Principal Matters

‘Tis the season to be jolly and we have made it half way through the school year. As we approach 2012, we have a lot to be thankful for and we have more to expect in the new year.

In reflecting on the first semester we are happy to report the following:

• Over 200 freshmen have visited a college campus and have set their sights on attaining this notable goal.
• We have over 170 students registered for IB testing in the Spring (accounting for 431 exams).
• We have established an EL support team made up of teachers and support personnel to best support our English Learner population.
• We have established an Intensive team, made up of teachers and support staff in efforts to support our most at-risk students.
• We have successfully rolled out the 2nd freshman team and are looking to establish a team at the 10th grade level.
• We are articulating our School Action Plan and preparing for the WASC visit in March.
• We have continued to grow as professionals in our work with UC Berkeley’s Literacy Project.

And of course, we kept the Battle of Strip Trophy after our victory against Mills Varsity foot-ball team. But most noteworthy, our staff is thrilled to be apart of this special community of students and staff.
Wishing you a blessed holiday season and a Happy New Year!
 
-Mrs. Shanks

2nd Semester Student Class Schedules Pick-Up

All students must pick up a new schedule print-out be-fore the first day of the second semester, even if there are no changes to your schedule. The first day of the second semester is Tues-day, January 10th.The Schedule Pick-Up Window is Monday, January 9th from 2:00 - 4:30pm in the Community Conference Room.
Students must turn in all overdue books or pay fines before receiving schedule. Last opportunity to pick up schedules on Tuesday, January 10th from 7:15-7:55am in the Cafeteria.

-Mrs. Navarro

Construction Update

Main Gym Lobby: 

• Structural steel erection is com-plete.
• Metal stud framing is in progress.
• Roofing installation is scheduled to begin on 11/21.
• Aluminum curtain wall/window system installation will begin on 12/5.

Humanities Building:

• Metal stud framing is in progress.
• Sheet rock installation is in progress on the ground floor.
• Exterior sheathing is nearly complete.
• Lathe installation for the exterior stucco system is complete on the west half of the building. Installation on the east end of the building will begin on 11/28.
• Window installation is complete on the west half of the building and in progress on the east half.
• Roofing is in progress and should be complete in the next 2 weeks.
• Mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough in is complete on the ground floor and nearly complete on the 2nd floor.
• Site concrete work is in progress in various locations around the site.

Theater:

• Metal stud framing in the basement is in progress.
• Structural steel erection for the new mezzanine area is complete. Steel erection inside the large theater and above the main stage is in progress.
• Metal roof installation is complete above the large theater.
• Roofing above the small theater is ongoing and should be com-pleted by 11/18. 
• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire sprinkler installation is in progress through out the large and small theater buildings.

Humanities Arts Satellite Building:

• Metal stud framing is in progress.
• Roofing is scheduled to begin on 11/21.
• Mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough in is nearly com-plete at the interior walls.

Tutoring in the 21st Century

Capuchino High School has launched an exciting partner-ship with Tutor-cloud, a service that enables our Guided Studies students to receive help in their classes from Capuchino alumni who are now in college. Tutorcloud provides the tools necessary for students to receive help using an online classroom, and as Tutorcloud says, “our online classroom is cool, We've got video, audio, chat, and a pretty nifty whiteboard that makes working on math problems even easier than in-person tutoring. Working on essays is a breeze with our online document sharing. Need to share a textbook page or worksheet with your tutor? No problem. Just hold it up to your webcam and our "cloud capture" will take a high-res photo and import it into the classroom for you to work on.” 

We currently have 11 students receiving help from three Capuchino alumni two times per week. Not only can these tutors re-late to the students at Capuchino and help them with their schoolwork but they can also provide our students with ad-vice on getting into college and what college life is really like. They also get a chance to experience the future of tutoring.

College Knowledge...a Counseling Update

Counselors have been nice and busy helping Seniors with college applications, writing recommendation letters and reading over Personal Statements. This is an exciting time of year for both counselors and Seniors. We feel like we have written more letters this year than ever, which means we have more students applying to universities. That is fantastic! 

A good piece of advice for Senior parents: Make sure your Senior is keeping up his or her grades. Seniors will have to submit a final transcript, and universities are checking to make sure GPA's are meeting minimum requirements. Happy Holidays to you and your families!

-The Counseling Department

Did You Know...

• Homework Club is open after school Mondays– Wednesdays in the Library.
• CAHSEE University begins in January for students who require additional preparation in math.
• Maria Luevano received the National Hispanic Recogni-tion 2011-12 Scholar Award.
• The Latino Parent Organization hosts the 2nd annual Posada coming Dec. 9th. All are welcome!
• Our Marching Band will per-form in the Burlingame Holiday Parade Friday Dec. 2nd.
• Our next IB Parent Tour is scheduled for Dec. 7th at 12pm. Don’t forget to sup-port the IB Fundraiser and purchase your Anna’s Cookies!
• Jennifer Lewis was recognized as San Bruno’s Patch Whiz Kid of the week. Con-grats!

Holiday Hoaxes

Please be aware of the following
 

1. iPad Offer Scams 

 With Apple products topping most shopping lists this holiday season, scammers are busy distributing bogus offers for free iPads. McAfee Labs found that in the spam version of the scam consumers are asked to purchase other products and provide their credit card number to get the free iPad. Of course, victims never receive the iPad or the other items, just the headache of reporting a stolen credit card number. In the social media version of the scam, users take a quiz to win a free iPad and must supply their cell phone number to receive the results. In actuality they are signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week.

2. Fake Gift Cards

Cyber-crooks use social media to promote fake gift card offers with the goal of stealing consumers’ information and money, which is then sold to marketers or used for ID theft. One recent Facebook scam offered a “free $1,000 Best Buy gift card” to the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page, which was a look-a-like. To apply for the gift card they had to provide personal information and take a series of quizzes.
 

3. Charity Scams

The holidays have historically been a prime time for charity scams since it’s a traditional time for giving, and McAfee Labs predicts that this year is no exception. Common ploys include phone calls and spam e-mails asking you to donate to veterans’ charities, children's causes and relief funds for the latest catastrophe.

4. Dangerous Holiday Downloads

Holiday-themed screensavers, jingles and animations are an easy way for scammers to spread viruses and other computer threats especially when links come from an email or IM that appears to be from a friend.

Staff Recognition for 2011

Congratulations to all those who were recognized this semester. Every effort both in front and behind the scenes helps to make our school a special place. Below are the names of staff who have been recognized for 1st semester:

• Sarah Krummel, Special Ed teacher, and WASC Coordinator
• Kathy Fogle, Special Ed teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Pro-gram, co-chair for special programs
• Ali Alizaga– Boiler person and former maintenance leader
• Anna Lapid– School Librarian
• Elena Haro– Attendance Clerk and manager of school marquee
• Andrew Meyers– Math teacher, Data & Assessment Coordinator, Schoolloop and Data Director Guru
• Kristen Grijalva– Instructional Aide and Interpreter for deaf and hard of hearing students, staff security for school events

Principal Matters

We have completed the 1st 6 weeks of school and by now you should have received your child’s progress report. It is critical to support your child’s success in their classes. For those who are off to a strong start, continue to reinforce the efforts that helped make this a reality. For students who did not start this year with strong academic marks, it is time to take a more assertive role in ensuring that they maintain passing grades.
As a reminder, we have the Homework Club after school Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Library. Athletes have Study Hall twice a week, and most teachers are available at lunch and after school. You can also make sure you register and check Schoolloop regularly as most of our teachers post classroom assignments and grades. Our goal is to use Schoolloop as our main communication tool and your use of this tool will prove most beneficial for you and your child.
Likewise, we are moving into the early enrollment window and we will host our 8th Grade Family Night November 3rd at 6:30pm, so please let your family and friends know about Capuchino if they are shopping for high schools. We will also host IB Parent Tours on October 4, November 16, and December 7th to give you an opportunity to see IB in action. See our website for more in-formation. Likewise, 8th Grade Shadow dates are set for Oct.11, 13, 18th.

Warmly,
Mrs. Shanks

9th Graders Visit SF State

Our school goal states that all students will graduate demonstrating the knowledge and skills necessary to be prepared for college and career and a major goal for our school is to make sure we establish a college-going culture. With this in mind, on Wednesday October 5th, close to 100 freshman will visit San Francisco State University, hosted by Project Connect. They will meet with students from SF. State to learn what college life is about and what the admission process is like. Freshman who don’t attend this trip will be invited to go to UC Berkeley for a similar experience.

Preparing for College Begins Now

On Oct. 12th all students will participate in CHS’ second annual college testing day. This is a minimum day for students and great opportunity for students to receive feedback on their performance on these important tests. The day provides students an opportunity to practice taking tests necessary for high school graduation and college admission and placement. In addition to preparing students for college, the top scorers on one of the tests, the PSAT may be eligible for National Merit Scholarships. These tests are given on October 12th because that is the date set by the College Board for giving the PSAT.
The tests and costs are as follows: 9th graders take the English Common Assessment and a practice California High School Exit Exam: cost= free. 10th graders take the PLAN, which is a practice for the ACT, a college admissions test: cost= $10, payable to Ms. Lynn in the College and Career Center. 11th graders take the PSAT, which is the preliminary SAT, a college admissions test: cost=$21 payable to Ms. Lynn in the College and Career Center, 12th graders take a practice EAP (early assessment program), the EAP is used to determine college level place-ment in math and English classes: cost=free.
Please pay your fees to Ms. Lynn if you have not already done so, and "bring your best, expect success" on October 12th.

-Mr. Montgomery

Homecoming 2011: Go Big or Go Home!

The stampede is back and the mustangs are ready to celebrate homecoming once again with this year’s theme, “Go Big or Go Home!” Homecoming is a time for our students to show school spirit and for alumni to “return home” and rejoice with our school. There are several events that will take place on Homecoming Week, October 11th – 15th. Students are encouraged to dress-up each day according to the theme, which includes their favorite cartoon character, fancy attire, injury day, and of course, green and gold on Friday. Special events this week include Power Puff Football on Wednesday after school, the JV football game on Thursday at 3:15pm, student rally on Friday, and the Home-coming Dance on Saturday, October 15th at 7:00pm in the Upper Gym. We invite the Mustang community to join the fun on Friday, October 14th for the annual Homecoming Parade and Varsity Football Game! The parade starts at 3:15 followed by the student rally. Students will present their class murals and homecoming wagons! The homecoming football game against El Camino High School will start at 4:00pm. The fun will continue at half-time when we will present the homecoming court and enjoy music by the Capuchino Band. The Spirit Squad will also perform at half-time. There will be plenty of food, fun and green and gold glitter – we hope to see you there!

- Mrs.Navarro

September 2011: New Staff: Dan Connelly

My name is Dan Connelly. Up to this point, I've spent my life split between New York and Chicago. I taught for five years on the Southwest side of Chicago in a Chicago public school called Curie Metro High School. I lived on the West Side of Chicago in a neighborhood called Humboldt Park. I now live in San Francisco with my wife and rambunctious black Labrador named "Lua." I am a Sagittarius. I enjoy pictures of kittens. I enjoy pictures of kittens hanging on to tree branches that say "hang in there." I enjoy animals wearing human clothes. My nickname in college was "Cookie." I like to sing, but I don't like to sing other people's songs. I have never been a strong swimmer, but I like to pretend in shallow water. I give firm handshakes. I still say "soda," despite living in Chicago for seventeen years. I like jokes if they are funny. My grandmother's name is Blanche. That's not a joke. Don't laugh.

September 2011: New Staff: Janice Valetta

I earned a BS in molecular genetics from UC Davis, a certificate in web development from UC Santa Cruz and a teaching credential from Notre Dame de Namur. Before transitioning from research to full time teaching I worked at UCSF and Stanford studying the molecular basis of mad cow’s dis-ease as well as the link between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. This is only my second year teaching full time but I love it. In the past I taught Biology, Human Biology, Integrated Science 1/2 and now I get to teach Physics and Integrated Science 3/4.
Likes: Besides science? I’m passionate about swimming, scuba diving, robotics, impressionistic art, Perl scripts, museums .
Dislikes: Spiders that try and live in my house instead of stay in my garden and slow DSL.
-Janice Valetta

September 2011: New Staff: Allison Hyde

Quick Facts about Allison Hyde:
I am currently teaching U.S. History Sheltered, U.S. History, and Spanish
I learned Spanish starting in high school and now consider myself fluent. I have spent considerable time in many parts of Latin America.
I came from Woodside High School where I was teaching U.S. and U.S. sheltered part time, and was also a Bilingual Resource Teacher/instructional coach part time.
For my first seven years of teaching, I taught in Redwood City Elementary in a bilingual middle school program for newcomers (Language Arts/Social Studies, ELD and Span-ish). One year I taught a self-contained 6th grade class in a two-way Spanish immersion program.
For the past twelve years, I have been in and out of the classroom at the high school level. I left the class-room for 3 years to work at all the Sequoia District schools as a full-time BTSA mentor/coach and lead professional development seminars on best practices for working with English Learners and effective student engagement strategies. I was also a full time, and then later on, part time, Bilingual Resource Teacher at Woodside High School.
I left my position at Woodside because I wanted to be closer to my family (we live in SF) and because I was ready for a change. I like to change things up in my professional career every so often (as you can see from my trajectory) because it keeps me refreshed and “on my toes.”
I love teaching and so far I really enjoy working with the students at Capuchino.
Personally—I have a husband and 6 year old son, and we live in SF. We have a mostly Spanish speaking household.

September 2011: New Staff: Rita Grover-Sidhu

My name is Rita Grover-Sidhu. This is my ninth year fragmenting DNA, exploding bubbles and cleaning up spills from overflowing beakers. I am originally from the Midwest and love Big 10 football. I am married with 2 kids, ages 5 and 1, and live in sunny Mountain View. Although it has only been a few weeks, Cap feels like home.

September 2011: New Staff

Welcome Dan Wekselgreene. He teaches IB Math, Algebra and CAHSEE Prep. He also just so happens to be married to Mrs. Weks too!

September 2011: New Staff: Karen Kuy

My great-grandmother, who is 102 years old, inspires me everyday to be grateful for my life and to believe in possibilities: "Always remember where you are from, always remember the people who suffered for you, and always remember that you live not only for yourself but for those who could not live to see today. You must live everyday for their possibilities."
This is one reason I became a teacher. Where else can you help others achieve their possibilities?
I was born in Kandal, Cambodia to parents of Chinese descent, during Pol Pot's reign. At the age of six, I immigrated to the U.S. and lived my teenage years in Northampton, Massachusetts. I eventually found my way to Sacramento, CA and graduated from Mira Loma High School. I am the first of my family/generation to graduate college. I earned a B.A. in English, Teaching Certificate, and M.A. in Education at CSU, Sacramento.
The 2011-2012 school year marks my 10th year in teaching and my 6th year in teaching IB English. I have taught at four previous sites: Mira Loma H.S., San Jose High Academy, Inderkum H.S., and Natomas H.S.
I am married and have two adorable Tasmanian devils: Aidan and Ethan.
Karen Kuy

September 2011: New Staff: Angela Celentano

My name is Angela Celentano and I am a new Instructional Assistant. I am a UC Davis alum and am currently working to-wards my masters and credential in Special Education at SF State. Throughout my college years at Davis, I worked at various schools and organizations that supported children and teens with special needs. I enjoy marathon running, Giants games and anything that has to do with Tahoe or Big Sur.

September 2011: New Staff: Mindy Trisko

Hi there! My name is Mindy Trisko and I am a new Health teacher here at Capuchino. Be-fore choosing to teach at Capuchino I was a student teacher at Aragon and Hillsdale as well as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. I am passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and believe that prevention can be the key to preventing many of illnesses present in society today. I feel very fortunate to be working with the students at Capuchino and am looking forward to a great year!

September 2011: New Staff: Kelly Blankenship

Not only is this my first year working in public education, it is also my first year as a California resident. I moved west from Tampa, FL in January of this year and worked at Starbucks prior being hired on at Capuchino. I graduated from the University of South Florida in 2009 with a degree in Sign Language Interpreting, after which I was hired to interpret at a small private Christian college in Tampa for 3 semesters, before deciding to make the move to California. I have already loved getting to know both my colleagues and students in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, and I look forward to a blessed and productive year!
Kelly Blankenship

September 2011: New Staff: Leticia Ortega

I wanted to reintroduce myself as Capuchino’s new counselor! For the past three years I have worked here at Cap as the ELD specialist where I have been involved in practically all aspects of the ELD program from testing, data-input, reclassification, and monitoring student academic progress.  I have also taken part in implementing the Rise Above Program which is a program specifically for ELD students to get extra academic support as well as the opportunity to connect with college student men-tors. I attended San Francisco State University where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Child Adolescent Development and Criminal Justice. I then pursued my Masters degree in Counselor Education and PPS credential at San Jose State University. 

As Capuchino’s school counselor, my goal is to assist my students in making a positive difference in their lives. I strive to address the social/emotional development, academic achievement, and career development of ALL my students through a multicultural perspective. I hope to educate, empower, advocate, and guide students towards graduation as well as future goals in higher education. I look forward to this new journey to continue to work with Capuchino’s unique and diverse population.

September 2011: Principal Matters, New Staff Edition

This news-letter is dedicated to introducing our new faculty and staff. We welcome 10 new staff/faculty to the Mustang family. Most of our newest members come with experience and we are happy to have them add to our existing school community. We know they will bring fresh insight and create learning environments where students can be successful. I am encouraged to know that each department embraced their newest members and are beginning to show them the Capuchino way. In order to get them started on the right foot, we held a new teachers/staff meeting and plan to meet with them on a monthly basis to help ac-climate them to our site and give them helpful information about our school and relevant procedures. In this edition you will find their bio’s and contact information.

September 2011: Principal Matters

The first 3 weeks of school were a success! Students have acclimated to campus quite remarkably and are becoming clear on our academic and social expectations. The administrative team and our dean visited all class-rooms and reviewed the school goals and school rules. We are also excited about educating our students about essential skills that will help prepare them for their college and career experiences.

They include: Reading, Writing, Critical Thinking, Self-Management, College and Career Knowledge and Citizen-ship.
We also want to announce that Back To School Night is Thursday September 1, 2011 beginning with a presentation to freshman families at 5:30pm in the Cafeteria, followed by Q&A and class visits. Parents will have an opportunity to meet counselors, administrators and teachers.
 

In efforts to support technology and the growing needs of our departments, we have created a Growth Fund and ask that Capuchino families make a donation. All proceeds will pay for tech support and supplies. You will have an opportunity at Back-To-School Night to make your donation.  Again, we are excited about this year and look forward to seeing you!
 

Mrs. Shanks

September 2011: International Baccalaureate (IB)

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program will be holding several events this semester for parents to learn more about the program’s offerings. The IB Program is Capuchino’s honors program offers coursework in advanced English, history, biology, mathematics, Spanish, French, dance, theater, art, film and our newly adopted course, psychology. Students may take IB courses in their junior and senior year. It is our goal that all Capuchino students take at least one IB course before they graduate. 

To learn more about IB or ways that parents can support the program, please attend our Fall IB Program Parent Meeting on Wednesday, September 21, from 6:30-8:30pm in the library. We will review IB course offerings, the IB Diploma Program, IB assessment fees and IB calendar and fundraising events. 9th and 10th grade parents may also learn more about IB by taking an IB Parent Tour. Parents may sign up for one of the following tours where they will visit various classes during the day. 

To sign up, contact Rosa Ortiz at 650-558-2704 or rortiz@smuhsd.org. Choose from one of these dates:
Tuesday, October 4, 8:15 – 10:15am
Wednesday, November 16 , 12:15 – 2:30pm
Wednesday, December 7, 12:15 – 2:30pm

September 2011: The Legend of Capuchino Continues!

The 2011 academic performance index (API) scores have been officially re-leased and Capuchino High School posted a 39 point gain and its highest score ever, 750. Each department developed strategies to improve the scores, but the secret ingredient was a lot of hard work by all students and staff at Capuchino.

We are especially proud of the gains made by many of our sub-groups: Latino students +39, white students +36, socioeconomically disadvantaged +48, and English learners + 11. Although it's not a department in the traditional sense, the 9th grade team strategies also seemed to pay off as the 9th graders scored particularly well, increasing our 9th grade scores in Physics, Algebra, and English.

In addition our success on the API, Capuchino was also named to the Washington Post's list of top high schools for the first time in its history. All of these things point to a positive future for Capuchino High School as we continue to prepare our students for college and career success.
 

Mr. Montgomery

September 2011: CELEBRATING CAPUCHINO: API 750

We couldn’t be more ex-cited to report that both our API and CST scores are up! The state re-leased our API scores and we increased by 39 Points and we now have a API score of 750, (up from 711)!
These scores represent the harvest of seeds planted over the last few years. Through uniting and putting in the time and re-sources, we have seen our student’s state assessments increase tremendously.
So here’s to the Capuchino staff, faculty and students who make it happen on a daily basis. Thank you and let’s go even higher!