Culver City High School - Culver City Unified School District

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Culver City High School
Parent Newsletter
August/September 2015
CCHS Mission Statement
Culver City High School is an engaged and caring academic community where diversity is valued and
respected. We are committed to educating and inspiring all students to become life-long learners and
contributing members of our global society.
Principal’s Message
Culver City High School
Dr. Lisa Cooper
Welcome Centaur students and families to another exciting school
year! I hope everyone enjoyed their summer and that students and
their families are ready to return to the business of learning. Our
dedicated staff has been working hard to prepare for another amazing
school year. I can’t wait to see familiar faces and meet some new
1. All students will graduate.
2. All students will be proficient
in ELA and Math.
3. All students will be
College/Career ready.
4.
All students in 9th grade
will earn 60 credits.
5. All students will participate
in athletics and/or
extra-curricular activities.
ones. I look forward to another great year at CCHS and working with
you to help your child have an enjoyable and successful year at
school.
Reminder to all Link Crew Leaders/Academic Mentors/Chirons/ASB
August 13th 9am-3pm MPR- Training
August 14th 9am-3pm MPR- Link Crew Leaders only
August 17th 1:50-4pmLink Crew, Chirons, Academic Mentor, & ASB
Welcome to Culver City High School! We look forward to the Class of 2019 joining our
school community. We hope the next four years of high school will be exciting for you. We
look forward to you continuing the tradition of excellence in our academic, athletic, and
activity programs. You are now officially a Centaur!
-Dr. Cooper, Principal
Welcome Class of 2019 Parents!
9th Grade Parent Reception
Monday, August 17th
6-8pm
CCHS Senior Lawn
Freshmen Orientation Day
Date: Monday August 17th
Time: 8:00am-1:30pm
Where: High School Gym
(Located near the CCHS main entrance gate)
Parents…..Please drop off your student
The day will be filled with Fun, Games,
and Excitement!
REMINDER
Math placement for 9th graders new to the district
will take place after a brief lunch break following
orientation.
*Please RSVP by Wednesday August 12th
[email protected]
Include: parent(s) name, Student name
and number in attendance.
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“A Day in the Life of a CCHS Centaur”
We look forward to seeing all of our students Monday August 24th for the kick-off to the
2015-2016 school year! To celebrate the first day of school all students will experience
“A Day in the life of a CCHS Centaur”. The day will be filled with informative activities that
will prepare students for the school year. School spirit activities will be embedded into the
program to celebrate the first day of school.
CCHS encourages students to attend their registration date or our make-up registration August 18th to insure
8-10:07am- Activities
that
all students
enjoy this unique experience. Participation in our kick-off event will be essential to a smooth
10:07-10:22
Brunch
10:27-12:15transition
to theActivities/Rally
new school year. We want all of our students to enjoy every minute of the first day of school
12:15 – 12:50 – Lunch
activities.
12:50-3pm Visit with period 1-6
12:50 –12:55 (5 minutes) passing period
12:55-1:10 (15 minutes) Period 1
1:10-1:15 (5 minutes) passing period
1:15-1:30 (15 minutes) Period 2
1:35-1:40 (5 minutes) passing period
1:40-1:55 (15 minutes) Period 3
1:55-2:00 (5 minutes) passing period
2:00-2:15 (15 minutes) Period 4
2:15-2:20 (5 minutes) passing period
2:20-2:35 (15 minutes) Period 5
2:35-2:40 (5 minutes) passing period
2:45-3:00 (15 minutes) Period 6
Thank you to our Community
Sponsors for their generous
donations to provide every CCHS
students a school spirit T-shirt on
the first day of school!
 Elliot Heffler
 CCHS Grad Night Committee
 CCHS Booster Club
 CCHS PTSA
 The Rotary Club
 Herff-Jones
 CFP Photography
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Activities
Asst. Principal, Kelli Tarvyd
Attendance Counts!!!
One of the most important things your
child can do to achieve academic success is
one of the most basic: going to school
every day. In fact, research has shown that
your child's attendance record may be the
biggest factor influencing his/her
academic success. Students are more
likely to succeed in academics when they
attend school consistently and are
mentally present and contributing to their
classes. Two of CCHS’s goals are: All
students will graduate; and All students
will participate in athletics and/or extracurricular activities. In order to achieve
these goals, we need your students to
attend school regularly.
Cla
Culver City High School has over 60 clubs and over 60 athletic
teams. Class Councils are in place for each class level and plan
activities for the students in their grade and eventually the prom.
The topics of clubs range from environmental issues to political
issues; LGBT support to Anime, Chess Club and even Mock Trial.
Students have created clubs to address their many interests.
Numerous volunteer experiences exist at our site for students to
donate their time to a worthy cause and work alongside their
classmates. Studies indicate that students who are more involved
and vested in their school perform better and have a better
experience in school. My father, who is in his senior years, was
active in his high school and continues to maintain close ties with
classmates from his high school. Activities Director, Carlos Valverde
and I are both CCHS graduates and were involved in our school as
students and continue to be extremely involved and proud of our
school.
Please encourage your student to become involved in their school.
Have them join a club or two and/or try out for an athletic team.
Attending athletic events and rooting on our teams helps encourage
Centaur pride. Please access our school bulletin regularly to stay
apprised of school activities and events.
Should you have questions regarding clubs, please contact our
Activities Director, Dr. Carlos Valverde at [email protected].
Information regarding Service Learning opportunities can be
accessed through our Service Learning Coordinator, Adrienne
Madrid at [email protected]. Wishing you an engaging,
Centaur-pride school year!
Education code excuses absences for
illness, bereavement of immediate family
members, medical appointments and
County quarantine. Other absences are
technically considered truancies.
Excessive absences may warrant a referral
to our School Attendance Review Board
(SARB). Should you have questions
regarding attendance, please contact your
student’s Assistant Principal.
Get Connected!
CCUSD has gone mobile. Stay in touch
with Culver City Unified School District
by downloading our new mobile app.
Download on your mobile device today
and select yes to receive push
notifications with the latest news.
Follow us @CulverCityHS
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Instruction & Curriculum
2015-2016 Registration dates:
Monday, August 10th
12th grade from
12:30 – 3:30 only
Wednesday, August 12th
11th grade
Thursday, August 13th
10th grade
Friday, August 14th
9th grade
Asst. Principal, Dr. Lisa Michel
9th Grade Orientation Monday, August 17th
Advanced Placement Test Results are in!
We are so proud of the 521 students who took 1,047 AP exams this past year. Once again our
students’ success on these exams far exceeded that of students across the state and globally.
We had great successes in all disciplines. Congratulations, Centaurs!
2013
Total AP Students
Number of Exams
Percentage of CCHS AP students with 3+
scores
Global percentage of students with 3+ scores
2014
459
889
75.8
507
977
78.9
2015
521
1,047
74.5
60.9
61.3
60.7
Centaur Plus
Centaur Plus is a 24-minute academic tutorial opportunity for all students in the subject of their greatest need.
This is a chance for teachers to give skill-based interventions as well as homework completion assistance based
on the need of the student. Centaur Plus is built into the Monday/Thursday bell schedule without increasing
minutes in the school day. Students have the capability to schedule their Centaur Plus session through their
Enriching Students online account. A school-wide assembly will take place on September 10th to provide
further information and instructions. If your student needs assistance with their student email and/or Enriching
Student account please see Ms. R. Snyder (RM.30) or Dr. Michel (Main office).
September 10: Centaur Plus/Club Assembly
September 17: First day of Centaur Plus
220 Credits …….requirement to walk in Graduation Ceremony
Last year Board policy was revised so that seniors must complete all 220 required credits in order to walk in
the graduation ceremony. Counselors will continue to work with students to utilize all our district resources so
that seniors may participate in the culminating ceremony. Resources include: summer school, Adult School,
iAcademy, Culver Park, 7th period independent study, among others. Please ask your child's counselor for
more information regarding remediation of credits.
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Counselor’s Corner
Counseling on the Go!
Students can now ask questions on the
go. Counselors will be available @ lunch
every Tuesday out on the lunch patio area
to meet students, provide resources and
answer qucik questions.
Counseling
Office Hours
Monday-Friday
7:30am-4pm
Principal, Dr. Lisa Cooper
Parent Homework Help Tips
Make Sure That Your Child Has These:
 A quiet place to work with good light
 A regular time each day for doing homework
 Basic supplies, such as paper, pencils, pens, markers, and ruler
 Aids to good organization, such as an assignment calendar, book
bag, and folders
Questions to Ask Your Child
 What’s your assignment today?
 Is the assignment clear? › If not, have you emailed the teacher or
called a classmate?
 When is it due?
 Do you need special resources? › (For example) Do you need a
trip to the library or access to a computer?
 Do you need special supplies? › (For example) Do you need
graph paper or poster board?
 Have you started today’s assignment? Finished it?
 Is it a long-term assignment? › (For example) Is it a term paper
or science project?
 For a major project, would it help to write out the steps or make
a schedule?
 Would a practice test be useful?
Other Ways to Help
• Look over your child’s homework, but don’t do the work!
• Meet teachers early in the year and find out about homework policies.
• Congratulate your child on a job well done!
CCHS Guidance Counselors
Rebekah Howard
Dan Fagas
Candace Mackey
Tim Walker
Steve Gyepes
College Counselor- Thelma Valverde
Career Counselor- Adrienne Madrid
Intervention Counselors
Ida Spencer & Rosa Maldonado
Coffee & Chat
Counselor Meet & Greet
W/Parents
Come out and meet your student’s counselor
Wednesday September 23rd
7:30am-8:30am
College & Career Center
(2nd floor CCHS Library)
Lunch & Learn
Encourage your student to attend CCC Lunch &
Learns to explore various careers from
experienced professionals. Check the CCHS
website for dates.
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Athletics
The 2015-2016 school year will be an exciting year at Culver City Unified
School District. Former CCHS Athletic Director Tom Salter will
coordinate sports programs for grades 6 through 12 in his new role as the
District Athletic Director to give students more access to quality coaching
and guidance while expanding opportunities for students to participate in
sports.
Asst. Principal, DuBois McMillan
Fall Sports:
Football
Cheer & Dance
Cross Country
Tennis (Girls)
Volleyball (Girls)
Water Polo (Boys)
A major part of the program’s focus is teaching and instilling the Six Pillars
of Characters to encourage good sportsmanship, character-building, ethics,
and team building. We believe that student-athletes reach their highest
potential when they embody these core values: trustworthiness, respect,
responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. In order to implement an
effective Pursuing Victory with Honor program, we realize that this
requires a commitment from our entire community, not just studentathletes. These core values must be modeled by coaches, teachers,
officials, parents, fans, and staff.
CCUSD Athletic Director, Tom Salter
Pursuing Victory With Honor
Coaches Retreat
The PVWH training was a huge success!!! With
over 50 coaches/staff in attendance and a special
message from Superintendent Dave Larose,
participants were engaged in hands-on, teambuilding exercises that helped us understand the
importance of Teaching, Enforcing, Advocating,
and Modeling (TEAM) the Six Pillars of
Characters in everything that we do. Our
discussions were rich and coaches left
empowered to use the Pursuing Victory With
Honor language and practices on the playing
field/court, when communicating with studentathletes, parents, and staff.
CCHS Student-Athletes Gives Back to the Community
CCHS Baseball & Football players volunteering at the CCUSD Summer Lunch program
Several CCHS students gave up a part of their summer to give
back to the community. These student-athletes exemplified
Caring and Responsibility as they worked with kids in the
Summer Lunch Program at La Ballona. Activities included:
teaching kids the basics of soccer and basketball, and helping
with arts and crafts project. Great job CENTAURS!!!
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Welcome our new CCHS Teachers!
Paige Shakeri, Social Studies
Becky Breitwieser, English
Hey Culver! I'm back for round 2! After leaving CCHS
to return home to the Central Coast for a year, I have
come back to my favorite school! I originate from San
Luis Obispo but graduated from CSULB with a BA in
history and my teaching credential. In my short five
years of teaching, I have taught almost every content area
in Social Sciences between grades 8-12. So far my
favorite subjects to teach have been Global Issues, World
History, and Sociology. In addition to teaching my
content class I will be teaching an Academic Intervention
class, which I love, and coaching cheerleading. This
year I will be co-head coach of the CCHS Centaur Cheer
Team. Looking forward to another wonderful year at
CCHS!
My journey to becoming a teacher began in Silicon Valley
as a Silicon crystal grower, then as an engineer. I traveled half
way around the world for 16 months then came back to the
states to practice law. I managed an Informational Services
group, and then became involved with non profits that worked
on building community. Still something was missing- I had
more to give and learn. Five years ago I received my M.Ed.
and began teaching. In the classroom I have found my true
passion. Working with students, exploring ideas and learning
together makes me wake up every day with excitement and
purpose.
Leron Azeroul, Math
Hanna Nelson, English
My name is Leron Azeroual and I come from an incredibly
diverse background. My grandparents are Czech and
Moroccan, my parents are Israel, I was born and raised in
Toronto, Canada and my children are American. My
passion in life including traveling the world and my
incredible life experiences have shaped the person and
teacher I have become. My hobbies include basketball,
swimming, and going to the beach. I’m extremely
adventurous; I’ve done everything from skydiving, to hang
gliding, to scuba diving and enjoy living each day to the
fullest. I have a beautiful wife, Eti (who teaches Math) and
two adorable children, Ethan who is 5 and Ariel who is 4
years old. I’ve loved mathematics ever since I was a child,
I’ve been teaching mathematics for 11 years and I cherish
every minute of it. I love the role mathematics plays in
society and in the world around us.
Hello, I’ll be teaching 9th honors English and 11th English this
coming school year. I can’t wait to meet everyone! I am working
towards a Masters in Education with UCLA. Before moving
down to Los Angeles area, I studied at San Francisco State
University, and lived in SF for that time. My family lives in
Northern California, where I originally grew up, so I have an
affinity for the fog and redwood trees. Learning is my favorite
past time; I love the sciences, reading, and learning new
languages.
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Conally Owen, English
Stacey Harding, Spanish
My name is Conally Owen. I am an East Coaster—I grew up
in Virginia Beach, VA, and attended a small school in the
VA mountains called James Madison University. After
undergrad, I moved to Chapel Hill, NC, and worked at an
elementary school. Two years later, I attended Duke
University for a master’s degree in teaching secondary
English. My wife accepted a job in LA and, so, here we are
(as of June)! I am in awe of the California lifestyle—I love
to run and explore. I look forward to both teaching and
learning at CCHS this year.
I am from Santa Monica where I grew up playing soccer and
basketball. I have a big family: one brother, three sisters, and
five nieces and nephews. I spent three years living in the
Czech Republic and Spain and fell in love with teaching ESL
and Spanish during that time. My hobbies include watching
FC Barcelona win, running half and full marathons, doing
DIY projects, traveling, fishing, and playing foosball.
Professionally, I am most proud of my students’ 100% pass
rate over the past three years in AP Spanish. I am ecstatic to
be a Centaur!
Elliot Mende, Social Studies
Laura Kilcollins, Spanish
I am motivated to create an engaging and inclusive
classroom space that celebrates diversity. Previously, I
taught at a secondary school in Ecuador, which inspired me
to continue my teaching career and confirmed in me the
need to design a curriculum that supports English language
development. I am working towards a Masters in Education
at UCLA, and throughout this school year I will be
researching and writing a teacher inquiry project. I received
my B.A in History from UC Santa Cruz, but I’m originally
from Sacramento. To reinvigorate myself, I like to camp,
travel, dance, and eat delicious food.
I will be a Spanish teacher at Culver City High School. I
received my B.A. degree from Northern Arizona University
where I competed for their track and field team on an
athletic scholarship. After obtaining my teaching credential
from Cal State Long Beach, I worked as a bilingual
educator in Lennox School District for 10 years. Following
a brief stint as a stay at home mom I began working with
adults and their children at South Bay Adult School. More
recently I returned to school to complete my coursework
for a single subject foreign language credential. I taught
Spanish last year at Redondo Beach. An interesting fact
about me is that I have done the pier to pier swim at the
International Surf Festival eight times!
We also welcome new teachers… Brandon Tasaki (Math), Ciara Mansour
(Science), and Graham Lockett (Science).
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Just for you!
Parent information to be
INVOLVED--INFORMED--CONNECTED
Western Association of Schools & Colleges
(WASC)
School Improvement (SI) Council
We need parent volunteers to join our SI Council
to review the school goals and plans for the
2015-2016 school year. The Council meets once
a month from 4-5pm. If interested please contact
Dr. Cooper.
CCHS will need parent volunteers to be a part of
our WASC accreditation Self-Study committee. If
you are interested please contact WASC
Coordinator, Januari Penman
[email protected]
[email protected]
JOIN CCHS PTSA ANYTIME!
Join the CCHS Booster Club
Meetings are open to all. Join us to find out what is
happening in your school! Please check the CCHS
website and click the PARENT tab to get membership
info and meeting dates.
The Culver City High School Booster
Club helps to support student clubs, organizations,
athletic teams, and other extra-curricular activities
through financial support and volunteerism. Joining
the CCHS Booster Club and volunteering at school
events are great ways to support our students, to
meet other parents, to reconnect with fellow
alumni, and to get involved with Culver City High
School.
To get involved or be added to our email
notification list or to contact us, send a message
to: [email protected]
PARENT PORTAL
Culver City Education Foundation
Parents can access student information through our
Parent Portal. Log in often to access student
attendance reports, teacher grade books, and grade
reports as they become available.
CCEF works throughout the year to raise the
funds needed to ensure that every student at
each of our CCUSD schools has a rich and
engaging education. To make this happen, we
need your help. Please show our students
that their community supports them, by
supporting CCEF. Please donate at
CCEF90230.org
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AVPA
 Sept. 12th- AVPA Dance Movie Night
 Sept. 19th- Jazz Under the Stars
 Sept. 19th-20th- CC Affairs of the Arts
 Sept. 26th- Fundraiser
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24th-
Important
Dates
http://www.avpa.org/
Aug.
First Day of School
th
Aug. 28 - Link Crew Ice Cream Social
Sept. 10th - Assembly
Sept. 10th- College Night/Minimum Day (Thurs)
Sept. 11th- Club Fair
Sept. 17th- Centaur Plus starts
Sept. 30th- Back to School Night
Does your student need help
with their locker? Please see
Ms. Flores in the
Athletic Office
Welcome Back Centaurs!
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