Dear Parents: May 4, 2007
I have a few important announcements to send your way today. First of all, our TerraNova Testing is done for the year. It took much longer than expected because after the standard test was given, the cognitive test had to given in very small groups, allowing me to only administer about 3 per day. The tests will now be sent in and they will be scored by the testing company and returned in 4-6 weeks. If they do not return before school is out, they will be mailed to you.
Secondly, I know several parents have been asking if we will have summer school this year. Unfortunately, there were not enough people wanting to have summer school for us to be able to offer it. Several parents have used the YMCA or Parks and Recreation for their children during the summer and have been pleased. I suggest you might try either alternative.
We will offer some classes in distance learning over the summer. This is not included in the yearly tuition, however. More information will be coming on that soon.
The last think I need to mention is that our annual Graduation and Awards Banquet will be held at the Ritz Gardens in Whittier this year. It will be a dinner followed by the awards and graduation. We could not get seating for June 15, so the graduation has been moved to June 14 @ 7:30 p.m. Please note this on your calendars. Also, the last day of school will therefore be on Wednesday, June 13, 2007.
I showed a video in chapel the other day that many of the student wish to see again or show you. You may view it at our church blog at
http://graceevfree.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 06, 2007
TerraNova Testing
When we return from Easter Vacation we will begin to prepare for the TerraNova test, which will be given at the end of April. This test replaces the CAT/5 Test we have used for the last several years. That test is no longer being given. This new test from the same company is updated for current standards.
It is very important that you pay strict attention to good nutrition during the testing days. Please make sure your child has a wholesome breakfast with protein in it, not sugary cereals. Please do not send any sugary snacks or sodas. Use diet sodas, fruit, chips etc., but not candy and sweets. Some juice boxes have a very high sugar content. You do not want your child to have a low blood sugar crash during testing. It will skew the results and we only get one chance at taking this test each year.
Easter Vacation
Easter vacation will start April 6, Good Friday, and students will return on April 16th. Enjoy your vacation.
Pastor Bob
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
New Fund Raiser!
We are now selling Valentine's Day candy from See's Candy. We did great with the Christmas sales and hope to repeat that with this effort. We haven't really sold much yet, it's a bit early, but please help us out as you did for Christmas so we can buy even more equipment for the school.
Thanks,
Pastor Bob
We are now selling Valentine's Day candy from See's Candy. We did great with the Christmas sales and hope to repeat that with this effort. We haven't really sold much yet, it's a bit early, but please help us out as you did for Christmas so we can buy even more equipment for the school.
Thanks,
Pastor Bob
Monday, January 15, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Thursday, November 23, 2006
We've upgraded our School blog and some recent posts were lost, so here's a bit of what has gone on lately.
We took the children on a field trip to Our Way Ceramics. Each student bought a molded piece of greenware, brought it back to school and after Pastor Bob fired it in the kiln, they were able to glaze it. The students also saw how to make a mold and open it. It was very instructional and fun.
We also had a school wide science experiment mixing Mentos and Diet Pepsi and watching it explode over Pastor Bob.
We just finished taking pictures for the school children.
We came back from the ACSI Convention this week and are now enjoying our Thanksgiving Vacation.
Have a wonderful time with your families.
We took the children on a field trip to Our Way Ceramics. Each student bought a molded piece of greenware, brought it back to school and after Pastor Bob fired it in the kiln, they were able to glaze it. The students also saw how to make a mold and open it. It was very instructional and fun.
We also had a school wide science experiment mixing Mentos and Diet Pepsi and watching it explode over Pastor Bob.
We just finished taking pictures for the school children.
We came back from the ACSI Convention this week and are now enjoying our Thanksgiving Vacation.
Have a wonderful time with your families.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
We have beta tested our Distance Learning program for one semester and it has gone very well. We are now able to home school students who have computers through this program. It also is a great complement to our regular campus students who now have a very easy way to do their homework on their own computers. This also is a boon to students who are ill for extended periods of time. Often they can still work at home on the computer. It has been a great new service for our students and parents. Feel free to inquire if you wish to add this to your child's program or if you are interested in home schooling through this online distance learning program.
562-868-2398
562-868-2398
All parents of high school students should be aware that the State of California now requires all high school students to pass Algebra to graduate. Public schools must have all students pass an exit exam to graduate. As of this time, private schools are not required to give exit exams to their students.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
One in five might not graduate in 2006
By Kevin Butler
Staff writer
LONG BEACH — More than one-fifth of California's high school seniors are at risk of not graduating because they have not passed the exit exam required for a diploma, according to a state-commissioned independent study released Friday.
Nearly 100,000 seniors began the school year without having passed the high school exit exam, a graduation requirement starting in 2006, according to the report.
Perhaps half of that number ultimately won't don caps and gowns this summer, including substantial numbers of disabled students and those not fluent in English, according to the report by the Human Resources Research Organization.
In the Long Beach Unified School District, 25 percent of high school seniors 1,615 began this school year having not passed the exam, which includes an English and math component, according to district officials.
The LBUSD and other area school districts have created special classes during the day, after school and on Saturdays to prepare the struggling seniors.
"I think given what we know about how to prepare kids for the test, we are doing an effective job," said Lynn Winters, LBUSD assistant superintendent of research.
Seniors will get up to three more opportunities to pass the exam before graduation time.
In the Downey Unified School District, 23 percent of seniors have not passed. The figure is 26 percent in the Norwalk-La Mirada District. In the ABC Unified School District, 19 percent haven't passed, but that figure does not include special education students.
The independent evaluator used estimates to calculate the passing rates because the state lacks unique student identifiers and cannot track individual pupils.
The estimates may be two percentage points higher or lower than the actual totals, the organization reported.
Forty-nine percent of California's English-language learners and 65 percent of special education students have not passed the test, the report stated.
Blacks and Latinos also have struggled. Thirty-seven percent of black seniors and 32 percent of Latinos haven't passed, the report estimated.
Economically disadvantaged seniors also have fallen behind, with 34 percent not passing the exam.
The report noted that among special education students, those
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with more severe disabilities are faring worse on the test than those who are able to spend more time in regular classrooms.
The report fuels a growing debate about the extent of alternatives that should be offered to seniors who fail to graduate this summer. Among the possible options for those seniors is an alternative diploma or graduation certificate, the report said.
The LBUSD has a certificate of completion, but only for special education students, Winters said.
Extending the certificate to other students would require a change in state law, she said.
The report's other suggestions include completing a senior-year portfolio project, successfully finishing a special summer course after 12th grade and taking additional years of high school.
In the LBUSD, seniors who don't pass the test at graduation time can study at adult schools for future tries at the exam.
Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, said the state Department of Education will study the alternatives suggested in the report, but that the exam requirement is still in place.
"While it is appropriate to consider these options, it is critical that in doing so we keep one core principle front and center: Awarding a student a diploma without the knowledge and skills to back it up does a great disservice to that student," he said.
The discussion of alternatives should not be seen as a license for seniors to "slack off," said Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education. Students will still have to show mastery of the test concepts, she said.
"The California high school exit exam is here to stay," she said.
By Kevin Butler
Staff writer
LONG BEACH — More than one-fifth of California's high school seniors are at risk of not graduating because they have not passed the exit exam required for a diploma, according to a state-commissioned independent study released Friday.
Nearly 100,000 seniors began the school year without having passed the high school exit exam, a graduation requirement starting in 2006, according to the report.
Perhaps half of that number ultimately won't don caps and gowns this summer, including substantial numbers of disabled students and those not fluent in English, according to the report by the Human Resources Research Organization.
In the Long Beach Unified School District, 25 percent of high school seniors 1,615 began this school year having not passed the exam, which includes an English and math component, according to district officials.
The LBUSD and other area school districts have created special classes during the day, after school and on Saturdays to prepare the struggling seniors.
"I think given what we know about how to prepare kids for the test, we are doing an effective job," said Lynn Winters, LBUSD assistant superintendent of research.
Seniors will get up to three more opportunities to pass the exam before graduation time.
In the Downey Unified School District, 23 percent of seniors have not passed. The figure is 26 percent in the Norwalk-La Mirada District. In the ABC Unified School District, 19 percent haven't passed, but that figure does not include special education students.
The independent evaluator used estimates to calculate the passing rates because the state lacks unique student identifiers and cannot track individual pupils.
The estimates may be two percentage points higher or lower than the actual totals, the organization reported.
Forty-nine percent of California's English-language learners and 65 percent of special education students have not passed the test, the report stated.
Blacks and Latinos also have struggled. Thirty-seven percent of black seniors and 32 percent of Latinos haven't passed, the report estimated.
Economically disadvantaged seniors also have fallen behind, with 34 percent not passing the exam.
The report noted that among special education students, those
Advertisement
with more severe disabilities are faring worse on the test than those who are able to spend more time in regular classrooms.
The report fuels a growing debate about the extent of alternatives that should be offered to seniors who fail to graduate this summer. Among the possible options for those seniors is an alternative diploma or graduation certificate, the report said.
The LBUSD has a certificate of completion, but only for special education students, Winters said.
Extending the certificate to other students would require a change in state law, she said.
The report's other suggestions include completing a senior-year portfolio project, successfully finishing a special summer course after 12th grade and taking additional years of high school.
In the LBUSD, seniors who don't pass the test at graduation time can study at adult schools for future tries at the exam.
Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, said the state Department of Education will study the alternatives suggested in the report, but that the exam requirement is still in place.
"While it is appropriate to consider these options, it is critical that in doing so we keep one core principle front and center: Awarding a student a diploma without the knowledge and skills to back it up does a great disservice to that student," he said.
The discussion of alternatives should not be seen as a license for seniors to "slack off," said Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education. Students will still have to show mastery of the test concepts, she said.
"The California high school exit exam is here to stay," she said.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Our school is off to a good start. We have a great bunch of students this year. Something exciting is in the air. As you all know, our curriculum, grades 3-12, is mostly computerized, which is exciting in itself. But soon we hope to offer students and parents the opportunity to do their homework online if they have a broadband connection. We are installing a DSL line next week and after we beta test it, we should be on our way to offering this.
What's even better is that we will be able to offer Distance Learning to anyone in the country or the world, for that matter, who has a broadband connection. After installing some software, people can homeschool through our school, taking all their classes through us with a live teacher on the other side, standing by to help them. Stay tuned for more information.
What's even better is that we will be able to offer Distance Learning to anyone in the country or the world, for that matter, who has a broadband connection. After installing some software, people can homeschool through our school, taking all their classes through us with a live teacher on the other side, standing by to help them. Stay tuned for more information.
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