Welcome

Our New Site is Under Construction. You will find some helpful information here until then!

Castle Heights Elementary School is the proud recipient of the California Distinguished School Award!  Congratulations to our teachers, staff, administrators, students, parents, and friends of our wonderful school!

 Principal's Newsletter

Winter 2012

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year!!! I am so excited for this New Year, and all of the great programs that are being planned! The talent show is fast approaching, and this year looks to be a very talented group. At Castle Heights, we are always focused on rigorous academics; however the opportunity for our kids to showcase their individual talents is crucial to creating strong, well-rounded kids.

The painting of our school is finally finished. A two-year long process, the school looks polished and proud! I have received many positive comments from neighbors within eyesight of the school, that the new paint job “makes the entire neighborhood look better”. In addition to the finished painting, the school received an outdoor performance art / teaching space. This “amphitheater” is where the former STAR bungalow sat. This space is a beautiful outdoor space where students can act, dance, sing; or a space where teachers can hold class for specific lessons. These improvements will only highlight the beauty and functionality of our incredible school.

Our local school district representative Marguarite Poindexter LaMotte has graciously granted our school $15,000.00 for surpassing the 900 API level. API stands for Academic Performance Index, and this is the annual state testing level of our school. A perfect score is 1000, and our school is being heralded for rising to a level of 903. This is a great honor for our school. This money, while being a welcome relief, is limited to building and site improvements. I am currently exploring improvements to our beloved auditorium, which could include improved sound and lighting for future performances.

The monthly Coffee Talks continue to be an unqualified success! We have even added some “decaf” Coffee Talks at night for those of you who can’t get away from work in the morning. The subjects at these talks range from “Gifted Education, And Your Child”, to “Questions About Special Needs / Intervention For Your Child”. These talks are a great way to get questions answered, or just get one on one time with me. Look to the monthly parent calendar that comes home, or look to the big calendar by the office for upcoming events like this.

Recently, we as a school district participated in an outreach activity with Donor’s Choose, and the Wasserman Foundation. Donor’s Choose is an outstanding website that caters to teachers who post projects online that need funding. The Wasserman Foundation briefly matched donated funds, doubling the potential of our teachers receiving their requests. Unfortunately, the Wasserman Foundation curtailed their offer much sooner than anticipated, due to such an incredible outpouring of donations to match. The incredible news is that our Castle Heights teachers received over $20,000.00 in donations!!!!! Due to the generosity of our community, and the incredible opportunity from the Wasserman Foundation, our classrooms received such needed items as document readers, books, games, educational software, as well as wireless tablets to be used for learning centers. What an incredible boon for our school. However, the need is ever-present. The donations, that you as a parent community give to our school is essential!! The programs, field trips, personnel, and materials that we have come to rely on would not exist if it weren’t for your incredible generosity. Remember, the Spring Event is around the corner! The most important Castle Heights fundraiser of the year, the Spring Event is responsible for a large portion of the incredible projects and programs we offer our students.
Incredible news, the California Distinguished School Award Committee has moved our school to the next phase of their acceptance process. Several parents and teachers recently wrote an application for this high honor. Very few schools in the state are chosen to receive this recognition each year. We stand a good chance. The committee is coming to our school in mid March to view our school and to witness first hand, the incredible achievements Castle Heights has accomplished. I will keep you updated on the process of acceptance and the place we hold in this group of honored schools.

Finally, as we continue to reinforce our school wide positive behavior plan for Castle Heights, there are things you can do at home to help. At Castle Heights we establish the acceptable means by which students are expected to “be respectful”, “be responsible” and “be safe” in every area of the school. While misbehavior is not allowable, we make every effort to “catch” kids doing the right thing. This recognition can come in the form of a verbal praise, a pat on the back, or a raffle ticket good for a drawing at the end of the week. Studies have shown that reinforcing the correct behavior, rather than punishing for a negative behavior provides much stronger motivation over time. There is some great phrasing to help you at: http://www.breakthroughparentingservices.org/poster-ctbg.pdf . Of course, the breaking of rules and inappropriate behavior will and should always be met with clear, immediate and fair consequences.

Sincerely,

Brian Grass
Principal