PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
February 6, 2022
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This Week's Bell Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - Regular Schedule
Wednesday - Late Start
Winter Formal Update  
  
Peninsula High is proud to present Winter Formal: A Winter Solstice. It will be at Union Station on Saturday, February 26 from 6:30 until 10:30 pm. This is a semi-formal dance in which students from all grades may attend. Students may attend this dance in groups of friends or with a date- it is personal preference and whatever students are comfortable with.   
  
Tickets for Winter Formal will go on sale in the Student Store starting tomorrow, February 7th. Tickets may be purchased with cash or check made out to PVPHS Winter Formal.  When purchasing a ticket, students must bring an ID to the Student Store.   Tickets may only be purchased if a permission slip is filled out and turned in to the Student Store at the same time. The permission slip can be downloaded on the school website under 'Panther Picks', or by clicking HERE
 
 
Peninsula High Seniors will have priority to purchase tickets first, with Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen being able to purchase next. If there is still space available, students may request to bring guests who do not attend Peninsula High. Please see the following schedule for when tickets may be purchased:  
  
Feb 7-9- Peninsula High Seniors- $120 with ASB, $130 without ASB (Sales will start at Panther Time on Monday, February 7th)  
Feb 10-16 – Peninsula High Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores and Freshmen- $120 with ASB, $130 without ASB  
February 16-18- Guest passes may begin to be accepted- $120 with ASB, $130 without ASB.  Students from PVHS may also begin purchasing tickets.  
February 22-23- All grade levels and guests may purchase tickets (if still available), but the price increases to $130 with ASB and $140 without. Guests must fill out a Guest Pass (available on the school website beginning February 7), and guests must attend with a current Peninsula High student whose parent/guardian will take responsibility of the guest on that evening.  

Formal will include food, activities and dancing. It will be both an indoor and outdoor event.  
  
Upon checking in at Union Station, each attendee must show ID, ticket purchased from the Student Store, and one of the following:  
  • Proof of vaccination  
  • Proof of negative Antigen* test taken within the last 24 hours *home tests are acceptable  
  • Proof of negative PCR test taken within the last 48 hours  
  • Or proof of testing positive within the last 90 days, but required quarantine time has passed.  

Additionally while attending this event, all students must have masks on when indoors.  When outdoors, masks will be optional.  
  
For $20 per student, Winter Formal attendees may ride a charter bus to and from Union Station. There will be an opportunity to sign up for the charter bus at the time your ticket is purchased. The bus will be chaperoned by PVPHS staff members. Masks must be worn while on the bus.  
  
If a parent or guardian chooses to allow their children to attend formal on a bus or limo that is not affiliated with the school, that is at the discretion of the parent or guardian.    
Junior Parent Informational Video 
 
This informative presentation prepares parents and students for the college admissions process in senior year. This presentation covers important topics, including the overall landscape of higher education and the college application timeline. Graham Edwards, an experienced PVPHS counselor, has pre-recorded the video. It is very important for students and parents to watch the video to be informed about what is coming for Senior year.

Please click HERE to watch the Junior Parent presentation. 
 
 
Scheduling Calendar 

All grade levels will be meeting with their counselor regarding their schedule for the 2022-2023 school-year. Here is the timeline for each grade level: 

Juniors - Feb 22 through March 4 
Sophomores - ongoing through Sophomore counseling meetings 
Freshmen - March 7 through March 18th 
 
 
Students must turns in their scheduling worksheet to the counseling office by February 17th so that the counselors can review these prior to these meetings. A schedule by teacher will be posted in the bulletin. Please know, that your schedule will not be impacted by when your schedule is finished, or when you have your meeting with your counselor. 

Course Previews

As students are beginning course selections in Aeries and will be meeting with their counselors soon, some of our teachers wanted to provide additional information about some of our classes. Please see the listings below, and come visit to find out if this is the class for you. All previews will take place at LUNCH on the day listed.
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 
Please check Schoolinks for scholarship opportunities! To find scholarship listings on Schoolinks, click on Finances (left info bar), then Scholarship Matching. Look for scholarships that say, “posted by your district” above the name then click on the name of the scholarship to find out more information including how to apply. To apply for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Council of PTAs scholarship, a student must be a PTA member on or before Feb. 15th. The membership form is available on the PTA tab of the school’s website or use this code: 
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) 
Seniors: Reminder that the FAFSA deadline for California schools is March 2, 2022. If seniors are applying to out-of-state schools, make sure you are checking the FAFSA deadline for those states. The CCC will be hosting a “How To Fill Out a FAFSA” webinar on Wednesday, February 16th at 6:30 p.m.

HOW TO COMPLETE THE FAFSA – FEBRUARY 16th @ 6:30P 
Reminder that the FAFSA deadline for California schools is March 2, 2022. If you have not completed it yet and need assistance -Nancy Shafer, Financial Aid & Scholarship Specialist will be presenting How to Complete the FAFSA on February 16th at 6:30P virtually. Nancy will provide detailed information about how to complete the 2021-2022 FAFSA. This event is only for Seniors and parents as it brings you through the actual FAFSA. Registration is required with a valid PVPUSD Student ID# by noon on 2/16. Click HERE to register. 
  
HOW COLLEGES MAKE ADMISSIONS DECISIONS - February 17th at 6:30P 
The Admissions process may seem like a mystery shrouded in secrecy, but it really is not. Although each school prioritizes aspects of the same applicant differently, all look at similar components of an applicant. David Mills, Associate Director of West Coast Admissions of Lafayette College will discuss the admissions process and what colleges look at in the admissions decision. Registration is required with a valid PVPUSD Student ID# by noon on 2/17. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Class of 2023 – you will have individual meetings with your Counselors to continue the scheduling process for next year during English class starting February 22nd. While waiting for your individual meeting you will be in the CCC to learn about SchooLinks the college career readiness platform. All Juniors need to make sure they have activated their SchooLinks account by following the directions found HERE.
Please contact Mrs. Arico in the CCC if you have questions. 
 
SCIENCE BOWL Competition UPDATE  

On Saturday, 1/22/2022, our school's National Science Bowl team participated in the annual competition virtually at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The team was led by the presidents Renee Daciuk and Sofia Thomas. The team also consisted of members, Isaac Nguyen, Arnav Singh, Aila Shibao, Jerard Agravante, Nathan Chen, Lucas He, Karl Li, Aaron Lin, Pradyuman Raja, Hannah Robertson, Parth Ingle, Michael Liang . All the games were tremendously fun and exciting.  The students also had an opportunity to interact virtually with Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists. National Science Bowl is a nationwide academic competition that started about 25 years ago and it is one of the nation's largest science competitions. The competition tests students' knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. The teams usually face-off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, being tested on a range of science and STEM disciplines including, biology, chemistry, Earth Science, space science, physics, energy and math. The team is enthusiastically planning for next year's competition. According to Renee Daciuk, ""In Science Bowl, we're working hard to develop our teamwork skills and intellectual prowess a multitude of scientific topics ... practicing hard and having fun, with our work paying off at the Science Bowl Regional Competition at JPL!" 
A BLACK & GOLD AFFAIRE IS COMING! INVITATIONS ARE COMING OUT THIS WEEK!          

All students benefit from the support the Athletic Booster Club provides to our high school. Our most important fundraiser is coming up on March 19th at Palos Verdes Golf Club.

WE STILL NEED YOUR SUPPORT WITH THE AUCTIONS! Please help us secure donations of items that our Panther community and friends would like to bid on. We need you to get involved in some way – big or small. Be creative!
The event has 3 different auctions. These auctions help us raise money to improve the quality of our student’s high school experience, whether it be in improvements to facilities, sports equipment, court and field maintenance or trainers who work hard to support all school athletes.

1)   ONLINE AUCTION – Anyone can bid on items we will have on-line before the
A Black & Gold Affaire occurs. We hope to have hundreds of great auction
items to bid on.
2)   SILENT AUCTION – At the event we have up to 100 items displayed for our
guests to bid on.
3)   LIVE AUCTION – During dinner the event typically has 6 - 8 outstanding
items to bid on such as exciting vacation packages, personalized parking
spots, VIP graduation packages, just to name a few!
Need ideas? Sporting event tickets, Restaurant gift cards, Vacation packages, Fine jewelry, Spa and exercise, Wine, College prep, Tutoring, Theme parks, Performing arts…

THANK YOU to the generous Panther families that have already become a sponsor and/or donated an auction item! Every family of an athlete is asked to become a sponsor and/or donate (or ask local retailers for a donation).
Visit www.PVPHSABC.com for all the information and forms you need to support A Black & Gold Affaire!
Wake up with Wellness Wednesdays 
Our school's Sage therapists are hosting a weekly online support group through MS Teams for students struggling with anxiety. This is an open group allowing for drop-ins any week that you feel like you need more support. Sessions may include an activity centered on managing anxiety, guided meditation, goal-setting, or processing emotions. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety from quarantine/Covid, school, social relationships, or uncertainty, feel free to drop-in whenever you need. We’re here to support you. 
 
Recurring every Wednesday until Spring Break from 8:30am – 9:00am (30 minutes). Follow this link for more information: 
 


South Bay Families Connected: Focus on youth wellness 
  
Finally, after a full year of distance learning, some students have, understandably, experienced the return to in-person learning as a social challenge. PVPUSD partner South Bay Families Connected (SBFC), a network of 115 schools in the South Bay, has organized Teaching Social Skills: Resources for Parents and Guardians, which contains a video featuring students at local schools, including PVPHS’s own Rhys Moon and Amanda Rucker, sharing their perspectives regarding the social ups and downs of returning to in-person learning. There you will also find some useful tips to support your children and teens as they develop and refine their own social skills. For related resources, please visit the SBFC Healthy Relationships Page. The SBFC Virtual Teen Center contains a wide variety of mental health and wellness topics. To see more youth wellness resources provided by PVPUSD and SBFC, please visit our own PVPUSD Families Connected 
Sincerely,

Dr. Brent Kuykendall
Principal


All District programs, activities, and practices shall be free from unlawful discrimination, including discrimination against an individual or group based on race, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or genetic information; a perception of one or more of such characteristics; or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. 
 
Title IX Contact: Richard Licciardello, 310-378-9966 x 417 
Section 504 Contact: Michael Bosler, 310-378-9966 x 444 
375 Via Almar, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274 

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