[BHS Etree] ADMIN: Message from Principal Glenchur

Tue Aug 26 21:40:41 PDT 2014

Dear Families of BHS Students:

I'm looking forward to the 2014-2015 school year. While this is my first
year as the BHS Principal, I started my career here as an English Teacher
and have coached, been the Athletic Director, and been a Vice-Principal here
for many years. I know Berkeley High and its staff very well and I have
always appreciated the incredible diversity, intelligence, and consciousness
of our students and families.

Allston is closed due to construction so please allow extra time if you are
dropping off students. We are expecting congestion and have opened up new
entrances on either side of Bancroft on Milvia and Martin Luther King.
Construction should be complete by late October and we have worked with the
City to devise a safe evacuation plan to the park. 

School starts tomorrow at 8:27. Only 0 period music classes will meet on
Wednesday with all other 0 and 7th period classes starting on Thursday.
Science labs are still being filled, and they will begin after Labor Day.

Students must attend all classes on their official schedule. This allows us
to take an accurate class roll and find students if there is a schedule
change. Hard copies of schedules may be picked up in front of the counseling
office or viewed on Powerschool. Counselors are busy scheduling new students
and reviewing schedule change forms and will be unavailable for drop in
appointments until this priority scheduling is complete.

On-time and regular class attendance is critical to student success. Please
help us by encouraging on-time attendance and clearing excused student
absences within five days. Automatic calls home for missed class will take
place each evening. Information about how to clear absences is attached.
Additional attendance information can be found on the
<http://bhs.berkeleyschools.net/parents/attendance/> Berkeley High website. 

All students in Berkeley Unified are provided a universal free breakfast.
All they have to do is provide their ID number. Please encourage your
student to eat something at home or eat here with us before school. 

Please talk with your student about treating all of their classmates with
respect and dignity. Hate language and behavior will not be tolerated. We
want to get the year started off right as all students deserve to feel safe
at school.

We very much appreciate your support as we get this school year off to a
smooth start. 

Other news and info:

PTSA Parent Information Night: All parents are invited to this event in the
Little Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 6th at 11:00 am. There you can learn about
the many parent organizations that you can get involved with. (A brochure
for this event is attached.)

LCAP: Due to groundbreaking legislation, we have the opportunity to increase
the funding that all of our students receive from the state. The legislation
also recognizes the challenges of teaching low income, foster youth and
English learners and provides schools with the funding to build programs at
the local level to meet the needs of these students. The state will grant
$1,748 per student in additional funding for programs specifically targeted
to these youth. But, in order for BHS to receive the funding that it is
entitled to, everybody needs to complete a Free and Reduced lunch form.

It only takes a few minutes to fill out the application and if everybody
does it, our school stands to benefit greatly.  Parents can also fill out
the form through this website:  <https://secure.ezmealapp.com/>
https://secure.ezmealapp.com.

Course Descriptions

In the first few days of class, students should receive and review a Course
Description/Syllabus which includes the following components:

1.         Description and objectives of the class including content
standards covered

2.         Instructional materials used.

3.         Units of Study

4.         Evaluation and grading system

5.         Course Goals

6.         Make-up work policy 

Health Center: The Health Center will be closed after 12:15 pm Monday
through Friday until September 15th. First Aid services are limited and a
student who needs help must be brought to the Health Center. If necessary,
during this period of limited services, we may need to rely more heavily on
911 services. 

Athletics: The fall season is underway and schedules and information can be
viewed on the
<http://bhs.berkeleyschools.net/athletics/athletics-calendar/> BHS Website.
More complete information regarding teams, coaches, and tryout dates can be
found at the  <http://www.berkeleyhighathletics.org/athletic-packet>
Berkeley Athletic Fund website. 

WASC Visit and Instructional Foci for the Year: This year we are going to
keep it simple and focus on the good work we have already begun.  The
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) team returns this spring
for a mid-term visit and we are looking forward to showcasing the good work
we are doing in meeting the goals we set three years ago. All of our
teachers are now trained in creating lessons which target academic language
instruction and all of our teachers will participate in evaluating 9th and
10th grade student essays. These essays will be written in students'
English, History, and Science classes at four different points through the
year. This practice will improve teacher practice and improve the
achievement of all of our students.

Our Math Department is preparing for an important transition to the
International Math Progression in 2015-16. This year, they are reviewing
curriculum for use starting with next year's ninth graders.  We appreciate
the work of the entire math department in making this transition.  

We very much appreciate your support as we get this school year off to a
smooth start. 

Go Jackets!

Kristin Glenchur

Principal, Berkeley High School

__________________________________

Marguerite Fa-Kaji and Catherine Ference are the parent-volunteer
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