Beyond the Blackboard

Social Boot Camp: Teens Kick Your Manners into High Gear!

From Dona Friess, who is a great SJC resident, author and recently retired college professor:

This boot camp is a workshop  is designed to give youth a chance to work on their social skills.

There is only one chance to make a positive first impression! Employers, interviewers, and others often decide about a person in the first 30 seconds. It is up to us to make that time count!

This two-part work shop will have limited enrollment. Participants will learn appropriate greeting rituals including eye contact, facial expression, and handshake. They will learn how to conduct small talk and hold up a conversation. Participants will learn table etiquette and appropriate appearance for interviews, dates and social interacts with adults.

Meetings will be held at the San Juan Capistrano Boys and Girls Club Teen Center on Tuesday April 19^th from 5p.m. -6:15 and on April 26^th, 5-6:15. Free to club members. 949.240.7890

SIGN UP TODAY:  BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF CAPISTRANO VALLEY, ONE  VIA POSITIVO, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO. Call: 949.240.7890.  Non member teens 13-18 can sign up online at the Boys and Girls Club website for a $20 membership fee.

Strike Won't Stop These Shows

Although some co-curricular activities are cancelled Thursday as Capistrano Unified School District  teachers take to the picket line, at least two student productions will take the stage as scheduled. Here are two announcements:

Regarding this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday's performances: 

The show will go on!!!!!  There will be a performance of curtains on each of these nights as originally scheduled!
 
This is confirmed information from the highest levels and is absolutely accurate.
 
Set in 1959 Boston, Curtains is a comedic tale of a group of actors who hitched their stars to the musical show, Robin Hood of the Old West. All is not going well, though, and about to get worse … there’s a tone deaf diva, who ends up murdered in the opening night curtain call.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students with ID and seniors. Run dates are April 22 through the April 24 at San Clemente High School Triton Center. Box Office opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.

And over at Dana Hills:

As they say in show business, "The Show Must Go On."  And so it will.

There have been many SOCSA parents, students and friends asking if SOCSA's 42nd Street performances will be affected by the teacher's strike. The answer is no.

SOCSA Foundation's production of 42nd Street will have its opening night as scheduled, Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00pm in the Porthole Theatre inside Dana Hills High School. 

There will be a Gala Event in the spirit of 42nd Street starting at 6:00pm on Thur Apr 22nd in the mall just outside the Porthole Theater... The Gala is free to all and tickets for the 7:00pm performance are still available for sale on our web site at:

 http://www.SOCSArts.org/boxoffice.php

or at the door the day of the show.

The performance of the SOCSA Spring Musical, 42nd Street, is a SOCSA Foundation event and all 6 performances will go on as scheduled.

We look forward to seeing you there and Listening to the Lullaby Of Broadway.

INCOMING FRESHMEN SOCSA STUDENT AUDITIONS:
Saturday's SOCSA student auditions for next year will go on as scheduled; if the strike continues into Friday, the SOCSA auditions on that day will be rescheduled.

- The 2009/10 SOCSA Foundation Board of Directors

Coast Hills Church Issues Explaination, Apology

The Elders of Coast Hills Church issued this statement tonight:

Dear Coast Hills Family,

As many of you may know, these are challenging times for Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD). The CUSD Board and Capistrano Unified Education Association (CUEA) have been in negotiations for months. Coast Hills Community Church entered into an agreement with the CUEA on April 6, 2010 to provide space for a meeting on April 15. Coast Hills has provided our facility to the CUEA numerous times in the past; in fact we are looking forward to hosting the “Teacher of the Year Awards,” sponsored by the CUEA, on April 22.

On April 13, at 5:30pm, we learned through a member of our congregation who is a teacher in the CUSD, that the April 15 meeting involved the taking of a “strike” vote. Since Coast Hills does not host political events, our church exercised its right, under the agreement, to cancel the contract. We have not had any communication with any CUSD Board Member or related party. We recognize that this decision caused difficulty for the CUEA and its members and we apologize for the inconvenience.

We are currently attempting to contact the President of the CUEA to request a meeting to discuss the events of this past week, in hopes of clarifying any misunderstandings.

In the midst of all of this there are undoubtedly many emotions and misunderstandings. If left unchecked, we can find ourselves as believers distracted and divided. As a church family, may we be reminded that above all else we seek to focus on following Christ in unity

(John 17:20-23).

Sincerely in Christ,

Your Board of Elders

-- Fair disclosure here: I attend services at Coast Hills Church and have never seen anyone connected to the CUSD insiders at services there. I'm sure whether this was handled properly will be discussed on this blog, in CUEA offices and in the offices at Coast Hills, but I'll continue to call the church my spiritual home.

Dana Hills High Students Protest Today

Officials reports from Capistrano Unified School District say that fewer than 100 were involved in a pre-lunch protest today in which students walked off campus. Orange County Sheriff's Deputies were on hand to keep most from leaving.

Text messages among students apparently spurred the event, which happened during the tutorial period.

District spokeswoman Julie Hatchel says the school resource officer -- the OC Sheriff's Deputy assigned to Dana Hills High -- reported between 50 and 100 students tried to leave campus this morning in apparent protest to the school board's decision Wednesday to impose a 10.1 percent pay cut on teachers.

Dana Hills has always been a pretty politically astute campus: it was that school's publication, The Paper, that first broke news of the Education Alliance involvement in the first round of recall elections, and the current student adviser to trustees is Dana Hills student Saam Alikhani. Well spoken, Alikhani has been more vocal than any other student trustee I've seen, and he's often been critical of some board decisions. He and Trustee Jack Brick voted against the contract imposition.

Hatchel said the Dana Hills incident was quickly brought under control -- extra deputies and school personnel were sent over and on hand in case something else/similar happened at lunch, but the noon hour passed without incident.

Students who missed class, by the way, can be marked as truant.

An Update on the Movie Cancellation: Dispatch To Blame?

I talked to Chris Korpi, the recall leader who was going to show the Pacific Research Institute's "Not as Good as You Think" documentary -- which includes stinging criticism of Capistrano Unified School District by some folks who are now trustees -- about why the Sunday showing was cancelled in Dana Point.

Korpi said Dana Point city officials told him they were concerned the event would draw too many people, because it had been "advertised" as open to the public. His permit, and insurance, was based on a more ... controlled ... event.

For proof, and as reason why it was cancelled late Friday afternoon, Dana Point city officials pointed to ... yep, a Capistrano Dispatch e-mail blast. Those blasts go out to folks who have signed up for them. On the list of links that day was indeed an announcement of the movie. But I'm not sure what officials were concerned about.

Here's the text that went out:

From the (new) CUSD Recall Effort:

There will be a free showing to all interested members of the CUSD Community of the movie: "Not as Good As You Think - The Myth of The Middle Class School" on Sunday March 7th from 4-6 p.m. at the Dana Point Community Center at 34052 Del Obispo, Dana Point, CA 92629.  Trustees have held the movie up as inspiration; critics say it charts a path to destroying the district. Space is limited. RVSP to: [email protected]  

You'll note there it says space is limited and reservations are required. Korpi said he had about 165 RSVPs and could have held about 300.

I put in a call to DP officials late Monday afternoon. I didn't hear back. Will update when I do.

I may never see this movie. You all remember what happened last time: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/school-daze/capistrano-unified-recall-lead/

Ah well, there's always April 11. Korpi said the movie will show then in San Juan Capistrano. Other dates and locations before then will likely be announced, too.

What Would You Like to See in a Superintendent?

 

This was sent out today... Interim Superintendent Bobbi Mahler recently said keeping an interim for this long has been a good move by trustees, because she can make changes without fear of future career repercussions in CUSD ... The search firm is costing the district about $28,000 -- Mahler said the initial contract bid was in the $40,000-range and the district negotiated it down. The district wants to have a new Superintendent in place by August 1 -- or ASAP.

 

Here's the announcement:

 

WE WANT YOUR INPUT: The Capistrano Unified School District Board of Education has initiated its search for a new superintendent.  Information regarding the Superintendent Search is available at www.capousd.org.  A Parent Forum will be held to gather your input on the development of a profile of leadership for the new superintendent.  The Parent Forum will be held on:

 

Tuesday, February 16, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

 

at two locations…

 

Las Flores School

 

25862 Antonio Parkway, Rancho Santa Margarita 92688

 &

 CUSD Education Center Board Room 33122 Valle Road, San Juan Capistrano 92675

 

We have also provided a Leadership Profile Assessment Form on our website which will give all stakeholders the opportunity to voice input. We hope that you will take some time to fill this out and return it as directed.  Your input is valued.

 

If you can't make the meeting, the district has a Web site up for the search here.