Gunn@Your Service Update

Submitted by Lauren Janov

Meet Gunn @ Your Service’s 2013 Social Entrepreneurs!

Congratulations to eleven inspiring Gunn students who, with over 120 others on campus, are turning innovative ideas into extraordinary projects to make our world – near and far -- a better place:

Freshmen

Grace Park will use her Gunn@Your Service micro-grant to promote her Make Happy Birthdays project which encourages students celebrating birthdays to donate to UNICEF’s hunger campaign that helps some of the billion people who go to bed hungry.  She will also raise awareness about their plight. [Hunger-International]

Eleanor Su will use her Gunn Grant to buy bake sale ingredients and give the proceeds to Free the Children which is building a school in Sierra Leone and providing epilepsy treatment. [Education/Health-Sierra Leone]

Sophomores

Laurence Chen will use his Gunn@Your Service micro-grant to buy parts needed to repair 30 bicycles that, once fixed, he will donate to Bay Area organizations serving children without them. [Sports/Health-Bay Area]

Jack Jaffe’s Gunn Grant will continue the efforts of his not-for-profit Recycled Golf Gear by Jack which is collecting used golf clubs for those who cannot afford the sport locally and in Brazil. [Sports/Health-Bay Area and Brazil]

Maya Ram and Deeksha Kumar will use their Gunn micro-grant to ship the school supplies they are collecting to BG Foundation which aids children of India’s migrant workers and to raise awareness about the challenges these children face. [Education-India]

Rachel Wu will use a Gunn Grant to promote her Bay Area Youth in Computer Science project. Gunn BAYCS student volunteers will create their own computer science curriculum and teach it to Silicon Valley’s underprivileged children. [Education-Bay Area]

Juniors

Neel Guha will use his Gunn Grant to purchase math manipulatives and games for his not-for-profit Buddies4Math.  Now in its third year, Buddies4Math student volunteers teach math at Mountain View’s Castro Elementary School. www.buddies4math.blogspot.com [Education-Mountain View]

Jayshree Sarathy’s Gunn@Your Service grant will buy supplies, flyers and a banner for her Handfuls of Hope charity which uses henna art to fundraise for Asha for Education, an organization which builds and supplies schools in India.  She also plans to raise awareness about the needs of children around the world. [Education-India] 

Jaewon Yoon’s Gunn Grant will buy keyboards for low-income music students participating in Gunn Music @ Costano’s program taught by Gunn students in East Palo Alto. This is the third year a Gunn Grant has been awarded to this project. [Education-East Palo Alto]

Senior

Tatiana Grossman’s micro-grant will help defray the cost of shipping thousands of children’s books that will be turned into libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa’s primary schools, work she does through her non-profit Spread the Words. This is the third year Tatiana has received a Gunn Grant for this project. www.SpreadtheWords.us[Education-Africa]

Gunn @ Your Service is exceptionally proud to support these outstanding projects!  

Gunn High School Social Entrepreneurs Get Awards

Submitted by Diane Downend

Gunn High School Social Entrepreneurs Awarded two $20,000 Westly Foundation
Grants

Former California State Controller, Steve Westly and his wife, Anita Yu, operate The
Westly Foundation whose mission is to invest in youth as an avenue for success in the
future. In 2012 they announced the Westly Prize to be awarded to young innovators in
California with creative solutions to community problems. To recognize and encourage
social entrepreneurship among youth, two of the four $20,000 prizes were committed
to current high school students. Both of these awards came to students at Gunn High
School.

Founded in July 2012, Club Academia provides supplemental instruction to students who
are struggling with a particular concept and are looking for further explanation. Starting
with only four students uploading videos to a YouTube account, Club Academia has
expanded to include seventeen video makers and over 300 videos on their website, http:/
/clubacademia.org/ With the help of the $20,000 Westly Prize, Club Academia plans to
acquire additional equipment, enabling engagement by more volunteers in the expansion
of its video base.

Inspired by the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon we
can use to change the world,” senior Tatiana Grossman founded Spread the Words, an
organization committed to global literacy. With its Westly Prize of $20,000, Spread the
Words can take next steps in its commitment to cost effectively deliver digital textbooks
to third world classrooms that lack computers and, often, reliable electricity. Read more
at http://spreadthewords.us

2013 AP Exam Registration Information

2013 AP Exam Registration Information

AP exams are offered for subjects taught in our AP program at Gunn.  Check the College Board website for alternative exam locations for any exam Gunn does not offer.

Registration Dates, Fees & details

Important Dates

Pick up Bulletin for AP Students and Parents in the SAC	Now
AP Exam Registration for all GUNN students	February 4 – March 3
Late exam registration for Gunn students and Registration window for NON-GUNN students	March 4-March 22
*Pre-Administration sessions	April 11 @ 2:30 in Theater April 22 @ lunch in library April 23 @ 2:30 in library
**Language Lab training sessions	For Gunn students- tba with teacher For NON-GUNN students- April

8 All registration and payments are processed through Total Registration online service.

The website will be available starting at

12:01AM on February 4, 2013.

www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/052347

Free or Reduced Fees: Students who have a verifiable financial need are eligible for reduced fees. Check with the Assistant Principal Mrs. Klein about this.

*Pre-administration sessions:  Students will be required to complete one of the three pre-administration sessions prior to testing.  During the 40-minute session, students fill out personal identification and demographic information and receive an AP Testing Number that is required for all their AP exams. 

**Language Lab training sessions:  Students testing in a language lab will have to complete training on lab usage as well.  Speak with your teacher for details. 

Special Notes for ALL NON-GUNN students:

• Non-Gunn students are required to register after March 4^th.
• Non-Gunn students who are taking a language lab exam will be required to come in for a lab use training session prior to testing.  Date and time to be announced.
• Not completing this task can forfeit a student’s seat for testing. 

Special Notes About AP Chinese:

• Gunn students enrolled in our AP Chinese class have first priority, followed by Gunn students not enrolled in the course by grade level seniority, then non-Gunn students in order of time registered.
• Non-Gunn students can ONLY register during the Late Registration window.  They will be placed for the exam only after all current Gunn students have been registered. 
• Due to lab size constraints, some students can expect to test on Thursday May 23^rd.  You will be notified of your testing date.

Week One	Morning Exam 8am-12pm	Afternoon Exam 12pm-4pm
Monday, May 6	Chemistry Environmental Science	Psychology
Tuesday, May 7	Computer Science A	Art History
	Spanish Language
Wednesday, May 8	Calculus AB	Chinese Language & Culture
	Calculus BC
Thursday, May 9	English Literature	Japanese Lang. & Culture
Friday, May 10	German Language U.S. History	Studio Art
Week Two
Monday, May 13	Biology	Physics B
	Music Theory	Physics C: Mechanics (12pm)
		Physics C: Elec. & Magnetism (2pm)
Tuesday, May 14	None	French Language
Wednesday, May 15	None	Statistics
Thursday, May 16	Macroeconomics	Microeconomics
Friday, May 17	Spanish Literature

F You cannot take two tests at the same time - for example, Comp Science and Spanish Language. You’ll take one of them as a “Late Test” May 23-25. No extra fee is charged for schedule conflicts. Conflicts due to sports, college visits, or vacations must be pre-approved for late testing! The $140 exam fee applies!  See Mrs. Klein

Testing with Accommodations

If you have an IEP or 504 plan and want to test using your accommodations, please contact Assistant Principal Mrs. Klein immediately to help file the needed paperwork.  If you are already approved by the College Board for accommodations, please

Questions?

Contact Assistant Principal Mrs. Klein at 650-354-8227, email at tklein@pausd.org or stop by the main office.  

Gunn High School German Program designated excellent

Submitted by Kerstin Helbing

German@Gunn/FOS teacher

It is my great pleasure to inform you that Gunn High School’s German program has been designated a German Center of Excellence by the American Association of Teachers of German. After carefully reviewing the applications of numerous K-12 German programs, the jurors found Gunn High School’s programming excellent in every category. Your program is one of four high school programs to receive this high distinction this year.

 

The jury was impressed in particular that the German program is so very well established and growing. There is clear evidence that the program has strong support from the administration, professional colleagues, alumni, and students, and has strong ties to the wider campus and community. Extracurricular activities and special events are clearly integral elements of the program.

 

Furthermore, the selection panel noted the highly qualified staff with credentials appropriate to the teaching assignment and an appropriate faculty–student ratio. The application provided clear evidence of continuing faculty development at local, state, and national levels. The opportunity to collaborate and evidence of self-evaluation and shared program goals are to be commended.

 

Most impressive is the program’s curriculum. There is a clear, articulated sequence of instructional programming that is standards-based and reflects current methodologies. Outcomes at each instructional level are clearly articulated and diverse learning styles are respected through varied instructional and assessment techniques. The materials used in the program are culturally authentic and interdisciplinary connections have been established.

 

The German Program at Gunn High School certainly values its students. The jury noted that the teacher clearly values student feedback and the application provided abundant evidence of the good rapport you have with your students. This is truly a program that is designed to meet the needs of students.

Keith Cothrun

Executive Director

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American Association of Teachers of German

112 Haddontowne Court #104

Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

Office: (856) 795-5553

Cell: (856) 685-6526

keith@aatg.org

www.aatg.org

Project Cornerstone's 41 Developmental Assets

Submitted by Karen Saxena
FAIRMEADOW SCHOOL AND PTAC PRESENTS:

PROJECT CORNERSTONE'S
41 Developmental Assets.

Come join us for coffee and breakfast at Fairmeadow for an
understanding of PROJECT CORNERSTONE'S 41 Developmental Assets.

VENUE: MP room at Fairmeadow (500 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto)
DATE and TIME: Nov 8th from 8.30 to 10.30am
FOR MORE INFO: Hemla Makan-Dullabh or Nirmala Patni
RSVP:paloaltoparented@gmail.com

This event will focus on how parents can build more developmental
assets for their children, including questions such as:

What did the survey reveal about how Palo Alto kids perceive the support they
receive from their community?
How can we as parents start to affect these Developmental Assets for our
children in elementary school?

In 2010 Palo Alto Unified School District and Project Cornerstone surveyed over
4,000 students. The survey measured developmental assets, which are the
positive values, skills, relationships and experiences that help young
people grow up to be healthy, caring and responsible adults

Did you know that only 32% of elementary school students believe that they are
of service to others? This is a MEGA asset and influences the development of 31
other assets.

56% of Palo Alto middle and high school students have enough assets to provide
a great foundation for success in life. Unfortunately, 44% of this same age group
don’t have enough assets to build a solid foundation.

Only 32% of high school students believe that they have positive family
communication but 64% of elementary students reported having this. Why is it
that high school students’ feel as though they cannot communicate to their parents
effectively?

Come join us on Nov 8th at Fairmeadow to learn more!

This event is hosted by Project Cornerstone, which is a project of the YMCA. Please visit their
website, www.projectcornerstone.org to learn more.

College and Career Awareness Day

Submitted by Trinity Klein
College and Career Awareness Day: planning for and celebrating your future

On Wednesday, October 17, Gunn High School will devote the entire day to career exploration and college
admittance test preparation for freshman, sophomores and juniors. Seniors will be able to choose from a
variety of college- and career-related workshops.

About Attendance: Roll will be taken for all grade levels. Students who are absent must have a parent call in
for them if it is a legitimate absence. Students who are not participating in the PSAT for any reason, will join
the seniors in Spangenberg Theater.

SCHEDULE BY GRADE LEVEL
Grade
12th grade
8:30am-11:00am: EXPLORE
8:30: Assemble in Spangenberg
11:00am-12:00pm Titan 101: How is Gunn going for
8:45: Keynote Speaker #1
you?
9:20-10:20: Session 1 (all college and career panel
sessions run)
10th grade
9:00am-12:00pm: PLAN (SAC, AC & library open @ 8:30am) 10:35-11:35 Session 2 (all college and career panel
sessions run)
11th grade
11:40-12pm: Closing Assembly in Spangenberg
8:30-12:00pm: PSAT
Afternoon schedule for EVERYONE:
12:00: lunch
12:30: Homecoming games
1:30: float-building

9th
What is EXPLORE & PLAN?
These are the first 2 assessments of ACT’s Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS). Each
exam consists of 4 academic achievement tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science. Additionally, these
assessments contain an interest inventory and a needs assessment based on the student’s perceived
needs. The content of both tests closely mirrors the ACT and scores correlate with established college/post-
secondary readiness benchmarks.

You, your student, and your child’s guidance counselor will get a wealth of information including focused
interventions, course planning information and a breakdown of how our 9th and 10th graders are doing
overall. Very importantly, the results link to college readiness benchmarks. Results help our freshmen and
sophomores to focus on their interests and explore possible careers. These tests link students with relevant
college and scholarship information. We are excited to be able to bring these test preparation exams to Gunn!

Freshmen will have an opportunity to review their EXPLORE results with their guidance counselors in their
Titan 101 sessions in January and February. Sophomores will have an opportunity to review PLAN results in an assembly on February 20th and with their guidance counselors in their sophomore conferences.

Students and families will find this information helpful:
For EXPLORE: http://www.act.org/explorestudent/
For PLAN: http://www.act.org/planstudent/

What is the PSAT?
The PSAT is a test preparation exam for the SAT, the college admissions test sponsored by College Board.
The test is designed for 11th graders. The test measures critical reading, math problem-solving, and writing
skill development. Results are mailed home, but there is an enhanced score report that allows students to
review questions, their answers and correct answers with explanations. This is a wonderful tool for students
to use in assessing what are their strengths going into the SAT and what areas to focus on in preparing for
the SAT. The PSAT also provides a start list of colleges as well as a career match component. The enhanced
score report will be distributed to juniors prior to an assembly on January 23 rd, during which students will hear
an explanation of how to interpret their results and use them to prepare for the SAT. The PSAT Bulletin was
distributed to juniors in their US History classes. Additional copies are available in the main office.
For more information and sample questions with answers, see their website: www.collegeboard.com/psat .

Those students who do well on the test are eligible to enter scholarship competitions sponsored by the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation www.nationalmerit.org.

10th graders will not be allowed to take the PSAT on October 17th at Gunn.

All tests are free of charge to students.

College and Career Sessions for Seniors

College sessions include: Naviance, essay writing, UC application information, CSU application and interview skills. Career panel sessions include: The Arts, Athletics, Medicine, Entrepreneurialism, Travel and Adventure careers.

If you have any questions, please e-mail:
Assistant Principal Trinity Klein: tklein@pausd.org (PSAT)
Assistant Principal Kim Cowell: kcowell@pausd.org (Plan/Explore)
Assistant Principal Tom Jacoubowsky: tjacoubowsky@pausd.org (senior workshops)

PAUSD Board of Education Candidate Forum

Submitted by Karen Johnston

Sept 27, 7-9 pm.  PAUSD Board of Education Candidate Forum: co-hosted by PTAs of Gunn HS, Terman MS, Juana Briones ES and Barron Park ES, the 4 candidates for Board of Education will come together at a Question and Answer Forum at Terman Middle School. Questions for all candidates or for a partcular candidate may be sent now to paloaltoparents@gmail.com. Confirmed alternate forum nights for those who cannot attend are:

10/1   7-8:30 PM,  Walter Hays Multi-purpose room

10/3  8- 9:30 pm; League of Women Voters  (**co sponsored by PTA Council) 8-9:30PM  25 Churchill

        

10/8 CAC  7-9 PM @ 25 Churchill

10/10 Palo Alto High School, Library, exact time to follow (evening)

September Asset-Parent Involvement

Submitted by Terry Godfrey

September's Asset of the Month is Parent Involvement in Schooling.  Research shows that youth whose parents are actively involved in their schooling are more engaged in school; but, what does this mean?  We see plenty of parents on campus and at PTA events "being involved" but is that the only form it takes?  Every parent, every day can positively affect kids' lives.  It only takes a second. The National Network of Partnership Schools developed a framework for understanding different kinds of parent involvement: ·         Parenting: families establish home environments that support children’s learning ·         Communicating: families and schools engage in effective two-way communications about student expectations and progress  ·         Volunteering: parents directly support the classroom or school ·         Learning at home: families help students with homework and school-related decision-making and planning  ·         Decision making: parents are involved in school decisions   Parents whose schedules don’t allow volunteering can still support their children’s academic success through parenting, communication, and learning at home.  However you can do it, do it.  Remember it only takes a second.     To learn more:  www.projectcornerstone.org/pdfs/September_ParentInvolvementInSchool_ResourceKit.pdf To get involved in the Palo Alto Developmental Assets Initiative of Project Safety Net contact us at devassetspaloalto@gmail.com

Parent Ed - From Application to Acceptance

Submitted by Karen Johnston

PTSA Parent Ed - Mark your calendars now. Tuesday, Oct 2, 7-9 pm, Spangenberg Auditorium. Christine VanDeVelde, co-author of the best-selling book College Admission, From Application to Acceptance, will be speaking to the Gunn community. Parents and students welcome. Contact: kj.squint@gmail.com 

What are the 41 Developmental Assets?/ Positive Family Communication

In 2009, the City of Palo Alto, PAUSD and many community partners established Project Safety Net (PSN) in response to the tragic teen suicide cluster. PSN works to develop and implement short and long-term plans in support of suicide prevention and the social and emotional health of youth and teens in Palo Alto. One of the first recommendations from PSN to the schools and the City, was to adopt the 41 Developmental Assets Framework. Developmental Assets are the positive values, relationships, skills and experiences that help young people thrive, such as Positive Family Communication, Caring School Climate and Community Values Youth. The more assets a child has the more likely that child will thrive. The fewer assets a child has, the more likely they are to get involved with risky behavior like violence and drug and alcohol use. Last October, 2010, our schools, with the support of Project Cornerstone, administered the Developmental Assets survey to over 4000 students in 5th, 7th, and 9th – 12th grades. The survey measures developmental assets levels as well as thriving indicators and risk behaviors. Our youth told us:
• almost half of elementary students don’t have adult role models
• more than half of middle school students don’t feel safe at home, at school or in their neighborhoods
• most high school students don’t feel valued or appreciated by adults in the community
56% of our middle and high school students report enough developmental assets to help them thrive. However, 44% don’t. As a community, we have work to do! Over the next several months, you will be seeing articles in your newsletters that highlight the “Asset of the Month”. The asset will be described and suggestions of how to build those assets in all our youth provided.

For more information, please go the following web pages: paloaltopsn.org, projectcornerstone.org. If you would like to get involved, please contact us at devassetspaloalto@gmail.com

For full survey results of each school, go to: pausd.org/parents/programs/StudentConnectedness/index.shtml



Developmental Asset of the Month – October
Positive Family Communication

A conversation starts. Your child is upset. You’re tired. Pretty soon, the conversation heats into an argument. It ends with a door slam and silence.

Arguments. We’ve all had them with our children. Sometimes, particularly with our teen children, it may feel like most conversations end with slammed doors.

Though it can be challenging to develop the skills for being available for frequent, in depth conversations it is an important role we play in our children’s lives – from the time they learn to talk all the way into adulthood. What we have to do is create an atmosphere of communication – an open door.

The trick with open door communication is that we often don’t realize we create invisible closed doors around us. We get preoccupied and don’t pay enough attention. We’re exhausted and we nod off as our child is in mid-sentence. We jump to conclusions before our child finishes saying things. We assume the worst. We criticize our kids for what they tell us so they close the door the next time out of fear or resentment.

Sometimes there is no communication to begin with, and it’s hard to get your child to say what’s going on in her or his life.

Having an open door means having an open mind, an open attitude. It means listening to understand, not to advocate our position. It means being available when our children need us - and when they don’t. It means taking good care of ourselves so that when our children want to talk, we have open ears and an open heart.

Young people who experience positive family communication experience higher self-esteem, decreased substance use, less anxiety and depression, and greater school engagement. However, in Palo Alto, only 64% of 5th grade students, 52% of 7th grade students and 32% of 9th -12th grade students reported in the Developmental Assets 2010 survey that they have positive communication with their parents and are willing to seek advice from them.. To help promote this valuable asset, October is Positive Family Communication month in Palo Alto.

Establishing positive communication when children are young may help keep the channel open in adolescence. But no matter how old your children are, it’s never too late to start! The following questions can help your family. Encourage your child to answer these questions honestly:

• Ask caring questions such as: How did band practice go? How was the math test? Was the assembly fun?
• Ask your child’s advice or opinion about an important matter.
• If there is a problem at work and you come home upset, let your child know you are not angry with her or him.

The communication skills that young people develop in their families help set the pattern of how they’ll communicate for the rest their lives. Teaching your children to communicate effectively with friends, teachers, co-workers, parents, peers, and others is a lasting legacy that you can give to your children.

For positive family communication to occur, all family members must be comfortable sharing their needs, wishes, and concerns in an honest and trusting environment without fear of rejection.

This article was adapted from Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month and Search Institute Newsletter.

Get SAT ready this summer with Gunn Library

Submitted by Cynthia Easton
Gunn Library subscribes to online test prep from Shmoop.

SAT and ACT Test Prep:
Review and practice for Reading, Writing and Math
Sentence completion
Passage comparisons
Writing essays and improving sentences and paragraphs
Numbers and operations
Algebra, Geometry, Statistics and Probability

AP Test Prep:
Explanations, examples and exercises
Practice problems
Review and drill questions
Full-length timed practice exams
Test-taking tips and strategies


How to access Shmoop:
From the Gunn Library website, Gunn Library Tumblr
Use the AP SAT Test Prep link at the top of the page.
Magic Word = titansrule (also found on InClass)
Create your own username and password

TEDxGunnHighSchool to Bring Together Students and Community

Media contact: Meg Omainsky
(650)354-8252
momainsky@pausd.org
www.tedxgunnhighschool.com

TEDxGunnHighSchool to Bring Together Students and Community
“Some of the best minds of our community will be on one stage. What more does one want?” ~Soham Tikekar, TEDxGunnHIghSchool event coordinator.

On Thursday, May 26th prominent members of the Palo Alto community will join together with teachers, parents and students from Henry M. Gunn High School to kick-off the inaugural event. The program will run in the school’s Little Theater from 8:00am to 5:00pm. Admission is free and a select number of seats are available to the community at www.tedxgunnhighschool.com . Throughout the day, student presenters are scheduled to speak on topics ranging from biology and Bach to making friends with natural disasters. These presentations will be interspersed with talks from a diverse group of speakers including tech pioneers, a Stanford Director, the Mayor of Palo Alto and an organic foods entrepreneur.

“Our event will ignite the flame you didn't know existed inside of you,” describes, Jessica Sun, a member of the student planning team. “Or at the very least involve some sort of combustive, poignant effect.”

TEDxGunnHighSchool, an independently organized TED event, began when PAUSD librarian, Meg Omainsky, applied for a TEDx license as a way to promote a culture of collaboration and idea sharing for students. Gunn High School strives to foster knowledge, creativity, integrity and personal excellence in its students. TEDxGunnHighSchool provides a platform for students to get inspired and encourages them to think big about their ideas, their future and their community. The TEDx platform also provides the opportunity to showcase the innovations and inspiring stories of the broad Palo Alto community.

Gunn High School student leaders and TEDx enthusiasts, Soham Tikekar, Jessica Sun, Takuto Sasajima, Yona Ran, and Sarah Dukes-Schlossberg have led the planning of this first time TEDx event for Henry M. Gunn High School .

The following innovators have been selected to present at TEDxGunnHighSchool:
Anastasia Vavilina and Jasmine Vahidsafa, Henry M. Gunn High School
Andrew Liu-Henry M. Gunn High School
Axel Clavier- International School of the Peninsula
Clint Wilkins -Director, Heroic Imagination Project
Derek Lee- Henry M. Gunn High School
Emmanuel Mayssat and Sierra Fan- One Million Lights
Gunjan Sinha- Chairman, Metric Stream
Hilda Huang- Palo Alto High School
John Bruggeman- Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Cadence Design Systems
Rachel Phelps- CEO, Mighty Mouth Foods
Shantanu Narayen- CEO, Adobe Systems
Sidney Espinosa- Mayor of Palo Alto
Takuto Sasajima, Henry M. Gunn High School
Theresa Diola- SF SMILES
Uwe Bergmann- Deputy Director of LCLS, Standford Linear Accelorator Laboratory
William Paris- Not In Our Town
Visit the TEDxGunnHighSchool website for detailed descriptions of each talk.


About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com , where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED's upcoming conferences, visit www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks , or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TED

A Message From The Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Wow, it is difficult to believe but we are already in week three of second semester. As winter begins to end, Gunn activities--academic, co-curricular and extra--curricular are humming along. We have officially begun Registration Season by welcoming the class of 2015. The Guidance and Administrative Staff have finished our "Gunn 101" presentations, culminating in our Academic Open House on February 1.

Over the next two weeks you and your student(s) will be receiving registration information. The 2011-2012 Gunn Course Catalog is now available on-line. Please take the time to read and review--it includes a lot of handy information from course descriptions, homework estimates, and the Advanced Placement Application---here is the link: http://gunn.pausd.org/registration/catalog/gunncatalog1112.html

This is also the time of year that we want to hear from you. Below is the Parent/Guardian Input Request. I encourage you to send input to the teachers;

Parent/Guardian Input—2010-2011

Each year at this time, parents and students are asked to provide input on teacher(s). We urge you to respond to this request because it is one of several important sources of information that help teachers and their supervisors improve instruction. Students will be asked to complete input forms in their classes. Parents are required to sign their input, while student input is anonymous.

Please remember that a teacher’s assigned supervisors are the sole evaluators (administrator) of teacher performance and that this input process is not an appropriate or effective means to present complaints. If you have a specific problem or concern about a teacher and you have not been able to resolve it, please contact their Instructional supervisor and/or administrator.

Your completed form goes directly to the teacher and is not seen by anyone else unless the teacher chooses to share it. Return each form to (Name of Teacher), Gunn High School, 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306. You may also give your input to the teacher directly by email.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear ___________________________________________________________
(Teacher’s name)

Student’s grade level : 9 10 11 12

Period: A B C D E F G

Appropriate, timely and effective communication with student and home about student progress:

Success in meeting student’s academic needs:

Success in demonstrating that s/he is aware of my student’s personal needs which affect academic performance:

Other comments (attach additional sheet if necessary):


Signature of parent/guardian (required):______________________________________________

Thank you and sincerely,

Katya Villalobos
Principal
Henry M. Gunn High School
780 Arastradero Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
650-354-8200
650-493-7801 (FAX)