The Weekly BUZZ

Monday, August 19, 2024

Come with me back to the 80's and 90's. Remember the bouncy backyard diving boards? Think back to bouncing, pouncing, thinking, strategizing, dreaming, and being brave enough to muster up the courage to take flight! We would build momentum with each jump, one foot, the next, higher and higher. Consider the comparison to leap at the deep end to start another new school year at home. Even if you have schooled at home years prior, you may have goals that take you higher or deeper that require bravery and vulnerability. We are here for your journey and cannot wait to partner with you!

8/21/24: First Day of School

8/21/24: Secondary Back-to-School Night (4:00-5:00 on Zoom) Grades 7th - 12th only

8/21/24-9/13/24: Learning Period 1

9/2/2024: Labor Day, School Closed

9/3/2024-9/13/2024: Star 360 Fall Window

Our school urges students to conduct themselves ethically and honorably. It is expected that the grade a student earns is based on work the student has completed. Teachers can use Grammarly or other plagiarism checker websites. Please review the definition of plagiarism as outlined in the 24-25 School Handbook located on our website under resources.

The Lending Library is full of thousands of wonderful educational resources for our families to borrow. Remember to check the library before spending your funds on OS orders, we may have just the item you are looking for! The Library Van delivers library orders to seven locations around the Central Valley.

Please check the Library Newsletter page for the upcoming delivery schedule, locations, library hours, and more.

Online Library Orders Library Newsletter

Families, please watch the following video that explains new features in the Ordering System (OS) which ensure service orders are placed on-time and ready for processing.

Reminder: Do not accept services without a processed certificate in-hand to provide to your Community Partner. Services must be placed at-least 7 days in advance of a service start date. This ensures time for your teacher to review and the processing team to process prior to starting lessons.

Click to Watch Detailed Video (1.41)

The account information was sent on August 12th to the primary parent’s email and ISTs will be cc’d on these emails. The email will come from help@centralvcs.org and the Student Google Account Email Template will share with you what information is being sent.

The different permissions for each grade band are outlined below:

TK-8: accounts are only used for curriculum accounts and Google Drive access. Families can request students in these grade bands to have access to Gmail, Youtube.

9-12: curriculum accounts, Google Drive access, and a Gmail inbox for internal and external communication. Students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to use their school emails to communicate with ISTs, VA teachers, and college professors.

Please remind students these accounts are for school use only.

Our EL newsletter is here to help you with all your questions about English Learners. Click the link to read what is going on this month.

English Learner Newsletter

We are excited to launch our free IEW Structure and Style writing classes on September 9th!

Classes will be for 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8 grades and be offered on Monday or Tuesday from 9-10am. If you are interested and able to commit to the year-long class, please let your IST know ASAP. Classes will be filled on a first come first serve basis. (If you completed an interest form last year, that did not guarantee a spot. You will still need to sign-up through your IST.)

As a California public school student, your child may be eligible to receive $500 to $1,500 for use towards their future education expenses. The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS), funded by the State of California, provides eligible low-income students with funds to promote a college-going culture. Checking eligibility and claiming their money is easy. All you need is your child’s 10-digit Statewide Student Identifier (SSID). For more information and to check your eligibility, visit CalKIDS.org.

Project Food Box provides nutritious, farm-fresh produce, providing equal access to fresh, healthy produce straight from the fields right to your door! Go to https://projectfoodbox.org/mtm/ to see if your family is eligible!

We will have a virtual Back-To-School presentation on Wednesday, August 21st, from 4:00-5:00 PM. We hope you can join us as we review important school information that will help you get off to a strong start this year.

Please join in this Zoom room: HERE

Link to High School Syllabus

Link to Middle School Syllabus

Please refer to the 7-12 Startup Guide to assist in setting up a smooth and productive school year.

7-12 Start Up Guide

Use the How to Choose Curriculum Guide to determine what curriculum to choose and the HS Recommended Curriculums and MS Recommended Curriculums to locate our recommended curriculum picks.

Recommended Curriculum The links above point to the recommended curriculum for High School and Middle School students. Our top picks will always be our in-house HSVA and MSVA Live! classes that are taught by single-subject credential teachers. To view class times, please click here.

Secondary Learning Period Meetings (7-12) ISTs will check in with HS and MS students weekly to measure student progress and pacing. ISTs will work with students and Learning Coaches to build pacing guides and monitor progress at LP check-ins and school-wide progress monitoring checks.

Refer to the Secondary Learning Period #1 Parent Newsletter to learn more about what to expect from your upcoming meeting with your IST. Expectations are all laid out in this edition of the newsletter.

LP #1 Parent Newsletter

It’s not too late to sign up for college courses! Some colleges like Monterey Peninsula College, Bakersfield, and Hartnell have later start dates.

Use our CVCS Guide to CE Programs for live links to everything needed to enroll. If your student is already enrolled (and you haven't done so already) please send proof of enrollment to your teacher in order for the college course to be added to your Master Agreement. Proof of enrollment must clearly show the Student Name, Class Name, College Name, and Term. It can be a registration email or screenshot from the college student portal (class schedule through WebAdvisor or your Canvas dashboard).

Please note that the drop date for college courses is usually within the first few weeks of the semester. If your student feels that the college course no longer suits them, please drop the course prior to the drop date. This will avoid a withdrawal "W" on the college transcript, which is not ideal and can affect future financial aid.

SCCCD's (Fresno City, Clovis Community, Reedley, Madera) drop date is August 30th, CoS's and Merced College's drop date is August 25th, MPC's is September 2nd and Bakersfield's is September 8th.

Check the Important Dates flyer linked in our CVCS Guide to CE Programs for more colleges' upcoming dates. To drop a course, log into the Student Portal, then go to Self-Service and access the Schedule. Click on the blue "DROP" button to drop the class. If you do not have access to drop the course in the schedule, please reach out directly to the college's Admissions and Records department. Once the course is dropped, please send a screenshot verifying the course is dropped to your IST.

College textbooks can be ordered through the Ordering System (OS). Please follow the steps below: 1. Students should create an account with the college bookstore and then place the items in their cart.

2. Place an order for the items in the school Ordering System with the approved vendor (the college bookstore) and place the login credentials in the order. The OS will need the student's log-in information to purchase college textbooks. This is the only time the OS will need to log in to the family account to make a purchase.

3. Specify in the order if books will be picked up or shipped. If the materials are digital only then disregard this step.

4. Students can use the URL from their bookstore cart as the URL link for the items in the OS. It should allow the OS to view the cart link once they sign in as the student. However, they should list each item in their cart as a separate item.

Concurrent Enrollment students are college students! Please remind your student to utilize all their college resources to help them succeed this semester, including professor office hours, tutoring centers, and the library. Good luck!

Welcome to Central Valley Charter Schools! We are delighted to extend a warm greeting as you embark on this exciting educational journey with us. At Yosemite Valley Charter and Monarch River Academy, we believe in the power of collaboration between home and school, and we are thrilled to partner with you in fostering your child's academic and personal growth. Your teacher will be reaching out to you to ensure you set up for a successful start to the school year. In the meantime please feel free to get started reading our Welcome Newsletter.

We are excited to partner with you and your students throughout this educational journey. To ensure we provide the best support, our teachers will be reaching out soon to schedule a meeting for Learning Period One. We look forward to this opportunity to collaborate and support your student’s success.

Learning Period Expectations The Learning Coach and all enrolled students must be present at each Learning Period meeting.

Please set aside 1 hour for a single student and 15 minutes for each additional student to meet with your teacher for your Learning Period meeting.

• Bring your curriculum to your Learning Period meeting to review progress in all academic subjects listed on the Master Agreement.
• Bring all of the work completed since the last learning period meeting and be prepared to discuss the curriculum plan for the weeks ahead. If there is not a curriculum plan you will work with your teacher to create one for the next Learning Period.

RSVP to your Learning Period meeting invitation from the teacher within 48 hours.

After two attempts to schedule the Learning Period meeting, the teacher will schedule a Learning Period meeting for you to attend

We're building friendships through fostering social skills, empathy, and communication in a supportive environment for students TK-8th! Check out our website for more information!

The purpose of Launchpad is to provide daily live interaction within specific grade-band communities, taught by the same teachers. Our mission is to nurture and develop positive friendships among young children through teacher-led, engaging virtual online activities, games, and interactive sessions. Focused on fostering social skills, empathy, and communication, our program provides a supportive environment where kids can build lasting bonds while having fun.

LOADS of Details

Informational Flyer

Got Questions? Stop by our Curriculum and Instruction Office Hours starting September 4th every Wednesday from 9:30am-10:30am

https://zoom.us/j/92062819014

Friday, September 6th at 6:15 am: SENIOR SUNRISE! Attention High school SENIORS! Be sure to sign up for Senior Sunrise, it is approaching quickly!

✅Register and get more information using the link below:

https://adventures.centralvcs.org/

🏈Is your 4th-12th grader interested in playing Flag-football in the fall? Sign up for the launch of our first intramural sports season. You can sign up in the Ordering System. It is listed as a Service and titled Central Valley Charter Schools Intramural Sports. Practice and games will be held in the Clovis/Fresno area, but the field has not been secured just yet. Spots are not guaranteed as we must have adequate coaching staff and that task is being worked on now. We cannot wait to meet you on the field and make lots of new friends!

The last day to sign up is September 13th.

🚌 Ready to elevate your field trip adventures? Get ready to embark on a journey like never before! 🌟 Our school-sponsored trips are taking things up a notch, with a blend of community engagement and enriching educational experiences awaiting you next year. 🎉 Get set to dive deep into learning and expand your horizons with every step. 🌍 Are you prepared to make memories that will last a lifetime? Don't miss out on the excitement - join us for the ultimate field trip experience! 🎒 #FieldTripUpgrade #ExploreLearnGrow

Exciting news! Academic Adventures for the 24-25 school year are previewing now! Visit adventures.centralvcs.org to review the updated instructional field trip policy, and get a sneak peak of this year’s line up of educational adventures! Sign ups begin August 26th at 9:00 a.m.

https://adventures.centralvcs.org/

The schools are enhancing their academic trips this year to make them more enriching and engaging! With a focus on quality over quantity, there will be fewer school-sponsored trips, but parents can still take advantage of OS funds to explore educational destinations with their students. And with a Big List of ideas available, there are plenty of opportunities for learning and making new friends. Sounds like a fantastic way to make the most of the school year!

🧠The BIG List of IDEAS! 🧭

📅Mark your calendars! Our free park events for all enrolled students are gearing up for an incredible year of connecting and learning together! The first and third Fridays at 11:00 a.m. the Community Arts Team will host time in the park for our students.

Adventure Days are full of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Music) activities, field play, and loads of laughs!

Hangouts! are free spirited, fun, and primarily student led. The staff will offer a short activity at the beginning of the event and then students will have opportunities to build relationships through games, crafts, and other activities.

Meet the Team!

If you have not joined our private Facebook group, you are missing out on some amazing conversations. You must answer the group questions to join and then connect!

Central Support for Families and School Staff

Another awesome group to join is where our approved vendors and school community are able to interact and ask questions or share advice. YVC & MRA Vendors

If you happen to have any questions or have a request for us to cover in the newsletter, please send an email to community@centralvcs.org so we can add it to our list. We would love your suggestions so we are giving you content you need!

Email: community@centralvcs.org
Website: https://yosemitevalleycharter.org/
Location: 3610 East Ashlan Avenue, Fresno, CA, USA
Phone: (559) 258-0800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CentralCACharters