Happy Spring!  It feels like we are now in the final stretch of the school year, but there’s still a lot left in store – Jr. Prom, Sr. Ball, STAR and AP Testing, the rest of the spring sports season, spring concerts and shows, School-wide Awards and Senior Awards night, and of course all the graduation festivities!

At our March PTSA meeting, Toni Taylor and Kathy Moore from the District Office gave an informative overview of the Common Core Standards – “the most significant change in education in over a decade.”  The new accountability system will test high school students only once – in the 11th grade – and will include performance tasks for which students will have to show their work and explain their reasoning, rather than only responding to multiple choice questions.  At the core of these changes are a deeper and more engaging educational experience that will require students to think and participate more.  Another key point is the increased exposure to informational text as students progress from elementary school through high school and therefore an increased emphasis on literacy across all subject areas.  No longer will there be a perception that literacy is the responsibility of the English Department.  While most of our current students won’t experience the new testing system, they will all experience changes in their classes next year (if they haven’t already this year) as we transition to the new standards.

At our next two PTSA meetings, we’ll have Cal High staff members who are serving on the district’s Common Core Task Forces elaborate on how courses will look different and some of the different approaches teachers will be using.  April’s meeting will feature the math department, and May’s meeting will feature the English department as well as representatives from other departments who will address how the new literacy standards will affect their subject areas.  I hope you will mark your calendars for Mondays, April 15 and May 13, at 7pm in the school library to learn more about these important changes.

At our March meeting, the nominating committee presented their slate of PTSA officers for next year.  The election will be at our April meeting.

Many thanks to the nominating committee comprised of Lynn Ashley lynn_ashley05@yahoo.com, Garrett Draper gdrape@aol.com, Jenny Jensen jennyljensen@hotmail.com, Michelle Rodrigue cm3kids@yahoo.com, Lisa Webster lisawebster@gmail.com, for their dedicated work.  They also made terrific headway in finding candidates for most of the appointed positions.  In addition to 2nd VP-Legislative Advocacy, some other key openings are Staff Appreciation/Hospitality chair, Directory chair, Registration chair, and Honorary Service Awards chair and Special Needs chair.  If you have any interest in any of the opening positions, please contact one of the nominating committee members.  We would welcome your involvement!

Rachel Hurd

rmshurd@sbcglobal.net