Matthew Steinecke Principal msteinecke@cv.k12.ca.us Doris De La Torre AP Students M-Z ddelatorre@cv.k12.ca.us April Wong AP Students A-L awong@cv.k12.ca.us

Jason Whiteman Assistant Principal jwhiteman@cv.k12.ca.us

Canyon Communiqué

A Legacy of Excellence

Canyon Middle School 19600 Cull Canyon Road, Castro Valley, CA 94552 (510) 538-8833 Fax (510) 247-9439

May 2016 www.cv.k12.ca.us/canyon

Absence Reporting 538-8833

Press 1

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2015-16 Volume

9

Principal Message – May 2016

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians:

By the time you are reading this, we are into May. It has been a busy year full of many great things. We had a very successful Open House and many families commented that they are happy with what their students have accomplished this year. We have a month and a half more of school to continue learning and growing.

More honors came to Canyon students on Saturday, April 30 at Chabot College. Over 50 Canyon students were honored at the 12th Annual African American Achievement and Excellence Awards Ceremony presented by African American Regional Educational Alliances. The event was inspiring, and we are all very proud of our award recipients.

Also on April 23, Canyon celebrated Earth Day,. We had many volunteers who helped to beautify the Canyon

school campus. We trimmed bushes, spread ground cover, and did several beautification projects around campus. Thank you to all who came out and joined us!

April 24 – 29, we were joined by 30 students and 4 staff members from our sister school, Middle School 15, in Hangzhou, China. The students attended classes with our students and the staff observed and talked with our staff. It was a great week for our students as they shared their school with our visitors and learned about what school is like in China. I am proud of the warm welcome that our students and host families have given to our visitors.

Lastly, I am very happy to share with you that we have two teachers receiving special recognitions. Irene Weakley has been selected to receive the Excellence in Special Education Award by the Community Advisory Committee to the SELPA in Castro Valley. Also, Lee Ann Chinn has received CVUSD nomination for Alameda County Teacher of the Year. We have an excellent teaching staff and I’m proud of them.

Please join us on in May for some important events:

On May 10, Canyon’s 15th

Annual Food Faire (5:30-7:30) – All Canyon families are invited to an evening of delicious food and fun. We will also have student performances highlighting different cultures throughout the evening.

o This will be followed by our final PTA Meeting of the year. We will elect officers for next year. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

May 11, our annual Latino Achievement Night

May 25, our annual African American Achievement Night

As we enter the final quarter of the year, we have been reviewing behavior standards with students and reminding students that participation in school events such as 8

th grade advancement, end of the year activities, dances, yearbook

parties, and athletics are a privilege. Each student received a “points letter” that explained our policies for attending end of year activities. In addition, they are posted on our website under “News and Updates”.

Our students are working hard, and we would appreciate your help in reminding them to continue this effort. Please encourage your student to FINISH STRONG. Remember to SOAR Canyon!

Sincerely,

As we near the end of the year here are a few reminders with important dates and times:

June 9 – 8th grade Awards Night 6:00 – 8:00 (more info to follow)

June 14 - Early Release Day – 12:35 pm

June 15 - 8th grade Advancement @ CVHS Stadium at 4:00 pm (no tickets)

June 15 - Last Day of School - - Early Release Day – 12:35 pm

Matthew Steinecke

~Lucy Souza ~ ~ Julie Fisher ~ ~Marisaly Acuña~

6th Grade Counselor 7th Grade Counselor 8th Grade Counselor

Happy May to all students and families! We are two months away from completing the 2015-16 academic school year! The counseling department wishes all grades a strong academic finish and wants to remind students to give it their best by staying focused on their academic goals. During this time of the year students may feel relieved, excited, nervous or worried about completing their spring semester. For those graduating, they may have worries about transitioning into a new school. Although middle schoolers may have these feelings they may not articulate it in a way that adults can understand. In order to help start the conversation with your middle schooler, here are a few tips from the article “10 ways to Improve your Middle-Schooler’s Communication Skills by Lexi Walters Wright, from www.understood.org:

Keep conversations going with your child: even if your child seems uninterested keep going.

Model good listening skills: after your child finishes telling you something repeat it back to him/her for example “I know that you really studied for that test but found it tough.”

Ask your child’s opinion: encourage them to reflect on thoughts by using “I think” or “I feel” statements.

Recount the day: Ask your middle schooler how was their day. “What were the best and worst parts of school?” Easiest and hardest?

We hope these few tips will help to get the conversation going between you and your middle schooler. Also, the counseling department would like to invite all Canyon families to attend A Town Hall Meeting hosted by Project Eden, A Program of Horizon Services and collaboration with Castro Valley Unified School District on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 from 7:00pm-8:30pm at Castro Valley High School. The meeting will focus on underage drinking and steps parents can take so their teen is safe and healthy. Please mark your calendars to attend this important meeting. Please let us know if we can provide support in any way. Thank you, From your Canyon Counselors

QUESTIONS for your child’s counselor?

6th Grade: Ms. Lucy Souza - lsouza@cv.k12.ca.us - 510-538-8833, ext. 6175

7th Grade: Ms. Julie Fisher - jfisher@cv.k12.ca.us - 510-538-8833, ext. 6134

8th Grade: Ms. Mari Acuña - macuna@cv.k12.ca.us - 510-538-8833, ext. 6133

Washington DC Trip Parent Meeting

Wednesday 5/25 6:30-7:30 pm in D-11

I would like to invite families who are participating in this year's Washington DC Trip to our parent meeting on Wednesday 5/25. Students are also welcome to attend. We will review the finalized trip itinerary and flight information, as well as review packing tips, medication procedures, and transportation details. This will also, of course, be a great time to bring questions as both trip chaperones will be there. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Deisenroth at mdeisenroth@cv.k12.ca.us. See you there!

BE COOL, GET TO SCHOOL ON TIME! NO TARDIES!

CASTRO VALLEY SCIENCE FESTIVAL

The Annual Science Festival will be held on Saturday May 7th (10 am to 2 pm) at the Castro Valley High School. This free event is sponsored by the Castro Valley Educational Foundation (cvef.org) and has students throughout the Castro Valley School District participating. Come join us for fun hands-on science exhibits, physics experiments, microscopes, and other exciting science displays. Exhibitors will include Charles Reynes (2007 California Teacher of the Year and a recipient of the 2008 Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching), Eden Area ROP, Chabot College Biology and Chemistry labs, Mineral and Gem Society, and California State University East Bay displays, among others. Students visiting the Science Festival will be entered to win several prizes. We hope to see you there!

Thank you! ~Hope Kingma, CVEF Science Festival Coordinator, CVEF Board

Castro Valley ZOO @ Canyon Have you visited the Castro Valley ZOO in Room I-5 on the Canyon campus? There are over 20 animals to view and some to handle. The “ZOO” is open on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8 to 8:45 am or by appointment. Please visit our new website to see how you can help keep this valuable and enjoyable resource available for our students and staff.

LOST AND FOUND: Each year we accumulate large amounts of found clothing, shoes, jackets, etc. If

you child loses something, please encourage them to check for it as soon as they realize it is missing. Clothing is in the cafeteria and small items (glasses, wallets, jewelry, phones, etc.) are in the main office.

Clothing that does NOT have a name on the tag or collar (we try to get items back to students) will be given to Schoola, a group that gives back to our schools by selling donated items. We will hold LOST and FOUND items until our “break” times throughout the year. Accumulated items were donated during spring break. The last day for pick-up of Lost and Found items will be June 15th, the last day of School (2:00 pm)

SAVE THE DATE - 8th

Grade Commencement

June 14, 2016 – 4:00 pm Castro Valley High School Stadium – No tickets required!

********** ********** ********** cut here and return ********** ********** **********

Are You Planning to Move? We are making plans regarding staffing, textbooks, and the organization of classes for students for the upcoming school year. Please complete the information below and return it to the school office, as soon as possible… IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO MOVE.

Student(s) Name(s): ________________________________________________ ____ My child(ren) WILL NOT RETURN to Canyon Middle School for the 2016-2017 school year. ____ My child(ren) will attend a private school in 2016-2017. School: _____________________________________ ____ We are moving out of Castro Valley to ___________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature ___________________________________________ Date ________

Immunization Reminder for 6th

Grade Parents/Guardians California law (SB 277) requires all students entering into the 7th grade to have proof of a Tdap booster and second MMR before starting school in the Fall of 2016. Please call your health care provider to check that your current 6th grade student has had these vaccines and if not, schedule a visit.

Please bring a copy of the updated vaccine records to the health office at your student’s middle school. Under California law, all schools must deny a student’s attendance at school in the 2016-17 school year until a student provides proof of immunizations.

Under SB 277, exemptions based on personal and religious beliefs will no longer be an option for the vaccines that are currently required for entry into school in California. Vaccines required for entry into school include polio, MMR, chickenpox and primary series for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, including the 7th grade requirements for Tdap and 2 doses of MMR. Personal belief exemptions on file for a child already attending school in California are no longer valid for the child entering 7th grade. Medical exemptions that are written by a licensed physician (MD or DO) are still permitted.

For more information please see the Frequently Asked Questions at: www.shotsforschool.org/laws/sb277faq/.

Thank you for your early attention to this matter. With the large number of students we serve, having the updated vaccine records slowly appear in our health office is much more manageable than waiting until 7th grade registration.

Respectfully,

Sandee Velasquez RN, MN, FNP Beth Erickson RN, MS Credentialed School Nurse District Nurse (510) 755-0103 (510) 537-3000 x. 6137

MAY LIBRARY NEWS The Scholastic “Feelin’ Groovy” Book Fair was a terrific success last month. Thank you to all the parents who donated their time and purchased books at the Fair. Our students really enjoyed it!

This month we will be completing inventory, stocking the library with new books for next year, and working on getting all books returned. The last day for students to check out books will be May 6th. Students that have outstanding library books won’t be able to participate in end of the year activities, so please make sure those materials are returned. If your student has lost a book, please contact us for information on paying the replacement fee. As of May first only cash (exact change) will be accepted, we cannot accept checks.

We are looking to improve our Library Patio soon, to provide more seating for students to enjoy reading and playing games outside when the weather is nice. Happy Spring!

-Danielle Conn & Nadia Layne, - 510-538-8833 ext. 6129

dconn@cv.k12.ca.us nlayne@cv.k12.ca.us

CASH or MONEY ORDER ONLY (no checks)

will be accepted after Friday, April 29th for any fines or fees for Library books or textbooks. Additionally, all refunds for

found books will be charged a $5 processing fee.

★ Student Activities ★ May is Asian Heritage Month!

To get the most current updates on or around campus, please LIKE us on Facebook and FOLLOW us on Instagram at Canyon Student Activities! You can listen to the Daily Bulletin or check the calendar at the

entryway to school and on the CALENDAR link on the Canyon website: http://www.cv.k12.ca.us/canyon/calendar

Cultural Food Faire & Talent Show: Mark your calendars now! Canyon’s Annual Cultural Food Faire & Talent Show will be held on Tuesday, May 10, and we will be honoring the incredible amount of diversity our community has to offer. Our hope is to fill the evening with music, food, and performances to enhance the multicultural knowledge of our students, families, and staff. Our Food Faire will be held from 5:30-7:30pm. Families can sign up to bring a food or drink donation using this link http://tiny.cc/cmsfoodfaire2016 or return in the Food Faire forms can be returned to by Friday, April 29. Students who volunteer to bring a food or drink donation can also bring up to 4 guests (family or friends) to participate in the Food Faire buffet that evening. Thanks, in advance, for your help and willingness to share your experiences and food to enrich these days. Following the Food Faire and the Cultural Talent Show, the PTA will be holding their final general meeting of the year in the Canyon Cafeteria. They will also be holding elections for the 2016-2017 PTA Board and would love to have your input. End-of-the-year Activities: It may be hard to believe, but it’s already time to start thinking about the end-of-the-year school activities. Students with good behavior records (reference the Behavior Points Record sent home earlier this month) are encouraged to attend their grade-level activity.

8th grade Great America Field Trip: The 8th graders with good behavior records will be signing up during the week of May 2 through May 6, for their field trip to Great America on Monday, June 13. Permission slips were handed out April 25; if your student has misplaced it, the form is available online on the Canyon Website. Please note: We cannot accept late registration! If your child misses the deadline, he/she will be placed on a waiting list.

7th grade Cull Canyon Field Trip: Our eligible 7th graders will spend the day at Cull Canyon on Monday, June 6. Permission slips with more information will be going home soon. Per the East Bay Regional Parks District, we need to have one adult chaperone for every 10 students at Cull Canyon, so we can really use your help!

6th grade Cull Canyon Field Trip: Our 6th graders with good behavior records will enjoy a day at Cull Canyon on Friday, June 10. Permission slips will be going home soon. Per the East Bay Regional Parks District, we need to have one adult chaperone for every 10 students at Cull Canyon, so we can really use your help!

If you have any questions regarding these trips, please contact the appropriate grade-level lead: Student Activities, Kate Shen (kshen@cv.k12.ca.us) & Effie Hsu (ehsu@cv.k12.ca.us) 7th gr. Team Leader, Cherie Bañaga (cbanaga@cv.k12.ca.us) 6th gr. Team Leader, Kathy Huemoeller (khuemoeller@cv.k12.ca.us)

7th, 8th, and 9th Grade Elections: We will be holding elections for the 2016-2017 officers in May. Current 6th graders run for ASB Treasurer and 7th Grade Class President. Current 7th graders run for ASB President, ASB Vice President, and 8th Grade Class President. Current 8th graders run for two Freshman Class Representative positions at Castro Valley High School. Check the bulletin announcements for election information and dates. Thanks for your interest in student government!

-Ms. Shen and Ms. Hsu, Activities Directors

Thank you!! Your support of our school is greatly appreciated!

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION: Canyon Middle School participates in the General Mills BOX TOPS

FOR EDUCATION program. There is a container on the main office counter for Box Tops. Each Box Top is worth one dime… and they add up quickly. They do have expiration dates… so please turn them in quickly.

SCHOOLA is an online website that collects gently used clothing for children and women (including purses and

shoes) and sells them with a 40% of the sales returning to the school. Check out their website at www.schoola.com. You can request a bag that arrives with return postage for mailing. If you have a larger donation, please contact the front office (510-538-8833, ext. 6001) for more information. We can arrange for a courier to pick up from the school.

S.H.A.R.E.S. cards expired March 31, 2016 when the program joined the eScrip group. Thank you to all who

supported this program over the past several years!

Spring Pictures – May 11th

& 12th

Creative Imaging, our Canyon photographer will be taking Spring Pictures during PE classes on Wednesday, May 11

th

and Thursday, May 12th. Creative Imaging can be reached at 925-485-6025.Students will be bringing home a ¼ sheet

flier with information.

8th

Grade Panoramic Picture – May 18th

Additionally, the 8

th grade panoramic picture will be taken on the morning of Wednesday, May 18

th. We would love to

see 100% attendance for this special memory photo. Orders were taken at registration in August. If you did not order at registration… you may do so the week of May 16

th-May 20

th. CASH ONLY - $20 with an order form to Mrs. Torrez in

the front office. No orders will be taken after May 20th. If there are extra panoramic pictures left over… they will be

available at the advancement ceremony.

Grade Reporting Schedule

Below is the schedule of when Progress Reports and Report Cards will be mailed home by quarter. Please note that Progress Reports are not sent to all students, only those with grades raising concern. Please remember that that you may check your child’s progress through the Parent Portal account for your child(ren).

4th

Quarter 4th

Quarter Progress Reports mailed on 5/12/16 Report Cards mailed on 6/22/16

VISITORS ON CAMPUS: ALL visitors to the school campus MUST check in and sign in at the school office

between the hours of 7:30 am and 3:30 pm. ALL visitors must wear a Canyon visitor badge or District ID card. This includes anyone using the track during school hours. A special “track pass” will be provided. Prior arrangements MUST be made when visiting the classroom. This includes before and after school visitors on the campus. If you are volunteering in the Library / classroom or chaperoning on a field trip / school dance, you must have completed the Megan’s Law form that was included in your child’s registration packet. This form must be completed at the start of each school year and is good through September 30

th of the following school year. Additional forms are

available in the main office.

S.O.A.R. Safety – Organization - Achieving Goals – Respect

Students: Don’t forget to turn in your S.O.A.R. tickets. Boxes are located in the Library and in Ms. Hsu’s room, F-10. S.O.A.R. tickets are distibuted to students who demonstrate Canyon’s SOAR

qualites… before school, in class, during lunch, and after school!

Canyon Middle School appreciates the dedication of our School Board Trustee Members:

Charmaine Banther, John Barbieri, Gary Howard, Jo A. S. Loss, and Dot Theodore

Superintendent, Parvin Ahmadi Upcoming meetings: May 12th & 26th – 7:00 PM, District Office