Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Concerts

PACO Preparatory Concert

Friday, May 16, 2014, 7:30pm

Covenant Presbyterian Church, 670 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto. Free Admissions.

Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Concert

Sunday, May 17, 2014, 7:30pm

Cubberley Theater @ Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. 

Free Admissions.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ 1910 Fantasia was inspired by a 16th century melody written by his English compatriot Thomas Tallis.  Ernest Bloch’s lifelong exploration of ancient Jewish themes and melodies finds an expressive outlet in his soulful Baal Shem.  And Handel?  We’re still inspired and charmed by his music 2.5 centuries later.  Jory Fankuchen is a PACO favorite coach and teacher; he makes his solo debut on this concert.

Program includes Handel Concerto Grosso Op. 6 no 4 in A minor Bloch Baal Shem: Three Pictures of Hassidic Life for violin and  string orchestra Vaughan-Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Please contact info@pacomusic.org or the PACO website http://www.pacomusic.org for more information.

Cultivating Mastery and Success WITH Your Teen

by Chris Chiochios, LMFT, Site Director at JLS Middle School

With so much emphasis on achievement and concern about our children being prepared and “ready” to enter adulthood and be “successful”, there is a hidden cost that many youth can experience.  This cost involves developing a mindset that becomes fixed on what success means and what it looks like to be successful, which can often be somewhat narrow, limiting, and detrimental to future success and functioning.  When success is lacking or setbacks are experienced, these “failures” are can limit motivation and resilience.  Carol Dweck, professor at Stanford University, has written much about fixed vs. growth mindsets in child and adolescent development.   A fixed mindset involves seeing abilities and potential as set (i.e. “you either have it or you don’t”), emphasis on looking smart (i.e. not struggle outwardly), attributing competence and self-concept to successes (i.e. grades, score, “winning”, etc.), avoiding challenges, possibly feeling threatened by the success of others, ignores useful negative feedback or constructive criticism, and giving up easily, if not easily “successful”.  A growth mindset involves a desire to learn, embracing challenges, persistence and resilience, recognizing that improvement and progress comes with effort, being able to learn from negative criticism/constructive feedback, and learning from others’ successes and/or setbacks.  Predominantly, individuals who are able to develop a growth mindset often grow up to be more successful, grounded, and well-rounded in their lives.  

These ideas can be applied to many different areas in our children’s lives.  I have witnessed and experienced firsthand in schools currently, as well as in youth sports and coaching youth, how these 2 mindsets play out in terms of focusing on “just win/succeed” vs. “learn, try your best, and have fun”.  Obviously, we all want our children to succeed, to win, and to be successful at everything that they do.  However, there are fundamental consequences to holding a “win/succeed at all costs” approach.  In a recent article from the Greater Good website by Vicki Zakrzewski, she cited a UC Berkeley professor, Martin Covington, who said that “a fear of failure is directly linked to a person’s self-worth, the belief that you are valuable as a person”.  No one likes to fail and no one wants to be seen as incompetent or unsuccessful.   Failure can breed more failure if the conditions are such as to continue to perpetuate this dynamic.  Perpetuated long enough with little support or understanding, and this can become an entrenched and vicious cycle.  Yet, if the conditions are such that effort, learning and improvement, and bouncing back from mistakes are also a part of the focus, then the benefits and implicit message is one that is quite different.  Certainly, there is still a focus and emphasis on success and winning, but the key factors revolve around cultivating mastery and focusing on what is within one’s own control, and learning from mistakes and setbacks.  Mastery and success take effort.  Learning and improving, and realizing that mistakes are part of the process, feed this approach.  The main benefit is that we can help our children recognize what they can and cannot control. Recognizing what we can control can lead to decreased anxiety and increased self-confidence.  

As I was preparing this article, I pondered this list that I received at a workshop with the Positive Coaching Alliance.  This list comes from the “Best Practice Coaching Guidelines for Player Development Staff for the Cleveland Indians Baseball Organizations”, which is cited from Charlie Maher, Feb. 22, 2013, communication: 

1. Know Yourself: keep abreast of your values, strengths, and needs for professional development
2. Know Your Players: strive to understand them not only as performers on the field but also as people
3. Know the Game: given your role on the staff, work at becoming a subject matter expert
4. Take a Mastery Approach: guide each player to develop so that they can be the best they can in relation to themselves, not in comparison to others
5. Communicate: be clear with players and staff about what you expect and how the game is to be played; have a way to manage conflict
6. Motivate: encourage yourself, players, and other staff to set and pursue SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) goals and, in the process, to play the game with energy and effort
7. Be Patient: stay in the moment and do not let your emotions hijack you
8. Prioritize: out of all of the things that come your way, deal with the three or four items that are most important to development of players and your team
9. Promote Quality: make sure that the activities, drills, and other things are well planned and implemented at a high level
10. Lead: guide, direct, and interact with your players and staff- before, during, and after the game
11. Enjoy the process: pay attention to the things over which you have control and influence, on and off the baseball diamond
12. Be Consistent: strive to do all of the above by implementing an effective routine, day in and day out

I believe that these guidelines can directly tie in to how we might approach, support, and cultivate an environment at home, in a classroom, at school, and within a community that promotes a growth mindset in our youth.  Whether you are a parent, teacher, mentor, coach, or other support person in a youth’s life, your relationship, your presence, and your approach and message matters.   What is important is that we maintain a strong belief in, and an awareness and understanding of the impact that we can have on youth by the way that we approach and handle performance.  Thinking about applying these principles to your role with your child or student can be greatly beneficial.

Vicki Zahrzweski proposed 3 ways that we can help overcome a fear of failure, and more of a focus on mastery.   One is to emphasize effort or ability.  Be specific in praise for things that your child or student does.  General praise can have the opposite effect.   This also relates to the notion that ability and outcome tie directly with one’s self worth.   Second, we can encourage self-compassion in the face of failure.   The ability to maintain a sense of acceptance and understanding about what happened and what could have been done differently to possibly influence the outcome are very important life skills.  This process certainly involves being able to utilize coping skills to bounce back and deal with the painful emotions that can come from failing.  Third, we can build and maintain positive relationships with our youth, whether they are our children, students, players, etc.   Through these relationships, we have the opportunity to teach, share, model, and impart very useful life skills, wisdom, and learned life experiences.   Madeline Levine identified seven essential coping skills that can go a long way in supporting youth in developing a mastery approach and weathering the expected ups and downs that life has to offer to us all.  These include the following:

1. Resourcefulness- independent problem solving and learning that there are many ways to solve a problem, including being able to seek out assistance and support from others, especially parents and other adults
2. Enthusiasm- approaching a task or activity from a stance of interest and choice, being fully engaged and interested in what you are doing
3. Creativity- learning that there is more than one right way to go to solve a problem or issue, or to approach a situation
4. A Good Work Ethic- being able to see a task, activity, etc. through to the end
5. Self-Control- being able to trust one’s gut feeling or intuition instead of following the group’s decision, or peer pressure
6. Self-Esteem- needs to be cultivated from within and results from two areas, competence (doing well at something) and confidence (believing in oneself)
7. Self-Efficacy- the belief that what we do matters and makes a difference, involves “agency”, which includes how we put our beliefs into action

These coping skills can be of great assistance, but often require repetition, practice, and ongoing modeling and guidance from adults to become an internalized part of a youth’s repertoire.   Having other parents to share experiences and practices with can be very helpful, as can working with a professional.  The books cited below also have great information and practical examples and tips of how to implement some of these practices.   Ultimately, it is up to us as adults to facilitate and support the conditions that will help our youth to be “successful” in all areas of their lives.  

References:

Teach Your Children Well by Madeline Levine

Mindset by Carol Dweck

How to Help Kids Overcome Fear of Failure by Vicki Zahrzweski, Greater Good website

The Power of Double-Goal Coaching by Jim Thompson

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 community 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!

SITE COUNCIL

GUNN HIGH SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL

AGENDA

May 5, 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 April 7, 2014 Meeting Minutes (five minutes)

Update on Action Items

NEW  BUSINESS

Spring Proposals 2014-15 Final Decision

Safe Schools Plan (Site Council needs to approve):  James Lubbe

Guidance Update:   Tom Jacoubowsky

Constituency Representatives’ Reports

• Principal’s Report:  Katya Villalobos
• Accolades
• WASC and SPSA Update 
• Facilities Update
• Board of Education: Katya Villalobos
• PTSA:  Becky Thomas
• Parent Report:  Becky Thomas     
• SEC:  Somin Kim
• Site Council:  Rene' Hart
• Site Council Meetings for 2014 (4pm start?) (Handout)
• Funding Decision and Budget Update (Handout)
• 2014-16 Faculty/Staff Reps Update
• Thank you and Farewell to Principal and Seven Outgoing Site Council Members
• (Principal-Katya Villalobos)(Faculty-Rachel Congress, Josh Paley)
• (Other Personnel-Meg Omainsky)(Parents-Geoff Butner, Becky Thomas)
• (Students-Kathleen DeCoste, Grace Park)

Next meeting September 8, 2014.  (Site Council will provide refreshments)  

Round Robin

Light Refreshments provided by Gwen and Maggi

Gunn Varsity Sports:

Boy’s Golf:

Gunn lost to Paly for the second time this season finishing the regular season 10-2. Adam Fleischman led Gunn and earned co-medalist honors with a season-best 35. Jack Jaffe followed with a 37 and Anson Cheng a 38. Shai Mohan finished with a 40 and Yilei Yu wrapped up the Titans' scoring with a 43. Gunn

Boys Lacrosse:

Gunn 10 Leland 8 (April 10)

Gunn goals scored by Anatole Colevas (3), Sal Giovannotto (1), Elyas Daadi (3), Aaron Miner (1), Jackson Washura (1), and Hugh Phillips (1).

Girls Lacross:

On Wednesday afternoon Gunn defeated Pioneer by a score of 16-5 in a SCVAL league contest at Pioneer high school. Gunn was led by Juniors Rachael Tsai ( 4 goals and 3 assists ), Anna Dang ( 4 goals ) and Caroline Chou ( 3 goals ). Gunn also got 1 goal from  Senior Anna Cabot, Sophomores Annie Vesey, Yui Sasajima, Jillian King and Freshman Janis Iourovitski.  With this victory Gunn moves to 8-0 in SCVAL play and 11-1 overall. Gunn will play a SCVAL home game against Leland high school on Friday night at Gunn at 7:30.

Softball:

Gunn  second-year softball coach Matt Maltz is enjoying this season. The Titans are 11-3 overall, 6-0 in the SCVAL El Camino Division, though big games loom ahead. “This is a close-knit group,” Maltz said. “We have 12 players with only one senior.” The senior is Maddy Thomas, who mostly plays in the outfield. Iris Chin, who threw a five-inning no-hitter earlier in the season against Cupertino, is the main pitcher for the Titans. Second baseman Natalie Oda, a sophomore, is hitting just under .500.  Sophomore shortstop Emma Wager has been supplying the power, plus handling the glove for the Titans. “Emma is a Division I prospect,” Maltz said.

Maltz has a Division I All-American as his assistant coach in former Stanford star Alissa Haber. “Alissa and I have been friends for eight years,” Maltz said. “I gave her a call and asked her if she wanted to help me coach at Gunn. It’s great for the girls to be around a great player.” The Titans have a key league game at home on Thursday at 4 p.m. against 4-1 Milpitas.

Gunn 2 – Los Gatos 11 (April 18)

Gunn's eight-game winning streak in softball came to an end in an 11-2 non-league loss against a tough Los Gatos squad last Friday. Starting pitcher Iris Chin (Jr.) pitched 4 innings and then had to retire due to an injury. Gunn scored 2 runs in the top of the fourth with Emma Wager starting off the inning with a single. Catherine Schwarzwalder then hit a triple, knocking in Wager to tie the game. Anna Tevanian then singled in Schwarzwalder as the Titans (11-3) took a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Los Gatos loaded the bases after three walks. With two outs, an error on a routine play that would have ended the inning, instead opened the doors for the Wildcats who went on to add five runs in the inning and never looked back. Gunn pitcher Iris Chin pitched four innings and took the loss, only her third in 14 starts. Relief pitcher Kanchan Potter (Jr.) had to deal with many errors made in the field.

Gunn 12, Aragon 8 (April 16)

Getting 10 strikeouts from junior Iris Chin, Gunn won its eighth straight game with a 12-8 non-league softball decision over host Aragon on Wednesday. The Titans got four hits from Emma Wager, who slammed a home run and triple as Gunn pounded out 16 hits. Chin had three hits while improving her pitching record to 11-2. Gunn held a 6-0 lead after the top of the second, but Aragon kept it close. The Dons got to within 7-5 after three, but no closer as the Titans tallied three runs in the fourth. Catherine Schwarzwalder, Natalie Oda, Mariana Torres and Megan Ostrom all had two hits for Gunn. Chin, meanwhile, now has 32 strikeouts in her past three games.

For her pitching success, Iris Chin was named Athlete of the Week. Here is the link to her interview:http://www.paloaltoonline.com/sports/athlete_of_the_week.php?d=2014-04-18

Swimming: April 17 vs Saratoga

The 15 seniors on the Gunn swimming and diving teams went out in style  last Thursday afternoon in our home pool.  The girls won nearly every event against Saratoga, cruising to a 120-63 victory, with Jennifer Campbell and Fiona Hon each winning two individual events while the boys swept their way through the swimming portion of the SCVAL meet. The Senior Meet brought back memories of four years at Gunn for the athletes - “It’s sad, but I’m also really happy to see how far our class has come since freshman year,” Gabrielle Bethke (Sr.) said. “So it’s bittersweet.” Bethke won the 200-yard freestyle and the 100 butterfly against Saratoga, but will likely compete in the 50 and 100 free at the CCS championships. Bethke relished the opportunity to swim different events. “I think it’s really hard to swim your best events at every single meet, so I think it’s fun to mix it up a little bit,” Bethke said. “She’s a technically sound and very diverse swimmer,” coach Mark Hernandez said.

Jennifer Campbell crushed the competition in the 200 individual medley (2:08.08) and the 500 free (5:00.17), two grueling swims. “It’s difficult to imagine someone who is in better condition than she is,” Hernandez said. “And it’s also difficult to imagine someone who swims more technically sound than she does. She’s got it all.”

Fiona Hon led the way in 1-2-3 finishes for the Titan girls in both the 50 and 100 free.

In the 400 medley, Saratoga touched the wall first in the 100 backstroke and the 100 breaststroke, but Gunn claimed its third triumph in the relays when water polo standout Caroline Anderson anchored the 400 free relay. “She’s special,” Hernandez said of Anderson, who has a scholarship to play water polo at Michigan. “She’s a freakish athlete and she just finds ways to go really fast.”

In the boy’s  events Gunn swimmers were a perfect 11-for-11 en route to a 124.50-55.50 win.  The Titans knew they could count on sophomore Daichi Matsuda, who like Campbell tackled the 200 IM and the 500 free. The workload didn’t intimidate Matsuda. “We have nine practices a week and we practice like 22 hours a week, I think,” Matsuda said. “And we do a lot of high-intensity stuff, so that sort of builds our endurance.” “He’s gotten a lot stronger and a lot more aggressive,” Hernandez said of Matsuda.

Not every race was lopsided. Gunn’s Joao Ama beat his opponent by .05 seconds after touching the wall at 1:47.37. It was an even closer call for 200 free relay, which with a time of 1:31.87 claimed first by three hundredths of a second. Ama  also won the 100 free at 49.95, while teammate Luke Chui took first in the 50 free (23.23) and the 100 breast (1:01.58). Trent Tosky was the fastest at the 100 fly (55.74) and in the 100 Kevin Xu out of lane 6 won in 56.02.

The Gunn Titans final scores:

Varsity Girls:  Gunn  120        Saratoga  63

Varsity Boys:  Gunn  124.50   Saratoga  55.50

Track and Field -  San Jose meet

Sarah Robinson (Sr.) led wire-to-wire in the 3,200 meters in a dominant performance, outdistancing the next best finisher by nearly 41 seconds.  Most of the time she ran in complete solitude, cruising around the track on her way to shattering the 27-year-old meet record of 10:26.20, clocking a personal-best 10:16.98, “It feels good to get the meet record,” said Robinson, who will play soccer at Stanford on scholarship. “It was difficult because I didn’t have anybody pushing me, for the most part. The conditions were great. I tried to hit even splits as much as I could.” Gunn sophomore Gillian Meeks ran a fabulous race in the girls 1,600 meters, placing second in 5:00.86. Meeks led most of the race, but was out-kicked by Clare Peabody of Aptos, at the end. “It was a little bit windy, so she could draft off of me,” said Meeks of Peabody. “She had a great kick. I didn’t quite have it. I would have been better for me to be in her spot at the end. I need to get stronger and work on my kick.” Robin Peter (Soph.) was second in the girls 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.51. Gunn also had a fourth place in the girls 300-meter hurdles from Maya Miklos, who ran a 43.37. Adriana Noronha came into the girls discus as the second seed, but failed to establish a fair mark. Noronha bounced back to take third in the shot put with a heave of 37-1.

The Titans placed third as a team with 38 points, one point behind second-place Valley Christian- San Jose. Los Gatos rolled to the team title with 76 points.

New Site Council Representatives:

Congratulations to the 2014-2016 Site Council Parent Representatives 

Each year, two of the four parent representatives serving on Site Council come up for election. According to the revised Site Council bylaws, incumbent representatives can serve two consecutive terms (four years).  Incumbent Geoff Butner opted not to seek re-election. Becky Thomas ends her two terms of service this year. Newcomers Stacey Ashlund, and Jyoti Sahdev put their names on the ballot along with 11 other parents in March. After a careful tally, Stacey Ashlund and Jyoti Sahdev were elected to assume the two open seats for the next two years. Polly Diffenbaugh, 1st Runner Up, will serve as alternate to the meetins when a parent cannot attend. They will join Gwen Liang and Maggi Smeal representing Gunn parents for 2014-2016.

NEWLY ELECTED for 2014-2016: Stacey Ashlund, parent of Brendan Creemer, 9th grade

“I served on site council at Juana Briones for 2 years.  We tracked and assessed progress on programs for ELL, Language Arts, and Special Education.  I’ve served on the (CACC Community Advisory Committee) for Special Education since 2009 and currently serve as vice-chair with inclusion and organize parent ed events.  I’ve been PIE chair at Terman (2 years) and co-chair at Gunn (1 year).  I’m on the PIE Advisory Board and the City of Palo Alto Parks and Recreation Commission.  I consult in User Experience Research and Design.  I have a 6th grader at Terman and a 9th grader at Gunn.  I’m excited to help serve on site council at Gunn.  Go Titans!”

NEWLY ELECTED for 2014-2016: Jyoti Sahdev, parent of Arjun Sahdev, 10th grade

“I have three children, one of whom attended Gunn high school and graduated in 2007. Currently, I have a sophomore, Arjun Sahdev. Last year I had the pleasure of serving on the Gunn Advisory Committee. It was hard yet worthwhile work where we worked on student needs first and foremost. The GAC, similar to the Site Council, was a collaborative effort with members from students, teachers, administrators and parents. After participating on the GAC, I learned how the school operates. All the stakeholders have to work together. Lastly, I work as a family dental surgeon and own my office. All business decisions related to the running of my office are made by me.”

For more information on Gunn's Site Council, contact Rene' Hart, Gunn's Site Council Coordinator at 849-7932, or rhart@pausd.org

The Green Energy Innovation Club Speaker Night

The Green Energy Innovation Club at Gunn High School will be hosting a green innovation speaker night on Tuesday, April 29, at 7:00 pm with renowned innovators, leaders, educators, and students to spread awareness of our changing environment and how today's technology and creative minds can save the world.

Visit greeninnovation.strikingly.com for more information on speakers.

Featuring: Stanford University Professor Mark Z. Jacobson with breakthrough discoveries in atmosphere energy, Paul Kephart, founder of Rana Creek Living Architecture and the living roof architect of the California Academy of Sciences, David Kaneda, the managing principal of Integral Group that designs Net Zero Energy green buildings, Ron Freund, founder of Plug in America and Electric Auto Association, and Tom Kelly, founder of KyotoUSA and the HELiOS project that hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption by installing photovoltaic systems in schools, fellow students and faculty at Gunn, PALY, and PAUSD hope to raise awareness of climate change and clean energy and how every one of us can conserve energy by understanding energy resources, solar applications, and other green energy technologies.

Any more questions? Email greenenergytitans@gmail.com.

SELPA 1 CAC: Common Core and Students with Learning Challenges

How will common core change the curriculum and assessments? Common Core Standards recognize speaking and listening as an integral part of learning. Goals included in the new standards include concepts related to collaboration, cooperation, understanding other’s minds or point of view, analysis of fiction, understanding bias in our media and science, just to name a few! These new standards emphasize communication and group work, skills that students with learning (or other) disabilities often struggle with . How will teachers work with these students (IEPs, 504s, or struggling) so that they learn what they need to meet these valuable new standards? We are inviting representatives from each of our school districts (MVW, PAUSD, LASD, MVLA) to talk on a panel. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Hospitality begins at 6:45pm

Meeting - 7 to 9 pm

Egan Middle School Multi

100 West Portola Ave, Los Altos 94022

This parent education event is sponsored by the SELPA 1 CAC (www.selpa1cac.org) All of our events are free and open to anyone who feels they might benefit. No registration is necessary.