Learn ♦ Experience ♦ Thrive
October 2019 | Eagles #24
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FRESHMAN Royalty:
Shaelyn Johnson
&
Landen Gonzales
SOPHOMORE Royalty:
Kia Thao
&
Andrew Garza
JUNIOR Royalty:
Talia Boren
&
Jaylen Johnson
SENIOR Royalty:
Samantha Medina-Vazquez
&
Jaron LeMaster
SENIOR EAGLE Royalty:
Anastasia Mena
&
Alexis Bravo
[Photo description: Black, white, and orange background with fancy lighting. Senior Eagle Royalty seated in a black sofa, with the rest of the royalty court standing behind them. Everyone is dressed in fancy attire, and wearing their royalty court sash. Photo below: Head shot of Superintendent Clark Brooke smiling. He is wearing a black shirt and orange tie.]
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Message from the Superintendent
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Greetings from the land
of
ORANGE
and
BLACK
!
Greetings! October has been another great month for California School for the Deaf, as you will see when you read the success stories in this newsletter. CSD aims to provide students, families, and professionals with opportunities to grow, utilizing their individual strengths.
To ensure the appropriate development of our students, it is very important that we provide them with research-based best practices in both their instructional and residential environments. One of the presentations mentioned in this edition of the
CalNews
highlights the importance of a child's ASL/English metalinguistic awareness, with information on natural language development in children ages 0-5.
Mental health awareness is another arena that CSD is embarking upon, as we are bringing information and training to our staff. We are pleased with our progress in creating a collaborative effort between the school counseling team and our
student support liaisons
(formerly known as
'adjustment teachers'
). Recently, these two groups have combined forces to bring mental health-related topics to our staff and community.
With drug and alcohol abuse being a nationally occurring epidemic, CSD aims to promote awareness and prevention by educating our students and staff. Relevant topics on drug and alcohol abuse were made available through classroom discussions, assemblies, and training. You may remember the “Just Say No” slogan from back in the 80's; that message is still true today!
CSD is pleased to share that Dr. Frank Turk—a well-known leader who established the Youth Leadership Camp and National Literacy & Leadership Camp—recently published,
“From Oaks to Acorns”
. This book includes historical information on youth leadership in America, and recommendations on how to design and implement a leadership program. It also includes a chapter dedicated to CSD’s leadership program. This is truly an honor! We appreciate all Dr.
Frank Turk has done for the Deaf youth in America. Even today, he is still at it!
In closing, we had a great fall season of activities and interscholastic competitions. Recognition of the Girls Athletic Association was a particularly special highlight. We took time to celebrate the GAA during our fall pep rally, acknowledging the important work that our female athletes have contributed to our school's history. As a result of the establishment of Title IX, the Girls Athletic Association became a part of our Foothills Athletic Association.
With Eagle Pride,
Clark Brooke, Ed.S.
Superintendent
California School for the Deaf, Fremont
39350 Gallaudet Drive
Fremont, CA 94538
510-344-6010 Videophone
510-823-6071 Spanish Callers
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Two CSD Eagles join Calel at the awards ceremony. Pictured here are Eagles Junior Linemen Robert Gregor; Eagles Defensive Coordinator Mario Arellano; General Manager for the 49ers John Lynch; and Eagles Senior Runningback Calel Olicia-Aramboles who was honored at the ceremony.
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Photo Credit: Carla Wetzel
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CSD Eagles Senior Runningback Calel Olicia-Aramboles was selected as a John Lynch Foundation & San Francisco 49ers Cal-Hi Sports
Star of the Month
, in the
Inspirational Athlete
category. While at the awards ceremony, Calel got the chance to meet the general manager for the 49ers, John Lynch. Calel was presented with a football that had his name on it, along with the school's name on it! (See photo left.)
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Nasya's Story
New Family Restaurant in Fremont
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When Nasya was born by emergency C-section, the doctor gave her a hearing test that showed she was deaf. The doctor advised her parents to bring Nasya back for another hearing test when she was 2
months old. Again, the test showed that Nasya was deaf. Then at 8 months, Nasya took the test a third time. This time the test showed she was hearing. But her parents noticed that Nasya did not respond when they used their voice to call her, and she had no reaction to loud noises, such as a train going by. When Nasya was 15 months old, her parents asked Nasya’s pediatrician for a second opinion about Nasya’s hearing test. The pediatrician sent Nasya to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford where they found out definitively that Nasya was deaf.
The doctor recommended that Nasya have a cochlear implant, saying that she was a candidate. The doctor told Nasya’s parents that the family would be able to communicate better with Nasya if she had a cochlear implant. Nasya’s dad was not convinced that a cochlear implant was safe. He kept looking online at all the side effects that went along with cochlear implant surgery.
Nasya’s parents found out about California School for the Deaf and got a tour of the Early Childhood Education department from Michele Tompkins. While on the tour, Nasya's parents noticed how happy the kids were. They realized that if Nasya attended California School for the Deaf, she would grow up to lead a normal life, communicating through her natural language. They were equally impressed by how caring and competent the teachers were.
Soon thereafter, Nasya's parents attended their appointment with the surgeon regarding the possibility of cochlear implant surgery. The surgeon informed them that Nasya was not a candidate for a cochlear implant because her cochlea was premature and did not grow. Nasya's parents had already decided against getting her a cochlear implant, so the news was fine with them. Instead, they would be sending their daughter to California School for the Deaf, where she would be able to communicate through American Sign Language.
In order to develop her signing skills, Nasya’s mom did everything possible to interact with the teachers and the school. She even took a morning ASL class that the Early Childhood Education department offered to parents. She wanted to be able to communicate with her daughter at home.
At the time of this writing, Nasya is in the second grade. (You can see some recent photographs of her at the beginning of this article.)
Nasya’s family recently opened a new Ethiopian restaurant here in Fremont. Haleluya (Nasya’s mom) said, “This restaurant is for Nasya because Fremont is where Nasya belongs. Her community and her school is here. I wanted to be closer to Nasya’s school. When parents live far away, they can’t go to events or be involved with the school. We could have opened our restaurant in Oakland or San Jose where there is a large Ethiopian community, but we chose Fremont because of Nasya.”
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“We appreciate the support our family has received from the school and community here in Fremont. Thank you everyone for supporting us!
”
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How the restaurant started…
Nasya’s mom, Haleluya, grew up in Ethiopia where she learned to cook as a child. When Haleluya was just 12 years old, she lost her own mom (Nasya’s grandma). Haleluya’s dad made delicious meals at home. Haleluya learned the art of cooking by helping her dad. Then when Nasya was little, Haleluya decided to stay home to take care of her. She started watching cooking shows on television, and every time she saw a dish she liked she would try to recreate it at home. Haleluya invited family and friends to come enjoy her cooking for birthday parties and other events. Later, she started making Ethiopian food to sell at the Irvington Farmers Market. Then, she decided to open a restaurant here in Fremont called Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet. Haleluya truly delivers authentic food made with love, and a passion to see her customers enjoy her cooking.
Pictured above: Nasya (2
nd
grader at California School for the Deaf); Haleluya (Nasya's mom who signs); and Matthew (Nasya's 6-year-old hearing brother) at their new restaurant, Haleluya Ethiopian Gourmet, in Fremont.
[Photo description: 1) Nasya and classmate doing a LEGO project. 2) Nasya holding up her LEGO project. 3) Nasya holding up her Student of the Month award.]
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A blast from the past, and a blast toward a bright, brilliant future!
Robin Zane, former Middle School teacher and principal, who later became the director of the Diagnostic Center North, has recently been promoted. She now heads the State Special Schools & Services Division, under the Equity & Access Branch of the California Department of Education. Robin will be responsible for:
- California School for the Deaf, Fremont
- California School for the Deaf, Riverside
- California School for the Blind
- Diagnostic Centers (Northern CA, Central CA, and Southern CA)
We are so excited that one of our own has soared so high. It is going to be wonderful working with someone who understands us and our student population. We know Robin will soar to new heights with the California Department of Education and she will support us well! Kudos and best wishes, Robin! Here’s to a wonderful, productive working relationship!
Look forward to an interview with Robin Zane in an upcoming edition of the
CalNews
!
Group Photo:
(from left to right)
Marsha Helmuth, Katalin Farr, Jane Jackerson, Robin Zane, Jenny Cantrell, Kathleen Mockus, Brenda Call, and Beth Kunze
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Storysigning from CSD Library
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The Pillow War
by Matt Novak
VIDEO: Signed by our school librarians:
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Yo! Yes?...
VIDEO: Signed by our very own high school students from California School for the Deaf...
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Storysigning
at
Fremont Library
VIDEO: with:
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Pat & Ethan Bernstein - Storytelling at Fremont Library
(Click photo for enlargement)
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[Photo description: 1) Ethan and Pat holding up the story books for their storysigning event; 2) Ethan standing, signing his story with the audience of kids sitting in a semicircle watching him; 3) Pat signing with a silly expression while Ethan holds the storybook and watches her.]
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We will miss our Fall 2019 Senior Athletes
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Football
[Photo description: Each student-athlete in these pictures is holding up a sign with CSD Senior 2020 above a photo of themself inside a "C". The athlete's name is below their picture. 1) Five cross country seniors are standing flanked around Kris Hatch, their coach. There is a big sign behind them that reads "Congratulations Seniors" and a cluster of orange and black balloons on the side; 2) There are five cheerleaders. The three in the center are in uniform, with one on each side in a costume; 3) A line of 9 football players in front of the football field.]
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Football season comes to an end
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The football team finished a memorable 7-4 season, after losing to Ferndale (57-28) at the North Coast Section playoffs. We played many tough teams this season. Our fans enjoyed explosive plays and exciting games. Our student-athletes should be very proud of themselves; we began the season as an afterthought (with just 1-2), and proceeded to win the next 6 out of the 8 games. Our guys scored 172 points, averaging 43 points during the last 4 weeks against 4 NCS playoff contenders in our division (St. Vincent de Paul, Oakland Military Institute, Hoopa, and Ferndale). We showed that we could play on the same field with some of the best small schools in California!
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Fall cheerleading has ended for the year. The new winter roster is excited to start cheering for the basketball season. The cheerleaders will also start preparing for the Battle of California and Clerc Classic competitions.
Congratulations Eagles!
Photo credit: Amelia Ortiz and Danielle Reader
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[Photo description: 1) Football team lined up in uniform on an "away game" field. Each player has their hand on the shoulder of the player in front of them. The photo perspective shows the players' backs; 2) The players in a timeout gathered around Coach Warren Keller; 3) Three individual photos of cheerleaders in action.]
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Girls Athletic Association ~ Plaque Unveiling
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California School for the Deaf had a beautiful Girls Athletic Association (GAA) plaque unveiling ceremony during the fall pep rally at the big gym.
GAA was founded in 1928 and served as an amazing organization for our female student-athletes until 1977 when the Title IX law ruled that all sports programs would be equal. This was when the Girls Athletic Association and Foothills Athletic Association merged into a single co-ed organization. However, we still must recognize our GAA history, as well as the hard work behind the GAA alumni and the FAA sponsors decided to sponsor this plaque.
Foothills Athletic Association President Esther Biser, Vice President Kara Wolfangle, and Secretary Talia Boren led the GAA plaque unveiling program, discussing GAA’s history, showing pictures, and introducing our guest speakers Martha Koetz and Gwendolyn Tsujimoto who shared their memories of thte GAA organization at the California School for the Deaf, from when it was in Berkeley.
Another guest speaker, Ginny Malzkuhn was unable to present during the pep rally, as the original ceremony had been postponed when Riverside couldn’t come to Fremont for the Big Game. So Ginny made a nice video presentation that was played at the pep rally.
The new GAA plaque will be located outside the big gym snack bar.
(Click on photo of plaque for enlargement.)
Warren Keller
Athletic Director
[Photo description: Girls Athletic Association display at the gym, with the GAA emblem, uniform, triangular flag, and new plaque.]
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Talon Media: Student-Produced Videos
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Elementary Cub Scout Retreat
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Elementary Student Life Cub Scouts retreat to a fun weekend of going to the park, Alcatraz Island, and a swim at Silliman Aquatic Center.
(Click on photos for enlargements.)
[Photo description: Cub Scouts posing in different Bay Area locations: 1) On top of rock formation; 2) At Chase Center; 3) In front of Alcatraz Island sign; 4) Under a large metal structure.]
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Early Start Teacher Gathering
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Leala Holcomb gives one of her fascinating presentations on ASL rhyme, and how to enhance Deaf children's ASL/English metalinguistic awareness through language play.
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CORE proudly hosted an all-day gathering for the Early Start Teachers of Northern California on November 4. You may wonder... what do early start teachers do? They play a vital role in supporting young Deaf children, from birth to 5 years of age, and their families. These teachers are responsible for promoting language acquisition, social-emotional development, and school readiness, among many other things.
We were fortunate to have Julie Rems-Smario from the California Department of Education, and our very own family educator, Leala Holcomb, facilitating exciting workshops. In the morning,
Julie Rems-Smario
talked about the importance of discussing
early language milestones
with parents (Senate Bill 210). In the afternoon,
Leala Holcomb
talked about ASL rhyme and enhancing Deaf children's
ASL/English metalinguistic awareness through language play
.
Everyone in attendance joined together for a potluck lunch where the early start teachers had a chance to network and share resources. Handwaves to California School for the Deaf for being a beacon for the school!
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Additional resources on ASL rhymes & rhythms:
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From Julie Rems-Smario's Presentation
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“
Systematic barriers to early accessible language acquisition opportunities is the culprit of language deprivation.
”
-- from the presentation by Julie Rems-Smario
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[Photo description: Julie Rems-Smario giving her presentation in front of a PowerPoint slide that reads "Recommended Reading: Language Deprivation and Mental Health" written by Dr. Neil S. Glickman and Dr. Wyatte C Hall.]
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To Improve language opportunities for Deaf children in California, the
LEAD-K
movement helped to pass SB 210 with unanimous support.
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ANGST Film Message about Anxiety:
Let's Talk about It
By Nancy Moser, Supervisor of Counseling Services
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Angst is a new documentary being shown nationally at schools and for the community. This film puts a spotlight on anxiety, and the goal of the film is to inspire conversations about anxiety. Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps stars in the film. He spoke about his battle with depression, anxiety and the importance of talking with others.
On October 25, this film was shown to our Student Life and Department of Instruction staff for Staff Development. After the film, our team of School Counselors and Student Support Liaisons facilitated meaningful conversations about anxiety, how anxiety impacts students, and how to support students.
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Age-appropriate educational discussions with each instructional department is being led by teachers with supports from PPS School Counselors and Student Support Liaisons.
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Elementary students
will watch a beautifully signed ASL story titled “Ruby Finds a Worry” which was developed by our school librarians, Joann Ikeda and Pat Bernstein, and narrated by one of our elementary teachers, Bianca Hamilton-Miller. Teachers will also have different classroom activities related to the topic of “worry” and coping strategies that will be shared with parents in classroom newsletters.
Middle School students
will be watching an ASL psycho-educational video produced by a PhD Psychology student with volunteer support from our School Counselors. This video focuses on Anxiety—how thoughts, feelings and actions impact one another and how to identify and use helpful coping strategies.
High School students
received information about “what is anxiety” and “how anxiety impacts the brain” during Prep Seminar classes led by teachers prior to the film showing. On Monday, October 28, students viewed the movie which was both captioned and signed for students. After the movie, students returned to their Prep Seminar class for interactive and engaged discussions about the movie and coping skills students can use.
CSD recognizes the importance of social emotional learning for our students. This school-wide training provides a very successful opportunity for our instructional staff and student life staff to train together and become models for our students. In addition, the many conversations we have with students through workshops and film discussions serves as an educational opportunity for us to prepare our students with awareness and tools related to anxiety and self-care.
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In collaboration with Deaf Care,
a group of local Deaf service agencies, worked together to show ANGST to the community on November 9
in the Klopping Theater. We had a very nice turnout of parents and community members. The film discussion was led by Deaf Community Counseling Services (DCCS) Program Director, Joni Teague, and DCCS therapist, Sharon Haynes.
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ANGST breakout sessions for Elementary
(above)
and Middle School
(below)
.
Photo Credit: Barbara White
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National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
CHP Presentation
By Nancy Moser, Supervisor of Counseling Services
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National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
(NDAFW) is a national program that links students with factual information to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens get from the internet, social media, TV, or from friends.
At California School for the Deaf,
NDAFW
is a collaboration between School Counselors and Middle School and High School departments to provide workshops for our students.
NDAFW
recently changed their national date to March; however, we decided to have our
NDAFW
in November this year. We borrowed ideas and activities from
NDAFW
to provide information and education for our students over a course of three days of presentations during the first two weeks of November.
Prior to
NDAFW
, on October 22, we invited CHP Officer Leal, Public Information Officer; and Officer Dent, Drug Recognition Expert, to provide our Middle School and High School teachers and staff with information about current trends and laws related to drugs. We appreciated learning many interesting and concerning facts about current trends, as well as ideas on how to address information for today’s teens. Officer Leal shared current medical and legal concerns related to e-cigarettes and vaping, and the rising concern of significant respiratory medical issues related to vaping. Another alarming and dangerous new drug,
carfentanil
, is a synthetic opiod that looks like it could be either heroin or cocaine. However, it is extremely powerful and lethal in very small dosages, and skin contact alone can produce immediate medical side effects.
In addition to providing factual information about drugs and alcohol during
NDAFW
, we also facilitated
peer discussions
on
tips about how to handle peer pressure
and
making positive choices
.
[Photo description: Two CHP officers and an ASL interpreter giving a presentation in the Klopping Theater. The PowerPoint slide has lots of information about Vaping Marijuana with sayings about "Saving Your Brain" and "If it's legal doesn't it have to be safe?" and "Save your lungs! Only inhale oxygen!" The slide has illustrations with it.]
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Communiy Advisory Committee
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CSD's
Community Advisory Committee
(CAC)
is a team of educators, service providers, parents of CSD children, and others who advocate for the needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at the local, state and national levels. We meet once monthly to review plans for Deaf education, suggest annual priories, assist in parent education, advise the administration, make recommendations about CSD programs, and encourage community involvement.
[Photo description: CAC committee in front of the Administration building. Lilly Benedict, Barbara Hyde, and Roberta Monroe are sitting on a mosaic bench in the front. The rest of the committee is standing behind them.]
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Becoming a Trauma-Informed School
By Nancy Moser, Supervisor of Counseling Services
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At the beginning of each academic year, professional development training sessions for teachers and staff focus on Social Emotional Learning topics. Currently, one of the national trends is a strong focus on trauma-informed schools where the adults in the school community are prepared to recognize and respond to students who have been impacted by traumatic stress. The goal is to provide tools to cope with extreme situations and to create an underlying culture of respect and support.
To increase our understanding and awareness of how trauma impacts children and youth, two professional development training sessions were held, last February, for the Student Life staff, and again in September for the Department of Instruction, Pupil Personnel Services, and CORE staff.
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Debbie Schugg
, a former CSD parent who is fluent in ASL, and is an extremely knowledgeable adoption specialist and family coach, was invited to be our keynote presenter. Debbie also has intensive personal experience in raising foster and adopted children and youth. Debbie’s animated style, personal and professional experience, and clear visual concepts sparked engaging group discussions. As a result of Debbie's presentation, we feel enriched, with a greater understanding of how we can more effectively meet the needs of some of our students through understanding, connections, and skill-building in the classroom/school setting and in our student life programs.
[Photo description: PowerPoint slide titled "Understanding and Caring for
Children Who Have Experienced Trauma or Loss", Debbie Schugg, Adoption Secialist and Family Coach, Kinship Center and National Center on Adoption and Permanency.]
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Perfect holiday gift idea...
“From Oaks to Acorns,” by Dr. Frank Turk
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Last year, Dr. Turk spent several weeks with us providing staff development opportunities, inspirational speeches and sessions with our students and staff, and consultation (based on his years of experience as an administrator) on how we could continue to strengthen our leadership programs.
Dr. Turk's new book entitled “From Oaks to Acorns: Promoting Deaf Youth Leadership through Multigenerational Engagement” is on sale for $45. California School for the Deaf only has 10 copies left. Please see Lisa Nunez in the superintendent's office if you would like to purchase a copy.
We will take
CASH
only. The money we collect will go to Parodi Charitable Trust. With appreciation, Parodi had assisted us with the purchase of the book so that you can get your copy immediately rather than ordering through the publisher.
[Photo description: Book cover for From Oaks to Acorns, with a picture of a hand shining out of an acorn.]
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Click on flyers below for printable
version
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California School for the Deaf
39350 Gallaudet Drive,
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 794-3666
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