Paly Community Update

Friday, May 26, 2023

To our Viking Families

To our Viking Families

To our Viking Families

PAUSD High School Updates

GRADUATION CEREMONY–Thursday, June 1

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The graduation ceremony for the Paly Class of 2023 is this Thursday, June 1 at the Viking Stadium. This is the culminating event of our seniors and we are excited to celebrate their accomplishments with their families and friends. Below, is additional information for this event:

  • Seniors line up in caps & gowns at 5:00pm The diploma ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m.

  • Each senior will receive 10 tickets for guests—Tickets are distributed at the Graduation Rehearsal.

  • Seating opens at 4:00pm and saving seats is not allowed.

  • Immediately following the ceremony, hosted by the Junior Class, is a reception in the Quad. Ample refreshments are provided for the graduates and their guests. This is a great time to celebrate and take pictures with the Grad before they line up at 8:00 p.m. for a night of fun with their fellow 2023 classmates at the PTSA-sponsored Grad Night Party.

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Paly Athletics (Website: https://palyathletics.com/)



Below is information and a quick summary from athletics regarding important information and changes for the 2023-2024 season, including : athletic registration, information for transfer students, Fall try-out information, and ticketing for athletic events.


ATHLETICS PARENT/COACHES MEETING: Please keep an eye out on our website for updates; we will be hosting a Fall 2023 Parent/Coaches meeting in August!


Athletic Registration


We have a new athletic registration partnership with Home Campus this 23-24 season. Online athletic registration is mandatory for any student who plans to participate in athletics at Paly. Athletes must be cleared through the online registration process before they can practice with their team.

  • Registration opens June 12th, 2023

  • Detailed instructions can be found on our Athletic Clearance Information page

  • As part of the online registration process, athletes must submit a signed Physical Evaluation form. Without the Physical form, registration is incomplete and athletes will not be cleared to practice with their team (official fall season begins August 4th).

    • Blank Physical Form (for download, if needed)

    • **It is recommended that students get their physical between late June and early August of each year. This way the physical will be good for all three athletic seasons for the entire school year.


Athletic Transfers


If you are transferring to Paly from a different high school, please complete the necessary paperwork. A-B-A Transfer Form is for students who attended Paly, moved and attended a different school, and are now returning to Paly. General Transfer Form is for all other transfers. Please return completed form to Assistant Athletic Director, Fatima Giffen (fgiffen@pausd.org), to clear your athlete to play in the upcoming season.


Fall 23 Try-Out Information


We’ve compiled our Fall sports’ try-out information in one document: Fall ‘23 Try-Out Information. Please take a look for important Fall start dates, coaches’ contacts, and sport-specific updates!


Ticketing- GoFan!


Paly Athletics has partnered with GoFan! as the ticketing platform for athletic events this coming school year. All tickets for home events will be available for purchase online. It should be noted that admission prices are set by the league (SCVAL) and apply to both home and away events.

Semester 2 Final Grades

Grades will be posted the week of June 5th. Please note that teachers will be on summer break starting June 2nd. If your student believes there is an error with a grade, they can contact their teacher when staff returns in August.

PiE Volunteers Needed for Next Year

PiE is a vital part of our funding and they need more volunteers. Please give a little of your time as it will have a big impact on our school.


What Do PiE Volunteers Do?

They spread the word about PiE and help answer questions from other parents. PiE volunteers are not sales people! They don't pressure parents to give. They invite them to donate and provide information about WHY it's important. They will teach you about PiE so that you can be a great ambassador and share information about what a significant difference PiE makes in our school.


PiE volunteers are the most active from August-November. They speak and table at Back-to-School Night and a second campaign in mid-November. They hold volunteer training meetings with full instructions and resources to prepare you for each part of the campaign.


Interested in learning more? Email info@papie.org!



Sophomores: 2023 PSAT/NMSQT


The 2023 PSAT/NMSQT and 2024 SATs are going digital. Students will take the exam on their personal tablet, laptop or school issued Chromebook next year. All students can begin practicing for the digital PSAT by downloading the College Board Blue Book Application.


Many of the commonly requested accommodations will be embedded into the College Board Blue Book Application or device. For instance, all students will have access to a calculator, color contrast and zoom capabilities. Click HERE for more information about the new digital PSAT/SAT.


For students, who have Medication(s) stored in the Health Office


Medication cannot be stored at school during the summer break. We must dispose of all medication not picked up by the last day of school.

Please pick up your child’s medication prior to or on June 1st, 2023.

Medication will only be sent home with your child if the doctor has documented that your student may carry medication.


Medication permits are required to be completed by parents and physicians for each school year. New forms required for the following school year will be sent to you. The forms are also available at https://www.pausd.org/school-life/health-wellness/health-services.


Guidance Updates

Off-Campus Courses

Off-Campus courses prior approvals will be closed for the month of July. All summer prior approvals must be requested before the form closes. All fall prior approvals will start again at the end of July. For more information, please see our FAQ and prior approval form found here. Any forms that need to be signed for community college enrollment need to be shared before June 30th to ensure they can be signed by a Paly Administrator.

Multivariable Calculus Opportunities at Foothill CC

Interested students that want to pursue mathematics beyond Calculus BC have the option of enrolling in three different Multivariable Calculus programs through Foothill Community College. According to Foothill the 2023-2024 course will be offered asynchronously, online, and in-person on the Paly campus after school hours. Foothill would like to help students register for their fall MVC course offered Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:45 pm on Paly campus taught by Young Hee Park. Foothill will screen pre-requisite. If there are any interested students who have questions about how to register, you can reach out directly to Alejandro Favela favelaalejandro@fhda.edu, from Foothill Outreach Department. Information can also be found at the 2023-24 Concurrent Enrollment Registration Guide


As a reminder, this course is designated as a “single credit,” meaning it will generate a grade for the Foothill transcript. The grade will not be calculated into the PAUSD GPA, consistent with other “single credit” courses our students take in every other subject. For additional information regarding the PAUSD mathematics program opportunities please visit the following website

Advisory Update

Advisory Update

12th Grade: Seniors met with their TAs for the last time on May 19. The time was spent sharing

some final time together, wishing everyone good luck in their next chapter, and understanding it is the students responsibility to order their final transcript from Parchment for their college of choice:


  • Everyone must order a transcript to be sent to their college of choice.
    Paly does NOT upload the final transcript to Common App.

  • Any college attended will require a final transcript - including CSUs, UCs, and Community Colleges.

  • D1 / D2 sports? → must order one to be sent to the NCAA.


***Important***

Seniors cannot receive tickets to Graduation until they have completed the following:


There is also an Evaluation of Guidance Services Survey we’d love students to fill out. For our Guidance Dept. to understand what we do well and where changes could be made, we need input. That survey can be found on Naviance in the student’s account - choose the “About Me” tab in the upper right-hand corner > then choose “Surveys from your School”.

And of course, we also have a survey for Senior Parent/Guardians! We’d like to hear your thoughts as well. We use this feedback to make changes to our program going forward. To take the survey, login to your Naviance account > Choose the “About Me” tab (upper right-hand side) > then choose “Surveys from your School” - you’ll access the Guidance Services survey there. If you have any questions about logging in to Naviance, please contact Karla Larson at klarson@pausd.org.


These evaluation surveys were also given to the Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors in their last Advisory meetings of the year.


To the parent/guardians and families of seniors - Congratulations! You made it! To all our other Paly families, enjoy the summer and we’ll see you back here in August!



Speaking of summer…are you looking for some things to do that won’t break the bank? Here are some great freebies of interest:


A free online course on mental health from Yale. A psychology instructor from Yale, who saw the current mental health epidemic in the making, produced a course called The Science of Well-Being. The course quickly became the most popular class offered at Yale. Ever.

The course has been reconfigured for high school students, and is called The Science of Well-Being for Teens. It’s being offered online this summer for free, and is a perfect resource for students who need a chance to look at the big picture in their lives. Any teen can take the course you don’t have to be an Ivy League candidate.


Free use of Planet Fitness The franchise that’s made a living promoting fitness for all is at it again, giving all teens ages 14-19 a free summer pass to use the facilities at the local Planet Fitness of their choice. Teens need to register online, and the free pass is only good for one Planet Fitness location—but being able to do something cool like going to the gym that’s air conditioned is a real plus. Registered students also have a shot at earning money for their school, and making a video to be considered for a scholarship. Parent permission is needed for students under 18.


Free course in financial literacy Interest has never been higher in making sure students know how to handle money— so much so that about half the states have a high school graduation requirement for a financial literacy course. This article provides a wide array of free financial planning courses, many that address topics for adults. This page from Bank of America isn’t so much a class as a potpourri of videos and articles on financial basics, including paying for college—and again, all free. These offer a great way for students to customize their financial education.

Advisory Update
College & Career Center updates

College & Career Center updates

Seniors

Congratulations to our seniors; we’re so proud of them! A couple of last reminders:

  • Seniors need to send an official, final Paly transcript to the college to which they’ll enroll--including CA Community Colleges, CSUs, UCs, (as well as many others). The NCAA also requires a final transcript for students who will play D1 or D2 sports as does the NAIA. All final transcripts must be ordered from Parchment; details were shared in the last Advisory.

  • Students might want to order official AP test scores be sent from the College Board to the college they’ll matriculate to, for consideration for college credit. Consult the college’s website for its policy about which test scores from which tests might earn college credit and what kind of credit (sometimes it depends on the major) or search here.


Juniors

We hope juniors take some time to relax and recharge this summer. But, for some students, the summer months are when rising seniors start to take college planning more seriously. If that's your student, read this hyperlinked document to learn more about the following topics:

  • TESTING AND TEST PREP

  • COLLEGE SEARCH

  • CAREER/MAJOR EXPLORATION

  • COLLEGE VISITS

  • COLLEGE LISTS

  • COLLEGE APPLICATIONS & ESSAYS

  • FREE “COLLEGE ESSAY GUY” ESSAY AND APPLICATION (ONLINE) BOOTCAMP

  • COLLEGE ATHLETICS

  • FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR COLLEGE

  • GAP YEAR

These topics were discussed at C&CC orientation with US History classes and/or during our individual appointments with juniors this semester (depending on each student's individual search). Don't forget to review the resources in the Post High School Planning folder received at C&CC Junior Orientation at the start of the semester. The Viking Guide has been updated and serves as an excellent primary resource for college planning; topics include: how to select colleges, letters of rec, financial aid, and many more. Naviance has many great functions and features to explore. And, www.paly.net/college is content-rich too!
College & Career Center updates
Wellness

Wellness

We made it to the end of the school year! We hope you all have an amazing, well-deserved break this summer! While the Wellness Center will be closed for the break, if you find yourself needing a little extra support during this time off, please visit the following websites for different resources and organizations to contact.

Paly Wellness Center

24/7 Call/Text Resources

PAUSD Resource Page

SafeSpace Resource Library


Wellness

Work Permits

Careers: Summer is a great time for students to start exploring their career skills, so begin by attending career related events and explore this slidedeck: Bulletin Board for Job/Volunteer & Summer Opportunities - updated regularly.


Work Permits: Congrats to the class of 2023! Once a student earns their high school diploma, they no longer require a work permit (even if not yet 18 years old). For all students seeking a work permit, please bring a completed Statement of Intent to Work B1-1 document to office hours (5/31 & June 1st). All students earning $$ and under the age of 18 are required to have a workers permit prior to starting their job unless they have earned their high school diploma. Work Permits are processed all summer. For more info contact the Work Experience teacher, Rachael Kaci: rkaci@pausd.org

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