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| Colina Middle School provides a smooth transition for students between elementary school and high school. The school's mission is to prepare students for fulfillment in school and in life. The uniqueness of the student age group is an important consideration in the total school program, which seeks to achieve the maximum development of the potential of all students in accordance with each individual's unique physical, mental and emotional needs. The educational program is designed to reinforce and extend basic skills, provide conceptual and content preparation for the high school core curriculum, and allow students to experience exploratory courses and electives. Colina's staff strives to provide a challenging and engaging learning environment with a positive and supportive school climate, and to foster in all students the development of self-esteem and self-discipline. |
As noted in a recent article of "The In-Between Years," parents of an early adolescent may be confused, frustrated and concerned because their formerly agreeable, rational and loving child can become a totally different person seeking independence.
Through this Internet site, through the monthly PTA Newsletter, our Parent Orientation Night, and our student orientation days in late August, it is our hope that Colina will be able to make parents and students feel part of a continuing team. Working together, planning schedules, joining campus clubs and cocurricular activities can make these years enjoyable and fulfilling. The challenge to our students is to work hard and be encouraging and accepting of others. With these two cornerstones in place, the fun and excitement will follow. We encourage all seventh grade students to enroll in Skills for Adolescence class; it is our best effort to include your child in our school in the quickest, most positive way. Our Renaissance citizenship development program will provide incentives for your student, and Peer Help and Tutoring will be available.
Please feel free to call me (805-495-7429 Ext. 1009) for a campus tour or to discuss any matter with which I may be of help.
(344.3 Promotion and Retention)
A. The Board of Education is committed...
to the provision of an educational prograrn in which each student will successfully master the minimum skills and competencies for each year of attendance. Therefore, the Board expects students to make appropriate progress so they can be promoted to the next grade level each year until they graduate.
Occasionally, some students do not make the progress expected during a given school year. Retention in the same grade can be considered as an alternative in assisting students to acquire the min~rnum skills and competencies expected. To be most effective, retentions should occur at the earliest point in their school career, preferably in the primary grades.
The Board recognizes that retention is a serious matter and should be considered carefully by parents and staff. A number of factors should be taken into consideration prior to the fina! decision.
These include the student's ability, work habits, and physical, social and emotional adjustment. Most importantly, the decision to retain should be based on the best information available which supports the premise that the student will benefit from retention by becorning more proficient in the minimum skills and competencies expected. When the information does not support this, retention may be counter-productive.
B. Promotion
Students will be promoted to the next grade level when the following conditions are met:
1. Reasonable academic progress has been made
a. as measured by appropriate skill acquisition for that grade level or
b. as measured by achieving at a rate at least equal to the previous year's progress or
c. by completing the minimum number of credits for placement at the next grade level in high school:~
| Grade | # Credits |
| 9 | 0-54 |
| 10 | 55-109 |
| 11 | 110-169 |
| 12 | 170 |
a Students identified as handicapped and placed in Special Education programs for more than 50 percent of the school day.
b. Students designated as Non-English Proficient (NEP).
c. At Risk of Retention
C. Students will be considered at risk of being retained at the end of the school year if any of the following apply:
1. Grades K-2:
a. Majority of pre-Reading/Reading skills taught have not been mastered
2. Grades 3-6 (elementary school):
a. Iess than twenty-fifth percentile on prior year CAT/6 Reading
b. Iess than twenty-fifth percentile on prior year CAT/6 Language
c. Iess than twenty-fifth percentile on prior year CAT/6 Mathematics
d. D or F in Reading at first or second trimester
e. D or F in Writing at first or second trimester
f. D or F in Mathematics at first or second trimester
3. Grades 6-8 (middle school):
a. Less than twenty-fifth percentile on prior year CAT/6 Reading
b. Less than twenty-fifth percentile on prior .year CAT/6 Language
c. Less than twenty-fifth percentile on prior year CAT/6 Mathematics
d. D or F in English at first semester/first or second trimester
e. D or F in Mathematics at first semester/first or second trimester
D. Interventions
Students in grades 2 through 8 who are identified at risk of being retained shall be offered additional academic instruction in English/Language Arts and/or Mathematics before school, after school, and/or during the sumrner.
E. Retention
Students shall be retained at the end of the school year if the following apply:
1. Grade 2:
a. Majority of reading skills taught have not been mastered
2. Grade 3:
a. F in Reading at third tnrnester
3. Grades 4-6 (elementary schools):
a. F in Reading at third trimester, and F in Writing at third trimester, and F in Mathematics at third trimester OR
b. F in any of the above and student does not successfully complete assigned intervention program.
4. Grades 6-8 (middle school):
a. F in English at second semester/third trimester, and
F in Mathematics at second semester/third trimester
OR
b. F in either of the above and student does not successfully complete assigned intervention prograrn.
F. Notice to Parents
Parents shall be notified as soon as possible when a student is identified as being at risk of being retained. CAT/6 test results, progress reports, trimester report cards, quarter report cards, and semester report cards shall be considered notice to parents.
1. By September each year, the classroom teacher will be notified of any student who has performed below the twenty-fifth percentile on the CAT/6 administered the prior spring.
2. Teachers will notify the principal of any student receiving a D or F in the designated subject(s) on any progress report, quarter report card, trimester report card, or semester report card.
3. Each time that a student is identified at risk of retention, the principal shall notify the parents of the before school, aftcr school, and/or summer academic intervention opportunitics available to that student.
4. The parent will be informed of the final decision to retain (1) in writing and (2) in a parent-teacher meeting held by the end of the last week of school. The meeting may include other staff as appropriate.
G. Decision Authority
1. In grades K-1, the principal shall make the final decision for promotion/retention after considering the criteria, implementing the procedures, and considering the parents' desires. Parent concurrence is required at Kindergarten.
2. In grades 2-8, students shall be retained if the retention criteria stated in Section E apply. The teacher responsible for instruction in a designated subject area shall assign the grade(s). If the teacher assigning the grade(s) in the designated subject believes that retention is not appropriate, that teacher may submit a written report to the principal which will become a pupil record and remain in the students' curnulative file. If the principal concurs with the teacher's written report, then the student will not be retained.
3. A procedure for parental/guardian appeal shall be specified in the regulations.
Overview
Electronic cornmunications provide vast, diverse and unique resources. The educational goal in providing a technologically-rich environrnent to teachers, staff, and students is to enhance and promote educational excellence through resource sharing, innovation and communication. Electronic resources provide an alternative mode of finding information in greater depth and at a faster rate than traditional research and communication opportunities afford.
Electronic Resources are defined as inforrnation stored on a variety of devices including, but not limited to: computers, compact disks (CD's), programmable calculators, digital carneras, video play/recording devices, audio play/recording devices, and Internet connections.
The Conejo Valley Unified School District views information gathered from the Internet in the same manner as reference materials identified by the schools. Specifically, the district supports resources that will enhance the learning environrnent, with direct guidance from the faculty and staff. Independent exploration and manipulation of resources is also encouraged. However, access to computers and people all over the world also offers the availability of material that may not be considered of educational value in the context of a high school setting. The Conejo Valley Unified School District and the staff at Colina Middle cannot prevent the possibility that some users may access material that is not consistent with the educational mission, goals, and policies of the high school and district. It is the responsibility of users and their parents or guardians to honor the use restrictions of the district and help enforce appropriate use of electronic resources and Internet access.
Guidelines
Internet access is a privilege, not a right. If a district user violates any of the acceptable use guidelines outlined in this docurnent, future access may be denied. Some violations may also constitute a criminal offense and may result in legal action. Any user violating these provisions, applicable state and federal laws, or posted classroom, library and district policies is subject to loss of access privileges and other district disciplinary actions.
1) Acceptable Use
• Must be in support of education and research consistent with district policy
• Must be consistent with the rules appropriate to any network being accessed
2) Unacceptable Use Participating in commercial activities - user may not offer, provide, advertise, or purchase products or services through the network (i.e stock trading, eBay)
Political lobbying (system may be used to communicate with elected officials) Downloading media files, programs, games, or music using the library's computers or playing music, videos, animation or film clips without permission (only class-related activities of this kind will be allowed)
• Sending or receiving electronie mail (e-mail) without perrnission
• Transmitting any material in violation of any local, state, or federal regulation including, but not limited to: copyrighted material, threatening or obscene material, or material protected by trade secret
• Transmitting or receiving material that is pornographic, violent, threatening, obscene, disruptive, or sexually explicit, or that could be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based on their race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or political beliefs Playing computer games, participating in chat rooms (including online communication programs such as Instant Messenger), connecting to other networks, such as AOL or Prodigy
• Plagiarizing (taking the ideas or writings of others and presenting them as if their own)
A student aware of any misuse or infraction of the regulations who does not report
it to teacher, library staff member,' counselor, or administrator shall be subject to disciplinary action.
3) Privacy - Electronic inforrnation, including e-mail, is not guaranteed to be private.
4) Privileges
• Access to the Internet/network is not a right, but a privilege.
• Unacceptable usage may result in cancellation of access.
• Students doing school-related projects will have priority computer access.
5) Netiquette
• Be polite and abide by generally accepted rules of inetwork etiquette.
• Do not use vulgar or obscene language.
• Do not reveal your address or phone nurnber or those of others.
• Do not intentionally disrupt the network or other users.
6) Security
• If passwords or account numbers are assigned, do not reveal them, or use or reveal another person's password, or allow another person to use yours.
• Attempting to log on as another user will result in cancellation of privileges.
• If a security problem is identified, notify a system administrator immediately.
• Do not show or identify a security problem to other students.
7) Vandalism/Harassment
• Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, the Intemet, or other networks. This includes, but is not limited to, creating and/or uploading computer viruses or unauthorized prograrns.
• Harassment is defined as the persistent annoyance of another user, or interference in another's work. This includes, but is not limited to, the sending of unwanted mail.
• Vandalism and/or harassment will result in the cancellation of the offending user's access.
8) Penalties
• Any user violating these provisions, applicable state and federal laws, or posted classroom, library, or district rules is subject to loss of network privileges and any other district disciplinary options, including criminal prosecution.
• School and district administrators will make the final determination of what constitutes unacceptable use, and their decision is final.
The Conejo Valley Unified School District makes no warranties of any kind, whether expressed or implied, for the service it is providing. The Conejo Valley Unifed School District will not be responsible for any damages a user may suffer, including loss of data The District will not be responsible for the accuracy or quality of information obtained through the Internet connections.
All terms and conditions as stated in this document are applicable to all users of the network. These provisions reflect an agreement of the parties and shall be governed and interpreted in accordance with laws of the State of California and the United States of America.
• Respect
To demonstrate appreciation and consideration for self an dothers (e.g., follow rules, obey authority, care for property and the environment, display sportsmanship, and value other cultures)
• Kindness
To demonstrate sympathy, understanding, compassion and consideration for others (e.g., be friendly, helpful, cooperative and caring)
• Integrity
To demonstrate honesty, truthfulness and moral courage (e.g., use self-control and discipline, resist peer pressure and be self-reliant)
• Responsibility
To demonstrate personal and social accountability (e.g., be trustworthy, dependable, and use good judgment)
• Perseverance
To adhere to a course of action and demonstrate persistence in striving for a goal (e.g., be tenacious and possess a work ethic)
Our principal holds a M.A. in Counseling and Guidance from CSUN. Prior to his career in education, he held a variety of jobs including that of a boxboy, umpire, university instructor, newspaper delivery boy, and custodian. He has been married since 1971 and has three successful sons—two UCLA alumni and one a senior there.
Mr. Waters’ hobbies include coaching, sports activities, and dog training, though he doesn’t know if he is doing the training or being trained.
Mr. Waters’ philosophy: “Think in the positive—good things are going to happen. Remember the wins, not the losses. Be thankful for what you have. Search for your strengths; they are there somewhere.”
Mrs. Ann Ross has been with the Conejo Valley Unified School District since 1989. She had been the Office Manager at Ladera Elementary for the past 9 1/2 years. Mrs. Ross was also an Office Manager at Conejo Elementary and Athletics Secretary at Newbury Park High School.
Mrs. Ross has a son and daughter both graduated from Newbury Park High School. They both graduated from CSUN are now in banking.
Mrs. Ross and her husband Steve have a new pug puppy, Oliver, and are trying to train him but Oliver seems to have the roles reversed. Mrs. Ross loves all sports but her favorite team the, San Francisco 49ers are her passion since she was born in San Francisco. She also enjoys going to movies, reading and, of course, shopping.