Gunn Together Times
Principal Update, 2/12/2021
Good Afternoon Titan Families!
The school board's recent reopening proposal includes a start date of March 9, 2021. The wording of the proposed return states, “Secondary teachers will return to their classrooms on March 1, or the day after we return to Red Tier if the shift occurs after March 1. Five days after we return to Red Tier (or the first Monday), in-person instruction returns for secondary students.”
Although we have been anticipating a reopening for quite some time, we are now formally engaging in the necessary planning processes to safely re-open in early March. Additional points to consider:
There will be no changes of schedule or "commitment" process for students who choose to return to campus.
Students will be divided into two groups by alphabet.
Our Monday schedule will remain the same and all students will participate in distance learning on that day.
Students who wish to attend in-person would go through their ENTIRE SCHEDULE two days per week engaging in a "Zoom from the room" model.
If students aren't feeling well, or don't care for in-person instruction, or if they need to quarantine, they can simply follow their Zoom lessons from home.
Teachers will be in their classrooms on campus with a portion of students in class with them, yet still engaging in the Zoom lesson. When they reach the "practice" portion of the lesson, teachers may work with students in the room.
Live-streaming will not be mandated nor prohibited. Teachers who choose may explore this option.
Teachers will be given two asynchronous days to prep their classrooms prior to the return of students.
Both Paly and Gunn will shift to a closed campus at lunch to enhance our ability to conduct contact trace if needed.
PAUSD will provide all students who come to campus free lunches. Students may bring their own lunch if they wish.
There are several things for you to consider when deciding whether your student will participate in this on-campus learning opportunity. The decision should be made individually with the understanding that there are guidelines and expectations that must be adhered to by both students and staff. A few of these include:
Staff and students must wear face coverings at all times while on campus
Social distancing must be maintained at all times
Initially, Gunn will shift to a closed campus.
Early next week, we will send additional information about the return to in-person instruction. Additionally, students will complete a short non-binding survey so we can accurately and more evenly group students.
Enjoy the three-day weekend!
Warmly,
Principal Stratton
Small-Group Cohorts
Currently, we have 5 small-group cohorts coming on campus twice a week. Within cohorts, students are able to socialize before school, during breaks, at lunch, and after school. During class, students zoom into their classes, just as they would if they were at home. We are continuously exploring ways to enhance our student's experience of the community during the school day. As seats become available within cohorts, and as we are able to add more cohorts we will begin inviting others who may be interested to join a cohort. If you are interested in having your student join our waitlist, please notify your counselor. When seats become available, we will reach out to those on our lists.
School Photos
On Monday, March 1st and March 8th, students in grades 9-11 will have a chance to take their pictures taken in Bow gym between 9 AM-4 PM. To accommodate for this, we will make these two consecutive Mondays asynchronous, meaning that students will not attend their classes via Zoom, but will be required to log on to Schoology for assignments posted that day.
Because seniors have already submitted portraits for the Yearbook, they will not be scheduled for these pictures. The Yearbook will instead be offering “Silly Seniors” photoshoots for all seniors who want to participate in this dress-up photo tradition. More details will follow. Seniors who need a school ID can contact Leonel Argumedo or Lisa Hall to arrange a time to have a photo taken.
All students will be required to wear face coverings and social distancing safety measures will be in place per county health guidelines. Below is a tentative schedule for photos. More detailed information will be sent via infinite Campus and Schoology.
More information will follow with regard to folding opportunities for 9th graders to tour campus on their photo day.
Summer School Family Message/Website Link
All updates with regard to summer skill will be on this website:
https://www.pausd.org/student-supports/summer-school
Living Skills Message from Dr. Judy Argumedo:
We are limited by staff who want to teach this summer due to the pandemic. This is further compounded by the requirement for staff to undergo proper training to teach Living Skills. The Living Skills course has a huge component dedicated to developing trust, relationships and establishing space to decompress. The summer is not designed to foster this kind of dynamic. We feel students benefit more from the course when taking it during the regular school year.
We appreciate your flexibility during this challenging time and hope you understand that we are doing our best to benefit all of our students.
1) PAUSD plans to offer Living Skills through a distance learning platform in order to increase seats/class size.
2) Class size will be increased to 35-40 students per teacher.
There are limited teachers who can teach Living Skills and we must ensure PAUSD accommodates all seniors. As other teachers sign up for summer school PAUSD will prioritize credit recovery classes to ensure students meet their graduation requirements. Last year PAUSD was able to open up additional Living Skills courses due to the fact that credit recovery courses were provided by a third-party vendor. Since the district now plans to run credit recovery by PAUSD teachers, we will not have as many “extra” teachers
Best,
Judy J. Argumedo, Ed.D
Director of Academic Supports
Palo Alto Unified
25 Churchill Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 329-3736
Fax (650) 329-3798
Seniors and Parents of Seniors - Graduation Ceremony Survey
Please fill out this short survey about graduation to help inform planning for this year’s ceremony. The survey will be open until Friday, 2/12. https://tinyurl.com/z1a8k2q1
HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS Update
Gunn Athletics looks forward to the start of our athletic seasons. Listed below are the seasons that each sport will play along with the length of the season. All sports are in a colored tier set by the state health department. Sports must be in the correct tier to be able to begin practice. All athletes must have a current athletic physical. Sign up on AthleticClearance.com.
Season 1 (Purple Tier: B&G Cross Country, Girls Golf, Girls Tennis, B&G Swimming and Diving)
- Voluntary conditioning can start immediately
- Practice Start Date: February 1st
- Competition Start Date: February 15th (pending end of Stay-at-Home order)
- Competition End Date: March 26th
- Cancellation Date – we will cancel the sport unless we are able to start by March 1st
If delayed due to a Stay-at-Home order, competition season can extend up to 6 weeks but must end prior to April 5th
Season 2 (Red Tier: Field Hockey and Gymnastics/ Orange Tier: Football, B&G Soccer, Badminton, and Girls Volleyball/ Yellow Tier: Traditional Competitive Cheer)
- Voluntary conditioning can start immediately (no participation by Season 1 athletes until that season ends)
- Practice Start Date: March 1st
- Competition Start Date: March 15th
- Competition End Date: April 23rd (except Football, which must end no later than April 17th per CIF)
- Cancellation Date – we will cancel the sport unless we are able to start by March 29st (for Football, March 15th)
Season 2 moves to season 3 if not cleared for season 2 (based on which tier we are in)
Season 3 (Purple Tier: B&G Track and Field, Boys Tennis and Boys Golf/Red Tier: Baseball, Softball, and Girls Lacrosse/Orange Tier: Boys Lacrosse, Boys Volleyball, and B&G Waterpolo/ Yellow Tier: B&G Basketball, and Wrestling)
- Practice Start Date: April 5th
- Voluntary conditioning can start immediately (no participation by Season 1 or Season 2 athletes until that season ends)
- Competition Start Date: April 19th
- Competition End Date: May 28th
- Cancellation Date – we will cancel the sport unless we are able to start by May 3rd
Social Emotional Literacy and Functionality (SELF) Update
In January, the entire SELF team met to discuss the curriculum and to review stakeholder feedback. For 2021 - 2022, SELF is adopting a new scope and sequence with regards to social-emotional learning competencies. The program will focus on depth over breadth to allow students to develop and hone specific skills. Additionally, capstone projects and/or field trips will be implemented for each grade level.
Upcoming Events
Now through February 28:
- 2020-2021 Course Selection: Click HERE, to be taken to the COURSE SELECTION RESOURCE PAGE, where you will find valuable information, worksheets, and tutorials.
Friday, February 12:
- Lunar New Year!
Monday, February 15th:
- President's Day (No School)
Gunn Foundation Scholarship Application and Board Recruitment
The application for need-based scholarships from the Gunn Foundation is open now to the Class of 2021. The application deadline is March 5. Please visit the Students page on our website to learn how to apply via Going Merry. Gunn Foundation scholarships are based on financial need and help with college expenses like tuition or housing deposits, textbooks, the technology needed for school, and transportation.
Gunn Foundation thanks all our donors who make these scholarships possible.
We are also seeking Trustees for our Board term beginning May 2021. If you would like to become more involved in supporting our students, please inquire at info@gunnfound.org or by visiting our website: https://www.gunnfound.org/
To apply to join the Board, click here.
Quick Links
Quick Links
Parent Networks
| 12th Grade Class | 2021pncoordinator@gunnpta.org
Nisha Datta, Julie Dubrouillet & Laura Wingard
| 11th Grade Class | 2022pncoordinator@gunnpta.org
Claire Kirner, Leena Gill, & Gunjan Gupta
| 10th Grade Class | 2023pncoordinator@gunnpta.org
An nie Bedichek, Lili Nova-Roessig, & Mana Uchino
| 9th grade Class | 2024pncoordinator@gunnpta.org
Elizabeth Lam, Naomi Wang, & Michelle Chen
| Special Ed/Inclusion Rep | specialed@gunnpta.org
Momo Yanagihara & Yael Uziyel Navel
Palo Alto Partners in Education
PTSA
Support for Gunn Families
Henry M. Gunn High School
Email: wstratton@pausd.org
Website: gunn.pausd.org
Location: 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Phone: (650)354-8200
Twitter: @Gunnhighprin