Santee Falcons SOAR! Principal's Update
December 08, 2019
Principal Ansley's Weekly Message
Dear Santee Family,

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." Edith Wharton

We are in the season where many are filled with joy and excitement for the holidays. Some look forward to spending time with family and friends. Others enjoy the many givings that they get to enjoy, but let’s be mindful that for others this month could be one of the most difficult. Maybe it’s because of the absence of loved ones or a reminder of not having the same fortunes as others.

Remember to treat everyday as a new day. Maintain a safe and welcoming environment for our students and each other. Remember that a quick hello or smile can make a difference. Lastly, take time to tell your students and colleagues that you appreciate them. Let’s spread our love and light to everyone around us.

This week we are hosting our annual Finders Keepers Event and are in need of volunteers for Monday and Tuesday to set up for the event. This event allows for students and families to choose and take clothing that our staff and community has donated. If you can give at least one hour of your time to assist it will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you again to everyone who gives so much of themselves to spread joy each and everyday!
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) We had a fabulous Ribbon Cutting event to celebrate the grand opening of our new Eisner Health and Wellness Center!

2) There was another amazingly successful International Mentoring luncheon! A huge thank you to Dr. Cataldo and our EL Dream Team!

3) The CORE growth data has been released and Santee is one of the top High Schools in LAUSD for ELA growth with a score of 10 out of 10 and has done exceptionally well with math growth with an 8 out of 10.

4) We got 100% of staff participation and over 80% of student participation on the School Experience Survey!

5) We had a funder visit where we were able to showcase our work with our EL program and Mrs. Vasquez, Mrs. Valles and Mr. Rodriguez did an amazing job presenting all the work that is being done to support our International students!

6). 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

  • Due to numerous thefts, we do need to use every indoor space possible to store our equipment. I want to apologize for any inconvenience and we will work to find solutions that work for everyone.

  • Our ICA data is in and we are about 4% lower in ELA and Math from last year's ICA data. Our team has been hard at work to ensure that we address specific student needs in our intervention programs.



Santee Girls' Water Polo
Santee International Student Mentoring Lunch
Santee Boys' Varsity Basketball

Graffiti Class
Santee Culinary
Santee Updates
A) Parents:
Parents, please join us on  Tuesday, December 10, 2019  as we will be having our Parent Classroom Walk-Throughs in the Science 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-throughs are 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 begin our meeting in the Parent Center at 8:45am.  See you there!
 
Attention Parents on Thursday, December 12, 2019 we will be having our Monthly Family Action Team Meeting in the Parent Center at 10:30am. All parents are welcome to attend.
 
B) On Monday, December 9 after school there will be a School Site Council meeting in the Parent Center.

C) Faculty Meeting
On Tuesday, December 10, we will be having a faculty meeting from 3:15-4:15pm. Please be prompt as we will be meeting in the student cafeteria after department time. Topics include: Cell Phone Policy and 1st semester data.

D) Beyond the Book Event
On Wednesday, December 11, from 3pm-5pm City Year, World Fit for Kids, and Communities in Schools will be hosting Beyond the Book event in the student cafeteria. Please join us for some fun, games, and prizes as we promote literacy and spend time together with our Falcon students.

E) On Wednesday, December 11 Kaiser Permanente Health will be present during Homeroom to present to the 9th grade students.  All other grade levels will be reviewing the Cell Phone Policy from a student perspective.

F) Homeroom Day:

On Wednesday, December 11 we will be having another Homeroom Day. The Culture Team has put together a No Cell Phone policy PowerPoint presentation that will be given to all teachers to present during this day. Please look for the PowerPoint presentation this week.

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.


G) 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, December 14, 2019. Contact your AP teacher or Assistant Principal Mr. Ramirez for sign up information.

H) On Thursday, December 12 is the Winter Concert by Santee's Music and Dance students.

I) Staff Winter Party
On Friday, December 13, we will be hosting a Nightmare Before X-Mas winter party from 3:30-5pm. Please join us for some fun, food, and prizes! We hope to see you all there! 

J) Long Form Essay Grading- History Department
On January 6, 7, 8 from 8am-2pm, we will be having long form essay grading in the library. Please see Ms. Glick Neagle to sign up and get further information.  

K) PSW Announcements:

A reminder that NO email referrals should be sent to the PSW's. We can not send confidential information via email. Please complete a referral form and place it in their boxes. They will response in a timely manner.

Our Grief Group began on 11/14 with 8 students and our Weber group began on 11/18 with 7 students.

Finders Keepers will be starting this week. We are looking for volunteers to hang and fold clothes. We also need clothes donations. Please see Ms. Razo or Ms. Marroquin for details.


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) After-School Tutoring  is available in the Library daily from 3pm-5pm from now until Thanksgiving vacation for students seeking help with college applications, and seeking to raise grades from the 15-week to the 20-week mark. The after-school tutoring program will likely continue after Thanksgiving vacation and until the holiday season, budgets pending.

N) 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.

O) ILT Meeting
On Thursday, December 12 we will be having an ILT Meeting from 3:15-5pm in room 235. Our agenda is focused on a CTA check in.

P) APEX Winter Credit Recovery 
During Winter Break, school will be open for students to work on their APEX course. School will be open on Monday-Wednesday, January 6-8 from 8:00am-1:00pm.

Q) Attendance:

I am excited to announce our December Do-Nut Be Absent Challenge Winners. The top 4 classes are:
  1. Nestell
  2. Marshall
  3. Franklin
  4. Caseres
Best excellent attendance by grade:
  1. 9th
  2. 11th
  3. 12th
  4. 10th
Departments with the top submittal:
  1. Science
  2. P.E.
  3. English
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

The Winter Break Close-Out Facilities Memo will be released by next Friday, December 13, 2019. 

C-339 is currently not available for use. The third floor center restrooms and Faculty restrooms are available for use.

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 the ELD Team - Ms. Valles, Ms. Vasquez, Mr. Rodriguez, Mr. Salazar, Ms. Pulgarin and Mrs. Tizon - for hosting Partnership staff on Tuesday and explaining the limitless work being done with EL students at Santee.

Shout-out to the ELA Department for the DDI on Tuesday this past week to analyze the student work of 1600+ Long Form Writing samples. Extra kudos to PLC Leads for facilitating the PLC conversations and determining Next Steps and Unit 3 Launch dates. Special shout-out to Michelle and Erick from the Partnership for doing back-end work during Thanksgiving week to prepare for this important meeting.  

Shout-out to Ms. J. Garcia, Ms. Petesch, Coach T, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Palomino, and Mr. Rodriguez for their support with the Vision to Learn Screening Event. A total of 915 students received a free vision screening during the two day event!!!  

Shout-out to Ms. Alex and Ms. Isela in the main office for always providing excellent customer service with a smile to our students, parent and school staff! We thank you for your true professionalism.

Shout-out to  Ms. Zuly and our entire school cafeteria team for their hard work and dedication in providing nutritional meals for our students!

Shout-out to Ms. Torres for supporting the Counseling Department and our counselors!

Shout-out to Mr. Salazar for meeting with our EL students and making sure they understand the A-G requirements and set a 4 year plan for them.  

Shout-out to the 12th grade History PLC team, Mr. Muskrath, Mr. Kalala, Ms. Monroe for creating a common assessment and rubric by working together.  

Shout-out to Ms. Miranda, Mr. Chow, Ms. Herrera, Ms. Torres, Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Sonmezay, Ms. Chavez, Mr. Muskrath, Mr. Rillo, Ms. Samame, and Father Kraft for coming together to make sure our students that are enrolled in APEX are successfully completing the course.

Shout-out to our Custodial Team for going above and beyond to clean our campus during the Thanksgiving Break. 

Shout-out to Mr. Bosley and Ms. Miller for their support in our Intervention Program! 

Shout-out to Ms. Bermudez for leading our parent outreach programs.

Shout-out to all the teachers and staff members who supported our Falcons through ICA calibration and grading, college applications, and credit recovery during our Thanksgiving Break! 

Shout-out to Ms. Miller and Mr. Bosley for organizing our ICA data to better plan our Professional Development. 

Shout-out to the Cross Country Team and their coaches- Ilmar Rodriguez and Ambar Damian - for all their work during the Fall Season! We are proud of you!

Shout-out to all of our winners of the December attendance contest.  

Shout-out to Mr. Talwani and his students for making the new Cell Phone Policy video.

Shout-out to Ms. Green and her students for creating the posters for our new cell phone policy and Mr. Vargas and his students for creating a new logo.

Shout-out to the Cell Phone Committee for putting together the new information that will be rolled out to the staff and students.

Shout-out to Britany and Nancy for completing the staff copy requests in a timely manner.

Shout-out to Noe for your leadership in collecting parent surveys.

Upcoming Events



  • 12/09/2019- SSC Meeting/Photo Shoot

  • 12/10/2019- PD Tuesday/ Shortened Day Schedule/ Science Classroom Parent Observations/Faculty Meeting

  • 12/11/2019- Homeroom/ Literacy Night

  • 12/12/2019- CIS Ladies First Girls Group/ ILT (Data Check In)/ Family Action Team Meeting/Finders Keepers

  • 12/13/2019- Big Book Donation/ Parent Workshop IEP Process and Rights/Holiday Staff Party/ Finders Keepers

  • 12/16/2019- 75th Day of School/ Finals

  • 12/17/2019- Finals/ Chat with the Principal

  • 12/18/2019- GATE Parent Meeting

  • 12/19/2019- Parent Volunteer Meeting

  • 12/20/2019- Final Grades Due/ Last Day of 1st Semester/ Minimum Day
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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