El Rancho Charter School

Office hours will be as follows for the school year:

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday: 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Thursday: 7:00 AM to 2:30 PM

Friday: 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM

On each Wednesday and Thursday, we have Tutorial for 30 minutes before lunch. Students should use this time to make up tests, complete missing assignments, and get help from teachers when needed.

Students who are stamped by their teacher must attend that tutorial session. If stamped by multiple teachers, the subject that has priority that day takes precedence.

Students who have C grades or better, are not stamped by a teacher, and do not have any detention stamps, can go to PE, the Little Theater, or Library to complete homework. It is the student's responsibility to check their grades prior to Tutorial.

Students have a 5-minute passing period to get to their tutorial room. Once students arrive at their Tutorial destination, they stay there for the entire 30 minutes. Please use the menu below to make a plan for this week!

If you missed taking your picture at registration, Life Touch will be back on September 22nd for

make-up pictures. Pictures will be done through your PE class or at nutrition or lunch. This is your yearbook and ID card picture. Students can change into a shirt for pictures and then change back into their uniforms.

We would love to recognize our staff who go above and beyond. So, just like Student of the Month, we have Staff of the Month! If you would like to recognize one of our staff members who exemplify our Coyote qualities, please use the form below to recognize them.

Staff Coyote of the Month

To be eligible for a Staff of the Month Award, an employee must demonstrate one or more of the following traits:

C: Compassion, Character, and Community

O: Outlook (Positive)

Y: Yearning for Excellence

O: Outstanding insight into students

T: Team Player

E: Excites students to learn

Over the last two weeks, students have been reminded and warned about the cell phone and uniform policies. Starting Monday, students will receive a lunch detention if they choose not to follow school policies.

Cell Phones: Cell phones may not be used between 8:00 AM and 2:45 PM, first bell to the last bell unless used as a learning device with teacher permission. They should be on silent, airplane mode, or completely turned off and stored in their backpacks, not their pockets.

Uniforms: Pants should fit at the waist and shirts need to be tucked in, not folded under. Track pants can only be worn during PE, not during the regular school day. Only crew neck sweatshirts are allowed and they must be an El Rancho sweatshirt. Hooded sweatshirts are no longer part of the uniform.

Starting Monday, August 28th, 2023, students will no longer be warned about these school policies. Please make sure to review the expectations with your student over the weekend.

Thank you for your support!

After-school programs are available starting August 28, 2023.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 2:50 PM to 3:50 PM

Homework Club in the library

Math Academy in room 306

Parents will need to provide transportation as there is no late bus.

Permission Slips are due by 9/6/2023!

Runs will be on Mondays and Wednesdays 3:00 PM to 3:55 PM

9/23 FUN RUN @ BREA TRACKS with BREA JR HIGH. 7:30AM-9AM. Families & friends welcomed & encouraged. Not a school-sponsored event. Just a time to run as a group. Yes, I will be there!

10/10 CROSS COUNTRY MEET @ BREA JR HIGH details to come - will bus there

10/19 CROSS COUNTRY MEET @ VALLEY CHRISTIAN details to come - will bus there

10/25 CROSS COUNTRY MEET for OUSD - we will bus there one-way details to come
We are having a fun run @ Yorba Regional too, no date yet. It will be an early Saturday. Details to come!

All games begin at 3:00 PM

Monday, September 11th at Portola Middle School (OUSD)

Monday, September 18th at El Rancho vs. Yorba Middle School

Monday, September 25th at El Rancho vs. Santiago Charter

Monday, October 2nd at McPherson Magnet

Monday, October 9th at El Rancho vs. Cerro Villa Middle School

All games begin at 3:00 PM

Monday, September 11th at El Rancho vs. Portola Middle School (OUSD)

Monday, September 18th at Yorba Middle School

Monday, September 25th at Santiago Charter

Monday, October 2nd at El Rancho vs. McPherson Magnet

Monday, October 9th at Cerro Villa Middle School

Games begin at 3:30 PM

October 25th

November 1st

November 8th

November 15th

November 29th

December 6th

December 11th (Monday)

December 13th

Hi El Rancho Students and Parents!

I have some exciting news...This year for Spring Break, Santiago Middle School is hosting an Italy trip and has extended the offer to our students. Mrs. Jacobson (one of El Rancho's math teachers) is going on the trip and is inviting El Rancho students to attend with the Santiago group. This is a student educational tour through EF Educational tours to ITALY! The life-changing tour will include stays in Milan, Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Lake Cuomo, and Rome!

If you are interested in getting more information about this amazing opportunity, please be sure to register for this info session (Wed. Sept. 13 @ 6pm at EL Rancho in room 308) to be considered for this opportunity: ​

https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F3Pjin30&data=05%7C01%7Cmwalker%40orangeusd.org%7C92210cbf52aa408c4c7908dbb0b8416e%7C0b488aebc60341c59a063f07b75c4789%7C0%7C0%7C638298077647876493%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BM1JZN9hvHQKOdNZDGtq%2FnJXE06Tuk2u2xSfVCLs5Ug%3D&reserved=0​


When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure.


In this info session, we’ll talk about:

*How this opportunity will benefit your student
*What we’ll see and do on our trip
*Everything that’s included in this experience
*How we’re keeping this safe and affordable
*How to enroll on this trip (before it fills up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period


There are limited spots on this trip, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!


Thank you, Coyotes!

Jim D'Agostino along with Michelle Jacobsen
teenglobalgetaways@gmail.com

Hey 8th Grade Parents!

Are you interested in having your 8th grader visit Washington DC at the end of this year? If so, Mr. Herron will be hosting a meeting on Zoom this Wednesday, September 13 at 7 p.m. for the 2024 Washington DC Trip. At the meeting, Mr. Herron will discuss all the details of the trip (Itinerary, cost, etc.) and answer any questions you may have. If you have any questions, you can email Mr. Herron at AnaheimHillsDCTrip@gmail.com. The link for the meeting can be found on your child’s History Teacher’s Google Classroom page. We only have 15 spots left, so be sure to attend the meeting so your student can be a part of this amazing trip!

El Rancho Charter School is dedicated to supporting its students and staff during these unprecedented times. The site below serves as a means to share school-wide strategies we have in place to support mental health as well as provide resources, suggestions, and tips to help during this difficult time. Although we are apart, we are all in this together.

https://sites.google.com/view/ercsmentalheaalth/home

Sept. 6-14: Scholastic Book Fair

Sept. 22: Make-up Picture Day 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Oct. 10: 8th Grade Vision and Hearing Screening

Oct. 10: Lunch Pep Rally w/Canyon High

Nov. 3: Minimum Day 12:20 PM Dismissal

Nov. 7: Staff Development-No School

Nov. 9: End of 1st Trimester

Nov. 10: Veteran's Day-No School

Nov. 13: 2nd Trimester Begins

Nov. 14: International Day

Nov. 20-24: Thanksgiving Break

Students will be expected to dress in their uniforms on a daily basis. Uniforms consist of navy bottoms and a polo shirt. PE clothes like track pants, PE shorts, PE shirts, and Dance clothes will only be worn during PE classes.

Uniforms are purchased from American Casual with the El Rancho logo on them.

Daily Uniforms include:

• Grey, green, or maroon shirts
• Navy pants, shorts, or skorts
• Sweatshirts, windbreakers, and jackets

Shirts should be tucked in.

Pants need to fit appropriately at the waist and should not "sag".

No hooded sweatshirts.

Long sleeves are not to be worn under the polo shirt.

Crocs may not be worn.

Belts are recommended with their pants and shorts.

Failure to comply with the Uniform Policy will result in lunch detention.

PE Uniforms:

• Navy track bottoms or green PE shorts
• Grey PE t-shirt
• Dance students wear black shorts or leggings and a black dance shirt.

El Rancho administration works as a management team with three assistant principals, called advisors, who work alongside our Executive Director, Mrs. Walker, to help students be successful. Advisors work with students in the areas of attendance, academics, behavior, and scheduling. The student body is divided into groups by their last name and assigned to an advisor who is like the principal for that part of the alphabet. Students with Section 504 Plans will have Mrs. Beard as their advisor.

Advisors are always happy to help answer general questions regarding school programs. We encourage families to first address questions regarding the grade book, assignments, and classroom interaction to the individual teacher and advisors can be cc'd on communications at any time.

• A-G..........Mrs. Ozuna.......... kozuna@orangeusd.org
• H-P..........Mr. Kilgore........... gkilgore@orangeusd.org
• Q-Z..........Mrs. Beard........... kbeard@orangeusd.org

Did you know…

Students that have appointments during the school day should come to school before and/or after the appointment. Unlike elementary school, secondary school students have seven separate teachers/classes. In order to reduce the amount of lost instruction, we recommend having your student attend part of the school day.

To pick your student up early, please come to the attendance office to sign your student out. You can even save time by sending a note with your student in the morning, or calling before you arrive. You will still need to sign your student out.

When dropping your student off late, please come with your student to the attendance office OR send a parent or doctor's note, OR call to let us know your student will be arriving late. If your student was previously signed out and returning from an appointment, you do not need to come to the attendance office, but we still need to see your student to sign back in.

We always recommend getting a note from your medical provider to change the absence code from personal to medical.

Mrs. Cannon, our Attendance Clerk, appreciates your phone call if your child has to miss school. Please call the Attendance Hotline 714-628-5427 on the day of your student's absence.

Please check Google Classroom for work missed up to 3 days.

Students who have a planned absence that is more than 3 days should pick-up an absence form at the attendance office.

During Tutorial, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, please avoid picking students up early, between 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM.

The Attendance Office is for signing-in students who are late to school and signing-out students who are picked-up early from school.

The bell schedule for this year will remain the same as last year's schedule. On Wednesday and Thursday, Tutorial is built in to provide student support during the school day. Thursday will be our early release day to provide time for our staff development and collaboration.

Using the Binder Reminder is a great way to stay organized and keep track of homework. Every student is expected to:

1. Have their Binder Reminder at school every day.

2. Have their name on the front page of their Binder Reminder.

3. Have their Binder Reminder out and ready on Tutorial days (Wed./Thurs.)

4. Keep all pages intact for the entire year.

5. Write their homework and upcoming tests and quizzes down for each class, daily.

Students without their Binder Reminder on Tutorial days will earn after-school detention.

Students who intend to use the bus for transportation to and/or from school will need to purchase a bus pass through Orange Unified School District.

Avoid the last-minute rush and get your bus pass now!

Bus Pass:

Tuesday-Friday
7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Closed daily for lunch
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Bus Pass Information

During the 2023-2024 school year, all visitors must come to the office through the main doors to sign in. Parents dropping off "forgotten items" or lunches will also drop off items at the main office cubbies, not the Attendance office.

The Attendance office should only be used for signing in late students and picking up students early from school.

Coyote families! Please know that students are not required to have cell phones. All assignments requiring technology can be done in class with a Chromebook; teachers have Chromebooks for students to use. If students need to call home, they are welcome to come to the office at any time.

Cell Phones are expected to be on silent mode or completely turned off and in students' backpacks from 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., with the exception that is used as an in-class learning tool under the supervision of the teacher. Cell phones may not be carried in pockets.

Students who need to call their parents should come to the attendance office to use the available phone. Students who are not feeling well should come to the health office to call home and rest until a parent arrives to take their student home.

Parents, when an emergency arises and you need to reach your student, please call the office and we will get a message to your student or have them come to the office and call you.

Phones that are used during the school day will be held in the office for parent pick-up and the student will attend a 1-hour after-school detention.

The Cell Phone Policy also applies to headphones, earbuds, Airpods, and iWatches.

El Rancho has a closed campus for student and staff safety. Once students are on campus in the morning, they must remain on campus. Students are not allowed to leave campus to the Big Lots shopping center or the Donut Shop. This also includes meal delivery services like Uber Eats, Door Dash, Grub Hub, etc...Please avoid having food delivered to your student or allowing students to have their lunch delivered to campus. There is no supervision at the front of campus while students wait for their food. If students forget their lunch, the cafeteria is providing free breakfast and lunch this year. We appreciate your support.

Parents! To avoid being inundated with emails about grade updates you can choose to receive one email from AERIES. Please follow the picture steps below to complete the process.

For student safety, students who have a late start or early release will need to be dropped off or picked up at the main campus. The gate at Santa Ana Canyon will close after the start of the 1st period and will not open until the end of 7th period.

Parking Lot Etiquette:

1. There are two lanes in the parking lot. The right lane is for drop-off and the left lane is for those who need to park in the lot.

2. When dropping off, please pull all the way forward. Students should be ready to quickly get out of the car to keep the flow of traffic moving.

3. At drop off, please do not drop students off in the middle of the parking lot. Either pull up to the curb or pull into a parking stall to drop your student off. The safest option is to drop students at the curb.

4. If you choose to wait at pick-up time, pull all the way forward. Parking in the red zone makes it difficult for buses to park and pick up students. We have 4 buses that need to park along the curb.

5. If you would like to avoid the traffic, plan to pick your student up a little later, about 3:05 PM - 3:10 PM, it is so much easier.

6. Please drive SLOWLY!!!!

7. Please follow all traffic laws.

Santa Ana Canyon Drop-Off Area

1. Please pull all the way forward.

2. Do not double park.

3. Avoid blocking the intersection at Fairmont and Santa Ana Canyon.

4. If you would like to avoid the traffic, plan to pick your student up a little later, about 3:05 PM - 3:10 PM, it is so much easier.

We DO NOT recommend picking up students in the Hibachi or Big Lots parking lots. Students should not be in either area after school unsupervised, even on early release Thursdays.

All students will be expected to change into their PE clothes in the locker room.

Zero-period students should arrive in their PE clothes and then change into their uniform prior to 1st period.

Students will participate in PE four days a week, except for those in Zero-period which is five days a week.

Printable Student Calendar

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