This edition of “Community Connect” features some of our staff who are examples of the inventive, inspiring and incredible educators we have in PUHSD. Our District is truly fortunate to have a staff, both certificated and support staff, that seek out ways to bring out the best in our students, each other and themselves. In doing so, they foster new ideas, open doors, and create pathways and opportunities for our students after they leave high school. A couple pages in this newsletter give an overview of college & career requirements, courses, and paths. Our amazing Counselors are instrumental in helping students understand these opportunities and guiding them with a four-year plan. In our podcasts, we are sharing information about our academic opportunities, special programs and events, and continuing our discussions about Competency-Based Education (CBE). Be sure to take a listen to them -- links are on Page 9. The November 15th podcast will feature Colfax Teacher Kara Dietrich and Student Claire Allison to talk about the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Colfax High School. November is the month we recognize our School Psychologists for the amazing work they do with our students and staff! We are so thankful for them, all of our staff and students, and the communities that we are fortunate to live and learn in.
Happy November, Sarah Rath Communications Officer
Taking a step into Mr. Schwartz’ classroom/shop at Colfax High School is as awe-inspiring as Mr. Schwartz himself. The projects created and the intricacy with which they are done by him and his students is surreal. You may even think you are in an art gallery, a tool shop, or a game room. The prosthetic leg will probably cause you to question if this is even a high school classroom. Inside these walls, Mr. Schwartz encourages his students to learn, create and invent. The invention part takes us to a story that culminated recently in the granting of a Patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In the 2019/2020 school year, the above students and teachers (shout out to Mr. Kinsey who wasn’t available the day I visited campus to take a picture) submitted an application for a Grant through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). To receive the Grant, teams had to address a real- life problem and create a viable solution for that issue. The Colfax Team took the very concerning issue of wildfires in our area as their problem and went to work on how they could come up with a helpful tool to combat the hazards that fuel the wildfires. They recognized the need to make a tool that helps dispose of the materials left over when clear-cutting areas for fire prevention. They submitted their idea to MIT and received the Grant and hit the ground running...
Their time and efforts were spent determining how to design the tool, ensuring it was environmentally sound and efficient, working with chemistry teachers about combustible materials, and ultimately designing and building The EcoBurn .
MIT only chooses about 10 schools a year to receive the Grant.
Only a few projects receive a Patent.
Only one has gone on to market...
The EcoBurn
While the students have all graduated and moved on to life after high school, they all know of the Patent and are very excited and proud of their accomplishment. This link provides more information about the process and project. The EcoBurn (From what I understand, there are only a few more EcoBurn products available to purchase.) Mr. Schwartz has been teaching for 29 years and loves to invent a new product every year. His classroom walls are filled with his creations and those of his amazing students. Thank You Mr. Schwartz & Mr. Kinsey for your incredible work with our amazing students! PUHSD Proud!
TONI AMAREL INSPIRING Toni Amarel is a Math Teacher at our online school, Maidu Virtual Charter Academy (MVCA). She has been teaching since 2009 and feels honored to be part of the PUSHD family since 2017.
Before teaching, she had a career as a Mechanical Engineer and worked for the United States Navy. She has two grown sons and feels grateful to live in her hometown of Grass Valley. If she is not teaching at MVCA, you will probably find her at the gym or exploring some mountain trail! Toni is an amazing educator and life-long learner. The following, in her own words, is how her continued education led to a great accomplishment. The Math Metaphor Article: How it Started! What stories can our students tell about their experiences learning and doing mathematics? How have our students’ experiences learning and doing mathematics influenced their relationship with mathematics, influenced how they engage with mathematics and how they view themselves as math learners? These are important questions that can keep a math teacher up at night! Indeed, these are questions I have always wondered about when I reflect on my practice of teaching mathematics and how to help my students access mathematics. Imagine to my absolute delight when I experienced a tool that would help provide answers to these questions!
In the Summer of 2021, I took an Access and Equity course taught by Dr. Megan Wickstrom as part of my Master’s in Mathematics for Secondary Education Program through Montana State University. In this course, Dr. Wickstrom invited us to reflect on our relationship with mathematics by creating a math metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes something in a way that isn’t literally true, but helps explain an idea by making a comparison. I brought the project to my math students in my courses at Maidu Virtual Charter Academy in the Fall of 2021. The math metaphor projects that my students submitted were amazing and gave me tremendous insight into my students’ relationships with mathematics. I found I could use this information to guide my instruction, to inform the learning opportunities I gave my students and to help me help my students learn mathematics. With great excitement, I shared my findings with Dr. Wickstrom and she agreed, we were on to something important! The Math Metaphor Project is the result of a two-year collaboration between myself and Dr. Wickstrom to write a manuscript sharing our results of using the Math Metaphor in a high school setting.
In the Spring of 2023, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published our manuscript in the Mathematics Teacher: Learning and teaching PK - 12 Journal .
Toni is very humble, but having her work published is an amazing accomplishment and shows her dedication to her students and her subject. (As the manuscript is now owned by NCTM, public access is restricted without membership.)
Great job Toni! PUHSD Proud!!!
Click on the logo for more information about NCTM
Founded in 1920, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is the world's largest organization dedicated to improving mathematics education in prekindergarten through grade 12.
Mission Statement
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics advocates for high- quality mathematics teaching and learning for each and every student.
To learn more about MVCA, visit their website .
Here is also a video with information.
National School Psychology Week November 13–17, 2023, is National School Psychology Week which is
observed annually during the second week of November.
Our incredible School Psychologists work with the students and staff throughout our District every day and provide services to ensure that each child’s educational experience is safe, healthy and productive. Please join in thanking them when you see them out & about for the invaluable and incredible services they provide to all of our sites!
Left to right: Alyssa Myrick, Laura Owens, Allyson Wubben, Dr. Carrie Warda, Heidi Moore, Maria Munro and Alicia Ackerman (missing Scott Lafayette)
The academic journey through high school can be confusing and difficult to manage without guidance. Thankfully, all PUHSD sites have Guidance Counselors and College/Career Specialists that are there to help students navigate the map of options of heading to college and/or being ready for a career. PUHSD has incredible opportunities for our students and they are encouraged to look at course catalogues to get an idea of options available to them. College/Career Specialists arrange for college visits to learn about universities throughout the nation, as well as visits by our Military branches. Many classes afford students the ability to earn dual credit for high school AND college at the same time! CTE Pathway courses help students begin their education towards a career and align with many of our local community colleges. Welding is an example of a course where students can obtain their certificate to be career ready upon graduation from high school. There is a lot learn, plan for, do and manage in preparing for life after high school. Please keep an eye on your site's Counseling website pages that are very informative, monitor the guidance by grade-level information, go to the university visits on campus, or talk to a CTE teacher about opportunities.
The following pages offer some additional information about these opportunities.
College ~ You probably have heard the term "A to G". If not, here is more information: The A-G / College Entrance Requirements are a sequence of high school courses that students must complete (with a grade of C or better) to be minimally eligible for admission to the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU). They represent the basic level of
academic preparation that high school students should achieve to undertake university work.
The following chart summarizes the A-G / College Entrance Requirements:
Additional Information on the A-G / College Entrance Requirements: The purposes of the A-G / College Entrance Requirements are to ensure that entering students: • Can participate fully in the first year program at UC and CSU in a broad variety of fields of study; • Have attained the necessary preparation for courses, majors, and programs offered at UC and CSU; • Have attained a body of knowledge that will provide breadth and perspective to new, more advanced studies; and • Have attained essential critical thinking and study skills. For further information, please visit the following online resources: • A-G Course Lists (search by high school) – https://doorways.ucop.edu/list/ • California Colleges – http://www.californiacolleges.edu/ • University of California A-G Guide – http://www.ucop.edu/a-gGuide/
Career ~ Have you heard the term 'CTE'? That is an acronym for Career Technical Education. PUHSD is proud of the opportunities that our staff has created for our students at all of our sites.
CTE is a program of study that involves a multiyear sequence of courses that integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to postsecondary education and careers.
The following are the CTE Industry Sectors : 1.
Agriculture and Natural Resources Arts, Media, and Entertainment Building and Construction Trades Business and Finance Education, Child Development, & Family Services Energy, Environment, and Utilities
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Engineering and Architecture Fashion and Interior Design
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
California uses a dashboard indicator to determine a student's college and/or career readiness. As you'll see by the graphic below, receiving a high school diploma plus one of the branches indicates a student is ready for life after high school. There are many options for a student to reach the State's benchmark.
Health Science and Medical Technology Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation Information and Communication Technologies Manufacturing and Product Development Marketing, Sales, and Services
Public Services Transportation
COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS INDICATOR PREPARED LEVEL
P INT The
Podcasts will be aired on the 1st and 15th of each month during the school year (unless that needs adjusting due to topics/schedule).
Trailer - August 1, 2023
Episode #1 - August 15, 2023
Episode #2 - September 1, 2023
Episode #3 - September 15, 2023
Episode #4 - October 1, 2023
Episode #5 - October 12, 2023
Episode #6 - November 1, 2023
Episode 6 shares information about CBE and the use of Proficiency Scales. This image to the right is a basic example of a Proficiency Scale. We will continue to share information and resources about CBE.
Please visit our webpage dedicated to Competency-Based Education.
We have three textbooks that are up for adoption at the November 14, 2023, PUHSD Board of Trustees’ Meeting. Colfax has IB Biology and Religion Matters (IB World Religion Course). Del Oro is presenting ExperiencePsychology for the Dual Enrollment Psychology 100 Course through Sierra College.
All three textbooks will be available for parent/guardian and community feedback at the District office from Wednesday, October 18, 2023 through Wednesday, November 8, 2023. The office is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. No appointment is needed.
If not, please ensure that your information in your Aeries portal is accurate. Also, please check your Spam folder for missed messages. Be sure to activate your account which allows you to customize your preferences - such as language - and download the App so you receive important messages immediately. This is a great tool for everyone! Use the QR codes to download the App.
From the desk of Crystal Eatherton, Director Child Nutrition Services Department
Thank You (in advance) to our incredible Child Nutrition Staff! They prepare the homemade food, create a beautiful setting and are joined by site and District staff to serve our students an amazing feast. Students - check below for the date of your Feast! It is a great day and we look forward to another successful year!
Confluence West
ON CAMPUS OUT & ABOUT
REMINDER - NO SCHOOL
2024-2025 School Year 2025-2026 School Year 2026-2027 School Year Calendars are subject to change based on District/School needs. Should that occur, all parties will be notified in advance.
Friday - 11.10.2023 (Observed) Veterans Day
Wednesday - Friday 11.22, 11.23 & 11.24. 2023 Thanksgiving Break
During this holiday season, we felt compelled to express our gratitude for our PUHSD communities that come together to offer comfort and support during the various difficult times that we face each school year. Your grace, care and compassion are truly appreciated and do not go unnoticed...Thank You All. Please join us in honoring the memory of all of the PUHSD students and staff we have lost over the years by taking care of yourself and each other. ~ With Appreciation ~ PUHSD Board of Trustees & Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Tooker 13000 New Airport Road Auburn, CA 95603 Phone: 530.886.4400 Fax: 530.886.4449 STAY CONNECTED Placer Union High School District
The Placer Union High School District (PUHSD) is committed to ensuring equal, fair, and meaningful access to employment and education services and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. PUHSD prohibits discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), intimidation, or bullying in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis and/or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics of age, ancestry, color, ethnic group identification, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical information, national origin, disability, parental status, political affiliation, pregnancy and related conditions, race, religion, retaliation, sex, sexual orientation, military or veterans status, homelessness, foster status, or any other basis prohibited by California state and federal nondiscrimination laws consistent with Education Code 200 and 220, Government Code 11135, and Title IX. If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), intimidation, or bullying you should contact Title IX Coordinator (Students) Steve Caminiti 13000 New Airport Road, Auburn, 530.886.4402, scaminiti@puhsd.k12.ca.us; Title II (Students) and Section 504 Coordinator Carrie Warda, 13000 New Airport Road, Auburn, 530.886.4443, cwarda@puhsd.k12.ca.us; and/or Title IX and Title II Coordinator (Staff), Elena DalFavero 13000 New Airport Road, Auburn, 530.886.4426, edalfavero@puhsd.k12.ca.us.
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