Principal Matters

We are in full swing of 2nd semester and with that movement, there are several upcoming events that you should be aware of. First, I am happy to announce that the month of February is “Have a Heart” month and our ASB and administration will be facilitating events that bring awareness to issues like anti-bullying and providing blood to those in need during our annual Blood Drive. Please continue to check schoolloop.com for additional details.

It is this same heart that goes into our student athletes who participate in Spring sports including basketball, softball, soccer, baseball, swimming, wrestling, cheer and track. Our students continue to demonstrate their commitment to our school and to their own personal development. And now after a long wait, our community will finally be able to get a sneak peek of the new main gym as we will host the final 2 basketball games in that facility.  We also enter a season of high stakes testing as, our 10th graders will take the High School Exit Exam on Feb.7-8, followed by STAR tests coming after Spring Break.

In efforts to continue to promote our IB program, we are hosting two spring IB Parent Tours coming Feb. 1st and Feb.13th. Please RSVP with Rosa Ortiz at rortiz@smuhsd.org. And finally, our Spring program-ming is set to begin with our current 11th graders and they will register for classes for next year at the end of February. The counselors will meet with each student to ensure they are signed up for college preparatory classes, so please anticipate the course sheet at home and discuss this with your child. Clearly, there is a lot going on, so please stay connected and I look forward to seeing you soon!

-Mrs. Shanks

Course Preview Day, Feb. 15th

In preparation for Spring Programming, students will have an opportunity to learn more about the classes they are signing up for on February 15th at lunch time. We will extend lunch to 40 minutes and students will visit tables to learn about our wonderful course offerings. Both teachers, current students and counselors will be available to answer any questions.

Course Programming for 2012-2013

Spring is just a few short months away and believe it or not it's already time to start planning for next year. Starting on February 27th counselors will meet with students to choose courses for next year. They will begin with Juniors the week of the 27th, Sophomores the next week and so on, culminating in visits to Park-side and Taylor Middle School beginning the week of March 20th.

There are several important things to be aware of during programming:

1. The course request sheets ask for a parent signature, so please sure to take a look at your students' course request sheets and discuss the best choices for your son and daughter. Course request sheets are handed out to the students the week before they meet with the counselor.
2. We are an open access district, which means students can enroll in honors or IB classes without having to satisfy specific prerequisites. For example, students can take IB English even if they didn't take advanced standing English the year before. With that said, please keep in mind that students and parents will be asked to sign an IB contract which acknowledges that the student has carefully considered the rigor of the IB curriculum and will commit to the class for at least a semester. We need students to honor their commitments because the school builds the master schedule and makes staffing decisions based on student course requests.
3. We will ask teachers to complete a Google doc with student course recommendations, which will inform student placement.

Students are strongly encouraged to talk to their current teachers to see what course makes the most sense for the student next year. The current teachers are an important re-source in determining proper student placement, so students should talk with their teachers to help determine the best fit. We have many exciting course offerings and we all want to work together to make sure all students have the most beneficial schedule possible for next year.

-Mr. Montgomery

Construction Update

We are happy to announce that the Boys’ Locker Room is finally open and ready for use. The Boys’ PE Program was able to move in to the new facility over the winter break and the 9th and 10th grade boys have been dressing in a beautiful new locker room. The teachers and students are happy with the new space which is large and includes new lockers, bathrooms, showers and other amenities. Site administration took time in the first weeks of the semester to talk to the students about appropriate use of the new facilities. Students heard how it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that these new facilities remain in good shape for the generations to come.

Another exciting note is that the last basketball games of the season will be played in the new Main Gym with the special permission of the district. Tuesday, February 7th is a FS double-header against Sequoia HS. Girls’ FS will play at 4:30 and Boys’ FS will play at 6pm. Wednesday, February 8th is Senior Night, which is a double-header with both Varsity teams against Sequoia HS. Girls’ Varsity plays at 4:30 and Boys’ Varsity plays at 6pm. Senior Basketball players and their families will be recognized on this night. Both nights will allow us to preview the new gym before it is officially turned over to the school later this spring.

The Satellite Arts Building that will house our Ceramics and Arts classes is on schedule and we look forward to seeing it’s completion in the spring. Lastly, it is with great regret to announce that the theater will not be completed in time for graduation on Friday, June 1st. We will be holding graduation on campus and we are looking to the senior class and parents to provide feedback on the location of the ceremony. We have a unique opportunity to hold the ceremony at the stadium or in the new Main Gym. To provide feedback, please take this short survey:

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDVHMnlOdXBSOGw1M24yYmI2a3VfOVE6MQ

Principal Matters

It’s a new year and we are moving from good to great at Capuchino High School! We are proud to know that we offer an experience that prepares students for college and career. As the only IB World School in the San Mateo Union High School District, these guiding principles allow us to create courses that give students the essential skills to be successful in both high school and beyond. Our courses are rigorous and students learn by doing. They also learn how to research, write, critically think and demonstrate their knowledge of subject content.

We are extremely aware of the necessity to attain a college education and/or post-secondary training and this knowledge has shifted how we educate our students.
 

Moving into 2nd semester, students are one step closer to attaining a greater degree of knowledge and skills. With your continued support at home, we form the perfect partnership to see students meet their goals. As we shift from the holiday season, I encourage you to make sure your children continue to establish healthy study habits and form open lines of communication with their teachers. Most students have learned the ropes by now and should be off to a strong start in this new year. If you have any concerns about your child’s academic or social progress at school, please inform their teacher, counselor or administrator.

Citizenship Talks: 2nd Semester

Starting the 2nd week of the second semester the dean and administration will be going into class-rooms to remind students of our behavioral and academic expectations. We will review the following:

• Academic Integrity/Violations
• Bullying
• Dress Code
• New Facilities
• Pride of Ownership

These topics are timely and relevant and our goal is to ensure that our students continue to demonstrate respectable behavior as we get one step closer to the end of the academic school year.

CAHSEE News

Second semester is off and running and with it comes the testing season. The first big test is the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) on February 7th and 8th. All 10th graders will take the test, as will all 12th graders who still need to pass the test for graduation. In addition to being a graduation requirement for students, this is the test that is primarily used to determine the school's program improvement status. For Capuchino to continue to increase our API scores, it is important that all 10th graders take the test and do their best. Both the CAHSEE scores and the STAR scores are combined to help inform our API scores. Remember, our school jumped 39 points this last year and much of that jump is due to a stronger performance on the CAHSEE exam.

We know that this test is one measure of what students know, but Teachers and students continue to work hard to prepare students for the test. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call.

-Mr. Montgomery

School Action Plan: WASC Wrapping Up

After months of parents, students, staff and faculty participating in the school self-study as outlined in the WASC process, several categories emerged for us to continue to work on as a school. Below is a general overview of the areas and action items to put into motion:

• Examine department/school-wide grading practices to ensure equity and accurate measures of student knowledge.
• Provide additional staffing to help properly place students in academic interventions.
• Tweak bell schedule to include academic support time within the school day.
• Expand freshman teams and pilot 10th grade team.
• Train co-teachers to assist special education students in mainstream classes.
• Continue to backwards map to the IB curriculum and assessments.
• Infuse academic literacy strategies across the curriculum.
• Identify common practices as a school.
• Continue outreach efforts to families.
• Continue to examine data related to college eligibility and retention rates.

The months of January and February will be used to finalize the WASC document in preparation for the committee visit March 5-7.

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