TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR
NEW PARENT INFORMATION

Welcome to Woodside Parent Involvement Ways Parents Can Help Their Students Campus Life/Rules of the Road

Campus Terms No School Days and Minimum or Short Days Special Dates This Year Clubs

Welcome to Woodside!
This informational booklet is designed to help acquaint parents of Freshmen and other new students with Woodside High School. It will tell you all you ever wanted to know about Woodside but were afraid to ask.

Parent Involvement
It is still important for parents to stay a part of their child’s high school life. Stay informed and be aware of your child’s activities, their friends and especially be a part of school activities.

If I have a little time to spare, how can I get involved at Woodside?
Good question! High school is not about dropping off your student as a freshman and then picking him/her up as a senior! There are small volunteer jobs needed and available to do on campus, at home, or on the phone that can be done according to your schedule. PTSA is available to assist you in membership or volunteering. The $15 PTSA membership fee supports many areas such as the Communicat, a monthly parent publication, the Woodside Calendar and Directory, campus beautification, staff appreciation, student scholarships and so much more.

What other groups are available for parents to get involved in?
Boosters (Athletic), the WHS Foundation, Drama, Band Boosters, Shared Decision-Making, Site Council, Padres Latinos, Class level parent groups – to list a few. They all play an essential part of the school. Student activities with strong parent support are more successful than other programs. There also are many volunteer opportunities in the Guidance Office, the Library, and the Health’ office. Any help will be appreciated. You can get involved by contacting any of the PTSA board members.

What support is there for parents of special needs students?
The Sequoia Union High School District has a Parent Advisory Group for Special Education. For more information call Dorothy Burnside, District Parent Involvement Coordinator, at 369-1411 ext. 2317.

Ways Parents Can Help Their Students
Parents need to pay attention to special problems that they and their children will face in high school.

This is a point when a child’s maturity will be tested, including the ability to assess priorities, make judgements and work independently. High school offers more freedom for students and many more opportunities of teen-agers to get off track.

Communication between school and parents is especially important. Students can fall through the cracks very quickly. While parents assume teachers will call them if there is a problem, teachers tend to rely on report cards to communicate because they have many more students than their elementary counterparts. By the time parents find out about problems, it may be too late n the semester for recovery. Here are some tips to help parents and teenagers stay on track.

• Establish rules for homework and a place for it in the family schedule. Let teenagers know that they have a greater responsibility to do homework independently, but that you still hold them to a standard. Check homework when it’s completed.
• Visit the teachers on back-to-school night, and learn the requirements. Ask the teachers to contact you if there are any problems. Less than 10% of parents attend open houses. Teen-agers need to know that parents are in contact with their teachers.
• Get the calendar of when report cards come out. Don’t let the semester go by before realizing that you’ve never seen one.
• Call teachers if your child is not doing well. Discuss the conversation with your child and your expectations for improvement.
• Take charge if your child has proven to be irresponsible about doing homework, attending classes, being punctual or misbehaving in class. Some teen-agers are not mature enough to handle this on their own and they need help. Confer with the teachers and request a daily progress report that your child can take from class to class.
• Pay attention to the absences and tardies recorded on report cards. Class cuts can result in failure. Many students are adept at forging notes from home so there may never be any warning calls from the school.
• Let teachers know how they can reach you during the day. Messages left on home answering machines have been known to disappear before parents get home from work.
• Encourage your child to join school clubs and to form social groups at school rather than off campus.
• Be suspicious if your child never has any homework or claims to have done it at school. Missing assignments can lead to failure.
• Encourage your child to talk about what’s happening in class. Look through the textbooks and ask questions about novels, projects, papers and tests.
• Establish rules and expectations, and be consistent in maintaining them.
  Adolescents may test the boundaries but they appreciate structure. Adapted from Rosemary Jacobs in the San Jose Mercury News. Jacobs has been a teacher for 25 years in Bay Area Schools.

**Adapted from Rosemary Jacobs in the San Jose Mercury News. Jacobs has been a teacher for 25 years in Bay Area Schools.

Campus Life/Rules of the Road
Is Woodside an open campus? How does that affect my Student?
No, Woodside is a closed campus. Your son/daughter is not allowed to leave the campus during regular school hours. To help satisfy the student’s needs, food is sold at various areas around campus during each break. Daily and weekly activities are also offered during lunchtime. Woodside also has a wide range of clubs and activities that your son/daughter can get involved in.

Can my student buy lunch: is it “cool” to bring your lunch?
Yes and Yes! Quality snacks and lunches are sold during brunch and lunch. There is a variety of food including breakfast items (before school begins) and ice cream on hot days! It’s cool to bring a bag lunch.

No-No’s on campus?
Pagers, cell-phones and Walkmen (during class) are not permitted! They will be confiscated if found. No bikes, skateboards or roller blades are allowed on campus during school hours. Students may ride bikes to school and lock them in the student parking lot. Smoking, alcohol, drugs and weapons will not be tolerated.

What if my student has to leave campus?
Just notify the attendance office by note or phone (367-9750, ext. 4328) at least one hour in advance, so your student can obtain a “Permit to Leave” campus for a medical appointment or other necessity.

What if my son/daughter becomes ill?
Woodside’s health aide (extension 4310) is on campus daily to help students. If no parent can be reached, students will remain in the health office. Be sure to have an emergency card on file with current phone numbers!

If my student needs that extra bit of attention with schoolwork, how do I call for help?
There is FREE tutorial assistance in most subjects available Monday through Thursday in the library, after school, from 3-5pm. The Math Department has tutoring in C-16, Monday through Thursday, from 3-5pm. In addition Science Departments offer special tutorial sessions. Check with your student’s teachers for specific times and locations. Contact your counselor for more information. There’s plenty of help available – take advantage of it!

Did you know your student has adult support on campus?
Three special Guidance counselors monitor the progress of all freshmen throughout the school year. They provide recommendations and guidance in areas of academics, sports and personal needs.

How do I know when the first progress report cards come home?
The progress reports are mailed home mid-way through the quarter. Report cards are mailed home the week after each quarter ends. (Magically some reports do not make it home. You may want to watch your mail at report card time!) Check the Communicat calendar for end of quarter dates.

Does the school call home if my child skips or misses a class (including excusable absences)?
Yes, the district office calls home that evening if your child was marked absent from one or more classes. If your student was involved in an activity or was sick, the school will still call your house. It is important that your student “clear” legitimate absences with the Attendance Office, 367- 9750, ext. 4030, or 4328.

What’s this “SSR” I’ve heard about?
The Shared Decision-Making Council voted to implement Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) for the 2000-2001 school year. Everyday except Wednesdays and minimum days there is twenty minutes set aside for students to read an appropriate book of their choice. It is not a time for homework or computer work. This program has also been very successful at other schools. The purpose is to encourage students to read for their own enjoyment and to improve their reading level. It’s also the quietest time on campus!

Campus Terms
A-B Block Schedule: Our special schedule that gives students 100-minute classes rather than the standard 50-minute ones. Periods 1, 3, and 5 meet “A” days; periods 2, 4, and 6 meet on “B” days. (7th periods meet daily for 50 minutes.) See the first page of this booklet for actual times.

BOSA: Board of Student Activities. Student government comprised of members of all class governments, student body officers and commissioners. Four officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) are elected during the previous school year.

“The Activities Calendar”: Woodside’s invaluable resource containing almost all important dates, including sports teams’ schedules, phone numbers for students and staff, as well as general information about Woodside and its activities and policies. All students receive a copy at school. Parents may purchase additional copies for $5.00 from the School Treasurer.

Communicat: Our monthly newsletter mailed home to arrive at the beginning of the month.

Conflict Mediation: A peer mediation group that acts as a counseling service to help find solutions to conflicts among peers, students and teachers, or students and parents.

Freshman Challenge Days: A day of team building activities facilitated by SOS peer leaders. Held in the fall.

Freshman Transition: A program to support Freshmen. SOS peer leaders periodically visit Freshman English classes to provide information, conduct special activities and answer questions.

Kiosks: Home of the Pit Stop that sells snacks and lunch to students. Food selections include pizza, burritos, pretzels, “cup-o-noodles,” nachos and much more! Located at lower end of the Quad and at the end of the G-wing near the

MUR: Multi-use Room, located in D-wing at the southern end of campus, above the Quad. Brunch and Lunch food is served there, and most meetings and activities take place in the MUR.

PAL: Peninsula Athletic League. The athletic league that Woodside competes in for all sports. GO WILDCATS!

PAL Sticker: Placed on Student Body Cards, PAL stickers entitle students to discounts on dance tickets, yearbooks, athletic events, etc. Stickers are required for participation in athletics and for holding office in Student Government and are sold for $15 at the School Treasurer’s Office.

PTSA: Parent-Teacher-Student Association.

The Quad: The beautiful outdoor center of campus and home to lunchtime activities.

SDMC: Shared Decision-Making Council is Woodside’s governing body with regard to teaching and learning. SDMC is comprised of students, parents, classified staff, certificated staff and administrators.

Site Council: The committee composed of students, parents and staff members that is charged with evaluating programs for school improvement and allocating certain state funds for those improvements.

S.O.S.: Students Offering Support – Students who sign up provide services on and off campus, including Freshman Transition, Conflict Mediation, Challenge Days, HIV/AIDS education, smoking cessation, and 8thgrade shadowing.

Speedway: Red carts located throughout the school that sell snacks and drinks. Bagels, donuts, sodas and candy treats are sold from the carts.

Spirit Squad: Regular cheerleaders, dance squad and mascots who promote spirit at Woodside games and rallies, and a competition cheerleading squad.

WHS: Woodside High School, 199 Churchill Avenue, Woodside CA 94062- 2306. Tel: (650) 367-9750 Fax: (650) 367-7263.
Website: www.woodsidehs.org

WILDCAT: The Woodside High School (WHS) mascot . We have two – Wilbur and Wilhelmina. Watch for their antics!