Ponte Vedra High School
Shark Bytes
Ponte Vedra High School

January 21, 2014

 
Important Dates
  • January 21 - High School Showcase, 3 pm - 8 pm, World Golf Village. 
  • January 28 - SAC Meeting, 4:15, Media Center.
  • February 1 - Practice SAT/ACT.  
  • February 6 - PVHS Academy Night, 6 pm. 
  • February 18 - SAC Meeting, 4:15, Media Center.
  • February 18 - PVHS College Fair, 5 - 7 pm. 
  • March 25 - SAC Meeting, 4:15, Media Center.
  • May 3 - Relay for Life, 3 pm. 
School News and Announcements

SAC Needs Assessment Survey 

Dear Parents:

We are currently conducting our annual SAC Needs Assessment, and your feedback is very important to us. Each school is accountable for the number of surveys taken, so please take a few minutes to complete this. To login, please use the following website:

https://surveys.stjohns.k12.fl.us/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=82KIl67K

You can also access the survey through the PVHS website under the SAC tab in the left-hand column.

Thank you, in advance, for taking the time to share your views.

Sincerely,

Craig Speziale
Principal PVHS

Save the date for the College Fair on Tuesday, February 18th from 5pm - 7pm.  A continually updated list on colleges attending can be found here.

For $25 you can help defer the cost of bringing all these great schools to our fantastic campus. Support the college bound sharks!

Have a business you would like to promote at the fair? Contact Lisa Crouch at lisa423@comcast.net or Willow Logue at kylogus@bellsouth.net for more information. 

Tissues for the Media Center 
The cold and flu season is upon us and the need for tissues in the Media Center is high.  If you would like to donate a box or two of tissues to the media center, the students and staff would greatly appreciate it.   Thank you so much for your support!

Attention Junior Boys: 
Boys State applications are now available.  If you are interested in a challenging "Leadership in Action" program that will develop your civic and government awareness along with  opportunities to earn college credit and scholarships, please see Mrs. Asplen for information.   All applications are due by the morning of February 7!   
For more information, please visit:
http://boysstate.floridalegion.org/ 

Youth Leadership Jacksonville 
Congratulations to the following students who have been chosen to represent Ponte Vedra High School.
    Meg Barnhorst
    Youree Ha
    Megan Cannan
    William O'Hara
    Sean Eccleston
    John Richter

Rotary Youth Exchange Correction 
Another PVHS student will be participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange Outbound program.  Stuart Brown is going to Germany in 2014-15--we apologize for the omission.  

 

Academy Students 
If you plan to remain in one of our academies, you must complete an INTENT TO RETURN form. Additionally, if you do NOT live in Ponte Vedra High School official zone, you MUST fill out a new OUT OF ZONE WAIVER. If any part of your address has changed, you must notify the school immediately. Failure to complete any of these steps by the deadline will result in denial of re-acceptance into the academy next year. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Mari Ellen Asplen, Academy Coordinator, at the school.

Click here for the link for the application process. Please read the entire page carefully before completing the paperwork

Seniors 
Seniors, a scholarship program (the Congress-Bundestag Vocational Youth Exchange) administered by Nacel Open Door is requesting schools to nominate 3 graduating seniors to spend one year in Germany exploring their career interests.  All Florida nominees will be considered for the final decision as to how many students will receive this opportunity for the 2014-2015 year.  Speaking German is not a prerequisite. 
The application can be obtained at www.fldoe.org/workforce/programs/cp_bundestag.aspand should be turned in to Guidance by January 20th to be considered as a nominee from our school.  Direct questions to Patrick Wright of the FLDOE at patrick.wright@fldoe.org 

 

Bright Futures Scholarship 
The Bright Futures Scholarship application is now open. All seniors, regardless of their plans for after high school, should apply before May 30, 2014. The counseling department strongly recommends that students visit the Bright Futures website to become familiar with the program and to make sure they are on track to qualify. 
PTO Update
Practice SAT Fundraiser 
Anxious about SAT or ACT testing? The Tutoring Club St. Johns is providing local high school students with an excellent opportunity to experience a full-length practice SAT or ACT Test in a simulated testing environment without the fear of this score going on a transcript. Parents will receive a full score report and consultation to discuss the student's strengths and weaknesses within 10 days following the test.

The cost of this practice SAT or ACT test is $40 before Jan. 24 or $45 after Jan. 24; and the event is open to all High School students.

A portion of each fee will go to the PVHS PTO.

Call Tutoring Club St. Johns Now at 230-2855 or email them to RESERVE a Seat!!! Make sure to mention PVHS PTO!

Attention Parent of Seniors  
Recognize your graduate with a personalized yard sign. The PTO is selling customized signs with your senior's name and graduation year for $20 for one sign, $35 for two signs and $14 for three or more. Do not miss the chance to show your senior how proud you are of their accomplishments. Please see thethe flier and order form for more information. Contact Tricia Cannan if you have any questions at jcannan@comcast.net. 
 
Support Our College-Bound Sharks:
College Fair PLUS Tuesday, February 18 5pm -7:00pm
The PTO and SEA (Seeking Excellence in Academics Committee) are working to bring over 70 colleges to PVHS for the College Fair PLUS.

Show your pride for our college-bound Sharks and support College Fair Plus! with a $25 listing in our program. Your name will appear on our "We Support Our College-Bound Sharks" page, and monies received will help defray the costs associated with the fair including showcasing our great campus.  Click here to make on online PayPal contribution.

To make a check payment, send a check made payable to PVHS-PTO, in the memo line write "College Fair-family sponsor" and add a note stating how you would like your family to be listed. Send to: Ponte Vedra High School PTO, Attention: College Fair- 460 Davis Park Road, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081.

Questions? Want to be a business sponsor? Email Lisa Crouch at lisa423@comcast.net or Willow Logue at kylogus@bellsouth.net.

Shark Sports 
This Week at Home
  • Tuesday - Girls' Basketball v. Episcopal, 6 pm.
  • Wednesday - Boys' Basketball v. Stanton Prep, 6 pm.
  • Thursday - Girls' Basketball v. Fernandina Beach, 6 pm.
  • Friday - Boys' Basketball v. Palatka, 6 pm.   

Scorecard  

Girls' Basketball:
The Ponte Vedra Lady Sharks advanced their season record to 14-10 with two more wide-margin victories this past week.   This talented group of 11 players was recently expanded with the addition of Junior Julia Waud who was promoted up from the successful JV Team after her first season of play.  
 
On Tuesday, January 14, the Lady Sharks traveled north to Yulee for a strong 69-38 triumph.   Returning to the Shark Tank on Thursday evening the team fought to another yet another 30-point win margin, their fourth in a row, with a 76-46  win over Clay Country High School.  
 
An all-round highlight of the week was delivered by Mandi Koski who on Tuesday against Yulee scored 16-points, brought in 13 total rebounds, and nearly made it a triple-double falling a single rebound short with nine total.  That strong performance was followed up on Thursday evening against Clay when she accounted for 21-points while hitting on seven of nine free throws, collected 17 rebounds - seven at the offensive basket and 10 defensive, and played remarkable defense including seven more blocked shots. 
 
At Yulee 10 players were in the scoring column:  Megan Piggott led the way with 26 points and was followed by Koski's 16.  Christie Begeman hit for eight, Miriam Grant collected five, both Rachel Aspinwall and Julia Cressman gathered three, and three players including Waud, Brenna Storm, and Tori Koski each added two points.  
 
Against Clay County Piggott hit for 25, Mandi Koski was close behind with 21, and Christie Begeman was hot with 13 points that were built upon a flawless eight of eight from the free throw line.  Scoring was rounded out by Grant with six, Storm with five, and two three-pointers from Aspinwall and Tori Koski.  
 
A busy week lies ahead for the Lady Sharks as they are home on Tuesday and Thursday, against Episcopal and Fernadina Beach respectively, and then end the regular season with a road game against St. Joseph in St. Augustine at 5 p.m. on Friday.  
 
Please come out on Thursday evening to join everyone in honoring Tori Koski, the Lady Sharks' lone senior and four-year letter winner, with her Senior Night!

 Boys' Basketball: Shark Cagers Continue Their Winning Ways
Only an overtime loss to Bartram Trail last Tuesday denied the Ponte Vedra Boys basketball team from sweeping all three of their games last week.  However, on the plus side, the two wins were in district contests that improve the Shark's district season mark to a perfect 6-0.

On January 16 the Sharks cruised to an easy road win against Ridgeview 70-36 and finished the week Saturday night with a hard earned 62-52 victory over Menendez.

The Sharks again face another busy week with a trio of games on the docket, including a pair of District games beginning Tuesday night when they play their final road game of the regular season against Clay.

The Sharks will then return to the Shark Tank with their first ever meeting against Stanton Prep before hosting perennial power Palatka on Friday night.  The Sharks nipped both Clay and Palatka earlier in the season by a narrow two-point margin.

Ponte Vedra suffered a tough defeat in the first of their three games last week with a 56-55 loss to a very talented Bartram Trail squad The Sharks had a couple of chances to win the game, first in the closing seconds of regulation, when a Jackson Johnson runner hung on the lip of the rim before falling off, and again in overtime when the Sharks needed a two point field goal over the last 24 seconds but nothing dropped.

The game was played before a large and energetic crowd at the Shark Tank with the game seesawing back and forth throughout the heated contest.

The Sharks did a very good job on containing the Bears three leading scorers, Nick Grier, Sean James, and Holden Hitchcock, but the Bears had season high performances from a pair of stepbrothers, DJ Johnson and Anthony Young to pull off the victory.

The Sharks were led in scoring by Quinn Carey with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Jackson Johnson netted 15 points to go along with 7 assists. Donovan Garrard was also in double figures by pitching in 10 points in a losing cause.

Boys' Soccer:
Ponte Vedra Boys Varsity soccer entered District playoffs on home turf Monday Jan 21 with a 5-0 win against Palatka. The team's record for district games is 6-0-1, and overall for season 16-3-4.  

Briggs Hurley and Michael Tkachik both secured 2 goals each, and Nick Kostrubsky scored one. The team is looking to repeat the District Champion's Title.

The next district playoff game will be Wed Jan 22 hosted at Clay County High school - 5:30 against Ridgeview, and if the team secures a win, District Finals will be Friday Jan 24th at Clay County High School. Please come and support the boys Varsity Soccer Team!
In the Community
Chocolate and Beyond - A Sweet Way to Support Volunteers
Chocolate and Beyond, a celebration of chocolate, desserts, and other culinary sensations, will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2014 from 2 - 4 p.m. at First Coast Technical College, Building C in St. Augustine.  Guests will enjoy tasty samples from some of the area's finest restaurants and specialty shops.  A silent auction, raffle, and contests will also be part of this fun and exciting afternoon.


Hosted by The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of St. Johns County, proceeds from Chocolate and Beyond benefit the volunteer program, and young students through book purchases.  Tickets are $10.00 each and can be purchased on the RSVP website (www.rsvpstjohns.com), or in person at Whetstone Chocolates (King Street and Anastasia Blvd locations), Cold Cow Ice Cream, and TD Bank in St. Augustine.  Call RSVP at 904-547-3945 for more information.

Teen Entrepreneurship Conference for Girls
The "It's HER Business" 9th Annual Teen Entrepreneurship Conference is a one-day conference at UNF for GIRLS ONLY ages 15-18 enrolled in any northeast FL high school.  It is designed to encourage financial literacy and help girls learn about starting businesses and managing personal finances through interactive games and hands-on activities.  The event is on Friday, March 7 from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the UNF University Center.  It is FREE and lunch and materials are provided.  Students must provide transportation.  The FIRST 100 GIRLS to apply will be accepted.  Please go online to http://www.sbdc.unf.edu/its-her-business.php for an application and waiver form, DUE BY FRIDAY, JANUARY 31.
In This Issue
School News and Announcements
PTO Update
Shark Sports
In the Community
PVHS Links


 
Other Useful Links
 
 

 

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Feel free to contact us with information that may interest the PVHS community.  All submissions are subject to approval by the PVHS administration, and must be received by Friday for inclusion in Monday's newsletter.  Please e-mail your information exactly as you would like it to appear to Pat Forsythe, forsytp@stjohns.k12.fl.us.