DVHS PTSA MEETING

Date: Nov 14

Time: 7 pm

Location: DVHS Library

Speakers: 



1. Kanon Armstrong, Cornell University Alumni Ambassador

Topic: what colleges, particularly esteemed institutions, look for in high school students beyond academics

2. DVHS Student's Perspective to plan the 4 years of high school

Our guest speaker for the upcoming PTSA meeting on Nov 14, Tuesday at 7pm in the Library, Kanon Armstrong, Cornell University Alumni Ambassador who will share his personal insights with our school community. As an esteemed alumni of Cornell, he brings a wealth of knowledge and insight into the college admissions process. 

Our speaker will be shedding light on what colleges, particularly esteemed institutions, look for in high school students beyond academics. They will provide valuable insights into the holistic approach to admissions and share their personal experiences and expertise.

Join us for an informative session that will help you understand the qualities and experiences that can make your high school journey not only academically successful but also appealing to top colleges. 

We will also lear DVHS Student's Perspective to plan the 4 years/rest of high school years

We look forward to your participation and encourage all students and parents to attend. Your questions and engagement in this discussion will be highly valuable as we prepare our students for their future endeavors. Please RSVP here for your attendance! 

PTA Reflections

Theme for 2023 - 2024 is "I am Hopeful because..."

Thankyou to all the DVHS students who participated and submitted entries in various categories for this year's National PTA Reflections Theme: “I am Hopeful Because". They were all amazing.

 Congratulations to the Reflections Finalists at School Level.

 Award of Excellence' entries will move to the San Ramon Valley Council PTA and compete with other entries from various schools across the San Ramon district in their respective categories. 

Following are the names of the students, their respective grade and Reflections category

Award of Excellence 

Name         Grade        Category

Arya Singh            12     Dance Choreography

Aishani Pandey      9       Literature

Sanvi Gupta          11      Music Composition

Aarushi Kodipyaka 12      Photography

Ila Bhimshetty     12      Visual Art

Award of Merit

Name               Grade       Category

Fiona Sahoo          11        Dance Choreography

Surbhi Verma        11        Literature

Neetra Chakraborty  11        Literature

Pranav Nimmagadda 11       Music Composition

Kristen Wong       12        Photography

Melinda Kuo          10       Visual Art

Jiya Chauhan         10        Visual Art

Honorable Mention

Name             Grade    Category

-                          Dance Choreography

J Ting             11       Literature

-                             Music Composition

Ryan Wong         9        Photography

Joanna Jiang       9        Visual Art

San Ramon Valley Council of PTA Reflections Showcase is scheduled on December 7, 2023 at Dougherty Station Community Arts Center. More details to follow!

CLASS OF '24 - SENIOR PORTRAIT DEADLINE

Your Senior portrait deadline is quickly approaching. All photos must be taken by November 10. If you have not scheduled an appointment with Studio One Photography, please email cs@studio1experience.com with your student’s name and student ID# to request a link to schedule your senior portrait with Studio One Photography. Do not wait… these final appointments will fill up fast. Due to the yearbook deadlines, appointments after the deadline will not appear in the yearbook.

DVHS COUNCELING

The DVHS Counseling department is hosting a financial aid information night for our seniors and their parents & caregivers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8. It will be presented via Zoom by Cora Manuel, who has worked in financial aid for more than 20 years at the college level. We will be covering the new updates to the Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FAFSA), Cal Grant, CSS Profile and more!  Register to attend via zoom here by Nov 6. 

WILDCATS BLANKETS

Fall weather is upon us and the very popular Wildcat Blankets are back.  Snuggle up with the softest blanket ever and show off your Wildcat spirit!  

DVHS Athletic Booster

Dear Wildcat Parents,

Congratulations to all our Fall Sport athletes for a great season! Tryouts are underway for winter sports, good luck to all our athletes!

I am writing to you today to ask for your support for our school's sports program. As you know, sports play an important role in the development of our students. They teach teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. They also help students to stay healthy and active.

Our sports program is funded entirely through donations from parents and corporate sponsors. This year, we are asking each family to donate the full amount of their requested donation, even if they are planning to apply for a corporate match. We are seeing much fewer donations which is putting our teams at risk. 

I understand that some families may be reluctant to donate the full amount, especially if they are eligible for a corporate match. However, it is important to remember that corporate matches are not guaranteed. Additionally, even if you are approved for a corporate match, it may take several weeks or even months for the match to be processed.

In the meantime, our sports program needs funds to cover the costs of equipment, uniforms, transportation, and other operating expenses. By donating the full amount of your requested donation, you can help to ensure that our sports program is able to continue to operate and provide our students with the opportunity to participate in sports.

If you are unable to donate the full amount of your requested donation, please donate what you can. Every little bit helps.Thank you for your support!

Click here to donate

Our annual Crab Feed is on Friday, March 8, 2024. This year we will be having an Online Auction and Live Auction at the Crab Feed to raise money for Athletic Boosters. The money raised will be used for equipment replacement, medical staffing, coaches’ grants and other general expenses to support the entire DVHS athletics’ program. We need your support to make this possible.

What can you do?

• Support by donating money or items to your team parents who are make your team baskets for our Auctions
• Help with sponsorships
• Seeking Donations
• Attend our Crab Feed! 

If you have any questions, please contact us at dvhighAB@gmail.com.

Sincerely,



Rachel Ratcliff

DVHS Athletic Boosters President

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:



Greenlight Simulation - Diamond Sponsor

Chauhan Family - Silver Sponsor

Shikha Kapur - Silver Sponsor

 EXPLORE.ACT.TELL PROGRAM & STUDENT CHALLENGE

This program is fully funded by Albertson’s Nourishing Neighbors Foundation and FREE to all educators and students - and is designed for students to work on projects on fighting hunger and food insecurity in their own community.  

• Grades 6-12 in a classroom or club environment

• Consists of a kick-off Leadership Lesson and then four interactive lessons with student and teacher lesson plans

• Students will practice the skills needed to become good citizens and advocate for community involvement and service  

• Enter projects into the competition for a chance to win a $1,000-$2,500 grant for a hunger-focused charity of choice

Click on the video link in the flyer  for more information.

DVHS Library News

Wildcats! A few announcements: 



1. Come visit! Our hours are M/Tu/Th/F- 7:45am-4:15pm, W- 9:15 am-4:15pm.
2. Sora, our awesome ebook collection is still available! We’ve also added hundreds of stellar new titles to our print collection just for you! Please come by and check them out! 

How can you help support the DVHS library? There are a few ways! 

1. We have an Amazon Wish List that we update frequently. Everything from bookmarks to games, school supplies, and, of course, books! Items get sent directly to us.  
2. Make a donation via the Future Fund 100% of the donation comes directly to the library. 
3. Do you have any gently used AP/SAT/ACT/College prep books that are no longer needed? We’d love any issues from 2020 onward! You can drop them off in the front office or send them with your student.  

Lastly, we would like to offer our sincerest thanks to families who donated to the DVHS Library during registration. Your donations will be used this year, for your student(s). Without donations, we could not thrive to the capacity that we do! If you did not get a chance to make a donation or want to donate again, it’s not too late! Please visit the FutureFund website to donate.

Please reach out with any questions! We are here to serve the fabulous patrons of the amazing DVHS community! 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Knapp Ms. Hussenet Annalisa Raphael 

kknapp@srvusd.net ahussenet@srvusd.net araphael@srvusd.net 

Teacher Librarian Teacher Librarian Library Media Coordinator

 Calling All Mentor Families!

Join Our DVHS Language Support Network

Are you interested in making a meaningful impact in the lives of families in need of language support? We are currently seeking dedicated mentor families who can lend a helping hand to those looking to improve their language skills.

We have the following language needs:

• Arabic: 1 mentor family needed
• Mandarin: 2 mentor families needed
• Mongolian: 2 mentor families needed
• Korean: 2 mentor families needed
• Gujarati: 1 mentor family needed
• Russian: 1 mentor family needed

Your Role as a Mentor Family:

As a mentor family, your role is simple and flexible. You'll occasionally reach out to our families in need to provide language support and assistance. There are no strict expectations regarding the frequency of your communications; you can choose what works best for you.

By becoming a mentor family, you can help bridge language barriers, foster cultural understanding, and make a positive impact in the lives of families in our community.

If you're interested in being a part of our language support network or if you have any questions please reach out to Jessica Wigginton at jwigginton@srvusd.net.

Volunteer Opportunity

SRVUSD staff, parents, and caregivers are being recruited to assist Child Nutrition Service with serving a special Giving Thanks meal to students. Have fun, celebrate, and give thanks to our students and Child Nutrition team by helping serve a special lunch! The meal will be served at DVHS on Friday, Nov 17. Click here to go to the SignUpGenius form to volunteer. Our lunch menu will feature a special meal of locally sourced, sustainably raised turkey with gravy or plant-based patty with gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, dinner roll, and fall cookie. 

TICKET SOURCE FOR DVHS PAID EVENTS

DVHS will be using GoFan for paid evening events this school year. This includes athletic games, drama performances and dance shows. You can access our school account by visiting this link. For away league athletic games, schools will be using GoFan as well. 

ELECTRIC BICYCLE TRAINING BY CHP

Electric bicycles (E-bikes) are a growing trend that allows riders to bike at higher speeds and travel greater distances. With the increase in E-Bike popularity, the need for safety education and training is essential. The California Highway Patrol has provided an E-Bike training course and other resources on their website. 

SRVUSD’s recent Newsroom article also highlights the importance of rider and pedestrian safety, including comments from the Chiefs of Police from Danville and San Ramon.

National Native American Heritage Month 



San Ramon Valley Unified School District recognizes the month of November as National Native American Heritage Month. We acknowledge that this country was home to generations of Indigenous Peoples long before the arrival of European explorers and that these tribes had a unique and vibrant culture. The California State Board of Education recognizes that each student needs an opportunity to understand the common humanity underlying all peoples and our California Frameworks state that the history curriculum must reflect the experiences of all people. During this month, a special focus is placed on improvement in education about Native American Heritage.

SCHOOL LUNCH

All students will have access to free breakfast and lunch this year. Students will need to input their School ID number for every meal. Students will be able to eat in the outdoor campus areas. The Commons will be open for seating after textbooks have been distributed. Eating in the school building hallways is prohibited (except during inclement weather). We are excited to announce the addition of over 200 more seats for our students, thanks to the purchase of new tables and benches funded by parent generosity via the DVHS Ed Fund.. Thank you families for your support. 

ATTENDANCE POLICIES



If your student needs to leave early, a parent/caregiver must call the attendance line before 9:00 a.m. Please state your students ID number, first and last name, the time they will be leaving campus and the reason for the early dismissal. Students need to come to the front office to obtain an Off Campus Pass either before school at brunch or lunch. Then, at the designated time, they can show the pass to their teacher and come sign out in the front office. Students are not allowed to leave their classroom without a pass. We will not call the classroom to have your student dismissed. If students do not sign out, it will result in a cut on their attendance record. For more information regarding attendance, please see the attendance page on the DVHS website:  DVHS Attendance Procedures

BIKE RACKS



DVHS offers two areas for bikes or scooters to be locked up. The first area is between the 4000 building and the CTE building along the back road of the school. The second area is between the main gym and auxiliary gym. Please note that DVHS is not responsible for lost or stolen bikes or scooters. 

DVHS PTSA Membership

Did you know that your donations to the DVHS PTSA are eligible for corporate matching programs? You can help the PTSA earn more money to support our students and school community simply by taking advantage of such programs if your employer has one. Go to our page on the Benevity portal for more info: https://causes.benevity.org/content/dougherty-valley-high-school-ptsa.

And if you haven’t yet joined the PTSA, visit our webpage to learn more and join today: https://dvhs.srvusd.net/StudentsFamilies/PTSA/index.html 

Parents of 2022 Graduates: You're welcome to stay on the high school list, but if you'd prefer to stop receiving newsletters and school updates, click on the Update Profile link in the council newsletter and uncheck any lists you no longer want to hear from. We encourage you to subscribe to an Alumni Parent list or follow the DVHS PTSA on Social Media.