Principal’s Perspective BY JAN HAYES-RENNELS, PRINCIPAL In This Issue

Principal’s Perspective pg. 1

Counselors’ Corner pg. 2

Student of the Month pg. 3

PE Silent Auction pg. 4

Library Lines pg. 5

Music Notes pg. 6

Civil War Day pg. 7

Talent Show pg. 7

Parent Resources pg. 7

PAC News pg. 8

The Placerita Prospector is a

periodic publication of the Placerita

Junior High School PAC.

Principal:

Ms. Jan Hayes-Rennels

jhayes@hartdistrict.org

PAC President:

Mrs. Angie Hall

angiewhall@yahoo.com

Prospector Editor:

Ms. Jennifer Jenkins

Jennifer.jenkins@att.net

The Placerita Prospector is

available on the school website at

www.hartdistrict.org/placerita

Follow Placerita Junior High

School on Twitter at

www.twitter.com/placeritajhs

Placerita Junior High School 25015 N. Newhall Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91321 (661) 259-1551

Elementary School Edition March 2016

Dear Incoming Placerita Families,

Welcome to Placerita! We’re off and

running, well into our Spring semester

and last half of this school year. I hope

you and your families are having a

great school year as well. In this

Elementary school edition of our

Prospector parent newsletter, I hope to

give you a good idea of how many

outstanding programs and activities we

have here at Placerita on top of our

stellar academic classes. Our staff

works very hard every day to provide

the best possible education for all our

students, as well as many different co-

curricular programs, opportunities, and

experiences for kids of all talent levels

and interests. We always hope there is

something for everybody!

Here are some important dates for our

current 6th graders who will be coming

to Placerita for 7th grade next year:

Tuesday, March 22nd

6th Grade Orientation

9:00 a.m. for all 6th grade classes

7:00 p.m. for all 6th grade parents

Held at Hart High School Auditorium (Spanish-speaking presentation in Tanner Hall at

Placerita.)

Thursday, April 21st

Open House

6:00 p.m. Hot Dog BBQ (please RSVP)

6:30 p.m. Self-Tours of all classrooms

7:00 p.m. Junior High Open House

Thursday, August 4th

Registration for 7th Grade

8:00 am. to 12:00 noon

Watch for details in the mail in July

Thursday, August 11th

First Day of School and

Make-up Registration

To give you an idea of how busy we

have been already this year, some

highlight activities include: the dodge

ball intramurals; band, choir, string

o rchestra , d ra ma, and dance

performances; ASB dances; movie night;

Lego Robotics competitions; Safe School

Ambassador training; DFYIT activities;

student / parent panels; turkey bowl

flag football game for boys; winter bowl

flag football game for girls; Musical

Theatre field trip performance at COC;

“kindness week”; anti-bullying

classroom presentations; geography and

spelling bees; math competitions; art

and writing contests; STN Kidflix video

convention, and track and field

competitions at COC!

Most recently and coming up is more

college planning; Civil War day;

lunchtime activities; band, orchestra,

choir, show choir, and dance perfor-

mances; Open House; Science Fair;

guest speakers; 8th grade activities;

Honor Society induction, yearbook

distribution, 8th grade Bash, Magic

Mountain day, and more!

Tuesday, May 3rd

Spring Band Concert - FREE

7:00 p.m. Hart High School Auditorium

Tuesday, May 10th Choir & Orchestra Performance - FREE

7:00 p.m. Hart High School Auditorium

If your student plays an instrument, sings,

or wants to learn, I encourage you to come

see our Spring performances in Hart High

School’s Auditorium on the dates listed

above. These concerts are FREE, and we

would love to have you join us to hear our

very talented musicians perform!

(Continued on page 4)

PAGE 2

Counselors’ Corner Mr. Solis (A-Ge) Mrs. Villasenor (Gi-Q) Mrs. Bartolovich (R- Z and

vsolis@hartdistrict.org svillasenor@hartdistrict.org all English Language Learners) rbartolovich@hartdistrict.org

OUR COUNSELORS ARE HERE TO HELP ALL STUDENTS AND ALL FAMILIES

Our counseling department sends out pertinent information several times a year through the Prospector parent

newsletter. Much of a school counselor’s day is filled with personal / social / emotional counseling for student

and family issues as well as academic, school and class-related issues. Here are some topics and sample items the

counselors publish in each Prospector for family information and communication:

6th GRADE ORIENTATION AND REGISTRATION

During the week of March 14-18, Counselors will visit our six feeder Elementary Schools: Meadows, Newhall,

Old Orchard, Peachland, Valencia Valley, and Wiley Canyon. They will talk with 6th grade classes, and present

information about our school’s academic program, daily schedule, choice of elective classes, programs available,

clubs and other opportunities your student will have at Placerita. Then on Tuesday, March 22nd all 6th grade

classes will come over for a 6th grade orientation at Hart High School. Parents are encouraged and invited to

attend the Parent Orientation that same night, Tuesday, March 2nd, also in the Auditorium at Hart High School

for all the information you’ll need to prepare your 6th grader for Junior High. Spanish-speaking families should

meet in Tanner Hall at Placerita during that time for the same information presented in Spanish.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR COUNSELING DEPARTMENT

March 14-18 Counselors visit Elementary Schools

March 14 National Pi Day (Ask a math teacher!)

March 22 6th Grade Student Orientation 9:00-10:30 a.m. at Hart Auditorium

6th Grade Parent Orientation at 7:00 p.m. - Hart Auditorium (English)

and Tanner Hall (Spanish)

March 23-24 Placerita counselors bring “Naviance” career education to Science classes

March 30 8th Graders Walk to Hart to see Hart’s award-winning Performing Arts Department, including

Show Choir, Band, and Drama

April 1 Hart 9th Grade Honors English Application due for 8th Graders through their English classes

April TBA Hart Athletics speak to 8th graders in P.E. classes

April TBA ROTC will visit 8th grade P.E. classes

Apr 28-May 6 State Testing in English, Math, & Science

May 18 Civil War Day for all 8th grade classes

May TBA 6th Grade Math Placement Testing at the Elementary School sites

June 3 6th Grade make-up Math Placement Testing here at Placerita 3:30 p.m.

NO NAME CALLING WEEK

In January, Placerita participated in National No Name-Calling Week. All 8th graders participated in an activity

led by a counselor during their English class. Daily messages gave students strategies to follow if they are being

bullied. Name-calling or put-downs are not allowed at Placerita. If you suspect that your child may be the victim

of name-calling or bullying, be supportive and gather information about the bullying. Contact your child’s

counselor or the assistant principal.

TEENAGE GRIEF

Grief is an area that is tough for all of us to handle. Many people, because of the pain involved and lack of

experience, do not always know what to do or say to the teenager who is grieving. But if grief is not dealt with, it

could resurface over and over as new losses are experienced. During third quarter, Placerita will offer a second

TAG group. It will be held during 6th period for six or more consecutive weeks. If your adolescent is

experiencing grief from a recent or past loss of a significant person, and you would like him/her to join the TAG

group, please call Mrs. Weber, the counseling secretary.

(Continued on page 3)

PAGE 3

MISCELLANEOUS

Junior high is a transition time for students. Please encourage your child to start taking responsibility for his/her

own actions. If a lunch is forgotten, allow your child to go without lunch for just one day.

The next day, the lunch will be remembered. Remind your child that school is his/her “job”

and no one misses work because of a small headache or a runny nose. It is our belief that a

student should go to the health office only for first aid or to be picked up and taken home.

We say, “You’re either sick enough to go home or healthy enough to be in class.”

We also feel that students should be excused from school for necessary medical appointments

only. Students are to be in school from 8:10 a.m. until 2:35 p.m. The long hours after school

can be used for most appointments and celebrations.

When a student is going to be absent for five or more days for a prearranged trip or family emergency, we

recommend that the student participate in our independent study program. The student will receive his/her work

in advance of the trip and the school can continue to collect attendance money from the state.

NATIONAL SCREEN-FREE WEEK

Please join us for National Screen-Free Week during the week of May 2-8. During this annual

event, millions of children and adults across the nation and around the world will take a

seven-day break from the television and rediscover that life can be more fun, rewarding, and

even relaxing when we do more and watch less. For many, the week will become the

springboard to making lasting change in their lives: watching less television, choosing what

they do watch more selectively, and engaging in more screen-free activities.

www.screenfree.org.

WAYS TO WORK WITH YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR

- Talk about your hopes and fears for your child.

- Get new ideas for handling problems with your child.

- Find ways to communicate with your child and your child’s teachers.

- Learn about programs that can help your child and your family.

- Create a plan to help your child be successful in school.

- Help your child make a plan for graduation and future success.

Students of the Month

“Student of the Month” winners are chosen for each team at Placerita, and receive rewards

at a special brunch for them and their parents. See our website for a list of monthly winners.

September- “Trustworthiness”

October- “Respect”

November- “Responsibility”

December / January- “Caring”

February- “Fairness”

March- “Citizenship”

Congratulations to all of our students selected!

At Placerita, Character Counts!

Counselors’ Corner (Continued from page 2)

PAGE 4

Placerita’s 13th annual

Silent AuctioN—at open house

Benefiting the physical education department

When: ThursDay, April 21st 6:30-8:00 pm

Where: Placerita gymnasium

Why: To raise funds for the physical education department /

intramural program

What: donations (may include)

Money gift cards tickets to events

Gift baskets golf foursomes other

Any questions, please contact

Mrs. Tait at mtait@hartdistrict.org

With the end of STAR testing in California, and the transition to

Common Core curriculum and new state exams (called the California Assessment of Student Progress and

Performance—CAASPP), our students will again take online assessments in the month of May during a one-

week testing period. Schools and families will still receive STAR reports in 8th Grade Science, and the

CAASPP results this summer. As we continue through the school year, our teachers are giving our students

more computer experience in class through research projects, writing assignments, and even some “flipped”

mathematical instruction. In this era of increased technology needs, we aim to prepare our students as best we

can for the digital literacy demands of the future.

As your student prepares for Junior High, I hope your family will consider joining our PAC (Parent Advisory

Council) next year which meets monthly for current school updates, student performances, and presentations

by community members on varies contemporary topics. PAC meetings include desserts and drinks on

Tuesdays from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in Tanner Hall on our campus. The PAC also hosts evening

presentations and would love your input on what YOU want to hear, see, or learn more about. Please get

involved as much as you can or are able, and help us assist all our students and families with any educational

and community needs so we grow stronger together. We will hand out a “Parent Volunteer Opportunities” flyer

at the 6th grade orientation meeting, and in the summer registration mailer in July so you, too, can get

involved.

Principal’s Perspective (Continued from page 1)

PAGE 5

By Mrs. Ludlow

When our children are young, it is easy to grab them

up onto our laps and read aloud to them. Many of us

establish nightly bedtime routines that involve

cuddling and reading short stories in a soothing voice

or, better yet, using a variety of silly voices for

different characters. Reading to our young children

not only offers moments of quality time, it teaches

fundamental pre-reading skills. Reading aloud to

children is vitally important in the process of them

becoming readers. Perhaps author Emilie Buchwald

explained it best when she said, “Children are made

readers on the laps of their parents.”

But what happens when our children grow and no

longer fit in our laps? What happens when our

children are in junior high school and no longer want

to cuddle on a regular basis? What happens if our

children declare that reading is a chore and that they

no longer want to read? How do we continue to

encourage them to be readers at this stage? There are

actually many things that we can do, even at this

point, to motivate our children to read. Below are

some suggestions:

Fill your home with books, magazines, and

all forms of print. Children who become life-

long readers typically come from homes where

reading materials are available, easily

accessible, and in abundance.

Read yourself. If your child sees that you choose

to read and that you enjoy reading, he/she will

be more likely to develop the same habit.

Talk about your favorite books. Tell

your child what books you enjoyed reading

at his age and tell him what you enjoy

reading now. Hearing your enthusiasm

will serve to motivate your child to read.

Talk about your child’s favorite books. Ask

your child what books he has enjoyed recently.

Ask about the characters, their struggles, and

how they were resolved.

Turn off the television, the computer, the

electronic gadgets. Provide quiet time in

your home and force your child to “find

something else to do.” Reading fills quiet

moments well.

Encourage older children to read to their

younger siblings. Your child may enjoy

showing off his reading skills, serving as your

helper, or spending time with his brother or

sister.

Play audiotapes of books in the car. Have

your child listen to a story with you, while he

is a captive audience. Select a title that you

believe he will find interesting.

Play games that are reading-related. Check

your closets for games that have letter tiles or

cards that give specific instructions. Institute

a family game night in your home and have

some fun.

Take your child to the public library. Get

your child his own library card and take

monthly trips to the library. Enter with the

expectation that books will be checked out and

read.

Give books as gifts. Paperback books are

relatively inexpensive and can be great gifts.

If you are unsure what to pick out for your

child, consider a gift card to a local bookstore

or online vendor.

Establish a book allowance. If your child earns

an allowance, add to it an allowance for books.

Allow your child to earn money that can only

be spent on books.

Create a place in your child’s room for his

books. Give your child a bookcase, if possible,

to encourage a sense of ownership over his

books. Have your child write his name in the

books or create bookplates for him.

Offer your child special incentives. Allow

your child to stay up later to finish a chapter;

relieve your child of a regular chore to free up

time for reading; take your child to see a movie

after he has finished the book on which it was

based.

Read to your child. Do not be afraid to read

aloud to your older child. You may not be able

to cuddle your child up onto your lap any

more, but rest assured that many junior high

school students still enjoy being read to…even

if they do not admit it.

The Placerita Library

will be hosting a Book

Fair the week of April 18-

April 22. The Book Fair

will be open before school,

during lunches, and after

school.

Notes from Ms. Spula

PAGE 6

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate our 2015 Winter Concert performers …Brilliant!

Bravissimo! A very special thanks to all my students for making this concert season one of my very best

and most memorable. I also want to thank all the parents who dedicated their time and efforts to the suc-

cess of this very fine musical event.

Currently, we just finished preparing for the 2016 Wm. S. Hart District Honor Band perfor-

mance. All of our musicians in the Advanced Band auditioned for this prestigious musical organization.

This year’s Annual District Honor Band Concert was held at the Wm. S. Hart Auditorium on Saturday,

March 5, 2016. We proudly announce that our Placerita Advanced Band consistently earns the MOST

positions in the Junior High School Honor Band. An amazing number of students are selected annually!

Our musicians practiced long and hard to achieve this goal, and we enjoy their beautiful performances

every year at Hart High School.

Come Join US! The Orchestra, choir, and band students all take turns

providing entertainment for the monthly PAC luncheons here at Placerita.

The String Orchestra participated in the SCSBOA Music Festival held at

Little Rock High School on Thursday, March 3, 2016 earning unanimous Su-

perior scores from all judges! The Advanced Band also participated in the

SCSBOA Music Festival at West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 22.

Great job to both groups!

Many students and music educators who have attended these festivals have been highly complimentary to

our FABULOUS Band and Orchestra. Both events are open to the public. Last year, the Orches-

tra and Band had a rewarding and victorious experience at the SCSBOA Festival. The Orchestra and

Advanced Band both received top ratings of Superior.

The award-winning Advanced Band also participated in the 10th

Annual “A Rich Musical Heritage Concert” on March 17, 2016. This con-

cert is always a wonderful collaboration of musical talent from both the

Junior and Senior High schools. Hart Concert Band opened the evening fol-

lowed by Placerita Advanced Band. The evening concluded with the excep-

tional Hart Wind Ensemble. We always look forward to the celebration of

music excellence displayed by our outstanding musicians. This performance is

also open to the public.

Placerita’s Jazz Ensemble gears up during the month of February. Students are selected to join this fun

musical group based on their honor band scores. It’s great fun with the addition of musicians playing pi-

ano, guitar, bass and drums. Different styles of Jazz are introduced to the musicians: swing, mambo, bossa

nova, and just good old rock and roll. The Jazz Ensemble is scheduled for their first performance in a re-

hearsal setting at Placerita’s Open House on Thursday, April 21, 2016. Jazz Bands of this kind are

usually seen more on the high school level, but our talented jazz musicians will be sure to give you a very

impressive performance at our All-Band Spring Concert, which will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2016

at the Wm. S. Hart Auditorium. We hope to see you there!

Be sure to encourage your student to “KEEP ON PRACTICING!!!!!”

Musically Yours,

Ms. Spula

PAGE 7

Talent Show!!! Our ASB students will be sponsoring this year’s Student Talent Show

on Tuesday, March 29th at 6:30 p.m. Students are busy writing this

year’s theme, choosing the emcees, practicing all acts, and preparing

the line-up! It’s always an exciting, enthusiastic, energetic event. This

year will prove to be equally entertaining as always, with a surprise or two in the end.

We will see you all in Tanner Hall the night of the show!

Junior High Resources Online

Many parents have questions and concerns about Junior High School (or Middle School

as it is often called in other districts). Here are some great online resources you can

read to ease the transition and help you feel better knowing other parents everywhere

around the country have the same fears, concerns, and questions:

Although it primarily has a lot of resources for teachers, check out the article called “Four

Myths about Parent Involvement in Middle School” right on their home page. It quotes re-

search done by Harvard University! www.middleweb.com

Parents, if you have an E-Reader of any type, we invite you to download this free interactive

E-Book about online safety for your children: "Growing Up Online: A Must have Guide for

Parents, Teachers and Kids". This is the first release from NBC Universal's "The More You

Know" Learning Series, in collaboration with NBC News.

http://www.themoreyouknow.com/eBooks/

Are you looking for more ways to keep your kids safe online? Take a look at this website:

“Common Sense Media Resource for Parents.” It has great links and immediate practical

advice on topics covering cell phones, video games, apps, websites, media messages, and

much, much more! www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/teens

C i v i l W a r D a y W e d n e s d a y , M a y 1 8 t h

On May 18th, the Placerita History Department is proud to host our Annual 8th Grade Civil War Day. Multiple class periods enjoy various demonstrations and presentations all day long. We will be having a variety of re-enactors (including our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln), infantry troops, artillery, Civil War food, and a range of other activities from this historic time period. Students will learn in greater detail about what it was like for Americans throughout the country during this key period of American History. Parents are always welcome to attend Civil War Day - please contact your child's history teacher for further details.

PAC News by Angie Hall, PAC President

PAGE 8

2013 - 2014 PAC Board Members

and Chairpersons

It is always bittersweet to know another school

year is coming to an end. We will miss our 8th

grade families as some move on to Hart High

School. We will also welcome our incoming new

parents for next year. And we know personally

how fast two years go by, and how much our chil-

dren grow and change from the time they enter to

the time they leave. As proud parents, we have

firsthand knowledge of how great Placerita is as a

school. We are absolutely thrilled how much eve-

ry staff member personal cares for our students

every day. If you have the opportunity, please

share with any incoming parents how they can be

part of the Placerita family and the best ways to

support their students. We are so privileged to

have our students in this outstanding school!

Volunteering is always a great way to meet other

parents and stay connected with what is happen-

ing at school. We will have more opportunities for

parents to help with the end-of-the-year activities,

as well as preparing all the registration packets in

July. We always need large teams of parent vol-

unteers to run the registration stations in August.

Please contact us if you are available to help next

summer with stuffing the registration packets, or

running the stations for 8th grade registration on

Wednesday, August 3rd, or 7th grade registration

on Thursday, August 4th. More helping hands

make light work! Thank you in advance for con-

sidering it. We cannot run events like registration

without all our parent volunteers.

Our Parent Advisory Council next year will also

have some vacant officer positions, including the

role of President. Please feel free to attend our

last PAC meeting of the year on Tuesday, April 12

at 12:00 noon in Tanner Hall where we see our

dance students and show choir perform a sneak

peek at some of the dances before their big end-

of-the year performances! We always love giving

our students and opportunity to show off their tal-

ent and hard work.

Have a great end to this school year, and we look

forward to working with as many parents as are

available through the summer and into next school

year .

President Angie Hall

Vice President Rhonda Chobanian

Secretary vacant

Staff Appreciation Chairperson Carolyne Snow

District Advisory Council Representative Melissa McCarthy

Parent Communication Council Rep Debbie Wolpert & Carolyn Durazo

Hospitality Chairperson Yvette Yoncee Enriquez

Membership Coordinator Kathy Travis-Thomas

Hart High School Liaison Rochelle Gallimore

Prospector Editor Jennifer Jenkins

2015-2016 PAC Board Members and Chairpersons