Welcome Parent of ALumni...PALs! Whether your children attended Woodside High School recently or several years ago, you are always part of the Wildcat community! Our newly organized PAL program helps parents reconnect with old friends and stay informed with what's happening at Woodside.
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WHS is Buzzing with Students Again! |
About 30% of WHS students opted-in to return to campus part-time, and they've been safely learning on campus since April.
Our hard-working teachers are teaching from the classroom to both the students in the room and at home through zoom. Some classrooms have swivel cameras that follow the teachers as they teach. At Woodside, the kids in the classroom are called "Roomers" and the kids at home learning on zoom are called "Zoomers".
Wildcat sports are also back! Several hundred students are on campus each afternoon for games and practices - with enhanced safety measures.
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Principal Burbank is Retiring |
I'm retiring at the end of this school year! I've been WHS's principal for nine years (Wildcats have just nine lives!), and I've loved it. I've enjoyed, and tried to make the most of, the privilege of leading our Woodside staff, community, and students.
As an educator for 38 years, what I've embraced is the pace and the rock-n-roll of student life on a large public high school campus. Helping teens navigate their learning, their changing lives, and the changing world has been my career's work as a teacher of English, activity director, coach, and administrator.
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Prior to WHS, I was a four-year principal at Prospect High School in Saratoga. Before that, I was a five-year principal at Aptos High in Santa Cruz County. I've loved being a principal, particularly at Woodside where the tradition of stakeholder input and the appreciation of student voice has supported a campus culture that tries to get things right not just to be right. I have confidence in the current and incoming district leadership to select your next principal.
Let me ROAR to all of you one last time.... "Go WILDCATS!"
Diane Burbank
dburbank@seq.org
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WHS Class of 2021 students were accepted to over 185 colleges. |
"Despite the pandemic's challenges, Woodside seniors are having a great year with college admissions. Many were anxious about how a binary grade of "pass" might affect their applications, however we have not seen a significant negative impact on acceptances. Additionally, test-optional or test-blind admissions practices have enabled more access, especially for our first-generation students."

-Zorina Matavulj, WHS College Advisor
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Wilbur in our updated quad.
This fall, with students not on campus, the WHS quad was updated with decking for more seating area and less mud, lush landscaping protected with railing to direct walking flow and provide leaning spots, new canopy trees for added shade, and additional outlets for the sound system and charging.
Also, thanks to the Athletic Boosters, the baseball field was remodeled; the entire infield and pitching mound were replaced, new backdrop netting was added, and the backstop and shed were improved.
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VIRTUAL LIVE AUCTION
TUESDAY, MAY 4
7-8 PM
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You are invited to Woodside High School's Virtual Auction. This is an important fundraiser supporting all WHS students through class size reduction, enhanced electives, college and career services, counseling, and more.
There are several ways to participate; the virtual live auction, the online auction, or by making a donation to this year's fund-a-need (details in the next article).
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POWERING WHAT'S NEXT
Fund-A-Need.....Classroom Technology
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As we look forward to a full return to in-person learning in August, let’s ensure that our classrooms are not only full of students but also the technology they need for enriched learning opportunities! |
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"Make your parting gift to me a gift to this fund-a-need because I'm going to spend every cent of it before I leave to make sure that your generosity is true to my ask!" -Principal Burbank |
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WHS is committed to ensuring a level playing field for our students. When the pandemic hit, and we moved to distance learning, we distributed Chromebooks to students who lacked access to technology. To help bridge the equity gap, these students will keep their assigned Chromebooks to continue to have computer and internet access for homework. As students return to campus, we’ll need to refill the Chromebook carts to ensure that there are available classroom devices. |
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This year’s Fund-A-Need will also facilitate the upgrading of two computer labs where aging desktops can no longer run the latest software and add microphones and speakers to classrooms where white noise from the air filtration equipment can make the teachers hard to hear. |
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Our chromebook carts are depleted |
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Help Us Grow Our Alumni Organization |
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Calling all alumni....like your children! Please encourage them to register on our newly-organized alumni community website to stay connected with their class and WHS. Benefits of joining include networking with WHS alumni, notifications of class reunions, and the WHS Alumni newsletter twice a year.
http://www.woodsidealumni.org/
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This twice-yearly newsletter is coordinated by volunteers with the Woodside High School Foundation. Subscribe to the PAL Newsletter.

The Woodside High School Foundation is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to raise funds to close the gap between public funding and the cost of a high-quality education.
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