Progress Reports Available Online
In order to save the costs of mailing, students will carry home hard copy progress reports this year. The first progress report will come home with students on Sept. 24, however, parents may access progress report information online on Sept. 22, through Infinite Campus. Parents can visit http://www.hartdistrict.org/index.php/campus/campus-parent-account-support to sign up and start the process to gain instant access to accurate, current and confidential information about their child(ren)’s school attendance, grades, class assignments and more.
Canyon BBQ Serves Up More Than Great Food
Students in the English Language Development Department at Canyon High School enjoyed a welcome back-to-school BBQ on Aug. 26. Fifty-five students and 25 teachers and administrators and a few parents spent time in a relaxed atmosphere to share success stories, get to know each other and meet alumni students who had been in the program and are now in full mainstream classes. Casey Cuny, EL Department chair, gave a presentation identifying the places around the globe the students came from, which include Peru, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Korea, Guatemala, Jamaica, El Salvador and Mexico. With the success of this first-year event, it is expected to become an annual tradition.
Rio Norte “Backpack Buddies” Benefit Foster Care Kids
Students at Rio Norte Junior High collected backpacks as an annual back-to-school service project created by the Resourceful Riverhawk Club. Rio Norte families and friends generously donated more than 40 backpacks this year, stocked full of school supplies for students who do not have the good fortune of going back to school with all they need. This year students chose to give the backpacks to K-8 students who are in foster care, through the Wings of Refuge Family Agency, serving Northern Los Angeles County.
High Schools to Host Free College Planning Workshop
Getting into college is one thing, paying for it is another. Hart, Valencia and Golden Valley High Schools are hosting workshops in October, “Helping Families Pay for College,” to guide families through understanding college tuition, finding the best loans, financial aid and understanding federal college tax programs. The workshops are planned for 7 pm, Oct. 11 at Golden Valley; 7 pm, Oct.12 at Valencia High School and 6 pm, Oct. 14 at Hart. Parents, students and community members are invited to attend any workshop.
Golden Valley Offers New Screenwriting Class
Juniors and seniors at Golden Valley High School now have a screenwriting class as a Fine Arts elective option, thanks to the Hart District Curriculum Council, who voted unanimously to approve this new class, just in time for this semester. The class is being taught by English teacher John Salapatek, who is also a professional screenwriter with credits including “Children of the Corn 666″ for Dimension Films. Salapatek is grateful for the support of his administration and counseling department as his dream class is now a reality. This is a two-semester class that provides students the opportunity to write a 30-page screenplay the first semester and a 90-120 page script at the end of the second semester. The class is approved for the UC admission fine art requirement.
“Mr. Sal” pauses the film version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and leads the class in a discussion of the differences between the screenplay and the final film.
Valencia Swimmer Helps Special Olympic Kids
Foothill league 200-meter freestyle record holder Micaela Velasquez is making a big splash for the Valencia HIgh School Viking swim team, as well as for the Special Olympics Santa Clarita region. Micaela has been involved since junior high, where she helps special needs youngsters of all ages become more comfortable in the pool. She received the Youth Service Award in 2008 and continues to share her love of the pool. Out of the water, the 16-year-old junior is starting to think about college plans and has begun to receive recruiting letters from colleges interested in not only her swimming potential, but her 4.25 GPA and aspirations for a strong future.
Bowman Government Students “Create-A-Country”
Students in Stacey Killinger’s government class at Bowman High School were very creative in their “Create-A-Country” projects. Students were taught about different forms of government, democracies, oligarchies, dictatorships and constitutions and campaigning. Students had to come up with a country name, a flag, a constitution including 15 amendments, a national anthem, and a campaign speech as if they were running for leader of their country. Student’s countries showed the differences in personalities in the classroom and from a political stand point. Some student’s laws were very conservative, while others were very liberal. The different viewpoints of the students made the project just as diverse as the population. Taking a look at how the students would run a government created a strong introduction into learning about the American system.
Arroyo Seco Students See Success in Strategic Math
Strategic Math is an elective class that parallels the core pre-algebra and algebra classes. Students are placed in this class if their math scores are at basic or below. This year there are three classes of seventh graders and one class of eighth graders at Arroyo Seco Junior High, taught by Lise Choate. She works with the students doing Bell Works and formative assessments along with fun math games to re-teach and review the core math standards. Many of the students are seeing much more success in their math class than they ever have before. Choate is proud of her students and hopes that the success will continue throughout the school year.
Canyon Choral Students Share Voice Demonstrations
Canyon High School choral students, Gina Kodel, Jeff Kodel, Jimmy Marino and Suzie Marino, taught choral music to local elementary school students recently. Students were learning about various musical instruments, and since the voice is an instrument, these students were selected to demonstrate the qualities of the various voice parts. Gina demonstrated the soprano voice, while Suzie demonstrated the alto range and quality. Jimmy demonstrated the tenor voice, while Jeff demonstrated the bass range and quality. These students also learned some music on their own. Following a session with local teacher Mary Ann Van Vorheis, who arranged for the students to participate, they presented the choral session at five different Sulphur Springs School District elementary schools with rave reviews.
Rio Norte Students Juggling More than Classes
There is never a dull moment in the PE classes at Rio Norte Junior High School. Students have just started the juggling unit as part of the junior high curriculum. Instruction begins with students practicing the juggling technique using light weight material. The air’s resistance slows down the material so that technique can be perfected before juggling with more solid materials.
Sierra Vista Creative Cookery Students Serve Guests
Parents and students at Sierra Vista Junior High enjoyed punch and cake baked by cooking students at Back-to-School night. The advanced band entertained families with two songs, while the SiViCs community service club collected donations for Lee Denim Day, a breast cancer awareness program.
