Thursday, January 30, 2014

Site Council Agenda


GUNN HIGH SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL AGENDA

February 3, 2014 - 3:55pm - Staff Lounge
CALL TO ORDER:  Judy Adams
OPEN FORUM: 
  • ·      Members of the public may address the Council on non-agenda items.  (LIMIT of FIVE MINUTES per person.)

OLD  BUSINESS:
  • ·      Approval of January 6, 2014 Meeting Minutes (five minutes)
  • ·      Update on Action Items

NEW  BUSINES:
  • ·      Evaluation Presentations:  #4 J. Hogan/Meg  Printmaking & Silkscreening for Graphic Design and Photo
  • ·      Guidance Update:  Tom Jacoubowsky
  • ·      Constituency Representatives’ Reports:
  • ·      Principal’s Report:  Katya Villalobos

o   Accolades
o   WASC and SPSA Update
o   Facilities Update
  • ·      Board of Education:  Katya Villalobos
  • ·      PTSA:  Becky Thomas

o   Grants
  • ·      Parent Report:  Becky Thomas 
  • ·      SEC:  Somin Kim
  • ·      Site Council:  Rene' Hart

o   Call for 2014-16 Parent Reps (Becky Thomas not eligible to run again.)
o   Geoff Butner may run again for a second term)
o   Next month Call for Proposals 2014-15 and Evaluations
o   Next meeting March 3 at 3:55pm  (Rachel and Kathleen will bring refreshments) 
  • ·      Round Robin

Light Refreshments provided by Geoff Butner/Michael Magliola

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Gunn Sports Update

Spotlight on Wrestling: 

Three victories helped propel the Gunn wrestling team to a second-place finish at the annual San Ramon Invitational this past Saturday. Gunn placed second in the 24-team tournament for the second straight year. Gunn's three individual champions (Ian Cramer, Michael Abramovitch, and Stephan Martin) were the most of any school. The Titans also had two seconds, a third, a fourth and one fifth while finishing among the top three the past three years. Michael Abramovitch won the 106-pound title with a 3-0 record, while senior teammate Stephen Martin went 3-0 with two pins to capture the 182-pound crown.
Stephan Martin (senior) - went 4-0 with three pins and a 6-0 decision in the finals to capture the 182-pound title at the 36-team Bianchini Memorial Invitational while helping the Titans finish third overall as a team. At the San Ramon Invitational, Stephan won his second tourney title, improving to 12-0 this season pinning all but two opponents!  Stephan is Athlete of the Week for PA Weekly.
Ian Cramer (junior) - led the Titans at the San Ramon Invitational by winning the 138-pound title and being named the Outstanding Wrestler of the seven lightweight divisions. Cramer went 4-0, pinning all four opponents.

Girls Soccer:

Gunn 2 - Milpitas 1.  Gunn bolted to an early lead and held on for a 2-1 girls' soccer victory over host Milpitas in El Camino Division action on Wednesday. Natalie Perreault gave the Titans (1-1-1, 4-2-2) a 1-0 lead off an assist by Megan Kuhnle. Gunn made it 2-0 when Caroline Anderson sent a shot into the top right corner of the net.

Athletes in College:

Jasmine Evans (Gunn - 2009), now a senior at Harvard. As a senior at Gunn, she led the Titans to a 29-2 record (best in school history) and runner-up finish to Mitty in the CCS Division II finals. Evans has enjoyed a solid career at Harvard too, averaging 7.8 points a game.
Cat Perez (Gunn -  2012), helped Gunn win the CCS Division I title in 2012, is now a sophomore at Seattle University. She has played in eight games for the Chieftans (3-1, 8-9) and is averaging 4.5 minutes a game. She has grabbed seven rebounds but is still looking for her first points this season.
Eric Cramer (Gunn - 2013), is a freshman on the Stanford wrestling team. Eric was a state qualifier last year at 126 pounds. He is 1-7 this season, with the win coming via a pin.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Adolescent Counseling Services - How do we teach our kids to cope with stress? 

By Pamela Garfield, LCSW Site Director at Gunn High School
Our kids just got through the end of the semester and finals. Finals, holidays, college applications and the many other pressures of this time of year can be very challenging. Sometimes life just takes over and we have to go into “survival mode” to get by. However, once the storm has past, then what? How do we prepare our kids for the next stressful period? How do we help them handle the next big disappointment, such as not getting into their college of choice? How to we teach them it’s OK to relax sometimes so they are ready to handle the next big pressure in their lives? 
The answer is really simple. The best way for us adults to help kids with their stress is to handle our own. If you live a hectic life and have trouble finding time for yourself, your kids are noticing. They pick up on more than you think! One of the scariest parts about being a parent is your kids watch your every move. Even if you tell them to behave one way (relax, calm down, it’s ok), if you are showing them something different (must press-on, must do everything) that’s what they learn is the “real” way. 
January is here and is a time to reflect on the previous year and how we can be better for 2014. If you notice that you have lost balance in your life and have difficulty handing stress in your life, this may be a time to pick up a few new habits. Not only will you be helping yourself, but you will be teaching your children a valuable lesson; that life balance is important. While we must plan and work hard for our future, remember that it is ok to stop and enjoy the moment once in a while. Grown-ups can have fun too. Even the most caring and loving parents need time for themselves. We strive to be our best, but sometimes we need to just “be” without a goal for achievement. As adults, we need to remind ourselves that we are okay, even when things don’t go our way. So think about ways you can fit in a little more fun in your life, ways to keep yourself calm before life gets too overwhelming and ways to be kinder to yourself. Your kids will notice. 
Adolescent Counseling Services is a community non-profit, which provides vital counseling services on eight secondary campuses at no charge to students and their families. To learn more about our services please visit the ACS website at www.acs-teens.org or call Pamela Garfield, Site Director at Gunn (650) 849-7919. ACS relies on the generosity of com-munity members to continue offering individual, family, and group counseling to over 1,500 individuals annually. ACS provides critical interventions and mental health services, building a better future for tomorrow. If you are interested in helping to support our efforts, do not hesitate to call to make a donation. It goes a long way in helping teenagers find their way!

Palo Alto Youth Orchestra Events

2014 Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival
Sunday, January 19th - 3PM
Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
  • Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra
  • California Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
  • El Camino Youth Symphony
  • Oakland Youth Orchestra
  • Young People's Symphony Orchestra
  • San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra

PACO is honored to have been invited to perform as a part of the 2014 Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival. The festival, now in its sixth year, brings together some of the Bay's outstanding young musicians to perform with and for each other. All proceeds from ticket sales go to local non-profits, including longtime PACO partner the Music in the Schools Foundation. Please join us, and a few hundred of our colleagues, as we celebrate a rich musical tradition while supporting in-need youth. Click here for ticket info. 

SuperStrings and Preparatory Orchestra Concerts

Preparatory Orchestra - Friday, January 31st - 7:30PM
SuperStrings - Friday, February 7th - 7:30PM
Join us as PACO's youngest members take the stage!  SuperStrings and Prep are small but mighty, and have mastered music from Telemann to the 21st century. The performances will feature both the full ensembles and PACO's famous chamber groups.  Interested in joining PACO?  These are the perfect concerts at which to be introduced to our orchestras.
Thanks for your continued support of PACO, and we hope to see you at one of the performances.
Sincerely,
Hans Hoffer, Manager
Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra

Upcoming Concerts at Cubberley Theater

Sinfonia - February 16th, 3PM
Cubberley Theatre
Debut Ensemble - March 2nd, 3PM
Cubberley Theatre
For a complete list of performances, please visit our website.
Contact Us:  

(650) 856-3848

2014 Learning Challenges Resource Fair

Friday, January 31, 6 - 8 pm
Crittenden Middle School, 1701 Rock St., Mountain View
The Learning Challenges Resource Fair will include a broad array of service providers, from speech therapists to tutoring services, from art classes to adapted physical education, legal services to advocacy organizations.

The Learning Challenges Committee is a committee of the Los Altos Mountain View PTA. We advocate and address the needs of parents and kids with learning challenges or who are receiving special education services in Mountain View (and some of Los Altos). We cover kids in Mountain View from preschool to high school.  Previously in 2012, as the MV Special Education PTA (SEPTA), we held a very successful Resource Fair. Now, we are partnering with the local SELPA-CAC and the Crittenden School PTA to bring this event to the local community. 

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Performance

Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra (PACO) joins 5 other Bay Youth Orchestras (California Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, El Camino Youth Orchestra, Oakland Youth Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Young People's Symphony Orchestra) to perform a benefit concert for homeless youth.
Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas
Date: Sunday, January 19 at 3PM
Venue: Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco
Ticket price: $25-$70 (Children under 17 discount)

Box office: (415) 864-6000 or www.sfsymphony.org