Santee Falcons SOAR! Principal's Update
October 20, 2019
Principal Ansley's Weekly Message
Dear Santee Family,

"By providing students in our Nation with such an education, we help save our children from the clutches of poverty, crime, drugs, and hopelessness,and we help safeguard our Nations prosperity for generations yet unborn." Elijah Cummings

As we settle into the school year and in remembrance of Representative Cummings' words, it is important to always remember that the education we provide our students is crucial to our Nation now and for our future generations. By providing high quality instruction, we can fight to close the achievement gap and advocate for equity. We have a responsibility as educators to serve all of our students so that they can reach their highest potential.

By creating a school environment where students feel empowered and motivated by the staff and their peers, we can reach our highest Vision of student achievement. This week our period by period is focused on Growth Mindset and we as adults will reflect on our own belief systems so that we can teach students to believe in their own ability to continue to grow and learn. I look forward to seeing all of our certificated staff and Paraprofessionals at our professional development on Thursday.

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) Congratulations
to our Girls Tennis team for becoming the 2019 Exposition/Coliseum League Champions!  Awesome Job ladies and Coach Petesch. They will be moving on to the playoff this week. Let's wish them the best of luck.  

2) On Thursday, October 17, 2019 we held our Student Led Conferences Event and we had a total of 501 parents that participated in this event. A BIG THANK YOU and Shout outs to all of our Parents, Santee students, Santee Teachers, Santee Classified Staff, Out of Classroom Support Staff, our Custodial Team, our Campus Aides, City Year, World Fit For Kids, Community In Schools, Ms. Bermudez and our Parent volunteers, and also Mr. Manriquez and our Santee Band!!!! We want to extend our most sincere gratitude to all of you who supported with making our event a success.

3) Congratulations to Mr. Vargas and our awesome art students for a successful art show!

4) We had a smooth and successful Shake-out drill that enabled us to see what items we need to continue to prepare in case of a real earthquake emergency.

5) Mrs. Gonzalez has returned to our Santee community to teach one of our Autism programs! Remember to welcome her when you see her!

6) Our very own culinary star Emerson, class of 2020, has made it to the 2nd round for Master Chef competition!

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
  • The actualizer (part of the AC Unit) stopped working in the afternoons during the last three weeks causing warm temperatures in our classrooms. Thankfully, the HVAC unit was able to bypass the system and our classrooms should be back to their regular temperatures (if not cooler) than usual. The part has been ordered and should be repaired within the next two weeks.

  • The LA Gate to the underground Parking Lot is not functioning. A trouble call has been placed for repairs.
Santee Art Show
Santee Student Led Conferences
Santee Chat with the Principal

Santee This Week
Santee Updates
A) The  ELPAC Field Test  will take place on Monday and Tuesday next week and will effect 20 students. These 20 students will do a "test/trial run" of the new electronic version of the ELPAC as Santee is a pilot site. This pilot test will give our students and staff a sneak peek at the new electronic ELPAC and hopefully improve our facilitation and performance on the test later this spring. 

B)  Household Income Forms 
When we began collecting the Household Income Forms, Santee needed to collect 599 forms. Due to the support of our teachers, support staff, and office clerks, we currently only need to collect 141 more forms! Please continue to ask your students to return completed forms to the main office.


Remember, these forms determine our eligibility as a Title I school, provides funding for additional classroom teachers, Teacher X time, field trips, and other activities on site. 


C) Enrichment PD : This Monday, we are offering Enrichment PD on Socratic Seminars led by Local District Central AVID Coordinator.

D) 8th period changes: 
We are currently making changes for 8th period, we will need a week to identify and program students for their new class. Due to the MISIS issues last week, we anticipate changing classes by Monday, October 28.
E) Attention AP Students!!! Please sign up for the next upcoming UCLA Center X Advanced Placement Readiness (APR) program on the campus of UCLA which provides supplemental instructional support for all students currently enrolled in AP courses. The next scheduled APR program trip to UCLA will take place on Saturday, November 2, 2019 . Contact your current AP teacher, Ms. Wu or Mr. Ramirez Assistant Principal for sign up information.

F) Parents:

Parents on  Wednesday, October 23, 2019  we will be conducting our Parent Classroom Walk-through in the English department classes during  2nd Period  from  9:00am-10:00am . During our classroom visits parents will have the opportunity to observe for 10 minutes in each classroom and will look for evidence of a SOAR Board (Standards, Objective, Agenda, and Reflection), 3C1: Standards Based Learning Activities, and a Class Ambassador. 
Parent classroom walk through is an opportunity to engage our parents in dialogue and give them examples of what learning looks like in our classrooms. All parents are invited to participate and we will be meeting in the Parent Center at 8:45am. 

      Grade Level Parent Meetings are starting next week! Please encourage students to attend:  
Class of 2020:   Monday, October 21st , 2019 from 9:00--11:00 AM and 5:00--7:00 PM
Class of 2023:   Tuesday, October 22nd , 2019 from 9:00--11:00 AM and 5:00--7:00 PM
Class of 2021:   Monday, October 28th , from 9:00--11:00 AM and 5:00--7:00 PM
Class of 2022:   Tuesday, October 29 , from 9:00--11:00 AM and 5:00--7:00 PM


G) Attendance:

Teachers, thank you for taking accurate attendance this past week. We have seen an increase in accurate attendance these past few days. If you receive a discrepancy sheet in your box, please complete it and return it to the attendance office.
The Math Department did an amazing job again this week with having the highest attendance.  

The 50th day of school is approaching on November 1, 2019. We will be having activities to celebrate this day. More information will be given out later this week.

So far this month the top three classes with the best attendance are:
  1. Chavez
  2. Demar
  3. Borrus

Great job staff, keep motivating our students to attend school and meet the 96% goal.

Please continue to use the PSA online referral form if you have a concern regarding any students attendance. The PSA's will respond to the referral in a timely manner.


H) College Center: 

College Center is open during lunch time. Please encourage students to use the College Center during lunch for any questions and also sign up for College Presentations.  

Santee Education Complex is planning our annual College Fair on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. The fair hours are 8:30 am - 1:30 pm. If you are a college or university representative, you are invited to represent your university to the many college-going Falcons and their families. If you are a parent, guardian or student, please save the date!

I)   Sports: 10/21/19-10/26/19
10/21/19: 
Water Polo-2:45 @ RFK
Girls Volleyball-2:45/4:00 @ West Adams
Cross Country- 2:30 @ Pierce College

10/25/19:
Varsity Football-7:00 pm @ Santee against Washington (homecoming and Senior Night)
JV Football- 4:00pm @ San Pedro High School

J) New Cell Phone Policy:

Teachers, thank you for helping to spread the word about the start of our new cell phone policy. Flyers and posters have been created to help promote the new policy. 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. If you need assistance with technology that can be used in the class, please see Ms. M. Miller and she can assist you. She will be offering various enrichment Professional Developments to assist you with this.


K) The TUPE Drug and Alcohol program will be working with Ms. Felix and Mr. Keys to facilitate two programs here on campus. If you have students that you think will benefit from being apart of this program, please send them an email or drop a note in their box. If you would like more information about the program, please see either of them.

L) Office Hours:

Office Hours have begun. Please notify your students of the day and hour that you will be available. Tutor X time will be compensated 1 hour a week per teacher. Door sheets are done and will be posted this week. Lastly, if you have chosen lunch time, please still adhere to the objective of office hours which is to support any Falcon with academic support and to answer any questions they may have. All teachers who offer office hours are to turn in their office hours at the end of each month.

M) City Year Tutoring
City Year tutoring has begun in the student cafeteria from 3pm-5pm. Please encourage students to attend tutoring for extra help. Any student may attend. 


N) Homecoming:

We have an entire day of activities planned. Please make sure to review our special schedule for the day.

Come on out for the  Homecoming Parade  after-school on Friday, the  Homecoming Football Game  Friday night, and the  Homecoming Dance  on Saturday night! 

O) Period by Period :

Attention all certificated Staff and Paraprofessionals, we will have professional development on Thursday, October 24, 2019 through out the school day. The period by period is focused on growth mindset and it is mandatory for all certificated staff!

M) ILT Meeting: 10-24-2019 3pm-5pm
Friendly reminder that there will be a meeting on Thursday, October 24 from 3pm-5pm this week with numerous topics such as school budgets, ICA, Cell phone Policy and more.
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. 

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 or 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) Would you like to earn a  Micro-Credential in English Learner Instruction ? This is a significant, year-long program for teachers committed to learning and practicing integrated English language development. All teachers K-12 who have English learners in their classes are welcome. The program requires 5 in-person Saturdays throughout the year as well as a number of e-learning hours and independent practice activities. It’s no small commitment, but the Micro-Credential is a useful addition to a resume, a professional toolkit, AND it earns 3 salary points for UTLA members.  The  program starts on Saturday, October 19 ! So teachers would need to decide pretty quickly if they will participate for the full year.  If you are interested, you need to apply quickly!  Please reach out to  Carla.Gutierrez@lausd.net  with questions!

M) 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.
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 to Ms. Gonzalez and the entire Cafeteria team for their support during PSAT testing day for ensuring that all of our students were fed breakfast!!

Shout-out to all of our City Year corps members for greeting and motivating our students as they enter campus on Friday mornings!!!

A Big Shout-out to Ms. Reyes, Ms. Miller, Dr. Cataldo and Ms. Areyan for opening their doors this week for our parent classroom walk-throughs!!

Shout-out to Campus Aide Ms. Avila, Mr. Elston, Mr. Andrade, and Ms. Castro for their on-going support in monitoring student safety on our campus!!

Shout-out to Ms. Carolina Maria and our support staff  who have been working diligently to collect Household Income Forms.

Shout-out to Ms. Rodriguez , the Counseling team and all the out of classroom support staff who supported during PSAT Day. 

Shout-out to our teachers for proctoring a successful PSAT ! 

Shout-out to Mr. Vargas and Ms. Wu for setting up a beautiful art exhibit in the library during Student-Led Conferences Night! 

Shout-out to our Plant Manager and our fabulous custodial team who continue to work tirelessly to main a clean campus! 

Shout-out to Ms. Megan Miller for being flexible and training our staff for ICA. 

Shout out to Ms. Delgado, Mr. Molina, Ms. Farris and Ms. Chan for leading the Enrichment group during PD Tuesday! 

Shout-out to Ms. Rodriguez for leading PSAT Day! We tested over 1200 students! 

Shout-out to Mr. Garcia for using reciprocal teaching strategy in the classroom and having student to student talk!  

Shout-out to Zuly for being accommodating during PSAT testing and making sure all our students are well fed for breakfast and lunch!

Shout-out to Ms. Valles and Ms. Vasquez for their training of TAs and Aides on Friday this week to further assure instructional support for Integrated ELD students across the school day.

Shout-out to Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Salazar, and Ms. Wu for working together to enroll nearly 100 additional students for AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature tests in the spring. If these students pass the AP exam in the spring it will have positively effect their A-G language requirements and accelerate their graduation trajectory.

Shout-out to all members of the ELA Department for persevering through multiple asks, multiple demands, multiple meetings, and multiple observations, and still keeping student Falcons first and foremost among their responsibilities.  

Shout-out to Ms. Pulgarin, Ms. Chan, and Ms. Acosta for being attentive learners and listeners at the California Assessment Conference in Oakland Wednesday-Friday last week. A special thank-you to Brianna Calderon for pushing through our registration requests under the pressure of a deadline!

Shout-out to Ms. Miranda, Ms. Marroquin, Ms. Heredia, Mr. Noe and Mr. Villasenor for assisting with the 12th cap and gown measurements this week. We were able to successfully fit over 90% of the seniors for their cap and gowns.
Shout-out to Community and Schools and Ms. Felix for an awesome meeting about supporting our various sub-groups with our attendance goals.

Shout-out to our girls Volleyball team seniors who were celebrated this week with flowers and a small gift to show our support.

Shout-out to the PE Department for creating an outstanding student led conference form and procedure. Awesome job team.

Shout-out to Ms. Garrett, Noe and all the staff who planned and led the Great Shake-out drill.
Upcoming Events



  • 10/21/2019- Mandatory Parent Graduation Meeting 12th Grade/ Enrichment PD (Socratic Seminar)/ Grade Level Meeting class of 2020/ Pajama Day

  • 10/22/2019-WRC/ PD Tuesday/ Shortened Day Schedule/ Mandatory Parent Graduation Meeting class of 2023/Sports Day

  • 10/23/2019- College Fair/ Enrichment PD/Mismatch Day

  • 10/24/2019- WRC/Parent Volunteer Meeting/ ILT/Twin Day

  • 10/25/2019- Homecoming: Rally, Parade and Game/Class Color Day

  • 10/26/2019- Homecoming Dance

  • 10/28/2019- ELA ICA/ Mandatory Parent Graduation Meeting Class of 2021
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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