Our NewsFlash features NEW! school and community updates and announcements. Please read the complete page for up-to-date information. For quick reference, click on the catagory you are interested in.

Visit the“Important Information” web page from the menu bar on the left for vital information that has been featured previously on the NewsFlash page.

K-8 Information
Enrichment
Field Trips
Community


K-8 Information

Note: If there is a school closure on Wednesday, the Parent Appreciation Tea will be rescheduled to next Wednesday, February 17th at 4:00!

Parent Appreciation Tea
In appreciation for your dedication, hard-work, and commitment to the education of your children, we would like to invite parents to a Parent Appreciation Tea.

Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
When: 4:00-5:00pm
Where: VOCS Tehachapi, Room B/C

Please RSVP to your resource teacher by Friday, February 5, if you are attending or if you are unable to attend.
For parents unable to find a babysitter, child care will be available in room D for ages 2-12.

 

Student Valentine's Day Celebration February 12, 3:00 to 4:30 in Classroom B/C
Come join a fun Valentine's Day Celebration!  Bring 30 Valentine's cards to share with your friends.  Also, participate in Valentine's crafts and make a special sugar cookie!  Please RSVP with your resource teacher by Friday, February 5th.

  
Important Date Change for Elegant Evening Auditions...and Time to Sign Up!
If you are a singer, instrumentalist, dancer, or an oral language performer, you are invited to audition for a place in our "Elegant Evening of the Arts" program which will be held on the evening of Thursday,March 25th, 2010. Auditions will be held on Wednesday, February 24th, from 3:00-5:00pm in Classroom BC.
The guidelines for your musical or dramatic presentation are as follows:
*Selections should be suitable for an "elegant" evening's entertainment
*No inappropriate language in songs or prose
*Length of selection should be no longer than 4-5 minutes.
*For songs & prose - please bring a written copy to submit to the judging panel on the audition day
*Your performance should be polished and ready for presentation at the audition. We have a limited number of slots available for individuals, so be ready to do your very best on Wed., February 24th.

To sign up - please email Mrs. Hayes at charlotteswebagain@yahoo.com no later than Friday, Feb. 19th. You should include your name, type of performance, grade level, & a contact phone #. You will be given a time slot on Wed., February 24th, for your audition.

 

Box Top Contest *REMINDER*
Our BIG contest this year will award the winning student-resource teacher team with a $25.00 Visa gift certificate each. The turn in date will be February 19th, 2010. 

Contest Rules: 1. Clip and trim Box Tops care- fully. 2. Check expiration dates on all Box Tops. 3. Bundle in groups of 50 (or less) for turn-in. 4. Place in a Ziploc baggie (very important) with student name, resource teacher name, and number of Box Tops written on a card in the bag. 5) Place Box Tops in the green box in room B/C.  Following these rules will ensure that your student gets the credit for the Box Tops he/she turns in! 

Thanks for clipping!    
Jenette Buentiempo                                                          
VOCS Tehachapi BoxTops Coordinator 

Our Library is Now Open!
Our Library is finally open! If you would like to check out a book, please see Nickki at the front office. Check out will be available from 9am-3pm everyday. We ask that in order for us to keep our library organized, parents to please accompany their children while looking through the Library. Books can be checked out for 2 weeks from the date they were checked out on. Thank you for waiting patiently while we were putting our library back together.

February ACORN Newsletter

ID Cards
Please remember to wear your ID cards anytime you are on campus.  We are trying to keep everyone safe and this is an easy way for us to quickly identify those that belong on campus and those that don't.  We thank you for your cooperation!

Pennies for Patients
We are very excited to be joining the campaign for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society by collecting Pennies for Patients. This special event will start on February 1st.  We would greatly appreciate any contribution you are able to make.  90 cents on the dollar stays in Kern County so it is a way for us to give back to our community.  Save your spare change and turn it into the box stationed in each of our classrooms.  Pennies, dimes, nickels, dollars, and even checks made
out to LLS are accepted.  Your contribution, no matter how much, can make a difference.  Join us in making a difference.

Reminder: Snow and Fog Delays
Tehachapi is well known for sudden changes in weather.  VOCS follows the Tehachapi Unified School District for all snow delays or snow days.  Also, Kern County Schools Alert Line  is an excellent place to visit for the latest updates during inclement weather.  However, if there is a school closure, VOCS will not be holding classes on campus.  If there is a two hour delay, the first two classes will be canceled and workshops will start at 10:20.  Also, if classes are already in session and the snow begins to fall then please feel free to pick up your child.  If you have any questions, please contact your Resource Teacher.

Attention: Parents of 7th Graders and 7th Grade Students
If you haven’t already been doing so, please think about putting in some extra school time for essay writing practice.   The STAR 7th grade writing test is coming up on Tuesday, March 2nd in classroom B/C at 9:00 a.m. as the start time and 11:30 as the projected ending time.

The make-up is held in Bakersfield on Wednesday, March 3.  (Fourth graders who normally would be taking this test will not have to do so this year as the state has eliminated it from the testing battery due to budget constraints).  Seventh grade students, however, will still be asked to participate in this test.  If you would like to get a preview of the test format, how it is scored, rubrics, and sample essays, click 7th Grade Writing Test Prep.   Students NOT enrolled in the Writing Assessment Prep. Enrichment class may e-mail questions or concerns to Mrs. Grissom at suzgri@msn.com.

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Enrichment

Enrichment Session 4 Online Sign-ups Starting Next Tuesday, February 16
Enrichment Session 4 class dates are February 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26
-Online ONLY sign-ups are February 16 -18 (There will be NO sign-ups at the school, please contact your resource teacher if you do not have access to a computer at home)
-LATE sign-ups end by the February 24 – NO students will be added to a class after February 24^th, this includes all K-3 classes and Spanish. Students who are not enrolled in a class will not be admitted to that class on February 26 so please make sure to sign up your student(s) in a timely manner.

Enrichment 4 Class Descriptions
You will need free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view descriptions


Important Enrichment Day Reminders!
To make our Friday Enrichment classes a successful and safe experience for everyone, please follow these guidelines: 1. Please pick up your student(s) as SOON as they finish their classes. We do not have the facilities or staffing to provide care and supervision for students who have finished their class day.  2. If you are picking up your student before they finish their class day, please check them out in the office so we will know they have left campus. Thank you so much for your cooperation!

New Updated Enrichment 3 Assignments Web Page
Visit this IMPORTANT web page for Enrichment class updates, information, and assignments. This web page is updated weekly by the instructors of each of our Friday classes.

If you have ever asked yourself or your child even one of the following questions, check out this valuable resource our website!
-What did you learn in enrichment classes today?
-What did you do in your classes?
-Do you have an assignment that needs to be completed at home?
-How do I incorporate what my child is learning in classes with what we are doing at home?
-What Internet resources can I use to further research a topic that my child is learning about in enrichment?
-What should you be bringing to class?
-My child was sick, what did he/she miss? And how can I get the missing work?

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 Field Trips

Reminder - Yosemite in Winter
Ski Badger Pass on Monday, February 22 for $20/person
Stay at Tenaya Lodge February 18-21 for $119/night
Contact Linda Smith at calms@sbcglobal.net or 822-8882 for ski passes. Call Tenaya directly (800) 635-5807 for room reservations using Valley Oaks Charter code #30H3EJ.

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 Community

Camp Kiya Applications Available for Summer 2010
Camp Kiya is on its way to becoming “annual.” The music camp held last summer in Tehachapi Mountain Park, sponsored by Arts Council of Kern and the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Parks District, was a hit with all concerned. For 2010, the camp will add one day, to run from Sunday afternoon, July 25, through Wednesday morning, July 28. 

Instruction will again be given in different styles of fiddle playing, as well as cello, guitar, ukulele, harmonica, bodhran, whistle and Mountain Dulcimer. Improvisation, how to play back-up and dancing will also be offered again. Additions next summer will be mandolin and accordion. As with last year, local musicians will be on hand to teach, along with guest instructors. Joe Craven has signed on for 2010 as an instructor and advisor to the staff.  Jon Hammond will again lead nature walks and fascinate campers with native Kawaiisu history.

The cost will be $150 for applications postmarked by February 15, 2010, and $175 after that date. Full refunds will be available through April 15. The price includes all instruction, meals and lodging. Small RVs, campers and tents are also welcome. Last year, some people who lived nearby chose to go home each night.  

The number of campers is limited, and applications will be accepted in the order received. For more information and applications, contact Mountain Music, 661-823-9994 or email Mountain Music at cellored@gmail.com  

           

Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors
Use your ingenuity to create an invention that incorporates Bubble Wrap cushioning. The Sealed Air Corporation and The National Museum of Education are sponsoring this contest for students in grades 5 -8.

Three finalists will win a three-day trip to New York City for the awards ceremony on May 22, 2010. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000 savings bond; 2nd place $5,000 savings bond; and 3rd place $3,000 savings bond. The school of the grand prize winner will receive $5,000 donation.

Deadline for entries is 6 p.m. EST, Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Visit http://nmoe.org/bubblewrap/index.html for a full list of requirements and to apply.