Virginia’s Voice:

Kids’ Brainpower Tied to Exercise, Sleep and Limited Screen Time

At least 60 minutes of physical activity a day, nine to 11 hours of sleep a night, and no more than two hours a day of recreational screen time were tied to higher test scores and achievement in schools.

Meet our Staff

Hello! My name is Tawn Schaffran and I am the Lead Guidance Counselor at Millennium High School. I just completed my 10th school year with the Tracy Learning Center family. In 2008, I began as a full-time Counseling Assistant. After two months, I was inspired by my colleagues and saw the value of a higher education and began attending graduate school to earn a Master’s in Educational Counseling and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential. I always knew I wanted a career where I could motivate youth and encourage them to find their full potential. My passion for working with young adults have led to various roles both on the school campus and in the community of Tracy. In addition to helping students manuever their way through the windy roads of academic, career, and personal/social needs, I coordinate our Internship Program for all seniors and teach four classes one day a week focusing on the 21st Century workplace skills. I love how each school day is unpredictable and I often wish it wouldn’t go by so quickly.

My husband John and I have been married for 24 years and we have a 13 year old daughter who is just beginning her high school years. When I’m not spending time with my family and friends, you can find me happily pursuing my hobbies which include reading, running, traveling, and cooking.

Greetings! My name is Lauren Moore and I am a High School Counselor at Millennium. This is my 5th year as a member of the TLC family, and I truly enjoy working with our students and families, and assisting them through academic and personal challenges and triumphs alongside my amazing colleagues. I wear many hats in my job as a Counselor, including Scholarship Coordinator, 504 Coordinator, CSF Adviser, and College Bound Club Adviser. I also serve students through coordinating school-wide events with my department, classroom guidance, and one-on-one advising. I have a B.A. in Psychology, an M.A. in Counseling with an emphasis in School Counseling, and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential. Before becoming a counselor, I was a peer adviser, group tutor, and teacher – education is a passion of mine and I strive to help my students be the best they can be as they navigate high school, and work toward their goals for what comes after. I have been married for just over a year to Scott, who is a science teacher and beekeeper, and believe it or not, we have thousands of pets…bees! In my free time, I enjoy hiking and being outdoors, yoga, dance and crafts of all kinds. Please feel free to reach out through email at Lmoore@tracylc.net if I can be of assistance to you and your student. Thank you!

My name is Warren Snell and I am the Director of Technology at TLC. I have had the pleasure of working at TLC school for 13 years. During that time I have worn many hats. Along with my Masters in Education Technology, I am credentialed to teach in Primary and Discovery as well as Math at the high school. While I have taught elsewhere, it is the unique opportunities that have made TLC my home for so long. Over the years we had visitors from around the world visit as we led the way in the use of Project based learning, Chromebooks in the classroom and small group instruction. It is that type of freedom and innovation that have led to such success within our school. I relish to be a part of what the next 13 years hold for our students.

Important News and Announcments

Another successful golf tournament in the books! We raised over $11,000 for athletics, which helps cover the costs of field rentals, officials, and equipment maintenance, among the various expenses throughout the year. Thank you to our sponsors and participants for all your support and contributions! Next year we hope to make it even better. The players have spoken and next years tournament will likely be held at either the Tracy Country Club or Manteca Park Golf Course on Sunday September 22nd, 2019!

First place team earned trophies and a foursome for Dublin Ranch! Our last place team earned binoculars to help find their ball, while longest drive and closest to the pin won $100 gift cards for the pro shop.

Thank you to the following for sponsoring a golf cart: Lauren Ibarra Fitness, Leisa Mendez, Del Monuel, Anchor Transfer, Dr. Baldini of Sacramento State, and Taylor Farms!

Parents 4 TLC

Thank you to all the parents that came out to our September Parents 4 TLC meeting. It was great to see some new faces and meet some new incoming parents. We are excited to see our group growing, so thank you!

We had a very productive meeting! We discussed Wacky Wallet Wednesday, Box Tops and our upcoming Movie Night!!

Wacky Wallet was very successful and a great time! It was nice to get out the locations and meet new parents for coffee and lunch, and after school picked up the kids for pizza and gelato while running into old friends and making new ones!! Can’t wait for the next one in February. We will keep you posted of the date and locations as the time gets closer. If there is a restaurant that you think we HAVE to go to, let us know!!

Now for the fun stuff, the TOTALS!!! Barista’s had $500 in sales that our flyers accompanied, 20% of that is $100 earned for the school! Mountain Mike’s had $784.10 that our flyers accompanied, earning the school $156.82!! The Upper Room had approximately $500 in sales accompanied by our flyers, earning the school $100. Aldo’s Gelato had an amazing $691.07 that our flyers accompanied, earning $138.21, BUT Mike, owner of Aldo’s has sweetened the donation and added $25 earning the school a total of $163.21. Total earned was $520.03!!! Not bad for our first one, thank you everyone who supported!

Box Tops Contest ends today!! We will be collecting and counting all the Box Tops next week (only valid Box Tops will count) and the winner will be announced shortly after that!! If you still have Box Tops that you haven’t submitted, don’t worry! We will be holding one more contest before the end of the year. Last contest we earned $369.50 for the school. It is our goal to hit $1,000 this year, and with all of your help we know we can do it! Those who volunteered to help clip and count, we will be in touch soon!!

Friday, October 12th is our next Outdoor Family Movie Night and we will be showing Coco! Doors will open at 6 pm, movie will start at 6:30. Current high school address 1904 Corrall Hollow Road. Concessions will be available for purchase, hot dogs, nachos with chili this time by request, soda, water and, of course, HOT popcorn. We will be raffling off some great baskets provided by all the Primary classrooms, as well as a 50/50 raffle! So make sure to bring your small bills!! There will be a limited section for people needing/wanting to bring chairs to sit in, otherwise please make sure to bring a blanket to sit on. They might have the windmills turned on 😉 so be sure to bring a jacket or blanket to keep warm.

Just a reminder, Parents 4 TLC collects and donates ALL items left in Lost & Found monthly. Please make sure you are labeling your child’s jacket!!

Don’t forget about the passive ways you can fundraise for the school:

www.smile.amazon.com and select Tracy Learning Center (not available on mobile devices)

www.officedepot.com will donate 5% of purchases (must specify Primary, Discovery or Millennium after each purchase)

Our next meeting is Monday, October 15th at 6:30 in P2.

CARLINE

Dear Parents,

“Car Line” is still causing everyone an inconvenience this year, as this week was worst than most for 2018! It is the 8th week of school and it has already been parents need to go get in “Car Line and go “South on Mae” to drop off their students!!! This being a TWO WAY Stop, instead of a Four way Stop makes it extremely difficult, as your fellow teachers…Staff & Our Beloved Crossing Guards can only do so much to prevent a tragic event from happening!!!

Please take this as a friendly reminder and a HUGE “Thank You” to all parents that are still following ALL traffic laws to keep everyone safe. Concerns will once again be addressed with the Tracy Police Department as well!

Also, “Thank You” to the parents that reached out to The Tracy Learning Center. We here are hoping to solve this problem with “Car Line” soon with everyone’s help and cooperation!

Also, as a friendly reminder, please remind students that they should be applying

“Deodorants/Antiperspirants/Baby Powder or Sanitary Wipes” in the morning before they are coming to school and

showering daily; as their bodies have already begun puberty even though there may be no signs of it showing physically…Especially with this hot weather this week!

New Board Member Position Opening

If you are interested in interviewing for a position as a member of the TLC Board of directors, please submit a resume and a letter of interest to the front office at the Beverly site. The Board is seeking one member for its nine-member board. The terms for this position are unlimited. The Board meets once a month on the second Monday of the month.

Reminders:

Homecoming 2018 “60s” Theme

Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018 Parade Day

Dismissal times – PCS 1pm

DCS 1:30pm

MHS 12:30pm (Mid-terms)

Staging Corner of Central and 6^th St. @ 2pm

Parade begins at 3pm

Hearing Van

Upcoming Picture Days

All re-takes are on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018

Very Risky Driving at morning drop off and afternoon pick up

We continue to have some very unsafe drop offs of students with parents stopping illegally, holding up traffic and letting children run across the street with the risk of oncoming traffic. Please, we beg you – Slow down and protect your child from injury or worse by safely pulling over and encouraging your child to only cross in the cross walks when safe to cross.

Next Parents Club Meeting

Monday, October 15 at 6:30pm in P2

lunch

PCS

We are all getting very excited for homecoming week.

Inital Phase

The theme this year is the 1960’s and Primary is doing “The Man on the Moon” — more specifically Kindergarten will be doing “stars.” Parade day is Wednesday, October 3rd and will take place in downtown Tracy at 3:00.

Additionally, we will have a 1:00 dismissal this day.

All students are welcome to walk in the parade AS LONG AS the have returned the permission slip ahead of time.

As part of our homecoming celebration we will have a spirit week next week where students have a different dress up theme each day.

Monday: Camo Day, Tuesday: Blue & Gold Day, Wednesday: Space Day, Thursday: Tie-Dye Day, Friday: Black & Gold Day

Phase One

Our first AR goal period has come to an end! Congratulations to all the students that met their goal and get to go to their classroom’s AR party next week. All students in AR will retake the Star Reading Test next week and receive a new reading level. Our next AR goal is due November 9th.

We will be wrapping up our Native American unit next week. So far they have learned about 3 different regions of Native Americans. They have discussed the types of homes they live in, the food they eat and made several crafts.

October is a busy month! One thing that is happening is the TLC Family Movie night. Each class is creating a gift basket and they will be raffled off at the movie night. P3’s theme is Family Game Night, P4’s theme is BBQ Picnic and P5’s theme is Coffee Time. If you have any item to donate that would be great!

This week Phase 2 students continued their study of the 50 states. We also learned about the 4 regions of California. Did you know our own Centra Valley produces 99% of the country’s almonds?! We are also always hard at work on projects…here are pictures of some of the work from Phase 2 students.

Don’t forget that Wednesday is an early release day and our Homecoming parade! There will be NO after school homework support that day.

DCS

Important Dates:

Monday, October 1^st: Science Camp Forms Due

Wednesday, October 3^rd: Early Release Day at 1:30 for Homecoming Parade
Tuesday, October 9^th: Picture Re-Takes

Friday, October 12^th: $350 Payment for Science Camp due to Ms. Connie or Ms. Ramirez in the front office (checks made payable to Tracy Learning Center- we also accept cash and credit card payments)
DCS Survival Tip:

We understand that no one is born with great organizational skills — these skills have to be learned and repeatedly practiced over time. Being organized is key to being successful in Discovery! We want to thank parents who have put in place systems to help their children stay organized. We have noticed that having a folder system for each class is a popular one that is working for a majority of the kids. Binders are nice, but can become bulky and heavy over time, especially if not cleaned out on a regular basis.

Once home, it is important that kids know how to create a daily after school to-do list to help them prioritize tasks/assignments and manage their time effectively.

“Being organized helps me to find homework faster so I don’t waste time. Last year, I only had two folders and it got very cluttered, so this year I have a folder for each subject. I put my folders in order of my classes so I only have to pull out what I need” – Jayme A. (6^th Grade)

“My filing system works for me because I don’t lose important papers. I keep all of the stuff that is not due in the back and anything I need to do that day or for homework that night, I keep in front. My tip is to clean out your backpack every week to keep it as light as possible” – Malakai (5^th Grade)

Science Camp Update:

We just wanted to clear the air because some parts have heard a rumor that we were canceling Science Camp due to low numbers to attend- we are NOT canceling Science Camp. Staff were making phone calls to parents of students who have not submitted a packet because we needed to submit out final head count. We also needed to show the County we had numbers to fill a majority of the spots in our reservation so we didn’t have to share the site with another school.

-Mrs. Theall, Ms. Sabedra, Ms. T and Coach Balsamo (from MHS) will be the staff attending Science Camp -with the kids. We will also be bringing with us 20 MHS students to act as camp cabin counselors.

-Remaining teachers will stay at school to host a week of Stay Camp here at our TLC school site for students not attending away camp at Joan’s Gulch.

A Glance into Classrooms:

Social Studies: Ms. Sabedra
5/6 students turned in their notebook covers and they look amazing! Most students chose to create a ‘Space Race’ themed cover, but there were many other great topics, like Women’s Rights, Integration/Segregation, Communism, & Presidents of the 60’s, chosen as well.

Math: Mrs. Zuniga

Varsity: Our class has begun talking about time and elapsed time. The students have learned 3 types of elapsed time problems. They are learning how to tell how long an event lasted, when an event started, and lastly when an event ended. The students have been doing well with all our concepts so far, but are ready and excited to begin learning about fractions next week.

Scholastic: Our class is finishing off multiplying fractions this week and will be taking another quiz on Friday to show their mastery of the concept. Students have learned different strategies to solve fraction operations and are loving that they are learning new ways to solve these problems. Our class is very excited to begin dividing fractions starting Monday and can’t wait to finish off the fraction portion of Unit One.

Honors: Honors class has finished all operations of decimals as well as converting decimals to fractions. We began discussing percents and their relationships to decimals and fractions. Our class began discussing how percents relate to the real-world. Students will begin learning about interest on Monday. We cannot wait to discuss interest and real-world application of percents.

Music: Mr. Dougherty
Fifth and six grade discovery students are outside composing their street busking routines for Mr. Dougherty’s music class. The ensembles are made up of groups using found objects, such as buckets and cardboard boxes, body percussion, boom whackers, and voice.

Math: Ms. T

Varsity: A fun way to learn speed and fluency of math facts is to play games. Our class really enjoys playing Math War. We are working very hard to gain speed and accuracy of our Math Facts to make Math feel more enjoyable and successful.

Scholastic: We are wrapping up Unit One on Fractions and we will be taking our first Unit test on Tuesday, October 2^nd. This test will consist of Finding LCM and GCF with Factor Trees, Add/Subtract Fractions with common and unlike denominators and operations of multiplying and dividing with fraction.

Honors: We wrapped up Units 1 and 2 with back to back Unit Tests. Our class averages were strong with 86% for Unit 1 and 80.7% for Unit 2. Our class is on their way to Unit 3 and were introduced to Integers on Tuesday.

CARLINE

Dear Parents,

Also, “Thank You” to the parents that reached out to The Tracy Learning Center. We here are hoping to solve this problem with “Car Line” soon with everyone’s help and cooperation!

Also, as a friendly reminder, please remind students that they should be applying

“Deodorants/Antiperspirants/Baby Powder or Sanitary Wipes” in the morning before they are coming to school and

showering daily; as their bodies have already begun puberty even though there may be no signs of it showing physically…Especially with this hot weather this week!

-Homecoming is NEXT WEEK! 10/1-10/5

-The parade will take place on Wednesday 10/3 at 3pm

– Students are bringing home flyers with detailed information about the parade! Please look out for this information!

CJSF:

-Shout out to Ms. Dominguez’s homeroom for winning the CSJF Animal Shelter donation! This week those students were rewarded with an ice cream party!

Language Arts:

Mrs. Cerezo’s Language Arts classes are focusing on figurative language this week. Students are learning various types such as, simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. They are then connecting these ideas to the novel we are reading, The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano.

Please remember to check your student’s agenda for their Language Arts grade. Students write in their updated grade each week.

In Mrs. Ernst’s Language Arts class we are continuing with our novel The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, as well as working on writing, grammar and the concept of Art from the 1960’s in Humanities.
Just a reminder- all of the students in this class have homework every week. They receive new vocabulary words every Monday, as well as receiving an essay prompt weekly. If you student says they do not have any homework, please ask them if they have completed these tasks and know what their vocabulary words mean.

Math:

Mrs. King’s classes:

Varsity has completed their first unit. Their unit final was Thursday, September 27th. For the past two weeks they have been participating in Math Olympiad problem solving as a group. I am impressed with how well they have been working together to solve these problems.

Honors has completed their first unit and is now involved in “real geometry”, a chapter called Reasoning and Proof. We have dabbled in constructions, using protractors and compasses to create geometrical figures.

Scholastic is plugging away mastering the intro skills needed for Algebra success. We are progressing into some difficult, but necessary concepts for Algebra success. Scholastic has also been involved in Math Olympiad problem solving. I was impressed with some of their dogged determination to find the solutions.

Science:

In ⅞ Science, we are wrapping up the first academic pentathlon unit on light with a discussion of “Color” as a part of the visible light spectrum. Next up is the second unit of Optics!

Social Studies:

Students worked extra hard this week in Social Studies getting ready for their Unit 1 Test. They continued their game of Heads Up: Falcon Edition with the 8th Grade Nests taking the lead in their classrooms. Mr. Liew’s Homeroom participated in a Buzzer Game to showcase all that they have learned this unit. Congratulations to the Amur students in that class that smoked all the other Nests!

MHS Counseling News

Millennium High School – Homecoming Week

Millennium’s Homecoming Rally (Tuesday October 2^nd at 10:15am).

Powderpuff will also take place on Tuesday night (October 2^nd). The game begins at 7:15pm at Tracy High School. The cost for admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Concessions will be sold.

Homecoming Parade (Wednesday October 3^rd). The parade begins at 3:00pm in downtown Tracy.

Saturday (October 6^th) we have a Tailgate in the MHS parking lot from 4pm to 5pm. There is no cost for admission. We will have hot dogs, music, face painting and poster making stations to create a huge spirit section for the game.

Homecoming Game at West High School. Saturday night (October 6^th) JV starts at 5:00pm and Varsity at 7:00pm. Usual admission fees apply.

Homecoming Dance under the tent at the MHS campus Saturday (Oct. 6^th) after the game ends. No students will be admitted before the game has ended. The dance is free.

Millennium High School – Midterms Schedule

Midterms are taking place next week, Wednesday 10/3 through Friday 10/5. Please see the schedule below to see when your student is to be present at school depending on what classes they are currently enrolled in.

Wednesday October 3

8:15-10:15am: English

10:30-12:30pm: Science

Thursday October 4

8:15-10:15am: Math

10:30-12:30: Spanish

Friday October 5

8:15-10:15am: Social Studies

10:30-12:30: Life Skills/Makeup Tests

Calling All Non-Profit Organizations!

Millennium High School will be hosting its 11^th Annual Community Service Fair on October 26, 2018. Students are given an opportunity to network and establish community service contacts with local non-profit organizations. Past organizations that have participated in our community service fair include Boys and Girls Club, Grand Theatre for the Arts, Give Every Child a Chance, and Tracy Chamber of Commerce. If you know of a non-profit organization that would like to participate please contact Mr. Gomar in the MHS Counseling Office at (209) 627-8299 or email mgomar@tracylc.net

Millennium High School Senior Presentation – Class of 2019

MHS counselors visited with the Senior Class of 2019 for an informative update on all subjects related to graduation and their Senior year. For the full presentation, please see the following link:

Click to access Senior-Presentation-Part-1-2018-19-15.pdf

MHS Interact Club reads to TK students

In support of Education and Literacy month, Millennium Interact Club student leaders visited the TLC T-K classroom for a read-in session! It was a small, but mighty group of listeners to end the day.

Capture

Saturday Tours at the UC Santa Cruz Campus this Fall!

UCSC Admissions will host annual Saturday Tours on October 20 and November 10, 2018. These student-led campus tours provide prospective students with a general introduction to academic and campus opportunities. An Admissions presentation covering freshman and transfer admissions will be followed by a student panel and an all-walking campus tour.On the tours, students and families come see the beautiful campus and learn more about the exceptional academic experience and co-curricular opportunities that UC Santa Cruz offers! For students who cannot visit the campus this fall, we offer an online virtual tour featuring the voices of our outstanding student tour guides, and offered in five languages.Session times are available at 10:00 a.m, 12:00 p.m, and 2:00 p.m. Please let your students know that reservations for all campus tours must be made in advance online.

For questions about Saturday Tours or the virtual tour, please contact our Campus Tours Office at visits@ucsc.edu or 831.459.4118.

Millennium High School Cross Country

Here are some pictures from the MHS Cross Country Teams and their league meet Thursday September 27th at ROP.