Hi all,
Another lovely spring week. Keep your eyes on the sky this Saturday: around 6 pm there will be a solar eclipse. Make sure you have filtered glasses if watching it so you don't hurt your eyes.
Other interesting news/info:
Thanks to all your efforts in completing Independent Study, we earned an extra $18,000 this year in state funding – way to go!
TTUSD school calendars are out for the next two years. You can access them at: www.ttusd.org Our start day is the same, Aug 29, but we will end on Friday, June 14, 2013.
Sorry this is a little late. Today, Tuesday, we hosted John LeCavalier and Deborah Pinto from Expeditionary Learning. They toured classrooms, spoke with staff, and conducted our yearly Implementation Review (an assessment of our program). While results won't be in for another month, they both mentioned how high performing our expeditions are and how impressed they are with our overall program, particularly for only being in our second year. Kudos to ALL of our community for building a great school.
Still STAR testing this week (Wed and Thurs, some make up on Friday), so please have your students ready to go and on time.
Later this week or early next week I will be sending home enrollment forms for new sibling students. Please look for them, fill them out and have them returned by the first week of June.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The McMains Crew, aka Blue Bear Productions, is proud to invite our entire SELS family and the Tahoe Truckee community to share in the public premiere of our film Geology of California: 4,500,000,000 years in the making. The photography, scripts, interview questions, artwork, graphics, and editing were done by the twenty-four sixth grade students of Sierra Expeditionary Learning School in Truckee, California. The film is an extraordinary and visually stunning look at the forces that shape our state.
Please join us Wednesday evening, May 30th at The Resort at Squaw Creek, Alpine Room A-B.
Doors open at 6:30.
Show time: 7:00-7:30 followed by a student panel Q&A session
The Resort at Squaw Creek is also generously offering a 10% discount on food at Sandy's Pub for those who would like to enjoy a meal prior to the film! Copies of the DVD will be available for sale. Proceeds from film sales will help fund future expeditions. Please contact Reenie McMains at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School for additional information. rmcmains@truckeecharterschool.org
PTC:
the PTC has re'cd approx. $2500 from eScrip (Safeway) and Savemart Shares since the school opened. We want to encourage everyone to make sure they are signed up for eScrip and have a Shares card and they should use it each time they shop at one of these stores, anywhere, even nationally.
Library Makeover: Greetings SELS Families! We want to inform you of a wonderful opportunity for parents to help improve SELS facilities. The Library needs our love and attention! We are looking for people to join our new Library Committee. This committee will have a direct impact on the school, as a great library is an integral part of any learning institution.
Goals:
Increase literacy efforts
Log all books into an electronic system that will grow with us
Create a study atmosphere that encourages reading as well as the many other uses this multipurpose room serves
Create a fantastic looking space that gives visitors an accurate first impression of SELS
Establish student volunteer group that helps maintain the library
Coordinate with staff to order books needed for expeditions.
With both literacy and remodel efforts to focus on, we need a variety of people on this team. Up until this point, the library has been 100% donated but we now have some grant and Measure A money to spend wisely to achieve the library goals. Please join us for a brainstorming and job assignment meeting on Wednesday, May 16th at 5pm. The plan is to assign jobs, order furniture, and get started on this much needed Library Makeover! If you cannot attend, but have ideas and/or can help, please email Stacey Carr carrsick@davesick.net
Thank you for your support & involvement...together we can make a difference in our school!
Important Dates:
Wed, May 30, premier of McMains Crew documentary (see above)
Thurs, May 31, Board Meeting 6 pm, M-4 (this date has been changed from its normal time due to a scheduling conflict
Thurs, June 7, Celebration of Learning and BBQ, 5:30-7:30 pm
Thurs, June 14, Passages Ceremony, 12-3 pm
Friday, June 15, last day of school
2011-12 Handbook
2011-12 Handbook (Español)
Parent Notification
Aviso Anual Para Los Padres
PDF Format
SELS
11603 Donner Pass Road
Truckee, CA 96161
Portable buildings M3-M7
Email: truckeecharter@gmail.com
Phone: (530) 448-8115
Fax: (530) 448-8223
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On top of all the teaching and learning, I'm struck by the joy in the faces of all the children as they go about their quest for knowledge. Thanks to all the courageous and energetic people who had the vision to make this school a reality. With all the challenges the world faces today and predictions of disaster, these committed teachers/staff, these engaged families, and these beautiful children are a beacon of hope.
SELS embodies everything that I feel is important in my child's education and I am so grateful that she has the opportunity to learn in such an enriching environment. Teaching our children how to think and how to treat others is critical to their future success. I am thankful every single day for all the wonderful staff at SELS.
What an amazing place. It has been everything for my son that I had hoped he could experience in school. Great teacher, stimulating learning environment, and a deeply caring and nurturing place.
I am grateful that my child is encouraged to interpret concepts and think about how they apply to his life, not just memorize and repeat material. I love that SELS asks kids to think about who they are and how they contribute to the community, locally and globally.
I greatly appreciate that SELS is a heart-centered school that teaches ethics and values along with academics. That approach makes SELS a unique and special place.
I appreciate all the teachers and staff and their responsiveness. I also appreciate all the work the staff are doing to help the kids figure out how to fill each other's buckets!
Our son is bubbling over with excitement for learning. This environment is gifting him with life long skills to succeed. We are so thankful for this school.
All the Adults and students challenge each other the THINK!
SELS is amazing in the way they teach topics hands on and allow the children to learn in practical settings. We couldn't be happier seeing our son flourish so much! Thank you.
I am very grateful to the SELS staff for offering my 5th grader their hearts, as well as their knowledge. Better yet, they make learning fun and adventurous! My youngster is THRIVING at your wonderful school!!
We are thankful for many wonderful ideals and principles at SELS, but what really brings those into reality is the caring, hard-working teachers and staff. We wouldn't have thought that someone else would care as much about the whole education of our daughter as much as we do, but there is a whole team of such people at SELS.
I am so thankful that my 5th grade daughter is a member and student of this beautiful community and school. She is receiving a fantastic education with hands on learning, caring, understanding, creative, out of the box thinking and intuitive teachers. She feels included, important, confident and is growing tons in her knowledge and place in this wonderful community. Thank you SELS for being an amazing part of my daughter's education and Life!
I truly appreciate all the staff, students, parents and families at SELS. It is these people that make SELS so wonderful.
This has become a new 'family" for us!
I am so grateful for the amazing staff; they are the most amazing guides. It is an inspiration to watch them help our children learn and grow into thoughtful, independent, productive human beings!
