SLVUSD Charter News
Vol 1.19 - Week of June 3, 2024
From the Principal
Hello Charter families!
We are beyond proud of 5th grader Emerson Brunner who took 1st place in the individual division of the County Math competition in May. A total of 153 students from grades 5-8, representing 40 teams across Santa Cruz County participated in the event. Well done, Emerson!
Please click here for the link to the May 20 Parent Advisory Council minutes. One broad topic of conversation was the decision next year not to hold a "whole Charter" beach day on the first Friday of school in August. Instead, the Homeschool programs will hold their Beach Day, and we will be holding an all-Charter event later in the school year, allowing for all programs to mingle. The beach day had some insurmountable challenges - first, because we couldn't get all our Nature Academy families cleared as volunteers in time, which is a requirement for all school-sponsored field trips for our 5-day-a-week program, and second, because having an event for close to 300 students right by the water holds significant student safety concerns.
If you are a parent of an incoming 3rd through 9th grader, please watch your email inbox over the next week or so as I plan to distribute 200 licenses to a fun and engaging keyboarding program called Touch Type Read Spell, an "award winning multi-sensory course that teaches typing, reading and spelling." It's aimed at students from elementary to high school. We are encouraging all students, if at all possible, to spend a minimum of 1 hour a week on it, over the summer, but if they choose, they can spend longer. This program license will be theirs until May of 2025, and after completion of all 12 modules this time next year, your child should show a substantial improvement in keyboarding fluency. (The one hour a week recommendation holds for the full May - May year. )
If your child will be attending 1st grade at our Heartwood Homeschool next year, please note that the day ends at 1:30pm starting next year, and not 12:15pm. Our first graders will be getting a lunch recess under this new bell schedule. This later end time, specific to 1st graders, is to allow for a smaller group academic focus on literacy and math development.
Nature Academy starts at 8:35am next year (5 mins earlier). First bell will be at 8:30am, which is also when the last bus drop off happens. We have been able to claim back enough time with this small change to allow us to provide 20 adjusted Mondays (1:19pm dismissal) to allow our teachers the same number of Collaboration Days as the comprehensive middle school. We will be investigating after school options for students interested in extra curriculars on those Mondays. Please click here for the bell schedule for next year. If these changes seem at all arbitrary/insignificant; please know that the ability for our teachers to have a consistent collaboration time can have significant impact on student learning. (See "collective teacher efficacy)
Please click here for the overall SLVUSD Charter Program beginning and end times for 2024-25.
A reminder to ALL families that we need you to complete your Online Registration for the 2024-25 school year. You would have received an email from us with a special snapcode that you will need to sign in to PowerSchool. If you haven't received it, please check your spam folder and then email Janet (jhendricks@slvusd.org) and she can send out another email. (Note that Powerschool only sends one email if there's a 2-parent family. The first person listed in PS gets the email.) This requirement to register applies whether your student was at Charter or not this year.
Nature Academy families, please bring folding chairs with you to the Advancement ceremony on Thursday, June 6 at 10am, especially if you plan to have more than 4 people in your party! Thank you!
Our office will close on Fri, June 14 and will reopen on Monday, July 29. Please email or call with any questions or concerns! (kleroux@slvusd.org and T. 831-335-0932)
Here's to a great summer!
Kerry
Lexia - Summer Literacy practice
Charter students have access to Lexia Power Up (6th - 11th) or Lexia Core (1st - 5th), which is an online platform that focuses on supporting students' vocabulary development, grammar, and reading comprehension. Please consider having your child work on Lexia for approximately one hour a week (can be more or less) to continue building their literacy skills over the summer.
To access Lexia from a personal or public computer, your student would navigate to https://launchpad.classlink.com/slvusd and then sign in with a student account. (If they are not sure what their account info is, please email Kerry!)
Student nutrition service next year - changes
We are thrilled to announce that starting next year, students will NOT need to order hot lunch! Our main kitchen over at the tricampus will bring a selection of hot lunch options for all students who want school lunch. (In the unlikely event we run out of hot lunch there will always be cold options available e.g. chicken salad, yoghurt parfait, etc.)
Other good news is that we will be moving away from single-use plastic next year and will be providing compostable flatware instead. Thanks go to our excellent nutrition department for figuring out these improvements!
Melanie's 2023-24 Garden Round Up!
A message from our Master Gardener, Melanie Burgess:
"I wanted to send out some highlights from the gardens....
Our high school students cooked and shared more food this year than ever before using every bit of food that was grown in their garden. Students made flower presses from redwood that was generously donated by a parent and they learned how to build trellising for their peas. They worked together to plant vegetables and herbs each week.
The "Triangle Project" landscape design was created by CRMS students and building will hopefully start early next year.
QHIA students have created a new garden scarecrow and they propagated and planted many new succulents into the garden. Students also enjoyed pine needle and mint honey made by QHIA students at our end of the year tea party.
NA students created several habitats for the bees, birds, and butterflies. Early in the school year we received a generous donation of wine barrels, logs, and butterfly attracting plants to which volunteer parents and students created a butterfly sanctuary and seating area for us.
Plants are finally starting to grow and bloom in our shady Elementary learning garden! Students released a lot of ladybugs and placed praying mantis eggs in the gardens! We added some new rainbow growing buckets and rainbow metal wine barrel hearts to all gardens.
Our students donated over 800 seed packets to CZU families this past January. All seeds were gathered by students from the plants they grew in their school gardens. During the month of December all students spent their time decorating and filling seed envelopes.
Students also harvested FIVE 5 gallon buckets of worm castings and TWENTY 5 gallon buckets of finished compost from our compost bins diverting a lot of our school trash back into our soil.
Link to garden photos from 23/24: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5jFB2FLcUKXzCECDA. Anyone with this link should be able to see the photos.
Hope you all have a great Summer!
Grads and Dads See's Candy Sale
The Nature Academy has two store fronts for you to choose from for your See's Candy needs. The first link closes 6/16 in honor of our graduating students and Father's Day. The second link is open till the end of 2024. $25 gift cards are available at both store fronts and have free shipping. There is a different selection of candy at each one. By a gift for your grad, dad, or yourself and help us raise funds at the same time. Ships directly to you, or any address you enter.
Grads & Dad's store front
https://www.yumraising.com/secure/natureapc_napc__grads__dads17/RacNAP6208/candy
All Year store front
https://www.yumraising.com/secure/natureapc_napc__all_year4/RacWoo4962/candy
Looking ahead over the next two weeks and beyond
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month as well as Immigrant Heritage Month!
Week of June 3 - 6
All Homeschool programs continue semester review parent conferences/Independent Study completion
Mon, June 3
- All homeschool programs continue semester review parent meetings
- NA field trip ends 1:15pm - Felton Library
Tues, June 4
- CRMS Advancement celebration - 10:30am (Natural Bridges)
- World Travel Day at Nature Academy
- 2:05pm dismissal - NO BUSES
Wed, June 5
- 2:05 dismissal - NO BUSES
Thurs, June 6
- Month 13 Attendance due
- Nature Academy Advancement celebration - 10am (Charter field)
- Nature Academy Parent Volunteer Appreciation tea -approx. 11:15am (after Advancement)
- Last day of school - minimum day (buses here 11:15am)
Coming up:
June 7 - 8pm - Senior Grad Night at SLVHS
Thurs, June 13 - Charter office closed for the summer, 4pm
Mon, July 29 - Charter office reopens 8am
Thurs, Aug 8 - First day of School (NA); Homeschool independent study/academics begin
- Note Nature Academy student start time is now 8:35am. First bell goes 8:30am.
Mandatory Parent Orientation meetings on Thursday, 8/8:
- Nature Academy Parent Council meets with all NA parents in MPR - 8:30am
- Heartwood Homeschool orientation - 9am - 10am
- QHHS orientation - 10am - 11:30am
- CRHS orientation - 9am - 10:30am (for 11th/12th)
11am - 12:30pm (for 9th/10th)
- QHIA and CRMS orientation - 12pm - 1pm
Fri, Aug 9 - All Charter Homeschool Programs Beach Day
- CRHS student orientation 9am
Mon, Aug 12 - CRHS student orientation 9am
Mon, Aug 19 - CRHS in person classes resume
Tues, Aug 20 - Charter Back to School Night 5:30pm
Tues, Aug 27 - Homeschool programs (Heartwood, QHHS, QHIA) in person enrichment classes begin
Wed, Aug 28 - CRMS in person enrichment classes begin
Attention 5th, 6th and 7th grade parents!
Prior to 7th grade entry California law, Health and Safety Code 120325-129375 requires that your 6th grader must receive a Tdap booster vaccine. By law, schools are required to collect vaccines information, monitor immunizations, and enforce vaccine requirements for school.
Additionally, the California Health and Safety Code requires the District to notify parents of the recommendation that pupils are fully immunized against human papillomavirus (HPV) before admission or advancement to the eighth-grade level of any private or public elementary or secondary school.
HPV vaccines can be given starting at age 9 years. Talk with your healthcare provider or school nurse if you have additional questions.
If you’re interested in following our Instagram account, showcasing news and events from SLVUSD Charter School, here is the info:
“I'm on Instagram as slvcharterschool. Install the app to follow my photos and videos, or click this link: https://instagram.com/slvcharterschool?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ==
(Please know that we will be very careful not to post pictures of students on the "Do not Photograph" list.)
And if you haven't started following the District Instagram accoount, look for "slvusd" and click "Follow!"
Community opportunities
Did you know that our district maintains a "Community Opportunities" website? This is for parents / students to receive information about current local events and opportunities for adults and/or children.
Note: The San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District does not sponsor or endorse any of the organizations or events that are located here. They are non-school sponsored events and are not being promoted by the school district. All postings are provided as a courtesy to the parents/students.
Homework Help at the Public Library
Bring your assignments to one of the FREE drop-in Homework Help sessions at one of the following public libraries.
Tuesdays from 3:00p to 5:00p.
Downtown, 224 Church St., Santa Cruz
Felton, 6121 Gushee St.
Capitola, 2005 Wharf Rd.
La Selva Beach, 316 Estrella Ave.
Open to all students up to grade 12.
Call 831.427.7713 for more information.
Guide to Resources for Families in SLV
Here's a handy one-pager listing various organizations and resources for families in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Mental Health resources
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - with a link to their March newseltter
Brightlife Kids, an organization that provides free online support in behavioral coaching for parents, caregivers and students aged 0 - 12.
Triple P
Triple P/First Five of Santa Cruz County offer ongoing parenting classes for parents of students of all ages. Please click here to see their workshop offerings.
Triple P also offers 1:1 sessions for parents who are needing intensive 10 week session and add-on sessions for people who are divorcing or separating (Family Transitions), for couples wanting to work on their relationship (Enhanced) and for people wanting to work on their strong emotions, like anger (Pathways). If interested in 1:1 sessions, please contact First 5 of Santa Cruz: https://www.first5scc.org/contact
