[BHS etree] VOLUNTEERS: Military waivers, English text books, Exit Exam and more

[bhs at idiom.com]

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY to the etree, contact Janet Huseby
<mailto:jhuseby at pacbell.net>

There are a number of short one-time volunteer jobs (and a few longer
ones) available at Berkeley High for the coming weeks. All of the jobs
below give you an opportunity to meet some of the people important to
your child's life and help our school! 

1. Military waivers. Juniors and Seniors who are requesting that they
NOT be contacted directly by military recruiters filled out waiver
forms 10 days ago. (It is not too late to submit a form if your child
has not yet done so.) We must now enter these requests into an Excel
spreadsheet. I am looking for a few people willing to do the data
entry.  We must complete the task this week. If you can help, please
let Janet Huseby know at jhuseby at pacbell.net

2. Book room. Under the leadership of Tiffany Williams, Berkeley High
has issued more than 15,000 textbooks since registration.  Many of you
helped! Now she is looking for a few people who come in anytime
between 9 and 1 this week and next week and help reorganize the
English books in the Book Room which must be realphabetized after
having been carted from the Book Room to the Jacket Gym to the Foyer
of the Community Theater and back!  If you can help, please come to
the front desk and ask either Janet or Ruby Taylor to find Tiffany to
let her know you are there to help.  

3. Exit Exam.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 7 and 8, Berkeley High
will be administering the first of four sets of the California Exit
Exam for this school year.  All California high school students must
pass this test in order to receive a high school diploma.  Seniors who
need to may take the test three times this year, juniors may take it
twice, and the entire sophomore class will take the test once
(February 3 and 4).  Students who are taking the test in October are
seniors and juniors who have never taken the test or did not pass one
or the other of the sections.  Students who will be taking the October
test  will be notified shortly.  
 
In order to have the test run smoothly we need help:  three or four
volunteers who can help at check-in (roughly 7:15 to 9 a.m.), a
couple of volunteers who can help monitor during either of the test
sessions (9 to 11:30, noon to 3), and several who can help pack and
process the tests at the end of the day (from noon to 2).  If you can
help, please let Janet Huseby know.  The second set of exams will be
November 4 and 5-also for juniors and seniors who have either not
taken the test or who are taking it for  a second time.
 
4. PSAT. For the first time Berkeley High is offering the PSAT
(Preliminary SAT) to the entire 10th grade at school on October 15 at
no cost. This is a very exciting development as in previous years
students have individually signed up and paid to take the exam on a
Saturday morning.  An anonymous donor is paying for our students to
take this important first step in the college application process.  On
Tuesday, October 14 we need several people to help bundle the tests
for teachers who will be administering the test in their classes and
in early November we will need to re-sort the test booklets to match
class rosters. Please let Janet know if you can help on the 14th. 

5. Tour guides.  The "touring season" for prospective families runs
from October to March. Last year parent tour guides showed over 500
visitors around Berkeley High during a series of one hour morning
tours. The small group tours leave the Front Desk at 9:30 a.m. most
mornings and are by reservation only. I will be contacting last year's
guides in a few days. Meanwhile, I know I will be needing a few more.
If you are interested in being a tour guide (training included!),
please contact me at jhuseby at pacbell.net    

A little more information on the tours: The tours walk by
classrooms--many of which have open doors--but they do not go into
rooms for observation. They are not "orientation tours." (There are
student-led tours for our incoming students in August.) The fall and
early spring tours are directed towards parents who are deciding if
Berkeley High is the appropriate school for their child. Prospective
students are welcome but ONLY if accompanied by their parent or
guardian. To make a reservation, contact Janet Huseby at
jhuseby at pacbell.net 

6. Science teacher Mardi Sicular-Mertens is looking for volunteers for
her Environmental science classes on  Sept. 24,25; Oct 8,9; Oct 22,23;
Nov. 12,13; Dec 1,2; Dec 15,16; and January 14,15.  Periods are 2,3,4
and 6. She needs help collecting, marking, and recording grades for
journals and study guides. 

Ms Mertens is also looking for parents for full day field trips:
a. Tilden Botanical Garden:  Tuesday, October 21  
Accompany class on public transportation.  Tour beautiful botanic
garden. 

b. Ohlone Indian Village and Shoreline Hike, Coyote Hill:  October 31

Drive students to and from Fremont.  Accompany class on hike and
Ohlone Village tour.

c. Save the Bay Shoreline Restoration, Arrowhead Marsh:  November 4  
Accompany students on bus.  Participate in planting natives.

If you are interested in participating either in the classroom help or
going on one of these wonderful science adventures, please contact Ms
Mertens directly at (510) 520-4468. Her email is  eemaaj at aol.com


Janet Huseby
BHS Volunteer Coordinator
jhuseby at pacbell.net
(510) 527-1130