Greetings Students and Parents:

Next Monday the entire school will walk to CSU, Chico first thing in the morning for a concert with Alpin Hong in Laxson Auditorium. PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES FOR THE WALK TO AND FROM! Mr. Hong will come to Inspire after the concert to run two workshops for instrumental and vocal music students. We are honored to have him as an artist in residence.

Inspire to Partner with CSU, Chico to Start a "Society for Women Engineers” (SWE) Club on Campus

Thanks to Inspire parent and Foundation member Liza Whitmore who provided the seed for this idea. We contacted Jerry Hight at CSU, Chico who referred us to Professor Colleen Bronner (Civil Engineering) and CSU Engineering student Erin Baumgartner (Electrical Engineering). We had an initial exploratory meeting, and Engineering teachers Malina Olson and Danielle Reynolds , with our CSUC partners had the first meeting with students today. Our women engineering students will have the opportunity to have a university engineering student as a mentor. As this develops Inspire Engineering students will explore the possibility of mentoring girls in junior high and elementary.

Today marks the end of the first six-week progress grading period. Teachers will have until next Wednesday at midnight to enter all assignments and assessments to this point, and we will have progress reports completed and mailed by the following Friday.

As always, we encourage you to log on to Aeries and check progress frequently, and if you have questions or concerns about a class, email the teacher directly. If you’re still having problems accessing your student’s aeries account, please stop by the Inspire office.

For students who are struggling, we have great support. We provide intervention support for all classes at lunchtime Monday through Thursday, we have a specific Math support room at lunchtime Monday through Friday, teachers are generally available before school, at lunch and after school.

For some students, one of the most significant things they can learn in the transition to high school is how critical it is to take control of your education. This not only includes keeping up on assignments and studying for tests, but developing a genuine curiosity and becoming proactive in the learning.

At back to school night, I asked you to engage in conversations, readings, media that promote deeper thinking, that asks students to work on asserting claims or arguments about issues and providing evidence for those claims. When that happens at home and at school, it has a tendency to spark that curiosity about the world and all the fascinating ways we see it and respond to it.

This is so much about what our partnership is - engaging with these wonderful young people. Doing this brings out the best in them, and they as much to teach us as we do them.

The dress code has emerged this year as a subject of concern. I have been contacted by several students and parents with concerns about both the dress code and the protocol for addressing it. I have great respect for the students and parents who have come forward to express their opinions and offer up ideas for addressing it. You are invited to be part of a dialogue between Inspire students, staff, and administration regarding the issue of dress code. The purpose of this forum is to deepen our understanding of the dress code and the protocol for addressing it, increase communication between students and staff, and cultivate a climate of trust and care. If you are interested in participating in the discussion, please join us on Friday, October 3 at 12:20 in IC-9.

Day on the Purple was cancelled yesterday due to the weather. We have lots of sound equipment, cables, etc. and even though it cleared in the afternoon, we were concerned about the combination of water and electricity. We have moved Day on the Purple to next Thursday. We have at least 50 students performing on the quad as well as numerous other students involved in club tables. It is quite a celebration of the school. You are welcome to come by between 1:30 and 3:00 to catch your student performing and enjoy the positive energy. Please sign in at the office if you come to campus.

Engineering Expo at CSU, Chico in the BMU from 12-6 pm. Inspire to Have a Table at the Entrance to the Forum.

We were asked by CSU, Chico to have a table showing what we do in Engineering at our school. The purpose of this Expo is to gather companies in the area to show students what kinds of career opportunities there are in Engineering and related Science and Technology areas. We will be taking several student groups to the expo, and several of our Engineering students will be at the table to talk to folks about what we do at Inspire.

Seven Inspire Choir Students Participating in a Local Honor Choir this Saturday

It is directed by Dr. David Scholz, from CSUC. They'll be rehearsing all day at Bidwell Presbyterian Church, and performing that afternoon at 5 p.m. Admission to the concert is free. The students participating are Alisa Tousey, Eleni Mahlis-Miller, MikaylaMcDaniel, Rebecca Redeker, Zach House, Webster Moore and Ben Anderson. They'll be joining about 100 other high school students from around the North State. Itshould be very good and the kids are excited to be a part of it!

Inspire Stagecraft Class looking to borrow a flatbed truck. We have a group of students with a great idea that would like to participate in the Chico Parade of Lights. We need to borrow a flatbed truck with a minimum size of 14’ x 8’. The truck needs to be available Friday and Saturday, Oct 17-18th. If you have a truck available, please email Jarrah at . Thank you.

Complimentary Internet offer. Please see the attached offer regarding reduced price internet for qualifying families.

The Skyway House is currently offering FREE outpatient addiction treatment for teens, see the attached flyer for contact information.

Teens DO NOT have to qualify for Medi-Cal to receive these services, the program is grant funded. Nor do they need parent permission or involvement. They are currently offering one group a week for teens, from 4:00 to 5:00 PM on Tuesdays at their offices. Teens must attend an individual assessment before joining the group. Individual counseling is also available.

The Skyway House staff are very open to the idea of group(s) in south county as well, they understand that transportation is an issue for teens. If there is enough interest they have indicated that they will work with us to establish a group in Oroville.

PLEASE help us get the word out to teens! If you work with teens in the south county who could benefit from a group in Oroville please share this information with them. Butte County has the third highest rate of OD deaths per capita of the 58 counties in California. Youth treatment programs can help us change that awful statistic.

Bruce Baldwin

Butte County Office of Education
Student Health and Prevention Programs

1870 Bird St.

Oroville, CA 95965

Office: 530-532-5842

Cell: 530-828-7806

FAX: 530-532 – 5698

Upcoming Events

Artist in Residence (Alpin Hong) / Mon, Sept 29 / 8am – 12pm / Inspire campus
Grand Canyon University Presentation / Monday, Sept 29 / 3 – 4 pm / IC-21
Day on the Purple / Thurs, Oct 2 / 1:30 - 3 pm / Inspire quad
Air Force Informational Meeting / Thurs, Oct 2 / 3 – 4 pm / IC-21
Manufacturing Expo / Thurs, Oct 2 / 2:30 – 4:30 pm / CSUC
Dress Code Meeting / Fri, Oct 3 / 12:20 pm / IC-9
Inspire Foundation Meeting / Mon, Oct 6 / 6:00 pm / IC-5
First progress reports mailed home / Monday, Oct 6
CSU Chico Presentation / Tues, Oct 7 / 3-4 pm / IC-21
Cinderella Auditions / Oct 13-17 / After School / IC-23

Have a great weekend,

Eric Nilsson

Principal