Wow. It is hard to believe that we are already here at the
first quarter break of the 2014-2015 school year. It seems
like it was just yesterday that school started.
Attendance Rate UP for CHS:
Our school year has gotten off to a good start. We are down in
total number of students this year. Our CHS population is 957
students. That is down by 52 students from the same time last
year. As our county sees a decline in overall population, so
does it hold true for our schools. At Calaveras High we are
looking for a variety of ways to increase the revenue coming into
our district. One way to do that is to showcase the awesome
programs that we offer for our students. These programs
include our ever-popular career technical education classes, our
fine and performing arts classes, our slate of Advanced Placement
classes, and our athletic offerings to name a few.
Another way to increase revenue to our district is through
increasing the daily attendance rate of our students. For the
first quarter of school, Calaveras High School earned a 95.27%
average daily attendance rate. We are always aiming to stay
above the 95% mark and we were able to do that for the whole first
quarter. Great job to all for making that happen. Please
see the attached article on attendance in this newsletter for more
information about the importance of regular daily attendance for our
students.
Saturday School is a third way to increase the revenue for missed
days of school. For each Saturday School served which is from
8:00am until 12:00pm, the school district makes up for a lost day of
revenue which is equal to $34.15 per student. If your student misses
a full day of school for any reason, the district is not paid the
$34.15 for that day. If your student can attend school for
even a part of a day, that is advisable to make sure that he/she can
turn in homework and get the next night’s homework.
Cold & Flu Season:
Cold and flu season is coming. I wish I could just say NO to
colds and flus, but that really does not work. What does work
though is making sure that our students eat properly, get plenty of
rest and take good care of themselves overall. Parents, please
make sure that you help to make sure that your student is taking
care of him/herself. If your student is able to come to
school, then we do recommend that he/she come to school. If
he/she is running a fever of more than 100 degrees, vomiting or
having diarrhea, then your student should stay home until the
symptoms are gone.
Another couple of critical reminders are to not share water bottles
and to make sure that you wash your hands regularly. These are
tips to stay healthy by.
WASC Midterm Review:
Some of you may remember the WASC accreditation that CHS went
through in November of 2011. Calaveras High School was proud
to showcase the school, our programs and most importantly our
students and staff to the visiting team. The report that we
received from the visiting team validated the things that we as a
school need to and have been focusing on as well as the great things
that Calaveras High does for our students. The team was very
impressed and we remain proud of what our school and our community
does for our students.
Roll the calendar forward three years and we are at our midterm
revisit coming in March of 2015. We will be visited by the
Chair of our original WASC visiting team Ryan Robison,
Superintendent/Principal of Sutter Union High School District.
We will be working on our report over the next few months.
District Budget Woes:
As we all continue to look into the current and future budgetary
issues of CUSD, none of us has a crystal ball. There is an
advisory budget committee made up of 38 people from all over the
district, various communities, some with significant budgeting
backgrounds for private as well as public business and even some
with school finance backgrounds. The solution to the
district’s budget woes will be found not in one single action or one
single vote, but in a variety of hard choices…the kind that no one
has wanted to make over the last 7 years. As our enrollment
numbers shrink, we have to address the spending since the revenues
are falling short.
We will make the tough choices and we will see CUSD prosper again as
it always has. That is what we truly owe the students of CUSD.
Calaveras Campus Beautification Day:
Please mark your calendar for Saturday, November 15th for our campus
beautification day. We will need help from people of all ages
for gardening, painting, weed eating, pressure washing, window
cleaning, and much, much more.
If you have equipment such as weed eaters or paint sprayers please
throw them in. Our goal is to work on making the campus more
presentable.
As we head into the holiday season, please watch out for your
students, yourself, your school and your community. All my
best to you, mm
Prevention
Programs offered at Calaveras High School
Friday Night Live
Calaveras County Public Health Services
Michael Magaña, Coordinator
Friday Night Live is a youth development program for students in 9th
through 12th grades. FNL partners youth with Public Health staff to
develop interventions, activities and campaigns that address areas
students want to see improve either on their campus or within their
communities. Issues include tobacco, alcohol, and drug use;
distracted driving; and bullying. Students develop leadership
skills, learn how to collect and use data for action, develop
campaigns, present their work to decision makers and work as part of
a team with adults from Public Health and their peers. For more
information, go to
www.calaveraspublichealth.com or call (209) 754-6460.
John Van Dyck, Roving Counselor
Calaveras County Behavioral Health Department
John Van Dyck is a certified substance abuse counselor employed by
Calaveras County Behavioral Health Services. He maintains an active
weekly presence in six Calaveras County schools: Bret Harte High
School, Calaveras High School, Gold Strike High School, Toyon Middle
School, Vallecito High School, and Mark Twain Elementary School.
John is available to support students in a safe, confidential, and
free manner. John can be reached by emailing
jvandyck@co.calaveras.ca.us
Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program
Calaveras County Office of Education
Colleen Dolan, Coordinator
The Calaveras Youth Mentoring Program has been matching eager local
youth with volunteer mentors since 2003. The Mentoring Program
connects local youth with safe, positive mentors who offer
friendship, opportunity and support for making healthy life
decisions. Volunteer are thoroughly screened to ensure the safety of
everyone in the program. Once matched, mentors and mentees spend a
couple of hours a week together for at least a year doing things
they both enjoy—sports, crafts, cooking a meal together, or working
on a project. Mentors receive extensive training, plus regular
monitoring of the friendship, as-needed support, and invitations to
group field trips and events. Contact the program at
calaverasmentoring.org or call (209) 736-6078.
FNL Mentoring
Calaveras County Office of Education
Lauren Robinson, Coordinator
FNL Mentoring is a youth development and prevention program which
matches 7th and 8th grade "protégés" from Toyon, Mark Twain, and
Avery Middle Schools with older, wiser 10th-12th grade "mentors"
from Calaveras and Bret Harte High Schools. The mentors and protégés
meet once a week after school for structured, supervised, and very
fun activities highlighting important teen issues such as peer
pressure, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, body image, cyber-bullying,
resistance techniques, and self-esteem. Each week matched mentors
and protégés spend one-on-one time together building a friendship
that crosses age and school boundaries. The FNL Mentoring program is
almost entirely youth-led, which means that the students run the
show! With the help of a few very cool adults, mentors and protégés
make FNL Mentoring happen. For more information, go to
calaverasmentoring.org or call (209) 736-6078.
S.A.F.E. Kids and S.A.F.E. Teens
Resource Connection: Calaveras Crisis Center
Yvonne Fought, Prevention Education Manager
Liz Gilbert, Prevention Educator
S.A.F.E. Teens is a series presented to middle school-aged students
and high school mentors that focus on healthy relationships,
interpersonal violence prevention, peer pressure, sexual harassment
and safe choices. Other topics may include: child abuse, domestic
violence and sexual assault. The topics presented in this series are
addressed through discussion, small group activities, role plays and
video clips.
P.E.P Talks: Prevention Education for Parents, gives an overview of
our program, addresses the red flags of abuse, stranger safety
strategies and available resources.
For more information, call or email Yvonne Fought at 209-754-6183 or
yfought@trcac.org, or Liz Gilbert at 209-754-6138 or
egilbert@trcac.org.
Teens Against Tobacco
Calaveras County Public Health Services
Lorena Flores, Coordinator
Teens Against Tobacco (TAT) is a partnership between youth and the
Public Health Services Tobacco Prevention Program. The program is
for students in 9th through 12th grades at Calaveras High School
with an emphasis on the promotion of tobacco free communities in
Calaveras County. Current and past projects have focused on
tobacco-free parks, smoke-free outdoor dining, and the Healthy
Retailers for a Healthy Community campaign. TAT members have
opportunities to develop leadership skills, learn how to collect and
use data for action, develop campaigns, present their work to
decision makers and work as part of a team with adults from Public
Health and their peers. For more information, contact Michael Magaña
at (209) 754-6019 or email mmagana@co.calaveras.ca.us.
The Grandparent Project
Sponsored by Calaveras County Office of Education and Calaveras
County Behavioral Health Services
Bonnie Danielson, Coordinator
Facilitators:
Therese May, East County (VUSD, MTUESD, BHUHSD)
Arlene Weissman, West Point
Bonnie Danielson, West County (CUSD)
The Grandparent Project provides regular meetings and educational
workshops in four locations around the county for grandparents (and
other relatives) raising children. The meetings improve
grandparents’ ability to mobilize their social support networks and
adapt to their role as primary caregivers. Complex issues such as
legal, financial and emotional topics are explored and solutions
discussed. The group provides a confidential place to share and hear
first-hand how other grandparents/relatives have adapted to these
new responsibilities. For additional information or for individual
consultation, contact Program Coordinator Bonnie Danielson at
(209) 754-3023.
Yearbooks
Yearbooks are only $65 until October 19th. Order early to take
advantage of savings!
Yearbooks can be ordered online at yearbookordercenter.com school
code 6119 or on campus in the office or from Ms. Biehle in room 8.
Senior ads are also available for purchase at the same website.
Prices for senior ads will increase January 12th, but the process
can be time consuming so don't wait!
BYP2SD
Register & reserve your spot at this year’s CHS Bring Your
Parent to School Day!
Enjoy a day with your student and learn more about some HOT TOPICS
at our workshops. Presentations on topics such as How to Talk
to your Teen about complicated life issues, scholarship & grant
information, parent portal, helping your student be accountable, how
to deal with bullies etc. Parents are then welcome to
purchase school lunch and attend a presentation of Teacher Wish List
Items in the library followed in the afternoon by a presentation by
administration and Q & A. Hope you’ll find this a great
way to spend your day and learning about your kid’s day.
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail or phone us.
Thank you for taking an active role in your child’s education
Schedule:
7:45am – 8:25 am Sign In, Orientation and Light
Snacks/Coffee Place: Lower Gym
Time frame Periods Your
student’s classroom #
8:30 – 9:15AM Period 2 (first
half)
9:15 - 10:02 AM Workshop
10:02-10:10 Break
10:10-11:00 Period 4 (first
half)
11:00-11:42 Workshop
11:42-12:13 Lunch Presentation
in the Library for Teachers Wish List, please join us!
12:18-1:00 Period 6 (first half)
1:00-1:45 Workshop
1:45-2:30 We are
inviting everyone to attend the Q & A with Administration during
this time frame
Homecoming
Homecoming week is here! Dress up days are: Monday:
PJ
Superheros
Generations Tuesday:
Red, white & blue
Fandom
Toga Wednesday:
Beach
Decades
Retro Thursday:
Opposite sex
Disney
Hipster Friday: Red & Gold
Cowboy & Indian
Float building will be after school, each day in the auto yard.
There is a homecoming dance Saturday, bid forms are in the office.
Listen to the morning announcements for more homecoming fun!