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Message from the Director
Kathleen Focacci
The Verdict is in….
As we usher in the Fall of 2014 I find myself reflecting on what life
was like for Venture Academy staff in the Fall of 2001. It was back
then that the original charter document was submitted to the
California Department of Education for approval. Twelve teachers
and I had spent a year in philosophical dialogue about educational
philosophy, program design, what students need to know and how
to make this school safe and nurturing for all students, parents and
staff. Thirteen years later, the dialogue continues as Venture
Academy grows and develops.
One can witness the most recent area of growth when attending
any one of Venture Academy Family of Schools’ Excel Athletics
Fall sports events. Anyone in the audience at a soccer game,
volleyball match, flag football game or a cross country meet will
see students representing our seven high school and five middle
school academies competing together and hear enthusiastic
cheers of “Go Venture” and “Puma!”. Adding Excel Academy as
VAFS’ newest academy brought with it the ability to significantly
expand the athletic program; the expertise of two athletic directors;
access to a state-of-the-art gym in a safe and secure environment;
the use of equipment and uniforms that reflect a high level of
competition. As we move forward Venture
Academy Family of Schools’ Excel Athletics colors
are red, black and silver with the Puma mascot in
place. The students have been leading the way.
Let us move ahead with full support of our athletic
program!
The Mock Trial team is competing
in a new event this year. In addition
to the state case they prepare every
year, they are also going to
compete in the Empire Mock
Trial. Empire Mock Trial is a highly
selective, competitive event that
includes teams from around the
world. Venture Academy's Mock
Trial team was chosen to
participate in their San Francisco
competition in November. They
began working on the case in
July. It is a civil case titled "Andy
Allen vs. Neptune Underwater
Expeditions". It is a wrongful death
suit brought forward by Andy Allen,
whose spouse never surfaced after
going on a risky diving expedition.
This does not mean that you will not see staff and
students wearing the Venture Academy Family of
Schools colors of blue and silver around school or
at other school events. At this time those colors
remain as the school’s overall colors.
Beginning the new year at the
Academy of Innovation and
Inquiry…
BrainworX Academy’s newest freshman cohort spent
a couple of days on the Ropes Course, getting to
know each other and learning the skills of
cooperation and communication.
Drill Team
The Historic Durham Ferry Equestrian Drill Team
competed the first weekend of August in Woodside,
California and won 1st place in the novice division.
With the addition of four new team members, they
continue to practice and will compete at the Cow
Palace in October.
What’s Cooking?
Look Who’s New at Venture!
Walk the halls and you’ll hear chatter about the
usual topics of high-achieving, high-stressed
teenagers: SATs, CASHEE tests, college
applications. But listen harder and you’ll also
hear talk of recipes, a french culinary term “mise
en place” and in-season produce. Look closely
and you’ll see that besides overstuffed
backpacks, musical instruments and basketballs,
a good number of students will soon cradle food
in their hands. And we’re not talking bagels and
Doritos. One day it might be Italian cream puff
pastry, the next day candy caramel. Or perhaps
chocolate buttermilk cake with raspberry
ganâche glaze? All are “to die for” and the
product of the Academy Grill Kitchen.
“And Then I Found Venture”
Hello, my name is Maite Pastor Blanco. I am from Spain and I came
to the United States in early September as a foreign exchange
student. I live in Stockton and I will spend my senior year at Venture
Academy. I am in the Foundations program and I really like Drama
and Choir classes. I know that I will enjoy this year a lot!
Community Service Corner
On Saturday, September 20th, Venture Academy participated in the
Coastal Clean Up Event sponsored by the California Coastal Commission.
With 2 out of the 12 sites in Stockton coming from Venture Academy,
participants showed up to lend their hands in support of clean beaches and
inland waterways at the 30th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. They
scoured the beaches and inland
waterways, picking up trash and debris at
over 850 sites in 55 of California’s 58
counties, gathering hundreds of tons of
trash during the morning’s three-hour
event. The statewide count stands at
54,124 volunteers. Those volunteers
picked up 576,571 pounds of trash and
an additional 109,494 pounds of
recyclable materials, for a total of
686,065 pounds or 343 tons.
New Energy Academy
New Energy Academy Juniors and Seniors
participated in a four week PG&E-sponsored
paid summer internship. Students were
compensated $9.00 per hour, four hours per
day, and five days per week. The students
received training in the following areas: OSHA
10 Safety Training; CPR Training and
Certification; Resume, Soft Skills, and Job
Interview and Application training; and one-onone mentorships in the field with PG&E
employees who dearly loved working with
Venture students and wanted to keep them!
Mentorships were closely matched to student
interests. Students left as Juniors last school
year and returned as very mature seniors with
career aspirations. Summer interns were given
a new opportunity to apply for a PG&E all
expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. this
November.
Eleven seniors from Venture Academy
spent a week in the backcountry of
Yosemite National Park. The group was
led by two naturalists (Emily and Deeps)
who are part of the Yosemite
Naturebridge program, the goal of which
is to expose students to nature and guide
self discovery through immersion into the
wilderness. This particular group
explored the Lyell Canyon area of
Yosemite, located off the John Muir Trail
near Tuolumne Meadows.
HOSA
This summer Venture Academy HOSA took
three students and one advisor to the HOSA
National Leadership Conference in Orlando,
Florida representing Venture Academy
HOSA and California HOSA. Students
enjoyed the great attractions the city has to
offer and participated in a variety of exciting
activities throughout the conference.
On September 23rd Venture Academy's
HOSA hosted a successful blood drive for
Blood Source. The students donated their
blood, and all together saved over 156 lives.
Thank you to all who donated or worked and
helped save one life at a time.
HOSA is also starting their book drive this
week and will be placing boxes in various
locations to collect new or gently used books
for the Stockton Free Little Library. Please
donate books appropriate for children K-8.
No text books, encyclopedias, or religious
texts please.
Wildlink
Venture Academy Family of Schools Excel Athletics
Athletic Directors’ Corner
Larissa Founts and Michael Wright are the new Athletic
Directors for Venture Academy Family of Schools. Larissa
and Michael would like to thank all of our coaches and
fans for starting off the year with such great spirit! Both
directors have extensive training and education in the
areas of Physical Education and are excited to be part of
the Venture Academy-Excel Athletic Program. Go Pumas!
Boys’ Soccer
The Boys' Soccer Team is undefeated,
6-0-0, in our league and game after
game prove themselves worthy of a shot
at Sections one more time. This year
over fifty students tried out for the
soccer team and 28 were chosen to be
part of our successful program.
Cross Country
The Cross Country team is having a fantastic season. We
are in our first ever season and surprisingly the boys’
varsity team is ranked second in the league (CCAA) with
huge potential to take first. On October 13th the boys’
varsity team just conquered 1st place at Eagal Lakes and,
more importantly, defeated the team that has put us second
in all other races! Again, we are in the RUNNING
(LOL)!!!!! Our next race is the league meet on October
30th in Modesto. Please see Coach Hittle (ImagineIT) or
Coach Welsh (BrainWorX) for details. Wish us luck and
thank you for your support!
Volleyball
"I'm so proud of the girls and how far they've
come this season. Everyday that they walk in
the gym they are focused and hungry to learn
more about the game of volleyball. I enjoy
working with them and can't wait to see where
the program grows from here.”-Katie Goldhahn
Counselor Tips
What to do When a Crisis Occurs
Tips for Parents
All Adults Should:
1.Model calm and controlled behavior. Avoid
appearing anxious or frightened.
2.Reassure children that they are safe.
3.Remind them that trustworthy people are in
charge.
4.Let children know that it is okay to feel upset.
5.Observe children¹s emotional state.
6.Tell children the truth.
7.Stick to the facts.
8. Keep your explanations developmentally
appropriate.
9. Inform school personnel/counselors.
9 Keep your explanations
VOLT
V.O.L.T. (Venture Academy's Outstanding
Leadership Team) is in full swing
in its second year in existence! VOLT was
created to give students an opportunity to build
community and support at Venture
Academy. VOLT is involved with serving the
students on our campus by utilizing the
diversity, both in age and focus, of our
academies. The VOLT team put on a back to
school dance as an opportunity for students in
different academies to get to know each
other. Next they will be working on mentoring
and support programs to the junior high and
elementary levels. Stay tuned!