PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
September 19, 2021
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This Week's Bell Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday - Regular Bell Schedule
Wednesday - Late Start Schedule
A MESSAGE FROM THE DISTRICT

At present, in accordance with the COVID-19 Exposure Management Plan for TK-12 Schools, persons with an exposure, who are fully vaccinated and have no symptoms are exempt from quarantining, but should get tested and monitor their health for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days after their last contact with the infected person. Thus, if a student is fully vaccinated and identified as a close contact, they do not need to quarantine and are advised to get tested within three to five days of exposure. 

In order to expedite contact tracing efforts, we are requesting students’ COVID-19 vaccination documentation. As with all vaccination records, this information will be confidential in nature and will only be available to the required personnel. 

If your child(ren) has/have received a COVID-19 vaccination, please complete the appropriate school form for each student*. In order to upload a file, students need to log into their Microsoft 365 account, for privacy reasons. If you prefer to bring your child’s vaccination card to the Health Office, please provide the original card and you do not need to fill out the form.

* Note that each school has a separate form so if you have a child in a different school, please use the appropriate school link in order to upload the information to the correct site.

 
If you have already filled out the HS form for athletics or extra curriculars, you do not need to fill the form out again.

If your child has not received the COVID-19 vaccination, you do not need to do anything further. However, please note that should an unvaccinated individual be identified as a close contact, he/she must self-quarantine away from others and monitor symptoms for 10 days after the last exposure to the infected person. Home Quarantine Guidance is available online. 
Please complete the form and upload the documentation (or bring in the vaccination card) as soon as possible, but no later than September 30, 2021.
If you have any questions, please contact your site administrator.
CONGRATULATIONS SEMIFINALISTS
Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 Semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95% of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalists standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.
Congratulations to the following Seniors who were among those Semifinalists and will continue towards becoming a Finalists and earning a National Merit Scholarship:

Akash Anand
Emily L Bugbee
Yixian Cao
Andrew J Chi
Edward Choi
Chloe S de Lamare
Tyson Y Gan
Viven He
Rayen Lin
Rhys E Moon
Saul S Munn
Bryan H Nguyen
Alexandra B Paolucci
Christian J Park
Fumihiko P Shimada
Kai Shimada
Christopher Sims
Sasha E Theder
Christopher B Yue
School Site Council

 To vote for School Site Council Parent members, CLICK HERE!

The parent/community members receiving the greatest number of votes will be elected to the committee. Those receiving the next greatest number of votes will be declared the duly elected alternates. Elected committee members and alternates will be notified on September 24. Please note that meetings are open to all members of the Peninsula High School community. However, only elected committee members are able to vote.

According to the California Education Code, the function of School Site Council is to:
  1. Measure effectiveness of improvement strategies at the school
  2. Seek input from school advisory committees
  3. Reaffirm or revise school goals
  4. Revise improvement strategies and expenditures
  5. Recommend the approved Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) to the governing board
  6. Monitor implementation of the SPSA

It is important to have parents involved in the decisions at Peninsula High. The position is a two-year term, and no prior experience is necessary.

Questions? Please email Mrs. Katie Clovis at [email protected]
PSAT  
Peninsula High School, in partnership with our District, will be offering the PSAT free to all Juniors. This exam prepares students who plan on taking the SAT and can qualify Juniors for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship program. We hope all our Juniors take advantage of this amazing opportunity. We will also be offering interested Sophomores the opportunity to take the PSAT at the same time for $20 to cover the cost of the exam. The exam will take place on October 13, 2021, and run from 7:30am – about 11am, after which all students will be going to their normal classes on a modified late start schedule.   

Starting September 20th, any Junior planning on taking the exam must come to the student store and register for your seat. The deadline for signing up will be October 6th.   

Starting September 27th, any Sophomore planning on taking the exam must come to the student store to pay the $20 exam fee to register for your seat. Please make checks payable to PVPHS-PSAT. The deadline for signing up will be October 6th. The tests will be available on a first come, first serve basis. There is a limited supply.  

Testing room assignments will be posted on campus office windows on Monday, October 11.   
American Mathematics Competition (AMC)
AMC participants,  
If you have signed up for AMC 10/12 A, please be sure to pay the $5.00 competition fee online through the PVPHS webstore. Payments will be accepted from Monday, September 20, 2021 through Friday, September 24, 2021. Reminder that AMC will take place on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Peninsula High School.You may learn more about these competitions at amc.maa.org.  
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to email [email protected]. 
Seeking Actors and Crew for Drama Production
Peninsula Drama returns to the stage this Fall with J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls.

If you would like to be a part of the production, information and crew applications can be found at www.peninsuladrama.com. Please contact Mr Cohen at [email protected] if you have any questions. 
Auditions - September 28
Attention All Panther Parents!
Come hear from Peninsula student athletes during the first Athletic Booster Club (ABC) general meeting and meet the new ABC Board and Committee Members for the 2021-22 school year.

WHEN: Monday, September 20th from 7:00 – 7:45pm.
You will hear from athletes competing in Girls Golf, Girls Tennis and Cheer!

This meeting will also provide information for new and returning families on how to get involved and support athletics at Peninsula High School. You will be introduced to the various aspects of ABC – Events & Fundraising, Memberships, Merchandise, Communications, Team Liaisons and Finance.

LOCATION: Room S21|S22. The entrance is located on the outside of school building on Silver Spur.

All are welcome! Visit WWW.PVPHSABC.COM to learn more about ABC.
SCHOOLINKS – SET UP YOUR GUARDIAN ACCOUNT 
Once your student has activated their SchooLinks account guardians can have access to their student's account by following these easy steps. 
  
A)   STUDENTS ACTIVATE THEIR ACCOUNT 
1.      Log in to your PVPUSD Student Portal at portal.pvpusd.net 
2.      Click on the “SchooLinks” Tile to launch program 
3.      Choose Single Sign On (SSO) with Google DO NOT USE CLEVER 
4.      Use your PVPUSD student email address & password to log on 
5. Complete the Onboarding process (about 10 minutes) 
  
B)  STUDENTS SEND GUARDIAN A “CLAIM CODE” 
1.      From your Dashboard click on the Gear Icon , from drop down menu
choose Account Settings 
2.      Click on Your Guardians under Account Settings 
3.      Click on View Guardian Instructions and Unique Claim Code 
4.      Copy the message and send it to your parent/guardian in an email or
text 
C)   PARENTS CLAIM YOUR STUDENTS ACCOUNT 
1.      Once you receive the “Claim Code” from your student(s) 
2.      Visit app.schoolinks.com/claim-student in your computer or mobile
phone browser 
3.      Go through the claim process by entering YOUR STUDENTS unique,
case-sensitive claim code. Follow the instructions that appear on the
screen 

2021 VIRTUAL COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE SERIES 
Our series continues this week with “College Admissions & The Pandemic Pivot” on September 21 at 6:30P. Rick Diaz of Southern Methodist University will discuss how the pandemic has affected both students and universities and where we are now. Registration is required with a valid PVPUSD Student ID# and can be accessed HERE!

CLASS OF 2022 & 2023 
Over 75 colleges have scheduled a visit with Peninsula HS students now through the end of October! LMU, Chapman, U of AZ, BU, OSU, Purdue, American U, Berklee School of Music, and many more! Check out all colleges currently scheduled to visit Peninsula HS students on SchooLinks and remember that the list is revised daily. You must register to attend on SchooLinks and you must provide a signed teacher permission slip the day before the event. All details and instructions on how to register and attend can be found here https://bit.ly/PVPHSCCC “Students Attending College Rep Visits”. If you have any questions contact Mrs. Arico [email protected] 
 
CLASS OF 2022 
Parents of Seniors ONLY - make sure you know if you opted out of Cal Grants by September 30th. By opting out you are not eligible for Cal Grants Aid. Directions to check can be found here https://bit.ly/PVPHSCCC If you have opted out and wish to change your decision please make the change by September 30th on Aeries. If you have any questions contact Mrs. Shafer [email protected]   
Covid Vaccine and Testing Available
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District will offer Covid-19 Testing at the following sites:
 
  • Miraleste Intermediate 
  • In front of the gym
  • Park and walk up
 
  • Palos Verdes High School
  • In front of Life Skills/Multi Purpose Room
  • Drive thru or walk up available
 
  • Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
  • In front of the Kelly Johnson Fieldhouse
  • Drive thru or walk up available
 
The Testing Sites will be CLOSED on the following dates:
 
  • Monday, September 6, Labor Day
  • Thursday, September 16, Local Holiday
  • Thursday, November 11, Veteran's Day Observance
Click on this link to REGISTER or scan the QR Code below. Be sure to complete your registration and submit your consent forms before you arrive at a testing site. Testing will be conducted on a first come, first served basis. If you are unsure of how the test works, please take a look at the self-swabbing video at the bottom of the page.

You are only required to register once. You may test at any of the locations above. 
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 
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School | Website