Connecting Waters
Charter School
Academic Performance
Index (API)/ Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP):
Our 2002-2003 API score was 623. Congratulations! The API is considered to be the cornerstone
of the statewide accountability system for
Our goal is for all of our students to test this year! Last year only 81% of our students
tested. Having only 81% of our students
test caused us not to meet the participation criteria of the 2003 Adequate
Yearly Progress (AYP). Many of you may not
put a lot of value in state testing, however the state considers it to be the
cornerstone of the statewide accountability system. Our students are receiving an excellent education through
Connecting Waters and we want to be able to show the state that we are doing a
good job. Our testing data will also be used in our accreditation process. Please help the school by making sure that
your student tests in the spring, March 23 through March 25!
Accreditation: We are beginning our WASC/CDE self-study
process. Several CW employees and I
attended the first of three WASC training workshops this month. This self study process will examine what
students know and are able to do. This
process will help our school identify and implement school improvement needs
and supports accountability also.
We will have groups meeting throughout the counties that
CWCS serves. We would like to have at
least one parent and student in each of these groups. You will be meeting once a month in your area. We can’t do it without you, please call our
office today, 1-800-808-9895!
Edusoft: All of our teachers now have a user name
and password for Edusoft and can access their student’s information. Parents will also have the choice to receive
a user name and password. Edusoft will
be used to better prepare our students for standardized testing in the
spring. It will also provide us with
much needed data for our accreditation self-study. Those who sign up are receiving their usernames and
passwords. The ESs are responsible for
training you on how to use this new tool.
Additional trainings may be provided as needed. Please call our office if you are interested
in additional training!
Enrollment: We are still taking applications and
currently have 1312 students enrolled.
Governance:
Our 2003/2004 remaining Parent Council Meetings are
Guidance Department: We have submitted our A-G courses for those
students who have chosen the UC /CSU course of study. Our students are invited
to attend
Learning
Centers/Co-ops: Families continue
to enjoy and use the
SB740 Waiver: We are pleased that we received full
funding two years in a row! We are
thankful for IEM’s financial expertise which enabled us to make the 50/80
spending criteria for the 2002/2003 school year!
Once again, we are having a great year! I hope that all is well with you and you have a wonderful holiday season with family and friends!
A New Law That
Reiterates the Importance of Testing Our Students:
AB1137 - Impact
on Charter Renewal
Assembly Bill (AB) 1137, a bill to amend the
Education Code regarding certain aspects of charter schools, is scheduled to
take effect on January 1, 2004. This bill contains three primary “sections:” 1)
Funding; 2) Oversight and Reporting; 3) Charter Renewal. This legal legislative
update briefly describes the section regarding charter renewal.
Typically, charter schools are “authorized” by a
school district. In charter school parlance, school districts are also known as
“charter granting agencies” or “charter granting authorities.” A charter is a
document that describes certain requirements of the charter school. In exchange
for the accountability contained in the charter document, charter schools are
given more autonomy under the Education Code than traditional public schools.
The initial period of authorization is up to five years, with subsequent
renewals occurring in five year intervals. However, renewal is by no means
automatic. Charter schools must convince their authorizing agency (e.g. school
district) that the terms of the charter document and all legal requirements
have been fulfilled. This is where the new “renewal conditions” for AB 1137
become relevant.
AB 1137 requires charter schools to meet one of
five conditions for renewal. Three of the five conditions, which most apply to
Connecting Waters Charter School (CWCS) are as follows:
In order to meet one of the above conditions, a
minimum of 95% of a school’s students must be tested. Without this minimum,
scores are considered invalid and a charter school will not be able meet one of
the above conditions for renewal. So, if your child is in a charter school, and
you would like to see that school continue in existence, please be certain that
your child participates in the spring statewide testing. For testing dates for
CWCS, go to:
http://www.ieminc.org/Assessment/index.htm#STAR
, click on the CWCS “General Assessment Calendar 2004” and note the STAR
testing dates in March.
For more information on the API, go to: http://api.cde.ca.gov/
Legal and Legislative Updates are provided by Innovative Education Management (IEM) as a service to the parents, students and employees of IEM’s client schools. To request a topic to be addressed in future Updates and/or to provide feedback regarding this or other Updates, email Rolff Christensen, Executive Director at: trolff@ieminc.org
Mark your calendars now for CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) testing- only 10th grade students are allowed to test this year.
February 3(ELA), February 4(Math)
The California Department of Education is requiring a 95% participation rate. Study guides and exam blueprints are available online at the following address: http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/cahsee/index.html
Students are to sign up for the CAHSEE by telling their ES which site they will be attending. The ES will then mark that test site in Citrix.
The California Department of Education is requiring a 95% participation rate for STAR testing.
Please mark your calendars now for these important upcoming dates:
March 23-25 STAR testing-grades 2-11
March 16- only 4th and 7th graders participate in a STAR writing test (March 17 is only for make-ups)
April 14-16 dates are only for STAR makeups!
We will be administering the Physical Fitness Test-for grades 5, 7, 9
only-in conjunction with STAR testing.
It has become vital that students participate in state mandated
testing.
It is also a useful tool in determining appropriate curriculum for
students.
Please keep updated on Assessment dates and deadlines by visiting the
assessment page on your school’s website:
http://www.ieminc.org/Assessment/index.htm
Attention:
This form is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that is available to all students that wish to fill out this form for any aid that might be available to the student attending a college in the United States. The FAFSA is available in both paper form and electronically. The 2004-2005 paper FAFSA is pink for the student copy and purple for the parent copy. It is redesigned with more information about federal and state deadlines. There are more prominent instructions for correcting estimated tax return data once return is completed. The questions have been placed in a different order. The electronic FASFA is referred to as FAFSA on the Web (FOTW) which is available in both English and Spanish at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Over 7% of the FAFSA nationally have been filed electronically. There are several advantages to filing electronically. First of all, the processing time is one week or less. Secondly, there are built-in edit checks for fewer errors. Thirdly, there is immediate confirmation of application submission. Lastly, there is an online chat feature for any questions that may arise. The paper FAFSA has a much larger margin of error which only slows down the entire application process. In order to do the electronic FAFSA, the student must apply for a PIN which serves as a password to complete the form to access private information and sign documents electronically. Once the form is completed, it must be submitted no later than March 2nd although many schools require the application to be submitted earlier than March 2nd but no sooner than January because your previous year tax information is required. Once the student knows the institution that they will be applying to, they need to contact them to find out when their deadline for the FAFSA is. The release of the monies allocated for the different grants are based on need and a first come basis. It is only to the students’ advantage to get their form in as quickly as possible.
Guidance
CWCS Seniors:
Financial Aid Night
6:30 PM, Waterford High School
Auditorium
121 S. Reinway Ave.
Waterford, CA 95386
If you plan to attend call our Waterford
office
at 874-9463.
Senior parents and students are invited
to attend this very important meeting regarding financial aid for: junior
college, trade schools, colleges and universities.
Ms. Wendy Pryschuch, Financial Aid
Director from the University of the Pacific (UOP), will be presenting valuable
tools for accessing the following:
·
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
·
GPA Verification Forms
·
California State Grants/Pell Grants
·
Scholarship Information
·
Other ways to access free money for college!
·
And, much more! Don’t miss out!!
EDUSOFT
A NEW TOOL FOR
SUCCESSFUL LEARNING
By Roxanne Weaver
As a home school parent one of my joys is
feeling confident that my children are exploring and learning well and then
feeling frustrated when testing time arrives. I struggle to understand how to
incorporate the meeting of specific state standards in the curriculum I am
using or how to know what special areas need attention. This is difficult when
I have to try to search out curriculum and then try to match each subject to
state standards. Sorry! I love thematic units and enjoy the adventure our
family has exploring and learning with specific themes in mind. I want to
incorporate new possibilities and different approaches to learning too. However, I know I need state standards to be
included in my weekly curriculum so my children not only have a wonderful
homeschool experience, but also are being equipped to succeed in STAR testing.
Recently I had the opportunity to sit with
our Connecting Waters Administrator,
Modesto/Ceres
Learning Center News
Is your child having trouble with spelling? Are you tired of making him/her write each word three times? Try an incredible program called, “Spelling Power!” Spelling power is a teacher’s guide that gives you easy to understand, step-by-step directions that will give your children spelling power in just 15 minutes per day. It comes with a series of diagnostic tests that helps you quickly determine where each of your students should begin working and what skills should be addressed. Students will be introduced to or review important spelling skills and rules through fun, self-contained tasks.
Spelling Power also comes with a set of activity task cards which are packed with self-directed, skill building games and activities to help build spelling skills. There are over 365 fun, multi-sensory and inductive learning activities that can be used with any spelling program or list. Students may enjoy making cut out letters, acrostic poems, playing spelling baseball, playing match up games, and making tile puzzles. Who said spelling couldn’t be fun?!
December Center Hours:
Please note that these hours are modified due to the holidays.
December 1st-12th M 9-12; 2-4:30 T 11-4:30; W 9-4:30; Th 11-4:30 F 9:30-4:30
December 15th -19th M 9-2; T 11-4:30; W 9-2; Th 11-4:30; F 9-4:30
December 22nd –Jan 2nd Closed for Winter Break
Prospective Class List:
Modesto Learning Center
Prospective Spring Classes
*Classes subject to change
Monday
2 – 3:00 Psychology (12 wk) 9th – 12th Dr. Joanna Case $145
3 – 4:00 Public Speaking 9th- 12th Dr. Joanna Case $145
4:00 - 5:00 Electricity 7th – 12th Mr. Varner $55
Monday & Wednesday
12:30 – 2:30 Choir 9th – 12th Viginia Glick $288
Tuesday
9:00 – 10:15 1/20/04 Better Writing (8 wk) 5th –7th Wendy Arotca $7 SS
10:30 – 11:30 1/20/04 Better Writing (8 wk) 3rd – 4th Wendy Arotca $7 SS
1:00 – 2:00 HS Writing 8th – 11th T. Matranga $144
Tuesday & Thursday
11:00 – 12:00 Spanish 1 2nd – 6th Bob Monroe $130
12:00 – 1:00 Spanish 1 (2nd sem.) 7th- 12th Bob Monroe $130
Wednesday
9:00 – 12:15 Hands on Science Daneen Campa $112
10:30 – 11:00 Math Prep Daneen Campa $112
11:30 – 12:30 Arts and Crafts K – 6th Debbie Siam $84
12:00 – 1:00 Spanish 1 (1st sem.) 7th –12th Bob Monroe
$130
12:45 – 1:45 Arts and Crafts 6th – 10th Debbie Siam $84
2:00 – 3:00 Health and Exercise 2nd – 6th Debbie Siam $84
Thursday
9:00 - 3:30 Piano K - 12th Cathy Pearson $225
12:00 – 12:45 Violin K – 12th Caroline Wallace TBA
Friday
9:30 – 10:15 1/23/04 Learn to Draw K – 6th Judy Gray $110
9:30 –11:00 ~Algebra II 9th – 12th Dennis Jones $242
10:30 – 11:45 1/23/04 Basic Drawing 7th – 12th Judy Gray $110
11:00 – 12:30 ~Chemistry 9th – 12th Dennis Jones $242
12:00 – 1:00 1/23/04 Guitar Beginning Level Judy Gray $154
1:00-2:00 1/23/04 Guitar Int/ Advanced Judy Gray $154
12:15 – 2:15 Pre-Algebra 7th – 12th John Pelezynski $216
2:30 – 4:30 Algebra 1 Lab 7th – 12th John Pelezynski $216
~Possible class
* All classes begin the first week in January unless noted in parenthesis
Manteca Learning Center
News
Cathy Moretto, Site Program Coordinator
Kim Davis & Kathrin Gardea, Site Clerks
Closed Mondays
Tuesday- Thursday 9-4
Friday 10-3:30
We will be closed 11/22-1/6 for
Christmas/Winter Break. Have a wonderful time off.
209-239-7306
Edusoft: We now have a computer and scanner for parent use for Edusoft. With
it, you are able to create or find assessment tests for use in preparing your
child for STAR testing March 23-25. You can also scan your tests onto the web
to keep an online gradebook. With the need to get at least 95% of our students
tested or risk losing our Charter School, preparing your child to test is more
important than ever. Ask your ES to sign you up for a free Edusoft account.
Materials: We just received about 20 more boxes of materials for student use.
Come in and see if we have what you are looking for.
Library: We are still looking for someone to organize our huge selection of
paperbacks and hardcover books into age/interest groups so they will be more
accessible to everyone. This would be a one-time commitment. Please call the
site at 239-7306 if you can help us.
Support - Now that the instructional funds account has been credited
with funds for the second semester, please consider assigning some of
the funding to support your local site. The two sites, in Ceres and
Manteca, are completely paid for through your designation of funds from
instructional funding. Our budgets are only about half funded right
now so we are looking at reducing hours and eliminating classes held at
the sites. We are asking for full support of $55 for Elementary and
$72.50 for High School students for second semester. If you find that
you have a surplus, that can be designated for the site also under
generous support. Ask your ES about how to help us keep the lights on.
If you have already filled out a site
support agreement for the year,
thank you very much.
Classes: Now is the time to start planning
for next semester. See below for our list of classes offered in the Spring.
Manteca
Course Name Grades Dates Time
Instructor Cost
TUESDAYS
Better Writing 5-7 8 Weeks 1-2:15 W.
Arotca $7
(School Sponsored) 1/20-3/9
Better Writing 3-4 8 Weeks 2:30-3:30 W. Arotca $7
(School Sponsored) 1/20-3/9
HS Writing 7-11 1/6-8/18 11-12:00 T. Matranga $144
Zebra (Painting) 4-12 1/6-5/18 9-11:00 T.
Treasures $220 PO
Call Michelle Dunwoody for availability 572-4425
Seascape(Painting) 4-12 1/6-5/18
11-1:00 T. Treasures $220
Floral (Painting) 4-12 1/6-5/18 1-2:00 T.
Treasures $160
Landscape(Painting) 4-12 1/6-5/18 2-3:00 T.
Treasures $160
WEDNESDAYS
Math 1-3 1/7-3/3
10-11:00 J. Sandberg $45
Intro To
Illustration 2-4
1/7-5/18 9-10:00 P.
Maness $125
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAYS
Computer-Aided
Illustration 9-12
1/7-5-19 10-11:00 P.
Maness $250
THURSDAYS
Intermediate
Illustration 5-8
1/8-5/19 9-10:00 P.
Maness $125
WEDNESDAY/FRIDAYS
Grammar & Lit. 9-12 1/7-5/19 12-1:00 J.
Case $205
Psychology 9-12 1/7-5/19 1-2:00 J. Case $205
Public Speaking 9-12 1/7-5/19 2-3:00 J. Case $205
FRIDAYS
Math 3-5
1/7-3/3 10-11:00 J. Sandberg $45
Also Available Offsite
*Science Camp (Outdoor Education) Grades 5 & 6, April 26-30 at
Redwood Camp,
*Ice skating- Oak Park Ice Rink,
*Karate- Mitoses,
Also at Mitoses: Little Dragons, 4-6 year olds, $45 month, Wed. 5-6 p.m. &
Sat. 9-10 a.m.
*Cindy's
*Esteem Dance- In Ripon. Ballet & Jazz. Call for prices & details.
599-2046
*Gymstars- Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Karate, & Hip Hop Dance,
(THE BEST WEB SITES FOR TEACHERS, FOURTH EDITION)
A+ Math
A+ Math features an
interactive game room where elementary school students can practice online
their math skills. Students will find
flashcard and advanced problem
programs as well as
hidden picture and concentration-like games.
In addition, students can use a variety of homework tools to check their
work.
Allmath.com, sponsored by Arbor Media, provides
a variety of interactive math resources for elementary school students to
practice their basic facts online. It
features math flashcards, multiplication tables, a magic square game, and a
metric converter. The site also
includes biographies of mathematicians and a glossary of math terms.
Aunty Math’s Fun Math Challenges for Kids
Aunty Math from
DuPage Children’s Museum near
http://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/aunty/index.html
Scholastic Lesson Plans & Reproducibles
Scholastic provides a
collection of teacher-tested lesson plans, ready-to-use reproducible activities
and recommended Web sites for math topics in grades 1-8. The worksheets can be used independently of
Scholastic materials and have answer keys.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro
This is MEGA Mathematics: Los Alamos National Laboratory provides
Seven innovative
hands-on math lessons complete with activities and materials for grades
4-12. Select from among these
topics: The Most Colorful Math of All,
Games on Graphs, Welcome to the Hotel Infinity, and A Usual Day at
http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse at
http://enc.org/weblinks/lessonplans/math/
Houghton Mifflin Activity Search features a
searchable curriculum database where the K-8 teachers can find math lesson
plans by grade level. Activities can
also be browsed by theme.
http://www.eduplace.com/activity/
Group Educational Activities
Our Educational Group Activities committee has been
working hard this year to provide many fun and educational opportunities for
our students. So far this year our students have had the chance to go to the
Sacramento Zoo & Fairy Tale Town, the Lathrop Corn Maze, the California
Caverns, John’s Incredible Pizza Tour, and soon the Nutcracker Ballet. The
following activities are still available for sign up:
Parent Organized Activities:
CHRISTMAS PARTY & COOKIE EXCHANGE!
What: Crafts, Games, Food, Fun!
When: Wednesday, December 10
Time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Who: All CWCS kids, grades K-5
Where: Modesto/ Ceres Learning Center
Cost: 2 dozen store bought cookies to exchange!
SPACE IS LIMITED!
Please call the Waterford Office 209-874-9463 for
the contact person information.
Include
your children's names & ages and the type of cookies you will
be bringing. If you want to take more cookies home, bring more
cookies - 2 dozen of each kind.
JOHN'S INCREDIBLE PIZZA
TOUR 2
(Modesto -
Plaza Parkway - near Walmart)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 1st
Meet at Party Central entrance at 9:45 am to check in.
Tour Package Cost: $5.60 each
Includes :Tour, Personal Pizza, Soda, Ice Cream, 4 Tokens, 1 Ride, Pizza Maker ,Certificate
Buffet Price: $7.60
Includes: Tour, All-you-can-eat Buffet (includes drinks)
Everyone who enters JIP must pay.
Deadline is Friday, November 28, or when we reach 30, whichever comes
first.
Please call the Waterford Office 209-874-9463 for
the contact person information to reserve your spot.
Educational Group
Activities
The following activities are school
sponsored. Instructional funding may be
used for these activities. To be officially enrolled in one of these activities
you must submit a permission slip to the contact person and have your ES enroll
you in the activity. You will also need to call the contact person for the
activity and let them know your student has been enrolled. No student will be
considered officially enrolled without signed permission slips.
There are four ski trips
planned at Dodge Ridge. There will be two dates in January and two in February.
Please watch the Parent List Serve and Newsletter for further information.
Marine World
2001 Marine World Parkway, Vallejo, CA 94589-4006
Date: Friday - May 14, 2004
Deadline for enrollment, permission slips, and money for
extra tickets: Monday,
March 1, 2004
Permission slips and money for extra tickets need to be sent to
the contact person along with a self addressed stamped envelope to return your
tickets to you.
Cost: $17.99
per person (this includes a free return ticket)
Age: K-12
Maximum:
none
Additional info: This activity is school sponsored. Instructional
funding may be used for this activity. To be officially enrolled in this
activity you must submit a permission slip to the contact person and have your
ES enroll you in the activity. You will also need to call the contact person
for the activity and let them know your student has been enrolled. No student
will be considered officially enrolled without signed permission slips.
**Parents will have to pay for their
own tickets (their money is due March 1, 2004)
Please call the Waterford Office 209-874-9463 for
the contact person information.
CWCS 2003-2004 Yearbook
Thank you to all of you who
have placed orders for the 2003-2004 CWCS Yearbook. Our yearbook committee is
busy working on the yearbook to make it one that you will enjoy for years to
come. It will include pictures of students by grade, pictures of student
activities, a letter from the Director, tributes from parents to their
graduating seniors and more!
Don’t miss out! If you would
like a picture of your student’s activity or a tribute to your graduating
senior in the yearbook they must be submitted no later than
If you have any questions
regarding the yearbook or would like to submit pictures or tributes, please
call the CWCS Waterford office at 209-874-9463.
If you have not placed an order
for the yearbook and would like to do so, please call the CWCS Waterford Office
at 209-874-9463. We will not be ordering any extra yearbooks, so if you would
like one, get your order in ASAP!