Grizzly Community Update

Good afternoon Grizzlies,

This week was another action packed week in The Den!

First, I want to thank all of our Juniors that completed their CAASPP testing last week and those that came in this week to make up the testing you missed. Our student completion rate for the testing is extremely high and I am confident that our students did well! A huge shout out goes to Mrs. Taft for all of her hard work to coordinate our CAASPP testing.

Throughout the week I was able to see so many great activities across campus from student classroom presentations, poster projects on social issues, college research, practical math application, breakout activities, and so much more. Our teachers are doing a phenomenal job providing opportunities to connect what they are learning to real-world scenarios and growing them as critical thinkers, intentional collaborators, and effective communicators.

Wednesday we hosted the district-wide career fair as well as our own Culture Fair. Both events were well attended. With over 25 career and technical schools present to provide our students with information on the variety of opportunities that they offer. Our Culture Fair had an around the world theme and showed off a variety of cultures that exist on our Cal High campus. Shout out to Mrs. Nichols, Ms. Nowak, and Ms. Smith for all their hard work coordinating those two events.

Alright Grizzlies, let's have a great weekend!

Respectfully,

Mr. Ball

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 on 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

Congressman DeSaulnier’s 2025 Congressional Art Competition is now open for submissions! The competition is open to all high school students living in California’s 10th Congressional District.

The winning artwork of our district’s competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol and the winner will be invited to a special ceremony in Washington D.C. on June 11th. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts around the country. The winning artwork will also be featured on House.gov’s Congressional Art Competition page.

Participants may submit one photograph or scan of their artwork to Kaylee.deland@mail.house.gov. Submissions must include the Student Release Form (attached here). The photograph of the artwork will be presented to a panel of judges who will view all artwork electronically. Congressman DeSaulnier’s office will be accepting submissions now through April 11th at 5 p.m. PST. More details including 2025 rules are available on the Congressman’s website.

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!

The venue, dancing, food, and activities allowed the juniors to have an outstanding time at last Saturday's Junior Prom! Thank you to Leadership students and our chaperones for a great event.

Our AVID 9 students conducted college visits this weeks after researching and creating informational posters on colleges and universities that interest them.

Careers in Teaching students taught Junior Achievement lessons in 12 classrooms at Michelle Obama Elementary.

Wednesday we hosted the Career Fair where over 25 career and technical schools.

Wednesday we also hosted our Culture Fair representing cultures from around the world that exist here on campus!

Ms. Im's students had a Korean culture experience with playing Korean games, learning about traditional dress, and even making their own sets of chop sticks!

Several of our high school students volunteered this week at the Montevideo Elementary science night. Several of our clubs are represented. Including Robotics, Science Alliance and Interact. Great job Grizzlies!

Mrs. Montegue's English classes did a breakout box activity in the library with Ms. Ogden as using their knowledge of their most recent book, Lord of the Flies, for clues.

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