Friday, April 17, 2020

A MESSAGE FROM DR. RALPH OPACIC

CSArts-SGV’s Executive Director, Dr. Ralph Opacic, sends his thoughts and words of hope to our campus community as we continue creating art at home. Click here or on the screenshot below to watch his video message.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT 2.0

As you know, in light of this unique time of distance learning, we have laid out guiding principles for CSArts-SGV’s teachers, students, and parents. However, we understand that different teaching styles, technological access and preferences, and family responsibilities can result in different experiences and expectations across teachers’ online courses.

Although we cannot host an in-person Back-to-School Night this spring, we want to ensure that the lines of communication between parents and teachers remain open. We encourage parents to virtually participate in our Back-to-School Night 2.0 by visiting the "Back-to- School Night 2.0" Google Doc and watching video presentations from teachers containing approaches to online distance learning for each of their child’s individual courses.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT EXAMS

The plans to continue to offer (AP) exams during these extraordinary times for learning and has been providing regular testing information updates on their website. Key highlights from the College Board’s plan for AP exams are included below.

• AP exams (excluding portfolio exams such as AP Studio Art and AP Computer Science Principles) will all take place AT HOME and ONLINE from Monday, May 11th - Friday, May 22nd. • Most exams will be 45 minutes long and include 5 additional minutes for uploading responses. • Most exams will include 1-2 free-response questions only. • Exams will be open-book and open-note. • Exams will only include topics and skills that most classes covered by early March. • Students will choose what type of device – computer, tablet, or smartphone – to use. They can also choose to write their responses by hand and submit a photo of their work.

It is important to note that colleges and universities will still accept AP exam scores from the 2019-2020 school year. Therefore, the benefits of taking the AP exams are the same as they have always been. It is a good experience for students to take a high-stakes exam to show all that they have learned this year. These exams can also help students earn college credit before they graduate from high school.

However, parents: If your child no longer wants to take the AP exam in its shortened and reduced form, you can easily cancel any exam of your choosing and request a full refund using the form here. Students do not need to do anything to cancel an exam other than simply not taking it; no email needs to be sent, and no notification needs to be given to CSArts-SGV or the College Board. The College Board will not be charging CSArts-SGV for canceled exams this year, including the base fee that families paid in the fall. To receive a refund, we ask that you fill out the form here by Friday, May 22nd. This will streamline our Business Office’s process of refunding families. Refunds will not be issued until late May or early June after AP exam rosters have been confirmed. Should any family currently have trouble accessing a device or reliable internet, please notify the College Board here. Mrs. Read has been working with families who have technological access challenges; if this is the case for your family, please also email her at [email protected].

Future AP exam communications from CSArts-SGV will be sent from Mrs. Read directly to the families of confirmed test takers. Thank you for your time and attention.

DUAL ENROLLMENT CLASSES

CSArts-SGV has been fortunate to offer a large number of dual enrollment classes in partnership with Citrus College over the past three semesters. This allows students to take classes on our campus and simultaneously receive credit at both CSArts-SGV and Citrus College. Twenty-seven conservatory classes are currently being offered through the dual enrollment program. Almost all of these classes are also articulated across the California State University and University of California systems, making transfer of credits between Citrus College and these public universities seamless.

It is important to note that these classes, though offered on our campus and with our teachers, are college-level classes and are not subject to the grading practices we have recently outlined for all of our other classes. Because these classes are at a higher level, new content is being taught and evaluated, and grades are not fixed per the last grading period. Here is the guidance we have been given from Citrus College:

Instructors for dual enrollment classes have been advised to make modest adjustments and be somewhat lenient with assignment deadlines, etc., and that has included some instructors adjusting their assessments. However, the content of the course as outlined in the course syllabus must still be delivered and assessed, as it is a college-level course. If this is not suitable for a student, they have two options:

• Pass/No Pass Option (P/NP): This allows for students to elect a "pass/no pass" in lieu of a grade. Citrus College is unsure whether CSU and UC schools will accept this grading option in our courses, particularly if it is for a major. • Excused Withdrawal (EW): If this option is selected, students are withdrawn from the course, and the course does not count as an attempt, nor does it affect their academic record in any way. The EW will remain an option through the end of the course.

As always, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines for our dual enrollment classes are set by the federal government; consequently, we do not post grades on Schoology, and instructors are not allowed to communicate with parents regarding a student’s progress without written permission obtained from the student through Citrus College.

Parents: If you have questions as to whether the Pass/No Pass or Excused Withdrawal should be considered for your child, please reach out to one of our counselors to help make an informed decision.

SENIOR UPDATES COMING SOON

Senior families: Please stay tuned for an email early next week with information pertaining specifically to the Class of 2020, including an update on graduation. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work to address challenges surrounding senior events and celebrations in light of the extended school closure.

LAST CHANCE TO ORDER A YEARBOOK

A limited number of CSArts-SGV yearbooks for the 2019-2020 school year are still available! Act fast – the last day to purchase a yearbook is TOMORROW, Saturday, April 18th, at 11:59 PM, while supplies last. Visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and enter job number "16817" to reserve your copy before they sell out!

Please note: We are still planning to distribute yearbooks in a timely manner, to the best of our abilities. As of now, the Herff Jones facility that prints and distributes our yearbook is closed until Monday, April 27th due to the COVID-19 crisis, which will delay the delivery of our yearbooks. However, as soon as we receive our order from Herff Jones, we will notify our families with a plan for distribution.

If you have any questions regarding ordering or distribution of the yearbook, please email [email protected].

NEW: VIRTUAL SHOWCASE & FANFARE EXPERIENCE

We invite you to join us for CSArts-SGV’s new Virtual Showcase & Fanfare Experience! Accompanied by an online auction and opportunity drawing, each conservatory will showcase the dedication of its talented students to an online audience. Attendance is free of charge, but we hope that you will support the students by participating in the online auction.

The Fanfare Experience online auction and opportunity drawing will open to the public at 9:00 AM on Monday, May 11th and close at 9:00 PM on Saturday, May 16th. The Virtual Showcase of conservatory performances will begin at 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 16th.

Instructions to participate will be coming soon. Thank you in advance for your support!

PARENT COLLEGE FUNDING WEBINAR

CSArts-SGV encourages parents to attend an entertaining and educational College Funding Webinar with Cyndi Menegaz, National Program Director at SMARTTRACK College Funding, next Thursday, April 23rd at 7:00 PM. Most families are surprised to learn they can significantly lower their out-of-pocket costs, maximize grants and scholarships, and better afford expensive colleges. Even if you don’t think you qualify for financial aid, learning how to pay in the most advantageous way possible can make a tremendous difference for your family’s success. Provided through the College Funding High School Initiative, this webinar will outline crucial steps to help you lower college costs.

Click here to register for the webinar (REQUIRED).

UPCOMING COLLEGE COUNSELING EVENTS & RESOURCES

• Now through Tuesday, June 30th: Free access to the College, Career, and Life- Ready (CCLR) curriculum via the CSArts-SGV Naviance Student Account. • Monday, April 20th at 7:00 PM: College Testing & Changes to College Admissions Webinar presented by Kaplan Test Prep via Zoom. • Thursday, April 23rd at 7:00 PM: College Funding Webinar presented by SMARTTRACK College Funding via Zoom. • Saturday, May 30th at 8:30 AM: Online Mock/Practice ACT & Practice SAT hosted by Kaplan Test Prep via Zoom. • Monday, June 1st - Friday, June 5th: Free College Essay Writing Bootcamp for rising seniors presented by the College Essay Guy via Zoom.

TECH SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE TO HELP

Are you having trouble with your Bak device? CSArts-SGV’s Tech Support is here to assist you. Tech Support is working modified hours during the school closure according to the following schedule:

• Monday - Friday, on days that school would have normally been in session • 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Tech Support is available via phone at 657.321.4000 ext. 4900 and by email at [email protected].

SCHOOL COUNSELORS ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU

Now that the distance learning graded period has begun, we realize that some students may be feeling anxious or overwhelmed. Your administrative team and counselors are here to help you! Please reach out to your counselor via email or schedule a meeting using YouCanBookMe.

• Mindy Shiroma (Grades 9-11: A-G & Grade 12: A-K): [email protected] or mindyshiroma.youcanbook.me • Emily Amsler (Grades 9-11: H-O): [email protected] or emilyamsler.youcanbook.me • Vicky Hsu (Grades 9-11: P-Z & Grade 12: L-Z): [email protected] or vickyhsu.youcanbook.me

UPDATED MASTER CALENDAR

CSArts-SGV’s arts conservatories have been hard at work adapting their performances and events for the virtual space. Be sure to check out the Master Calendar on our website, which has been updated with dates for upcoming virtual live events, digital exhibitions, performance video premieres, and more!

CSARTS-SGV ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE

Maisie Skinner (ACT, '24) and her younger sister, Mina, have been flexing their creative muscles by doing a variety of arts activities at home! They have been re-creating art from the Getty's online collection, in addition to starting a weekly newscast on their YouTube channel, "Video Monsters." Click here or on the screenshot below to see Maisie’s awesome re- creations and her most recent newscast.

Students: Be sure to send videos or photos of your at-home arts activities to [email protected] to be featured on the @CSArtsSGV social media pages!

DEADLINE EXTENDED: CLASS OF 2020 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES

Seniors: The deadline to upload your college acceptances for the #CSArtsCollegeWall has been extended to Monday, April 20th!

1. Download and fill out CSArts-SGV's College Acceptance PDF with your name and the top three colleges/universities you have been accepted to. 2. Save the file as Last Name_First Name.pdf. 3. Upload the file to the College Acceptance Google Form. Note: Students must be logged in to Google with their CSArts-SGV email/password to access the form.

Remember to also tag #CSArtsCollegeWall in your posts!

Sincerely,

The CSArts-SGV Administrative Team

William Wallace, Ed.D., Principal ([email protected]) Courtney Miller, Assistant Principal ([email protected]) Nicole Read, Assistant Principal ([email protected]) Stephen Cook, D.M.A., Dean of Arts ([email protected]) Elizabeth Ton, Senior Director of Development ([email protected]) Emily Amsler, High School Counselor, Grades 9-11: H-O ([email protected]) Vicky Hsu, High School Counselor, Grades 9-11: P-Z & Grade 12: L-Z ([email protected]) Mindy Shiroma, High School Counselor, Grades 9-11: A-G & Grade 12: A-K ([email protected])