Charter Chatter

A weekly newsletter written to parents of the Tracy Learning Center

 

August 29, 2014                                                                                             Vol. 4 No.4

Virginia Stewart

 

Virginia’s Voice

This week I would like to thank every parent who has made donations of binders, office supplies, and even white boards to the Tracy Learning Center.  We are very grateful for the supplies we receive.  The law recently changed that requires schools to supply all materials students need.  This is a great stress to the supply budget for our schools.  All of these wonderful donations really help. 

Please know that we are very receptive to supplies, monetary donations, and other items you may feel could benefit the schools. 

We are so grateful for the parents we have and the children we all have the delight to teach.

 

 

Misc. Announcements

 

 

Next Holiday

Monday, Sept. 1, 2014 Labor Day is a school holiday

 

Lunch Drop Offs

Just a reminder we do not allow “Fast Food” to be dropped off

 

 

Safety Issues

This is a very good time to sit down with your children and go over some very basic yet important safety issues.

1. Only allow your students to cross the street with crossing guards when guards are present
2. Look both ways and pay attention while crossing streets or walking past entrances to car line
3. Do not speak to or approach strangers
4. Report any suspicious characters to a familiar adult immediately

 

Public Library

This week we received two calls in the office regarding very poor behavior from some of our students who refused to give her their names. She was familiar with the students from last year and said they were close to losing their library privileges. Please remind your students to behave respectfully so they do not lose these privileges.

 

 

We are having an ELAC committee meeting on Friday, September 5th at 4:10 pm.  We will meet in room D-2.  Any parent who would like to share an opinion regarding English language learners is invited.  We will focus on discussing what resources are available and how to further support EL students.  Your input is greatly appreciated.  If you have further questions, please contact Rosario De La Torre at rdelatorre@tracylc.net.

La siguiente junta del comité de ELAC se llevará  a cabo el 5 de septiembre a las 4:10 pm.  La junta tomará lugar en el salón D-2.  Cualquier padre que esté interesado en compartir su opinión sobre los alumnos aprendices del inglés (English learners) es bienvenido.   Estaremos discutiendo el cómo mejorar los programas actuales que la escuela  ofrece para beneficio de estos estudiantes.  Si tiene preguntas, por favor de contactar a Rosario De La Torre al correo electrónico rdelatorre@tracylc.net.

 

 

 

 

THE 2014 ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE

 

School is your first and most important job. Attend every day so that you can learn what you need to achieve your goals.

 

This September, University of the Pacific and our community partners are celebrating Attendance Awareness Month with the Every Day Counts Attendance Challenge. Here’s how it works:

We challenge you to build a habit of good attendance by coming to school on time every day, starting with the month of September. Students who have perfect attendance for the whole month will be entered into a drawing for prizes including Kindle E-readers, gift cards, tickets to Pacific athletic events and more. If you win, your school will be notified by October 10.

 

We hope you’ll participate by coming to school every day because Every Day Counts! Our counseling department will keep record of all students who have perfect attendance and submit them for this exciting and rewarding challenge.

 

 

 

PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week  Sept. 1-5 Mon. –   Holiday Tues. – Pizza Wed  – Nachos Thurs. – Meatless Spaghetti Fri. –  Beef Hot Dog

 

 

Primary Charter

 

In Initial Phase, we are so excited to have completed our first month of school. Student have said goodbye to August and excited to say hello to September and the first day of Autumn!   Students have been working very hard and have made their teachers very proud. Classroom policies, procedures, and expectations are in full swing and the students are happy, engaged, and ready to do their best everyday!  

 

Phase 1 students had an awesome first month of school!  They have really settled in to routines and procedures and are focused on learning.  In Language Arts we are reviewing the mechanics of sentences so they can become better and more creative writers.  In Math groups some are learning about 10 frames, others about fact families, and some about place value to the thousands place!  In Science P1 learned all about magnets and even got to experiment with different objects.  P8 had a great time learning all about simple machines and seeing some in action!  What a great learning week we had!  Have a great 3 day weekend!

Phase 2 students are looking and sounding more mature every day!  Our third and fourth grade students are showing a great grasp of the SWOs and we know we will be giving out SWO bracelets soon!  This week each class picked two individuals who exemplified the SWO of Polite Citizen.  P6 awarded Tanaja Fleming and Christopher Rodriguez and P3 awarded Ryan Alger and Mia Escobar.  Great job!

This week phase 2 learned more about the United States and California.  We’ve also started tracking AR points so make sure you are reading every night so that you meet your goal next month!

 

 

 

DCS 5^th/6^th

Star Student:

Congratulations to Jose Ortega for receiving the Star Student award this week! We appreciate Jose for his ability to get along with peers. Jose is kind, compassionate, and respectful. Jose makes every maximize his learning in every class by asking, questions, listening attentively, and staying on task. Jose is a model learner.

 

Homework Training:

Students who neglect to submit an assignment on time are provided with lunch hour homework completion training from Mrs. Beckner. Students use this time to stay on top of assignments for a week. Mrs. Beckner is pleased to announce that the number of students requiring training is shrinking dramatically as they learn how wonderful it feels when they are prepared for the day.

 

SWO:

Many students have been using workroom time at school to complete the cover page of the scrapbook. Watching students work on these pages during independently has left us very impressed by what they produce with virtually no help from adults. This page is due to Ms. Pelaez by September 19th. Questions? Contact Ms. Pelaez (lpelaez@tracylc.net)

 

Science Camp:

Students received a flyer on Monday announcing our next Science Camp meeting on September 10th. This meeting serves the purpose of clarifying requirements for registration, distributing forms, and discussing the option to stay at school. Registration forms will be available the following day at school for any families who are unable to attend the meeting.

 

 

PHSA 7^th and 8^th

 

 

 

There has been a change in PHSA.  Through mutual agreement, Mrs. Jackie Hawkins will no longer be a member of the team.  We have a substitute while we are searching for the best replacement.  It may take a while, but we feel the substitute under the guidance of Mrs. King will provide a solid math curriculum.  We appreciate your understanding regarding this change.

PHSA is doing well.  I attended Unity today and enjoyed seeing the students appreciate and celebrate the birthdays of the day and the PHSA cheer at the end was full of spirit.

We are working on the PHSA website When we have website linked and information updated we will send you a link.  Meanwhile, don’t forget to check agendas for greens and oranges.  Congratulations to all of the students who had a whole green month.

Mr. Warmerdam is starting up the PHSA student leadership team.  He has had a great interest in being part of leadership.  Student will be selected and he will begin a very involved and comprehensive leadership program for our students. 

 

 

 

MHS

 

 

The first month of school is now in our rear view mirror and it has been a wonderful start. We have rarely seen such spirit and enthusiasm in a freshman class as has been displayed by the class of 2018 over the first month of school! We had a rally this week to get excited about the beginning of all of our fall sports programs and the students were great. We also have begun the process of preparing for the homecoming parade as our nests have begun meeting and planning their floats with Hollywood Musicals as their theme. Each year MHS really shows the city of Tracy what great students we have as they produce a terrific parade through downtown Tracy. We had an information night for Parents on Thursday for the upcoming school trip to New York that takes place over Spring Break. There is still space available for the trip so if you are interested please contact our Activities Director Ms Powers for information. We have had an unusual number of students that have earned Saturday School for losing nest points over the past two weeks. The main cause of the rise seems to be Tardies and chewing Gum on campus. Both of these offenses carry a loss of negative 10 nest points and Saturday School is earned at negative 30 over a two week period. Please remind your student to move quickly between classes, to enter the main gate at 7:55 am as unity begins and please no Gum! We are hoping for winning seasons in athletics and don’t forget there is a yearly pass available on sale until Sept 12 for $20 that will get you into any home event all year! After Sept 12 it goes up to $30 so get in on sale and save ten bucks. Lets continue the great start we have had to the year and keep working toward solid grades as we approach the conclusion of quarter one. Falcon Pride! 

Mr Saldate 

 

 

 

 

This was the first week of speakers for the Junior Career Education class. Millennium High School would like to thank both of our wonderful visitors we had Kenneth Faulkner- Arable Technologies and Margaret Kealy- Air Force ROTC Program at San Jose State. If you or anyone you know has an interesting job and would be willing to be a speaker for the class please contact Ms. A in the counseling office at 209-627-8299 or at sarganbright@tracylc.net.

 

 

Community Service Block M Program

The Tracy Breakfast Lions Club has agreed to sponsor the community service Block M program and it is making its debut on the MHS campus this year. This program is a great opportunity for those students who go above and beyond in the community and who would like another opportunity to earn a Block Letter. To qualify for the program the graduation requirement of 200 hours must be completed. This program is in addition to not in conjunction with our graduation requirement. Anyone interested in the program can visit the counseling office or clink the link below for more information. http://tracylc.net/community-service.html

 

Snack Club Community Service Opportunity

There is currently a great opportunity after school to earn some community service hours. Volunteers are needed from 4pm to 6pm daily. Anyone interested in volunteering for the After School Snack Club will need to stop by the counseling office for a On Campus Volunteer Application.

 

College Info

Save the Date!!! September 10th and 11th – 3:00pm – 5:30pm

SAT/PSAT Prep classes through the ZAPS Learning Company will be back by popular demand. Signups are now available at www.zaps.com  – Cost is $99 for the two day preparation workshop which includes test prep materials.  This workshop is ideal for the senior student to help prepare one last time before the upcoming October 11th SAT test date.

 

Senior Info

Senior information packets with important information regarding graduation, senior portraits, dates and deadlines were mailed out this week.  Information is also available on our website at www.tracylc.net in the Senior Scoop section of the Counseling/Guidance webpage.

***Please note that the Graduation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 at 10:00am at the St. Bernard’s Holy Family Center***

Other News

Build A Computer and Keep It…. For Free

Classes starting soon, sign up today at www.uneed2.org. One computer per house hold and class completion required. Classes and application are available at Eden housing, Community Partnership for Families of San Joaquin, Mountain’s Hope CWC, Emeritus at Heritage Place, and HAS of San Joaquin Larch clover Community Center.

Firefighter Career Expos

In keeping with their mission to recruit, retain and promote more women to the Fire Service, the California Fire Fighter Joint apprenticeship Committee and its Commission to Recruit Women for the Fire Service encourage interested middle school and high school students to attend an expo in September. Dates and locations are as followed:

Saturday, September 6^th from 10am-1pm at 2560 River Plaza Drive Sacramento, CA 95833

Saturday, September 20^th from 10am-1pm at 526 Commerce Way Livermore, CA 94551

For more information please visit the counseling office.

 

 

 

 

MHS Sports

Falcon Fan Passes are available to all MHS and PHSA students for $20 until September 12th.  Prices will go back up to $30 after that date!

 

You asked, you got it!!  Falcon Flight Passes for adults now available for $50!!  Prices go up to $55 after September 19th! 

 

Both Falcon Passes grant the holder admission into all Home Athletic Events for the 2014-2015 Season!

 

Purchase forms can be found at www.MHSFalcons.com under “Links/Forms”.

 

Falcon Fan Bus

 Our Falcon Fun Bus will be leaving Sept. 5 at 5:15. The cost is  $30 which will get students transportation to and from the game, entrance to the game and a Falcon Fun Back “goodie bag”. Those interested need to see our MHS Leadership teacher  Ms. Powers to purchase tickets.

Charter Chatter

A weekly newsletter written to parents of the Tracy Learning Center

August 22, 2014                                                                                                                                                           No.3

Virginia Stewart

All of the Back to Schools Nights are over and we have settled into the new school year.  It has had a wonderful start.  We are very grateful for the support and encouragement each of you give your child.  The partnership between home and school is critical for a student’s success.  When parents check homework, or in older grades check Aeries to be sure grades are progressing, students care more.  If a parent is concerned about a grade please contact the teacher right away.  Now is the time to be concerned, do not wait.  Ask the teacher what you can be doing to support at home and why the student is not doing well.  The best way to contact a teacher is by e-mail.  Teachers check this every day and will get back to you.

The Tracy Learning Center is committed to success for all students.  We want your student to like school, feel supported and enjoy success.  Together we can make that happen.

 

 

Misc. Announcements

 

DCS and PHSA Picture Day is Wednesday, Aug, 27, 2014

 

Picture Day: Wednesday, August 27 DCS Picture Day ID: CR014790Q0 PCS Picture Day ID: CR014807Q0

Picture Day is easy with mylifetouch.com • Parents can create their own package from the expanded online selection. • Quickly order and pay for portraits online. • Pay by credit card.

 

Next Holiday

Monday, Sept. 1, 2014 Labor Day is a school holiday

 

Lunch Drop Offs

Just a reminder we do not allow “Fast Food” to be dropped off

 

Safety Issues

This is a very good time to sit down with your children and go over some very basic yet important safety issues.

1. Only allow your students to cross the street with crossing guards when guards are present
2. Look both ways and pay attention while crossing streets or walking past entrances to car line
3. Do not speak to or approach strangers
4. Report any suspicious characters to a familiar adult immediately

 

Public Library

This week we received two calls in the office regarding very poor behavior from some of our students who refused to give her their names. She was familiar with the students from last year and said they were close to losing their library privileges. Please remind your students to behave respectfully so they do not lose these privileges.

 

 

THE 2014 ATTENDANCE CHALLENGE

 

School is your first and most important job. Attend every day so that you can learn what you need to achieve your goals.

 

This September, University of the Pacific and our community partners are celebrating Attendance Awareness Month with the Every Day Counts Attendance Challenge. Here’s how it works:

We challenge you to build a habit of good attendance by coming to school on time every day, starting with the month of September. Students who have perfect attendance for the whole month will be entered into a drawing for prizes including Kindle E-readers, gift cards, tickets to Pacific athletic events and more. If you win, your school will be notified by October 10.

 

We hope you’ll participate by coming to school every day because Every Day Counts! Our counseling department will keep record of all students who have perfect attendance and submit them for this exciting and rewarding challenge.

 

PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week  Aug. 25- 29 Mon. –   Pizza Tues. – Beef or Bean Tostadas Wed  –  Cheese Ravioli Thurs. – Chicken Patti Sandwich Fri. –  Hamburgers

 

 

Primary Charter

 

 

Initial Phase

This week in Initial Phase we have continued learning what a student looks like, sounds like, and acts like.
All kindergarten teachers are happy with the progress they have seen already!  Students are engaged, trying their best, and really trying to be a polite citizen to others.
We have wrapped up our unit on the five senses and the students enjoyed the many experiments we did using our senses!  We are looking forward to learning
about community helpers next week!

 

Phase 1

This week in Phase One, the students are working so hard and learning a lot! In Writer’s Workshop they continued to work on opinion writing and they are even learning the writing process. For science, P1 learned about simple machines and P8 learned about push/pull and magnets. They are having so much fun with all our new friends and teachers. It is going to be a GREAT year!

P1 is in need of more parent volunteers for LA and Math centers. The times are 9:30 – 10:30 and 10:50 – 11:50. Thank you!

Remember, Wednesday, August 27th is picture day!  Be sure to send in a completed picture packet form to your
student’s teacher.

 

Phase 2

This week in Phase 2, we learned all about the continents, oceans, and North America.  We are geography experts!  Quiz your child and see if they can name the continents and oceans and they might even tell you a few fun facts about the continents and countries in North America!  We also wrote narratives this week.  We learned how to make our good work “great” and are focusing on using descriptive adjectives, transitional words, and are mastering the writing process.  We are proud of all the hard work we’ve seen so far!

 

Reminder – Please do not send your child to school in “Flip Flops” or sandals because of risks for injuries at PE or on the playgrounds.

 

DCS 5^th/6^th

Star Student:

DCS teachers choose a model student each week to recognize for exhibiting the citizenship qualities we would like DCS students to demonstrate. Congratulations to Xitlali Reynoso for receiving the award this week! Among other great qualities, Xitlali is an excellent classroom helper who can be counted on to assist classmates when they are struggling in a particular area. We appreciate her contributions to our school culture.

 

Teacher Websites:

Several 5/6 teachers have linked class webpages to the DCS page of the TLC website. We hope that you enjoy visiting these pages throughout the year to learn more about what happens during our busy school day.

 

SWO:

Students are currently working on their scrapbook cover page for their SWO scrapbook. This page is due to Ms. Pelaez by September 19th. Questions? Contact Ms. Pelaez (lpelaez@tracylc.net)

 

Science Camp:

A representative from Science Camp was here Wednesday to discuss the Science Camp experience. Our second informational meeting will be held the evening of September 10th. At our second meeting we will be discussing the due dates for enrollment forms and the at school camp option. Attendance is not required. The meetings are simply a chance for parents to learn about the Science Camp experience.

 

PHSA 7^th and 8^th

Thank you to the parents for a wonderful Back to School Night.  The teachers did a great job focusing on the curriculum and structure of the class and I am sure you found it very informative.

We are now settling into the routines and curriculum is going beyond review to more depth and new material.  Students have opportunities to work in groups, alone or as a whole class.  Group work is usually the most challenging in that students need to focus and collaborate.  They need to stay on a timeline to finish and cannot waste time socializing.  This is the hard part of group work with this age group.

The “bullying” project in Language Arts this week was of high interest to the students.  They liked the challenge and the use of technology and the project was directly related to the book they are reading, Scat.

Social studies is finishing up the first unit and has learned a great deal about workbook and notebook organization in the process.  The most important thing we help our students do in PHSA is help them be organized,  planned ahead, and on top of assignments.

 

This year we are not having lunch detention for students who do not complete assignments.  The red box in Aeries, and the zero will be the consequence of not doing work.  Students need to see the major effect missing assignments can have on grades.  ARP time, is two hours a week on Tuesday and Thursday in which students have time in school to work on assignments.  It is a wonderful opportunity.

Remember to check your students agenda for homework assignments, daily behavior dot (green is good, orange is a problem) and weekly grades.  The agenda must be in school every day.

 

Phsa Science Olympiad 2014/2015   Informational meeting

September 9^th 2014 @ 6:00pm Room D8   Find out what it takes to be on our Science O team!

Events include things like: Building bottle rockets, bridges, dropping eggs off of buildings, test your knowledge of different science topics and have fun with your teammates!

 

MHS

 

 

 

Community Service

The community service board in the Counseling Office is updated on a weekly basis. There are lots of new activities.  Please stop by the counseling office or check the website for updates. Community Service information is available on the website in the Community Service section of the Counseling/Guidance webpage.

 

 

Taste of the Valley Volunteers needed!!! – Anyone interested in volunteering for the Taste of the Valley Festival (formerly the Bean Festival) can sign up in the counseling office. Volunteers are needed from Friday evening until Sunday evening. The last day to sign up is Thursday, August 28^th.

Please note Community Service hours will be updated weekly by the end of day Friday.

College Info

Save the Date!!! September 10th and 11th – 3:00pm – 5:30pm

SAT/PSAT Prep classes through the ZAPS Learning Company will be back by popular demand. Signups are now available at www.zaps.com  – Cost is $99 for the two day preparation workshop which includes test prep materials.  This workshop is ideal for the senior student to help prepare one last time before the upcoming October 11th SAT test date.

 

Senior Info

Coming soon! Senior information packets with important information regarding graduation, senior portraits, dates and deadlines will be mailed next week.  Information will also be available on our website at www.tracylc.net in the Senior Scoop section of the Counseling/Guidance webpage.

***Please note that the Graduation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 at 10:00am at the St. Bernard’s Holy Family Center***

Other News

Fall Sports Rally – The Fall Sports Rally will be held next Friday, August 29^th during lunch.

Expanding Your Horizons Conference – Young Women Grades 6^th – 12^th

Expanding Your Horizons is a career conference for 6^th-12^th grade young women. This event will be held on October 4, 2014 at the University of the Pacific, Stockton Campus. For more information or to register for the event please visit www.sjeyh.org.

UNeed2 100 Free Computer Give Away Challenge

The UNeed2 100 Free Computer Give Away Challenge will be held on Saturday, August 23^rd from 10am-2pm at the Tracy Community Center. The event will include free lunch, information booths, motivational speakers, school supply giveaways and more. This event is open to all youth. For more information please visit www.uneed2.org or call 209-812-1771.

Build A Computer and Keep It…. For Free

Classes starting soon, sign up today at www.uneed2.org. One computer per house hold and class completion required. Classes and application are available at Eden housing, Community Partnership for Families  of San Joaquin, Mountain’s Hope CWC, Emeritus at Heritage Place, and HAS of San Joaquin Larch clover Community Center.

Firefighter Career Expos

In keeping with their mission to recruit, retain and promote more women to the Fire Service, the California Fire Fighter Joint apprenticeship Committee and its Commission to Recruit Women for the Fire Service encourage interested middle school and high school students to attend an expo in September. Dates and locations are as followed:

Saturday, September 6^th from 10am-1pm at 2560 River Plaza Drive Sacramento, CA 95833

Saturday, September 20^th from 10am-1pm at 526 Commerce Way Livermore, CA 94551

For more information please visit the counseling office.

 

Remind 101

Don’t forget to sign up for Remind 101. This is a safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents. We have a different code for each grade level. Counselors will be using this app for updates on community service events, senior email blasts, meetings, and much more!

How to sign up: Please send a text message 747-233-0994 and enter the code for your grade level in the message box. Remember each grade level has their own code.

Seniors- @07fd0

Juniors-@cb9

Sophomores-@82d7d

Freshmen- @fab05

For other questions please visit their website at https://www.remind.com/.

 

 

Charter Chatter

A weekly newsletter written to parents of the Tracy Learning Center

 

August 15, 2014                                                                                                            No.2

Virginia Stewart

 

Over the past five years, the public charter school movement has grown dramatically. We now serve more than 2.5 million students in more than 6,400 schools! We’ve seen public support rise year after year and we have bipartisan champions across the country fighting for more high-quality charter schools. We are very grateful for the work done in Tracy to pass the latest bond since we are definitely going to receive some improvements to our facilities.

Between the 2008–09 and 2013–14 school years, the public charter school movement experienced a dramatic 80 percent increase in the number of students and an astounding 40 percent increase in the number of schools. Despite this growth, there is still an overwhelming unmet parental demand for quality school options, with more than 1 million student names on charter school waiting lists.  The Tracy Learning Center has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students with a waiting list at every grade.

Despite this overwhelming support, we still have vocal critics who continue to perpetuate a number of myths about charter schools. These myths are unfair because they usually come from people who have never visited a charter school. Let’s explore just one:

 

The charter school does not give tenure to teachers.  That myth is correct.  Good teachers should not have to worry about tenure.  Our teachers have a job as long as they are doing a good job and we have students who want to attend our schools. It is just like a business.  The business closes if there are no customers.  The students and their parents are our customers.

 

Charter schools were given permission to exist to explore new and more improved ways to help students be successful.  The Tracy Learning Center is committed to helping all students excel.  All students are taught at the appropriate level of instruction to ensure success and to gain progress.  Our results are outstanding.  We are very proud of the accomplishments of our students at all levels.

 

 

Misc. Announcements

 

MHS Picture Day is Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014

 

DCS and PHSA Picture Day is Wednesday, Aug, 27, 2014

 

Picture Order Forms have been sent home.

 

Next Holiday

Monday, Sept. 1, 2014 Labor Day is a school holiday

 

PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week  Aug. 18- 22Mon. –   PizzaTues. – Beef TacosWed  –  Beef LasagnaThurs. – Chicken Quesadilla Fri. –  Beef Hot Dog

 

 

Primary Charter

 

Primary Art

This week in Beginning Phase, we have been very busy learning how to work in our centers.  In Language Arts, we have learned about the letters Bb and Cc, rhyming, reading, and writing.  In Math, we have been busy exploring number sense, writing and counting numbers, tens frames exploration, as well as addition!  During Science time we are learning about our senses.  Ask your student to tell you what they know!

Phase 1 students are proud to have successfully completed the first 2 weeks of school.  They are getting better at remembering the rules and following directions.  Many students have even been on Gold!!  Students in P1 and P8 are busy learning the elements of a paragraph through opinion writing.  It is fun to read about all their ideas.  They have also been little scientists as they learned all about motion, force, and energy during science. Please encourage your student to keep practicing those math facts!!  Look for information to come home soon about picture day.

 

Phase 2 students had a great week! We learned all about maps, the compass rose, and even did a directional riddle in social studies.  We have also started writer’s workshop and discussed traits of good writers.  AR goals will be assigned soon, look for them in your child’s folder.  Make sure your child is reading every night so they can meet their goal!

Calling all Primary parents!  If you would like to help with fundraising this year, we would appreciate it! Please email Mrs. Estes at jestes@tracylc.net if you’re interested.  Please include your name, your child’s name, and their room number.   Thank you!

DCS 5^th/6^th

 

During our second week of school we are seeing students transition between classes with greater ease and we are quite impressed with the way many students are coming prepared daily with supplies and organized, easy to find work. We know that much of this is due to your involvement at home. Thank you for your support.

 

Aeries:

If you have not received a password for checking grades on Aeries please e-mail Ms. Pelaez (lpelaez@tracylc.net)

 

Science Camp:

A representative from Science Camp will be here next Wednesday to discuss the Science Camp experience. This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions from a Science Camp expert. The meeting will be held in M2 from 5:00-6:00 PM.

 

Grades:

Students received grades in the Sunday box of their agendas this week.

 

PHSA 7^th and 8^th

This is the settling in week.  The newness and the reconnection with friends are over and the reality of another year of school is now realized.  I have visited each room and have watched how the students are doing.  I am impressed with how well the teachers are prepared for the lessons they are delivering and  how well the pieces of the afternoon ( shorter classes) are relevant to the core instruction.

I also noticed how difficult it is for students to accept change.  We usually assume it is the older person who has difficulty with change, but our eighth graders are not handling new things as well as could be expected.  New teachers, new schedule, new format, more structure and more demands seems to be upsetting our returning students.  What they need to realize is all change is uncomfortable at first, but we all need to learn how to adjust.  We live in fast changing times and if we do not learn how to adapt, we will have a long life of difficulty.

Please help your student, especially eighth graders, realize PHSA was designed as a fore step to high school.  The expectations are in line with the future and we are working hard to prepare them for more rigor and higher expectations with a seven period day.  The new teachers did not bring the change, they were hired to implement the change.  They are doing their part, we need the students to accept the changes and we will all get along!

Back to School night for PHSA is Wednesday, August 20 at 6:00 PM.  It is a structured format and is centered on curriculum.  It is important to be on time.  You will meet your student’s three core teachers.  You will hear from each of them what they are teaching, why and what they expect from your student.

 

 

MHS

 What a great second week it was for MHS. We had a terrific back to school night on Wednesday this week and the turnout was terrific. Parents and students seemed to really respond positively to the new format for changing classes and meeting the staff. We also received some great suggestions to make it even better next year. Thanks to our wonderful leadership class for helping out with the event, selling spirit wear, passing our fliers and directing parents to rooms. We began clubs on campus this week and the students were able to sign up for things that peaked their interests. Clubs have always been a big part of the culture of MHS and provide a lot of fun and spirit for students as well as contributing to events at school. Grades for classes should be progressing as all teachers have now entered many grades and it is never to early to check on your student through parent connect to stay on top of them. We had a representative from a U.S. congressional campaign visit our Senior government classes this week and offer the opportunity to our Seniors of an internship working on a political campaign. These kinds of internships look great on college applications and may even spark a future interest in being involved in politics. Picture day for the school is next week and our Senior class was visited by our Photographer and received information about available graduation picture packets and the need to schedule a photo shoot before the deadline in late December. Athletics are in full swing as practices continue and we look forward to the start of the seasons. There is a great opportunity for students to purchase a season pass to all athletic events for $30. This card will then grant you access to any home game for any sport all year. It has been a great start to the year and we as a staff have been very enthused about the way students have begun. Lets keep this spirit all year! Falcon Pride! 

  

Community Service

We are updating the community service board in the Counseling Office every week. There are lots of new activities.  Please stop by the counseling office or check the website for updates. If students or parents are unsure of how to get to the Community Service page please go to our website at www.tracylc.net. Then click on the link that shows Millennium High School. After you click on Millennium go to the pull down bar and scroll to Counseling. There you will see in Counseling drop down is the Community Service page.

Counselors visited 9^th grade and 10^th grade classes this week to discuss the community service process. Make sure to ask your student how they are progressing toward completing their community service hours requirement

6^th Grade Science Camp Volunteers needed!!! – Any Junior or Senior interested in being a science camp counselor can attend an informational meeting on Wednesday, August 20^th at 5pm in room M-1. Applications are due October 9^th

Courage Run – The last day to sign up to work for Courage run is August 22^nd. The Courage Run will take place on Saturday, August 30^th. Stop by the Counseling office for more information.

Community Services hours are now available to view on Aeries. They are located in the 9^th period class. Please not this is not a “real subject matter” class but purely a way for you to view and keep track of your Community Service hours. Please note Community Service hours will be updated weekly by the end of day Friday.

College Info

Classes start the week of August 18th.  Students who registered for a Delta college class that was not previously approved on their College Early Start form must complete a change of course form with the Counseling Office. Reimbursements for tuition cannot be approved if students are enrolled in courses not previously approved.  For textbook ordering information, please visit www.deltacollege.edu

*** Students can visit the Counseling Office to either advertise their books for sale or to see about purchasing used textbooks

Save the Date!!! September 10th and 11th – 3:00pm – 5:30pm

SAT/PSAT Prep classes through the ZAPS Learning Company will be back by popular demand. Signups are now available at www.zaps.com  – Cost is $99 for the two day preparation workshop which includes test prep materials.  This workshop is ideal for the senior student to help prepare one last time before the upcoming October 11th SAT test date.

Senior Info

Coming soon! Senior information packets with important information regarding graduation, senior portraits, dates and deadlines will be mailed the last week of August.  Information will also be available on our website at www.tracylc.net in the Senior Scoop section of the Counseling/Guidance webpage.

Wed, August 20^th is picture day.  There is a new and exciting addition this year is that Connie Barding from the Photographic Art Studio will be present to take pictures of all seniors for the yearbook.  There is no sitting fee.  Families can schedule separate appointments with the studio to schedule personalized photo shoots and order additional packages.  More details will be included in the senior packet mailed out in two weeks

***Please note that the Graduation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 at 10:00am at the St. Bernard’s Holy Family Center***

Other News

Counselors are excited to start this new school wide App called Remind 101. Remind 101 is a safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents. We have a different code for each grade level. Counselors will be using this app for updates on community service events, senior email blasts, meetings, and much more!

How to sign up:

Please send a text message 747-233-0994 and enter the code for your grade level in the message box. Remember each grade level has their own code.

Seniors- @07fd0

Juniors-@cb9

Sophomores-@82d7d

Freshmen- @fab05

For other questions please visit their website at https://www.remind.com/.

Expanding Your Horizons Conference – Young Women Grades 6^th – 12^th

Expanding Your Horizons is a career conference for 6^th-12^th grade young women. This event will be held on October 4, 2014 at the University of the Pacific, Stockton Campus. For more information or to register for the event please visit www.sjeyh.org.

UNeed2 100 Free Computer Give Away Challenge

The UNeed2 100 Free Computer Give Away Challenge will be held on Saturday, August 23^rd from 10am-2pm at the Tracy Community Center. The event will include free lunch, information booths, motivational speakers, school supply giveaways and more. This event is open to all youth. For more information please visit www.uneed2.org or call 209-812-1771.

Build A Computer and Keep It…. For Free

Classes starting soon, sign up today at www.uneed2.org. One computer per house hold and class completion required. Classes and application are available at Eden housing, Community Partnership for Families  of San Joaquin, Mountain’s Hope CWC, Emeritus at Heritage Place, and HAS of San Joaquin Larch clover Community Center.

 

Charter Chatter

A weekly newsletter written to parents of the Tracy Learning Center

 

August 8, 2014                                                                                             No.1

Virginia Stewart

 

It has been a wonderful start to the new school year.  We have already had two back to school nights, one for Primary and one for DCS 5-6.  We hope you have found these evenings to be informative.  The parent turn out to both events has been fantastic.  We all know that informed parents are supportive parents who can help at home.  Partnerships between parents and school make for a successful student.

 

The best way to contact teachers is by way of e-mail.  The teachers should respond within twenty four hours.  If you e-mail and do not get a response, feel free to call the office or e-mail me.  It is much better to ask about something right away than to wait until you are very concerned or angry.

The Charter Chatter is only one way we communicate with you.  There are websites for each school and of course there is Aeries to check grades for 5-12 grades on a daily basis.  We will all do what we can to keep you informed and a part of our team.

 

School Website:     www.tracylc.net

 

Parent Aeries (check grades):  https://sisweb.tusd.net/ParentPortal/LoginParent.aspx?page=default.aspx

 

 

Announcements

 

MHS Picture Day is Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014

 

DCS and PHSA Picture Day is Wednesday, Aug, 27, 2014

 

Picture Order Forms coming home soon.

 

PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week  Aug. 11- 15Mon. –   PizzaTues. – Beef NachosWed  –  No meat spaghetti Thurs. – Corn Dog (chicken) Fri. –  Hamburger

 

 

Primary Charter

This week in Beginning Phase, we have been busy learning about our new classroom environments, policies and procedures that keep us safe and allow us to learn, as well as our SWOs (School Wide Outcomes).  In addition, all Kindergarten students have shown their teachers what they know and are ready to tackle a lot more learning next week!  What a great week!

Reminder: All volunteer paperwork must be turned in for volunteer clearance.  If you have any questions regarding clearance please contact your student’s teacher. 🙂

 

Phase 1 had a fantastic first week of school!  The students had fun creating their classroom rules and making themed hats.  They wrote about their first day of school and started their Monthly Student Portrait Journal.  Graphing birthdays and favorites was also fun! They learned all about the SWO’s and how a Phase 1 student behave.  Assessments went well and they are ready to start learning in their new groups next week.  What an exciting first week they had!!

 

Phase 2 had an awesome first week of school!  We are so proud of the maturity and enthusiasm we are seeing from the third and fourth graders.  This week students got to know each other better through student interviews and some fun activities.  All students have been assessed in language arts and math and we will begin our curriculum next week.  Everyone is also excited to use their new pencil pouches and supplies.  The teachers are happy to see how organized everyone is!  We are also starting Accelerated Reader (AR) next week so start reading!

Don’t forget, Study Club starts on Monday!  If you would like to sign up your child, please email their teacher and they will send home the registration form.

Calling all Primary parents!  We will need parent volunteers this year to help with fundraising.  If you are interested please email Mrs. Estes at jestes@tracylc.net

Please include your name, your child’s name and room number in your email.  Thank you!!

 

 

 

Primary Art

We are off to a great start!  The Kinders have been learning about what it means to be an Artist.  The 1/2’s are reviewing their cutting and gluing skills, and learning about using Shapes in artworks.  The 3/4’s made Self-portraits along with their goals for the school year.  They also learned about the famous Artist, Claude Monet, and began an artwork in his style. Parents of 1-4, if you have not sent in an Art shirt for your child yet, please do so ASAP.  We will begin painting next week.

 

DCS 5^th/6^th

 

Welcome to a new school year! We are very excited to have met this year’s DCS students. They came with much enthusiasm for school so our goal as teachers is to keep that positive energy going throughout the year. This year’s back to School Night for parents was Wednesday, August 6. If you were unable to attend and have questions about school please feel free to email a teacher. We will respond promptly.

 

Aeries:

Aeries is up and running. Visiting the site provides the most up to date information about your child’s grades in each class. Please see your child’s homeroom teacher in you are unable to access the site.

Homework Calendar:

Homework and special events for the year are posted on the DCS calendar link from at tracylc.net. This is an excellent resource for parents. We hope to see parents using the calendar this year.

 

Agendas:

All students have received agendas in their homeroom class. Agendas increase our home/school communication. Look for notes about grades, behavior, and due dates! If the agenda is lost during the school year please visit Connie in the office to purchase a replacement.

 

Supplies:

We appreciate the donations of pencils, paper towels, tissues, and glue sticks. The donations will definitely be used by our students in all classes. These are consumable supplies that need constant replenishing and we are so grateful for your help in providing them. If you have questions about supplies for a specific class please e-mail the teacher in charge of that class.

 

PHSA 7^th and 8^th

 

PHSA (Pre High School Academy) is off and running.  The new seventh graders are transitioning and getting used to new teachers and outside hallways.  The returning eighth graders should be the great examples of how to work in class and play outside.  They are living up to that expectation.  This week was one of setting ground rules, straightening out placements and schedules and getting used to the new routine.

We were pleased we had the general assembly meeting with you about SWOs, work, agendas and other details.  When we have Back to School Night you will have a chance to meet each of your student’s teachers and hear more about the curriculum rather than the rules.

Begin checking Aeries, grades should be starting to show up.  Check agendas and be sure no oranges are showing up on the calendar and if they are talk to your student about this.  Your support will make for a more successful student.  Be sure you are also checking backpacks and removing things that weight the backpack down that are not needed.

We look forward to seeing you at Back To School Night on August 20 at 6:00.

 

 

 

MHS

 

Community Service

We recently updated the community service board in the Counseling Office and we should be receiving notices of more events as the months go on so please stop by the counseling office or check the website for updates. If students or parents are unsure of how to get to the Community Service page please go to our website at www.tracylc.net. Then click on the link that shows Millennium High School. After you click on Millennium go to the pull down bar and scroll to Counseling. There you will see in Counseling drop down is the Community Service page.

 

College Info

Classes start the week of August 18th.  Students who registered for a Delta college class that was not previously approved on their College Early Start form must complete a change of course form with the Counseling Office. Reimbursements for tuition cannot be approved if students are enrolled in courses not previously approved.  For textbook ordering information, please visit www.deltacollege.edu

***Students can visit the Counseling Office to either advertise their books for sale or to see about purchasing used textbooks

 

Save the Date!!! September 10th and 11th – 3:00pm – 5:30pm

SAT/PSAT Prep classes through the ZAPS Learning Company will be back by popular demand. Signups are now available at www.zaps.com  – Cost is $99 for the two day preparation workshop which includes test prep materials.  This workshop is ideal for the senior student to help prepare one last time before the upcoming October 11th SAT test date.

 

Senior Info

Coming soon! Senior information packets with important information regarding graduation, senior portraits, dates and deadlines will be mailed the last week of August.  Information will also be available on our website at www.tracylc.net in the Senior Scoop section of the Counseling/Guidance webpage.

 

***Please note that the Graduation Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 at 10:00am at the St. Bernard’s Holy Family Center***

 

Junior ASVAB Testing

The Junior class will be participating in the ASVAB Military Aptitude test on Wednesday, August 13th.

The ASVAB is a great skills and aptitude test in helping students determine where their strengths are to prepare for the world of work.  Interpretation of the test will be given in the Career Education classes in two weeks.

 

Other News

Counselors are excited to start this new school wide App called Remind 101. Remind 101 is a safe way for teachers to text message students and stay in touch with parents. We have a different code for each grade level. Counselors will be using this app for updates on community service events, senior email blasts, meetings, and much more!

How to sign up:

Please send a text message 747-233-0994 and enter the code for your grade level in the message box. Remember each grade level has their own code.

Seniors- @07fd0

Juniors-@cb9

Sophomores-@82d7d

Freshmen- @fab05

 

For other questions please visit their website at https://www.remind.com/

 

MHS Sports

Attention Falcon Fans!!  This year MHS Athletics will be offering a Falcon Fan pass for the student body!  Passes are available to MHS students for $30 which grants them admission into all home games throughout the year (excluding playoffs).  The pass has also been created for PHSA students at the price of $20, but PHSA students must be accompanied by a supervising adult.  Come out and support Falcon Athletics this season!!

 

Want to stay up to date on game schedules and scores?  Check us out at http://www.MHSFalcons.com or follow us on Instagram: @Millennium_Athletics  or on Twitter:  @MHS_Falcons

 

MHS Teacher’s Comments

 

It has been a wonderful start to the new school year at MHS! The staff has been very excited about the way students have begun their academic year. In particular, the staff has commented about the maturity and eagerness to learn of our brand new falcons, the freshman class. They have shown an ability to pick up some of the cultural norms of the school while showing a real eagerness and willingness to learn in the classroom. The staff feels that this ease of transition can be attributed to the very large turnout we had during Falcon Flight School which was a huge success this year. Class schedules and changes have been finalized and adjusted this week by our counseling staff who have worked very hard to ensure that all students are in the right spots and on the pathway to success. Our Athletic programs have begun practices and we look forward to another year of very competitive and successful teams representing our school. A reminder that we will have Back to School night for MHS on Wednesday August 13 from 6 pm until 7:30 pm beginning in the Unity area. We will be using a different format this year for back to school night as each curriculum department will be located in one of five designated rooms. There will be five fifteen minute sessions to visit each room at your leisure and in any order you desire. All the designated rooms will be in a smaller contained area so parents will not have to travel all over campus to meet teachers and spend time trying to locate rooms. The hope is that this will make back to school night much more efficient and beneficial. Please remember to use the High School car line to drop off your students which is the basketball court areas with the entrance on Mae. If you are dropping off a sibling in the Discovery/Primary car line along with your high school student, remind the Falcon to walk down to the High School gate and not to enter the campus through the Primary or Discovery gates. Again, it has been a wonderful start to the year and we look forward to continuing the atmosphere established this week.

-Mr. Saldate