Parent Resources
We often update resources, some resources are our own and others are outside resources that you may find valuable. Return to check out these resources often!
PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK
Welcome to French Gulch-Whiskeytown School where children come first! We strive to educate the whole child. It is our desire to ensure intellectual, academic, social, and physical growth for all of our students using a Montessori approach to inform and guide our practices. Your active support and cooperation, combined with our best professional efforts will help to ensure success for every child. Please take the time to review the contents of our parent/student handbook. We are looking forward to a vibrant, creative and productive year for each student.
TESTING
CAASPP - On January 1, 2014, the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System was established. The primary purpose of the CAASPP System is to assist teachers, administrators, students, and parents by promoting high-quality teaching and learning through the use of a variety of assessment approaches and item types.
PFT - The physical fitness test (PFT) for students in California schools is the FITNESSGRAM®. The main goal of the test is to help students in starting life-long habits of regular physical activity.
Students in grades five, seven, and nine take the fitness test. The test has six parts that show a level of fitness that offer a degree of defense against diseases that come from inactivity. The test results can be used by students, teachers, and parents.
April 29, 2021
Dear FGWS Parent/Guardian,
We want to thank you for your continued patience as we adapt our school practices and procedures to accommodate the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate that parents and students and teachers continue to step up in heroic ways and we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. As you may know, each year in the Spring, districts and schools are charged with administering the Smarter Balanced California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) to students in grades 3–8 and 11th. On March 16, 2021, the California State Board of Education (SBE) took action to move forward with the administration of the CAASPP for the 2020-21 year, but with great sensitivity to the additional stress that annual assessments can place on teachers and students. Based on the SBE’s action, the current Spring administration of the CAASPP has been adjusted to provide additional flexibility as follows: The assessment has been shortened by about an hour and a half for both mathematics and English language arts. Remote test administration has been enabled – allowing students to complete the assessment remotely from home. The testing window has been extended through the end of July – allowing teachers more time to cover content and curriculum. The CAASPP tests continues to provide embedded universal tools and accommodations to ensure each student is able to fully engage with the test. It is apparent that parents/guardians are more present than ever before in their student’s learning and progress. Therefore, it is important that you are equipped with the most up to date information. It is the district’s priority is to provide parents/guardians to the clearest extent possible with an indicator of whether or not their child is on track for grade-level learning. Parents/guardians will receive their student’s CAASPP score reports from the 2020-21 administration as the scores are made available. FGWS is in the process of familiarizing our students with the format of the CAASPP by providing opportunities to take short practice tests based on the actual test itself. Understanding how the test is constructed will allow FGWS students to truly demonstrate what they know. If you have any questions or concerns regarding state testing feel free to contact your student’s teacher, Erin Stidham, our testing coordinator, or me.
Sincerely,
Moira Casey Superintendent/Principal
530-359-2151
Universal Complaint Procedures Pamphlet 2020-2021
Check out these different links that may be helpful to parents, guardians, and others caring for children:
Common Sense Media - Find out about movies, TV shows, books, games and apps that your children may be interested in. There are even “Parent’s Ultimate Guides” to Fortnite, Youtube, Tik Tok, and the list goes on. Take a Peek!
Interland - online safety tools to help families Be Internet Awesome! In addition to the online game, check out this PDF to help your kids learn how to be safe, confident explorers online.
Affordable Internet Programs and Public WiFi Resources from Northeastern California Connect Consortium - The COVID-19 pandemic has affected communities across the country, and our Northeastern California region (Butte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama Counties) is no exception. This guide is intended to assist our residents who may not have access to the necessary resources during this time of crisis, including broadband and technology tools required for remote learning and working.
September 28, 2021
French Gulch-Whiskeytown School
PARENT NOTIFICATION LETTER:
Long Term Independent Study Program
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s): The FGWS Governing Board authorizes independent study as an optional alternative instructional strategy for eligible students whose needs may be best met through study outside of the regular classroom setting. The goal of our Independent Study program is to provide an alternative to in-person instruction to students whose health may be put at risk by attending class face-to-face or other family circumstances which make in-person instruction a logistical hurdle. As such, Independent Study is an educational program that provides instruction based on the state-adopted content standards by certificated teachers. There are specific requirements for instructional time that may include both synchronous and asynchronous work. These expectations will also be outlined in the student’s written Master Learning Agreement, which must be reviewed and signed prior to enrollment.