CENTER LINE

-Scott Loehr

Everyday teachers mold the future. Teachers foster creativity, develop character and provide students with the skills they need to reach their full potential and lead productive lives. Teachers, administrators, support staff experience incredible joy in celebrating the accomplishments of students and spring is that time of year when we recognize such achievements.

As we continue with the implementation of the CJUSD Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), I am proud to share that we are making significant progress in attaining the goals we have established. Through the annual update process, will look at data, review the progress our district has made and revise goals as needed to meet the educational needs of our students. Annual update discussions with all stakeholders will happen throughout the district in April and May.

California’s academic standards are designed so students graduate ready for college and a career. One way we measure their progress is through the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) assessments. Students across California in grades 3–8 and high school take these assessments each spring. These tests were created specifically to gauge each student’s performance in English language arts/literacy (ELA), mathematics, and science. These tests measure the skills called for by the academic standards, including the ability to write clearly, think critically, and solve problems.

California’s new state standards for science call for students to think and work like scientists and engineers – asking questions and learning through hands-on investigation and discovery. Working with science teachers, California has developed a new assessment that emphasizes scientific thinking and reasoning. In April, 5th, 8th and 12th graders will participate in CAST, a California Science Test. Although this is a pilot, it’s an important step in developing an assessment that will fairly and accurately measure student achievement on the new science standards.

Transitional Kindergarten is a program that provides a year of early education to help children develop the skills they need to succeed in kindergarten. The program is not a substitution for kindergarten. Rather, is the first of a two year program to ensure that students are developmentally and academically prepared for first grade. Children eligible for Transitional Kindergarten must have a birthday between Sept 2, 2013 and Dec 2, 2013. If your child's birthday falls within the appropriate range and you would like more information about the Transitional Kindergarten programs please contact North Country Elementary at 338-6480, Oak Hill Elementary at 338-6460 or Dudley Elementary at 338-6470.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for additional events throughout CJUSD you don’t want to miss:

CHS Drama Department Production: April 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th

CHS Top Ten Dinner: April 11th

CHS Dance Production: April 19th & 20th

CHS Senior Ball: April 21st

CHS Purple Cord Dinner: April 27th

WCR Open House & Civil War Night: April 12th

WCR Father Daughter Dance Gallery 2 Ball: April 21st

NORTH COUNTRY Father Daughter Dance: April 13th

OAK HILL Family STEAM Night & PTA Ice Cream Social: April 27th

Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten registration: If you have a student who will be a kindergartener or in the Transitional Kindergarten program in the fall, please refer to the registration schedule listed on the website for your home school. All school sites can be found at www.centerusd.org

Join our CJUSD family. Certificated and Classified employment opportunities are posted on our website: www.centerusd.org.

Stay connected to CJUSD through Facebook at Center Joint Unified School District.

Congratulations to the CHS Varsity Girls Soccer team who won the Division 4 Section Championship making history as the 1st CHS soccer team to win the Division Championship.

photo courtesy of Teresa Lenihan

Spinelli teachers just finished training to launch a new science based curriculum called Project Lead the Way-PLTW. “Project Lead the Way taps into student’s exploratory nature, engages them in learning that feels like play, and encourages them to keep discovering – now and for years to come. The program empowers students to adopt a design-thinking mindset through compelling activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the world around them. And as students engage in hands-on activities in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, they become creative, collaborative problem solvers ready to take on any challenge.” Kindergarteners will explore the human body and design a cast for a fictional student who broke her arm, first graders design the ideal shoe for travelers to wear in extreme conditions, second graders figure out how to keep something cold without a cooler, third graders experiment with the forces of flight, fourth graders predict the transfer of energy when two things collide, and finally, fifth and sixth graders investigate how illness spreads and prevention measures that can be implemented. Spinelli staff and students are so excited to get started down the PLTW path.

The Future Business Leaders of America Club participated in the Northern Section Competitive Leadership Conference at Cosumnes Oaks High School. There were 16 area high schools in attendance. Students competed in various business and technology related categories. Twenty students qualified to attend the State conference in April. Congratulations to all FBLA students and Co-Advisors: Cathy Cummings and Larry Davenport.

Firefighters from Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District visited McClellan Preschool on March 7 and 8, bringing their ladder truck. Preschool students watched in awe as the ladder extended to its full height of 105 feet, and they waved to the brave firefighter who climbed all the way to the top. Preschoolers also climbed through the enormous cab of the truck, and they heard a description of how all the parts of the truck work. This is an annual event, arranged by our Adult Ed preschool teacher, Pat Stayton. All students enjoy their visits from our firefighters.

-Bonnie Schiro

This impactful two-day event, held on February 22-23, 2018 at Center High School, challenged students from Center High School and McClellan High School to make the right decision to not get behind the wheel of an automobile after consuming alcohol.

Every fifteen minutes someone in the United States is killed or injured in an alcohol-related incident. Alcohol related traffic collisions are a major social, health, and economic problem. Teenage drivers are responsible for a high number of these collisions, injuries, and deaths.

This program was funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Our program is so well received in our district with a high commitment to success that our district made a generous donation to help cover all of the extras costs which come with a successful program.

Day One consisted of several major events, the first being the removing of a student from class every fifteen minutes. The removed students became one of the "living dead", where they were no longer in communication with friends and family for the remainder of the two-day event. One uniformed CHP Officer, a Law Enforcement Chaplain and a School Counselor escorted the Grim Reaper to the classrooms and read the students' obituaries.

The second event involved juniors and seniors watching as emergency personnel from CHP and Sac Metro Fire responded to a “mock” DUI related accident scene. This accident showcased the actual procedures emergency responders use daily, including triage and transport of the injured, victim extractions, a victim being life-flighted to a nearby trauma center, a DUI arrest, and the Coroner personnel removing a deceased passenger.

After the crash scene concluded, two more events occurred; the remaining Living Dead were removed from classes and the group left the campus to attend a student retreat. While the Living Dead were attending their retreat, their parents and family members were invited to attend a Parent Candlelight Ceremony where chaplains were available to support them through what has to be the worst day in their lives. Parents wrote goodbye letters to their students after they had been given their MOCK death notifications earlier in the day..

Day Two involved a mock funeral where all juniors and seniors viewed a video of the previous day's events. A guest speaker from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) was invited to speak about how his life changed when he decided to get behind the wheel of a car at a young age and the consequences he faced and still faces. Two living dead students were selected to read their letters they had written the night before at the Student Retreat. Two parents of the living dead were also invited to read their goodbye letters to their child. The assembly concluded with a Roll Call which demonstrated how many people would be touched by just one senseless death. After which all family members and students were reunited.

Spinelli’s student choir performed at the Math and Science Family night on February 22. Families came to enjoy viewing their student’s work in these academic areas AND were entertained by a singing performance to boot. Spinelli's next Family night is Open House on May 10th, 5-6:30. Students will proudly show off all of their hard work this year!

Riles MS is currently running on March Madness Spirit. WCR AVID classes wanted to share their love of learning about college life and opportunities by making sure everyone had the chance to learn more. Each homeroom was assigned 2 colleges in the tournament. The classes researched the colleges and created posters to represent their assignments. Assemblies were held for 7th and 8th grades to show off their art work but also to acknowledge our girl's basketball teams on their amazing season.

Oak Hill Elementary's team of roving reporters create a monthly news publication. Cheers to Mrs. Phillips and her staff of students for satisfying inquiring minds. See their latest publication below.

OAK HILL NEWS

By:

Sofiya Kilyukh, Kelly Martinez de Pinillos, and Esther Napora

Mrs. Phillips’ 6th grade class

RECYCLING KINDERS HELP THE MUSTARD SEED SCHOOL

Our Kinder Otters have been absolutely amazing! Thanks to their wonderful kindergarten teacher, Mrs.Phillips, the kindergarteners have taken on the responsibility of collecting water bottles, soda cans, and other plastic recyclables to raise money for the Mustard Seed School for homeless students. Their donations to the Mustard Seed School bring many benefits including: clothing, snacks, school supplies, and much more. Mrs. Phillips’ class has earned about $280 these past few months. These ambitious kindergarteners need your help! Please bring in your cans and plastic bottles and drop them off at her classroom. They really want to increase the amount of their donation before the end of the year.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

Kindergarten registration begins on Wednesday, April 4th and continues through the 6th. Please contact the school at 338-6460 or drop by the school office to receive an enrollment packet for your future Otter.

YEARBOOK CLUB!

This is a shout out to our Yearbook Club. Remember the yearbooks that you get to order from the school, and all the designs and pictures that you see inside? Yep! Yearbook Club did it all! You can say your thanks to them. This year there are 15 students in the club. They are excited to be part of the club, because they are in charge of the pictures that they take and insert into the yearbook. They selected the theme, the cover, and of course the pictures that go throughout the book. The club has taken pictures of the events that go on in our school such as Fall Festival, Skate Night, Pancake Breakfast, Spelling Bee, Otter Days (you get the idea). So when you get a yearbook, think about how the Yearbook Club worked hard to see the smiles on your faces! Thanks,Yearbook Club!

OTTER TALENT SHOW!

In our opinion, this is our favorite school event. It’s almost time for the talent show! Aren't you excited … well we are. Auditions will be on Thursday, April 12th, from 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM. We can’t wait to see our talented Otters perform on stage. The talent show will be held on Tuesday, May 1st, at 6:30 PM. Hope to see everyone there.

YEARBOOKS ON SALE NOW!

Yearbook! Yearbook! Get your yearbook! Parents and students, if you’re interested in getting a yearbook, please remember to check your child’s Thursday Folder for an order form. If you are not interested in getting a yearbook, you have two other options. 1) You can get a DVD instead. 2) If you don’t want just a yearbook, or just a DVD, don’t worry! You can get both! Okay, now let’s talk about prices. Yearbooks are $27. DVDs are just $15 each. The yearbook and the DVD together costs $40. Be sure to order yours now!

SUNGLASSES DAY!

On April 27, we will be having a “Wear Your Favorite Sunglasses Day”. All you have to do is wear your favorite shades to school. It’s really easy! So, bring your favorite sunglasses and have a SUNNY DAY!

ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND STEAM NIGHT

Are you tired of being in the COLD? On Friday, April 27th, at 6:00 PM, you’ll be feeling like it’s SUMMER already! It’s the annual Ice Cream Social and STEAM Night! Our PTA members will give you a cone or bowl of yumminess! Your spirit will rise with the first taste in your mouth. You can add sprinkles, candy, syrup, cereal, etc … anything you love! Then there are the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) activities to enjoy. Come to play at the various STEAM stations and join in the fun with your friends and neighbors.

OAK HILL PTA NEWS

Parent Information Night/General Membership Meeting

Parent Information Night will be held on Thursday, April 19th, at 6:00 P.M. There will be a PTA General Membership Meeting as well as elections for our new PTA Board for the 2018-2019 school year. An Executive Board Meeting will be held on April 20th at 3:30 PM.

We will be looking for volunteers to help with our Ice Cream Social and STEAM Night. Please continue to follow and like us on Facebook at Oak Hill Otters PTA for all the latest updates regarding our school activities through the end of the year.

As always, thank you for your continued support of our Otters at Oak Hill and the PTA.

Have you seen it? The district website has a fresh, new look and each of the school sites will follow suit. Look at us shine: www.centerusd.org. Are you on social media? CJUSD is too. Use the links below to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Center Joint Unified School District is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. School and district programs, activities and services shall be free from unlawful discrimination based on actual or perceived sex, race, color, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, ancestry, ethnic group identification, gender, physical or mental disability, or on the basis of a person’s association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or sexual harassment in any district service, program and/or activity that receives or benefits from state financial assistance. The district shall promote programs, which ensure that unlawful discriminatory practices are eliminated in all school and district activities.

Email: superintendent@centerusd.org
Website: www.centerusd.org
Location: 8408 Watt Avenue, Antelope, CA, United States
Phone: (916) 338-6400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerusd
Twitter: @centerusd