Jensen Ranch
August 18, 2019
Jensen Jaguar Families!
We had a fantastic first week back to school. Our students are learning the daily classroom and school routines to ensure they will have a successful school year. Thank you for joining us at our Back to School Night last Thursday evening. We hope you have a better understanding of the goals for your child and how you can provide support during the coming school year. If you have any questions or concerns, you are encouraged to always FIRST reach out to your child's teacher.
A reminder to please walk your kindergarteners to their classroom each morning. Kindergarteners are not to be dropped off in the drop-off zone. Please park off-campus and walk your child to his/her classroom. Kindergarteners are to also be picked up from their classroom at the end of the school day. If you are dropping off your 1st-5th grader, please follow all the safety rules, be patient, and always pull forward so that we can load as many cars as possible into our traffic cue. Please wait until the frontmost car is ready to leave and you will all pull-out together safely. This will reduce the likelihood of a traffic accident in the drop-off zone. Please remember to not to park in the loading zone during pick-up and drop-off as it greatly impacts the flow of traffic.
At the end of the school day, students are expected to either walk directly home or be picked up directly after school within 10-15 minutes. The school campus is not open or supervised after school for play since we will have a variety of afterschool programs taking place. Please be mindful and respectful of this.
We are still in need of two parents/guardians to serve on our School Site Council. We are also in need of one or more parents/guardians to serve on our district's LCAP Advisory Committee. Please contact either our Secretary Jeanine Disher or myself if you are interested. See the information below for more details.
The best way to prepare for the upcoming school year is to ensure you are connected to Jensen Ranch Elementary School. The e-newsletter "The Round-Up" will be sent out weekly on most Sundays during the school year and the mailing list is generated from the primary email address listed in the Aeries Parent Portal. Please notify office staff if you are not receiving the weekly emails and want to be added to the mailing list. Thank you to the families that have already contacted me. Hopefully, you are receiving the Round-Up this week!
Some Updates:
- Check below for Jensen's Measure G Updates
- Join us for our first PTA meeting next Tuesday night (8/27). We will start off with a potluck for our Jensen families starting at 6:00 p.m. and the PTA meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Childcare will be available for school-age children.
Please save the following links:
School Website https://jensenranch.cv.k12.ca.us/
Facebook @lisamacleanprincipal and @JensenRanchPTA
Twitter @JensenJaguars
In Partnership-
Ms. MacLean, Principal
A Note from the Office: Campus Hours, Tardies, Sign-Ins
Welcome Back!
The school gates will open for students and families to enter the general campus at 8:00 a.m., However, the main gate will be unlocked so that you can access the office which opens at 7:50 a.m. daily. The school day begins at 8:10 a.m. and we ask that families exit the campus after drop-off to minimize disruptions. If you plan to stay and volunteer, you must sign-in at the office.
If your child arrives after 8:10 a.m., they are to report to the office for a tardy slip before reporting to their classroom.
The main gate will be unlocked but will remain closed throughout the day. If you come on to campus during the school day to drop off an item or volunteer, you are to check-in at the office FIRST to sign-in and sign-out upon departure.
At the end of the school day, we ask that you wait outside the school gates until the bell rings. Again, this helps to minimize the disruptions on campus to support student learning. The gate by the kindergarten classrooms will be unlocked for pick-up at the kinder release time.
Morning Drop-Off: Begins at 7:50 a.m. in front of the school
Afternoon Pick-Up: All students are expected to be picked up within 10-15 minutes of the end of the school day. The sheriff's office will be called for any students who have not been picked up 40 minutes after dismissal. If you have an emergency or a change of pick-up plans, contact the office as soon as possible.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Have a great school year! Mrs. Disher
School Site Council Parent/Guardian Members Needed in 19-20!
HELP WANTED! JOIN THE SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL (SSC)!
- Approximately 5 meetings a school year (1hr 15 minutes after school)
- Nominal "homework" for meetings
- Must be able to serve for at minimum 2 years (2019-2021)
- Work with the principal, teachers, parents/guardians to improve our school.
- Topics from 2018-2019: Student and Staff School Climate Surveys; School Safety Plan; community traffic safety; LCAP; School Plan; MTSS
If interested, please contact Mrs. Disher: jdisher@cv.k12.ca.us
CVUSD LCAP Advisory Committee Site Representative Needed
Jensen Ranch is seeking a parent or guardian who is interested in representing our school site at the CVUSD LCAP Advisory Committee Meetings this school year. LCAP stands for Local Control Accountability Plan and is a three-year plan that describes District goals, actions, services, and expenditures to support positive student outcomes that address state and local priorities. The LCAP provides an opportunity for local educational agencies (LEAs) to share their stories of how, what, and why programs and services are selected to meet their local needs.
We need someone to represent Jensen Ranch at he district LCAP meetings to provide input and perspective. There are 4 meetings this school year and they are held from 6-7:30 p.m. in the SDC at the CV District Office:
- 10/22
- 12/4
- 2/11
- 4/2
If interested, please contact Principal MacLean or Secretary Jeanine Disher.
Independent Study
- Independent studies must be 5 days and no more than 10 days.
- No Independent Studies are granted during the first 10 days of the school year.
- No Independent Studies are granted for the last 15 days of the school year.
- A minimum of 10 days prior notice is required to request an Independent Study. An Independent Study form must be completed no less than 10 days prior to the requested Independent Study.
- Students granted Independent Study will be expected to complete daily written assignments in all subject areas which are due the first school day following the end of the contract.
More information will follow as we start the year.
Jensen Measure G Updates
During the summer our Measure G worked consisted of demo and replacing of the poured in place (PIP) playground soft fall material for the playground closest to the Science Room. The second playground with the wood chips, closest to the field, was demoed and the delivery of the base rock and heavy equipment was completed before school started. The construction team has been very accommodating to our daily schedule. They have completed the forms and should have completed the concrete pour this weekend. The forms will be removed early this week and have everything ready for the soft fall turf contractor to come in at the end of this week. We are expecting to have the turf materials delivered after school on Thursday or before school on Friday so trucks aren't delivering while our students are on campus. If the materials are delivered by the end of the week then the installation crew will be able to lay the foam and the turf this coming Friday and Saturday.
Upcoming Jensen Measure G Work:
- Proposed Library, Resource Room and staff room/office reconfiguration
- Painting-new exterior color scheme
- Staff parking lot solar array/panels.
You will be kept up to date as more information becomes available. If you have any questions, please contact Principal MacLean.
Looking for the 2019-2020 Classroom Supply Lists?
If you pre-purchased your school supplies through the PTA last school year, the supplies will be ready for pick up at registration on Thursday.
Lost and Found
The red lost and found bin is located in front of the office. Please check lost and found regularly as all items will be donated on the last Friday of the month. If an item has a name written on it, the item will be taken to the classroom. On occasion each month, the lost and found will be displayed by the office to encourage pick up of items. Students are not to bring items of value to school unless done in coordination between the classroom teacher and the family as we are not responsible for lost or stolen items.
Playground Use
A friendly reminder that our playgrounds are open during the school day only to our Jensen students. We ask that you not bring your younger children to play on the playgrounds during the school day. Adventure Time Day Care uses the playground after school and therefore is reserved for their use.
Immunization Requirements for 2019-2020
Please take note of the changes made by the California Department of Public Health related to immunization requirements for the 2019-2020 school year.
Personal and religious exemptions are no longer valid for Immunization Exemptions.
Only exemptions written by a California Licensed Physician are permitted.
Jensen Ranch PTA Updates
Dear Jensen Ranch Families,
The Jensen Ranch Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Executive Board would like to welcome all new and returning families to our Jensen Ranch community.
As we embark on a new school year, we would like to remind you that your child’s school needs your help! Jensen Ranch PTA was created by parent volunteers who believed in giving our students a higher level of education through academic enrichment programs and support. One of the reasons behind this school’s success is the parent community. The parents that volunteer tirelessly and donate are the ones that are supporting the success that you see in the classrooms and in your children.
When people think of “free public education” we need to keep in mind that it means the bare minimum of what the state will provide. For us in Castro Valley it means no funding for music for students in grades below 4th grade, no art classes, minimal technology in the classrooms, minimal assistance to children that need extra help, and little to no funding for visual materials to stimulate and create a positive environment. It also means no funding to be able to bring in new innovative teaching materials to assist in the classroom.
Each year the PTA creates a budget and raises money to help Jensen Ranch in providing a quality education we all want for our kids in this community. These programs allow our children to learn things outside the box through lessons in music, art appreciation, and technology. In addition, our PTA provides critically needed support (instructional aid) in the classrooms and in the form of proactive intervention to ensure that no child is left behind. Jensen Ranch PTA gives our wonderful teachers funds to buy classroom supplies, books, and technology.
Your support is vital for the success of our school, so we are encouraging parents to voluntary contributions to the PTA, so we can continue to make improvements. Donations are not required, however, your one-time voluntary tax-deductible contribution of $150.00 per child can help achieve our goal. If you are unable to donate the suggested amount, any amount you can donate is welcomed and appreciated. Additionally, if your employer offers a matching grant program, we encourage you to submit the necessary paperwork with them. Stop by the school office to pick up all necessary forms or donate online at https://jointotem.com/ca/castro-valley/jensen-ranch-pta/join/register
Thank you so much for your continuing support!
Jensen Ranch PTA Board
August 2019
Jensen Ranch Yearbooks On Sale
Mark Your Calendars!
2019-2020
Tues., 8/27 PTA Welcome Back Potluck 6 p.m., PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
Mon., 9/2 No School-Labor Day
Th., 9/5 5th Grade Folkfest @ 5:30 p.m.
Fri., 9/6 Principal's Coffee & Tea 8:30-9:30 a.m. MPR
Tues., 9/10 Picture Day
9/24-9/26. Early Release-Fall Conference Days (Kinder @ Noon, 1st-5th @ 12:30 p.m.)
Fri., 9/27 No School-Fall Conference Day
9/3-9/6 Scholastic Book Fair Open in the Library
Fri., 10/4 Principal's Coffee & Tea 8:30-9:30 a.m. MPR
Th., 10/10 Jensen Ranch School Board Presentation @ 7pm, CVUSD Board Room
Th., 10/17 The Great Shake-Out
Fri., 10/18 PTA Walkathon afterschool
Tues.,10/22 Make-Up Picture Day
Fri., 10/25 PTA Fall Halloween Carnival
Fri., 11/1 Principal's Coffee & Tea 8:30-9:30 a.m. MPR
Fri., 11/8 Last Day of 1st Trimester
Fri., 11/11 No School-Veterans Day
11/13-11/14 Early Release Days for Report Cards (Kinder @ Noon, 1st-5th @ 1:50 p.m.)
Fri., 11/22 1st Trimester Report Cards Sent Home
11/25-11/29 No School-Thanksgiving Break
Early Release Fridays @ Noon for all students each Friday!
Check the online school calendar for updates by going to the Jensen Ranch school website.
About Us
Email: lmaclean@cv.k12.ca.us
Website: https://jensenranch.cv.k12.ca.us/
Location: 20001 Carson Lane, Castro Valley, CA, USA
Phone: (510) 537-6365
Facebook: facebook.com/lisamacleanprincipal/
Twitter: @JensenJaguars