September 8, 2005

SCHOOL SCENEin Almaden Valley

Almaden Valley Back-to-School Update

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Last week, we highlighted Almaden elementary schools in an effort to get you caught up with the changes in leadership, schedules, construction, and upcoming events. This week, we complete our back-to-school update with Almaden middle and high schools.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Bret Harte Middle School
Address: 7050 Bret Harte Drive
Phone: 535-6270, Fax: 927-0698
Web site: http://www.sjusd.k12. ca.us/sites/mid/BretHarte/

Principal: Don McCloskey

Castillero Middle School
Address: 6384 Leyland Park Drive
Phone: 535-6385 Fax: 268-4489
Web site: www.sjusdk12.ca.us/ sites/mid/Castillero

Assistant principal: Tim Covello (discipline)
School Secretary: Carol Holtkamp (new from Williams)
Staff changes: New registrar Mary Hankins (from Steinbeck)

Student enrollment: 2004-05: 1,147
2005-06 anticipated enrollment: 1,297

Faculty changes: New teachers: Caren Brown (seventh grade math), Ben Leonardi and Kerry Blum (special ed), Robert Salinas and Rachael Daniels (word processing}, Randy Schmidt (technology resources), Ron Mathern and Arvin Silvestre (physical education), Melissa Conti, Jose Fernandez, Kristin Graffius, Joe Lucas, Erica Schmidt, and Stacey Tolaio (language arts and social studies), and Scott Krijnen (performing arts—orchestra, strings).

Back to School night: Sept 21

Coming up: A full performance schedule is planned for the year. Currently promoting the “five-minute fundraiser” for the Castillero Foundation, while the PTA pursues an active membership drive.

Repairs/renovations: Drama and technical drawing classes will be relocated when theater renovations begin in November, with a February completion date.

Principal’s comments: “There has been a lot of work done with anti bullying and creating a caring school climate with student and faculty trying to facilitate that we’re going to continue to try to build the caring school culture relationship, while shifting some of our focus to the rigor and relevance of what’s happening in the classroom, focus on data analysis to improve instructions. Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. Those are the three R’s.”

HIGH SCHOOLS

Leland High School
Address: 6677 Camden Avenue
Phone: 535-6290, Fax: 927-6448
Website: www.lelandhigh.org

Principal: Robert Setterlund
Vice Principal: None reported
Secretary: Virginia Valdez

2004-05 enrollment: 1,860
2005-06 anticipated enrollment: 1,897

School start/end times: 8 a.m. to 2:36 p.m.

Faculty changes: New teachers: Andrew Holland (English), Mary Mcellan (social studies), Gabriel Roussere (science), Audrey Makris (English), Erika Vaughan (English), Afrooz Faizi (science), Genise Weathers (social studies), Juanta Li (math), David Shull (science), Kathy Swanson (Spanish).
Back-to-school night: Sept. 15

Coming up: 21st Annual Blue and Gold Auction, Sat. Feb. 11, 2006, Cinnabar Hills Golf Club

Awards/recognitions: Named a State Demonstration Site for Specialized Secondary Programs.

Repairs/renovation: New bathrooms behind the gym (also for use during athletic events.
Corporate partnerships: Thanks to IBM Parents led by Angel Reyda and Nancy Young for donating a complete science computer lab worth $45,000.

Coming up: Sept. 10, first home football game against Lincoln (JV @ 10:30 a.m., varsity @1:15 p.m.)

Principal’s comments: “Commitment to Character” is now in every classroom in every school in Almaden. We intend to bring in the adult community this fall. We are working toward major renovations to take place next summer (the renovation of both locker rooms, and the complete renovation of the J-Wing building (old shop classes building) into a modern technology center with a complete projection theater. We are also piloting an online physics program with UC Berkeley for 196 students. Leland will be working with Cornerstone to create a complete program for building student assets.”

Pioneer High School
Address: 1290 Blossom Hill Road (95118)
Phone: 535-6310, Fax: 535.2357
Web site: http://pioneerhigh.org

Principal: Sandy Engel (New from Castillero Middle School—former assistant principal at Leland for five years)
Vice principal: Kellee Reynolds is taking the leadership activities role. She came from a high school boarding school in Squaw Valley where she was for five years.
Secretary: Nora Youngquist (New from Castillero)

2004-05 enrollment: 1,570
2005-06 anticipated enrollment: 1526 (with 173 on wait list that has not been lifted)

Faculty changes: New Teachers: Sarah Field (Special Education), Robert Benson (science), Natalie Troedson (math), Brian LaCaille (math), and one Special Ed position in math.

Back-to-school night: Sept. 29

Awards/recognitions: Almaden Women’s Club

Repairs/renovation: None reported

Principal’s comments: “I’m very happy to be here and be back at the high school level. Pioneer is a great school with a good sense of community and spirit.”

Updates

(The following elementary school updates were provided after last week’s print deadline)

Guadalupe Elementary School
Address: 6044 Vera Cruz Drive
Phone: 268.1030 Fax: 268.6914
Web site: www.unionsd.org/guadalupe/index.html

Principal: Marty Lux
Vice principal: None
School secretary: Rita Burton

2004-05 enrollment: 468
2005-06 anticipated enrollment: 480

Faculty changes: Three new teachers—Danielle Scofield (second grade), Theresa Higgins (kindergarten), and Dee Jones (third grade).

Back-to-school night: Sept. 7 for Grades one through five, Sept. 8 for kindergarten.

Coming up: Book Faire will be held on back-to-school night. Oct. 7, movie night, Oct. 12, Jump Rope for Heart event.

Repairs/renovation: Currently in the midst of Measure “A” modernization project: Kindergarten and multi-purpose rooms are completed. The office will move from its temporary location in the library into its new building on Oct. 1. Eight classrooms will be completed by November, with the balance due to be completed Feb. 1.

Principal’s comments: “We’ve been under construction, so things have been a little difficult all the way around. We look to be in our new building in October—ahead of schedule. We are very pleased with our STAR scores and did well in all areas, including writing. Our goals are to continue to work on writing—a very important part of our program.”

Los Alamitos Elementary School
Address: 6130 Silberman Drive
Phone: 535-6297 Fax:
Web site: http://www.losalamitos.org

Principal: Shyril McGuiness (29-year veteran of SJUSD, and new to Loa Alamitos)
Vice principal: None
School secretary: Linda Opp

2004-05 enrollment: 610
2005-06 anticipated enrollment: 610

Faculty changes: Two new teachers—Kathy Dixon (from Cory) will teach first grade, and Maureen Hansen (from Gardner) will teach fifth grade.

Back-to-school night: Sept. 27

Coming up: Oct. 8, annual walk-a-thon, sponsored by the PTA.

Awards/recognitions: None listed

Repairs/renovation: Cafeteria now equipped with a card-less system (paid with Measure F funds)

Principal’s comments: “I am very excited to be at Los Alamitos. The teachers, students, and community are all wonderful to work with.”

Correction
Last week, Almaden Country School was listed as a K-5 school and should have read pre-K through 8.

Queen for a day

Holy Spirit raises more than $12,000 at Spa Day fund-raiser

Hairdressers Vena René (left) and Monica treat guests Anita Clevenger (left) and Jacqué Hajost to new ‘dos.

Busy soccer moms took a chance to pamper themselves recently at the first annual Holy Spirit Spa Day.

Trying to come up with a unique fund-raiser for their children’s school the Holy Spirit, Spa Day organizers and hostesses Kristen Del Biaggio, Jackie Courtney, Mimi Qubain and Maya Rhodes thought what better way to drag HS moms out of their minivans than by offering them a day of pampering at the lavishly decorated home of the Del Biaggio family?

The Spa Day was included in a May auction fund-raiser during which 25 moms bid $500 each for the chance to be treated like a queen for a day. The event raised more than $12,000 for the school. Qubain was especially pleased to hear women saying they would pay much more for another Spa Day next year.

Each HS mom received a formal invitation to the Aug. 28 event created by Out the Envelope. The day of the event, guests arrived at 11 a.m. at the Del Biaggio abode and handed their car keys to well-dressed valets (actually Holy Spirit dads).

Each guest was greeted by William “Boots” Del Biaggio and his children with roses provided by Bloomsters, along with a glass of champagne.

Guests enjoy a lunch from La Foret.

The women started the day with a yoga class taught by Shelley Boose on the lawn.

Then the women changed into white robes and flip flops and their pampering began in stations set up with pedicures provided by staff from Los Gatos Nails, Almaden Nails and Coco Cabana.

Each were offered massages in a private cabana and were given makeup and hair makeovers by Vena Rene and her entourage from I Do Couture.

Afterwards, while the women enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres by the pool, models walked around showing off the latest fashions offered by Escada Couture.

This was followed by a formal, delicious lunch served by New Almaden’s La Foret Restaurant.
As they headed out the door, each pampered mom was given a parting gift from Emily Joubert Flowers Home Garden in Woodside.

Jackie Courtney was ecstatic at the end of the day. “Including Spa day at the auction helped raise over $12,000 for Holy Spirit! And Spa Day would not have been possible without the help of all the men, women and businesses who donated their time and services to make this event such a success!”

Double…and triple the fun!

Almaden Country School founder Nan Hunter, right, poses proudly with her daughter Kathleen Peterson and Kathleen’s triplets, Clarissa, Julia and Will.

New kindergarten students Marissa and Julianna Rozario flash shy grins on the first day.

Kindergarten children were welcomed to Almaden Country School on Tuesday morning with a “Getting to Know You Lemonade Party.” 

School founder Nan Hunter said she was delighted to welcome her grandchildren, triplets Clarissa, Julia and Will Peterson to the school.  Her daughter Kathleen relocated back to San Jose from the Los Angeles area just for this long-awaited moment. 

“I’m so excited to be back so that the children can come to school here,” said Kathleen.  Nan’s eldest grandson, Sam, graduated from the ACS middle school this year and now attends Bellarmine. The triplets join Nan’s other grandchildren Will, Ben and Hannah Hayden at the school.

Twins Julianna and Marissa Rozario were dressed in their new uniforms and were busy becoming familiar with their kindergarten classrooms.  “We are commuting here from Evergreen because we like the school’s philosophy,” said their father Ranjit Rozario. 

According to ACS Principal Jean Delwiche, it is not unusual to have families commuting to the private school. “With a reputation for academic excellence, Almaden Country School middle school students graduate to the best high schools as competent, self-confident young men and women,” said Delwiche. “It’s definitely worth the commute to Almaden Valley for many of our families.”