SLVUSD Charter News
Vol 2.13 - March 9, 2025
From Principal Kerry le Roux
Hello Charter families!
Join us on Thursday, March 13 at 6pm for an All-Charter Family Movie Night, hosted by the Nature Academy Parent Council! Click here for details , including how to pre-order pizza! Thursday looks like rain, so we'll be moving indoors to the MPR. Please bring your own beverages, low seating, pillows, and blankets for comfortable viewing. Note: this is not a drop-off event. NO SCHOOL on Friday, March 14 as we have a Professional Development Day.
An early heads-up that The Redwood Mountain Faire Fundraiser is scheduled for the weekend of May 31st-June 1st. Volunteering at this local music festival generates funds for charter field trips and program enrichment. It is a fun way to raise money for your program’s booster club. Last year the clubs made $3,800 altogether. Please be sure to save the dates and sign up for shifts when they become available. Stay tuned for more information later this spring!
If you have a middle schooler in 6th - 8th grade interested in attending our joint SLVMS/SLV Charter MS Spring Dance, to be held at the SLVMS Gym on Friday, 3/21 from 6 - 8pm, please note that permission slips will be coming home on Thursday, 3/13. Students with signed permission slips can come to the Charter office to buy their tickets at lunch next week on Wed, 3/19, Thurs, 3/20, and Fri 3/21. Tickets are $5 each and exact change is requested/preferred. (Students won't be able to enter the dance without a ticket and a signed permission slip.)
Those Charter families with students in 7th - 12th grade, please note that coming up in March and April we have some required safety presentations on three essential topics taking place for your students.
- There will be a 30 minute presentation by our Mental Health Specialist on Suicide Prevention (adapted from the Mindwise curriculum).
- Our School Resource Officer will be presenting on the topics of Active Consent and Sexual Harassment. (Note that if your student is participating in "Teen Talk" this year - Nature Academy 7th/8th and QHIA 7th/8th - your child won't receive the two SRO trainings, since the information is embedded in the Teen Talk curriculum.)
EdCode requires us to provide this education to 7th - 12th grade on an annual basis, and we don't offer "opt outs" as we do for our comprehensive SexEd "Teen Talk" program offered once in middle and once in high school; however if your child is uncomfortable or wishes to step out of these sessions, we will of course support and provide a safe place for them during the presentation.
March is Women's History Month! Homeschooling families please click here for a list of educational resources to infuse into your lessons this month, curated by our wonderful Librarian, Mabel Cordero-Leathem.
A message from our colleagues, the SLV Theater Boosters:
Get your tickets for Grease, with book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is co-directed by Will Guilford and Daria E. Troxell, with music and vocal direction by Nicki Kerns and choreography by Sarah Nash. Set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High, Grease follows the story of the lead “greaser,” Danny Zuko, and new (good) girl in town, Sandy Dumbrowski, as they try to reconnect after a brief summer romance. Along for the ride are the too-cool-for-school Burger Palace Boys and gum-smacking Pink Ladies. The musical includes popular songs, such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’”, “There are Worse Things I Could Do,” “Beauty School Dropout” and “We Go Together,” as well as catchy tunes from the original Broadway version (“Shakin’ at the High School Hop,” “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” and “Alone at a Drive-In Movie”). Parental advisory: this production is rated PG-13+ and includes mild adult themes (nicotine and alcohol consumption, teenage pregnancy, physical altercations, and adult language).
More information and tickets available at SLV Theatre Boosters' webpage: https://hs.slvusd.org/apps/pages/theatreboosters
Show runs March 7 - 16, 2025
Remaining show times:
7:00 p.m. on March 13, 14 and 15
2:00 p.m. on March 16
Tickets: $20 General, $15 Student/Senior/SLV StaffPlease read further for some important Charter updates and announcements. Remember to click here to add our Website Calendar to your google calendars to see all Charter events! Your child's teacher will have shared their specific program calendar as well.
Have a wonderful week!
Kerry
T. 831-335-0932
Principal's Coffee, PAC and LCAP Presentation by our Superintendent
Please attend Principal's Coffee this Thursday, March 13 at 9:30am in the MPR! Superintendent Chris Schiermeyer will be attending our Parent Advisory Council meeting at that time to review the LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) and receive input from our community in planning for next year's LCAP, focused on school and district improvement in the areas of academics, social emotional and environmental literacy. We hope to see as many of you as possible at the meeting!
Comprehensive School Safety Plan - Part 1
Annually we update and publish our Comprehensive School Safety Plan, linked here. The plan will be presented at the Parent Advisory. Council meeting on Thurs, March 13 at 9:30am - please consider attending. to provide your input on the proposed plan before it is adopted. There will also be a hard copy provided in the Charter office. The plan is also reviewed by our School Resource Officer and key members of our School Safety team, ensuring transparency and stakeholder involvement in the safety strategy development process. The plan will be presented to the Board on March 26 for approval.
Note: the last two sections, Opioid Prevention and Life-Saving Response Procedures and Response Procedures for Dangerous, Violent, or Unlawful Activity are still in process of completion by our District Office, so you won't see that language in place yet - will be included by Thursday.
SLV Charter Annual Family Survey - open until March 28
SLVUSD is looking to gather feedback from our families regarding our Academic, Communication, and Learning Environment goals. We anticipate the survey will take from five to seven minutes to complete. The valuable feedback that you submit will provide the District and the site with important information as we plan for the 2025-2026 school year.
The surveys will be available through Friday, March 28th.
New Charter Family Annual Survey 2024-2025 (corrected)
Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide your input.
I will be sending this link out in a separate email as well, and will repeat it throughout the survey window, as we really would like every family participating!
Upcoming events and important dates
You will find all these events and more on the google calendar shared by your Program teacher and on the Website calendar.
March is Women's History Month! Click Here o access resources for Homeschool parents from our fabulous Librarian!
Mon, Mar 10 - Annual Charter Parent Survey link goes out - all families asked to participate
Tues, Mar 11 - 11:30am Lego in the Library
- Gaga ball pit reserved at lunch for Elementary
Wed, Mar 12- GSA meets weekly in room 19 at lunch
Thurs, Mar 13 - Student Council meets at 8am in the Library
- SVMI Parent Math Training with Mariana Allred - sign up here!
- Principal's Coffee and Parent Advisory Council - 9:30am in the MPR
- Chris Schiermeyer attending PAC meeting to present LCAP and gather input - 9:30am
- Chess Club meets under the shade structure at 12:00
- All-Charter Family Movie Night in the MPR at 6pm
Fri, Mar 14 - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day
Tues, Mar 18 - 11:30am Lego in the Library
- Gaga ball pit reserved at lunch for Elementary
Wed, Mar 19 - GSA meets weekly in room 19 at lunch
Thurs, Mar 20 - Student Council meets at 8am in the Library
Fri, Mar 21 - All Charter Homeschool Skate Day - 1pm
- QHIA Lottery - 3pm (Library)
For planning further ahead:
Fri, Mar 28 - Nature Academy Lottery - 3pm (Library)
April 7 - 11 SPRING BREAK - No school
Mon, Apr 14 - Storm Day held - possibly no school - to be confirmed
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Nature Academy parents, don't forget to check the Nature Academy Google Calendar to be sure which bell schedule we're on each day! (You can also click here if you are not a Google Calendar subscriber)
- A1 Mondays are 1:19pm dismissal at Nature Academy
- A2 Mondays are 2:05pm dismissal at Nature Academy
- A3 Mondays are 3:00pm dismissal at the tricampus
- O days are Tues/Thurs, dismissal 2:05pm;
- E days are Wed/Fri, dismissal 2:20pm (Wed) and 2:05 (Fri);
- Minimum Days dismiss at 12:05;
- Excursion Days (dates not all finalized) - times are individual to the excursion, but typically 3pm dismissal
Emergency/School Safety update
From Superintendent Chris Schiermeyer: "Providing a safe place for students to learn and grow is one of the most important responsibilities of our school system. All San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District schools have a School Safety Plan in place. Drill procedures for emergencies and disasters are regularly practiced at each school.
Starting the 2024-2025 school year, we have changed our countywide codes for emergency drills in collaboration with law enforcement and the fire departments. Our new codes are as follows: Evacuation, Reverse Evacuation, Hall Check, and Lockdown. Please see the Standard Command Emergency Response Poster for more details on these types of drills that will be practiced at our school sites as required by law.
Along with school staff, your family plays a critical role in preventing and responding to school emergencies. The information posted on the Emergency Information website page is intended to provide parents/guardians with the steps you can take “before”, “during”, and “after” an emergency. Please note the emergency information has been revised to be in alignment with the newly adopted codes. Please take a moment to review this information."
SLV Charter will be starting our monthly/quarterly evacuation drills (elementary/secondary) shortly. Please be sure to sign in to get a visitor sticker if you're coming on campus so that if you're on site for a drill we can account for you. Please contact me if you have any questions!
Touch, Type, Read & Spell
3rd through 9th grade parents, please continue to encourage daily keyboarding practice with Touch Type Read Spell, the "award winning multi-sensory course that teaches typing, reading and spelling" aimed at students from elementary to high school. We are now requiring all students to spend a minimum of 1 hour a week or longer. This program license lasts until May of 2025, and after completion of all 24 levels* (approx. one year), your child should show a substantial improvement in keyboarding fluency. 24 levels over one year equates to 15 modules per week. If you did not receive your welcome email with login details, please contact your child's teacher or email me!
"Based on the average completion time, a student using TTRS for one hour per week should complete approximately 744 modules in a year. The main TTRS Course consists of 24 levels, with 31 modules in each level, totaling 744 modules. On average, students complete the entire course in about 12 months when dedicating one hour per week to the program.
It's important to note that individual progress may vary, and some learners might complete the course faster if they spend more than an hour per week on TTRS."
Sign up for Parent Math trainings - series of 9 lessons
Parents of students in TK - 9th grade! Have you struggled when helping your child with Math? We are once again offering a once-monthly Thursday morning Math training for parents, presented by an awesome instructor from the Silicon Valley Math Initiative (SVMI). Please sign up here for one or all of the sessions on offer - they will build on one another over the course of the year. (Note there is a new tab for 2nd semester at the bottom of the spreadsheet.)
6th - 9th parents come from 9:15 - 10:15am
2nd - 5th parents come from 10:30 - 11:20am
TK - 1st parents come from 11:30 - 12:20pm
Remaining Dates: Mar 20, Apr 17, May 8
Chromebook Loaner update
Parents can now sign out loaner Chromebooks through the library for their students to use at home, starting tomorrow, Tues 8/20 and every Tues-Thurs according to the times below:
Charter Library
Tues, Wed, Thurs
8:30-9:30am or 2:15-3pm
Students can’t sign out a Chromebook without a parent; it requires a parent's signature. If there’s a problem, parents can email Mabel at CHlibrary@slvusd.org to make arrangements.
Students should not be bringing a personal laptop to school unless it’s part of an IEP. All teachers have class sets of chromebooks for students to use if it's required as part of the lesson.
Schoology
If your child is in 6 - 12th grade, your teacher most likely uses Schoology to record assignment and test scores.
How a parent logs into Schoology:
- Get your parent access code from your teacher or administrator.
- When you have your parent access code, go to app.schoology.com/register.php.
- Click the “Parent” button below the “Instructor” and “Student” buttons” in the “Sign Up for Schoology” section.
- Enter the access code you received, and click Continue.
- Enter your name and email (not the student’s) and choose a password.
Refer to the Parent Schoology Handbook to learn more.
Attendance
Attendance matters!
Our attendance rate improved last year - thank you for your ongoing partnership in supporting good attendance! Students need to participate consistently, whether it be in a homeschool program, where work completion counts as attendance, or in our classroom-based 5 day a week Nature Academy.
Students who are absent 10% or more in a school year are typically "less proficient in reading, writing and math than their peers with good attendance" (Source: CA Dept of Ed.)
Parent Volunteers/Chaperones
Volunteer application hours - PLEASE NOTE: The Charter Office and SLVUSD Human Resources Office hours will process volunteer registrations at the following times:
Tuesdays from 7:00-11:00 am
Thursdays from 12:30-3:30 pm.
The Human Resources Office is located at 325 Marion Avenue, Ben Lomond, CA 95005.
All Charter parents are encouraged to register with the District as a volunteer and a field trip driver. (All parents are asked to drive on excursions...)
Please click here to access the required volunteer paperwork. Hard copy paperwork is also available at the Charter Office.
To use your personal vehicle to transport your own or other students, we will need updated driver information on file as well - please click here for the form.
Ø New Volunteer: You will be required to fill out the volunteer paperwork and obtain a signature from the principal. Once complete, please bring your signed paperwork to the Human Resources Office. You will be required to provide a current TB result. Also, all new volunteers will be required to be fingerprinted.
Ø Returning Volunteer: You will be required to provide current TB results (within the last 4 years). If you don't know whether your TB is current, check with the Charter office. If you are turning in updated TB info, you can bring it to the Charter office or directly to the Human Resources Office.
Student Nutrition Information (Breakfast and Lunch)
- All SLVUSD students are eligible to receive a free breakfast and lunch through the cafeteria. Breakfast can be picked up any time from 8:15am - 8:45am, no order needed.
- Lunch no longer needs to be ordered online. Our lunch lady will bring enough hot lunches for everyone who wants one, but should these run out we will have healthy cold alternatives available (salads, sandwiches, etc.)
- Meals are be served from our Multi-use Room in the central area of the campus
- Lunch times vary per program, but generally happen in the 11:50 - 12:30 window
- Elementary students will have lunch cards (kept in the MPR).
- Secondary students will need to key in their student ID on a keypad
IMPORTANT: Please complete the Free/Reduced Lunch Application at https://family.titank12.com/
Although a meal application is not necessary for your child to receive free meals during the 2024-2025 school year, households are asked to complete a meal application to ensure that your school receives accurate funding. As well, your child’s eligibility for free or reduced lunch could qualify you for additional outside services or benefits including Free/Reduced Bus passes, student fee waivers, P-EBT, discounted utilities, and more.
- Link to SLV Student Nutrition Services website
Transportation Information
If your child takes the bus to or from school, please remember you will need to purchase a bus pass.
ALL Nature Academy students have to be registered to take bus transportation on A1 days to the tricampus. (No need to pay.) Registration form link.
Students at Coast Redwood High who need afternoon transportation to the tricampus for concurrent enrollment classes can take the TK bus that leaves the District Office at noon each day. They will not need to pay for a bus pass. However, they still need to register. Rides will be denied if students are not registered.)
Please click here to access the Transportation web page for any other information you need.
The Charter Office staff ask families to call in before 1:50pm if they have a message for their student about changing that day's bus transportation arrangement.
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!"
Athletics Information
Charter students are eligible to try out to play in all sports at SLVMS and SLVHS. Please keep an eye on the respective websites so your child is aware of the tryout schedule for each season's sports. We will also share that information as we receive it.
Athletes, remember that eligibility rules require you to carry at least a 2.0 GPA (C average) to remain eligible to complete in the middle school athletics practices and competitions.
Parents, please read this updated Spectator Code of Conduct from SLVMS Principal Shanna Urbancic.
Please click here for a link to the Panther Athletics website (SLVMS)
Click here for a list of the tryout dates for 24-25
Fall Sports (August - October)
Boys Soccer
Girls Basketball
Cross Country (No cuts)
Winter I Sports (October - December)
Girls Soccer
Boys Basketball
Winter II Sports (January-March)
Girls Volleyball
Wrestling (no cuts)
Flag Football
Spring Sports (March- May)
Girls Softball
Boys Volleyball
Golf
Track and Field (no cuts)
Please click here for a link to the Cougar Athletics website (SLVHS).
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.
And also from the Santa Cruz Public Libraries:
SCPL are particularly excited to offer a new resource from Brainfuse called CollegeNow, which offers support with college applications, essays and more. This is in addition to HelpNow live tutoring.
Please click here for a press release containing comprehensive information on the many resources SCPL offers to all students. SCPL looks forward to welcoming your students to any of their 10 branches, Annex and Bookmobile during this new school year!
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.
Please click here for a link to a flier from the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz, containing a number of useful resources for families. CAB's mission is to "partner with the community to eliminate poverty and create social change through advocacy and social service. "
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
