3044 Horace Street Riverside, CA 92506 951-782-6500 [email protected]News and Information for Families, Staff, & Friends PAWSitive Reflections NOVEMBER 2011 CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, RIVERSIDE Where language and learning thrive! Artwork Created by Kindergarten Class
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Education ) that directly impact CSDR. Additionally, we enter this year armed with statistical
data which confirms that several previous programs implemented at CSDR are making a
positive impact on student learning. Here are some of the particulars related to both CDE
and CSDR actions:
CSDR has shown a steady increase on the state’ s Academic Performance Index
( A PI ) which is used by the state to report student performance on such tests as the
Measurement of Academic Performance and California Standards Test. Data Driven
Instruction, Language Planning and other researched methodologies used at CSDR have
been very successful in helping our students increase their academic standing with the
state.
Student behavior has significantly improved due to the focus on the Character Counts!
and the Boy ’ s Town programs which were incorporated throughout the school and
after-school activities several years ago. These two programs that focus on teaching
children the importance of developing strong positive character traits were combined with
CSDR ’ s anti-bullying program and has resulted in a significant decrease of incident
reports within the school. A safe and comfortable learning environment has always been
a top priority for CSDR and I ’ m happy to report that statistics are reflecting the positive
nature of CSDR programs.
The state has selected Mr. Scott Kerby as the new Division Director of State Special
Schools, California Department of Education. Some of you may remember Mr. Kerby at
CSDR as a Student Services Specialist. In that position he helped to develop a stronger
relationship between CSDR and referring school districts, assisted with IEP compliance
Message from Superintendent Mal
Superintendent Mal greets his former employee, now turned boss, Scott Kerby, Deputy Superintendent of State Special Schools
Superintendent Grossinger welcomes new Deaf Superintendent Virnig at “sister” CSD Fremont, and new State Special Schools Division Director Kerby, a former CSDR specialist
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 P A G E 3
issues; and worked to create a series of marketing workshops to give to parents,
visitors, and other educational agencies which highlight what CSDR offers Deaf and
hard-of-hearing students.
Sean Virnig was chosen to lead CSDF, our sister school in Fremont. I was
privileged to work with Mr. Virnig and Mr. Kerby this summer as we created a 2011-
2014 strategic blueprint for both schools.
The California Department of Education ( CDE ) continued this year to celebrate
Deaf Awareness in their Sacramento offices. In addition to the employees taking
American Sign Language classes at work, CDE has brought in several guest
speakers to present on deaf-related topics. CDE also highlights the student
achievements of various deaf students throughout the state. I am always delighted
to see CDE staff greet me in sign language as they eagerly try out their newly
acquired skills.
California ’ s State Superintendent of Public Schools, Tom Torlakson, has visited CSDR
and shown a great deal of support for our methods of educating deaf children. He
recently sent out a two-page letter to school administrators within the California school
system endorsing the teaching of ASL and asking educational agencies to view the
informative DVD, Through Your Child ’ s Eyes: American Sign Language. This DVD
emphasizes the importance of deaf and hard-of-hearing children receiving a visual
language and cites the research that supports this method.
On a final note, CSDR is hosting a public Open House on November 11 ( 11-11-11 ) .
There will be campus tours, information booths, a BBQ, and an opportunity to observe
our classes and meet
with staff. Last year
over six hundred
people joined us at
this event! Hope to
see you there!
~ Mal Grossinger,
Superintendent
California School for
the Deaf, Riverside
Message from Mal (Continued from Page 2)
First graders‟ annual Deaf Pride parade culminated in the Superintendent office with Mal Grossinger, Director of Instruction Alyce Berard, and State Special
Schools Superintendent Scott Kerby. Read more on page 19.
CSDR Mission:
California School for the Deaf,
Riverside offers comprehensive
educational and extra-curricular
programs that prepare students to
achieve their full academic, social,
and career potential.
In this Issue:
New Staff, 4-5
Joint Cabinet Meeting, 5
New Family Orientation, 6
Character Counts!, 7
Student T-Shirt Design, 8
Cognitive and Motor Skills, 9
PIP Group Play Benefits, 9
Celebrating Constitution Day, 10
Reading Rocks!, 10
California ’ s Tale, 11
Tricks, Treats, & Storytelling, 12-13
ASL Class for Families & Staff, 12
Student Leadership Retreats, 14-15
Upcoming Jr.NAD Pageant, 16
Deputy Superintendent Visit, 16
Scale Crushers Tournament, 17
Hispanic Workshops, 18
Donna Schiller Parent Award, 18
Deaf Pride Parade, 19
Deaf Awareness Week, 19
Athletics & Homecoming Spirit, 20
Football Team in Commercial, 21
Residential Welcome Parties, 22
Upcoming Events & Movies, 23
Calendar, 24
P A W S I T I V E R E F L E C T I O N S P A G E 4
3044 Horace Street, Riverside, CA 92506 951-782-6500 http://csdr-cde.ca.gov
Welcome New Staff
Heather Dans-McCrory Counselor – Middle School Girls
Fadi Alberre ‘03 Counselor – Middle School Boys
David Douglas Stationary Engineer
Vincent Goze Accounting Officer Specialist
Ida Dotson Counselor – High School Girls
Ingrid Flemming Special Needs Teacher
Sylvia Fraser ‘82 Counselor – Special Needs
Dane Hawkins Electrician
Gloria Hernandez Director of Business Services
Erica Hossler Counselor – High School Girls
Tyler Bayarsky ‘03 Early Childhood Education Teacher
Remedios De Guzman Office Technician – Food Services
Maryann Izzo-Gonzales ‘96 Supervising Counselor — High School Girls, Non-Athletes & T.O.P. Program
Amy Kimmerle Middle School Language Arts
& Social Studies Teacher
Laurie Lewis Occupational Therapist
Edwin Miller Elementary Special Needs Teacher
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 P A G E 5
Erlinda Miller ‘82 Transition Options Program Teacher
Rachel Mingo School Psychologist
Bobby Polstra Physical Education Teacher Assistant
Michelle Showzgird Counselor – High School Girls
Rantz Teeters Counselor – High School Boys
Diane Tran Supervisor of Dietetics
Alexander Zernovoj Curriculum Teacher Specialist –
Language Arts & ASL Team Teacher
Scarlett Valencia ‘97 High School Instructional Teacher Specialist
Ignacio Vasquez Assistant Information System Analyst
CSDR and CSDF: On Thursday, October 28, the
Directors from CSDR and CSD-Fremont met for
their first joint meeting to share strategies on how
both schools can work together to improve student
achievement and work towards becoming a state
and national resource for all Deaf programs. CDE
State Special Schools Division Director, Scott
Kerby, facilitated the meeting in CSDR ’ s Super-
intendent Conference Room. The group had the
opportunity to have the special Halloween lunch
which was prepared by our own FEAST program.
Welcome New Staff
CSDR/CSDF Directors from left to right:
Superintendent Mal Grossinger (CSDR), Superintendent Sean Virnig (CSD-F), Ethan Bernstein (CSD-F))Farley Warshaw (CSDR)), Jennie Machado (CSDR), Lisa Viall (CSD-F),
Alyce Berard (CSDR), Laura Peterson (CSD-F), Scott Kerby (CDE)
Joint Meeting
P A W S I T I V E R E F L E C T I O N S P A G E 6
3044 Horace Street, Riverside, CA 92506 951-782-6500 http://csdr-cde.ca.gov
New Family Orientation During the Weekend
New
Family
Orienta-
tion was
held
during a
full three-
day
weekend
on a
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. At the welcome
assembly, families viewed two movies , Through Your
Child ’ s Eyes: American Sign Language, and the CSDR
virtual tour. Parents enjoyed learning more about ASL for
improved communication with their children, and getting
real insights of campus life. At the dinner party, families
excitedly watched our CSDR Superintendent being a
wonderful BBQ chef, and enjoyed eating the food!
A variety of activities occurred on both days that promoted
learning and bonding. Everybody toured the student
health services that ensured parents of their children ’ s
welfare during the year. One certain evening event “ Win
It ” inspired lots of laughter, seeing younger students
getting ahead of the older students, or beating their own
parents, in a healthy competition! As children gathered
part of the day for supervised activities, parents met with
principals, speech teachers, and counselors to learn
about the services offered to their children at CSDR.
A student
panel
shared
personal
stories at
school
and in the
cottages.
A scaven-
ger hunt
on
campus
involved
lots of
running,
which
was a
good way
learn
about the CSDR campus!
The final workshop, “ Social Networking ” , provided by
the counseling department, covered the importance for
parents to monitor their children ’ s network access.
Networking benefits are plenty, although parents need to
be aware of the specific online actions for their children ’ s
safety. This workshop was an eye-opener to many.
As New Family Orientation coordinator, I am happy that
the weekend went well. I am grateful to the sponsors:
Sorenson, CAC, and CODIE for the support in making this
event happen, and to our committee who worked hard
during the weekend. I saw that parents felt satisfaction
knowing that their children would be in good hands at
CSDR, with full knowledge of what to expect in the year
ahead. I am especially pleased to see the families develop
connections with each other, making new friends. This
amazing weekend was a great way of welcoming the new
families to our
community at
CSDR.
~ Terri Vincent,
Coordinator of Family
Education
Superintendent Mal welcomes new families to CSDR
Terri Vincent,, New Family Orientation coordina-tor and Darlene Wadler, School Social Worker
Learning more about each other during a game activity
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 P A G E 7
At California School for the Deaf, Riverside, we are proud to
be using the CHARACTER COUNTS! program in our school
community. CHARACTER COUNTS! strengthens our
students through character education. A person of character
is a good person and someone to look up to and admire. This
person knows the difference between right and wrong and
tries to do what is right. Also, a person with character sets a
good example for everyone and makes the world a better
place. The person of character lives according to the “Six
Pillars of Character”: TRUSTWORTHINESS, RESPECT,
RESPONSBILITY, FAIRNESS, CARING and CITIZENSHIP.
Under the program of CHARACTER COUNTS! at CSDR, we
also provide preventative programs such as Red Ribbon
Week, CHARACTER COUNTS! Week and Yellow Ribbon/
Violence Prevention Week. The school and residence
programs will integrate these programs into activities,
classroom teaching and by demonstrating good
character. Each month will be assigned to a pillar of the char-
acter.
The dates for these programs are:
Red Ribbon Week:
October 24 – 28, 2011.
Yellow Ribbon Week/Violence Prevention Week:
February 13 – 17, 2012
If you want to learn more about CHARACTER COUNTS!, you
can check their website: http://www.charactercounts.org. If
you have any questions or need more information regarding
these programs, please feel free to contact Kelly Gunderson,
CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator at kgunderson@csdr-
cde.ca.gov or (951) 824 – 8036.
CHARACTER COUNTS! at CSDR!
~ Kelly Gunderson, School Counselor
Nicolette Obidos' 4th grade class displayed a beautiful
rainbow of our “ Character Counts! ” program. In our
class, each student represents a pillar of “ Character
Counts! ” All of the students are encouraged to practice
the pillars throughout the year. As you can see in the
Pledge to Good Character
4th graders express through photographed ASL signs on their T-shirts each positive character trait encouraged at school
photo, their shirt colors represent their pillar and the photos
of themselves signing the pillar, which strongly sends the
message of how important we apply Character Counts!
Thanks to Candice Macy, mother of a student in our class
and also the high school Visual Arts Teacher, for making