Grizzly Community Update

Good afternoon Grizzlies,

Happy Friday!

The week started off rainy, but ended with some beautiful weather to take us into Spring Break!

Spring Break is a great time to reset and prepare the final 8-weeks of the school year.

I shared some great news with the staff in our Wednesday afternoon meeting about how connected our students are feeling on campus as shown by our Social Emotional Well-Being (SEWB) results. The SEWB is a screener that we have utilized since the 2021-2022 school year that uses 16 questions to measure 4 different categories:

Academic Efficiency - How well students perform at school

Educational Purpose - Students knowing why they are at school

Joy of Learning - Enjoying learning

School Connectedness - School is a place that they belong.

Students respond on a scale from "Almost Never" to "Almost Always" and we track the "Almost Never" scores closest because we want to do what we can to move students toward "Almost Always."

Students have shown improved well-being scores each year over the four years we've given the assessment! We've seen the largest improvement in the Joy of Learning sub category and we can still get better in that area as well. Overall, it is great news to see that our students know why they are here at school, feel like they can perform well, find joy in their experiences, and are connected to school. I know that is not the case for all of our students, but we are committed as a staff to working to get students to that point to the best of our ability!

Alright Grizzlies, let's have a great Spring Break, and students, we'll see you on Monday, April 14!

Respectfully,

Mr. Ball

Students: Become a School Meal Ambassador!

The Child Nutrition department is seeking School Meal Ambassadors to help influence the future of school meals. Join us for the Spring lunchtime workshop!

Participants will:

• Share feedback on menu selections for the next school year.

• Assess new recipes, including taste testing!

• Engage in discussions about healthy eating.

Make sure to fill out this Google sign-up form by Friday, April 18 to reserve your place!

If you have any questions, please contact the Child Nutrition department at SRVUSDEats@srvusd.net.

Join the Leadership San Ramon Valley class of 2025 in bringing awareness about the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline with the addition of 988 signs and information throughout San Ramon and Danville. Highlights include speeches from local elected officials, resource tables, and community testimonials. More information.

DATE: Thursday, May 15, 2025

TIME: 5:00 pm

PLACE: San Ramon Promenade by the Community Center

The Contra Costa County Board of Education (CCCBOE) is now accepting applications for a student member for the 2025-26 school year from rising juniors and seniors. The Board will accept applications until Friday, April 18, 2025, at 5 p.m. This is the third year that students will be eligible to serve as members of the CCCBOE. The position comes with a monthly stipend of $250. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/4iUdWIl.

On March 24th, you should have received this survey link directly from the district, asking you to tell us how we are doing and to help guide our culture of responsiveness work moving forward. I would like to ensure that our school has a high participation rate!

Why should you take 10 minutes to complete this survey? Because it will:

• Influence how our school and the district communicate with our families.

• Help us understand how we can better communicate about all aspects of your child’s learning experience.

• Support our efforts to enhance and improve home-to-school partnerships.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could make time in your day to take the Culture of Responsiveness Survey!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to communications@srvusd.net or to me directly. I sincerely thank you for your support and partnership by participating in the survey.

The survey will remain open until midnight, tonight, Friday, April 4, 2025.

Emerald High School is excited to announce the first-ever Emerald Summit ‘25, a dynamic, multidisciplinary event taking place on Saturday, April 19th, 2025, at Emerald High School. On behalf of the Emerald High School and Emerald Summit Organizing Team, we invite the students of Cal High School to participate in this exciting event.

Students will have the opportunity to participate in workshops, presentations, and exhibits, with a highlight being the Shark Tank-style Entrepreneurship Competition. Students are welcome to join multiple tracks based on their interests.

Every participant receives a certificate of participation along with commendation from experts on outstanding aspects such as concept, presentation, vision and domain knowledge amongst others.

We encourage you to share this invitation with your students via staff, student body, newsletters and other communication channels.

For questions or clarifications, please contact emeraldhighsummit@gmail.com. Thank you for your support, and we look forward to your students’ participation!

Regards,

Emerald Summit ‘25 Organizing team

On behalf of Emerald High School

Proposed curriculum and resources for the new Ethnic Studies course were brought before the Board for preview at the March 18, 2025, meeting. Adoption of instructional materials for the course, which will become a graduation requirement for incoming 9th grade students next school year, is planned for the April 22, 2025, Board meeting.

We invite our community to review the proposed curriculum and provide feedback to the Educational Services team. Your feedback will help strengthen the course and ensure that it is meaningful, inclusive, and impactful for all students. The materials are also available for in-person viewing at the District Office, Building C, from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday until April 21st. For more information on the new Ethnic Studies graduation requirement, see the Ethnic Studies page of the district website or refer to the letter sent to all families on March 20th.

The contest features two categories: an “Art in Any Medium” section inviting students to depict their favorite destination in Contra Costa County and their preferred mode of travel, and an “Engineering Design” challenge focused on envisioning a “Smart City” intersection that prioritizes safety through current or futuristic Intelligent Transportation Systems.

A $1,000 grand prize will be awarded to the top overall entry, both category winners will receive $500, and honorable mentions will earn gift cards.

More information, including submission guidelines and important dates, can be found in the contest details here: Art & Engineering Design Contest - Redefining Mobility Summit

Looking for volunteer hours this summer? SRVEF's Summer Imagineering Program is in need of high school students to serve as mentors in their STEAM classes. Week-long Imagineering classes are held from June 16th through July 18th with morning and afternoon sessions. They are in particular need of mentors for their July classes. You can learn more about becoming a mentor, and if you are interested, please apply here.

The Bear Facts, our official newsletter, the trusted source for information from school admin, PTSA, boosters, clubs and students, will be published each Tuesday.

Sign up to receive Bear Facts!

Ms. Sexton and Mr. Ball visited Pine Valley Middle School last week to introduce themselves to members of the incoming class of 2029!

Ms. Kaura's English students utilized current cartoons to explain positive character traits, like the empathy expressed by Sponge Bob Square Pants!

Baseball and Softball hosted some great games this past week!

Monday, April 7-Friday, April 11: No School - Spring Break

Monday-Friday, April 21-25: SPIRIT WEEK

Monday-Wednesday, April 21-23: WASC Site Visit

Wednesday-Friday, April 23-25: Spring Musical: Sponge Bob

Friday, April 25: Spring Rally

Saturday, April 26: Senior Ball, 7-10 pm

May 5-16: AP Testing

Wednesday, May 7: Spring Band Concert

Principal

California High School

Email: dball@srvusd.net
Website: https://chs.srvusd.net
Location: California High School, Broadmoor Drive, San Ramon, CA, USA
Phone: 925-803-3210