SAN CLEMENTE HIGH SCHOOL PTSA

www.schsptsa.org

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Monday 10/27: Coffee with the Principal: 6:30pm in the Little Theater on the lower campus. The first of the year Coffee with the Principal is sponsored by our PTSA. This event is to give you a chance to hear from our principal and ask questions. Our guest
will be Lt. Paul D’Auria, our local Chief of Police for San Clemente. We will discuss Red Ribbon Week, safety concerns, our new parking lot, and we will be taking your questions. There will be a raffle drawing, student health survey for parents and many great handouts.

Please come to discuss the new parking/driving/behavior rules for our new parking lot with Principal Duarte.  You'll be the first to see the eight new parking lot signs that will be posted on Tuesday and provided by the CUSD Safe Schools grant!  SCHS will be the first high school in our District to truly take a stand against substance use. Our outstanding SCHS Resource Officer Rod Valdez will be available to answer questions any of us parents
may have!  This special evening has been planned since this summer by Principal Duarte.  It will kick off the SCHS Red Ribbon Week........

Red Ribbon Week at SCHS begins Monday, October 27th.  Your PTSA has helped
coordinate the following in honor of Red Ribbon Week:

1.  New Red Ribbon Week banners have been donated to the school by your PTSA.  Check out the banners located at the entrances to both the Lower Campus Triton Way and the Upper Campus.  Both read as follows:  "San Clemente High School salutes RED RIBBON WEEK and our community's efforts to keep all children Drug Free!"

2  Thanks to Jan Sener of the Orange Country Sheriff's Department for her efforts in getting banners to each of our San Clemente schools to decorate for the annual San Clemente Red Ribbon Week parade down Del Mar. Marching in the parade this year and representing San Clemente High School was the Triton Marching Alliance and the Pageantry Group, the Triton Cheerleaders, the SCHS Girl's Cross Country Team under the direction of Coach Proodian and Cassidy Bennett, representing the SCHS ASB!  Thanks to all of our students for so beautifully representing SCHS and being such wonderful mentors to all of our elementary aged students.

2.  We are once again fortunate to have the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) Crashed Car Exhibit on display at San Clemente High School from Monday, 10/27 – Friday 10/31. The exhibit will be delivered to San Clemente High School on Sunday and placed in front of the Little Theatre.  Please take a moment before the Coffee with the Principal on Monday evening to check out the exhibit - you can't miss it!  Many thanks to MADD (Rosa Seja and Mary Beth Griffin) and to Steve Brandlin, owner of AC Towing in San Clemente for providing the courtesy tow for the third year.  Thanks to Janet Dunford of the Parent Project for helping to make this educational exhibit available to our students.

Softball Team - There will be a softball meeting today (October 27^th) at lunchtime on the varsity softball field. The meeting is for any female or transfer student interested in playing softball.

Drivers Ed - The second session of drivers ed will begin today (October 27^th). Signups will be in Ms. Shick’s room, P2, at break and lunch. Students are admitted on a first-come first-serve basis

Wednesday 10/29: Sophomore and Junior Parent Night - 10^th and 11^th graders, send your parents to this informational meeting about graduation requirements, financial aid, community colleges, and private universities. It takes place from 6:30 – 7:30 in the Upper Campus Multi-purpose room

Thursday 10/30: Hands Across the Border - Students - Please get your applications for Hands Across the Border into Senora Ward in Room 101 by Today. This is the trip of a lifetime and you don’t want to miss out! We’ll talk about our plans for fundraising after the applications and teacher evaluations are in. 

FREE COLLEGE APPLICATION /ADMISSIONS GUIDANCE FOR SENIORS -Thursday afternoons in the SCHS Computer Lab on the lower campus from 2:45pm-5:45pm starting next week October 2nd through December 18 . Sponsored by the SCEF.

Senior Corner: Check out what is happening this week for Seniors!     (Interested Juniors Welcome)

                                                                      COLLEGE VISITS

St. Mary’s College                    Tuesday                10/28/08      Lunch

UC Riverside                            Wednesday           10/29/08      Tutorial

Cal State Fullerton                    Wednesday           10/29/08      Lunch

UC San Diego                           Wednesday           10/29/08      Lunch

Azusa Pacific University            Thursday               10/30/08      Tutorial

University of Redlands              Thursday               10/30/08      Tutorial

Occidental College                    Thursday               10/30/08      Lunch

Representatives from these colleges will be in the Career Center to discuss College Programs, Admissions Process and Student Life.

  For a complete listing of College Visits to the Career Center go to www.sanclementerop.com

The San Clemente Educational Foundation will be sponsoring FREE COLLEGE Admissions/APPLICATION GUIDANCE on Thursday afternoons in the SCHS Computer Lab on the lower campus from 2:45pm-5:45pm through December 18. Stop by for free help. 

California State University Applications - The college application period for the California State University (CSU) is from October 1^st to November 30^th.  Seniors can apply on online at www.csumentor.edu. Applicants will need a copy of their transcript to accurately complete their applications.  Unofficial transcripts are available in the Guidance Office for 25 cents.  Seniors are STRONGLY encouraged to apply EARLY in the application cycle because specific campuses are impacted and the state’s budget will limit enrollment. 

M.A.G.I.C. The Magicians Academic Guild of Illusions Club, for anyone who is interested in becoming a magician and learning magic from a few of SCHS' top magicians, takes place in P12, the Sign Language room, during lunch every Thursday. The first meeting is the 16th.

VOLUNTEER opportunities:  If you are available to help with any volunteer opportunity at SCHS, please contact Sue Mathiesen at schstritonvolunteers@yahoo.com.

SCHS sweatshirts are still available. Please contact Susan Ritschel at ritschel1@cox.net if you are interested in purchasing one.

2007-2008 MEMBERSHIP DRIVE   Thank you for your valuable support of San Clemente High School students and a variety of academic programs and equipment. We currently have over 1,300 SCHS Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA) members this school year – there is still time to join! If you would like to join or have any questions about membership, please contact our Membership Chair Laura Whelan at schsptsa@sbcglobal.net

Please recycle your ink jet, deskjet cartridges and old cell phones and laptops! Collection boxes are located in both the upper campus office and the lower campus library. This is a great fund raiser for our school. Contact Barbara Kaar at schsptsa@sbcglobal.net with any questions you may have.

Please make sure your Albertson's card is linked to San Clemente High School . This is a painless fund raiser that supports many programs here. If you have children at more than one school, keep in mind that your card can be linked to several schools. If you have not yet done so, please pick up a copy of the scan form at the front desk of the school. The electronic scan automatically links your Preferred Card to our Community Partners account and every time you spend money at Albertson’s, SCHS gets a certain percentage of your purchases. Last year $10,000 was donated to SCHS PTSA by Albertson’s which helped to fund the Student/Teacher Grant Program, the Principal’s communication/PACE system, the Freshman Mentoring Program, the school’s Professional Learning Community program, our Parent Education Program series, the Library and the communications upgrades to the Triton Center and the Little Theatre. The donations this year will go towards the same programs and more. Thanks so much for your participation in this vital fundraising program!

SCEF- RALPH's Program

Please enroll (or you must reenroll- re-enter your info at www.Ralphs.com every year starting September 1^st ) for your Ralphs shopping totals to count for SCHS!

1. Log onto www.RALPHS.com
2. Click on "Community Contributions"- on the left side of the window
3. Click on "Participant"
4. Enter SCHS NPO # 80636 . You will need your name, address, phone, email, our NPO # 80636 (nonprofit program #), and your Ralphs card number. Call 1-800-660-9003 if you do not know your Ralphs card number. Be sure to complete all information.

SCHOOLLOOP:     Are you "in-the-loop?" http://www.sctritons.schoolloop.com. School Loop allows you to see your students assignments, grades and much more. Make sure you register!

District and State News:

Legislative Report: STATE - State Legislators appointed Larry Mac Taylor, a 55-year-old Fresno native and 30 year veteran of the Legislative Analysts Office as the new legislative analyst on October 21, 2008.The Legislative Analysts Office provides unbiased counsel to legislators on fiscal issues The office was created in 1941 to be the Capitol's fiscal watchdog. The new appointee will be only the fifth person to hold the job, replacing Elizabeth Hill who held the job for 22 years. Taylor said he had no magic answers for the state's economic woes.

LOCAL -  Four CUSD PTSA legislative representatives met with State Assembly Member Chuck DeVore on October 17, 2008 in his Irvine office. He stated that the Republican caucus wants to preserve education spending and are looking at new programs first to see what can be cut. He predicts 2009/2010 could be worse than last year for the budget. DeVore and a small group are proposing opening California territorial waters for slant drilling of oil and securitization of the value of the oil drilled by  oil companies. He thinks $6 to 7 billion dollars could come from securitizing the oil. Slant drilling is not off shore drilling. He stated it is good for the environment because it allows venting of built up gases that could lead to seepage. Slant drilling would create jobs, save Californians money and help revenue with a non-volatile source. Money could put into a Rainy Day fund and then used to finance Prop 98 ( amongst other things ) during the next two tough years.

Legislative (state budget) updates: www.cucptsa.com

Once at that site, click on "Stay Informed" box (left side of home page)

Then look under "Subscribe" Enter your name & e-mail address

Check the "Legislative Alerts" box & you are all set!!

Parents who sign up will receive both "Take Action Alerts" & "Legislative Updates."

Every month the Capistrano Unified Council of PTSA’s produces a newsletter (attached) highlighting the latest, important legislation that affects education at the local, state, and national levels. If you are interested in receiving regular upates on legislation issues that affect your child’s education, please send your email address to the SCHS Legislation Representatives, Judy Nowland and Christine Nowland at judithnowland@yahoo.com

Any SCHS parents who are interested in learning more about CUSD Special Education programs, services, support, and activities, contact our SELF representative, Marianne McAuley at schsptsa@sbcglobal.net

2008/2009 MEETING SCHEDULE 9:30 – 12:30 CUSD OFFICE 33122 Valle Road, S.J.C.

Please plan to attend our Special Education parent meetings. This is a great opportunity to meet our CUSD Administrators and other parents. Find out what is going on in special education, legislation, programs, etc. While this is not a time to air personal grievances, you will gain valuable information. Our first meeting will be more informal with an opportunity to socialize with other parents, committee members and staff. A calendar of speakers and additional parent education venues will be sent at a later date. Visit our website: www.selfspecialkids.org Mtg dates: NOV. 6th, JAN. 15, 2009, MARCH 12, 2009, MAY 14, 2009

EdSource was founded nearly 30 years ago to help explain dramatic changes in California's school finance system. Today, we once again see momentum building around issues related to how California funds its schools. EdSource can help you understand the issues and explain them clearly to other education stakeholders. You can obtain important and timely information on this topic online, in person, and in print publications:

Visit our California School Finance Website -http://www.californiaschoolfinance.org

PTSA President, Amy Hanacek schsptsa@sbcglobal.net PTSA EVP, Kris Kassity schsptsa@sbcglobal.net

San Clemente High School website www.scrtitons.com (official new SCHS website with links)

Capistrano Unified School district www.capousd.org (yearly school calendars)

Capistrano Unified Council of PTSA’s www.cucptsa.com (for information on district wide parent programs)

SCHS School Loop Sign In www.sctritons.schoolloop.com (link to your student’s grades)

SCHS Webgrade/Docushare www.sctritons.com (follow the links on the left side of the homepage)

Triton Booster Club www.TritonBooster.org

Triton Music Arts Club (TMAC) www.TritonMusic.org

SCEF eStore www.sctritons.com (link to eStore)

If your club or organization would like to submit an article to the SCHS PTSA Weekly eNews, please submit to schsptsa@sbcglobal.net Articles should be school/community related and include a contact name and phone number. Deadline for the Weekly eNews is Saturday evening. All articles are subject to approval & editing.

Sign up through our new website, www.schsptsa.org. Simply click on the following button on the lower left hand side of the home page: Stay Informed/Subscribe to the PTSA Newsletter Communications/E-mail list/*Join –

Also, just forward this email newsletter to fellow parents, students and teachers and they can sign up. Thanks for your assistance in getting the entire San Clemente High School community to make the Triton Connection through your e-news! Also, keep checking our new website at www.schsptsa.org for the latest information and archived e-news editions.