"Life depends on change and renewal."
- Patrick Troughton
Dear Charter Families,
Welcome to 2022. I trust you all had a restful and enjoyable holiday break and that your students are happy to get back to the school environment.
No one expected to have another COVID variant impact our lives and the ease of attending school, but that is what has been given to us. The new COVID variant is spiking in the county and none of our SLV schools are immune. We want to be vigilant and as proactive as we can, moving forward. We are limiting the volunteers in the classrooms and will have our all-staff meetings via Zoom for the month of January. If your student is sick or showing symptoms, stay home from school, get tested, and let us know what your situation is so we can support you. Symptoms of COVID are noted below in this newsletter if you need a reminder.
We are also encouraging everyone to wear a well-fitting mask when at school. We do have disposable masks available in the classrooms and our office, but students having their own is a good idea. I have added information regarding masking from the Santa Cruz COE in this newsletter. Here is the link if you want to read the entire article. Get the most out of masking
We now have 78 completed Charter Parent Surveys. This is a great increase from 43 from the last Charter News request, however, we have 330 students in our school’s programs and I would love to be able to review at least 50% of our parent responses on how you believe we are doing. I am asking one more time to please fill out the survey for us. This information gives us a sense of whether or not we are doing a good job in supporting your child in many areas. Charter Parent Survey; WASC 2021 Our students in grades 6-12 were also given a similar survey. I will be sharing the final results once we gather more data from parents and our CRHS students.
We are in the final process of completing the extensive WASC report that we work on together every six years. We have received a Chairperson and the plan is to meet her on January 19, either in person or via Zoom for a pre-visit review of our report and to plan the schedule when the entire WASC team comes for our on-site visit on March 27-30. There is a new, short WASC informational video that you can watch if you want to learn more about what the Western Association of Schools and Colleges is about. https://www.acswasc.org/
Thank you and let’s stay safe and supportive of each other.
~Rhonda
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Parent Advisory Committee: Our next meeting will be: Tuesday, January 18th at 10:30. Please try to attend! If you would like to join via Zoom here is the link: https://slvusd-org.zoom.us/j/81818740393
Thank you to the parents who attend these meetings. In our last meetings we have review the parent and student surveys, reviewed our new library’s mission and collection policy and selection criteria. I shared about our WASC visit that will be on March 28-30 and who the committee will want to talk to.
We will meet in the Charter Library or Zoom. This is an important year to be involved!
These meetings are designed to ensure we have parent input into critical documents that are the backbone of the
Charter. Yearly this committee gives input to our Local Control Accountability Plan (includes our school goals and
funding) School Safety Plan, Annual Parent Survey, as well as our 5 year Charter Petition Renewal and Western
Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation review.
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The Gift of Literacy Initiative: Free Online Books using MyOn Digital Library Book Downloads through January: The state Gift of Literacy Initiative is offering free unlimited book downloads for all students through the end of January. Here is the link to the site with directions on how to access the books and flyers for families. Instructions for Family access
From December 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022, any California student can benefit from access to thousands of myON books in English and Spanish. Students can easily browse or search the digital library to find books to match their interests and grade level. There are also options for students to read books online or offline, even in low-bandwidth environments.
Go to: www.myon.com and click on the purple myON Login button:
Click the green Sign In button, select a book from the Library or an article from News, and start reading! Once you get in, the best place to start for fiction is the Genres button on the top middle. Then you can click what type of books you want to download.
The books are listed by age level. So when you open up Genres and pick one, you will see little kid books. Keep scrolling down, through the middle school books, and the ones at the bottom are more high school books. They also have a ton of graphic novels that tend to be located between the middle and high school books.
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Fashion Club Opportunity: Students in grades 6-12 are invited to join teacher Kenda Landers, in the fashion club once a week from 3-4 PM on Thursdays in room 15 on the lower campus of Quail Hollow. The first meeting will be soon once we return. So far there are students from all programs, even CRHS students signed up! We are excited to have another opportunity for students from various grades and programs working together. Interested students are encouraged to fill out this form.
-Thank you, Kenda.
This will be an opportunity to receive support in creating a fashion line or just a single garment to submit to participate in Fashion Teens 2022. You do NOT need any experience in sewing or creating garments!
Fashion Teens Santa Cruz is a production of Pivot: The Art of Fashion in partnership with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education. The focus is on the environment and the impact we have on it, often with pieces including up-cycled items and/or recyclables such as cardboard and bottle caps.
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Charter Library Help needed: If you are interested in volunteering in the library, please contact Clara Elliott at [email protected]. Help is needed bar-coding, entering books into our system, and shelving. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Here is a link to the library to give you a little taste of what is being developed: https://bit.ly/3yCnPlY
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COVID-19 Testing Information: The District provides testing in partnership with Inspire Diagnostics. By registering your student(s) with Inspire Diagnostics, your student(s) can test for weekly screening or for exposures as necessary. When your student(s) participates in this weekly screening and/or exposure testing, he/she is eligible to remain in school during a "modified" quarantine.
To register your student(s), please click on INSPIRE DIAGNOSTICS REGISTRATION.
If you prefer that your student(s) only participate in exposure testing, please contact Kelly McWaid at [email protected] or your site principal.
If your student is currently registered and you would like to make adjustments or corrections to the registration, please contact Inspire Diagnostics at [email protected].
The Inspire Diagnostics Testing Dates and Times at Quail Hollow are Monday & Thursday 10:45am - 11:45am
For more information, you may access the California Department of Public Health website.
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Charter Parent Volunteers:
Volunteer opportunities will be available on a limited basis at each school site. The registration process for volunteers is as follows:
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 also be required to provide verification of a full COVID-19 vaccination* and a current TB result.
Returning Volunteer: You will be required to provide verification of a full COVID-19 vaccination. This documentation can be provided to your child's school site. The school site will forward proof of vaccination to the Human Resources Office. You may also bring the proof of COVID-19 vaccination* documentation directly to the Human Resources Office.
*Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required regardless of where the volunteers are on campus, inside or outside.
Registration packets are available in our Charter Administration Office.
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.
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Covid Protocols to All Families who come on-site: When your child is sick
Important for all of our students enrolled in our programs. We are committed to making sure that we are doing all that we can to mitigate the COVID virus so that we can keep our programs open for those who want to attend classes on our site. An important element is to make sure that we trace any positive case. This is done by accessing any student who comes on-site and shows symptoms that may be signs of the COVID virus.
If your child comes on-site for classes. Please call our Charter Attendance Line at 831-336-8527 to report when your student is ill. If your student has experienced any covid-like symptoms:
*Cough *Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
*Fatigue *Muscle or body aches
*Headache *Congestion or runny nose
*Sore throat *New loss of taste or smell
*Diarrhea *Nausea or vomiting
You will either need to:
- Receive a negative PCR Covid Test, be free from vomiting, diarrhea or fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, and have had an improvement in symptoms.
- Isolate at home for 10 days from symptom onset. OR
- Be seen by their physician and provide a medical evaluator note to verify that an alternative diagnosis has been made and the symptoms are not due to COVID-19.
Parents who have further questions can contact Nurse Sarah Dahlen at 831-335-4452 x142.
Thank you so much to all of you who are wearing your masks properly while you are in the classrooms and outside, close to others. It is by doing so that we can keep the virus at bay and keep learning together in classrooms and on campus.
Pandemic Updates, and information on power outages on school days: Here are some good links to perhaps bookmark regarding Covid Safety protocols: RETURN TO SCHOOL POLICY.
DRIVE THROUGH COVID-19 TESTING: Exciting News! The County Office of Education is now offering symptomatic & Asymptomatic PCR testing. Cabrillo College in Aptos, Parking Lot K Mon-Fri 2-5 pm and Sat 9am-5pm. PVUSD District Office, Parking Lot Mon, Wed, Fri 9am to 5pm. Santa Cruz COE Annex, 399 Encinal St, Santa Cruz Mon-Fri 3-6 pm. Drive Through Covid-19 Testing Sites
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From our Charter VAPA Booster parents: Below you will find the updates for All Charter VAPA after school enrichment opportunities:
Charter Play: The current Covid restrictions require social distancing and mask-wearing, as much as possible, for all performers during rehearsals and performances.
Our Charter Play has always been an opportunity for our entire community, K-12, to perform together in a large cast of 60-80 students.
At this time, this is too large a group to manage and maintain proper social distancing, particularly backstage in the PAC. In keeping with the spirit of the Charter Play, we want all actors who audition to be included. Therefore, here is the current plan:
- Change the Performance week from the first week of February to the last week of April (Monday, April 25-Sunday, May 1).
- Auditions will be the week of January 31-February 4
- We will explore the option of an outside performance venue if current Covid restrictions still inhibit proper social distancing in the PAC in April
- If Covid restrictions continue to be too prohibitive, a Musical Review, instead of a full production, may be considered as an option. This would enable more social distancing and grouping of students.
- Instructor: Amber Walker and others To Be Determined
All Charter Talent Show: Friday, May 20, at 7pm Coordinator: To Be Determined
Thank you!
Your Charter Theater Booster Club
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Employment Opportunities at SLVUSD: Are you looking for part-time or full-time work? Interested in joining the SLVUSD Team? We have several job opportunities. You can review SLVUSD job opportunities at www.edjoin.org/slvusd.
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Dates to Remember:
- Monday, January 17: No School MLK holiday
- Friday, January 28: No School, Professional Development day for staff
- Monday, February 14: No School, District Holiday
- Monday, February 21: No School, Presidents Day Holiday
- Friday, March 4: End of second trimester
- Friday, March 18: No School, Professional Development day for staff
- Sunday March 17-Wednesday, March 30: WASC visit
- April 4-8: Spring Break
Key Contacts
Administrator: Rhonda Schlosser: [email protected]
Administrative Assistant: Danelle Matteson: [email protected]
Registrar: Janet Hendricks [email protected]
Mental Health Counselor: Robin Bates [email protected]
Resource Specialist: Melanie Entner[email protected]
HS Academic Counselor: Mary Zilge [email protected]