Orders for Rainier's 2014-2015 yearbook are now being taken. Please fill out the order form and bring form and payment to Mr. Lee in 1208 or Alyssa Martinez.

Previously Mentioned Opportunities:

Santa Clara University Spring Engineering Education Days - Due February 5

Stanford Horizon Scholars - Summer College Program - Due March 1

Growing Up Asian in America - Essay Contest - Due March 4

Santa Clara University Summer Engineering Programs - Due March 12

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Newsletter Submissions

Newsletter items are due Monday at noon for publication on Wednesday afternoon. Please email articles to the Rainier Newsletter Editor.

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

This Week

Thursday, January 29 - Future Student Shadow Day and Future Parent Tour, 9am
Saturday, January 31 - Facilities Workday, 8:30am-noon

help assemble and paint picnic tables

Next Week

Weeks of February 2 and February 9 - Expeditions

Before and After School PLT available

Coming Soon

Week of February 16-20 - No School (teachers will be in Professional Development)
February 20 - Transfer Lottery between Summit Schools
February 25-27 - 11th grade Study Trip - Los Angeles
February 26-27 - 10th grade Study Trip - Berkeley and Sonoma
March 12-13 - 9th grade Study Trip - Santa Cruz and Monterey
May - 12th grade Study Trip - Lake Tahoe area
June 10, 2015 Graduation for Class of 2015

A full calendar of events can be found on the rainier.summitps.org website.

Message from the Directors

Dear Rainier Families,

At Summit, we value students, parents, teachers, and mentors all having access to the most up to date information possible about students' academic progress in the PLP tool. While you can check your student's grades and progress any time in the PLP, now that we have reached the mid-way point in the school year, it is an especially important time to check and see if your child is on track to meet his/her yearly goals. In order to support your understanding of your child's progress, our faculty has committed to the following:

All first semester projects are graded and up to date in the PLP (as of Jan 20th)
A letter will be mailed home next week with more details about checking the PLP
Students reflected on their first semester progress with their mentors in Community Time on January 23rd. They have created a video of themselves reflecting on their grade goals and their second semester plan to meet them. There should be a link to this video in the reflection section of the student's PLP so that parents and mentor can see it.
Mentors will reach out to parents over the next couple of weeks with a personalized check-in on your student's progress this year and plans for next year

Given all of this personalized communication about students' progress over the next couple of weeks, we are no longer having the February 3rd Celebration of Learning event at school. We want to free up mentors, parents, and students for more personalized communication about their mid-year progress. However, we still look forward to hosting a Celebration of Learning in April when we can celebrate more of the growth students have made over the whole school year.

Jesse Roe, Executive Director

Kevin Bock, Assistant Director

We Want Your Feedback! Parent Focus Groups

Join other Rainier parents and Summit's Director of Family Engagement in an annual focus group. The dates are Friday 2/6, Tuesday, 2/10, and Tuesday 2/24. The focus group will cover topics on student, parent, and prospective family experiences as well as include feedback on Summit Rainier's LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan). The LCAP is a part of California's K-12 education funding process that guides school decisions. The focus group will provide you an opportunity to give feedback and input on the school that wasn't captured in the parent survey.

If you would like to participate, please fill out this form with your availability.

Facilities Work Day - January 31

We will be constructing picnic tables and benches for the campus on our next Facilities Work Day on Saturday, January 31 from 8:30am-noon on the Rainier campus. If you have painting tools or drills that we can use for the day, please bring them with you (you can take them home at the end of the day). Parents and students, please come and help!

Recruitment Open House - for Fall 2015 - February 5

Do you know a family who might be interested in joining Summit San Jose next fall? Please encourage them to attend a Recruitment Open House event to find out more about Rainier or Tahoma. The next event will be held on Thursday, February 5 at the Rainier campus at 6:30pm. They will also be able to find out more about Future Student Shadow Days and tours for Future Parents. Applications are being taken online - please visit: http://summitps.org/apply to learn more. Siblings of currently enrolled students need to submit an application, they are not automatically enrolled.

Transfer Process - First Lottery - February 20

With the upcoming move of Tahoma (to the Oak Grove High School campus in South San Jose), we wanted to take an opportunity to be very clear about the transfer process between Tahoma and Rainier. While we hope that all students stay with their mentor and friends at their current school, we understand that transportation may be a problem and that there are some families that are considering transferring between schools. Both schools have the same transfer process which can be found at rainier.summitps.org/admissions. The first transfer lottery is on February 20 but the sooner you fill out your transfer application, the better both schools can plan for next year.

Grade Level Study Trips

Study Trips are right around the corner. These trips are a wonderful opportunity for students to visit college campuses and other sites. We need parents to help drive and chaperone the trips.

9th - The 9th Grade teachers are excited to announce that we will be going on our Study Trip Thursday, March 12- Friday, March 13. We will head to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, spend the night at the Boys and Girls Club in Santa Cruz, and visit UCSC and CSUMB on Friday. We can't wait to learn about college (and eat in the dining halls!), learn about the CSU and UC systems, and bond with the Class of 2018.

Parent drivers, please contact Mr. Griffin (sgriffin@summtps.org) Drivers will meet on campus on Thursday, March 12 at 10:45am and return to campus Friday evening.

10th - The 10th Grade team is very excited to be taking our students to visit three fantastic Bay Area colleges February 26-27. Students will be visiting Stanford, Sonoma State and UC Berkeley. Students will get an insight into the history, academics and student experience at these three very different schools through guided tours, student panels and visits to dorms, dining commons, sports facilities and science labs. We're very grateful that Summit K2 in El Cerrito, has offered to host the entire Sophomore class and teachers for a giant sleepover at their school premises! We look forward to interacting with Summit students over breakfast on the second day of the trip.

Parent drivers, please contact Ms. Curry (ccurry@summitps.org). We will leave Rainier at 8:30am on Thursday, February 26 and return at approximately 4pm on Friday February 27.

11th - The Class of 2016 will be traveling to the Los Angeles area! While in Southern California, the Juniors will be visiting UC Riverside, CSU San Bernardino, the Claremont Colleges, and USC. Junior teachers are also planning fun evening outings so students have an opportunity to see the area. We need chaperones and drivers so please let us know if you're available.

12th - This year's study trip will involve students, teachers, and volunteers traveling to the Lake Tahoe area to connect with nature, each other, and the greater California community. In addition to reflection and team bonding, the tentative agenda includes a stop in the state capital to inspire political activism in students and a discussion about environmental sustainability in one of our most magnificent national forests. The tentative dates are May 20-22.

Summer of Summit - June & July

Summer of Summit is a unique summer opportunity for ALL Summit students (new and returning) that will be fun, engaging, supportive, academically rigorous, and free. Students will have a chance to participate in activities ranging from passion exploration to exciting projects to student leadership opportunities, and so much more!

Returning students can attend any or all of the weeks to attend on the Rainier campus:

June 23-26
July 7-10
July 14-17
July 21-24

New students can attend either:

June 23-26 & July 7-10
July 14-17 & July 21-24

Classes will be held Tuesday - Friday from 9am - 1pm

Please register by March 1 to secure a spot. Click here for more information and to register online, or there are paper forms available in the office.

Global Glimpse Pancake Sales

Nate Tibbils, Sean Gage and Francisco Montes

Rainier Students held a pancake sale earlier this week to raise money to go to Nicaragua with Global Glimpse this summer.

Drama Club Auditions - Into the Woods

Rainier's Drama Club is holding auditions during the next four weeks for the play Into the Woods. With over 20 parts, there is something for everyone. This is a great opportunity to get to know other students in a safe environment, as well as get experience performing in front of an audience.

When: January 26-February 26, during lunch and after school
Where: Room 1210

If you have questions, please email Renee Broussard, Jowie Panaligan or Saralynn Nguyen.

Southeast Asian Youth Conference at UC Davis

The Southeast Asians Furthering Education (SAFE) program at UC Davis presents... "The Rose that Grew from Concrete"

Southeast Asian Youth Conference (SEAYC) is a three-day, two-night conference that brings together high school and middle school students to participate in workshops, dialogues, and team and leadership activities, which focus and build on identity, culture, and history, as Southeast Asians.

Inspired by Tupac Shakur, this year's theme "The Rose that Grew from Concrete" focuses on liberation through identity, self-expression, and representation/awareness. By liberation we mean personal freedom is achieved when people learn more about themselves and what they can accomplish, despite the struggles they face growing up. The beauty of the rose can rise from the concrete, despite the environment the rose is in. The struggles and stories of Southeast Asians have been silenced and misrepresented. First generation parents are silenced by the traumas of war, school does not teach this history to their students, and the media does not properly represent Southeast Asians. SAFE strives to create a space to let us learn, engage, and empower us so we may have the chance to bloom.

SAFE is a student run program created to serve Southeast Asian (SEA) students in the community. By "Southeast Asian," we are referring to those whose history is tied back to the Vietnam War and refugee experience. This group of Southeast Asians consists of the Vietnamese, Hmong, Lao, Iu-Mien, Cambodian, Khmu, Cham, and other ethnic minorities from the war-inflicted countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. We target these communities because there are not enough resources and services provided to guide students to higher education. Based on statistics, SEAs have low education attainment rates meaning there are not enough SEAs finishing high school, and there are low numbers that go into college. Though our target is to serve the Southeast Asian community, anyone is welcome to apply.

When: February 27 - March 1, 2015

For more information, visit the SEAYC 2015 website. Applications are due January 31.

Youth Academic College Conference at Stanford

Youth Academic College Conference is a FREE annual two-day, one-night event organized by the Stanford Vietnamese Student Association to provide high school students (Junior or below) of ALL ETHNICITIES the opportunity to learn about college life! There will be a series of workshops with topics related to the college application process (Scholarships & Resources, Getting into College Timeline, Finding a good college, Dealing with parental pressure, etc.) as well as a chance to meet college students and share experiences. We have activities and awesome hangouts planned throughout the event. Each student will be paired with a Stanford volunteer, who will serve as their mentor and room host to help them with their personal concerns and guide them through the stressful transition from high school to college. Note: Food and housing on campus will be FREE.

The event will take place from 9:30am Saturday, February 7 to 1pm Sunday, February 8th 2015 at Stanford University Campus.

Please fill out this form if you would like to attend our conference. This form will be used to match you with a mentor!

http://goo.gl/forms/K0rRjmwxPW Applications Due January 31

Peninsula Young Writers Contest

Peninsula Young Writers is sponsoring 5th Annual Writing Contest for High School Students in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

Categories
Short Story: an original fictional story up to 2,500 words
Poetry: up to three original poems or song lyrics in total length up to 100 lines
Non-fiction narrative: an original autobiographical narrative up to 2,500 words

Prizes
Grand Prize: $500 cash and a scholarship to a Peninsula Young Writers Summer Workshop
Three Second Place Prizes in each genre: $100 cash
Honorable Mentions: $25 gift certificates

Submission deadline: February 27, 2015

For more information and to submit your entry:
www.pwlp.org/writing-contest.

Summit's mission is to prepare a diverse student population for success in a 4-year university and to be thoughtful, contributing members of society.