Welcome to Berkeley High!

Final Exam Bell Schedule

New Italian Language AP Test

2/1: Information Night for incoming families

Small School CPS changes name

BHS Contruction Report

Looking for Business Sponsors for BHSLive!

Teacher Tutorial Schedules

College Information Guide for Students

College Essay Readers starting 10/11

Important Info on Early Admission/Decision Deadlines

Next SSC Meeting / Next BSEP Meeting / Next Safety Meeting

BSEP Roster

A message from PTSA President Natasha Beery

BHS PTSA Officer, Rep, or Volunteer Form

SSC and BSEP election results

Welcome from Principal Scuderi

Inaccurate Reports on Teen Prostitution

Civic Park Issues

Military Waivers Explained

more information

Power School is up and Running

Become a Writer Coach

2011-12 BUSD Calendar

Follow BHS on Twitter

New web site for the Berkeley Athletic Fund

Current PTSA Newsletter

College Handbook volunteers needed

E-scrip volunteers needed!

Students watch live the swearing in of President Barack Obama at the community auditorium Photo by Mark Coplan

Greetings from Principal Scuderi

Dear BHS Families:

Welcome back to school. I was generally pleased with our opening and our current staff and student community appears poised to sustain the collective focus necessary for a positive and productive year.

We have determined critical academic needs by way of the WASC process, as well as set clear priorities in the areas of attendance, instruction, and assessment.

Administrators will continue to increase the amount of time they spend in classrooms and I will continue the practice we started late last year of spending at least two full days per week observing classroom instruction and providing support and feedback.

Our aim is to continue to develop a culture where teachers, their peers, students, and administrators talk openly and respectfully about instruction. As we design, examine, and adjust our classroom practices, my expectation is that we look at things from a generalized set of instructional concepts; concepts that are then filled in, rounded out, and detailed by the content knowledge and creative sensibilities of our teachers.

I have communicated to staff my deep belief in the concept that clear administrative direction and maximized teacher creativity can not only coexist, but that significant research suggests that the coupling of those two concepts is a proven way for schools to make continuous improvement their everyday operating state.

My expectations will borrow heavily from three proven essentials summarized by education writer Mike Schmoker. These essentials, echoed by decades of research, are cost-effective fundamentals that include things that educators have known to be successful for decades, but that few large high schools implement consistently. These essentials or fundamentals are the foundation of what you and I should expect to see in our classrooms. They are...

1. Reasonably Coherent Curriculum

Simply put, a decent, coherent curriculum with topics and standards collectively selected by a team of teachers. Robert Marzano refers to this as a "guaranteed and viable curriculum."

2. Sound Lesson Design

Structurally and soundly designed lessons should include clear lesson objectives, relevant introductions, and lots of modeling and guided practice; specifically, brief intervals where students are allowed to practice or apply what has been modeled or taught while teachers observe and guide that work.

Sound lessons should build in regular checks for understanding and make a "conscientious effort, throughout the lesson, to ensure that all students are learning each segment of the lesson before moving to the next one."

Sound lessons should also build in "frequent opportunities for students to work in pairs and occasionally in groups, as they are often the best teachers and translators of what we just taught."

3. Far More Purposeful Reading, Writing and Discussion in Every Discipline

Students should be consistently engaged in literacy activities. Among countless other examples, students should be annotating primary source documents, writing extensive lab reports, reading to infer, interpret, and draw conclusions, and be regularly engaged in well-structured discussions with equitable participation; discussions that require them to support arguments with evidence. Students should write extensively on complex issues and topics and in general see an increase in the amount and quality of writing they are expected to produce.

Examples of literacy and college-level skill-building that we would like to see in the content areas are by no means limited to the examples listed here. I do not mean to completely disparage the use of things like film, technology, and direct teacher lecture in classrooms -their use is on occasion relevant and supportive- but I am asking that we use these modalities thoughtfully and consider the fact they they are not in any way research-proven substitutes for the literacy endeavors mentioned above, particularly when it comes to building skills that will make students successful in college and help us to narrow the often discussed achievement gap. 

I firmly believe that a concerted effort to make these instructional fundamentals strong and consistent across the disciplines has the potential to have the greatest positive impact on the performance of all students. Not only should these three essentials be prioritized and be given higher priority than any trendy or transient initiatives, but we should be extremely conscious of the credible research that suggests that new programs or initiatives rarely succeed if the foundations of coherent curriculum, soundly designed lessons, and consistent literacy activities are not in place.

I am looking forward to watching our instruction move into a mode of continuous improvement and enrich the educational experience for all of our students.

Attendance

BHS is investing significant time and resources this year to improve overall attendance and reduce truancy. District staff and the Board of Education have helped provide us with resources to manage these efforts, and chief among those resources was the acquisition of a Dean of Attendance, Daniel Roose. Mr. Roose and his staff will maintain accurate attendance data, manage the implementation of the formal processes dealing with truancy as determined by state law, and also implement a systematized way of tracking our efforts to connect with parents of students who are regularly truant.
A detailed document attendance policy will be sent to families tomorrow via e-tree from Mr. Roose and the Attendance Office Staff.

Get BHS Information on Twitter! Right Here Right Now!
@BHSinfo
Please sign-up for a Twitter account and follow us on your phone or computer. While Twitter will not in any way replace e-tree for general news and information, it does offer a channel through which we can provide calendar changes, important date reminders, extremely brief school news items and, in the event of an emergency or irregular situation, real-time info that can be sent directly to your mobile device from the Principal. 
Please encourage your students to follow as well as this would be a great way for us to convey the same information to parents and students in an emergency or other situation. You can assure them that BHS will NOT follow their accounts so they need not worry about us reading their "tweets." 

For non-emergency situations, take comfort in the fact that "tweets" are limited to 140 characters so you won't be inundated by a slew of overly long messages. 
Again, sign-up for a Twitter account and follow us by searching for @BHSinfo.
Changes in Campus Access
Please note, and review with students, that the main office doors near the corner of Allston and Milvia will no longer be a student entrance. 
Students can use the "A" gate about 30 feet west of the main office. We believe that this change is helpful for a few reasons: 

• all students will now enter campus through a monitored and supervised entrance 
• restricting the main office doors for visitors use only will reduce the flow of traffic there and allow staff to more carefully monitor guests and keep tighter controls on visitor's passes

If student's are late, or arriving at odd hours due to appointments, etc, they may enter the campus by showing a current BHS I.D. to campus monitors at either the "A" gate or the gate at Milvia and Bancroft between the old gym and the new pool building.

PLEASE WORK WITH US TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE CURRENT BHS ID ON THEIR PERSON AT ALL TIMES DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.

Counselor Availability and Scheduling

Counselors will be unavailable this week for drop in appointments as they complete new student schedules and process Schedule Change Requests. Change Requests should have been submitted by this time.  However, if a student is placed in the wrong level class, has an incomplete schedule, or needs a course for graduation or college, s/he may still make a Change Request.

Students should attend all classes on their official schedule as changes, whether due to student request or course balancing need, will be delivered to the student's class.  

Changes will not be made for teacher preference or dislike of current classes or schedule. Changes to a course request (ie dropping a course a student requested or adding a course not requested) require administrator approval.

Starting Thursday, 9/2 students may make an appointment to see their counselor before school, at lunch, or after school.

We appreciate your cooperation as we work to get the 2011-12 school year off to a smooth start. 

Dinesh Kumar

We continue to think positively for our colleague, custodian Dinesh Kumar, who was gravely injured in a home robbery last Friday in Richmond. Sadly, Dinesh's mother was killed in an incident that has now been given significant coverage in the local media.

Our staff is still somewhat shocked by the horrible and brutal dimensions of this act, but we are pleased to report that Dinesh appears to be on the road to a full, albeit difficult recovery.

We are accepting donations that will be provided to the family here at BHS, or, you can donate to the "Kumar Family Benefit" at any Mechanics Bank branch.

Dear BHS Families:

Since our return from Thanksgiving break we have noticed an increase in the number of campers in Civic Center Park directly across the street from the northern perimeter of our campus. 

To date we have had no negative interactions with the campers. That said, we wanted to inform parents that as a result of the encampment, the foot traffic and population in the park have, in our estimation, increased significantly during lunch and after school. These increases, from our perspective, appear to include a number of people who may not be connected to or interested in the advocacy being conducted by the actual Occupy Berkeley movement.  

I wanted to share this information with families not to be alarmist, nor to in any way disparage the expression of free speech that some of the campers are exercising, but rather to be candid about a situation that has complicated our supervision of BHS students in the park during the lunch hour and after school. Keeping an eye on our students is a bit more challenging in the park at present with administrators and safety staff having to visually identify BHS students amongst increased numbers of adults, young adults, college students, teenaged non-students, and almost 90 tents. 

We will continue to monitor the situation and will regularly consult with district, city, and law enforcement representatives, as well as folks involved in the movement, so as to stay current on all developments and on the plans of all involved. We will also make daily assessments of any impact the camp might have on our campus and we will share any concerns about student safety that arise promptly with our parent community.

As always we will have two administrators monitoring the park during the lunch hour, and we continue to offer plenty of supervised space on the campus for students to eat lunch. 

My intent is not to cause unnecessary anxiety, nor to overstate risks, but simply to share some details of a developing situation that, at a minimum, has presented us with some logistical and supervisory concerns. 

Respectfully,
Pasquale Scuderi
Principal

Inaccurate Reports on Teen Prostitution

Dear BHS Families:

In the last few days media items have raised questions about teenage prostitution in the city of Berkeley, and in some cases those stories have contained speculation and/or drawn connections to Berkeley High School.

This is an extremely serious issue that warrants attention, but I feel that a particular headline released by KTVU this morning on their website and in an accompanying television piece, Reports of Teenage Hookers Rock Berkeley High School , did a massive disservice to the BHS community. From my perspective, KTVU prioritized the need for a salacious, tabloid-style headline over a thorough, fact-checked report.

KTVU cites supposedly confirmed reports that Berkeley police are "receiving one to two referrals per month from BHS officials about suspected student prostitution." This is incorrect and inaccurate, and no one at BHS was contacted for input, confirmation, or comment on the report.

Our current understanding is that the one or two reports BPD receives per month on possible youth prostitution are citywide numbers.

The Berkeley Police Department subsequently confirmed today in both a meeting with myself and via press release, that in 2010 their Special Victim's Unit investigated three (3) cases that involved BHS students. So far this year, BPD has investigated two (2) cases that they say involved BHS students. None of these investigations involved prostitution on the BHS campus, nor were they centered anywhere within the jurisdiction of Berkeley High School.

I am grateful for our ongoing collaborative relationship with law enforcement, yet law enforcement agencies are in fact restricted in terms of the information that they can share with us when incidents occur off campus and outside of our jurisdiction.

In October, the City of Berkeley's Commission on the Status of Women held a community forum that raised issues about the sexual exploitation of minors within the city. That forum, and a subsequent forum last night, led to the exploration of whether the juveniles involved were connected to Berkeley High School.

Berkeley High supports the stated objectives of the Commission, has spoken with the chair, and plans to have representatives meet with them in the coming days.

Our counseling staff and administrative team both discussed the matter this morning in light of the news reports and recalled no more than one or two cases that came directly to our attention over the past several years. Those cases were referred to the proper authorities and followed up on extensively.

Teen prostitution, or any sexual exploitation of minors is obviously a grim matter, and in my estimation, one of the most contemptible and degrading forms of child abuse.

Berkeley High School administrators and counselors will, if and when cases like this come to our attention, always follow-up on any and all reports with an aggressive package of actions and interventions. Those actions and interventions will include immediate referrals to both Child Protective Services (CPS) and on-site mental and physical health care professionals (BHS Health Center), as well as referrals to school counselors. Our process and response, should cases arise, will also happen in consultation with local law enforcement.

We are not naïve to the fact that among our 3200 students there are those who are struggling through incomprehensibly difficult issues, and that some of those kids, often neglected and inadequately supported, can end up in appalling situations and circumstances.

That said, one case of this type of is too many and we will continue to do our best to identify and support all students in any danger of physical or emotional harm by directing the resources we have at our disposal towards them, and by helping them access all of the services available to them via our partnering agencies and organizations.

I am committed to being open and communicative about both the best and most challenging aspects of this very expansive and most amazing school. As always, my team and I are committed to giving you accurate and unvarnished information pertaining to Berkeley High School both when there are matters relevant to student welfare to be shared and when external reports need to be contextualized, corrected, or put in proper perspective.

Respectfully,

Pasquale Scuderi

Principal

Berkeley High School

BHS Construction update #6

This is BHS Construction Report #6, providing the most accurate information regarding all BHS Construction projects.

The BHS Facilities Site Committee had its first meeting on Wednesday, 11/30/11.  The committee will meet monthly with the following purpose:

• To improve communication about construction projects
• To provide input and relay concerns
• To provide greater input on projects which are in the early design phases; and
• Not to redesign construction projects which have already been designed.

The committee decided that bi-monthly construction reports will provide sufficient updates to the community.  Every other communication will include an attachment of the Site Committee minutes.

Timeline / BHS Facility Site Committee Minutes

PowerSchool is up and running

PowerSchool is up and running.  PowerSchool is an online program which allows both parents and students to check students' grades and attendance.  If you used PowerSchool last year, your parent login and password have not changed. 

If you have never registered with PowerSchool, you need to retrieve your access code from http://pspasswords.berkeley. net .  That code will allow you to create your account at http://ps.berkeley.net .

If you are having trouble with this process, there are detailed instructions available on the BHS Website ( http://www.bhs.berkeley.net ).   Staff will also be available on Back to School Night on Thursday, September 22 to make sure you can log in. 

Military Waivers Explained

By law all public school districts are required to turn over the names and addresses of all juniors and seniors to the military for recruitment purposes  unless the student or parent has signed a waiver requesting their names not be turned over .  Two weeks ago during a series of assemblies waivers were passed out to all juniors and seniors.  Students who signed the waiver and turned it in will not receive recruiting information via the school district.  If your child did not turn in a waiver and they want to, it is not too late.  The front desk has blank military waivers.

Several confusing points: 

1. In addition to the waivers we passed out in classes the district mailed home a waiver embedded in a rather large document.  Some parents have found this waiver and mailed or delivered it the Berkeley High.  There is no need to do so, if you have not, as the student waiver is sufficient. If you did mail in the waiver, we are honoring it. 

2. The military also obtains information about potential recruits (high school juniors and seniors) from the College Board.  When a student taking the PSAT checks the box indicating an interest in receiving information from colleges and universities they will also receive information from the military. 

3. Finally, each branch of the military holds an information session in the College and Career Center as do many colleges and universities. The dates of those sessions are announced in the College and Career Bulletin. 

PE Waiver Information

Fall Waivers
Please make sure to turn in your completed PE Wavier to the Attendance Office by Friday, January 20th at 4:00. PLEASE NOTE: the waiver must be signed by the same coach that wrote your letter. You do not need the Assistant Principal section completed. Spring Waivers

There is a new waiver form for the Spring year, old versions will not be accepted and the new waivers will be passed out at the mandatory meetings listed below.Students who intend on filing a waiver for the Spring semester are required to attend one of the meetings:

Preparation for New Italian Language AP Test

Dear BHS families.  This year will see the reintroduction of the AP exam for Italian language.  This is not a language taught at BHS, but I am trying to gauge the level of interest among BHS native speakers or others familiar with the language who would be interested in hiring an Italian language instructor from a Berkeley language school for after-school preparation for this exam.

For information, please contact Mariane Ferme at mcf@berkeley.edu

SSC and BSEP Election results

Thanks to all of you who voted at Back to School Night, and thanks to the  election workers, who put in many hours, and the vote counters who labored for half a day to check and double-check the vote:

*Richard Ng, Irene Hegarty, Isabel Parra, Maya Hernandez, Mary Hurlbert, Dan Lee, Julie Holcomb

*Helene Lecar of the League of Women Voters, Sandy McCoy, and Jen Villeneuve

And now, the results:

Berkeley High School Site Council

Berkeley High School BSEP Site Committee

Elected

============================== ===============

Thoughts About the Elections?

As many of you know, past practice has been to conduct elections at the first PTSA meeting of the year.   Turnout for elections has never been much above 300 people.  Last year we tried to increase turnout by extending voting hours to the following day, but six hours of open polls only yielded about 25 more votes.  This year the Principal asked the PTSA to conduct elections on Back to School Night, in hopes that turnout would be higher.  

The turnout did not improve.   Polls stayed open nearly an hour after class visits had concluded; we stayed until no more parents were walking through the courtyard.  Furthermore, the attendance at the first PTSA meeting fell to less than about 1/3 of the usual turnout. Those who did come were very impressed by the candidate speeches and the Principal's presentation on the State of the School, but the vast majority of you missed that event. Obviously we are all very busy and it's hard to do it all, especially when events pile up at the beginning of the year.  However, people are missing opportunities to be informed participants in the life of the school.

I would love to hear ideas from all of you as to how to improve parent engagement - in terms of volunteers, candidates, and voters.  What makes people come out and get involved?  What are the barriers? Should the Principal give his presentations on YouTube?  Are Community Forums a thing of the past?  Are online communications more inclusive or less?  Should we also consider online voting?  Voting in the spring instead of fall?   Voting in more than one location?  (If so, we're going to need a lot more volunteers to work on outreach and elections - there's only so much a small group of us can do to pull this off in a short period of time.)   

Tell you what - send an email to bhs.president@gmail.com . I'll collect your input, and I'll bring it to the PTSA Exec for discussion with Principal Scuderi.  In the meantime, my deep appreciation for all the candidates who came forward, all the volunteers who helped, and the voters who voted (or would have if only..)  We're all doing the best we can, and next time, maybe we'll do it a little better than our best.  And meanwhile, help those improvements become possible by volunteering your ideas and some of your time:  help with communications, website, events, elections, parent education..whatever you care about most:   http://natashabee.wufoo.com/ forms/ptsa-volunteers/

Sincerely,

Natasha Beery

A Message from Natasha Beery RE PTSA leadership and volunteer positions

Welcome back, everyone!  Time for a new year, and time for new folks (and old) to come forward to bring the school community together and make this a better place for every student and family at Berkeley HIgh.  And how do we do that?  We serve on committees , we love committees, right?  Of course right!

Most of you have served on school-wide committees in the past, and I'm hoping many of you are still willing to serve in the future, and also hoping you have friends, acquaintances, people you've met who you might just be able to corral into joining just one more committee.  Please forward (or adapt this email) to people you think might be tempted to come forward this year:
============================== ========================
Please come to Berkeley High on Thursday, September 8th for the Parent/Community Information Meeting in the BHS Library, from 7:00 to 8:00.  If you've served on a committee before, come prepared to talk it up.  If you haven't, come with questions.   And I'll bring cookies if you will...
Here's what we're looking for:

PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) In order to improve the learning environment for all students at Berkeley High School, the PTSA works to: * Build community and partnerships across the whole school * Encourage school-wide discussion about issues that affect the lives of students * Provide information, skills and opportunities to work together constructively.

  PTSA Leadership:  6 elected positions:   President:  Yes, it's up for grabs, time for me to step down, but I'll help the next person step up!     3 Vice Presidents:  Act as liaisons for each of 3 main areas: Community, Communications, and Events   Secretary:  Keep minutes, act as Historian or Parlimentarian if needed.   Treasurer:  Behave responsibly with money!  (Don't worry, it's not a lot of money)

  PTSA Volunteers (not elected, we just need you to come on forward!)

Community:            

• PTSA Liaisons from each learning community           
• Faculty Representative        
• Student Representative

Communications:            

• PTSA Website Publisher:  Matt Wong stepping down after 8 years!  We need someone
• Reporters from School Meetings (PTSA, BSEP, SSC, School Board, etc)            
• (Online) Newsletter writers and Editor(s)            
• E-Tree Editors (already named)

 Education and Events          

• Parent Education Coordinator (Speakers)        
• Community Events Coordinator BSEP School Site Committee (5 elected positions) Reviews programs and evaluates proposals to recommend for funding from the Measure A parcel tax, which brings about $750,000 to Berkeley High or programs and services to improve student achievement.  There is also Policy and Oversight Committee which needs another 5 people from Berkeley High to oversee district-wide funds.
• School Site Council Representative (6 elected positions and 2 alternates) In addition to overseeing the school's annual action plan for student achievement, which is tied to the WASC (school accreditation) report, the SSC approves the BSEP Site committee's proposed budget and reviews the Safety Committee's School Safety Plan.  

That's It!   Please contact me to let me know that you're coming to the meeting, or if you have further questions!

Thanks,
Natasha Beery PTSA President 2009-2011, BSEP Site Committee, 2009-2010

College Application Essay Readers

Starting Tuesday , October 11, essay readers will be available to help BHS seniors with their college application essays -- from the UC personal statement to the Common App.  No appointment is necessary.  The time to start your college essay is now!

Location:

College and Career Center (if the Center is closed, readers will be in the Library)

Schedule:

The complete essay reader schedule is below. In general, readers will be available before school most days, lunch every day and after school most days -- check the schedule below and note that there are no essay readers after school on Fridays (updates will be sent out on the etree as needed) .

Monday

Morning: 9 to 10am - Janet Huseby

Lunch: 12:23 to 1:03pm - Ellen Singer-Vine, Tami Uecker

After school: beginning at 3:30pm - Eve Schlesinger (and Sara Sanderson in November)

Tuesday

Morning: 8 to 9am - Maurice Obstfeld (only 10/18, 11/1, 11/29)

Lunch: 11:38 to 12:18pm - Mike Bolgatz, Vicky Elliott, Kathy Brown

After school: beginning at 3:30pm - Sara Sanderson (and Hilary Roberts on Nov. 15 and Nov. 22)

Wednesday (times the same as Tuesday)

Morning: Brenda Kahn

Lunch: Amy Loebl, Vicky Elliott,

After school: Marianne Smith (not Oct. 12)

Thursday (times same as Tuesday)

Morning: Jamie Keller

Lunch: Kathy Brown, Janet Huseby

After school: Linda Artel (and Sara Sanderson in November)

Friday (times same as Tuesday)

Morning: Maurice Obstfeld (only 10/14, 10/28, 11/11)

Lunch: Vicky Elliott, Janet Huseby (and Wendy Morrison on Oct. 14 and 21)

Military Opt Out

According to  No Child Left Behind, all high schools are required to turn over to the military the names and addresses of juniors and seniors for recruitment purposes. Earlier this year all juniors and seniors at Berkeley High School were given the opportunity to opt out of the NCLB list.  Berkeley High did not turn over personal information on any students who requested that their information be withheld.  However, it is important to know that the military has other means than direct school to military contact to gather information on potential recruits.

JAMRS or Joint Advertising Market Research Studies is a database funded by the Department of Defense with a registry of 30 million Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. The database stores information such as name, date of birth, gender, mailing address, e-mail address, race, ethnicity, telephone number, high school name, graduation date, Grade Point Average, college intent, military interest, field of study, and the ASVAB test score. The Department of Defense acquires this information through private data brokers and marketing companies that specialize in collecting information about youth including the SATs. JAMRS will hand over this information to the military recruiters unless there is a request to opt out.

During 2nd period announcements on Wednesday December 14th 2011, all students will be given the opportunity to opt out of the JAMRS database.  Students who do not wish for their information to be sold to the military should complete the JAMRS opt out form.

Berkeley High will compile a list of the names and address of students who do not want to be contacted by the military and send it to JAMRS.

NOTE: students who are 15.6 years or younger will need a parent signature. These students may take the JAMRS opt out letter home and return it to the front office by January 13th 2011.

Any student who is absent on December 14th the can pick up a JAMRS opt out form from the front office. There will be a box in the front office where students can return their completed JAMRS opt out forms.

If you have questions about JAMRS additional information can be found at http://www.baypeace.org .  All students will be given the opportunity to opt out of the JAMRS database.

--

Vernon L. Walton Jr.

Vice-Principal

Academic Choice

Berkeley High School

510-644-4569

Important Senior Info on Early Decision

For the first time this year, Berkeley High is submitting counselor letters of recommendation (Secondary School Report) and transcripts on line for the Common Application. It is important that you fill out the School Form information on the Common Application as soon as possible, but no later than October 7 for Early Decision/Early Action and November 3 for Regular Decision. Only students who adhere to these deadlines will be guaranteed an on-time submission of the counselor letter of recommendation.

Reminders: 

· Seniors can now schedule advising appointments with the College Advisors, in the College Center, D221.

· Early Decision/Early Action College List (Pink form in senior folder) is due in the College Center Oct.7.

· Regular Decision College List (Blue form in senior folder) is due in the College Center Nov. 3.

Any questions about any of the above information please see Ms. Price or Ms. Marquez in the College Center, D221

Berkeley High no longer keeps a paper emergency card on file for each student. All records are electronic. We are asking all parents and guardians to please go online to update their child's emergency contact information.  To do so, please go to:

https://www.formstack.com/ forms/?1107834-sEbZtLrzfg

The Berkeley High Parent Resource Center has computers which may be used by parents to update their child's emergency information.  The Parent Resource Center is located in room D-224, on the second floor of the main administration building.  Parent Liaisons are Irma Parker and Leticia Amezcua, at 644-8524.

Looking for Business Sponsors for BHSLive!

Berkeley High Live! 2012 , the high school's biggest annual fundraiser and gala event is looking for business sponsors!

Do you own - or know someone who owns - a business in Berkeley who wants to help support Berkeley High? 

Maybe your pediatrician, child's orthodontist, your family hair cutter, dentist, architect, real estate agent, favorite restaurant owner, lawyer, butcher, baker or candlestick maker is eager to find out how to support our community's only public high school....

Berkeley High Live!  the high school's biggest annual fundraiser, benefitting the Berkeley High School Development Group and Berkeley Athletic Fund, is coming up on March 10th, 2012.  We're looking for business sponsors to help support this fantastic community event. 
Please contact Sarah Herman or Amy Brueggemeyer to find out more at  sarahscape@earthlink.net

GIVE SCRIP A TRY IN 2012!!

Please sign up for Escrip at www.escrip.com (BHS Group ID#137646958).  Through this program, 2 to 4% of your shopping dollars are donated to the BHS Development Group at no cost to you. 25% of those funds are put aside for the Athletic Fund. Even if you already signed up for Escrip, you MUST sign up again each year to participate. It's very easy-go to the Escrip website and click the RENEW NOW button. If you have questions, or if you prefer not to enroll online, please contact: [mailto: marianberges@ earthlink.net ] and put "escrip" in the subject line.

Follow BHS on Twitter

Greetings BHS Families:

This year I am utilizing the Twitter platform to add another dimension to our school's communication capabilities with families and students.

Twitter's short, 140-character text messaging and micro-blogging capabilities will in no way be a replacement for the e-tree, but it will enhance our capabilities to communicate reminders for major school events, school news, and calendar changes directly to the smart-phones, devices, and computers of our students and families.

If need be the platform can also provide a rapid way to get preliminary information out to parents and students during an emergency or in the event that a crisis develops on or around campus.

If you are interested in following our updates sign up for a Twitter account and follow our posts. Please encourage your students to sign up as well.

The address is: @bhsinfo

We look forward to the beginning of the school year and to partnering with you to have a great year.

The annual, and in-depth, summer mailing should arrive at your homes within the next few weeks.

Respectfully,

Pasquale Scuderi

Principal

Berkeley High School

Become a Writer Coach

WriterCoach Connection (WCC) is a rewarding experience working with students one-on-one during class time on their writing assignments. For over 10 years at Berkeley High, volunteer writer coaches have been helping students strengthen their writing and thinking skills by giving them constructive feedback and building their confidence as writers. The time commitment is only 1-2 hours, usually twice per month. This year we're coaching all 9th and 10th graders in Community Partnerships Academy and 12th graders in Green Academy!

Coaching is during class on the following days and times (but not every week):

Thursdays: 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th period

Fridays: 1st and 2nd period

You do not have to be a writer to be a writer coach - WCC provides hands-on training to give you all you'll need to be a terrific coach. Community members of all backgrounds, ethnicities and walks of life are welcomed. Fall training sessions are now underway. For the complete training schedule and more information, go to  www.writercoachconnection. org  (click on "Volunteer"). 

Sahib-Amar Khalsa

BHS Site Coordinator - WriterCoach Connection

510-237-6963

sakk@mindspring.com

E-Scrip volunteers needed!

The scrip program needs an infusion of new energy! 

A.  We need a monthly deliverer for North Berkeley, north of Solano Ave.  This is a good route to walk/hike and takes about an hour or so. 

B.  We need a co-coordinator.  For the last 4 years, there has been one person doing purchase, distribution, deposits, and accounting.  That person is getting tired!  We're looking for someone to share the coordinator job.  A new volunteer could do one of two aspects of coordination:

1.  Purchase scrip from stores, process monthly orders, distribute those orders to neighborhood deliverers, and fill occasional orders as they come in throughout the month.  Depending on the number of requests for scrip during the month, this job takes 7 or more hours per month

OR

2.  Make deposits and do the accounting at the end of the month.  This is the smaller of the two jobs.  We usually do 3 deposits each month.  This work takes 4- 5 hours per month.

IF you are the least bit interested or just want to find out more about the jobs, please contact Linda Safarik-Tong at scrip@bhsdg.org .  No pressure, I promise!

College Handbook Volunteers needed

The BHS Parent College Handbook Committee is seeking someone to help finalize the formatting of the Spanish-translation of the BHS College Application Handbook for Parents and Families of Seniors for the Class of 2012.  The document is in Microsoft Word. We seek someone who could do this between approximately August 20 and September 7.  Our experience suggests that this is a lot easier to do on a PC (rather than a Mac), because the translator uses a PC to make changes in the Word files.  Fluency in Spanish is not necessary, but the ability to check for consistency of the text by matching paragraphs would be helpful.

The Spanish-translation of the BHS College Application Handbook greatly helps Spanish-speaking parents at Berkeley High because it makes college information more accessible.  If you can help with this activity, please contact Frances Cohen ( frances.cohen@ucsf.edu ).

Upcoming Events and meetings

1/23 - 1/27: Final Exam Bell Schedule

First semester finals are scheduled for Wednesday January 25th through Friday January27th.   Below is the finals bell schedule.

1/24: Safety Committee Meeting

Click here for agenda

1/26: Academic Choice Commencement Meetings

ACADEMIC CHOICE  2012 Commencement Meetings 1. CLASS OF 2012 - Thursday January 26 at 1:15 pm
We need your help in shaping your commencement ceremony. 
Tell us who you want to speak, what your sash should look like and (most importantly) how best to tell your AC experience.

Come to room C213 after finals next Thursday.
Refreshments will be served.

2. AC Parents and Class of 2012 Commencement Committee Meeting - Thursday January 26 at 7 p.m.

Join The AC Commencement Committee and Make the 2012 Academic Choice Commencement Wonderful!
All interested parents and students are invited to have a voice in this year's ceremony.
We especially would like junior and senior families but everyone is welcome.
The goal of this committee is to create an AC Commencement ceremony that will honor our AC seniors. 

When:  Thursday January 26.  7 p.m.
Where:  583 Vincente, No. Berkeley
Please RSVP:  Carol Brownstein, 526-8526.  email
Students:  If you can't make this meeting, there is a student committee meeting the same day at school at 1:15 pm in room C213.

1/27: UC Berkeley Incentive Awards Program

Scholarship opportunity for Juniors - University of California Berkeley Incentive Awards Program :  The Incentive Awards Program provides up to $32,000 in scholarship funds over eight semesters, and student support services to low-income, first-generation college students who have demonstrated leadership potential, high academics, and a commitment to serve others. IAP reaches out to high school students who have overcome great socioeconomic disadvantages.  

For more information, come to an informational meeting on January 27, 2012, at 12:40 p.m. in the College and Career Center (D221).  http://campuslife.berkeley. edu/iap

2/1: BHS Information Night for Incoming Families

The Berkeley High Information Night 2012 for all incoming families will take place on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 7-9 p.m. on the Berkeley High School campus.  During Information Night, representatives from departments and our six learning communities—Academic Choice, Academy of Medicine and Public Service, Arts and Humanities Academy, Berkeley International High School, Communications Arts and Sciences, , and the Green Academy—will make presentations and be available to answer questions.

Information Night is an important step in learning about Berkeley High's many elective choices and learning community options so students can make an informed decision about Berkeley High School. All incoming students should plan on attending.  Please note, that students must be accompanied by an adult. Spanish translation will be available.  There will be no make-up for this event .  2012-2013 Course Catalogues and Choices Brochures will be provided on this night

Step 2. Enrollment (coming from non BUSD schools only):

New students enrolling in high school are required to complete two steps before registering at Berkeley High School: pre-enrollment and enrollment.

Pre-enrollment is available online. Starting mid-January, families can log on to a website to enroll in the District: http://www.berkeleyschools. net/departments/berkeley- school-admissions/enrolling- new-high-school-students
If you do not have web access or have questions, you may use a computer on the BHS campus at the Parent Resource Center.

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2/7 & 8: Sophmore CA State Exit Exam

It is that time of year again: The All-Sophomore California State Exit Exam (CAHSEE) will be offered on Tuesday, Feb. 7 and Wednesday, Feb. 8.  All-Sophomore means 834 students will be taking the test at once! It is a massive undertaking but one that Berkeley High manages because our community comes through to support our dear students.  

The first day's test is English, the second is Math and all sophomores are required to take both sections. Students who don't pass will have more  opportunities as juniors and seniors to retake one or both sections.

The exam will be offered in several locations but most students will be assigned either to the Jacket Gym or the Donahue Gym. The 10th graders will report to Berkeley High at 7:30 am on both days. The tests are untimed. As students finish the exam they will return to their regular school schedule.

First Official Call for Help!

We need dozens of volunteers to help check students in, monitor the exam, and sort the material in the afternoon. The three volunteer shifts are 7:15 to 8:30 am, 8:30 to noon and noon to 3 p.m. The more people we have, the calmer and more orderly the test will be.  It is also, if you are a 10 grade parent or guardian, a wonderful time to meet your child's entire class.  So many reasons to help, but mainly because you are needed.

If you can help, please let me know which day and which shift. You can contact me at jhuseby@pacbell.net

Have an upcoming BHS event? Contact Matthew Wong for posting.