How Can I Help My Child Get Prepared for
the Standardized Tests in April?
Prior to testing:
- Find out when the tests are to be given. Write the date and time on your calendar. http://www.ieminc.org/Assessment/2005/startestsites.htm
Do not schedule appointments or trips during these times.
- Use test prep materials that will review math facts, spelling rules, or social studies terms, for example.
- Take the Edusoft Benchmark Exams.
- Enroll your student in test prep/ strategies class at one of the learning centers.
- Encourage your child to read. The easiest and best way to prepare your child for doing well on tests is to read often!
Right before the
test:
- Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep. Provide a good breakfast.
- Have your child dress in layers. Children do better on tests if they don’t have to think about how hot or cold they are.
- Don’t be too anxious. Say, “This test is important. I know you will try hard and do your best.” Your confidence will be contagious.
- On the day of the test, give your child these tips:
- Skip a question and move on if you don’t know the answer. You can always come back later. Maybe you will be ready to answer that question then.
- Check your answers carefully. Make sure the numbers of your answers correspond to the numbers of the questions on the test.
Information adopted from: The
Parent Institute, Questions and Answers about Standardized Tests
Update on our WASC Visit in March
Last month, we were
privileged to have five outstanding educators visit our school in order to
conduct our full accreditation review.
Two of them were principals and the others worked in various capacities
at their school site. We’ve spent the
last 18 months or so looking deeply at our school to see what we were doing well
and what areas needed improvement. So it
was quite rewarding to have other educators look at all of our hard work and
affirm our efforts!
The visit took place March
6-9. We began our time together with a
reception at the Red Lion Hotel in
For the next few days, the
committee visited our learning centers, observed classes, tutoring sessions,
ES/parent/ student learning record meetings, character first assembly, spoke
with groups of parents, teachers, and students about our school. Although many had not come from a
non-classroom based education setting, they were all impressed with what we
were doing and could see and understand the need for our type of school! This was a huge accomplishment in my mind!
The purpose of their visit
was to review our document, our self study report, validate our report, and
recommend a term for our full accreditation to the Accrediting Commission. The Commission will take the recommendation
and then determine to give CWCS a term of 1, 2, 3 or 6 years or denial. The purpose of accreditation process for CWCS
is to 1. Provide a vehicle for self improvement of our school and to better
serve our students 2. Find ways to improve student achievement and 3. Provide
greater beyond high school opportunities for our college bound students. We will find out our term in June.
The staff and administration
of Connecting Waters would like to thank all of our Parent Council members,
parents, students, and instructors for taking their time to meet with the WASC
team last month. We will post their
narrative report of the visit on our web page under the ‘accreditation’ section
once we receive it.
Welcome to Our New Staff
New and exciting changes for our school! We have just recently added to our staff two
new Specialists, Deborah Kutz and Terry Souza. We would
like to share with you their past and present experience in order for you to
see how they will prove to be an asset to our school. Deborah comes to
Connecting Waters holding a multiple-subjects teaching credential along with 13
years teaching experience, at both elementary and secondary levels. In addition
to this, she spent the fall semester working to meet the qualifications for
single-subject foundational level mathematics credential. Deborah has
experience as a Small Group Instructor of Mathematics, Mathematics Coach, HIMAP
program and a CSUS Private Tutor.
Welcome Debbie!
Our English Language Arts Specialist, Terry Souza
joins us with more than 20 years experience in the educational field. Her
credentials are in Multiple Subject Teaching with a Minor in Speech, she is
SDAIE Certified and also holds certificates for, both,
We welcomed to our staff earlier this year,
Rochelle Jordan, as our new Office Clerk. Rochelle has experience in the
secretarial/clerical fields. She has been married to her husband, Kevin,
for 15 years and together they have 3 beautiful children! She has been a
wonderful addition to our office staff.
Welcome Rochelle!
Ceres/Modesto Learning Center News April 2005
Thank You
We would like to send a big “thank you” to recognize Krystal Anderson and Bev Harris,
our site clerks at the Ceres/Modesto Learning Center. Krystal
and Bev both worked tirelessly this past month
getting the center in tip top shape! If you go to the center, take note of the
wonderful re-organization and make sure to thank the clerks! We appreciate all
of their hard work.
Spring Cleaning:
Curriculum/Material Collection
As the year is coming to a close, please go through your
bookshelves, cabinets, and garages, and do a spring cleaning! Make sure to
bring in any materials that you are no longer using this year. Once you
complete your text books for this year, you are welcome to bring them back so
they can be put back on the shelves and used by another family. Our goal at the
center is to provide as many resources as we can to families, without having
them use any of the instructional funding. We need your participation in
returning all materials that you are no longer using; this way, you won’t need
to store them in your homes, and other families can benefit from the use of
your old books.
We also welcome all ES’s and families to come in and check
out materials and curriculum that we have available before you place an order
for next year. We still have a wide range of Saxon materials, Spelling Power,
and Wordly Wise vocabulary books.
Our Spring Office Hours
M
T 9-4
W 9-2:30
TH 9-4
F 9-4
Manteca Learning Center News
Cathy Moretto, Site Program Coordinator
Heidi Bowman and Shalimar Eldridge, Site Clerks
209-239-7306
Fax 209-823-7439
955 W. Center, #9
Open Hours
Monday 9-3:00
Tuesday 9-3:00
Wednesday 9-1:30
Thursday 9-3:00
Friday 9-2:00
It’s time to order books for next year and decide which books and materials you
are finished using. Please bring materials to the
Scholastic Book Orders Heidi
is continuing to assist families who want to use their own funds to order books
from Scholastic Book Club. Flyers are available at the
Computer Lab The computer lab
has 6 computers available for student use during regular business hours. Each
computer is loaded with Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, to assist in
keyboarding skills and other Office programs to help meet High School computer
requirements.
Spring ‘05
Course Name Grades Dates
Time Instructor Cost
MONDAYS
Algebra 1A Grades 8-12 1/10-5/16
Opened a second section of Algebra 1 class to accomodate
more students.
TUESDAYS
HS Writing Grades 7-11 1/11-5/17 11-12:00 T. Matranga
$165
Elementary Choir Grades 5-8 2/1-5/17 10-11:00 J. Hepworth
$77
High School Choir Grades 9-12 2/1-5/17 11-12:00 J. Hepworth
$65
WEDNESDAYS
Hands On Science Grades 4-6 3/9-5/11 9-10:00 J. Sandberg $47
Writing 3-5 Grades 3-5 3/9-5/11 10-11:00 J. Sandberg $42
THURSDAYS
Intro To Spanish Grades 3-7 1/13-5/19 12:30-1:30 R. Gomez $93
Spanish 1- Standards Grades 8-12 1/13-5/19 2-3:00 R. Gomez $93
Also Available Offsite
*Outdoor Science School- April 25-29 at Mount Hermon
in mountains above Santa Cruz. $185 (can come from student funding.) Must sign
up by April 7. To sign up, please have your ES enter you up in webfiles (GEA #9429) and then e-mail me the following
information:
Parent Name
Student Name(s) and Grade(s)
Home Phone Number
ES Name
Through your ES, I will send you an enrollment packet with information and
directions.
Cathy Moretto, cmoretto@ieminc.org
*Oil Painting Classes: Call Michelle Dunwoody for availability, 572-4425
*Math tutoring at
*Art of Dance,
*Star Gymnastics, 417 S. Fourth, Oakdale, $35/month. Call for times &
classes. 209-848-4016
*Karate- Mitoses, Downtown Manteca, near
Also at Mitoses: Little Dragons, 4-6 year olds, Wed. 5-6 p.m. & Sat. 9-10
a.m. PO $60
*Cindy's
*Esteem Dance- In Ripon. Ballet & Jazz. Call for prices & details.
599-2046
*Gymstars- Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Karate, &
Hip Hop Dance,
*Janis Music- Music lessons. 138 W. Yosemite,
*Valley Tae Kwon Do, 150 Northgate Drive, PO (Call for prices) Dave Tomasulo, 825-8825 Olympic Training Facility
International Self Defense Institute (ISDI), 1140 N. Main Street, Manteca,
825-8640 1 student $80, 2 students $160, 3 or more students $180. Trial week
free. Fees refundable if not fully satisfied. www.martialartsites.com/isdi.
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT INFORMATION - April
Greetings from the Guidance Department! We are here to help you determine your future
academic and career goals. Contact
information:
Mary Halter
1-800-458-7050 ext.2
Becky Cote
10th grade families…
The
Guidance Department will be offering individual guidance counseling sessions
for 10th graders in March and April.
The goal of the meeting is to review your child’s academic progress and
to discuss post-high school career/college planning. Please call Mary Halter at 1-800-458-7050
ext.2 to schedule your meeting.
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION
Hot tips for finding scholarships:
1) Check the monthly newsletter Guidance Department section.
2) Register for an online scholarship search service: www.fastweb.com www.xap.com www.wiredscholar.com www.brokescholar.com
3) Use a search engine to find scholarships specific to your needs: i.e. www.google.com "scholarships for athletes with asthma"
4) Check with parents' place of employment, credit unions, service clubs, etc. to see what scholarships may be available
Ayn Rand Essay Contest for 11th and 12 graders: based on the novel "The Fountainhead", cash prizes range from $50 to $10,000. For complete rules and to submit your essay online, go to: www.aynrand.org/contests . Application deadline is April 15.
AFL-CIO California
Labor Federation will award $2,000 scholarships to seniors throughout
Young Cancer
Survivor Scholarship Program awards
stipends of up to $5,000 per year to
seniors or current
college students in need of financial aid. Eligibility requirements include:
diagnosis before age 18, demonstrated financial need, plans to attend a 2 or
4-year college in
Jiffy Lube and the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce's Business Education Alliance (BEA) will award four $1,000 scholarships to local seniors. Minimum 3.0 GPA to apply. Four short essays, application form, and a transcript is all it takes to apply for this scholarship. Download an application at www.jiffylubeca.com or www.bea2003.com Mail no later than April 15.
Gateway to Success sponsored by Chela Education Financing is
sponsoring ten $5,000 scholarships for
high school seniors. Submit your entry for this drawing at www.chelastudentloans.org
. They will accept applications through April
26. While you're there, you'll also find information on financial aid and
you can order your free CD-Rom, "A Parent's Guide to Paying for
College".
Outback Steakhouse and Business Education Alliance offers the Down Under scholarship program for high school seniors in our area. Applicants should demonstrate the traits of hospitality, sharing, fun and courage in their daily life. Minimum 2.5 GPA. Download an application at: www.bea2003.com . Mail all required materials no later than April 30.
Ahahui Kalakaua
Hawaiian Club provides
scholarships to students who are residents of
United Negro College
Fund offers thousands of
scholarships to African American college-bound students. Eligibility
requirements include minimum GPA of 2.5, demonstrated financial need and
completion of the FAFSA. Go to http://www.uncf.org/scholarships/index.asp for applications and details. Deadlines vary by
program.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
The Pre-College Program at
the San Francisco Art Institute is
an intense, 5-week summer arts program for high school students ages 16–18.
Participants experience the atmosphere of college life while earning up to 5
units of college credit. For more information on dates & programs
available, visit www.sfai.edu
A Taste of College at
HARVARD UNIVERSITY for high school students who
have completed their senior, junior, or sophomore year. For more information
and to apply online visit www.ssp.harvard.edu.
UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC
(UOP) Summer Scholars Program for high school seniors
and juniors. Visit www.pacific.edu/cpce for
information and to download the application packet.
Pre-College Summer at Brown University in Providence , RI
Summer
Sessions 2005 at Washington University in St. Louis , MO.
Summer
Leaders Seminar 2005 at West Point . Visit http://forms.admissions.usma.edu/AL
for more information.
Pre-College
Program at Barnard College
in New
York City
At US Performing Arts Camps, students
will participate with others between the ages of 11 and 18 in intensive
performing arts and media programs of the highest quality. Ten campuses across
the country (including several in CA) offer diversified programs, including
dance, animation, musical theater, TV news, playwriting/screenwriting, etc. For
specific classes and workshops, and to read camp descriptions, visit www.usperformingartscamps.com.
College Entrance Exam Test
Dates and Deadlines – Class of 06 and beyond
|
Test |
Test Date |
Registration |
Late Registration |
|
SAT I & II |
|
March 25 |
Apr. 6 |
|
SAT I & II |
|
April 29 |
May 11 |
|
ACT |
|
May 6 |
May 20 |
For College Entrance…take the new SAT and/or the ACT (with optional
writing portion). Register – SAT - www.collegeboard.com , ACT
- www.actstudent.org
School Code 053706
SAT Preparation class
A small
investment of time and energy spent preparing for the SAT can yield great
rewards for your future. The course will
be held at