Oak Leaf Weekly Update

Dear ROCS Community,

As we wind down the year, we are goal setting, hiring new staff members, and enrolling new students. It is a busy time and we are so excited to roll out our 23d year in the community!

Enjoy learning more below and Happy Spring!

I would like to formally introduce Jessica Beck as our new first grade teacher! Ms. Beck is known across the grades as the current games teacher three days a week, holds a CA teaching credential, is immersed in the Waldorf teacher training program, and has years of public school teaching experience. Ms. Beck is an inclusive educator, a dance instructor who is passionate about integrating the arts into her curriculum, and so much more! Please introduce yourself to her the next time you are on campus on a Tuesday, Wednesday or a Thursday. We are so honored to have you on our team, Ms. Beck!

The ROCS Looping Schedule for next year: Grades 1-5 and 6-8.

Teachers for the 22-23 school year

GSK - Camille Meeker

CCK - Rachelle Coleman

1st - Jessica Beck

2nd - Sara Westbrook

3rd - Jenn Douthit

4th - Kris Mize

5th - Amy Jirout

6th - Adam Williams

7th - Rebekah Martinez

8th - Lori Stubben

We'd like to thank Ms. Sadlier for her years of love and dedication to ROCS and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

More information about honoring Ms. Sadlier as a community coming soon!

The ROCS faculty council is working to create a middle school schedule that allows for teachers to specialize in content areas, 6-8 graders to rotate between classes and experience multiple teaching styles, all in preparation for high school!

We are actively searching for another middle school teacher to join the team, a trained games teacher and more specialty teachers...and balancing how to creatively staff our school and stay within our budget. Do you have a talent that can be shared with the school? Are there other ideas you have for creative staffing? Please let us know!

River Oak Charter School is pleased to once again be presenting the Pastels on the Plaza event at Alex R. Thomas Plaza in downtown Ukiah on May 14, 2022 from 9:30am-2:30pm. Pastels on the Plaza brings together local artists, vendors, non-profits, businesses, and local residents- not only to inspire but to strengthen our local community.

For new and returning families, this is the largest annual fundraiser for our school. This year our staff determined that funds will go directly towards supporting our specialty classes and it's materials. Funds are distributed evenly among classes and the more you participate the more it directly supports your child's education!

Your child was sent home with information about sponsors and artists for the event. Please consider contacting your child's teacher, or ROCS parents Kaylie Edwards and Lillian Rubie to give your support.

Thank you to the Pastels Committee for supporting our students. Meetings are every Tuesday at 4:00pm via Zoom. Come check it out. We would love to see you.

Meeting ID: 832 3816 0442

Passcode: 403655

We know that your child's education is one of your top priorities and want to take the opportunity to thank you, our parents/guardians, for choosing River Oak Charter School and entrusting your child’s education to us. Our faculty, staff, and administration are passionate about our school’s mission and providing a safe and nurturing community that also challenges students to grow academically and personally. We look forward to continuing the journey with you!

Every student in grades K-7th must be re-enrolled by May 13, 2022 to secure a spot at our school for the 2022-23 school year. If you do not plan to re-enroll at River Oak, please promptly email tcechin@riveroakcharterschool.org and let me know.

Our re-enrollment process will be entirely online through Aeries Parent Portal. This has been highly requested by our families to save time and paper. Since this is a new process for some I will do my best to navigate Aeries Parent Portal to you.

You must fill out every section of the re-enrollment process, just consider this your "signature". Please don't forget!

Begin re-enrollment here: https://riveroakcs.asp.aeries.net/Student/LoginParent.aspx

We appreciate your patience as we ask you to navigate a new platform for registration. If you have questions you may email tcechin@riveroakcharterschool.org or call (707) 467-1855 ex. 104. Thank you!

Rebekah Martinez coached all five of the volleyball and basketball teams this school year at River Oak Charter School. She also teaches 6th grade at River Oak. Coach Martinez has been the one constant at River Oak for all of the sports programs. Due to her passion and excitement, she has opened up the possibility of sports to students who most likely would never have a chance to play for their school. These opportunities are unique and rare in a small charter school without formal sports programs, without a gym, and without an athletic director. The River Oak Community will always be grateful for her time, energy and love of the game.

Coach Martinez is no stranger to sports. She played basketball and volleyball in high school/middle school at The Webb Schools in Claremont, CA. At The Webb Schools, she attracted attention and was offered athletic scholarships to play at a few division 1 colleges. If it weren’t for a severe injury to her knee, she would have pursued a basketball career and maybe would have had a chance to play in the WNBA. After graduating from College of the Canyons, Coach Martinez arrived in Ukiah, CA and River Oak Charter School more than 20 years ago.

On March 10th, Coach Martinez took time out from her full day with students to discuss both volleyball and basketball seasons and to reflect on the past and look to the future. This is a condensed version of the interview.

Kaleo Olson: How did you become a basketball and volleyball coach?

Rebekah Martinez: “The first coaching job I had was at Bidwell high school (Chico, CA) when I was 21. I had transferred to Chico State and I wanted to get back on the court. This was after I

blew my knee out and thought my basketball career was over. I missed [playing] so much I wanted to get myself involved.”

KO: How hard is it to be a teacher at this school and juggle coaching all the sports teams? RM: “I do it because I love it, the same reason I want to seek out coaching. I missed being a part of that team dynamic. So what I try to do as a coach is inspire my athletes to prepare them as best as possible.”

KO: What was the highlight of the 2021 volleyball season?

RM: “We faced Pomolita’s B team originally and then we were able to schedule a game with their A team and we won. It was a really close game too. I just felt like the team really unified and worked together and everyone played great that game. I really believed I had the strongest

team in Mendocino County. Whether they were the best or not, they were able to compete with the best teams.”

KO: What was the highlight of the girls basketball season?

RM: “What I really loved about the girls' season was we lost our first two games to Upper Lake by a small margin and then we went on a losing streak. But they were able to break that. They finished strong with four wins in a row. Collectively, they really understood the role they played on the team to help the team be successful and that was what they were able to do in the four final games.”

KO: What was the highlight of the boys basketball season?

RM: “ The highlight of the boys season for sure was Crescent City (the 8th grade boys tournament that is the biggest on the west coast). Although we did have many moments in the season, Fort Bragg being one of them with that crazy tie-breaking shot. Beating Eagle Peak soundly the second time was a highlight for me as well. But for sure, Crescent City. It has just

been a dream of mine for a long time and for all of the players. It was an uphill battle to get there, you know I mean? It wasn't anything easy, it was a lot of work and time and effort went into all of that coming together. We got exactly where we wanted to be, which was in the championship game. We fell a little short, but you know, if looking at it from a bigger perspective, those types of losses may be more fun than winning a championship. I just admire the boys and the continuity of the team and how they support one another. They all treat each other like brothers. I will always remember this group of guys as my dream team.” KO: What is it that drives you to be a coach?

RM: “I love competition, I love games, I love working with youth and children and seeing how much confidence is built through what they learn out on the court together. I coach because I see a lot of poor behavior among my generation, the 40-50-year-olds. There are some coaches leading athletes in bad directions, so my philosophy is to lead in a healthy way and to be fair, competitive and uplifting. I have seen a lot of negativity in sports. My overall goal is to help combat that through positive experience among my players and to maintain the right relationship with the game.”

KO: Do you plan to continue coaching for River Oak?

RM: “I'm hoping to step back from coaching next year. That doesn't mean I won’t do any coaching again. I would like to help expand the sports program at River Oak, to help with scheduling and the oversight of the program and still plan to do sports as part of the elective program. But I think it's time for some change and I'm hoping for growth also. My overall goal would be to try and get a gym/auditorium where we could have class plays and other sporting events. So that is kind of the bigger goal. Beyond River Oak, I do always consider the idea of

coaching at the High school or maybe the collegiate level. ”

• 4/22 Earth Day
• 4/25-4/26 4th Grade Overnight to Fort Ross
• 4/25-4/28 5th/6th Grade Overnight to Mendocino Woodlands Camp
• 4/30 No School
• 5/2-5/6 Teacher Appreciation Week
• 5/14 Pastels/ May Day (Saturday) Please keep free so you can join us!
• 5/18 Screenagers-The Next Chapter 6-8pm @ The Senior Center (for parents/guardians at ROCS, and 5-8 grade students only)
• 5/30-6/2 Minimum Week-school out at 1pm all week
• 6/1 8th Grade Graduation
• 6/2 Last day of school
• 6/2 Kindergarten Rainbow Bridge Ceremony

ROCS is offering targeted math support, not just homework help- below is the information, and it happens daily:

Mon-Friday, 3:10-4:30 and Wednesdays from 1:10-3:30.

Please call or send your child to the office to sign in and get started, Thank you!

The Charter Council has open parent positions for the 22-23 school year! Please send your letters of interest to the Principal, Kristi McCullough: kmccullough@riveroakcharterschool.org

Letters of Interest: Letter of Interest to Serve on Charter Council

River Oak Charter School is governed by the Board of Directors referred to as the “Charter Council.”

The Charter Council has a legal, fiduciary responsibility for the well-being of the organization. The Charter Council is composed of a broad cross-section of the school community and the community at large, including parents, professionals, and community leaders.

Meetings are held each month at 5:30pm via the Zoom online platform at the following address:

https://zoom.us/j/92651770030?pwd=bWdnUCs4TjBWMzl5U1hLL3NpSE96QT09

Meeting ID: 926 5177 0030 Passcode: Pw86W2

Next Meeting: May 9th

Come join the Parent Council!!! We have parent positions open for the 22-23 School Year!

The Parent Council (PC) seeks to develop and promote a communicative, collaborative, and cohesive relationship between the parents, faculty, and students of River Oak Charter School. The Council facilitates and supports fundraisers that benefit the school community, assists in the organization of school events, and serves as the Voice of the Parent Body.

PC meetings are always the first Thursday of the month at 5:30pm.

Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83003338895?pwd=b0grMXRpdVVFTExRcS9oa2RDNFZjUT09

Meeting ID - 830 0333 8895 Passcode - 289408

Next Meeting May 5th

Students grades 3-8 will be taking the state test known as CAASPP, (California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance). As a public school, ROCS is held accountable for the public funds it receives and the educational program it offers, through this annual test of student progress. Due to COVID, it's been two years since our students have taken the tests.

The state tests assess English Language Arts and Math skills in 3-8 grades; Science is also assessed in grades 5 and 8. These are untimed tests.

The testing window for ROCS is open until May 27th. It is important for students to attend school, arrive on time, and be well-rested, and fed.

ROCS scores are only ONE measure among many that provide information and help us assess our instructional program and plan our instruction. Test results are mailed to parents in late September of the following year. We don't encourage sharing the test scores in the younger grades as they don't identify the full complement of a child's strengths and capacities.

We consider all of our students to be capable and we ask that students take the test and do their best. Beyond doing their best, we leave expectations and pressure out of our testing environment.

If you have questions, please contact your child's teacher.