From: Rancho Alamitos Special Education MS Program

To: Parents/Guardians

Subject: Welcome to the 2015-2016 School Year

Date: 9/2015

Welcome both old and new families! We are excited for great things to happen and we look forward to working with each of you this year! We have had some staffing changes over the summer. As a result caseloads have shifted. If your student has been moved from his previous case manager to a new one, you will receive an additional letter of notification.

Staff

We have some new faces in our department. Kelli Colombo, Detra Gunn, Lisa Mcguire, Leslie To and Autumn Trail all have varied experiences which will bring a richness to the program.

Communication Books

We will continue to use our “agenda/communication books”. This will aid us in keeping open communication between home and school. PLEASE review this book DAILY even though there may not be daily notes written by the teacher. If you have any questions during the year, please do not hesitate to write a note in this book. Should your student receive homework, it will be written in the “agenda/communication book”.

C.H.A.M.P.S.

We are utilizing a comprehensive discipline plan. The C.H.A.M.P.S acronym stands for the following goal areas:

C = Classroom Behavior

H = Homework Completion

A = Accepting Responsibility

M = Manners

P = Passing Period Actions

S = Showing Respect for yourself, peers, and adults

Each student has an envelope containing five cards. Each morning the envelope will be placed on “green”, indicating good behavior. If a student gets a warning for inappropriate behavior then “yellow” card will be placed in the envelope. The student will have the opportunity to improve his/her behavior to earn back the “green” card. If the inappropriate behavior continues then a “pink” card will replace the prior color. With each change of card the student has the opportunity to improve and correct their behavior. Consequences for continued inappropriate behavior might include: time out, lunch detention, phone call home, note in the communication book, or referral to administration. At the end of 6th period, the teacher will code the agenda/communication log that shows the color your student ended with for that day. Rewards will be given for students who consistently demonstrate positive behavior.

Rancho ID

We would also like to remind you that students must bring their Rancho ID to school EVERY DAY. This is expected of all students at Rancho and is a wonderful opportunity for our students to build on their independence and responsibility. It might be a good idea to introduce the idea of carrying a wallet, purse, or lanyard to reinforce this practice. Please make sure that your student brings a pencil, lined paper, and agenda/communication books daily. It costs $5.00 to replace.

PE Clothes

If your student has not picked up their PE clothes, we can assist in doing this. The cost is $16.00. If your student is in APE, they must bring a lock with two keys for their PE locker. One of the keys will be kept by staff as a back-up and the other key will be kept by the student. Please bring these items to school as soon as possible. If you are a returning student, it is ok to reuse your prior years PE clothes if you would like to. Send the clothes to school as soon as possible.

Program Highlights

We will again assign a “peer buddy” for each student. Going to assemblies, spending lunches together, and other social engagements throughout the year are great ways to increase student confidence, learning, and social interactions.

Another important aspect of our program is that each classroom will be participating in Community Based Instruction (CBI). The goal is to provide students with opportunities to transfer skills they will learn in the classroom to a variety of real world settings. Keep an eye out for further information from your students case manager.

Back to School Night

Whether a returning student or a new member to our Rancho Family, Back to School Night is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and become acquainted with your student’s home away from home. We would love to meet you October 14, 2015 at 6:00pm.

If you have any questions our emails are listed below or call Rancho Alamitos High School at

(714) 663-6415.

Kelli Colombo: Detra Gunn:

Lisa McGuire Leslie To

Autumn Trail

We are excited about kicking off an awesome start to the school year!

Please sign below indicating that you have read this letter.

Student Name Parent Signature

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