A message from Marilyn Abelon, Principal of Vallejo Charter School to VCS teachers, staff, students and family members, and our entire school community

With a heavy heart, I am announcing that I have decided to step down as principal of Vallejo Charter School. My family and I will soon be re-locating to American Canyon. I have accepted the position of Principal of Donaldson Way Elementary School for the Napa Valley Unified School District.

This was not easy to make this decision. I have had the distinct pleasure to serve the Vallejo City Unified School District for the past 23 years now, and I have cherished all of those years. The past two years have been at Vallejo Charter School with all of you. My time at Vallejo Charter School has been a rich and rewarding experience.

Please know that I have valued our time and together. Together, we have been able to share the positive results of our Expeditionary Learning model, and most recently we just learned that VCS has earned a six-year accreditation.

For now, I want to extend my thanks to my greatest friends and partners: The VCUSD Governing Board, The VCS Charter Council, our PTO Board, our ELAC Committee, and especially the parents of Vallejo Charter School, and my thanks to Dr. Ramona Bishop, Superintendent.

My deepest gratitude and appreciation go to the teachers and staff of Vallejo Charter School. It has been an honor and priviledge to work with all of you. I will miss each and every one of you.

I look forward to seeing you all throughout the remainder of this school year. We have so many fun events ahead of us over the next few weeks!

May 15 is our annual Celebration of Learning. Please join us, as students guide families and guests through their classrooms to showcase their learning and accomplishments. The times are 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30

May 22 is the Celebration of Dance and Art for grades K-4; This will be held at Hogan Auditorium at 6pm and admission is $2.00

On May 23, we will have two important events going on:

May 23 is our Coffee Morning at 9:15am in the MPR and this will be our biggest coffee morning yet. Traci Horner, grade 4 will present a Literacy Workshop for all of us. Please join us for coffee and learn more about reading for your child. I hope to see you all there.

On May 23, at 6pm, we will have the Celebration of the Dance and Arts for students in grades 5-8; This event will be held at Hogan Auditorium and admission is $2.00

Friday, May 25 is a minimum day dismissal for all students in grades K-8; Everyone goes home at 2pm and Monday, May 28 is a Holiday.

The week of May 29-June 1 is in our Student Led Conferences. Please be sure to make that appointment with your child’s teacher.

Mark these important dates onto your calendar.

I just received notifciation from the Accreditation Commission. Vallejo Charter School was awarded a 6R, and this is one of the highest rankings a school can receive. VCS earned a 6 year accreditation and we will be reviewed again in 2018. This is such amazing news!

My thanks and gratitude to the teachers and staff of Vallejo Charter School. I would like to especially thank the Charter Council, but especially the PTO Board for all of their fine work and contribution to the review process.

Special thanks to the many, many parents that provided food and catering during review week. Thank you to the student ambassadords in grades K-8 and to all parents that attended committee meetings and to parents that participated in the coffee morning interview session.

Finally, we must also thank and recognize our partner, the Vallejo City Unified School District for their belief in our little school. Our charter school….only 5 years has just earned another distinction in the greater Vallejo Community.

With many hands we can do the work. We are CREW at Vallejo Charter School, as your principal it gives me great pleasure to work alongside all of you.

Marilyn Abelon
Principle of VCS

Vallejo Charter School
Charter Council Meeting Agenda
2011-2012 School Year
Location: VCS Multi-Purpose Room
Date: Thursday, May 10, 2012

Charter Council
Elizabeth Mathern, President
Joe Maionchi, Vice President
Sharlynn Willingham, Secretary
Avonelle Hanley-Mills, Director
Pete Maspaitella, Director
Marilyn Abelon, Principal
Mark Ribero, Teacher Representative

1. Call to Order 1.1. Roll Call
1.2. Welcome and Announcements
2. Principal Report – Marilyn Abelon
3. Council Business
3.1. Art Council Update
3.2. Discussion: Proposed modifications to Parent/Caregiver Involvment Policy
3.3. Charter Renewal Update
3.4. Council Summer Retreat
4. Teacher Report – Mark Ribero
5. Forum
5.1. Council Members Comments 5.2. Community Members Comments
6. Calendar
See the full VCS Calendar at www.vallejocharterschool.org
Next VCS Council Meeting – June 14, 2012
7. Adjourn

Note: All Council-approved policies must receive final approval by the VCUSD Board of Education

As a reminder, all VCS parents are expected to adhere to the volunteer policy that is a part of Vallejo Charter School. When you decided to be a part of our unique learning community, you also agreed to particiate in our parent volunteer program. Each family is expected to donate 20 or more hours per year. This policy is given to you each year and you are required to sign this policy each year. There are many ways to volunteer at VCS and opportunites are posted all the time on the Yahoo Group, on our website and again on Thursday folders. All volunteer hours were due on April 1. Only families that completed a plan of completion have an extended deadline of May 1. Certified letters have been mailed already to families to failed to complete their hours. Some families have called to indicate an error has been made, and we have remedied those issues. The deadline has now passed, and it saddens me to say some of our VCS students will be placed back into the Lottery. The Lottery for VCS will be held on May 4 at the VCUSD District Offices.

On another note, the volunteer program at Vallejo Charter School is based on the HONOR System. This means that this is your responsibility to log in your hours, and your parental responsibility to seek out ways to volunteer at VCS. Please do not call the office to yell, scream or admonish my office staff. Miss Tricia and Miss Dawn do not manage the volunteer program, nor do they have the power to excuse your lack of volunteerism for Vallejo Charter School. If you indeed feel that there is an error with the computation of your parental volunteer hours, please call our school at 556-8850 and calmy explain your circumstances. Office Staff will gladly take your name, number and forward your concerns to our PARENT VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS. At VCS, we believe in the collaborative spirit and that all conflicts can be solved gracefully. I say this again. All conflicts can be resolved gracefully.

As a final reminder, I will be personally calling families, tomorrow, that have not met their committment to VCS and giving you final instructions on how to re-apply for VCS and enter the lottery on May 4, or if you strongly disagree with the VCS volunteer policy, then I can help direct you how to re-register for your neighborhood school.

It is my hope that all members of our VCS community can see the positive contributions of parental volunteerism–this is the key to making our learning community one of the shining stars of the VCUSD. I know that my message may be firm, but I must also support the hundreds of parents that respect and adhere to the VCS volunteer policy.

Top 12 Frequently Asked Questions about Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
1. Will transitional kindergarten (TK) be mandatory for children with birthdays between November 2 and December 2?
Just like Kindergarten, transitional Kindergarten enrollment will be voluntary.

2. How is TK different from preschool?
The standards, curriculum and teaching requirements in transitional kindergarten will be different from preschool. Transitional kindergarten will be part of the K-12 public education system and it will be based on the kindergarten standards. It will build on the skills children may have learned in preschool to ensure they will be able to begin kindergarten with confidence.

3. How is TK different from traditional kindergarten?
Although the curriculum in transitional kindergarten will be based on the kindergarten standards, it will be modified to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of younger children. The transitional kindergarten environment will include more opportunities for social-emotional, language development and communication through dramatic play; small group instruction; and intentional teaching through hands-on activities.

4. How long is a typical TK day?
Transitional kindergarten will be the same number of minutes per day as traditional kindergarten.

5. Will TK provide support for children who do not speak English?
English learners in transitional kindergarten will have the same level of services as those in kindergarten.

6. Will TK be free or will I have to qualify based on income?
Transitional kindergarten will be free and open to all age-eligible children.

7. What kinds of qualifications will TK teachers have?
Transitional kindergarten teachers will be required to have a teaching credential, just like kindergarten teachers.

8. How will this affect children in special education?
Districts will be required to offer the same services to transitional kindergarteners with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) as they currently offer to children in kindergarten.

9. What grade will children go into after TK?
Transitional kindergarten is the first year of a two-year kindergarten experience. Most children will go on to kindergarten after completing transitional kindergarten, however some children may move to first grade based on the District’s criteria for promotion.

10. Will children with birthdays between September 2 and November 1 be eligible for TK this year?
Transitional kindergarten will be open to students with Sept and October birthdays. Because these children are also eligible for traditional kindergarten in 2012-13, parents will be required to sign a Kindergarten Continuation Form.

11. Where will TK be offered?
At this time we do not have enough eligible transitional kindergarteners to provide a class at each elementary school. Locations will be determined by enrollment numbers and available space. That information will be available by June.

12. How and where can I enroll my child in TK?
Registration is now open for the 2012-13 school year. Please register your child at your neighborhood school. You will need the following documentation in order to enroll a new student: an up-to-date record of immunization; an original birth certificate (or certified copy, passport, hospital registration of birth; immigration Visa; proof of address, for example current utility bill lease agreement, current insurance documents or close of escrow documents.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Spring Break. I am sure that the two weeks off has everyone feeling well rested and excited to return back to school.

I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow, on Monday, April 9. School begins at 9am, sharp!

Please remember to join me for our PTO Meeting on April 19.

Finally, our Flea Market was re-scheduled to April 14. If you want to help and still need to complete your Plan of Completion please contact the Charter Council President, Elizabeth Mathern at (707) 644-2530

Marilyn B. Abelon, Principal
Vallejo Charter School

April Council Charter Meeting is cancelled. The next Council Charter Meeting will be in May.

Students plant trees on Mare Island, graduate from mini med school

It could have been “Bob.”

But instead, a group of fourth-graders decided to name their newly planted California live oak after a wish: Peaceful Future.

“It was really nice to be able to come out here with my friends and be able to help the community,” said Isaiah Harper, a 9-year-old from Vallejo Charter School.

The school sent two classes on a field trip Friday to Mare Island as part of an Arbor Week outreach program by Solano Advocates for Green Environments (SAGE) and a coalition of local groups.

This is the third year SAGE has had the program, with elementary school students planting trees in City Park last year, SAGE executive director Sarah Nichols said.

Nichols demonstrated how to plant the California live oak on U.S. Forest Service property on Mare Island.

“If it’s planted too deeply, the tree could actually suffocate and die,” Nichols said, unwinding some of the sapling’s roots.

As in past years, the program was part physical, part living history lesson as students not only wrested trees into the ground, but also learned about Vallejo’s own roots.

“I think it’s fun planting trees and knowing more about where we live,” 9-year-old Janelle Hines said.

The field trip also included a visit from medical students and pediatric faculty at nearby Touro University.

Students were able to get brief hands-on experience listening to heartbeats, experimenting with taste buds and getting a feel for osteopathic medicine.

“I think it’s been kind of cool,” 9-year-old Sarah Pettigrew said.

The field trips will continue through early next week and will include elementary school students from across the city.

Full Story

This is the week that we have all been waiting for. The team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges will be at Vallejo Charter School this week. VCS is the only K-8 school in Vallejo that undergoes a formal accreditation process. This is the same accreditation process that our high schools, community colleges and universities go through. This is very important to our school and also demonstrates the high caliber of excellence that we strive for at VCS.

I want to thank the Charter Council, PTO Executive Board and the many, many parents of Vallejo Charter School that support our teachers and Expeditionary Learning Model. Thank you for your fine contribution to VCS. The WASC team will be on campus Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Dr. Bishop will be on campus too, so please be sure to say hello to our Superintendent. We have Student Ambassadors on deck to help with the review process. The members of the WASC team will be interviewing teachers, parents and students. After their review, we will learn in April or May if we passed the accreditation process. I continue to be so very proud of our school. I am ready to show the team the wonderful work and progress that we are doing.

Finally, I wanted to remind all VCS families that April 1 is fast approaching. April 1 is the absolute last day to get all of your mandatory volunteer hours complete. If you fail to complete the volunteer hours, your child will be placed back into the Lottery. This means that you have to re-apply all over again to be admitted into Vallejo Charter School. Please do not allow this to happen. Please log onto our Yahoo Group. There are so many events that you can help with….an important event that is coming is the VCS Flea Market. For more information about this event, please contact Elizabeth Mathern at (707) 644-2530

Please join me for another Coffee Morning, this Wednesday, March 21 at 9:15am. We will meet with the WASC team and Dr. Tony Ubalde will be joining us too. Please come and share your experience and feedback with the WASC Team.

Let’s show the WASC team how sharp we are. Be sure to arrive to school on time, please drive safely, slowly and carefully along Del Sur Street, and thank you again for cooperating with the VCS Safety Patrol Team. Thank you and good night.

Marilyn B. Abelon, Principal
Vallejo Charter School