PRINCIPAL'S UPDATE
January 23, 2022
¿Necesita una traducción? 需要翻译吗？日本語訳が必要ですか？
번역이 필요하십니까? Besoin d'une traduction? Quaeritisne translata?
Need the Principal's Update TRANSLATED? Click on THIS LINK and utilize our website translation services found at the bottom right of the site.

If you are having trouble viewing images in this email,
check your email settings to unblock images.

A MESSAGE FROM DR. KUYKENDALL

Dear Peninsula Panthers, 
 
Below you will find the names of teachers providing office hours to our students. If you are interested in attending any office hours please contact your teacher first so they can let you know how they will be conducting those meetings (i.e. through Teams or in person). 
We also wanted to provide you some other resources to receive COVID home test kits at the links below:  


 
 
Sincerely, 
 
 
Dr. Brent Kuykendall 
This Week's Bell Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - Regular Schedule
Wednesday - Late Start
TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST – THE SAT/ACT QUESTION  
On January 27th at 6:30P Mr. Torsten Sannar, Managing Director of Compass Education Group will discuss college admissions testing and COVID-19's impact, which includes: the continuation of test optional/test blind policies and the impact on admissions for Fall 2021. What does test optional truly mean and how should applicants determine the best options for them with test date disruptions, etc. Additionally, testing timelines, which college admission test is best for the student and subtlety of the variety of testing policies will also be discussed. Freshman through Junior’s are encouraged to attend as well as parents.
You must register by noon on 1/27 to attend at 
  
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS ACADEMY 
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. A virtual Information meeting for interested parents and students is scheduled on January 24th and you must register to attend at palosverdeschamber.com  
Interested students can find additional program about how to join the program at the same site. 

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. 
PENINSULA HIGH LITERARY MAGAZINE HONORED  
Congratulations are in order for Beard Full of Butterflies, the PVPHS literary magazine, for achieving first place in the American Scholastic Press for last year's literary magazine. The students worked very hard to create an amazing showcase featuring a variety of writing, photography and drawing.  Here is what ASPA shared about our magazine:  
  
"Beard Full of Butterflies is an excellent publication which deserves a FIRST PLACE award in the American Scholastic Press Association's annual magazine competition. Creating a magazine teaches students the fundamentals of creative writing, publishing, good writing skills, proofreading, editing skills, concepts of design and composition, and promotes and supports a community of young writers and gives them esteem. Your magazine shows the superior efforts of talented and creative editors, writers, artists, photographers, layout/graphic designers, staff members and adviser. ASPA congratulates you on your First Place Award! Also, Congratulations to Erika Baumgartner for her amazing piece, Portrait of a Girl, which received a special commendation for most outstanding art piece!”    
   
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the upcoming Beard Full of Butterflies, which will be published in late May, please visit the PVPHS Webstore to order your copy today!  
  
Any questions, email adviser, Betsy Okamoto at [email protected]. 
Hello PVPHS Parents and Community Members, 
  
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Science & Engineering Fair (PVPSEF) is looking for adult judges for the 2022 science fair which takes place February 10th at 375 Via Almar, Palos Verdes Estates 90274 (directly across from PEF who sponsors our fair). 
  
The sign-up link for judges is below: 
  
 
Please note that we are "planning" on hosting an in-person fair with the following measures in place to best keep our students and judges safe: 
  • Small cohorts of students allowed into the fair during assigned times (we are ideally planning on 20-25 students per cohort allowed into the very large hall space). We plan on breaking up our categories and assigning each category a block of time for interviews and review of the student boards and other materials. 
  • *Once we know how many students we have in each category, we will send the category time slots for the day for your planning purposes  
  • Projects/tables will be spaced more than 6 feet from each other, allowing for much more spacing and distance. 
  • The possibility, if needed, to shorten the interview time for each student and judge from 15 minutes to less than 12 minutes. 
  • Mandated masking when entering the hall. 
  • Awards will be live-streamed the evening of February 10 and not done in-person to keep people distanced. 
  • We will provide boxed breakfasts and boxed lunches for our in-person judges as well as provide many outdoor spaces to eat and to meet in category judge caucuses for scoring. Our new fair venue offers incredible views of the ocean and South Bay (as well as lots of free parking), so we know that you will enjoy being outside if you choose to exercise this option for scoring, meeting, and eating.   
 
Please contact Becky Egan ([email protected]) with any questions regarding PVPSEF 2022. 
Panther Student, Vivien He, is in the top 40 finalists for the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022! 

Society for Science and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. congratulates the 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The 2022 finalists were selected from more than 1,800 highly qualified entrants based on their projects’ scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientists and leaders. Each finalist is awarded at least $25,000, and the top 10 awards range from $40,000 to $250,000. 
 
Attention Students: 
  
There are only 2 weeks left to enroll in a SoCal ROC Spring semester class! Earn high school elective credits while learning valuable skills that prepare you for an entry-level career in the medical field, working with animals, fashion design, graphic design, or cosmetology! Courses are after school and FREE for high school students! Your SoCal ROC career guidance specialist is available to answer any questions and assist with SoCal ROC class enrollment in the counseling office every Tuesday morning. Add your name to the sign up sheet in the counseling office to meet with her ASAP! 
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. 
 
Workshops begin starting January 26, 2022 and 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, 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 
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School | Website