News & Notes - August 1, 2018
What's Happening at The Academies? 

Aug 7 -- SVA Middle School Orientation

Aug 14 -- Blue Oak Open Campus Meet & Greet

Aug 15 -- School Begins! (early release @ 2:00)

Aug 21 -- BOA Back to School Night & New Parent Orientation 

Aug 22 -- SVA Back to School Night & New Parent Orientation 
2018-19 Academic Calendar Revisions

We've made some changes to the calendar for the upcoming school year. Note that our winter break now aligns with VUSD's. Check it out here! 
The 2018-19 Family Handbook is Here!

Check out the latest Family Handbook for answers to many of your questions! Download the PDF for Blue Oak Academy or Sycamore Valley Academy. 
Mandatory SVA Middle School Orientation

Join the Middle School teaching team on August 7 at 6:00PM at SVA. Parents and students will learn what to expect in the year ahead. After the orientation meeting, students will receive their class schedules and elective assignments. 

Please contact the Middle School team if you have questions. 
Mrs. Lewis - [email protected]
Mr. Bigler - [email protected]
Mr. Sommer - [email protected]
BOA Open Campus Meet & Greet 

Tuesday, August 14 11:30-12:30

We're opening our campus before school begins so you and your child can pop in for a visit! 

Stop by with your child for a quick tour around campus and stop in to meet their teacher. Principal Stinson is looking forward to seeing you! 
Back to School Night & New Parent Orientation

Join us for a fun and informative evening at each of our schools as we welcome you to the 2018-19 academic year. 

If you are new to The Academies, please plan to attend your school's New Parent Orientation at 7:00PM. This highly informative meeting will help you and your child get the most out of your new school. 

Bring the family and cash for food vendors and school spirit wear. See you there!  

Blue Oak 
5:30: come early for food trucks and meet and greet the PTO!
6:00, 6:30, 7:00 - classroom presentations
7:00 - new parent orientation

Sycamore Valley
5:30- come early for Tacos Galacticos
6:00, 6:30, 7:00 -  classroom presentations
7:00 - new parent orientation


Welcome Mrs. Wright! 

We are pleased to announce that Mrs. Theresa Wright will be teaching in her own 3rd and 4th grade classroom at Sycamore Valley Academy this year! Our staff and students already know Mrs. Wright as their favorite substitute teacher. We are excited to welcome her to our family full-time!

Theresa was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, but is a long-time resident of the Central Valley. Mrs. Wright earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Westmont College and enjoyed several different jobs before discovering that her true calling and passion was education.

Theresa has been a substitute teacher at SVA since 2015, joining the Blue Oak Academy staff in 2017 as a Science teacher. She is thrilled and honored to join the 3-4 teaching team and is ecstatic at the opportunity to remain a lifelong learner, while encouraging her students to do the same.

There is no joy in her life greater than her three children, and Theresa is grateful to have her two youngest attending SVA, where they are nurtured intellectually as well as emotionally, and where they are challenged to find and use their gifts.

Theresa enjoys reading, singing, playing the piano, snuggling with her five cats, and hiking and camping with her dogs, Tucker and Machu Picchu.
 


School Uniform Fundraiser

Welcome to the best, easiest fundraiser ever! Shop Primary's premium colorful basics for kids without logos, slogans or sequins (perfect for meeting our school uniform dress code standards!), while earning money for our school! Use your school's unique link every time you shop for uniforms, pajamas, play clothes, and more:

www.primary.com/school/sycamore
www.primary.com/school/blueoak

When you use the links, 10% of that sale goes directly back to our school. Cha-ching! Plus, new customers get 20% off their first order with codes: SYCAMORE or BLUE OAK.

Want to add your school logo? Pick up some official crest patches in your school office next month!  
SVA Bus Rider Registration 

Attention SVA Families! 
It's almost time to sign up to ride the bus to and from SVA next year. PLEASE READ the following information about bus rider sign-ups! 

The SVA administration and Board of Directors have chosen to invest in transportation service in order to provide  equitable community access to our educational option. In order to provide the greatest impact for our investment in this service, providing access to our school to those who would otherwise not be able to get here without hardship, we have located our bus stops in the areas of Visalia's greatest need.  

Reserved seats on the bus are limited and will be granted on a first come, first served basis with priority access given to those who are eligible for the federal student meal program. In the event that we have more students than available seats, a waitlist will be formed after all free and reduced-price meal eligible students have been given seats. As always, if you do not truly need to use our student transportation service, please do not reserve a seat for your child. 

Please complete this form between Monday, July 9 at 8:00AM and Friday, August 10 at noon. The form is also available on our website. 

After School Program  Registration Now Open

We offer affordable, enriching after school care for our students as a service to our community. Our program fees are on a sliding scale based on income. Please read the registration form carefully to learn about our billing and payment options. 

Please use this form to register your child for The Academies After School Programs.
Pick Up & Drop Off Procedures

We designed these procedures with student safety as our top priority. Please study the maps below and follow the procedures outlined for your school.  
  • Always pull forward in drop off lanes before allowing your child to exit your vehicle. 
  • Use crosswalks when crossing streets. 
  • Maintain parking lot speeds under 5 MPH. 
  • Always wait with your child until gates are opened at 7:35AM. 
  • Turn off engine when waiting to pick up your child. 

If you have questions about pick up and drop off procedures, please call your school office. 

 




Uniform Dress Code Reminder
Our schools have a uniform dress code, emphasizing our school colors and de-emphasizing designs and branding that are distracting and divisive within the student body.
 
Clothing that meets our dress code standards may be purchased at any store, however French Toast and Lands' End offer the option to have an SVA or Blue Oak Crest embroidered on many compliant clothing items. Isn't that awesome?

PLEASE NOTE: Our dress code is always in effect for outerwear (jackets, sweatshirts, sweaters, etc) too. Finding solid color outerwear styles free of logos and embellishments can be a challenge. We encourage you to purchase outerwear from the school uniform sites of Land's End or French Toast. 

SVA Uniform Dress Visual Reference Guide

 

Classroom Announcements Coming Soon! 

Keep an eye on your mailbox during the coming week. Your child will receive a postcard from their 2018-19 teacher. 
Our schools offer a convenient option for student breakfast and lunch. Meals are provided by through contract with Visalia Unified School District's Nutritional Services Division and are delivered daily to our cafeterias.

Breakfast - $ 1.25 per day    Lunch - $2.00 per day   Milk - $0.35 per carton

You can pay for lunches at school with cash or check,  or pay  online with the myschoolbucks.com  service . An app is available so you can easily use this service on your smartphone. If you have not already done so, you will need  to register, create an account and  provide an ID number for each student .  Contact the front office of your school to obtain your child's student ID number.
 
Click here to see the current menu. 

Reminder: No Birthday Treats

Our schools have a no-treat policy for birthday celebrations. Classroom parties are limited and will be arranged by your teacher.Please do not send candy, cupcakes, popsicles, etc. to school for birthdays. Instead, we encourage you to donate a book in your child's honor to their classroom library.

Current Job Openings: 

Math Intervention Specialist
Enrichment Teacher: Art
Enrichment Teacher: Band Director
After School Program Instructional Aide

Substitute Custodian
The Academies Charters is seeking a backup daytime custodian. F ingerprint clearance is required. 

The Academies Charters have an experienced and dedicated teaching staff, but we are always looking to expand our sub list. 

If you or someone you know has the desire to be a substitute teacher at our amazing school, has a bachelor's degree, has passed the CBEST, and is willing to get a substitute credential and fingerprint clearance we would love to grow our team. 

If you are interested please email Shauna Dolin at  [email protected]. 
Know of a community event you'd like to share? Email information and images to Claudia Van Groningen [email protected]
The Academies CMO| 559.622-3236 | theacademiescharters.org
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