SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL PTSA
MINUTES OF ASSOCIATION MEETING OCTOBER 10, 2003
SAMOHI CAFETERIA
Gus Walsh, ASB President, thanked PTSA for XINACHTLI which provides mentoring and after school tutoring to any student who needs help. The Homecoming Dance will be held October 25 from 8PM until midnight. The ticket price is $25, but will increase slightly each day until Oct. 24 when the price will be $40. Tickets will not be for sale at the door. PSAT will be given on Oct. 18 and the last day to register to take it will be October 16. Next week will be a special week leading up to Homecoming. The themes for dress for next week are: Monday is Mismatch Day, Tues. is Pajama Day, Wed. is Sports Day, Thurs. is Hawaii Day and Fri. is Spirit Day when students should dress in blue and gold. The Environmental Committee will be adopting 6 recycle bins and trashcans donated by the City of Santa Monica, which will be placed around the campus.
AAPSSSG President Barry Snell invited all to attend their meetings, which are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month. At the next meeting, the agenda for the year will be discussed. They are also participating in a district book club on the 2nd Thursday of each month, open to all parents and students and held at the district offices.
Esperanza Caballero, representing SOL/BAC, spoke about a program held Oct 4 for Spanish speaking parents and students that provided information about colleges and universities. On Oct. 11, an event was held for all students and their parents who have a GPA of less than 2.0. They want to help all students who are not meeting the 2.0 GPA and the meetings are open to all and will continue during the year.
There was no Site Governance Report.
Linda Gross, President of the Santa Monica Malibu Education Foundation, stated one of their goals this year is to improve communication. Debbie Mulvaney is the representative for Samohi. The foundation provides district wide financial support.
The minutes from the September Association meeting were pre-approved by committee.
Treasurer, Chris Thornton, reported that funds have been received from the Direct Donation Drive and from donations made with membership fees. The current balance is $92,112.57. Disbursements are being given to the teachers who have submitted their requests. Chris added that she is expecting to receive more donations. The Treasurer's Report has been filed.
Inese Verzemnieks spoke about Red Ribbon Week. Messages have been given to our children in the form of some printouts requesting that they stay drug free. We must do what ever is possible to prevent substance abuse. Submissions for "Reflections" are due November 3.
We want to send a big Thank You to Chris Thornton and Lynn Naliboff who were co-chairs for the College Fair held last month.
This evening the program will be "What High School Parents and Students Need To Know About Applying to College."
Ada Hollie and Clara Beard of the Futures Center are the college counselors and Joyce Smith is the PTSA College Center Liaison. They were part of a panel of speakers that included Val Glick, Sharon Hall Johnson, Suzi Mitchell, and Diana Hanson - parents who have already experienced college admissions with their students who have graduated from high school and also have some expertise re information about college athletics, financial aid and loans and grants.
The Futures Center is located in the Admissions Building and is open 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM. Students should make appointments to speak with a College Advisor. Seniors should be finalizing their college lists and taking their admission tests. The December test dates are the last ones that can be used for admissions for next fall. The applications for the University of California and the Cal Statue University System are available in their office and must be filed November 1 – November 31. The schools like the applications to be completed and submitted on-line. Although priority filing is Oct.1-November 3, some schools will read applications later if they have openings. There are so many schools to choose from. Brag sheets must be handed in the Futures Office by October 1. Students can file for Cal Grant money if the Social Security number is known. Seniors should be taking the SAT and SAT II tests. Some private schools have deadlines for applications in November for student's secondary school reports. The College/Futures Center, counselors/advisors and two teachers prepare letters for seniors to submit to colleges. The College/Futures Center also completes and forwards any reports that are required by the colleges. The UC system accepts the top 12% of the senior class, the CSU system accepts 33% and the community colleges accept high school graduates and those students over 18. This year the UC system has added three short essay questions to the application. Next year, the applications for the UC system will only be available on-line and there will be a fine arts requirement. Both the UC and CSU systems require some semesters of art classes. In 2006 the required art classes must be in the same area of art (visual or performing) and for a whole year, usually in the Freshman or Sophomore year. The Futures Center announces the dates for the SAT II and ACT tests and the students must register themselves.
Over 100 college speakers come to our campus to speak about their school. The list of the speaker's appearances is posted at the Future Center along with sign up sheets and then call-up sheets for the specific events. This schedule is also posted online on the Samohi website. There will be some application workshops coming soon. The workshop for Cal State is on Oct. 27 and the workshop for UCLA will be Oct. 28. There will also be workshops on financial aid, presented by the College/Future Center, on Jan. 14 and Feb. 24 at 7PM in the Library. The FAFSA should be considered mandatory and the priority filing date for FAFSA is Jan. 1 – Feb. 4. Funds are given on a first come, first serve basis and are available through FAFSA, Cal Grants, scholarships and fellowships. The teachers who have senior English classes provide assistance with the senior essays. There will be a College Financial Planning presentation Oct. 28 at 7PM in the Cafeteria. A representative from Santa Monica College will be the Future Center each Tuesday 12 noon to 1:15 and will talk to students in the English classes. A representative from Cal State Dominguez Hills will be on campus every other Wednesday.
If students have problems with the on-line college applications, they should come to the College/Future Center. Decisions must be made for "Early Decision" applications and requesting for financial aid from the specific colleges. There may not be any leeway if an acceptance is made from an "Early Decision" application. This means if you apply early and are accepted you will decide to go to that school, no matter what the cost is. Each school has different admission practices. It is a good idea to talk to a counselor or financial aid officer at the individual school. The decisions on merit based scholarships may be earlier than the notices from the financial aid applications.
At Samohi the Grade Point Averages are not weighted. Students should go over this aspect with their advisor/college counselor. The admissions office of the college looks at each student within the context of their own school. Looking at the freshman profile on a college website of a school can provide an idea of what may be required from this year's applicants. Each student must learn to market him/herself by contacting the school and possibly the department of the school the student would like to apply to. If this student is planning on studying art or music at a conservatory, the school may require a portfolio or an audition. The essay is the student's voice in the application process.
The application for a merit scholarship may be due in November but not awarded until the following Spring. Even if a student applies under early consideration for a scholarship, he/she may be advised to apply for financial aid at the college, to be used if the scholarship is not granted. Parents are encouraged to look at the school web-sites and look up pertinent deadline dates and make their child aware of important dates. You can do a college search, check for scholarships and get the college application at the same time.
Juniors should take the SAT in the spring and also the following Nov. Many colleges will take the best Math and the best English score of the individual, but the UC system takes the highest score at one sitting. Students take three SAT II tests. The UC system requires one in math, one in writing and one of the student's choice. The SAT II should be taken as soon as the student completes a relevant course.
Val Glick mentioned that the student athlete should complete the NCAA form. This may be helpful even if the student is a walk-on athlete rather than an athletic scholarship student. If the form has not been filled out the student may not be able to be part of the team. There is a $30 fee for this form.
Students start applying for scholarships in the 12th grade, but should start searching for information on the scholarships in the 11th grade. A magazine issue that is recommended to help in the college selection process is the "U.S. News Best Colleges" that is printed each September. All available copies are purchased quickly. A second book that is recommended is "Winning Scholarships for Colleges" by Ragins. Students must compose a brag sheet. Parents and students can start a brag folder in the 9th grade. To keep up on deadlines and test dates students should listen to announcements on the P.A. system, look for postings weekly at the College/Future Center and any bulletins that are handed out. Private colleges have lots of money to give to students. Students are picked based on interests and what individuals the college wants. Loans are considered financial aid.
There are two types of student loans, subsidized and unsubsidized. Students start repaying subsidized loans six months after the education has been completed. For unsubsidized loans (plus loans), the parents pay the loan interest while the student is in school and the repayment of balance commences after the student has started to earn money. Any student who may possibly play a sport in college should complete the NCAA form. There is a college code that should be entered on the NCAA form for the SAT/ACT results. The code is an indicator that sends the test results to the specific schools. There are financial aid services that parents can pay for to receive help in finding out about the aid.
Students taking AP classes should consider these classes as a challenge. The results will prove their interest and ability in taking the classes. Students should not take an AP class to lessen their time in college. In some private colleges, only one AP course is accepted as college credit. Sometimes the college credit is only applied if the student receives a "5" as a grade and the course cannot be in the chosen major. The student will often take the course again in college. Although most students stay in college four years before graduation, many times it takes five years to graduate. Students must plan their course schedules carefully, stay focused on their goal and take as many early AM classes as possible to graduate in four years. It is very difficult to pick a "safety school"; the school that is the most likely, is the best bet now.
There is a fee to process the CSS form used to apply to private colleges. Students should check the deadline for this form.
It is very important to contact the colleges the student is interested in applying to. They should write to the school and visit the school. Some schools keep track of the number of contacts each prospective student makes with the school.
Some students take courses at Santa Monica College and if they do well in these classes they can complete their four-year degree at a good UC school. There is a state mandate that the UC schools must take community college transfers as a priority. It may be better for minority students to go directly to a four-year college because the transfer rate for Caucasian students is higher.
Students should visit the colleges they are planning to apply to and/or meet with the college representatives that come to Samohi and meet with some of the college's alumni that live in the area. The College Center will help students make contact with these schools and act as an advocate.
Co-President Cheri Orgel thanked all members of the panel who contributed the information.
Dr. Ilene Straus encouraged students to make contact with Samohi Alum who are currently attending or went to the college the student is applying to. The Senior English teachers help students with their essay used for the applications. She continued with the Principal's Report. We are six weeks into the small learning community. We have come far and still have dreams to attain, such as knowing the students better and improving achievement. Samohi has received $500,000 from the US Department of Education for intervention and training for the teachers for the small learning community. Current 9th graders are required to complete three years of math. This year the administration will look at the language requirement.
Barry Snell, president of AAPSSSG, reported that the Parent/Advocates held a Saturday meeting with parents and spent some of the time explaining Pinnacle – online access to study grades and coursework. It is suggested that the whole family know the special code to access Pinnacle. They can check information for the students and parents. Pinnacle can tell what the assignments are and when they are due and then if they have been turned in. The instructions to use Pinnacle will be in the next Viking Voice. A "Z" code means the assignment is missing. If teachers do not have the grades/information on Pinnacle the parent can contact the teacher, then the house principal. The house principal is responsible for the teachers and some of the new teachers need assistance with Pinnacle. Grades for this period are due on Friday.
The school web-site is being upgraded. The school is working on providing an e-mail list for each house and each grade.
We must have safe pep rallies. The Homecoming pep rally will be a try-out. We will see how it works and then will determine if we can hold pep rallies in the future. Students will not be seated by class at the pep rally, which will be held at the end of the day. There may be a double period 6 to cover the class and the pep rally. Leadership will go to classes to explain the issues and what behavior is expected at the pep rally.
There will be an early release on Wednesday, November 19 instead of a late start. Linda Darling Hammond will be speaking at the school that day. She is considered an expert in small learning communities.
There are 25 new picnic tables and 10 benches that the PTSA paid for and will be put up all over the campus on Beautification Day.
Tutoring is available for struggling students. A retired actuary is providing free math tutoring afterschool in H-100.
The Bathrooms have been cleaned and are fully stocked in the morning. During the day the house principals are checking the bathrooms. We are trying to make them better. There was a graffiti problem and police charges were brought on the student involved. There was a clean up and a monetary fine.
The students need new activities at the pep rallies. Dr. Straus will speak to the teachers about this in the following week.
The next meeting will be November 18.
The meeting was adjourned at 9PM.
Respectfully submitted by
Helene Phipps
Co-recording Secretary