February 2016 Newsletter

Principal’s Message
Principal News Feb 2016
Hello Castro Valley High School Families,
Principal’s Newsletter
CASTRO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
The second semester is upon us. Our Freshman have their first high school semester
completed and are beginning to move out of this very important transition time.
Sophomores are moving towards having more opportunities as their schedules open
up a bit. They will be hearing the Eden Area Regional Occupation Program presentations soon and make a visit to the ROP field trip. Juniors are starting to plan for
their post-secondary goals and our Seniors are but a semester away from having their
post-secondary plans come to fruition.
February is the time to of year that we begin our Programming Process for scheduling next year’s classes. It starts with presentations to each grade level about what
they should be thinking about for the coming year and the how-to’s for getting scheduled. This will be our second year of using the Aeries Online Course Selection Process. We will be sending out more information about our Programming Process, but
it is good to be aware that you are an important part of this process! Students will
need you to sign off on their Course Requests.
As we make our move to strengthen our College and Career Pathways, students and
families should know that we have many options for students to explore different
pathways. Some of these happen through our Pathways and some happen through
our Career and Technical Education programs. We have been seeing is a shift in
how to prepare students for life after high school. One of the ways we do this is by
exposing students to different types of careers that are aligned with the local job market.
Our local Chabot College and Career Pathway Consortium, a collection of high
schools and community colleges working to build our Pathways, made a video of a
Manufacturing Day that was attended by almost 400 students from local high
schools, 65 of whom were from CVHS. The video demonstrated the importance of
exposing students to the many opportunities in our area for employment that is exiting and expanding. Please follow the link to see the video: https://youtu.be/
NbxbxcLtKkM.
Staffing Changes
Assistant Principal Sharon Baltazar will be going out on Maternity Leave at the end
of this month. I would like to welcome Christopher Fortenberry to the Administrative team. He will be finishing the year at the Interim Assistant Principal for Ms.
Baltazar’s students and most of the programs she supports. Mr. Fortenberry is a veteran educator who is dedicated to supporting all students and families. We will be
interviewing soon to fill Mr. Fortenberry’s Math position. We are working diligently
to make sure this is a smooth transition.
Black History Month
Join us in celebrating Black History Month at CVHS. Our Black Student Union has
put together a great program at the end of the month to celebrate this with a Gospel
concert at the CFA. I hope that you can join us!
Principal’s Message Continued
SBAC Testing
CVHS is making a big push to increase our school’s participation in the state mandated SBAC testing
for Juniors. Our Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) participation rates were 72% for Mathematics and
80% for English Language Arts. While we would like to have 100% participation, our target is 95% of
all 11th graders participating. The testing provides us with valuable information about how students are
progressing but also allows them to participate in the Early Assessment Program (EAP). EAP allows
students to have their scores reported to colleges in California, which helps colleges place students in
the appropriate classes or see what skills they need to work on to better prepare for college.
Please support us in our efforts to meet our participation targets.
Life Changer of the Year
Life Changer of the Year is a goodwill program that recognizes the incredible work of educators and their dedication to
our students. It is sponsored by the National Life Foundation. The program encourages communities to recognize educators from around the country with the aim of honoring those who make significant changes in the lives of students.
Please take a moment to consider how one of our staff members has changed your student’s life. It was my 9 th Social
Studies teacher, Rob Sloan, who changed my life. He inspired me to become a teacher. I know that we have many staff
members at CVHS who are changing lives every day. Please follow the link if you would like to learn more or nominate
one of our staff: https://lifechangeroftheyearnominees.com/.
An Important Safety Reminder
As a parent, guardian or community member, you have an important role in helping us ensure that
CVHS is a safe place for students to learn and grow. If at any time you see students engaged in unsafe
behavior at school, on their way to or from school or at a school sponsored activity, immediately contact the school. If it is an immediate safety issue, do not hesitate to call Emergency Services. Our Alameda County Sheriff’s School Resource Officers can be dispatched very quickly. Together, with your
eyes and ears, we can collaboratively ensure the safety of all of our students.
Some Important Dates:
Eighth Grade Parent Night, February 4, 6:00pm – 8:00pm, CVHS
ROP Presentations to 10th Graders, February 4, In Classes
Canyon MS Black History Month Celebration, February 6, 9:00am – 12:00pm, Canyon MS
Athletic Boosters Meeting, February 8, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, Conference Room
10th Grade ROP Tours, February 8 and 11, Eden Area ROP Campus
Cyber-Safety Parent Presentation, February 9, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, CFA
Cash for College Night, February 10, 6:30pm, CVHS Cafeteria
CVHS English Learners Advisory Committee, February 11, 6:30pm – 8:00pm, Room 211
School Holidays, No school, February 12 and 15
School Site Council Meeting, Tuesday, February 16, 4:00-5:00pm, CVHS Main Office
CVHS Lock Down Drill, February 18
CVHS Scholarship Workshop, February 18, 6:30pm – 8:00pm, College and Career Center
Cyber-Safety Parent Presentation, February 22, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, CFA (Spanish Interpreter available)
Sophomore Parent Night, February 24, 6:00pm – 7:30pm, CVHS Cafeteria
Black History Month Gospel Concert, February 27, 4:30pm – 6:30pm, CFA
CVUSD District/Latino Community Meeting, February 29, 7:00pm – 8:00pm, CVHS Library
District English Learner Advisory Committee, March 3, 6:30pm – 8:00pm, District Office
Trojan Togetherness!
Blaine
Page 2
College and Career Center
A Message from the College and Career Center
Jennifer Kline-Coordinator
Hard to believe another year has passed and now we are into the 2 nd month of 2016.
January started off with a few very prestigious schools visiting with students in the College and Career Center. We had representatives from Yale, Mills, and Harvard. Over a dozen students came to hear them all!
Scholarship Workshop COMING SOON!
The College and Career Center and the Castro Valley Educational Foundation will be hosting a scholarship workshop on February
18th in the CVHS Library and the College and Career Center from 6:30-8:00 PM. This is an opportunity to hear from some of the
local scholarship sponsors/donors about what they are really looking for in their scholarship recipient. It is also an opportunity for
CVHS seniors to get answers to any questions they might have. Castro Valley Educational Foundation has a busy agenda for the
night. There will even be an essay clinic to get you started on the essays that are required for particular scholarships.
Speaking of Scholarships: All students should already be applying for scholarships. Not just seniors, but all grade levels. Check
out the College and Career Center’s scholarship information page at https://sites.google.com/a/cv.k12.ca.us/castro-valley-highschool-college-and-career-center/home/scholarship-information for more
What is ROP?
ROP is an off-site program that is offered to CVHS juniors and seniors. Class offerings are plentiful, and often give high school
credit and college credit. CVHS students have an opportunity to attend these classes for free, and ROP even provides the transportation to and from CVHS at no cost.
More dates to mark on your calendar:
February 2nd:
Early Decision with Las Positas College in the CVHS Library
immediately after school. *
February 3rd: Early Decision with Chabot College in the CVHS Library
immediately after school.*
February 8th: CVHS Sophomore Tour at Eden Area ROP #1
February 9th:
The Early Assessment specialist from CSU East Bay will be at CVHS during lunch to go over student’s
scores from last year’s SBAC. Will your student be college level ready in math and English? Will they be
conditionally ready, or not at all ready. Send your student to the meeting on this day.
February 10th: Cash for College Night in the CVHS Cafeteria.
6:30-8:00 PM
This event is for ALL families with high school seniors. Learn all you need to
filling out your FAFSA.
February 11th: CVHS Sophomore Tour at Eden Area ROP #2
February 18th: Scholarship Workshop
know, and receive help
Counseling
.Updates from Counseling
Programming for 2016-2017
The week of February 16th will mark the beginning of our programming for the 2016-2017 school year. Presentations and videos will be shown in students’ classes, and course selection sheets will also be sent home with students.
Each student must complete the online AND paper course selections by February 26th. Students will have an opportunity to meet with their counselor the week of February 22nd with their class. Videos and presentations, including
instructions for online course requests, will be posted to the CVHS website on or before February 16.
Counseling Continued
Sophomore Parent Night will take place on Wednesday, February 24th from 6-7:30pm in the cafeteria
SAT/ACT
Juniors are encouraged to take the SAT and/or ACT this spring in preparation for college applications. Students can
take the tests again in the Fall of senior year.
SAT Dates:
March 5th- must register by February 5th
May 7th- must register by April 8th
June 4th- must register by May 5th
ACT Dates:
April 9th- must register by March 4th
June 11th- must register by May 6th
Library News
Library News
Research season is upon is so please take advantage of the amazing resources the library has to offer.
Books: We have increased the number of nonfiction books available to students on topics that support they research we are
doing. Check out our online catalog
http://destiny.cv.k12.ca.us/quest/servlet/presentquestform.do?site=111&alreadyValidated=true
Databases: We have excellent online digital libraries available 24/7 that include resources from books, academic sources,
newspapers, magazines, videos, podcasts and more! Access our online databases at the link below. The password is trojans.
Other news:
Overdue Library Materials and Textbooks: Please remember to carefully track due dates for library materials, class books and textbooks. Any student who has late books/fees on their library and textbook accounts will be unable to purchase tickets to the upcoming
Junior prom until their account is cleared. If you have any textbook questions please email or call (X3818) Julia DeMaio. If you have
questions about library accounts please contact Kathy Clarke or Karen Sakamoto (X3817).
Student Activities
Michael Kentris
Director of Student Activities
A special thank you must go out to all students, staff, and parents who donated to the Adopt-A-Family drive in
December. We raised approximately $12,000 for 12 families, demonstrating once again the amazing generosity of
the Castro Valley High School community. Thank you so much to everyone who helped to make this years’ adopta-family one of the most successful ever.
As we head into the second semester, students and parents can look forward to the following activities and events.
Cap and Gown Orders: Packets were distributed to seniors in early January orders were taken at school in midJanuary. If you missed these days students can also contact Jostens directly to place their orders at (925) 8381835.
Winter Club Day: February 16th : Students will have an opportunity to sign up for clubs at lunch in the courtyard. This is a great opportunity for students to get involved in Student Activities!
Dodgeball Tournament: February 22nd – 26th Students interested in Dodgeball can sign up and get their behavior
contract forms in Room 607 starting about a month before the event. Contracts may also be found online under
the activities page. There will be a special finals event this year so make sure you sign up.
PTSA
A Message from our CVHS PTSA Board Member, JoAnne Laurer
At our January PTSA meeting, our PTSA auditor and chair of local community group BikeWalkCV, JoAnne Lauer, reported on a recent “safety audit” that was conducted of the streets and parking lot entrances surrounding
the high school.
The goal of the Safety Audit is to look for ways to improve street and sidewalk safety for our students, staff and
community.
Many recommendations were made and communicated through the “Don’t Rush Safety” partnership between
CVUSD, the Alameda County Sheriff, CHP, Supervisor Nate Miley’s office, Safe Routes to School, Alameda
County Public Works Association, and BikeWalkCV.
We look forward to added crosswalks, improvements at key intersections, and educational campaigns for students, parents and the community. Input from parents and the community is always encouraged. Feel free to
reach out to JoAnne at [email protected] with your questions, concerns or requests about bike and
pedestrian safety around our school.
Next PTSA Meeting
March 22nd, 7pm, CVHS Library
Our topic will address sharing with parents all the new testing information: (SBAC and the new SAT etc.) and the
implications for all grades except seniors. Further information on career readiness classes and opportunities will be
presented.
Page 5
WELCOME, CASTRO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
1. Visit http://www.shmoop.com/login/castro-valley-high-school/
2. To unlock Shmoop's Premium Resources, enter the security information below.
Teacher Magic Word: PREOCCUPPY
Student Magic Word: MONARCHY
Community Updates
Castro Valley Outreach
Castro Valley Outreach is an organization of parents and educational professionals established to assist local families who are in situations of crisis or of temporary hardship. Castro Valley Outreach offers assistance year-round to the Castro Valley community. Applicants must have children in Castro Valley schools.
Anonymity for the families is very important. Assistance given in the past has included help with medical
and dental needs, clothing, furniture and food. Currently we are taking applications for Thanksgiving food
baskets and holiday adopt a family needs.
Any family needing assistance may contact their school principal or Mr. Ray Harris at 889-7743 in the evenings. Anyone interested in volunteering time or donating to the program may also contact Ray.
Hiring Substitute Teachers
Castro Valley Unified School District is seeking skilled, enthusiastic individuals to join our team of talented substitute teachers. We offer competitive rates and flexible scheduling that can align with your availability.
Interested teachers must possess a valid CA Credential, or 30 day Substitute Teaching Permit.
In addition to valid credentials all applicants must possess a current TB test and pass a California Department of Justice Live Scan Criminal Background Check.
If you are interested in working as a substitute teacher, please contact Dee Dee Farrell at 510-537-3000 x 1222 or
stop by our office on 4400 Alma Avenue in Castro Valley.