CATEC March 2023 Newsletter

There are lots of ways to know what is happening at CATEC. Keep in touch with us to know what our students are doing and all the ways we are working to improve our local workforce.

High School

• Call us (434) 973-4461
• Visit us www.catec.org
• Download our app CATEC, VA
• Follow us at CATECHighSchool (Facebook), CATEC High School (YouTube), @CATEChs (Twitter), @catechighschool (Instagram), @catechighschool (TikTok)

Adult Education and Apprenticeship

Are you an adult interested in continuing your education? CATEC's Adult Education and Apprenticeship Program offers +100 in-person and online classes. Scholarships are available. Keep in touch with this program to learn more:

• Call us (434) 973-1945
• Visit us: https://www.catec.org/page/adult-education-and-apprenticeship-programs
• Follow us at CATEC Adult Education and Apprenticeship (Facebook), @CATEC_Adult (Twitter), @catec_adult_education (Instagram)
• Read through Course Catalog Options

Dear CATEC Families,

Spring has sprung and we are entering one of the most exciting times of the year as our students prepare for certification testing and we get ready for big events like our Interview Week, Signing Day, and Completers’ Ceremony! CATEC is a special place with remarkable students and it is so rewarding to see so many of them reach their goals.

On March 17, CATEC instructors met with local business partners in continued efforts to build community partnerships with employers who hire our students. These meetings give great insight into how curriculum evolves to meet employer needs and puts into motion hiring events for our students this spring.

CATEC presents students with a unique opportunity to learn a trade, but we also work to prepare our students for the workplace by focusing on workplace readiness skills including résumé preparation and interviewing opportunities.

Please mark your family calendars for our schoolwide events taking place this Spring:

• May 1-5 Interview Week
• May 16 Signing Day
• June 1 Completers' Ceremony

Sincerely,

Stephanie Carter

CATEC Director

April 3-7- Spring Break, No CATEC

April 27- Technical Eats! Food Bus Food Truck Wars final event, CATEC parking lot 11am-2pm

April 28- No CATEC

May 1- CATEC Foundation Board Scholarship applications due

May 1-5- Interview Week

May 16- School-to-Work Signing Day

May 16- Joint and Center Board Meetings

June 1- CATEC Completers Ceremony

CBS19 News, CATEC Food Bus Returns with Asian Flavors

CBS19 News, CATEC Culinary Arts Students Show Off Indian-Inspired Dishes

Daily Progress, CATEC's Student Food Truck Wars Continues with Indian Fusion Menu

CATEC Diversity Video

Trying to figure out what class to register for next year? Interested in learning about dual-enrollment opportunities? Have a concern you'd like to discuss with a counselor? Visit Ms. Wilson and Ms. English in the Career and Counseling Corner!

CATEC values making sure students graduate with the technical skills and workplace skills necessary for entering the workforce. CATEC has implemented a "CATEC Students Are Professional" mantra to ensure students understand what it takes to be successful in our building and in the workforce. Students are expected to act in accordance with industry standards and practice the 22 21st Century Workplace Readiness Skills for the Commonwealth.

In March, students practiced skills related to information literacy, security, and technology, as well as big picture thinking and continuous learning. Additionally, students participate in monthly Career Development sessions where they practice skills needed to get jobs and keep them to create a lasting career.

CATEC offers academic courses that are both embedded in trade curricula and offered as stand-alone courses. Taking trade and academic courses at CATEC allows students more flexibility with their scheduling as well as learning class materials in authentic ways.

English 12/Government: Megan Panek and David Topper

Students are wrapping up their third unit on the Legislative Branch with an interdisciplinary project that has students writing to a state representative regarding Virginia’s voting laws. Up next in unit 4 they will focus on the Executive Branch and learn about important domestic and foreign policy issues facing our country right now. Students will be research and making arguments on domestic issues they feel are important.

English 11 & English 12 Megan Panek

11th graders took their Writing SOL Test in early March. While they wait for scores, they are starting unit 4 of our class. In this unit they will watch the film The Best of Enemies about the integration of schools in Durham, NC in the 1970’s and compare/contrast the themes of the movie with the book To Kill a Mockingbird. They will also connect the themes to our lives today. As they read the book, we will also do practice to help prepare for the SOL Reading Test that 11th graders must take in May.

Economics and Personal Finance: David Topper

Students just wrapped a unit on Insurance including Auto, Renters, Homeowners, Life and Health. Their focus included determining rating factors and how your everyday actions can impact you. The class discussed that the transfer of risk to an insurance company as well as the premiums you can expect to pay. Then they decided is it worth it to know that you might be covered from an unexpected tragedy. The unit concluded with a case study called “Fender Bender Frenzy” where our students were given a scenario that taught them how to properly prepare for and handle an automobile accident should they ever be in one. Next up… TAXES!

Geometry: John Baran

Students have mainly been immersed in their electricity course, but we have learned and reviewed Geometry basics: angles and segments and have delved into the magic of triangles. We have recently focused on the most usual thing they’ll ever need to know: the Pythagorean Theorem. As a reminder, students taking Geometry at CATEC will not need to sit for the SOL exam this May.

AFDA: John Baran

Students have spent this quarter engaged in financial algebra. Using the model of exponential functions, they looked at car loans and how interest gathers (exponential growth), while also looking at car depreciation (exponential decay). Their summative assessment had them buying a used car, calculating monthly payments, and also depreciation of the car over the course of the loan. It was eye opening!

Each month, we introduce you to two current CATEC students. Here at CATEC, we know our student body is diverse and interesting and we want to share their stories with our community.

Jayvion Clark is a 12th grader at Charlottesville High School who took Carpentry 1 first semester and Electricity second semester. He decided to attend CATEC to try something new and has found a field he is interested in. After graduation Jayvion hopes to enter the construction trades field in either carpentry or electricity, but he prefers using his carpentry skills. He also plays 2nd base for the CHS baseball team.

Ryan Keating came to CATEC because he's been interested in cars since 6th grade, working with his dad at home on their vehicles. The Western Albemarle High School 11th grader came to CATEC this year to decide which program he wants to pursue for a career. With the opportunity to take both classes this year, he narrowed down his decision to come back next year to complete his Auto Tech training. He hopes to either go directly into the workforce in auto tech upon graduation or attend additional technical training at a trade school. After school, Ryan works at Domino's Pizza.

Clinical Hours

CATEC is celebrating its Nurse Assistant program this month because students completed their clinical placements required for them to sit for their Virginia State Board of Nursing credentialing. Students spent 40 hours performing hands-on patient care at Our Lady of Peace. Students help provide personal care to patients, assist them with feeding, and take vital signs.

Curriculum

CATEC’s Nurse Assistant program is part of the school’s Health and Medical Services Academy. In this program, students develop skills for entry into the rewarding career of nurse assisting. Certified Nurse Aides provide patient care under the direction of nursing staff. Students learn technical knowledge about infection control, the body systems and its disorders, bed making and adjusting, positioning, measuring and recording vital signs, and assisting with patient personal care. Students also learn soft skills that ensure patients receive dignified care. This training includes scope of practice, care and security of patients’ personal affects, patients’ rights, diversity and culture sensitivity training, maintaining a safe environment, and assisting with nutrition.

College Credit and Certifications

CATEC Nurse Assistant students receive college credits through CATEC’s dual-enrollment partnership with Piedmont Virginia Community College. Students also earn industry certifications, including CPR, and sit for their board of nursing assessments in the spring.

Adult Education Opportunities

CATEC's Adult Education and Apprenticeship Programs offers a variety of medical-related courses that allow adult learners to begin a new career in the healthcare field or enhance their current skills for job advancement. Adult Education programs include Nurse Assistant courses, Registered Medication Aide, Emergency Medical Technician, and many online healthcare classes adult learners can take from the comfort of their homes.

Projected Job Growth

In Virginia, this high-demand field projects a 28% job growth as our population ages and health-related concerns remain high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be nearly 200 thousand job opportunities in the healthcare field every year for the next ten years across the United States. CATEC's High School Nurse Assistant program will be hosting a hiring event on May 4th for local healthcare facilities to hire program students directly out of the program.

Ms. Carter-Payne earned her CNA certification at 16 while in high school and has worked in healthcare ever since. She obtained her Associate’s degree in Nursing at Piedmont Virginia Community College and then went on to get her Bachelor’s at Liberty University. She honed her clinical skills through her initial training in Rehabilitation and Restorative care. Since 2013, she has been in ambulatory care nursing. Payne says, “It has always been my passion to instill my love of nursing with others and to show them that there is no goal too far to reach.”

CATEC offers Adult Education and Apprenticeship training that covers a range of technical education courses. The career and technical offerings will help lifelong learners: enhance current skills, gain new knowledge for increased job marketability, continue life-long learning, make life more enjoyable, or simply have fun. CATEC provides a positive place for post-secondary learning. Apprenticeship programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and provide employer sponsors and their employees with the required related technical instruction hours needed to satisfy a full Apprenticeship program. Watch a video here.

• View the Spring 2023 Catalog
• Register Today

CATEF is excited to announce additional scholarship opportunities for our graduating students. Read more below for information regarding these scholarships. Apply for all scholarships here. All scholarship applications are due May 1, 2023. Please contact Ms. Wood in CATEC's Front Office if you have any questions or concerns. She can be reached at 434-973-4461 or lwood5@k12albemarle.org.

Leslie Hughes Walton Memorial Scholarship - $2,000 The award is based on grades, what the student intends to do with their education, and financial need. The first year's award will be $1500.00 and the second year's award will be $500.00.

Lance Van de Castle Scholarship - $1,000 This recipient must be a Building Trades or Electricity student in high school or apprenticeship program who is pursuing post- secondary or additional training in that particular trade area. In Mr. Van de Castle's memory, the student needs to have a "clear desire to do what is right and accept nothing but the best."

CATEC Foundation Opportunity Fund Scholarships- Varies These scholarships are based on academic success, community service, demonstration of technical skills, work ethic, and financial need. Priority will be given to students enrolling in CATEC Adult Education and Apprenticeship programs. This scholarship will cover the full cost of one semester of the chosen program in CATEC's Adult program. Scholarships may be given for other post-secondary schools. More than one scholarship may be awarded. APPLY FOR AN ADULT EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY FUND SCHOLARSHIP TODAY!

Justin Tilghman Culinary Scholarship - $1,000 The Justin Tilghman Culinary Scholarship is established in the memory of our Son, Brother, Friend and lover of the culinary arts, Justin Tilghman. As a former graduate of the Culinary Program at CATEC, Justin continued his passion for cooking in multiple established restaurants in Charlottesville and the surrounding area. Constantly reading and learning to better his skill and technique in the kitchen, Justin displayed all the traits of a true chef throughout. It is with this scholarship we hope to instill the same passion for cooking and hospitality that Justin strived for throughout his career and his brief time in this world. Thank you for remembering Justin and helping our students.

Email: scarter@k12albemarle.org
Website: www.catec.org
Location: 1000 Rio Road East, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone: 434-973-4461
Facebook: facebook.com/CATECHighSchool
Twitter: @CATEChs