Pawsitive Reflections - June 2011

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Top: Kindergarten graduates hold hands around the oak tree that has stood in the heart of CSDR since its founding day Right: Students shared sign language in Mexican and were asked to preserve their culture ★ See Deaf Latino Page 3

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Families, Sta

APRIL—

JUNE

2011

PAGE 2 Superintendent: Grossinger, Malcolm

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

Valedictorian Raymart Tinio, CSDR 2011 I am honored to be the Valedictorian for my Class of 2011.

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When I look back in 2006, when I was in Cabrillo Middle School, I remember thinking about going to CSDR for my high school year. It was because I wanted to have full/direct communication with the teachers, staff, and friends. In 2007, I

Director of Instruction:

finally attended CSDR as a freshman. It was hard at first

Berard, Alyce 951-248-7700 Ext. 6563

because I had to stay in the dorm and be away from my family.

Director of Student Services

I remember the first time my family, including my grandparents,

Machado, Jennie 951-248-7700 Ext. 1118

dropped me off that one Sunday afternoon. I saw my mom’s

Director of Residence:

tears and I also got teary-eyed but I had to sacrifice in order to

Warshaw, Farley

achieve my goal. I also remember being kind of shy and was

( V P ) 951-824-8060 Director of Business Services Sharlein, Norman

not involved in any sport or organization at all. I was just focused on my education to keep my

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Grade Point Average at 3.5 (GPA) or higher. I have two reasons for keeping my GPA high: the

Published Quarterly

first was just a good habit that I had since I was in middle school where there were many honor

Deadline for Sept.-October Issue: September 30 ,2011 500 word limit on articles Email articles to: ethompson@csdr-cde.ca.gov Newsletter Editor: Erika Thompson Community Resource Coordinator Newsletter Printed by: Wes Rinella and Graphic Arts Class

roll students, and the second was if I failed the class, I would have to take that class again which I didn’t desire.

To the Class of 2011, this is a moment we have been waiting for, to graduate from high school, PAH! But, it’s also sad for us to say farewell to CSDR and depart in our various paths. I wish you all a remarkable future. Go Class of 2011!

Salutatorian Montana Murphy, CSDR 2011

Contributors:

I am honored to be Salutatorian for the Class of 2011. I can still

Tyler Bayarsky Tammie Bervell

vividly remember the first day that I came to CSDR. I was then

Melissa Brown

a seventh grader at age eleven. At that time, the high school

Bob Connor Carmen Croasmun

students were protesting for ”Deaf Superintendent Now,” in

Darrin Green

parallel to the DPN Movement, “Deaf President Now.” They

Wendy Green Steven Gonzales ‘ 13

asked us, the middle school students, to join them. Our

Kelly Gunderson

demands were heard and we were graced a Deaf

Lindsay Haas Stacey Hausman

Superintendent, having Mal Grossinger to step up as our

Kerry Hile Susan Johnson

leader. I was fortunate enough to have my two older sisters at

Shari Kido Jeff Liu

CSDR with me at that time. They have always been there for

Nancy Moore

me as role models and I am grateful for that. During my junior

Montana Murphy ‘ 11 Tanya Polstra

year, I decided to leave this school for CSD, Fremont. After only one semester, I had my regrets

Teresa Sentelle

and realized that I had made a mistake. I came scrambling back to CSDR. That decision and the

Erika Thompson Raymart Tinio ‘ 11 Mary Visco Farley Warshaw Special Thanks: Alyce Berard Scott Kerby Neva Turoff

people at CSDR have made me who I am today.

I want to thank my family, teachers, and friends for supporting me and helping me choose the right path in my adolescent days. It has given me many wonderful experiences. I will miss CSDR and my fellow classmates of 2011 as we all go upon different paths in the near future.

Go Class of 2011!

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PAGE 3

Deaf Latino Student Success: Si, se puede!

Delia: “Tortillas, who likes this? Does your mom make tortillas daily?”

Students welcome Delia Lozano-Martinez , a Deaf Latino educator

Delia Lozano-Martinez, a Deaf Latino student advocate, visited CSDR on May 19 and 20 to meet with the students and provide workshops to residential instructional staff and the community on “ D eaf Latino Student Success in School: Si, se puede ( It can be done! ) ” . Delia, who is the program coordinator for “ K eeping the Promise: Educating Latino Deaf Students ” at Gallaudet University, has dedicated much of her life to the

With the older students, this Deaf Latina role model called upon all students to share signs that they knew of Language Signed Mexican ( LSM ) . Throughout her presentation, Delia shared the profiles of successful Deaf Latinos and sent the message about the importance of students knowing their own culture. The students learned about four Deaf Latino organizations that exist in

preservation of Mexican culture and has a passion to work with

California, in which they were encouraged to participate as well as

young deaf Latino students.

run their own Latino student club. Students were encouraged to

Delia toured CSDR classrooms and read a multi-cultural

build stronger ties with their Latino families, and on their part, they

children ’ s story with Latino characters to younger students.

need to teach their own parents sign language for improved

“

communication. Mrs. Lozano-Martinez emphasized her

‘ M ira ’ is Spanish for woman- look out! ” Delia signs in ASL

from the English text, as well as using Spanish words and signs,

expectations of students and staff for raised Deaf Latino student

while making specific connections to the Latino children in the

success in school: “ It can be done! ” was excitedly chanted

audience.

across the room in Language Signed Mexican. Si, se puede!

S u m m e r T i p s fo r Pa r e n t s a n d G u a r d i a n s At the end of our wonderful school year, it is a good time to

7.

Play word and number games.

ponder about what we have learned and what we look forward to

8.

Enjoy outdoor activities such as going to the beach, hiking, camping.

9.

Take your children to educational camps.

this upcoming summer and next school year. Some tips and ideas are offered here for a fun filled educational summer.

1.

Explore parks, museums, historical sites and zoos.

2.

Explore ways to develop and learn healthy and fun habits of eating and exercising.

3.

Take your children to the library to continue with fun summer reading.

4.

Check out cultural festivals.

5.

Develop and do craft and art projects.

6.

Spend time with family and friends.

10. Use plenty of sunscreen and drink plenty of water during these hot dry summer months.

There are so many more activities you can do. These ideas and tips are places to start with and to give you a place to kick off summer with your children. May your summer be safe, fun and filled with new memories with your family and friends. ~ Kelly Gunderson from the Counseling Services Corner

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PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

Young Budding Scientists and Gardeners Tammie Bervel's and Susan Stewart's first grade classes

how to make a fresh salad from the vegetables they had

have been working hard as scientists, studying plants and

grown. They all had fun enjoying the results of their hard

their life cycle. As a special treat, Home Depot sent two

work during our delicious salad party.

plant education specialists to help us learn more. They

~ Lyndsey Haas, 5th Grade Long-term Sub Teacher

brought live plants in different stages of the germination process (seed, root, sprout, leaves, flower) and helped us get a clear picture of the process. They also explained how to properly take care of plants by providing good soil, water, and sunlight. Finally, as a great surprise, we learned how to pot flowers and took them home to decorate our yards. Thank you, Home Depot!!!! ~ Tammie Bervel, 1st Grade Teacher

Fifth graders harvest their classroom-grown lettuce

1st graders learn about their potted flowers from Home Depot

A fifth grade class decided to plant a garden in a planter next to our classroom. We invited one of the maintenance crew to explain what types of plants were possible to grow particular seasons. The students planted various types of lettuce and spinach. They watered the plants and pulled the weeds out until the vegetables were ready to eat. The students were able to pull leaves off the plants and put them together to make a wonderful salad. The students learned about the different plants that can grow during the cold and warm months, how to care for a garden, and 3044 Horace Street, Riverside, CA 92506

Maricelle Galarza, Alexandra Monge, and Karina Figueroa are ready to chomp salad with their classroom grown lettuce!

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Field Trip to Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center Did you know that some

(igneous, sedimentary, and

rocks glow in the dark? Our

metamorphic) and how rocks

fourth grade cubbies found

are formed. They identified

this out when they went to

several rocks and minerals,

Jurupa Mountain Discovery

and then labeled them on a

Center on a field trip.

graphic organizer to take

Students participated in a

home. Students also enjoyed

California Geology class that

the museum at the center.

met our California State

This place is great for family

Standards in Earth Science.

adventures on weekends!

Students learned about the

~ Susan Johnson, 4th Grade Teacher

three basic kinds of rocks

5th graders classify the rocks according to their properties at Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center

Students Display Experiments at the Annual Science Fair

PAGE 6

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

O l d e r S t u d e n t Ro l e M o d e l s Re a d a n d Te a ch A S L

Adalea Hernandez learns from high school student Leonardo Torres who reads aloud to her

Reading is more fun with Juan Torres, an older peer

Elementary Special Needs class welcomed Mrs. Jeannette Zarembka’s high school class for a special lesson. Under the direction of the older students, the children experienced

Elementar y Spelling Bee

books through ASL storytelling and learned how to spell their names creatively with handshapes. The main roles in sign language were the focus: hand forms, arm movement, head movement, facial expressions, and body shifts.

Zarembka’s class helped the younger students enhance their communication skills and increase their vocabulary. In exchange, the older students learned to scaffold the Special Needs students’ expressive language. Thank you to students Raul Alcocer, Claudia Atkinson, Ian Vasquez, Edith Alcocer, Leonardo Torres, Angel Aguilar-Calderon, Alliette Merino, Jahnait Verdin, and Juan Torres. They did an amazing job and our students loved them! Elementary

Congratulations to the Spelling Bee winners: Nathaniel Humpal (1st), Jacob Weiss (2nd), and Elijah Andrade (3rd)

Special Needs students had a great time with the high school class and their sign language skills have noticeably improved! ASL rocks! ~ Tanya Polstra and Carmen Croasmun, Elementary Special Needs

Raul Alcocer adjusts signing to be understood

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Janae Blakley is prepared to spell „prescription‟ at the Spelling Bee Semi-Finals

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Student Enjoys the Art of ASL Storytelling!

Middle

School

Jarita

Bustamante,

talented

finalists will become a

student a

part of the ASL Tales

storyteller,

Storytellers’ Collection for

voluntarily participated in

demonstration

the nation-wide ASL Tales

works in different age

Storyteller

categories. If Jarita wins,

Contest*

in

of

ASL

you will see her in the

April. The required source “Rapunzel‟s dream is to be

was the book adapted by

a business owner.”

You might have eaten one of Rapunzel‟s famous cookies.”

DVD of this ASL Tales Storytellers’

ASL Tales: Rapunzel by

Collection.

Judy Hood. Jarita did most of her translation in

Wish our dear Cubby, Jarita, the best of luck!

ASL

deemed

*Profits from DVDs will go to organizations that

equivalent to the English text, with help from

support bi-lingual education: the Deaf Bilingual

Shari Kido as her ASL coach. We await the list

Coalition and the American Society for Deaf

of finalists to be announced by May 15th from

Children.

ASL Tales Company. Contributions from the

www.asltales.net/

to

maintain

the

version

ASL

Tales’

Link:

http://

~ Shari Kido, Elementary ASL Teacher

Preschool Play: Goldilocks and the Three Bears Preschool students listened to a variety of stories, and

scenes of the empty porridge bowl, the broken chair, and

chose the fable of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" as

when the bears finally found Goldilocks in the baby bear's

their class play. Students divided into two groups and

bed and scared her off. The preschool teachers are very

practiced for two weeks. They really had fun acting out

proud of our students' hard work. Our goal is to increase

the

our preschool students' confidence and their experience

roles.

Papa,

Mama,

Baby

Bears

and

Goldilocks

Parents and ECE students expressed that they

really enjoyed watching the play. They were drawn to the

“Someone has eaten from my bowl of porridge!”

with such onstage activities. ~ Kerry Hile and Tyler Bayarsky, Preschool Teachers

“Someone has slept in my bed, and is still sleeping!”

PAGE 8

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

Vying for Gold at the Second Annual Math Olympiad June 7, 2011 concluded the second annual School Wide Math Olympiad at CSDR! I am very proud to say it was completely successful at each level: Elementary, Middle School, and High School. The top three students from every grade level got a chance to receive their medals on the podium at the end of day. Students wore the same colored T-shirts rooting for their grade level. The overall grade level winning team went to 2nd grade, with scores of each individual averaged into a team score. Zarek Nathanson won the overall individual winner category, in meeting expectations at his 2nd

Rednerek (Abascus) , one of the competition activities during Math Olympiad, with elementary teachers Leticia Ruiz and Karen Shannon

grade level. Congratulations to Zarek and the entire 2nd grade class for being CSDR’s math whizzes!

The students had fun and wore big smiles at the end. The Math Olympiad provided an everlasting memory for our children to remember when they think of math and their time here at CSDR. ~ Darrin Green, Curriculum Specialist and Math Olympiad Director

2nd graders won highest overall as a grade-level team ; 2nd grade teachers Nicolette Obidos, Leticia Ruiz, and Sharon Margol

Right: Zarek Nathanson won gold as the #1 scorer schoolwide in mathematics, awarded by math curriculum specialist and Olympiad director Darrin Green

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PAGE 9

Middle School Students Read for RockClimbing Reading teachers in middle

Fishler came to cheer the students to the top! A great time

school encouraged students

was had by everyone, and we look forward to continuing

to read more by offering

this program with both high school and middle school

them an opportunity to learn

students next school year.

how

~ Melissa Brown, Curriculum Specialist

to

rock

climb.

Threshold Climbing Gym in Riverside provides students with free monthly lessons and gear rental when they meet reading goals set by their Neil Miles races to the top with Curriculum Specialist Melissa Brown

school for the first time. earned provided

this

amazing

classroom

teachers.

This month, the program expanded to include middle

There were ten students that opportunity.

Lorna

Rutherford

interpreting services, and Teresa McDonald-

Top Right: Jalena Cochran and students who earned reading rewards gear up for rock climbing

Creating Haiku Poems to Study Speech Syllables CSDR High School Speech students study syllables each year to improve clarity in spoken English. This spring, students created collages of images that interested them, and then wrote haiku poems to accompany their artwork. Haiku, a type of Japanese poetry, is interesting in that it consists of a specific number of syllables. The students used their recently acquired skill of identifying syllables while writing their poems.

The haiku that the High School students wrote consisted generally of 17 syllables written in 3 lines. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables.

Once written, the haiku were then read aloud by

the students.

This is an example of one of the creative haiku poems written recently about a collage of a house with stones nearby: A Japanese house The rock looks so beautiful Natural color Some of the haiku poems are posted outside the High School Speech classroom.

Stop by, take a look, and enjoy the

wonderful student work. ~ Wendy Keedy, MS, CF-SLP, High School Speech Teacher

PAGE 10

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

Dedicated Cheerleaders

Stay Active During Summer

During post-basketball season, some dedicated cheerleaders

Summertime quickly approaches!

have given up their free time to practice and participate in events

Staying on task in being active with

during May. They did a fantastic job representing CSDR and the

regular exercise can be hard to do

Deaf community.

during the summer in the midst of

The Cheer Team led the May 6 Deaf Nation Expo crowd in a

vacations, outings with friends, or just

cheer, performed three dances, set up two stunts, and finished it

couch-sitting laziness. How can you

up with a sideline chant.

keep yourself active? Sign up for an organized exercise fundraiser such as

May 13 was Deaf Awareness Day at Fontana Middle School for

a 5K or a full marathon. Such public

the second year in a row: This year we were fortunate enough to

commitment motivates people to get

add our Middle School Cheer Team to the performance. Both

Diamond Thompson stays active and fit by running off the couch and push themselves to a

cheer teams proved that being Deaf does not prevent us from

higher level of fitness. Once you have

doing the same things that a hearing person can do. Both groups performed dances without music and showed off some stunts.

registered for the race, you will want to keep your promise

The High School team even taught everyone to sign “Let’s Go

because you have paid for it and set your goal – primarily to

Big Red” and had everyone cheering along with them. All of the

get past the finish line. At the end, you will feel great that you

cheerleaders that participated were wonderful role models for the

have accomplished your goal. Perhaps, you will sign up for

Fontana deaf students and great ambassadors for the Deaf

another race to set a new goal in beating the previous time, or

community.

do long distance running. Check out the different kinds of

May 17 included a performance for Mental Health Awareness in

races at this website: http://www.raceplace.com/crunsd.shtml.

San Bernardino. Their theme was “Stomp Out Stigma” and our

A word of advice – consult your physician before doing major

cheerleaders did just that! Our team proved

exercise. Have fun and stay safe

that with hard work and dedication anyone

and active during the summer!

can succeed in accomplishing whatever

~ Jeff Liu, Health Teacher and Athletic

Left: Eddie Schoonover (right) pitched a complete game against Van Horn for his first ever high school win as a pitcher . He fanned 9 batters in a seven inning game. He also went 2-4 with double and scored 3 runs along with 3 stolen bases. ~ Head Coach Bob Conner

you put your mind to doing. Just because you have a “disability”, it does not make you disabled. Our team was so impressive, we were asked to perform at other events in the future. Way to go Cubs! ~ Stacey Hausman, Head Cheer Coach

CSDR cheerleaders proved that being Deaf does not prevent us from doing the same things that a hearing person can do.

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Steven Gonzales „13

CSDR middle school girls basketball won 13-0 games, entering division championships on May 10. See Athletics website: csdr-cde.ca.gov/athletics

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Scrapbook Club Donations

PAGE 11

CSDR Visual Arts Show Career Technology Education held an annual show to showcase high school student work in photography, graphic design, and art. Experts in the field came to judge the pieces for the winners. Visitors ( t he ‘ People ’ s Choice ’ ) , the CTE principal Shelly Gravatt, and Superintendent Mal also voted for their favorite pieces. See the website for a complete list of winners at: http://csdr-cde.ca.gov/2011/06/07/csdr-visual -arts-show-2011

Thanks to Wooten‟s Scrapbook for donating $6,000 supplies to CSDR

-winners/

Wooten’s Scrapbook has donated $6,000 worth of

Photography:

scrapbook supplies to our CSDR Scrapbook Club.

1st Place-

Traci Wooten, owner of Wooten’s Scrapbook chose to

Thomas York

support CSDR after school programs for our students.

People ’ s

High school students and Residential Life supervisors

Choice-

and counselors took a special visit to Wooten’s Scrap-

Alliette Merino

book to express our gratitude for their support toward our Scrapbook Club. ~ Farley Warshaw, Director of Residence

Graphic Design: 1st Place-

Free Hairstyling for Prom

Michael Mendoza

Beautiful hair that is put in place for an evening

People ’ s

extravaganza is considered an emergency today for

Choice-

many teenage girls who want to look their best at high

Dennis Lopez

school prom. Fortunately, the residential life program arranged for free hairstyling provided by the Riverside Community College hairstylists for the CSDR high

Art:

school girls. Thank you, RCC!

1st Place- Jackie Miranda People ’ s Choice- Jackie Miranda

RCC donated hairstyling services to the girls for CSDR high school prom

PAGE 12

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, RIVERSIDE 3044 Horace Street Riverside, CA 92506 951-782-6500 info@csdr-cde.ca.gov

R PAWSitive

ation for Fa News and Inform

eflections

milies, Staff, &

Friends

Mark Your Calendar . . .

For more dates, updates, sports, and other details, go to the website school calendar

August 2011: The Heart of Language Planning Month

October 2011: Pride in CSDR History Month

8/8

High School Fall Sports Practice Begins

10/1

CSDR at MSSD

8/22

Registration Day

10/3

Community Alliance Council ( CAC ) Meeting

8/23

Classes Begin

10/7

MAP Testing Ends

10/7

Spike Out Weekend Volleyball Tournament @ Indiana Begins

September 2011: Deaf Way Month 9/5

Labor Day ( School Closed )

10/10

Columbus Day ( School Closed )

9/6

Volleyball Alumni Game

10/14

Professional Learning Communities ( PLC ) Day

9/8

Character Counts! Week Begins

10/14

Special Athletes—Volleyball

9/9

PLC Day

10/21

Deafhood/Diversity Training

9/12

MAP Testing Begins

10/20

Students leave at 2:10

9/12

Community Alliance Council ( CAC ) Meeting

10/21

IEP Day/Staff Day—Students Not in Attendance

9/16

Deafhood/Diversity Training

10/22

ASL Film— ” Versa Affect ”

9/19

Homecoming Spirit Week Kickoff

10/24

Red Ribbon Drug Awareness Week Kickoff

9/23

Pep Rally

10/31

Halloween

9/24

Homecoming vs. Phoenix

November 2011: Deaf Culture Month

9/25

Deaf Awareness Week Kickoff

9/30

International Day of Signed Languages Observed ( Sept. 25 )

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11/1

CAHSEE Exam on English Language Arts – Juniors/Seniors

11/2

CAHSEE Exam on Math – Juniors/Seniors

11/6

Daylight Savings— ” Fall Back ”

11/7

Community Alliance Council ( CAC ) Meeting

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