9.2 ERCS Newsletter

Office hours will be as follows for the school year:

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Thursday: 7:00 AM to 2:30 PM

Friday: 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM

As we experience warmer weather with temperatures into the 100-degree range, please remember the following:

• Leave your jackets and sweatshirts at home.
• Bring a refillable water bottle and stay hydrated.
• Eat lunch in shaded areas like the lunch benches, cafeteria, or under trees.
• Head to the library after eating your lunch.
• Horseplay like squirt guns and throwing water on each other is not allowed.

El Rancho is responsible for student safety to and from school. Once students arrive on campus, they are to remain on campus. In order to provide comprehensive supervision that ensures the safety of students in areas and activities that take place on the way to and from school, students may not leave campus once they arrive. They may not leave campus for any reason including going to the donut shop or picking up forgotten items from family members in the Big Lots shopping center. Students who would like to visit the donut shop in the morning must do so before coming to campus.Likewise, El Rancho is responsible for students as they leave campus as well. Students are expected to cross Santa Ana Canyon and Fairmont Street safely, with the crosswalk. Horseplay in the crosswalk is discouraged. Students should be picked up promptly and while they wait should be respectful to local businesses and other Anaheim Hills residents. Inappropriate behavior before or after school in the Big Lots Parking Lot and surrounding stores will be addressed and consequences may be issued.

On behalf of Dr. D’Agostino

For the past 13 years, many Santiago students have been participating in student travel opportunities to different international destinations like Europe. These opportunities are now open to El Rancho students!

This year, we are introducing two new travel opportunities and I would like to personally invite you to attend a parent information night on Wednesday, September 7th at 5:30 pm in the Santiago Lecture Hall (signs will direct you to the meeting on September 7th) to see if these travel opportunities are of interest to you and/or your student.

They are:

1. Italy- Culture and Cuisine Tour– This tour takes place during Spring Break and is scheduled to leave on March 23rd, 2023, and return on April 2nd, 2023. We start in historic Rome and then travel to some of the less touristy locations of Italy to sample food and experience small-town Italian culture….this is sometimes referred to as the FOODIE TOUR! (Note this tour was introduced at the end of last year and currently has 48 travelers attending. This meeting is not for those who have already signed up, but for those who have not yet signed up and are interested in attending). We are opening up a second bus to allow all travelers who are interested to attend this wonderful tour. This trip is approximately 6 months from now.

 

1. Berlin, Prague, Austria, Munich, and Switzerland– This is the first time we are offering this tour. It is scheduled to take place on December 26th, 2023, and return on January 7th, 2024. This tour is fully customized and very unique…it includes stops from Berlin, Germany to Berne, Switzerland, and much more….visits to the Berlin Wall, Neuschwanstein Castle (AKA The Castle Disney was modeled after), the Swiss Alps, and lots more. We will be celebrating New Year’s Eve in Vienna! This tour has some of the best locations that our groups have ever traveled to…some of the locations are magical! This trip is approximately 15 months from now…

I hope to see you at the meeting on Wednesday, September 7th at 5:30 pm at Santiago Charter Middle School. Please click the link below to register to attend the informational meeting.

 

Please note that this flyer only mentions the Berlin to Berne tour…but BOTH tours will be presented at the September 7th meeting.

 

Respectfully,

 

Jim D’Agostino (Dr. D)

Attention Coyotes!

The cafeteria wanted to share a few updates and tips to make lunch and nutrition more efficient:

• The scanners and keypads are up and running! To make the line faster, please have your student ID out and in your hand. This will make the scanning process much easier.
• Also, if you grab breakfast before school, you cannot grab a snack at nutrition. Students can grab a morning meal before school or at nutrition, but not both.

 

If you ordered school pictures from Life Touch, they have arrived! Students can see Ms. Garabedian in the front office before school, during nutrition and lunch, or after school to pick them up.

Students interested in joining El Rancho’s Robotics Team need to complete the application by 3:00 PM on September 7, 2022.Application: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1utvoSmjKuFSimccYvsWVMw3doXyrzxfHEQsJ5crXUYU/edit

Back to School Night is Thursday, September 8, 2022. Travel from class to class to meet your child’s teachers and learn about course expectations and curriculum. Back to School Night will be a staggered start with 8th grade first and then 7th grade. Please see the schedule below and bring your student’s schedule with you!

Tutorial begins next week! On each Wednesday and Thursday, we have Tutorial for 30 minutes before lunch. Students should use this time to make up tests, complete missing assignments, and get help from teachers when needed.Students who are stamped by their teacher must attend that tutorial session. If stamped by multiple teachers, the subject that has priority that day takes precedence.

Students who have C grades or better, are not stamped by a teacher, and do not have any detention stamps, can go to PE or the lunch benches to complete homework. It is the students’ responsibility to check their grades prior to Tutorial.

Students have the 5-minute passing period to get to their tutorial room. Once students arrive at their Tutorial destination, they stay there for the entire 30 minutes. Please use the menu below to make a plan for this week!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 2:50 PM to 3:50 PM

Homework Club in the library

Math Academy in room 304

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Soccer

Monday and Tuesday from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, starting September 6th.

Cross Country

Parents will need to provide transportation as there is no late bus.

Starting Monday, August 29, students serving lunch detention will need to bring their lunch from home on the day of their detention.

Beginning September 12th, Canyon High’s National Honors Society will provide tutoring on Mondays during Homework Club from 2:50 pm-3:50 pm, in the library. Students can receive tutoring assistance in all subject areas.

El Rancho offers a hot lunch daily, except for minimum days. Breakfast and lunch will be free of cost for all students this school year. Students will need to have their school ID with them daily so it can be scanned to receive their lunch.Families who would like to participate in the free lunch program need to fill out the free lunch for through OUSD using the link below.

https://family.titank12.com/application/new?identifier=M2348N

Buses depart the school by approximately 3:00 PM each day, and 1:35 PM on Thursdays. After school, students need to go to their designated pick-up spot promptly after school. Please remind students that bus numbers may change, but the pick-up spot remains the same. If they are unsure of which bus to take they should ask an administrator.

Did your student miss registration? If yes, make-up picture day is scheduled for Friday, September 23rd during their PE period in the library. Your student may bring a shirt to change into for their photo. Any questions, contact Ms. Garabedian ngarabedian@orangeusd.org.

Any student who missed registration will need to take a picture for their ID card.

El Rancho Charter School is dedicated to supporting its students and staff during these unprecedented times. The site below serves as a means to share school-wide strategies we have in place to support mental health as well as provide resources, suggestions, and tips to help during this difficult time. Although we are apart, we are all in this together.

https://sites.google.com/view/ercsmentalheaalth/home

All games begin at 3:00 PMGirls’ Schedule

9/12: Portal MS at El Rancho

9/19: El Rancho at Yorba MS

9/26: El Rancho at Santiago Charter

10/3: McPherson at El Rancho

10/10: El Rancho at Cerro Villa

Boys’ Schedule

 

9/12: El Rancho at Portola MS

9/19: Yorba MS at El Rancho

9/26: Santiago Charter at El Rancho

10/3: El Rancho at McPherson

10/10: Cerro Villa at El Rancho

 

Coyote Running Club/Cross Country begins Sept. 6th.

Practices will be Monday & Tuesday after school from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Google Classroom – c5xafpx – for a permission slip and more details.

 

Optional meeting at the beginning of lunch Tuesday, August 30 to answer questions & begin collecting permission slips.

As we continue to live with COVID-19, it is vital that parents and guardians keep their students home if they are not feeling well. Please report all absences, positive cases, exposures, and illnesses to our attendance office/health office. Please make sure your student does not attend school and is tested if they are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19.

Students and staff who are experiencing the following should not attend school:

• Has tested positive for COVID-19
• Is waiting for COVID-19 test results because you’ve had close contact or have COVID-19 symptoms.
• Has been identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or has had possible exposure to someone with COVID-19

Is experiencing any symptom(s) of COVID-19 including:

• Fever of 100 degrees or higher

• Headache
• Sore throat
• Muscle or body aches
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain
• Runny nose, congestion, itchy or red eyes, or chills
• Persistent cough (usually a dry cough)
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Loss of taste or smell

El Rancho has received another shipment of COVID-19 Antigen Testing Kits from the Orange County Department of Education. We have enough for one testing kit per student. If your family would like a testing kit, please contact our Health Clerk, Mrs. D’Agostino vdagostino@orangeusd.org .

OUSD is pleased to continue offering all students COVID-19 testing 4 times a week to all interested at the high school you sign up for. All students are strongly urged to participate in the District COVID-19 testing program. This type of surveillance testing program is recommended by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to mitigate spread of COVID-19 in the school community. The OUSD COVID-19 Testing Program is intended to continue maximizing the good health and safety of our school community.

General information for the student testing events will be shared with you weekly as we receive information from OUSD. Students are encouraged to make an appointment between 2:30pm-5:30pm as to not interfere with instruction. Please keep in mind that when completing the online form to make an appointment, all required fields must be completed to take advantage of this testing opportunity. It is also important that accurate insurance information is provided if applicable.

Participation in testing events is for District students only and is voluntary. As a District approved provider, Living Fit Nation will work with the District to verify the eligibility of

participants prior to the event. This partnership, as part of the OUSD students COVID-19 Testing Program, will further strengthen the health and safety measures established in the Safety and Health-Driven School Reopening Plan. We look forward to your participation!

EVENT TIME: Monday to Thursday

2:30pm – 5:30pm

EVENT LOCATIONS:

Canyon High School: (220 S. Imperial Hwy., Anaheim, CA 92807)

El Modena High: (3920 Spring St., Orange, CA 92869)

Orange High School: (525 N. Shaffer St., Orange, CA 92867)

Villa Park High School: (18042 Taft Ave., Villa Park, CA 92861)

OUSD District Office: (1401 N. Handy St., Orange, CA 92867)

Click Here

For student safety, students who have a late start or early release will need to be dropped off or picked up at the main campus. The gate at Santa Ana Canyon will close at the start of the 1st period and will not open until the end of 7th period.Parking Lot Etiquette:

1. There are two lanes in the parking lot. The right lane is for drop-off and the left lane is for those who need to park in the lot.

2. When dropping off please pull all the way forward.

3. At drop off, please do not drop students off in the middle of the parking lot. Either pull up to the curb or pull into a parking stall to drop your student off. The safest option is to drop students at the curb.

4. At pick-up, please do not park in the red zone. This makes it difficult for buses to park and pick-up students.

5. If you would like to avoid the traffic, plan to pick your student up a little later, about 3:05 PM – 3:10 PM, it is so much easier.

6. Please drive SLOWLY!!!!

7. Please follow all traffic laws.

Santa Ana Canyon Drop-Off Area

1. Please pull all the way forward.

2. Do not double park.

3. Avoid blocking the intersection at Fairmont and Santa Ana Canyon.

4. If you would like to avoid the traffic, plan to pick your student up a little later, about 3:05 PM – 3:10 PM, it is so much easier.

We DO NOT recommend picking up students in the Hibachi or Big Lots parking lots. Students should not be in either area after school unsupervised, even on early release Thursdays.

Students will be expected to dress in their uniforms on a daily basis. Uniforms consist of navy bottoms and a polo shirt. PE clothes like track pants, PE shorts, PE shirts, and Dance clothes will only be worn during PE classes.

Uniforms are purchased from American Casual with the El Rancho logo on them. Purchases can be made at Registration or at American Casual’s store.Daily Uniforms include:

• Grey, green, or maroon shirts
• Navy pants, shorts, or skorts
• Sweatshirts, windbreakers, and jackets

Shirts should be tucked in.

Pants need to fit appropriately at the waist and should not “sag”.

No hooded sweatshirts.

Long sleeves are not to be worn under the polo shirt.

Belts are recommended with their pants and shorts.

Failure to comply with the Uniform Policy will result in lunch detention.

PE Uniforms:

• Navy track bottoms or green PE shorts
• Grey PE t-shirt
• Dance students wear black shorts or leggings and a black dance shirt.

The bell schedule for this year will remain the same as last year’s schedule. On Wednesday and Thursday, Tutorial is built in to provide student support during the school day. Thursday will be our early release day to provide time for our staff development and collaboration.

Students who intend to use the bus for transportation to and/or from school will need to purchase a bus pass through Orange Unified Schoool District.Bus Pass Information

During the 2022-2023 school year, all visitors must come to the office through the main doors to sign in. Parents dropping off “forgotten items” or lunches will also drop off items at the main office cubbies, not the Attendance office.

The Attendance office should only be used for signing in late students and picking up students early from school.

Mrs. Cannon, our Attendance Clerk, appreciates your phone call if your child has to miss school. Please call the Attendance Hotline 714-628-5427 on the day of your student’s absence.Please check Google Classroom for work missed up to 3 days.

Students who have a planned absence that is more than 3 days should pick-up an absence form at the attendance office.

During Tutorial, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, please avoid picking students up early, between 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.

The Attendance Office is for signing-in students who are late to school and signing-out students who are picked-up early from school.

Cell Phones are expected to be on silent mode or completely turned off and in students’ backpacks from 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., with the exception that is used as an in-class learning tool under the supervision of the teacher. Cell phones may not be carried in pockets.Students who need to call their parents should come to the attendance office to use the available phone. Students who are not feeling well should come to the health office to call home and rest until a parent arrives to take their student home.

Parents, when an emergency arises and you need to reach your student, please call the office and we will get a message to your student or have them come to the office and call you.

Phones that are used during the school day will be held in the office for parent pick-up and the student will attend a 1-hour after-school detention.

The Cell Phone Policy also applies to headphones, earbuds, Airpods, and iWatches.

Using the Binder Reminder is a great way to stay organized and keep track of homework. Every student is expected to:1. Have their Binder Reminder at school every day.

2. Have their name on the front page of their Binder Reminder.

3. Have their Binder Reminder out and ready on Tutorial days (Wed./Thurs.)

4. Keep all pages intact for the entire year.

5. Write their homework and upcoming tests and quizzes down for each class, daily.

Students without their Binder Reminder on Tutorial days will earn after-school detention.

Follow El Rancho on social media to find up to date information, activities, and the talents of our fantastic students and staff. Click on each icon to get to El Rancho’s accounts.

Sept. 5: Labor Day-No School

Sept. 6: Cross Country Starts

Sept. 8: Back to School Night

Sept. 23: Make-up Picture Day

Oct. 5-6: 7th Grade SOS Training

Oct. 10-14: Scholastic Book Fair in the Library

Oct. 27: Advanced Band/Drumline Perform at Canyon Football Game

Nov. 4: Minimum Day

Nov. 8: Staff Development-No School for Students

Nov. 10: End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 11: Veteran’s Day-No School

Nov. 14: 2nd Trimester Begins

Nov. 16-18: Fall Musical

Nov. 21-25: Thanksgiving Break-No School

Printable Student CalendarPrintable Trimester Calendar-Quick Glance

All questions or concerns should be addressed to your student’s advisor:

• A-F……….Mrs. Ozuna………. kozuna@orangeusd.org
• G-O……….Mr. Kilgore……….. gkilgore@orangeusd.org
• P-Z……….Mrs. Beard……….. kbeard@orangeusd.org