We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call

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We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Education + Communication = A Better Nation
                                                                     ®
           Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District
Volume 3, Issue 9                                           October 2022

                                               We’re Back...
                                                   and
                                                We’ve Got
                                                 Heart!

                       www.SchoolNewsRollCall.com
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
District Librarian
       300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                  No Ants Please
                      There was a buzz
                   of excitement in the
                   air last May as TK-5th
                   grade students had the                              Kay Coop
                   opportunity to spend time                        Founder/Publisher
                   with a special visitor. Local self-published          Welcome back to a new school year. By now students are
    Ramona         author, former Cummings Valley Cougar,             settled into a routine and focused on academics. As you
   Turmezei        and former local preschool teacher, Heather        read the articles in this issue you will understand lots of
District Librarian Hansen, read her book, No Ants Please, to
                                                                      preparation and planning was done by the administration
                   students at each of our TUSD elementary            to promote a successful school experience.
 schools. Students joined the author on an adventure with                Thank you for including School News among your
 Benny the ostrich, as he discovered what other animals eat.          reading choices. The dates for issues this school year are
      Following the reading, students did a wonderful job             January 25 and April 12. Until then Happy Holidays and
 asking great questions. What was the inspiration behind              we’ll be back in the new year!
 the book? She grew up on a farm with over 400 ostriches
 here in Tehachapi. As a child, her parents read to her
 regularly which fostered her love for reading. She began
 writing what would later become No Ants Please while in                                                                                  ®
                                                                                  Education + Communication = A Better Nation
 junior high. Later, she pulled out her draft, made revisions,                               www.schoolnewsrollcall.com
 and learned how to self-publish. Students were eager to learn                                      Covering the
 about the process of writing the book and how she partnered                             TEHACHAPI UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
 with an illustrator who lived in Poland. Students and staff        FOUNDER/PUBLISHER:                       SCHOOL NEWS ROLL CALL, LLC
 alike appreciated the author’s time and were inspired to read      Kay Coop, 562/493-3193                   P.O. Box 728, Seal Beach, CA 90740
                                                                    kay@schoolnewsrollcall.com               www.schoolnewsrollcall.com
 more books as evidenced by exuberant rounds of applause.           ADVERTISING SALES: 562/493-3193          Copyright © 2006, School News Roll Call, LLC
                                                                                                             Reproduction in whole or in part without writ-
                                                                    CONTENT COORDINATOR: Barbra Longiny      ten permission is strictly prohibited
                                                                    GRAPHIC DESIGNER/PRODUCTION: Emily Ung   unless otherwise stated. Opinions expressed
                                                                                                             by contributing writers and guest columnists
                                                                    COPY EDITORS: Kate Karp, Anna Zappia
                                                                                                             are their views and not necessarily those of
                                                                    SOCIAL MEDIA: Nancy Lueder               School News Roll Call. This publication is
                                                                    Netragrednik by Neta Madison             privately owned and the right is reserved to
                                                                                                             select and edit content.The Tehachapi Unified
                                                                                                             School District does not endorse the advertisers
                                                                                                             in this publication.

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2   www.schoolnewsrollcall.com
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
BOARD OF EDUCATION

 Nancy Weinstein       Joe Wallek         Jackie Wood          Tracy Kelly        Jeff Kermode        Tyler Napier         Rick Scott
    President         Vice President          Clerk              Trustee              Trustee            Trustee            Trustee

                                                     SUPERINTENDENT
                      The 2022-2023 school year is off and            Students Describe School Behaviors
                   running! As a team, TUSD is focused on                   The “Social Contract” is an agreement that is created
                   building strong connections with students as          by the students, assisted by the teacher, in an effort to
                   well as addressing academic outcomes.                 answer four questions regarding the classroom and school
                      Many strategies and educational                    environment. The four questions include:
                   tools have been implemented to support                   • How do you want to be treated by the teacher?
                   students in their academic achievement                   • How do you want to be treated by each other?
                   and overcoming learning loss that may have               • How do you think the teacher wants to be treated by you?
    Stacey
Larson-Everson     emerged   due to the pandemic. Significant               • How do we want to treat each other when there is conflict?
                   resources and layers of support have also                The resulting answers make up a list of adjectives which
                   been added to increase social and emotional           serve as the basis for student expectations of behavior
 support for students. A primary social-emotional emphasis               in the classroom. The “Social Contract” is signed by all
 this year is the implementation of Capturing Kids’ Hearts               classroom members including the teacher and is referred to
 (CKH). CKH is recognized nationwide as an outstanding                   on a regular basis during class.
 set of practices designed to promote:
     -Student social-emotional well-being                             Good Things/Hoorays
     -A positive, relationship-driven campus culture at all schools         At the beginning of classes teachers will start
     -Student connectedness to school                                    with “good things,” which means that students share
     Capturing Kids’ Hearts promotes relevance, rigor,                   something good that is going on with them. This creates an
 and relationships. Respect and responsibility are key                   environment of positivity and helps build relationships.
 characteristics in the CKH model. The entire process
 teaches strong interpersonal skills and promotes academic                   We are very enthusiastic about our district-wide
 and lifelong success. Teachers use the EXCEL model                      implementation of CKH and hope that students will also
 (described below) to communicate with students. Students’               embrace these practices with positive interest and energy.
 work collaboratively to create classroom rules which detail             If you have questions or would like more information about
 how everyone agrees to treat each other and how they                    CKH, please contact your child’s school administrative
 want to be treated. Below are brief summaries of the key                team.
 components of CKH.                                                          Wishing everyone a fantastic 2022-2023 school year!
The EXCEL Model
     Engage: Students are greeted at the door with a handshake,
  hug, or high-five with eye contact and a sincere welcome.
     X-plore: Teachers listen and attend to the personal,
  emotional and academic needs of students.
     Communicate: Teachers communicate care as well as
  academic content.
     Empower: Teachers empower students to gain the
  ability to “use and do” the things they have been taught.
     Launch: Details with how we “end and send” our
  students into the world at the end of class. The purpose is
  to start our students on a course of action by ending our
  classes on a powerful, positive note.

Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District                                                                           October 2022   3
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Business Services
                                        300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                Generous Grant Funds
                       The Tehachapi Unified School District                The Arts, Music, and Instructional Materials
                    Business Services Department is excited to           Discretionary Block Grant provides additional one-time
                    announce that the California enacted budget          funding ($2,382,745) that may be used to implement
                    for the 2022-2023 fiscal year included not           professional development and acquire instructional
                    only larger than expected on-going increases         materials in various subject areas, offset increased
                    to our Local Control Funding Formula                 operational costs, and support arts and musical education
                    (LCFF), the base level funding received on           programs. The one-time funds may be used through the
 Hojat Entezari
Chief Administrator a per student school attendance basis, but           2025-2026 fiscal year.
                    the enacted state budget included additional            The notification of these awards is welcome news as
  one-time funding through two separate block grants — the               the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that
  Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant and the Arts,                  national inflation has currently increased by 8.3% this year.
  Music, and Instructional Materials Discretionary Block                 The District has put forward several strategies to address
  Grant bringing an additional $6,020,000 to Tehachapi USD.              learning loss and students’ mental health needs to be able
       The Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant                       to continue to offer these services well after the district’s
  funding ($3,637,345) may be used to increase or stabilize              COVID awards have been fully deployed. More information
  instructional learning time, decrease or stabilize staff-              on the specific spending plan for these grant funds will
  to-pupil ratios, provide supports to address barriers to               be provided but we look forward to having the resources
  learning, credit-deficiencies, and additional academic                 to face ongoing inflation while also keeping our staff and
  services to close learning gaps that may have occurred as a            students’ needs as the highest priority.
  result of the pandemic. These one-time funds may be used
  through the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

                                                       District Nurse
                                        300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/979-6596

                Health Screenings in School                              screened until kindergarten. Sound is caused by vibrations
                    Credentialed school nurses implement                 that travel through the air, tissue, and fluid of the ear.
                various health screenings in the school                  These vibrations stimulate nerve endings of the cochlea to
                setting to support student health and                    communicate to the brain, where the sound is recognized
                wellness and reduce barriers to their                    and then interpreted. Sound is measured in loudness
                learning and academic success. Hearing                   (decibels [dB]) and pitch (Hertz [Hz]). For reference,
                screenings are completed every year by our               normal conversational speech is 50 to 70 dB.
                                                                            Hearing loss in children can develop at any time,
Jenna Burgess, contracted county Audiometrist and the
    RN BSN       district’s credentialed school nurses. These            caused by progressive sensorineural damage of the inner
  Credentialed   screenings are completed for students in                ear or conductive or mechanical problems of the middle
  School Nurse   transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, 2nd            ear (e.g. ear infection or ear wax buildup). Prolonged
                 grade, 5th grade, and 8th grade. Hearing                exposure to loud noise causes a permanent alteration in the
  screenings are also completed for students with Student                transmission of sound due to the hair cells of the cochlea
  Study Teams (SSTs) and Individualized Educational Plans                being damaged. Those students that fail both the initial
  (IEPs) and by teacher referral.                                        hearing screening and rescreening are referred for further
     Good hearing is critical for language development,                  evaluation to either their medical doctor and/or the county
  and language development is critical to learning. Hearing              Audiologist. It is estimated that 1 in 5 adolescents has some
  loss contributes to educational delay and social isolation.            degree of hearing loss, a significant increase since 1994
  For this reason, most states have mandated newborn                     (Selekman, 2013).
  hearing tests because hearing is nearly mature at birth.                  Selekman, Janice. School Nursing. F A Davis Company,
  Nevertheless, most children’s hearing is not properly                  2013.

4   www.schoolnewsrollcall.com
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Food Services
                                            300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                      Busy Start                                                                       of meals served to students who
                      for the TUSD                                                                     wouldn’t qualify for free meals.
                      Kitchen                                                                          For TUSD, qualifying as many
                    The new                                                                            students as possible for the
                 school year is off                                                                    Free & Reduced Program is still
                 to a great start                                                                      very important as some funding
                 and with that                                                                         sources are determined based
                                                                                                       on student counts. These special
Hortencia Tapia we have a very
  Supervisor     busy kitchen,                                                                         programs add supplemental
                 the Food Service                                                                      learning supports to school
 Department has seen a big                                                                             campuses. We encourage
 increase in meal participation                                                                        all household to submit an
 with over 42,000 meals served                                                                         application by going to PayPams.
 in the first three weeks of                                                                           com. Please be reminded that a
 school. This year free meals will be served again but                                                 new eligibility application must
 under the new Universal Meal Program. California is the                     be submitted each school year, if you qualify for free or
 first state in the country to implement the universal meal                  reduced meals you may be eligible to receive the pandemic
 program. Our state has allocated money to cover the cost                    EBT card to cover meals during the summer.

                                                    Instructional Services
                                            300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                      Welcome New Teachers                                   that is available to assist them. As the year progresses,
                         Tehachapi Unified School District                   Instructional Services offers on-going support to new
                      welcomes new teachers to TUSD! All new                 teachers by hosting regular after-school meetings that
                      teachers participated in a new teacher                 focus on professional development, modeling lessons in
                      support session prior to the first day of              new teacher classrooms, checking-in with new teachers,
                      school. The purpose of the initial New                 lesson planning assistance, and meeting with new
                      Teacher Support Meeting was to help                    teachers individually to provide assistance in whatever
                      new teachers become acclimated to                      area a new teacher has requested. TUSD is excited
 Andrea Paxton
Chief Administrator   TUSD’s procedures and programs, meet                   to have such a great group of new teachers and looks
                      other new teachers within TUSD, and get                forward to them being an integral part of our TUSD
                      familiarized with the district support team            team!

Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District                                                                           October 2022   5
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Personnel Services
                                        300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                New Year, New Faces!                                                                  has ongoing hiring needs for
                       We would like to                                                               talented and student-centered
                    introduce two new Vice                                                            people to join our TUSD team.
                    Principals to the TUSD                                                            Please feel free to contact us
                    Team. Mr. Sibecas                                                                 for further information.
                    at Cummings Valley                                                                   We are excited to welcome
                    Elementary and                                                                    our parent volunteers back
                    Mrs. Elizabeth Spoden                                                             on campus after a two-year
    Dr. Roxane
     Romero         at Golden Hills                                                                   break. It is a great way to get
Chief Administrator Elementary. They have a heart of service and         involved and support your local schools. Parent volunteers
                    will be amazing advocates for our students,          can choose between working in the classroom, chaperoning
  staff, and community. We welcome all our new hires and                 fieldtrips or coaching our students. For more information,
  wish them the best of luck with the current school year. It’s          please check in with your student’s school site for volunteer
  not too late to join our team. The Personnel Department                opportunities and clearance.

                                            Professional Development
                                        300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                 Tehachapi Mountain
                 Park, Camping in
                 Our Own Backyard
                         Tehachapi Unified
                      School District is
                      pleased to offer an
                      engaging, outdoor,
 Jennifer Butler hands-on science
   Coordinator of     camp experience for
Instructional Support the second year in a
 and Improvement row to all third grade
                      students. Instructional
    Services, along with KCSOS Science
    experts, are leading students through
    memorable experiences while also
    exploring the phenomenon, “Why do
    some animals live alone while others
    live in large groups?”
         Students are participating in
    lively academic conversations about
    collective nouns. They are learning
    about different names for various
    groups of animals, such as a group
    of elephants is called a memory.
    Students play games such as, “Oh
    Deer” which models how deer
    populations increase or decrease due                                 their own wooden necklace. One student exclaimed, “This
    to limited or abundant resources. They also play “Savanna            is so much fun, I thought it was Science Camp!”
    Tag” which demonstrates how zebra mares and wildebeest                   TUSD is also providing Camp KEEP to 8th grade
    cows protect zebra colts and wildebeest calves so they are           students where they explore the ocean, as well as a
    not captured or eaten by predators such as lions.                    team building camp for 5th grade students at Tehachapi
         Additional activities are a nature hike where students          Mountain Park in the spring. In TUSD, students are having
    explore the environment in search of animal evidence.                fun while learning grade level standards and gaining
    Students also participate in a scavenger hunt and create             memorable experiences.

6   www.schoolnewsrollcall.com
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Special Education Services
                                           126 South Snyder, Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                Meet the Speech Team                                      is eager to provide support. Whether students require
                   The Tehachapi Unified School District                  Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
                Special Education Department is excited                   or minor pragmatic guidance, the TUSD Speech Team
                to present the 2022-2023 Speech Team.                     is equipped for the services. Speech will be providing in
                Speech is completely staffed and prepared                 person and virtual services to meet all student’s needs.
                to provide services for students throughout               This is just one of many improvements in the Special
                the district. The team consists of some                   Education Department and our dedication to improving
  Dr. Solomon   familiar faces along with new faces that                  student outcomes. As we navigate the 2022-2023 school
   DeFrancis    bring a wealth of information. From                       year, the Tehachapi Unified School District Special
    Director    Preschool to the TALL program and all                     Education Department continues to seek opportunities to
                grade levels in between, our Speech Team                  develop practices and better our best.

                                                      Student Services
                                         300 South Robinson St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                 TUSD Tehachapi Adult School
                     Tehachapi Adult School (TAS) offers
                 opportunities for individuals eighteen and
                 older to acquire their high school diploma or
                 complete General Education Development
                 (GED) preparation curriculum. The GED
                 test is a series of tests an individual can take
Dr. Bonny Porter to demonstrate their academic knowledge.
     Director    Adults enrolled in the TAS program are able
Student Services to work from home, completing courses that
                 are all administered online with support
  from a credentialed teacher. Consultations, academic
  advising, and tutoring are also available to students.
  Additionally, TAS offers a typing certificate, a Career
  Technical Education (CTE) certificate in welding and
  English Second Language (ESL) courses. Adult education
  courses, welding, and ESL courses have already increased             TAS Student Natalie Whiteside and Program Manager Stephanie Teodosio
  student enrollment since last year. TAS staff strives to                  If you have any questions about TAS programs, please
  provide flexible instructional hours as well as quality                 contact our Adult Education Program Manager,
  education to our community members.                                     Mrs. Stephanie Teodosio at (661) 822-2112.

Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District                                                                             October 2022   7
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Technology
                                          400 South Snyder, Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2100

                  Busy Summer and New Location                              The District also migrated to a new fully voice over
                      The TUSD Technology Department has                 IP cloud hosted phone system over the summer. The
                   had a busy summer. With the Tehachapi                 Technology Team worked to ensure every phone was
                   Independent Learning Academy (TILA)                   replaced and accounted for at each school and office in
                   opening in its new location, there was a lot          the district. This amounted to approximately 500 phones.
                   to do. Our team worked over the summer                We started using the new phone service at the end of
                   getting TILA ready to go for the first day            July. This project was very exciting for my team and the
                   of school. Inside classrooms, Newline                 district as a whole. The new system enables any employee
    Ryan McKay
      Director     interactive boards, wiring for computers,             from any campus to direct dial any other employee in the
                   audio systems and wireless access points              district, regardless of which campus they are on. This is an
    were all configured and installed. Office spaces and                 exciting change.
    common areas were wired and programmed to the new                       Finally, the Technology Department is moving to
    network specifications. The school had a successful                  400 South Snyder. This office used to house the TILA
    opening welcoming both classic and blended learning                  program. Chromebooks will be able to be checked in, out,
    students to the new campus. As a parent of a student                 and supported from the new location. We look forward
    attending the blended learning model at TILA, I am                   to supporting the District and our TUSD students and
    extremely proud of what the tech team accomplished there.            families from our new location.

                                                      Transportation
                                            401 East H. St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2115

                  Bus Evacuations
                   Every year the TUSD
               Transportation Department
               performs a bus evacuation
               drill with all students TK
               through 8th grade. During the
               evacuation drills, students
Denise Berry   are taught safety practices
 Supervisor    and how to evacuate the bus
               during an emergency.
    Students will be instructed to follow
the drivers’ directions and exit the bus
through an emergency exit other than the
front door. The driver will show students
the location of and explain the use of the
fire extinguisher, reflectors, and first aid
kit. Drivers will also demonstrate how to
open all the emergency exits including roof
hatches, front door, and windows. Students
will be shown the location and use of the
two-way radio.
    During the drill, the driver may ask for
assistance from teachers and aides. We
always appreciate the extra help to make
sure students follow directions and remain
safe during the evacuation. Remember,
school bus safety is a team effort!

8    www.schoolnewsrollcall.com
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Cummings Valley Elementary
                              24220 Bear Valley Rd., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2190 • cvs.tehachapiusd.com

                A Sense of Community
                     Cummings Valley Elementary
                  School staff and students are
                  WILD About Learning! This is
                  the year-long theme you’ll see
                  throughout campus for 2022-
                  2023…in classroom and office
Taylor Marquesen décor, on staff shirts, in our
     Principal    reading program and more. Think
                  jungles, monkeys, safaris and
  animal prints! At Cummings Valley, we feel
  that having a theme each year is not only fun
  for everyone involved, but promotes a sense of
  community that is prevalent throughout the
  campus.
      A big part of our job as school administration
  and staff is to do our best to make school not
  only a fantastic educational experience, but also
  a place that students look forward to coming to
  each day. We hope this will positively impact our
  daily attendance, and also students’ attitudes
  and perspective about school in general.
      Come get WILD About Learning at CVS!

                                               Golden Hills Elementary
                                 20215 Park Rd., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2180 • ghe.tehachapiusd.com

                Capturing Eagles’ Heart from the Start                    students who feel more connected to school are more likely
                    The team here at Golden Hills has been                to have positive outcomes. Capturing Kids’ Hearts provides
                 hard at work capturing the hearts of our                 strategies we are using to ensure that our students feel
                 students. Teachers have established social               connected to Golden Hills Elementary School and that each
                 contracts in their classrooms, allowing                  and every day is a positive experience!
                 students a
                 voice into how
 Kendra Bailey   they want to
    Principal    be treated,
                 how they
  will treat others and how
  they will resolve conflict.
  Staff members have been
  working on appreciating the
  good things and affirming
  students and staff alike.
  Students are learning to
  affirm one another and
  develop a positive mindset.
  Teachers and staff members
  greet students each day
  and we are all working on
  getting to know each other
  better. Research shows that

Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District                                                                        October 2022   9
We're Back... and We've Got Heart! - Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District - School News Roll Call
Jacobsen Middle School
                                     711 Anita Dr., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2150 • jms.tehachapiusd.com

                 JMS Back to School Dance
                 a Big Success!
                     The Jacobsen Back to School Dance
                 was held Friday, September 16th. This
                 was the first Back to School Dance at
                 JMS since 2019. Everyone, from new
                 6th grade students, to eighth graders
    Eric Loe     starting their final year at the middle
    Principal    school were excited to participate in the
                 first dance of the 2022-23 school year!
     The dance, held in the Albert “Corky” Roberts                              A great time was had by all, but the eighth graders who
  Gym, was sponsored by the Eighth grade Class and was                       participated will get double the bang for their buck, as they
  a fundraiser for the class to prepare for field trips and                  enjoyed the dance now, and will enjoy the activities the
  incentives later in the year. The dance featured a DJ, photo               proceeds pay for later in the year!
  booth, lights, and a snack bar!                                               Thank you to all who worked to put on this event!

                                                    Tehachapi High School
                                  801 S. Dennison Rd, Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2130 • ths.tehachapiusd.com

                 Graduation Requirements
                       Tehachapi High School
                   requires 230 credits to
                   graduate. Students earn 5
                   credits per semester class
                   as long as they pass with a
                   D or better. Students have 6
Cristina Libatique classes per semester which
     Principal     means they earn 30 credits
                   per semester. There are two
                   semesters in a year so they
   earn 60 credits in a year. Four years of
   high school means they earn 240 credits.
   THS requires 230 credits to graduate
   which means seniors have the flexibility to
   take 5 classes instead of 6.
       Credits must be earned in the following
   subject areas:
       Social Studies/History (World,
   US,Government/Economics) - 30 credits
       English (9, 10, 11, 12) - 40 credits
       Math (Algebra Essentials, Geometry,
   etc) - 20 credits
       Algebra - 10 credits
       Science (1 year of life, 1 year of
   physical, and 1 year of elective science) -
   30 credits
       Foreign Language OR Visual/
   Performing Arts OR Career Technical
   Education - 10 credits
       Physical Education - 20 credits
       Electives (all other classes) - 70 credits

10   www.schoolnewsrollcall.com
Tompkins Elementary
                                 1120 S. Curry St., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2170 • tpk.tehachapiusd.com

                Traveling Tiger Cart
                    Tompkins Elementary School
                 is working on upgrading the PBIS
                 program this year. All students
                 participated in an assembly
                 during the first three weeks of
                 school highlighting school-wide
   Clair Rhea    expectations, incentives and
    Principal    rewards. Student expectation
                 banners and posters are being
  added to common areas and to each classroom.
  Tompkins Tigers ROAR; Respect, Own your
  actions, Achieve your best, Responsible. Students
  meeting expectations earn a Tiger Paw that can
  be used for a variety of rewards. PBIS incentives
  include a weekly toy raffle, certificates awarded
  monthly from local eateries, as well as Picnic
  with the Principal. Students can save their Tiger
  Paws for admission to quarterly events. Our
  first quarter event is a monster themed canvas
  painting, scheduled for 10/11-17. New this year, is
  also the Traveling Tiger Cart that contains small
  fun items to be purchased with Tiger Paws when
  the cart arrives in classrooms.
                                                                           Winning students selecting prizes from the weekly drawing.

                                 Tehachapi Independent Learning Academy
                             400 S. Snyder Ave., Tehachapi, CA 93561 • 661/822-2266 • https://tila.tehachapiusd.com

                 Alternative Instructional Models                                                     Tehachapi Independent
                     The Tehachapi Independent                                                     Learning  Academy (TILA)
                  Learning Academy (TILA) offers                                                   offers TUSD  families an
                  TUSD families blended and classic                                                alternative to traditional
                  instructional models. Students                                                   classroom  instruction. Students
                  who participate in the TILA classic                                              enrolled in TILA  work  from
                  model work from home with                                                        their home with virtual support
                                                                                                   from a credentialed teacher.
Dr. Bonny Porter virtual support from a credentialed
     Director    teacher. Students enrolled in the                                                 Tutoring is available to students
Student Services TK - 8th grade blended model                                                      as well as encouragement
                                                              TILA Blended Learning Students       from paraprofessionals to help
                 attend in-person instruction            Tela Newkirk, Gianna Grajeda, Jacob Parks
   from 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM twice a week with an                                                     secondary students follow
   optional enrichment opportunity on Fridays. High school            course pacing guides. One of the challenges of learning
   students can work with their THS counselors to develop an          from home is keeping students interested in academics. To
   individualized blended model as well. TILA teachers strive         foster student interest and passion for knowledge, TILA
   to accommodate students’ learning styles and enhance               has implemented a literacy and art component. Recently,
   their instructional experiences. The blended program               elementary students selected stories about winter and
   allows students to build background knowledge for lessons          were able to choose an art project to accompany the stories
   at home. This leaves additional time while they attend in-         they read. Some of the books and completed art pieces are
   person instruction for activities that encourage authentic         pictured above. Currently students are learning about the
   learning experiences such as collaborative problem solving.        importance of taking care of the Earth. They are reading
   For example, students may read about ratios at home                stories about the environment and are making objects
   and then come to school and make slime to solidify their           out of recyclable materials. Thus, TILA students are
   understanding of ratios in a real-life experience.                 encouraged to use creativity to enhance their education.

Covering the Tehachapi Unified School District                                                                               October 2022   11
YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE
     K-2nd grade Co-Ed and 3rd-12TH Grade Boys & Girls
REGISTRATION:                              MANDATORY SKILL EVALUATIONS:
Open through November 10th                 For 3rd-12th Grade ONLY
                                           October 14th: 5pm 3rd/4th Girls, 6pm 5th/6th Girls
                                                         7pm 7th/8th and 9th-12th Girls
COST:                                      October 16th: 5pm 3rd/4th Boys, 6:15pm 5th/6th Boys
Kinderball:                                October 17th: 5pm 7th/8th Boys, 6:15pm 9th-12th Boys
$80 OR $60 with In-District Discount
1st-12th grade:                            PRACTICES AND GAMES:
$127 OR $95.25 with In-District Discount   Practices will begin the week of November 28th
                                           (No practices December 19th-31st)
INCLUDES:                                  KINDERBALL WILL NOT HAVE PRACTICES DURING THE WEEK
                                           (Kinderball practices will take place right before each game,
Reversible Jersey                          it will be worked into the game schedule)
Head-Coach Discount:
$30(1st -12th) $10(Kinderball)             Games will take place on Saturdays starting
Sibling Discount: $10                      January 8th (No games on February 18th)
                                              **Picture are NOT included in registration**
Season:                                                 SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
January 7th-March 11th                                  FOR QUALIFYING YOUTH!
Championship games to follow
                                               Volunteer Coaches Needed!

                        Visit www.tvrpd.org and sign up now!
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                                 Phone: 661-822-3228
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