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