Placerita Miner
Fall Back into School - August 1, 2019
Pride In Excellence
Fall Back into School
August 1, 2019
Greetings Staff…
Believe it or not it is time for us to Fall Back into School!
I hope you all have had a restful summer and are ready to start a new year. I look forward to catching up with everyone next week. Our first official day back is on Thursday, August 8th and we will begin with breakfast at 8:00. The full Day 1 and Day 2 schedule is shown below. I don’t believe in having full group afternoon meetings so we will be finished with our full group meetings before lunch each day. There will be department or team meetings that will take place after our full meetings as you can see below on the schedules.
Just as we did last year, please take a few minutes this weekend and send me pictures from your summer adventures. We will share them on our first day.
We have had a super busy summer with lots of interviews and we still have some interviews to come.
We are totally excited to introduce to you our new faculty for this school year. Please see their Bios below and be sure to give them a warm Placerita Welcome. They are all in our email system now so feel free to send them a short welcome greeting if you like.
Andrea Blade - English Teacher
Andie Blade and has lived in Santa Clarita almost her entire life. She attended Old Orchard and Valencia Valley elementary, Placerita, and Hart… She even stayed local for college, graduating from The Master's University with a degree in education and her credential in 2000. She began her teaching career in elementary education. She taught First and Second grade for four years at Meadows Elementary and then at Legacy Academy. She took some time out of the classroom and spent about three years as a Child Development Specialist/Early Interventionist locally here in Santa Clarita. She began her journey back to the classroom with substitute teaching for the Newhall District and the Hart District about 4 years ago. She found that she enjoyed the middle school setting and was hired as a long term substitute for English at La Mesa Junior High. When that assignment ended, she was hired permanently at Sierra Vista Junior High where she taught 8th Grade English and Achieve and is now set to teach 8th grade English again this year. In all of that, she is married (her husband teaches History at Canyon) and she has three awesome children that keep her incredibly busy and on her toes and laughing (and crying) and driving all over to every youth soccer and baseball event imaginable! Her daughter is at Hart and her son will be joining her here at Placerita this year in seventh grade, and her youngest daughter is at Valencia Valley. She is thrilled thrilled to be here at Placerita!
Juan Cornejo Jr. - Counselor
Juan was born and raised in the heart of Los Angeles, Lincoln Heights. He moved to the San Fernando Valley during his teen years where he attended and graduated from Verdugo Hills High School. He then graduated from CSUN earning a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Master’s degree in School Counseling. In the past decade he has dedicated his work and passion in working with students in many capacities. He has been a substitute teacher, behavioral therapist, worked for an after-school program and more recently worked at Pierce Community College helping students with their future career paths. His dedication for student success continues to expand and has found its soil to place its roots at Placerita Jr. High. He looks forward to continue to flourish and grow with this school and community. He is excited to work alongside you and carry Placerita’s motto, “Pride in Excellence”.
Karen Long - Music Teacher
Karen is a Southern California native with over 30 years of playing experience. She holds a BA in Music Education from Azusa Pacific University, an MM (Master of Music) in Music Education from Boston University, and a California teaching credential in Music. Ms. Long is a well-rounded musician who enjoys playing many instruments (including guitar and drums); but she considers herself a brass specialist. In addition to 4th-12th grade bands and orchestras, Ms.Long has worked with high school and middle school choirs, drum lines, and rock bands. She advocates for the research-supported benefits of participation in music education as strong scientific support for its inclusion in all schools. Ms. Long is passionate about instilling a love for life-long music making in her students and takes great pleasure in seeing her students succeed. She is excited to be a part of the Placerita family!
Nicole RosenKilde - Social Studies Teacher
Over the last two years Nicole has committed herself to becoming a history teacher and has recently completed her Master's in Education and credential program through Grand Canyon University. She has spent countless hours observing teachers in a variety of school districts throughout Southern California and most recently she completed her student teaching assignment at Valencia High School. While there, she taught both U.S. History and Modern Civilizations. Upon completing the program, she began subbing throughout the William S. Hart School District. The past two years have prepared her for a classroom of her own and she is ready to be a part of our social studies department here at Placerita!
New Internal Staff Roles
Elizabeth Renfrow will be our new Instructional Coach for this year. She comes with some great ideas and ready to jump into the world of PD.
Donnie LaMarr will be our Technology PD Specialist. He did such a great job this year training many of us on multiple uses of different applications for the classroom that we would like him doing it regularly.
Elizabeth Orozco is our new Site Wellness Facilitator position that the District has created. She will be working with the District Wellness Coordinator to develop our Wellness Program for this year.
New Classified Staff
Raymond Galoostian - Campus Supervisor
Sarina Kinlaw - Instructional Assistant
TBA - Health Assistant (Waiting on New List)
TBA - Title I Program Specialist (Waiting on New List)
We will have more detailed information in a Miner Monday about our Classified Staff just after the beginning of the year.
Day 1 Schedule
Placerita Jr. High School
Day 1 Agenda
Welcome Back Breakfast 8:00-8:30
Welcome Back Opening 8:30-10:15
Greetings
Summer Happenings
Pictures
Events / Marriages / …
News
Focus for the year
Stop Talking Start Influencing
New Paradigm for a New Year
Placerita Teacher Data
Miner PRIDE
Student Data
Kyra Dashboard Presentation
Adam Tableau Presentation
Mandatory Reporter
AB537
Break 10:15-10:30
Kyra’s Info 10:30-10:55
Adam’s Info 10:55-11:20
Wrap-up 11:20-11:30
Department Meetings 11:30-12:15
Lunch 12:15-1:15
Complete District Online Trainings 1:15-3:00
Summer Check-in for Students
August 6th Alpha L-Z
First Day Back for Faculty
We start with breakfast at 8:00 in Tanner Hall.
Back to School Night
Day 2 Professional Development Day Schedule
Professional Development Day 2019
Placerita Jr. High
Agenda
I. Welcome / Breakfast (provided by our PAC Parents) 8:00 AM
II. Introduction to PD for 2019-20 - John
III. Current PD Topic - Assessment
Introduction to Grading Smarter not Harder - Collin
Grading - Liz
Homework - Rachel
Unit Plans - Jenn
Retesting - Donnie
Creativity - Tammi
EL Application - Bree/Monica
V. Break
VI. Special Ed Update for the Year - Lauren
VII. MIner PRIDE Staff Roll-Out - Collin
IX. GoGuardian Information - Paul/Eddie
X. Lunch
XI. Team Department Meetings
XII. Work in Rooms
Day 3 Schedule
No Meetings on Day 3 :-)
Click on the link below for a PDF of the calendar above
Important Upcoming Dates at Placerita
Summer Check-in for Students 8/5 and 8/6 - 8 AM - 1 PM
Districtwide New Teacher Lunch at Placerita 8/7 @ Noon
First Day back for Staff 8/8
First Day Back for Students 8/13
The First Gerry Brooks of the Year
Placerita Jr. High School
Email: jturner@hartdistrict.org
Website: www.placeritajuniorhigh.org
Location: 25015 Newhall Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA, USA
Phone: 661-259-1551
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1506369076295455/
Twitter: @placeritajhs