PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE

November 12, 2017
     

 
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PARKING CONCERNS - ATTENTION PARENTS
I was recently contacted by the manager of Chase Bank to discuss concerns regarding parents of Peninsula students using their parking lot as a waiting zone to pick up their children. There have been incidents where people have almost been hit, in addition to customers not being able to park and access the bank. Please be considerate neighbors and do not use this area as a drop off or pick-up location moving forward. We need to also avoid parking in these lots when we have large events on our campus. 

Thank you for your cooperation in maintaining our Panther reputation of good citizenship and kindness. Please remember that our children are watching our actions and learn from us. 
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION CEREMONY
Peninsula High held its National Honor Society (NHS) Induction Ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Torrance on Tuesday evening and welcomed in 161 new members. NHS, open to juniors and seniors who meet rigorous requirements of scholarship, leadership, service, and character, is the most prestigious and noteworthy organization that honors excellence in high school students. NHS membership not only recognizes students for their accomplishments, but challenges them to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service. The ceremony also included the presentation of graduation stoles and honor cords to NHS seniors.

Thank you to Advisor Betsy Okamoto and her Faculty Council Committee for their many hours of reviewing applications. Thank you also to NHS Board members Sophia Semenjuk, Michael Lazarus, Alyssa Chew, Gigi Wargin, Yuna Kim, Taurean Zhang, Claire Easton, Sophia Jensen, Nisha Nirmal, and John Szieff, for their hard work. Congratulations to all! You can see the complete NHS membership list here.

NHS Board members show off their regalia

NHS TUTORING
We are pleased to announce the return of National Honor Society's free lunchtime tutoring program for the 2017-2018 school year. United by our commitment to service and scholarship, NHS members are happy to provide free, friendly tutoring in a wide variety of academic areas. We hope you encourage your students to take advantage of this opportunity, which will be available at designated NHS tables in the library during lunch. All core subjects will be available for tutoring on a daily basis (English, Math, History, Science, French, Japanese, Latin, Chinese, and Spanish). We also offer individual tutoring on a regular basis where we can partner your student with an experienced tutor. Please go to the PVPHS NHS Tutoring website, fill out the information and we will get back with you as quickly as possible. If you have any questions or would like additional information, do not hesitate to contact us at penhighnhs@gmail.com or see/call Mrs. Okamoto (H65). 

SIGNING DAY
On Wednesday we celebrated five of our athletes who signed their NCAA papers to play at their respective colleges next year!  Your Panther Family is proud of you!
Baseball:
Michael Fuhrman-Univ. of California San Diego
Matt Meskin-Univ. of California San Diego

Softball:
Nicole Hay-Washington Univ. in St. Louis
Madison Denton-Washington Univ. in St. Louis

Men's volleyball:
Erik Boisvert-Concordia Univ. of Irvine

(L-R) Erik, Nicole, Madison, Michael, and Matt

CLUB RUSH
Peninsula High has 142 student run clubs chartered on campus this year. On Wednesday and Thursday they all descended on the amphitheater for two days of club rush. Students spent their lunch break visiting the tables, learning about what each club had to offer, and signing up as members with clubs of interest. To view a complete list of all the PVPHS clubs click  HERE. The listing also includes a brief description of each club and the name of each club's faculty adviser.

BEACH CLEANUP NEXT SATURDAY
Join Service Learning Leadership at RAT beach next Saturday, Nov. 18 to clean up our local beach. In partnership with Heal The Bay, we will be removing trash from one of our closest beaches. This is a family friendly event. We ask that you bring a bucket, but we will supply all other materials. Please RSVP to ImRileyNg@gmail.com. (Service hours granted) Hope to see you there!

SPEECH AND DEBATE
Eighteen Peninsula students competed in the fifth annual Damus Hollywood Invitational this past weekend at Notre Dame High School. In novice policy debate, the team of freshmen Melissa Qin and Nathan Wang reached the semifinal round (top 4). In varsity policy debate, the team of seniors Atul Jalan and Brian Kong reached the quarterfinal round. Brian was the tournament's seventh speaker and Atul was eleventh speaker. As a result of their finish, Atul and Brian are now fully qualified for the Tournament of Champions (TOC) which will be held at the University of Kentucky in April.  


Also, in an invitation-only tournament, the University of Southern California hosted a round robin where ten of the nation's top teams competed.  Congratulations to senior Atul Jalan and junior Julian Anderson who finished tied with each other for third place.

DRAMA COMPLETES SUCCESSFUL FESTIVAL SEASON
On October 28, students in Drama 3/4 Advanced competed at the Drama Teachers Association of Southern California (DTASC) Fall Varsity Festival. Competing against 82 schools at Calabasas High School, Peninsula Drama placed 9th overall.  PVPHS received two first place finishes: Graphics & Publicity Design - Emma Cool, Sarah Snow & Hasti Zahedian, and Audition Monologue - Lauryn Williams (directed by Chloe Albino & Kara Zupanovich).  

On the following Saturday, November 4, the Drama Department was competing again, this time with the Drama 1 Advanced class at the Junior Varsity DTASC competition. All of our entries made their way to the final round, and Peninsula Drama scored a 5th place overall finish out of the 27 schools at the JV Festival.

To peruse the complete results of both DTASC competitions, visit the PVPHS Drama website.

CHICKEN AND WAFFLES
Students and staff were queued up this week to  enjoy the cafeteria's newest offering - Chicken and Waffles. This delicious combo lunch is available for a limited time only, and only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
WORLD KINDNESS DAY
Monday is World Kindness Day. Kindness Day began when a collection of humanitarian groups from several nations, now known as the World Kindness Movement, united on November 13, 1997 and made a "Declaration of Kindness." It's a global 24-hour celebration dedicated to paying-it-forward and focusing on the good in the world. On Kindness Day everyone is encouraged to make a declaration of kindness and devote themselves to completing acts of kindness. From donating food for a local food bank to opening the door for someone struggling with packages, there are many ways to celebrate the day. The goal of World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds and focus on the power of positivity in our lives and the world. Kindness can be shared among friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers. Kindness transcends religion, race, age, gender, nationality, and politics.


GRATITUDE GRAMS

In honor of World Kindness Day, Service Learning Leadership (SLL) students were selling Gratitude Grams in the amphitheater at lunch all last week. For a mere $1 students and staff could purchase a gram - a small box of candy and a personal note - to be delivered this week. Rumor has it that due to their popularity, SLL will sell the gratitude grams for one more day - Monday at lunch. So don't miss your final opportunity to reach out and thank a friend, teacher, office assistant, or favorite volunteer - you might just make their day!



Contact Associate Principal Toombs  toombsl@pvpusd.net

SENIOR ATHLETES
Planning to play NCAA Division 1 or Division 2 sports in college? If so, please register with the NCAA and send in an official transcript ordered from Mrs. Juge in the Counseling Office. To verify that your PVPHS coursework will meet NCAA requirements, you can submit a request to your counselor asking for a review

SENIOR COLLEGE APPLICTIONS
The UC and Cal State application windows close on November 30 - don't wait until the last minute and risk system failures - complete your applications early!

FRESHMEN LESSON
Every year the counselors provide a different guidance lesson to each grade level of students. These lessons address academic, social/emotional issues or other current and relevant topics. On Tuesday, November 28, our counselors will be visiting all freshmen English classes to talk about schedule balance, graduation requirements, UC/CSU (A-G) requirements, getting involved on campus, learning styles, and campus resources.
Contact Mrs. Arico  aricoj@pvpusd.net
Visit the CCC Website

JUNIORS
Applications for Boys State and Girls State, a government leadership program sponsored by the American Legion are due this Tuesday, November 14th. Turn in your completed application to Mrs. Shafer or Mrs. Arico in the CCC.

PRACTICE SAT & ACT EXAMS AND PARENT Q&A
The CCC will offer a Practice SAT or Practice ACT Test and Parent Q&A this Saturday, November 18th. These Practice Tests DO NOT count in any way, but do give students the opportunity to simulate the testing environment. Scores are returned the following week. Interested students can sign up  through Wednesday, November 15th in the CCC with $20 cash or check payable to PVPHS. Students report to the CCC at 8:30am for the exams and will finish at 1pm. 

All parents are welcome to attend the "open house" style Q&A from 9am - noon in the CCC. The Parent Q&A will focus on College Admissions Testing from 9am-10:15am and general information regarding the College Admissions Process from 10:15am - noon. Thank you for supporting the CCC.

EL CAMINO COLLEGE - 2017 COLLEGE NIGHT
This Wednesday, November 15 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at El Camino
College Night at El Camino College is an open house event featuring a variety of workshops, resource fair, twilight campus tours, and assistance to apply to El Camino College. All prospective students, parents, adult learners, educators, and community members are invited to attend. More information is available HERE on the El Camino College website.

SENIORS INTERESTED IN SANTA MONICA CITY COLLEGE
Santa Monica City College will be in the College Career Center this Thursday, November 16 at 12:55pm. They will be available to assist students with the  application process and they will be able to answer any questions you may have. Students interested in attending SMCC should plan on attending. Sign up via Naviance and don't forget to have the Teacher Permission Slip signed.

SENIORS APPLYING TO CAL STATE LONG BEACH
Elizabeth Skaff, PVPHS Alumni Class of 2017, will be in the College Career Center this Friday, November 17th at 12:55 p.m. She will be talking about attending Cal State Long Beach and two very important programs available to students: the Honors Program and the Presidential Scholarship Program. Any students who are applying to CSULB should plan on attending this very informative session. Sign up on Naviance and don't forget to have Teacher Permission Slips signed.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
Any Pen High student interested in volunteering at Kids Korner, the after school program for PVPUSD elementary school students, should contact Rochelle Espinoza at espinoza@pvpusd.net

UPCOMING PENINSULA ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB EVENTS
 
This Wednesday, November 15, 6:30pm . ABC Meeting in the CCC. Please Join Us! It's a great place to find out what's happening in the world of Panther sports - plus, our fall Varsity athlete captains will tell us about their season successes.
 
Friday, December 8, 11am . Holiday Boutique in the Pen High gym - Save the date and plan to stop by for the best shopping in town - Friday, December 8, 11:00am to 6:30pm. Tea makes a great gift! Den's Tea offers the finest, authentic Japanese tea, gift sets and tea accessories. Owner Den Shirakata is a proud Panther Dad and a third generation Japanese tea merchant. Stop by to shop, sip, & receive a complimentary mini Bento bag with purchases over $40!


Saturday, March 17, 2018, A Black & Gold Affaire at the Palos Verdes Golf Club. The biggest fundraiser of the year for Peninsula athletics! Visit www.pvphsabc.com to become a Black & Gold Affaire sponsor. Contact Christina Britt at at frassobrit@gmail.com   with any questions.

Panther

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN THE ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB
VARSITY SPORTS COMPETITIONS ON CAMPUS THIS  WEEK

Girls' Tennis will be competing in the State Southern California Regional 
Tennis Tournament at Claremont beginning on Friday.
 
********************
There are no varsity sports scheduled on campus this week as 
w e transition from our fall sports season to our winter sports season.

Winter Sports
Boys' Basketball
Girls' Basketball
Boys' Soccer
Girls' Soccer
Surfing
Girls' Water Polo
Wrestling

Our 2016-17 Girls' Water Polo team were CIF Champs!
Remember the Titans!
 
 

Camp Coed is an awesome event where PVPUSD students, from 3rd to 12th grade, can come and learn different Hip-Hop styles from our very own COED Choreo members. Have you ever wanted to tear it up on the dance floor, but didn't know how? Well, we'll show you how. For the past two years, Camp Coed has been a lot of fun, and this year will be no different. So we encourage all students to come out and dance with us!






BELL SCHEDULES THIS WEEK
  
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
(Regular)

Period 0: 7a-7:55a
Period 1: 8a-8:53a
Period 2: 8:59a-9:52a
Panther Time: 9:52a-10:10a
Period 3: 10:15a-11:14a
Period 4: 11:20a-12:13p
Lunch: 12:13p-12:48p
Period 5: 12:54p-1:47p
Period 6: 1:52p-2:45p



Wednesday
(Late Start)

Period 0: 9a-9:40a
Period 1: 9:45a-10:25a
Period 2: 10:30a-11:10a
Period 3: 11:15a-11:45a
Period 4: noon - 12:40p
Lunch: 12:40p-1:15p
Period 5: 1:20p-2:00p
Period 6: 2:05p-2:45p




 Follow Pen High on the following official sites

                 @pvphs_principal

                 @pvphsasb

                 @pvphszoo

                 @pvphs_panthers

                 @pvphs_athletics

           
Have a great week!tracks 
 
 
Brent Kuykendall
Principal