Santee Falcons SOAR! Principal's Update
February 09, 2020
Principal Ansley's Weekly Message
Dear Santee Family,

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always, remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” Unknown

This week was a great week for our Santee community. This weekend our families participated in University Day where Santee filled two busses of our families and students and attended a huge event at UCLA where they got to tour the university and got to hear from our educational leaders such as Tony Thurmond State Superintendent of Public Instruction of California.

Our school also hosted this year's Chat with the Local District. It was a wonderful event where families from all around our community came together to hear about our networks' success, goals and future changes.

And yes, we still have a lot more to celebrate from this week. Many of our students were also able to travel to Northern California to tour various colleges and we were so proud to have our very own alumni as the college tour guides at Stanford and other colleges!

Lastly, our students this week made us incredibly proud with our Academic Decathlon Team bringing home 6 medals in various categories such as Speech, Essay, and Interviews. As well as our TUPE students presenting videos they created on the dangers of smoking and our health students leading a workshop on healthy cooking and eating! 

Everything that occurred this week is a collective effort by our district, Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, school community and families.

Working Together, All Santee Falcons Will Soar !

If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to call our main office or email Principal Susana Ansley-Gutierrez at susana.gutierrez@lausd.net.
A) Santee Successes

1) Our Academic Decathlon team were awarded 6 medals in various categories such as speech, essay and interviews at the awards ceremony. Go Falcons!

2) Our TUPE students did a great job presenting the dangers of smoking!

3) We had close to 50 students attend our Northern California college trip where they were able to visit and learn about numerous Universities and received college tours from our very own alumni!

4) We had an incredible show of support and participation by our parents and families all week at workshops, the local district event and University Day!

5) Our on track percentage went up yet again, class of 2020 is currently at 94% on track to graduate, way to go Falcons!

6) Our Culinary Arts students competed at the CCAP competition, great job!

7). Admin Team updated the Santee Falcon Website Calendar with up to date PD dates and events. Please Click Here to see the Up to Date Santee Falcon Calendar

See electronic version of the Mission and Vision Poster. 
B) Santee Hard Truths

  • We received our Science (CAST) data and only 20% of our students met or exceeded on the exam. The good news is that majority of our students that did not meet were very close to meeting. We will use this data to adjust our instruction and better prepare our students.


University Day 2020
Santee Academic Decathlon 2020
Santee Athletics this week...

Santee Northern California College Visit
Santee this week...
Santee Updates
A ) The  Textbook RoadShow  will occur at 2PM on Monday. Mr. Henry will present our textbook orders for the 2020-2021 school year, including all new Science textbooks.  

B) Tuesday is the  100th day of School . We will celebrate with an after-school  Faculty Meeting !

C) Workshops  and  Activities  from the Santee Education Complex 

Parent Center for the week of   February 10th - 14th 2020:

Monday 2/10/2020: 
  • TUPE Meeting - 3:00pm
Tuesday 2/11/2020:   
  • Chat with the Principal - 8:45am
Wednesday 2/12/2020:   
  • Nutrition Education Class 9:00am
  • ELAC Meeting 10:30am
Thursday 2/13/2020:   
  • Attendance Improvement Meeting - Library 9:00am/Parent Center 4:00pm                        
  • Parent College Workshop - 3:00pm
Friday 2/14/2020: 
  • Workshop University Financial Aid Package - 9:00am

D) Faculty Meeting 2-11-20
On Tuesday, February 11, we will be having a faculty meeting after department time. At 2:55pm, please start making your way down to the student cafeteria for UTLA and Santee faculty announcements. After announcements, all teachers will choose the professional development they would like to attend. The following choices are: 
 
Digital Techniques-Location: Student cafeteria
Reciprocal Reading-Location: Faculty Lounge
Socratic Seminar-Location: C110
Math Discussion-Location: Library  

It will be important that we gather in the student cafeteria promptly after department time so that we can maximize our time during the workshop. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to any administrator.


E) Spring 5-week grades: 
This is a friendly reminder that grades will be due, Thursday, February 13 at 4pm. Please submit grades in MISIS and turn in your printed signed verification forms into the Counseling office. You do not need to submit grades for Period 8 or Homeroom, only periods 1-6.  If you are having trouble printing out verification forms, please see Ms. Angie in the Counseling office.  

F) Thursday, February 13, 2020 the  EL Mentors  will be hosting/having a Valentine's Party on the 3rd floor stairwell. Thank you Dr. Cataldo for your leadership with this group of students!  

G) The  Read Across America Planning Meeting #4  will take place Wednesday after-school in the Library. The Read Across America team will continue meeting each Wednesday after school in the Library until Read Across America Day on Friday, March 6, 2020. 

H) Spring Programming One-on-One
Starting this week,  Feb.10-March 13 , we will begin our one-on-one meetings with all our Falcons. This visit will include a classroom presentation that includes A-G requirements, required credits for each grade level, and courses to be ready for college and career. After the presentation, each counselor will sit down one-on-one with each student and guide them down their path for graduation and beyond. Thank you to the English and History department for allowing counselors to come and program our Falcons. 
 
I) The  ELPAC window  opens on Monday, February 3, 2020.   Ms. Valles  is Santee's ELPAC Coordinator. 

J) After-School Tutoring  is available in the Library and student cafeteria daily from 3pm-5pm.

K) Teacher Preference Sheets 2020-2021
In your boxes are the teacher preference sheets for 2020-2021 school year. Please fill out both sides of the paper and turn into Dr. Chang by Monday, February 24th. Thank you. 

L) Cell Phone Policy:
Our school wide cell phone policy is up and running. Thank you for making sure that our new policy has been implemented in the classrooms. This week we had parents conduct a walk through of classes and they noted that they see a significant decrease in cellphone usage in the classrooms. Great job Falcons! If you are in need of assistance or flyers, please let let Ms. Garrett know and she will assist you. If you still have any questions or concerns, please see Ms. Garrett.  We need to continue to let students know what the policy is and that the policy will be in full effect starting the first day of second semester. Reminder that the new policy prohibits cell phone use in the classroom.  

M) March 13 , we are having a Santee Career Fair and would like to ask if anyone knows of anyone who is interested in speaking about their career on this day. If they are, please see Dr. Chang or Ms. Malinda from CIS.  
Santee Staff Information

A) Access Resources from the Santee Falcon Teacher Google Classroom Use your single sign-on to access.

B) All staff information is provided in the staff handbook.

C) TEXT-A-TIP -  Remind your students about the TEXT-A-TIP program at Santee! The TEXT-A-TIP phone number is 213.805.7627 or 213.805.SOAR.

D) Parking:   
Please remember to park in your assigned parking space. If you need a parking pass please see the main office because we will be enforcing parking next week. School Police will be helping with enforcing this.

As a reminder, there is no parking on campus. This includes the blacktop and the LA Gate entrance between the softball and Gym areas. The entrance is a fire lane and in case of an emergency, the ambulance and Fire Truck will be unable to get onto campus. 

There is no parking on campus when the campus is CLOSED . If you park on campus when the campus is closed to attend a field trip or professional development, notify your administrator and plant manager to ensure that your car is not CITED.

E) Air Conditioner

The air conditioners are working overtime. Please make sure that you close your windows and doors so that it remains cool in your room and to ensure that the AC does not stop working. 

F) Facilities

If you lose your keys, please notify Ms. Ruiz as soon as possible. 

If you need furniture in your classroom, please email our plant manager. 

G) Field Trips

Field trips will only be considered for approval if paperwork is submitted at  least 30 days  ahead of time. Field trips not on the pre-approved list nor overnight trips will not be considered for approval if paperwork is not submitted at least  45 days  in advance. As a reminder, field trips occurring during instructional time must be related to the curriculum and standards in your class. 

H) Restorative Justice:

Teachers, please let Ms. Farris know if you would like to have the student RJ ambassadors help facilitate circles in your 8th period and core classes. Contact Ms. Farris for more information.

I) Keys-  You are responsible for keys checked out to you. If you lose your keys, immediately notify Ms. Ruiz. Taking care of your keys is vital for maintaining safety on campus.

During the school year, the academic side of campus closes at 5:00 p.m. All students on the academic side of campus must exit before 5:00 p.m. 

J) Remind Emergency Tree
Falcons, please sign up to our Santee Emergency Communication Emergency Phone Tree. It is a one-way communication method where you will receive updates in case of an emergency.   https://www.remind.com/join/7chkge?utm_medium=android

K) Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) 

All BIC items need to be returned to the Cafeteria by 8:30 a.m. Also, BIC items should not be left in your classroom after BIC.

L) Activities
If you are planning an activity, make sure that you fill out an Activity Sheet found on the Santee Falcons website at least three weeks in advance. Aside from calendar clearance, you must also obtain signatures for the areas you are planning to use. As a reminder, our instructional programs take precedence over extracurricular activities and not all activities will be approved.

M) Visitor Policy

1. Visitors on campus require the approval of an administrator. If a staff member is requesting a visitor, please notify the Principal 48 hours in advance. This includes, but is not limited to, guest speakers.

2. Visitors must sign-in in the main office and visibly wear a “yellow pass” obtained from the office.

3. School volunteers do not require daily approval. However, all must sign in at the parent center before going to classrooms. School volunteers must also have a current TB test on file. 

4. Conferences with parents are not to take place when class is in session.

N) Text-a-Tip is for  emergency purposes . Adults should not be using text-a-tip to report other school related issues or concerns. Please use the appropriate online forms for any maintenance issues, supply requests or other concerns.
Santee Shout Outs
Please email susana.gutierrez@lausd.net a brief positive or inspiring message to a Santee Falcon Staff Member to include in this email.

Shout out to Ms. Kerner, DOTS Teacher, who has helped four Santee students secure employment through the "We Can Work Program".

Shout out to Elective Teachers Ms. Lofton, Mr. Manriquez, Mr. Vargas, and Mr. Talwani for opening their doors this week during our parent classroom walk throughs!

Shout out to Ms. Cano and Ms. Bermudez for supporting our families during the University Day Event at UCLA on February 8th!

Shout out to Mr Keys and Ms. K. Johnson for organizing a successful tardy sweep.

Shout out to Ms Rodriguez, Ms Cano, Mr Beach, Mr Prado and Ms. Garrett for chaperoning this year's Northern Cal AVID College Tour.

Shout out to the Science department for putting in extra hours to create their long form essay.

Shout out to our Girls' water polo team for making it into the first round of playoffs.

Shout out to Mr Keys and Ms Garrett for attending the Tobacco Use Prevention Education Youth Development with our students this week.

Shout out to Mr. Bosley, Ms. Miller, Ms. Christina Johnson, Ms. Chan, Ms. Delgado and Ms. Farris for participating in our Intervention Taskforce! 

Shout out to all our wonderful counselors and for City Year, CIS, Mr. Vargas art class, Ms. Green, Ms. Angie and admin for making them feel special during national counselors week! 

Shout out to Dr. Cataldo for capturing the hearts of her students by sharing her personal story as to why she started to appreciate poetry and the power poetry can have on us.

Shout out to Mr. Vega Delgadillo for creating a safe space in his math classroom where students are not afraid to make mistakes and learn from one another. 

Shout out to Dr. Cataldo and our academic mentors for making us proud during their competition! 

Shout out to Ms.Glick Neagle, Mr. Garcia, and Ms. Mille r for helping us with our data driven instruction and creating vertical alignment within the department! 

Shout out to  Mr. Vasquez and Ms. Acosta  for helping a colleague out when he needed it most. You know who you are and what you did! Thank you!

Shout out to  Ms. Valles  for programming accommodations for all Santee EL students in advance of the ELPAC test.   Ms. Acosta, Ms. Glick-Neagle , you're up on Monday for Speaking Proctors!  

Shout out to  Ms. Miller  for her diligent work assuring all students complete the MOY SRI.  

Shout out and Good Luck to  Dr. Cataldo  and all  Academic Decathletes  this weekend!

Shout out to  Ms. Felix, Mr. Keys, Ms. Jovel, and Mr. Henry  for meeting independently and in small groups with Class of 2023 students throughout the week.

Shout out to Ms. Miller for all her support in Professional Development and Testing!

Shout out to to Ms. Wu for opening up her library to our students, teachers, and community! 

Shout out to Mr. Ramirez and Ms. Bermudez (and all the Parent Volunteers ) for their support in a successful Local District Meeting! 

Shout out to Coach Johnson and Band Director Manriquez for their performances during the Local District Meeting! 

Shout out to Ms. Galinato for creating a positive and nurturing classroom environment! 

Shout out to our Plant Manager and custodial team for our beautifully clean campus! 

Shout out to Ms. Heredia, Ms. Vasquez, Ms. Pulgarin, Ms. Valles, and Dr. Cataldo for their continuous support with our English Learners!

Upcoming Events




  • 2/10/2020- Volunteer Parent Meeting/ New teacher Meeting

  • 2/11/2020- PD Tuesday/ Chat with the Principal/100th Day of school/ Faculty Meeting

  • 2/12/2020- Nutrition Workshop/ ELAC Meeting

  • 2/13/2020- 5 Week Grades Due/Attendance Improvement Meeting

  • 2/14/2020- Valentine's Day/ Parent Workshop (Financial Aide Packets)

  • 2/17/2020- Presidents' Day/ No School

  • 2/18/2020- Parent Classroom Walks/ PD Tuesday


Continue to keep students engaged from bell to bell with technology; work with your peers to improve your instruction and lesson plans based on common assessment data; and always stay professional with all Santee stake holders.  By keeping students focused and engaged with relevant lessons, planned essential questions that promote collaboration-creativity-critical thinking-communication, and using academic language every day in your classroom we will ensure our Falcons SOAR by better preparing them for their future. 

Santee Education Complex
Check out our website: http://www.santeefalcons.org/
Working Together, ALL Santee Falcons Will SOAR! 
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