The Q Connection: April 27, 2012

STAR testing is going smoothly! We are past the half-way point of testing for most of our students. Parents, thank you for continuing to support our efforts during testing time by making sure your teen attends the rest of the STAR testing days, gets a good night’s sleep, and eats a healthy breakfast. Our goal is to reach an API score of 787 this year. Let’s keep up the good work! Visit http://serra.sandi.net to see the STAR schedule.

Remember … If Serra reaches an API score of 800 Principal Jimenez will not only shave off his moustache but his head as well! He will be joined by Jeff Thomas, Joe Schmidt, Jon Robell, Brian Basteyns, Jared Martin, Jennifer Anderson, Tommy Cotner, Franz Wrasidlo and more. Come on, Serra. Let’s do this!

Serra Baseball at PETCO PARK this Saturday!! Serra vs Mira Mesa on Saturday, April 28 at 4:05 p.m. Don't miss the opportunity to watch your Conquistadors play at Petco Park. This is the biggest event in school history so let's make it great. Come out and support the Varsity Baseball team to victory!

SAVE THE DATE! A Volunteer Appreciation Reception will be held on Tuesday, May 15^th at 6:00pm in Room 400. Serra truly appreciates the contributions of our volunteers to our students and the school. We invite you to this special reception honoring the efforts and dedication of our amazing volunteers! To RSVP: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?pli=1&formkey=dGtrcW5aTnE2RG5tNk0yRnZVMEJkc3c6MQ#gid=0. For more information, contact Marie Byrd: mbyrd@sandi.net. Refreshments will be provided and we’ll have a few prize giveaways!

CALLOUT FOR VOLUNTEERS!

HELP WITH STAR SNACKS. More help is needed packing and delivering STAR snacks to the students taking the California Standardized Tests (CSTs or STAR tests). Thank You to the volunteers who have been helping out the last several days. More help is needed on Monday, April 30^th and Tuesday, June 1^st at 7:30am. If you can lend a hand on one or both of these days, please check-in at the Main Office, and then proceed to the Media Center.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) EXAMS will be administered at Serra in May. We are going to need many proctor volunteers! If you can lend a hand, we would appreciate your help! To sign up, please contact Counselor Jann Allen as soon as possible: 858-496-8342 x207 or jallen1@sandi.net. Thank you in advance for supporting our students during testing time!

Volunteers, please note the following:

1. Parents cannot serve as proctors for any exams their students are taking;

2. Volunteers must be able to devote 3 to 3 ½ hours for each exam;

3. Most exams will begin at 7:30am in the Media Center;

4. A brief orientation/training will be held the 1^st week of May. Exact date and time TBD. We will notify you when the training is scheduled as soon as we can.

The following dates and times are available:

Monday, May 7, 2012

8:00am - Environmental Science (1 proctor needed)

12:00 noon - Psychology (2 proctors needed)

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

8:00am - Spanish Language (2 proctors needed)

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

8:00am – Calculus (1 proctor needed)

Thursday, May 10, 2012

8:00am - English Literature (2 proctors needed)

Friday, May 11, 2012

8:00am - US History (2 proctors needed)

Monday, May 14, 2012

8:00am – Biology (1 proctor needed)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

8:00am - US Government and Politics (3 proctors needed)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

8:00am - World History (2 proctors needed)

8:00am - Human Geography (3 proctors needed)

8:00am - English Language (3 proctors needed)

SENIOR GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENTS. Senior Parents: Jostens will be here Wednesday, May 2 at lunch in front of the Media Center to distribute pre-ordered graduation announcements. If there is a balance due, it must be paid on Wednesday.

YEARBOOK PRE-SALE! $70 with an ASB card and $75 without an ASB card until May 31st. Any books that remain unsold will be available for sale in June for $80 each. There will be NO ASB card discount offered and NO CHECKS accepted. For yearbook information contact Mr. Pedersen: cpedersen@sandi.net.

SUMMER SCHOOL AT SERRA. Serra will be the summer school host school for Ihigh (SDUSD's On-line Virtual High School). Military students have priority for enrollment and classes. 11th and 12th graders needing credit recovery will be directed to the classroom classes as well as online credit recovery. 9th and 10th graders in addition to selected 11th and 12th graders will be eligible for online classes. Classes through Ihigh Virtual Academy are UC approved, NCAA approved, and WASC accredited.

If interested, visit sandi.net/ihigh, go to the section titled "School News", click on "Ihigh Summer Program Application" and submit. Download the Parent Permission and Academic Honesty Policy, sign and return to your student's counselor or Ms. Ellis in Room 417B. On the link with the Summer Program Application, there is a link to a proposed list of course offerings.

Science classes will require on campus lab sessions. All classes require on campus mid-term and final exams.

PARENT RESOURCES

Parents do make a difference! All parents are invited to the May 1^st English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC) Meeting at 6pm in the Media Center. Guest speaker for the evening is Georgina Montijo-Garcia, Parent Academic Liaison at Mann Middle School. Ms. Montijo-Garcia runs a highly successful parent engagement program at Mann and will give an insightful presentation about the benefits and importance of parent involvement. She will also share ideas and discuss best practices on how parents can become more actively involved at school. Questions? Contact Ms. Vidana-Cross: mvidana-cross@sandi.net. See you on May 1^st!

FROM THE GEAR UP COORDINATOR

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) will be taking a field trip to Miramar College on May 9^th. The first 50 9th & 10th graders who sign up will have priority.

GEAR UP will be taking a field trip to UCSD on May 19^th. All cohort students and their families are welcome. Transportation and lunch will be provided for all students/families who sign up. The event will include several workshops on financial aid, college admission, A-G requirements, the San Diego Super Computer Center, and various speakers including artist Simon Silva.

Are you a 9th or 10th grade student interested in computers and technology? The San Diego Super Computer center at UCSD will be providing workshops over the summer including securing computer systems, animation, designing, app inventions and videos. If you are interested in registering for a class GEAR UP will be happy to pay for you! You must sign up by April 27^th. A complete list of workshops is available at education.sdsc.edu/teachertech/ under “Workshops.”

To sign up for any of the above field trips or workshops, see Ms. Padilla in the Media Center, Office E or contact her at cpadilla@ucsd.edu.

BUDGET CUTS IMPACT EVERYONE! Public education in California is still being threatened with devastating budget cuts that continue to negatively impact our students and our schools. In fact, last month the Board of Education voted to send notices to more than 1,600 teachers that their contracts may not be renewed for the 2012-13 school year.

Approximately 30% of Serra’s faculty received pink slips (that’s 28 people!). These teachers, many who have put their heart and soul into their careers, now face an uncertain future. Budget cuts impact everyone – students, parents, teachers, the community.

IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION! MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) recently launched the Education Issues Action Center (https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50217/) to give supporters of public education an easy online way to learn about key legislative and budget issues and contact their elected representatives to express their opinions about school funding and other educational issues.

Learn more about the budget crisis facing our schools and make your voice heard. Visit the Action Center today (https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50217/). The site provides:

Information about issues that impact public education, including November ballot measures
An easy way to identify your elected representatives
Prewritten support letters that can be edited and emailed immediately to register your opinions on key legislation and issues facing our schools
A petition you can sign to support restoration of public education funding

Sign up for updates and share the information with a friend. You can also spread the word and share the Action Center on Facebook and Twitter! To learn more about the Education Issues Action Center, go to: https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50217/.

RALLY FOR EDUATION! Come Out and Represent Serra High School in a Rally against budget cuts – May 1^st! The SDEA, teachers, parents, students and community members are planning the biggest Rally of the year, Tuesday May 1st, at 3:30pm. The Rally will start at Roosevelt Middle School, 3366 Park Blvd and continue to the door steps of the San Diego Unified School District, 4100 Normal St. Please take part as this will be one of our last chances to protest the budget cuts and show how united we are. Together we are stronger!

EVENTS

Friday, April 27

All day – STAR Testing - Science Part 2

Saturday, April 28

All day - NJROTC Battalion Field Meet @ Serra
7:00am - AP Stats Field Trip
8:00am - SATURDAY SCHOOL
9:00am - Third Annual AP Bio Bowl Competition
10:00am - AP Enviornmental Science AP Reveiw Exam

Monday, April 30

All day - Pink Progress Report Day
All day – STAR Testing - Social Science Part 1

Tuesday, May 1

All day - STAR Testing – Social Science Part 2
6:00pm - ELAC Committee Meeting – Parent Meeting with guest speaker Georgina Montijo-Garcia, Parent Academic Liaison, Mann Middle School

Wednesday, May 2

6:30pm - Foundation Meeting – Media Center

Thursday, May 3

All day - STAR Testing - Life Science Part 1
9:00am - Gear Up Field Trip

Friday, May 4

All day - Progress Reports Distributed
All day - STAR Testing - Life Science Part 2
7:00am - Biology/Biotech Open House- Mothers Day Bonanza
7:30am - AVID PRESENTATION

Saturday, May 5

All day - NJROTC Awards Ceremony
8:30am - Gear Up Field Trip
9:00am - AP Biology Mock Exam

SPORTS