Friday, May 24, 2013

5/24/13 Q-Connection


A Message From Principal Jimenez

As the weather becomes warmer our students tend to dress a little more liberally for comfort. While I can understand and appreciate the need to dress in order to beat the heat, please make certain your student(s) are aware of the Serra High School dress code.  Please review the dress code with your student(s) and remind them as the days get warmer and they begin to dress more lightly, please dress modestly so as not to cause a distraction/disruption to the learning environment.

Please review the dress code with  your students.

Finally we have run out of Serra shirts to provide for students should their shirt be inappropriate for school.  Because we do not have any extra shirts to temporarily provide students (should their clothing not be according to dress code) the student(s) will be held in the office until a parent can bring appropriate clothing for the student(s) to change into.




Reminder:  The Last Day of School for ALL Students INCLUDING SENIORS is Tuesday, June 11th.


2013-14 Athletic Packet Now Posted

You can download the 2013-14 Serra Athletic Packet by clicking on:

 http://serra.sandi.net/athletics/AthleticPacket.pdf


Has Your Senior Received A Scholarship?
If so, make sure you let Mrs. Skinner know ASAP.  We would like to be to recognize their achievement.


Safe Journey, Life Saving Lessons for Today’s Teen Drivers Presentation June 4
The San Diego Unified School District Police Department wants all teen drivers to be safe this summer and is offering a free safe driving program. The presentation, “Safe Journey, Life Saving Lessons for Today’s Teen Drivers,” is specifically for teen drivers and soon-to-be drivers aged 15 to19 and addresses the primary causes of crashes and what teen drivers can do to reduce their chances of being involved in serious and sometimes fatal crashes.

Presenters include Chief of the San Diego Unified School District Police Department Rueben Littlejohn, Officer Donald Williams, and Gene Roberts, creator of “Safe Journey.” Littlejohn and Roberts have experience in emergency and high performance driving and offer this program for the sole purpose of safety education. Officer Williams has experience in traffic enforcement.

The program will be presented June 4, 2013 at the Ballard Parent Center, 2375 Congress St. from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. At least one parent must attend with the teen. For additional information, please contact officer Donald Williams at 619-725-7000 or dwilliams52@sandi.net , or Gene Roberts at 619-890-7737or grobertstex@cox.net.

The presentation is based on research from the National Safety Council, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as well as several others. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the largest number of teen involved car crashes occur in the summer months of June, July and August.



This year has been an epic year for Serra's Boys' Tennis Team

(Left to right: Shayn Lozano, Coach Dabney, Cameron Wilkinson)
For the first time in many years, they have a doubles team that climbed to the top, despite injury and mis-haps.  Captains, Shayn Lozano and Cameron Wilkinson claimed League Champions at the recent Eastern League Finals Tournament defeating Tran/Kowluri of Mira Mesa 6-4, 6-2. This qualified them for Individual CIF playoffs that will take place at The Barnes Tennis Center on May 21. 

Cameron fought off an abdominal muscle strain while playing during the season, so he created an underhand serve that not only proved effective, but kept his stomach in tact without pain.   Shayn had missed a few matches due to an educational tour to Washington D.C. along with preparing for the upcoming SAT exam, which gave Cameron different partners to play with.  These issues did not stop this amazing duo, who went out on the court with confidence, perseverance, unity, and dominance!   They had fun, too!!  The best part about these partners is that they are both Juniors, giving them another opportunity to do the same thing next year for Serra. In fact, there are no seniors on the team at all!

The rest of the team had a phenomenal year claiming a tie for third place with Patrick Henry High School.  Next year will be the year to watch Serra, because this young team now has the experience they need to take the league.  These guys understand the meaning of hard work and dedication.  They work together well, have respect for one another, have respect for their coaches, and do whatever it takes to get the job done.  They are: Kade Stewart, Colton Rij, John Halstead, Jordan Nguyen, Cole Smith, Brandon Miranda, Hoang Nguyen, Kalvin Lam, Shawn Tran, Bryan Chau, Alexis Olea, Brandon Tran, Andy Huynh, and our foreign exchange student from Sweden, David Ekelund.  David will be missed so much next year with all he has contributed to the team!  He made it all the way to the back draw of league finals where he lost to San Diego's Gabe Cauchon-De Jesus.  He played both singles and doubles, giving Serra the wins they needed to push them forward. 

Head Coach, Lorene Dabney, has tried to instill a positive work ethic with the boys so that not only do they play hard, but have fun doing it.  She has created a team atmosphere of  mutual respect, pride, and love of tennis.  The team enjoys coming out to practice, sometimes continuing to play long after it has ended.  With that much enthusiasm expressed from each member, it's no wonder that this program has grown continuously with Dabney's leadership.  However, she couldn't do this without the support of the "parent brigade" who provides snacks, rides, and cheering on the sidelines.  Serra has the most parent support of any team in the league, with some who don't even have sons on the team coming out to cheer them on.  That's special!   Another big support has been from Assistant Coach, Mike Espinosa, who gives coaching advice and tips on technique and strategy.  The team really responds well to Mike's assistance and positivity, blending in well with Dabney's philosophy,  working together for the best interest of the team.   

This team has the right combination for success.  Everyone is close, kind, thoughtful, and great at tennis, so look for more amazing things from them next year!


Mesa College is hosting a financial aid event on Saturday, June 1 from 9:00am-1:00pm at the Mesa College Campus. The event will include workshops on financial aid, Cal-Grant and Chafee Grants, CA Dream Act, Transfer Options, and the Testing Office will be open so students can come and take the assessment tests if they haven’t already. .  It will be a great event for students (Class of 2013) who are coming to Mesa or who are thinking of coming to Mesa in the Fall.  Parking fees will be waived that day.

Scholarships

Abbott and Fenner Scholarship $1,000.  Deadline June 14.  www.abbottandfenner.com
Big Sun Athletic Scholarship $500.  Deadline June 21.  www.bigsunathletics.com
Sigma Phi Epsilon Balanced Man Scholarship for Sacramento State students.  Deadline June 1. Download application from Naviance.
OZ Foundation Scholarship for low income families.   Deadline June 1.  Download application from Naviance. 

Upcoming Events


Monday, May 27
 MEMORIAL DAY -NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, May 28
 Pink Progress Report Day
11:56am
 Key Club Meeting
2:00pm
 Yearbook Early Distribution for Underclassmen (not on LOP list)
2:30pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:30pm
 IMIN After School Tutoring
2:45pm
 Night School
6:30pm
 Talent Show
Wednesday, May 29
7:30am
 Senior Exhibition Make Ups
1:45pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:30pm
 IMIN JAM Sessions
2:30pm
 IMIN Zumba Classes for Students
5:30pm
 Spring Football Parent Meeting
6:30pm
 Spring Band, Orchestra
7:00pm
 Girls Basketball Open Gym
Thursday, May 30
11:18am
 Military Teens Support Group
11:20am
 Circle of Friends Banquet
2:30pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:30pm
 IMIN After School Tutoring
2:45pm
 Night School
7:00pm
 Senior Awards Night
Friday, May 31
8:30am
 Advanced Biology Field Trip
8:30am
 Underclass Awards Assembly
11:44am
 ELEVATED BANQUET
2:30pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:45pm
 Night School
4:00pm
 Dance Marathon-Key Club
5:00pm
 Band and Color Guard Banquet

Monday, June 3
8:00am
 Military Fleet Parent Resources
9:30am
 Serra Music Boosters Parent Meeting
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:30pm
 IMIN After School Tutoring
2:45pm
 Night School
4:30pm
 Volleyball Open Gym
6:30pm
 Choir Parent Booster Meeting
6:30pm
 Cheer Club Booster Meeting
Tuesday, June 4
11:56am
 Key Club Meeting
2:30pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:30pm
 IMIN After School Tutoring
2:45pm
 Night School
5:30pm
 Band/Flag New Student Parent Meeting
6:30pm
 Track Banquet
7:00pm
 Girls Basketball Open Gym
Wednesday, June 5
8:30am
 Spring Concert-Sign Up Only
1:45pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:30pm
 IMIN JAM Sessions
2:30pm
 IMIN Zumba Classes for Students
3:00pm
 Volleyball Open Gym
6:00pm
 Choral Spring Concert
7:00pm
 Girls Basketball Open Gym
Thursday, June 6
 Last Day For Regular Senior Schedule- JUNE 11 IS LAST DAY FOR SENIOR ATTENDANCE
11:18am
 Military Teens Support Group
2:30pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:30pm
 IMIN After School Tutoring
2:45pm
 Night School
5:00pm
 Key Club Banquet
7:00pm
 Girls Basketball Open Gym
Friday, June 7
 Finals Per 6,5 - Minimum Day
2:30pm
 IMIN Recreation Room
2:30pm
 Open Computer Lab-School work and tutoring.
2:45pm
 Night School
6:30pm
 Serra Brown and Gold
Sunday, June 9
8:30am
 San Diego Adult Baseball League
Monday, June 10
 Finals Per 4,3 - Minimum Day
8:00am
 Military Fleet Parent Resources
1:00pm
 GRADUATION
3:00pm
 SSC Meeting
Tuesday, June 11
 Finals Per 2,1 Minimum Day
 LAST DAY FOR ALL STUDENTS