Week Ending – February 17, 2012
Dear Parents and Guardians;
It is with a heavy heart that I write this weekly newsletter. As you are aware, last Thursday the GCC board made the decision not to forward our charter to the Twin Rivers USD for renewal. The decision was based on criteria set forth from the California Education Code. While we are deeply sadden by this decision, the staff at CAA will continue to provide the best educational experience for your child for the rest of the 2011-12 school year. We will continue the programs and activities that have been planned such as: science fair, senior activities, mentoring, speakers of the month, promotion and graduation. I will be meeting with the Student Senate upon our return to plan additional activities and events for the rest of the school year. We are asking for your continued support. Please encourage your student to do his/her best work, study hard, prepare for the upcoming STAR testing and finals, and enjoy these last few months of California Aerospace Academy.
On Friday, I met with all students at a morning assembly to let them know the outcome of the board meeting. Many students were deeply troubled by the news. Please know that the CAA staff (family) will be there to answer any questions, help your student with the transition to his/her new school next year, and provide support during the remaining months.
Please see attachment – statement from GCC
The Gateway Community Charters (GCC) Board of Directors took action on Thursday, February 16, 2012 not to submit the CAA charter for renewal to the Twin Rivers USD board. This decision was based on the renewal criteria established in the California Education Code. It is important to understand that the board’s action will not effect the current school year. The staffs of CAA and GCC are whole heartily committed to providing the best educational experience for all students until the last day of school and beyond. There are a number of options available to you and your student to continue having and educational experience that will include continuing the Project Lead the Way program. Civil Air Patrol, and aerospace electives at Community Outreach Academy Middle School and Futures High School. We will host a special Open House event at both Community Outreach Academy and Futures High School on March 8, 2012 at 6:00pm. If you have questions or need additional information please feel free to contact the GCC Director of Community Engagement and Development (Jason Sample) at (916) 286-5106, following the President's week break you may contact the school site directly. We appreciate your support during this process and if there is anything else we can do to better serve you and your student please let us know.
To answer a few of your questions…
- When is the school closing?
- We will continue to offer the best educational experience for our students until the last day of school. June 1, 2012
- How do I obtain my students records?
- All records will be kept at the school site until June 15, 2012. After this date they will be kept at the GCC Corporate Offices. (see information below)
- Are student activities still going to continue?
- Yes, Graduation and all other planned activities will continue until the last day of school.
- Will my student’s teacher continue through the end of the school year?
- It is GCC’s priority to maintain the program with all staff through the end of the school year.
- Does this effect the accreditation or the A-G classes?
- No, all credits earned will be transferrable.
- Will ASES continue?
- Yes, it is our plan to continue the program through the end of the school year.
- What school options are available for my student?
Community Outreach Academy Middle School
7-8th grade campus
Principal Anjam Khan
3800 Bolivar Ave, N. Highlands, CA 95660
916-286-1911
Open Enrollment March 7-21
For More Information Go To Our Website at
http://outreachacademy.org/content/blogcategory/11/2/lang,english/
Open House Event on –March 8, 2012
(Project Lead the Way, Civil Air Patrol, and Aerospace elective)
Futures High School
9-12th grade campus
Principal Nataliya Burko
3701 Stephens Drive, N. Highlands, CA 95660
916-286-1902
Open Enrollment March 7-21
For More Information Go To Our Website at
Open House Event on –March 8, 2012
(Project Lead the Way, Civil Air Patrol, and Aerospace elective)
Higher Learning Academy
K-8th grades
Principal Toolie Younger
2625 Plover Street
Sacramento, CA 95815
916-286-5183
Open Enrollment –February 2 –March 2, 2012
For More Information Go To Our Website at
http://hla-gcc-ca.schoolloop.com/
Community Collaborative Charter School
K-12th Independent Study
Principal Jon Campbell –(Several locations)
5715 Skvarla Ave, McClellan, CA 95652
916-286-5161
Open Enrollment –Always
For More Information Go To Our Website at
https://cccs-gcc-ca.schoolloop.com/
Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy
7-12th Independent Study
Principal Paul Haas –(Several locations)
5330 Power Inn Rd. Ste D, Sacramento CA 95820
3141 Dwight Rd, Ste 400 Elk Grove, CA 95758
Greater Sacramento Urban League (Resource Center)
916-286-5102
Open Enrollment –Always
For More Information Go To Our Website at
Gateway Community Charters –Corporate Office
5712 Dudley Blvd. McClellan, CA 95652
916-286-5129
916-993-4114 Fax
Week Ending – February 10, 2012
Dear Parents and Guardians;
Important Information – On Thursday, February 16, the Gateway Community Charters Board of Trustees will be making a decision on whether or not to submit our charter to the Twin Rivers Unified School District for renewal. As you know, all charter schools must have their charter renewed every five years. The California Aerospace Academy’s charter expires in June, 2012. The board will be looking at the following items when considering renewal:
Health and Safety (including facilities)
Fiscal
Student Focus
Community Buy-in and Support
Other
Charter Alignment
Academics
If you want to see our school continue, it is very important that your voice be heard. The charter renewal petition will be reviews at 2:30 and a vote will be taken at 3:30. If you can be present at this very important meeting, we encourage you to attend. If you cannot be present, your letters of support are welcome. You may send your letters to our school or email them to me. We would need any letter by Wednesday afternoon. The board will be meeting at the Gateway Community Charters office at 5712 Dudley Ave, McClellan.
Aca Deca – The final results are in! California Aerospace Academy placed 17th out of 25, which is five places better than last year. We are very proud of our students, especially their diligence in competing against schools much larger than ours. Congratulations, Aca Deca Team!
Robotics – Our robotics team competed in the Tech Challenge in San Jose on Saturday, February 4. All was going well until the very end. The team finished 10th out of 16 teams. This is excellent considering the competition was with experienced teams from the Bay Area. Way to go Robotics Team! Members who attended the competition were:
Travis Forrest (team captain)
ClydeGreen
Danjanee Jones
Jewel Brown
Paige O'Connor
Mrs. Espindola
Mrs. Morace
Progress Reports – 3rd Quarter progress reports were mailed this week. If your student received a progress report, please take the time to discuss his/her lack of progress. There is still time to bring up grades before the semester ends. Encourage your student to complete homework, get extra help from teachers, and to ask questions to clarify understanding. It is our goal that every student is successful!
Fund Raiser – Please continue to save your used ink cartridges and old cell phones and bring them into the school office. We are also collecting “box tops for education”. You may also bring these items to the school office.
Seniors – There will be an important meeting for Seniors and their parents this Wednesday at 6:00 PM. We will be discussing the following: graduation, senior projects, grades, and Prom. All seniors and their parents need to attend this important meeting.
After School pick-up – Reminder - high school is officially dismissed at 3:22 Monday – Thursday and 1:00 on Fridays. If your student is not involved in the After School Program or is not being tutored by a teacher, he/she must leave campus. We do not have adequate supervision for students who are not involved in a program. Your child’s safety is most important. Please help us making sure your child is picked up after school on time.
COUNSELORS’ CORNER:
SENIORS: The application window for Fall, 2012 is now open for Community College classes. Please complete your applications at: www.losrios.edu. President’s Week is a good time to get some Community Service hours done for your Service Learning projects!
JUNIORS and SENIORS: If you are 16 years old or older, you may attend the GCC PROM. The dance contract is available in the CAA front office.
ASES: There will be no After School Program next Friday February 17th. School is out at 12:25pm for Middle School and 1:03pm for High School.
BULLYING negatively affects the atmosphere of a school and disrupts the learning environment. Bullying is not something we accept at CA, and parents can help play a key role in preventing and stopping bullying. Please visit www.stopbullying.gov– this is a great website for parents and teens to learn more about how to deal with bullying.
Week Ending – February 3, 2012
Dear Parents and Guardians;
Space Science in the Classroom – On Friday, all students learned about various aspects of space science. Under the direction of Mrs. Morace, CAA’s distinguished science teacher, students in her Space Science class took over the school and taught their fellow students about things such as: constellations, aurora borealis, refraction, comets, black holes, etc. The school was divided into Missions and each Mission circulated through seven sessions where participants took notes, asked questions, and shared in hands-on activities all led by students. Guests were invited to attend as well. We thank parents, community members, and GCC attendees: Dawn Contreras, Jason Sample, Ana Gutierrez, and members of the HR and business departments for attending and joining in on the activities. At the end of this busy day, all students completed evaluations and took home their treasurers. Thank you Space Science class for making this a memorial experience. Students responsible for this fantastic event are as follows:
Justin B., Brandon W., Mia T., Nico T., Alexzander L., Sabrina R., Omar G., Alex G., Kevin A., Kristina R., Ivy S., Breannan S., Clyde G., Jewel B., Danjanee J., Mary C.
CAHSEE - The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is a requirement for high schoolgraduation in the state of California, created by the California Department of Educationto improve the academic performance of Californiahigh schoolstudents, and especially of high school graduates, in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics; public schoolstudents must pass the exam before they can receive a high school diploma, regardless of any other graduation requirements. Students first take the test the beginning of their sophomoreyear. If they do not pass one or both of the two test sections, then they may retake the section or sections they have not yet passed. Up to eight test opportunities are available to students before the end of their senior year.
The CAHSEE is divided into two main sections: English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The English section includes about 80 multiple-choice questions and requires students to write one or two multi-paragraph essays. The essay portion provides a question that will prompt the student to write a persuasive essay, a business letter, a biography, a reaction to literature, or an analysis on the subject of the question. For example, in 2002, one group of students was asked to write an essay that persuaded people not to leave trash on the school grounds. Essay questions change with each test date. The essay portion is scaled out of one to four (with zeros given in special cases, such as for off-topic or non-English responses). The mathematics section consists of about 90 multiple choice questions.
All 10th grade students will be taking the CAHSEE on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 7 and 8. It is very important that all 10th graders are at school on time. For the best results, students should get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, and bring a water bottle to keep hydrated during the testing sessions. Test results will be available in approximately 2 months.
The final tutoring session for the CAHSEE will be Monday from 3:30 – 4:30.
Aca Deca – Our outstanding students competed in the regional Academic Decathlon on Saturday, February 4. They made us proud during the Super Quiz with results in the middle of the pack. We competed against such high schools as Center, Foothill, St. Francis, Cordova, San Juan, and Highlands just to name a few. In all there were 25 local teams that competed in the 32nd Annual Sacramento County Academic Decathlon held at Inderkum High School in Natomas. The daylong competition started with individual and group tests and concluded with the Super Quiz showdown on the topic “The Age of Imperialism: The Making of a European Global Order.” Students that participated are as follows:
Steven A., Mason C., Vincenzo V., Kaleb D., Zachary B., Samuel M., Paul J., Amanda S., Desirae W., Daniel P., Spencer M., Kyle M., Breannan S., Ashley S., Dylon E.
Fund Raiser – Please continue to save your used ink cartridges and old cell phones and bring them in to the school office. We are also collecting “box tops for education”. You may also bring these items to the school office.
After School pick-up – Reminder - high school is officially dismissed at 3:22 Monday – Thursday and 1:00 on Fridays. If your student is not involved in the After School Program or is not being tutored by a teacher, he/she must leave campus. We do not have adequate supervision for students who are not involved in a program. Your child’s safety is most important. Please help us by seeing that your child is picked up after school on time.
Parent’s Club – Thank you to all the parents who attended the Parent meeting on Thursday. If you were unable to attend, you missed a presentation by our science department – Mr. Schroeder and Ms. Smith. Other items discussed were the upcoming CAHSEE for 10th graders, our ongoing fundraisers (Tuesday coffee sales, ink cartridge recycling, box tops for education, and the energy savings sign-up). Charter Renewal information will be relayed to you after the GCC board meeting on February 16. We will be sending you the time of this meeting as soon as it is published. As promised, the website to view our API and APY last year is: http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/
Student Senate – Members of the Student Senate will be selling Valentine Grams this coming week. Grams range in price from .25 to $1.00. Students may purchase a Valentine Gram for their special someone from a Student Senate member during home room. Grams will be delivered on Valentine’s Day during home room.
COUNSELOR’S CORNER:
SOPHOMORES: will be taking the CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) this week and should get a goods nights rest and have a healthy breakfast to be best prepared.
Wednesday 2/7 English 2nd and 4th period; Wednesday 2/8 Math 1st and 3rd period
JUNIORS and SENIORS: (ages 16 – 20yrs) are invited to our GCC District-wide PROM in the Lion’s Gate Ballroom on March 23rd. An information packet will be available soon. Please see Mrs. Kaslan or Ms. Fields for more information about purchasing tickets.
SENIORS: Admissions applications are now available on-line for the Los Rios Community College District www.losrios.edu
BULLY AWARENESS: Cyber-Bullying is when an individual uses technology to harass, stalk, defame, impersonate, and threaten their victims through e-mail, cell phone text messaging, instant messaging, and various forms of technological communication. It is important for parents to discuss appropriate behaviors both off-line and online. All forms of cyberspace harassment are not tolerated.
