Valley Center-Pauma Schools will begin Wednesday, August 29.
SCHOOL HOURS:
Primary School
• Kindergarten, early morning session — 8:20 a.m. to 12:20 a.m.
• Kindergarten, late morning session —10:00 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.
• Grade 1,2 — 8:20 a.m. to 2:05 p.m.
Elementary Lower School
• Grades 2,3 — 8:15 a.m. to 1:55 p.m.
• Grade 4 — 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Elementary Upper School
• Grades 5,6 — 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Middle School
• Grades 7,8 — 8:25 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
High School
• Grades 9–12 — 7:37 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday & Friday (traditional schedule days)
• 7:37a.m. to 2:07 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday (block days)
Pauma
Grades K–8 — 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Wednesday Early Release — 8:10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Lilac School
• Kindergarten, early morning session — 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Kindergarten, late morning session — 10:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• Grades 1–3 — 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• Grades 4–5 — 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Playground supervision begins at 7:30 a.m. at the K–8 schools.
Traffic congestion around the schools the first day is always a problem. Parents wishing to transport their children the first day should plan on arriving well before school begins.
School lunches will be $2.00 for grades K–8 and $2.25 for grades 9–12. Milk will also be available for students bringing their lunches at a cost of 30¢. Breakfast will be served at a cost of $1 for grades K–8 and $1.25 for grades 9–12. It is highly recommended parents pre-pay their children’s lunches. Schools may be called for more information.
Classroom assignments for grades K-8 will be posted at their respective schools starting Friday, Aug. 24 at 3 p.m. Parents of students in Kindergarten will receive a phone call from their child’s teacher inviting them to a “get-acquainted” meeting before school begins. Students and parents are encouraged to review the posted listings prior to school opening. This will familiarize students with their homeroom assignments prior to the first day.
Parents will receive a packet of information at the end of the first day of school for grades K–8. They should take time and care to fill out this paperwork. Included in the package will be two cards, a data & a health card, advising how we can reach parents in case a child becomes ill at school or in case of emergency. New data cards are required for each student each year, K–12th grade.
Parents, please call the Primary School at 749-8282 or Lilac School at 751-1042 if you do not hear from your child’s Kindergarten teacher by Aug. 22. Just a reminder that K–1 students who ride the school bus home will be brought back to school if a parent is not at the bus stop to pick them up, or unless they have a note on file with the school district.
Pauma Elementary School will be offering both an extended day Kindergarten and an early admission Kindergarten program. For more information call Pauma Elementary at 742-3741.
The Tiny Tots program will not open at the beginning of the school year. The teacher has resigned and the district is exploring options for the program. In the meantime, we encourage parents to identify other programs within the community such as the new Head Start program located at Pauma School.
The YMCA and Boys & Girls Club sponsor after school child care and recreation programs. Their phone numbers are 749-7951 for the YMCA and 749-9822 for the Boys & Girls Club. The district will be providing after school day care at Pauma and Lilac this year. Prices will be comparable to the YMCA. Contact the school office if you are interested.
Those with questions regarding the start of school may call their child’s school. The telephone numbers for the schools are: Primary School – 749-8282; Elementary-Lower – 749-1631; Elementary-Upper – 749-8555; Middle School – 751-4295; Pauma School – 742-3741; Lilac – 751-1041; High School – 751-5500; Oak Glen High School – 751-0455. You can also visit our web page: www.vcpusd.net/ Bus Evacuation Week is scheduled for the weeks of September 17 and September 24.
The Rincon tribe of Indians, owner of Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort, is suing the State of California, claiming that the state is levying an illegal tax when it wants to charge the tribe millions to add 900 slot machines.
The lawsuit asserts that the state government is negotiating a new compact in bad faith.
The case was due to be heard this week by a federal judge.
The 600-member tribe currently operates 1,600 slot machines at its casino, which opened in 1999. Under the existing tribal state compact, negotiated under Gov. Gray Davis, the tribe is allowed an upper limit of 2,000 slots.
However, in 2004 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger negotiated new compacts with 19 tribes in the state, the closest being the Pauma and Pala tribes. In return for giving the state a larger cut of the revenues, the tribes were given the right to have more slot machines.
This put pressure on Rincon to add slot machines.
The tribe sued the state back then, claiming that the deals were illegal, but later dropped the lawsuit.
The tribe’s new lawsuit claims that the payments the governor seeks for a new compact are illegal according to the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which governs all Indian casinos.
IGRA also stipulates that if a state and tribe are unable to reach an accord, that the federal government can step in to impose one. However, this is unlikely in Rincon’s case because there is an existing compact that has more than a dozen years to go before it needs to be renewed.
The practice of asking for more money in return for allowing a tribe to have more slot machines is a long-standing practice in California and other states that have tribal casinos. This may be the first time that it has been challenged in court. Some gaming legal experts say that it’s a long shot for the Rincon tribe.
The court papers filed by the tribe recently offer a rare glimpse into tribal finances, which tribes usually keep very close to the vest. They show that in 2005 the casino brought in $242 million and the tribe made $60 million after expenses, including paying Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., to run the gaming palace.
The profits are used to operate tribal governmental services, build governmental buildings and pay a monthly distribution to each tribal member.
The state estimates that the tribe would make $39 million annually off the new machines it wants to add. The deal proposed by the state would take nearly $37 million of that.
Work progresses on the VC Road widening. Watch yourselves out there: The CHP has squad cars watching speed limits very closely. The limit is 35 mph in construction zones and fines are doubled if you are nailed.
The Pauma Valley Country Club recently completed a $3.5 million renovation, virtually a rebuilding of several of its buildings, putting them on par with what is considered one of the premier golf courses in San Diego County.
They celebrated on July 22 with a “grand opening” that included a lavish dinner and a bagpipe concert.
From design to completion took about four years.
Buildings that were almost completely redone were the Pauma Room (formerly the library), the Great Hall (formerly the dining room), and the Grill, which was expanded in area, given a higher ceiling, a more open feel and enhanced views of the golf course and Palomar Mountain.
They also added a “19th hole” lounge for golfers.
The old clubhouse’s decor, such as its dark wooden beams that tended to the view during large gatherings, were considered dated and dreary.
The Great Hall was modernized with redesigned columns, a new floor to ceiling fireplace and a more open feel.
The terrace has now been increased by 640 square feet and opened more to the view of Palomar Mountain and was renamed “The Palomar Terrace.” A patio fireplace has also been added.
A complete redesign of the furniture and carpeting was also accomplished.
Amazingly, they were able to do this without raising assessments or dues for the more than 350 families.
Instead they borrowed most of the money from several members who stepped forward. They were repaid from the sale of about 50 undeveloped acres that the country club owned, taking advantage of the upturn in real estate prices at that time.
The existing clubhouse was built over four decades ago and was beginning to show its age. The Grill was also aging.
As one assessment put it, “Our club then and now is viewed as having a world-class golf course and a rundown, shabby clubhouse.”
“It was obsolete,” observes member Sue Turnbull, who serves on the club’s board of directors and is chairman of the house committee. “Now it’s brand new. The goal was to add to the casual elegance and to reflect our identity.”
The golf course was designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Sr., who was the architect for around 40 of the top-rated golf courses in the nation during his career. The membership is very proud of his handiwork and he is remembered with his own “Robert Trent Jones” room that has a canvas portrait of him.
Another room that was added was “The Farmers’ Room,” where a group of members who all having farming backgrounds get together to play cards.
In one section of the clubhouse paintings from the country club’s many artists are displayed on a rotating basis.
The process began in 2004 when members were polled. They had no complaints about the championship course, but felt that the existing clubhouse didn’t live up to that level of quality.
A committee chaired by Dick Meyers was formed to oversee the design of the project. This was a fortunate choice since Meyers, in addition to being a member since 1997, is a civil engineer with over 50 years of experience in the field.
The committee worked closely with the architect, the late Peter Ostrander. The builder was Ted Pfaff who had previously worked with the club and with many of its members.
The VC-P school board Thursday night voted to stick with an existing policy adopted in January that prevents homeschooled students from playing CIF sports at the high school.
Homeschooled students are allowed to play sports in the middle school level and to take part in arts, music and drama at the high school.
Trustee Doug Dechairo had asked that the policy be reconsidered, although he voted for the policy (Administrative Regulation 6145) in January, shortly after he came on the board.
Two parents of ISP (Independent Study Program) spokes for a change, and about a half dozen people showed up at the meeting to indicate their support for such a change.
Janeen Dell’Acqua, who homeschools her daughter, told the board, “We home school for a number of reasons, but we feel that athletics is a very important part of education.
“Our daughter has played years in the middle school lacrosse team and she’d like to continue at the high school, but this policy allows participation in arts and music but not CIF sports,” she said.
She called the policy “a discrimination issue,” and said the district is “turning your back on good money,” that it would get from additional ADA (average daily attendance) if it permitted homeschooled students to participate in sports.
She said that many VC parents send their children to the Escondido Charter High School because they can participate in CIF sports.
“How much money are you losing by not allowing kids these kids to participate,” she asked.
She argued that the policy discriminates by not allowing all students equal access, as required by law.
Since the district is in the fifth year of declining enrollment, she urged reclaiming some of that lost money.
Wendy Fiehler told the board that while her son has enjoyed participating in the Independent Study Program at VCPUSD she will be sending him to Escondido this year because VC’s program doesn’t offer electives. Escondido’s program has an expanded curriculum, she claimed.
“Even though they [Valley Center’s Independent Study teachers] are fabulous they have limited resources,” said Fiehler. “The reason my son is homeschooled is because he was not getting what he needed. We love the system, we love the teachers, but I feel a charter school will give him more options.”
Supt. Lou Obermeyer said that the law’s requirement of “equal access,” does not apply to extracurricular activities, such as sports, or to students in the Independent Study Program.
Dr. Dechairo argued for looking at the policy again.
“I certainly think the district has to look at ways to capture ADA money and ways to develop more programs. Not all students are cut from the same mold. We should look outside of the traditional box,” he said.
He said that the previous study done before the January vote was inadequate because it didn’t compare programs at schools that were like Valley Center’s schools.
“I personally would like to see this brought back as an agenda item and do more research on it. If schools in the county or outside are allowing it I think we should consider it,” he said.
Trustee Henry Van Wyk said he thought the board had already spent considerable time on the issue.
Trustee Wendy Zeugschmidt said it is unfair to allow homeschooled children to participate in extracurricular activities when students at the high school earn the right to participate through citizenship.
“Some might think that the high school’s students are held to a different standards, day in and day out,” she said.
Fiehler retorted: “There seems to be a misunderstanding that the homeschooled child is a behavior problem. I’m not sure that high school students are held to a ‘higher standard.’ ”
“Let’s say a different standard,” amended Mrs. Zeugschmidt.
Assistant Supt. Ken Clark, who was principal of the high school for several years, was asked his opinion of the policy.
He noted that people who support a change in the policy often cite Poway’s school system as an example of how to do it.
However, he said, if the district adopted that policy it would take changing many things, including a four-month process with the CIF organization.
“I think there are a lot of things that would need to be in place if that change were to take place,” he said.
He added that the ADA collected from such students is not as much as collected from regular students.
“As a former administrator I would have a concern about academic rigor, also the ability of students to be supervised by the coach,” he said.
“In effect you are asking a principal who does not have full responsibility for a student to say that that student is eligible. It’s also hard to run down kids for coaches who need to talk to them if the kids are not here on campus.”
Board Pres. Lori Johnson said, “In January we did spend a lot of time on this issue and we felt we were making the right decision, I feel that we made the right decision and that the policy is a good policy. I personally have no desire to change it at this time.”
Dr. Dechairo disagreed: “I think our responsibility is to look at things, even if we don’t change it. Otherwise we are closing the door without looking outside. I’d like to at least look at the feasibility of it.”
Mrs. Zeugschmidt told the homeschool parents, “I admire what you are doing but we made a decision that the students are in different schools and under different rules.”
Fiehler noted that the homeschooled children are tutored under a curriculum set by the school district.
“What’s the rigor that they are missing if you are setting the curriculum. Is it because they are missing out on attending school with a bunch of crummy kids who are discipline problems, or that they are missing out of standing and line and learning to shove each other?”
Dr. Obermeyer said that part of the “rigor” homeschooled children miss out on is having to balance six classes at a time, when homeschooled children usually study one class at a time.
“Bottom line is that not all homeschooled parents as as conscientious as you. We have to take into account that not all students are getting the same education and same standards,” she said.
A Valley Center man riding a motorcycle Thursday shortly before 8 a.m. was killed in a collision that occurred on West Lilac Road & Covey Lane.
According to the California Highway Patrol report Darrel Wayne West, 43, of VC hit a car that turned onto West Lilac Road from Covey Lane in front of him.
The rider of the motorcycle observed the Grand Marquis pulling out in front of him, applied the brakes and laid down his bike, colliding with the car. The motorcycle rider sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, according to the CHP report.
Traffic was stopped on the road for two hours.
The car, a 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis, was driven by Esteban J. Jose, 51, also of Valley Center. He was unhurt.
The Valley Roadrunner
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Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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