What a great Orientation night!  It was wonderful reconnecting with all our retuning families and welcoming so many new ones too!  I could feel the excitement as the courtyard was filled with happy sounds again.  (Kudo’s to all the dads who stood vigilantly around the wood chips keeping an eye on all those little ones!)

Reminder: We will be sending in the “Emergency Food Pack” order on Friday, 9/4.   If you wish to purchase one or more food packs, please send $20/3 day pack to the scho0l office with your child.   37% of sales will be used to help send our 4th and 5th graders to Sacramento in the spring!

I hope everyone has a restful final weekend!  We’re lookig forward to seeing lots of smiling faces on Monday morning.

Another year has come to a close.  Thanks, everyone for a great 2008-09!  We wish you all a wonderful  summer.  Keep these dates in mind:

August 5th  Uniform Sale at School  3:00-7:00 PM

August 27th  All School Orientation  6:30 PM.

August 31st  School Starts 8:00 AM

$1 cup of cocoa

$1 donuts

Support our Athletic’s program!

Feb 2:  Early Registration for 2009-10 starts today

Feb 4:  Boys’ Basketball; 3:30 @ Santa Rosa

Feb. 5:  Girls’ Basketball; 3:30 @ Home

We are still collecting $$ to help provided the Orphanage in Ukraine with warm boots.  They’re having a bitter winter this year, and are in the middle of a political crisis in which they are not receiving adequate heating fuel.  Please check out Impact Ministries International to see more about what this organization is dong to help Ukrain and other parts of the world.  After going to the website, click on “Ministries”, drop down to “Russia and Ukraine”.  You will find the shoe/boot project listed under “Project of the Month”. 

You could make it a family project!  For example, committ to eating a very inexpensive dinner one night a week for one month.  Money saved goes to help Nina’s orphanage.  It’s easy.  We have so much; they have so little.  Let’s share!

We are still collecting $$ to help provided the Orphanage in Ukraine with warm boots.  They’re having a bitter winter this year, and are in the middle of a political crisis in which they are not receiving adequate heating fuel.  Please check out Impact Ministries International to see more about what this organization is dong to help Ukrain and other parts of the world.  After going to the website, click on “Ministries”, drop down to “Russia and Ukraine”.  You will find the shoe/boot project listed under “Project of the Month”. 

You could make it a family project!  For example, committ to eating a very inexpensive dinner one night a week for one month.  Money saved goes to help Nina’s orphanage.  It’s easy.  We have so much; they have so little.  Let’s share!

Each of the Ventura High Schools will be hosting an information night for parents of students entering 9th grade next year.  The dates and times of these Information Nights is below:

Buena High School,  Jan. 15, 6:30 @ Buena

El Camino High School, Jan. 13, 6:30 @ VC

Foothill Tech, Jan 21, 5:30 or 7:30 @ Foothill

Ventura High, Jan. 14, 6:30 @ Ventura High

For more information, please refer to the flyer that was sent home

or you can visit each school’s website for contact information. 

Monday:  Boys’ Basketball Game, Home, 3:30

Wednesday:  Boys’ Basketball Game, Away

Thursday:  Girl’s Basketball Game, Home, 3:30

Friday:  Dollar Dress Day

This Friday, the Girls’ and Boys’ basketball teams will be selling donuts and cocoa before school. 

$1 for Donut/Cocoa

Parents and students may purchase their treat as kids are dropped off for school. 

Students will be in the parking lot to serve you.  Thanks for supporting our teams!

As Mrs. Annette and I looked out the office window yesterday, this is the scene we saw.  These pictures capture some of the best things about College Heights.

Notice the ages of the students participating in the parachute activity.  This took place during Kindergarten P.E.  as the Middle School students were finishing lunch and dismissing to the playground.  Miss Julli asked if any would like to help the Kindergarten students with the parachute.  They all eagerly accepted and spent the next 15 minutes play/learning with the little ones, encouraging them and cheering them on.  What’s so great about that?

1) Little children need as many good role models as possible, and I am confident that what they are seeing in our Middle Schoolers is something that they can truly look up to.

2) One of the keys to success in life is being willing to “engage” in the lives of people around us.  I see this in our students on a daily basis.  They are eager to help, serve,  and encourage.  And I appreciate the teachers for recognizing and taking advantage of opportunities for them to do so.

3) Middle school students are at an age where acceptance and approval is so very important.  It is typically a time of insecurity and uncertainty.  Many adults remember their middle school years as the most unpleasant time of their lives.  We’re working to change that!  At CHCS all a “big kid” needs to do is walk across the courtyard and there will be dozens of adoring fans pouring out their healthy approval on them.  This is something  they would never experience if they were on a campus with only middle schoolers.

Needless to say, Mrs. Annette and I were blessed when we looked out the office window, but to be honest, this kind of thing is a daily occurrence here on campus.  Stop by anytime and see!