September 6, 2006 - Top Stories
The first day of school got mostly high grades from students, teachers and administrators Thursday.
There were 4,397 students enrolled in the district, which is 74 up from the same time last year. Supt. Lou Obermeyer said that it’s too early to say whether this means that the declining enrollment the district has experienced for several years has ended.
However, she was quite enthusiastic about the opening: “We've had an extremely smooth first day of school. Our teachers and staff members are excited about the new year because they know that they make a difference!” she said.
There were few problems with first day traffic or buses. “I was at Lilac this morning and it was very smooth—all reports so far have indicated no problems. Just got back from Upper/Lower buses and they went very smooth also,” said Dr. Obermeyer.
Middle School
Chris Sommer, principal at the middle school reported, “We had a great first day! Six hundred fifty-five students attended and were able to be part of our COUNT ME IN assemblies.
“We are focusing on attendance and are also celebrating student success. Our sixth grade agriculture class had a wonderful first day and we are all very excited about the coming year!”
Mrs. Sommer added, “We are very grateful to our wonderful Teacher Parent Club volunteers for their hard work helping to make sure that everything ran smoothly.”
High School
Principal Ron McCowan told The Roadrunner: “We had a great day! Lots of fun. I was thrilled! It was a dream come true. Starting out with a pep rally in the morning. We introduced all of the new teachers and new people and places, including Jon Peterson, who will become Mr. [Mel] Schuler’s replacement as assistant principal.”
McCowan added, “We just announced that the staff yesterday. We brought in seven new teachers and from there the ASB talked about their events and celebrated our test scores with the kids and went off to first class.”
McCowan said that it was enjoyable to see the campus “come alive” after a summer without the kids. “Attendance was good seeing that we started on Thursday. The one thing I was happy to see was that our lunch lines went real well. To feed that large of a group your first day out is incredible. I thought the kitchen staff did a great job.”
Primary School
Patty Christopher, principal at the primary school, said, “There were a few tears, many hugs and a bunch of smiles, mostly from Moms and Dads who could take a little breather now that school has finally started. By 8:45 a.m., everyone was in their seats ready to start learning.
“The day went quite smoothly. Children were excited to meet their new teachers. The schedules of the day went quite well. There were tours of the school and rules and procedures set. Even dismissal went well. Only a few students were returned on the bus and everyone was picked up quickly. Now we’re ready for another 179 days!”
Elementary Upper School
The Elementary Upper School had a very smooth opening day. Five hundred and seven students in grades 5 and 6 were in attendance.
The school's principal, Mrs. Staffieri was very pleased with how all students behaved respectfully and cooperated throughout the day. She said, “We have a wonderful team of talented teachers and support staff who worked very hard to make sure that everything was ready for our students. If the first day is any indication, we are off to a great 2006-2007 school year.”
Lower Elementary School
Principal Wendy Heredia commented, “We had a wonderful first day! Our students and staff were ready for our new school year to begin! Many smiling faces and eager students!
“All went very smoothly, thanks to the team efforts of our staff and parents. We had four hundred and forty three students attend the first day! All were enthusiastic about the year ahead of them.”
Pauma Elementary School
√According to Principal Mary Gorsuch, “It was a very positive first day. Attendance was very good, and many of the families who couldn't attend the first two days due to extended vacation plans had contacted us to let us know that they would be returning after Labor Day.
“We started something new this year, the ‘Boo Hoo Breakfast,’ a little social time for parents and family members to gather, have some muffins and coffee, and maybe share a farewell tear together after their little ones go into class for the first day. It started out as a special time for parents of incoming Kindergarten students, and grew to include any parents or family members who wanted to attend.”
Palomar Mountain teachers Jaime Shuford and Laura Armstrong are sharing the one room schoolhouse,and each spent a day last week with the students. “We have 11 students at Palomar and are always looking for more! Their first days went very well and they are looking forward to a great year,” said Mrs. Gorsuch.
Lilac Elementary School
Principal Shannon Hargrave described the first day as “Fabulous! We had an overwhelming turn out of parental support. Our teachers were well prepared and were excited to greet their new students. The schedule/routine was smooth and children were in their seats learning in record time. A BIG thanks to Lou Obermeyer and Olivia Leschick for their support in the morning and to ALL of our parent volunteers in orange vests for their help in guiding students to the classroom. Overall, I give the day an A+.”
The All-Tribes Charter School will open its doors for new year on Wednesday, Sept. 6.
This year when Valley Center High School students returned to campus they found a new discipline program waiting for them called the Non-Privilege List.
In the real world if you get a parking ticket and don’t take care of it there are consequences. In the world of local high school there are now similar consequences.
The Non-Privilege List is part of a new way of looking at disciplining that Principal Ron McCowan calls “holding Valley Center High School students to a higher standard.”
It puts some of the follow-up for punishments such as detention or Saturday school directly on the shoulders of the students.
Students who fail to show up for these punishments, or who do not clear up absences or fines, can lose privileges.
“It’s not an additional punishment,” says McCowan. “It only kicks in if the student doesn’t take care of it. If you don’t take care of it you get on the list.”
The problem, said McCowan, was that too much staff and administrative time was being taken up following up on students to make sure that they took care of serving detentions or paying fines or the like.
What is the list?
It is a collection of students’ numbers, not names. It will be posted periodically.
The list will be created five times during the school year, starting Oct. 16, with the last one being posted April 30.
A student placed on the list will remain for the entire grading period and will stay on the list if the issues that put the student there are not cleared up or resolved.
Ways to get on the list include:
• Assigned detentions not served
• Absences not cleared
• Saturday Schools not served
• 2 or more U’s in citizenship
• 2 or more F’s in scholarship
• Any at-home suspension during the grading period
• Unpaid fees or fines
Parents have two days to clear up absences for their students. After that they are considered truancies and the student is assigned Saturday School.
Students who achieve this negative honor can’t attend dances, extra-curricular activities, nor walk in the graduation ceremony.
“Most kids when they look on the list and see their number and they know that the Homecoming Dance is coming up, will take care of it so that they can go,” said McCowan.
According to Assistant Principal Dennis Zabinsky, who helped create the new policy, the primary reason for the new rules are that, “the students were not following through with their detentions. We were having to call them out of classroom. So this is partially to minimize classroom disruptions and to see that students take responsibility for their own misbehavior.”
He added, “There was also a concern from staff that they wanted something new. We weren’t holding the kids responsible. There was no consequence beyond the suspension. Now, not only will you miss school but there is a longer lasting consequence.”
Zabinsky estimates that the “list” may affect 15% of the student population. “However, we anticipate that as students take responsibility for their actions that our workload will diminish,” he said.
Crack down on cells
and electronic devices
The school also has a policy that student’s cell phones are off and put away during class time and when students are out of class with a pass. Cells are subject to being confiscated if they go off during class.
Various personal entertainment devices such as ∑ iPods and Walkman’s are not allowed on campus during the school day.
While these are not new policies, cracking down on enforcement of the policy is, said Zabinsky.
“Ipods and Walkmans have never been allowed on campus, however because of an increased number of thefts and classroom disruption it has gotten to be more of an issue. More and more kids have them. Now we have a set procedure for dealing with them.”
“Wait a minute! Don’t leave us out!” a group of property owners along Valley Center Road in effect said Monday when the VC Municipal Water District board took up a proposal by a group of three landowners eager to fund their own private sewer plant expansion.
After reading in the newspaper about the private expansion proposal several landowners who felt left out showed up to ask to be included.
At Monday’s VC Municipal Water District board meeting directors voted to allow the Bell/Alti/Olson “core group” to be allowed to make an application and process a private project while at the same time the district will process a public effort to determine the interest in wastewater service among the other property owners by the end of 2006.
In early 2007, the district will make a determination if the two projects can be merged into one expansion project.
Two weeks ago the Bell/Alti/Olson group, otherwise known as “the core group” presented their proposal to privatize the proposed South Village Water Reclamation Project.
They told the board at the Aug. 21 meeting that they were impatient with delays that had been imposed on expanding the existing water reclamation (sewer) plant on Woods Valley Ranch. The most recent of these delays was the withdrawal from the Orchard Run project of developer D.R. Horton.
That meant that the expansion of the Woods Valley plant to accommodate that 300 unit development was put on hold again.
The “core group,” impatient to put in a small shopping center that includes a commitment to build a Major Market, offered to entirely fund their own expansion of about 150 EDUs (equivalent dwelling units).
At that time the board instructed the staff to return with recommendations on whether to take the “core group” up on its offer.
However, at Monday’s meeting several property owners and representatives of property owners in the Southern Node said it would be unfair to let a small group of owners go forward and to exclude them.
Dick Stephens, who, with his wife Loralee, recently purchased some land in the South Node across the street from Sunday Drive, said, “We want to be allowed to be part of this. Otherwise, we don’t think it would be fair. I don’t see how a private group should have the right to do this alone.” He said he would be very upset if this was allowed to happen, “We would pursue it by other means,” he said.
Engineer Gary Wynn, who said he represented several owners, plus himself, noted that a gas station on VC Road near Charlan can’t expand until it has access to a sewer. Several other lots can’t build without a sewer, eh said.
“To leapfrog and let a small group of people do this just because they want to do it fast is unfair,” he said.
John Belanich, who owns the Orchard Run property, made a point of standing and insisting that although D.R. Horton has withdrawn, that the project will go forward. He said he had the resources to build the project.
Wayne Hilbig and engineer Bill Lewis, both representing the “core group,” said the group would be willing to expand planning for the expansion to include others who want to be involved. They are just not interested in waiting very long.
“We’d like to build a bigger plant,” said Lewis. “We would be willing to design a 300 EDU plants and take 150 of that and let others take the rest. We just don’t want to be held back. The timing is really killing us!” he said.
Director Merle Aleshire suggested that the “core group” wait three months until the district can conduct its survey of interested property owners.
At that time, he said, they could proceed with their own project, and possibly include other interested parties.
Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant persuaded the board to give him and staff a couple of weeks to talk to everyone concerned, including Belanich, before making a final recommendation.
He noted that the “core group’s” project has actually not been presented as a written proposal, just as a verbal one.
Another two weeks would give them the chance to make that submission and give staff the chance to go over it, he said.
Every patriotic holiday the Boy Scouts of Troop 673, whose leader is Mark Thornton, put out 50 American flags along Valley Center Road.
And every patriotic holiday, a few of those flags get stolen.
Brenda Kline, last year’s VC Honorary Mayor, has taken on the task of raising money to buy a new set of flags for the Scouts.
Let’s face it, new flags, proudly snapping in the breeze, lifts everyone’s hearts!
So, Kline needs $350 to buy the flags. She’s looking for donations of at least $20, with no upward limit.
Make the check out to Valley Center Chamber of Commerce and mail to 11852 Old Castle Road, Valley Center CA 92082.
Questions, contact Kline on her cell at 207-5624 or at her Coldwell Banker number: 749-5655, Ext. 209.
“The annual Palomar Mountain Barbecue raised a gross amount of $15,777 on Saturday. The helicopter rides alone, donated by a local resident, helped raised nearly $3000. The money raised at such events goes to help fund the Palomar Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, which is almost entirely dependent on donations.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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