the TOHS GreenSheet
A Newsletter for TOHS families - April, 2019
INVOLVE * ACCEPT * INSPIRE
Why Test Scores Matter
Faculty and staff knew that the scores were not indicative of the level of learning that had happened throughout the year - as a result we were left seeking answers. We decided to go straight to the source and surveyed a wide variety of last year's junior class (the CAASPP is given juniors). We discovered several things. First, most juniors understood that the CAASPP does not affect their graduation status (this is true). Second, when many faced nearly four to five weeks of continuous testing (AP tests , CAASPP test, finals, in that order), many felt that they needed to make an economic choice where they would allocate a limited supply of energy and focus.
The CAASPP, which does not effect grades, graduation status, or college admission status was an easy choice to not take seriously. Junior survey data confirms this hypothesis. Before going further, I want to mention that we've moved our CAASPP testing window. Juniors will be given their CAASPP tests before AP tests, not between APs and finals. That way, students will get a chance to catch their breath before finals are given and not feel forced to make a choice in order to preserve their sanity.
I want to take the balance of my space and discuss a few reasons why the CAASPP should be taken seriously. While it is true that the CAASPP does not affect a student's graduation status, how the school does as a whole could have profound implications on our future. Let's begin with several very important realities:
- Public education in our community is a market-based sector. In other words, families have choices when it comes to their kids' education.
- I have found that many if not most of our families are shrewd school shoppers. They will gather all necessary information and will make a very careful, thoughtful decision about where to send their students.
- CAASPP data is a very public and very easily retrieved piece of information. Further, CAASPP data is almost always rolled into the grading algorithms that many websites use in order to give a school a "grade" or "score."
- It is a safe assumption that CAASPP data helps define a school's academic reputation - even if it happens subconsciously.
- It is also a safe assumption that when faced with choices of where to send their students, if all options are on the table, parents will want to send their kids to a school where they are confident their kids will receive (among many other factors) the best possible classroom education.
- Very public data that does not paint a rosy picture about the quality of classroom education does not inspire that confidence.
- Worst case scenario - low CAASPP scores for a school that operates in a region where school choice is a fundamental thread in the community fabric may result in fewer families who choose to come to that school.
- At a time when our resident population of students is going down, fewer families who come to the school via school choice will profound ramifications.
Among the many consequences that come with a declining enrollment is fewer teachers at our school. Our annual staffing allocation is directly tied to student enrollment. Fewer teachers means fewer programs, fewer specialized classes, fewer opportunities to keep an excellent young teachers on staff. These realities feed the downward trend in public perception, accelerating the decline in enrollment. It's a snowball effect of epic proportions.
For these reasons (and others not discussed), I urge parents to encourage their students to do their very best.
Thanks for reading. As always we appreciate your ongoing support.
Eric
Testing Calendar
10th grade Interim SBAC Assessment: April 30 - May 1
CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, 11th graders): April 29 - May 2
AP: May 6 - May 17
CAST (California Science Test, 11th graders): May 16
ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessment for California, all eligible English Learners): Starts April 3rd.
ELD and SBAC
All students currently enrolled in ELD classes as well as those who are reclassified as English proficient but still in four-year monitoring will take the ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessments for California) during the first week of April. This exam replaces the CELDT, is closely aligned to the state Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and tests all four domains of language acquisition—listening, speaking, reading and writing. Results from this battery of tests will be used to place students in classes for the 2019-2020 school year.
Students seeking to earn the bi-literacy seal on their diplomas must keep several requirements in mind. They must score a 3 or higher on the SBAC AND take one of the following: the SAT world language subject test, the AP world language exam (3 or higher) OR four years of a world language while meeting the minimum GPA. Currently, TOHS offers bi-literacy seals in Spanish, Chinese, German and French with more languages on the horizon.
We Need Correct Email Addresses!
Advisory...Post Script
Attendance
From the TOHS Counselors
Helpful information about what it means to be A-G for a 4 year UC/CSU Check out the link to the A-G video: https://youtu.be/Ij4UZoSuSBg
Reminder: Petition deadline for next year’s courses is May 17th. Peititon at the following link:http://www.tohscounseling.org/academic-petitions.html
Reminder: Please check your students grades on Q and connect with your students teacher regarding their progress and pathway toward passing their class this semester.
Summer school dates and times are as follows:
Semester one begins on: Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Semester one ends on: Thursday, June 27, 2019
School Days Semester 1: June 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27
Semester two begins on: Monday, July 1, 2019
Semester two ends on: Thursday, July 18, 2019
School Days Semester 2: July 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18
VMS...Raptor System
As part of this VMS, upon entering a CVUSD school campus, visitors will be asked to present a Government issued ID such as a Driver’s License, which can be scanned or manually entered into the system. In lieu of US government-issued ID cards and documents, passports issued by all other countries are also considered valid identification documents for VMS verification purposes. For IDs not issued by a US government agency, the school staff member may manually enter the person’s name and date of birth into the system.
The VMS checks the visitor's name and date of birth with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the VMS. The information is not shared with any outside agency.
Once entry is approved, the VMS will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools to pick up a student early, or for those who are there to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork.
Children who are not enrolled students of the school, and do not have a valid ID may be allowed to visit the school as long as they are accompanied by an adult who has completed the check-in process and has been issued a badge. CVUSD secondary students may utilize their school ID cards as their form of identification when they visit other school sites. Substitute teachers, regular volunteers, and all contractors or subcontractors will be subject to the same procedure as visitors at all times.
The Visitor Management System will only be used during school hours. Attendees at after-hour events such as performances, ceremonies, or academic/athletic competitions will not be required to complete the process.
The safety of our students is our highest priority, and this new visitor management process will be a valuable new tool in our commitment to that priority. Thank you in advance for your understanding and support of enhancing school safety protocols in our district.
Latino Connection Club
Our campus Latino Connection Club has exciting events in the works for the last months of the school year. Their Baile de Luces (Scholarship Dance) will take place on Friday, April 5, in the TOHS MPR from 7:30 – 11 p.m., and ALL students from Newbury Park, Westlake and Thousand Oaks High Schools are welcome. The dance will feature a DJ and dancing as well as light refreshments. Tickets are available from Latino Connection Club members and from the Student Store, $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Semi-formal attire is required.
This dance is always a highlight of the year because it forms a main source of scholarship funds for graduating seniors at the annual Latino Connection Awards Banquet. This year, the ceremony and dinner will be held on Friday, June 7, in the TOHS MPR.
Club advisor Sandra Martinez obtained a PTSA grant to offer a free four-part SAT prep workshop here at TOHS for members of Latino Connection Club and other qualifying students. The workshop helps prepare for the May and June administrations of the SAT, two of the most popular test dates for juniors. The review and practice sessions will be held for the math portion on April 23 and 25 and will be taught by Michael Weingarden of Newbury Park High School. Eileen Moore of TOHS will teach the English review portion on April 29 and May 1. Interested students, whether members of Latino Connection or not, should contact Mrs. Martinez in I-8 or email her at smartinez@conejousd.org. Enrollees must purchase the practice book for $20 through Latino Connection Club, but this fee will be refunded to them if they attend all four sessions.
Two members of Latino Connection Club recently made Thousand Oaks High School very proud by presenting at the annual TEDxYouth@Conejo, this year held at NPHS and featuring the theme of “Barriers”. Naomi Moya Aguilar, a sophomore who came from Nicaragua as a child, and Jesus Orozco, a junior and native of Mexico who moved here when he was one year old, spoke movingly about their personal experiences and philosophies.
In a joint effort, the AAUW (American Association of University Women) and Latino Connection Club have recently formed Latino Youth Leadership Group made up of thirty-five outstanding young men and women from the TOHS student body who are passionate about the Latino role in the 21st century. The group is scheduled to meet next on April 4 and 25. Interested students should contact Mrs. Martinez in I-8 for an application in anticipation of a full slate of activities in 2019-2020.
Congratulations to Strings!
PTSA
Please Join!
Electronic TOHS PTSA Membership is here! Did you forget to join the PTSA? Now is the time to join during our January Membership Drive. Your support helps us fund important programs, teacher grants, scholarships and much more for our school. The new electronic membership portal allows you to join instantly and receive your membership card online. Please follow the link to join today:
https://jointotem.com/ca/thousand-oaks/thousand-oaks-high-school-ptsa
PTSA is hosting LOW COST SHREDDING on Saturday, April 6th from 8 am to 12 noon in the PAC parking lot. $5 per banker’s sized box, no limit, shredded onsite. Staples and paperclips are ok!!
TOHS Photography
Are you interested in learning this summer for FREE? Check out what you can get a taste of this summer at the Career Education Center
If you are interested in a Digital Photography course check out Ms. Ravitch's class:
Sign up here: https://cec.gosignmeup.com/public/Course/browse?courseid=3238
Classes are FREE!
Do you love Photography? Have you already taken beginning Photo? Asking yourself what’s next?
Check in with Ms. Ravitch in C-10 to find out more and sign up for Art of Comm Photo HONORS or AP Photography.
You can:
- earn college credit
- get advanced gpa points
- work on a portfolio
- further your skills
- even get industry standard certification
- a-g UC approved
For more info or to get approval, make sure to see Ms. Ravitch in C-10 or e-mail her at lravitch@conejousd.org.
Lancer Football Needs A Film Crew
Football is looking for a few good students who would like to show off their skills. We are in search of a responsible, dependable students who can serve as a cameraman for games and also put together highlight films at the end of the season. We are also looking for a student who wants to be the next John Madden, not the coach, the TV announcer, to serve as the announcer for our lower level home games. If a staff member has knowledge of any students who fit this criteria, contact Coach Casillas.
ELAC
We are excited to announce that our next ELAC meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 25th will be a cluster-wide meeting. In other words, the parents from all schools that feed into Thousand Oaks High School will be coming together for this meeting. It will be an excellent opportunity to strengthen the ties that already exist in our community. More details will be shared next month. Stay tuned!
Boys State
EXCITING NEWS!
Thousand Oaks High School and the American Legion, Camarillo Unit 741, have chosen Jay Lesny Drake as the 2019 Boys State Delegate and John Eaton as the Alternate Delegate. Jay will represent Thousand Oaks High School at the 82nd annual session of Boys State this summer at CSU Sacramento.
Academic Support for Students
- Geometry, Mondays and Wednesdays in G6
- Algebra 1, Tuesdays and Thursdays in H4
- Algebra 2, Tuesdays and Thursdays in G6
Spanish Intervention Program (SIP): Spanish 1 students are encouraged to go to our free after-school help class. The class will be held on Wednesdays after school. Details and location will be announced soon in Spanish 1 classes.
Tutoring Center: Our free tutoring center will begin on Wednesday, September 12th. The center will be held in room F1 this year and will be open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5pm. Tutors will be able to help with all levels of English (including AP), all areas of science (including AP), Math (through Calculus), all areas of social studies, as well as Spanish
National Poetry Month Competition
April is National Poetry Month!
23rd National Student Poetry Contest
Entry deadline: 4/30/2019
$500 GRAND PRIZE, prizes just for entering (random drawing from all submissions) such as laptop, netbook, tablet or iPod Touch. School with the most entries will win a new computer package and “Spirit of Education” Trophy!
Click here for more information: https://www.libraryofpoetry.com/
Reminders from the Activities Office
Click here for a full description of all TOHS Activities news:
Prom
Hummingbird Nest Ranch, Simi Valley
Regular ticket sales will be from April 11th-May 10th, with prices beginning at $85.00 with ASB Sticker/$95.00 without ASB Sticker and increasing to a final cost of $115.00. (TOHS freshman and sophomores may attend the dance as a guest of junior or senior)
Tickets may be purchased at the Student Store or Online. Students must have a valid TOHS Dance Contract on file to purchase tickets.
All students must arrive no later than 8:30 pm for entrance.
If you are bringing a non-TOHS guest, a guest pass must be submitted by May 10th. Guest passes are available online, in the Activities Office, or in the Student store. All guest passes are due to the Student Store at the time of purchase. If purchased online guest passes are due the following day, otherwise ticket purchase will not be valid. Guest passes WILL NOT be accepted after May 10th.
Senior Updates
Athletic News
For the 4th year in a row, participation by TOHS Athletes in more than one sport has increased. This year we had 190 two sport athletes and 16 three sport athletes, for a total of 206 multisport athletes. All of our three sport athletes are honored at their banquets where they receive a t-shirt, sweatshirt, backpack or jacket depending on how many years they have been three sport athletes. With our enrollment numbers decreasing each year, encouraging athletes to play multiple sports is going to be key to our athletic success.
Congratulations to our CIF Individual Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year. They awards been awarded to Eric Longo (Cross Country, Basketball and Track) and Lotte Bezemer (Swimming) and will be recognized at our Senior Athletic Night in May.
Kudos to Blake Reilly (Baseball) and Shannon Haddad (Softball) for being selected as the Male and Female Athletes of the Month for February.
The following teams qualified for a CIF Academic team award by earning a Team GPA based on the 1st semester grades of 3.5 or higher:
1) Girls Tennis 3.79
2) Boys Swimming 3.67
3) Girls Swimming 3.66
Softball 3.66
5) Boys Tennis 3.60
6) Girls Cross Country 3.59
7) Girls Soccer 3.57
8) Boys Basketball 3.55
9) Girls Basketball 3.52
9) Boys Volleyball 3.52
Non-CIF Sports
1) Sand Volleyball 3.56
2) STUNT 3.51
Baseball off to a red hot start, highlighted by last Wednesday’s 6-0 win over Newbury Park in which Blake Reilly threw a no hitter. Currently 11-2 Overall and 7-0 in league and ranked 2nd in Division 2.
Both Boys and Girls Track are undefeated at 2-0 in league.
Boys Volleyball is undefeated in league play at 3-0 and will face Newbury Park next week in the battle for first place!
Great win by Softball last Thursday as they came from behind and scored 3 in the 7th to tie the game and then scored 6 runs in the top of the 10th to beat 1st place Westlake. Softball is currently 10-5 overall.
Here's our athletic calendar: https://tohsathletics.org/events
GO LANCERS!
Library Renovation Underway!
California State Summer School for The Arts: July 13-August 9, 2019 at CalArts Valencia, CA
For 33 years CSSSA has provided an exemplary and immersive four-week summer arts program to almost 18,000 talented high school students in the areas of animation, film, writing, dance, music, theater and visual arts. Each year 520 students are invited to share this unique opportunity studying and working with professional artists, writers and performers of national stature. Students who successfully complete the program are eligible to receive three units of California State University course credit. CSSA’s alumni include very influential people in the field of entertainment.
More information and cost can be found at https://www.csssa.ca.gov/
Application deadline is February 28, 2019
Opportunity for Students to Dive into Writing
The Juniper Institute for Young Writers (July 21-28,2019) – for students who are passionate about writing. Open to high school students finishing grades 9, 10, and 11. Visit umass.edu/juniperyoungwriters for guidelines and online application or contact juniperyoungwriters@HFA.umass.edu or (415) 545-8988 for more information.
Reminder to Keep Valuables Safe and Secure
New CVUSD Volunteer Requirements
http://www.conejousd.org/Volunteer-with-CVUSD
Please note the need for TB clearance from a doctor, a background check, as well as the documentation needed for those driving students to a school activity. The chart below will show what is required given the nature of the volunteer work to be performed. if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office.
Warning about Parking Across the Street and in Neighborhoods
Please, please, please do not use the strip mall parking lot across Moorpark for school events! Cars can and will be towed by property management at the owner's expense. Thanks for helping us be good neighbors.
Additionally, please refrain from parking in nearby neighborhoods. We've received several complaints from neighbors about an increase in congestion as well as litter.
Thanks for helping us be great neighbors
Drop-Off/Pick Up
1. If dropping off your student, give yourself plenty of time - you'll need it.
2. Please do continue to be patient. We realize that can be difficult on some days, but your ongoing patience is appreciated.
3. When entering the front lot from Moorpark onto Lancer Way, please DO remember that the traffic heading eastbound on Lancer Way has a stop sign. As much as I admire and appreciate courteous drivers, if lot-bound drivers stop (with no sign) in order to let eastbound Lancer Way traffic through (who do have a stop sign), they cause traffic to back up severely on Moorpark.
4. When pulling into the lots, pull as far forward as you can go before allowing your student into or out of the car.
5. If our staff is out there and helping move traffic, please DO follow their directions. They are there primarily for the safety of our staff and students as well as to keep traffic moving.
6. When entering the lot on Flores, please use all available entrance lanes.
7. Please do stay alert and drive slowly through our lots. Teachers, staff and students walk through the lots to get into school!
8. Please do not stop on Moorpark or Flores in order to drop off or pick up your student. That presents a very real hazard for everyone involved
9. Please do not drop off or pick up students in the parking half of the front lot.
10. Don't ignore directional signs! that our lots are one-way lots. Cars are only allowed to drive in southerly direction. of the lot. During school hours, DO NOT turn left onto Moorpark when exiting the lot.
Ways to Stay Connected
Athletic Tickets Now For Sale Online
Tickets to athletic events are now available online. You easily redeem on your phone at ANY gate. Here is the website link for anyone who is interested:
TOHS Contact Information
#BleedGreen
Email: tohs_web@conejousd.org
Website: www.conejousd.org/tohs
Location: 2323 North Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
Phone: (805) 435-7491
Facebook: facebook.com/tohighschool
Twitter: @thousandoakshs