Dear Dragon Family:

Thank you for another great week at SVHS! It was so nice welcoming everyone back to campus from the break and we’re looking forward to the next three weeks before our Winter Break. We have several things to celebrate:

• We’d like to recognize our incredible students who were selected as finalists for Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year. Our finalists included Esmeralda Tellez (junior) who was selected as the 2024 Youth of the Year - congratulations Esmeralda! Other finalists were freshman Iñaki Bran, junior Christopher Fonseca, and senior Mariana Hernández Padilla. We are so proud of each of these incredible Dragons!

• We are excited to share that we have been approved for two grants that we applied for in conjunction with other Sonoma County Schools - one will provide SVHS with the ability to explore adding a Healthcare Pathway (along with Casa Grande and Petaluma HS) for $999,666, and the other grant is the North Coast Ag Partnership which was applied for with 7 other schools in the county along with SVHS for $758,946. Huge shout out to Wendy Swanson who was instrumental in co-authoring these grant applications. Awards will be finalized on January 2 when we receive our final “Intent to Award” Notification.

• We are launching our Devoted Dragon tickets. We will be highlighting students each week in the bulletin who are upholding our behavior expectations (being kind, responsible, safe) and students who receive a Devoted Dragon ticket can turn it into the office at the end of the school day for a treat.

Coming up on 12/7 our Winter Concert will be held in the Little Theater. It will begin promptly at 7pm (call time for performers is 6:30pm). This concert will feature bands from Sonoma Valley High, Adele Harrison Middle School, and Altimira Middle School. The concert will go on for about one hour, and Sleigh Ride is the last piece of the evening. There is no ticket admission price, though donations will be gratefully accepted at the door. Additionally, SVHS Music hoodies will be sold; we have adult sizes S-XL. We encourage you to come out and show your support for our music programs in SVUSD

Dragon Strong, We All Belong!

Ms. Kiss, Ms. Dowdy, Mr. Schloesser, & Mr. Snow

College/Career Thursdays & SVHS/Dragon Wear Fridays: We are encouraging students to join our staff in a theme of Thursdays as College/Career Thursdays and SVHS/Dragon Wear Fridays. Students can participate in the theme by dressing in college or career related wear on Thursdays and SVHS/Dragon wear on Fridays.

In Good Standing/Off Campus: Off-Campus and In Good Standing was updated on Monday, November 13. If your student has any detentions to clear, detentions are offered weekly Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Students can come see Leonela in the office if they want help creating a plan to clear their detentions or if they have any questions. We check detentions weekly so that students can get back “in good standing.” If a student doesn’t qualify for off-campus due to grades, they’ll need to work on their grades so they can get off-campus back for the next grading period. The grade requirement  is each grading period a student must have a 2.0 with no more than 1 F to go off campus.

Sports Lockers: If you played a Fall Sport and are not playing a Winter Sport please clear out your sports locker ASAP and return your lock to Summer in the Student Activities Office.

AP Exams

AP test sign-ups opened up Monday, October 2. Students MUST sign up on the College Board website and indicate “yes” or “no” for ordering your exam and make your payment for each test through Total Registration. Starting on Wednesday, November 8th there will be a late fee of $20 charged for each exam, after that, starting on Wednesday, November 16th there will be a late fee of $40 charged for each exam. Be sure you order your exams before November 8th to avoid any late fees!

Before you sign up for your tests you MUST have access to your teacher’s course through College Board from the unique access code they gave you during class. If you have not already done so, you need to ask your teacher for the access code for your class period and enroll yourself on the College Board website as soon as possible so you can register for the assessment. 

Mark your calendars!

• December 22nd: Last day to register and pay for your classes on Total Registration with late fees

College Visits next week:

• Marines and Scholarship opportunities: Tuesday, 12/5 during Dragon Time

• Marysville University, Tuesday, 12/5 during Dragon Time

Seniors!! Come to the CCC during office hours every Wednesday from 2:25 to 3:25 to get help with your college applications. Bring a friend!

Interested in scholarship and the Marines? Please come to an information session on Tuesday, 12/5 during Dragon Time. Stop by the CCC for a pass to attend.

Are you interested in attending a community college or trade school? Please come to our first 

Community College and Vocational School presentation on Wednesday, December 6th at 6pm in the College and Career Center. We will explain the different options, provide information as well as resources. All grades are welcome. See flier for details.

Seniors - are you interested in attending Sonoma State this fall and want to learn more? An admissions officer will be in the CCC on Thursday, December 7th at 9am to answer questions and tell you about the opportunities. Stop by the CCC for a pass.

Ever thought about joining the U.S. Space Force?  Come to the CCC  on Thursday, Dec. 7th to hear SVHS Alum, Major Nathaniel Lee, discuss careers in the US Space Force!  Pick up a pass in the CCC to attend!  

Seniors - the FAFSA and CA Dream Act applications open December 31st! Please create your Student Aid account now and get started on the application. We will host a financial aid workshop to help you finish and submit on Tuesday, February 6th from 6-8pm

We hope you enjoyed the Career Panels!  If you're interested in reaching out directly to any of our panelists, see Mrs. Swanson in the CCC!  Want to keep exploring some careers?  Check out videos from past Sonoma County CareerFests or videos from Road Trip Nation:

Want to keep up-to-date on what's happening in the CCC, like colleges coming, application workshops, guest speakers?  Make sure you follow the CCC on Instagram @svhscollegeandcareer!

Looking for a part-time job? Keep an eye on the "Job Opportunities" page on the CCC page of the website if you're looking for a part time job.

For information, eligibility and registration requirements for sports, please visit our SVHS Athletics web page. 

Athletic Clearances for 2023-24 -  All students need to create an application for the 23-24 year as signatures/forms may have changed. Follow the steps below to get started: Go to Athleticclearance.com to start the sign up process. Upload your Doctor Clearance or Physical to your account.  Be sure that your Doctor Clearance or Physical specifically states that you/your student is cleared to participate in sports/athletics. You will receive an email when your clearance is complete. *** Athletic Clearance must be completed & approved before a student may participate in any sport

We invite you to #BeTheChange! Sportsmanship is simple, treat others how you would want to be treated. Respect the game and everyone participating including student-athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators. Education-based athletics is more than winning, it’s about academic development, equity, and character. Be Responsible, Be Respectful, #BeTheChange!

Go Fan Digital Ticketing - Tickets for home games can be purchased using this link. In addition, all VVAL schools use Go Fan and tickets for away games should be found on this link as well. To purchase tickets, go to https://gofan.co/app/school/CA23061.

Sports Parent Resource - Understanding the High School Sports Landscape

https://devzone.positivecoach.org/sites/uploads/files/HSSP_Ch3.pdf

Boys Volleyball interest meeting - All males interested in playing volleyball in the Spring 2024 season should attend a meeting on December 5, 2023 at lunch (12:45pm) in Pfeiffer gym. You will meet new Head Coach Andy Smith and receive important information. 

VVAL All-League Girls Tennis - Solana Staes

Dragons!  There are two great ways for you to connect with your school counselors and/or get help at the College & Career Center!  All of your school counselors and the CCC Coordinator are available for students during our new office hours every Wednesday from 2:25 - 3:25!  Stop by during office hours to check in with your school counselor or get help with college applications at the CCC!  You can also drop in to see us during your break and lunch.  We look forward to seeing you!