PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
January 9, 2022
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A MESSAGE FROM DR. KUYKENDALL
Panther family,
I want to start by thanking all the students and staff that are doing everything possible to keep school safe and open. As we all know by now, the COVID positive cases are increasing but the transmission rate in the school setting continues to be low. This is due to many reasons, but mostly because of our masking policy, students staying home when they are ill, and our high vaccination rate. We would ask that you all continue to support our Panther community by always wearing your mask while on campus, both indoors and outside, except when actively eating and drinking. You should also stay home when you are not feeling well and follow the current COVID quarantining protocols. And finally, we continue to recommend everyone get vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
Moving forward we will continue to notify all families if their student is considered a close contact or has been in a space where a student or staff has later tested positive for COVID. This notification will come via email and will identify the location of the “close contact” or “general exposure”. As a reminder, a “close contact” is considered an individual that has been within 6 feet of the positive case for 15 or more minutes over a 24-hour time period. If you receive one of these emails, please read the directions closely and follow the guidelines.
If at some time you are either required or recommended to get tested for COVID, below is our PVPUSD testing schedule and a link to the registration page. If you are planning to get tested, you do not need to make an appointment, but the student does need to be registered ahead of time.
Lastly, as a parent of three students in this district and life-long member of this community, I know we all continue to face challenges created by COVID that we have never had to face before. This current chapter of the pandemic is similar but also different from the past. Because of this we are required to look at the situation with a different lens. We may not be able to exactly predict the future, but I think we can say that we have learned from previous experiences and ongoing data collection. We may not all agree with how we as a district choose to take on the current situation, but I can say that we all have the same goal in mind, to educate our students to the best of our ability while also prioritizing their physical and mental health. With this being said, my hope would be that we can all respect one another’s differences in opinion while still communicating in a calm and productive manner. The reality is our community support is one of this district’s biggest strengths. I am confident that if we continue to work together and listen to one another we will successfully navigate this current challenge as one community and a unified district.
Thank you,
Brent Kuykendall
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This Week's Bell Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - Regular Schedule
Wednesday - Late Start
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Winter Formal Update- Date change to February 26
Peninsula had originally scheduled this school year's Winter Formal to be at the Los Angeles Zoo on February 5th. Due to the pandemic, however, the zoo changed their attendee allowance to be a maximum of 700 guests, which is too few for a school of our size. The good news is we found a new venue that can accommodate a much greater number of our students. This venue is Union Station, and our students will have exclusive access to the Main Concourse (pictured here) and the Outdoor South Patio. The area our students will have access to will be zoned off for only our students and there will be plenty of security and school staff monitoring the event.
Due to the recent surge in covid cases, however, we have decided to postpone our Winter Formal from February 5th to February 26th. We hold out great hope that by the end of February, cases will be much lower. Winter Formal is an optional social event open to all Peninsula students, and the senior class will have priority in terms of early access to purchase tickets.
We will be deciding closer to the event whether or not Peninsula students may bring non-Peninsula High guests to this event. We will make that decision based on the health situation at that time. If guests are permitted, there will be a Guest Pass Application that will need to be completed.
We will also decide closer to the event if students will need to provide negative tests in order to attend formal. If testing is a requirement, we will communicate the timing and other details of the testing via email and our school website.
This information about Winter Formal is subject to change based on updated information we continue to receive. Our school places a high priority on offering fun and safe social events like Winter Formal to our student body.
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Attention Sophomores & Parents/Guardians,
The PVPHS Counseling staff has created the Sophomore Counseling Program to support the continued success of our students, as they pursue educational and career goals.
Two essential components of the Sophomore Counseling Program are:
- A Group Presentation
- An Individual collaboration with student, parent/guardian, and school counselor
There will be two group presentations offered, but please only attend one. Due to the current state of COVID, we will now hold both meetings virtually through TEAMS.
Parents/guardians AND students MUST attend one of the group presentations in order to schedule the individual appointment with the school counselor. Once the group presentation has ended, each family will schedule a 20-minute meeting with the parent/guardian, student and counselor.
Please see below for your counselor’s virtual link:
Wednesday, January 12th at 7:30am (VIRTUAL)
Wednesday, January 12th at 5:30PM (VIRTUAL)
Sincerely,
PVPHS Counseling
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JUNIORS
If you are you interested in the workings of our government or want more leadership experience, you might be interested in being a delegate to Boys State or Girls State.
Boys State and Girls State are summer leadership and citizenship programs sponsored by the American Legion . Interested juniors are encouraged to attend an informational meeting on January 13th at lunch in the CCC. Current PVPHS students that have participated in the program will discuss their experience and answer questions. The cost of the program is approximately $500.00 per student, should they be selected, and will be payable in February. Applications are on the CCC page of the school website and will also be available at the meeting. Completed applications are due on January 20th.
To find out more about Boys State and the American Legion (the organization that sponsors Boys State), refer to the following link:
To find out more about Girls State and the American Legion Auxiliary (the organization that sponsors Girls State), please refer to: https://www.alaforveterans.org/.
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Is your New Year's resolution to get organized?
Need to get organized for the new year? Peninsula Agenda Books are now on sale for $10! Stop by the Student Store to pick yours up this week!!
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Panthers, Interested in Business?
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce is once again holding their Young Entrepreneurs Academy this Spring. This program will teach young entrepreneurs about business, how to develop a concept, put together a business plan, pitch for funding and launch a fully formed business. An information meeting for students will be held on January 20th at lunch in the CCC to learn more about the program and how to get involved.
The PV Chamber of Commerce will also hold three virtual Information Sessions for interested parents and students. Following, please find dates and you must register to attend at palosverdeschamber.com
· Monday, January 10 at 5pm
· Monday, January 17 at 4pm
· Monday, January 24 at 5pm
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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, 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.
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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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Palos Verdes Peninsula High School | Website
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