WASC Happening!  

After more than a year of data gathering, processing and numerous brainstorming sessions with student, staff, parent and district stakeholders, the Gunn High School accreditation visit is approaching, March 22-25th. 

Seven education leaders from throughout California will descend upon our campus, dialogue with students staff and parents, enjoy a delicious lunch made by Gunn students in our culinary program, sit-in on classes and learn what makes Gunn special.

Invitation to Students to Meet with the Visiting Committee

Any Gunn student wishing to speak individually with the Visiting Committee is invited to drop by the team's workroom in the Gunn Library study rooms during the visit. Students may also leave any comments or thoughts anonymously via the WASC Input box located in the SAC. This box will be delivered to the WASC Visiting Committee members when they arrive. The WASC committee is planning to meet with a random group of 50 students identified by the committee during their visit.  If you're interested in being a part of this ad hoc student meeting to be held in the staff lounge on Tuesday, 3/24 during lunch, please drop by the library study rooms and ask the committee for a ticket.

The committee will meet with ASB on Monday during B period.

Invitation to Parents to Meet with the Visiting Committee

All interested parents are invited to meet with our committee about the experience of a Gunn parent. The date is Sunday, March 22nd from 5:00-6:30 in Gunn Library.Please RSVP by using this form: http://goo.gl/forms/evBjKOh9CW

More Information

Please enjoy these "WASC Happening" video shorts produced by Mr. Corpuz's students. 

Episode #1- What is WASC?

http://youtu.be/MD7bpoB_ook 

Episode #2- How did we get involved in WASC?

http://youtu.be/-laDcmG543E 

Episode #3- Our New School Goals

http://youtu.be/1qKlm9UV48A

Questions?  Please contact Meg Omainsky, WASC Coordinator,momainsky@pausd.org

Miranda Drop-off and Bike Path Are OPEN!

A new campus path provides access from the upper bike path that runs parallel to Miranda and from Bol Park to new bike parking behind Building N.  For pedestrians and bicyclists coming from Arastradero, there are new pathways into campus via Miranda and additional new bicycle parking is now available between the Science and World Languages buildings (Buildings J and H).

For drivers, a new driveway with access from Miranda is open for student drop-offs only. There is no student, parent, or visitor parking at this location.  Also, no parking or standing is permitted in the Miranda drop-off zone. If your student is not immediately ready to be picked up, please park in the main Arastradero lot to wait. For student safety and to reduce driver delays, please adhere to these rules: 

• Drop off passengers only from the lane closest to the sidewalk.   
• Passengers must exit from the right (sidewalk side) of vehicles.
• When exiting this driveway, all drivers must turn right on Miranda. Left turns are not permitted from the driveway exit, and they will be subject to ticketing.  
• U-turns are illegal on Miranda Avenue and are subject to ticketing. 
• No student drop-offs on Miranda. 

Respect the marked crosswalks where pedestrians and bikes will access campus. Please watch for them. 

Look for more information about commuting safely and conveniently to Gunn here http://www.gunn.pausd.org/transportation

Bike Repair Station at Gunn!

Over 800 people bicycle to Gunn each school day. Often these bicyclists need minor repairs of flat tires or loose seats, chains, and cables. 

This summer Ian Cramer (Gunn class of 2015) installed a do-it-yourself bike repair and pump station at Gunn for his Eagle Scout project. Ian raised $1,500 for the project from sponsors, including Gunn PTSA Traffic Safety and the Gunn 2015 Social Entrepreneurs, AJTutoring, Mike’s Bikes and Paradigm Counsel, among others. 

You can find the Bike Fixtation in the covered hallway in the Music Building P. The station includes a hex key set, Torx T-25, steel core tire levers, adjustable wrench, cone wrench, Phillips & standard screwdrivers, and tire pump. If you don’t know what those tools are, no worries. The station also includes smart phone links to videos and pictures with instructions on how to make minor repairs.

Draft Gunn Walk and Roll to School Updates

Submitted by Kathryn Latour

On Wednesday, January 16^th, a crisp and cold winter morning, we had our first P4P event of 2013! Volunteers Lawrence Baker, Steve Hubbell, Penny Ellson, Wouter Latour, and – new to Gunn – Terrell Sweat handed out treats to most of the 562 cyclists, a very respectable turnout for such a cold morning! We extend apologies to students who found the bike racks near the library full and we are working with Gunn administration to organize more parking there. We also rewarded students who had arrived for an early practice or class and stopped by to receive their treats, which we encourage all early bikers to do, no questions asked. We appreciated that nearly all students appeared to be wearing their helmets and observing safe biking techniques, as well.

We also handed out a flyer to welcome students to join us on Tuesday, January 29^th at 7pm in the Gunn Library for a brief meeting to discuss safe routes to school. This meeting is a result of the Gunn Walk and Roll to School that took place in the Fall where students, parents, and staff examined the current biking routes and gave input as to where improvements are needed. The meeting on January 29^th will serve to review the proposed improvements and give further suggestions as to where the public funds can best be used. All students, parents and staff are encouraged to attend and contribute to the meeting.

Site Council December 2012

GUNN HIGH SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL

AGENDA

December 3, 2012 Ÿ  3:55pm Ÿ Staff Lounge

CALL TO ORDER                                                                                   Grace Park

OPEN FORUM:  Members of the public may address the Council on non-agenda

                            Items.  (LIMIT of FIVE MINUTES per person.)

OLD  BUSINESS

Approval of November 5, 2012 Meeting Minutes (five minutes)

NEW  BUSINESS

Agenda Lightening Round - List of Critical Topics not on the Agenda

    (To add to end of agenda or for future agendas or follow up)

Constituency Representatives’ Reports

§  Principal’s Report                                                                       Katya Villalobos

   WASC/SPSA Plan

   Feedback on current calendar

             Facilities and Guidance                                                              Katya Villalobos

                  Update Facilities

                  Update on Guidance Advisory Committee  

         Effects on Gunn of Passing of Prop 30 (at 4:30)                         Yancy Hawkins

§  Board of Education                                                                     Katya Villalobos    

§  PTSA                                                                                             Becky Thomas

§  Parent Report                                                                               Linda Lingg

§  SEC                                                                                               Kathleen DeCoste

§  Site Council                                                                                  Rene' Hart

                    Revised Budget Overview/Carryover (handout)

                    Evaluation handouts

             Next meeting January 7 at 3:55pm  

              Round Robin - questions or concerns

Light refreshments provided by Linda Lingg and Becky Thomas at 3:45

Safe Routes Walkabout

Submitted by Sylvia Star-Lack 

Safe Routes Walkabout
Thursday, November 1st
2:30pm in the Staff Lounge


Join us for snacks in the Staff Lounge at 2:30pm on Thursday, November 1st.  Parents and students are invited to attend an important meeting at Gunn focused on how to make the daily school commute safer for all Gunn students. The Gunn Safe Routes Walkabout will start at 2:30pm on Thursday, November 1st.  Parents and students will begin at the Staff Lounge for a tour around the school to identify problem commute areas, with a particular focus on walking and bicycling.  We will meet back in the Staff Lounge for a discussion of what we saw.   We also will
use large-scale neighborhood maps to discuss broader school route issues.  Student voices are particularly encouraged at this event.  Snacks will be provided!

Please look for announcements about a follow-up meeting to be scheduled in January.  This meeting will be open to the broader community and will include review of a draft Walk and Roll to School map showing recommended walking and bicycling routes for students traveling to and from Gunn.

The City of Palo Alto has received a grant to strengthen Palo Alto’s Safe Routes to School program and has hired a consultant specializing in non-motorized school commute solutions to lead us through the development of the Walk and Roll to School map.  These information-gathering meetings are an opportunity for our school community to provide input on suggested walking and biking routes and areas along commute routes that need attention from the city or school district.

Please mark your calendars and RSVP to Sylvia Star-Lack to attend the November 1st meeting.  The outcome of this process will only be as good as the input from the Gunn community, so if you can’t attend the meetings, be sure your feedback is heard.  Please RSVP or send your comments to Sylvia Star-Lack at saferoutes@cityofpaloalto.org<mailto:saferoutes@cityofpaloalto.org>.

Gunn Library Holiday Wishlist

Submitted by Meg Omainsky
This holiday season support Gunn Library and local Palo Alto independent bookstore, Books INC by making a purchase from the Gunn Library Holiday Wishlist! http://tinyurl.com/7yjsfrv

Gunn Library has set a goal to bring in 1,000 new fiction and nonfiction titles. What better place to buy these books than at our local store, Books INC? Each title on the list is linked to the Books INC online store. Please consider giving the gift of reading to a Gunn student this holiday season. There are three simple steps.

Step 1- Visit the wishlist at http://tinyurl.com/7yjsfrv or from the Gunn Library website
Step 2- Make a purchase online and have the book sent to Gunn Library
Step 3- Send an email to Cynthia Easton letting us know which title you have purchased (in order to avoid duplication) Cynthia Easton

You can also deliver a book or
cash donation in person if you would like. Checks can be made payable to Gunn High School and sent to the ATTN: library wishlist.
Thanks for continuing to support the efforts of Gunn Library.

Updates on Arastradero Road from Palo Alto's Chief Transportation Official

Quick Updates by intersection:

Clemo Dr Crosswalk
- handicap ramp work done
- flashing beacon system done but left off until the marked crosswalk goes in
- marked crosswalk should go in after the signal work in about two weeks

Hubbartt Drive Speed Signs
- when I left the field this afternoon they were finishing the one sign in the median facing westbound traffic towards the school and starting the second sign facing eastbound traffic towards Donald.
- both sign installations should be complete by Thursday
- we will need to do some tree trimming around the sign facing eastbound traffic next week
- striping work around island should go in after the signal work in about two weeks

Coulombe Traffic Signal
- handicap ramp construction work underway
- new pole should start going up next week
- construction estimated for completion end of next week but the left-turn movement will not be active for about one month while we finish procurement of video detection equipment. The operation after initial construction will be a permissive left turn as it was before the start of construction until then.
- Striping work for the crosswalks will happen immediately after the work at Clemo and Hubbart is done.

Restriping from El Camino Real to Alta Mesa
- Public Works Engineering was going to do this for us but they don't have any contingency funding left in their contract
- I have three bid requests out and should have a low-bid by Thursday. We'll work on getting the low-bidder on board quickly so they can do the restriping within three weeks.

Note from Arthur Keller: The restriping on the Westbound direction from El Camino Real to Alta Mesa is to lengthen the two-lane portion before it merges down to one lane, in order to allow for more stacking of cars. Currently, wiaitng cars fill up this area, leaving no room for Westbound traffic to cross El Camino Real at peak traffic times.

Update On Arastradero Restriping Trial

submitted by Grace Yu



Update On Arastradero Restriping Trial:

Initial repaving and restriping was implemented in August and September. The trial project includes a lane reduction on Arastradero Road from 4- to 3-lanes including turn lanes for safer neighborhood access and better controlled turning movements. The first post-construction community meeting was held on October 14. City staff presented an update on project construction activities, initial traffic data findings & project enhancements to implementation during the trial period, and accepted public input on the project.

Two additional planned improvements are being scheduled. One is a traffic signal modification at Arastradero Road and Coulombe Road to enhance left turn signal phasing for eastbound Arastradero Road traffic. The other is two new raised median islands at Arastradero Road & Clemo Avenue with a pedestrian activated flashing beacon warning system and at Arastradero Road & Hubbart St with a new vehicle speed feedback sign to encourage vehicle speed reductions along the street. Monitoring will continue and additional community input meetings will be scheduled later this winter.

The following project enhancements are being implemented this Winter in response to the community input on the project:

• Discussions with Caltrans about the El Camino Real Traffic Signal Operations (Caltrans, not the City of Palo Alto, controls the El Camino Real intersection and traffic signal)
• Alta Mesa intersection signage and striping improvement to help keep the intersection clear from El Camino Real queues
• Arastradero Road roadway marking changes between Donald Dr-Terman Rd and King Arthur Ct to help improve left turn vehicle access to both streets

Further updates will be released by the city as implementation schedules are finalized with contractors.

This project is an on-going one-year trial with monitoring and adjustments being made during the trial period. Evaluation of the project will be based on predetermined specific performance measures which include: crash reduction, transportation mode shift, and 85th percentile speed reduction goals, maintaining point-to-point travel times within the study area.

If you missed the meeting, written comments may be sent via email to: transportation@cityofpaloalto.org

City of Palo Alto Library Survey

Arthur Keller, arthur@kellers.org

The City of Palo Alto's Library Advisory Commission has a survey to help them plan and prioritize new services for the Palo Alto Library. The survey can be found at http://bit.ly/PALibrarySurvey

Gunn Library Seeks Community Support

Meg Omainsky, momainsky@pausd.org

Dear Parents, Students and Alumni,

The Gunn High School Library has some exciting plans for future development and we invite you to become a library sponsor. We are planning a new multimedia resource classroom in the library for next year. The space will occupy much of the existing non-fiction area and will be equipped with:

• an interactive smartboard,
• 25 comfortable chairs with laptop desk extensions, and
• 25 ipads.

The ipads will be available for web research, reading e-books and hosting applications like word processing for academic work. We also have plans for purchasing a new collection of e-books and new online databases for the coming school year. At a time of dwindling resources, these plans can only come to fruition with community partners. With your support, we can make this vision a reality for Gunn students.

No donation is too small, but our goal is to raise $25.00 from each family now and, then, $50.00 each September in order to develop these resources. Additionally, we actively seek corporate, alumni and family sponsors for larger donations. Sponsorships of $500.00 or more will be recognized on the library's LCD donor wall and library website for the 2010-11 school year. Businesses wishing to become sponsors may send a company logo to momainsky@pausd.org for display on our library's website.

Please make checks payable to "Gunn High School Library" and send to Gunn High School:

ATTN: Library, Gunn High School
780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306.

We appreciate your generosity in giving Gunn students the tools and technology for learning as we prepare them to become Silicon Valley Leaders in our global, high-tech world.

Meg Omainsky
Teacher Librarian, Gunn High School
650- 354-8252

Gunn Library Update

Cynthia Easton, cyeaston@pausd.org

Here’s an update of some exciting new developments happening this spring at the Gunn Library!

The new Gunn Library website is up and running and can be accessed through the library link on Gunn High School’s main page. Check out our new, fresh look and user-friendly features, such as:

• Direct links to databases
• Video tutorials
• Academic web directory
• YA author blogs

This site will continue to evolve as we grow.

The library courtyard, now known as the "Acorn Lounge" is undergoing a wonderful transformation, thanks to the creative talents of Kim Perlmutter, Landscaper, and Morgan Bricca, Muralist. The courtyard revitalization includes:

• Four beautiful scenic murals
• Brand new attractive landscaping

There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late May to dedicate our fabulous new outdoor space. Stay tuned for further details.

Gunn Library is now on Facebook! Look for Gunn High School Library and become a fan! On our fan page, you can:

• Watch instructional tutorials on how to use our databases
• Get AP test preparation and practice
• Find tips on avoiding plagiarism
• Keep up to date with all the latest Gunn Library news and events

YA author Louis Sachar will be speaking to students on May 26 in the Gunn Library. Sachar, the National Book Award-winning author of Holes, has a new book, The Cardturner, scheduled for release on May 11.

The Academic Center and the Gunn Library are partnering to pilot a drop-in writing lab for Gunn students. The primary purpose is to help students develop and polish written work for their classes. The program will be fully operational during the first quarter of next school year.

Info: Meg Omainsky, Teacher Librarian, 650- 354-8252

Construction News

Tom Jacoubowsky

Over the past few months we have had a lot of news on the construction front. While the school year has recently started, our construction is in full swing as the work of Measure A can clearly be seen.

The new Career Tech Ed building, formerly known as the Industrial Art building, is still on schedule for an end of November finish. The sorely outdated building was completely gutted and will be a state of the art facility for our Auto, Engineering Tech, Video Production, Bio Tech and our new Project Lead the Way Class (PLTW). PLTW is a new course offering for 2009-2010 that introduces students to engineering. The course, taught by Bakari Holmes, is open to students of all grade levels and it will help serve as a bridge to give 9^th and 10^th graders an engineering option where they previously had none.

On the athletic front our swimming pool was opened at the beginning of the summer and has been steadily used by our aquatics program. In the next couple of months the shade structures will be installed which mark the official completion of the pool as Gunn will have one of the finest aquatic facilities in the area.

Last month our all weather track was redone. After nearly 10 years, the old one was showing wear and tear and the new one is a welcome addition and represents the final part of the entire renovation of the main athletic field. Over the last three years the area has seen the installation of lights, a new stadium, a synthetic playing turf field and now a new synthetic track.
Finally, many of you have noticed the improved striping of the entrance of the parking lot. The entire front area has been repaved and the fresh striping has made it much easier to navigate our parking lot. As many of you know, our entrance was changed last year at the request of the city of Palo Alto to see if it could help get people into the Gunn parking lot more efficiently. The city has approved the reduction of lanes of Arastradero for the summer of 2010 and it was vital that Gunn parking lot traffic wasn’t backed up to Arastradero. The new parking lot design last year was successful in preventing cars from queuing back to Arastradero and the hope is that this will allow the city to go ahead with its plan to create traffic calming measures on Arastradero.