February 8, 2010
Community Service
We have several opportunities for our students to get involved with their community during the month of February. Both activities are supported by our students participating in the Principal Forum.
Help for Haiti:
• Please consider throwing loose change in our water jug to help the people of Haiti. All donations will be sent to the Red Cross to assist victims of the Haitian earthquake.
• Thirsty? All money earned from water sales during the month of February will also be donated to the Red Cross for Haitian relief
JumpRope for Heart: Venture will be participating in the American Heart Association’s JumpRope for Heart. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to learn more about heart disease in both children and adults and to learn how exercise and eating right can help prevent heart disease. Please see the attached flyer from the American Heart Association which gives an overview of the program and the incentives from the Golden State Warriors for student participation.
Jump Rope for Heart is a national education and fund-raising event sponsored by the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. This event engages our elementary and middle school students with jumping rope while empowering them to improve their own health and help other kids with heart-health issues.
Students interested in participating in this activity should pick up a packet from the office beginning February 22. We encourage students to help raise money to fight heart disease; however, we also encourage students to participate by jumping rope even if they choose not to raise donations.
Students will be jumping for 20 minutes on March 8 or 10 (times to be announced later in February). All students who participate must have a signed permission slip.
Testing
Thank you to all of our 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th graders for your great participation in the Cooper Fitness Test and the California High School Exit Exam. We had more than 95% participation rate for CAHSEE. Congratulations students!
Important Notice for Current Eighth Grade Students and their Parents
San Ramon Valley Unified students, who wish to participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, leadership, cheerleading, etc., during the freshman year of high school, must maintain a 2.0 GPA during the second semester of their eighth grade school year. By policy, students who do not maintain a 2.0 GPA by June of their eighth grade year may be excluded from the extracurricular program in the fall, even if they qualified for participation at the time of any spring signups or tryouts that may have been held. It is the responsibility of the parent and student to monitor academic progress since academic ineligibility may result in the loss of all deposits or fees paid. Please contact your teacher if you have any questions.
STAR Testing
Star testing begins in March with a writing assessment for 4th, 7th, and 11th grade students and continues in late April for standardized testing for all students in grades 2-11. More information will be coming home with your student and via email.
From our Counselor
For guidance and signatures needed on community college forms, please see Marsha. Drop in times are generally Monday-Fridays from 10-noon and 1-3 pm. You may email Marsha at mmak@srvusd.net to let her know you are coming to see her and she will confirm the appointment.
Go to http://vis-srvusd-ca.schoolloop.com/cnsling for up-to-date information regarding school counseling issues.
Are you on Marsha’s e-mail distribution lists? If you haven’t received e-mails directly from her, you may be missing timely announcements regarding such subjects as college visits, community programs, or tips to succeed in community college courses. Please e-mail her directly at mmak@srvusd.net and let her know what grade you are in and what educational goal you have for post high school years:
• enrolling immediately in a four year college
• going to a community college first and then transferring
• starting and completing a vocational program or apprenticeship.
Talented Venture Students: February 10th is the last day to fill out applications for the Student Recognition Project. To apply for the Project and for other information, go to:
http://www.srvusd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=43365type=drn=4338447
Important Messages for Seniors:
Early Admissions at California Community Colleges
It is VERY important to participate in the Early Admissions programs at your local community colleges if graduating seniors are hoping to have a Fall schedule full of courses they will like, at the times they would like.
For Chabot and Las Positas, Early Admission applications have started this week or will start in the next couple of days. Go to—
http://www.chabotcollege.edu/counseling/ed/otherhs.asp
http://www.laspositascollege.edu/earlyadmission/applying.php
Diablo Valley College will be at Venture on Tuesday, March 23rd at 10 am to explain how to apply early to Diablo Valley College.
Get help filling out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on Saturday, February 20th at DVC/San Ramon Campus starting at 10 am in their learning commons. Lunch and refreshments will be served. You might win an iPod. Please bring the following information:
1. Student and Parent Social Security #’s (and Alien Registration #’s if you are not a U.S. Citizen)
2. Your family's most recent Federal tax forms or W-2’s. (You will not have to reveal this information to anyone, but you will need it to complete the forms.)
3. PIN numbers – one for you and one for your parent which is needed to sign your FAFSA on the Web. (Get your PINs at www.pin.ed.gov)
Questions? Call 925-866-1822 ext 5135.
High school students and their parents are invited to attend Education Summit: Closing the Achievement Gap for African American and Latino Students, Saturday, February 20, 2010, 8 a.m. - 12:40 p.m., California State University, East Bay (Hayward Campus) Register To Attend Online: http://www20.csueastbay.edu/events/education-summit/
Seniors are invited to participate for free in culinary and baking and pastry classes at The Institute of California-San Francisco. Applications must be mailed by February 24th. If you haven’t received an application, please see Marsha or e-mail her at mmak@srvusd.net.
College and Program Visits at Venture
Academy of Art will be in the Tech Room at Venture on Monday, March 15th at 9 am. Learn about all of their exciting programs related to the art field.
National Holistic Institute will be in the Tech Room at Venture on Monday, March 22 at 9 am. Massage Therapy is a growing field with many opportunities.
Please check out http://www.dsrwomensclub.org to apply for a local scholarship for all seniors with at least a 2.5 GPA, with community service experiences, who have or can get letters of recommendation from a teacher and community member, and will attend a vocational or certificate program, two year or four year college upon graduation. The deadline is April 23rd. They are very motivated to give a Venture student a scholarship.
We are looking for a high school student to participate in Rotary International Club’s Four-Way Test Speech Contest. 1st place award is $100. Please see Marsha as soon as possible if you are interested.
Fund Raiser
Reminder:
If you shop online, check out www.goodshop.com By doing your online shopping through this site you can help raise funds for Venture.
Community Links
Parent Workshop on Special Education: The San Ramon Valley PTSA is presenting a series of three workshops on special education: an overview of special education, the IEP process, and achieving success. See flyer for more details. Flyer: Parent Workshop Series - Special Education.pdf (140 KB)
Registration is Now Open for Parenting 2010 Beyond: The San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs is pleased to bring you Parenting 2010 and Beyond, our annual parent and community education conference. It takes place Saturday, February 27 at Dougherty Valley High School, 10550 Albion Road, in San Ramon.
The day begins at 8:30am with our keynote presentation of the documentary film Race to Nowhere. The film features the stories of young people who have been pushed to the brink, parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, and educators who are worried students aren’t developing the skills needed for the global economy. Following the film, a panel featuring the film maker will answer questions from the audience and discuss what parents, teachers, administrators, and students can do to address this concerning situation.
The day continues with your choice of two small-group seminar sessions. Conference attendees can choose the breakout sessions that are of greatest relevance to them. Since this conference is a combined Special Needs and General Education event, breakout sessions will cover all areas of interest. Also included in the $35 registration fee is breakfast and lunch.
• Register: https://www.signmeup.com/site/reg/register.aspx?fid=LD2V2K7
• Conference Flyer: http://www.srvcouncilpta.org/Public/uploads/ParentingConf2010Flyer_prf4%20(3).pdf
• Alternate Flyer: http://www.srvcouncilpta.org/Public/uploads/ParentConf2010Flyer_forXP.pdf
• Descriptions of the small-group seminar choices and the presenter bios: http://www.srvcouncilpta.org/Public/uploads/Small%20Group%20Descriptions%20and%20Bios%202010.pdf
Expanding Your Horizons: The 2010 Tri-Valley Expanding Your Horizons Career Conference for girls in grades 6 through 9 will be held on Saturday, Feb 27, 2010, at Diablo Valley College, San Ramon campus, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. This year's theme is 'Dive into a Learning Adventure' in honor of our keynote speaker, Ashley Jackson, a dolphin trainer at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, CA.
Girls attend two 90-minute workshops that provide hands-on science or math-related activities which enable them to interact with professionals and science enthusiasts.
The TVEYH conference web site is: http://www.tveyh.org
The hotline number for further information is (925) 422-2453.
COOL Night: Contra Costa County Office of Education hosts this night for 7th and 8th graders who want to learn about high school, college and careers. Parents and students are invited.
Friday, April 23, 2010
6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Cal State East Bay, Concord Campus
No registration needed
Expanding Your Horizons: Motivating Young Women (grades 6-9) in Science and Math
Saturday, February 27, 2010
San Ramon, CA
http://www.tveyh.org/ Registration begins January 21st.
Youth 2 Youth: This is an all day conference for middle school students, which will help students harness the powerful force of peer pressure and turn it around to become a positive force that encourages youth to live tobacco, alcohol and drug-free lives.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Gale Ranch Middle School
http://www.srvcasa.org/ Registration is open now.
Job Opportunities: The Town of Danville is accepting applications for summer youth employment. www.ci.danville.ca.us/Council_and_Government/Employment.
Home School Parents
Free teacher workshop offered by the California Coastal Commission and Lindsay Wildlife Museum for teachers and home school parents:
We are interested in providing students and families with as many links to community activities as possible. If you are aware of any activities open to our students, please let Janet know so they can be included in our newsletter.
These sites offer a variety of classes for students of all ages:
City of San Ramon: http://www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/Parks/default.htm
Town of Danville: http://www.ci.danville.ca.us/default.asp?serviceID1=440Frame=L1
Contra Costa Library: http://ccclib.org/programs
