Dear Parents/Guardians,

As you prepare for the holiday season, I hope you will take the time to cherish the moments of the season with your teenagers, family and friends. Although this season may be hectic in that we plan many activities in a single day, or we travel and are tired by the time we reach our destination, please take the time to communicate with your teenager. By staying in touch and in tune with what your teen is feeling and experiencing, you will be certain to be an integral part of his/her social development and education. Your teenager needs to be nurtured and developed so as to gain the discipline, planning, practice, and reflection needed to grow into a confident and responsible adult.

Your teenager should have the opportunity to reflect and discuss each experience. Allowing your teen to share feelings and opinions, demonstrates respect and caring. Other forms of self-expression include journals, poems, collages, photos, paintings, and drama. Reflection replenishes energies, opens minds, and builds optimism. In our busy, stressed and hectic lives, the art of reflection is a welcome skill to teach your teenager.

A teenagers’ ability to reflect on and relate their learning to their lives increases their self-confidence, hope and motivation. When they have a sense of belonging, it increases their ability to participate in their education. As your family prepares for the wonder and excitement of preparing for a new year, keep in mind the following quote by Amelia Earhart, “The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one’s appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship.”

May the holiday season bring joy, happiness, love, and health to you and your family.  We, at Evergreen Valley High School, look forward to the new year and hope one of your new year’s resolutions will be to join your son or daughter in a school activity.

Happy Holidays,

Ana Lomas, Ed.D.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you prepare for your day of Thanksgiving, I hope you will take the time to cherish the moments of the season with your children, family, and friends. Although this season may be hectic in that we plan many activities in a single day, or we travel and are tired by the time we reach our destination, please take the time to communicate with your teenagers. By staying in touch and in tune with what your teenagers are feeling and experiencing, you will be certain to be an integral part of their social development and education. Your teens need to be nurtured and developed so as to gain the discipline, planning, practice, and reflection needed to grow into confident and responsible adults.

Your teenagers should have the opportunity to reflect and discuss each experience. Allowing them to share feelings and opinions, demonstrates respect and caring. Other forms of self-expression include journals, poems, collages, photos, paintings, and drama. Reflection replenishes energy, opens minds, and helps build optimism. In our busy, stressed and hectic lives, the art of reflection is a welcomed skill to teach your children.

Following are some suggestions that will also help you teach your teenagers how to make healthy choices that will make a difference in their lives:

·       Encourage your teenagers to use good manners. They will feel more at ease in social situations.

·       Speak positively about your teenagers whenever there is a chance they will overhear. Children tend to live up to their parents’ expectations.

·       Help others who have a need, and invite your children to join you. You could volunteer at a food kitchen or visit the elderly at a rest home. Your teens will learn how to direct their energies into positive outlets.

Our students’ abilities to reflect on and relate their learning to their lives increases their self-confidence, hope and motivation. When students have a sense of belonging, it increases their ability to participate in their education. As your family prepares for the Thanksgiving holiday, please keep in mind the following quote by Amelia Earhart, “The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one’s appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship.”

May this season of Thanksgiving bring joy, happiness, love and health to you and your children. During the holidays, please take the time to communicate with and to enjoy your teenager. We, at Evergreen Valley, look forward to working with you towards the lifelong success of your teenager.

Sincerely,

Ana Lomas, Ed. D.

As we fly towards the end of the 2011-2012 school year, I find myself reflecting on the experiences I have had this year as principal of Evergreen Valley High School. Many of the most memorable experiences are those where we have come together as a community (parents and staff) and in so doing, we have made a difference in the lives of our students. I’m sure many of you as parents and community members have come to realize what we as educators know: Being involved in the education of students, we not only touch the future, we shape the future.

To the families of the students in the Class of 2012, as they anxiously wait for the “walk across the stage” into adulthood, I offer a special thank you. By being a parent, guardian, relative, mentor, teacher, advisor, and/or friend to our seniors, you have shaped the future. Your time, effort, patience, and pain are greatly appreciated by our staff and surely by that special senior you cheer for as he/she walks across the stage on Friday, May 25, 2012 at the Expo Center at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

For our future freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, remind them that they should have fun this summer because it is very easy to become overwhelmed by everything they have to do when school resumes on Tuesday, August 14^th.  Please share the following time-management tips with your teenager:

• Make a to-do list:Include homework assignments, chores, and athletic practice, etc. Estimate the time you will need for each task and see if they all fit into your daily schedule.
• Prioritize:Think about which items on your list are most important. Plan to tackle those items first.
• Pare down:If you can’t fit everything into your schedule, you will need to cut back somewhere. Instead of skimping on sleep, try to drop some activities. Ask yourself if you really need to be on a school committee or work more than 10 hours per week.
• Use waiting time wisely:Waiting for a ride after school? Pull out your homework. Got time before dinner? Get started on your chores. If you turn waiting time into work time, you will be surprised at how much more you can get finished.
• Take breaks:Life shouldn’t be all work. Make sure your schedule includes plenty of time for sleep, exercise and fun too!

Have a great summer vacation and finally to the future success of all of our students in the 2012-2013 school year, a notable quote from John F. Kennedy, “May your fears never hold you back from pursuing your hopes.”

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As our students begin the spring semester, please be reminded that the Evergreen Valley staff takes great pride in instructing and preparing our students for the challenges of life. In order to prepare students for life after high school we must work together. We, at EVHS, welcome parent involvement, questions, and support. To this end, one important element to guiding your teenager into, through, and beyond high school, is communication. To ensure that your teenager is a successful high school student, please continue to communicate with staff through email, SchoolLoop and individual conferences. Email addresses can be found on the school website.

The beginning of a semester is also a good time to look back and to plan ahead. Ask your son/daughter, what they learned. Ask about their goals for next semester and beyond. Help your teen make specific, step-by-stop plans for reaching them. Have your teenager do a personal evaluation for improvement. Your teenager doesn't have to wait for the progress report grades to grade himself/herself in the following areas:

·         Being on time to class

·         Coming to class prepared

·         Joining class discussions

·         Understanding lessons

·         Cooperating with other students

·         Turning in assignments, on time

If your teenager gives himself/herself a low grade on an item, he/she knows where to improve.

Finally, following are some ideas parents can use to help students do better in school from the "Helping Students Learn" newsletter of the Parent Institute:

·         Take a "college trip" to the library with your teen. Find interesting books about college

·         Ask your teenager  to show you how to find information on the internet

·         Help your teen develop abbreviations to use when taking notes. For example, w/stands for with

·         Practice setting priorities with your teenager. Make a list of things to do in a day.

Do the most essential tasks first

·         Ask your teen to estimate the tax on a purchase.

·         Help your teenager make a checklist of things to remember before coming home from school

·         Encourage your teen to use the internet to check on careers and colleges

·         While you're driving, challenge your teenager to point out driving rules he/she sees you following

·         Read a book your teenager is reading for English. Talk about it together

·         Have your teen sit with you while you pay the bills. Have your teen figure out how much money is left for other things

Parents are the key to a student's success in school. Laurence Steinberg, a leading national researcher on teens and families, found that teens do better in school when parents show up to school events, teacher conferences, sporting events, and other parent/student sponsored activities. When parents come to school events, students see that home and school are connected; they know parents care, so they try harder in class. We welcome parents with a variety of school organizations, committees, and activities. Our students' fourth grading period will end on Friday, February 10, 2012. Please take advantage of School Loop, our web site, and/or individual email (last name, first name initial @esuhsd.org) to communicate with teachers regarding the progress of your son or daughter. Working together will ensure that your son/daughter does well in all classes.

As you review the progress report with your teen, please note the following tips for parents offered by the Parent Institute newsletter, “Helping Students Learn”.

·         Don't panic or lose control. Either one may lead to worse grades in the future. If you're really upset, say, "Let's talk about this when I'm calm."

·         Look for strengths as well as weaknesses. Even a teen with a terrible report card must be doing something right.

·         Ask teachers for insights and advice. Maybe they've noticed that your teen skips class or has a learning problem. Brainstorm solutions together.

·         Have realistic expectations. Some parents believe that anything less than straight A's is a "bad report card". No student is perfect.

·         Involve your teen in planning. Exactly how will he/she improve? Does your teen need extra help after school (the following departments are offering teacher sponsored tutorials: Math, English, Foreign Language, and History); a new study routine? Set short and long term goals.

·         Stay informed. Talk about school often. Ask about grades, assignments and address problems after each progress report period.

In closing, a quote from Randall R. McBride, Jr., “Success will not lower its standard to us. We must raise our standard to success.”  Our Winter Break this year is February 20-24, 2012; have a wonderful winter break!