Principal's Monthly Message
 March
2010
The rain has been nice,
but how I long for the
sunshine of spring. Just a
few more weeks away...
As I look at the
calendar, we have Parent
Conferences scheduled for
March 17-19. As in the fall,
you will be contacted by
your child’s teacher if your
child is not performing to
expectation and a conference
is required. Students who
are “in danger of failing”
and receiving grades below a
C are given priority. If you
have concerns and want to
schedule a conference,
please contact our school
counselor, Ms. Damgen, or
the teacher directly. At
this point in the school
year, students should
understand
expectations. Homework
routines and organizational
skills should be
established. I realize that
some of our Pumas still
struggle with these issues,
but these traits serve as a
foundation for academically
successful students. I
assure you that with enough
self-discipline and support
from home and school,
students can improve these
skills and their
opportunities for success.
Last month I talked about
how proud I was of the Pine
Valley staff for their
willingness to challenge
themselves professionally
with the use of
technology. In the spirit of
trying new things with
technology, I would like to
announce Pine Valley’s use
of Twitter as a
communication tool. Though
we will continue to use the
district’s Lyris system to
communicate with our parent
community, I thought it
would be great to use
Twitter as a communication
resource, as well, for
smaller announcements and
reminders. Parents and
students are both invited to
participate at
http://twitter.com/pumapride
to get quick updates about
what is happening at Pine
Valley. Please see
the related article in this
newsletter from our Staff
Technical Advisor, Robyn
Ambler about creating a
Twitter account. Tweets can
even be forwarded to your
phone.
Thank you to all the
female Pumas who attended
the “She’s All That”
Conference at Cal High in
February. It was a great
experience for all those
that attended. This month I
would like the families of
all students to consider
sending their child to this
year’s Youth to Youth
Conference, scheduled on
March 13 at Gale Ranch
Middle School. For over two
decades Youth to Youth has
challenged thousands of
teens to be “part of the
solution” in their
communities and schools. The
Youth to Youth model creates
opportunities for teens to
support each other with the
many difficult decisions
faced by adolescents. For
more information, please go
to
http://www.srvcasa.org/
to register and get more
information. It is a
worthwhile day for you to
consider.
On March 12 we are scheduled
to have our third school
dance of the year. For the
first time this year, all
Pumas are invited, including
our 6th
graders! Now I realize that
many parents are
apprehensive about letting
their 6th graders
attend. However, let me
assure you what a positive
experience it is. We invite
any willing parent to
chaperone so you can see
first-hand what your child
will experience. Please
contact our PTA Chaperone
Coordinator, Amy White at
semedo08@yahoo.comor our
PTA Refreshment Coordinator,
Chris Brady
chrissymae@comcast.net
if you are interested in
chaperoning or donating
refreshments. Dance tickets
are sold during lunch the
week of the dance for $6,
which includes
refreshments. Permission
slips will be available to
be picked up by students on
March 8 in their Core class
or in the office. Before
signing, please go over
dance behavior expectations
with your child. A student
ID is required to
enter. Make-up IDs are
available for $5 in the
office. If you have
questions or concerns,
please contact a counselor
or administrator.
Jason M. Law
Principal, Pine Valley M.S..
|
