Crusader Times

January 2017

Words From Our Principal

Dear Parents and Students,

As you know, this week we are having our Great Week of Kindness Challenge. We had our kickoff assembly this past Friday and we will be having events and activities throughout this week to promote kindness. At BVM, we want all students to strive to do their best in academics as well as in their personal growth. We believe that being kind and respectful to one another is an integral part of this process. We are asking our parents to have those discussions at home regarding the importance of being kind to others. Being kind to others make us be a better person. Not only is it special for the person on the receiving end, but it also feel good as the doer. “Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end” - Scott Adams.

Eduardo Reyes, Ed.D.

Great Week of Kindness Kickoff Challenge

In hopes of improving our school culture, our school has taken the challenge to participate in the Great Kindness Week where all students and staff are being invited to complete as many acts of kindness towards others this coming week. Whether its saying hello to someone you may not know or complimenting someone on one of their many strengths, any small action can truly make a difference in another individual's life.

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Holiday Drive

The entire Sweetwater Union High School District hosted a collection for San Diego teens who were facing homelessness and life on the streets this holiday season. All donations were given to Stand Up for Kids, a non-profit dedicated to helping San Diego's Homeless teens. Thanks to the generous donations from BVM students and staff, our box and storage room was packed! Thank you to all who donated and helped make a difference in a homeless teen's life!

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BVM Science Fair

The Science Department held their annual Science Fair on January 17th where students got the opportunity to showcase and speak to the community about their projects and experiments that they conducted over the past several months. We would like to congratulate all students for doing such a fantastic job!

We would also like to recognize those students who received an award and those students who will be moving on to represent our school in the District Science Fair. Awesome job Crusaders!

Science Fair Awards

8th Grade

Top Sweepstakes: Sophia Epley*

1st Place: Jullian Velazco*

2nd Place: Ursula Neuner and Grace Rivera

3rd Place: Rachel Cepe

7th Grade

Top Sweepstakes: Diego Nunes*

1st Place: Nicole MacGaffey*

2nd Place: Jasmine Tabalon*

3rd Place: Orion Stephenson*

Best Chemistry: Chloe Tolentino*

Best Biology: Maria Delgado* and Ally Guerra

Best Physics: Camila Bolin*

Best Current Problem Solver: Sierra Hahn

Best Engineering: Michael Gerken*

Most Creative: Iman Zermeño*

Most Original: Kailee Mugrage* and Savannah Estevez

Most Eye Catching: Dylan Tucker*

Most Interesting: Giana Stratton* and Luca Jarquin

Best Earth Science: Elie Cajes*

Best Cooking Chemistry: Maya Michaud*

Best Astronomy: Ethan Dome*

*Students who will be representing BVM at the District Science Fair.

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Exploring Arts

Bonita Vista Middle is home to Crusaders of many backgrounds. We have several self-contained special needs classes on our campus who, until recently, did not have access to the VAPA (visual and performing arts) curriculum. In the spring of 2016, the Exploring Arts class was created to right this wrong. The class is co-taught by Mrs. Cruz and Mr. Giffen and meets one period a day. We also have two FANTASTIC peer mentors, Alia Kircher and Alexa Gomez; general ed students who take the class as their elective.

The curriculum focuses on general music instruction, including Orff instruments, movement and even some craft projects. First semester, we concentrated on the science of sound, while this semester we are traveling the world through music.

This month, we are studying Asia. Pictured is the Exploring Arts class using some new movement ribbons to traditional Chinese music.

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Knowledge Bowl Match

Our Knowledge Bowl Team held their first competition of the year against Montgomery Middle on Wednesday, February 25th and won the match 44-10. Our Knowledge Bowl Team, which is coached by Ms. Heredia, has been undefeated for the last two years and I know they are working hard to bring home that championship trophy for a third year in a row. Congratulations on winning your first match Crusaders!

GloboFund Donations

We want to thank all those parents who have donated supplies to our teachers through Globofund! The supplies donated are being utilized by our students in their classrooms and our staff truly appreciates all of your generosity and support. Below is one example of how chart paper donated to Ms. Heredia's English class through GloboFund is being utilized by her students while completing their Paper vs. Plastic Bags Unit. Students were required to read and summarize articles on the topic which they will use to assist them in writing a persuasive essay detailing which type of bag is better and why. Thank you parents for your continued support!

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Staff of the Month

We would like to congratulate our guitar and mariachi teacher, Alejandro Tapia, as our Staff Member of the Month! Alejandro has expanded our music program and we now are able to offer students the opportunity to take guitar and mariachi. Alejandro is a fairly new teacher and in a short period of time has helped grow our school culture. He is always seeking out music opportunities for his students and the main office had the pleasure of being serenaded during finals week by his guitar and mariachi classes. Thank you Alejandro for all that you do for our school!

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Health Corner

Asthma Exacerbations

The cold and rainy weather we are having lately has brought about a rise in student respiratory visits to the health office. For some students, cold weather is a trigger for asthma attacks. Lately, we have had an increased number of moderate to severe asthma-related student visits. Some of these students with known asthma issues do not have their inhalers with them and have no physician orders on file with the nurse.

If your student requires respiratory medication while at school, please contact the nurse so that the appropriate forms can be sent home for your physician to complete. Your child’s physician will be able to determine if an inhaler should be carried by the student or kept in the health office to be used when needed.

Parents, please remind your students who already have physician orders and who self-carry their asthma inhalers, to make sure their inhalers are with them at all times and are not empty. A little double checking may help to avoid an emergency situation.

Please contact me at the health office with any questions regarding respiratory issues or any other health concerns. I will be happy to speak with you.

Stay healthy,

Christi Stoddard, BSN, RN, PHN

Tel: 619-397-2206

Fax: 619-482-9356

Counselors Corner

Happy New Year Everyone! We hope that you had a great vacation and lots of rest to come back for 2nd semester. We are currently working on credit recovery to help those students that need to be on track for promotion. We will be calling out students to provide times, days, and dates for the credit recovery classes so be ready to work.

Those students that need to qualify for CJSF, be sure that you have all that is needed to meet the criteria. We will be sending out forms to Ms. Walker so be on the lookout in the morning announcements for CJSF.

Just a reminder that all core classes need to have NO F’s, and that promotion credits to be a minimum of 21 credits. So be sure you are completing all assignments, projects, and prepare and study for any quizzes or tests. Be sure to ask questions if you have difficulty in any lessons teacher present.

A reminder that AEC is not only for students that are assigned, but for those that need it can voluntarily attend. AEC for students who volunteer can start in room 305 if you do not know where to go. This will help with staying on track for promotion.

Counselors will continue to call out students failing classes each week. A list is run through Jupiter grades to identify those students who are struggling. Counselors will meet with students to discuss what the students need to do to make up assignments or provide the resources of tutoring and assistance. God luck and let’s make 2017 a great year!

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP ESSENTIALS

Under the umbrella term digital citizenship, many issues are currently being explored: Privacy, Safety, Respect, Digital Footprint, and Cyberbullying are just a handful of topics that require our attention. So what is digital citizenship exactly? Just like citizenship in the real world, it involves ethical decision-making and appropriate, responsible behavior. Teaching these concepts to students who are actively online, helps them become better informed about what to do and not do. Popular websites for finding more information about Digital Citizenship include:

· Common Sense Media,

· NetCitizens

· DigitalCitizenship.net

· Safe Connects

· SafeKids

· InCtrl

Many students, teachers and parents like Common Sense Media, which has games for students in grades 6 through 8 to practice making online decisions using avatars and digital scenarios. (See https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/digital-compass). It also provides short videos that offer the inside scoop for teens. Here is one about the issue of privacy and leaving a digital footprint (trace, trail).

If you would like more information about a particular topic, I would be happy to guide you to more resources. Contact Terry Funk, Teacher Librarian: Terry.Funk@sweetwaterschools.org

Technology Corner

“Do you have trouble finding assignments in Notability? Are you scrolling through super long lists to find things? Why not make life easier and organize your notes? Staying organized is a very important skill. It makes work easier to find making you more efficient. Notability has a method for organizing your notes and it does take much time to learn. Tap on the link to find out how.”

Notability Organization Tips

I’m not sure if the link will work. Let me know if it doesn’t and I’ll figure it out. I also included the PDF in case that makes things easier.