TLC Charter Chatter
A Message from Virginia Dec. 13, 2019
PUBLIC RELEASE OF THE 2019 CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DASHBOARD AND ADDITIONAL REPORTS AND DATA
The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce the public release of the 2019 California School Dashboard (Dashboard). The Dashboard is available at https://www.caschooldashboard.org.
The CDE is also excited to share that the Dashboard is available in three new languages: Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Please note that these three new reports are still being finalized and will be fully translated during the week of December 23, 2019. To view these translated reports, click on the “Select Language” drop-down menu at the top right of the Dashboard.
Virginia Stewart
Executive Director
Every once in awhile, I find an article I would like to share in my space of the Chatter. This is one I think you will like. Do not feel you have to buy into the whole article, but it has things we can all keep in mind. Also, remember these things also can relate to those with older primary children as well as high schoolers.
Virginia Stewart
How to keep your tween talking
December 3, 2019
Bottom of Form
A lot happens to children between the ages of 9 and 12. During this weird, in-limbo stage of life, they’re definitely not little kids anymore (just ask them!), but they’re teetering on the brink of adolescence, and they’re still a long way from being adults. Alongside all the obvious physical transformations they’re going through — it can seem as if they morph into completely different beings overnight — come to some pretty major internal changes. Often, one of the hardest for parents to deal with is an abrupt lack of communication from their tween. Suddenly, your chatty, happy kid wakes up with the inability to offer anything more than a grunt in your general direction.
This can be tough, but it’s totally normal, says Christine Schneider, a marriage and family therapist and co-founder of Integrative Mind Institute. And your kid is likely to be just as thrown as you are by the changes, even if they act like they couldn’t care less. “The pre-teen phase is confusing for both kids and parents,” Schneider says. “Puberty typically sets off a process of developmentally appropriate tasks, such as having peers become as important as parents for guidance/emotional support, and developing a sense of identity separate from parents.”
In other words, your tween does want to talk — just not to you.
This can be difficult in a couple of ways. First of all, as soon as your little chatterbox — the one you used to wish would just ease up on all the questions already — actually does keep schtum, you suddenly want to go straight back to fielding those interrogations. And then there are all the issues you know you need to talk about, whether you want to or not, like social media, alcohol, drugs, and puberty. Yes, it’s unfortunate that just when you need to start having Big Talks with your kid, they seem to want to keep their bedroom door firmly closed — with you on the other side. But during this transformative pre-adolescent stage, your kid needs your guidance and support more than ever, so you gotta try to nudge that door open.
Schneider has some tips for how to keep those precious lines of communication open — without sending your kid running at full speed in the opposite direction.
Ditch the screens, and eat
It’s important to have structured family meals with no electronics, two to three times per week, Schneider says. It sounds simple, but we all know how easy it can be for everything else to get in the way of proper, sit-down family meals. This is a great opportunity to tackle some of those tricky topics that may be starting to catch your kid’s attention (or weigh on their mind), like puberty, changing friendships, gender stereotypes and pressure to fit in. “Talking about these issues during family meals can let you add your own points of view with it coming across as a lecture,” Schneider says.
Do whatever your kid wants to do — together
Whatever your tween is into — sports, crafts, or something else — make yourself a part of it. Schneider recommends letting them invite a friend along to ramp up the fun factor and give you the chance to influence both of them (two pre-adolescents for the price of one, if you like) without having a direct confrontation.
“Play in all forms, from throwing a ball back and forth to a family board game night, enhances a sense of belonging and strengthens positive emotions,” explains Schneider. “Families that play together tend to be better bonded and able to work through confrontation while staying connected.”
Get on board with the text chat
You might not want your kid to spend any more time glued to a screen than they already do, but if they feel most comfortable communicating with you through text, just go with the flow, Schneider says. If there’s something on their mind that they don’t know how to articulate, giving them space and freedom to do it indirectly can help them start a dialogue they might otherwise shy away from.
Email and good old-fashioned letter-writing are other options for indirect communication; basically, keep an open mind and don’t rule anything out. “Many parents find that their pre-teen will be more open and honest, and more willing to take feedback, when it’s done indirectly,” Schneider explains. Of course, if something comes up that you’re concerned about, calmly request a face-to-face. You’re still the parent.
Learn how to recognize when things aren’t ok
It can be tough to know when to give your tween space and when to keep pushing, so being aware of the common signs of depression is crucial. These include isolating oneself from others (including peers), having difficulty sleeping, and displaying general signs of hopelessness or helplessness. And if your kid won’t talk to you, they might talk to someone else: an aunt or uncle, an older peer, a school counselor, or a therapist.
“Dropping grades, isolation, sudden changes in peer groups, and excessive phone/video game usage may all be signs for concern,” Schneider says. Take advantage of all support networks you have available, and offer them up informally — like arranging for an older cousin to take them out for ice cream — rather than forcing something. And never, ever, make support sound like a punishment. Telling your kid, “if you don’t start telling me what’s going on in your head, I’m going to make you see a counselor,” is highly unlikely to encourage them to open up to you any time soon.
Rethink your “listening”
It’s common — and normal — for parents to struggle with the thought of their child growing up, but your response might be partly to blame for your tween’s sudden reticence. If you’re still disciplining your child in a way that’s no longer age-appropriate — reacting with confrontation when they do something wrong, giving little or no positive reinforcement when they do something right, or constantly trying to “fix” things — this might be at the root of them pulling away from you, says Catherine Jackson, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Dr. J’s Holistic Health & Wellness.
“Sometimes, kids just want someone to listen,” Jackson says. “Not judge, or condemn, or fix anything.”
Let them go, just a little
If you still have those apron strings tightly wound around your fingers, it’s time to ease up on the grip. “Kids begin to pull away from their parents as they search for who they are as individuals,” Jackson says. “It’s hard to figure out who you are as a person if you’re constantly influenced by a group (i.e. your family).” Throw in your pre-teen’s natural desire to question authority and societal standards, and it’s no wonder they want to make more decisions on their own — for better or worse. At this stage, their peers’ views start to carry more weight — they’re all on a similar journey of self-discovery, after all.
Next School Holiday
WInter Break – Dec. 23, 2019 through Jan. 5, 2020 All students return to school on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020
Personal Days for Next School Year 2019/2020
VERY IMPORTANT CHANGE for our upcoming 2019/2020 school year Beginning August 5, 2019, we are reducing personal/family days for students from 10 days down to 7 days. Allowing 7 days is still much higher than what the district schools allow and we feel 7 days is more beneficial for the school and for each students’ education.
Lunch Menu Week of Dec. 16, 2019 – Dec. 20, 2019
Mon – Pizza
Tues – Bean or Beef Burrito
Wed – Chicken Patty Sandwich
Thurs – No Meat Spaghetti
Fri – Chicken Nuggets, Mashed Potatoes and Holiday Dessert
Don’t forget to click the STAR after scanning and enter your student’s classroom number for credit.
NOW HIRING: Spring 2020 Head Athletic Coaches-
Boys Volleyball: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1228598
Co-Ed Golf: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1256489
TLC Preschool: Did you know?
Did you know our preschool teachers work hard each week creating lessons that are play based? The preschool teachers focus on a letter, number, color and shape each week. They use these focus concepts to create fun, interactive lessons that keep students engaged while having fun learning. This week the students have been focusing on the letter E as in elf, the number 10, the color brown, and the shape triangle. Students have created group posters with the letter E, sorted the letter E by capital and lowercase, and worked on creating lists of things that start with the E sound, made christmas decorations with groups of 10, and decorated a triangle shaped Christmas tree! Phew!. Who knew so much learning could be masqueraded into fun activities. Thank you teachers!
Initial Phase
P2 began studying community helpers and map skills in preparation of our North Pole project. Students should bring their assigned building on Wednesday as we will set up our North Pole Wednesday morning and leave it up to use for classroom activities through Thursday.
Next week, we will do our weekly tests on Thursday because the teachers have many fun activities planned for Friday- including building mini gingerbread houses!
Don’t forget to change out your students extra clothes in their backpack to winter clothes.
Phase One:
This Week in Phase 1 we are proud to recognize our Spanish Certificate Earners. In P3 Senora Wharton awarded Raechel Alvis and Benjamin Castro. In P4 she awarded Jaslyn Nguyen, Junior Espinoza, and Briya Duncan. In P5 she awarded Troy Newcomb, Imhotep Drumgoole, and Diapreet Sandhu. Congratulations to those students!!
We had a wonderful week learning about and celebrating the winter holidays and traditions, writing friendly letters, and continuing studying LA and Math with holiday themed activities. We also learned the importance of this time of year being about caring for and helping others through writing activities. We definitely caught the Christmas Spirit!!
Phase Two:
This week our phase 2 classes enjoyed their nacho party in Spanish with Senora Wharton! This is a reward that classes earn by participating in class, working on their skills in class and being productive workers. Everyone enjoyed Senora Wharton’s famous salsa and even got to do the Macarena! Students were also presented with outstanding student awards for Spanish.
In social studies our classes are learning about our government and how to be a good citizen. We discussed what it means to be a good citizen, both in the classroom and in our community. Speaking of good citizens…thank you to everyone who donated items for Brighter Christmas and our toy drive for the children’s hospital. We are so appreciative and proud of our students for reaching out to help others.
Discovery Middle School 5-6
Upcoming ⅚ Dates:
December 21 – January 5: NO SCHOOL – Winter Break – We return to school on January 6th
Holiday Special offer on Discovery Charter School’s Yearbook
Picaboo, the company that helps create and sell our yearbook, is having a special holiday offer. Go on-line and order a yearbook and you will be put in a drawing for a free yearbook. If you win, you will be refunded your payment.
So go to http://DCSYearbook.picaboo.com between now and December 31, 2019 to order your yearbook for $48.00 and you could possibly get yours free.
Another added bonus of ordering your yearbook on-line is you can create 4 pages and the back cover as your own. What a great way to personalize your yearbook and make sure your special memories are included.
Any questions, email me at lrodieck@tracylc.net
Thank you and Happy Holidays,
Ms. Rodieck
6th Grade Girls Basketball Champs!!!!
Congratulations to the 6th grade girls basketball team bringing home the first championship to Discovery!!! They battled all year, finishing the season 8-0. They defeated Monte Vista in the Championship Game this afternoon with the score of 26-14. If you see them around campus this week, congratulate them! Thanks! They are really proud of their accomplishment!!
Top 5 Nest Point Earners!
Peregrine:
Kestrel:
Saker:
Amur:
Mrs. Zuniga/Mrs. Bengson’s Math:
All Classes: All classes took the UC Davis test for the second time this year. I would also like to let parents and students know that after winter we will be starting our Lifelong Learner SWO. The students will be getting a rubric and guide for what they will need.
Varsity: Our class finished the fourth quiz of unit 2 focusing on long division. Next up we will be learning about multiplication properties and in and out tables to finish off the unit. Our hope is to take the Unit 2 test next Wednesday before break begins.
Scholastic: Our class began Unit 4 this week and will be pushing through until winter break. I do hope that students are still revisiting the concepts at home during break in their down time to be ready to pick it back up in January.
Honors: Our class began Unit 3 and took their first quiz on Thursday. We will be pushing through Unit 3 until winter break. I do hope that students are still revisiting the concepts at home during break in their down time to be ready to pick it back up in January.
Mrs. Nijjar’s Math:
Varsity: We completed Unit-2 which was about multiplying and dividing whole numbers. Students did a fantastic job on unit test. We started with Unit-3, and students will be learning more about multiplying and dividing decimal numbers.
Scholastic: Students completed Unit-2 and are getting ready to take the unit test in the coming week. In the coming week, students will be reviewing the concepts of Unit-2 and will start with Unit-3.
Honors: Students learned to write equations as functions, and graph them accordingly. In the coming weeks, students will be learning about different types of equations and their corresponding graphs.
All my students took the Davis test on Wednesday, December 11, 2019. Detailed reports will be sent home soon.
Ms. Rodieck’s Language Arts and Humanities:
We worked hard this week. All classes read more about Matilda and surviving the fever in our novel. Scholastic and Honors learned about Indirect Objects and how to Diagram them. Varsity worked on identifying the Main Idea and Supporting details, along with subject and predicate so they could combine them in sentences. All groups also worked on writing dialogue so we can incorporate it in our creative writing assignment next week. It was a very ambitious week and they did great.
Language Arts with Mr. Harding:
Our Scholastic students decided to make a pixelated picture made of over 1,000 one and a half-inch square colored pieces of paper. In order to complete this undertaking, we really came together as a team. We agreed to roles and completed our duties. When problems arose, we worked together to solve them and move on. From beginning to end, the students took the lead on this project. The class became a team last week.
Unfortunately, we have to abandon the Ebola essays. We paused for one week due to computer testing, paused the next week for computer reformatting, then paused a week for Thanksgiving. I do not see the wisdom in picking up a hot topic that has turned cold. I do not wish to abandon what was promising work, but I do not want to waste our time with a learning opportunity that has passed.
Social Studies with Mr. Bird and Mr. McCarthy:
This week, our social studies scholars are learning about the central teachings of Judaism and how they’ve survived to modern day. They first related the lesson to their own family traditions and we had a fantastic class discussion about different traditions that have been passed down over time. Our students celebrate many different traditions such as Diwali, Las Posadas, Dia de los Muertos, family reunions, vacations to various places like Lake Tahoe and Florida, as well as different ways to celebrate Christmas.
Then, students analyzed four of the central teachings of Judaism and their influence today. To process the information our students learned, they created group timelines (pictures coming soon once they are posted on our wall!). Students in each group selected their own key event of Judaism and wrote about its importance. They also included a sketch of the event. We will piece them together to display in our classroom.
Next week, students in all classes will have their unit test on the ancient Israelites. They will need to review both lesson packets (Origins of Judaism and World Religions: Judaism).
Science with Ms. Diaz:
Greetings scientists! This week, we studied our solar system flashcards so that we could ace the quiz we took on Friday. We also began our solar system poster projects. Each group was assigned a planet or part of our solar system to artistically create and then write facts about it on the poster. We have also been watching episodes of Lost In Space, writing in our science notebooks bullet point lists of what we think is scientifically accurate and what is fiction.
Next week we will continue our solar system poster projects so we can decorate the classroom with them before we leave for winter break.
Last but not least, come one and come all to check out the DCS science blog site at: www.tlcdiscoverychannel.weebly.com. Read all about the Bees (Evee Snell) and The Perils of Living in the Sea (Alivia Petersen). Prepare to be SCIENCED!
Awesomely interesting announcements:
- Please don’t forget to check Google classroom and/or the science class website regularly with your student
Google Classroom Hon/Scholastic code→ jp9wlua
Google Classroom Varsity code→ 8d4s9b
Science class website: https://diazdoesscience.weebly.com
Mission to Mars:
- The next payment is due Jan. 4th. Your balance needs to be $300 or less to stay on schedule. Please check your account to stay up to date.
- Please check your email regarding protocol for those either not flying RT or flying one-way only. If you did not receive this email, please contact me as soon as possible.
Rube Goldberg:
- The DCS competition was Friday the 13th! It was so much fun and quite the experience. This was hopefully the first of what will be a DCS tradition. Winners and pictures will be posted in the next Chatter Chatter.
Stay curious & keep exploring!!!
⅚ PE & SWO:
For the past 2 weeks 5 & 6 have been working on their new SWO, cooperative collaboration, that involves creating a new or variation of a PE game. Students started out by collaborating and working together to come up with common ideas. They then used worksheets to outline and map out their game. This includes rules, safety, facilities, groups, number of players, skills, and equipment. Students were given a poster to use as a visual for their presentation on Friday, 12/13.
Starting on Monday, December 16, students will be working on the scrapbook portion of the SWO. Three pictures will be provided by the PE teachers in class on Monday. However, students are responsible for three photos at home or in public showing cooperative collaboration (family decorating, baking goods with family, etc…) Students will have class time to work on scrapbook Monday-Wednesday of next week. These scrapbooks will due Wednesday, December 18. They may be submitted prior to the due date. Late submissions will not receive full credit and will lose 1 point each day it is late.
Discovery Middle School 7-8
- Winter Break begins December 23rd. Classes resume on January 6th
Week 17 Top 5 Nest Earners!
Leadership:
Congratulations to Mrs. Rapp and Mr. Bird and Mr. McCarthy for having the winning walls for Discovery! Check out the videos below to see the students explaining their winning walls.
7/8 Wall Winner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdbg23bY5ws&list=PLofEVHepPvWh8UZPJoIwr-OpFIXcuHy7s&index=5&t=0s
5/6 Wall Winner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ddjIVG28M&list=PLofEVHepPvWh8UZPJoIwr-OpFIXcuHy7s&index=6&t=0s
Students in Discovery began decorating their walls this week for this month’s theme: Winter Wonderland. Who will win this month’s wall challenge? Stay tuned till January!
DISCOVERY ATHLETICS
The 6th Grade Girls Basketball team wins the Championship! They defeated Monte Vista with the score of 26-14. The girls finished the season 8-0. This team will go down in the record books, bringing home the first championship to Discovery. Congratulation ladies. You are champions forever!!
The 7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball team advances to the Championship Game! This week the girls defeated Art Freiler in the first round of the playoffs with the score of 33-4 to advance to the semi-finals where they faced Monte Vista (7th grade). The girls came into the game as underdogs, but defeated Monte Vista (7th grade) with the score of 14-11 to advance to the Championship Game next week.
Technology with Ms. Ferguson:
A new trimester has kicked off and the new Technology students are off to a great start!
The trimester is beginning with the cyberbullying/netiquette/digital citizenship unit. The students just took their first vocabulary quiz on words related to this unit & just wrapped up their first partner project.
For this project, the students were to make a digital poster about a topic relating to our unit. These posters included facts about their topic, a link to a website to find more information on the topic, and pictures relating to the topic.
The students are now working their way through presenting these posters to the class. The audience members are receiving an abundant amount of information on things like cyberbullying, staying safe online, how to be a good digital citizen, and using privacy options on social media and websites.
Next week the students will begin a second project relating to our current unit that will be due the Thursday before break!
Art with Ms. Losen:
This week in art students learned about hyperrealism, practiced drawing facial features and proportions and started work on their own hyper realistic works of art.
Music with Mr. Dougherty:
Music Discovery has gotten off to a great start for trimester 2. We started out with an introduction to music technology and are currently bucket drumming. Stay tuned for details about our end of the trimester concert that will take place on March 4.
Physical Education:
For the past 2 weeks, 7 & 8 has been working on a new project that involves creating a new or variation of a PE game. Students started out by collaborating and working together to come up with common ideas. They then used worksheets to outline and map out their game. This included rules, safety, facilities, groups, number of players, skills, and equipment. Students were given a poster to use as a visual for their presentation on Monday, 12/16.
Millennium High School
YEARBOOK ORDERS and SENIOR DEDICATION AD ORDERS NOW OPEN!
Yearbooks are on sale now! Yearbooks are $75. Now is the perfect time to order a 2019-20 yearbook for your student. We look forward to yearbook delivery day, May 15th. Orders are open through April 11th. Click HERE to go to our convenient online order center! Or you may go to yearbookordercenter.com and enter code 21362. You may also pay by cash, check, or card in the front office or by contacting Miss Lamanna, blamanna@tracylc.net
Senior Dedication ads in the yearbook are available and can include photos alongside a personal message to your son, daughter, or teammate. There are a limited number of pages available, so act quickly. The deadline to place an ad is 3/15/20. Credit cards accepted! If you have any questions, please direct them to blamanna@tracylc.net.
Athletics
Interested in donating to the Athletics program? Here are 2 great opportunities! If you would like to help us purchase the padded flooring for the weight room we hope to have open by winter, you may donate here, and add “Weight Room” in the notes. (We are just about $15,000 shy of FULL completion!!): https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=JV4bGcCRYeBxsAoeIm9378Hq0cPdQ5v5cVuYxrIDCxod5qM0FM8eQcBKQ-YhqrA_hGj2tG&fromUL=true&country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Weekly Schedule (Girls & Boys Soccer, Girls & Boys Basketball):
Thursday-Saturday 12/12-12/14: JV/V Boys Basketball @ Galt Tournament
Girls Basketball @ Linden Tournament
Friday-Saturday 12/13-12/14: JV Boys Soccer @ Galt Tournament
Varsity Boys Soccer @ Argonaut Tournament
Monday 12/16: JV Boys Basketball @ Delta Charter, 5:30pm
Tuesday 12/17: JV/V Boys Soccer @ West High, (4, 5:45pm)
Girls Basketball @ Holt Academy, 6:30pm
Girls Soccer vs Hughes Academy- Played at Kimball High (6:30pm)
Wednesday 12/18: JV/V Boys Basketball @ Livermore, 5:30/7pm
Thursday 12/19: Girls Basketball @ Waterford, 6pm
Thursday-Saturday 12/19-12/21: V Boys Basketball @ West High Tournament
Saturday 12/21: Girls Basketball @ Gustine, 3pm
Thursday-Saturday 12/26-12/28: Girls Basketball @ Ripon Christian Tournament
JV/V Boys Basketball @ Orestimba Tournament
Friday-Saturday 12/27-12/28: Girls Soccer @ Ripon Christian Tournament
Friday 1/3/20: JV Boys, Girls, V Boys Basketball @ Turlock Christian- Played at Calvary Baptist (5, 6:30, 8pm)
Tuesday 1/7: JV/V Boys Basketball vs Brookside Christian- Played at Tracy High (5:00/6:30pm)
JV/V Boys Soccer @ Edison (5/7pm)
Girls Soccer vs Stone Ridge Christian- Played at West High (6pm)
Thursday 1/9: V Boys Soccer vs Big Valley Christian- Played at Tracy High (7pm)
Friday 1/10: Girls Soccer @ Delta Charter (3pm)
JV Boys vs Delta Charter, V Boys vs Elliot Christian- Played at West High (5:00/6:30pm)
Sports Scores:
Girls Basketball: Falcons 27, Tokay 43
Girls Soccer: Falcons 0, Stagg 0
Falcons 0, Holt Academy 1
Varsity Boys Soccer: Falcons 4, Kimball 2
JV Boys Soccer: Falcons 1, Kimball 10
Varsity Boys Basketball: Falcons 68, Vanguard 49
Falcons 44, Orestimba 57
Falcons 31, Galt 58
JV Boys Basketball: Falcons 39, Gustine 40
Falcons 39, Big Valley Christian 57
Falcons 50, Galt 37
NOW HIRING: Spring 2020 Head Athletic Coaches-
Boys Volleyball: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1228598
Co-Ed Golf: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1256489
Interested in a coaching position not currently posted? Submit your coaching resume/application here for consideration in future openings: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1143376
Meet The Coaches!
Coaching Experience: I’ve Coached both recreational and competitive soccer for over 12 years. I took on the boys Millennium varsity soccer team 5 years ago.
Playing Experience: I have played soccer for over 30 years. I started playing at the age of 5 and my Dad Coached me. I grew up playing many years for SUSC league of Stockton.
Personal Information Home town/Where I grew up: I grew up in Tracy and I have a 2-year-old son that I plan on Coaching named Fabrizio Amadeus Cordero. I am hoping that one day he will be an asset to the Millennium Falcons boys soccer team. I come from a soccer family. I have 5 siblings that I grew up playing soccer with, and now enjoy watching my Nephews and Nieces play the beautiful game of soccer.
For donations towards Millennium Athletics in general, you can go here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=JV4bGcCRYeBxsAoeIm9378Hq0cPdQ5v5cVuYxrIDCxod5qM0FM8eQcBKQ-YhqrA_hGj2tG&fromUL=true&country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Follow Millennium Athletics on Social Media:
-Instagram- @Millennium_Athletics
-Twitter- @MHS_Falcons
-Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/BalsamoPE
We appreciate your continued support! FALCON PRIDE!!
Upcoming Fundraisers for Athletics:
-Daddy Daughter Dance: December 14 (Tickets may be purchased at the door)
-Mother Son Dance: February 8th, 2020
COUNSELING, COLLEGE, AND COMMUNITY NEWS!!!
We made it through finals week! Report cards will be mailed home next week. Spring semester starts on Monday, December 16th.
Results from the PSAT/NMSQT administration in October are now available! The counselors will be having a meeting for all students who took the test to distribute test results and booklets on Tuesday during lunch. We will explain how to interpret results, and how to practice for the SAT using Khan Academy.
THIS WEEK IN SOCIAL STUDIES….
World Geography:
In World Geography we just wrapped up our Africa unit where we took a look at the vast range of physical and cultural diversity of Africa. Students got the chance to explore the wide range of plant and animal life in the main regions of Africa through movies, readings, and interactive lectures. The unit was finished off with the movie “Hotel Rwanda” where the students got a chance to see an example of a real-life story of division and violence in Africa caused in part by Belgian colonialism.- Mr. Hall
World History:
Students worked in teams to identify key terms in World History for their summative semester one final. Students studied the philosophers of the Enlightenment and analyzed how certain scientific inventions led to social and political change. Students used class discussions to create conclusions about why certain key events during the Reformation lead to changes in the political dynamics of Europe during the 16th through the 19th century. – Mr. Hunt
United States History:
As we end the first semester of the school year, the focus really has been getting ready for finals. Finals within the social studies department are cumulative and have an immense impact on a student’s final grade. The class ended with students learning about the 1920s and we will pick up with the Great Depression on Monday. I am very excited about the second semester because we have now reached a point in the course where students have greater prior knowledge about the content and this allows us to take learning to another level. Being able to tap into this prior knowledge allows us to learn at a much deeper level and bring in complex sources. The goal of the second semester is to focus on deeper levels of questioning and we will cover content until the 2000s. – Mr. Singh
Government:
Government is only a one-semester class and the journey is over. I am extremely proud of this particular class because they were, they displayed extremely high levels of maturity in discussing sensitive topics related to the class. Students consistently produced well-researched points of view. Overall the class performed at a high level. The second semester begins next Monday and the students will dive right into Economics. Though the class poses different challenges I know these students are up to the task. The class will be a blend of micro and macroeconomics. I look forward to another great semester. – Mr. Singh
Economics
Over the past week, the economics classes have finished their study of the subject. We have taken a look at money and banking practices as well as aspects of international trade. The final is a significant portion of the overall grade in the class at a weighted 35%. The students should have taken the final on this day that the charter chatter is released. Next week, these students will make the shift to a semester-long course in American Government. This will include a study of the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court Case decisions and an overall look at the philosophy of American Democracy. They should be many links to be made with what we studied and learned about in economics. I was very happy with the performance of my two economics classes and their diligent approach to the subject. I am sure this will continue into the next semester as we begin our Government classes. – Mr. Saldate
There is a great paid internship opportunity this summer with Kaiser Permanente!
Did you know that we’re having a major gaming event in Tracy on New Year’s Eve for youth? That’s right, on New Year’s Eve, we’re inviting everyone, ages 14 to 20, to come to WorkVine209 for a night of casual gaming on a variety of systems as well as ping pong and air hockey.
This is a great way to get out, hang with friends, and demonstrate your skills at all of the best games of 2019.
This is a supervised event with adult volunteers. We want everyone to have fun and stay safe at the same time. Contact Uneed2 for more information: info@uneed2.org
