Learn - Experience - Thrive
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Bay Counties League Champions
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Congratulations to CSD Girls Basketball for winning the Bay Counties League Playoffs 60-43! The team also broke the school record for the most wins. Malia Zornoza was named to the all-tournament and Hannah Wetzel was named the MVP!
[image description: Eight girls basketball players in white uniforms, flanked on left by Daryl Wetzel (wearing black) and on the right
by Joshua Weinstock (wearing orange shirt and black pants).]
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Greetings from the Land of ORANGE and BLACK!
Even though February was a brief month, CSD made numerous collaborations through both formal connections and community events. Early in February, the California Schools (CSD and CSDR) had a joint outreach retreat at Riverside. The main purpose of the retreat was to come together and address strategies that would ensure student engagement at both of our schools, and throughout the State of California. We came up with several strategic goals that we will continue to work on.
Recently, CSD and CSDR came together for a joint meeting with our reps at the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop a strategic plan. We have been blessed with great support from CDE while developing the plan. As soon as we are ready to roll out the information, both schools will communicate the plan with our communities. Again, it is vital that everyone in the state (including Families, California Schools, Special Education Local Program Areas, Deaf Organizations and Agencies, and CDE) continue to partner to ensure that all Deaf students are able to access the curriculum, on par with any hearing student in their local public school.
It was a privilege to host several exciting events for our students and community this past month. Dr. Roz Rosen, Deaf author and well-known educational leader and administrator, came to CSD to share her authorship experience with our older students, and do some story telling with our young students. Please do read about her visit in this issue.
National Deaf Black Advocates and Bay Area Deaf Black Advocates are partnering with CSD to bring several exciting events with our students. This month, they did a live-streamed conference call that allowed our students to interview two Deaf Black leaders, along with online questioning. Following the event, our students were invited to participate in their “I Have a Dream” contest (
click for video
)
. There will be more exciting developments in the next few months, stay tuned!
Our international studies class invited John Maucere and The Maloes to CSD to perform. During the day, the group visited each department on campus to perform for our students before performing in the evening. It is without surprise that their performance was sold out and the community came together to enjoy John Maucere’s humor and wit.
Finally, it was a great honor to have Dr. Frank and Marlene Turk with us for a couple of days. Dr. Frank Turk is a well-known Deaf leader who founded the Youth Leadership Camp back in the late 60’s. He had a lot of influence on Deaf schools on the importance of after-school and student life programs. To our knowledge, all Deaf schools in the nation offer more than just academic rigor; there are leadership, organizational, and athletic opportunities for Deaf students through their programs. Dr. Turk is among those who have developed programs at certain schools that are being replicated across the country.
Our students continue to excel in and out of the classroom. Our academic departments send out newsletters to share information about their programs and the successes of our students. If you have not been subscribing to their newsletters, please contact the department principal or supervisor. It is very important to keep in mind that our students attend CSD primarily to be educated bilingually. Inclusion in our after-school activities, athletic and student life programs, is very important to developing their identity, self-esteem, and the actualization of their ability to succeed as they grow into successful adults.
By sharing this monthly CalNews with you, it is evident that there are so many things going on at CSD! Our students, families, staff, and community members are to be recognized for their commitment towards the school’s mission, serving our students to the best of our ability. Together, we will continue to create more opportunities for everyone at CSD.
With Eagle Pride,
Clark Brooke, Ed.S.
Superintendent
California School for the Deaf, Fremont
39350 Gallaudet Drive
Fremont, CA 94538
510-344-6010 VP
510-823-6071 Spanish Callers
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Dr. Frank Turk encourages students
to become future leaders
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Photos by JAC Cook and Ken Norton
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Dr. Frank Turk, the “Father of Deaf Youth,” encourages students to become future leaders and to enrich their lives with Student Life activities. Dr. Turk is the found of the National Association for the Deaf’s Youth Leadership Camp and the National Leadership and Literacy Camp.
[image description: (above) Frank Turk in white shirt and black pants presenting to enthusiastic crowd of students who are sitting in the bleachers, in the CSD big gym. (below left) Zahra (in her pink shirt) interviews Dr. Turk (in white shirt) while sitting at a desk in the museum. Wood-framed glass cabinets filled with books in the background. (bottom right) Daniel Girard with his Jr.
NAD student reps, in their pink shirts, stand arm-in-arm with Marlene Turk in the back row. Ken Norton and Frank Turk hold up the Jr.
NAD logo while sitting in the front row.]
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Zahra interviews Dr. Turk.
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Dr. Turk, his wife Marlene, and Ken Norton pose with CSD's Junior NAD team.
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JAC Cook reflects on the tour she gave to Dr. Frank Turk
Dr. Frank Turk’s visit to CSD was inspirational. Did you know that he is 88 years old? And amazingly, he still has it! His leadership oozed out of him and onto our students. It was an eye opener! It was inspiring to see how our students connected with him instantly, as soon as he started to sign. Our students were fascinated with his every word, and his every sign. He was such a beautiful signer! So eloquent and powerful. I was impressed that following his presentation to the fourth and fifth grade students, our young Eagles flocked to him and introduced themselves without any instruction from their teachers.
In the presentations Dr. Turk gave to students, he played a lot with words. One example was the word “WIN”. He said that kids needed to feel
W
anted,
I
mportant, and
N
eeded. In the mass shootings that have occurred in recent years, based on Dr. Turk's theory, the shooter did not feel any of those things, and had become demoralized as a result of bullying. Dr. Turk encouraged our students to provide a supportive atmosphere in which all students would feel
W
anted,
I
mportant, and
N
eeded. He encouraged our students to be WINNERS all around.
Dr.
Turk explained about the importance of Student Life at a Deaf school. Deaf students who participate in Student Life activities develop a strong sense of self; whereas, Deaf students who attend mainstream school programs miss out on an important part of their development.
CSD’s Junior National Association of the Deaf representatives were with Dr.
Turk’s tour for the whole day. They did a terrific job of getting the high school students involved. Dr.
Turk did an interview for the Talon News (student news) in the museum, and Zahra did a wonderful job cultivating Dr. Turk to emphasize the importance of leadership and a Deaf student’s well-being. When Dr.
Turk saw that CSD had AN ORIGINAL Jr. NAD logo as part of the interview; he was thrilled. He picked up the logo and started explaining his vision. Our students were on 'Cloud 9' and so was he! He was, and always has been, impressed with our students’ characters and traits. He looks forward to seeing what becomes of them in the future.
Dr. Turk told the students that it was important to have a role model. Do you know who Dr.
Turk’s role model is? Our very own school historian, Ken Norton!
[image description - photo below: Students take group photo after their luncheon - Frank Turk and his wife Marlene in the middle. JAC Cook and Ken Norton on right side. Two rows of students standing in back; next row kneeling; front row sitting. Students are posed in front of a wooden shack, with trees in the background.]
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Lesson from Dr.
Frank Turk to students: “During after school activities, develop these real life skills:
- LEADERSHIP
- EMPOWERMENT
- ATTITUDE
- DISCIPLINE
- EMPATHY
- RESPONSIBILITY
- HUMILITY
- INITIATIVE
- PERSEVERANCE.”
[image description: 2 photos. Left photo - man with short white buzz haircut, wearing glasses, a white buttoned top and black pants, looking at the camera giving two thumbs up 👍👍. Right photo: closeup of what was written on an easel]
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Sophomore Jaron LeMaster shows Dr.
Frank Turk how to convert “ME” into “WE”
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Dr.
Frank Turk
on the Importance of After-School Activities
(See written transcript below video for translation)
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[image description: Group photo, standing arm-in-arm, in the superintendent's office.]
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Len Gonzales
Director of Instruction
Dr. Frank Turk
Father of Deaf Youth
Clark Brooke
Superintendent
Marlene Turk
Wife of Dr. Turk
Ken Norton
School Historian
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[image description: Woman in black dress signs "strength".]
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The first grade team of teachers created a BlackPanther ASL poem, inspired by one of their students who arrived at school excited about the movie.
Images and video clips were used to support the ASL language development of their first grade students. The poem was made with a team of teachers, students and community member support. The teachers want to acknowledge that the sign they used for "BLACK PANTHER" is not "THE" sign used for "Black Panther" but instead there is a conversation going on within the Black Deaf community about what sign to use. The team of teachers agree that the sign chosen should be defined within the Black Deaf community. More on this is explained in the video as well.
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Deaf author Roz Rosen inspires CSD students
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[image description - (upper left): Roz Rosen in yellow jacket signs father as students watch her. (lower left) Roz Rosen in yellow jacket chats with high school junior Rose who has a magenta backpack. Rose is carrying a turquoise thermos and an orange bag.]
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We were so excited to have Dr.
Roslyn (Roz) Rosen, a Deaf author of Deaf Culture Fairy Tales with us on February
8
Roz storysigned “The Three Little Pigs”, one of the fairy tales from her book, to Early Childhood Education and Elementary students. They all enjoyed the Deaf version of the classic story.
Roz presented a PowerPoint on the writing process to Middle and High school students. She shared her experiences of how she accomplished her goal of writing a book. Very special thanks goes to the donors who made it possible for her to donate books to CSD kids and the library as a part of her "Getting Kids Hooked on Books" campaign.
[image description - below: Roz Rosen wearing yellow jacket. She is seated and has her two hands up in the air. PowerPoint displaying one of her books is behind her. Katherine Greene seated on her right, by the computers. All the young students watching her (and Katherine Greene) have one hand raised.]
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John Maucere & the Maloes
entertain students
with humorous skits, signs from Spain, and a message of no bullying
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Tree
[image description: (left) Man in black and (right) girl in turquoise shirt with pink heart shirt look at each other while signing "tree". Classroom display in background.]
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Squirrel climbing tree
[image description: (left) Man in black and (right) girl in turquoise shirt with pink heart shirt look at each other while signing "squirrel climbing tree". Classroom display in background.]
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Squirrel
[image description: (left) Man in black and (right) girl in turquoise shirt with pink heart shirt look at each other while signing "squirrel". Classroom display in background.]
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John Maucere and the Maloes sign a story about a hard-of-hearing man getting a haircut at a hearing barber shop.
[image description - Left: Video image of John Maucere leading a woman into the audience as students look on.]
[image description - Below: John Maucere looking like a comedian while leaning against the blue lockers. Teacher Cindy Bronson and middle school students watch him with big smiles.]
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Ebony Club celebrates Black History Month
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National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) hosted their first Black History Month live stream event on February 12. Evon Black, President, and Samuel Holden, Vice President of NBDA moderated this affair. Ebony Club Members participated in this phenomenal event. We watched two interviews with Brandon Williams and Rosavetta Jackson. The interview centered on what it means to be a leader in the Black Deaf Community and what inspired them to be a leader. We played trivia, which reminded Ebony Club members about the importance of knowing Black Deaf History. Without knowing our history, it is a challenge to blossom as a whole. Black and Holden briefly explained the Youth Empowerment Summit (Y.E.S.) Program. Then the event concluded with Julian, a filmmaker, on how to qualify for the grand prize: I have a dream contest.
[image description - photo above: A group of Ebony Club students stand in front of a large monitor watching a two presenters in a live stream video program. There are lockers in the background and a round table with backpacks on it that is in front of the students. (video image below) National Black Deaf Advocates vice president and president, arm-in-arm, wearing black outfits.]
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CSD & CSDR Joint Outreach Session
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Early in February, the California Schools (CSD and CSDR) had a joint outreach retreat at Riverside. The main purpose of the retreat was to come together and address strategies that would ensure student engagement at both of our schools, and throughout the State of California. We came up with several strategic goals that we will continue to work on.
Front Row:
- Denise Hamilton - District Liaison (CSDR)
- Lilly Benedict - Family Education Coordinator (CSD)
- Nancy Hlibok-Amann - Superintendent (CSDR)
- Dr. Natasha Kordus - CDERC Supervisor (CSDR)
- Julie Rems-Smario - Education Programs Assistant (CDE)
Back Row:
- Erika Thompson - Community Resource Specialist (CSDR)
- Rachel Mingo - School Psychologist (CSDR)
- Clark Brooke - Superintendent (CSD)
- Laura T. Petersen - Early Childhood Education Consultant (CSD)
- David Eberwein - CORE Supervisor (CSD)
[image description: Group photo in front of red brick fencing with California Schoo
l for the Deaf, Riverside sign.]
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High School girls have new gazebo
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By Oskar Schugg and Ethan Bernstein
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Photo from left to right…
- Monica Gutierrez
- Samantha Medina-Vazquez
- Kayla Valdez
[image description: Three female students sit on wooden patio furniture that is on a cement slab. They are sitting in a gazebo with open sides. Cottage 5 is in the backgound.]
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As a part of the Apple Community Giving Project, they built a new gazebo for the common area of the high school girls’ cottages. The gazebo was ready for students to enjoy when they returned from their Presidents’ Day holiday.
When asking several high school students about the new structure in the middle of the high school girls’ cottage area, many of them were in awe of the gazebo’s beauty. “A big improvement from the previous landscaping,” said Alexandra Schmitz, “I find it pretty, and I like it.”
What Alexandra might not realize is that there used to be a gazebo in the exact same spot when her mother was a student at the school. The old gazebo had slowly disintegrated throughout the years. A former cottage counselor mentioned that it was one of the most romantic spots for couples to hang out.
Monica Gutierrez shared that the new gazebo is a nice place to sit, during rainy days, and chat with friends while remaining dry. Alexandra Vega added, “And a nice way to chill in the shade on a very sunny day.” Recently, it is a bit too chilly to stay out for very long because of the cold weather. As it warms up in the months to come, more and more students will find it to be a nice place to hang out.
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Adult Transition & Work Readiness Programs
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For the past few months, Adult Transition Program students John Robinson, Scott Stadnisky, and Marco Nicolas have been volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity in Milpitas to assist with assembling and decorating children’s playhouses. The playhouses will be donated to military families or to families in need. ATP volunteers learned how to use a variety of power tools to cut the the wood used in the playhouse kits. Once it was cut, they prepped and painted the wood. Additionally, volunteers were given an opportunity to make a CSD Eagles wooden board with the Playhouse site manager, Adrian Rodriguez. 👷🏽♂️🏠 Contact: Michelle Kooyman, Adult Transition Program (ATP) coordinator or Brian Morris, ATP teacher for more information.
[image description: Student using a power saw to cut wood]
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Exciting to see
Work Readiness Program
student Juan Garcia train Adult Transition Program student Scott Stadnisky to roll dough at Round Table Pizza, on Mission Blvdl, in Fremont. 🍕Stop by, have some delicious pizza, and let them know you’re also part of the CSD Community!
[image description: Two cooks with white aprons and white caps making pizza on a wooden counter. There are metal shelves above the counter. They are standing on a red tile floor. One of the cooks making pizza is standing on a wooden box.]
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Director of Instruction Len Gonzales visits the Early Childhood Education department. In this picture, Len is chatting with the preschool students
[image description: Len Gonzales is kneeling in front of the class signing. A teacher is also seated at the front of the class, giving Len her full attention. Preschool students are sitting in wooden chairs in a semicircle, though one student in an orange shirt is standing. The students are watching Len. There is gray carpet under the chairs.]
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The Kindergarten classes in ECE have been studying the Winter Olympics with STEAM activities, videos, and storysigning. Today we celebrated our own Kindergarten Olympics. The students competed in teams, in the events of curling, ice hockey, biathlon, ski jump, snowboarding, and bobsled. We thank Director of Instructor Len Gonzales and ECE Principal Maureen Yates for Opening our Olympics and for helping to close our games with the Medal Ceremony.
[image description: Young female student with light blue shirt is sitting at a wooden table with a bullseye drawing on it. Another young female student is standing next to the table with her arms up in the air. Both girls are wearing white paper hats made out of colorful drawings.]
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A group of 17 high school students and 2 teachers toured Chinatown in San Francisco as part of the Chinese New Year celebration.
Students are standing in front of a mural on a wall showing the Chinese Zodiac. Happy Year of the Dog!
[image description: Students wearing dark gray and blue outfits are in front of a zodiac wall. Back row is standing; front row is kneeling. The zodiac wall is red, with yellow and black highlights. It has the look of a quilt with lots of little squares. Blue and white pictures are hanging on the wall.]
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Congratulations to Junior Cruz Ascencio who got 2nd place in the strong MVAL league wrestling playoffs, in the 106 weight class. George Quirie and Jayvon Harmon (also pictured) participated in the 140 and 170 classes.
[image description: Three wrestlers, wearing orange and black, standing in a gym. The words "San Jose" are on the wall in the background. All three wrestlers are wearing their medals.]
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Now Hiring for 2018-2019 School Year
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Greetings,
We are currently looking for teaching candidates, for the 2018-2019 Academic Year, who possess passion and spirit, and want to launch their career at a school with 158 years of rich and storied history.
California School for the Deaf, Fremont (CSD) is a fully accredited school, with high expectations and high standards. We offer a strong Deaf program that has a bilingual approach to education, with full communication access in American Sign Language and written English. We base our curriculum on the Common Core standards, and we are involved with setting standards for American Sign Language (ASL). We encourage our students’ self-esteem by empowering them with a strong Deaf identity. We are an inclusive school. We believe in social justice and celebrate our diverse student body, creating an environment where our students can thrive.
We take pride in our students’ many successes, and the recognition they receive after graduation in their professional careers. We hope that you will join us in providing the opportunities our students need to grow and thrive throughout their years at CSD!
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[image description: (video image) Liann Osborne is standing in front of a mural of the sky, with the words "California School for the Deaf" in bright orange letters. There is a painting of an eagle flying off to the right.]
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We encourage you to apply. The preferred deadline is Friday, March 23, though we will accept late applications provided there are still positions available. If you have any questions, please do not be hesitant to contact me.
With Eagle Pride,
Len Gonzales, Ed.S.
Director of Instruction
510-344-6097 videophone
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CSD well represented at NorCal Crabfeed
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NORCAL Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing had their annual Crabfeed Fundraiser on February 10. It was an honor and privilege to be part of this exciting fundraiser. Representatives from CSD attended the event to show our support towards the organization and its mission. NORCAL has supported CSD in many ways over the years through positive collaboration, engagement and participation in our programs and events. NORCAL has contributed so much in the area of executing assembly bills that ultimately benefit the Deaf community. For more information about NORCAL and its services,
please visit their website
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Left to Right
–
Julie Rems-Smario
;
Sheri Farinha
(CEO of NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing);
Rita Ribera
;
Daniel Girard
;
Clark Brooke
;
David Hamilton
;
Len Gonzales
;
Julia Hong
; and
Sulghi Hong
[image description: The group is standing arm-in-arm. Everyone is dressed in Western apparel. There is a hay bale, saddle, and some balloons in the background.]
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News from Pupil Personnel Services
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Registration planning takes collaborative effort among the many departments at CSD to makes the process as simple and headache-free as possible for families and caregivers. The last two years, the Admissions Program at PPS has hosted registration planning meetings on a regular basis, to fine tune our applications/forms, and to make every effort to decrease “run around”, or things falling through the cracks, when it comes to registering.
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Registration involves ensuring that we have all the necessary information for students to enroll at CSD: Medical information; immunization records; enrolling in the Athletic Programs and their physical requirements; Student Life applications; Transportation information; and home School District information. The outcome of our smooth-running registration process requires constant communication, collaboration, trouble shooting and creativity. As the director of the PPS Program, I have witnessed with pride the exemplary evidence of commitment, professionalism and teamwork that the leaders of each department, and our supporting staff, put forth to develop and improve our registration process and forms. Soar on, EAGLES!
By Barbara White
Director of Pupil Personnel Services
[image description: Staff is seated around a conference table. There are papers by each person at the table.]
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Electronic IEP
Implementation and Roll Out Under Way!
By Barbara White
Director of Pupil Personnel Services
[image description: Each staff member is seated at a table working with a laptop computer. The tables form an L shape. There is an extra row of tables in the back.]
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After years of trying to get into the Electronic Age of IEP, CSD, along with CSB and CSDR, is finally in the game! With huge thanks to Lasiewski of CSD Riverside, our mission was accomplished in purchasing a program that was approved by our State Technology Services Department and California Department of Education during the Summer of 2017. With that, CSD has been working closely with Erick in learning the electronic IEP Program called SIRAS (
Student Information Systems). This will allow us to be even more efficient in tracking students’ services and goals, and communicating with their school districts and families electronically. SIRAS provides online management of IEPs and CASEMIS data for special education students. Its simple user interface design offers a list of powerful features that assists users in being more efficient and organized, ultimately benefiting special needs students.
Since the purchase, we have developed a roll out plan. ECE will be the first department to utilize this program, and by IEP week in June, all ECE students will have their IEPs on SIRAS. The next group will be with the Elementary School Department. After them, Middle School and High School will join the band. So far, our Office Technicians at PPS, the IEP Coordinator, PowerSchool Specialist, all the staff at ECE, Assessment and Spoken Language team, and the Counseling team have all received training. Erick, who has been flying up from Riverside to work with CSD and CSB for rollout planning discussions and training, has been a much-appreciated and enthusiastic instructor and leader for us. With his guidance, we are feeling excited, but of course, somewhat anxious about the implementation; yet confident that with practice, this user-friendly program will allow us to work even smarter with its many features that are compatible with our PowerSchool program.
As always, we strive to stay current with standards and expectations. While students are at home or playing after school, the teachers and administrators continue to work hard and learn so that we can best serve our CSD Students!
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CSD Staff participates in Accreditation Process
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Think that on Staff Development Days, when the students go home early, CSD Staff come out to play? Think again! In addition to the many training and development activities we partake in, we actively involve ourselves in the WASC Accreditation Process. The last two Staff Development Days (in November and in February), our afternoons were spent evaluating 5 criteria based on survey results from families, caregivers, students and staff members themselves, to determine what areas of concern and goals need to be addressed and focused on with action plans. Conversations are difficult but healthy among our committed and passionate staff, wanting the best for our students at CSD. In the accompanying photos, you can see evidence of the small and large group work, picking and pulling areas needing attention, and prioritizing them (even though we know all concerns are valid and critical).
I have to say, times like these when we all get together to brainstorm and consult with each other to address the needs of our students and school, I leave feeling very inspired and proud of our TEAM! Together, Everyone Achieves
More!
By Barbara White
Director of Pupil Personnel Services
[image description: (upper left): Staff members are standing in small groups having discussions. (upper right) Staff members are seated in a semi-circle watching a presentation. (bottom left) Derek Johnson and Sulghi Hong giving a presentation with a PowerPoint on a SMART Board. (bottom right) Large semi-circle of staff seated in chairs participating in a discussion.]
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California School for the Deaf
39350 Gallaudet Drive,
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 794-3666
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