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Transcript of Principal’s Perspective -R , P€¦ · In This Issue Principal’s Perspective BY JAN...
Principal’s Perspective BY JAN HAYES-RENNELS, PRINCIPAL In This Issue
Principal’s Perspective pg. 1
Counselors’ Corner pg. 2
Student of the Month pg. 3
PE Silent Auction pg. 4
Library Lines pg. 5
Music Notes pg. 6
Civil War Day pg. 7
Talent Show pg. 7
Parent Resources pg. 7
PAC News pg. 8
The Placerita Prospector is a
periodic publication of the Placerita
Junior High School PAC.
Principal:
Ms. Jan Hayes-Rennels
PAC President:
Mrs. Angie Hall
Prospector Editor:
Ms. Jennifer Jenkins
The Placerita Prospector is
available on the school website at
www.hartdistrict.org/placerita
Follow Placerita Junior High
School on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/placeritajhs
Placerita Junior High School 25015 N. Newhall Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91321 (661) 259-1551
Elementary School Edition March 2016
Dear Incoming Placerita Families,
Welcome to Placerita! We’re off and
running, well into our Spring semester
and last half of this school year. I hope
you and your families are having a
great school year as well. In this
Elementary school edition of our
Prospector parent newsletter, I hope to
give you a good idea of how many
outstanding programs and activities we
have here at Placerita on top of our
stellar academic classes. Our staff
works very hard every day to provide
the best possible education for all our
students, as well as many different co-
curricular programs, opportunities, and
experiences for kids of all talent levels
and interests. We always hope there is
something for everybody!
Here are some important dates for our
current 6th graders who will be coming
to Placerita for 7th grade next year:
Tuesday, March 22nd
6th Grade Orientation
9:00 a.m. for all 6th grade classes
7:00 p.m. for all 6th grade parents
Held at Hart High School Auditorium (Spanish-speaking presentation in Tanner Hall at
Placerita.)
Thursday, April 21st
Open House
6:00 p.m. Hot Dog BBQ (please RSVP)
6:30 p.m. Self-Tours of all classrooms
7:00 p.m. Junior High Open House
Thursday, August 4th
Registration for 7th Grade
8:00 am. to 12:00 noon
Watch for details in the mail in July
Thursday, August 11th
First Day of School and
Make-up Registration
To give you an idea of how busy we
have been already this year, some
highlight activities include: the dodge
ball intramurals; band, choir, string
o rchestra , d ra ma, and dance
performances; ASB dances; movie night;
Lego Robotics competitions; Safe School
Ambassador training; DFYIT activities;
student / parent panels; turkey bowl
flag football game for boys; winter bowl
flag football game for girls; Musical
Theatre field trip performance at COC;
“kindness week”; anti-bullying
classroom presentations; geography and
spelling bees; math competitions; art
and writing contests; STN Kidflix video
convention, and track and field
competitions at COC!
Most recently and coming up is more
college planning; Civil War day;
lunchtime activities; band, orchestra,
choir, show choir, and dance perfor-
mances; Open House; Science Fair;
guest speakers; 8th grade activities;
Honor Society induction, yearbook
distribution, 8th grade Bash, Magic
Mountain day, and more!
Tuesday, May 3rd
Spring Band Concert - FREE
7:00 p.m. Hart High School Auditorium
Tuesday, May 10th Choir & Orchestra Performance - FREE
7:00 p.m. Hart High School Auditorium
If your student plays an instrument, sings,
or wants to learn, I encourage you to come
see our Spring performances in Hart High
School’s Auditorium on the dates listed
above. These concerts are FREE, and we
would love to have you join us to hear our
very talented musicians perform!
(Continued on page 4)
PAGE 2
Counselors’ Corner Mr. Solis (A-Ge) Mrs. Villasenor (Gi-Q) Mrs. Bartolovich (R- Z and
[email protected] [email protected] all English Language Learners) [email protected]
OUR COUNSELORS ARE HERE TO HELP ALL STUDENTS AND ALL FAMILIES
Our counseling department sends out pertinent information several times a year through the Prospector parent
newsletter. Much of a school counselor’s day is filled with personal / social / emotional counseling for student
and family issues as well as academic, school and class-related issues. Here are some topics and sample items the
counselors publish in each Prospector for family information and communication:
6th GRADE ORIENTATION AND REGISTRATION
During the week of March 14-18, Counselors will visit our six feeder Elementary Schools: Meadows, Newhall,
Old Orchard, Peachland, Valencia Valley, and Wiley Canyon. They will talk with 6th grade classes, and present
information about our school’s academic program, daily schedule, choice of elective classes, programs available,
clubs and other opportunities your student will have at Placerita. Then on Tuesday, March 22nd all 6th grade
classes will come over for a 6th grade orientation at Hart High School. Parents are encouraged and invited to
attend the Parent Orientation that same night, Tuesday, March 2nd, also in the Auditorium at Hart High School
for all the information you’ll need to prepare your 6th grader for Junior High. Spanish-speaking families should
meet in Tanner Hall at Placerita during that time for the same information presented in Spanish.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
March 14-18 Counselors visit Elementary Schools
March 14 National Pi Day (Ask a math teacher!)
March 22 6th Grade Student Orientation 9:00-10:30 a.m. at Hart Auditorium
6th Grade Parent Orientation at 7:00 p.m. - Hart Auditorium (English)
and Tanner Hall (Spanish)
March 23-24 Placerita counselors bring “Naviance” career education to Science classes
March 30 8th Graders Walk to Hart to see Hart’s award-winning Performing Arts Department, including
Show Choir, Band, and Drama
April 1 Hart 9th Grade Honors English Application due for 8th Graders through their English classes
April TBA Hart Athletics speak to 8th graders in P.E. classes
April TBA ROTC will visit 8th grade P.E. classes
Apr 28-May 6 State Testing in English, Math, & Science
May 18 Civil War Day for all 8th grade classes
May TBA 6th Grade Math Placement Testing at the Elementary School sites
June 3 6th Grade make-up Math Placement Testing here at Placerita 3:30 p.m.
NO NAME CALLING WEEK
In January, Placerita participated in National No Name-Calling Week. All 8th graders participated in an activity
led by a counselor during their English class. Daily messages gave students strategies to follow if they are being
bullied. Name-calling or put-downs are not allowed at Placerita. If you suspect that your child may be the victim
of name-calling or bullying, be supportive and gather information about the bullying. Contact your child’s
counselor or the assistant principal.
TEENAGE GRIEF
Grief is an area that is tough for all of us to handle. Many people, because of the pain involved and lack of
experience, do not always know what to do or say to the teenager who is grieving. But if grief is not dealt with, it
could resurface over and over as new losses are experienced. During third quarter, Placerita will offer a second
TAG group. It will be held during 6th period for six or more consecutive weeks. If your adolescent is
experiencing grief from a recent or past loss of a significant person, and you would like him/her to join the TAG
group, please call Mrs. Weber, the counseling secretary.
(Continued on page 3)
PAGE 3
MISCELLANEOUS
Junior high is a transition time for students. Please encourage your child to start taking responsibility for his/her
own actions. If a lunch is forgotten, allow your child to go without lunch for just one day.
The next day, the lunch will be remembered. Remind your child that school is his/her “job”
and no one misses work because of a small headache or a runny nose. It is our belief that a
student should go to the health office only for first aid or to be picked up and taken home.
We say, “You’re either sick enough to go home or healthy enough to be in class.”
We also feel that students should be excused from school for necessary medical appointments
only. Students are to be in school from 8:10 a.m. until 2:35 p.m. The long hours after school
can be used for most appointments and celebrations.
When a student is going to be absent for five or more days for a prearranged trip or family emergency, we
recommend that the student participate in our independent study program. The student will receive his/her work
in advance of the trip and the school can continue to collect attendance money from the state.
NATIONAL SCREEN-FREE WEEK
Please join us for National Screen-Free Week during the week of May 2-8. During this annual
event, millions of children and adults across the nation and around the world will take a
seven-day break from the television and rediscover that life can be more fun, rewarding, and
even relaxing when we do more and watch less. For many, the week will become the
springboard to making lasting change in their lives: watching less television, choosing what
they do watch more selectively, and engaging in more screen-free activities.
www.screenfree.org.
WAYS TO WORK WITH YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR
- Talk about your hopes and fears for your child.
- Get new ideas for handling problems with your child.
- Find ways to communicate with your child and your child’s teachers.
- Learn about programs that can help your child and your family.
- Create a plan to help your child be successful in school.
- Help your child make a plan for graduation and future success.
Students of the Month
“Student of the Month” winners are chosen for each team at Placerita, and receive rewards
at a special brunch for them and their parents. See our website for a list of monthly winners.
September- “Trustworthiness”
October- “Respect”
November- “Responsibility”
December / January- “Caring”
February- “Fairness”
March- “Citizenship”
Congratulations to all of our students selected!
At Placerita, Character Counts!
Counselors’ Corner (Continued from page 2)
PAGE 4
Placerita’s 13th annual
Silent AuctioN—at open house
Benefiting the physical education department
When: ThursDay, April 21st 6:30-8:00 pm
Where: Placerita gymnasium
Why: To raise funds for the physical education department /
intramural program
What: donations (may include)
Money gift cards tickets to events
Gift baskets golf foursomes other
Any questions, please contact
Mrs. Tait at [email protected]
With the end of STAR testing in California, and the transition to
Common Core curriculum and new state exams (called the California Assessment of Student Progress and
Performance—CAASPP), our students will again take online assessments in the month of May during a one-
week testing period. Schools and families will still receive STAR reports in 8th Grade Science, and the
CAASPP results this summer. As we continue through the school year, our teachers are giving our students
more computer experience in class through research projects, writing assignments, and even some “flipped”
mathematical instruction. In this era of increased technology needs, we aim to prepare our students as best we
can for the digital literacy demands of the future.
As your student prepares for Junior High, I hope your family will consider joining our PAC (Parent Advisory
Council) next year which meets monthly for current school updates, student performances, and presentations
by community members on varies contemporary topics. PAC meetings include desserts and drinks on
Tuesdays from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in Tanner Hall on our campus. The PAC also hosts evening
presentations and would love your input on what YOU want to hear, see, or learn more about. Please get
involved as much as you can or are able, and help us assist all our students and families with any educational
and community needs so we grow stronger together. We will hand out a “Parent Volunteer Opportunities” flyer
at the 6th grade orientation meeting, and in the summer registration mailer in July so you, too, can get
involved.
Principal’s Perspective (Continued from page 1)
PAGE 5
By Mrs. Ludlow
When our children are young, it is easy to grab them
up onto our laps and read aloud to them. Many of us
establish nightly bedtime routines that involve
cuddling and reading short stories in a soothing voice
or, better yet, using a variety of silly voices for
different characters. Reading to our young children
not only offers moments of quality time, it teaches
fundamental pre-reading skills. Reading aloud to
children is vitally important in the process of them
becoming readers. Perhaps author Emilie Buchwald
explained it best when she said, “Children are made
readers on the laps of their parents.”
But what happens when our children grow and no
longer fit in our laps? What happens when our
children are in junior high school and no longer want
to cuddle on a regular basis? What happens if our
children declare that reading is a chore and that they
no longer want to read? How do we continue to
encourage them to be readers at this stage? There are
actually many things that we can do, even at this
point, to motivate our children to read. Below are
some suggestions:
Fill your home with books, magazines, and
all forms of print. Children who become life-
long readers typically come from homes where
reading materials are available, easily
accessible, and in abundance.
Read yourself. If your child sees that you choose
to read and that you enjoy reading, he/she will
be more likely to develop the same habit.
Talk about your favorite books. Tell
your child what books you enjoyed reading
at his age and tell him what you enjoy
reading now. Hearing your enthusiasm
will serve to motivate your child to read.
Talk about your child’s favorite books. Ask
your child what books he has enjoyed recently.
Ask about the characters, their struggles, and
how they were resolved.
Turn off the television, the computer, the
electronic gadgets. Provide quiet time in
your home and force your child to “find
something else to do.” Reading fills quiet
moments well.
Encourage older children to read to their
younger siblings. Your child may enjoy
showing off his reading skills, serving as your
helper, or spending time with his brother or
sister.
Play audiotapes of books in the car. Have
your child listen to a story with you, while he
is a captive audience. Select a title that you
believe he will find interesting.
Play games that are reading-related. Check
your closets for games that have letter tiles or
cards that give specific instructions. Institute
a family game night in your home and have
some fun.
Take your child to the public library. Get
your child his own library card and take
monthly trips to the library. Enter with the
expectation that books will be checked out and
read.
Give books as gifts. Paperback books are
relatively inexpensive and can be great gifts.
If you are unsure what to pick out for your
child, consider a gift card to a local bookstore
or online vendor.
Establish a book allowance. If your child earns
an allowance, add to it an allowance for books.
Allow your child to earn money that can only
be spent on books.
Create a place in your child’s room for his
books. Give your child a bookcase, if possible,
to encourage a sense of ownership over his
books. Have your child write his name in the
books or create bookplates for him.
Offer your child special incentives. Allow
your child to stay up later to finish a chapter;
relieve your child of a regular chore to free up
time for reading; take your child to see a movie
after he has finished the book on which it was
based.
Read to your child. Do not be afraid to read
aloud to your older child. You may not be able
to cuddle your child up onto your lap any
more, but rest assured that many junior high
school students still enjoy being read to…even
if they do not admit it.
The Placerita Library
will be hosting a Book
Fair the week of April 18-
April 22. The Book Fair
will be open before school,
during lunches, and after
school.
Notes from Ms. Spula
PAGE 6
It gives me great pleasure to congratulate our 2015 Winter Concert performers …Brilliant!
Bravissimo! A very special thanks to all my students for making this concert season one of my very best
and most memorable. I also want to thank all the parents who dedicated their time and efforts to the suc-
cess of this very fine musical event.
Currently, we just finished preparing for the 2016 Wm. S. Hart District Honor Band perfor-
mance. All of our musicians in the Advanced Band auditioned for this prestigious musical organization.
This year’s Annual District Honor Band Concert was held at the Wm. S. Hart Auditorium on Saturday,
March 5, 2016. We proudly announce that our Placerita Advanced Band consistently earns the MOST
positions in the Junior High School Honor Band. An amazing number of students are selected annually!
Our musicians practiced long and hard to achieve this goal, and we enjoy their beautiful performances
every year at Hart High School.
Come Join US! The Orchestra, choir, and band students all take turns
providing entertainment for the monthly PAC luncheons here at Placerita.
The String Orchestra participated in the SCSBOA Music Festival held at
Little Rock High School on Thursday, March 3, 2016 earning unanimous Su-
perior scores from all judges! The Advanced Band also participated in the
SCSBOA Music Festival at West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 22.
Great job to both groups!
Many students and music educators who have attended these festivals have been highly complimentary to
our FABULOUS Band and Orchestra. Both events are open to the public. Last year, the Orches-
tra and Band had a rewarding and victorious experience at the SCSBOA Festival. The Orchestra and
Advanced Band both received top ratings of Superior.
The award-winning Advanced Band also participated in the 10th
Annual “A Rich Musical Heritage Concert” on March 17, 2016. This con-
cert is always a wonderful collaboration of musical talent from both the
Junior and Senior High schools. Hart Concert Band opened the evening fol-
lowed by Placerita Advanced Band. The evening concluded with the excep-
tional Hart Wind Ensemble. We always look forward to the celebration of
music excellence displayed by our outstanding musicians. This performance is
also open to the public.
Placerita’s Jazz Ensemble gears up during the month of February. Students are selected to join this fun
musical group based on their honor band scores. It’s great fun with the addition of musicians playing pi-
ano, guitar, bass and drums. Different styles of Jazz are introduced to the musicians: swing, mambo, bossa
nova, and just good old rock and roll. The Jazz Ensemble is scheduled for their first performance in a re-
hearsal setting at Placerita’s Open House on Thursday, April 21, 2016. Jazz Bands of this kind are
usually seen more on the high school level, but our talented jazz musicians will be sure to give you a very
impressive performance at our All-Band Spring Concert, which will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2016
at the Wm. S. Hart Auditorium. We hope to see you there!
Be sure to encourage your student to “KEEP ON PRACTICING!!!!!”
Musically Yours,
Ms. Spula
PAGE 7
Talent Show!!! Our ASB students will be sponsoring this year’s Student Talent Show
on Tuesday, March 29th at 6:30 p.m. Students are busy writing this
year’s theme, choosing the emcees, practicing all acts, and preparing
the line-up! It’s always an exciting, enthusiastic, energetic event. This
year will prove to be equally entertaining as always, with a surprise or two in the end.
We will see you all in Tanner Hall the night of the show!
Junior High Resources Online
Many parents have questions and concerns about Junior High School (or Middle School
as it is often called in other districts). Here are some great online resources you can
read to ease the transition and help you feel better knowing other parents everywhere
around the country have the same fears, concerns, and questions:
Although it primarily has a lot of resources for teachers, check out the article called “Four
Myths about Parent Involvement in Middle School” right on their home page. It quotes re-
search done by Harvard University! www.middleweb.com
Parents, if you have an E-Reader of any type, we invite you to download this free interactive
E-Book about online safety for your children: "Growing Up Online: A Must have Guide for
Parents, Teachers and Kids". This is the first release from NBC Universal's "The More You
Know" Learning Series, in collaboration with NBC News.
http://www.themoreyouknow.com/eBooks/
Are you looking for more ways to keep your kids safe online? Take a look at this website:
“Common Sense Media Resource for Parents.” It has great links and immediate practical
advice on topics covering cell phones, video games, apps, websites, media messages, and
much, much more! www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/teens
C i v i l W a r D a y W e d n e s d a y , M a y 1 8 t h
On May 18th, the Placerita History Department is proud to host our Annual 8th Grade Civil War Day. Multiple class periods enjoy various demonstrations and presentations all day long. We will be having a variety of re-enactors (including our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln), infantry troops, artillery, Civil War food, and a range of other activities from this historic time period. Students will learn in greater detail about what it was like for Americans throughout the country during this key period of American History. Parents are always welcome to attend Civil War Day - please contact your child's history teacher for further details.
PAC News by Angie Hall, PAC President
PAGE 8
2013 - 2014 PAC Board Members
and Chairpersons
It is always bittersweet to know another school
year is coming to an end. We will miss our 8th
grade families as some move on to Hart High
School. We will also welcome our incoming new
parents for next year. And we know personally
how fast two years go by, and how much our chil-
dren grow and change from the time they enter to
the time they leave. As proud parents, we have
firsthand knowledge of how great Placerita is as a
school. We are absolutely thrilled how much eve-
ry staff member personal cares for our students
every day. If you have the opportunity, please
share with any incoming parents how they can be
part of the Placerita family and the best ways to
support their students. We are so privileged to
have our students in this outstanding school!
Volunteering is always a great way to meet other
parents and stay connected with what is happen-
ing at school. We will have more opportunities for
parents to help with the end-of-the-year activities,
as well as preparing all the registration packets in
July. We always need large teams of parent vol-
unteers to run the registration stations in August.
Please contact us if you are available to help next
summer with stuffing the registration packets, or
running the stations for 8th grade registration on
Wednesday, August 3rd, or 7th grade registration
on Thursday, August 4th. More helping hands
make light work! Thank you in advance for con-
sidering it. We cannot run events like registration
without all our parent volunteers.
Our Parent Advisory Council next year will also
have some vacant officer positions, including the
role of President. Please feel free to attend our
last PAC meeting of the year on Tuesday, April 12
at 12:00 noon in Tanner Hall where we see our
dance students and show choir perform a sneak
peek at some of the dances before their big end-
of-the year performances! We always love giving
our students and opportunity to show off their tal-
ent and hard work.
Have a great end to this school year, and we look
forward to working with as many parents as are
available through the summer and into next school
year .
President Angie Hall
Vice President Rhonda Chobanian
Secretary vacant
Staff Appreciation Chairperson Carolyne Snow
District Advisory Council Representative Melissa McCarthy
Parent Communication Council Rep Debbie Wolpert & Carolyn Durazo
Hospitality Chairperson Yvette Yoncee Enriquez
Membership Coordinator Kathy Travis-Thomas
Hart High School Liaison Rochelle Gallimore
Prospector Editor Jennifer Jenkins
2015-2016 PAC Board Members and Chairpersons