Paly Community Update
Friday, September 16, 2022
Bicycle Safety
For the safety of all individuals on campus, bikes are to be walked on campus from the hours of 8:30-4:30.
PSAT/SAT Updates
SAT School Based for Students with Accommodations:
11th and 12th-grade students with disabilities may register for the SAT from September through April. We do not administer the SAT to students with disabilities in the months of May-August. Please plan accordingly.
Junior Families Only:
PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
Wednesday, October 12th
Sponsored by PTSA
Test Administration Information:
• All JUNIORS are registered for the exam.
• The exam will be administered by trained faculty and staff.
• All Juniors report to campus by 8:10 am
• Exam Start Time: 8:30 (Doors close at 8:30. No late entries.)
Before the exam:
• Get a good night’s rest.
• Eat breakfast.
What to bring on test day?
• School ID
• Two #2 pencils and a large eraser
• Acceptable calculator (extra batteries)
• Packaged snacks and water
Senior Families ONLY:
SAT
Wednesday, October 27th
Test Administration Information:
• Only Pre-registered students received an exam order. The deadline to register was 9/7/22.
• Test Takers report to campus by 7:30 am
• Exam Start Time: 8:00 (Doors close at 7:50. No late entries.)
Before the exam:
• Get a good night’s rest.
• Eat breakfast.
What to bring on test day?
• School ID
• Two #2 pencils and a large eraser
• Acceptable calculator (extra batteries)
• Packaged snacks and water
AP Exams
Registration for the AP Exams is now open. Please go to the following link https://www.paly.net/campus-life/ap-exams for instructions on how to register. There is a lot of information, so please take your time and read the entire page. The College Board has deadlines (and late fees) so please register in a timely manner.
Athletics
Homecoming is September 30th.
Tickets are available TODAY! Go to https://palyathletics.com/event-tickets to purchase your ticket ahead of time.
*Any student who has purchased an ASB card will receive an email from Home Town Ticketing. This email will include a QR code that will serve as a ticket to get into regular season games this Fall. Please look for an email (make sure it’s the email you used to sign up for your ASB Card) and present the QR Code at the gate for entry at regular season Football and Volleyball games.
Tickets are required from all fans for Homecoming Game entry.
Updates from Guidance
Advisory
All four grade levels have met since our last newsletter. Each lesson focused on a timely topic.
9th Grade: The latest lesson was a fun one - introducing the frosh to one of the biggest events at Paly - Spirit Week! Spirit Week starts on Sept 26th and is packed with events, games, and ways for students to get involved. Daily dress up themes, float building, spirit dances, and a football game all culminate with the first school dance of the year. The grade level competitions are a huge highlight! Take a look at the lesson slides HERE - especially the video that captures the enthusiasm of the week.
10th Grade: An important goal in Advisory is helping the students understand how to take care of themselves and be self-advocates when needed. The lesson’s opening message is learning how to prioritize their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Students hear from classmates some practices they’ve incorporated into their lives that keep them healthy. In education, like life, it’s your own responsibility to understand where to go for help or clarification. The lesson maps out an action plan made up of 3 steps that will help students be successful. One of the most useful tools within the lesson is learning how to craft a message to a teacher. To see the lesson, look HERE.
11th Grade: Juniors reviewed their transcripts this week.They were either given a hard copy or accessed one on Infinite Campus. The first step was looking for any errors or omissions (did they see an incorrect grade, or one missing from a class taken off-campus?) If your student found errors and submitted it using the form in the lesson, please give it a few weeks to be corrected as our registrar is prioritizing the senior transcripts at this time. Juniors then used their transcripts as a reference to understand graduation requirements vs. CSU/UC eligibility requirements. The lesson ended with information about college entrance testing. The lesson is filled with information, one parents would benefit from reviewing as well. To do so, click HERE.
12th Grade: It’s finally here - college application season! And this lesson is full of needed information. To learn about Cover Sheets, Transcripts, and how to invite a recommender on the Common App, take a look at these slides.
Parent/Guardian Nights
Hopefully, you had a chance to join us for these informative nights. We strive to make sure we cover important topics relevant to each grade level.
If you were unable to join in person, please find the links to the evening presentations below:
Senior Parent/Guardian Night: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1g26mRQXy0by3lUd6F_xRKNiPdI1RgC0Dg3onyQ_WVJY/edit#slide=id.p3
9th & 10th Grade Parent/Guardian Night: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ARS8D9ONK9en2YwmX7N7EJxHwzldnLvgBKPbzh6uccM/edit#slide=id.g15876a1d807_6_6
Junior Parent/Guardian Night is coming on September 28th, 6:30 pm in the Performing Arts Center (PAC)
Note: These presentations can also be found on paly.net under “Parent Resources”. Spanish and Mandarin translations will be posted there as well.
College and Career Center
Application Help Workshop
Seniors working on early applications, the C&CC will host a workshop Wed., Sept. 28 during PRIME at 2:40 pm. This is a time to get questions answered, complete tasks required by Paly deadlines, and/or work on applications with College Advisors in the “room” to offer assistance and advice. Students must register for Ms. Cernobori’s PRIME to attend. This workshop is for students, only.
All scheduled future workshops are listed on the main calendar on paly.net. In addition, all are listed in the C&CC Class of 2023 Schoology course calendar.
“What You Need to Know About Financial Aid” webinars for high school parents and students (multiple dates)
Staff from Stanford’s Financial Aid Office will discuss the financial aid application process to any college or university for current high school seniors and their parents. Juniors, sophomores and their parents are welcome as well. They will share tips about submitting the FAFSA and understanding the financial aid process.
Event Details:
Registration is required. The same information will be shared each week, so there is no need for families to sign up for more than one. The webinar itself is recorded but there will be live Q and A. Stanford will share copies of the presentation with registered attendees after the event, however, they will not be sharing a recording.
Dates & Registration Links:
Thursday, September 29th, 6 PM
https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8EyXswpJSOaCnI4NPFPXmg
Wednesday, October 5th, 6 PM
https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2Q0zs4YDQKSL_UU1E7vqkg
Wednesday, October 19th, 6 PM
https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JV3igDqESQuS1ZgGYNUj2A
Tuesday, November 1st, 6 PM
https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7PgDUGetSsCNY-Zi7OK-LA
Wellness
Please note the following message makes mention of suicide:
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This month is used to shift public perception, spread hope and share vital information to people affected by suicide. This month, we are encouraging students to participate in an amazing online training through LivingWorks. This is a highly effective and interactive training that helps students and staff develop life-saving skills to recognize and support those in need. This is a 90-minute virtual training that is totally free and can provide 90 minutes of community service. Please encourage your students to access this training below!
https://www.lwyouthsummit.com/access-training
Save the date: Wellness will be hosting it's annual wellness fair on Monday, September 19th during 4th period and lunch in front of the PAC! Encourage your students to get to know different wellness clubs and organizations to learn all they have to offer. There will be prizes and free food, and raffle tickets for each booth visited!
Community Service
HelperHelper is the only online application used to track Paly community service hours. Using this tool as well as performing community service at Paly is completely voluntary – there is not a Community Service graduation requirement although individual classes may require some form of community service. For more information, please visit Paly's Community Service Page.
Fall 2022 PVSA and deadlines for submitting community service:
The necessary google forms will be opened next week in September after labor day on Paly.net Community Service page.
Senior Google forms for PVSA submission will be opened and available Sept. 6, 2022. Underclassmen forms will be available Sept 13.
SENIORS ONLY (Class of 2023):
The deadline for submitting your request for the Fall 2022 PVSA is Friday, September 16, 2022.
Google forms for PVSA submission will be opened and available Sept. 6, 2022.
Visit https://www.paly.net/campus-life/community-service for the required google form and instructions. There is an OPT OUT if you do not want your community service hours recorded on your transcript, see the Paly.net Community Service page for instructions.
Juniors (Class of 2024) and
Sophomores (Class of 2025):
Deadline for submitting a request for Fall 2022 PVSA: September 29, 2022.
Visit https://www.paly.net/campus-life/community-service for the required google form and instructions.
Google forms for PVSA submission will be opened and available Sept. 13, 2022.
Freshmen (Class of 2026):
Deadline for submitting a request for Fall 2022 PVSA: September 29, 2022.
Visit https://www.paly.net/campus-life/community-service for the required google form and instructions.
The HelperHelper accounts for freshmen will be activated. A message will be sent to school (@pausd.us) email accounts directly from HelperHelper by Sept. 6th. This email includes instructions on how to access and get started with HelperHelper. Once the HelperHelper account is activated, freshmen can enter their volunteer hours that were performed after 8th grade promotion.
Questions: email klarson@pausd.org
Work Experience/Permits
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.
Last Friday’s job fair was a huge success due to the amount of students that visited the booths for both free swag and to practice their social skills in a fun, safe learning environment. We thank our local vendors and if you have an interest in recruiting high school students, please contact the Work Experience Teacher, Rachael Kaci rkaci@pausd.org As a reminder, students can review this virtual Bulletin Board for Job Opportunities for current positions that is updated weekly with new offerings.