Happiness not in another place, but this place..not for another hour, but this hour.
-Walt Whitman
Dear Families,
We are but a month away from the last day of school, June 3rd.
Thankfully students have been able to be on-site with their teachers and classmates for several weeks now. As mentioned before, we are maintaining the focus of the kids having time to connect and work with hand’s-on elements of their learning. While they are together, we are strengthening students' social-emotional connection and making use of many of the Life Skills; in particular active listening, cooperation, friendship, problem solving, sense of humor.
It is great that staff can build on their class/program culture, offering at least a little in-person groundwork in preparation for students working together next year. If everyone stays vigilant with masks, social distancing, disinfecting and other health protocols, if vaccinations continue to increase, we hope to start school in-person next year.
May is a quick month with lots of end of year wrap up as well as planning for next year. This newsletter will help you keep up to date with what is happening.
Please read on to learn more about: -end of year testing, -graduation/promotion dates, -vaccination opportunities, -progress on the Quail Hollow site, -an update from Robin, our mental health counselor.
- Thanks to those that completed our SLV Charter Parent LCAP Survey; 2021-2022. We now have replies from 72 families. You still have time to complete this. Your results will be shared with the Charter staff and will help define the focus of our funding and Professional Development.
- Enrollment for next year: Congratulations to the students who have accepted their placement in the Nature Academy and QHIA lotteries. Those students who did not get in are placed on a wait list that remains throughout the year in the case that an opening comes up anytime throughout the year.
- We still have openings in our programs, though some are filling up fast. Please share with your friends and spread the word to anyone you feel may want to enroll.
- Look for an email regarding completing your Registration in the near future
- Charter Quail Hollow site:
- Our staff, with the help from our Parent Advisory Committee parents continue to make plans for next year. Thankfully, we have a great team of parents whose focus on gardening, landscape and outdoor spaces is giving us many great ideas to add to the teachers’ ideas and interests.
- We have a big job of moving teachers from their current classrooms to where they will be teaching next school year over the summer. With the COVID constraints required, it has been difficult to get parent help with this endeavor, and so a huge thank you to the teachers who have been shouldering this move on their own.
- I am pleased with the fact that Quail Hollow is also the site for the buses. It makes our transportation for our NA students easier, and allows for other possible benefits for field trip options easier as well.
- Charter Renewal: Final reading and pending approval from the board will be at the May 5 board meeting.
All the Best,
~Rhonda
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From Our Mental Health Counselor: Rebuilding in Our Communities
Much of my off-work time these days has been spent towards planning the rebuilding of our home in Boulder Creek. There have been so many things to think about, meet and talk about, plan and have meetings with so many different professional people about. It’s all worth it when I stand on the footprint of our previous home, stare out into the mountain view, feel the breeze and sun on our land and dream about what we will rebuild there. It was one of these wonderful moments that I realized something - in so many ways, we are ALL preparing to rebuild right now!
After all of the months sheltering-in-place, evacuations and power outages, we are finally beginning to see things open up and return to some fraction of in-person school. We are all “rebuilding” our in-person connections to each other as our communities are slowly opening up. So many of us have spent a large portion of our time connecting digitally, which required us to shift and adjust to compensate for what was lacking compared to previous communication. But, as we return to in-person learning, we will be rebuilding all of the previous dimensions of communication: including facial expressions (at least when the masks are off), body language, tone of voice, the “feel of the room” and so much more.
It may take some practice and some tools to rebuild our face to face relationships. A wonderful set of tools I have been presenting to students is the DBT skills called “G.I.V.E.” It’s very simple, and nothing they don’t likely already know. But it's simply a framework for reminding students of skills for building and maintaining positive relationships with peers. Here’s what it stands for:
(be) Gentle: Be nice and respectful! Don’t attack, use threates, or make judgments. Be aware of your tone of voice. Pay attention to how you might be judging others (and also yourself!).
(act) Interested: Listen and act interested in what the other person is saying. Don’t interrupt or talk over the other person. Don’t make faces. Maintain good eye contact. Allow them time to finish their stories and ideas before responding.
Validate: Show that you understand the other person’s feelings or opinions. Be nonjudgmental in your communication. Examples are:
“I can understand how you feel, ….and…”
“I realize this is hard…”
“I see you are busy, and…”
“That must have felt…”
(use an) Easy manner: This is perhaps the simplest but most important one! Smile. Use humor (I know many of you are good at this one). Use non-threatening body language, such as tilting your head or approaching someone quietly. Leave your attitude at the door.
Remember as we open up and you all see more of each other : please be gentle, as everyone has a struggle of some kind that they are working on. One way or another, we have “normalized” our shelter-in-place way of life and many people might be feeling a bit anxious about adjusting back, even if they seem “happy with a smile on their face”. Practice G.I.V.E. every day and you might be amazed at how you rebuild your face-to-face relationships and also create some new ones along the way.
Robin Bates, LMFT
P.S. My office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-4:30.
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Charter Graduation/Promotions: We are pleased that we are able to have the opportunity to honor or students in person who are either graduating from CRHS or being promoted to high school from one off our 3 middle school programs. What a relief that the Pandemic is not curtailing end of year celebrations that mark such a milestone in your children’s lives. The events will certainly be limited in attendance ans scope, but we are happy that we can do what we can within the constraints and safety guidelines of the Department of Public Health.
The teachers and Charter Staff of each program have created a modified graduation, promotion, or end of year event, taking into consideration the usual ceremony the program offers and the ideas from their students and/or families. The teachers will email you the specifics for your program very soon.
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COVID Vaccines for Students 16-19 years olds are Available at SLV next Tuesday, May 4th, and...
SLVUSD and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education are partnering with Safeway to launch three student vaccine clinics next week. These clinics are for ANY student 16-19 years of age, SLVUSD staff member, or family member. The Pfizier vaccine will be administered. A clinic for administration of 2nd doses administration will be scheduled within 3 weeks. Second Dose Appointments All second dose appointments will be automatically scheduled 3 weeks
Booking Appointments - Student/Parental Consent Completed: Already completed consent? You can book directly here: https://sccoe.link/bookvaccine. ALL Students must have consent completed. If you are not sure you have one completed, please complete consent first!
Email Addresses While Booking: Please use different email addresses for each student when booking the appointment to keep the student information unique.
Booking Appointments - Adults (staff member or family member 18+)
To book an appointment for these clinics use the following link: https://sccoe.link/COEvax
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State Testing: Good news! The state of California has provided increased flexibility in the State Student Achievement Testing requirements for the 2020-21 school year. This means that SLVUSD can use local assessments that are aligned with state standards in assessing students in English Language Arts and Mathematics instead of the CAASPP testing for grades 3-8.
The Charter programs will be administering the Local Assessments through the District’s assessment platform; Illuminate for our students in grades 3-8. Our CRHS 11th graders will take the CAASPP tests.
We have set the dates within each program and the teachers will be sharing the dates with you soon, if they haven’t already. All assessments are untimed and are much easier to proctor than the CAASPP assessments. None of our testing times will affect our in-person hybrid schedule.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
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Summer Learning Program With additional funding from the state, SLVUSD is offering a Summer Learning Program at every school site. The hours will be 8:30am to 12:30pm, Monday through Thursday. Students will enroll in the grade they will be in for the 2021-2022 school year.
Summer Learning Program Thursday, June 10 – Wednesday, July 7
NOTE: All programs are subject to cancelation based on availability of credentialed staff and student enrollment. Summer School Enrollment Links
SVEF Computer Science (rising grades 7-8)
High School Level Summer Learning - Online Credit recovery, ELA 9, ELA 10, Math I, Math II, Biology, Spanish I, PE, Visual Art Offering (general)
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Parent Advisory Committee: Next Meeting Dates: Tuesday, May 11th, and May 25th at 10:30am. Join Zoom Meeting https://slvusd-org.zoom.us/j/81114032653
We will continue to focus on our LCAP; Local Control and Accountability Plan as well as plans for supporting the outside area of our Quail Hollow school site and Library needs. An initial focus area for supporting the outdoor spaces has been determined and the Resource Center/Library plans are beginning as well. It is important that our Charter parents are informed of the reports and processes that our Charter is held accountable to. Please attend this meeting if you are wanting to step up for a more active role in the growth of your student’s Charter school.
Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings, however, please remember that it is important to have a consistent group of parents to represent each program in the Charter. This Committee helps advise on various Charter annual activities, reports, including the budget and Charter renewal. They then report out in their various program parent meetings and gather additional information from the parents in the programs
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Student return to campus guidelines for parents:
Don’t forget to complete the student Student Pandemic Daily Screening for their child each day. This is especially important now that all of the Charter Programs’ hybrid schedules have begun (NA 7th-8th and additional CRHS groups will begin next week). We will still be using the protocols Dr. Bruton shared with everyone COVID-19 Reopening School Presentation, which is now on the district website.
I have attached a flow chart that our Nurse, Sarah Dahlen created for you to use if you need to evaluate symptoms of COVID with your child.
If your child has any signs or symptoms of sickness, please keep your child at home and contact our registrar.
If a student becomes symptomatic while at school, the parent/guardian will need to immediately come to school to pick up the student. If a student shows symptoms while at school, it may cause the entire group to be quarantined at home.
- Please make sure your child has a healthy meal before they come.
- Have them come with a full water bottle, bring an easy-to-eat snack, and dress in layers!
- Each student will be dropped off at the designated drop-off site with students having masks on before they exit the car. Please be prompt.
- (drop-off and pick-up location pending due to construction at the Quail Hollow Site, Nature Academy students will meet their teachers in front of their rooms, 22,23,24)
- Parents will need to stay in their cars and wear masks as they drop off their children
- Once at the school sites:
- Masks must be worn inside and outside at all times until we hear otherwise
- Students will wash/sanitize their hands coming and going into the classroom
- The 6‘ distancing will remain in place until the District works through our next COVID conscious on-site iteration plan.
- Children need to be picked up in the same location as drop off (parents do not get out of the car, please be prompt). Nature Academy students who take the bus will be told where to line up after we get back from the break.
From our Student Nutrition: Please contact Alicia or me if you have any questions. Alisia Munoz-Rojas, SNS Manager :SLVUSD Student Nutrition Services: (831) 335-5384
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Zoom opportunity: Reflections on Homeschooling, 10:30 am Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday
Next one: May 12th
This will be a time to discuss critical questions on your minds and various learning strategies for all age groups. The idea may have been initiated for those new to the homeschool process, but based on my 30 + years of experience, I know that this forum will be a great opportunity for more veteran homeschoolers as well. I’d love to hear the voices of old and new on these Wednesday Zoom times.
Join Zoom Meeting: Reflections on Homeschooling: 10:30 Every other Wed of each Month
Robin’s Consistent Meetings: In addition to classroom support and 1-1 sessions, Robin is holding regular group support meetings. For more information, contact Robin Bates,LMFT [email protected]
- 2x times monthly - R & R coffee parent meeting
- Thursdays at 12 - support group for parents with CZU home loss
- Thursdays at 3 - support group for highschool students - "The Unwind"
Parents' Support Group for Home Loss
Thursdays at noon
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88247283608
Hi families. I'm learning first-hand that losing a home is a major major loss. The experience of grief can be unexpected and overwhelming at times. I created this group for us to come together to support each other, share our struggles and successes in hope that we don't feel alone in this long process of healing.
Coast Redwood High School Students, you are invited to...
The Unwind
45-minute zoom group with Robin Bates
Join any week! Thursdays at 3 pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83350602277
We will take some time to check in, explore mental health topics,
support and unwind together in a weekly group for 6 weeks. This is not a psychotherapy group, but simply a place to check in, unwind, learn and connect with the counselor and your peers. I hope to see you all there!
In the Community:
What To Be is a 30-minute educational radio show/podcast that airs every Sunday at 7pm on KSQD Santa Cruz 90.7fm. During the show, we interview people from a variety of careers in order to learn more about what they do and how they got into their line of work. The goal of the show is to inform students and community members about what that career actually entails, to bring awareness to new careers, and to share their inspiring career journey. We've interviewed firefighters, psychologists, healthcare workers, photographers, and have new guests each week! If you've ever wondered what someone's job is REALLY like or how they got there, give it a listen! Episodes are also free to access anytime via (http://soundcloud.com/what-to-be) (https://what-to-be.pinecast.co/), Spotify, etc.
CRISIS MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES:
In Case of Immediate Emergency Dial 9-1-1
Santa Cruz County 24-Hour Suicide Crisis Line- 1-877-663-5433 (ONE LIFE)
Santa Cruz County 24-Hour Crisis Line- 1-800-952-2335. Immediate crisis support to assess for hospitalization in a psychiatric crisis.
NAMI Santa Cruz County Help Line- 831-427-8020 x7 For individuals and family members affected by mental illness interested in learning more about local resources and navigating the mental health care system. Leave a message and receive a call back within 24 hours.
National 24-Hour Disaster Distress Helpline- 1-800-985-5990 Free counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters (COVID-19 included).
Santa Cruz County 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline- 1-888-900-4232
Santa Cruz County 24-Hour Child Abuse and Neglect Report Line-1-877-505-3299
Suicide Prevention Services of the Central Coast
https://fsa-cc.org/suicide-prevention-service 831-459-9373
Crisis Text Line-Text 741-741 for 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support
What to do in a Mental Health Crisis
If you are thinking about harming yourself or attempting suicide, tell someone who can help right away: Call your doctor’s office, 911 for emergency services, or go to the nearest hospital emergency room. Call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) to be connected to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you.
Ask a family member or friend to help you make these calls or take you to the hospital. If You Have a Family Member or Friend in a Crisis: If you have a family member or friend who is suicidal, do not leave him or her alone. Try to get the person to seek help immediately from an emergency room, physician, or mental health professional. Take seriously any comments about suicide or wishing to die.
Even if you do not believe your family member or friend will actually attempt suicide, the person is clearly in distress and can benefit from your help in receiving mental health treatment. If you are not in imminent danger but need immediate crisis support call: (800) 952-2335 / (24-hours a day for Santa Cruz County residents to assess for hospitalization in a psychiatric crisis.)
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Attendance: We need to know when your student is sick.
The Charter registrar needs to know when your student is sick and not participating in any schoolwork for the day. If your student is enrolled in the Nature Academy, please call in to the registrar attendance line; 831-336-8527. If you are in one of our Homeschool programs, you do not need to call in, but you do need to mark your absence in your attendance ledger as well as on your planning sheet. If your student has symptoms of COVID, please have them tested. If they (or you) test positive, we would like to know. While you are not obligated to tell us, we are requesting you to contact the Charter Administrator. The request is to support the broader awareness of the span of the outbreak in our district and community. Any information regarding positive cases is private and confidential.
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Charter Office Contact Information: The Charter office is open Monday through Friday from 8am-4pm. To reduce COVID19 exposure we ask that parents call or email the office before physically coming to the office in order to make arrangements to make contact with us in person. We will have a pick up/drop off box outside our office for parents to pick up/drop off items that need to be returned to office staff. Our office phone numbers are 335-0932 or 336-5167. You may also email us at [email protected] or [email protected]
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in helping us keep office staff healthy and safe during this time so that we can continue to support our families.
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What’s Happening in Charter:
Nature Academy: Hooray! Our three students that entered the Santa Cruz Actors' Theatre Young Playwrights' Contest won!!!
The three talented playwrights are Emma Power Perkins, Acacia Neuburger, and Adessa Lewis. https://www.santacruzactorstheatre.org/ypf Their play will be produced and performed!
Coast Redwood High School Student Shout Outs:
Evan Snider 12th grade, Eagle Scout, Evan Snider, built wooden benches and a pergola for our Quail Hollow campus
Logan Mulhall 9th grade, Volunteering at Valley Churches United bringing community residents with boxes of food and supplies to their cars after the fires.
College Shout Out Congratulations Spencer Allard
Spencer has chosen to attend Seattle Pacific University located in Washington State. We'll send him off on June 3rd with our best wishes!
Kaitlin Seigle, 10th grader, raced in the county league finals and took 1st place in the varsity 400, 800, and 3rd in the 200 meters and is moving on to represent SLV in the CCS meet in June. She also is the only girl on the track team that qualified and will be running in the prestigious Arcadia Track meet in Los Angeles the weekend of May 7-8th. We are so thankful the kids had a season!
Ashlee Heinemann 10th grade, Artist
Trevor Cox 10th grade, Builds and flies remote control helicopters
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Dates to Remember:
- May 11, Tuesday: PAC Meeting
- May 20, Thursday: QHHS 5th grade promotion and end of year celebration at Quail Hollow
- May 25, Tuesday: PAC Meeting
- May 26, Wednesday: QHIA promotion: starting at 10 am at the Bear Creek Rec & Park Center
- May 27, Thursday: CRHS graduation: May 27 starting at 10 am in the Fall Creek Amphitheater
- May 31, Monday: No School; Holiday
- June 3, Thursday: Nature Academy promotion: starting at 12 pm in the Fall Creek Amphitheater
- June 3, Thursday: Last Student Day
Contacts
Administrator: Rhonda Schlosser: [email protected]
Administrative Assistant: Danelle Matteson: [email protected]
Registrar: Janet Hendricks [email protected]
Mental Health Counselor: Robin Bates [email protected]
HS Academic Counselor: Mary Zilge [email protected]