Pawsitive Reflections - June 2011

Top: Kindergarten

graduates hold hands around the

oak tree that has stood in the heart

of CSDR since its founding day

Right:

Students shared sign language in

Mexican and were asked to preserve

their culture

★See Deaf Latino

Page 3

News and Information for Families, Staff, & Friends PAWSitive Reflections

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, RIVERSIDE Where language and learning thrive!

A P R I L — J U N E 2 0 1 1

P A W S I T I V E R E F L E C T I O N S P A G E 2

3044 Horace Street, Riverside, CA 92506 951-782-6500 http://csdr-cde.ca.gov

Superintendent:

Grossinger, Malcolm

( VP ) 951-824-8050

Director of Instruction:

Berard, Alyce

951-248-7700 Ext. 6563

Director of Student Services

Machado, Jennie

951-248-7700 Ext. 1118

Director of Residence:

Warshaw, Farley

( VP ) 951-824-8060

Director of Business Services

Sharlein, Norman

951-248-7700 Ext. 4193

Published Quarterly

Deadline for Sept.-October Issue:

September 30 ,2011

500 word limit on articles

Email articles to:

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor:

Erika Thompson

Community Resource Coordinator

Newsletter Printed by:

Wes Rinella and Graphic Arts Class

Contributors:

Tyler Bayarsky

Tammie Bervell

Melissa Brown

Bob Connor

Carmen Croasmun

Darrin Green

Wendy Green

Steven Gonzales ‘ 13

Kelly Gunderson

Lindsay Haas

Stacey Hausman

Kerry Hile

Susan Johnson

Shari Kido

Jeff Liu

Nancy Moore

Montana Murphy ‘ 11

Tanya Polstra

Teresa Sentelle

Erika Thompson

Raymart Tinio ‘ 11

Mary Visco

Farley Warshaw

Special Thanks:

Alyce Berard

Scott Kerby

Neva Turoff

I am honored to be the Valedictorian for my Class of 2011.

When I look back in 2006, when I was in Cabrillo Middle

School, I remember thinking about going to CSDR for my high

school year. It was because I wanted to have full/direct

communication with the teachers, staff, and friends. In 2007, I

finally attended CSDR as a freshman. It was hard at first

because I had to stay in the dorm and be away from my family.

I remember the first time my family, including my grandparents,

dropped me off that one Sunday afternoon. I saw my mom’s

tears and I also got teary-eyed but I had to sacrifice in order to

achieve my goal. I also remember being kind of shy and was

not involved in any sport or organization at all. I was just focused on my education to keep my

Grade Point Average at 3.5 (GPA) or higher. I have two reasons for keeping my GPA high: the

first was just a good habit that I had since I was in middle school where there were many honor

roll students, and the second was if I failed the class, I would have to take that class again which I

didn’t desire.

To the Class of 2011, this is a moment we have been waiting for, to graduate from high school,

PAH! But, it’s also sad for us to say farewell to CSDR and depart in our various paths. I wish you

all a remarkable future. Go Class of 2011!

I am honored to be Salutatorian for the Class of 2011. I can still

vividly remember the first day that I came to CSDR. I was then

a seventh grader at age eleven. At that time, the high school

students were protesting for ”Deaf Superintendent Now,” in

parallel to the DPN Movement, “Deaf President Now.” They

asked us, the middle school students, to join them. Our

demands were heard and we were graced a Deaf

Superintendent, having Mal Grossinger to step up as our

leader. I was fortunate enough to have my two older sisters at

CSDR with me at that time. They have always been there for

me as role models and I am grateful for that. During my junior

year, I decided to leave this school for CSD, Fremont. After only one semester, I had my regrets

and realized that I had made a mistake. I came scrambling back to CSDR. That decision and the

people at CSDR have made me who I am today.

I want to thank my family, teachers, and friends for supporting me and helping me choose the

right path in my adolescent days. It has given me many wonderful experiences. I will miss CSDR

and my fellow classmates of 2011 as we all go upon different paths in the near future.

Go Class of 2011!

Valedictorian Raymart Tinio, CSDR 2011

Salutatorian Montana Murphy, CSDR 2011

A P R I L — J U N E 2 0 1 1 P A G E 3

Deaf Latino Student Success: Si, se puede!

Delia Lozano-Martinez, a Deaf Latino student advocate, visited

CSDR on May 19 and 20 to meet with the students and provide

workshops to residential instructional staff and the community on

“ D eaf Latino Student Success in School: Si, se puede ( It can

be done! ) ” . Delia, who is the program coordinator for

“ K eeping the Promise: Educating Latino Deaf Students ” at

Gallaudet University, has dedicated much of her life to the

preservation of Mexican culture and has a passion to work with

young deaf Latino students.

Delia toured CSDR classrooms and read a multi-cultural

children ’ s story with Latino characters to younger students.

“ ‘ M ira ’ is Spanish for woman- look out! ” Delia signs in ASL

from the English text, as well as using Spanish words and signs,

while making specific connections to the Latino children in the

audience.

With the older students, this Deaf Latina role model called upon

all students to share signs that they knew of Language Signed

Mexican ( LSM ) . Throughout her presentation, Delia shared the

profiles of successful Deaf Latinos and sent the message about

the importance of students knowing their own culture. The

students learned about four Deaf Latino organizations that exist in

California, in which they were encouraged to participate as well as

run their own Latino student club. Students were encouraged to

build stronger ties with their Latino families, and on their part, they

need to teach their own parents sign language for improved

communication. Mrs. Lozano-Martinez emphasized her

expectations of students and staff for raised Deaf Latino student

success in school: “ It can be done! ” was excitedly chanted

across the room in Language Signed Mexican. Si, se puede!

Students welcome Delia Lozano-Martinez , a Deaf Latino educator

At the end of our wonderful school year, it is a good time to

ponder about what we have learned and what we look forward to

this upcoming summer and next school year. Some tips and

ideas are offered here for a fun filled educational summer.

1. Explore parks, museums, historical sites and zoos.

2. Explore ways to develop and learn healthy and fun habits of

eating and exercising.

3. Take your children to the library to continue with fun

summer reading.

4. Check out cultural festivals.

5. Develop and do craft and art projects.

6. Spend time with family and friends.

Summer Tips for Parents and Guardians

7. Play word and number games.

8. Enjoy outdoor activities such as going to the beach, hiking,

camping.

9. Take your children to educational camps.

10. Use plenty of sunscreen and drink plenty of water during

these hot dry summer months.

There are so many more activities you can do. These ideas and

tips are places to start with and to give you a place to kick off

summer with your children. May your summer be safe, fun and

filled with new memories with your family and friends.

~ Kelly Gunderson from the Counseling Services Corner

Delia: “Tortillas, who likes this? Does your mom make tortillas daily?”



Young Budding Scientists and Gardeners

how to make a fresh salad from the vegetables they had

grown. They all had fun enjoying the results of their hard

work during our delicious salad party.

~ Lyndsey Haas, 5th Grade Long-term Sub Teacher

Tammie Bervel's and Susan Stewart's first grade classes

have been working hard as scientists, studying plants and

their life cycle. As a special treat, Home Depot sent two

plant education specialists to help us learn more. They

brought live plants in different stages of the germination

process (seed, root, sprout, leaves, flower) and helped us

get a clear picture of the process. They also explained

how to properly take care of plants by providing good soil,

water, and sunlight. Finally, as a great surprise, we

learned how to pot flowers and took them home to

decorate our yards. Thank you, Home Depot!!!!

~ Tammie Bervel, 1st Grade Teacher

A fifth grade class decided to plant a garden in a planter

next to our classroom. We invited one of the maintenance

crew to explain what types of plants were possible to grow

particular seasons. The students planted various types of

lettuce and spinach. They watered the plants and pulled

the weeds out until the vegetables were ready to eat. The

students were able to pull leaves off the plants and put

them together to make a wonderful salad. The students

learned about the different plants that can grow during the

cold and warm months, how to care for a garden, and Maricelle Galarza, Alexandra Monge, and Karina Figueroa

are ready to chomp salad with their classroom grown lettuce!

Fifth graders harvest their classroom-grown lettuce

1st graders learn about their potted flowers from Home Depot

A P R I L — J U N E 2 0 1 1 P A G E 5

Field Trip to Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center

Did you know that some

rocks glow in the dark? Our

fourth grade cubbies found

this out when they went to

Jurupa Mountain Discovery

Center on a field trip.

Students participated in a

California Geology class that

met our California State

Standards in Earth Science.

Students learned about the

three basic kinds

of rocks

(igneous, sedimentary, and

metamorphic) and how rocks

are formed. They identified

several rocks and minerals,

and then labeled them on a

graphic organizer to take

home. Students also enjoyed

the museum at the center.

This place is great for family

adventures on weekends!

~ Susan Johnson, 4th Grade Teacher

5th graders classify the rocks according to their properties at Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center

Students Display Experiments at the Annual Science Fair



Older Student Role Models Read and Teach ASL

Elementary Special Needs class welcomed Mrs. Jeannette

Zarembka’s high school class for a special lesson. Under

the direction of the older students, the children experienced

books through ASL storytelling and learned how to spell

their names creatively with handshapes. The main roles in

sign language were the focus: hand forms, arm movement,

head movement, facial expressions, and body shifts.

Zarembka’s class helped the younger students enhance

their communication skills and increase their vocabulary. In

exchange, the older students learned to scaffold the Special

Needs students’ expressive language. Thank you to

students Raul Alcocer, Claudia Atkinson, Ian Vasquez, Edith

Alcocer, Leonardo Torres, Angel Aguilar-Calderon, Alliette

Merino, Jahnait Verdin, and Juan Torres. They did an

amazing job and our students loved them! Elementary

Special Needs students had a great time with the high

school class and their sign language skills have noticeably

improved! ASL rocks!

~ Tanya Polstra and Carmen Croasmun, Elementary Special Needs

Raul Alcocer adjusts signing to be understood

Reading is more fun with Juan Torres, an older peer

Elementar y Spelling Bee

Congratulations to the Spelling Bee winners: Nathaniel Humpal (1st), Jacob Weiss (2nd), and Elijah Andrade (3rd)

Janae Blakley is prepared to spell „prescription‟ at the Spelling Bee Semi-Finals

Adalea Hernandez learns from high school student Leonardo Torres who reads aloud to her

A P R I L — J U N E 2 0 1 1 P A G E 7

finalists will become a

part of the ASL Tales

Storytellers’ Collection for

demonstration of ASL

works in different age

categories. If Jarita wins,

you will see her in the

DVD of this ASL Tales

Storytellers’ Collection.

Wish our dear Cubby, Jarita, the best of luck!

*Profits from DVDs will go to organizations that

support bi-lingual education: the Deaf Bilingual

Coalition and the American Society for Deaf

Children. ASL Tales’ Link: http://

www.asltales.net/

~ Shari Kido, Elementary ASL Teacher

Middle School student

Jarita Bustamante, a

ta len ted s tory te l le r ,

voluntarily participated in

the nation-wide ASL Tales

Storyteller Contest* in

April. The required source

was the book adapted by

ASL Tales: Rapunzel by

Judy Hood. Jarita did most of her translation in

ASL to maintain the version deemed

equivalent to the English text, with help from

Shari Kido as her ASL coach. We await the list

of finalists to be announced by May 15th from

ASL Tales Company. Contributions from the

Student Enjoys the Art of ASL Storytelling!

You might have eaten one of Rapunzel‟s famous cookies.”

Preschool students listened to a variety of stories, and

chose the fable of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" as

their class play. Students divided into two groups and

practiced for two weeks. They really had fun acting out

the Papa, Mama, Baby Bears and Goldilocks

roles. Parents and ECE students expressed that they

really enjoyed watching the play. They were drawn to the

scenes of the empty porridge bowl, the broken chair, and

when the bears finally found Goldilocks in the baby bear's

bed and scared her off. The preschool teachers are very

proud of our students' hard work. Our goal is to increase

our preschool students' confidence and their experience

with such onstage activities.

~ Kerry Hile and Tyler Bayarsky, Preschool Teachers

“Someone has slept in my bed, and is still sleeping!”

Preschool Play: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

“Someone has eaten from my bowl of porridge!”

“Rapunzel‟s dream is to be a business owner.”

http://www.asltales.net/

http://www.asltales.net/



June 7, 2011 concluded the second annual School

Wide Math Olympiad at CSDR! I am very proud to

say it was completely successful at each level:

Elementary, Middle School, and High School. The

top three students from every grade level got a

chance to receive their medals on the podium at the

end of day. Students wore the same colored

T-shirts rooting for their grade level. The overall

grade level winning team went to 2nd grade, with

scores of each individual averaged into a team

score. Zarek Nathanson won the overall individual

winner category, in meeting expectations at his 2nd

grade level. Congratulations to Zarek and the entire

2nd grade class for being CSDR’s math whizzes!

The students had fun and wore big smiles at the

end. The Math Olympiad provided an everlasting

memory for our children to remember when they

think of math and their time here at CSDR.

~ Darrin Green,

Curriculum Specialist and Math Olympiad Director

Vying for Gold at the Second Annual Math Olympiad

Right:

Zarek Nathanson won gold as the #1 scorer schoolwide in mathematics, awarded by math curriculum specialist and Olympiad director Darrin Green

2nd graders won highest overall as a grade-level team ; 2nd grade teachers Nicolette Obidos, Leticia Ruiz, and Sharon Margol

Rednerek (Abascus) , one of the competition activities during Math Olympiad, with elementary teachers Leticia Ruiz and Karen Shannon

A P R I L — J U N E 2 0 1 1 P A G E 9

Middle School Students Read for RockClimbing

Reading teachers in middle

school encouraged students

to read more by offering

them an opportunity to learn

how to rock c l imb.

Threshold Climbing Gym in

Riverside provides students

with free monthly lessons

and gear rental when they

meet reading goals set by

their classroom teachers.

This month, the program

expanded to include middle

school for the first time. There were ten students that

earned this amazing opportunity. Lorna Rutherford

provided interpreting services, and Teresa McDonald- Top Right: Jalena Cochran and students who earned reading rewards gear up for rock climbing

Creating Haiku Poems to Study Speech Syllables

CSDR High School Speech students study syllables each year

to improve clarity in spoken English. This spring, students

created collages of images that interested them, and then

wrote haiku poems to accompany their artwork. Haiku, a type

of Japanese poetry, is interesting in that it consists of a

specific number of syllables. The students used their recently

acquired skill of identifying syllables while writing their poems.

The haiku that the High School students wrote consisted

generally of 17 syllables written in 3 lines. The first line has 5

syllables, the second line 7 syllables, and the third line has 5

syllables. Once written, the haiku were then read aloud by

the students.

This is an example of one of the creative haiku poems written

recently about a collage of a house with stones nearby:

A Japanese house

The rock looks so beautiful

Natural color

Some of the haiku poems are posted outside the High School

Speech classroom. Stop by, take a look, and enjoy the

wonderful student work.

~ Wendy Keedy, MS, CF-SLP, High School Speech Teacher

Neil Miles races to the top with Curriculum Specialist Melissa Brown

Fishler came to cheer the students to the top! A great time

was had by everyone, and we look forward to continuing

this program with both high school and middle school

students next school year.

~ Melissa Brown, Curriculum Specialist

P A W S I T I V E R E F L E C T I O N S P A G E 1 0


During post-basketball season, some dedicated cheerleaders

have given up their free time to practice and participate in events

during May. They did a fantastic job representing CSDR and the

Deaf community.

The Cheer Team led the May 6 Deaf Nation Expo crowd in a

cheer, performed three dances, set up two stunts, and finished it

up with a sideline chant.

May 13 was Deaf Awareness Day at Fontana Middle School for

the second year in a row: This year we were fortunate enough to

add our Middle School Cheer Team to the performance. Both

cheer teams proved that being Deaf does not prevent us from

doing the same things that a hearing person can do. Both groups

performed dances without music and showed off some stunts.

The High School team even taught everyone to sign “Let’s Go

Big Red” and had everyone cheering along with them. All of the

cheerleaders that participated were wonderful role models for the

Fontana deaf students and great ambassadors for the Deaf

community.

May 17 included a performance for Mental Health Awareness in

San Bernardino. Their theme was “Stomp Out Stigma” and our

cheerleaders did just that! Our team proved

that with hard work and dedication anyone

can succeed in accomplishing whatever

you put your mind to doing. Just because

you have a “disability”, it does not make

you disabled. Our team was so impressive,

we were asked to perform at other events

in the future. Way to go Cubs!

~ Stacey Hausman, Head Cheer Coach

CSDR cheerleaders proved that being Deaf does not prevent us

from doing the same things that a hearing person can do.

Summertime quickly approaches!

Staying on task in being active with

regular exercise can be hard to do

during the summer in the midst of

vacations, outings with friends, or just

couch-sitting laziness. How can you

keep yourself active? Sign up for an

organized exercise fundraiser such as

a 5K or a full marathon. Such public

commitment motivates people to get

off the couch and push themselves to a

higher level of fitness. Once you have

registered for the race, you will want to keep your promise

because you have paid for it and set your goal – primarily to

get past the finish line. At the end, you will feel great that you

have accomplished your goal. Perhaps, you will sign up for

another race to set a new goal in beating the previous time, or

do long distance running. Check out the different kinds of

races at this website: http://www.raceplace.com/crunsd.shtml.

A word of advice – consult your physician before doing major

exercise. Have fun and stay safe

and active during the summer!

~ Jeff Liu, Health Teacher and Athletic

Diamond Thompson stays active and fit by running

Stay Active During Summer Dedicated Cheerleaders

CSDR middle school girls basketball won 13-0 games, entering division cham-pionships on May 10. See Athletics website: csdr-cde.ca.gov/athletics

Left: Eddie Schoonover (right) pitched a

complete game against Van Horn for his first ever high school win as a

pitcher . He fanned 9 batters in a seven inning game. He also went 2-4 with

double and scored 3 runs along with 3 stolen bases.

~ Head Coach Bob Conner

Steven Gonzales „13

http://www.raceplace.com/crunsd.shtml

A P R I L — J U N E 2 0 1 1 P A G E 1 1

Wooten’s Scrapbook has donated $6,000 worth of

scrapbook supplies to our CSDR Scrapbook Club.

Traci Wooten, owner of Wooten’s Scrapbook chose to

support CSDR after school programs for our students.

High school students and Residential Life supervisors

and counselors took a special visit to Wooten’s Scrap-

book to express our gratitude for their support toward

our Scrapbook Club.

~ Farley Warshaw, Director of Residence

Scrapbook Club Donations

Beautiful hair that is put in place for an evening

extravaganza is considered an emergency today for

many teenage girls who want to look their best at high

school prom. Fortunately, the residential life program

arranged for free hairstyling provided by the Riverside

Community College hairstylists for the CSDR high

school girls. Thank you, RCC!

Free Hairstyling for Prom

Thanks to Wooten‟s Scrapbook for donating $6,000 supplies to CSDR

RCC donated hairstyling services to the girls for CSDR high school prom

CSDR Visual Arts Show

Career Technology Education held an annual show to

showcase high school student work in photography, graphic

design, and art. Experts in the field came to judge the pieces

for the winners. Visitors ( t he ‘ People ’ s Choice ’ ) , the

CTE principal Shelly Gravatt, and Superintendent Mal also

voted for their favorite pieces. See the website for a complete

list of winners at: http://csdr-cde.ca.gov/2011/06/07/csdr-visual

-arts-show-2011

-winners/

Photography:

1st Place-

Thomas York

People ’ s

Choice-

Alliette Merino

Graphic Design:

1st Place-

Michael Mendoza

People ’ s

Choice-

Dennis Lopez

Art:

1st Place- Jackie Miranda

People ’ s Choice- Jackie Miranda

P A W S I T I V E R E F L E C T I O N S P A G E 1 2


Mark Your Calendar . . .

August 2011: The Heart of Language Planning Month

8/8 High School Fall Sports Practice Begins

8/22 Registration Day

8/23 Classes Begin

September 2011: Deaf Way Month

9/5 Labor Day (School Closed )

9/6 Volleyball Alumni Game

9/8 Character Counts! Week Begins

9/9 PLC Day

9/12 MAP Testing Begins

9/12 Community Alliance Council ( CAC ) Meeting

9/16 Deafhood/Diversity Training

9/19 Homecoming Spirit Week Kickoff

9/23 Pep Rally

9/24 Homecoming vs. Phoenix

9/25 Deaf Awareness Week Kickoff

9/30 International Day of Signed Languages Observed ( Sept. 25 )

For more dates, updates, sports, and other details, go to the website school calendar

3044 Horace Street

Riverside, CA 92506

951-782-6500

[email protected]

PAWSitive Reflections

News and Information for Families, Staff, & Friends

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, RIVERSIDE

October 2011: Pride in CSDR History Month

10/1 CSDR at MSSD


10/7 MAP Testing Ends

10/7 Spike Out Weekend Volleyball Tournament @ Indiana Begins

10/10 Columbus Day ( School Closed )

10/14 Professional Learning Communities ( PLC ) Day

10/14 Special Athletes—Volleyball

10/21 Deafhood/Diversity Training

10/20 Students leave at 2:10

10/21 IEP Day/Staff Day—Students Not in Attendance

10/22 ASL Film— ”Versa Affect ”

10/24 Red Ribbon Drug Awareness Week Kickoff

10/31 Halloween

November 2011: Deaf Culture Month

11/1 CAHSEE Exam on English Language Arts – Juniors/Seniors

11/2 CAHSEE Exam on Math – Juniors/Seniors

11/6 Daylight Savings— ”Fall Back ”


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Pawsitive Reflections - June 2011