Dear Rainier Families,

Another busy week is facing us before next week's Spring break. Please note that school will be closed April 21-25 for Spring Break. Classes will resume Monday, April 28.

This past Friday after the Bully film, Rainier students and faculty met in community groups to discuss school culture and student relationships. There were many heartfelt discussions in the classrooms and conversations continued well after school was dismissed. Several students have stepped forward to propose an anti-bullying club on campus. Stay tuned for further updates. Please notify the Rainier administration if school concerns arise at home. We will be proactive as long as we know the details. If you're interested in this topic, here are additional activities from an excellent source, Facing History and Ourselves - Bully Guide.

This is a busy week for our 10th graders. Administration of the CST Science test was Tuesday with makeups on Wednesday. On Thursday, the group travels to UC Davis and Cal State East Bay to explore these colleges. Those staying behind will have customized schedules.

Please note that we are keeping track of the time tardy students arrive to campus. If they are late two or more times/week, they will be added to our daily 7 am wake up call to home. Every minute counts in the classrooms. Thank you for your support with this effort.

Computer update: Our Chromebook refurbishment project is a success!! Not one computer has been stolen or lost during the past two weeks! Unfortunately three Chromebook screens were broken because students mishandled the computers. Please remind your student to treat the school technology with care.

Immediately following Spring Break, our 11th graders will be involved in the launch of the Smarter Balanced field tests across schools in the state. These computer-based assessments will be administered to three million students in school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. No student, school, or district scores will be produced from this year's field test because its purpose is to "test the test"-to determine how well the test questions and technology work. The test questions are quite different from the multiple-choice STAR exams. Smarter Balanced assessments emphasize critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving-modeling the kind of teaching and learning needed to prepare all students for the demands of college and the modern workplace. For further information, please refer to the link

On Saturday, May 3, 2014 the AAUW and County of Santa Clara are hosting an exciting leadership conference for high school girls. Strong Girls, Strong Women will be held at the School of Arts and Culture @ Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose from 8:00am-1:30pm. Registration is free but RSVP is required. To learn more go to:

Have a wonderful Spring Break.

Sincerely,

Lesley Martin, Interim Principal

Dena Zingales, Principal Resident

Summit Public Schools: Rainier