Gunn Connection - Friday, August 12, 2016

Fri, Aug 12

Photo Day, Bow Gym

  Sophomore: last name A-L, 8-9 AM; last name M-Z, 9-10 AM

  Junior: last name A-L, 10-11 AM; last name M-Z, 11 AM-12 PM

  Senior: last name A-L, 12-1 PM; last name M-Z, 1-2 PM

Textbook Distribution, 8 AM-4 PM, Library

Freshman and New Student Orientation, 12:30 PM arrival, 1-4 PM orientation, Spangenberg

Mon, Aug 15

First Day of School

Thu, Aug 18

PTSA Exec Board Meeting, 8:30 AM, Staff Lounge

Fri, Aug 19

Principal's Coffee, 8 AM, PE Classroom, Bow Gym

Welcome Back Dance, 7:30 PM, Quad

Tue, Aug 23 (rescheduled from Aug 16)

Freshman Ice Cream Social, 3:45 PM, Amphitheater

Fri, Aug 26

Freshman Parent Network Meeting, 8 AM, Staff Lounge

Football vs. El Camino, JV 4 PM, Varsity 7 PM

Tailgate BBQ, 5 PM

For a complete calendar of all school events, go to the Gunn Calendar. For corrections or additions to the Calendar, contact Martha Elderon.

Gunn

Parents: Dance Chaperones Needed!

Fri, Aug 19, 7:30-10:30 PM, Quad

Without chaperones, the Welcome Back Dance on August 19 (7:30PM) can't happen! Please sign up HERE. You will have fun, and the students and staff will thank you!

Some Back to School Help Still Needed!

Gunn depends on SO MANY of our wonderful parent vounteers during the opening of each school year to help welcome students to campus and begin their new year smoothly. Below are current needs. Respond to Norma Hesterman (nhesterman@pausd.org) with your name and the name and grade of your student, or sign up HERE. The students and staff will thank you! For each activity bring a warm smile for our students! Please fill out the green forms you received in your summer packets and return them.

Mon, Aug 15

Collect and organize student packet forms. Nine, or more, volunteers needed at Spangenberg, 8:00 to 11:00.

First 2 weeks of school

Help in Student Activities Center writing receipts, entering data, helping students in following shifts: 8:30-11 AM, 11 AM-1:30 PM, 1:30-3:30 PM. Sign up HERE.

Fri, Aug 19

Chaperone first dance, 6 more still needed, 7:30-10:30 PM.

News from Student Activities

*Titan Ambassadors will be wearing their red shirts during passing periods on the first day of school (Monday, August 16th) to answer any questions freshmen might have and to give directions as necessary.

*If you missed Photo Day on August 12th, we will be having a second opportunity for students to have their pictures taken and get an ID on Tuesday, August 16th, from 8 AM-3:30 PM in the Academic Center.

*Buy your Student Activities items online! Visit the Gunn Webstore: https://Gunn-Titans-Store.myschoolcentral.com

*All students are invited to the first dance on Friday, August 19th, from 7:30-10:30 PM, on the campus Quad. Current school ID is required to get in (the photo people will hand all students theirs on photo day) and cost is $5 at the door. No guests will be allowed to this dance - Gunn students only! Parent chaperones are needed for the dance!!! If you LOVE running our coat check or selling water, or just want to watch the perimeter - this job is for you! If you are interested, email Norma Hesterman at nhesterman@pausd.org.

*The Student Activities Office and Store has moved! Our temporary home is in Room K-6 during campus construction. We will be open from 8:45 AM-4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Come visit!

Questions: Lisa Hall, Student Activities Director, lhall@pausd.org.

Gunn Sports Boosters

Gunn Sports Boosters is always looking for more volunteers. Come to our first meeting which will be held on Wednesday, August 17th. The meeting starts at 6 PM and is held in the Bow Gym (old gym) in the PE Classroom. We have some exciting announcements about what Boosters is doing for our athletes this year. If you have any questions, you can contact Pam Perez, Boosters President at pep@pamperez.com.

Volunteers Needed for Palo Alto College Fair at Gunn High School

Save the Date: Monday, October 10th, 2016

The College and Career Center will once again sponsor the Palo Alto College Fair. Students and parents will have the opportunity to meet with over 150 college admissions representatives in one place. To make this event a success we need lots of parent and student volunteers to help with setup, registration, hospitality, tear down, etc. Watch for the sign up sheet during the first few weeks of school. Students can receive community service hours for volunteering for this event. Have questions? Contact Donna Pioppi at dpioppi41@yahoo.com.

FROM THE PREVIOUS ISSUE:

New Families Welcome!

A special welcome to all who are new to Gunn High School! Three things for you to do, to become connected to the Gunn Community:

1) Subscribe to the weekly eNews called the Gunn Connection: subscribe here.

2) Join the Freshman Parent Network, and come to our first coffee meeting on Friday, August 26th, 8-10 AM in the Gunn Staff Lounge (check in first at the Main Office to get a parking permit). The parent network holds meetings to introduce parents to each other and to Gunn staff. In a few weeks you will get an invitation to the Freshman Parent Network online group, which sends freshman-specific information and answers burning questions.

3) RSVP to participate in the New Families Potluck, Thursday, Sept 15th, 5:30-8:00 PM, Library. New Families are invited to attend the annual New Families Potluck and meet staff, SEC students, PTSA parents and representatives from the Parent Networks for an informal evening of socializing, food and fun. Please bring a favorite snack or dish to share, whether it is homemade or store bought. Dessert, coffee and tea will be provided. Childcare for children under 12 is provided free of charge. Please RSVP to gunnpotluck@gmail.com.

VOLUNTEER and Experience Gunn High School for Yourself!

Johns Hopkins University identifies "Volunteering" as one of the essential ways a parent can contribute to a student's success at school. There are many volunteer opportunities at Gunn, some educational and some entertaining, but ALL of them benefit our students. And YOU benefit as well: being on campus allows you to experience the Gunn "ecosystem" while taking part in activities that make a difference to the Gunn community.

Click here to check out all the volunteer positions available. The Gunn PTSA is looking to fill the following critical roles; if you have interest in any of these, please contact Barbara Best, barbarabest@gmail.com, ASAP.

*Manage Constant Contact database for eNews (needed primarily at the start of the year)

*Seniors Grad Night Party - chairpersons to organize this June 1 event

*Data Entry (needed primarily at the start of the year)

*International Potluck Co-Chairpersons (organize April 20 all-school potluck)

*Staff Appreciation Week Chairperson (week of May 1)

*eScrip and Amazon Smile Program Manager (year-round, ~1 hour per month)

Korean Parents Network Meeting

Thu, Aug 18, 10 AM-12:30 PM, 3725 Ortega Ct, Palo Alto

Come join the Korean Parents Network on Thursday, August 18th. We will meet at 3725 Ortega Court, Palo Alto, CA 94303, from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. We will provide coffee and snack. We welcome new families and old friends. We have many exciting things on our agenda this year! Come and hear all about it. Contact Jenny Ryu, hjkang3d@hotmail.com, (650) 814-0751.

Principal's Coffee: Get the Inside Scoop!

Fri, Aug 19, 8-10 AM, Bow Gym PE Classroom (entry doors face the field to the left of Bow Gym)

Dr. Denise Herrmann will host a Principal's Coffee session on Friday, August 19th. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP here so we have enough coffee for everyone. We will gather for coffee and mingle from 8:00 AM until 8:30 AM, at which point Dr. Herrmann and some of her new staff will join us to discuss plans for the year, followed by a Q&A. Please remember to check in at the office and get a parking permit.

Gunn PTSA General Meeting

Thu, Sep 8, 8:30 AM, Staff Lounge

Please become a member of the Gunn PTSA, and then attend our first PTSA membership meeting of the year! We will discuss our plans for the year and, most importantly, members will vote on the proposed budget for the 2016-2017 school year. All PTSA meetings are open to everyone, members or not - join us!

HELP Needed for Student Appreciation BBQ

Fri, Sep 9, 10 AM-2 PM

The PTSA is continuing the tradition of appreciating Gunn students by sponsoring a school-wide "Back To School BBQ" during the lunch hour on September 9th. This is free for the students, and we need our parent community to help us out with set-up, light grilling, serving, and clean up. Hope you can join us, you'll get to experience a very happy and energized student body! To volunteer please click here. Questions? Please email Keri Wagner at keriwagner@gmail.com.

Need Student Health Insurance?

Brochures for student health insurance (in Spanish and English) are available in the Main Office.

PAUSD / PTAC

One Way Bus Pass

The One Way bus tickets will not be sold at the beginning of the school year until it is determined that there will be room for the occasional rider on the afternoon bus. The J route (Stanford West) bus is full at this time and the Z route (Los Altos Hills) bus has very low ridership and will be served in a small school bus. Questions: Kathryn Durkin, Transportation Supervisor, PAUSD, (650) 329-3748.

Safe Routes to School--Help Report Problems

As the start of school approaches, you can help walking and bicycling students be safe and visible on the way to school by reporting problems.

Concerns on Stanford land should be directed to Lucy Wicks, Director of Community Relations, lwicks@stanford.edu, 650-725-3339.
Los Altos Hills concerns should be directed to the online Service Request Form.
Palo Alto concerns should be directed to the Palo Alto 311 app or website. You can track your issue as it is addressed by staff.

Please report visibility issues like overgrown trees or vegetation at corners as these items are especially important for students walking and biking to school. Items you can report include:

Broken sidewalks
Sidewalks with Overgrown Vegetation/Weeds or other visibility problems
Tree care requests (for trees not on private property)
Tree or limb down obstructing the right-of-way
Debris in bike lanes and/or roadways
Potholes in bike lanes and/or roadways
Streetlight and Traffic Signal problems
Large amount of non-local traffic on a local street
Traffic congestion or traffic safety concern
Unsafe driving behavior or speeding (non emergency)
Traffic signs down/bent/not visible
Missing Manhole/Utility Cover

You can also request:

Improvements to school bicycle or walking route
New bicycle rack or bicycle parking in the public right-of-way
New traffic signals or retiming of existing signals
New curb paint or new parking signs
New traffic signs and/or pavement markings

Community

Westly Foundation Prize for Young Innovators Solving Community Problems

Applications due 9/15

The Westly Foundation is offering $20,000 prizes to innovators under age 28 with novel solutions to community problems. Applications are due on September 15th for the Westly Prize for Young Innovators of California. The Prize rewards committed and creative changemakers making the world a better place. Innovations must be prototyped, and can be non-profit or for-profit with a strong social purpose. High school students are eligible to win! Learn more and apply at www.westly.org/westly-prize.

Gunn Connection Publication Guidelines:

The Gunn Connection is published ONCE a week, every Friday. Deadline is noon the day before publication.
Please submit ANNOUNCEMENTS ONLY to the Gunn Connection at gunnconnection@paloaltopta.org. Only announcements specific to the Gunn community will be published. Any other announcements from outside the Gunn community must first be submitted for review to the PTA eNews (enews@paloaltopta.org), which will then distribute it to the relevant schools in the district.
Announcements will be limited to 100 words or less. Any lengthier or more in-depth articles or news should be submitted to the Gunn Connection Extra (GunnNews@gmail.com).
Announcements will be published in two consecutive issues. To have further announcements made after that, please submit your announcement again.
Please use the words "Gunn Connection" in the subject line. Items should include a title, the date, time and location of the event, and a brief (100 words or less) description of the activity. List email, contact information and web links at the end. Content should be in the body of your email as unformatted text. Attachments subject to approval by the editors.
Items are published at the discretion of the editors.

Thank you,

Shari Arensdorf & Rita Lee

Gunn Connection Editors & Parent Volunteers