Principal’s
Principal’s
Perspective
Perspective
BY JAN HAYES-RENNELS, PRINCIPAL
In This Issue
Principal’s Perspective pg. 1 Counselors’ Corner pg. 2 Library Lines pg. 3 Ballroom Dance pg. 3 Music Notes pg. 4 Dance pg. 7 Student of the Month pg. 7
Kid Flix & Robotics pg. 9 National Jr Honor Society
pg.9
Civil War Day pg.10 Drama pg. 10
Testing Schedule pg. 10 Calendar pg. 11 PAC News pg. 12
The Placerita Prospector is a periodic publication of the Placerita Junior High School PAC.
Principal:
Ms. Jan Hayes-Rennels jhayes@hartdistrict.org PAC Presidents:
Angie Hall/ Denise Shirley Prospector Editor:
Ms. Jennifer Jenkins Jennifer.jenkins@att.net The Placerita Prospector is available on the school website at www.hartdistrict.org/placerita Follow Placerita Junior High School on Twitter at www.twitter.com/placeritajhs
Placerita Junior High School 25015 N. Newhall Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
(661) 259-1551
Volume 41 Issue 4 April 2015
Dear Placerita Families,
It is amazing to me every year how fast the year flies by! We are already into April, and quite honestly, it feels like just a few weeks ago that we were starting the year in the fall. At this point, we have many, many groups from Hart High School on our campus weekly introducing our eighth grade students to the plethora of opportunities they will have to “get involved” with programs, athletics, performing groups, clubs, competitions, and more in their high school years.
We hope all our 8th graders are anxiously considering what they will choose to get involved with, or try something new. It has been shown that the more a student is involved in school programs, the better their sense of belonging and purpose, and the better they do academically from personal motivation. Talk with your 8th grader about what they want to be involved in next year!
Our website will continually be a great resource for 8th grade families to stay on top of our end-of-the year activities. Please plan on attending Hart’s Open House starting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 2nd to walk around, visit classrooms, and get a feel for what it’s like to walk around campus. Then
head over to the “Future Freshman Orientation” at 7:00 p.m. in their Auditorium as your first, most important step in getting acquainted to what High School will be like next year! I would like to publicly thank all families whose students took the NAEP exam in the end of February. If you recall, our school was randomly selected from all schools in the nation to participate again this year. The NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) provides the Federal government with a snapshot of a wide variety and cross-section of students all over the country in order to compile the Nation’s Report Card annually. We were complimented more than once on how extraordinary our students were in their focus, attention, cooperation, and ability to follow directions well. Great job! We were SO proud to hear our students described in such a glowing, positive light from completely objective test administrators brought here from outside our district. They complimented our teachers and families on preparing our students well to handle this a new form of assessment with such delightful, positive attitudes. Well done, everyone! As we know, our own California State testing is fast approaching at the end of this school year. All our students in both grades will take exams in English and Math. This test, called the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) has (Continued on page 6)
PAGE 2 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
Counselors’ Corner
Mrs Solis
(A-Ha)
Mrs. Villasenor
(He-Re)
Mrs. Noriega-Silvas
(Ri- Z and
vsolis@hartdistrict.org svillasenor@hartdistrict.org
all English Language Learners)
cnoriega@hartdistrict.org
UPCOMING DATES FOR COUNSELING
DEPARTMENT
April 21: 8th Grade NJHS Ceremony April 22: 7th Grade NJHS Ceremony April 28: College Planning Night Apr 29-May 22: State Testing Dates May 13: 8th grade Awards Night
June 2: 8th Grade Promotion Trip to Magic Mountain
GETTING READY FOR HIGH SCHOOL
On March 25-26, all 8th graders were given “Getting Ready for High School” in a navy blue folder. On April 14th, students will be given Hart registration materials to be put in the folder. We hope you will read these materials with your children to learn about high school, college, and the world of work. If your child has not shown you this folder, be sure to ask for it, because the Hart registration materials need your signature by April 28th.
In April, every 8th grader will bring home a detailed letter regarding end-of-the-year activities. Please read it carefully and make note of all dates. Be sure your child understands that participation in the 8th grade activities is a privilege. Students who do not earn enough credits, who misbehave, or who do not clear their debts may not be allowed to participate. COLLEGE INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS - April 28 at 7:00 p.m. in Tanner Hall Are you concerned that your student will be college-ready and have plenty of choices after high school? Because the college application process has changed and the variety of higher academic programs has increased, Carita Del Valle, an Independent Education Consultant of Academic Decisions, LLC, will be in Tanner Hall to offer advice by presenting options and answering questions.
Topics will include college basics, admission trends, enrollment management, preparing for college at school and off-campus, enrichment and involvement, testing and course selection, creating your college list, developing one’s non-academic factors, and a host of other concerns important to middle school students.
SUMMER SCHOOL AND SUMMER SPORTS PROGRAM
Credit-deficient 7th graders and 8th graders who do not promote are required to attend summer school from July 1 through July 31 for ten credits. All English Language Learners, Special Education students, and students who have struggled in math and/or English are strongly encouraged to attend summer school. Promoting 8th graders may repeat Algebra 1A and/or 1B at Golden Valley, Hart, or Valencia High Schools if necessary. Summer school registration forms can be found on the district website and must be returned to the counseling office by May 8th. Eighth graders who wish to take part in the summer sports program must return their form as soon as possible. If your child cannot attend summer school, there are correspondence courses that can be completed over the summer. Five credit junior high and high school courses are available for approximately $115. For
Keystone Credit Completion, go to
www.creditmakeup.com.
For information about the CSUN Summer Academic Enrichment Program from June 22–July 24, go to www.saep.net.
COC SUMMER INSTITUTE – July 13-17 and July 20-24
Students can experience something exciting this summer! COC is offering a week-long summer camp where students can learn about Sports Medicine, Photography, Architecture, Video Game Design, Healthcare, and Robotics. The cost to attend the summer camp is $225. If you are interested, please visit their website at www.canyons.edu/ and search for COC Summer Institute.
SCREEN-FREE WEEK (May 6-10)
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is a nonprofit that encourages children and adults to watch much less television in order to promote healthier lives and communities.
Go to http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/
PAGE 3 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR
VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
By Mrs. Ludlow
As the end of the school year drawsnear, the library will be collecting books and closing its doors. Please read the following information carefully as it pertains to all students on campus.
All library books are due by Tuesday, May 19th. (This
does not include textbooks!)
T
he final day that the library will be open to students before school, during lunch, and after school will be Thursday, May 21st.Mark your calendars for textbook return. Students were issued home sets of textbooks which must be returned in May. Please note, math workbooks DO NOT need to be returned. Students will be turning in their textbooks through their SCIENCE class on the following days:
8th graders will turn in all textbooks on Tuesday, May 26th.
7th graders will turn in all textbooks on Thursday, May 28th.
A week before textbook collection, each student will receive a printout of all the materials checked out to them along with any fees incurred this school year.
Please help your child locate all books/textbooks that have been checked out to him/her.
Remove all book covers, clean out papers, and erase any marks before returning the textbooks.
Remember, students will be charged for any damage noted in their textbooks but not marked on the
textbook contracts that were filled out in the beginning of the year.
A special note for parents of 8th grade students:
Students who do not return their textbooks and/or library books on time and students with outstanding library debts may lose end-of-the-year privileges (such as the 8th
Grade Trip, 8th Grade Bash, In-N-Out Food Day, etc.).
Please make every effort to assist your child in taking care of their library responsibilities.
Summer
Please encourage your child to keep reading over the summer! It is the perfect time for him/her to find a good book and read without any academic pressure. Take your child to a bookstore or go to the public library. Perhaps your child would like to join a teen book club or summer reading program. Our city has both! For more information, go to http://www.santaclaritalibrary.com. For fun, creative summer reading ideas, visit Reading is Fundamental at http://www.rif.org/summer.
Lastly, there are several websites available to assist your child in selecting a book that is both interesting and appropriate. Common Sense Media provides “age-based media reviews and
information”--http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews .
Good Reads has book reviews, trivia,
etc.--http://www.goodreads.com/ Finally, What Should I Read Next provides title suggestions based on books your child has already read and enjoyed--
http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com.
Congratulations to the Placerita Ballroom Team!!!
Twenty-three students competed at the High Desert Dance Classic ballroom Dance Force youth competition at the Antelope Valley college on Sunday. The team included Jonathan Baltazar, Angelo Bornn, Jasen Castillo, Luke Christensen, Reese Duffy, Colin Ferry, Charlie Johnson, Jason Nunez, Garrett Richards, Crystal Salinas, Geneva Reyes, Natalia Serrano, Amerisse Lopez, Shelby Grubbs, Lauren Nivichanov, Jade Villanueva, Samantha Nassief, Daryn Russo-Biel, Fernanda Cisneros, Lluvia Partida, Nicole Pahuyo, Sara Molidar, and Natasha Tobler.
The team competed against other 7th and 8th grade couples in the Tango, Salsa, Cha Cha, and Jive. The competition was fierce but EVERYONE on our team made it to the semi-finals!!
The top prizes went to the following students: Tango--5th place: Colin Ferry and Nicole Pahuyo 3rd place: Jasen Castillo and Jade Villanueva Cha Cha--4th place: Colin Ferry and Nicole Pahuyo 3rd place: Charlie Johnson and Sara Molidar Jive--3rd place: Colin Ferry and Shelby Grubbs Jack and Jill Cha Cha--6th place: Angelo Bornn
Congratulations to all of the Placerita students who participated. Mrs. Burrill and Mrs. Sucheck are very proud of you!
Notes
PAGE 4 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
U-N-A-N-I-M-O-U-S S-U-P-E-R-I-O-R!!!!!
The String Orchestra participated in the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Asso-ciation Music Festival at Littlerock High School on March 5. The Orchestra received the top rating of UNANIMOUS SUPERIOR!! The String Orchestra performed beautifully with much expertise and accura-cy at the event. Many students and music educators who attended this festival were highly impressed with the Orchestra.
The Advanced Band participated in the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Asso-ciation Festival at West Ranch High School on March 24, 2015. The Advanced Band also received the top rating of UNANIMOUS SUPERIOR!! I am so proud of the hard work and commitment to practice displayed by all the members of this year’s Advanced Band.
Congratulations to all members of the String Orchestra and the Advanced Band for earning the highest rating at the Music Festivals!!!!!!!
This year’s extraordinary District Junior High Honor Band Concert was held at the Wm. S. Hart Auditorium, March 7, 2015 under the direction of Ms. Anne Fruehling, Director of Bands at Colina Mid-dle School in Thousand Oaks. It was a great moment for Placerita with 28 of our band members partici-pating!! Congratulations on a superb performance by all Honor Band musicians. It was truly a memora-ble musical experience. The Honor Band keeps getting better and stronger!
A special congratulations to Hannah Kufor receiving the Junior High Honor Band Award in the District. She had been selected as the honor band recipient of this award due to her position as prin-cipal chair oboist for two consecutive years. (YOU’RE AWESOME – HANNAH!)
The 2015 Choral Festival will take place on Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at Grace Baptist Church in Valencia. Our singers are rehearsing with enthusiasm and striving to be the most dynamic Jr. High Cho-rus in the District. It is indeed an incredible evening of music! I love this annual event with the ChoCho-rus. It’s great to see and experience the music of the many that represent choir members from the junior high school, high school and college vocal programs in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The Jazz Ensemble began their series of after school rehearsals the start of February, 2015. Ensem-ble members are selected from top honor band audition scores. It’s great fun with the addition of musi-cians playing piano, bass, guitar and drums. Different styles of jazz are introduced to the musimusi-cians: swing, mambo, bossa nova, and just good old rock and roll. The Jazz Ensemble is scheduled for their first performance at Placerita’s Open HouseonThursday, April 23, 2015. Also, look for us in the quad for a casual lunch performance in May and the Annual Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.
Spring Schedule Music Event Calendar
April 23, 2015 Open House at Placerita 6:30 PM Advanced Band & Jazz Ensemble
April 28, 2015 30 Annual Choral Music Festival 6:30 PM Grace Baptist Church in Valencia
May 5, 2015 Annual Spring Concert I: All Bands 7:00 PM Wm. S. Hart Auditorium
May 12, 2015 Annual Spring Concert II -String Orchestra & Chorus 7:00 PM Wm. S. Hart Auditorium
We’ll catch you up with all of our performances in the next newsletter! Musically Yours,
PAGE 5 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR
VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
APRIL IS STRESS AWARENESS MONTH
Feeling stressed out? You are not alone. According to the American Psychological Association, one-third of Americans feel that they are living with extreme stress, with money and work taking the biggest toll. Nearly half of Americans believe that stress is affecting their work and home life. If your child seems overly stressed to you, be sure to call the school counselor. We’re here to help!
Counselors’ Corner (Continued from page 2)
HELPING CHILDREN OVERCOME TEST ANXIETY
Test anxiety is almost universal. In fact, it is unusual to find a student who doesn’t approach a big test without a high level of anxiety. Test anxiety can cause a host of problems in students, such as upset stomach, headache, loss of focus, fear, irritability, anger, and even depression.
Research has shown that providing students with tools and strategies that build both emotional skills and healthy physical habits when preparing for a test can help them overcome test anxiety and the associated symptoms, while improving their ability to prepare for and perform on critical testing. It’s important to help students identify what they are feeling and give them tools that will help them learn to manage emotions such as anxiety, self-doubt, anger, or frustration. The proper physical habits enable students to have enough energy and stamina for their brain to do its job of thinking and analyzing for a sustained period of time.
Share these tips with your children ahead of time to better prepare them emotionally and physically for test taking.
Practice the neutral tool: When you have uncomfortable feelings about whether you will do well on the test, practice the neutral tool. It’s important to catch negative mind loops that reinforce self-doubt or uncomfortable feelings. Every time you catch a negative thought repeating itself, stop the loop and practice going to neutral. Breathe deeply. Breathe as if your breath is flowing in and out through the center of your chest. Breathe quietly and naturally, four-five seconds on the in-breath, and four-five seconds on the out-breath. While you’re breathing, try and find an attitude of calmness about the situation. Do this in the days leading up to the test, right before, and during the test.
Address the what-if questions: A lot of times before we have to do something like take a test, much of the anxi-ety we feel is a build-up from negative “what-if’” thoughts. What if I fail, what if I can’t remember anything, or what if I run out of time. Try writing a what-if question that is positive and can help you take the big deal out of the situation and begin to see things in a different way. Examples of these kinds of questions are, “What if I can remember more than I think I can?” “What if I can feel calmer than I think I can?”
Think good thoughts: Science is showing that good feelings like appreciation can actually help your brain work better. When you feel nervous or anxious, try this. Remember something that makes you feel good. Maybe it is your pet or how you felt when you got a big hug from your mom, or how you felt after a fun day at the amusement park with your friends. After you remember how you felt, hold that feeling. Let yourself feel that feeling for 10-20 seconds or more. It’s important to let yourself really feel that good feeling all over again. Practice this tool right before the big test.
Get enough sleep: Big tests require a lot of energy and stamina to be able to focus for several hours. Make sure you get at least eight-10 hours of sleep the night before the test.
Have fun: Do something fun the night before to take your mind off the test, like see a movie, play a board game with your family, or participate in a sports activity. That way your mind and emotions are more relaxed in the time leading up to the test.
Eat a hearty breakfast: The brain needs a lot of energy to maintain focus on a big test for several hours. Eat a hearty and healthy breakfast, including complex carbohydrates and protein to make your energy last as long as possible. Foods such as eggs, cereal, and whole-wheat toast help energize your brain to think more clearly and much longer compared with the fast-disappearing bolt of energy from drinking a soda pop or eating a cookie for breakfast. For a snack food, bring simple foods such as peanut butter and crackers, cheese and crackers or a burri-to burri-to sustain energy until lunch.
Practicing these tools in advance of and during a test can help students limit test anxiety and per-form even better on their school work.
This material has been provided by the Institute of HeartMath (www.heartmath.org),a nonprofit research and edu-cation organization specializing in research on how stress and emotions impact learning and performance.
PAGE 6 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
two parts for both subjects. It is long and involved, therefore, we will spread it out in a manner that will be easily manageable for our students. This is the first year that scores will be reported, and families will get feedback on your student’s performance level over the summer. In this “baseline year”, we simply encourage all our students to do their best, and continue to grow and improve every year. If you would like more information about these statewide assessments, feel free to look at these websites:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/ or
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/parents-students/ Look for the exact testing schedule on page 10 in this newsletter that your students can anticipate and prepare for. We will have a number of “block schedule days” where students attend only 3 classes each day. But those classes will be twice as long as usual – 100 minutes, instead of the usual 49 minute periods in a regular day.
At the end of every year, I am exceedingly thankful for the amount of helping hands that have made our events possible and successful. This year, I have been privileged to work with some amazing ladies within our PAC organization. Thank you personally to Angie Hall, Denise Shirley, Carolyne Snow, and Julia Pack for ALL your efforts with monthly staff appreciation, PAC meetings, food, coordinating volunteers for every event, and all our fabulous restaurant nights which raised an unprecedented $2300 for our Science department! That’s amazing! We have completely funded the “frogs” for dissection through that money alone. We have also partially funded the upcoming “Reptile Guy” presentations, and will spend the rest on lab supplies for hands-on science experiment. Thank you SO much to everyone who attended, ate great food, and made these events so incredibly successful on our behalf!
In light of recent events that have affected our school personally in the news and on social media, the information I had prepared for you about “safe cell phone use” is timely and pertinent for you to continue to educate, monitor, and protect your children. If you attended the social media presentation a few months ago on how to keep your children safe with cell phones and other means of electronic communication, you may have seen the “Technology Contract” for parents and children. We have attached it to our school website so you may print it out and use it as necessary within your family if you choose. The
humorous writing style of this particular contract provides a poignant conversation between parents and children about responsibility, maturity, relationships, and valuable advice. It should give you a starting point for some important and timely discussions you may want to have with your children. Feel free to use it, modify it, adapt or adopt it, and start having direct conversations with your child about issues in this contract that can potentially save them from heartache, trouble, wrong choices, mistakes, and difficulties in the future. Additionally, our whole school heard my personal message last week over the Miner Morning TV announcements about social media safety, and how posting anything online stays there forever. In classes as teachers talk with classes about online safety, we have been stressing the reality of this “electronic footprint”, and how students need to be extremely cautious about every word they post and “like” on other people’s messages. Together, we can provide positive solutions to keep our students on the right path, learn responsibility, maintain personal safety, and navigate the enormous “cyber world” as they mature into young adults.
Be sure to mark Thursday, April 23rd on your calendar for our annual Open House! It is always one of my favorite events of the year. Teachers will show-case student work in classrooms. There will be
an incredible silent auction full of great basket items in the gym. You’ll see performances, hear music, and just enjoy a wonderful night of taking pride in your student’s work. Seventh grade families are welcome to check out the eighth grade classrooms, too, in order to get a sneak peek at what your student will be doing next year! It’s a great, positive night. We hope you can come anytime between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Have a great remaining Quarter 4 - the best yet!
Principal’s Perspective (Continued from page 1)
SILENT AUCTION ITEMS NEEDED
For Open House — Thursday, April 23rd
Benefitting the Physical Education Department Bring any donations to your PE teachers betweennow and April 20th.
Previous items include gift cards, tickets to events, gift baskets, golf foursomes, you name it!
Contact Mrs. Tait with any questions:
mtait@hartdistrict.org
PAGE 7 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR
VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
Student of the Month Winners
Caring (December/January)
Team Excellence: Perri Barba Dixon and Didier Erdynast
Trailblazers: Lluvia Partida
Explorers: Yoanna Martinez and Leonardo Lopez
Pacesetters: Amy Baldwin and Max Heyborne
Fusion: Alyssa Oakes and Julia Melchiorre
A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E: Isabella Solorio and Hannah Milloy
Adventurers: Marley Teagardin
Q.U.E.S.T: Velen Ramirez
Fairness (February)
Team Excellence: Mary Miles
Trailblazers: Maria Juarez and Ray Sarmiento
Explorers: Yosalette Rivera
Pacesetters: Jhanelle Joson and Cole Shirakata
Fusion: Tyler Thompson and Samantha Erwin
A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E: Danielle Gardner and Gianni Horvat
Adventurers: Hannah Buhle
Q.U.E.S.T: Chad Hutchinson
Congratulations to all of our Students of the Month.
At Placerita, Character Counts!
PJHS Dance Department Proudly Present…..
“Dancin’ The Night Away” 2015
By Mrs. Sucheck
Placerita Junior High School’s Dance Department will be performing its 15
thannual spring dance production on Thursday, April 16 at the Hart High
School Auditorium. The show begins at 7:00pm and will feature over 150
beginning through advanced dancers from Placerita’s dance elective
pro-gram. There will be something for everyone, including hip-hop, jazz,
lyri-cal, tap, novelty, and ballet.
Tickets are $8.00 each and will be sold during brunch in the quad and also
at the Hart Auditorium the night of the production. They will go on sale
beginning March 30. All proceeds from the dance show go into next year’s
production.
Placerita’s dance program began several years ago as a single quarter
-long elective class, and has evolved over the years
to now include five year-long classes. Classes are offered at all levels and include any student who has the desire to
learn the art of dance. Placerita’s campus has a studio with professional dance floors, wardrobe cabinets for
cos-tumes, and beautiful mirrors. Students not only learn the skills they need for technique and performance, but they are
in an environment that encourages physical, emotional, artistic, and social development.
PAGE 8 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
Counselors’ Corner (Continued from page 5)
TRAINING, INTERVENTION, DRUG EDUCATION
As a high risk teen counselor and a certified addiction specialist, I know that at risk students can be found in the school setting be it a junior or senior high school. Many families find themselves in “stormy” situations when their teenager goes through the difficult period of development called adolescence.
These crises are often accompanied by rebellion, drug and alcohol abuse and dependency, poor communication, low self-esteem, disrespect for authority, lack of motivation, academic problems and conflicts associated with peer pressure and the stress and strains associated with living in today’s society.
Not all students fall apart during adolescent development. However, there are teens making wrong decisions with regard to teen drug and alcohol use, and that drug use spills into their lives at school. Some kids are coming to school high or drunk and some kids are selling drugs on school campuses. It’s a fact of life and is happening in all communities across the nation.
It used to be when teens were in trouble and involved with substance abuse there was an immediate suspension and/or expulsion from school. But most times school administrators felt the need to help students beyond suspensions and expulsions and found that often times zero tolerance policies were just not working.
Locally, the need to extend a helping hand to at-risk teens and school administrators who want to impact student lives positively has created a partnership with Action Family Counseling and the William S. Hart School District called TIDE (Training, Intervention, Drug Education), which is an alternative to suspensions and expulsions.
Students who are referred to the program are referred by school administrators in collaboration with their parents and must commit to and successfully complete a three-day intensive education program. The intervention program is highly structured, and is not a one-shot lecture or video about the ills of drug use, but offers an open group format, group role playing, drug education, life coaching and decision making skills, and more, helping teens take control of their lives and reintegrate them back into a successful school experience.
I applaud the William S. Hart Union High School District for their strength and leadership on behalf of their students, all students in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Cary Quashen is the founder and president of Action Parent & Teen Support Group Programs, Action Family Counseling, and the Action Zone Teen Center in the Santa Clarita Valley. For further information call 297-4660 or visit www.actionfamily.org.
Ten Tips for Parents of Adolescents
1. Adolescents need your love and encouragement.2. Adolescents tell you to go away, but they secretly want you to stay involved with their lives.
3. Children are born with particular personalities and that’s who they are. Learn to accept the gift.
4. Adolescents all have hormones, which take over at some point, usually in 8th grade.
5. Teenagers think they’re invulnerable, which really is something for you to worry about. (Drugs, sex, alcohol!)
6. Even the best kids make mistakes and sometimes lie, cheat, or steal. Give consequences when you’re calm.
7. Adolescents need boundaries set by you. You should know where your middle schooler is at all times.
8. No one likes doing homework, but that’s their job. Employers will expect good attendance and good work effort.
9. Their telephone, computer, television, and bedroom door belong to YOU. Be the parent, not a friend.
10. Don’t worry so much about the future. All students can and will go to college if that’s what they want to do.
PAGE 9 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR
VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
National Junior Honor Society
NEWS and IMPORTANT DATES!!!
Just a reminder that all students who completed their 10 community service hours
and have maintained and upheld the ideals of National Junior Honor Society will
be receiving their invitations to the induction ceremonies in the next few weeks.
Please be aware of some important upcoming dates;
Tuesday, April 21
st–
MANDATORY 8th grade rehearsal from 2:45-3:30 in Placerita GYM*
- Induction ceremony is that evening at Hart High School at 6:30p.m.**
Wednesday, April 22
nd-
MANDATORY 7th grade rehearsal is from 2:45-3:30 in Placerita GYM*
- Induction ceremony is that evening at Hart High School at 6:30p.m.**
* Rehearsal is mandatory to attend the induction ceremony!
** Students need to arrive at Hart at 6 p.m. on the day of the ceremony.
K I D F L I X & R O B O T I C S
This year has been a tremendous success for the Kid Flix Video Production and LEGO Robotics programs!
Kid Flix has worked on more videos than ever before and walked away with an honorable men-tion in the Fall Namen-tional Competimen-tion “Best News Story/News Feature”. During the first week in April, thirty-two students will travel to San Diego for the annual Student Television Network Convention. There, along with over 2700 other students, they will attend breakout sessions and compete in many different on-site competitions. We are all very excited to learn about new and improved ways to take our program to the next level! We are also very proud to announce the return of our summer video academy for students that would like to learn more about video pro-duction. The academy will take place the week of June 15th. Stop by the Kid Flix Studios dur-ing Open House to find out more information.
The LEGO Robotics program has also had a banner year. Twenty-four students competed in the Fall season of First LEGO League where we were able to walk away with awards in the “Core Values” area. Then in the Winter, twenty students competed in the Spring Show-down at LEGOLAND winning 1st and 2nd place in the On The Spot Challenges. We are very proud of how far they have come and all they have accomplished.
This Spring, the LEGO Robotics Club will become the “LEGO Architectural Club”. This club has a unique challenge which will take a few years to complete. Our goal: create a scale model of Placerita built out of LEGOs. This upcoming quarter, the students will do an archi-tectural study of the school and begin building a few models.
If any of our wonderful Placerita families have any LEGO bricks just lying around and would like to donate them to this club, we would be more than happy to accept them. We are especially looking for red, blue and white bricks and plates or any size. Have your students bring them to room 202.
PAGE 10 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR
VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
Talent Show!!!
Our after school drama club will be sponsoring the 2
ndAnnual “
Miners
Got Talent”
show on Friday, May 22nd at 7:00 p.m. This year’s theme
will be a
YouTube Takeover Extravaganza!
We want all our talented
students to perform!! Come audition any Tuesday or Thursday after
school in the drama room 1101. If you have any questions, please contact our Drama
Club Director, Mary Ferguson at (661) 313-3326 or email her at
mlynnathome@yahoo.com
.
We will see you all in Tanner Hall the night of the show!
Testing Schedule
Full Day BLOCK Schedules – 100 minute periods
Regular School Hours 8:10 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.
Both 7th and 8th grade students take English and Math Tests. Science test is for 8th grade only.
Students test in their normal classroom settings. Other days not listed are regular school days.
Wed. 4/29 (Per. 1, 3, 5) English Computer Test Science Part 1 (Grade 8) Thurs. 4/30 (Per. 2, 4, 6) English Computer Test Science Part 1 (Grade 8) Mon. 5/4 (Per. 2, 4, 6) Math Computer Test
Tues. 5/5 (Per. 1, 3, 5) Math Computer Test
Wed. 5/6 (Per. 2, 4, 6) Math Computer Test Science Part 2 (Grade 8) Thurs. 5/7 (Per. 1, 3, 5) Math Computer Test Science Part 2 (Grade 8) Tues., 5/12 (Per. 1, 3, 4) Math Performance Task
Wed., 5/13 (Per. 2, 5, 6) Math Performance Task Tues., 5/19 (Per. 6, 5, 4) English Performance Task Wed., 5/20 (Per. 3, 2, 1) English Performance Task Thurs., 5/21 (Per. 6, 5, 4) English Performance Task Fri., 5/22 (Per. 3, 2, 1) English Performance Task
C i v i l W a r D a y
F r i d a y , M a y 1 5 t h
On May 15th, the Placerita History Department is proud to host our
Annual 8th Grade Civil War Day. We are pleased to announce that
this year we will be expanding Civil War Day to all 8th grade class
periods! We will be having a variety of re
-
enactors (including our
16th President, Abraham Lincoln), infantry troops, artillery, Civil War food, dancing, and a
range of other activities from this exciting time period. Students will learn in greater detail
about what it was like for Americans throughout the country during this key period of
Ameri-can History. Parents are always welcome to attend Civil War Day
-
please contact your child's
history teacher for further details.
August Dates:
8/5
8th Grade Registration
8/6
7th Grade Registration
8/13
1st Day of School
May Dates:
5/1
Progress Reports
5/5
Band Concert
5/12
Orchestra / Choir Concert
5/13
8th Grade Awards Night
7 pm Hart High Auditorium
5/15
Civil War Day
5/21
ELAC Meeting
5/22
All District Track Meet
–
COC
5/25
No School
—
Memorial Day
5/26
8th Grade Textbooks Due
5/26
8th Grade IN-N-OUT Truck
5/28
7th Grade Textbooks Due
5/29
Yearbook Distribution
PAGE 11 PLACERITA PROSPECTOR VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
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April 2015
June Dates:
6/2
8th Grade Magic Mountain Trip
6/3
8th Grade Bash
6/4
Minimum Day
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LAST DAY OF
SCHOOL
6/5
No School-Teacher Work Day
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June 2015
April Dates:
4/6-10 Spring Break
4/16
Dance Show
4/17
Student of the Month Brunch
4/20-24 Book Fair
4/21
National Jr. Honor Society
Induction 8th Grade
4/22
National Jr. Honor Society
Induction 7th Grade
4/21-23 8th Graders Register for
High School
4/23
Minimum Day - Open House
4/28
PAC Meeting 12noon
Tanner Hall
4/28
College Planning 6:30 pm
Tanner Hall
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PAC News
by Angie Hall and Denise Shirley, PAC Co-Presidents
PLACERITA PROSPECTOR PAGE 12
VOLUME 41 ISSUE 4
Last PAC Meeting
of the Year
Tuesday,
April 28, 2015
12:00 noon, Tanner Hall
It is always bittersweet to know another school year is coming to an end. We will miss our 8th grade families as some move on to Hart High School. We will also welcome our incoming new parents for next year. And we know personally how fast two years go by, and how much our chil-dren grow and change from the time they enter to the time they leave. As proud parents, we have firsthand knowledge of how great Placerita is as a school. We are absolutely thrilled how much every staff member personal cares for our students every day. If you have the opportunity, please share with any incoming parents how they can be part of the Placerita family and the best ways to support their students. We are so privileged to have our students in this outstanding school!
Volunteering is always a great way to meet other parents and stay connected with what is happening at school. We will have more opportunities for par-ents to help with the end-of-the-year activities, as well as preparing all the registration packets in Ju-ly. We always need large teams of parent volun-teers to run the registration stations in August.
Please contact us if you are available to help next summer with stuffing the registration packets, or running the stations for 8th grade registration on Wednesday, August 5th, or 7th grade registration on Thursday, August 6th. More helping hands make light work! Thank you in advance for consid-ering it. We cannot run events like registration without all our parent volunteers.
Our Parent Advisory Council next year will also have some vacant officer positions. Please feel free to attend our last PAC meeting of the year on Tuesday, April 28 at 12:00 noon in Tanner Hall where we will hear from two guest speakers: Dr. Collyn Nielsen, Principal of Hart High School, and Mrs. Vicki Engbrecht, District Superintendent. They always bring us the latest news of events go-ing on as well as “the State of the District” for up-dates and important information.
Have a great end to this school year, and we look forward to working with as many parents as are available through the summer and into next school year .
