You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” — Marvin Minsky
“Wherever you are, at any moment, try and find something beautiful. A face, a line out of a poem, the clouds out of a window, some graffiti, a wind farm. Beauty cleans the mind.” ~Matt Haig
Dear Charter Families,
Welcome! We are so excited to have you join us for the 2022-23 school year. Students always have such great growth over the summer and we love to see their growing maturity as they come back to school. We always consider each year as a new fresh start. Everyone has had a full year back to a ‘regular’ school routine and so we look forward to continuing to support all students to do their best, both in academic and social-emotional development.
Our focus is to make this year as joy-filled, creative, and collaborative as we can when we teach and support your student’s academics. We use trauma-informed practices in the classroom and teachers focus on lifeskills to support students' academic learning. Remembering the importance of maintaining healthy Relationships, Respect, and Responsibility with each other helps to support our culture.
Our mental health counselor, Jen Sims, will also be supporting all students and teachers throughout each week. She will be teaching the students SEL skills in the classrooms on a regular basis, offering small groups when a need arises, 1-1 counseling sessions based on parent/teacher requests, and writing articles for the Charter Newsletter. Her email is [email protected]
We have a lot of plans for the year! Building community and maintaining strong communication and relationships amongst our families is a high priority for us. You will be receiving weekly updates from your teacher/program as well as bi-monthly emails from me through the Charter News.
There is a lot of information in this first Newsletter. Please read on to hear about the essential information as we start the school year. Charter News will be posted on our website
after they are emailed to you. Please visit our website for a lot more pertinent information. https://charter.slvusd.org/
Our first day of school is just around the corner, August 11th.
- Nature Academy students will start their day at 8:30 each morning, with the school day ending at 2:10 to support students who take the bus. Most Mondays will have an extended day that ends at the tri-campus. New this year. Those Fridays that are not excursion days will be Early Release days so that the teachers can better support their student's progress by having designated time to collaborate with their fellow teachers.
- Back to School Night is scheduled for August 24 from 5:30-7 pm
- Our various Hybrid Homeschool programs will have their parent orientation meetings to start the year on August 11. The first weeks are scheduled for 1-1 conferences and various online correspondences and learning opportunities.
You will be receiving a letter from your student’s teacher(s) soon, if you haven’t already, explaining in further detail what your student’s daily/weekly schedule will be.
Our handbook will be posted on our website and will be shared with your students during the first week of classes. Our secondary grade level students will be bringing the handbook home for you t o read with them, then sign the front page and return it to your teacher to confirm that you have read it together. For now, here is some essential information about general safety and protocols on campus:
- Any person who comes onto the campus must sign in at our Charter Office located in the middle, main area of the campus and receive a sticker to ensure that everyone knows that you are a visitor.
We will be taking all necessary precautions to keep everyone safe while they are on campus, maintaining all Covid protocols recommended by the California Department of Public Health and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education throughout the year. Just as important, we will be monitoring the social-emotional health of your students as we renew, rebuild, and rise up throughout our learning together this year.
Covid Safety: Schools will again be following the guidance and direction of County Public Health and the County Office of Education.
There is no requirement regarding vaccination at school for students or staff. However, adult volunteers working with students must be vaccinated for COVID. This only applies to someone working with or around students in a voluntary capacity. This applies to adults volunteering in a classroom, a field trip, a sporting event, or school activity where students are present. This does not apply to adults coming as a parent or family member to a meeting with staff, as part of a parent booster club meeting, or as a spectator at an event.
- We will continue to have masks and sanitizer available in each classroom.
-Classrooms will be cleaned when students have been in them before the next school day.
For further information, please refer to Chris Schiermeyer’s District Update #1
Transportation:
- The Bus transportation to and from the Quail Hollow Campus is designed for the Nature Academy, our only 5-day week program. Students in other programs can take the bus if the drop-off and pick-up times work for their program.
- Bus information and schedules can be found at this link. Bus Transportation; SLVUSD
- CRHS Students who are taking classes at the SLVHS: Transportation can be provided from the Tri-campus or to the Tri-campus in the middle of the school day. Please contact the Charter Administration (335-0932) or your teacher of record if you want to use this service.
- Transportation will not be transporting H.S. on routes to Felton, Lompico, Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond.
Student Drop off, pick-up: All student Drop-offs and pick-ups must be made safely
- Parents/guardians of elementary-age students need to park and walk their students to their classroom and sign them in at their classroom.
- Middle school students can walk to their classroom where the teacher will take attendance or students will sign in.
- Teachers will supervise their students until they are picked up at the bus stop at the top of Marion and at the parent pick-up spot, behind the District Office building.
- We will have more drivers coming onto the campus, dropping off/picking up their students. Please help ensure the safety of our children by driving slowly, and staying with your young child when walking to and from your car. Older students, please do not run and watch for moving cars when you are in the parking area.
NOTE: The driveway down to the main campus is not designed for walkers and cars at the same time. Buses need to take wide turns to exit the transportation lot. Please use the stairs when going up and down from Marion Avenue to the central campus area.
Bikes:
- Any student who is riding their bike to the campus needs to park their bike at the top by the Coast Redwood High School building, along the side of the path and walk down and up the steps to and from the central campus area.
Parking:
- Parents for elementary and middle school students can park in front of the District Office Building.
- CRHS students who are driving to classes can park in the front parking lot and walk up the stairs to the CRHS building.
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 it will be delivered to the CRHS building.
- More details are coming from our Student Nutrition department. SLV Student Nutrition Services.
- The menus will be posted by Friday August 5th for online ordering to begin.
I have attached the information flyers from SNS for the Charter meals.
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 full COVID-19 vaccination and 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 full COVID-19 vaccination and current TB results. This documentation can be provided to your child's school site. The school site will forward proof of vaccination and current TB results to the Human Resources Office. You may also bring the proof of COVID-19 vaccination documentation and 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.
After-School Childcare: SLVUSD partners with the YMCA to provide before and after-school childcare at Boulder Creek Elementary and San Lorenzo Valley Elementary. For more information, please reach out to the YMCA (831) 338-2128, or visit their website - YMCA CHILDCARE.
I wish I could say that magic happened over the summer and our new site is freshly painted and renovations are fully complete...but unfortunately the delay woes of the Pandemic are still impacting the timing of many site renovations. While there are some delays in reconstruction plans, this does not affect our ability to welcome your students into their classrooms and our learning together. Currently, our field is currently under renovation. It won’t be completed until mid-September and so we have other activities planned for the students during their break and lunchtime.
And on a not-so-good note: Due to a medical issue, I will need to have surgery. It is scheduled for August 9th, which means that I will not be able to start the school year with all of you. Fortunately, Sandi Reimer and Lynn Chappell will be filling in for me while I am out..until the end of September. They are both recently retired from the district and both have a wealth of expertise. I’ve worked closely with them for many years and have full trust that they will be a great support for everyone in my stead. Their bios are below if you want to know more about them.
Until we see you soon, I hope all is well and you enjoy the last days of your summer break.
~All the best,
~Rhonda
- Ms. Lynn Chappell is excited to be returning home to SLVUSD to serve as temporary co-administrator for the SLVUSD Charter Program with Ms. Reimer. She served the District for 32 years, working as a District Psychologist and the Principal of Boulder Creek Elementary, before finishing her career at SLV as the Director of Human Resources. Ms. Chappell has hired and worked with many members of the Charter staff and is familiar with our programs.
- Ms. Sandi Reimer is also returning home to SLVUSD to serve as the temporary co-administrator with Ms. Chappell. Ms. Reimer served SLV for over 30 years, first as a Speech and Language Pathologist and Special Education (RSP and SDC) teacher, before finishing the last 17 years of her career at SLV as the Director of Student Services and Special Education. Ms. Reimer is familiar with the Charter staff and programs and looks forward to supporting our students, staff and families.