Bronco News
For all of our Bronco Families and Students
School Update- Semester 2
Good afternoon Bronco families,
First, I must apologize for the delay in getting out a family newsletter. It is much later than I would have liked, and for that, I am sorry. The work in keeping our students and staff as safe and informed as possible has involved some detailed and time-consuming contact tracing, and this newsletter was set aside momentarily. I do want to express my utmost gratitude and appreciation for my administrative team, Ms. Ravina and Mr. Rosecrans, and for Ms Cassidy and our front office staff, for their work in taking all of the phone calls, reminding families of timelines and protocols, and keeping us going in all other areas as we face this statewide COVID surge.
On that same note of gratitude, I want to appreciate our students and families for their open and timely communication when their student is ill, letting our office know when a student tests positive, and following the protocol and timelines for this illness that has been sent out and communicated repeatedly. This continues to keep our students and community as safe as possible during this time.
Lastly, I must express my deepest gratitude for our teachers, and acknowledge the incredible amount of work and flexibility required in teaching during this time. They are working through a large number of absences, preparing independent study work, and of course continuing instruction day to day. There is a large increase in emails, makeup assessments, needs to adjust teaching materials, and submission of late work, and they have been tackling this with excellence- I could not be more thankful for our staff. We are incredibly lucky to have them!
As predicted, our COVID numbers have dropped significantly from the first week, but continue steadily with new cases each day. See below for Northgate specific data. Our students can assist in mitigating the spread by remembering to wash their hands regularly, wearing their masks indoors, over their noses (!) at all times, and eating outdoors, spaced from their friends. Additionally, not ignoring "mild" symptoms similar to cold symptoms and staying home when sick, as well as regular testing, are so important to this work.
In other news - (please, let's talk about something else!)- now is the time for our students and families to start planning for next year! Seniors are weighing their options and facing some big decisions, while all of our other grade levels will need to start discussing their course planning for next year now, with those selections being due on February 17th. They will receive course request packets this week, and there are several events to assist them in this process, including a course fair, informational meetings, and individual course counseling.
Junior Prom is coming up, on February 26th, and tickets will go on sale next week. The city of Oakland has instituted a vaccine mandate for this event, with the participant numbers and indoor facility, with the presence of food, and the only exception to this is students with medical exemption, who will need to present this exemption along with a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the event in order to attend.
Our students are working on several second semester capstone projects. Our seniors are developing plans for their senior projects, which will be presented at the end of May. These projects require our students to extend their effort out into their communities, and is the capstone requirement for English IV and graduation. Our sophomores similarly are engaged in a group project called the "If I Can Change the World" project, where they collaborate to research issues and propose solutions to community and worldwide issues. Our 9th grade students will be engaged in their iSearch projects, which is a comprehensive research project on a topic students select and are interested in. It is an excellent project to prepare our students for the rigorous work of evaluating multiple reliable resources, ultimately preparing them for the rest of their academic career. Our Juniors will be engaging in the American Authors project, selecting an author of their choice, reading and evaluating their work in context with their biographies and history, and presenting their perspectives on the author's work.
That is just a snapshot of our January so far- there is much more to celebrate- read on!
Kelly Cooper
Principal
LEAP foundation builds and donates 170 bears
Junior Freya Grant takes home the gold!
Wrestling has key wins over College Park and CVCHS
Intro to Film to study with Patton Oswalt!
SAVE THE DATE- Senior Ball **VACCINES REQUIRED**
- Location will be announced by the senior class as it gets closer, but this event will be held in a county/venue that REQUIRES vaccines for all entrants.
- Students will be allowed to invite outside guests.
- Charter bus transportation will be available for an additional fee for all of those interested, with pickup and drop off at Northgate HS.
More details to come!
Friday, Apr 1, 2022, 07:00 PM
TBD
Parent Night by Teen Esteem- Raising your teen with grit and resilience
Pre-registration is required. See below for the flyer
Tuesday, Mar 15, 2022, 06:30 PM
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**SAVE THE DATE** Junior Prom
- Location will be announced by the junior class as it gets closer
- All guests and students must be vaccinated, or provide a medical waiver and negative test.
- Students will be allowed to invite outside guests.
- Charter bus transportation will be available for an additional fee for all of those interested, with pickup and drop off at Northgate HS.
More details to come!
Saturday, Feb 26, 2022, 06:00 PM
TBD
Northgate COVID Data
As mentioned in my letter above, our winter break brought a hefty peak of per-day cases, with Friday the 7th seeing 30 cases on campus for both staff and students. Then there is a significant drop, with a small increase after the MLK Jr holiday.
The graph below is a daily case reporting since January 5th. The one further down is our absence rate, starting at the same time. The only cases that get reported are the ones that have been on campus and then later test positive for COVID. The absence rate is high due to other illness, quarantine, some hesitance to come on campus during this time, vacation, and other reasons.
(For those who love to look at statistics and percentages, we have 1505 students, and 111 staff members. The positive case reporting includes both, so out of 1616, and the absence reporting is student only.)
That all being said, our rates are dropping, and students are getting back in school.
Support from Adult Ed
Did you know that Adult Ed offers support for K-12 teens and families? Please see the attached flyers for:
Teen alcohol, vaping, and drug use workshops for teens/parents to attend together. Offered on Saturdays. See schedule on flyers. Offered in English and in Spanish. Referrals welcomed. (Let us know if you need it translated into another language.) Flyer English HERE Spanish HERE
Anger management workshops for teens/parents to attend together. Offered on Saturdays. Offered in English and in Spanish. Referrals welcomed. (Let us know if you need it translated into another language.)
Certificate/Court Parenting Class offered weekly online and in-person in English or Spanish. (For parents) Flyer English HERE Flyer English In-Person HERE Flyer Spanish HERE
Certificate/Court Anger Management class offered weekly online and in-person in English or Spanish. (For parents) Flyer English HERE Flyer English In-Person HERE Flyer Spanish HERE
Domestic Violence class weekly in English and Spanish Flyer English HERE Flyer Spanish HERE
For more information, feel free to email Parent Ed secretary, Dee Jones, at parented@mdusd.org /ext. 6720 or for Spanish (or English), email Irma Toman, Parent Education Coordinator, at tomani@mdusd.org /ext. 6722. You can also contact Paige Endo, endop@mdusd.org /ext. 6706.
Graduation
Friday, Jun 3, 2022, 11:00 AM
Concord Pavilion, Kirker Pass Road, Concord, CA, USA
Check out our Madrigals singing for the Holidays at the Lesher
What's coming this week!
- Thursday Jan 20- PFC Meeting at 7pm
- Friday Jan 21- COVID testing 3-5pm Room 91, Girls BB vs Liberty HS (families only)
- Saturday Jan 22- Wrestling at Windsor HS tournament; Boys Basketball vs Santa Cruz (families only), Girls Soccer vs Las Lomas, Girls Basketball vs Miramonte
- Monday Jan 24- Boys Soccer @ Las Lomas; Boys Basketball @ Las Lomas, Girls Basketball vs Las Lomas
Alumni speakers needed!
Colleges visit Northgate HS EVERY WEEK
A Farewell and an Introduction
Ms Proznick has announced that she will be leaving the field for some time to focus on her family. She will be incredibly missed, and we are so grateful for her work and dedication to our students. Her last day will be January 28th- please join us in wishing her the best in her next chapter.
Joining us to fill these very big shoes is Janine Santos. Janine has been the college and career advisor at Ygnacio Valley HS for the last nine years. She is already part of our community, and a proud parent of Northgate alum. She brings with her a wealth of experience and community and we are excited to welcome her into our Bronco family! Janine will begin on February 2.
Winter Sports Update
1- Girls basketball has started their season with some huge wins, and our Varsity team is 10-3 on the season, while the JV team is 9-0. Senior Tegan Gaines has been up for athlete of the week twice in the season already, Freshman Samantha Myhr was selected as the MaxPreps player of the game for her work against Maria Carrillo last weekend, and Senior Jaley Croy was named player of the game for her work against Alhambra HS in a close game. Junior Tade Scheid also leads the team in assists and steals per game.
2- Boys Basketball continues to rise in the NCS and state ranks, having just defeated tough Miramonte team in a huge win this week. Varsity is 14-2 on the season, and undefeated in the league so far. Senior Brady Cook leads the teams in points and rebounds per game, Senior Dylan Golan leads in steals per game, and Senior Thayne Merrill leads in assists per game.
3- Girls Soccer has had a rough start with roster adjustments, but sits 9th in league currently with a .33 win percentage. Boys soccer has worked through similar challenges, and is currently 10th in league. JV Boys have won their last two games with two huge wins over YVHS and Acalanes.
4- Wrestling continues to see individual wins and team wins, and is 6-1 in dual meets on the season, with two rivalry victories over College Park and CVCHS. Some standouts include Vinnie Macaluso, who won and pinned his opponent during this dual, Tony Hernandez, who also won his weight class, Rani Ababneh who won a tight match, and Owen Hansel and Becky Fletcher, who both pinned their opponents.
Boys Basketball leads in the league
Wrestling team 6-1 in dual meets
Girls basketball 4th in league and rising!
Spring Sports Parent Night
Tuesday, Feb 1, 2022, 07:00 PM
Northgate High School, Castle Rock Road, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Senior Portrait Makeups
Tuesday, Feb 1, 2022, 08:00 AM
Northgate High School, Castle Rock Road, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
COVID protocols and Testing reminders
A few reminders for when your student is sick:
Any student ill with COVID-like symptoms must not return to the site until the following conditions are met:
- Student no longer has symptoms
- Student has been tested for COVID and the test is negative OR
- Student was given an alternate diagnosis from a physician (with documentation) explaining the symptoms
If a student tests positive for COVID, please reach out to Ms Cooper asap to inform her so that contact tracing can be completed, and instructions and support given to student.
We do offer testing twice a week at Northgate, and every day throughout the district. See below for these days and times.
Note- for families who are not receiving their results- you can log in to view these at the phmlaboratories website. Click on patient test results. Follow prompts to get a login code.
The new protocols are as follows:
- testing is ONLY for MDUSD students/staff and athletes will have priority
- preregistration online is no longer required
- for the safety of those on our school campuses, staff/children with notable active symptoms (congestion, fever, vomiting) will be turned away and should be seen by your health provider or at one of the locations noted on the MDUSD website under "Other Testing Locations"
Check the district website for current locations and times.
MONDAYS
College Park High School: 3:30 - 6 pm
Northgate High School: 3 - 6 pm
Riverview Middle School: 3 - 6 pm
Willow Creek Center: 10 am - 5 pm
Ygnacio Valley High School: 3 - 6 pm
TUESDAYS
College Park High School: 3:30 - 6 pm
Mt. Diablo High School: 3 - 6 pm
WEDNESDAYS
Concord High School: 3 - 6 pm
Mt. Diablo High School
Willow Creek Center: 10 am - 5 pm
Ygnacio Valley High School: 3:30 - 6 pm
THURSDAY
Riverview Middle School: 3 - 6 pm
FRIDAY
Northgate High School: 3 - 5 pm
Dent Center (1936 Carlotta Drive) 10am-5pm
SATURDAY
Concord High School - Testing offered by PMH Labs - 10 am - 2 pm
District Special Education Department- Recruiting Parent Volunteers
The Special Education Department has a Resource Parent Program. This program trains parents and community members to serve as support to other parents with disabilities. They assist in problem solving and education as parents navigate the special education process.
The initial training is six hours and monthly meetings are held on an ongoing basis to offer continued support. We offer the program annually and this year it is being offered via zoom. Please share this information widely in order that we can recruit more resource parents to the team.Positive Parenting Awareness Month
Putting the Target on Big Tobacco Webinar
Putting the Target on Big Tobacco Webinar
Save the date - January 27, 2022 5:30pm - 7:00pm for a live webinar.
This live webinar presentation from adult and youth presenters, with simultaneous Spanish interpretations, and Question & Answer session focused on commercial tobacco as social justice issue; tobacco industry targeting people of color, LGBTQ & Tribal populations, youth and low SES communities; the use of flavoring (especially in vaping devices) and the current trend toward flavor bans.
The University of California, San Francisco's The LOOP is a centralized one-stop delivery system to help grantees of the California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) strengthen their capacity to address the needs of their local communities, especially those that are disproportionately burdened by commercial tobacco.
Target Audience: Parents/guardians and other adults are welcome. There is no cost to attend, although registration is required.
For more information and to register, go to Eventbrite.
CCCOE Health and Wellness Newsletter
CCCOE Health & Wellness January 2022 Newsletter
Click Here to read about updates on Adolescent Health Related Issues such as:
Student-Led Interview: The Ugly Truth About Vaping (includes video)
DEA Public Safety Alert: One Pill Can Kill
Attention Contra Costa Middle School Counselors!
2022 Professional Development Opportunities
Parent & Family Corner
Superintendent Dr Clark's Friday Letter
NHS Academic Counselors are here to help!
Who do I contact?
Academic Counselors
- Last Name A-G- Leanne Owen- owenl@mdusd.org ext 3546
- Last Name H-O Kristen Bligh- blighk@mdusd.org ext 3526
- Last Name P-Z William Stallworth- stallworthw@mdusd.org ext 3539
Vice Principals
- Last Name A-L Kara Ravina- ravinak@mdusd.org ext 3502
- Last Name M-Z Tyler Rosecrans- rosecranst@mdusd.org ext 3503
Northgate awarded US News & World Report Top Ranking- #6!
Northgate High School
Email: cooperk@mdusd.org
Website: northgatehighschool.org
Location: 425 Castle Rock Rd, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Phone: 925 938-0900
Twitter: @northgatehs