Grizzly Community Update

Bear Facts, our official newsletter, the trusted source for information from school admin, PTSA, boosters, clubs and students. Bear Facts is published and sent to the community every Monday morning.

Sign up to receive Bear Facts!

Hello Grizzlies,

I hope you all had a great week. There was lots of action, as always, here on campus. One thing that I would like to highlight is that during our Wednesday afternoon staff meeting we focused on reviewing school-wide data (attendance, CAASPP scores, discipline, demographics, and more) to begin to review areas where we need to focus in our next school-wide WASC self-study for our next round of accreditation. WASC stands forWestern Association of Schools and Colleges and the accreditation process is in three parts. 1) We compile a report of where we are currently and create an action plan to improve. 2) A visiting committee verifies our insights and goals. 3) We put our Action Plan to work! During second semester we will begin to start the planning phase, and we will be fully focused on our close self-study and report writing during the 24-25 school year. There will be roles for staff and students to be actively involved in this process, so stay tuned for more information.

Next week is the week before finals, also known as Thrive Week. All week long there are activities scheduled to help our students de-stress as we head into the end of the 1st semester. Here is the general rundown for the week, students, please check your school email for more details from Mr. Bristol and your class officers!

Monday, December 11 - Hot Chocolate, Candy Canes, and PJ Day

Tuesday, December 12 - Flowers for Finals

Wednesday, December 13 - Slime Bar

Thursday, December 14 - Crafts, Music, and Holiday Sweaters

Have a great weekend!

Respectfully,

Mr. Ball

*(New) - New information since the last community update

*(Update) - Updated information that was originally in a previous update.

We are excited to announce that there will be a Cocoa & Cram final exam study session on Saturday, 12/16 from 9am to noon in the CHS library. Peer tutors will be available to provide support in a wide variety of subjects. Students are welcome to sign up to attend if they need help or if they just want to have a quiet place to prepare for final exams.

Students are expected to come prepared with materials to study and a focused attitude. There will be areas set up for independent study and collaborative work. All students are expected to be quiet, respectful, and on task. There will be a refreshment table set up outside where light snacks and hot chocolate will be available, but no food or drink (aside from water) is allowed inside the library.

Students can sign up for the whole session or just for a one-hour slot. Space is limited to 75 students at any given time. Please use THIS FORM to sign up to attend.

Sign-ups will close at noon on Friday, 12/15 (or earlier if we reach the limit on attendance). Good luck to all Grizzlies on their final exams!

We are grateful to have the opportunity to support your students everyday and hope that you have a wonderful holiday season. We are reaching out to communicate our transition to an automated system for the Spring of 2024. Beginning January 8th, 2024, 30 minute detention will be automatically applied when a student is tardy to 5 classes OR if a student cuts a single class period. This means that our teachers will no longer be inputting this information manually and that we are providing a more lenient detention assignment. This policy would provide students additional flexibility and keep teachers focused on maintaining accurate attendance.

Again to reiterate the policy, students will receive a 30 minute detention if:

• Students are tardy to 5 classes across any period of time OR

• If students cut a single period, and our 35 minute tutorial does count as a period

• Please note that this will be rolling, so if a student is tardy to 4 classes one day and 1 class a second day, this in fact will result in a 30 minute detention

• CHS Bell Schedule for further reference

Please note the following, in light of this implementation. All students will receive a clean slate for Spring of 2024. We will also be offering 2 days of detention per week to allow students additional opportunities to serve. Detention will be offered Mondays & Tuesday’s after school. Please note cell phones are not allowed in detention.

During detention students can work on classwork/homework as they have missed class time so the intentionality is to afford students the time to make up the work they have respectively missed. The second offering will likely be in the commons so students have the space and tables available to complete classwork etc. We are also considering bringing tutors into the detention time to act as additional support for our students that need that academic support.

Also we will record attendance and apply the time served on the spot.

We also feel it is important to note that this policy and process is already implemented at two additional high schools in our district and due to its success to better support students, Cal High is implementing the system next semester.

Please contact us if you have any additional questions and we look forward to working with you and your students in the new year.

All the best,

Cal High Administration Team

Teen and Young Adults in Contra Costa County - share your thoughts about the development of youth centers in our county. Our County representatives want to hear from you! Join the virtual meeting on Thursday, December 14 at 5:30 pm. All youth participants will receive a $20 Visa gift card. See the flyer below and the link to register.

To ensure a smooth attendance process and foster the development of responsible and mature young adults, California High School has implemented the following guidelines for 18 year old sign out privileges. Students and parents are required to sign the form acknowledging their responsibilities.

SRVUSD is hosting an afternoon hiring and interviewing event for kitchen positions! Check out the great job opportunities we have to serve students delicious meals. Paid training and lots of schedule options. With more staff, we can accomplish our goals to serve more students cooked-from-scratch meals and reduced lunch wait times. View our current job openings.

What: SRVUSD Kitchen Positions Hiring and Interviewing Event

When: Monday, January 8, 2024, come anytime from 3pm - 6pm.

Where: 3280 Crow Canyon Road, San Ramon

Questions: Email SRVUSDEats@srvusd.net or call 925-824-1836

Gov Trek, a youth program for high school junior and senior girls, is designed to address the shortage of women in leadership roles by galvanizing a new generation to pursue careers in public service and elected office.

During seven two-hour online sessions held on Saturdays (February through March 2024), participants will engage in interactive and inspiring activities with exposure to women legislators, career options, and the inner workings of a political campaign. The program will culminate in a team competition to create a realistic campaign simulation.

Below I've attached a number of things: online registration (deadline January 20, 2024 - first come, first served basis) a link to more information about the program, a Gov Trek explainer video and fliers (both in English and Spanish).

Learning Labs are now up and running!

The Learning Labs are an opportunity during our Tutorial period for students to be matched up with a tutor and get support with a specific skill. Students are identified by their teachers for this opportunity. Students can also sign themselves up. Interested students should speak to their teacher about the self-sign-up process.

We currently have Learning Labs in the following areas: Math, Science, World Languages, and a combined English/Social Studies lab. Labs are not subject specific, rather they are a place to host tutors and their assigned students.

Thank you to our Academic Boosters for their support with this wonderful opportunity!

The Truth About Fentanyl (in-person): Monday December 11, 6:00-7:00 pm Registration required, space is limited: bit.ly/Dec11ParentEd Geared to MS/HS but ES parents/caregivers also welcome.

We are excited that stadium construction is underway! We will be getting brand new set of home bleachers and pressbox with the construction running into next August.

The California High School choir was in action in back-to-back nights this week. On Wednesday they performed at the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce Annual WOW! Awards Dinner.

Thursday they performed in their own annual Holiday Concert! Great job Mr. Allen as Santa Claus!

Mr. Ball was honored at the WOW Award as he was selected as "Educator of the Year"! Unfortunately he was unable to attend to accept his award, but we are so thankful that Assistant Principal Taft and Parent leaders, Mrs. Low and Mrs. Weaver were able to represent! This award is recognition of all the hard work put in by the entire California High School community as we provide the best educational experience possible for our children.

Friday, December 15: Finals Day 1 Schedule

December 18-20: 1st Semester Finals (Finals Schedule - 12:45pm release)

December 21-29, January 1-5: No School, Winter Break

Monday, January 8: No School, Teacher Work Day

Monday, January 15: No School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

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
Twitter: @Demetrius_Ball