COLINA MIDDLE SCHOOL
A California Gold Ribbon School
Principal's Message
Dear Colina Families-
I hope this message finds you all well and ready to take on our last week in March! We had two great weeks of Outdoor Education and it will be nice to have our entire student body all back together for the remainder of the year; the campus has been been a little light these last two weeks.
We will enjoy some spring showers this week which triggers a safety reminder for pick up and drop off; so drive, drop off and pick up as if you were being watched by a motor detail :)!!! Thank you in advance for keeping our kids safe.
In this newsletter:
- ASB Applications
- WEB Applications
- Academic Petitions
- Math Boost Opportunities
- LUAU - April 8th 6pm- 830 pm.
- CAASPP Testing (State Testing)
Make it a great week Colina, the choice is yours!
Mr. Frank, Principal
SPRING SPORTS: LEAGUE SCHEDULES
CO-ED VOLLEYBALL TRYOUTS: Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30- 5:00 pm in Colina's Gym.
COLINA MIDDLE SCHOOL Academic Petition, ASB, WEB Application DUE 4/1/22
Colina Academic Petition Form- Due April 1, 2022 Students must petition for an honors class if they are currently in a CP class and would like to move to Honors in the subject, or they have received a grade of C+ or lower either semester in an honors class. An Academic Petition is a formal request for reconsideration of a course placement. Your request will be considered by an Academic Petition Committee. Placement decisions are based upon student grades, test scores, the information provided in the petition, and space availability. Students will be notified of the petition decision on the schedule they receive during Orientation. *Priority Deadline for Petitions is April 1st, 2022.* 8Th Grade Only WEB Leader Application - Due April 1, 2022 Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) is a 6th-grade mentoring program at Colina. WEB focuses on providing connection, information, and a sense of security to all students, especially to our incoming 6th-grade class. Acceptance into the WEB program is based on teacher recommendations, citizenship, and work habits. Students will be ranked based on this criteria and class size availability. Not all who apply will be accepted. All applications must be complete and students must commit to important calendar dates. Below are dates and events you are required to attend as a WEB Leader: First WEB Leader Training: May 24, 2022 8-10am (Late Start Tuesday) 7/8th Grade ASB Leadership Application - Due April 1, 2022 Thank you for your interest in Colina's ASB! This is an amazing opportunity to help build and support school connectedness, spirit, and leadership skills. Please complete the following form to be considered for ASB in the upcoming 2022-2023 school year by April 1, 2022.
*You must petition for each class you are requesting (ie: two classes require two separate petitions). All petitions will be carefully reviewed to determine placement decisions.*
(Please make sure you are available to attend these events before you apply.)
Refresher Training: August 12, 2022 8am-1pm
6th Grade Cougar Camp: August 16, 2022 7am-2pm
6th Grade Orientation: August 17, 2022 8am-1pm
Back to School Dance: August 26, 2022 3:30-5pm
Math Boost Opportunities
All current, 6th-grade CVUSD students, who are taking Math 6CP, are eligible to take the Boost Exam, and all 6th-grade CVUSD students, who are taking Math 6CP and qualify (see attachment with qualifications below,) are eligible to participate in the Math 6CP to Math 7A Virtual Boost Camp.
Math 7CP to Algebra 1 CP
All current, 7th-grade CVUSD students, who are taking Math 7CP, are eligible to take the Boost Exam, and all 7th-grade CVUSD students, who are taking Math 7CP and qualify (see attachment with qualifications below,) are eligible to participate in the Math 7CP to Algebra 1CP Virtual Boost Camp.
STATE TESTING BLOCK SCHEDULES
May 2-6 Week 1 ELA
A period classes will continue at their regular start time of 7:55 am. There will be NO LATE START TUESDAYS during testing blocks. Students who do not have an A period will start school at 9:00 am. t
WEEK 1 English Language Arts
May 2 Block A, 1, 3, 5 ELA CAT
- All students dismissed at 3:10 pm
May 3 Block A, 2, 4, 6 ELA CAT
- Students without a period 6 class are dismissed at 1:30 pm, all other students attend their period 6 class and are dismissed at 3:10 pm.
May 4 Block A, 1, 3, 5 ELA PT
- All students dismissed at 3:10 pm
May 5 Block A, 2, 4, 6 ELA PT
- Students without a period 6 class are dismissed at 1:30 pm, all other students attend their period 6 class and are dismissed at 3:10 pm.
May 6 Regular schedule
May 9-13 Week 2 Mathematics
A period classes will continue at their regular start time of 7:55 am. There will be NO LATE START TUESDAYS during testing blocks. Students who do not have an A period will start school at 9:00 am.
WEEK 2 Mathematics
May 9 Block A, 1, 3, 5 Math CAT
May 10 Block A, 2, 4, 6 Math CAT
- Students without a period 6 class are dismissed at 1:30 pm, all other students attend their period 6 class and are dismissed at 3:10 pm.
May 11 Block A, 1, 3, 5 Math PT
- All students dismissed at 3:10 pm
May 12 Block A, 2, 4, 6 Math PT
- Students without a period 6 class are dismissed at 1:30 pm, all other students attend their period 6 class and are dismissed at 3:10 pm.
May 13 Regular schedule
May 16-20 Science (8th Grade Only)
We will be on a regular schedule this week, 8th graders will take the state science test in their science classes. Resume regularly scheduled days with LATE START TUESDAYS.
TIPS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
Bell Schedule
- There are no A-period classes this day due to Collaborative Planning Time (CPT) for teachers focused on curriculum and student learning/achievement.
- School starts at 10:00 am on Tuesdays.
- Study hall is open in the auditorium from 7:30 am- 9:30 am for any family needing to drop off. The Boys and Girls Club is also hosting students on these LATE START days, so if you are interested please contact by phone at 805 449 1309 or at the B&G website.
LATE START DAYS (Tuesdays)
Reminder, from this point forward, every Tuesday will be a LATE START DAY. Our next LATE START DAY will be Tuesday. There is no A period meeting on this day, and gates will open at 9:30 am, with Period 1 starting at 10:00 am. If you need to drop off your student early, please know that our Library and Auditorium will be open for study hall. The Boys & Girls Club also offers programming during this time; if that is of interest to you, please visit this web page. Below is the LATE START schedule.
- Traffic for the Late Start Tuesdays is busy, so thank you again for your positivity and patience as routines begin to set in place.
Early Drop Study Hall 7:30 am- 9:30 am.
Gates Open 9:30 am
1 10:00 – 10:41
2 10:46 – 11:27
Nutrition 11:27 – 10:37
3 11:37 – 12:18
4 12:23 – 1:04
Lunch 1:04 – 1:39
5 1:44 – 2:25
6 2:30 – 3:10
CANVAS Information
DAC District Advisory Committee
February DAC Report:
The District Advisory Council met on 2/8, following is some informational highlights.
1. As of this school year, 9% of total CVUSD enrollment is identified as GATE
2. The African American DAC (AADAC) reported that 1.5% of the student population identify as Black, not including students that identify as bi-racial or multi-racial which would bump that percentage up. Of the over 800 teachers in our district, only 8 identify as Black. AADAC is working closely with the district to identify hiring strategies to ensure our students see themselves reflected demographically in their educators.
3. CVUSD is working closely with the City of Thousand Oaks and CRPD to open some of our campuses for off hours community use
4. Families can still submit School Choice applications. Because the deadline has passed, applications will be looked at on a case by case basis.
5. To continue to support our middle school students success and address learning loss due to the pandemic – the following resources are being offered to all students:
- Core: classes targeting academic instruction
- Guided studies elective class that focus on executive functioning, tutoring
- Academic support before and/or after school
- Tutoring for English learners
-Lunch tutoring English/Language Arts and Math
-On-line Tutoring program
If your child needs additional support please connect with their counselor.
6. The Thousand Oaks Library (www.tolibrary.org) has a new app available to download. The app allows users to access all of the library resources – specifically a link to a student page with access to on-line resources, information on up-coming events as well as available free tutoring.
There are no more late fines associated with checked out material.
**All CVUSD students are automatically linked to SORA through their Canvas accounts. SORA is a direct link to most library resources including e-books, audio books, music and more!**
NEXT DAC MEETING: MARCH 8th 9am-11:30am
SEDAC- Special Education District Advisory Committee
Hello Colina Families!
If your student has an IEP or a 504 plan, please consider signing up to receive emails from your Colina representatives to the Special Education District Advisory Council. SEDAC’s parent representatives advise the CVUSD Administration and Board of Education on programs, policies, procedures and activities for all students receiving special education.
Colina’s SEDAC representatives, Lee Ann Holland and Mandy Pollak, are your voice at SEDAC. They want to hear from you, and they will also share SEDAC news, events and special education information in their emails to parents and guardians.
To sign up, please click the following link and fill out a brief Google form (name, email address and check “yes”) to begin receiving SEDAC email messages.
https://forms.gle/BEPZ8c2vieHLfYG18
SEDAC has met twice already this year and discussed issues like mental health supports, school safety plans and COVID protocols. Don’t miss out on future news or opportunities to give input. Sign up today!
Updates:
Bus Tracking Resource reminder:
If your student takes the bus to and/or from school, you can track your student’s location with the online Bus Tracker. You can find the tracker on the CVUSD website under the QUICK LINKS drop down menu, and then choose TRANSPORTATION (bus services), or by clicking on the following link.
https://www.conejousd.org/Departments/Business-Services/Transportation
GATE DAC- Gifted And Talented Education District Advisory Committee
Heather Nordahl- Colina GATE DAC Representative
ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) – CVUSD has been given one time revenue of $12,323,124. The following links provide two presentations on the ESSER and the plan on how the funds are to be used.
GATE testing – Testing for 4th grade and referrals submitted in Fall of 2020 will be completed by November 10th.
Curriculum/Equity Committee – The committee has outlined its top four focus areas.
1. Students who have demonstrated mastery should have the opportunity to run with it.
2. Acceleration should start at kindergarten.
3. Students should be taught self-advocacy.
4. Students should be taught executive function at every grade level.
Resources – For more GATE information in our area and how to support gifted programs, check out the Tri-County GATE Council website. https://sites.google.com/view/tri-county-gate-council/programs.
ELAC- English Language Advisory Committee
Next ELAC is scheduled for 1/4 . Topics to be discussed: CVUSD LCAP, ELPAC, CAASP, and effective school/family communication. In January you will hear from our counseling staff as well as Project 2 Inspire.
AADAC: African-American District Advisory Council
We are excited about the start of CVUSD’s new African-American District Advisory Council (AADAC) for the 2021-22 school year. Similar to other CVUSD Advisory Councils, the purpose of AADAC is to work closely with the Conejo Valley Unified School District on matters related to educational programs, policies and practices, and specific actions being taken to serve and support our African-American and Black students and families.
Ultimately, AADAC aims to establish and maintain intra-district communication and encourage the sharing of accomplishments and needs in order to support our African-American and Black students and families.
COLINA is continuing to look for an AADAC representative to participate in monthly AADAC meetings and also participate in Colina’s School Site Council meetings to ensure communication occurs between AADAC and the school site. If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please contact me at sfrank@conejousd.org.
As Colina does not yet have an identified parent representative for the AADAC, the offer to receive monthly updates from the Advisory Council is being extended through this opt-in opportunity. Participating in the AADAC email thread is entirely optional. If you would like to opt in, please send the information below via email to Sonia Wilson, Director of Middle Schools at soniawilson@conejousd.org
Your Name:
School Site:
Your Phone Number:
Your Email Address:
Please note that by opting in, you are submitting your contact information to us. It will remain confidential and will not be shared publicly or in a manner where other parents can view your information.
If you have any questions about AADAC please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Thomas S. Frank, Principal
Colina has made a commitment not to host huge school-wide fundraisers that give our donations to companies, instead, we are committed to a Direct Donation, where 100% of funds support our students through their ASB. Please help us continue strong traditions of student engagement and connectedness through enriching motivational speakers, field trips, sports programming, socials and events, lunchtime activities, and teacher support to foster a positive school climate and culture. For a "Dollar A Day" we can make this a great year and give these kids a lot to look forward to.
We're Hiring!
We’re Hiring - Join the CVUSD team!
Our Human Resources Department is currently accepting applications for a variety of full and part time positions with the CVUSD - including Child Care Assistant, Child Nutrition, Health Clerks, Licensed Vocational Nurse, Paraeducator, and more! Please visit this website for current certificated and classified job openings, and to apply online.
Estamos contratando - ¡Únase al equipo de CVUSD!
Nuestro Departamento de Recursos Humanos actualmente está aceptando solicitudes para una variedad de puestos de tiempo completo y parcial con el CVUSD, que incluyen Asistente de cuidado infantil, Asistente de nutrición infantil, Empleado de salud, Enfermera vocacional licenciada, Paraeducador, y más! Visite este sitio web para conocer las vacantes de trabajo certificadas y clasificadas actuales y para presentar su solicitud en línea.
School Site Council Dates
All meetings will be held 3:30-5:00 pm.
Please contact sfrank@conejousd.org for more information or a link to attend.
April 5, 2022
May 3, 2022
Important Dates
April
4/8- COLINA LUAU 6-830 pm
4/15-22 Spring Break: NO SCHOOL, School Resumes 4/25
May
5/2-5/13 CAASPP STATE TESTING (Block Schedules)
5/27 Holiday: NO SCHOOL
5/30 Memorial Day Holiday: NO SCHOOL
June
1/10 Last Day of School/ Promotion for 8th Graders, MINIMUM DAY for 6th & 7th