in our friendships, our communities, and the world. We will try and zoom in on what kinds of environments we provide for ourselves and others’ growth and wellbeing. It’s a topic that was very big for me in graduate school. I learned that the learning in our classroom came from what we all brought to it. As students, we all contributed to each other’s growth and learning! And, isn’t that true wherever we go? And in any community - humans and other creatures as well? It should be a fun year with lots of classroom social explorations!
I will continue working with the students and teachers through the rest of the year, but I wanted to wish you all a wonderful ending to a big year. I wish you a gentle, warm and breezy Summer with your communities and families. Cherish these lovely Summer days, as there is just as much learning in these days as there is in school.
Robin Bates, LMFT
P.S. Stay tuned for my new schedule coming next year! As you all may already know, my office is located in the Fall Creek Charter Administration Building. :)
SLVUSD Parent LCAP Survey, 2019 As a Charter School, we develop our own LCAP goals based on our Charter and assess our progress within a separate report. For this reason, it is important that the Charter Staff hear specifically from the families that we serve. We are seeking input that directly impacts your child.
If you haven’t done so already, please fill out the short survey. 2019 Parent LCAP Survey
Your responses will help the Charter review and refine priorities and goals for our Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). Thank you to the 27 parents who have already filled it out for us.
Please take the survey more than once if you have more than one child in our programs.
Thank you for your input!
Preparing for next year: We are still accepting applications for our Homeschool programs for next year.
- Coast Redwood Middle and High School, Quail Hollow and Fall Creek Homeschool have a few more opening for next year.
- There will be additional support in Math next year and the teachers have additional plans of ways to add additional optional support for families.
What’s Going on in Our Charter School? ..little snippets of some of our programs.
CRHS: As we come to the close of the school year we are busy with student/parent conferences, finalizing grades and preparing for graduation day! We have had a fun year with all of our students and wish them a happy, healthy summer!
CRMS: We enjoyed ANOTHER rainy day, and after Circle Check In we had a dance party for PE. We had presentations on memory, Astrology, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Nuclear Power, Flamingos and their coloring, and Hamilton, the man and a bit about the musical, too. We polished up the Yearbook, took a survey for the Real World Scholars program reflecting on the learning happening with EdCorps and our class business. We also worked on hydrosols, and checked attendance binders for name/date and work samples, and were able to go outside and play some tag in the last few minutes when the rain cleared.
Nature Academy: Last week both the 6th grade class and the 7/8th grade classes were out on their extended Field Trips. 6th went to Headwaters for their annual outdoor school experience. Activities included a hike to the lava tubes, survival skills, stories around the fire in the round house, night hikes, sweat lodge, lake plunge. The 7/8th grade students just came back from Catalina Island. The pictures so far show activities in snorkeling, kayaking,
Quail Hollow Integrated Arts (QHIA): Wow! These last weeks went fast. Students worked hard on their math and writing benchmarks and we watched the inspirational film, “LandfillHarmonic” (available to rent on Amazon prime : ) We had our full day of Theater activities with guest appearances from QHIA alumni! It has been so fulfilling (and tear inducing at times) having our semester end meetings as well. May 29: End of the Year Pool Party and 8th Grade Advancement Celebration/Potluck. June 4: School of Rock Field Trip.
Quail Hollow Homeschool: We had a beautiful reception for our Authors as they all came up to introduce and share part of their Cinderella stories. Friends were so proud to share with the group about their stories and illustrations. Robin shared a lesson about recognizing our individual uniqueness using potatoes. Not judging someone by looking at the outside, but really getting to know the individual. We finished up country reports. What a wonderful celebration of our 5th Graders Advancing and moving on to 6th Grade and End of Year Celebration! We had karaoke, yearbook signing, clay painting, clothes swapping, and a great game of kickball! Thank you all for participating, supporting and sharing your AMAZING children with us.
Fall Creek Homeschool: We listened to two geology presentations from two of our students. We watched a puppet play. We hiked to the pond and then the big log where we played group games and examined the pond life. On our last class day we played multiple group games inside and outside, and participated in the ceremony for the fifth graders advancing to a new program. We had a wonderful end of year advancement celebration for our 5th grade students moving on next year. The rain brought many of our activities inside but it didn’t dampen our good time and appreciation for our classmates.
Mountain IS: There has been a pervasive sense of 'closure' in all our endeavors this week. We've been completing personal unfinished work, and are holding ourselves accountable for unfinished book projects for each other and our enrichment teachers. We really dug into the organizational aspect of this as a community, by delegating jobs to ensure we were not missing anything in our creative flurry! With eleven books in production, and each child working at their own pace, we needed to practice more executive functioning/organizational skills to ensure we'd accomplish what we set out to do! Some of us alphabetized and created class lists for each book, took inventory of a books pages, and solved various issues when pages or names were missing. The children really took ownership of the 'workshop' as they sought each other out, communicated graciously about issues and compiled completed books.
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY: Enjoy some music and help out our school! This is a great fundraiser for all of our Charter programs. We hope to see you there!
Need help buying groceries? Apply for CalFresh! May is CalFresh Awareness Month
It can be hard to eat healthy, nutritious food when money is tight. CalFresh, formerly known as food stamps, is a nutrition benefit program that helps struggling families pay for food year-round. Families that cook together, eat together, talk together, make mealtime a family time.
In 2018, approximately 25,516 Santa Cruz County residents participated each month in the CalFresh Program. While many families in our community utilize CalFresh to help put food on the table, creating a healthy start for children and fostering healthy eating habits during these critical formative years, many more are eligible but don’t realize it.
Who may qualify?
- Families with children, single adults, couples, and individuals who are homeless may receive CalFresh if they meet income and residence requirements.
- Effective Summer of 2019 Supplemental Security Income recipients, if they meet other eligibility requirements
- Adults may still be eligible for CalFresh even when they have a job, a home, or a retirement account.
Easy to use
Eligible households receive monthly payments on an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that looks and works just like a debit card, to purchase the food your family needs.
Help you can count on
- CalFresh benefits can be used to purchase food from participating grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers markets.
- Any money left on your EBT card at the end of the month rolls over for use the following month.
Click, Call or Come in…
Apply online at: www.GetCalFresh.org or www.mybenefitscalwin.org
SUMMER PROGRAMS: Interested in giving your students the experience to see a live
Shakespeare play?
Santa Cruz Shakespeare is excited to offer our second annual Student Matinee Week Program in August and September of 2019. We are proud to present Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors as the Student Matinee Production.
During the final week of our 2019 Season, a professional production of The Comedy of Errors will remain open for five student-only matinee performances running from August 28-29, and September 3-5. These 10 am matinees are for students and their chaperones only, and include a post-show discussion with the actors after each performance. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that every single high school student in the Santa Cruz County and beyond has seen a live, professional production of one of Shakespeare’s plays by the time they graduate! Tickets are free for Title I schools, and only $10 per student for all others, with additional limited scholarship opportunities. Plus, we will provide a free adult chaperone ticket for every 15 students who attend.
For more information, such as our FAQ page, and to signup for our Student Matinee Week, please visit us online at santacruzshakespeare.org/matinee.
Last year's Student Matinee Week was such a success, that we hope you will join us for our Student Matinee Week 2019! Please contact us if you have any questions or comments; I am more than happy to speak with you by phone at 831-460-6396 x5 or via this email address. I look forward to seeing your school in The Grove Theater! Best, Alexandra Schroeder; Education Coordinator
Dates to Remember: (Please refer to your program’s newsletter for greater detail regarding dates and details specific to your program’s Field Trips and class events.)
- May 29th: Quail Hollow Integrated Arts 8th grade Advancement Ceremony
- May 31st: Coast Redwood High Graduation Ceremony 12:30-2:00 pm
- June 4th: Coast Redwood Middle School 8th grade Advancement Ceremony
- June 5th: Nature Academy 8th grade Advancement Ceremony 9:00 am
- June 6th: Last day of school for students: Early release: 12:15