The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul
is apt to revive also. ~Harriet Ann Jacobs
Dear Charter Families,
Some of you may have noticed that I have not been on campus lately, nor have I been responding to emails or sending emails in any consistent way. I have been laid up with a back injury since April 15th and have not been able to walk, sit, or stand for extended periods of time due to the pain until this weekend.
My apologies for all the late correspondence and/or emails sent at odd hours. I have been trying to keep up whenever I can. Unfortunately, I am advised by my doctors that I cannot drive or walk enough to come back to work yet, but hope to be back soon.
I have been in daily correspondence with my admin team, and the teachers and I are in communication when needed as well. The Charter staff is a great team and I know that the daily operations at the school site will continue to run as smoothly as possible.
I am replying to emails whenever possible and so please continue to email me if there is a question or concern I can help with.
AND… Thank you to all of you who are supporting the Charter by having your students take the CAASPP ELA and Math tests. As I mentioned in my last email at least 95 percent of all students and student groups must test in English language arts (ELA) and Mathematics.
If we have less than 95% test, Federal law requires that the participation rate be factored into accountability systems. Therefore, if we do not meet the 95 percent participation rate goal, the State will apply a penalty to the calculation of our Academic Indicator that will appear on the CDE School Dashboard for both Math and ELA.
If you have concerns about the test for your student, please talk to you teacher, as there are many universal supports that are available for them to help make the experience the best possible for your student.
If you have questions about the tests for me, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you for your understanding. And thank you for allowing us to share in the growth and positive well-being of your children.
All the best,
~Rhonda
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April is Celebrate Diversity Month: Via the District parent update…An important element in our Charter programs.
As we continue to shape the culture of where we live, we want to celebrate the diversity we have in the Valley. What makes SLVUSD and the San Lorenzo Valley Community such a great place is the uniqueness that we all bring to the Valley. Our cultural differences, backgrounds, and traditions need to be recognized and celebrated.
Diversity means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies.
As mentioned in a previous communication, racism of any sort cannot exist within our community. Across all schools it is important to remind our students, staff, and families of the importance of the words we use and the impact those words have on others. We need to celebrate diversity not in a way that just acknowledges, but in a way that integrates, supports, and celebrates the voices of all.
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AND Congratulations to our Santa Cruz County Science & Engineering Fair Winners!
You all showed great effort and dedicated time and work in order to share what you have learned in the area of science. We are so proud of you!
- Trianna Luke - Alex Smith - Damian Spracklen -Ellawyn Strudley
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Save the Date...our first annual Music & Art Festival at Roaring camp
April 27, 2022
doors open at 4:00 pm
We now have a small Charter Middle School Band that will be performing at this festival as well! We would love to see you all come out.
San Lorenzo Valley Music and Art Festival on Wednesday, April 27th
SLV High School Music Boosters and Art Boosters invite our community to a fun evening of music and student art!
Despite a year and a half of online learning, the music program on all SLV campuses grew.
We are excited to expand to our new venue at Roaring Camp and to include more of our community in this free event.
There is no need for cooking; we will have 2 dinner food trucks, Aunt Lali's ice cream truck, and Cruz Coffee on location from Food Trucks a Go-Go.
Bring your chairs and picnic blankets as the event will be held outside on the grass meadow.
A silent and live auction will take place to help raise money for our growing music program.
Come show your support. Let's celebrate our talented students in our valley!
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Summer School Enrollment is Open!
The Summer Learning Opportunities will run from Tuesday, June 14 - Thursday, July 14, 2022, from 8:30-12:30 (no classes Friday, June 17, 24, July 1, July 8, or Monday, July 4).
Course offerings are listed on the enrollment form. High school summer school is primarily for credit recovery. Priority will be given to high school students that received a D or F in a previous course. High School students should consult with their teachers prior to completing the enrollment form. Elementary and grades 6-8 have more enrichment in addition to Math and ELA focused classes.
The deadline for submitting registration requests will be May 27, 2022.
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Parent Advisory Committee: Our meeting on Tuesday, April 19th had to be postponed. I will send out a special email regarding a new date. The meeting will be a special one, pertaining to planning for parent and program opportunities for next year.
Thank you to the parents who attend these meetings. 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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Author’s Book Fair: Grades 1-5 We have the opportunity to publish and share our writing at the Young Author's Fair! Student’s books can be on display at the Young Author's Fair on Saturday, May 7th from 10 am-3 pm at Del Mar Elementary School.
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CAASPP Testing You may be hearing from your teachers about the required State testing. The tests will be shorter in length than in previous years. We are firming up our schedule for each grade and test but in general, programs will begin testing in April after the Spring Break, through mid-May.
We are required to have 95% of our students take the test each year. This will be an important year to gather data from as it marks a new baseline for our Charter school after the Pandemic and Distance Learning years.
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Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 Student Participation: All students at the designated grade levels are required to participate with the following exceptions: -Students who participate in the alternate assessments. -ELA only—English learners who are in their first 12 months of attending a school in the United States. Content and Format: The Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, which are delivered by computer, consist of two sections: a computer adaptive test and a performance task (PT) based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA and mathematics. The computer-adaptive section includes a range of item types, such as selected response, constructed response, table, fill-in, graphing, and so forth. The PTs are extended activities that measure a student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards—a key component of college and career readiness.
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California Science Test (CAST) in grades 5, 8, and once in high school. Student Participation: The CAST is required for all students in grades five and eight and once in high school (i.e., grade ten, eleven, or twelve) unless their IEP indicates assessment with an alternate test. The CAST includes stand-alone or discrete items and PTs. The discrete item types consist of selected response, constructed response, table, fill-in, graphing, and so forth. The PTs measure a student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards through extended activities.
- The Physical Fitness Test (PFT) for students in California schools is the FITNESSGRAM®. The main goal of the test is to help students in starting life-long habits of regular physical activity. Students in grades five, seven, and nine take the fitness test. The test has six parts that show a level of fitness that offer a degree of defense against diseases that come from inactivity. The test results can be used by students, teachers, and parents. The PFT - CalEdFacts page provides a more detailed overview of the test.
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COVID Update: SLVUSD has partnered with Inspire Diagnostics to offer an outdoor walk-up PCR testing site that is open to the entire school community at the SLV District Office, Quail Hollow school site, Ben Lomond, and is offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (excluding holidays) from 1-5 pm.
Families are welcome to utilize this free service. The site is available for symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. Those needing a test simply need to fill out the registration once at http://sccoe.link/inspiresc, no appointment is required. Our weekly and exposure testing will continue at the school sites for students and staff.
In addition, COVID-19 vaccinations are still available through our county drive-through locations. If you would like your child to get vaccinated, you can register and make an appointment at https://santacruzcoe.org/vaccines/ or contact your student’s doctor or healthcare provider.
On-site COVID testing will continue: Our weekly exposure testing will continue at the school sites for students and staff. 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. The Inspire Diagnostics Testing Dates and Times at Quail Hollow are Monday & Thursday 10:45am - 11:45am
To register your student(s), please click on INSPIRE DIAGNOSTICS REGISTRATION.
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From our Charter VAPA Booster parents: All Charter Talent Show: Friday, May 20, at 7pm Coordinator: To Be Determined
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Charter Parent Volunteers: 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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Community Opportunities: The district has transitioned the Community Opportunities site to the new platform that Google will continue to support. Here is the LINK to the website...
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Dates to Remember:
- Monday, May 30: District Holiday, Memorial Day
- Tuesday, June 7: Last day of school for students
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]