Pawsitive Newsletter Oct. 08

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, RIVERSIDE

IONS T C E L F E R PAWSITIVE en ilies, Staff, & Fri m a F r fo on ti a News and Inform

ds

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

Messa ge fr om Mal Welcome back to school! Great things are already happening at CSDR! Despite the dust and heavy equipment that currently occupies our campus, we have managed to move forward with the new school year. Thanks to Rafael, our construction supervisor, we have included some interesting trivia facts about the school’s construction which I hope you will enjoy. In the meantime here are highlights of some of the summer, current, and upcoming CSDR activities and events.

See Mal, page 2

Elementary students visit with Mal in his Office

Deaf Kor ean Leader ship Camp

By Laurie Pietro, Public Information Coordinator

This summer several CSDR students were fortunate to be involved in a program initiated by Dr. Sang Nam, who trains Special Education Teachers at Teachers at California State University of

San Bernardino (CSUSB). Dr. Nam invited a group of 10 deaf students and their families from his home country of South Korea (South Korea has over 40 deaf schools throughout its region) to join him for a two-week leadership camp developed by CSUSB. Five CSDR Middle School students were invited to participate in one week of the leadership camp to interact with the visitors. Although the sign languages of the two countries differ, the students overcame the communication barrier quite well. Many of the leadership activities were focused on physical challenges, including an obstacle course complete with a rock climbing wall. The students also enjoyed See Camp, page 2

Visiting Korean families and ASL interpreters

PAGE 2

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

Camp (cont’d from page 1) a form of charades in which a student would mime an activity and the other students would have to guess what the activity was. Then the students showed the sign for the activity in both American and Korean Sign Languages. Students from both countries enjoyed the interaction at the leadership camp.

We wish to thank Dr. Sang Nam for including CSDR in this wonderful activity.

Students participate in Leadership Camp

FACT #1

CSDR’s new chilled water plant and thermal energy storage tank holds so much water that if you filled it with a garden hose at 15 gallons a minute, it would take 46 days!

Mal (cont’d from page 1) Most visible, of course, are the three separate construction projects happening on our campus: the piping being installed for the new chiller system that will provide welcome air conditioning for the whole campus; the building of the Multi-purpose Activity Center; and, the groundbreaking of the new cottages for the Residential Life Program. Yes, trav-

ersing the school grounds has sometimes become a challenge, but our creative students have nevertheless managed to attend class without difficulty! We are taking all extra precautions, though, to assure the safety of our students, staff and visitors.

We will have on-going building projects at CSDR for at least the next ten years, so flexibility will

be the name of the game.

This year we are continuing our focus on positive behavior in the classrooms and dorm programs.

To assist in this process the entire teaching and dorm staff received training from the Boys and Girls Town program trainers on the first two days upon returning to work. Supervisors See Mal, page 3

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 3

Mal (cont’d from page 2) are being trained on how to provide support to front line staff applying this behavior management philosophy. We are happy to report that dorm and classroom staff have already reported an increased rapport with students since implementing this program several weeks ago.

We look forward to the changes this program will make in our students and will keep you updated on their progress.

Our Community Advisory Council (CAC) recently had a retreat to establish its goals for the year. The CAC has made great progress in a number of areas over the past two years, and it has wonderful participation from parents and community members who are creative and motivated to support the school. You can read in this issue about the CAC’s goals and vision for the school.

During the summer I attended the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) Conference. This is

To date, the construction crew has installed over 4,400 blocks which, if placed end to end, would be 19 1/2 football fields long!

a national gathering of leaders in the deaf community. I was approached several times throughout the event by participants who made positive comments about our school. CSDR’s reputation within the deaf community continues its upward climb as the word is spreading about the great things that are happening at CSDR. Parents from all over the United States are contacting CSDR for information about transferring their child to our school and the pool of teacher and staff applicants for CSDR positions has increased in both number and in qualifications.

Another piece of good news is passage of Assembly Bill 2555.

This piece of California legislation requires statewide school districts to share information about the existence and availability of the two deaf schools and the school for the blind with any child who has been identified as having a hearing or vision loss. Many parents who visit our campus comment, for

example, that they never knew our school/services were available. This legislation now mandates that CSDR services will be shared with parents early in each child’s education. Parents will be able to take advantage of our educational environment or just tap into some additional resources that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

As always, we have many events and projects planned for the school year. Updates and information will continue to come via the PAWSitive Reflections Newsletter as well as the CSDR Website. I encourage you to attend as many events as possible to support our students.

They work very hard to prepare for academic and sporting events and we would like to see the community come out to support their efforts.

I’m looking forward to working with all of you in the coming year and hope to see you at the next CSDR event.

FACT #2

PAGE 4

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

M i d d l e S ch o o l D o r m I c e - B r e a ke r

By Jasmine Goolsby, Dorm Counselor

The first week of school brought CSDR's middle school dorm students together to welcome in a new school year. It was their annual "Ice Breaker Party" that has been a tradition since 1991.

This year a record breaking 60 students sat in a circle around an ice block and came up front to introduce themselves and let everyone get to know them a little better.

students ran their little hearts out to be the first to find their own pair of shoes and be seated. Chris Morton was the winner of that particular game.

students. These cubs can't wait to see what the new school year has to offer.

The party was a great beginning for the CSDR middle school

After each student finished his/her introduction they picked up the ice chipper and officially "broke the ice." This was of course followed by the fellow students cheering for the student in welcome.

Once all the ice had been broken, the students were called to the field for some fun and games. This year dorm counselors came up with a relay race that got everyone into the spirit of healthy competition.

Students participate in the traditional Ice-Breaker

Following the games we all enjoyed a delicious barbeque that included hot dogs and hamburgers with all the toppings! Dinner was a chance for all the students to chat and get to know each other better.

Before the night ended there was one last game. The students were asked by fellow student Joshua Macedo to take their shoes off and throw them on the field. While all the students were turned around Joshua and a counselor mixed up the shoes and spread them out. Then the fun began as the

There’s lots to catch up on after a summer away from CSDR

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 5

D O I We l c o m e

By Alyce Berard, Director of Instructor

I want to welcome everyone to the new 2008-09 school year!

As we watch our school in a state of reconstruction, we are also “building” new strategies for the success of our school and students. This summer we hired many new staff members to replace a long list of retirees.

These new staff members

have already proven to be outstanding new members of our CSDR family. They bring with them new ideas and their knowledge from their previous roles as educators.

and confident. Problem solving methods were also taught so that students at any level or age can be empowered to make better choices in their daily Interactions while in school.

This year all instructional staff started their first two days back with a two-day training from the Girls and Boys Town Educational Model. The training addressed “The Well Managed Classroom.” All Instructional staff received strategies on how to create a productive and cooperative social climate in our learning community. Teachers were instructed on relationshipbuilding strategies—including everything from greeting students to instructional techniques—on how to make students feel comfortable

When students feel good about the classroom environment and the relationships they have with teachers and other staff, they are ready for learning. The skills that teachers will teach them from the training will help them manage themselves and accept responsibility for their behavior.

This will create more effective classrooms and allow for greater student achievement.

S p e c i a l D e l i ve r y

By CSDR Staff Writer

In July of 2008, CSDR Family Education Coordinator Ileana Doña said good-bye to her husband Frank as he headed off to Iraq. It has not been easy for Ileana, her 15-year old son, and a one-year old baby boy. In addition to her job at CSDR, Ileana is also a volunteer to translator for Spanish parents at CSDR’s sign language class, is going to school to work on her credential, and she is raising the boys at home alone. All of this while also trying to build a new home!

Frank was recently able to come home for an unexpected visit. While still in Kuwait, he called some of Ileana’s coworkers and made arrangements to surprise her at the office. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place! Thank you Doña family for all you do for our country!

I look forward to another successful year filled with great accomplishments from our students and staff!

PAGE 6

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

Shasta News

By Geoffrey Knight, Dorm Counselor

The school year 2008-09 is now officially underway! There are many familiar faces this year in the Shasta dorm. Shasta III and IV had only two residential students graduate this past June, so many of our dorm residents are returning students.

Boys and Girls Town Philosophy. We are looking forward to using and applying the principles of the Boys and Girls Town philosophy in our dorm this year.

It’s a philosophy that promotes utilizing a positive approach in both emotional and intellectual areas to help students gain insight to their behavior and attitude. Through this process, students will learn which behaviors are appropriate and which are not, and they will learn to understand the ramifications of their actions. Naturally, CHARACTER COUNTS! is still being used as well.

Special Olympics. Shasta Area will continue with Special Olympics events in conjunction with the regional Special Olympics.

The major events are in intervals throughout the year. October will be Bowling Olympics in Fountain Valley. In February, CSDR will host arch rival Fremont for their annual bowling tournament between the two sister schools.

This is always a fun event. In May, it’s Track & Field at Saddleback Community College.

Recycling program. Please remember that the blue bins (approximately four feet high with the recycling logo imprinted on the bins) are receptacles for

plastic bottles and aluminum cans only. For the safety of CSDR students, please do not deposit glass bottles in the bin as glass breaks easily and unexpectedly and may cause severe skin and eye cuts and penetrations. Use the regular trash bins for glass. Also, please do not dispose of any trash into the

recycling bin. The purpose of the recycling program is to educate the students to the value of having a “green” environment and the benefits that go with it. We appreciate and thank you all for your help and support in this endeavor.

Jaziel Gonzales, Roger Villegas, Adelfo Pineda, and Sergio Navarro

FACT #3

The amount of old asphalt recycled for CSDR’s new construction equals 1400 tons or 466 hippopotami!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 7

C o m m u n i t y A d v i s o r y C o m m i t t e e ( C AC )

By Carol Bella-Adams, CAC President

Welcome back to school! CAC is pleased to welcome three new members to the CAC this year: Lisa Price—Center on Deafness Inland Empire (CODIE), Teresa Lesti—parent of three deaf children, and Marcella Arce—parent of two deaf children.

On September 9, the CAC held a retreat at the Grove Bookstore & Grille in Riverside. The ten CAC members brainstormed and came up with four goals for

the committee to focus on in the coming year. Our goals are to 1) get more parents involved in the CSDR community, 2) focus and promote awareness of AB2555 and familiarize ourselves with the legislative approach/process, and 3) take a strong role in WASC. Throughout the year we will work on our goals and interact closely with Superintendent Mal Grossinger.

CAC will have meetings on the first Tuesday of every month. You can join Team CAC and help make things happen at CSDR, by contacting Tina Jo Briendel at tjo@tmail.com!

Have a wonderful school year!

D e a f P r i d e Pa r a d e

By Tammy Bervel, Elementary Teacher

First grade recently had their annual Deaf Pride Parade and it was a huge success! The school mascot, Cubby Bear, and the cutest first-grade cheerleaders you have ever seen paraded all through campus doing the D.E.A.F. cheer!

The first grade cubbies also demonstrated their pawsitive attitude by showing off their banner "We Love CSDR,” which featured pictures and writing about things the Deaf CAN do. We are certainly proud to be deaf in first grade!

Deaf Pride Parade stops in the Superintendent’s office.

To date the amount of structural steel (columns) placed for CSDR’s new buildings is 100 tons, which is equal to 50 Toyota Corollas!

The deaf pride spirit at CSDR!

FACT #4

PAGE 8

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

We l c o m e B a ck t o M i d d l e S ch o o l

By Tammy Mitchell, Middle School Principal

The Middle School now has 90 students as we admitted 15 new students during the summer! The way we’re growing, we may even hit 100 students by year’s end!

We also have new staff who have joined the Middle School department. Ms. Teresa Maxwell transferred to us from the Elementary department as an Engish teacher and Mr. Ryan Zarembka moved cross-country with his family (all of them joining CSDR as either staff or students) to be

our secretary until Ms. Metzger returns.

In addition to the new staff, we had to find a new Lead Teacher since Mr. Timothy Hile was selected as the new High School Principal.

Mrs. Mary Angoorani will fill his shoes this year.

one of our Math teachers. They join the other nine classroom teaching staff. In the front office, Mrs. Ursula Sharp is filling in as

I am pleased to begin the new school year with a strong team of dedicated people.

C r u i s i n’ t h e C o n s t r u c t i o n

By Anita Metroka, Elementary Teacher

questions and Mr. Martinez did a great job of explaining the answers.

On September 5, the thirdgrade classes took a tour of some construction sites here on campus. Mr. Martinez led us on the tour starting with the dirt area behind the Pachappa dorms, which is the site of one of the new dorms.

Workers were moving and compacting lots of dirt for the foundation. We saw the workers measure and set wood

A few of the questions were: -What will happen to the old dorm when the new one is built? (It will be torn down.)

for a new sidewalk to widen the road. We got an explanation and bird’s eye view of the new MAC building.

The students were fascinated as Mr. Martinez explained the Chilled Water Plant/Line project that will hold 1 million gallons of water for our cooling system.

The students asked a lot of good

-What kind of masks are the men wearing and why? (The men wear welding masks to protect their eyes from the bright light and sparks of the welding torch.)

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 9

Fo u r t h G r a d e M a ke s t h e M o s t o f S u m m e r S t o r y

By Pat Melvin, Elementary Teacher

The students in Ms. Melvin’s fourth-grade class, began the school year with a literature unit from the book, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” by Mark Teague. This story had a western theme that will fit in with our studies about California’s past during our Social Studies classes.

We read the book together and discussed what the main character, Wallace Bleff, did in the story. We filled out a Venn diagram to determine if the events in the story were Real or Make-Believe.

We then took a look at those events and tried to decide if any of the events could possibly be both Real and Make-Believe.

That was a lot harder to do.

We chose a character from the story and created a construction paper person and then we dressed it. The characters in the book took on a whole new meaning for us when we looked at them hanging on the bulletin board in all their paper finery.

Last, we each filled out a graphic organizer called a Character Chart. The Character Chart told our character’s name, gave a description of the character, and then told four different things that the character did in the story.

Story characters created by Ms. Melvin’s fourth-graders

What a character!

The students really enjoyed the art connection to this literature unit.

Pa r e n t S i g n L a n g u a g e C l a s s e s ASL classes are here again for the 2008-09 school year! We are offering our CSDR parents and families ASL classes on Tuesday nights and Thursday nights. (Sorry this program is not open to the community.)

Classes will be structured a little bit differently this year because

we have many beginners as well as many experienced signers.

Our ASL teacher, Sharon Wilson, would like to have beginners (those who know little or no sign language) for the first hour and the more experienced signers for the second hour.

Spanish speaking families are encouraged to come on Tuesday nights when

the Spanish interpreter will be available.

Tuesday nights (Spanish/English) Thursday nights (English only) 6 –7pm Beginning signers 7-8pm Experienced signers Located in D4 in Middle LLSchool

PAGE 10

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

C H A R AC T E R C O U N T S !

By Kelly Gunderson, CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator

At CSDR we are proud to be using the CHARACTER COUNTS! program in our school community. CHARACTER COUNTS! strengthens our students through character education. A person of character is a good person, someone to look up to and admire. This person knows the difference between right and wrong and always tries to do what is right. Also, a person with character models a good example for everyone and makes the world a better place. The person of character lives according to the “Six Pillars of Character”; TRUSTWORTHINESS, RESPECT, RESPONSBILITY, FAIRNESS, CARING and CITIZENSHIP. Under the program of CHARACTER COUNTS! at CSDR, we also provide preventative

programs such as Red Ribbon Week, CHARACTER COUNTS! Week and Yellow Ribbon/ Violence Prevention Week. The school and residence programs will integrate these programs into activities, classroom teaching and by demonstrating good character. Each month will be assigned to a pillar of the character. The month of October will be TRUSTWORTHINESS. The dates for these programs are: Red Ribbon Week: October 20 – 22

These activities and more information will be shared with you all in the PAWsitive Reflections.

If you want to learn more about CHARACTER COUNTS!, you can check their website: http:// www.charactercounts.org. If you have any questions or need more information regarding these programs, please feel free to contact Kelly Gunderson, CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator at kgunderson@csdrcde.ca.gov, call (866) 270 – 3807 or (951) 782 – 4325 videophone.

CHARACTER COUNTS! Week: October 27 – 31 Yellow Ribbon Week/ Violence Prevention Week: February 23 – 27 CHARACTER COUNTS at CSDR!

Pa s t v s . P r e s e n t

By David Hamilton, Athletic Director

CSDR recently had a fun-filled Volleyball match between the CSDR Alumni and the CSDR Junior Varsity team. As a follow up game, the CSDR Varsity then played against the CSDR Alumni.

ing play after play. Tamijo was a year starter on the Volleyball team for Gallaudet University and was a member of USA Deaflympic Beach Volleyball team that won a Gold Medal in Australia.

Tamijo was not alone in her efforts toward victory. She had a great supporting cast from some of our former CSDR star athletes.

Several fans said they were impressed with our current CSDR Varsity Girls team, commenting that they noticed a big improvement in the girls' playing this year.

CSDR Alumnus and ECE Teacher, Tamijo Foronda, “stole the show!” She was everywhere on the floor mak-

She also played four years for CSDR Varsity Volleyball team.

Tamijo is currently on the USA National Deaf team for the upcoming Deaflympic Games in Taipei.

CSDR Varsity Volleyball Team

The games between the Varsity Girls and CSDR Alumni were very close in all of 3 games. That is a good sign and I can tell the CSDR team will have a great season!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 11

C a n Yo u “ C ” M e N ow ?

New Fundraiser for “C” Booster Club

By CSDR Staff Writer

The “C” Booster Club is participating in an innovative program called LINX2Funds. This is a program offered by 5LINX Enterprises, Inc., a communications marketing company and service provider. One of the primary reasons “C” Booster Club selected this program is due to the commitment of 5LINX to bring more efficient and cost effective services to our supporters. In turn, 5LINX will pay a portion of participants’ monthly service bill to “C” Booster Club. This affinity program is meant to provide a WIN-WIN situation for both our students and our supporters!

We are encouraging every one of our supporters and members to participate in this opportunity.

Residential customers as well as businesses can benefit from this program. As more participants begin using one or more 5LINX services our monthly support

from 5LINX will continue to rise.

Feel free to allow your family members and friends to take advantage of these special services and support the CSDR students at the same time.

and/or your business, simply select the services you wish and follow the easy instructions.

Everything can be completed online.

As an added bonus, with the new 5LINX video phone families have the option to not only speak with their family and friends, but to SEE them! Think how much easier it would be to have a business meeting via video phone! With the price of gas, this could be a real cost savings!

To get started, simply review the list of available services on our website at http://www.5linx.net/cbooster.

These services are currently saving the average family and business owner over 30% on their monthly budget. If you find the services beneficial for you

If you need assistance or have any questions please contact one of the individuals listed below.

Laurie Pietro

lpietro@csdr-cde.ca.gov Greg Visco

gvisco@csdr-cde.ca.gov Deb Berzins

dberzins@csdr-cde.ca.gov

Pa r t n e r s h i p s i n A c t i o n — B e s t B u y !

By CSDR Staff Writer

CSDR recently entered into a partnership with Best Buy. As part of that arrangement, volunteers from the various Riverside area stores come to CSDR and assist the school with computer related projects. To date, volunteers have donated almost forty hours of work to the school!

In addition to the many hours put in by the Geek Squad employees, the Best Buy Children’s Foundation funded a proposal

submitted by CSDR staff. The proposed project was designed to provide ASL DVDs for Spanish-speaking parents who are unable to attend the

school’s sign language classes due to the distance they live from the campus.

The Best Buy grant was in the amount of $3,000 which will purchase thirty sets of ASL DVDs!

Best Buy Representatives present a check to Superintendent Grossinger

Thank you Best Buy! We look forward to continuing our relationship with your company and wonderful staff.

PAGE 12

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

T h e S t a r s We r e O u t T h i s S u m m e r !

By Elizabeth Foronda, Community Relations Coordinator

CSDR Teachers and principals continued their dedication to finding the best Bilingual/ Bicultural teaching approach for our deaf students in this the sixth year of training provided through the Center for ASL and English Bilingual Education and Research (CAEBER).

Founded in 1997 and housed on the campus of Gallaudet University, CAEBER receives grant money to help schools for the deaf establish in-services focusing on knowledge and skills in ASL/English bilingual teaching theories and practices.

Levels 1 and 2 of this training focused on theories of bilingual instruction and are taught at CSDR during the

summer. Levels 3 and 4 focus primarily on application of the training to the classroom throughout the school year.

In another training this summer—the ASL/English Bilingual Professional Development (AEBPD) training, participants were John Hencker, Linda Kent,

Shari Kido, Lisa Kuntzsch-Beck, Sharon Nathanson, Alice Rash, Jenni Weiss, Megan Rivadeneyra, Angela Trahan, and Sharon Vollmar. These teachers met daily for 12 days to discuss reading assignments and written reflections with the group. Seminars were led by former graduates of the program Melissa Brown, Lisa Chute, Elizabeth Foronda, and Karen Shannon. It was, and continues to be, a great opportunity for teachers to share ideas, learn from each other, and discuss challenging topics in a safe environment.

Participants in the CAEBER Training

E l e m e n t a r y a n d M i d d l e S c h o o l Ta ke s t o t h e F i e l d s !

By Jeremias Valencia, Sports Coordinator/Assistant Athletic Director

Hello! I am currently the new Elementary and Middle School Sports Coordinator at the California School for the Deaf, Riverside. I want to acknowledge and thank Ken Andrews for his contribution as the previous Sports Coordinator. I hope he continues to provide me with insight and supJeremias Valencia port. I have a tough act to follow!

I am very excited to announce our coaches for the Elementary

and Middle School fall sport teams. I look forward to working with these individuals to bring the students energy, a positive attitude, and a strong relationship with the CSDR community.

For the Elementary Flag Football 2008-09 season, I am proud to announce that Norman Weiss and Kenny Andrews are our new head coaches. Max Andrade, Fred Weiss, and Elvis Zornoza are also on our coaching staff.

Amelia Zornoza is our head

coach for our elementary cheerleading team who will be rooting our players to victory!

The Middle School Football Team started practice on August 19. They have been out there sweating and working hard.

They look great and are excited about the new season.

Ramy Bustamante - Head Coach Brian Goodloe - Defensive Coordinator John Lawson - Offensive Coordinator Steve Biskupiak - strength/ply metrics coach.

Please join us at our games and watch our Cubs Win!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 13

N e w Pa r e n t O r i e n t at i o n D a y

By Ileana Doña, Family Education Coordinator

CSDR held a very successful New Parent Orientation Day on Sunday, August 24, in the CSDR Cafeteria. Months of planning and cooperation with several departments provided an excellent agenda that covered a variety of topics created to assist our new parents in the transition to CSDR life.

tunity to meet other new parents and some of the staff with whom parents will be interacting throughout the year.

The day’s events included a presentation from GLAD, a review of CSDR’s website, information about Sorenson video phone services, panels of parents and students who shared their experiences, and an oppor-

FACT #5

Daycare and refreshments were provided for the families. Over 79 family members attended the event. The planning committee will be meeting soon to discuss ways to improve and expand next year’s orientation.

Elizabeth Foronda presents to parents during New Parent Orientation Day.

I would like to thank all the people who took time out of their schedules to make this event a success.

The amount of steel (rebar) installed at CSDR is 76.74 tons, which is equal to 38 elephants or 58 camels!

CHARACTER COUNTS! in P.E.

By Jason Coleman, P.E. Instructor

As P.E. instructors, Reagan and I are very proud of our students and their accomplishments for the last three weeks. Each grade had a project where they had to perform in front of a video camera.

They acted out eight different rules which applied to CHARACTER COUNTS! The final video was shown on the big screen in front

of the whole elementary department when we had the CHARACTER COUNTS! assembly.

In addition to the video project, the students learned about

cooperative games. The cooperative games allowed them to learn how to apply movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of motor skills. We are looking forward for more activities to come because we want our students to become successful in physical education.

PAGE 14

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

Fo n d Fa r e we l l F i e s t a fo r Fe r t i g s

By Erika Thompson, Curriculum Specialist

Twice during the long lunch period, Superintendent Mal Grossinger stepped up on the stage to share how the divisions of Instruction and Residence worked

After a combined 79 years of service to CSDR, Rick and Mary Jane Fertig are retiring. Rick Fertig leaves behind his position as the Curriculum Supervisor.

In the past, he served the school in a variety of roles – among these, as a high school English teacher and a high school principal.

Mary Jane Fertig retires as a Supervisor of the Residency Program for both elementary and middle schools.

A special fiesta was held in their honor on Monday, September 22, from 10:45 to 2:45 in the Social Hall. All CSDR staff and some former staff were invited to join in the celebration. A wide array of Mexican potluck buffet was served and the tables and walls in the Social Hall were adorned with countless multicolored flowers, hand-made out of tissue paper.

Guests wrote messages for the Fertigs’ scrapbook and left cards or other mementos in a giftwrapped box. Family members of Rick and Mary Jane Fertig joined in the celebration.

anecdotes of their interactions with the Fertigs. Rick and Mary Jane sat in the audience and jokingly held up the sign, “LIE” as each story was told.

Lastly, the retirees rose to the stage, and expressed to us how CSDR has been their whole life, and how they felt that they practically grew up here. The words of wisdom Rick shared to everybody was to just “love one another,” and all the rest will be taken care of if we follow that simple rule.

together to plan this very special event. He went on to present a summary of how the Fertigs had met here on the CSDR campus many years ago.

Former students of the Fertigs, most of whom are now CSDR staff members, shared personal

We are definitely sad to see the Fertigs go and have very big shoes to fill in their absence.

However, they leave a long legacy here at CSDR that we will cherish.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 15

Making Language Accessible to Deaf Children

By Elizabeth Foronda, Community Relations Coordinator

In an article by François Grosjean of the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, the author argues that children, whatever their hearing loss, should know and use both sign language and oral language in its written and, when possible, spoken modes. Grosjean states that by having access to both languages, they will attain their full cognitive, linguistic, and social capabilities.

determine the amount of accessibility he/she will have to spoken language. Making language accessible to deaf children requires that we expose children to language through reading and writing—print helps make the language “visual.” However, in order to fully understand what is written,

Language is essential for a deaf child. It is through language that children can: 1) communicate with parents and family members, 2) acquire world knowledge, 3) communicate fully with the surrounding world, and 4) acculturate into two worlds.

the child needs to have some background knowledge – a basic understanding of the surrounding world through which he/she can link the written word to a familiar concept.

The challenge is how to make language accessible to deaf children. With any type of hearing loss, a child will not have acquired spoken language as easily as a hearing child would. How much hearing the child has will

The way to provide that background knowledge to a deaf child is by signing to them in American Sign Language (ASL) because ASL is a visual language – it doesn’t require the children to “hear” the informa-

tion. Even a child that has some residual hearing can benefit from ASL. While a hard of hearing child may have a good deal of residual hearing, the question remains, Will he/she have 100% accessibility to the spoken language? The only way a deaf/ hard-of-hearing child can have 100% accessibility to a language is through a visual language, such as ASL. The language modality through which a deaf/hard-ofhearing child gains information is a vital choice that parents and we as a community need to make in order for the child to succeed. The more accessibility the child has to the language (spoken or visual), the better language skills they will develop.

Even the simple act of reading with your child will reinforce their ability to acquire language.

I n fo r m at i o n C e n t e r / C e n t r o d e I n fo r m a c i ó n

By Ileana Doña, Family Education Coordinator

La escuela CSDR ha establecido un centro de información para los padres Hispanos. La información incluye las actividades escolares, del dormitorio, atletismo, y comunitarios. Llame al número gratis 1 (866) 889-3647. Escuchen al menú entonces oprima el número que corresponde a la escuela donde asiste su estudiante. De nuevo

escuche a las opciones y oprima el número correspondiente. Este servicio esta disponible 24 horas al día. Espero que le sea de ayuda. Si tiene cualquier pregunta por favor llame a Ileana al (951)782-4324.

CSDR has set up an information center for our Spanish speaking families. The information includes school, dorm, athletic, and community events. The toll free number is 1 (866) 8893647. The service is available 24 hours a day. I hope this will be of some help. If you have any questions, please call me at (951) 782-4324.

PAGE 16

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

“C” Booster Club

By Greg Visco, “C” Booster President

The goal for this year’s “C” Booster Club is to foster a strong unity for the elementary, middle, and high school sports programs. With this in mind, we are very excited to share with you our ambitious goal: to raise $100,000 dollars for the “C” Booster coffers!

To achieve this lofty goal, we must work together as a team.

We must follow the advice we give our children and think positively, work hard, and have faith in our ability to attain this goal.

“C” Booster Club has several fund raising plans in place to help us on our way to earning that large amount. The largest fundraiser we are focusing on is a car raffle!

“C” Booster is working with Inland Mopar Car Club to renovate and raffle off a 1970 Dodge

Dart Swinger! We have already paid the club $10,000 to purchase the car and begin working on the renovation. Tickets are being sold for just $5 each!

What a bargain! We will be working with several other CSDR organizations to sell the tickets and they will have get a percentage of the profits from the tickets sales for helping with our cause.

In addition to the car raffle, we have started a new fundraising project with 5 LNIX Telecommunications Company (see the article in this issue for details of this project.) This company sells a videophone that allows people to see each other while they are talking on the phone. While deaf are used to this capability, this equipment is also available for hearing people. Other VP

“C” Booster Board Members give Inland Mopars Car Club a check to purchase the raffle car shown in second picture

Thank you Inland Mopars!

equipment is only available to the deaf.

Visit WWW.5Lnix.net/cbooster to see the list of services and products that are available.

Please share our website with everyone you know. If you have questions please contact Deborah Berzins at dberzins@csdrcde.ca.gov or Laurie Pietro at lpietro@csdr-cde.ca.gov.

I’m looking forward to an exciting year of great games and hard work in meeting our ambitious goal! We can do it together!

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 17

High School and Middle School Leadership Retreat

By Edward Peigneux, Supervising Counselor

On the weekend of August 20 – 22, approximately thirty High School and Middle School students participated in the leadership training at the awesome camping resort of Teresita Pines in Wrightwood, CA. This is the same campsite where the Lion’s Club Wilderness Camp for deaf youth is held each year.

Upon arrival at the site, the potential leadership group was very enthusiastic to participate in the trainings and team-building activities. The enthusiastic students rushed to the dining room (after all, there are priorities!) for dinner and then the leadership retreat was officially kicked off. The following topics were covered that evening: • Parliamentary Procedure

• Effective Public Speaking • Activity-Teambuilding The presenter lead a discussion with the students about how to improve their public speaking. The students received several tips that will assist them in preparing for their future student organization meetings.

On Saturday, August 21, everyone woke up and came out of their cabins into the great fresh mountain air.

After breakfast the leadership retreat resumed with the following activities: • Mock Business Meeting

• • • • • • •

Teambuilding Activity – Adventure in Amazon River Activity – Personal Discovery Activity – Communication Swimming Scavenger Hunt Keynote: Superintendent Grossinger Activity–Sending and Receiving Messages

All the students were in agreement that one of the best activities at the retreat was the scavenger hunt. The students were sent out to search the campsite and surrounding area for “treasures.”

On the last day of the retreat, Sunday, September 31, we started the day with a teambuilding activity to help us energize for the day. The day’s program included: • How to Draft Minutes

• Business Meeting – Students Lead the Meeting Wrap up We appreciated the teachers, staff, supervisors, and school administrators who gave up their weekend to fully support and participate in the retreat. During the feedback session, one of students said, “I think this retreat is one of the best I ever attended!” We were very pleased that the program was successful! We have already begun to plan next year’s retreat.

PAGE 18

PAWSITIVE REFLECTIONS

C S D R C o r n e r s C o r n e r s t o n e M i d d l e S ch o o l

By Jeremias Valencia, Sports Coordinator

On our way to Cornerstone Middle School, our CSDR players were thinking about the upcoming game. Last year Cornerstone beat CSDR twice—30-0 and 36-0.

Not an easy reputation to overcome.

Despite the enthusiasm of the players that score loomed in the back of their minds and they knew they had their work cut out for them at this game.

Cornerstone is located about 15 miles south of Lake Elsinore, in the town of Wildomar, CA. There is a beautiful brand new Hollywood-like sign, “CORNERSTONE" located right in front of the football field. Just a subtle reminder that in addition to the pressure of last year’s score, we were also playing on the opponents home turf.

Nevertheless, I’m proud to say that the team arrived really pumped and ready to go! As we entered the field we couldn’t help but notice that the Cornerstones' uniforms looked pretty

sharp. They were all black with white stripes and when we first saw the entire team we had to admit that they looked like a tough team to beat! But that didn't scare the CSDR team because they were coming out from our RED RAGE CAVE! (A new chant created this year.)

We hit the field running—literally! We started the game with an amazing 60-yard run from Angel Aragon! He also brought the team another 2 points after the first touchdown.

We struggled with yellow flags. Believe it or not, during just the first half of the game, CSDR was penalized a total of 90 yards! But we didn't allow yellow flags to get in our way and our defense was amazing!

Our great linebacker, Dario Zaldivar was all over the field and our defensive linemen were ready for Cornerstone! Paul Padilla, Luke Garcia, Angel Aragon, and Thomas York each

sacked a quarterback! (You could see a huge improvement in our tackling skills compared to our first game. It used to take a few players to tackle another player, but now these guys were making tackles on their own!)

As the clock on the first half ran down, our running back Angel Aragon was worn out due to the 97 degree weather. But our other players picked up the slack as Sentayehu Krohm rushed 60 yards for the first time and carried the ball into the end zone for his first touchdown!

That brought us another six points and we added two more with a conversion carried by Joshua Macedo.

At the end of the first half the score was 16-0, with CSDR in the lead!

Believe it or not, after playing some tough football in the first half in the scorching sun, the players were in high spirits and ready to

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008

PAGE 19

(cont’d from page 18) go in the second half after just a short rest under a tree.

The second half opened with a

kickoff from Cornerstone. We continued to struggle with yellow flags because of the miscommunication between the coaches and referees. Once we cleared that up, Angel Aragon carried the ball for almost 80 yards and just before he crossed the end zone, he fumbled! It was Paul Padilla to the rescue as he stopped the ball carrier before gaining any more yards. We sent out our mighty defensive player and stopped their momentum!

FACT #6

We continued to play fantastic offense and defense. Mikey Reyes and Brandon Castro helped out by making several tackles! The score was locked at 240 until Sentayehu Krohm caught his second wind.

Once he was given the ball he took off for almost 75 yards and snagged his second touchdown of the game!

Cornerstone’s intimidating sign and their flashy uniforms proved to be no match for our Cubs!

Our defense established a goal to complete the game with no points allowed! They players pulled out all the stops and held Cornerstone at bay.

The construction crew has already placed over 700 tons of asphalt at CSDR. That is equal to 116 Tyrannosaurus Rex Dinosaurs!

Special thanks to Rafael Quezon, Senior Project Manager-Kitchell CEM for providing all the interesting trivia about the CSDR Construction.

WE WON 30 to 0!

Its been 5 long years since CSDR shut out any of our opponents. Before this game, Cornerstone had beaten CSDR 6 years in a row!

We are extremely proud of the entire team. They did their best and represented CSDR with class. Our coaches couldn’t have asked for more from our

players. But we did ask them to rest well and to enjoy the weekend because come Monday, we are going to start the week like a new season!

CAHSEE Intervention for 2008-09

By John Vollrath, Teacher Specialist This year at CSDR, we are expanding the California High School Exit Exam intervention program. It will include the following components: One-on-one CAHSEE tutoring: Academic juniors and seniors will receive individualized tutoring that is tailored for their specific needs.

Based on the student’s reading level and previous CAHSEE test scores, the tutor will select materials that focus on the student’s weakest academic components. th

5 year senior CAHSEE remediation program: Students who did not pass the CAHSEE last year but completed all their coursework are permitted to be part of our new 5th year senior program. These selected students are separated from the regular high school program during the entire school day so that they can seriously focus on their math and English skills.

Once the student has taken the CAHSEE and passes it, he or she is excused from the program.

“Study Island”: As a new webbased computer program, Study Island provides students with a random sampling of questions based at the reading/math level (2 thru 10) of the student.

These questions, which are based on the California standards, correspond directly to the content typically found on the CAHSEE. The student’s scores for each area are recorded as follows: above proficiency, proficient, basic, below proficiency, or far below proficiency. If the

student struggles on a specific skill, the program will continue to automatically lower the level of difficulty until the student can show proficiency. At that point, the student can slowly begin to attempt the previously-missed tasks. With this technique, we find Study Island to be both a motivating and effective way for our students to enhance their CAHSEE prowess.

CAHSEE Intervention in middle school classes: Primarily, the middle school English and math classes have for the first time begun to use Study Island as an effective tool for preparing their students for the high school exit exam.

CAHSEE Intervention in regular high school classes: The high school remediation program consists of the following: CAHSEE Questions of the Day, CAHSEE flash cards, CAHSEE student workbooks (“Measuring-Up”), and the new Study Island computer program. With these materials being used in the classrooms the students will hopefully have a better understanding of what will be presented on the CAHSEE. Our goals for this year are as follows: Continue to increase the percentage of students who pass the CAHSEE. Hopefully with intervention programs in place more of our students will be successful in passing the CAHSEE.

Expand the CAHSEE intervention to the elementary grade level.

Provide all freshmen with a graded CAHSEE practice test which includes math, ELA, and an essay. This will provide them with a better idea as what to expect during their sophomore year when the CAHSEE will be officially administered to them.

CAHSEE STATISTICS Statistics for the past few years have shown continued improvement in our student passing rate: (Note: These percentages are based on the combined student population of general and alternate educational programs.)

Class of ’05 = 9% of the students passed the ELA and math portions of the CAHSEE Class of ’06 = 16% of the students passed the ELA and math portions of the CAHSEE Class of ’07 = 12% of the students passed the ELA and math portions of the CAHSEE Class of ’08 = 23% of the students passed the ELA and math portions of the CAHSEE Test dates for the CAHSEE are as follows: October 7/ 8 – seniors November 4 / 5 – juniors