The Q Connection: March 2, 2012

SERRA FOUNDATION ANNUAL DINNER AUCTION is Saturday, March 3rd at 6:00pm!

The Auction will be held at the Chinese Community Church in Tierrasanta. Food will be provided by Phil’s BBQ. Ticket prices are $35 (single), $60 (couple), and $30 (Serra Faculty). Entertainment will include a DJ and a short performance by Serra’s very own Grease cast. For more information, please visit the Serra High School Foundation website at www.serrafoundation.org or contact Gail Myers at 619 890-9471 or gmyers@qualcomm.com.

The California High School Exit Exam will be held on March 13th &14th. ALL 10th grade students must take these exams on these days. Please make sure that your student is in attendance the 13th and 14th. All students must pass both exams in order to graduate high school in California.

STAR TESTING IS COMING! Test starts on April 19th. Start getting your student ready now!

FROM THE ASSOCIATED STUDENT BODY (ASB) ADVISOR

The Spring Fling Dance "Bésame en Barcelona" is on March 10th!

7:00-11:00pm at the Four Points Sheraton, 8110 Aero Drive, San Diego, California 92123. DOORS CLOSE AT 8:30pm.

Tickets will be sold before school, at lunch and after school until WEDNESDAY MARCH 7. $25.00 w/ASB card; $30.00 w/out ASB card. ASB card discounts WILL NOT be given on the last day of ticket sales. STUDENTS MUST HAVE A CURRENT Serra Student ID when purchasing their ticket.

To print a copy of the Dance Agreement, go to:

http://serrahighnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/spring-fling-dance-besame-en-barcelona.html

THE SPIRIT STORE IS NOW ONLINE!

Sweatshirts, tshirts, hoodies, hats, and letterman jackets are available for purchase.

Check out the online Spirit Store and purchase your spirit gear today!

Go to: http://webstores.activenetwork.com/school-software/serra_swag_shack/

FROM THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT

Grease Lightning has hit Serra High!

The Drama Department is pleased to announce the opening of "Grease" on Thursday, March 1st! All tickets are $7.

SHOW TIMES:

March 1, 2, 7 and 9 at 6:30pm

March 8 at 2:45pm

March 10 at 2:00pm

PARENT RESOURCES

Moving Seminar for Military Families – March 6, 2012 from 12:30-1:30pm in the Serra High Family Resource Center, Room 231. The Navy and Marine Corp School Liaisons, in conjunction with the SDUSD OSS Grant Team, are pleased to offer The Moving Seminar, Positive Change of School. This parent workshop is available to help make moving smoother for parents, students and schools. Please join us for this free workshop!

English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) Meeting on March 6^th at 6:00pm in the Family Resource Center (Room 231). ELAC will review Serra's R-30 Language Census. Each year the District must provide to the California Department of Education (CDE) a complete and accurate school-by-school census of all English Learners (ELs) and EL programs. This annual report is used to determine EL supplemental funding allocations by the state. One of the duties of the ELAC is to review the R-30 Language Census for Serra High, and compare the 2011 R-30 Language Census with this year's R-30 LC. ELAC will discuss the data and make recommendations to administration and the School Site Council (SSC).

SPEAK UP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION! JOIN THE RALLY FOR EDUCATION!

--WHAT: RALLY FOR EDUCATION!

--WHEN: Saturday March 10, 9:00 AM

--WHERE: Balboa Park: Corner of Park Ave. & Presidents Way

--WHY: Protest Budget Cuts & Change The Process

--PARK: On Street, Balboa Park Parking, Veterans Mem Center Parking (across street)

LET’S START THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF RIGHT FOR A CHANGE! BEFORE LAY-OFFS, BEFORE PROGRAM CUTS, BEFORE BUSING CUTS, BEFORE OVER-CROWDED CLASSROOMS, BEFORE COUNTLESS SCHEDULE CHANGES, BEFORE SCHOOL CLOSURES.

Join the Rally and help get the word out to the general public, the government, and the media just how devastating this next round of budget cuts will be to the education of all children in California's public schools and how we MUST do things differently!

For more information, go to the Rally for Education Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/292134547516973/

DOES YOUR 9^TH OR 10^TH GRADER NEED HELP WITH MATH?

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) can help! GEAR UP is offering tutoring for all 9^th and 10^th graders on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-3:30pm. Algebra: Room 213 / Geometry: Room 615 / Intermediate Algebra: Room 215. Students who attend regularly and raise their math grade will be eligible to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain on May 12^th! For more information contact the GEAR UP Coordinator, Clarissa Padilla cpadilla@ucsd.edu or 858-496-8342 x258.

FROM THE COUNSELING OFFICE

Diploma Name Verifications were distributed to all of the Class of 2012 via their English Teacher. This is how your student’s name will appear on the diploma. Both the parent and student need to sign the card and return it to the counseling office.

Seniors who qualify for CSF and wish to be awarded gold cords to wear at graduation must see Linda Nelson in Room 413 to make sure their dues are current and that they qualify NOW or their name will not appear in the Graduation Program as earning this recognition.

Juniors should be signing up for the SAT at: http://sat.collegeboard.org/home. Why take the SAT? It is the most widely used college admission test, as well as the first step toward higher education for students of all backgrounds. It’s taken by more than two million students every year and is accepted by virtually all colleges and universities. For more information about the SAT, go to: http://sat.collegeboard.org/home.

UPCOMING PARENT NIGHTS:

* 10th Grade (for current 10th graders): March 8 at 6 pm in the Media Center

* 11th Grade (for current 11th graders): March 22 at 6 pm in the Media Center

At Parent Night the parents will receive their child's transcript, learn the graduation requirements, the college entrance requirements, learn of new course options for the 2012-2013 school year and receive priority for their student's course selection for 2012-2013.

• Naviance (www.connection.naviance.com/serra) is a web-based service designed especially for students and parents. Family Connection is a comprehensive website that you can use to help in making decisions about colleges, careers and courses, meanwhile tracking academic progress as you aspire to post secondary education options. It is especially useful in searching for Scholarships! To log in students simply use their Student Connect log in number and password. Parents will be able to get their code from Ms. Turnberg by emailing their request to mturnberg@sandi.net.

Scholarship Highlights for the Week (All can be found on Naviance under the Scholarship tab):

1. AYSO Region 152 Scholarship for Serra Students

2. MTS Laptop Contest (40 laptops will be awarded to San Diego High School Seniors)

3. Naval Officer’s Spouses Club Scholarship

4. Robert G. Porter Scholars Program ($8,000)

5. Student Scholarship Search: www.studentscholarships.org

The 10th Annual San Diego County College Expo 2012 is on March 3rd from 9am-2pm at San Diego State University. Free admission. College workshops, parent resources, career workshops. Food for purchase. Raffle prizes! For more information, call 619-594-6336 or to register: www.sdsu.edu/collegeexpo. -from the GEAR UP Coordinator.

FROM THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE

Tardies are highly disruptive to the learning process. Please make sure your student has allowed plenty of time to get to school on time. Excused tardies would include medical, dental and court appointments, etc. A doctor/dental or a court document must be presented to the attendance office in order to clear the tardy. You may fax the excused note to 858-571-3457. Unexcused tardies would include car trouble, oversleeping, traffic, power outage, etc. Thank you for understanding the importance of getting your kids to school on time.

To all parents - If your student is transferring from Serra High School, please notify the school at least one week before the last day of attendance. At that time we will provide you with information as to what you will need for that last day. This will ensure a smoother transition for your student. Thank you.

Serra High School needs to have your current information on file. Please make sure we have current telephone numbers. If you have moved please bring a new proof of residence to the attendance office as soon as possible so that you don’t miss any information. Proof of residence must be one of the following: gas & electric bill, cable or water bill, housing orders or rental agreement. Thank you for your cooperation.

CALL OUT FOR VOLUNTEERS! WE CAN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU!

There are many ways to support our school. Volunteering is one of them. Volunteers are greatly needed and appreciated. We really can not run successful school events and programs without your help. Please lend a hand!

• Supervise the CAHSEE – March 13th and 14th. Plenty of volunteers will be needed to help proctor the upcoming California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). The exam will take place on March 13th and 14th. Volunteers are needed from 7:00-11:30am. The volunteer time may also be split into shifts from 7:00-9:30am or 9:00-11:30am. Volunteers will be responsible for supervising the students while they are taking the exam, monitoring doors, and passing out pencils.

• Help is needed sharpening pencils to prepare for the CAHSEE. We need approximately 2000 pencils, sharpened and ready to go before March 13th!

• In-class tutors needed to help student with math and science. If you have tutoring experience and like to work with high school students, please consider helping out in this way. 1 or 2 hours per week or on an as-needed basis.

• Assist with distribution of snacks during STAR Testing. The PTO provides snacks every year for our students taking the California Standardized Tests (CSTs or STAR). Plenty of hands are needed to coordinate this effort. Volunteers will be needed to help organize, pack, and deliver the snacks to the classrooms in early to mid April.

If you can help with any of the assignments listed above, please contact Marie Byrd 858-496-8342 x231 or mbyrd@sandi.net.

EVENTS

Friday, March 2

All day - Color Guard Competition
1:35pm - Brown & Gold Pep Rally
6:30pm - Performance of "Grease" – Serra Theater

Saturday, March 3

All day - NJROTC Dist.Field Meet @ Kearny
8:30am - AP Review- Social Studies
9:30am - Gear-Up Field Trip (SDSU)
6:00pm - Foundation Auction

Monday, March 5

All day - Pink Progress Report Day

Tuesday, March 6

12:30pm – Moving Seminar for Military Families (Family Resource Center, Room 231)
6:00pm - ELAC Committee Meeting (Family Resource Center, Room 231)

Wednesday, March 7

6:30pm - Performance of Grease (Serra Theater)
6:30pm - Foundation Meeting

Thursday, March 8

11:20am - S2S New Student Celebration (Room 400)
2:45pm - Performance of Grease
6:00pm - Tenth Grade Parent Night

Friday, March 9

All day - End of Grading Period
7:30am - AVID Presentation
6:30pm - Performance of Grease

Saturday, March 10

8:00am - SATURDAY SCHOOL
2:00pm - Performance of Grease
7:00pm - Spring Fling ASB Dance (Four Points Sheraton)

SPORTS