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Growth, Development, & Sexual Health
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A note from Ms. Campos
The highly anticipated Growth, Development, and Sexual Health unit has commenced and everyone survived their first day! The anxiety, anticipation, excitement, awkwardness, and discomfort of the young adults could be sensed as soon as they entered the classroom. To ease their anxiety, students were asked to sit next to a friend whom they felt comfortable around. This did seem to make the students feel much more at ease. Students were told the purpose of the unit and the standards that would be achieved. They were also made aware that misuse of the information gained can be considered sexual harassment and we had a brief discussion of what that meant. Once the platform was given, we dove into the first topic, which was understanding the human reproductive system. This caused many giggles at first, but the reality of the topic sparked curiosity leading students to ask many questions. They practiced intellectual carefulness when wording their questions in a manner that did not offend, judge or ridicule the topic. Many times students thought their questions were inappropriate, but it turned out the question was very appropriate and required clarification. Day one was the day that set the tone and I believe students were pleased that they can openly discuss the topics and ask questions without feeling like they said something wrong. I’m sure we will hear some giggles now and then throughout the rest of this unit, but the anxiety and discomfort will begin to fade allowing students to gain and process the information effectively.
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Thu, April 30
Fun Thursday: Math club is selling food this Thursday!
Pizza for $1
Desserts for $1
Drinks* $.50
Combo lunch with 2 slices, dessert & drink $3
*Bring your own reusable cup!
Mon, May 4
Study Group
Tue, May 5
Study Group
Tue, May 5
Read-a-thon award - FREE Taco lunch. Bring your own water bottle.
Thu, May 7
End-of-year Parent Survey *link included in next week’s newsletter
May 11-13
Jacquie and Danielle at Charter Leader Training - office help needed
May 11-15
“Office Hoursâ€practice week - proposed plan for providing time for students to meet with teachers out of class.
Fri, May 15
Spring Dance
Sun, May 17
New student Ice Cream Social
Mon, May 18
Smarter Balance Testing Begins
Mon, May 18
Parent input requested on School Goals - 6:30-7:30 pm
Thu, May 21
Open House - minimum day
Mon, May 25
Memorial Day - no school
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Teacher Appreciation Week
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National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4th-8th. IVA PTA will hand out index cards to our students to write a note of thanks to their teachers. We have also compiled a wish list of pantry items and supplies - if you would like to show your appreciation for our faculty and staff, here's a guide for giving! Your creativity and thoughtfulness is always valued, and can be expressed in a personalized note or in the way you present these wished-for items.
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Transition to High School -
This might feel early for some of you to think about the transition to high school, but for others you have been thinking about this and researching for years. Where will my student go to high school? What are my options? How do I find out more about my options? And possibly (this is our hope) - What high school would be most beneficial for my child who is being taught to think in such a visible way at IVA? We had planned a Parent Academy this next week on May 7 but have cancelled this event for a few reasons 1) we weren't able to get a district representative to come on this date 2) we want more time to have a well-thought out process in place for our students’ transition. We intend to have this process in place at the beginning of this next school year. This will be supported by a full time counselor for the 2015-2016 school year. This is great news! I do want to explain how this is possible for our small school.
Our finance committee reviewed our 5-year budget projections and analyzed a strong budget with a strong fund balance at the end of each year. This means that for this next school year we will be able to hire a full time* counselor position in our budget. School counselors play a critical role in maximizing student success. Along with a focus on three domains of student functioning: academic, person/social, and career development, the school counselor supports a safe and healthy learning environment for all students. We will be posting the job position at IVA soon and will include a link in next week’s newsletter so you can reach out to your contacts as we seek to find a counselor that is the right fit with our school.
We are heading into the busy month of May. I want to prepare you to look for a request to give your feedback to IVA through the end-of-year survey. The feedback from our students and parents is valued as we look ahead and seek to grow. We'll also gather feedback from our students to help us analyze how we're doing and how we can improve. Once we've gathered feedback we'll be hosting a meeting for all of our families and students during the school day to review the results and gather input for next year’s school plan - more info to come. We're looking forward to a strong close for this year and an even stronger opening in the fall as we inaugurate our first class of 8th graders.
To live and learn well,
Jacquie Bryant
*The position will not be able to be maintained at a full-time amount in future years without seeking further funding sources.
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Track Meet - Saturday, May 2nd
Rancho Cienega Park (5001 Rodeo Road, Los Angeles 90016) at 11am
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