December Highlights
- Congratulations to TLC Chula Vista Teacher, Ingrid Armes, for obtaining her Masters Degree in Educational Technology and a Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching from Boise State University!
- TLC families had a merry time at Knott's Berry Farm to kick off the month of December. We look forward to many more field trips in the new year!
Social-Emotional Support
5-3-2-1 Technique
While the holiday season can bring with it much festivity and joy, it can also be a time of increased stress for some. The following technique is an easy tool that can be accessed at any time you need to reduce anxiety, ground yourself, or stay rooted in the present. In fact, you may find it helpful to use this technique all year round in moments of stress.
Student Work Spotlight
This month's student work spotlight comes from Ms. Knudsen's 11th grade English students at TLC Chula Vista. These students recently completed a poetry project for their English class in which they were encouraged to reflect upon who they are, and what has shaped them. A sample of these highly reflective, moving, and impressive poems can be found here.
NAMI Club Gives Back
TLC has NAMI on Campus Clubs at both our Chula Vista and La Mesa school sites. As NAMI California describes,
NAMI On Campus High School Clubs are student-led clubs that raise mental health awareness and reduce stigma on campus through peer-led activities and education…The Club is open to all students – those with mental health conditions, those with family members with a condition, or students who are interested in the field or in advocacy.
Recently, NAMI Chula Vista participated in the season of giving by organizing a homemade donation the the Alpha Project for the homeless. Student club members asked their K-8 teachers to participate. The K-5 classes made placemats and the 7th and 8th graders wrote notes of kindness. The finished items were then delivered to the Alpha Project in advance of their Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless.
NAMI Wellness Events
NAMI Chula Vista also hosted a craft and cookies event, where all high school students were invited to make a scrabble tile ornament/keepsake craft. The students were asked to choose one word that improved their mental wellness (i.e. calm, self-care, meditate). A lot of students chose names of friends or pets as their word. The club also provided cookies and more information on mental health – it was a fun and successful event!
TLC School Counselor, Diane Barrett, also applied for and received a $500 grant from NAMI California to support additional school-wide mental health events and activities.
Staff Spotlight
TLC Teacher Releases Book
TLC La Mesa 1st grade teacher, Angie Wilson recently published her first children's book, "Alice the Axolotl Learns about Anxiety." It is available now on Amazon.com, the Authorhouse website, and Barnes and Noble.com.
The book chronicles Alice the Axolotl getting ready for her first day of first grade. She discovers that she has anxiety and learns how to deal with anxiety from several friends along the way to school. She takes their advice, overcomes her anxiety and has a great first day of school.
Ms. Wilson said she was inspired to write this book because:
It has been a life-long dream of mine to write a children’s book. After studying Axolotls last year as part of our first and second grade science unit, I knew I had the perfect character for my book. My passion and concern for mental health and especially for the feelings and emotions of children led me to the topic of anxiety.
She hopes that this book will have a positive impact on her students and beyond:
I am really hoping my book will help young children and their parents learn about anxiety. I hope this book will teach children techniques to deal with anxiety when they are feeling anxious, nervous or scared.
I am so happy to have finally published my book and I really hope I can inspire other teachers or students to become writers themselves. It is never too late to pursue your dreams in life!
Ms. Wilson also has plans to work on the next book for her series, Alice the Axolotl, next summer. In addition, TLC is working with Ms. Wilson to plan a special reading and book signing so look for an event announcement soon.
Advocacy in Action
This time of year marks a new session for our California state legislature. If you are interested in staying up to date and making your voice heard about the issues that matter to you when it comes to education, you can visit the Alliance of Parents for Personalized Learning Education website and fill out their survey to become an advocate of school choice. This will help to keep you in the loop about future calls to action as well as guidance on pending bills that impact personalized learning schools like TLC.
The Alliance of Parents for Personalized Learning Education (A.P.P.L.E.) describes themselves as:
A network of parent advocates for personalized learning public charter schools in California. This is a newly formed statewide network designed to ensure that charter school parents have the tools and resources to advocate for the best education for their child.
The purpose of A.P.P.L.E is to empower parents to amplify their voice with decision makers. There are often state laws, regulations, and funding changes that impact your child's education and we want parents to be informed and equipped to take action.
...the network will serve as an information hub and is designed to make it easy for busy parents to engage in the legislative process.
Family Friendly Winter Break Ideas
The following ideas comes from tinybeans.com. You can see the full list here.
- Take a trip to the Museum of Making Music, where you can explore instruments from the past 150 years, listen to how musical styles evolve and even try some of them out for yourself.
- Enjoy the magic of the underwater world at Birch Aquarium during Seas ‘n’ Greetings—a month-long holiday celebration featuring SEAsonal activities for the whole family from Dec. 1 to 31. Everyone will be amazed seeing how the Birch Aquarium transforms into a winter wonderland.
- Switch up your regular routine and take your kids to a new park they’ve never visited. Here’s a list of 7 local parks with one-of-a-kind activities you’ve (maybe) yet to discover.
- From Big Bear to Elfin Forest, here are some of the best winter hikes near San Diego to explore with your family.
STAR Student Recognitions
December / January: Fairness
TLC recognizes STAR students each month based on a determined character trait. December's character trait is Fairness. Students are nominated by their Educational Partners and School Site Administrators. Congratulations to this month's STAR students!
Alex Edelman
Jeremiah Jaramillo
Alayah Lawrence
Marley Luciano
Carter Mahoney
Natalie Marquez
Mia Montalvo
Layla Nevarez Maravillas
Liam Real
Enock Rodriguez
Lillian Stockslager
Caleb Wilson
Cayden Wilson
This month's staff recognitions for Fairness are:
Delilah Nichols
Cassy Felizardo
Danny Hancock
Vicki Cline
Abby Quincena
Carli Anderson
Joe Medina
Still Time to Make a Year End Gift
As a public charter school, TLC relies on public funds to deliver all of our educational programming. To help us go above and beyond, we are grateful for donations of any amount. You can make a general donation here. You can also direct a donation to a specific school site or initiative. Thank you in advance for your support!
Season's Greetings!
However you choose to enjoy the month, we hope you have a great break and we will see you in the new year!
Credits:
Created with an image by Ievgen Skrypko - "Field plowed with tractor tracks, top view"