News from Oasis

Dear Parents of Ninth Graders,

Welcome to high school at CVCA! Whether you are new to our community or your child is coming from the CVCA Middle School, we are so excited to meet you and help you start this year well.

As a result of parent, teacher, and student input, we saw a need for some additional support for our ninth-grade students as they transition to high school at CVCA. We know that the beginning of the year can feel overwhelming as they adjust to new schedules and jump into extracurricular activities. It may feel like there isn’t sufficient space in the day to get organized, think about how to manage time efficiently, study effectively, use Canvas, and learn to be good self-advocates with teachers and peers. There are so many skills needed for success in high school!

Freshmen Foundations

Explanation

Freshmen Foundations is a mini seminar that we offer to all Freshmen, along with some more individualized breakout sessions, and we will meet during classes and study halls at various times throughout the year, mostly during first quarter.

Topics

As we meet, we will discuss the following topics:

Developing “grit” and perseverance, and learning how to self-advocate at CVCA
Basic organizational strategies - using Canvas effectively and efficiently
Time management
Goal setting
Study strategies for different types of assessments
Resources available to students who may feel overwhelmed

After we meet, a follow-up email will be sent so that you can also discuss some of these topics with your students at home.

Week One: Grit

Our discussion today revolved around the topic of "Grit."

View Week 1 slides.

Discussion included:

Developing GRIT - We read an article and discussed it in small groups

Having a sound organizational system and why you need your own

Setting up Canvas effectively

Understanding what goes into grades for each class

Looking at GPA - What is it and why is it important?

Students then completed a 9th-grade survey to help us understand how they feel academically as they start high school at CVCA.

Please talk with your students about the takeaways they have from this week's meetings. Consider implementing one or two strategies in the week ahead. For example, click below to view a ready-to-use system for organizing work.

Weekly Assignment Tracker

Michelle Perrow,

New Student Liason

and

Guidance Counselor

Thank you for entrusting us with your students and we are looking forward to partnering with you this year to Educate and Cultivate Servants for Christ.

Laura Chadima,

Director

Academic Success

Educating and Cultivating Servants for Christ

cvcaroyals.org