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Parent Advisory Board Newsletter
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The mission of this newsletter is to provide communication among the parents of Palo Alto Preparatory students.
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What's Coming Up This Month
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August 22
Orientation BBQ
[4pm- 5:30pm]
August 23
First Day of School
[Dismissal at 1pm]
August 24
BASI Testing (All Students)
[Dismissal at 1pm]
August 25
All School Ropes Course (All Students)
[Dismissal at 4pm]
August 28
First Full Day of Classes
[ Dismissal at 3:15pm]
September 4
Labor Day
[ NO SCHOOL]
September 7
All School Kayaking Trip
[8am- 3pm]
September 14
Back to School Parent Night
[6:30pm- 8:30pm]
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Hope you all had a fun, relaxing summer full of family, friends, fun adventures and laughter!
We have sure been busy around here at PAP with Summer School, multiple weekend field trips and welcoming in 3 new PAP staff to the family! Jose Costa, who will be teaching Mathematics, Hanza Mathew, who will be teaching Science, and April Czerepak, who will be teaching English 9/10!
Please help us give them a nice, warm welcome to our community, they are awesome!!!
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A Huge Welcome to Our New Students!
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Annel Arguello: 9th grader from San Jose
Jackson Burnett: 9th grader from Menlo Park
John Burton: 9th grader from Palo Alto
Tyler Casper- Kozak: 10th grader from San Jose
Dante Ceragioli: 9th grader from Belmont
Kaila Crawford: 9th grader from Los Altos
Kevin Fitzgibbons: 10th grader from Morgan Hill
Eli Jarivs: 10th grader from Los Altos
Daniel Killoran: 12th grader from San Mateo
Alex Londgren: 11th grader from San Mateo
Bailey Moran: 10th grader from San Jose
Jenna Nativ: 10th grader from Palo Alto
Sophia O'Rourke: 10th grader from San Mateo
Nessie Quaid: 11th grader from San Jose
Cristian Salas: 8th grader from Sunnyvale
Anton Saydakov: 11th grader from Santa Clara
Jasmine Scandalis: 10th grader from Mountain View
Kylee Steiner: 9th grader from Los Gatos
Sarah Suker: 10th grader from San Jose
Kathryn Sutherland: 11th grader from San Jose
Harrison Webster: 8th grader from Los Altos
William Wood: 9th grader from Cupertino
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April Czerepak: English 9/10
April is a Florida native who just moved to the Bay Area in June 2017. She has been teaching high school English for the past 7 years in Florida. She has 4 dogs and loves everything outdoorsy.
Jose Costa: Mathematics
With 15 years of teaching math under his belt, Jose is excited to start a new adventure with us at Palo Alto Prep. He is a very dedicated teacher who is looking forward to working with the PAP students.
Hanza Mathew: Science
Coming to us after teaching at St. Lawrence High School, Hanza is our new Science teacher! After growing up in India and receiving her Masters in Science at the University of Kerela, India, she decided to get her Teaching Credential at San Jose State and spent several years at the Stanford School of Medicine preforming bacterial research. We are so delighted to have her join us at PAP!
If you all have a minute, feel free to drop in to meet our new and amazing teachers!!
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Christopher Keck: Director
Lisa O'Hearn- Keck: Dean of Students
Dylan Rich: Vice Principal
Physics and Aviation
Matthew Madore: Director of Student Activities
Algebra I and Music
Andrew Fryer: Asst. Vice Principal
US History, World History, Government and Economics
James Donald: Educational Specialist
Study Skills and Digital Photography
Julia Airapetyan: Spanish
Joe Cannon: Resource Specialist
Sign Language, Writer's Voice and Study
Brittney Kaniecki: Administrative Assistant
Psychology
Hanza Mathew: Science
Christopher Howard: English 11/12
April Czerepak: English 9/10 and Yearbook
Jose Costa: Geometry, Algebra II/Trig and Statistics
Tiffany Seagrave: Art and Study
Lisa DiMarino: School Therapist
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What to Expect the First Week of School
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Besides making new friends, meeting our new staff, settling in to your new classes, getting all new school supplies, suffering from major "Summer-itis" and having TONS of fun being back at school :)... here's what you can expect:
August 22nd- School wide Orientation BBQ from 4pm to 5:30pm. All students and parents are invited. Strongly reccommended that all new families attend to meet the PAP staff, introduce yourself to fellow PAP families and learn a bit more about what PAP is all about.
August 23rd-
First Day of School. There will be an all school assembly in the Multi- Purpose Room so all staff can introduce themselves, pass out student schedules, and discuss all expectations of both students and staff. Dismissal is at 1pm.
August 24th-
BASI Testing. Required that all students be here, even seniors. Make- ups will be required for any absences.
August 25th-
All School Ropes Course held at Jones Gulch up in La Honda. Students are required to be at school by 8am and will be back by 4pm.
August 28th- First Full Day of Classes. Students will be attending their first full day of school from 9am- 3:15pm. Each class is 55 minutes with one 15 minute break, an hour off campus lunch where they have the option to leave campus to get food as long as they are back by the start of the next class and a 10 minute homeroom at the very end of the day.
Here is the daily schedule:
Monday- Thursday:
1st Period: 9:00-9:55
2nd Period: 10:00-10:55
Break: 10:55-11:10
3rd Period: 11:10-12:05
Lunch: 12:05-1:05
4th Period: 1:05-2:00
5th Period: 2:05-3:00
Homeroom: 3:05-3:15
Tutorial: 3:15-4:00
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Aeries is our online grading and attendance taking system that allows us to stay connected with our parents on a daily basis. On any given day a parent can check their child's attendance, see their grades, check that they made it to class, get teacher contact info and so much more. At PAP, teachers take great pride in the fact that all grades are complete and updated every Wednesday morning by 9am. This means that every Wednesday at 9am, a parent will have access to a 100% accurate semester report card for their student (unless they child turned in late work, that teacher has until the following Wednesday to get caught up on that grading).
Each parent should have an Aeries login that allows them to benefit from all the services Aeries has to offer. If you do not yet have a login, or are having trouble, please contact Matthew Madore at [email protected]
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Excerpt from Joe Cannon, who runs PRAXIS:
"Praxis is a semester-long self-directed group project that challenges students to step out of their comfort zones, pursue knowledge and skills independently, and broadly discover that they already have real, professional, adult skills.
Students are placed in groups of peers with a variety of abilities. Going beyond a simple report, they are tasked with imagining a project that "Makes Something or Serves Someone," working through and refining potential ideas until they have a strong direction. As they research, speak with professionals, and acquire resources, the aim of their project shifts to incorporate a combination of realism, ambition, and response to feedback.
Our students have written programs that control appliances remotely, built luxury dog houses, designed virtual reality games, conducted online businesses, and raised money for animal shelters. The season is capped with a presentation of their accomplishments to the whole school.
Through Praxis, students at Palo Alto Prep support each other, investigate the unknown, test the limits of their capabilities, and achieve things that defy the boundaries of a typical classroom."
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Excerpt from Mr. Fryer, who is the Senior Project organizer:
This course is designed to provide students the opportunity to demonstrate responsibility for their own learning by creating, developing, and presenting a Senior Project. Each project is a reflection of that student’s particular interests, talents and learning style. The student demonstrates their ability to research, write and produce a significant product, which includes an expository essay and oral presentation. The presentation will be evaluated by the school faculty. Senior Project is a requirement for graduation from Palo Alto Preparatory.
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Every Monday through Thursday from 3:15pm to 4pm, all teachers are available for one on one support for all students. It is up to the student to take advantage of this opportunity.
If any parent would prefer that their child be paired up with a specific teacher during this designated time to check-in or complete homework, please contact Dylan Rich at [email protected] to arrange this. Attendance will be taken by the teacher that is chosen so each parent will be able to monitor whether or not their child is attending office hours. No consequences will be enforced by Palo Alto Prep for a student not attending office hours.
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If a student has below a C- in any class, they will be required to stay after school on Friday from 1:30pm to 4pm to get all missing or low grade assignments completed/redone. Every Thursday parents will be notified if their child is required to attend Friday School. If a student fails to attend Friday School for any reason or if they get kicked out for any reason, they will have to complete 5 hours of community service due 10 days after their designated Friday School date. If community service isn't completed by the due date, the student will be suspended until all hours are complete and documented.
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- ASB (Associated Student Body): You want to get involved at PAP? You want to help plan fun events? You want to show your school spirit and make a difference around campus? Come join Brittney and Tiffany every Tuesday during lunch time to make all those aspirations a reality!
- D&D (Dungeons and Dragons): Run by Joe Cannon. This is one of our most popular activities around school! With meetings every Tuesday and Wednesday during lunch, there is always plenty of time to get lost into the world of D&D! Come join Joe to try it out, you won't regret it!
- Movie Club: Join Mr. Fryer during lunch to enjoy your meal and watch a movie presented in Mr. Fryer's classroom!
--> Clubs can be created at any time! If students have any fun, cool, and innovative ideas for a new club, talk to your teachers and make it happen!!!
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Girls Group is a monthly lunch meeting run by our school therapist, Lisa DiMarino, where all PAP girls are welcome to come spend time with their peers, share their experiences, seek advice from fell PAP girls and Lisa D., meet new friends and eat pizza!
First meeting is TBA!
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When: July 14th- 16th
Who: Matt, James, Brittney and 13 PAP students
What: Matt, James and Brittney took 13 students to Old Mountain Camp in North Shore Lake Tahoe for a weekend full of swimming in the Lake, hiking through Emerald Bay, playing "Battlefront" on the Xbox and enjoying LOTS of Mac n' Cheese :)
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When: July 28th- 30th
Where: American River
Who: Matt, Dylan, Brittney and 14 PAP Students
What: Matt, Dylan and Brittney took 14 PAP students to Mother Lode Rafting Center in Coloma for a weekend full of camping next to the American River, enjoying the delicious food prepared by the Mother Lode staff and rafting 22 miles down the American River. An adventure that took from 10am to 5pm, everyone had so much fun!!!
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Follow Us on Facebook and Instagram!
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Palo Alto Prep now has an official Facebook page and Instagram. Please follow us! If any parent has something fun, cool and interesting to share about their child, feel free to use #paloaltoprepschool to add it to the page!
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When shopping on Amazon, we'd really appreciate it if you would use this link when shopping. It will provide Palo Alto Prep with donations at no additional cost to you!
Be sure to designate "In Your Hands, DBA Palo Alto Preparatory School" during check out
Good news!! "In Your Hands, Inc."(DBA Palo Alto Prep), is now eligible for Matching Funds on
benevity.com so Apple employees can match funds as well as other companies that use the service for matching funds.
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Palo Alto Preparatory offers a free monthly support group! This group is open to all parents of adolescents/young adults who a) have their child currently in an out-of-home treatment program (such as a Wilderness Program, Therapeutic Boarding School or Residential Treatment) and b) parents who have had their child in a residential program and their child has graduated/completed the program and has transitioned home successfully.
Many parents have told us about feeling quite alone in this process and would love to have a place to talk about their experience, gain continued skills, knowledge and support! Thus, we provide this free group, to help families continue to thrive! There is a large community of parents who have gone through this very difficult and trying time and we believe, the more support you have, the better.
This group meets on a monthly basis.
Next meeting:
September 13, 2017 (6:30pm-8pm)
Palo Alto Prep School
2462 Wyandotte St.
Mountain View, CA 94043
in the back of school in the Multi- Purpose Room
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All of these organizations below present monthly seminars, which may be of interest to you. Please click on the below links to learn more!
Thanks :)
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