October 27, 2023

HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES

Join us TODAY, Friday, October 27, from 3-5 p.m. on the CSArts-SGV campus for Spooky Fest! Spooky Fest is a free event (no entrance fee required to participate) featuring music, games, Trunk or Treat, and a haunted house. There will be food and items available for purchase from many of our student-run clubs, so bring cash!

On Halloween, Tuesday, October 31, students are welcome to wear a costume to school. We would like to remind students of the following do's and don’ts, which can help as they plan their costumes:

Do:

Make sure your costume follows CSArts-SGV dress code and is school appropriate.
Make sure that you are identifiable to staff as a CSArts-SGV student. If your costume includes a headpiece or mask that obscures your face, you must remove it upon entry and exit from the school and whenever asked by a staff member.

Don’t:

Bring toy guns or weapons to school. If your costume includes a replica or foam sword or staff, that is acceptable; however, please be aware that staff or administration may ask to see it and may stow it in their office if it is determined to be potentially dangerous.
Engage in cultural appropriation or wear a costume that makes fun of a specific religion, race, ethnicity, cultural group, or gender. True appreciation comes in the form of learning about other cultures, befriending different people, going to museums, researching, and listening to others’ stories. Dressing up for one day of the year is not an appropriate demonstration of appreciation. Please stick to make-believe costumes, such as superheroes, zombies, aliens, vampires, book characters, and all things imaginative or creative. If you would like to learn more about cultural appropriation, you can find a video resource from Teen Vogue here.

LAST CHANCE: AP EXAM ORDERING

The deadline to purchase Advanced Placement (AP) exams is next Wednesday, November 1 at 9 p.m. Students currently in an AP class at CSArts-SGV are eligible to take the corresponding AP exam, which can be purchased through their MySchoolBucks account. Exam fees, established by the College Board, are $98 for each test. If your family qualifies for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program (FRLP), the fee is $65 per test. Students are encouraged to register and pay only for the exams they are committed to taking. When ordering exams, we highly encourage both student and parent/guardian to be present to ensure that the correct exams are ordered. Please print and save your emailed receipt of payment for your records, as students may need it for future reference or refunds.

2024 AP exams will be administered over two weeks in May. Click here for the AP testing schedule. For more information on purchasing AP exams, please click here.

ATTENDANCE UPDATE

Attention parents/guardians: All unreported student absences and truancies from the first three months of the school year must be cleared with the Attendance Office no later than Friday, November 3. Please review your student’s attendance record on the Aeries parent portal. If you see the following marks: A (absent), Z (truant), or G (partial-day truancy), please reach out to [email protected] to clear them.

SUICIDE PREVENTION PLAN

CSArts-SGV would like to reshare our Suicide Prevention Plan and other important documents that help guide our school in suicide intervention. These resources can also be found on the Mental Health page of our website.

Suicide Prevention Plan – This document lays out CSArts-SGV’s formal written suicide prevention plan.
Suicide Intervention for Staff – This flowchart instructs staff members on how to respond to a student's threat to self-harm.
Suicide Intervention for Peers or Parents – This flowchart instructs students/peers or parents on how to respond to suicide risk.
Suicide Intervention: Extreme Risk for All Stakeholders – This flowchart instructs all stakeholders on how to respond to an extreme or immediate suicide risk.

The steps listed in these documents are critical to our response to any threat of self-harm. An overreaction is always better than an underreaction. When in doubt, please report. As a reminder, CSArts-SGV’s Text-A-Tip line is 240.847.4483.

Our school counselors are always ready and willing to offer the utmost care and support to any student who may be having suicidal or self-harm thoughts or behaviors and wishes to self-report. Their offices can be found in the Administration building.

CONSERVATORY TRANSFER APPLICATIONS

For CSArts-SGV students wishing to transfer conservatories for fall 2024, applications are now available at www.sgv.csarts.net/ApplyNow. Apply early, as the deadline to submit an application for a conservatory transfer is rapidly approaching on Monday, December 11. Transfer applications will not be accepted after the application deadline closes, regardless of the reason. Additionally, there are no mid-year conservatory transfers for current CSArts-SGV students. Mid-year applications, for a select few grades and conservatories, are only available for new CSArts-SGV students. If you have any questions, please contact our Admissions Office at [email protected].

HELP RECRUIT THE NEXT CSARTS-SGV CLASS

Do you know a student entering grades 6-12 next fall who may be interested in joining our welcoming, creative, and unique school culture? Please let them know applications for the 2024-2025 school year are now available on our website! The deadline for prospective students to apply is Monday, February 5. Prospective families are also invited to attend a Preview Day on Saturday, November 4 or Saturday December 16 to determine if CSArts-SGV is the right school for them.

SCHOOL SAFETY UPDATES & REMINDERS

Traffic Violations

We wanted to take the time to thank you all for your compliance during school drop-off and pick-up. Drop-off and pick-up are the most chaotic times on campus, and your help makes everything run more smoothly. For efficiency, we want to remind all drivers to only make right-hand turns when entering and exiting the Highland Avenue Parking Lot.

In addition, please be aware that the Duarte Public Safety Department will be actively enforcing and citing the following traffic violations throughout the school year.

Pedestrians outside of crosswalks
Jaywalking
Double parking
Failure to obey a posted sign
Failure to obey no U-turn in residential district

Click here for more details, and please call the Duarte Public Safety Department at 626.357.7938 if you have any questions.

MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATES & REMINDERS

Royal Oaks Middle School Showcase

We are excited to share that middle school conservatories on the Royal Oaks campus will host an evening event showcasing their recent work on Thursday, November 30. Save the date and stay tuned for more information!