Paly Community Update
Friday, October 28, 2022
Hello Viking Families!
Funding from Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) allows us to provide increased levels of academic and social/emotional support to all students. PiE dollars fund counselors, support the College and Career Center, enhance electives for students, and pay for Wellness programs. PiE’s funding plays a pivotal role in our ability to support all students in accessing a world class education. Students benefit by having more enriching electives programs that foster their creativity, knowledge, and overall growth into young adults.
If you have already donated to PiE this year, I appreciate your support. If you have not, I ask you to please consider making a donation during the second Challenge Grant campaign which starts November 1 through Monday, November 14. If you donate or pledge by November 14th, your donation may be matched by a Challenge Grant.
A donation, in any amount that is meaningful for your family, makes a difference to our community and our school.
You can find out all the ways to make a contribution on PiE's website at:
https://papie.org/donate/
Thank you for being an important part of the Paly community. And remember the Challenge Grant begins on Tuesday, November 1 through Monday, November 14.
Sincerely,
Brent Kline, Principal
Paly Event Highlights
Paly's Latinos Unidos Club
The Paly Latinos Unidos Club celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 14th during lunch. The club shared information about the significance of this event and provided activities for the student body that included music, games and food. The Paly Latinos Unidos Club hopes to continue to share our Latino culture with more events throughout the year.
Sharing information about Hispanic Heritage Month
Sharing great food to students
Members of the Latinos Unidos Club
Introduction of the Paly Hip-hop Academy
On Tuesday, we welcomed Anthony Pineda from Creatrix to share highlights of the Hip-hop Leadership Academy program that we will be starting at Paly. The Paly staff made recommendations for 50 students to be considered for this leadership opportunity. These students were identified by their connection to music and inner potential. Students that are interested in participating in this new program will go through an application and interview process, with a goal of selecting 20 students to be part of the new Paly Hip-hop Academy. By examining the music, students will discuss the songs and use their knowledge to create their own lyrics, through a supportive 1:1 writing focus. After completing the 10-week program, students will receive a graduation certificate, studio grade headphones, and access to a mobile studio where students will have the option to record an original piece of music.
(Picture of Anthony Pienda speaking to interested Paly students)
Presentation from Holocaust Survivor Ben Stern
On Wednesday, October 26, Paly’s Social Justice Pathway program hosted a special opportunity for our students to hear from Holocaust survivor, Ben Stern, who at 101 years old, continues to share his life’s story. After an overview of Ben’s story, provided by his daughter, our students viewed the 30-minute documentary film, Near Normal Man, a first-hand story by Ben Stern. After the conclusion of the documentary, Ben spoke to our students about his experiences in vivid detail sharing with our students that “I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to lose the story. I don't want to lose the people.” The event concluded with a Q & A session between our students and Ben Stern. It was an honor to have Ben share his story with our students. This event was an invaluable experience for all of us in attendance.
(Picture of Ben Stern and his daughter)
Communique Club Sponsors Miss California Presentation
A new club this year to Paly is the Communique Club, started by sophomore Julian Hong, who is the current president of the club. The Communique is a student-led club centered on events inviting speakers that are role models and leaders in their field of academics, business, or community.
Miss California 2022, Catherine Liang, recently spoke to Paly students about the adversity she faced during her journey to become Miss San Francisco and then eventually Miss California. Ms. Liang, a USC Graduate and a rising financial analyst at Goldman Sachs, shared her reflections on how to transform one's own personal story and insights on navigating the journey of finding one's own path.
Ms. Liang will represent our state in the upcoming Miss America competition and aims to become the first Chinese American Miss America.
(Picture of Communique President Julian Hong introducing Miss California)
AP Exams: AP TEST SIGN-UP DEADLINE IS APPROACHING!
The deadline is November 8th. Please go to the following link for more information: https://www.paly.net/campus-life/ap-exams
Students must be signed up through the College Board and pay through TotalRegistration.net
ATHLETICS: Football
Last Two HOME Football Games of the Season!
We have a home Football Game tonight, Friday, 10/28/22, vs. Milpitas. Next week’s home Football game is on Thursday, 11/03, and is our Varsity Football program’s Senior Night! JV starts at 4:30 and Varsity at 7:00pm.
1. BUY TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME:
- a. https://palyathletics.com/event-tickets
- b. No CASH SALES AT THE GATE
- c. Tickets can still be purchased at the gate using the provided QR codes, credit card, apple pay, or google pay (*no cash sales).
2. Football Tickets for students who purchased ASB Cards (YOU MUST HAVE A TICKET TO ENTER THE GAME):
- An email was sent to you on Friday, 9/16 , from “Palo Alto High School Box Office”. In this email is your STUDENT ASB Ticket, which is attached as a PDF QR Code. This QR Code serves as your ticket to get into the Football Game (and all paid home sporting events). Please be sure to check your inbox for this email and use the email address used when buying your ASB Card.
3. Reinstatement of Safety Procedures:
- We will continue to follow the below safety procedures for all home football games:
Student Entry Gate
- 1. No Backpacks
- a. All other bags will be checked (purse, fanny pack, etc.)
- 2. No outside beverages allowed
- 3. Breathalyzer
Spectator Expectations
- No standing in Aisles: the first bleacher is the furthest point forward for spectators to occupy
- No illegal substances
- Positive Cheering
- Respect for opponents, players, officials, coaches, and spectators **Spectators not complying with the above rules/expectations will be escorted out of the stadium and will be banned from attending future sporting events.
Athletics: Winter Sport Parent/Coaches Meeting
Winter Student-Athlete Parents:
Please join us for a Winter parent/coach athletics information meeting on Tuesday evening, 11/08, @7:00pm in the PAC (Performing Arts Center).
At the meeting, we will review general athletics information and will also break out into small groups based on athletic program. In those small groups, you will have the opportunity to meet your student-athlete's Winter coach and receive program-specific information from the coaches!
Please email Athletic Director, Jenny Crane (jcrane@pausd.org) with any questions. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Interested in Coaching Badminton?
We are looking for someone to fill the role of our Badminton Coach for this upcoming Spring Season and would love to have an on-campus coach! Here are some basic details about the experience:
First day of Spring practices is 1/30//23
Matches are from 3/07/23 – 5/06/23
Matches are on Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 5:15pm
Practice times are at coach’s discretion (earliest start time is 20 minutes after the last school bell)
1st year coaches will receive a $4,280 stipend (see attached pay scale)
No prior experience with Badminton is required! What is required: time, care, and commitment to our Paly Badminton student-athletes!
We have an assistant coach (Len Hill) who has been coaching Badminton for decades
He is willing to share his knowledge of the game as it is requested by the head coach
If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested in supporting our Badminton program, please contact Jenny Crane, Paly Athletic Director at Jcrane@pausd.org
Updates from Guidance
Advisory
9th Grade - The Frosh were introduced to their 4-Year Academic Plan. This lesson hits home on many levels - it prods students into thinking about why they are attending school and for what goal. Is graduating enough to be eligible for college? And what exactly do they need to graduate? Exploring graduation vs. college eligibility requirements was a start - filling out their personal plans came next. These plans will be looked at again 2nd semester right before course selection for ‘23-’24 begins. If you’d like to brush up on your knowledge about these requirements, check out the presentation HERE.
10th and 11th Grades - Time Management is a skill needed throughout life, not just when making time for homework, extracurriculars, sleep, down time, etc… Students discussed this theme in Advisory - each having their own lesson. Meeting after quarter grades posted, the Sophs reflected on 1st quarter and discussed what they learned about using their time productively - and what they’d like to change to help them stay on track more effectively. Take a look at their lesson HERE.
The 11th graders explored the theme in a different way. Their lesson was updated with input from students on our Student Advisory Committee. As one TA commented after the Advisory “The partner-sharing activity made the whole thing more interactive, and it did feel like a more energetic and collaborative approach to a topic we’ve done before.” Way to go committee members! We love adding student voice and input to make our lessons more meaningful to the student body. Click these slides to see that lesson.
12th Grade - Still being in the thick of college apps, seniors need time set aside to check in with their TAs with questions or concerns. Lessons are packed with information and timed to be explored when the information is relevant. That being said, the latest lesson was about the What, How, When and Tips of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Take a look HERE to learn more about the types of aid, the FAFSA, the Dream Act, Selective Service, Cal Grants and more!
College and Career Center
College Application Deadline Hotline - Sunday, October 30th from 3-7 pm ET
Do you wonder what turkey and college admission have in common? While the latter is certainly higher stakes, thanks to a unique collaboration, they now both have their own free hotline. Inspired by the Butterball Turkey Holiday Talkline (that for 40 years has helped cooks avoid culinary crises), NACAC members, Schoolhouse.world (the free peer-to-peer tutoring platform founded by Sal Khan), and College Guidance Network are combining forces to support students with last minute questions. Admission officers from Cornell, UPenn, GA Tech, WashU and UChicago and counselors from CA, NH, MA and CO will be standing by on Sunday, October 30th from 3-7 pm ET for live support.
https://www.library.collegeguidancenetwork.com/library/events/deadline-hotline
If the Tips for Applying documents for CSU, UC, Common App, and Dual Enrollment (in the relevant folders of the C&CC Class of 2023 Schoology course) don’t answer your questions, here are other ways to get help when school isn’t in session*:
Common App Help Ticket
https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/contactsupport
Tech Support for Cal State Apply
Available in English and Spanish
857-304-2087; calstateapply@calstate.edu
UC Application Center
800-207-1710; ucinfo@applyucsupport.net
* as we get closer to the Nov. 30 CSU/UC deadline, the call centers expand hours of availability
A reminder that the last of Stanford University’s “What You Need to Know About Financial Aid” webinars is November 1st. Registration and information, here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-E-wadsSbr_RMa8v_3RgXjmgrp7TMhFdaXBykjymqW8/edit
The state of CA also hosts local Cash for College workshops where families can get one-on-one assistance completing the FAFSA/CA Dream Act applications. Search here to find a workshop: https://cash4college.csac.ca.gov/
Work Experience/Permits
Many new opportunities have been added this week to the Bulletin Board for Job Opportunities - look for the “new” stamp on the slide and contact the Work Experience Teacher, Rachael Kaci: rkaci@pausd.org, for any work based learning needs. Work permits are required for all students under the age of 18 earning a wage, so please have this B1-1 document completely filled out prior to submission to Ms. Kaci. Thanks for your cooperation as this keeps our local job sites in compliance & informs PAUSD of who is actively working. More info can be found here.