March 18, 2015 6532 Turnstone Way, Rocklin CA 95765 Laura Regan, Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 16-March 20 Pennies for patients

March 16-March 20 Book Fair

March 20 Spirit Day – Green/Gold March 25 Spring Picture Day

March 25 Chick-Fil-A FUNdraiser night 5:00 – 8:00

March 27 Spirit Day – Pastel Day

March 30 – April 3 No School: Spring Break

April 6 No School: Professional Development

What Do Parents and Students Think? At the March 16, 2015 Board of Directors meeting, the administration shared the results of the recent parent and student survey. The information the organization gains from the surveys will play a key role in the continued development of the educational program and the 2015-16 budget. We are thankful and appreciate the positive responses from parents and students alike. You believe we are providing your child a quality educational experience. Equal in importance, your responses help us to know where we can improve. We are in the planning stages for the 2015-16 school year and rest assured, we will give serious consideration to your suggestions for improvement. Together we will achieve great things. Click here for results.

Announcing the Rocklin Academy Preschool! Our organization has made it a priority to put the needs of our families in the forefront. Because of this, the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools has been exploring the idea of opening its own preschool. At the last board meeting the administration updated the Board and our families that there is a current opening for a preschool director. The final touches are being put on the registration packet and program description. At this time, the intent is to offer a preschool program on the same calendar as the schools, and maintain the day care portion of the program year-round. Options for the program are listed in the table below.

Continued on next page…

Program Option Days Per Week Initial Estimated

Cost/ Week

Full day, Preschool and Day Care

5 (Mon-Fri) $225

3 (Mon, Wed, Fri) $135

2 (Tues, Thurs) $90

Preschool Only 5 (Mon-Fri) $169

3 (Mon, Wed, Fri) $102

2 (Tues, Thurs) $68

Afternoon Day Care 5 (Mon-Fri) $169

3 (Mon, Wed, Fri) $102

2 (Tues, Thurs) $68

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Preference will be given to employees and families with students currently enrolled at one of our schools. Although the preschool will be located at the Gateway campus, it will remain a separate and distinct entity. We will notify families when registration is open via email and expect to make on-line enrollment applications available on or before March 27. We hope that with the addition of the preschool, the lives of our families will be enriched with the Core Knowledge program starting at a young age, as well as the added convenience of a local preschool located at one of our campuses. Phil Spears Superintendent / Executive Director ISPs – Help us Reach Our Goal! ISP’s help your child stay current with classwork and also help us recoup the funding for each absence—this amounts to around $60 per day per absence! In February alone, we stand to lose $9,540 in funding due to outstanding ISP’s, which directly impacts what we can provide for our students. With the winter cold and flu season winding down, there are a large number of ISPs at home waiting to be turned in. Don’t wait! Turn them in today! Through your partnership with our school, we can make a real difference.

Enrollment 2015-2016 2015-16 Acceptance letters were mailed out on February 27, 2015. If you have a sibling of a currently enrolled student who will be entering Kindergarten at Turnstone or Meyers or Transitional Kindergarten or Kindergarten at Gateway starting in August of 2015, you need to complete your enrollment paperwork no later than March 20, 2015 to secure your child’s enrollment slot. If you miss this deadline, your enrollment will be

forfeited and offered to the next application on the waiting list. Please contact Donna Walsh at dwalsh@rocklinacademy.org if you have any questions. Thank you!

WALK BIKES/SCOOTERS ON CAMPUS

It’s fantastic to see our students ride their bikes or scooters to school. However, per RUSD rules and our Parent Student Handbook, please be sure to remind your children to walk their bikes or scooters while on school property. Thank you!

Dance Showcase!

RA Turnstone, it's almost time for our 3rd annual dance showcase! For the last two years both the Meyers and Turnstone campuses have participated in developing, rehearsing and performing a dance production in the Spring. This year the Gateway campus will also be participating. This Spring our focus is percussion with the theme "Bring the Noise". Each student is learning a movement and dance piece with their respective class and will have the opportunity to perform if they choose. This is all part of our rhythm and dance unit in PE. RA Turnstone will be performing on Tuesday April 14th at the times below: 5:30pm-6:15pm K-2nd Grades @ Rocklin Event Center 6:30pm-7:30pm 3rd-6th Grades @ Rocklin Event Center This has been a hit the past two years; we hope your student will have the opportunity to participate. More information on how you can get involved and a signup genius link for volunteers is being sent from your amazing room parents!

Keep on Movin'!

Mark Your Calendar! Spring Picture Day is Coming!

Wednesday, March 25, 2014

ONLY STUDENTS THAT PRE-ORDER WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED. Picture Day is Wednesday, March 25, 2014. Visit www.lifetouch.com for clothing suggestions, online payment details and more (Picture Day ID: CR014229Y0). Be sure to have your student bring their printed receipt on Picture Day.

SAVE THE DATE! Core Knowledge / Open House Night at Rocklin Academy Turnstone Dates: Thursday, May 21st Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Announcing...Ukulele club!!!! We will meet every Tuesday from April 7th- May 30 at WSCA Beginners 3:50 - 4:30 pm Intermediate 4:30 - 5:10 pm Provide your own ukulele or rent one. All Instruction and music is free !!! Open to 3rd grade and up for Rocklin Academy and WSCA students, family and staff. Teachers are Mary McGown and Christie Frantti. Please contact Christiefrantti@hotmail.com or 916-521-2205 to sign up. Limited ukulele rentals are available for $20. Please contact us ASAP if you would like to rent a ukulele.

CAASP Testing Dates Reminder: May 4th – 15th Standardized testing (CAASPP) begins on Monday May 4th and continues through Friday May 15th for grades 3-6. Please schedule any appointments for your child in the afternoon or after May 15th. During testing, 3rd-6th grade classrooms will not be disturbed. If you have an appointment scheduled during this time, please reschedule it. We greatly appreciate your help preparing your child for test days with a good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast and a snack each day. For more information, see the attached Parent’s Guide to New Assessments or visit our homepage under Departments>Educational Services>California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).

Common Questions – Smarter Balanced Please see the attached flyer regarding Common Questions on Smarter Balanced assessments. This link can also be found on our website, http://rocklinacademy.com, under Departments > Educational Services > California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).

CST 5th Grade State Science Testing: April 9th

Please do not schedule appointments for your 5th grade student on Thursday, April 9th as they will be completing their state science testing. Thank you!

GATE TESTING – August 29, 2015 SAVE THE DATE! Rocklin Academy Family of Schools will be offering GATE testing, for currently enrolled students in grades 2nd-8th, on Saturday, August 29, 2015. Please check our website this summer for sign up information. Rocklin Academy GATE Testing

Spirit Wear Days – Mark your calendars!

March 3/20: Green/gold 3/27: Pastel Day

April 4/10: Neon clothes 4/17: Accessory day 4/24: Disney theme

May 5/1: Dress like an animal 5/8: Oversized clothes 5/15: Dress your smartest 5/22: Patriotic clothes 5/29: Summer wear

PERFECT ATTENDANCE FOR SECOND TRIMESTER Turnstone campus: It has come to our attention we missed some students who had perfect attendance for the first trimester. We sincerely apologize to those students we missed. We would like to acknowledge all our students who earned perfect attendance last trimester, so below is a corrected list. Congratulations students! Thomas Abraham, Analicia Adao, Marisa Adao, Karina Andersen, Jayda Arbis, Jovan Bartlett, Keith Bartlett, Emerson Basi, Dylan Black, Maggie Botrous, Sandra Botrous, Aaron Buado, Gino Buencamino, Caleb Burch, Brianna Burns, Madison Burriss, Branden Byrd, Brooke Byrd, Owen Carroll, Riley Carroll, Aditya Dandamudi, Liam Davis, William Davis, Jesus De, Valk de, Ava DeCampos, Mia DeCampos, Athanasia Delis, Blaec Dettner, Brooke Dettner, Meadow Dettner, Francine Dumm, Mia Fabel, Brenden Freethy, John Freethy, Sachi Goli, Suchir Goli, Emma Grenfell, Kate Hall, Gage Harrison, Traeger Harrison, Shayan Harvis, Landon Johnson, Carson Klotz, Christos Kotsiopulos, Bella La, Mason Lew, Ayden Little, Alexia Lopez, Isabella Mamayev, Matthew Mamayev, Neev Mandot, Katherine Manzer, Anika Maragathavel, Nathan Marquardt, Carter McLaughlin, Sean McNamara, Sanjna Medari, Selina Mitchell, Suhas Naidu, Brogan Navarro, Gianna Navarro, Daegan Olson, Prachi Padiyar, Pari Pandya, Jack Perkins, Bradley Pike, Sophia Pirabarooban, Grant Pooler, Brooklynn Powell, Katelyn Price, Matthew Price, Ariana Roche', Chase Rosenberg, Juliana Ruscica, Luca Ruscica, Darienne Sandhu, Lucas Schneider, Victoria Schneider, Jaypreet Sekhon, Naman Seth, Kern Shah, Rylie Solters, Devan Sorci, Clare Sotka, Teegan Spears, Tristyn Spears, Kailey Streight, Tyler Streight, Vanessa Swithenbank, Taylor Tallman, Esha Thapa, Fareed Theodossy, Danielle Tran, Sadie Turner, Matilda Urieff, Viswesh Vancheeswaran, Keiji Watanabe, Jae Wefers, Brendon Wheeler, Bryant Wheeler, Camille Wheeler, Madeline Williams, Reyna Zaidi, Zaina Zaidi, Rachel Zehnder.

News from the PSP:

Buy Tickets Now for Daddy Daughter Dance! Tickets are now available for the Daddy Daughter Dance, happening Friday, March 20 from 6-8 pm. You can buy tickets online here through Thursday 3/19. This year’s dance theme is “The Sock Hop!” Food will be provided by Chili’s and there will be raffle prizes, dancing and a ton of fun. Tickets are $20 per couple and $5 for each additional daughter. Due to food planning, Tickets will not be available at the door. If you have any questions, please contact Iva Calhoun at 19events101@gmail.com.

Support Rocklin Academy at Chick-fil-A! Join Rocklin Academy Turnstone for our annual Spirit Night Fundraiser on Wednesday March 25! The fundraiser will run from 5 – 8 p.m. at Chick-Fil-A, 912 Pleasant Grove Blvd, Roseville. Teachers and staff, along with many parent volunteers, will be helping to serve. Bring your family and join us for what is always a fun and entertaining evening! Our school will also receive a portion of the proceeds.

We are also in need of parent volunteers to help during the event. Volunteers will receive a free dinner voucher and a t-shirt, along with school volunteer hours. To volunteer, call Dede at 916-257-5350. Turnstone Teachers and Staff will be volunteering between the hours of 5:00pm - 9:00pm: 5:00 pm Mrs. Decker, Mrs. Klein, Mrs. Sotka, Mrs. Main 6:00 pm Mrs. Flores, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Pike, Ms. Yousef, Mrs. Peck 7:00 pm Mrs. Leatherman, Mrs. Moon

Lend a Hand with March Teacher Appreciation Lunch Help show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate them by lending a hand with our March Teacher Appreciation Lunch next Thursday, March 26! This month's theme is "Spring Picnic.” We will be serving hot sandwiches, chips and brownies - a "virtual" picnic! You can sign up here. For the sandwich fixings, we are looking for yummy shredded pork, chicken or beef - whatever recipe you love that can be kept warm in a crockpot. Also, please bring any condiments that you think pair well with your recipe (cheese, pickle, etc.) Please remember to bring your item to the staff lunchroom by 10:30am next Thursday. Mark any utensils or serving dishes with your name. And bring a note with your name and the recipe (if there is one) so our teachers can say thanks! Sign up today!

Order Your Yearbook Today! The 2014-2015 Rocklin Academy Turnstone Yearbook is now available to preorder!! Yearbooks are $15 this year. Orders can be placed online

only at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/ The Yearbook ID code is 12166415. From there you can choose to upgrade the softcover to a hardcover, personalize with your child's name, or have a Zoom current events add on. The deadline to order is April 12, 2015.

Need Volunteer Hours? We Need You! Volunteer at Our Book Fair

Monday, March 16th – Friday, March 20

th

Please consider volunteering at our spring Book Fair — an exciting celebration of reading with hundreds of fun, engaging, affordable books for kids to discover.

Join our volunteer team to:

• Help pack up (Fri. 3/20 ~ 3:30 – 5:00)

• Organize and put things in place

• Help at the cash registers and check out

• Help shoppers of all ages find the perfect book

We very much appreciate your help in whatever form it takes. See you at the book fair!

Please Contact:

Mrs. Wilson at nwilson@rocklin.k12.ca.us or

Mrs. Daniels at sdaniels@rocklin.k12.ca.us or

Check the volunteer link on the Ruhkala Elementary website for more information.

February 2015 1

California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Communication-Related Common Questions about

Smarter Balanced Assessments

Part of a Comprehensive Plan for Student Success

Knowing that public schools are preparing students for the challenges of the future, California has developed a comprehensive plan for high-quality teaching and learning in every school. We have a long way to go, but our work is well under way, with higher academic standards, more decision-making in the hands of schools and communities, and more resources dedicated to schools and to students with the greatest needs. Gradually, we’re providing more support for teachers, more resources for students and more access to technology. As a result, exciting changes have begun to take place inside our classrooms. Along with reading to follow a story, students are learning to read to cite evidence and draw logical conclusions. They are learning to use math to solve real-world problems rather than merely pick out the right multiple-choice answer. The system-wide changes we have begun are focused on helping students succeed in the long run, achieving their dreams of college and a career. They will take considerable time and effort to carry out. That’s why the course we’ve set in California is to carefully phase in change as state and local capacity grows. What are the Smarter Balanced Assessments?

The Smarter Balanced assessments are new computer based tests that measure student knowledge of California’s English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics standards. These new assessments replace the former paper-based, multiple-choice assessments for students in grades three through eight and grade eleven. The first statewide administration of these assessments will take place in spring 2015.

Why are new assessments needed in California?

California has adopted more rigorous academic standards that emphasize not only subject knowledge, but also the critical thinking, analytical writing, and problem-solving skills students need to be successful in college and career. These standards set a higher bar for California students to help ensure they are prepared to succeed in the future. Because what students need to know and be able to do has changed, our tests must change as well.

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California’s new assessment system represents the next step in a comprehensive plan to promote high-quality teaching and learning and improve student outcomes. This plan recognizes that assessments can play an important role in promoting and modeling high-quality instruction.

How were these new assessments developed?

California worked with 21 other states as part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium to develop these new assessments, as well as the professional and instructional resources provided to help students, teachers and schools throughout the year.

Educators – from K–12 to higher education – were deeply involved in the design, testing and scoring of these new assessments. California conducted both pilot and statewide field tests of Smarter Balanced assessments over the last two years.

Last year, California suspended its use of existing assessments in ELA and Math to give teachers time to focus on refining instruction of California’s more rigorous standards, to give students time to begin deeper learning, and to give schools time to prepare to administer these computer-based tests effectively.

How are Smarter Balanced Assessments an improvement over previous statewide tests?

The Smarter Balanced assessment system uses both computer-based and computer-adaptive tests, providing students with a wider range of questions tailored to more accurately identify the knowledge and skills individual students have mastered.

The tests include performance tasks that challenge students to demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving, and to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems.

The tests measure standards that our K–12 and higher education systems all agree address appropriate expectations for the preparation of high school graduates who are ready to success.

The tests are taken online, and results are available to teachers, schools and school districts much more quickly than results from previous tests.

The new computer-based tests include supports for English learners and students with special needs, allowing these students the ability to effectively demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

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The new assessment system is designed to measure student growth over time, which was not possible in California’s previous system, and will provide teachers and schools important information to guide learning.

What will the Smarter Balanced tests measure?

Smarter Balanced tests provide one measure of student knowledge of the subject matter, critical thinking, analytical writing, and problem solving skills they need to prepare for and succeed in today’s world.

These assessments provide important information as to whether students are on track to pursue college and career by the time they graduate from high school. The tests provide timely and actionable student information so that teachers and schools can adjust and improve teaching to ensure students have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.

What results can we expect from the Smarter Balanced Tests?

The new tests are too fundamentally different from the old exams to make any reliable comparisons between old scores and new. This year’s results will establish a new baseline for the progress we expect students to make over time.

Based on trial runs of the new assessments in California and other states, many if not most students will need to make significant progress to reach the standards set for math and literacy that accompany college and career readiness.

Over time, as students experience multiple years of instruction related to the skills tested by the new assessments, California’s results will show improved achievement. (In 2002, California’s new Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) tests also set a new baseline for achievement and student results improved quickly over time.)

Parents will receive a report of their child’s scores. But no student, parent or teacher should be discouraged by these scores, which will not be used to determine whether a student moves on to the next grade. Rather, the scores will represent an opportunity to focus on the needs of students and support teachers and schools in their work to achieve college and career readiness.

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How will this system help improve teaching and learning?

The Smarter Balanced assessments are an academic check-up, designed to give teachers the feedback they need to improve instruction. The tests measure critical thinking, analytical writing, problem solving, and subject area knowledge, providing teachers with multiple sources of actionable information about student strengths and areas where students need additional support.

The system provides two types of interim assessments that teachers and schools can use to assess student learning at key points in the instructional year and to measure student preparedness for year-end summative tests. Both of these tests provide information for teachers to adjust and differentiate teaching in response to the results.

The system provides a Digital Library of professional learning and instructional resources to help teachers assess individual student learning during instruction, provide feedback to students in a timely manner, and adjust teaching and learning as needed.