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WELCOME
BACK!
PRINCIPAL'S
MESSAGE
Music
played and balloons filled the air as more than 600 freshmen entered
the gym on their first day of high school, walking through a tunnel
of cheering Link Crew members and teachers. After meeting in
small orientation groups and touring the campus, the newly minted
9th graders joined the 10th–12th graders in the stadium for an
energetic opening day rally and then headed off to their new
classes. Congratulations to the Link Crew and ASB for
organizing a great opening day to kick off the 2007-08 school year!
As we begin this year, I’d like to share some information about
our attendance system. Westview does not have a traditional
attendance office in which one or two employees handle attendance
issues for nearly 2,400 students. One of the pillars of our
mission statement is connectedness,
and the Homeroom system was designed to ensure that every family has
at least one adult contact who knows their student personally. Our goal is to create that small school feel that you are familiar
with at the elementary level. When you call the homeroom teacher to
excuse an absence or request an off-campus pass, you will be
speaking to someone who knows you and your child.
Because of this system, Westview has a positive campus culture, good
attendance and minimal discipline incidents. However,
there may be times when you leave a message and the absence will not
be cleared due to technical problems or teacher absence. If
you receive an automated message telling you that your child has an
unexcused absence, and you believe the message to be in error
because you already left a message for the teacher, the problem can
quickly be resolved by contacting our attendance secretary, Eva
Peters, at (858) 780-2000 x 3060.
One of the best aspects of being the principal at Westview is that
there’s always a lot of good news to share! Congratulations
to Sarah Cheng, Allison Finn, Matthew Groesbeck, Stephany Lai,
Michael Liu, Pallavi Powale, Justine Quach, Victoria Wang, and
Charles Yang for being named as Semifinalists in the 2008 National
Merit Scholarship Competition!
Dawn Kastner
Principal
What’s coming up...
Check the
school
calendar for more events
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Sep 3
Sep 11
Sep 11
Sep 12
Sep 28
Oct 8-11
Oct 12
Oct 13
Oct 16
Oct 20
Oct 23
Oct 26
Oct 27
Oct 29
Nov 4
Nov 10
Nov 12
Nov 19-23
Dec 24-Jan 4 |
Labor Day - No
School
PTSA
Meeting
Back to School
Night
Make-up Photos
Professional
Growth Day - No School
Float Building
Homecoming
Football Game
Homecoming
Dance
9th & 10th
Parent Information Night
PSAT
College Fair @ MCHS
Quarter 1 ends
Foundation Rummage Sale
Quarter 2
begins
Daylight
Savings Time Ends (Fall back)
Mock SAT
Veteran's Day -
No School
Thanksgiving
Break - No School
Winter Break -
No School |
WESTVIEW
MEN'S WATER POLO TEAM
"CONDITIONING WEEK"
TORREY PINES BEACH WORKOUT
FALL
SPORTS
Support your Westview teams by attending their games. The following
sports are being
played during the fall. Click on the links for their schedules:
•
Cross Country
•
Field Hockey
•
Football
•
Golf | Ladies
•
Tennis | Ladies
•
Volleyball | Ladies
•
Water Polo | Men
Quick web links
Daily
Bulletin – visit the daily bulletin to see what’s happening today!
School
Calendar – see what events are coming up throughout the year.
General
Information – can’t find what you’re looking for? Try this link.
Athletics
– support your Westview Wolverines – visit the athletic pages to see
when your favorite team is playing.
Counseling
– graduation requirements, colleges visiting Westview, scholarships,
course catalog, etc.
COLLEGE
READINESS
College fairs and expo events are listed on our
counseling
website.
PUSD COLLEGE
FAIR
On October 23rd,
PUSD will be hosting a College Fair for all PUSD high school and
middle school students as well as for their parents. The
College Fair will take place at Mt. Carmel High School from 5:30pm
to 8:30pm. At 5:30pm, there will be workshops discussing such
topics as Financial Aid, Selective Colleges, and Community Colleges.
College Representatives will be available from 6:30pm to 8:30pm to
answer any questions that students and their parents may have
regarding the particular college. This is a great opportunity
for all students, whether they are in 9th grade or entering their
senior year to meet with representatives from over 60 colleges and
universities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What
is a College Fair? It is an opportunity for students and
parents to meet with College Reps to answer questions and gather
information about colleges they may be interested in.
How is the College Fair different than the College Visits to my high
school that we have scheduled throughout the year?
This is an opportunity to talk with College Reps from many colleges
all on the same evening. Typically at the school visits,
students can only hear from one college representative at a time.
These usually occur during lunchtime and sometimes during class
time.
What
is the date of the PUSD College Fair?
It will take place on Tuesday, October 23rd from 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
Workshops will take place from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. From 6:30pm
to 8:30pm, students and parents will be able to meet with the
College Representatives from between 50 and 100 colleges.
What is the location of the College Fair? It will take place
in the Mt. Carmel High School Gymnasium. The workshops will
take place in the classrooms near the gym.
Who is invited to the College Fair? All PUSD High school and
middle school students, as well as their parents, are invited to
attend the College Fair.
If I am a senior in High School and will be completing my college
applications in the fall, won’t this College Fair be too late to
help me? This Fair is an excellent opportunity for High
school seniors to narrow down their list of colleges that they will
apply to. Talking with the college representatives may
answer questions that seniors have and help to pinpoint the colleges
to which they will apply.
How will this College Fair be pertinent to 9th graders or 8th
graders who really don’t have any idea what college they would
like to attend? This Fair will be a good start for
8th and 9th graders and their parents to see the various types of
colleges and opportunities there are. You won’t leave this
Fair knowing exactly what college you wish to attend (that is a much
longer and complex process), but it will give you some options and
expose you to some colleges you aren’t familiar with.
Wait, I have a lot more questions. Check back next month when
we answer the questions:
1. What if a 4-year college isn’t for me?
2. What is the best way to visit a College Fair?
3. Are these College Reps really College Admissions
personnel?
For more information or if you have questions not listed here:
Contact College Fair Coordinator, Colleen Salzetti, at pusdcollegefair@san.rr.com
THANK YOU
REGISTRATION VOLUNTEERS!
Thank you to the
120 volunteers who worked Registration at Westview this year.
760 volunteer hours were worked from the day we put labels on
registration packets, and then the day of packet stuffing and two
days of drive through packet distribution, through all of our
registration days. We couldn’t have done it without the help
of our student, graduate and parent volunteers. So, thank you
very much for all of your help!
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PTSA PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Going
Crazy! When the word got out among my friends that I had been
elected as Westview’s PTSA President for the 2007-2008 school year, I
found myself being
asked two almost universal questions:
1. Are you CRAZY??? (i.e.,
“What part of the word “no” do you not understand?); and
2) What exactly does the PTSA do
at Westview anyway?
The answer to the first question is, much of the time, YES! Juggling
work (whether it’s paid or unpaid), home life, and raising kids
(especially teenagers) are enough to make all of us a little crazy. But when weighing the decision to accept the role of PTSA President,
I can say that I was actually pretty sane. Yes, I’m “one of
those” who has been involved with the PTA since my oldest (now a
senior) entered Kindergarten. What I have come to learn over the
years is that the PTA is a dynamic organization that makes an impact
at national, state and local levels. Being involved has helped me to
feel informed, empowered, and enlightened. So when faced with the
choice to “step it up” and become significantly more involved
with Westview PTSA, I ultimately decided that it was an opportunity
that I shouldn’t pass up. Yup, call me crazy.
Surprisingly, the answer to the second question did not come quite
as easily. The kind of PTA I was familiar with was the kind that
booked assemblies, held book fairs, and coordinated family movie
nights and school carnivals. But what does the PTSA look like at the
high school level? What can a PTSA add to a place like Westview, a
little microcosm in and of itself where there is already so much
going on? Plenty, as I have come to discover.
For starters, the PTSA provides financial support to staff and
families in the form of staff grants and financial aid. We also help
boost morale through our student/staff recognition program, staff
appreciation activities, and financial support of AP Honors Night. We promote college readiness through information dissemination,
senior scholarships and mock college testing programs. We foster
communication by printing a school directory, and publishing this
newsletter as well as a newsletter for the staff. We encourage
creativity amongst our students by sponsoring the National PTA
Reflections arts program. We provide significant funding to our
Student Services Department in support of their programs concerning
drug and alcohol awareness, peer counseling, parent education, and
other health and safety issues. And last, but certainly not least,
we take on the huge annual task of orchestrating a safe graduation
night for our seniors through Grad Nite.
Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. There is a huge number
of volunteers working behind the scenes to ensure that these
programs come off successfully. I am in awe of the professionalism
and enthusiasm of those on the PTSA Board that I will have the
privilege of working with this year. My thanks go out to each board
member for agreeing to volunteer their time and talents.
And so, I invite you to get just a little crazier this year and
become involved, whether it’s by helping out on a committee or
simply by becoming a PTSA member. Research shows that when the
community gets involved in its schools, the schools get better. And
by joining PTSA, not only will you be part of group that is
committed to making Westview stronger and safer, but you will also
join a national chorus that says that it is important that every
child gets the chance to thrive at school and at home.
I am honored to serve as your PTSA President for the 2007-2008 year
and look forward to working with many of you. Please let me know if
there are any suggestions, questions or concerns that you have. My
email is westviewptsa@mindspring.com.
Here’s to a great year!
Sue Hasselmann
PTSA President
PTSA ASSOCIATION
MEETING
Mark
your calendars! Our first PTSA Association meeting will be on
Tuesday, September 11, at 5:40pm.
That's just prior to our Westview Back-to-School Night, so plan on
being there early to attend! As members, you have the privilege of
voting on our 2007-2008 Goals, Programs, Budget, and Fundraisers.
All of these are on our
website, so please be informed about these
before the meeting.
 STRATEGIES
FOR
9TH
GRADE SUCCESS
Write notes in your
own words! Don’t copy teacher’s notes word for word.
Take notes while you read by writing
questions, making text connections, and summarizing what the text is
about.
Think about what your notes mean and then
write a summary in your own words– just one or two sentences – it’s an
easy reminder of what is important to study later.
Reflect and review your notes each night
and write down questions on anything you don’t really understand.
Collaborate with students in your classes
– get classmates’ phone numbers so that you can form study groups before
tests and ask for homework/project clarification when you are confused.
Write down your homework every day (you
get a free planner – use it!).
Use notebooks with dividers and keep your work
organized (your backpack should not become a trash can). Hold
on to assignments and notes in order to study for exams.
Use school time to work on reading,
projects and homework (before school, after school, lunch, and Wolverine
Time).
Check Learning Point (parents too) every
day!
Check your grades weekly and challenge
yourself to get better everyday.
Get involved, but make sure not to drown
in extra curricular activities!
Bring a good book to Silent Sustained
Reading (SSR).
Go to teachers’ classrooms during Wolverine Time to check in and ask
questions – the more they see your face the better!
Realize that YOU are in charge of your own
education.
*Brought to you by Westview AVID
PTSA
AUGUST ACTIVITIES
The
PTSA has been hard at work
during the month of August getting things
ramped up for the start of the school year. Here’s some of what
has been happening:
Registration
– A huge thank you goes out to Colleen
Salzetti, Registration Chair, for coordinating all the
volunteers that were needed over five days of registration, and to
those of you who helped out. We logged over 650 volunteer hours from
registration alone!
Membership
– Thank you to the more than
1400 of you who have already become
PTSA members! And much appreciation to
Judy
Kiraly, VP Membership, for all her efforts in promoting
membership in the PTSA.
Staff Appreciation Breakfast – The staff was welcomed back to
school with a brunch that rivaled that which you’d find at the
Hotel Del! Dora Gray, our
Hospitality Chair extraordinaire, once again pulled off an amazing
feat. Thank you, Dora, and to all those who assisted with
prep, set
up, cooking and serving.
Westview Logo Items – Have you taken advantage of the
opportunity to show your school spirit with a “W” sticker or
t-shirt? And do you have the handy learning schedule magnet
displayed on your refrigerator? Kudos to Sharon
Gruber, Logo Items Chair, for the awesome job she did in putting
together logo items that were sold at Registration.
It’s not too
late to buy! Check the PTSA website for more information.
Volunteers – Wow! Approximately 500 of you expressed interest in
volunteering during the year. Many thanks to Kris
Shetter, VP Volunteers, for diligently organizing volunteer
information and ensuring that all volunteers have the required
clearance to meet district requirements and keep our campus
safe.
Thanks
also goes to PTSA board members who have worked hard to get our
ducks in a row for the new school year, especially: Diana
Buell, Treasurer, for her work on the budget; Diana and Gudrun
Fichter, Financial Secretary, for their incredible dedication in
handling PTSA finances during registration week; Kathy
Govea, VP Ways & Means, for overseeing our fundraisers; and Janet
Ranshous, Corresponding Secretary, for taking care of the
paperwork!
HELP WANTED
The
PTSA is still looking to fill a few positions on the 2007-2008
board:
● Honorary Service Awards
● Staff Grants
● Community Concerns Assistant
● Safety & Wellness
● College Readiness
Please
contact Sue Hasselmann at westviewptsa@mindspring.com
or Jennifer Duffy at jenduffy@san.rr.com
for more information.
ARE
YOU CLUELESS ABOUT YOUR TEEN?: KNOWING YOUR TEEN'S WORLD
Between
the fast-paced world of teen culture and the negative influences
that bombard your teen, parenting is a challenging and unpredictable
task. How tuned in are you? PTA is proud to partner with the
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign in an effort to immerse
parents in teen culture and help reduce risky behaviors. Can you
answer these questions...?
● According to urban legend, what do teens think niacin
(vitamin B) can be used for?
● If your teen were to "ROTFL," what would she be
doing?
● If a teen is "leaning," what might he be doing?
● What are the most popular inhalants among teens?
For the answers, visit the Parent
Chronicles (http://www.theantidrug.com/advice/chronicles-home.aspx).
This site features a video clip of four families with teens
addressing this new kind of generation gap. There are also action
items for you to try on your own and then discuss with other parents
in an online forum.
Reprinted
with permission from PTA Parent, an online PTA bi-weekly newsletter.
To subscribe, go the www.pta.org.
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August
Activities
Band
California
Scholarship Federation
College
Fair
College
Presentations
College Readiness
Counselor's
Corner
Directory
Fall
Sports
Family
Connection
Freshmen
Gifts
to School
Help
Wanted
Inspirational
Thought
Membership
Mock
SAT
Principal's Message
PTSA
Association Meeting
PTSA President's
Message
Registration
Volunteers
Reflections
Scholarship
Awards
Seniors
Senior
Workshops
Sophomores
Strategies
for 9th Grade Success
Teens
Quick Web Links
What's Coming Up
UPCOMING MOCK
SAT TESTING
Hopefully
your sophomore student signed up at registration to take the October
20 PSAT test given free to sophomores by the state. If you
have a junior, hopefully they also signed up to take the same PSAT
test.
After that test, the next testing offered here at
Westview is the Mock SAT given by the PTSA on Saturday
November 10. This is recommended especially for juniors and
sophomores. It is the 4 hour mock test of the SAT whereas the PSAT on October 20 is the 2-hour
version called the PSAT, which stands for Preliminary SAT, and
qualifies Juniors for National Merit-based scholarships; for all other
grades it is practice.
Registration for the November 10 Mock SAT will be online on our
website beginning in October.
BACK TO SCHOOL
- AND BACK TO REFLECTIONS
It’s
that time of the year again – it’s Reflections time! This
year’s theme is “I can make a difference by…”
Reflections is a national PTSA program that provides an opportunity
for students to showcase their talents in art, photography,
literature, music, dance and film.
Each entry is judged for its originality, creativity and how the art
reflects the theme. Entries are due October 19th, so get ready
to work on your projects!
Many of our entries have gone on to win at County, State and
National levels. And it looks great on a college application!
Be creative and remember:
You can make a difference…… by entering your original work of
art in Reflections!
Questions? Contact Sabine Schroeder, sabine@san.rr.com
Click
here for the rules
CALIFORNIA
SCHOLARSHIP FEDERATION
We
will be accepting applications for CSF (California Scholarship
Federation) for the Fall 2007 semester EVERY Friday in September
during lunch in Room K-103. For more information about CSF, an
application, etc. please see the Westview website under
ASB
Organizations or contact Ms. Diana Loo, dloo@powayusd.com.
BE
LISTED IN WESTVIEW’S DIRECTORY!
Go online NOW to www.westviewwolverines.com/directory
and list your student in the Westview Student Directory! Deadline:
Friday, September 7, 2007
.
To be listed in the directory
1. Complete the online form.
2. A parent signature is required on the "Westview PTSA
Membership & Directory Form" that was included in your
registration packet (also available on the PTSA website: www.westviewwolverines.com/ptsa).
To purchase a directory
1. Fill out the "Westview PTSA Membership & Directory
Form" with the number of directories you would like to
purchase. Directories are $5.00 each - make checks payable to
Westview PTSA. Return the form to the
front office.
2. You do not have to purchase a directory to be listed (but a
signature is required).
Questions? Contact Debbie
Vogel at debbievathome@hotmail.com.
WESTVIEW GOLD
GETS JUMP ON 2007 MARCHING SEASON
School
hadn’t started yet but the Westview Gold Marching Band was hard at
work the whole week before school started, in the hot, humid weather
gearing up for Wolverine football season. Between finessing
their skills at playing an instrument while marching in formation,
they played games like tug-o-war, had contests, theme days and in
the evenings after putting in their 8 hours, would hang out and
party with movie night (they watched Leader of the Band, of course),
a pool party at the Westview pool, and a dinner and show at the
Moonlight Amphitheater to watch West Side Story on Friday night.
On Saturday evening, after practice, everyone got together for a
potluck and a demonstration of their marching skills out on the
stadium field.
You can watch them during the half-time shows at home football
games and at tournaments so come and support your Westview Gold
Marching Band.
…MEMBERSHIP
MAKES A DIFFERENCE…
Joining Together the Parents,
Staff and Students at Westview
The Top Ten Reasons to Join Westview PTSA
Your
membership dollars do make a difference!
-
Representation
– Members may attend Association Meetings held throughout the
year and vote on important issues. Your voice counts!
-
Grad
Night – Sponsor of the fun-filled Grad Night for seniors on
the evening of graduation day to ensure a safe environment for
the students.
-
Financial
Assistance – Assists students, families, and staff by offering
financial aid, staff grants and year end gifts to the school.
-
Parent
Support – Provides information on educational workshops and
assists parents with volunteer opportunities and other ways to
become involved in their students’ education.
-
Programs
– Sponsor of Student/Staff Recognition Nights, Reflections and
Character Counts!
-
Communication
– Enhances communication to parents, students and staff by
publishing a staff newsletter and maintaining a PTSA website.
-
Support
– Assists with funding vital programs at Westview such as
assemblies, Student Services, staff hospitality, accreditation
and enrichment events.
-
College
Readiness – Facilitates a spirit of higher education on campus
by offering Mock SAT/ACT testing throughout the school year,
promoting the PUSD College Fair, supporting the AP program and
sponsoring of senior scholarships.
-
School
Spirit – Promotes school pride by offering
t-shirts, “W” stickers, schedule magnets and the student
directory.
-
Advocacy – Advocates for
critical legislative issues on both the state and national level.
Adults:
$8.00
Students: $7.00
Westview Staff Members: $7.00
“If you think you’re too small to
make a difference, you’ve
obviously never been in bed with a mosquito!”
--
Michelle Walker
THANKS, PTSA!
Have you
noticed the new benches in the quad? The PTSA donated three
pre-cast concrete benches to give students more seating options –
ENJOY!
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT
"Never
giving up and pushing forward will unlock all the potential we are
capable of."
- Christy Borgeld
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