CPDA mAGNET NEWSLETTER
Original artwork by Rael Phillips, Grade 11
Spring 2018 College Tour
SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE!
Grant Magnet is sponsoring for the 2nd year in a row a college tour field trip!
Students in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade need to be thinking now about which colleges fit their goals: degrees, atmosphere, distance from home, cost, minimum GPA, available scholarships, transcript minimum requirements, etc. Students who find out what their favorite colleges look for can work now on building their transcripts up.
There are great choices for colleges all over California. But how can students find out all this information?
Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to drive to each of them, but instead could send your student on a safe, guided tour of several all at once? And wouldn't it be great if that was offered through the school and teachers were the chaperones? Yes! Help your student learn about several choices through this convenient trip coordinated through the Grant Magnet Parent Association.
While the trip costs a nominal fee of $330 per student to pay for the transportation, tour guide, and hotels, that fee is tax deductible!
The field trip is school approved which means the two days of absence won't be counted against their attendance!
See Mrs. Caruso in Room 138 for details and to submit a deposit.
marissa johnson
Marissa Johnson is a junior in the CPDA Magnet. Her favorite subject in school is English because she can relate to the topics being discussed and also has the opportunity to listen to other people’s experiences. She has a part time job after school and on the weekends in customer service at Walgreens.
Marissa loves Chinese food, pizza, and sushi. Her favorite show is Criminal Minds. Because she is in forensics class, this show gives a real outlook on how detectives actively investigate and solve cases. She loves listening to R&B music, rap and some pop music. She plans to attend Film school after she finishes high school. Being involved in the CPDA Magnet’s film program has really opened up her eyes to possible career paths in this field.
A fun fact about her is that her nickname is Scojo. Last year, when she was a part of the Grant Drum Line, people apart of that made this nickname for her. Because she has the same last name as a famous drummer, they started calling Marissa by this famous drummer’s nickname as well.
A message she has to all students is to not let anyone tell you that you are not capable. If you set your mind to something, there is nothing that you can’t accomplish.
~ by Nicole Haddad, Grade 10
Magnet Student Spotlight
Spirit Week (Jan 22-26)
Monday (Jan. 22)
Pajama Day
Tuesday (Jan. 23)
Dress Like Your Favorite Teacher
Wednesday (Jan. 24)
Meme Day
Thursday (Jan. 25)
Throwback Thursday
Friday (Jan. 26)
Lancer Day
A Letter From Andrea Caruso
CPDA Magnet Coordinator
“You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.” – Marianne Williamson
Welcome back to school everyone, and Happy New Year! I hope that you had a restful winter break with your family and friends, and that you’re rejuvenated and ready to get back into learning.
As the old year passes and the new year looms, many people make resolutions, vowing to change in one way or another. These resolutions spring from our desire for renewal and betterment.
Facing what makes us unhappy or unhealthy takes quite a bit of self-reflection and self-awareness – and sometimes, arriving at our transformation can be a painful process.
However difficult the process, turning our intentions towards renewal is an undertaking worth pursuing. Even small changes in our lives can reap great benefits, and these changes don’t need to be huge. If last semester’s grades weren’t what you wanted them to be, resolve to spend just one more hour a week studying. If you lost touch with a friend, vow to reach out and resuscitate that relationship. If you made poor choices that led to terrible outcomes, decide to really think about your options instead of acting rashly.
Small changes can lead to amazing gains if you just open your mind to trying something new.
And, if you do nothing else, try and resolve to ensure that each day of this new year you learn something new, you do something kind for someone else, you take time to appreciate and show gratitude, and that you make your little corner of the world better for everyone who inhabits it.
Five Questions With Mr. Guest
1. What's your favorite pizza topping?
Mushroom, pepperoni, and sausage
2. What's your greatest fear and why?
Something terrible happening to my children. Their
lives are more important than mine.
3. What is your spirit animal?
Horses. I'm drawn to horses, I like to run.
4. What's one Nineties trend that should never make a
comeback?
Inflatable pump shoes. Reeboks.
5. What's one of your nicknames? Does it have
significant meaning?
Mr. G. If they call me that they feel comfortable around
me and that makes me happy.
~ by Jasmine Solito and
Nataly Opoyan, Grade 12
Ms. Valles is the Spanish 1, 2, & 3 teacher in the Grant CPDA Magnet Program. She thought about being an interpreter for the courts and she even began taking classes at CSUN in preparation. She decided against it seeing as she came from a generation of teachers. Her mother, father, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins are all teachers so the passion for teaching runs in her blood.
When Ms. Valles is not teaching, you could find her at home binge-watching Netflix shows and taking care of her baby. Ms. Valles really likes action shows and would recommend Sons of Anarchy and The Sopranos because they are extremely binge-worthy.
If Ms. Valles has to eat one meal for the rest of her life she would choose her mother’s home-made lasagna because rather than having the typical Italian ingredients, she incorporates her own spin (Ms. Valles won’t give the family recipe away!)
In high school, Ms. Valles used to be in the marching band and played the alto sax. She thinks there is lots of value in teaching because she gets to interact with so many different people from all over the world. She gets to learn about other cultures and find similarities in her own.
Ms. Valles offered two pieces of advice for those seniors who want to go to college and those who want to take a different path. The first piece of advice for those who want to go to college is to try your hardest to stay on track because who wants to rack up lots of debt? No one. The second piece of advice she gave was that whether you choose to travel the world or get a job, you SHOULD have a plan.
~ by Johanna Contreras and
Ani Gharibyan, Grade 12
Teacher Feature: Ms. Valles
Important Dates: JANUARY
08: Return from Winter Break
15: Matin Luther King, Jr. Day — No School
PENNY WARS COMING SOON
Penny Wars is our biggest fundraiser! Starting in February, each period one Magnet class is given a jar; the goal is for the class to fill the jar with bills and pennies only. The class with the most pennies and bills wins a pizza party.
The catch is this: while pennies and bills add to the class total, silver coins that get into the jar subtract from their total. And thus, the sabotage begins. Classes need to protect their jar total from the other classes by adding silver coins to every other teacher's jar.
So, save your coins . . . You’re going to need them!