I have been incredibly impressed by our community's resilience and positive approach to learning. There is so much happening here!
Sorry (not sorry) for all of the field trip permission slip forms. More field trips is something our students requested, and we listened. It is important for us to bring learning to life. From an all-school movie theatre field trip to teach about epistemology to frog dissection or skateboarding, getting your kids excited about learning makes teaching more fun for all of us.
We are all life-long-learners constantly seeking to improve our practice. On Monday, our teachers participated in a full-day professional development reading chapters from Grading for Equity and Deep in Thought: A Practical Guide to Teaching for Intellectual Virtues. We shared project rubrics in hopes of more student engagement and clear expectations.
Last month, teachers began their reflection and evaluation cycle of peer observations and admin observations. This week, the teachers completed a thorough reflection about their teaching practice, and then will meet with the administration to update their professional goals. We are so proud of their focus on our mission and purpose while showing humility, open-mindedness. What an amazing crew.
Several project ideas will be launched next week. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @ivahigh to spy on the learning process.
Warm regards,
Summer Sanders
IMPORTANT DATES
March 8
Late Work Deadline
March 11
Faculty Only: Professional Development -
Student Free Day
March 13
All School Art Theatre Field Trip
March 22
Snowboarding Field Trip
March 22
FAFSA Workshop
March 29
No School-
Good Friday
April 1-5
Spring Break
Campus Updates
Black History Month Celebration
Different Shades of Brown club led celebrations for Black History Month at IVA High School and IVA Middle School to celebrate the strength and richness of our community.
At IVA High School students in the Different Shades of Brown Club created a mural along the entrance walkway with contributions from Advisory classes. Advisory classes contributed cutouts of their hands to the mural and wrote out goals related to family, career, and life to contribute to the "I have a dream" wall. In addition, soul food by @auntijuicee_ was catered to our students for a celebration lunch prior to Advisory.
Different Shades of Brown visited IVA Middle School during their Advisory to lead them in creating vision boards about their dreams and goals for the future. We are so proud of our Different Shades of Brown club for inviting and welcoming others into celebrating Black History Month!
Boys and Girls Club Partnership
IVA High is proud to partner with the Boys and Girls Club to offer a supportive community and service-learning club for our youth led by the Executive Director, Philip Redd.
Through its mission of supporting students with maintaining a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, Brent’s Club is able to benefit its members with career and college exploration, academic success programs, activities, and community service. Students will document their engagement in the program (e.g.: guest speakers, field trips, special events, luncheons, college scholarships etc.) and will be eligible for scholarships and other incentives upon completion of the program.
For additional information on how to join Brent's Club, please contact Mrs. Sanders at summer.sanders@ivahigh.org.
Financial Aid Workshop with LBCC
Attention seniors!! It is that time of year - TIME TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID (FAFSA). To help you with this process, we collaborated with Long Beach City College's financial aid department to come to our campus to support our students in the FAFSA application process. Seniors, please make sure you are here on Friday, March 22nd. Completing financial aid gives you access to one year free at LBCC and eligibility to grants for community colleges and four year universities (free money!).
Welcome to our new IVA High Staff!
Ms. Ollie is a fully credentialed Educational Specialist Mild to Moderate II with ELL and Autism Authorizations. She joins IVA High to provide support to teachers and students in the classroom. Read more about her here!
Coach Kerry is joining IVA High as a campus faculty aide. He is a trombonist, a competitive athlete, and has experience as a head soccer coach. Coach Kerry will be supporting staff and faculty with in class support, engaging students in physical activities, and building exercises. Read more about him here!
Classroom Highlights
Frog Dissections in Biology
Earlier last month at IVA High, our biology and honors biology students experienced the world of dissection as they compared and contrasted the bodies of our amphibian brethren with that of the human bodies. Students also discussed the different organ systems in the bodies of the frogs and as a class we got to see how each organ system is connected to each other.
Evolutionary similarities were discussed between frogs and humans as students noted similarities in the organs of the frogs bodies when compared to those of the human bodies and came up with a conclusion of a common ancestor of frog's and humans. As a whole, this frog dissection lab was a unique opportunity for students to practice what is preached in class about not only evolution but also about the complexity of organ and organ systems as well.
Children's Books in Spanish Class
Spanish 1 students have entered the third phase of their children's book project! In this part of the project, students will be creating their storyboard and writing their full rough draft of their bilingual children's book.
To launch the third phase, students drew the cover of their book and wrote short author biographies about themselves. The final phase of the children's book will include peer editing, revision, and finalizing their illustrations to publish their books. We can't wait until Spanish 1 students become published authors!
Upcoming Field Trips
Art Theater
Students will be attending a screening of Arrival at the Art Theatre in Long Beach for an all school field trip!
They will have the opportunity to investigate related questions in epistemology about how language shapes our perception and reality. Students and families can find the permission slip in Advisory classrooms and emails.
Snowboarding
IVA High takes on the slopes in our upcoming Snowboarding Field Trip! Field trip slip can be accessed through Parentsquare and Advisory classrooms.
There are limited spots available, however a waitlist will be created for submitted field trip slips. 🏂❄️
Community Resources
Apply for a Free Prom Dress from Maria's Closet
Maria's Closet is a nonprofit dedicated to providing prom dresses and accessories to girls in need in and around the Los Angeles South Bay area. Applications are now open for this year's prom season.
If you decide to sign up, be sure to write "Makenna" after your name! Apply by March 12th!
You are cordially invited to join The Wellness Social, a Community Event hosted by Sarah Floyd, LMFT, and Founder of Good Enough Therapy, in collaboration with Plantiitas Market. This event is open to the public at no cost!
Enrollment Update
IVA High is currently enrolling students going into 9th through 12th grade for next school year! Spread the word, invite your friends and family to learn more.
There is still time to enroll for the spring, and the application for the 2024-2025 school year is now open! Families can access our application on our website.Private tours are available! Please email info@ivahigh.org if interested in enrollment or a tour.
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