Bancroft Banner March 2015

Visit us at our website www.bancroftbroncos.net Mark Your Calendar! 3/03/15: 3rd Quarter Progress Reports Mailed 3/04/15: Soccer Team A Home Game vs. Alvarado 3/04/15: “Nightmare on Puberty St.” Assemblies (2) 3/04/15: 3:30PM Home Wrestling Meet – BMS Gym 3/05/15: 4:00PM Girls Basketball (8th Grade) Home Game vs. Kipp 4:00PM Soccer Team A Away Game @ Newark 3/07/15: 8:00AM Bulldog Tournament Wrestling Meet @ Granada

10:30-3:00PM BMT Tap Dancing/ Puppetry Workshop 3/09/15: 4:00PM Girls Basketball (8th Grade) Away Game @ Alvarado 3/10/15: 4:00PM Girls Basketball (8th Grade) Home Game vs. Newark 4:00PM Soccer Team A Home Game vs. Kipp 5:15PM Girls Basketball (7th Grade) Home Game vs. Newark 3/11/15: 8th Grade Panoramic Photo 2º

8:30AM ELAC Meeting 2:30PM SSC Meeting 4:00PM Wrestling Meet @ Hogan (Vallejo) 6:00PM United Parents of Bancroft Meeting

3/12/15: 4:00PM Soccer B Team Home Game vs. Canyon 7:00PM District Band Festival – BMS Gym 3/14/15: 8:00-10:00AM Saturday School 8:00AM Bronco Classic Wrestling Meet @ SLHS 3/16-3/20: Book Fair 3/17/15: 4:00PM Girls Basketball Away Game (8th Grade) @ Cesar Chavez 4:00PM Soccer A Team Home Game vs. Creekside 4:00PM Soccer B Team Away Game @ Bohannon 5:15PM Girls Basketball Away Game (7th Grade) @ Cesar Chavez 3/18/15: 3:30PM Wrestling Meet @ Albany 7:00PM Taste of Jazz Festival @ Arts Education Center 3/19/15: 2:00PM Early Dismissal 4:00PM Soccer Team A Away Game @ Washington Manor Soccer Team B Away Game @ Creekside 6:00PM Open House 3/21/15: 8:00AM Harvest Park Tourney Wrestling Meet @ Harvest Park (Pleasanton) 3/24/15: 4:00PM Home Wrestling Meet 4:00PM Soccer Team A Away Game @ Edendale 7:00PM District Orchestra Festival – SLHS Gym 3/26/15: 8th Grade College for All Field Trip – UC Davis 4:00PM Home Wrestling Meet @ BMS 4:00PM Soccer Team B Home Game vs. Washington Manor 3/27/15: End of 3rd Quarter 3/28/15: 8:00AM Wrestling League Championship @ Albany High School 8:00-10:00AM Saturday School 10:30-1:00PM BMT Tap Dancing Workshop 3/30/15: 4th Quarter Begin 4:00PM Soccer Team B Home Game vs. Edendale 3/31/15: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS – Cesar Chavez Observance Day/Staff Development Day 4:00PM Soccer Team A Away Game @ Canyon 4/02/15: 3rd Quarter Report Cards Mailed Home 4:00PM Soccer Team A Home Game vs. Cesar Chavez 4/04/15: 10:00AM Wrestling Girls State Championships @ Napa 4/16-4/10: NO SCHOOL SPRING BREAK

Bancroft Chronicle Bancroft Middle School

Vol. 1 * No. 2 January, 2015 San Leandro * California

Two Great Bancroft Role Models By Antonio Calamateo, Amaryllis Gomez, Jennifer Vivero Avina

Mr. Santillan and Ms. Thomas are our vice principals at Bancroft Middle School. Mr. Santillan has been here since the beginning of the year, and Ms. Thomas has been here since November. Mr. Santillan chose to work here because he wants to support Bancroft’s students and staff as well as the San Leandro community. Ms. Thomas chose to work here because of the people, and she thinks that staff is really respectful. Mr. Santillan’s favorite book is Tales of San Francisco because he loves reading about the history of our San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Santillan’s favorite subject is history because he feels like students should learn about positive ways to make powerful social changes. Mr. Santillan has a Chihuahua named Vato (that means gangster in Spanish), and loves to grow all sorts of veggies in his garden. He spends a lot of his spare time with his family listening to music and cooking. Here at Bancroft Mr. Santillan is currently working to grow the AVID Program, start a mentoring club for boys (with the help of Mr. Alvarez), and wants to start an Upstanders! Club to teach students how to stand up to bullying. Ms. Thomas’s favorite book is The Three Questions because she believes that it’s a beautiful allegory about what’s important in life. Ms. Thomas’s favorite subjects are history, science, P.E, math, and English. She likes to write poetry. Ms. Thomas doesn’t have a pet, but she does have a fifteen-year-old son. In her spare time Ms. Thomas enjoys yoga, going to the movies, and travelling.

Need Help?

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Bancroft Musical Theater

By Rees Sitchon and Kelly Li

The auditions for our school play, Aladdin, were held on December 15 through 18. Our director, Ms. Gorham, and our co-director, Ms. A, ran them. The vocal auditions were on Monday, callbacks were on Wednesday, and the dance auditions were on Thursday, and there weren’t any callbacks because everyone who wants to dance in the show can. Before the auditions, the directors held a mini assembly and told us about themselves. Ms. Gorham was a Bancroft student and has been directing Bancroft plays for 15 years. The first musical play she directed was in 1994! Besides directing plays, she is also a programmer at the Jewish Community Center located in the Bay Area. Hairspray was Ms. A’s first Bancroft play! This is Ms. A’s second year in the Bancroft play business. She has been dancing since the age of two. She is an incredible director and actor. She started directing plays so kids can have fun, be active, and let their inner star shine! The whole play process takes about five months to produce. There are about 70 Bancroft students in the play, Aladdin, so make sure you go check it out!

Mr. Mason’s Intramural Sports Program

By Sophia Mariscal, Edelyn Leon, and Teresa Villagomez

Mr. Mason oversees the Intramural Sports Program during lunch on

block days here at Bancroft. Football and soccer are played on the

field. He watches and supervises the games. He started the program

a few years ago when he saw the kids during lunch playing rough and

tackling each other, so he asked Mr. Del Rio if he could organize

lunchtime sports. He runs the program Tuesdays and Wednesdays

because that’s when all the grades have the same lunchtime. His

favorite sport to referee is soccer because that is the sport he knows

the least about and learns a lot every match. As a kid Mr. Mason

played baseball, basketball, flag football, but played soccer for only

one year (that’s why he’s trying to learn more about the sport by

refereeing). Sometimes while Mr. Mason runs the program, kids

argue and he said that’s the hardest part. He is happy that the kids

like to participate.

The one thing Mr. Mason would change about the program would

be that more girls participate. He plans on doing the same sports

next year, but he is open to any new sports that would get more girls

to come out and play. He is happy with the program he runs and is

happy to see kids being active, and we’re happy that he started the

program!

An Interview with Dr. Barrett By Amber Bryant Williams, Vincent Cooper, and Julian Rosas

On Dec.18, 2014 we interviewed Dr. Richard Barrett, the veterinarian at Canyon Veterinary Hospital in Castro Valley. We asked him 16 questions. One of those questions was, “How long did you have to go to college to become a veterinarian?” Dr. Barrett said that he went to regular college for four years and four years of veterinarian school, so in all he went to college for eight years (WOW!). We asked Dr. Barrett if he enjoys his job, and Dr. Barrett’s answer was, ‘’Yes, I do like my job because I love solving pet’s medical problems, and I enjoy talking with people.” We also asked Dr.Barrett if it’s ok for dogs to eat bones.

Dr.Barrett said it’s not generally safe to give pet dogs bones because the bones might get stuck in the stomach or intestines causing an obstruction. Bones can be very hard to digest and it can be very hard for the dogs to go to the bathroom.

Another thing we asked Dr.Barrett was what he wanted to be when he was a little boy, and Dr.Barrett said he wanted to be a physician, but then he thought that helping people take care of their sick pets was more important.

How to Get Good Grades By Jennifer Ledesma, Olivia Lei, and Saif Salem

In the beginning of class, get out your planner, a pencil, and your binder. Wait for the teacher’s instructions. Do your work that your teachers told you to do and pay attention in class. Don’t forget your school supplies, and ask someone if you can borrow something if you forgot it. Don’t cause trouble, and stay away from drama. Write down notes that will remind you about things that are supposed to be done. Don’t bring cell phones to school. Participate in P.E.. Make your best effort in your classes by studying before a test or quiz. Keep your hands to yourself. Don’t be a Bystander. Stand up to people; you’ll never know when a teacher might be watching. Write down every assignment, every day, in your planner. Always have an extra pencil. Have a book for your reading log. Make sure to wear your uniform for P.E. And one last thing, you’d better use our advice or else you might fail.

Ms. Hernandez Interview By Chinonso Elendu, Alfonso Sanchez, Adam Nielsen

We interviewed our six-grade P.E teacher Ms. Hernandez in December. It was just a Q and A session. These are our questions, and Ms. Hernandez’s answers:

#1 What is your favorite color? Her answer was gray.

#2 What is your favorite dessert? Her answer was macadamia nut cookies.

#3 Where did you work before you came to Bancroft? Her answer was golden state prep in East Oakland.

#4 Do you have any pets? Her answer was a dog named Ella that is six-years-old.

#5 What made you wants to be a P.E. teacher? Her answer was, “I don't like desk jobs and wanted to be outside.”

#6 Do you have any kids? Her answer was she has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter.

#7 Why do you teach P.E? Her answer was, “So I can teach about fitness and to see kids have fun.”

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay I Review

By Demille Taylor

On November 21, 2014 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay was released. The main characters in the movie and the actors and actresses who play them are: Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Plutarch Heavensbee). The story takes place in the fictional city of Panem. This is the third movie of the Hunger Games series, and Peeta and the other victors are still in the capital. Julianne Moore was added to the cast to play the leader of District 13, President Alma Coin. After Katniss shot her bow at the dome in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Capital completely burned down District 12. Katniss, Gale, and her family are now living in District 13. Peeta was being tortured in The Capital by President Snow’s Peace Keepers. He was being beaten and starved. The best part of the movie was when Katniss sang “The Hanging Tree.” More people are shot, killed, and trampled in District 5. Citizens revolted by knocking out electricity to the Capitol, and by blowing up the hydroelectric dam. I liked when Beetee created a weapon for Gale and a bow and arrows for Katniss. IMDB rated The Hunger Games:Mockingjay 7.1 /10 stars. I give the movie 10/10 stars. The casting was perfect and the song choice was amazing.

Mr. Mandel’s Chocolate Club By Ryann Begonia and Jaritza Avina

Did you know about the Chocolate Club? The advisor of the Chocolate Club is Mr. Mandel who is also a math teacher here at Bancroft Middle School. The Chocolate Club is open to all students, you just need to get a “C-Pass” from Mr. Mandel so you can go to the meetings. Meetings are once every three Fridays and are held in Mr. Mandel’s classroom, 203, during lunchtime.

Mr. Mandel has been working at Bancroft for 25 years. He thinks most meetings are fun because he likes to hear what kids say and it’s fun to see them try different kinds of chocolates and like them. The chocolate club has been going on for 10-15 years.

Mr. Mandel buys three different types of chocolate for each meeting. The kinds of chocolates he generally buys are milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and chocolate with things in it, like almonds.

Mr. Smothermon’s Amazing Club By Juan Alvarez and Keyon Jones

Mr. Smothermon is a history teacher here at Bancroft Middle School. He has been working at Bancroft since 1992. Over the course of time he has created three clubs. They are the Simpsons Club that meets on Tuesdays at lunch, Friends on Friday Club that meets every Friday at lunch, and The Anime Club that meets for an hour every Thursday after school. All clubs meet in Mr. Smothermon’s room, S-6.

The Friends on Friday Club is a place you can make new friends and hang out with friends that you already have. You can play games, eat lunch, and even simply just chat with your friends. The Simpsons Club is a place where you can watch the television re-runs of the show with the same name. Mr.Smothermon told us that he wanted to provide a place to watch that great show. The Simpsons Club has been around for 15 years.

People Should Be Kind To One Another By Rees Sitchon

Not just at Bancroft, but everywhere, people should be kind to one another. Students learn better, and more, when they are not worried about being bullied or picked on. This year our goals should be to be nicer to one another, and not get into fights. Everyone knows you should be kind to people, but are you really nice to everyone? Some examples of being nice are helping a teacher put up chairs after class, complementing other students, and even a simple smile can brighten someone’s day! Being nice to others can also help you make new friends. It’s also safer to be nice to people so you don’t get into fights both physically and through words. The next time you’re going to be mean ask yourself, is it really worth it? If someone is being mean to you then tell an adult, or try to handle it on your own without being mean. Think about your next actions, and how they can affect other people.

We Are All Scholars and Champions

By Lots of People Who All Love Bancroft

We all know Bancroft students are all Scholars and Champions, and here’s why: we have many league championship titles . . . we earn lots of Bronco Stars . . . we have cool dance classes in ASES . . . we all get along most of the time . . . we have two murals . . . we have a great diversity of students and a great variety of home languages . . . our students, teachers, and staff are all cool . . . the Counseling Department takes all 8th grade scholars on college tours . . . our students are known for their artwork, athleticism, and academics . . . our cafeteria staff loves us . . . 80 students are reading for the statewide California Young Medal awards (CYRM). . . we get a break after every two classes . . . we are allies for each other and take care of each other . . . our music program is outstanding . . . our sports programs are exceptional . . . over 50 kids each lunch in the library every day . . . Mr. Morse really likes it when we sing with him in the hall . . . Mr. Gary loves the different foods that kids and their families bring him- “De-licious” . . . and, maybe the best fact of all is that Bancroft was built in 1952, the same year that Mr. Mandel was born!!

Bancroft Times Bancroft Middle School Vol. 1 * No. 2 January, 2015 San Leandro * California

Team Work Helps Keep Bancroft Safe Diego Ramirez, Braffer Brown, William Mapp, and Sione Nau

How do we prepare for an emergency here at Bancroft Middle School, and what do we need to do in an emergency? We interviewed Vice Principal Santillan because he is in charge of emergency preparation for our school. The interview took place at Bancroft Middle School in Mr. Santillan’s office. We also caught up with Campus Security Officer (CSO) Ms. Tina whose role is to clear the building after an event and make sure students are returned to their families safely. Ms. Tina also has to stay until all the students have been returned to their families. Ms.Tina told us, “Sometimes the students are returned to their families hours after the disaster took place.” Mr.Santillan said, “When a teacher has a new class, or student, the class becomes part of the teacher’s life, and that the class becomes part of the teacher’s family.” This may be interesting for the students to know because the students are probably never thinking about their teachers, but the teachers are thinking about them. Something else that is interesting is that when there is a lockdown other staff members work with Mr. Santillan and Ms. Tina risking their own lives walking around the building to make sure that the perimeter of the school property is clear. We noticed that Mr.Santillan really cares about everyone at Bancroft because he answered all of our questions. That showed us that he is a very good vice principal and that he knows how to lead a school in a disaster. He should be thanked for all the sacrifices that he has made for our school.

Need Help?

BMS Student Study Center

Coach Reggie Leads Us to Victory By Violet Muir, Craig Watts, Jamie Washington, Elyana Vares,

Giselle Najera Coach Reggie Walker started to play basketball when he was in the second grade, and played all through high school. Coach Reggie is our football and basketball coach here Bancroft Middle School. Games and practices are held on our field and in our gym, and at other schools that are in our conference. Games and practices are on different days. Coach Reggie wanted his son to be more involved with sports and became a coach to encourage him. Besides playing basketball most of his life, Coach Reggie also played football in college. He coaches both of our boys' basketball teams, and has been coaching other teams in our city such as those at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, and at St. Leander’s for the past seven years. Even though Coach lives in the Bay Area, he prefers the Lakers to the Warriors. He also prefers the 49ers to the Raiders, but overall he’s a Cowboy fan.

Bancroft Middle School’s Newest Vice Principal

Eugene Tu, Rachel Wong, and Andy Ling

We interviewed Ms. Thomas who is the newest vice principal here at

Bancroft Middle School. She came to us from Roosevelt Elementary

because she found out that there was an open spot for a vice principal,

and so she took it. Ms. Thomas became Vice Principal Thomas on

November 3, 2014.

Ms. Thomas has been teaching about 26 years and has known Bancroft

Middle School for over 30 years. When she came to Bancroft, every

student that knew Ms. Thomas welcomed her and that made her feel

good and happy. She told us, “I love the students here, they’re so friendly

and funny.” We asked if she enjoys the learning curve between

elementary and middle school and she said that she does. Then we asked

her what she does as Vice Principal, and she told us that she helps

students manage their behavior, guides students academically, and

supports teachers in any way she can. She is very kind when she is talking

to students, but when they get out of hand she has to talk to them

seriously. All in all, she enjoys being here at Bancroft. When she is not

working she likes to travel and watch movies.

Wearing Hats in School By: Osvaldo Hernandez

Are you waiting to show off your new hat in school, but they don’t allow you to wear it? Hats can protect you from the sun. Hats also help you cover up an embarrassing haircut. Most of the time hats can help you match. Hats also help you represent yourself so other people know what you like. Wearing a hat indoors may be disrespectful to some people like eating and burping without saying, “Excuse me.” Hats can also be lost, and some hats have some important things. Imagine your parents saving up a lot of money for a Diamond Supply hat, and in school it falls and people step on it. What do you think your parents will say and how will they react? Hats can keep you warm. Some classes don’t have heaters. Some hats are for the cold, like beanies. Some makes you feel hot. There are millions of kind of hats, and millions of people who like to wear them. It would be a sad world if people couldn’t wear hats whenever they wanted.

Finding out More About Vice Principal Santillan By Dajah Matthews, Evelyn Manzo, and Luz Jaurequi

Did you know that this is Vice Principal Santillan’s first year here at Bancroft Middle School, and he is already one of the staff’s most well respected members? Mr. Santillan said that he came to Bancroft because he wanted to raise his family in San Leandro. Mr. Santillan works a lot, from 7am-4:30pm, NOT counting extra meetings. Something you might not know about Mr.Santillan is that he was a Dean at Ralston Middle School for one year. He was also a History teacher at San Lorenzo High School for six years, and taught at Bohannon Middle School for four years. He loves being Vice Principal here because he finds it challenging, and he is needed. His main priority for Bancroft students is to be safe, happy, and healthy. Even though it’s his first year at Bancroft, he has done an amazing job.

Ms. Hernandez Loves Physical Education

By Erika Castillo, Dominic Charles, and Dounya Mohamed

We interviewed Ms. Hernandez. She is our newest physical education teacher here at Bancroft Middle School. Ms. Hernandez has been teaching physical education for three years. She also worked in a program for two years teaching kids how to eat healthy and be active. She loves to teach PE because she likes to be outside and active. Ms. Hernandez also loves to teach football, which just happens to be her favorite sport to watch.

Before coming to Bancroft Ms. Hernandez taught at Golden State Preparatory in Oakland. Ms. Hernandez grew up in Windsor, California and played football as a kid. Ms. Hernandez has a pet dog, which is a pit bull mix named Ella. She has one younger brother, and she has three people in her immediate family. Ms. Hernandez really likes to eat deli sandwiches. Her favorite sports teams are the Raiders and the A’s. She plans on teaching at BMS next year and everyone is looking forward to it because she is off to such a great start here at Bancroft Middle School.

Mr. Mandel’s Chocolate Club

By Anthony Le and Abigail Mittelstedt

Do you like chocolate? If you do, then you should join

the Chocolate Club! It is held every third Friday during

lunch in Mr. Mandel’s room, 203. Mr. Mandel started

the club because he enjoys chocolate and knew that a

lot of other people enjoy it too. If you go, you can

donate money (to help pay for the chocolate), smell

chocolate, eat chocolate, and talk about how you feel

about chocolate, and how it tastes. The Chocolate Club

is amazing!

All you need to attend this club is your lunch, a “C-Pass”

(ask Mr. Mandel), your manners, and a donation if

possible. Mr. Mandel buys all the chocolate with his

own money and donations. He buys the chocolate from

Trader Joes, Cost Plus, Ghirardelli, and if desperate,

Safeway or Rite Aid. What kind of chocolate does Mr.

Mandel buy? All kinds: milk, dark, white, American,

chocolate from other countries, and chocolate with

things inside of it such as nuts, toffee, or filling. Mr.

Mandel’s favorite types of chocolate are a mocha and

chocolate combo.

Bancroft Musicians Go to Disneyland

By Nathaly Haro, Laila Anderson, and Eric Arrizon

Have you ever wondered how Bancroft’s seventh and eighth grade band and orchestra members get to play music for the crowds in Disneyland? Their secret is Mrs. Beck, our amazing music teacher who submits an application and a video of our musicians to Disneyland every other year. So, after submitting another winning application this year, Ms. Beck and our seventh and eighth grade band and orchestra are heading to Disneyland. The trip will be May 21 through May 25. They will be taking Royal Coach buses there. The 7th and 8th grade band and orchestra will be performing at Thunder Mountain Jumberine, and will

be performing music from Cars, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion King, Up, and Beauty and the Beast. There will be bathrooms and TVs in the Royal Coach buses where the 7th and 8th graders can watch movies and shows. There will also be 20 adult chaperones on the buses. There will be 124 students going on the Disneyland trip this year. It cost each student $530.00 and the whole trip it will cost $65,000.00. They will be staying at Springhill Suites, which is a new hotel. Mr. Gary, Mr. del Rio, Ms. Tina and high school music teachers will be among the adult chaperones. There are two rest stops and a one-hour lunch on the road to Disneyland.

Bancroft Musical Theater History

By Gavin Link This is the history of Bancroft Musical Theater at Bancroft Middle School. Catherine Heck founded Bancroft Musical Theater in the late 80’s when she was a science teacher here at Bancroft. Ms. Gorham joined Bancroft Musical Theater when she was a student here 15 years ago. At first Ms. Gorham didn’t plan on staying with the program as long as she has, but she fell in love with teaching students musical theater and that changed her life. She told me that the main people who inspired her to direct theater were not her family, but three of her teachers. As Bancroft Musical Theater’s director, Ms. Gorham spends many hours and many days, from December to May, to bring us a show. She has directed, produced, and designed seventy-five musicals. She was also a costume designer in five Broadway musicals. Don’t miss her newest production, Aladdin, now in rehearsal starring Bancroft Scholars and Champions. It will be magical.

Bancroft’s Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) By Nicholas Corrie and Ami Eshelman

Do you feel safe being yourself around your school? If you don’t you can join the Gay Straight Alliance Club. Ms. Passmore is in charge of this club at Bancroft. The group meets every Wednesday at lunch in her room, 207. It’s a great place to eat lunch and talk with your friends. The people who started this club at Bancroft were science teachers Mrs. Boone and Ms. Pine (who no longer teach at Bancroft). Ms. Passmore now facilitates this club because she thinks it is important for Bancroft kids who are struggling with identity to have a safe place where they can feel they belong. The GSA helps members be confident and strong. You can actually find this club at all San Leandro schools.

Ms. Passmore tries to find gay or lesbians stories for each meeting because members like to hangout and talk about current events. She has shared articles like the one about what happened on January 6, 2015; Florida became the thirty-sixth state to approve same sex marriages.

This is Ms. Passmore’s first club in fourteen years. She thinks this club has done a great job at growing and it is getting bigger and bigger. There are people who don’t join this gathering but support this club, and are glad to know there is an organization like this. The people that do join this club appreciate being a part of this great group.

Bancroft Cheer Club

By Yoselin Jovel and Imani Gilbert

Bancroft Cheer Club started in September. Their most recent cheer event was on January 6th. They practice in the Bancroft Middle School gym. Ms. Taylor decided to be a cheer adviser to help bring school spirit and school pride to Bancroft. The cheer team leaders are Savannah Loud, Jezhana Stovall, Jessica Rodriguez, Maraiah Nunley, and Courtney Jimmerson, and Ms.Taylor. There were 40 cheerleaders at the first practice, and now there are something around 20 squad members.

The Cheer Club uniforms are blue and white and members sometimes wear bows in their hair or on their wrists. They named the Cheer Club “Broncos” because broncos are our school mascot. So far there are 10 cheers. Their practices are on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week. They used to cheer for the football team, but football season is over, so now they cheer for basketball. They are fun to watch!

Bancroft Middle School 1150 Bancroft Ave.

San Leandro, CA 94577

Smarter Balanced Field Test Parent and Guardian Notification Letter

Dear Parent/Guardian: The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP, which has replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting, or STAR Program, is the new state academic testing program. CAASPP is a system intended to provide information that can be used to monitor student progress and ensure that all students leave high school ready for college and career. This year, CAASPP includes computer adaptive tests in English–language arts and mathematics as well as paper-based tests for science. Last year, most students participated in a computer-based field test. This practice run of the test, though no scores were provided, allowed students to experience computer-based testing and new types of questions. In addition, the field test also helped evaluate how well districts technology systems could meet the demands of computer-based tests, and determine what resources teachers and schools would need to better prepare students for future assessments. Lessons learned from last year’s field test will help ensure a successful, full launch of the CAASPP system this school year. In moving forward, students will take the test in 6th-8th grades from April 13-June 5. To learn about the types of questions on the computer-based test, you and your child can view the practice test online at the California Department of Education (CDE) Smarter Balanced Practice Test Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/practicetest.asp. Following the spring 2015 testing, students will receive individual score reports. Student score reports will be sent home to parents and will include an overall score, a description of the student’s achievement level for English–language arts and mathematics, and other information. It is important to note that these scores cannot be compared to scores that your child previously received on the STAR Program tests because this test is based on the new Common Core State Standards, involves different types of test questions, and will not be reported using the STAR Program reporting categories. If you would like more information, please visit the Parent/Student tab of the CDE CAASPP Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/. If you have any questions regarding your child’s participation, please contact Eugene Santillan, Vice Principal at (510) 618-4380 ext. 3676 or esantillan@slusd.us. Sincerely, Valentin del Rio Principal

Tuesday

March 3

2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Thursday March 5 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Monday March 9 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Thursday March 12 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Monday March 16 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Thursday March 19 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Monday March 23 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Thursday March 26 3:15 p.m. – 4:15p.m.

Monday March 30 3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Bancroft Student Study Center Need help with your homework or your next big project or

assignment? Need a quiet place to do work? Then stop by the

Bancroft Student Study Center in Room 105!

March 2015