News from Marin Oaks High School - March 2008
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Budget

As you know, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a fiscal emergency and is proposing immediate education funding cuts of $360 million from K-12 schools and a 10% decrease in funding next year. That means a cut of approximately $4 million from the NUSD budget next year which will impact ALL of our students.

Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger, local Assemblyman Jared Huffman and State Senator Carole Migden and urge them to support fully funding our schools and Proposition 98. Sample letters and addresses are available on our district website, www.nusd.org, along with other important information regarding the state budget crisis.

One of the biggest ways you can support our schools is to ensure your student is at school each and every day. Since the beginning of the school year, Marin Oaks High School has lost $6090.00 due to absences. If your student is sick, please keep him/her home, but if not, please ensure that s/he is at school each and every day. This means scheduling all appointments in the afternoon when school is out of session. Thank you so much for showing your support.

Graduates

We are well into our third quarter and many students are preparing for their upcoming graduation. We had one early graduate, Ariela Salas, who worked intensely to accomplish her goal. We have only a few March graduates and we couldn't be more proud of all their hard work. Congratulations to Cesar Herrera, Jasmin Medina and Chris Vega. You will all be missed!

Pictures for Graduation Needed!

All students who will be graduating during the 2007-2008 school year need to please submit a baby picture ASAP! The picture will be used in our yearbook. If we receive photos from all graduates, we will use them as a slideshow during the graduation ceremony in June. We also request a senior portrait or recent photo to be included.

International Food Day

I would like to extend a special thank-you to all our families who participated in our International Food Day, which was quite a success. There was amazingly delicious food and all of the students took great pride in their family dishes. Thank you to Veronica Slaughter for coming in to help set up and staying afterward to assist in the clean-up.

Special Acknowledgement

It is with great appreciation that I acknowledge a few incredible parents. Mike and Marilyn Kenna put together a fabulous holiday luncheon for our staff back in December; it was such a wonderful surprise! Susanna Castillo, whose son Daniel graduated in December, helped organize the December graduation celebration and despite the fact that her son had already graduated, Susanna facilitated the International Food Day. It was with her assistance that all families were given a reminder phone call. An additional message of gratitude is due to our wonderful parents, Doug and Linda Pickford. They are always offering to help out on committees, volunteer their time and most recently brought a special treat of hot chocolate with whipped cream, bagels and cream cheese and chocolate covered strawberries for the entire Marin Oaks Community. It was quite a surprise and everyone was extremely thankful! Doug Pickford also helped introduce me to our website designer, Tim Davidson, who donated his services and created an outstanding site. Be sure to visit our new website www.marinoakshs.org.

Mandatory Tutorial

On February 25, 2008 we started our Mandatory Afterschool Tutorial. This intervention course is designed to help all students receiving a grade below C- in any of their core classes. This additional time will allow our students an opportunity to bring their grades up by making up incomplete assignments and re-taking low-scored tests. Since our school does not have any homework, none of our students should be receiving a D+ or below. This program has been created to hold our students accountable for their grades and not allow them to slip through the cracks. It is important that we receive your support in order for this program to be successful.

The class runs from 1:45 - 2:25, Monday thru Thursday. Any student who does not have a 1st period ROP class and is required to attend the tutorial may opt to arrive to school early @ 8:15, rather than stay late.

San Quentin Field Trip

For the past few years Ignacio Rotary has sponsored a trip to San Quentin to participate in the S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. program. S.Q.U.I.R.E.S was founded in 1964 by an inmate named Ross Keller. Keller was eager to help young people, including his own son, make better decisions so that they did not end up in jail. The S.Q.U.I.R.E.S members work with students from around the Bay Area every Saturday. They encourage young men to stay straight, get an education, and find a life path that is both safe and productive. We encourage our male students to attend. In addition to the words of wisdom and life lessons, your son may also pick up 2 credits. Requirements: Attend the field trip on Saturday, April 19, and write a reflection paper on the experience. Please contact Jeanie Olian or me for more information.

Rummage Sale, Saturday, March 29 - 9am - 2:30pm

Our Annual Rummage Sale is scheduled to take place Saturday, March 29. Any and all parent volunteers are needed. We will need some of you to arrive early to help with the set-up, others to stay and help with sales, and we'll need volunteers to help with clean-up. Please begin to bring in all of your unwanted items that are new or gently used. This is our main fundraiser, so let's work together to get great results!

We will be holding a raffle during our rummage sale and are requesting your help in finding donations from local businesses in our community to donate items, services or gift certificates (ie. free haircut, oil change, carwash, dinner for two or a gift basket) to go towards our Raffle Prize Giveaway. A tax-deductible receipt will be issued for all donations.

PTA

PTA sign-up forms went out last month. Please join! We need parent support and the time commitment is minimal. By joining our PTA you are supporting your student and our school; be a team player and send in your $5.00 registration fee and sign-up form today!

Honor Roll

Congratulations to our Honor Roll students. Each of the students named below received a 3.0 or higher. Be sure to acknowledge this great accomplishment and encourage their success to continue!

Grade 9

     Maynard, Austin						 	
     Mendieta, Juan Carlos						 	
 						 	
Grade 10

     Quarter 1               Quarter 2
     Anaya, Tony             Calvillo, Virginia			 	
     Calvillo, Virginia      Davidson, Tim			 	
     Davidson, Tim           Flint, Casey			 	
     Kinslow, Josh           Kinslow, Josh			 	
     Maynard, Shane          Maynard, Shane			 	
     Meyer, Heather          Meyer, Heather			 	
     Requenes, Jesse         Requenes, Jesse			 	
     Souza, Vanessa          Souza, Vanessa	 	 	 	
						
Grade 11

     Quarter 1               Quarter 2
     Alcazar, Amanda         Bowman, Kevin			 
     Cortez, Jose            Cruz, Ben			 
     Covarrubias, Miguel     Garcia, Diego			 
     Garcia, Diego           Gnat-Young, Alex			 
     Gnat-Young, Alex        Mayfield, Derante			 
     Mayfield, Derante       Perez, Nelly			 
     Ranis, Jordan           Ranis, Jordan			 
     Roche, Seamus           Roche, Seamus			 
     Sandoval, Monique       Sandoval,Monique			 
     Schrepel, William       Schrepel, William			 
     Zamora, Sergio          Zaragoza, Luis **4.0		 
     Zaragoza, Luis          Zavala, Isabel			 
     Zavala, Isabel						 
 						 
Grade 12

     Quarter 1               Quarter 2
     Boyd, Jonny             Aguila, Miguel			 
     Castillo, Daniel        Alcazar, Amanda			 
     Scott, Ryan             Boyd, Jonny			 
     Vega, Chris             Fajardo, Luciano			 
     Whipkey, Kameron        Whipkey,Kameron