CLASS OF 2014

 

Seniors – Stay Focused On School!!

Please encourage your students to keep working hard in the classroom. A failed class at the end of the semester could cost them graduation, and a drop in past performance could cost them admission to the college of their choice.  Universities have the right to rescind offers of admission if a senior’s grades go down.

 

Please help your student get to school on time every day.  Attendance is directly related to a student’s performance in the classroom and your child needs to be in each class in order to do his/her best.  Please do not write notes excusing morning absences due to “over-sleeping” as the state of California does not recognize failure to wake up as an excuse for missing school.

 

College Acceptances

As seniors begin receiving notification of acceptance and unfortunately, denial letters from the colleges to which they applied, be sure to talk to your child so you’re there to congratulate and console.  The college admissions process is so complex that no one really knows exactly why a particular student is accepted or denied.  Why dwell on any conjecture?  Get excited with your child about where he or she is going to be attending school next fall!  It is not where you go, but what you do when you get to that destination.

 

College To-Do Items

Regardless of where your student decides to continue his/her education, it is critical that students follow through and complete any and all applications/paperwork for their chosen college.  For example, most universities will need to be notified of your child’s acceptance decision no later than May 1^st via the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR).  It is the student’s responsibility to meet all deadlines and to be in regular contact with their college.  Students should monitor their accounts with the school they have chosen for information about entrance/placement exams, housing, class scheduling, and financial aid.

 

Financial Aid for College

Students need to monitor their financial-aid status and submit any requested documents in a timely manner.  Once they know where they will be attending college, students should contact the financial aid office at that college and confirm their financial-aid status.

 

Final Transcript

Seniors will need to send a final transcript to the campus that they will attend in the fall. This will be done online this year.  Students must go to parchment.com and follow the steps required to send the final transcript.  Once the student has chosen the campus, he/she can go on the site and make the request.  The transcript will however, not be sent until at least 2-3 weeks after graduation.

 

Graduation

Graduation will be held on Thursday, May 29^th at 6:30 p.m. in Holmes Memorial Stadium on Elfelt Field.   Detailed information about senior-week activities and graduation activities will be sent home in the next few days. 

 

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CLASS OF 2015

 

COLLEGE INFORMATION

As the senior year approaches, we will be giving you a lot of important information via email. If the parent or student email information is incorrect, you need to see Chris Foy, the registrar, to update your information ASAP. Please make sure to check the career center calendar at dbhs.org to stay informed about college rep visits and read all bull sheet announcements so you are always “in the know.”

 

PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATIONS

If you plan on applying for a private university next year (USC, Stanford, CMU, Pitzer, etc), you MUST attend an informational meeting at lunch time on Tuesday, May 20^th in the theater. The GLCs will be presenting all the information you need to prepare in order to get a letter of recommendation senior year. Information on CSU/UC and Private School admissions will be discussed as well. It is imperative that all students attend this meeting.

 

SAT / ACT SIGN UPS

If you plan to attend a four-year college, you should be registering for and taking the SAT.   We encourage students to take the test near the end of the junior year, in March, May, or June, and then again at the beginning of senior year.  The CSU/UC will just take a student’s best score, so we definitely recommend taking the SAT Reasoning Test at least twice.   Students need to register themselves for the SAT online at www.collegeboard.org.  The ACT with writing can also work for the UC/CSU so we also recommend trying this test to better your chances of a score you’re proud of.  Students interested in taking the ACT should go to www.act.org. 

 

Taking the test at least twice, trying both the SAT and the ACT with writing, and preparing with an SAT book or class are all good ways to improve your score, but don’t drive yourself crazy looking for a certain number that someone has said you need.  Do all of the above to give yourself the best odds, take the test, and then move on, knowing you did all you could to put yourself in the best position possible.

 

COLLEGE SEARCH PROCESS

A great way to begin narrowing your college choices is by making campus visits.   Many students find that summer vacation is a perfect time to go on campus tours.   Most colleges have regular tours available – look for tours on the websites of the schools which interest you.

 

Students should be using the College Search information included in the Junior Student/Parent information Handbook distributed during last year’s summer registration meeting.  It is very important to start this process now in order to find the school that is the best fit for you.  You can also look at sites like www.collegeboard.org or www.petersons.com to get an idea of how selective the schools you’re considering are.  For example, it’s good for you to know that the average freshman who got into San Diego State last year had a 3.6 GPA, a 500 SAT Reading score, and a 520 SAT Math score.  While these are only averages, they can help you have an idea of your chances of getting into different universities.

 

PAYING FOR COLLEGE

If you want to begin exploring your financial aid options and get an early start on the financial aid process, FAFSA4caster is for you!  By using FAFSA4caster, you and your family will receive an early estimate of eligibility for Federal Student Aid.  This process will educate you on the various types of financial aid available.  Check it out.  www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov.

 

SENIOR YEAR COURSE SELECTION

As we told all of our juniors earlier, choose classes that will make your senior year rigorous but realistic.  No one headed for college should select an “easy” schedule that doesn’t make them competitive, but students should also be wary of biting off more than they can chew.  Give yourself a challenging course load that you can handle.  Once we make your senior schedule, it is difficult to make changes, and changing your senior schedule once your senior year begins could harm the university admission’s process. 

 

We have talked to several students about missing graduation requirements or CSU/UC admission requirements so you should know which classes you need to take in senior year.  If you have any confusion about course selection, please see your GLC.

 

GRADES FOR JUNIORS

Final grades for second semester are coming soon and we want you to finish strong!  Parents, monitor Parent Portal and talk with your child about their assignments over these last few weeks to help them have a strong finish and earn the best grades possible.

 

Remember that four-year-colleges and universities are expecting “C” grades or better in college prep classes.  You must make up any grade that is lower than a “C”.  (Some colleges will accept lower than a “C” in the first semester of certain courses.   See your GLC if you have any questions).    

 

Any “F” grade in a graduation requirement such as English or American History will have to be repeated during summer school.   A “D” grade in English or American History will earn graduation credit, but will not count towards college requirements and will have to be repeated during summer school if you are university bound.  If you finish 2^nd semester with a D or an F, it is YOUR responsibility to get yourself signed up for summer school on the first day – Monday, June 9^th!

 

CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM

Students who have not passed the CAHSEE will be given the exam again on May 13th and 14th.   We are currently offering tutoring for the math and English sections.  Students will be notified as to the exact dates and time of the tutoring.

 

Review classes are offered in English and Mathematics on a first come basis.  Classes will be held immediately after school on the following dates:

 

English CAHSEE Prep Class – Room 552           

Mr. D. Roubian

                       

April 22 and April 24, 2014                                   

April 29 and May 1, 2014

May 6 and May 8, 2014

May 12, 2014  (3:05 – 3:35 p.m.)

 

 

 

Math CAHSEE Prep Class – Room 602           

Ms. J. Burns

 

April 21 and April 23, 2014                                   

April 28 and April 30, 2014

May 5 and May 7, 2014

May 12, 2014  (3:40 – 4:10 p.m.)

 

 

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CLASS OF 2016

 

Strong Finish

Final grades for second semester are coming soon (May 29^th).  You recently received the 12 week progress report for your child so you have a good idea of his/her current grades.  Please monitor Parent Portal regularly and talk with your child about his assignments over these last few weeks to help him/her have a strong finish and earn the best grades possible.

 

Summer School

If your child earned an F in English or World History in any of his first three semesters of high

school, they should already be signed up for summer school.  If they do not attend, or if they fail summer school, they will not be considered on track for graduation.  If your child earns an F in second semester English or World History this year, bring them to the first day of summer school and add them to a class.  If they earn a D, they will earn graduation credit, but they would need to make up the class in summer school for CSU/UC admission.

 

If your child earns a D or an F in Biology, Chemistry, or math, he will need to either sign up for a tuition summer school class or plan on repeating that class during his junior year. There is still room in summer school at the Mt. SAC referral program to repeat a D/F grade in English, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, and History. See your GLC as soon as possible for the referral, the deadline to sign up is slowly approaching.

 

 

 

 

 

Extracurricular/Community Service Involvement

Several people have probably advised your child to get involved in extracurricular activities or community service because it “looks good for college,” but we recommend encouraging your child to get involved in these activities for other, intrinsic reasons.  It’s good for your child to pursue his passions, to learn more about the world around him, to experience something different, to build confidence, to gain compassion for those less fortunate.  While participation and leadership in extracurricular activities and community service are positive factors in college applications, it is only because they provide insight into the type of person your child is and the range of experiences that have supplemented his education.

 

Junior Year Course Selection

Many students are making a transition in eleventh grade to more difficult classes.  That’s a good positive direction but please remind your child to take these more challenging courses very seriously.  Several students like the idea of taking many AP classes, but they don’t like the idea of doing all the work these classes require and can make the mistake of cheating or plagiarizing.  Please discuss the upcoming year with your child and make sure he is ready to work hard and meet the challenge. While the strength of schedule is important, grade point average is still the most important.

 

GLC Registration Appointment

The lottery for the GLC registration appointments for the class of 2016 is Thursday, May 15, 2014 after school in the amphitheater. Registration will begin Monday, July 14, 2014 and ends Friday, August 8th, 2014. Please make sure your child knows of any planned vacations or conflicts and does not choose that date for registration. Some families may be out of town the entire four weeks of registration. In this case, have your child take the appointment given to them and have them let their GLC know that they will be gone.

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CLASS OF 2017

Freshman year is quickly coming to a close. May 29, 2014 is the last day of the school year. In the next few weeks the second semester Final Exams schedule will be posted on our school website. 

 

First Semester Grades

By now you have had a chance to review your child’s first semester grades.  These are the first official grades that will make up your student’s high school transcript. Your child needs to continue working hard to earn the grades that truly reflect the kind of student he or she is.  The recent semester 2  12-week progress report is an update of your student’s current progress in his/her courses.  Please continue to talk with your student about pushing through in these final weeks.

 

Summer School

Check our school website summer school link for the latest information on summer school 2014.  Your student may be in the situation of needing to sign up for summer school based on a poor semester 2 grade in a graduation or UC/CSU course.  If this is the situation, please contact one of the summer school principals for the most accurate information on how to add a summer-school course.  Mr. Gabriel Aguilar ([email protected]) is the summer school principal for all tuition courses (Dedicated To Learning/D2L) and Mr. Julian Rodriguez ([email protected]) is the summer school principal for non-tuition courses. 

 

Repeating Courses

Please keep in mind, it is not recommended for college admission purposes to repeat courses when grades of (C- or higher) have been earned.  These grades satisfy requirements for UC/CSU admissions.  If your student earned a D in the first semester of a math or foreign language course, a C- or better earned in the second semester would validate the overall grade and allow him/her to move on to the next level at DBHS.  It also validates semester one and the course will meet one year of subject requirement for admission to the CSU/UC.  

 

Parent Portal and Tutoring

Many of you have been actively monitoring your child’s progress in classes via the Aeries parent portal and already know what a useful tool this can be.  It is a great way to have informed conversations with your child about class assignments and overall performance.  If you have trouble getting started, please contact your child’s GLC and we will help you. If your child needs a private tutor for any subject, please have your student see his or her GLC for names and phone numbers of students available for hire.  We also have free tutoring Monday-Thursday from 3:00-4:30 in room 605 and Math Help before and after school as well as during lunch-(See schedule on school website).

 

Sophomore Registration Cards

At this time, your sophomore should have submitted his/her course requests for sophomore year.  The GLCs have input all course requests.   

 

GLC Registration Appointment

The lottery for the mandatory GLC registration appointment for the class of 2017 is Wednesday, May 14, 2014 after school in the amphitheater. GLC Registration appointments will begin Monday, July 14, 2014 and end Friday, August 8, 2014.   Please make sure your child knows of any planned vacations or conflicts during this 4-week period July 14-August 8^th.  Your student should notify the clerical staff, at this lottery, of any potential conflicts and every attempt will be made to schedule an appointment around any conflict.  There is no guarantee that we will be able to accommodate all requests, but we will do our best.  Changing GLC registration appointments after the Lottery date of May 14^th is very difficult and discouraged.   Some families may be out of town the entire four weeks of registration and this will result in a lost opportunity to meet one-on-one with your Grade Level Coordinator and to complete very important steps in preparing for the 10^th grade year.  If this situation applies to you, your student should take the appointment given to them on May 14^th and notify their GLC.   Please keep in mind, all 2014-2015 school year course schedules are made via the computerized scheduling system sometime in June.  Your student’s schedule will have been produced prior to the four-week registration process; therefore the date of your GLC registration appointment during the four-week registration period has no effect on your student’s course schedule.  The first day of the 2014-2015 school year is Monday, August 18, 2014. 

Clearing Attendance

Please continue to make sure that you contact our attendance office if your child is out ill or absent for any reason. This includes arriving to school 20 minutes or more late. The attendance office needs to receive a call from you even if your child was only out for one period. Failure to call the attendance office may result in consequences for your student. The direct line for the attendance office is 909-594-1860.