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

CARLINE

PCS

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

-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.

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.

Celebrating great sportsmanship between teams.

Millennium High School Cross Country Varsity Girl’s and Varsity Boy’s getting first place in their first league meet of the season.