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PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
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Pen High Robotics Team is headed
to the FINALS in Houston!!
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April 9, 2017
 Follow The Latest Pen News on Twitter
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WELCOME BACK FROM SPRING BREAK
Dear Senior Parents,
As I write this, only 9 weeks of high school remain for your sons and daughters before they take their next steps into adulthood. Whether those next steps are towards college, work, or travel, those of us who work at Peninsula are eager to join you on June 8 as we honor them at graduation.
Every year around this time I remind myself that seniors' attentions are drawn in a thousand different directions, and even the most conscientious among them can exhibit the telltale signs of senioritis, including waning motivation and uncharacteristic tardies or absences. While a bit of this may be understandable, we do not want any student to jeopardize all that they have worked for in high school.
In the case of college acceptances, they are conditional and can quickly be rescinded for poor academic performance during the second semester. While the vast majority of students take that message to heart, every year some students choose to dismiss their teachers' and counselors' concerns about their performance, ultimately causing heartache for themselves and their families.
I hope you will help us by reinforcing that message at home and talking to them about the importance of finishing what they have started and the consequences of what can happen when they do not. And if your son or daughter has turned 18, please remind them that while they can check themselves out of school at the attendance office, it is considered an unexcused absence - which means they lose the opportunity to make up any assignments that they may miss.
As you may know, my upcoming retirement means that this year's graduation will be my last, but I hope it is my most memorable. For me, that would mean seeing each and every student in this year's senior class arriving at graduation in good academic standing and in good health.
Sincerely,
Mitzi Cress
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FRESHMEN, IT'S FINALLY HERE!
LINK CREW BRINGS YOU...
Harry Potter and the GobLIT of FRESH FEST!
April 10-14th
Freshmen, Link Crew has been working diligently for the past month to bring you the best Fresh Fest PVPHS has ever seen.
Fun events are planned all week long, including a movie night on Wednesday and the big carnival in the gym on Friday night! We're proud of the Class of 2020 for being such a spirited group of Panthers, and we can't wait to celebrate the fact that you're 9 and 3/4 years into your educational careers!
Tickets for the Friday event will be on sale in P103 all week and cost $2 with Link Crew card and $10 without.
ADA REPORT
On Friday, March 31, 188 Peninsula High students were absent, resulting in $9,212 loss in ADA funding. A
DA (Average Daily Attendance) is only paid by the State if a student is present for at least 1 period per day or on an approved Independent Study. We lose $49.00, per student, for each day of absence.
If you would like to make a $49.00 ADA reimbursement donation for each day your child was absent, please turn it in to the Main Office. This donation will help ensure that PVPHS can continue to deliver the quality education that students and parents rightly deserve and expect. Your donation is used for instructional needs, classroom supplies, and educational programs at PVPHS.
Coachella begins next week!, Last year we lost a tremendous amount of funding because students missed school to attend Coachella. Reimbursement is greatly appreciated.
PEN CHOIR EXCELS IN NEW YORK
 During Spring Break, members of the Peninsula High Choir traveled to New York City to participate in the
WorldStrides OnStage Heritage Festival. The competition gathered choirs and instrumental groups from high schools all over the United States and Canada. Our students had the opportunity to interact with members of other choirs as well as to work with a music professional on technique. Our Pen High Choir, under the direction of Dan Doctor, took first place in the Chamber Choir category competition, earned the Adjudicator Award, and achieved a Gold Rating - the highest possible. The choir has been invited back for the next round of competition which will take place at Carnegie Hall in early 2018.
After the competition, the group stayed and toured New York City, visiting Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum, the 9/11 Memorial, and Rockefeller Plaza. They topped off their visit by attending a performance of
Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
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Choir Members, Mr. Doctor, and chaperones at the 9/11 Memorial
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STUDENT BOARD MEMBER APPLICATION FOR 2017-2018
Would you like to represent Peninsula High as the Student Board Member of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education? In addition to completing an application, you will be asked to interview with the Peninsula High administration. This is a great opportunity to get involved in your community and represent the student body. Applications are due on April 12. Click
HERE for the application.
MAIN EVENT 
The annual PEF major fundraiser - Main Event - is coming up on Saturday evening, May 13 at Terranea. Purchase your tickets now, or donate an item for the auction, or purchase a ticket for your chance to win a car! Visit the
PEF website for more information. I hope you will support this PEF event - the PEF helps pay for our College Career Center, SMERT programs, counselors, and so much more.
ATTENTION SENIORS AND PARENTS
 Attention seniors and parents of seniors! The senior mailer was put in the mail on March 31st, so every senior family should receive it sometime during Spring Break. The senior mailer is a packet of information that explains all details of all senior events, including Prom, Baccalaureate, Senior Breakfast, Graduation, Grad Night, and much more. The mailer also includes envelopes to order the Class of 2017 Panoramic Photo as well as the handshake photo taken at the moment seniors receive their diplomas on stage. Parents- please review the packet of information carefully, as it will answer all of your questions regarding the end of year events. You may also reference the senior mailer online at
pvphs.com under Panther Picks for the remainder of the year, or click
here.
COED CHOREO WINDS UP COMPETITION SEASON
COED Choreo had a great competition season! The team competed at Miss Dance Drill Team USA (MDDTUSA) Nationals and USA Nationals competitions this past month. At MDDTUSA, the team was National Champions in the Small Hip-Hop category and Small/Medium Open for Partner Dance. At USA Nationals, the team's Small Hip-Hop, All-Male, and Large Hip-Hop competed in the Championship Finals. This was the first year that All-Male had the opportunity to compete in the finals. COED Choreo went home with 4th place in the Large Championship Hip-Hop, 3rd place in the Championship All-Male, and 2nd place in the Partner Dance and Small Championship Hip-Hop categories. JV COED Choreo took home first place in the Large Open Hip-Hop and 3rd place in the All-Male Open categories. The team is very proud of all the hard work they put in this competition season and will be working toward their No Limits Show in May!
CHOREO SHOW TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Join us for our spring dance production, Momentum 2017, coming up April 18th-20th at the James Armstrong Theater in Torrance. All shows begin at 7pm and feature over 100 PVPHS dancers. Our Advanced, Company, Coed and Intermediate classes will be represented in a variety of dance genres. Tickets are $13 and available from any Advanced or Company member. Please email [email protected] with questions.
MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS 
- Saturday, April 15th - the Winter Guard will compete at Chino High School.
- Monday, April 17th - at 7:00 PM, Music Booster Board Meeting.
- Friday, April 21st - Varsity Voices will preform in the High School Choir Festival at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
- Thursday, April 27th - Intermediate and Advance Jazz Bands will perform in the Reno Jazz Festival in Reno, NV.
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ROBOTICS TEAM TAKES FIRST PLACE AT REGIONALS
Our PVPHS Robotics Team 2637 aka "Phantom Catz" participated in the First Robotics Las Vegas Regional competition this weekend. Over 50 students and mentors with unique roles and responsibilities helped lead the team to victory,
tirelessly refining, improving, upgrading, and testing their robot. Student roles included Marketing & Communications, Design, CAD, Fabrication/Build, Electronics, Programming, Drive, Pit Crew, Goodwill Ambassadors, and Scouting. Yes - scouting, understanding how the other teams perform helped us build better alliances and strategies to maximize our ability to score maximum points!
Thank you to Associate Principal Michael Wanmer and chemistry teacher Chaz Lee and their wives for spending part of their Spring Break chaperoning the students during their stay in Las Vegas.
Our team will now compete in the First Robotics Finals for the first time ever. That competition will be held in Houston, Texas April 19-22.
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| The Pen High 50+ member Robotics Team prepares to compete in Las Vegas Regionals |
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Please join us at our next Athletic Booster Club Meeting
Wednesday, April 19,
7:00
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8:30pm, Community Room, S22
The meeting is open to all, so we hope
to see you there. How are our teams doing? Meet our student athletes!
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CIF TEAM ACADEMIC AWARDS
The winners of the 31st Annual CIF Southern Section - Academic Awards program
were announced last week. I am proud to announce that 3 Peninsula High teams were named Academic Champions - Girls' Soccer, Softball and Wrestling.These team awards, based on a cumulative grade point
average of the team members, are awarded in 23 team sports. Entries from 1,730 teams were received this year.
Schools are divided into two enrollment
categories, 1500 and above and 1499 and below. The team with the highest GPA in each
enrollment category for each sport receives the award. The first place teams receive a banner to
commemorate their achievement.
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PANTHER FOOTBALL RUMMAGE SALE
 Our football players are holding a rummage sale on campus on Saturday, April 29 from 7am to 12:30pm to raise money for the Peninsula Football Program. Please look through your garage and closets to see if you have any items to donate for the sale. Both used and new items are acceptable. Clothes, Books, Electronics, Tools, Sporting Items, Furniture, and more can all be donated to sell. Feel free to price your items or let the team do it for you. Items not sold will be donated. Please contact Coach Young at [email protected] to arrange item drop-off or just bring your donations by that morning between 6am and 6:45am.
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Film Designed to Bring Communities Together to Confront The Opioid Epidemic
Free community screening of Jim Wahlberg's "If Only"
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School will be partnering with Chadwick School to host a viewing of "If Only," a short film co-written and produced by James Wahlberg, at the Peninsula High Gym, on Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00 P.M. The film was created to initiate a meaningful dialogue between parents and children, and within communities, about prescription drug misuse and opiate addiction.
"This film addresses one of the most serious health issues facing our society today. Addiction touches every culture, every family, and ultimately every one of us," Wahlberg said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to create a project that informs, educates and leads viewers to recognize the warning signs of opioid use and to participate in a solution."
More information will come, closer to the date.
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8th grade Parent Information Nights - THIS WEEK - April 12 or 13
Evening Agenda:
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Representatives from a variety of departments will be available to answer questions regarding academic programs, activities, sports, and clubs.
6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Large group meeting in the PAC
The introduction to the school includes information from our Principal, Associate Principals, PTSA President, Athletic Director and Activities Director.
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Small group meetings with Counselors
Counselors meet with the parents in the assigned rooms. Information will include graduation requirements, college entrance requirements, high school activities, scheduling, and developing a 4 year plan.
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Follow Pen High on the following official sites
@CressPenhi
@pvphsasb
@pvphszoo
@pvphs_panthers
@pvphs_athletics
Have a great week!
Mitzi Cress
Principal
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