Charter Chatter
A weekly newsletter written to parents of the TLC
Jan. 19, 2018 Vol 21
| Virginia Stewart |
Charter Schools were created to allow for change in educational Practices. This next week is National Charter School Week. Parents who select Charter schools are making a choice. Charter schools are not for everyone and there are significant differences among charter schools since they are founded for many different focuses or reasons. Some cater to high risk students, low income students, gifted students or other target groups.
This article was written by the National Charter Schools Association. The dark letters are our individual explanations of our charters here at TLC.
Charter schools are public schools, funded by taxpayers, and do not charge tuition. Charter schools must accept all students who enroll, as long as space is available.
We would be so happy if we could accept all students who apply. Unfortunately we have a limit of space. We accept students on a lottery basis. It is possible for a student to be on our wait list for years. We are sad about that, but the reality is our limited space. We enroll approximately 1300 students TK to 12. The wait list is over 800 students.
Although they are public schools, charter schools different from traditional, district-managed public schools in several ways.
We have a focus of meeting the needs of all students. We individualize instruction through group instruction and multiage groups in grades 1-8. Students are taught at the appropriate level of instruction to promote progress. We believe if students are taught at the right level, they can learn. We want higher achieving students to be challenged with above grade level work while those who are behind can feel good about receiving the remediation they need for future success. We do not use textbooks, rather we rely on interactive and group work in the classroom directed by the teacher using a variety of instructional resources including the use of technology.
For example, charter schools are not always created or managed by school districts. In many states, state authorizing boards, universities, mayors, and nonprofit organizations can also authorize the opening of a new charter school. These entities create contracts with the schools, which set specific goals and metrics the schools must meet in order to remain open.
Tracy Learning Center charters (Primary, Discovery and Millennium) are independent charters. We are directly funded and are not under the authority of the Tracy Unified School District except that they are our authorizer. The District approves our charters. They must be renewed every five years. The district reviews our finances and instructional outcomes once a year. The Tracy Learning Center has its own Board who approves spending and policies.
In return for agreeing to meet these goals, charter schools are provided with the freedom to be more innovative in their instructional practices, themes, curriculum, and educational methods.
Surprisingly there are very few actual freedoms charters have. We are required to follow all rules for teacher credentialing and other California state laws and Ed Code. We do feel the freedom to teach curriculum as we see fit and not follow adopted textbooks used in the districts. We are responsible to make progress in state testing outcomes.
There are nearly 7,000 charter schools across America, serving 2.6 million children. 44 states allow for the creation of public charter schools.
The Tracy Learning Center is comprised of three charter schools. Discovery Charter was first of the three and was started in 2001. It was one of the earliest charters in California. We are fortunate that California provides avenues for charter schools.
| Misc. Announcements |
Spring Pics
Spring Pictures for Pre-K, T-K, PCS and 8th Grade Promotion Students will be on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. Please make sure your student is present. There will not be a re-take day. Flyers will be sent home in March, 2018.
MHS Cheer Camp
It’s mini cheer camp just in time for basketball season. Begins Monday January 29th thru the 31st 4:30-6:00 pm. Performance is Thursday February 1st at 6:00. Performance will be during half time.
Cost is $45 per participant and includes, learning chants and dance, poms, hair bow, t-shirt and entrance to game.
For more information contact Coach Denise at CoachD74@yahoo.com
Sick Students
Just a reminder…please does not send your child to school until he/she has been 24 hours fever free. We continue to have kids tell us his/her parent gave them fever reducing medication that morning before school.
If your child is suffering from fever, body aches, sore throat and or continues coughing he or she is most likely contagious and we really ask that you keep your sick children home for his/her recovery and to reduce the risk of spreading this illness.
2018 Crab Feed
Happy New Year 2018! Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy year.
It’s that time again. THE 12TH ANNUAL TRACY LEARNING CENTER CRAB FEED – FEBRUARY 3, 2018
Tickets to the February 3, 2018 Tracy Learning Center Crab Feed are on sale now!
Tickets are $50.00 per person, or a table of eight is $400.00. Table reservations include pre-assigned seating and your name or company name prominently displayed on your table.
The doors of the Portuguese Hall will open at 6:00 p.m. for a no-host cocktail hour. Your delicious crab dinner served with salad, pasta and bread will begin at 7:00 p.m.
Through so much generosity we have amazing raffle baskets and silent auction items. Then put on your dancing shoes and hit the dance floor until 12:00 a.m.
If you would like to donate items to our raffle baskets and/or our dessert auction please reach out to me.
Donna Baker (209) 321-9157 via text or donna@donnabaker.com
Big Kudos to Tiffany Alexander who has secured many of our early raffle items including Disnelyand Tickets and The Pelican Family for our awesome banners.
| PCS/DCS Lunch Menu Week Jan. 22 – 26
Mon. – Pizza Tues. – Beef Hamburger Wed-Chicken Ranch Wrap Thurs –Chicken Enchilada Casserole and Spanish Rice Fri- Potato Tacos |
T K
Another fantastic week on TK Island. We have just a quick reminder to all TK parents: February 3rd is the TLC Crab Feed. It is a great event and always a lot of fun. We hope to see you there. More information can be found above.
Primary Charter
Initial Phase:
Can you believe that we are just about halfway through the school year? The 100th Day of School celebration was so much fun! We loved seeing all the kids in their capes and dressed like old people, there were so many creative ideas this year! P6 even won minute to win it on our 100th day! We were the quickest at sorting 100 M&Ms by color! Students made gumball machines filled with 100 gumballs and self-portraits of what they think they will look like when they are 100 years old! We had a blast and look forward to how much more growth we will see in the next 100 days!
Phase 1:
Students are 100 days smarter! Thursday, January 18, 2018 was the 100th day of school. We loved all the creative 100 year old outfits and the necklaces made of 100 items. Each class did different activities using the number 100 to celebrate this special day.
This week students learned about Martin Luther King Jr. They learned about his life and how he helped our country. Students also continued to learn about economics in social studies. Ask them the difference between a good and service. We’ll continue economics next week.
AR goals are right around the corner. Remember, students can take quizzes on books they read at home.
Phase 2:
We loved all of the creative 100th day shirts that our 3rd and 4th graders made! This week our students learned about creating a government and some classes even created a bill that they hope will become a law in the classroom. Throughout our government unit, our students have learned why teamwork and communication are so important.
DCS
We have 2 more weeks until the TLC Annual Crab Feed! It is always a fun event and we hope to see our DCS parents there.
DHSP
Language Arts:
*Reminder: All Honors Classes (Cerezo and Langston) will be taking the PSAT Tuesday, January 23. These students will be at school until 5:15pm, please plan your pick-up appropriately. Best of luck to these students!
This week in Language Arts, we are learning how to write outlines for long research papers. This will help them for SWO. They have a couple of deadlines fast approaching, so it is important your student is staying on top of them! Annotated citations due Jan. 23. Outline with thesis statement due Jan. 30. We are continuing on in our study of humanities and learning more about Malawian culture through our reading of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
Math:
MathCounts Competition is February 3rd. Competition tryouts will be Wednesday January 24th from 4:15-4:45. Taking a team of 4 and 2 alternates
Science:
Science Olympiad open-practice will occur Mondays at 4:15-5. If your student need particular supplies for their part in the competition remind them to let Ms. Dominguez know ahead of time.
| MHS |
MHS Counseling News
Crab Feed Volunteers Needed
Students who are interested in volunteering for the upcoming TLC Crab Feed may show interest by signing up at the Counseling Office. These students will be contacted to attend an informational meeting, and volunteers will be selected from this pool of students.
Community Service Opportunities
Please see https://millenniumhscounseling.weebly.com/community-service.html for upcoming community service opportunities, including the following.
Summer Programs
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes:
Programs are offered across a wide variety of disciplines including arts, humanities, science, and math, giving highly motivated students the opportunity to investigate advanced topics not typically taught in secondary schools. Participants engage in small classes with brilliant instructors and peers who share their passions.
Deadlines for our summer programs are in February, with some early round deadlines in January. Admission is selective. Limited financial aid is available.
Learn more about Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies programs here: https://spcs.stanford.edu/programs.
California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science
Program Dates: SUMMER 2018
July 8-August 4, 2018
*UCI closing date is August 3rd, 2018
COSMOS is an intensive four-week summer residential program for students who have demonstrated an aptitude for academic and professional careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Talented and motivated students completing grades 8-12 have the opportunity to work with renowned faculty, researchers and scientists in state-of-the-art facilities, while exploring advanced STEM topics far beyond the courses usually offered in California high schools. Through challenging curricula that are both hands-on and lab intensive, COSMOS fosters its students’ interests, skills, and awareness of educational and career options in STEM fields.
Students apply to one of the four University of California’s COSMOS campuses — UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz. While each campus employs the best practices in STEM education, the curriculum of each program builds on the unique teaching and research expertise of its faculty and host campus. Each campus can only accommodate about 160-200 participants, so selection is competitive. A typical COSMOS student has a GPA of 3.5 or above. Students must have achieved academic excellence. Applications are open now at: https://cosmos-ucop.ucdavis.edu/app/main/page/application-info
College Early Start starting soon! Classes begin the week of January 22nd through May 24th.
Students needing to purchase textbooks can visit: http://bookstore.deltacollege.edu/home.aspx
Tuition Reimbursements
Tuition reimbursements for the Fall 2017 semester is now being processed. Please have your student complete the reimbursement form and submit proof of payment and grade report of a B or higher.
7th Annual TLC’s Got Talent Show
The 7th Annual TLC’s Got Talent Show will take place on Thursday February 15, 2018 at The Grand Theatre Center for the Arts (located at 715 N. Central Ave Tracy, CA 95376). The show will begin at 6:30PM, and doors open at 6:00PM. General Admission cost is $9.00. Tickets will go on sale a month prior to the show.