(also located at http://alamedaclc.org/)

4 Governing Board meeting; 7 – 9 p.m.

6 ACLC ASTI Base Basketball game at ASTI gym

9 – 13 Spring Break

20 Healthy Lunch

25 CCEF meeting; 6:00 p.m.

28 – 29 States Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Santa Cruz (all Meat teams)

2. Governing Board meeting; 7 – 9 p.m.

4 Healthy Lunch

11. Early Dismissal @ 12:15 p.m./Staff Development Day

12 – 13 Western Nationals Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Seattle

18. Healthy Lunch

28. No School – Memorial Day
29. CCEF Meeting; 6:00 p.m.

The month of March was very busy for us with a visit from the California Distinguished Schools committee and the WASC committee. Both visits went very well and we look forward to learning the status of our Distinguished Schools award and our accreditation in the near future. Thanks so much to all of the parents and community members who gave their time, energy and talents to make these visits a big success!

Be sure to plan ahead for the upcoming Spring Break, which takes place the week of April 9 -13. Also, Senior Project Presentation Night will happen on April 18th at 6 p.m. Come down to see the projects the seniors have been pursuing this year and support the efforts of this amazing class!

In the month of February, we received 196 applications for 37 openings next year. 13 siblings will enter our program, leaving 183 Alameda students seeking only 24 openings for the general public. 92 Alameda students applied for our 6th grade program. That translates to 14% of all Alameda 5th graders. Without a doubt, our program is in great demand. How to meet that demand and serve our community is a complicated challenge. With AUSD’s budget challenges and shrinking enrollment, they are not supportive at all of an ACLC expansion. The Governing Board will be grappling with this issue in the months ahead. The "Charter School Law of 1992" was enacted by the state so that parents and students would have choices within the public school system. If Alameda parents and students cannot exercise that choice, then there really isn’t any choice.

As we move into the Spring, Lora, as Lead Facilitator, (in consultation with the Governing Board and facilitator staff) will be grappling with the complex demands of our schedule for next year. Starting next year, our staff’s credentials must be aligned with the "No Child Left Behind Act." For a small school that covers many grade levels, this is quite a challenge. Additionally, the Governing Board has given the Finance Committee the authority to budget for an additional facilitator next year to facilitate an ACLC UC approved Spanish program for Spanish 1 and 2. This will stretch our budget, and some adjustments may be necessary. It is desirable that all facilitators we hire have multiple credentials to provide the flexibility we need to meet learner achievement goals. We will keep you posted on the progress of hiring that new facilitator as the Spring progresses. – Paul Bentz

Congratulations to the ACLC participants in the Bay Area Science Fair!!! Ten Learners participated in the Bay Area Science Fair on March 22nd. Following are the awards these learners earned:

Grand Prize Winner to Dylan Moore with his project, "Does the Ph level of a fruit affect its electric current capacity?"

2nd place to Laurel O’Connor with her project, "The Written Truth"

2nd place to Jonathan Boyd-Meredith with his project, "Unconscious Mimicry!"

2nd place to Laura Williamson with her project, "Wash your hands! A study of high school bathroom door handles."

3rd place Connor Emberley with his project, "Energy in Food"

3rd place to Christopher Womack with his project, "The Gauss Rifle"

4th place to Adam Turtsani with his project, "Does changing the angle of incoming light affect the power of a solar cell?"

4th place to Kumi Hodge with his project, "Reaction Time: Male vs. Female"

CCEF Meetings are on the last Wednesdays of the Month at 6:00 p.m. at the Center. Please join us.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 25th at 6:00pm

CCEF Board of Directors nominations will be taking place at the next CCEF meeting in April. If you are interested in being on the CCEF Board, please come to the April meeting. CCEF Board of Directors elections will take place at the May meeting.

The CCEF Board would like to thank all of the ACLC families who have donated through our direct donation program this school year. As of the end of March, CCEF has raised almost $20,000.00 from our Direct Donation Campaign. Our goal for this year is $25,000.00. We are almost there!!! Throughout this school year, CCEF has funded a large technology purchase in the fall and two recent purchases of ceiling mounted projectors, supported the "yearbooks for all" program and will be supporting the graduation festivities for this year. If you have not made a charitable contribution this year, please consider CCEF for your charitable contributions. Also, if you pledged a donation, please remember to forward the donation to CCEF.

This month’s meeting was held on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 at ACLC, 7 p.m.

Attendees: Lynn Kameny, Maafi Gueye, Iris DeMello, Jeannette and Linda Cazares, Vickie Miyashiro, Marty Kharrazi, Susanne Gallagher, Laura Wolz, Asa Romberger, Fran Kahane (co-chair)

NEW COMMITTEE – School Logo (branding):

Roger Brady is looking for parents with interest in participating in the process of choosing a logo (mascot or other image) for ACLC that would eventually be used on shirts, gear, stationery, publications, etc. If you have an interest in this activity, and especially if you have skills in graphic design, marketing, branding, etc, please contact Roger at Roger@onlineStrategicSolutions.com

Healthy Lunch:

Next lunch April 20th: South East Asia: Vietnamese Chicken, Pad Thai, Thai Salad, Fruit Salad, Lime Desserts

Graduation: Thursday, June 14th, Ceremony open to the public: 5:00 p.m. at Auctions by the Bay. Reception with potluck & dance immediately following the ceremony at Bayside Pavilion (Spotlight on the Square).

The next graduation meeting is Thursday, April 5th, at 7 p.m. at the Bayside Pavilion.

1. Constitutional Convention March 30, 8 am – 12:15 pm

2. Talent Show auditions March 30, date of the event to be announced.

1. THANK YOU to ACLC parent Lillian Dubow for catering the WASC reception on March 11th. The food was delicious and beautifully presented.

2. THANK YOU to all the parents that contributed food and time during the WASC visit to keep our review team fed. The WASC reviewer enjoyed his visit and shared many positive comments about the school and the community.

Extra-curricular Events:

1. Ultimate: "MEATFEST" raised approximately $1500 for Ultimate, and the BBQ contest winners were Marty Kharrazi (best overall), Paul Miyashiro (beef) and Dave Popelka (pork). CONGRATULATIONS!

2. Ultimate state championships are 4/28 - 4/29, Western Nationals are 5/12 - 5/13.

Fundraising:

THANK YOU to Laura Wolz for agreeing to take on the eScrip fundraising.

THANK YOU to Iris DeMello for continuing to manage Albertsons and BoxTops

And of course THANK YOU to Susanne Gallagher for continuing to manage all of the funds we raise.

Communications and Facilities: No update.

NEXT MEETING:

WEDNESDAY, April 25th, 7:00 p.m. at ACLC (after the CCEF meeting) - Fran Kahane

I would like to thank the following parents for all their many volunteer hours to help make our WASC visit such a success:

Lillian Dubow, Laurie Rivard, Maria Haro, Fran Kahane, Seaon Gayle, Cynthia Stewart, Sue Johnson, Lisa Kharrazi, Merrie Schmidt, Jennifer McNerney, Vickie Miyashiro, Laura Wolz, Martha Murray Fax, Juanita Williams, Peggy Hinkle, Sue Jones, Maureen Deierling, Mescielle Ogata and any other parent that I missed naming.

I would like to especially thank Fran Kahane for all the work she put into organizing all the volunteers for our WASC visit. (from Patricia)

May 4th Cinco de Mayo

Sandwiches

Potato Salad, Crudites, Chips, Fruit

v v v v Facilitator Class Messages v v v v

Math 6: Our current unit uses the theme of a trip to a Mars colony to develop concepts of geometry and number properties. We measure angles and review vocabulary originally developed in Chapter 4. The chapter will conclude with practicing the use of number properties: the Distributive Property, Commutative Property, Associative Property, and Identity Property. We examine these properties as tools to make mathematics easier.

I have been talking with the 6th grade learners about their math placement for next year. Many of the 6th graders will be taking pre-algebra next year. This is the traditional 7th grade course and follows the 7th grade California Math Standards. A few learners, however, may take Algebra next year. A matrix is used to determine math placement. Included in the matrix is the learner’s grade in the class, the learner’s Alameda Arithmetic Test (AAT) score, the learner’s score on the Algebra Readiness Test, as well as their California Standards Test score. If you would like more information on this matrix please contact Patricia. (from Patricia)

Science 6: We are currently studying plate tectonics. Learners are taking virtual field trips to locations around the world where there are spectacular examples of tectonic activity. These field trips present learners with opportunity to act as scientists to gather evidence of plate tectonics from around the world. They use the evidence to define and support a unifying theory that explains important geological phenomena, such as global seismic and volcanic activity, as well as the location and structure of major mountain ranges.

After this unit we will begin our Lego league! (from Patricia)

Pre-algebra: We are learning about the characteristics of right triangles and about the Pythagorean Theorem. Learners will be led to discover the Pythagorean Theorem through a variety of activities. Within this upcoming chapter learners will study squares and square roots as inverse operations. The chapter will include determining the volume of prisms and cylinders as will as surface area.

Learners will soon be taking the Alameda Arithmetic Test (AAT), and will be taking the Algebra Readiness Test in a few weeks.

I have been talking with the pre-algebra learners about their math placement for next year. A matrix is used to determine math placement. Included in the matrix is the learner’s grade in the class, the learner’s Alameda Arithmetic Test (AAT) score, the learner’s score on the Algebra Readiness Test, as well as their California Standards Test score. Each of these is given a score of 1 to 5. To progress to Algebra next year learners need to get an average score of 3.7 or higher if in seventh grade, and 3.5 or higher if in 8th grade. We will work to place your learner in the appropriate math placement for next year. Ask your learner to see a copy of this matrix. If you would like more information on this matrix please contact Patricia. (from Patricia)

Geometry: Geometry learners have just started Chapter 7: Similarity. This is a key chapter leading to congruence proofs and is also tested on the California Standardized Tests. Learners will need to be finished with Unit 20 by the end of Chapter 7. (from Carlton)

Bridges to Algebra: We are currently working on solving equations in our Bridge to Algebra Big book and Small book (Chapter 8). As of March 20th learners should have been finished through Unit 23 in their Carnegie computer unit. By the end of chapter 8 learners should be finished through Unit 28 in their Carnegie computer unit. Remember learners can work at home as well as at school on their Carnegie. (from Patricia)

Algebra 1:. We recently finished Chapter 5: Writing and Graphing Linear Equations in the Carnegie Student Text and have now skipped ahead to Chapter 8: Quadratic Functions. Since the California Standardized Tests are coming up soon, we need to be sure to spend adequate time covering quadratics. Learners will need to be finished with Unit 26 in the software by the end of the week after Spring Break. (from Carlton)

Precalculus: Precalculus learners are finishing a chapter on exponential and logarithmic functions and will have a test on Thursday, April 5. After this chapter we will start our trigonometry unit. The trip to Stanford has been delayed but should occur sometime near the beginning of May. I’ll keep you informed. (from Carlton)

Chemistry: Learners have finished learning the basics about atoms, chemical bonding, energy, the periodic table, gas laws, kinetics, patterns of change (acids and bases), and nuclear chemistry. Major topics for the remainder of the semester include electrochemistry, chemical equilibrium, solutions, and stoichiometry. In early May we will begin reviewing for the California Standards Test which they will all be taking at the end of the year. (from Paul)

Pi Contest Winner: On March 14th ACLC held its second annual Pi contest. Congratulations to Simon Higgins who recited over 90 digits of Pi. I would like to thank Nation’s Pies who donated pies to our Pi contest winners. (from Patricia)

Humanities 6: The sixth graders continue to work with the novel The Giver. We are reading the novel in small groups and doing a variety of comprehension activities. In Writing Workshop, we continue to create personal Memoir booklets and are beginning to use the writing process to create final drafts of our pieces. We’ve also been doing some targeted practice to prepare for the upcoming STAR test (from Lora)

Sixth Grade History: The first prehistoric dynasty is said to be Xia, from about the twenty-first to the sixteenth century B.C. Until scientific excavations were made at early bronze-age sites at Anyang, Henan Province, in 1928, it was difficult to separate myth from reality in regard to the Xia. But since then, and especially in the 1960s and 1970s, archaeologists have uncovered urban sites, bronze implements, and tombs that point to the existence of Xia civilization in the same locations cited in ancient Chinese historical texts. At minimum, the Xia period marked an evolutionary stage between the late neolithic cultures and the typical Chinese urban civilization of the Shang dynasty. (from Jacob)

Creative Writing Wheel (7^th Grade): This is an enthusiastic group of writers with some great stories to tell! We’ve been having fun with descriptive writing such as describing a cookie using the five senses. (from Lora)

English 7/8: Learners are reading books and sharing them in literature circles. Also, learners are writing compare and contrast essays. Coming up: poetry. (from Syl)

History 7/8: Learners are creating archaeological artifacts from the middle ages: China, Japan, Byzantine Empire, Africa, or Islamic Empire. Coming up: Europe in the middle ages. (from Syl)

Honors English 10: We've finished reading When the Elephants Dance. Learners are currently writing interpretive essays. Next up: Daughter of Fortune. (from Syl)

English 12 (Senior Seminar): We’re reading Margaret Atwood’s feminist dystopia novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. Next, we’ll be looking at clips from a variety of films depicting dystopias and doing comparative analyses. Senior projects are still in progress and will be presented to the community on April 18th. (from Lora)

Creative Writing: The older writers continue to explore a variety of genres through assigned prompts. (from Lora)

Modern World History: The causes of World War I are very complex and have been discussed and debated by historians throughout the 20th century. How and why did the assassination of an Archduke lead to a global conflict? What did tensions in the Balkans have to do with the rest of Europe and the world? Does the current conflict in the Balkans bear resemblance to the conflict in that region at the beginning of World War I? In August 1914 Britain went to war against Germany. In the next four years Britain created an army of millions through voluntary and compulsory enlistment, saw government control of food and essential industries, and developed an economy totally geared to the demands of war. Research the causes and the dramatic incidents in the lives of Rasputin, Nicolas, Alexandra, Lenin or Kerensky. (from Jacob)

American Government: While understanding the historical origins of the Bill of Rights helps us understand their significance in the American political system, it is even more important to understand how the rights and liberties enumerated in the Bill of Rights have been interpreted and applied in the more than two centuries since they were adopted. While the Congress and the President have, at various times, claimed to have Constitutional authority to interpret and shape the Bill of Rights, the Supreme Court has played the most significant role in doing so. Indeed, it has been the Supreme Court, empowered by the "equal protection" clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, that has gradually applied the Bill of Rights to the states. This process is often referred to as "selective incorporation." To date, the Court has required state and local governments to comply with all of the provisions of the Bill of Rights except the Second, Third, Seventh, and Tenth Amendments and the Grand Jury requirement of the Fifth Amendment. (from Jacob)

Visual Communication - 7th grade Wheel: In March, learners focused on color, using an interactive online activity that introduced them to the psychology of color. Then we looked at the application of color schemes in visual imagery and created three images using monochromatic, analogous and complementary color schemes. Right now, we are adding to that knowledge base by studying how tints and shades affect color and how the principles of rhythm and movement can increase visual interest in art. Learners will now undertake a photo collage/montage that will challenge them to use found images, apply color knowledge and create a new visual landscape. By the end of April, we will be exploring self-portraiture and how traditional artists have used the medium to reveal their truths. (from Carrie)

Visual Communication – High School: We are finishing a series of discussions and projects

based on illustration and the addition of text in images. Learners will now gather information on the properties and psychology of color by completing an interactive online activity. The group will then design a project that will require them to apply color theory to character design

or another application of art in media. By the end of April, we will begin team projects for presentations based on the principles of design: Rhythm and Movement, Balance, Proportion, Variety and Emphasis, Harmony and Unity. Learners will be encouraged to explore ideas for their final portfolio. (from Carrie)

DVS Classes: The DVS classes left the studio and headed over the Bay Bridge to the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in March. The trip was a wonderful experience for all. The learners enjoyed the AC Transit's comfortable trans-bay line followed by lunch at Mel's Diner, and my wife (chaperone and festival volunteer) and I enjoyed showing off a well behaved group of young people to festival employees and organizers. We attended the screening of two films that were received well by our young and impressionable filmmakers. The first was "Pilgrimage", about a group of Japanese Americans who made a journey to the Manzanar internment camp that imprisoned their families during World War II. The second was titled "A Dream in Doubt" which follows members of a Sikh family as they cope with the loss of a family member to the first hate crime homicide after the attacks of 9/11. After the screenings the filmmakers answered questions from our learners about a host of issues from the filmmaking process to how to find out more information about hate crimes.

Next up is our studio television live taping session at the Comcast Studio at Marina Village. Once again, we will be looking into the financial state of education in California with stories about the recent AUSD budget cut meetings and the Governator's battle with the Teacher's Union. The learner's have elected to take a stab at a Jon Stewart Show style format that will mix hard journalism and reporting with biting satire. We will be rehearsing at the Comcast Studio next week and taping the week after Spring Break. All are welcome to come watch our rehearsals! (from Josiah)

Digital Music: We’ve been covering a lot of diverse ground in the last few months. Learners have been using the blues scale and 12-bar blues form to compose original songs, exploring the art of mixing and arranging songs using the Reason software, and have even delved into the murky waters of sampling. The advanced class is currently working on ‘Retro-Recreations’, in which each learner chooses a song recorded before 1980 and composes a piece emulating the genre of the original. The Wheel learners are currently learning about the blues, major and minor scales and chords, and are blowing me away with their amazing aptitude for composing and working within the software, as well as with their enthusiasm. Stay tuned for the CD of original class music coming out at the end of the school year. (from David)

Leadership: Lately we've been planning for our constitutional convention and the school's talent show. This month we've been focusing on community building in CCC. The latest proposals have been to create a drama club and a movie club, which have all been passed.

(from Michael)

Constitutional Convention: The Constitutional Convention which occurred on March 30 from 8 am – 12:14 (periods 1-4), was an amazing success! Each period learners had their choice of attending one of four discussion groups which focused on elements of the Center (rules, JC, school culture, leadership academia, physical space, relationships with ASTI/BASE, to name a few). These groups were run by Leadership learners who planned an agenda, ran the group, took notes and reported out to the leadership class. Next, leadership learners will take the information and make proposals for suggested changes in our community.

Participants in these learner-led discussion groups were focused, respectful, interested and offered great insights. At the end of the day, those learners who had participated in four discussions were eligible for a raffle for ten $10 gift certificates. The day ran smoothly and was very successful!

Mondays - Crab Cove - Everyone 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Wednesdays - EHS track - Required Sweet Meat and Dark Meat 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Thursdays - EHS - Sweet Meat and Dark Meat 7 – 9 p.m.

Weekend Practices (Saturday Mornings) Upon Notice, More as the season progresses

Tournament Schedule: (now posted on yahoo group calendar)

April 28 - 29 - States, Santa Cruz - Everyone

May 12 - 13 - Western Nationals - Seattle - Dark Meat and Sweet Meat

More local scrimmages and competitions TBA

All players are expected to make all appropriate practices and give prior notice for absences.

All players must bring a disc and appropriate attire to practice (i.e. no jeans please)

All players should be on time (cleats on at start time) and remain until scheduled time.

Families please understand that we are trying to work to hold players accountable for being part of a team (i.e. attendance and commitment).

Parents are asked to support the team through supporting the various events, fundraisers and trips necessary to make this program successful.

Each learner needs to take responsibility for his/her education. I want to make it clear that Ultimate is a school sponsored athletic program and that players must be holding to their school responsibilities.

I will be collecting a copy of all players grade reports before each tournament from here on out. If you are not achieving a 2.0 GPA then you will not be eligible to play in that competition. These reports will include an attendance report as well. Learners who fail to attend classes or have problems with tardiness will also be held accountable. If families have a problem with this expectation than please contact me. If you feel like there is a problem meeting this expectation please communicate with me ASAP so we can develop a plan for success.

More and Better Communication (especially concerning schedule)

More Local Scrimmages and Events

More Publicity

More activities for younger players

Support for developing Girls' Team

Creative Fundraising

Parent Organizers for Events

Running Workout Sessions (Dates can be determined by your availability)

Supervising Pick-up Games for Younger Players (Dates can be determined by

your availability)

States - April 28 - 29, Santa Cruz, CA - Everyone - Transportation, Frisbee Central, Administration

Western Nationals - May 12 - 13, Seattle, WA - Dark and Sweet Meat - Chaperones

College acceptances are coming in (updates as they occur).

Jeanette Cazares -Cal Poly, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Davis

Hameed Abassi - UC Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles

Tommy Sanchez -SF State

Megan Basler - Holy Names

Cullen Coyne - St Mary's, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Davis, Berkeley

Shira Kharrazi - University of Miami (athletic and academic scholarship),

UC Santa Barbara, San Diego, Northeastern

Ashley Mapp - SF State

Eric Ramos - Purdue (full athletic scholarship)

Caitlin Van de Walle - UC Santa Cruz

Congratulations Seniors!

May 5, 2007

June 2, 2007

April 14, 2007

June 9, 2007

The ACT is another test that most colleges accept and is comparable to the SAT reasoning.

For most competitive colleges, it is required that students take the SAT reasoning and/or the ACT and two SAT subject tests.

Most colleges want all testing to be completed by December of the senior year.

- Gail Smith-Pratt

The staff would like to remind everyone that all learners in grades 6 - 12 are required by California state law to attend school from the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those learners who have college classes are eligible for our Off Campus Contract, but their request to leave campus to attend classes must first be approved by the Curriculum Committee of our Governing Board. The necessary paperwork has been handed out and must be returned and approved before learners can legally be away from the ACLC during the school day.

Those learners without college classes or other eligible Off Campus activities are expected to be at ACLC by 8 a.m. each school day. Those who have an unexcused tardy, will be assigned detention. Habitual tardiness may result in more serious consequences.

Please help the ACLC abide by the state laws for compulsory school attendance by getting learners to school on time and reminding them to sign in each day.

If your Learner is taking ANY courses at Encinal High school, you must call Encinal High at 510-748-4023 to report all ABSENCES AND TARDIES FOR THE PERIOD TAKEN.

Last Name        CALL

A-L                  510-748-4023 x 3108 Pat Rios

M-Z                  510-748-4023 x 3109 Theresa Lee

School Phone#’s & Emails