At last night's board meeting, the Three Rivers School District voted unanimously to approve the KCA charter proposal! Kalmiopsis Community Arts High School is opening next September to grades 9, 10, and 11!
They based their vote on our resubmission, which addressed the concerns that caused our initial denial in May. Our next step is contract negotiations with the district and replacing the organizational board --Kimiko, Kaci, Ryan, and Melissa-- with a founding board that will oversee KCA for the remainder of the planning phase and the first years of the school. (Kimiko, Kaci, Ryan, and Melissa will transition into staff positions under the oversight of the founding board.) If this role might be calling to you, call on us! We will also begin applying for permits to locate KCA at Rusk Ranch Nature Center.
KCA Student News Enrollment Opens in January
Untitled by Airabella Ferdon
Save the date! Pending contract approval, KCA's enrollment period begins in January. The priority enrollment window will be January - March of each year. We can fit 15 students into each grade; if there are more applications than seats available, applications submitted by April 1 will be entered into a lottery, with the lottery drawing held in early April. Applications submitted after the April 1 deadline will be added to the waitlist, if necessary, or enrolled if space available.
A Piece of the Proposal
Revised Academic Calendar & Bell Schedule
Fawn Lily by Sadie Tillotson
The 2023-2024 calendar and bell schedule are below! Fair warning: we needed to make three changes.
(1) The school year now starts and finishes with the rest of Three Rivers schools
(2) KCA will have a 4-day week
(3) The day now begins at 8am and ends at 3:45pm
Why these changes? It's all about the buses! One of the major reasons we were denied in May is that our budget wasn't terribly balanced. It is mighty expensive to provide separate transportation, but by aligning KCA's schedule with other Illinois Valley schools, our transportation costs are now very affordable. Our day needs to fit within the parameters of the bus schedules, as well, which means the day needs to start earlier (8am) and end later (3:45pm) than originally planned. We were disappointed at first, but understand that budgets need to be balanced, compromises are part of the process, and it's actually pretty cool for KCA students to have the same school year schedule as their friends and siblings. We're sorry if this is a disappointment to you!
Humanizing the Standards Meeting Science Standards through a Local Wildfire Intensive
Kalmiopsis Mountains by Selena Newman
In this week’s “Humanizing the Standards,” we are looking at the 3rd (of 4) Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in Engineering Design, which reads as follows:
HS.ETS1.2 Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
One way we will explore this standard at KCA will be though exploration of topics around local wildfires, discussing essential questions such as–
“How should humans today use and respond to fire?”
and
“What are the ecological benefits and consequences of using fire?”
Working alongside local experts who will guide our group through the process of addressing and understanding a bigger issue– such as large-scale, high intensity wildfire in wildlands and at the urban interface– we will explore manageable solutions to smaller scenarios in our regional context.
In Spring 2024, we plan to offer an Intensive class that will deep-dive into the topic of Fire Science! As our forests and communities become more and more frequently affected by wildfire, we will work with guest teachers to educate youth and community members about the basics of fire, open conversations about how fire has impacted our lives, discuss human interaction with fire from multiple perspectives and timelines, and aim to replace fear with knowledgeable respect for fire.As an Intensive course, our group will spend each full day of class for two school weeks working on Fire Science concepts. This particular Intensive will emphasize Career and Technical skill-based experiences led by local organizations and experts, and will culminate in one in-depth service learning project.
Finally, the Action Steps aren't beseeching/begging you to complete the survey! This time it's a simple call for volunteers: Our final 2022 Cans for Kids dates are September 24 & October 22, 10am-2pm behind Chevron. Would you like to spend part of your Saturday helping raise money for KCA? Volunteering is easy and you get to see the many stripes of our diverse community stopping by with their bags of bottles and cans.
[Our 2023 dates are June 3, August 12, and September 16]
Fun and Miscellany Art & Healing @Ascension
We love our small businesses! Ascension Art & Tea House, in downtown Cave Junction, is run by local artist and parent Christie Fairchild. Ascension has two upcoming events that we'd love to share:
Psychedelic Art (& Open Mic!) with Scott Garriot: Saturday, September 24 @6pm
Community Acupuncture and Sound Healing with Sang Montage, L.Ac, and Erika Miller, Tuesday, September 27 from 1-3pm
Ascension Art & Tea House is located at 200 Lister Street in Cave Junction. Do you have an event you want to share with the KCA Community? Get in touch!
Who Are We Writing For?
This newsletter is for potential KCA students and families, Illinois Valley creatives, educators, local community members, and everyone else who supports the creation of KCA! (Read our Mission, Vision, and Four Core Values). As a community-focused school, we want to be transparent to our community and help you feel "in the know" as KCA flows its way towards opening day.
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KCA Teacher Leaders
Kimiko Maglio (she/her)
Mellissa DeNardo (she/her)
Ryan Forsythe (he/him)
Kaci Elder (she/her)
Kalmiopsis Community Arts High School
Creative Commons License 2022-2023
(free to share with attribution)
