Six months ago school changed, life as we knew it changed. But the ongoing pandemic didn’t change one thing – the importance of education. Like most schools, Casa Pacifica’s Nonpublic School (NPS) has a plan in place for distance learning through the first semester. Director of Education Dr. Mark Capritto has been working with his staff to ensure they get the best results possible under the difficult circumstances. “It’s a very delicate system to deal with anyways, and distance learning makes it even more tricky.”
NPS staff have a “social hour” Zoom meeting with students in May.
On top of managing distance learning for NPS students, teachers and staff will also be managing in-person learning for the youth living here on campus since their home schools in the community will also be distance learning and our campus is their home.
When schools first shifted to distance learning in March it was a scramble, “it’s like trying to turn around a huge ship quickly, it just doesn’t happen easily,” said Capritto of the changes. History, music, science, and everything else went virtual and teachers got creative in finding ways to keep the students logging in and engaged. “Max” was really thriving in music class, so teachers delivered a guitar and virtual music lessons continued.
“Project-based learning and hands-on projects have never been more critical, that’s where our focus is. It’s incumbent on us to start selling stuff the kids are going to buy, if we don’t give them a reason to engage, a reason to log in, then they’re gone,” – Director of Education Dr. Mark Capritto
This year, we need to not only supply the classrooms on campus but also be ready to “bring the classroom to the students” who are distance learning. Which for some, includes the supplies. Along with weekly wellness checks on all students and their families, staff deliver schoolwork weekly and any supplies that might be needed to complete the assignments. If we don’t have the necessary supplies, we buy them.
Participate in our pack-a-backpack drive and help us collect essential school supplies for the students who live and learn on campus, the students who will be distance learning,and the families we serve in the community who might be in need. Help us fulfill their needs for the upcoming school year –help us bring the classroom to them.
WAYS TO HELP:
* Donate School Supplies – Most needed are backpacks, composition books, lead pencils, pens, graphing calculators, post-its, glue, folders, binders, college ruled paper, highlighters, pencil pouches, markers, colored pencils, binder index dividers and art supplies. * Donate Gift Cards – Gift cards are the perfect way to support our students! This allows the student to pick out their own style of backpack and a pair of new school shoes! Preferred stores are Target, Walmart, Office Depot or Amazon.
* Shop our Target or Amazon Wish Lists from the comfort of home and have the items shipped directly to us!
For more information please contact Morgan Piehn at (805) 366-4022 or [email protected]
Pearl Turns One!
Our happy Pearly Girl turned 1 yesterday! She brings such joy and comfort to our staff and kids. We are so proud of the wonderful therapy dog she is becoming. We can’t wait to celebrate many more birthdays with Pearl!
Summer Ends With A Splash
We recently celebrated the end of the season with our annual End Of Summer Party! Always a blast, our youth enjoyed water games (getting the staff wet is always a popular part of the day), sports, activities, and summer treats like cotton candy. Our CEO, Shawna Morris (pictured left) joined in on festivities. The youth and staff had a great time making sure she was soaked! In-N-Out donated burgers for lunch and in the afternoon and the All American Softy ice cream truck (donated by Yvette and Rick Barlow) arrived to finish off the day of fun in the sun.
Thank you to Susan Burgos, her committee and our Casa Pacifica Angels, Debbie Simpson, and the Boys Team Charity for putting together a day of summer fun for our youth!
Campus Named For Retired CEO
Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families main campus off Lewis Road in Camarillo has been renamed the Steven E. Elson Campus after retired and longtime Chief Executive Officer Dr. Steve Elson. Casa Pacifica’s Board of Directors voted on the resolution and revealed the surprise at their virtual board meeting on Wednesday, August 5th.
Congratulations Steve! And thank you for all that you have done for the youth and families we serve.
Community Comes Out To Put On
Car Show For Youth!
Earlier this month over a hundred cars from all over the county showed up to campus to put on a car show for the kids. Youth played car bingo as the cars drove by – Model A’s, muscle cars, Ferraris, Porsches, a Lamborghini, the police DRAGG car, a custom school bus, other vintage cars, and even motorcycles were among the participants. The youth and staff had a great time watching the fleet of gorgeous cars parade through campus. Many youth had never had this experience before and were amazed by all the different types of cars.
Huge thank you to all the car clubs and owners who participated! Special thank you to Roger Brooks for helping organize the event, along with Barry & Joji Barris Paster of Barris Kustoms, Bruce Bennett of Europa Products, Barbara & Darryl Ito, Chris Isordia, Frank Menicola, Ken Hower and the Ventura Classics Car Club, The Official Murphy Auto Museum, Conejo Valley Cars and Coffee, The Conejo Model A Ford Coach, Coachmen Car Club, and Taco Bell of Newbury Park!
Youth Art Gallery
Our youth recently participated in an optical illusion art project. Not only did the kids have a great time, but technical art such as this can be therapeutic and promote mindfulness.
Shout out to our staff for alwasy coming up with creative ways to keep the kids engaged.
Become A Resource Family
Want to make a meaningful impact in a child’s life? Find out more about what it takes to become a resource family. We’re here to support you every step of the way. Email Kathy Kemp, Foster Family Agency Program Manager at [email protected] or visit our website for more information.
We’re participating in the Target Circle program! You can vote for us and help direct Target’s giving to benefit our nonprofit. For full program details and restrictions visit Target Circle. https://www.target.com/circle
Help our kids every time you shop!
AmazonSmile customers can now support Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start shopping!
Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into ‘Settings’
Tap ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
Join Our Team and Make a Difference!
Want to make a difference in a child or family’s life? Camino a Casa and Casa Pacifica are always looking for motivated people to join our team at one of our four locations in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Along with competitive salaries, we offer a generous benefits package including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, 401(k) plan, educational assistance, paid time off, and an employee assistance program. In addition, we also offer ongoing training through our well-established training institute. Visit our website to see all available positions and apply today!
Casa Pacifica recently received notice of a security breach from Blackbaud, a third-party technology software and cloud hosting solutions provider. Blackbaud provides constituent relationship management software to Casa Pacifica as well as many nonprofits. universities and schools to support their fundraising and community engagement efforts.
1. Shop! Shopping online at Target? Who can resist Amazon these days? Put those shopping sprees to good use and shop for our kids! Check out our Target registry or Amazon wish list and have items shipped straight to us. And don’t forget to sign up for Amazon Smile and designate Casa Pacifica as your charity of choice so we receive a percentage of your purchases!
2. Give monthly and change lives year round! You can give the gift of hope all year long with the ease of monthly giving. Automatic monthly donations provide consistent support that enables Casa Pacifica to serve our most vulnerable children and their families. Even small gifts add up to make a big difference. Please give a monthly gift and support year-round to offer our youth a brighter future. Signing up is easy! Contact Madeline Sattler, Donor Relations Officer at [email protected] or (805)366-4422.
3. Become an Angel or Amigo! These two groups are some of our biggest supporters. The Casa Pacifica Angels help out with our fundraising events and children’s parties throughout the year. The Casa Pacifica Amigos organize fun activities for the kids on the weekends – some favorites are carnival day and movie nights. Annual membership is $50 – join or gift a membership today!
Our Mission
Casa Pacifica restores hope, enhances resilience, and strengthens community connections for children, young adults and families at the most challenging times of their lives.
