Charter Chatter
A weekly newsletter written to parents of the Tracy Learning Center
Feb. 6, 2015 Vol. 24 No.24
| Virginia Stewart |
Thank you to each of our parents who read the Chatter, keep informed, watch the grades of their students and e-mail us when there are concerns. The involvement of our parents is a key ingredient to the success of our schools. We know that there are always things we can improve and we strive to do better each day. When parents complain about classes or grading etc there is usually something we need to pay attention to and improve. We work to do that. Unfortunately, all things cannot be fixed immediately. Please know, however, we take all concerns to heart and learn from your feedback.
The newsletter is on the eve of the famous Crab Feed. Thank you to each of you who have purchased tickets and who have volunteered to work. This is our most important fundraiser of the year and we not only count on the profit from it but the good will and good times people have who attend.\
| Misc. Announcements |
Illnesses
Just a reminder if your student is ill and unable to attend school please calls Kay Fagundes at (209)831-5240 or email kfagundes@tracylc.net . Students should not return to school until their symptoms subside and he/she is fever-free for at least 24 hrs. We have had so many sick children at school and the majority of these illnesses are highly contagious.
Give Every Child A Chance
Tracy Learning Center has been approved as a new site for the strong and expanding tutoring/mentoring program Give Every Child a Chance! They are bringing a homework assistance group tutoring program to our school for 7th through 12th graders. The program is free for students who have a D or an F in any subject, an IEP, or a strong teacher recommendation. Math and Language Arts assistance will take place Monday-Thursday between 4:00-6:00pm in D-13, Mrs. Saldana’s room. For more information about GECAC, please see their website: www.gecac.net. For an application, please contact Ms. Moore at the MHS Counseling Office, or visit http://www.gecac.net/downloadsapplications.html and click “One on One Tutoring Application”. You may write in “Tracy Learning Center” as your site of choice. Turn in applications to Ms. Moore at MHS Counseling.
Next School Holiday is Feb. 16, 2015 President’s Day
| PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week Feb. 9 – 13
Mon. – Pizza Tues. – Taquito Tuesday Wed – Tex Mex Casserole Thurs. – Nachos Fri. – Spaghetti Friday |
| Primary Charter |
DCS 5th/6th
This week in Initial Phase we predicted, graphed, and enjoyed watching Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow. Students learned many facts about the groundhog such as hibernation habits as well as how a shadow is formed. Although most of the students were disappointed that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and winter will continue, they enjoyed seeing him in action.
Thank you to all the families who donated to our TLC Crab Feed. We hope to see you there!
How exciting….both Phase 1 classes earned their class party this week. That means students are following classroom rules and earning SWOs. Good Job!! Students had fun in Science this week learning about plants, their life cycles, and photosynthesis. Some groups started new AR goals this week, while others just finished. There is certainly a lot of reading going on in Phase 1. Students also finished up their unit on narrative writing and are now moving on to poetry….just in time for Valentine’s Day! Look for information to come home soon regarding classroom celebrations for Valentine’s Day. The students know that Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, saw his shadow, meaning there are 6 more weeks of winter. Please remember to send your student to school with appropriate attire.
Phase 2 students are enjoying science this trimester. Students learned more about weather and climate and we are moving on to learn all about rocks! Start thinking about a science fair project! This will be an at-home project and will be due toward the end of March. If students are doing a project that involves long-term data (such as plant growth or weather) it would be a good idea to start planning your project soon! Look for information to come home in the next few weeks. Also, please remember that students should be reading every night. Please do not wait until AR goals are due to try to do all your reading! Students are given a goal to reach in a six week period and should try to plan and pace their points over the course of the six weeks. We are proud of all the progress and growth we are seeing in reading levels!
DCS Charter Chatter:
Star Student:
Congratulations to Cali Castanon for receiving the Star Student Award for the Week of February 9, 2015. Cali always works hard and is kind and helpful to all those around her. The teachers appreciate her willingness to lend a hand and help anyone who needs help.
Social Studies:
Mrs. Wallace’s first two classes are busy getting ready for the next Wax Museum. All the monologues are memorized and the students are working on their acting skills.
The other four classes presented some really cool skits and project boards based on their research of various historical figures. Mrs. Wallace feels very fortunate to be a part of students really enjoying history.
Science:
Students are getting ready for the Science Olympiad. Ms. Pelaez is looking forward to a great competition this year.
Pentathlon:
Mrs. Beckner and Ms. T. are busy recruiting teams for this years competition. May will be here sooner than we think
Have a great weekend!!!
PHSA 7th and 8th
PLEASE JOIN US…
8th Grade Parent Information Night
Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
Millennium High School
7:00 PM – TLC Gymnasium
You will have an opportunity to learn about school culture at MHS and our academic programs available to your student. We hope to see you here!
SWO UPDATES
The current SWO is underway. Students should have completed one rough draft and should be making the changes and working toward perfecting the essay. There will be some form of editing before the students will craft their final draft. This SWO is due Monday, March 16th. The scrapbook should contain the approved topic slip, the pages of research, their final essay and copies of their speech note cards. Speeches will be given the week of March 16th.
April 13th is the due date for Trimester 1 SWO that was not passed as well as the Trimester 2 SWO if it should not be passed.
The yearlong SWO is due Friday, April 17th. How are those logs, pictures and videos coming along?
Mrs. Santiago – Working on solving expressions
Mr. Warmerdam – Working on the Oregon Trail and Mexican-American War
Mrs. King – Working on Factoring Quadratics
Ms. – Barrett – Working on the Periodic Table and Radioactive Decay
Mrs. Sierra & Mrs. Saldana – We just started reading Every Soul A Star and we are working on identifying and analyzing figurative language, the elements of a story, and compound sentences.
Academic Pentathlon meeting on Thursday went well, there was a great turnout. If there are any parents who did not get to attend the meeting but would like to get some information on Pentathlon please contact Mrs. King.
The 7/8 boys basketball team played a great game on Wednesday against George Kelly. They did not win but their hard work and effort was apparent and we know they are going to continue to get better and perfect their skills on the court.
| MHS |
All TLC Schools
PLEASE JOIN US…
8th Grade Parent Information Night
Wednesday, February 11th, 2015
Millennium High School
7:00 PM – TLC Gymnasium
You will have an opportunity to learn about school culture at MHS and our academic programs available to your student. We hope to see you here!
Attention All Talent Show Participants
Please remember to attend your scheduled rehearsal date next week. If you have any questions please contact the MHS Counseling Department at 209-627-8299.
MHS Charter Chatter January 30, 2015
Mrs. Stewart and the counseling staff have started to meet with students for their annual counseling review. Fast track classes and next year’s schedule will be planned. Parents of 10th grade students who are not able to attend the scheduled counseling review appointments will be mailed a copy of the learning plan for the 2013-2014 school year. Make sure to check in with your student to find out what was discussed during the meeting.
It is open enrollment month for TLC. Next Thursday, February 7th will be our Parent Information Night for parents interested in learning about Millennium High’s school culture and academic programs. 7:00pm – 8:00pm in the TLC Gymnasium.
Community Service: Please remind all students to turn in any completed community service forms they have. All forms must be submitted to the counseling office so they can be uploaded to Aeries. Important deadlines regarding community service are:
- April 1st – to be considered for the Community Service Block Letter sponsored by the Breakfast Lions Club of Tracy. For more details or to check on your progress towards your Block Letter please contact Ms. A in the Counseling Office.
- May 1st – Deadline for seniors to submit their hours towards Graduation!!! NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
- June 26th – Deadline for 9th -11th to submit hours towards the 2014-2015 School Year
Juniors planning to take the SAT test this Spring should consider attending the next SAT Prep classes being offered at Millennium through ZAPS Learning Company. There is a two day SAT Prep seminar on Wednesday, February 25th and Thursday, February 26th from 3:00pm – 5:30pm. Cost is $99.
Senior Info
CASH FOR COLLEGE NIGHT!!! Seniors who need to apply for financial aid for college can get hands on help with the FAFSA (Free application for student aid) and have an opportunity to win a scholarship at our upcoming Cash for College Night on February 10th at West High School. We encourage all students and/or parents to attend this interactive workshop. Computers will be available but we encourage students to bring a laptop. For other Cash for College nights in our area, visit www.calgrants.org for a list of workshops.
SCHOLARSHIPS: There are many local scholarships available at this time for our college bound seniors. Visit the homepage of the MHS Counseling and select Financial Aid/ Scholarships page at www.tracylc.net or click on http://tracylc.net/financial-aid–scholarships.html for detailed information on where to obtain an application and how to apply for various scholarships.
Senior Dedication Page
Want to have a special page in the Yearbook dedicated to your Senior!?! Purchase a Senior Dedication Page! Pages will include a special message and pictures (provided by purchaser). Make your Senior a part of Millennium History! Purchase a Quarter Page for $30. All purchase must be made by February 13, 2015. Payments must be submitted to Mrs. Linarez in the front office. Submit your dedication by email to the yearbook advisor Mr. Young (myoung@tracylc.net). Questions about dedications should also be direct to Mr. Young. Include the name of the student in the email. Photographs must be in .jpg format and of decent resolution to ensure success. Formats other than .jpg may not upload correctly into our yearbook software. Photographs of low quality may distort or blur. Your message may contain up to 200 characters including spaces.
Upcoming Events:
TLC’s Got Talent Show: Will be held at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts 6:30pm. The proceeds from this event benefit the Class of 2015. Come support our student from all TLC schools in this great showcase of talent. Tickets are on sale now and available for purchase in the TLC front office, the Grand Theatre Box Office and online at www.atthegrand.org
Other News
COSMOS- California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science
Want to spend a month on a college campus exploring topics in STEM- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics? Application period is from January 20th – February 20th, 2015. Dates for the program are late June to Early- August. For more information please visit www.ucop.edu/cosmos
Give Every Child A Chance
Tracy Learning Center has been approved as a new site for the strong and expanding tutoring/mentoring program Give Every Child a Chance! They are bringing a homework assistance group tutoring program to our school for 7th through 12th graders. The program is free for students who have a D or an F in any subject, an IEP, or a strong teacher recommendation. Math and Language Arts assistance will take place Monday-Thursday between 4:00-6:00pm in D-13, Mrs. Saldana’s room. For more information about GECAC, please see their website: www.gecac.net. For an application, please contact Ms. Moore at the MHS Counseling Office, or visit http://www.gecac.net/downloadsapplications.html and click “One on One Tutoring Application”. You may write in “Tracy Learning Center” as your site of choice. Turn in applications to Ms. Moore at MHS Counseling.
Give Every Child A Chance Volunteer Opportunity
Give Every Child A Chance is a tutoring/mentoring program that needs volunteer tutors! If you are interested in tutoring 7th-12th grade students here at Tracy Learning Center for two community service hours a week (which can go toward a block letter!).