“Gratitude is the gateway to a positive life.” ― A.D. Posey
Dear Charter Families,
Time change is this Sunday, we fall back one hour. Hopefully this won’t affect students’ arrival to school on time. I still have a few analog and digital clocks to manually change. Doing this small act connects me to the change of the seasons; we are now fully into our Fall season with holiday breaks sprinkling the rest of our Fall and Winter schedule.
We are a third of the way through the school year. Our high school students have had their quarterly review and update on their grades and progress. Our Nature Academy students have competed their first trimester, students have turned in their self-reflections on their progress standards-aligned grading. Our K-8 homeschool students are continuing with their work, with teacher meetings and/or check-ins continuing and will have their full reflection time at the close of the semester. The year will go by faster than we think, and so a big Thank You to all parents who work side-by-side with their student to keep their academic progress moving forward at a steady pace.
Don’t forget that this Friday, November 11 is a Holiday. Veterans Day honors our military veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces. This federal holiday also coincides with Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which marks World War I. Armistice Day was approved May 13, 1938, when the 11th of November in each year became a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated.
This dedication to world peace coincides with our Mental Health theme for the month of Respect and the coping skill of Gratitude, which can help to strengthen our ability to always demonstrate respect to others. Respect is an important Life-skill that we all can benefit from keeping in the front of our attention to ensure that relationships of all types are held with the importance they need in order to remain healthy. It is sometimes difficult to maintain respect, especially when emotions such as frustration, pride, anger, fear, and general misunderstandings cloud or ability to take a few breaths and see the good in each person, each moment we are alive. Ms. Sims has a great article for you to read this month that ties in this and will work with our students as well. Learning always works best when there is a school to home connection.
Please read on to learn about Ms. Sims article, Holiday Craft Fair, Picture Make-up day, Free Online Tutoring, Fashion Teens, All Charter Play, more.
Thank you for allowing us to work with you and your student.
~Rhonda
Picture Make up day:
School picture make up day is Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 10am-12pm in front of the Charter office. Just look for the Van Zantes photography truck
Fashion Teens: A Program for Social and Environmental Activists 2023: a note from Kenda, in our QHIA program
I am wanting to start meeting with our middle and high school students who are interested in participating and/ or may want help with their project and/or application for Fashion Teens this year. We had students who attended last year and even won in various categories.
Fashion Teens 2023 is happening earlier than in previous years which means deadlines are sooner as well. Students who are interested in participating should start ASAP.
Applications are due December 9th! The show will be at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds on March 11, 2023.
For more information, you can check out their website https://www.fashionteens-santacruz.com/
If you are interested in participating please fill out this form: Fashion Teens 2023 Interest Form
-Kenda Landers
QHIA Family Dinner Night Fundraiser: Thursday November 10th, 11am to 9pm
The Red Pearl 13151 Hwy 9, Boulder Creek, CA
A percentage of the proceeds from Thursday November 10th will go to: Quail Hollow Integrated Arts
Important instructions to order online at: www.redpearlonline.com, Please add a note to your order - QHIA
Please tell your friends and family. Make sure to tell them when they order on the web site to add the note QHIA.
All Charter Winter Craft Fair: Friday, December 2, 2022 Time to get crafting!
It's time to start planning your ideas for our All Charter Winter Craft Fair! Friday, December 2, 2022
This is an opportunity to share our creative talents and support each other's artistic endeavors by selling and purchasing each other's crafts and/or food (must be individually wrapped.) Students and parents are encouraged to make and sell their craft items! This event also helps many students to build on their Entrepreneurial Skills!! We have had everything from photo cards, ornaments,friendship bracelets, earrings, rearranged stuffed animals and other handmade objects made by students, to essential oil blends and exquisite quilts and wreaths made by parents.
Many families make their crafting a collaborative activity. I’ve bought many gifts during these events in the past. I am hoping that there with be wreaths again this year. It is great fun for the students to sell their creations and buy from their friends - and bartering can be done as well : ) Spaces will be a shared table space, approximately 3ft. x 3ft. Plan to make your space have an eye-catching presentation!
When: Friday, December 2, 2022 Time: 10:00am -2:00pm
Where: MPR and Outside on the Main Level at the Quail Hollow Campus
The deadline to sign up and reserve a table is Friday, November 25th
Winter Craft Faire 2022 - Sign Up
If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]
Cold and Flu season is upon us: We are starting to experience an increase in non-covid related illness on campus. We have plenty of hand santizer and masks in every classroom and we have plenty of COVID tests in the office for those that need them.
Home Test Kits - Will be passed out before Thanksgiving break.
The District received additional home test kits to provide to our families. Although not mandatory, we will be providing each student with a home test kit during the week of November 14th with the recommendation for each student to test the weekend before returning to school on Monday, November 28, 2022. As a reminder, home test kits are available for pick up in all of the school offices, as well as the District Office.
Student Absences: REMINDER
For Nature Academy families, everyday that your child is absent from school you need to call our attendance line at 831-336-8527 to report their absence. Please leave your child's name, your name, and the reason for the absence.
For Homeschool families if your child will be absent from enrichment classes please contact your teacher of record to report their absence.
Parent Resources: Free online live tutoring now available.
Students can now have 24-hour access to various resources, including live 1:1 tutors. This is a fantastic resource for our students and families. Here is the link to check it out:
https://www.brainfuse.com/highed/helpNow.asp?a_id=6BE9380D&ss=&r=
Parent Advisory Committee meeting; Tuesday, November 15 at 9:30. We will meet in the Library. For those who cannot meet in person, you can connect via Zoom https://slvusd-org.zoom.us/j/81129783846
This meeting will be focused on supporting the Winter events planned and other various ways to further unite the various programs: academic, social-emotional, and general school activities.
These meetings are designed to ensure we have parent input into critical documents that are the backbone of the Charter, as well as supporting the growth and development of the campus activities and culture of the Charter as a whole. Yearly this committee gives input to our Local Control Accountability Plan (includes our school goals and funding) School Safety Plan, Annual Parent Survey, and our 5 year Charter Petition Renewal and Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation review.
Our All Charter Musical is back!
This year we are thrilled to present, Peter Pan: Somebody to Love. It is, once again, an original script written by Janinne Chadwick, our local playwright from Ben Lomond. All the familiar characters will be in this tale; the Lost Boys, warrior girls, dastardly delightful pirates, motown mermaids, and more! Classic songs from disco, rock, motown, and pop are rewritten to fit the script and move the plot along.
Amber has shared that this year there are over 70 students signed up for the play, with all the programs represented. She will be giving us a more complete break-down once she is done with the auditions.
K-5 Auditions: 2:45-5:15pm, Wed./Thurs., November 2, 3
Middle School/High School Auditions: 2:45-5:15pm, Tues./Wed., November 8,9
Call Backs K-12 (selected participants): 2:45-5:15pm, Thurs. November 10
Parents received a synopsis of the script, heard about characters, musical numbers, and detailed info on the audition process, rehearsal schedule, and participation requirements. Some things to remember!:
- All students who audition are cast in the show!
- Performance Week: January 30-February 5
- All January Rehearsals, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 10, are mandatory.
- Participants must sign up prior to auditions. A link was provided to all charter families on October 18. Students may not "drop-in" once auditions have begun.
- Students and Parents will be asked to sign a behavior expectation contract. Actors must be able to focus and take direction independently, without their parents being present to assist in behavior support for their child (although parent support for all cast members during rehearsals and performances is crucial to the success of our play).
Rehearsals: 2:45-5:15pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, *beginning Nov. 15
All auditions and rehearsals through December are held in the library and multipurpose room on the Quail Hollow Campus.
If you could not attend the meeting, please use the link mentioned above, to sign up your student. Thank you! The Charter Theater Booster Club and I look forward to bringing back this treasured charter tradition!
Please email Amber directly with any questions at [email protected].
Accessing Ms. Sims our counselor. or Ms. Geist our RSP teacher: For family confidentiality, if you have individual appointments with Ms. Sims or Ms.Geist during school hours (8:00-3:00) please park outside of the CRHS staff parking lot gates and walk around to the right of the building (flag pole side), and access either of them through their outside office doors rather than walking through the high school Center room.
What’s growing in the Gardens:
Brrrr... what unusual cold weather we are having this month. Our campus is seeing 35-40 degrees in the mornings. Our Summer crops are definitely feeling this cold weather and have a suffered a little damage. We may have a very early end to our Summer crops this year and are using this experience to learn how the weather definitely effects our plants!
Students really stepped up this month to get our 2000 bulbs planted! We only have a small bucket of Narcissus bulbs left to plant! I have found a few bulbs pulled out of the ground and some of these looked munched on. I'm hoping critters will leave the rest of them alone and that we get enough rain for them grow so that we have a beautiful display of Narcissus early this coming Spring.
CRHS Environmental Horticulture - As Halloween approaches it becomes time to plant Garlic! Students learned about the 3 types of garlic and how to plant it. The most common garlic type, softnecks, are what you will see in the grocery stores, they store the longest, are easy to grow in our climate, and are mild in taste. Hardnecks, store for only 5-6 months, are spicier, and grow best in colder climates. Hardnecks also create scapes which need to be removed for bulb development in the spring but they can be used in a variety of ways for cooking. Elephant garlic is more closely related to leeks, they take 3 years to grow from their corm (bulblet seed), 2 years to grow from their onion like bulb stage, and 1 year to grow from their clove stage. They have a very mild garlic flavor after being cured for no less than 30 days. Students planted all three types of garlic including the all three stages of elephant garlic. We ended the class learning about how black garlic is prepared. We then made a classic spicy garlic herb butter and a sweet black garlic butter served with warmed bread.
NA 7/8 Wizards and Alchemists - This month's class was all about cold composting! We looked at a pie graph that shows all of the trash generated in the U.S. and noticed that 54% of our trash is composed of yard waste, food, and paper which can all be composted. We discussed the 4 ingredients of compost which air, water, greens, and browns. Students then learned how to create a "compost lasagna" by layering equal amounts of browns and greens. The Wizards helped build a new compost bin and students filled the compost bin with layers of dried weeds, manure, and used coffee grounds. Students ended the class planting narcissus bulbs and yellow, red, and white yarrow seeds.
NA 6th - Students were introduced to our weather station located on the K-5 campus and the weather monitor located in the library. Students will be tracking the wind, rain, and hi/lo temperatures on our campus every month. We discussed and noted the highs and lows of September’s temperatures as well as the rain totals, and wind speeds. Students were also introduced to the seed library located in our Charter Library and they checked out a few seed packets that they will take home to plant. We ended the class with learning a bit about crimson clovers and planted seeds all around campus. We spent the last 10 mins of class planting Narcissus bulbs.
Parking Lot DROP OFF/PICK UP of Students: (Nature Academy/QHIA)
When dropping off and picking up students please pull over to the right side of the parking lot in order to give room to vehicles that need to pass on the left to exit. Families please be aware of students and staff coming and going in the parking lot. -Thank you
Coast Redwood High School Information: Parking Lot Safety
Our parking lot is now at capacity with all of our staff now working in the building throughout the week. There have been a few close calls between students, bicycle riders, skateboarders, and vehicle drivers navigating in and out of the staff parking lot. In several cases, too close for anyone’s comfort!
We are requesting, for safety purposes, that parents drop off and pick up their students outside of the CRHS gates and not to utilize the staff parking lot as a turnout.
Students will be directed to wait for their rides at the bus stop or along the wooden fence outside of the CRHS gates, or at the lower campus parking lot.
Please do not park in front of the bus stop. Our wonderful bus drivers pull out of the district office driveway and turn right into their first bus stop at noon and again at 2:10.
Parents and student drivers are encouraged to utilize the lower campus parking lot to park their cars. Your student may also meet you down at the lower parking lot as they descend the stairs from CRHS to the lower campus. Or as suggested, park along the wooden fence on Marion to the side of our building, just outside of our gates. -Thank you
GENERAL COVID NOTIFICATION: 2022-2023 COVID-19 GENERAL NOTIFICATION
This notice is to inform you that Santa Cruz County has dropped to a lower status as it relates to COVID-19. While the County COVID rates may go up and down there is still a higher exposure potential in a school setting. Due to the potential of being exposed to someone with COVID-19 (both in and out of school), we encourage ALL students to follow the actions below to protect one another:
- CDPH recommends that students wear a mask while in indoor settings to protect themselves and to prevent the spread of COVID-19. High-quality masks with a good fit and filtration provide the best protection.
- If you develop symptoms of COVID-19, stay home, email your school site’s Health Office and get tested. You may pick up home test kits from any school site or the District Office. In addition, students can be tested at one of our Inspire testing locations.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate at home and notify your students’ school site Health Office right away.
This general notification will be sent each week in this Charter News in lieu of providing individual exposure notifications for COVID-19. Note that infections diagnosed in students and school staff are not necessarily the result of exposure at school, and when safety protocols are followed in schools, COVID-19 transmission remains more likely to occur outside of school settings.
Thank you for considering this important information. We consider the health and wellbeing of our community a priority. Additional information can be found at 2022-2023 SLVUSD Students: General Protocol for Symptoms and Positive Test Results.
Health Office Contact Information Charter – [email protected]
Sincerely,
San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District
Student Nutrition Services: FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
- All SLVUSD students are eligible to receive a free breakfast and lunch through the cafeteria.
- Complete the Free/Reduced Lunch Application at https://family.titank12.com/
- Although a meal application is not necessary to receive free meals during the 2022-2023 school year, households are encouraged to complete a meal application to ensure that your school receives accurate funding. As well, your child’s eligibility for free or reduced lunch could qualify you for additional outside services or benefits including Free/Reduced Bus passes, student fee waivers, P-EBT, discounted utilities, and more.
- Meals will be served from our Multi-use Room in the central area of the campus.
- Breakfast will be available in the mornings from 8:00-8:30
- Lunch will be served as followed:
- Mondays: 11:45-12:15
- Tuesdays, Thursdays and a few Mondays 12:10 - 12:40
- Wednesdays: 12:00-12:30
- Fridays: 11:50-12:20
- CRHS students can order lunch and they can pick it up from the Charter multi-use room.
- More details are coming from our Student Nutrition department. SLV Student Nutrition Services.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Volunteer opportunities are available at all school sites. Parent volunteers are especially important for the Charter programs. The registration process for volunteers is as follows:
Ø New Volunteer: You will be required to pick up and fill out the volunteer paperwork from your school site and obtain a signature from the school site administrator. Once complete, please bring your signed paperwork to the Human Resources Office. You will be required to provide verification of a current TB result. Also, all new volunteers will be required to be fingerprinted.
Ø Returning Volunteer: You will be required to provide verification of a current TB results. This documentation can be provided to your child's school site. The school site will forward current TB results to the Human Resources Office. You may also bring the proof of current TB results directly to the Human Resources Office.
PLEASE NOTE: The Human Resources Office hours will accept volunteer registrations on Tuesdays from 7:00-11:00 am and Thursdays from 12:30-3:30 pm. The Human Resources Office is located at 325 Marion Avenue, Ben Lomond, CA 95005.