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/ The Contact /

Terra Linda High School Parent Newsletter

January – March 2008

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About The Contact Welcome to the January 2008 issue of The Contact, TL’s parent newsletter. The Contact is published four times a year and includes a variety of information on events of interest to Terra Linda High School parents and families. If you have an item or event you’d like to see in the next issue of The Contact, email it to Alfia Wallace at

Contents

Coffee (and Milk) with the Principalp. 1

Calendarp. 2

College, Career, Counseling, Volunteeringp. 3-5

Free Tutoring Availablep. 6

Drama on Campusp. 7

TLHS Home & School Clubp. 8-9

Booster Group News p. 10

FUNdraising Event sign-ups p. 11-14

Thank You!P. 15

Coffee (and milk) with the Principal

In an effort to keep parents and community members informed of current issues and happenings at Terra Linda High School, Principal Lars Christensen has scheduled a monthly Principal’s gathering for interested members of our school community. The meetings will be held the second Thursday of every month, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in our Counseling Center Conference room. Coffee (and milk for the non coffee drinking Principal) will be served. Please join us for what we hope will be informative and spirited conversation.

Upcoming Principal’s Coffee & Milk dates:

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January 10, 2008

February 14, 2008

March 13, 2008

April 17, 2008

May 15, 2008

June 12, 2008

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Mark Your Calendars

See The Contact or office for time and locations details. Events with dates TBD are not listed here.

January

1/9: Athletic Boosters meeting, 6 – 7:30 pm, TL Faculty Lounge

1/10: Coffee & Milk with the Principal

1/15: Reservations for Mom’s Night Out due

1/16: PSAT Night

1/17: Walker Creek Counselor Info. Lunch; ASVAB

1/18 – 1/19: Drama Production- Neil Simon’s Rumors

1/21: MLK Jr. Day (no school)

1/22: Academic Excellence- Meet the Performing Arts Dept.

1/25: Job Shadow events begin

1/26: SAT; Mock Trial County Competition at Marin Civic Center

1/30: Mom’s Night Out!; Crab Feed reservations due

February

2/1: Spring Internship applications due; Cheerleader Spirit Explosion

2/2: Mock Trial County Competition at Marin Civic Center

2/6: Home & School Club meeting

2/9Athletic Boosters meeting, 6 – 7:30 pm, TL Faculty Lounge

2/11 – 2/14: Walker Creek (counselors needed)

2/13: Athletic Boosters meeting, 6 – 7:30 pm, TL Faculty Lounge

2/18 – 2/22: Mid-Winter Break (no school)

2/14: Coffee & Milk with the Principal

2/25: Spring Internship program begins (6 weeks)

2/26: Academic Excellence- Meet the Foreign Language Dept. ; Marin County Sheriff’s Youth Academy begins

2/28: Staff Development Day (no school)

March

3/1: Denim & Diamonds Dinner, Dance & Auction

3/5: Home & School Club meeting

3/13: Coffee & Milk with the Principal

3/15: Pride Day (Volunteering)

3/17: Local Recess Day (no school)

3/19: Athletic Boosters meeting, 6 – 7:30 pm, TL Faculty Lounge

3/20 – 3/22: Drama Production- Once Upon a Mattress

3/25: Academic Excellence- Meet the Fine Arts Dept.

April

4/2: Home & School Club meeting

4/7 – 4/11: Spring Break (no school)

4/17: Coffee & Milk with the Principal

4/22: Academic Excellence- Meet the Applied Arts Dept.

4/26: Pride Day (Volunteering)

College and Career Center news

SAT and ACT test dates: 12/26 was the regular registration deadline for the SAT on 1/26/08. 1/4/08 is the regular registration deadline for the ACT on 2/9/08 Seniors and Parents - remember if you are applying for Financial Aid through FAFSA, NOW is the time to register for a pin number. You can get on line now to fill in information. Wed. Jan. 16th at 7PM is PSAT night for parents and students who took the test in October. Save the date, more information to follow. ASVAB - more information to come. Test date January 17, 2008.

It's SCHOLARSHIP TIME!! Feel free to go to: .ath.cx which is the link to the scholarships that come to the CCC. OR, come check out the scholarship drawer when you come back to school. We hope to be updating our scholarships every other week. Once we do, you will see them at .ath.cx We will continue to announce scholarships in the daily bulletins as well so please check on line if you don't hear the bulletin in class.

WALKER CREEK IS COMING: Schools attending - Venetia Valley, Glenwood and Sun Valley - 2/11-2/14 Counselor packets will be available in the CCC after break. No freshman may apply. Please leave ample time to get the entire packet filled out correctly. Organizational meeting - Jan. 17th at lunch in the CCC . ROP Early Childhood Education Class will be starting Jan. 10 at San Rafael High. For registration call the ROP office at 499-5860 Please see attachment for School to Career Spring 2008 Events and Internship Information. Call Millie at 492-3183 with any questions.

Terra Linda Counseling News

PSAT RESULTS & EXPLANATION NIGHT:Wednesday, January 16 at 7pm in the Library Students and parents are welcome. PSAT results will be handed back to those students who took the PSAT in October, along with an explanation.

Free After-School Tutoring Available! See page 6.

Choices Explorer Available Online for Your Kids TL has renewed its subscription to Choices Explorer through Bridges.com. This is provided as a service to all TL students and parents to help students connect their interests and aptitudes with possible college majors and career options.

SITE ID: 0010091

PASSWORD: Trojans

Please encourage your student to take advantage of this resource!

~TL Counselors

Matt Moore (A-F)mmoore@srcs. org, Eric Thompson (G-O)ethompson@srcs. org, Sue Gatlin (P-Z) sgatlin@srcs. org

VOLUNTEERING

Students who are interested in volunteering can find out about many opportunities at the College & Career Center. For more info contact Ellen White at .

TLHS Pride Days

We want to thank all of the students who volunteered for the fall, 2007 Pride Days! Also, thank you to the parents who volunteered. Special thanks to Nina Rush, our student representative and to Nancy Escobar, the Activities Director. A thank you is extended to Ms. Schmitt, who organized students in groups for gardening and the removal of vegetation debris. We appreciate the support that Lars Christensen gives for the TLHS Pride Days. There were a record number of 143 students. More parents and other volunteer adults are invited. We respectfully ask foradults. The spring pride days should be March 15th, 2008 and April 26th, 2008.More information will be announced prior to these dates.If you have require more information, please call Maria Gregoriev at 492-1397 or send an email to

2008 Spring Semester Events

Spring Internship Program: The Spring Internship program provides an 8-week intensive career exploration opportunity requiring students to spend 6 hours per week on the worksite with a mentor. These internships are recommended for juniors and seniors. Elective academic credit is available.

February 1, 2008Applications due

February 25, 2008Internship Program Begins

April 25, 2008Internship Ends

Grammy in the Schools Career Day: This music industry career day heldat San Francisco State University is sponsored by the Grammy Foundation. Students are introduced to careers in all aspects of the music industry including performance, technical and creative production, business management and advertising. January 16, 2008

Job Shadow Events: From late January through February, a series of student job shadow events will be held. The focus is on middle school students who are hosted as job shadows in a wide range of businesses and organizations - from County of Marin offices to hotels, to dental offices. Students spend the morning watching and learning about occupations that might possibly interest them in the future. They also begin to make connections between their studies and the skills needed in the workplace. Jan. 25 through Feb. 23, 2008

Buck Institute Job Shadow Day for High School Students: This event provides high school students a valuable opportunity to see inside this unique research facility. Summer internships are available at the Institute. To be determined

Youth Health Forum: Students interested in the healthcare professions learn about possible career paths and opportunities at presentations by doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, and participate in a behind-the-scenes tour of various hospital units. Attending this event is a prerequisite to a hospital-based internship.

March 2008 TBD Kaiser Permanente

March 2008 TBDMarin General Hospital

Marin County Sheriff’s Youth Academy:The youth academy provides hands-on-training to Marin high school students to promote an interest in law enforcement as a future career. The Academy combines hands on learning with classroom participation during the Spring Internship program February 26-April 24th 2008 (Tues and Thurs 4-6 p.m.)

Emergency Preparedness Training: Through Teen CERT (Community Emergency Preparedness Training) Program, high school students can become certified members of the response teams at their schools and in their communities when a disaster or an emergency strikes. March TBD 2008

Cesar Chavez Day: Latino and Latina high school students are invited to a county-wide event sponsored by the Marin County Board of Supervisors and the Marin County Civic Center. Students join a roundtable discussion with Marin County Civic Center employees sharing life experiences and career paths. March TBD 2008

College of Marin Latino / Latina Awareness Day: Latino and Latina students are invited for an introduction to college, classes and careers. Students will tour the campus, student services and visit classes. March TBD 2008

Summer Internship Program: The Summer Internship program provides an 8-week intensive career exploration opportunity requiring students to spend 9 hours per week on the worksite with a mentor. Elective academic credit is available.

May 30, 2008Applications Due

June 16, 2008Summer Internship Program Begins

July 25, 2008Summer Internship Program Ends

Free Tutoring Programs

To enable our students do their best, Academic Excellence sponsors three free programs at TLHS for students who’d like some individualized instruction.

TEACHER TUTORING

Students simply need to show up at the designated classroom on the scheduled day to receive help from a Terra Linda teacher. Here’s the schedule:

DAYTIMESUBJECTROOMTEACHER

MON 3:15-4:15ENGLISHRm. 303 Ms. Behling

MON 3:15-4:15 SOCIAL STUDIESRm. 404 Ms. Pope-Garcia Rm. 410 Mr. Baker

TUE 3:35-4:35 MATHRm. 108 Ms. Halonen

WED 3:35-4:35SCIENCERm. 204 Mr. Collier

THU 3:15-4:15SPANISHRm. 403 Ms. Mendoza

PEER TUTORING

Our California Scholarship Federation students (honor society) offer tutoring, by appointment, to all students at Terra Linda. Students are strongly encouraged to seek out this service if they feel more comfortable working with their peers. This tutoring is a weekly commitment until the service is not needed. In order to sign up, interested students need to pick up a ‘Tutee Application’ form from their Counselor or from Ms. Halonen in Rm. 108, fill it out, and return it to Ms. Halonen. She also has a list of peer tutors available to work outside of school for elementary, middle and high school students. These tutors may charge a fee or do it for community service hours, as this is their free time.

AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING IN THE LIBRARY

It is taught by volunteer adult tutors who are experts in their fields: former HS teachers, college professors, PhDs, even MIT graduates. They can tutor every class of science, math, history, English or government and each one has passed the school district’s strict screening for adult volunteers. They come to the library as needed. To set up an appointment, students check in with Mr. John Gilluly, the librarian. He contacts the tutor and sets up the appointment.

• Please note that there have been a significant number of students that have not shown up for their scheduled appointments with peer and adult tutors. In order for us to be able to continue these valuable programs, we urge parents to stress to their students the importance of keeping the appointments or be responsible for notifying the tutors of cancellation.

Getting help early can often make the difference between an enjoyable high school learning experience and an unpleasant one. Stay in touch with your student and find out if they’re having trouble in a class. If so, please urge them to take advantage of these free programs. We want all students to succeed and we’re working to make success happen. Urge your student to take advantage of this free help.

Drama Department News

Now Playing

On January 17th, 18th & 19th,2008 Terra Linda High School Drama Department Presents: Rumors by Neil Simon. Evening performances are 8:00 pm and Sat we will also have a matinee at 2:00 pm. All performances are $5.00, tickets are sold in advance in the student store or can be purchased at the ticket booth 30 minutes prior to the performances. General seating in the TLHS Performance Hall. Tickets are available for purchase now.

Synopsis: Four couples gather to celebrate a tenth wedding anniversary of their best friends only to discover an attempted suicide - or is it? A missing wife, missing cook, a damaged car, whip lash, a reoccurring back spasm, and rumors galore add to the comedic mayhem and nobody can remember who has been told what about whom.

Upcoming this Spring

Once Upon a Mattress - Spring Musical

March 20, 21, 22

8 pm New Theatre

This musical is a delightful comedy adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Queen Agravain, has declared that her son, the Prince, will wed only a true princess of royal blood. When Princess Winnifred arrives dripping wet (having swum the moat!) and declares herself a contender for the Prince's hand, the Queen devises a clever test to determine whether this self-proclaimed princess is worthy of her son.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

May 15, 16, 17

8 pm Studio Theatre

When a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.

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(meets the first Wednesday of each month in the library at 6:30pm)

Terra Linda Home & School Club and OneTL Merge

Terra Linda High is very fortunate to have so many parents involved in our school. We have many parent groups; OneTL, Home and School, Athletic Boosters, Academic Excellence, Music Boosters, Scholarship Foundation and Safe and Sober Grad Night. For the past several years, OneTL has been the umbrella organization for the booster groups. However, there has been some confusion as to the understanding of OneTL and its redundancy. We also find that most parents coming into high school are familiar with Home and School and its functions. With this in mind, the OneTL board has agreed to merge with the Home and School Club.

This merger will streamline our parent groups to run more efficiently. We will have one less board to fill, one less insurance policy to carry and one less meeting a month. Home and School will become the umbrella organization for the booster groups. Home and School will expand its board to include the Booster reps, OneTL treasurer and a corresponding secretary.

OneTL will still exist as the name for our annual fund campaign and our annual auction. Your donations to OneTL will continue to be distributed to all of our booster groups. There will no longer be OneTL meetings on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The new Home and School board will keep its regular meeting schedule of the 1st Wednesday of each month. The next Home and School Club meeting is Feb 6, Wednesday, at 6:30pm in the Library. There is NO meeting in January. Thank you for your continued support for Terra Linda High Home and School Club and the Booster Groups.

Valerie Green

Home and School President

Escrip

Currently we have 620 people who are signed up for escrip. If you think that your account is registered at another school and you would like to change it call Ellen Davenport at 479-6806 or email her at .

So far this year we have collected 20,340 through September. United market is separate. If you need a United card have your student pick one up in the TL office.

Please make sure that you look at your account as some of your credit cards might have expired. To do this go to request a password and update your cards.

Don't forget to add your Macy's card as they donate quite a lot of money.

Please make sure you are registered at TL (136556308). Thanks for your support!

Have you sent in your check to OneTL annual fund? Your donations pay for:

  • Athletic Boosters: track and field equipment for our new” state of the art” track, helmets for football players, funds for each athletic team at Terra Linda High
  • Academic Excellence: Mock Trial, Model U.N., Tutors in the Library after school
  • Scholarship Foundation: scholarships for graduating seniors
  • Home and School Club: hospitality for our dedicated teachers, resources for our library, campus beautification
  • Music Boosters: gowns for music presentations, lots and lots of sheet music
  • Safe and Sober Grad night: a safe place for our graduating seniors to celebrate their very special evening

These are just a few examples of where the funds are distributed. Everything raised is directed to our booster groups for our students. Thank you to Kate Martin for volunteering her time to send out thank you notes. Please send in your contribution today!Please return to TL Office Attn: OneTL or mail to: Terra Linda HS, 320 Nova Albion Way, San Rafael, CA 94903 Attn.: OneTL

One TL Annual Fund Donation Form

GREAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU GET INVOLVED!

Parent or Guardian Name(s)______