CATEC March 2022 Newsletter
Stay Up-to-Date on All the Things Happening at CATEC
Keep In Touch
There are lots of ways to know what is happening at CATEC. Keep in touch with us to know what our students are doing and all the ways we are working to improve our local workforce.
High School
- Call us (434) 973-4461
- Visit us www.catec.org
- Download our app CATEC, VA
- Follow us at CATECHighSchool (Facebook), CATEC High School (YouTube), @CATEChs (Twitter), @catechighschool (Instagram), @catechighschool (TikTok)
Adult Education and Apprenticeship
Are you an adult interested in continuing your education? CATEC's Adult Education and Apprenticeship Program offers +100 in-person and online classes. Scholarships are available. Keep in touch with this program to learn more:
- Call us (434) 973-1945
- Visit us: https://www.catec.org/page/adult-education-and-apprenticeship-programs
- Follow us at CATEC Adult Education and Apprenticeships (Facebook), @CATEC_Adult (Twitter), @catec_adult_education (Instagram)
- Read through Course Catalog Options
Director's Message
Happy Career and Technical Education Month!
Hello, CATEC Families!
Well, Spring has sprung and we are entering one of the most exciting times of the year as our students prepare for certification testing and we prepare for big events like our Completers’ Ceremony, Interview Week, and Signing Day! CATEC is a special place with remarkable students and it is so rewarding to see so many of them reach their goals.
Barring any changes with COVID-19 infection rates, this year will be the first year we have had the opportunity to host in-person events during my time at CATEC and I am really looking forward to it!
CATEC presents students with a unique opportunity to learn a trade, but we also work to prepare our students for the workplace by focusing on workplace readiness skills including résumé preparation and interviewing opportunities. In case you missed it, there was a great story on our local NPR station featuring our students. Hearing their passion and desire to be at CATEC learning a trade they love was inspirational. Please check it out!
Please mark your family calendars for additional schoolwide events taking place this spring:
- May 2-6 Interview Week
- May 17 Signing Day
- May 31 Completers' Ceremony
Sincerely,
Stephanie Carter
CATEC Director
Schoolwide Information
Calendar Dates
April 1- ACPS Half Day: CATEC AM classes, no PM classes
April 4-8- Spring Break
April 18- CATEC Scholarship Packets are due
April 22- Teacher Work Day
April 28- Technical Eats! Food Bus in CATEC parking lot 11am-2pm
Newsworthy
- With Plenty of Jobs Available, Technical Education Classes are Booming, WVTF Radio IQ
CATEC Celebrates Donation of UVA Health Ambulance, WINA
CATEC Receives Ambulance Donation from UVAHealth, NBC29
CATEC Receives Ambulance Donation from UVAHealth, CBS 19
UVA Health Donates an Ambulance to CATEC, Daily Progress
- CATEC is Working to Keep It's Enrollment Rate High, NBC29
School Counseling Services
Ms. Wilson, CATEC's School Counselor, is on-site daily to assist students with scheduling issues, college dual-enrollment registration, and individual needs. Ms. Wilson can be reached at mwilson7@k12albemarle.org and 434-973-4461.Thank you to Ms. King for acting as interim school counselor in Ms. Wilson's absence.
CATEC Students are Professional: Workplace Readiness
In March, CATEC students focused on WRS #7 Listening and Speaking, #15 Information Literacy, #16 Information Security, #17 Job Specific Tools and Technologies, #11 Big Picture Thinking, and #13 Continuous Learning and Adaptability.
CATEC Academics
CATEC offers academic courses that are both embedded in trade curricula and offered as stand-alone courses. Taking trade and academic courses at CATEC allows students more flexibility with their scheduling as well as learning class materials in authentic ways.
English 10 & 11 embedded in Culinary 1 and Cosmetology I: Megan Panek
What are some of the biggest controversies right now in the food and beauty industries? This is the question English 11 students have been a finding answers to in the month of March. There were several guest speakers in Culinary Arts from Cultivate Charlottesville and Wegmans, and students learned more about the benefits of small farming and how to avoid food waste. In Cosmetology, students participated in a presentation from Refill Renew, a local refill business, and students learned ways to reduce waste in the beauty industry. They also watched videos and read articles about discrimination in the beauty industry and animal testing. To end the unit, students in both classes wrote blogs arguing for something to be done about one of the controversies they studied. Read class blogs on the blog sites linked below!
Lean, Green Cooking Machine Blog Site
English 12 & Government: Megan Panek and David Topper
How does a bill get written? And how does it become a law? US Government & English 12 students answered these questions in the month of March by completing a Bill Project. The project simulated the real journey our representatives in the legislative branch go through to propose and pass bills. Students presented a bill idea, met with classmates in “committees” to get feedback, and then presented the finalized bill to the class for a “vote.” Their bills covered topics from death with dignity laws to raising the minimum wage to not making carnivorous pets vegan. Next we will learn how the SCOTUS functions and about some of the landmark and more recent cases that are shaping our country’s laws.
Economics and Personal Finance: David Topper
In Personal Finance class students spent March pricing out the needs and wants of living on your own after you graduate high school. They researched jobs and careers, discussed their salaries and then worked on figuring out how far they would make it on their own. For their monthly budgeting they focused on vehicle loans, finding an apartment and the cost of buying groceries. In addition, they discussed how current events are impacting the cost of everyday items such as gas, food, building supplies and entertainment are increasing and salaries are not. Tough decisions would need to be made to s-t-r-e-t-c-h a dollar in the future. For April, they will dig into the cost and importance of insurance and, everybody’s favorite April conversation… TAXES!
Geometry embedded into Building Trades: Jake Sills
In Geometry, students turned in their final draft of their Blueprint project. They had to measure all the rooms on one floor of their house and then use those measurement to come with a scale factor and draw a blueprint. Next, they were asked to decide what rooms they would want carpet or wood flooring and find the price of that. Finally, they got to create their dream room by choosing the size it would be and all the furniture and accessories that it would have.
Profile of a CATEC Student
Collin Barnett, Veterinary Science
Monticello High School senior Collin Barnett is using his hands-on learning experiences in his Veterinary Science class to propel him into his biological studies next year at college. Collin will attend either the University of Virginia or Virginia Tech in the fall. He is interested in using his biology studies to become a veterinarian. He also plays tennis for MHS and has been the team captain for the last three years. Additionally, Collin is an avid piano player.
Zion Gant-Washington, Electricity
Zion is a homeschooled student studying Electricity this year. He became interested in becoming an electrician because he has lots of family members who are electricians and he hopes to follow in the family business. He enjoys working with his hands in class and doing electrical math. His favorite project so far has been installing doorbells. In his spare time, Zion volunteers at Community Bikes and enjoys woodcarving and fishing.
Nurse Assistant students practicing taking vital signs.
Students practice their communication skills.
Nurse Assistant students got to have some fun while on clinicals at Our Lady of Peace.
Learn More about CATEC's Nurse Assistant Program
Clinical Hours
CATEC is celebrating its Nurse Assistant program this month because students completed their clinical placements required for them to sit for their Virginia State Board of Nursing credentialing. Students spent 40 hours performing hands-on patient care at Our Lady of Peace. COVID-19 protocols have created challenges for getting students in for clinical hours, but working with Our Lady of Peace has allowed students to meet their requirements, but also provide them opportunities to put their book knowledge to the test. Students help provide personal care to patients, assist them with feeding, and take vital signs.
Curriculum
CATEC’s Nurse Assistant program is part of the school’s Health and Medical Services Academy. In this program, students develop skills for entry into the rewarding career of nurse assisting. Certified Nurse Aides provide patient care under the direction of nursing staff. Students learn technical knowledge about infection control, the body systems and its disorders, bed making and adjusting, positioning, measuring and recording vital signs, and assisting with patient personal care. Students also learn soft skills that ensure patients receive dignified care. This training includes scope of practice, care and security of patients’ personal affects, patients’ rights, diversity and culture sensitivity training, maintaining a safe environment, and assisting with nutrition.
College Credit and Certifications
CATEC Nurse Assistant students receive college credits through CATEC’s dual-enrollment partnership with Piedmont Virginia Community College. Students also earn industry certifications, including CPR, and sit for their board of nursing assessments in the spring.
Adult Education Opportunities
CATEC's Adult Education and Apprenticeship Programs offers a variety of medical-related courses that allow adult learners to begin a new career in the healthcare field or enhance their current skills for job advancement. Adult Education programs include Nurse Assistant courses, Registered Medication Aide, Emergency Medical Technician, and many online healthcare classes adult learners can take from the comfort of their homes.
Projected Job Growth
In Virginia, this high-demand field projects a 28% job growth as our population ages and health-related concerns remain high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be nearly 200 thousand job opportunities in the healthcare field every year for the next ten years across the United States. CATEC's High School Nurse Assistant program will be hosting a hiring event on May 4th for local healthcare facilities to hire program students directly out of the program.
Meet the Instructor: Jessica Carter-Payne
CATEC
Email: scarter@k12albemarle.org
Website: www.catec.org
Location: 1000 Rio Road East, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone: 434-973-4461
Facebook: facebook.com/CATECHighSchool
Twitter: @CATEChs