1. Access to Parent Portal is required to register your student for the 2013-2014 school year.
2. Transcripts will no longer be mailed home.  Instead you will access them online through the portal.
   • To access the Parent Portal, click here
   • Click here for detailed instructions on creating a portal account.
   • If you are new to the district or have not received an activation key for the Parent Portal, send an email to PortalHelp@srvusd.net

Venture, established in 1978, is a fully accredited comprehensive school for students in grades K-adult education, and delivers the curriculum through independent or home study. Students come to Venture a minimum of once a week and spend about an hour with their teacher. Students receive weekly assignments at that time, and are expected to spend a minimum of 20 hours a week on academic work. 

Students attend Venture by choice. Venture helps students to pursue their educational opportunities outside the classroom, yet within the framework of the educational requirements of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. The nature of the independent study program gives students the opportunity to personalize their instruction and the freedom to utilize resources and activities to create an exciting and flexible educational experience. While attending Venture, many students take courses concurrently at the local community colleges. Students learn and practice the self discipline necessary for future success.

Venture School is dedicated to providing a place where all students feel valued and unique. Students are offered creative opportunities to learn and to accomplish their academic goals. The program offered is tailored to meet students’ individual needs and incorporates individual learning styles, interests, aptitudes and passions. Venture is a dynamic institution constantly examining the program and seeking new strategies to better meet the ever-changing needs of students and the demands of the 21st century.

June 12, 2013

2013-14 Registration

Registration packets for the 2013-14 school year are available for pick-up at our front desk. All returning families need to complete a registration packet and register on the Parent Portal, a component of our student information system. Directions for registering for the Parent Portal are included in the registration packet. All out-of-district families must renew their interdistrict transfer requests with their home district. You are welcome to call our front desk (925-479-1200) if you have any questions.

Summer School

Venture’s summer school program begins on Monday June 24^th and runs through Friday August 2^nd. (Thursday, July 4^th is a holiday and school will be closed that day.) Summer school runs from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. each day. Students who have registered to attend summer school will receive a phone call on or before June 24^th to schedule an appointment.

Graduation

Congratulations! We are looking forward to celebrating with you at our graduation ceremony on Wednesday June 19^th in the Performing Arts Center at Dougherty Valley High School. Our ceremony will begin at 7:00 p.m and end at approximately 8:30 p.m. Graduating students should plan on arriving no later than 6:30 p.m. to prepare for the ceremony. Staff will give them instructions at that time.

Each family can request up to eight tickets total. Because we now have over 80 students participating in our graduation ceremony, we have had to limit our ticket distribution to the initial six tickets plus an extra two tickets maximum per family. Those tickets are available at our front desk; please be sure to pick them up by Friday at the latest. As a courtesy to other Venture families, we ask that you only take the number of tickets you need so we can distribute any additional tickets to other families. Please reserve tickets for family members and close family friends. Thanks for your consideration and your understanding.

Finally, please remember that you will need your tickets at the door for admission. We will not have additional seating available for guests who arrive without tickets.

You are welcome to call us at 925-479-1200 with any questions. We look forward to celebrating with you on June 19^th.

Counselor’s Corner

Lucy Daggett

ldaggett@srvusd.net

925-479-1215

Preparing for College Applications....The Venture Class of 2014 may want to get a head start this summer on their four-year college applications. It’s an especially good time to start thinking about the essay portions of the applications. This is a requirement for UC and private colleges; California State University applications do not include essays or personal statements.

• The UC freshman admission application personal statement prompts will remain unchanged for the upcoming application cycle. For more information, visit http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/personal-statement/index.html.
• The Common Application Organization has released new essay questions for this coming year. They can be found at: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForm/2013/EssayAnnouncementFinal.pdf.
• UC’s quick-start guide for applicants will be available for download from the admissions site in late June. The guide will be posted at http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/apply-online/index.html.
• The revised Common Application for 2014 high school graduates will be available after August 1^st.

Register for fall SAT and ACT Testing now. College applicants who still need to take the SAT or ACT tests should register as soon as possible for the first test dates in September (ACT) and October (SAT). Go to http://SAT.collegeboard.org/register or www.actstudent.org/regist.

Students planning to take Concurrent Classes at the Community Colleges in the fall will be able to register for these classes in early August (August 5 for Las Positas and August 8 for DVC). Concurrent forms require the signature of either the Venture principal or counselor prior to submission at the colleges. You may obtain the signatures prior to June 27^th or after August 1^st.

An Environmental Sciences Summer Camp at CSU-East Bay in Concord is still looking for high school applicants. The camp is scheduled for July 22-26. The BioTechnology Summer Camp at CSU-East Bay (July 8-12) is adding students to their waiting list. For more information, see http://cococostemsummercamps.org.

The Venture Counseling Office will close for the school year on Thursday, June 27^th and will reopen on Monday, August 5^th.

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SAT Question of the Day

New information on CA immunization law for 2011-2012 school year (Whooping Cough) for 7th - 12 grades