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Placerita Junior High School
25015 N. Newhall Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
(661) 259-1551
Volume 41 Issue 2
October 2014
In This Issue
 Principal’s Perspective pg. 1
 Counselors’ Corner pg. 2
 Library Lines pg. 3
 Music Notes pg. 4
 Student of the Month
pg. 7
 Calendar pg. 9
 Miner Health Improvements
pg. 10
 NJHS pg. 11
 Costume Guidelines pg.11
 PAC News pg. 12
The Placerita Prospector is a
periodic publication of the Placerita
Junior High School PAC.
 Principal:
Ms. Jan Hayes-Rennels
[email protected]
 PAC Co-Presidents:
Angie Hall/ Denise Shirley
 Prospector Editor:
Ms. Jennifer Jenkins
[email protected]
The Placerita Prospector is
available on the school website at
www.hartdistrict.org/placerita
Follow Placerita Junior High
School on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/placeritajhs
Principal’s Perspective
BY JAN HAYES-RENNELS, PRINCIPAL
Dear Placerita Families,
I’m constantly reading articles and upto-date research on education, passing
information on to my teachers and staff.
But recently, I came across something
for parents that I thought was perfect to
share with you. The University of
California, Berkeley website has a great
link to their “Greater Good Science
Center” with weekly articles, blogs,
research, and e-news about education,
character, work, and parenting among
other valuable and pertinent topics.
While I was examining their article
called “The Battle Between Success and
Compassion” for our teaching staff to
study, I also came across this one for
parents:
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/
images/uploads/Parent_Tips__Raising_Caring_Children.pdf
In this article, they state, “...when
children can empathize with and take
responsibility for others, they’re likely
to be happier and more successful.”
That sounds like a perfectly wonderful
goal for all our students: to build better
relationships in life, and to become
better collaborators in school and future
careers. I hope you have a few minutes
to click on the link above, and read the
details.
To summarize the main points, here are
the guidelines supported in this study:
Work to develop caring loving relationships
with your kids: Spend regular time
together, and hold meaningful
conversations with them.
Be a strong moral role model and mentor: Do
community service projects together.
Talk honestly and with humility. Check
-in with people you trust. And take
care of yourself, too.
Make caring for others a priority, and set high
ethical expectations: Send clear daily
messages to your children. Prioritize
caring when you talk with others.
Encourage kids to work out their
problems.
Provide opportunities for children to practice
caring and gratitude: Give your children
real responsibilities. Make caring and
justice a focus. Express thanks.
Expand your child’s circle of concern:
Consider the perspectives and feelings
of other children. Educate your
children about hardships and
challenges people face in other
communities. Learn to really listen.
Promote children’s abilities to be ethical
thinkers and positive change-makers in their
communities: Take action against
problems. Join worthwhile causes that
interest you. Work with others. Think
out loud together.
Help children develop self-control and manage
feelings effectively: Identify feelings.
Practice self-control. Resolve conflicts.
Set clear limits and boundaries.
(Continued on page 5)
PAGE 2
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
Counselors’ Corner
Mrs Solis (A-He)
[email protected]
Mrs. Villasenor (Hi-Re)
[email protected]
Mrs. Noriega-Silvas ( Ri- Z and
all English Language Learners)
[email protected]
TEEN-AGE GRIEF (TAG)
Each year many of our teenagers experience the
death of someone they love. When a parent, sibling,
friend, or relative dies, teens may feel the
overwhelming loss of someone who helped shape their
self-identities. These feelings about the death become
a part of their lives forever. Peer support groups are
one of the best ways to help bereaved teens heal. They
are encouraged to tell their stories as much, and as
often, as they like. If your child has experienced a loss,
please call Ms. Picone, the counseling secretary at 2591551. Your child will be invited to attend one of
Placerita’s Teenage Grief groups. One group,
specifically for students who have lost parents, will be
facilitated by Mrs. Villasenor in December and
January. Another group for students who have
experienced other losses will be held next semester.
NATIONAL COUNSELING STANDARDS
PRESENTATIONS
By now, all 7th graders have participated in
counseling presentations to meet the counseling
national standards of academic and personal/social.
Career will come next semester. All 7th graders and
many of their parents participated in an academic
presentation on September 10. If you did not attend
the 7th grade Academic Presentation, please go to our
website at www.hartdistrict.org/placerita to view the
PowerPoint Presentation. This presentation will help
you understand the requirements of junior high, high
school, and college.
On Wednesday, October 15, 7th graders
participated in an assembly with the school counselors
called “Bully-Free Living for Middle School Students.”
Our goal was to help 7th graders understand various
forms of bullying, psychological effects of bullying,
ways to handle and prevent bullying, and sources of
help and support. There were interactive exercises,
thought-provoking facts, and a presentation that kept
students engaged in learning.
TURN OFF THE TV
Middle school
students who watch
TV or play video games
during the week do
worse in school, a
national study finds,
but weekend viewing
and gaming doesn't
affect school performance much. "On weekdays, the
more they watched, the worse they did," said study coauthor Dr. Iman Sharif of Children's Hospital at
Montefiore in the Bronx, N.Y. Children whose parents
allowed them to watch R-rated movies also did worse
in class, and for boys, that effect was especially strong.
The findings are based on a survey of 4,500 students.
"This study should hammer home to parents that
this is really serious," said Douglas Gentile, a
researcher at Iowa Sate University. "One question all
parents are going to be faced with is, 'Can I have a TV
in my bedroom?' There's a simple two-letter answer for
that." Previous studies have found links between the
ability to learn and TV watching, including a study
that found that children with TVs in their bedrooms
scored about eight points lower on math and language
arts tests than children without bedroom TVs.
 The American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends that older children watch no
more than two hours daily of "quality"
programming and that televisions be kept out
of children's rooms.
N E W C O M E R S ’
LUNCH
In
November,
approximately
twenty
students who are new to
Placerita will be treated
to an informal pizza and
game party hosted by
the Youth Project with
the assistance of Placerita counselors. The Youth
Project is a nonprofit organization that assists at-risk
adolescents in overcoming challenges they face daily
and avoiding behavior such as substance use, violence,
unsafe sex, dropping out of school, bullying, peer
pressure, depression, suicide, grief/loss, and running
away, etc. Their mission is to provide a safe, nurturing
environment where at-risk teens and their families are
strengthened, empowered, and equipped with the tools
they need to live successful and healthy lives.
INCOMPLETE OR MISSING HOMEWORK?
When you received your child’s report card, you may
have noticed comments that indicated your child was
not completing every single homework assignment. If
that is the case, we strongly recommend the “student
planner incentive plan.”
(Continued on page 6)
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
PAGE 3
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
By Mrs. Ludlow
Encourage your child to value reading as a habit and
help him become a life-long reader.
Subscription Databases
Placerita students have access to three informationrich databases at school and at home. Each contains
articles, maps, newspapers, primary sources, photos,
video clips, and more. These databases can assist
greatly with research! Please check them out!
GALE Student Resource Center
http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/miner?db=SRC
password needed from home: miner
Here at Placerita, students participate in a daily
sustained silent reading program called D.E.A.R.
(Drop Everything and Read). Students read what they
like each day for fifteen minutes after brunch. Periods
of continuous quiet reading time, such as this, provide
several benefits for students including:
SIRS Proquest Discoverer
http://www.proquestk12.com
username: placerita
password: miners
Click on "My Product Page" to log in and begin.
Increased reading comprehension—One of the
greatest benefits of silent reading is an increase in
reading comprehension. The more a student reads, the
better he/she will be at it. If time is dedicated every
day for reading, comprehension, vocabulary and
understanding of difficult texts will increase.
World Book Online
http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?ed=wb
username: placerita
password: miners
Increased academic achievement overall—
Students who have a higher level of reading ability
tend to have increased skills in their academic areas.
For example, good readers tend to be good writers
with more developed vocabulary and spelling abilities.
The library is open from 7:30 am to 3:15 pm Mondays–
Thursdays and from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm on Fridays.
Please note, the library is occasionally closed after
school for meetings and is closed every minimum day.
Increased recreational reading—Reading silently
can also build an intrinsic motivation for personal and
recreational reading. As students build the habit of
reading regularly, they become better and more
confidant readers. They also tend to continue to read
even when they are not required to.
Increased interests—Silent reading allows students
to choose their own books. This encourages students to
further explore subjects they are already interested in
and to discover new topics of interest. When a student
is interested in what he is reading, he is likely to read
more.
Seeing how beneficial sustained silent reading is,
please consider having your child read each night at
home. Allow him to pick a book he will most enjoy and
provide an environment conducive to reading.
Library reminders
If you would like to request that a quiz be added to
Placerita’s Accelerated Reader list, please see Mrs.
Ludlow in the library.
PAGE 4
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
Notes from Ms. Spula
Concert season is soon approaching at Placerita Junior High
School!!! The musicians are attending extra after school rehearsals
in preparation for our Annual Winter Concerts and the results
have been very productive.
Thursday, December 4, 2014, The Annual Winter Concert I features our two incredible bands – Beginning Band and Advanced
Band. Holiday music, seasonal selections and concert band literature
will be featured throughout this exciting evening. Over 85 eager musicians will show off their hard work and practice since the start of
the school year. It’s hard to believe that only 3 months ago our beginning band members were just learning to put their instruments together and producing their first note. You’ll be amazed at how far all
the musical groups have progressed in the past few months.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014, The Annual Winter Concert II features our outstanding Advanced
String Orchestra and fabulous Chorus. Once again, Placerita Music Department has been blessed
with an incredible group of dedicated musicians who make up the Orchestra this year. The Chorus, with a
current enrollment of 50 dazzling singers, continues to bring much enthusiasm to the daily rehearsal. I
look forward to the final results of all their sincere effort into practice as we approach their concert date.
Both concerts will be held at the Wm. S. Hart Auditorium at 7:00 pm. Be sure to invite all your
family and friends. As always, admission is free at all our concerts. A delicious bake sale will take
place before, during and after the concert in order to raise funds for our program.
There are still openings for any new members to join the award winning Advanced Band and
String Orchestra. An audition must be arranged with me at your convenience. To any former students
or parents who play an instrument – why not bring your instrument and participate in a rehearsal? concert? The more the merrier!!! Always feel free to come in and visit us in room 801…introduce yourself anytime.
Advanced Band will be active throughout the year performing “The Happy Birthday Serenade”
to members of the Placerita staff. It’s a “blast” when the Advanced Band enters the classroom on a given
birthday.
Let’s Go Band!
Congratulations to the Advanced Band for earning Top Homeroom in the Placerita Fall Donation Drive! One hundred percent of Advanced Band members donated to the drive and everyone won a
free Juice It Up smoothie as their reward.
A Big thanks to all the students of the Music Department who purchased our music department T-shirts.
I love seeing the students show-off their musical PRIDE! Some of the profits provide funds to assist the
many department needs: Band/Orchestra festival fees, musical instruments/equipment, choral uniforms,
music supplies, numerous music repertoire for band, orchestra, and chorus, field trip bus transportation,
and pizza parties!!!
Continued on Page5
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
Principal’s Perspective (Continued from page 1)
For more information, go to the Harvard Graduate
School of Education website to read their words in the
Making Caring Common Project. They have a link for
Parents with another article on “Raising Caring and
Fair Kids”. For more resources, articles, newsletters,
strategies and tips on many important parenting
issues, go to: makingcaringcommon.org
Our counselors just gave “Anti-Bullying”
presentations to all 7th grade History classes last
week. We hope your students take the information
they learned from that presentation, and turn it into
caring action for others at school, at home, and in the
community. We work very hard at Placerita to teach,
emphasize, reinforce, and reward acts of kindness,
responsibility, character, and good morals. Thank you
for teaching these traits to your children at home
every day.
+ + + + + + + + +
Academically, does your child need help in Math? All
our math teachers offer additional assistance either
before school, after school, or both. See the “Math
Extra Help” charts to help point your student in the
right direction to get additional help in areas in which
they may be struggling. All math teachers will help
students from any other teacher’s classes. So if your
child’s teacher is not available on a particular day,
send them to another teacher who is available.
Secondly, if you have access to the Internet at home,
or perhaps through the Newhall Library, students are
reporting great use of the FREE online resource called
Khan Academy. It has thousands of tutorials on each
PAGE 5
specific math standard and individual unit. This
nationwide website is highly regarded as one of the
best tutorial sites available.
If you lean toward private
tutoring, and would like additional
practice for your child at home,
check out another relatively
affordable program called
“Learning Upgrade” online. They
have a free 7-day trial your student can work through.
And then if you choose to purchase the program, it
costs $49.95 for 6 months. That is significantly less
than personal tutoring, and the program charts your
student’s progress while teaching them through songs,
videos, math games, and rigorous practice. Placerita
is not connected to this program in any way, nor
endorsing that parents pay for additional academic
support. While there are many online computer
programs you may elect to use or purchase for your
child, this one happens to be highly recommended to
us by educators and parents who have used it very
successfully in the past. Feel free to look around and
let us know if you find anything else worth promoting.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
CVRA Public Meetings: The District is converting to a
“Trustee Area Voting System” for electing School
Board Members. If you would like more information
about what this means, please feel free to attend the
community meeting being held here at Placerita on
Monday, November 17th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. There
are four other meetings on Nov. 6 at Sierra Vista, Nov.
20 at Arroyo Seco, Dec. 2 at Rio Norte, and Dec. 3 at
Castaic Middle School open to all the public.
Music Notes (continued from page 4)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW
Please join us in the extraordinary concerts by our outstanding musicians enrolled in the
Beginning Band, Advanced Band, String Orchestra and Chorus.
Annual Winter Concert I
Featuring the Fabulous
Sounds of the
Beginning and Advanced Bands
December 4, 2014
Hart Auditorium 7:00 PM
Annual Winter Concert II
Featuring the
Festive Elegant Melodies of the
String Orchestra and Chorus
December 10, 2014
Hart Auditorium 7:00 PM
PAGE 6
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
Counselors’ Corner (Continued from page 2)

Remove all entertainment devices (television,
stereo, gaming device, computer, etc.) from your child’s
room and move them into a common family area so
that you can keep track of what your child is doing.
 Decide what activity your child values the most.
This might be watching television, speaking on the
phone, instant messaging his/her friends, playing
video games, visiting myspace.com, etc.
 Tell your child that there will be NO MORE
of that activity UNLESS:
 Direct your child to write the assigned homework
in his/her student planner in each academic class
daily. If there is no homework, your child should write
“none.” After class, your child should approach the
teacher, who will check and initial the student
planner.
 After school, direct your child to complete his/her
homework in the designated homework spot in your
house. Do not allow your child to watch television or
listen to music while doing homework.
 When the homework is completed, together with
your child, check the homework against the student
planner. If your child has the required four initials
(English, history, math, and science) and can show you
the corresponding homework, then he/she can do the
valued activity for a specific time period of your choice,
perhaps an hour.
 Your child will test you with this system. He/she
will make excuses for no signature and tell you
reasons why his/her planner is not filled out or is
wrong. Expect to be challenged and do not cave in!
Be consistent and remain firm that there is no valued
activity unless your child adheres to the plan.
Students must use the student planner daily in all
classes, complete all classroom and homework
assignments, and study for all quizzes and tests.
Students who need extra help should see the teacher
before or after school.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT BULLYING: TIPS FOR
PARENTS FROM EDUCATION.COM
1. Encourage your child to report bullying incidents to
you.
 Validate your child's feelings by letting him/her
know that it is normal to feel hurt, sad, scared, angry,
etc.
 Let your child know that s/he has made the right
choice by reporting the incident(s) to you
 Assure your child that s/he is not to blame.
Help your child be specific in describing bullying
incidents: who, what, where, when.
2. Ask your child how s/he has tried to stop the
bullying.
3. Coach your child in possible alternatives.
 Avoidance is often the best strategy.
 Play in a different place or game.
 Stay near a supervising adult when bullying is
likely to occur.
 Look for ways to find new friends.
 Encouraging him/her to extend invitations for
friends to play at your home or to attend activities.
Involve your child in social activities outside of
school.
4. Treat the school as your ally.
 Share your child's concerns and specific
information about bullying incidents with school
personnel.
 Work with school staff to protect your child from
possible retaliation.
Establish a plan with the school and your child
for dealing with future bullying incidents.
5. Encourage your child to seek help and to report
bullying incidents to someone s/he feels safe with at
the school:
Campus Supervisor - Teacher - Counselor Administrator
6. Use school personnel and other parents to find
positive ways to encourage respectful behaviors at
school.
 Volunteer time to help supervise the school during
brunch or lunch.
Become an advocate for school-wide bullying
prevention programs and policies.
7. Encourage your child to continue to talk with you
about all bullying incidents.
 Do not ignore your child's report.
 Do not advise your child to physically fight back.
 Do not confront the child who bullies.
Do not confront the family of the child who bullies.
CYBERBULLYING, PART II
As if texting and Facebook hadn’t
caused enough problems, we are
now seeing cyber-bullying issues
with a free application called
Instagram which allows people to
snap photos with their mobile
phone, choose a filter to transform
the image, and share on Flickr,
Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter. For information how
this mobile app is now contributing to cyber-bullying,
see “
(Continued on page 7)
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
PAGE 7
Instagram – Is It Okay for Kids? What Parents Need to Know”:
http://internet-safety.yoursphere.com/2012/02/instagram-is-it-okay-for-kids-what-parents-need-to-know.
Helpful information concerning Snapchat can be found at http://nobullying.com/snapchat-bullying-tactics/.
CREDIT-DEFICIENT STUDENTS
Credit-deficient 7th graders are required to attend Summer School at Placerita; your child will be taking English
and/or Math. Summer school classes are from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and from 9:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Please plan your vacation schedule around the five weeks of summer school in July. Daily attendance is essential
to earn credit. Non-promoting 8th graders are also required to attend summer school.
To earn additional credits during the school year, your child may sign up to attend Saturday Intervention classes
or you may wish to consider Keystone Credit Recovery. Keystone students earn credits in courses they didn’t pass
the first time around. The courses are self-contained, independent study units designed to supplement the school's
existing curriculum. Go to keystonecreditrecovery.com for further information regarding costs and curriculum.
ALGEBRA, FRACTIONS, AND DECIMALS, OH MY!
KEEPING BUSY DURING THE THREE WEEK WINTER BREAK
1. We find that many students who are having difficulty in math do not have the
mastery of FRACTIONS AND/OR DECIMALS that they should have by now.
You can find free help online through Khan Academy or many different basic
skills workbooks at Barnes & Noble.
2. All students can read books for one hour per day for Accelerated Reader (AR)
points.
3. All students can work in a vocabulary improvement workbook for thirty
minutes per day.
4. Students who are taking the SAT at Canyon High School on January 25 can
work in an SAT Preparation book.
5. Credit-deficient students can complete a correspondence course from Keystone
Credit Recovery.
Call your school counselor if you need any further information.
Student of the Month Winners
For August/September
”TRUSTWORTHINESS”
Team Excellence: Sage Forgrave & Tyler Lasdon
Trailblazers: Bianca Santana
Explorers: Michele Marin
Pacesetters: Mary Jo Hatch
Fusion: Lydia Botello & Justyn Friedler
A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E: Nadine Marcus & Jessica Deegan
Adventurers: Zoe Hughes
Q.U.E.S.T: Daniella Byrnes
Congratulations to all! Please look for the winners of the character traits of Respect (Oct),
Responsibility (Nov), Caring (Dec/Jan), Fairness (Feb), and Citizenship (Mar) in upcoming newsletters.
At Placerita, Character Counts!
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
PAGE 8
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
Music Notes (Continued from page5)
Musical Highlights for 2015
♪ Friday, Jan. 30, 2015
District Honor Band Auditions
Saugus HS 3:30—9:30 pm
♪ Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015
Saugus HS 8:00 am—2:00 pm
♫ Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015
District JH Honor Band Rehearsal
La Mesa JHS 10:30 am—3:45 pm
♫ Thursday, March 5, 2014
S.C.S.B.O.A. Music Festival
Orchestra @ Littlerock HS 11:00 am
♫ Friday, March 6, 2015
District JH Honor Band Rehearsal
Wm. S. Hart Auditorium 9:30 am – 3:45 pm
♪ Saturday, March 7, 2015
Annual District Honor Band Concert
Wm. S. Hart Auditorium 7:00 pm
♪ Thursday, March 19, 2015
A Rich Musical Heritage
Adv. Band @ Hart Auditorium 7:00 pm
♪ Tuesday, March 24, 2015
S.C.S.B.O.A. Music Festival
Adv. Band @ West Ranch HS 3:00 pm
♪ Tuesday, April 21, 2015
District Solo/Ensemble Festival
♪ Wednesday, April, 22, 2015
West Ranch HS 4:00 – 9:00 pm
♫ Thursday, April 23, 2015
Placerita JHS Open House
Advanced Band in Concert at 6:30 pm
♪ Tuesday, April 28, 2015
30th Annual Choral Music Festival
Grace Baptist Church in Valencia 6:30 pm
♫ Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Annual Spring Concert I – All Bands
Wm. S. Hart Auditorium 7:00 pm
♫ Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Annual Spring Concert II – Orchestra and Chorus
Wm. S. Hart Auditorium 7:00 pm
♪ Monday, May 18, 2015
Placement Performance Auditions for Enrollment 2015/16
♪ Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Band and Orchestra 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Don’t miss these Exciting Musical Events!!!!!
Wishing you a beautiful holiday season and winter break! Happy Holidays!
Ms. Kathryn Spula
Director of Music
October 2014
Sun Mon
Tue
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November 2014
Sun
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Speech Contest Round 1
Fire Drill
Veterans Day - No School
Speech Contest Final Rnd
CVRA Public Meeting
PAC Meeting
Cross Country Meet &
Spelling Bee
2nd Progress Report
Min. Day—Turkey Bowl
Thanksgiving Holiday
December Dates:
Tue
Wed Thu
1
2
3
7
8
9
14
15
16
21
22
23
29
30
28
11/3
11/5
11/11
11/13
11/17
11/18
11/20
29
December 2014
Sun Mon
October Dates:
10/1-2 Safe School Ambassador
Training
10/3
Student of the Month
10/6-7 Fall break - No School
10/17
End of 1st Quarter 10/21
ELAC Meeting
10/22
Min Day -Prof. Development
10.23
Min Day -Prof. Development
10/30
School Dance
10/31
Halloween
Have fun and Be Safe!
November Dates:
1
2
PAGE 9
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
Fri
Sat
4 5
10 11 12
17 18 19
6
24
27
25
26
13
12/4
Band Concert
12/10
Orchestra & Choir Concert
12/11-12 Drama Production
12/18
2nd Quarter Ends
12/18
School Dance
12/19-1/9 Winter Break
20
1/10
School Back in Session
1/14-15
Minimum Days
1/19 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
(no school)
PAGE 10
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
“Miner” Health Improvements
Getting our children to step away from technology and engage in “human interaction” and exercise is a goal for
many parents. However, sometimes it is next to impossible to dislodge a smartphone from a teenager’s hand.
According to “Smartphone Fitness: The Best Health and Workout Apps for Teens” (www.textplus.com) technology no longer has to be associated with being a “couch potato”. They’ve compiled a list of some of the best health
and fitness smartphone apps around:
Run Keeper: With a tagline as ambitious as “the personal trainer in your pocket,” this app promises to get you
motivated – and better yet, to get you into shape – by tracking your running statistics and sharing your data
with friends through social media. Pro tip: get quick “likes” by posting your run to your status update.
Daily Burn: “Better results. Less time” is Daily Burn’s promise. The app provides easy-to-follow video workouts
– from cardio, circuit training, to yoga – in addition to the renowned DailyBurn Tracker, which lets you log
your workout data and visualize your progress. Keep it up, and you’ll be ready for track try-outs in no time.
Nike+: Get more from your run with the Nike+, which features GPS tracking, audio feedback, and yes, even
cheers from your friends. Turn that boring run into an awesome, data-heavy smartphone game and you’ll be
in great shape. Bonus: you might learn a thing or two about your neighborhood by finding new local running
trails.
C25K: Couch to 5K is an awesome 9-week running program that motivates users to get up off the couch and get
into much better shape! It uses a ‘gentle approach’ to get people moving and excited about running in only 9
weeks. Keep it up, and this time next year you might just be the star of the cross-country team.
Fooducate: Fooducate is a great app to help you “eat a bit better.” Why? Because the app is actually a discovery tool for healthier food options. With this app at your fingertips, you can turn what was once an unhealthy lunch into a much more nutritious meal by letting Fooducate suggest healthier alternatives (c’mon
admit it: those fries aren’t even really that good).
TRY HAVING “MEATLESS MONDAYS” AT YOUR HOUSE!!
Zucchini Pasta
Ingredients
2lbs Zucchini
1/3 cup finely shredded basil leaves
1 tsp salt
1 box pasta (your choice)
1 Tab olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves chopped or minced
Salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Shred two pounds zucchini into a large bowl. Take handfuls and squeeze out the water. Toss basil into zucchini
with salt. Set aside. Cook and drain pasta.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet to medium high
and add olive oil. Saute garlic for two minutes, then add
zucchini basil mix. Saute until zucchini starts getting
slightly browned (about 5 minutes).
Top pasta with zucchini mix. Add salt, pepper, and
parmesan cheese to taste!
Placerita Junior High
Drama Club Presents
Come out and join in the fun with the PJH After School Drama Club! This year we will be presenting the rip-roaring legend of
Katastrophe Kate, the most dangerous woman in the West! Whaddaya mean, you never heard of her!!? Didn't ya know that
Texas has a panhandle on accounta she was such a great cook?! This 90-minute Tex-Mex musical tall tale begins when Katherine, a mild-mannered, Eastern born and bred protégée of world-famous chef, Madame Julia Enfant, must transform herself into
Katastrophe Kate in order to conquer the Wild West with her chili recipe. In a steamy cook-off at Miss Lillian's Saloon, Kate
also has a little romance simmerin' on the back burner with her arch rival, Jose Habanero, who claims to have the hottest chili
in the Southwest. Into the musical melting pot, throw some dancin' girls called the Fosse Posse, add a dash of international outlaws for spice, and pepper with a prying reporter named Penelope Penmore, and you have a recipe for one red-hot, toe-tappin'
Texas chili party!
Come See the Show: December 11 & 12
7:00 PM Tanner Hall
Tickets $7
Available in the School Office
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
PAGE 11
The National Junior Honor Society
The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is the nation’s premier organization established to
recognize outstanding middle school students. NJHS honors those students who have
demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Character, Service and Citizenship. In order to qualify for NJHS students must earn and maintain a 3.5 cumulative grade
point average. To satisfy the Service portion of NJHS students are required to complete
10 community service hours with a non-profit organization. Students will be required to
turn in these hours to their advisor by a very strict deadline, as responsibility is a crucial part of
Character and Leadership.
**Please note that those who qualify will be receiving their letters in January. However, if you feel that your student will qualify, they may begin working on their community service hours now. (Hours completed prior to August will not qualify). A detailed description of acceptable community service hours will be mailed home in Janu-
Halloween Costume Guidelines
Students are welcome to dress up for Halloween on October 31.. However, students
must be sure to follow school guidelines regarding this activity.
1. No masks or full-face covering items may be worn, except while the costume contest is being
judged during brunch.
2.
No items may be worn which promote or portray the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
3. No items may be worn which demean or insult any person or group based on ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, religion or political affiliation.
4.
Shoes which support the heel must be worn at all times.
5. Pajamas, slippers, bare midriffs, or anything immodest will not be allowed.
6. Halloween is NOT a free dress day. It is a regular school day for students not in costume.
7. Weapons, real or fake, are prohibited at school.
8. Costumes with excessive blood and gore will be prohibited.
V O LU M E 4 1 I S S U E 2
P LA C E R I T A P R O S P E C T O R
PAC News
PAGE 12
by Denise Shirley and Angie Hall, PAC Co-Presidents
Second quarter is well under way! The ASB Donation
Drive was a great success with the students bringing
in over $14,000. Thank you to everyone who collected
donations and donated money yourselves. What a terrific drive to support student activities this year.
Parents often wonder how to get your student’s National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) service hours
signed off as they perform community service throughout the school year. If your child volunteered for any
collating or registration events at Placerita, we will be
happy to sign off on their sheet when they receive it in
At the September PAC meeting, Mr. Kass shared a
January. Double check the school website under the
special video presentation showing off the work his
“Activities” link for frequently asked questions and
Kidflix students do daily and throughout the year on
acceptable community service hour activities.
Miner Morning TV. He also showed highlights of the
We encourage you to visit the Placerita website,
Robotics program, and how our students are preparing www.hartdistrict.org/placerita to stay informed about
for upcoming competitions. Mrs. August and her ASB all school events and Infinite Campus to keep on top of
student gave us an overview of the many facets of
your student’s academic progress.
ASB, the activities they plan for all our students, and
the many responsibilities they carry for shaping the
There is no PAC meeting scheduled for December. In
culture of our school. Thank you to all our PAC volun- January, we encourage all 8th grade parents to bring
teers who provided desserts and ran the vision screen- your student to the “High School Panel” on Thursday,
ing last month. We always value and rely on your sup- January 29th at 6:30 p.m. to hear first-hand what the
port, generous contributions, and helping hands!
transition from Junior High to High School is really
like. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to
Our next PAC meeting is coming up soon on Tuesday, ask questions about the programs and activities availNovember 18th from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in Tanner able at Hart High School, as well as academics, clasHall. If you are available, please come share your
ses, homework, and expectations. Dessert, coffee, and
lunch hour with us. Again we will have desserts and
water will be served.
drinks as light refreshments. Our choir students will
perform, led by our incredibly talented music director, Enjoy the remainder of 2014! We wish you and your
Ms. Spula. If you are a choir parent especially, we
families all the best throughout the upcoming holiday
hope you can come.
seasons.
Next PAC M
Tuesday,
eeting
November 1
12:00 noon,
2014-2015 PAC Board Members
and Chairpersons
8, 2014
Tanner Hall
President
Denise Shirley & Angie Hall
Vice President
Monica Tucker
Secretary
Lisa Burke
Staff Appreciation Chairperson
Carolyn Snow
District Advisory Council Representative
Michele Moline
Parent Communication Council Rep
Debbie Wolpert
Hospitality Chairperson
Julia Pack
Membership Coordinator
Kathy Travis-Thomas
Hart High School Liaison
Rochelle Gallimore
Prospector Editor
Jennifer Jenkins