Welcome to Cobra Country - Academy Publishing, Inc.

A publicat io n fo r t he par ent s, st udent s, and
c om munit y o f Par k Vist a Co mmunit y Hig h School
Welcome to Cobra Country
MAY 2016 | ISSUE 2
Mission
Statement
Park Vista Community
High School is
committed to fostering
a safe environment,
which respects
diversity while providing
an atmosphere of
academic excellence,
student involvement,
and positive
opportunities for all.
Dear Cobra Families:
Principal’s Message
The school year is rapidly coming to a close. In these remaining weeks of the school year, it is
imperative that students continue to be diligent and maintain their academic focus. Students must
ensure that they are completing all class assignments, make-up work or projects, and absolutely
take each and every quiz, test, or exam seriously. Parents, I stress that you keep up with your
child’s academic progress, attendance, etc. via Edline.net. If you have questions related to your
child’s grades and/or attendance, please contact the teacher or guidance counselor.
Be
For our graduating seniors, it is mandatory that each of them attend Senior Checkout Day on
Monday, May 23, 2016, in the school’s gymnasium, and Graduation Rehearsal on Tuesday, May
24, 2016, in the school’s auditorium at 3:30 p.m. All graduating seniors will receive their tickets
for the graduation ceremony at the conclusion of rehearsal. Therefore, they need to make sure
they arrive on time! Again seniors must attend both the Senior Checkout Day and the Graduation
Rehearsal in order to obtain their tickets and to participate in the commencement exercise at the
South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center on Wednesday, May 25, 2016, at 8:00 a.m.
A Role Model
Be S afe
The first day of school for the 2016-2017 school year is Monday, August 15, 2016. The Freshman
Orientation is scheduled for Monday, August 8, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for all incoming
9th graders. During this orientation students will be able to secure their student schedule, purchase
a locker, become acclimated to the school’s practices and procedures, and tour the school while
also learning about the campus life including athletics, band, chorus, and the numerous clubs
offered as part of the total school experience in “Cobra Country”. An important Freshmenology
presentation for the parents of our freshmen students will be held in the auditorium from 5:00 p.m.
to 6:00 p.m. The presentation will provide parents with lots of important information to support
their son or daughter during these next four years of high school.
C ourteous
Be O n Time
Be B rilliant
Be R esponsible and Respectful
Be
Administration
Principal
Reginald B. Myers
Assistant Principals
LuAnne Daucanski
Marie DiFonte
Brent Higley
Reginald Lanier
Ronn Peteck
Dr. Pia Pierre
www.pvchs.com
@pvcobrashs
parkvistacommunity
highschool
We have scheduled days for our rising seniors (Friday August 5th, 7:30am-10:30am), juniors
(Friday, August 5th, 12:00 pm-3:00pm), and sophomores (Monday, August 8th, 8:00am11:00am) to acquire their student schedules, lockers, and student IDs. The rising seniors and
juniors will also be able to purchase a parking decal on their scheduled day provided they have
met the criteria. This information will be repeated in the “Back To School” edition of our Cobra
Bites which will be mailed to all homes at the beginning of August 2016. The newsletter will also
be posted on the school’s website at PVCHS.com and Edline.net.
Finally, to our seniors, I want to personally thank you for the work that you have accomplished
during your tenure at Park Vista Community High School. You have made us and your families
proud of what and who you have become. It is my hope that the faculty and staff has had a
positive impact on your schooling and wish you much success in your future endeavors!
Educationally Yours,
Reginald B. Myers
The School District of Palm Beach County is committed to providing a world-class education with excellence and
equity to empower each student to reach his or her highest potential with the most effective staff to foster the
knowledge, skills, and ethics required for responsible citizenship and productive careers.
2
Congratulations!
National Letters of Intent
Congratulations to the following student athletes for signing their National Letters of Intent!
National History Day: L to R: Alfred
Marten, Blaine Williams, Kristoff
Kounlavong, Jacob Andersen,
Melanie Lee, and Tyler Vargas
Name
School
Sport
Yousef Abd el Raouf
University of Indianapolis
Swimming
Brandon Bechtel
Elmhurst College
Football
Aidyn Cantor
Andrew College
Soccer
Shaw Pomianowski
Elmhurst College
Football
Nicholas Ruiz
Concordia University Chicago
Football
Allyson Weber
Andrew College
Soccer
Nikki Zammataro
Andrew College
Soccer
HOSA’s State Leadership Conference Winners 2015-2016
Congratulations to the following HOSA Conference Winners! These students will compete for a
week in Nashville, Tennessee.
National History Day: L to R: Carly
Huber, Rumana Ali, and Jiana Peña
National History
Day Winners
Congratulations
to
the
following National History
Day Winners! These students
placed at the District fair.
•
•
•
First Place Group Exhibit
- An Exchange Over
Time: How Classical
Greece Influenced Later
Cultures, Carly Huber and
Rumana Ali
2nd Place Individual
Website - DNA, Jiana
Peña
1st Place Documentary
- The Space Race:
Behind the Curtain, Alfred
Marten, Blaine Williams,
Kristoff Kounlavong,
Jacob Andersen, Tyler
Vargas
•
First Place: Shaylan Hill – Behavioral Health
Daianne Barros and Marcio Barros – Health Career Display
•
Second Place: Amelia Glas and Alexandria Pizzino – Community Awareness
•
Third Place: Kathleen Segovia, Tristan Magloire, Iris Ko, Melanie Lam, and Rachel
Simpson – Parliamentary Procedures
•
Fourth Place: Jordan Block – Extemporaneous Writing
•
Fifth Place: Trae Steele and Madison Weech – Health Education
Park Vista’s SECME Team
Park Vista competed in this year’s Science, Engineering, Communication, Mathematics,
and Enrichment (SECME) Olympiad at Santaluces High School on Saturday April 9th, 2016.
Park Vista’s SECME team includes freshmen to juniors. They competed in ALL competitions
(mousetrap car, water rocket, generator, bridge, banner, poster, essay, and Brain Bowl.) At the
awards ceremony, our team received one honorable mention for the essay written by Jason
Kantorow and third place trophy for mousetrap car built by Marc Nelson, Anthony Seanor, and
Mason Mellone. Even though we did not place in many categories this year, no other school
out-competed our school’s team spirit and enthusiasm throughout the day.
To extend our team spirit at Park Vista, the SECME banner, crafted by Jason Kantorow and
John Pham, toting this year’s theme “FULL STEAM AHEAD” will be on display either in the 2nd
floor science hallway or the media center.
SECME’s coordinators included Ms. Dunbar (Chemistry), Dr. Romero (Physics) and Dr. Kantorow
(Biology). We are constantly looking for more students to participate in our SECME team, so if
you are considering a career in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields
and are also multi-dynamic in the arts and writing, please join us at one of our meetings and see
what SECME is all about.
SECME is a national organization that promotes STEM education and careers. Long-term
memberships in SECME can be awarded with scholarships at your college and/or university
of choice.
Haitian Heritage Month District Essay Contest
Congratulations to 11th grader, Kevin Esta, for submitting an essay titled, Alexandre Petion, the Hero, for the District Haitian
Heritage Month Essay Contest. Winners will be notified in May. Park Vista Cobras wish Kevin good luck in the contest!
3
•
PVCHS Summer Reading List
9th grade: Night by Elie Wiesel
FROM Animal Farm by George Orwell)
(CHANGED
•
10th Grade: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
•
11th Grade: The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick
Douglass
•
AICE Literature As Level (11th Grade): The Namesake by
Jhumpa Lahiri
•
12th Grade Regular/General Paper: 1984 by George
Orwell
•
12 Grade Regular/AICE A level: How to Read Literature
Like a Professor by Thomas C Foster and The White
Tiger by Aravind Adiga
***Please see PVCHS.com for summer assignments for
AICE and AP classes
Cobra Gear Online!
The school store now sells “Cobra Gear” online. Students in our E-Commerce Class will be working
closely with Seacoast Embroidery to offer great
products at affordable prices! You will be able to
shop 24/7 by going to pvchs.com and clicking on
the School Store Link. Check the website often as
more items will be available. Items will also change
throughout the year......try it today!
YEARBOOK Portraits
Class of 2017
Attention juniors! It’s time to
take your senior portraits.
You will be receiving your appointment card in May in the
mail. If you do NOT receive your appointment card by June
please call
561-686-1994.
Contact: Prestige Portraits Studio at 561-686-1994
Prestige Portraits Studio
2253 Vista Parkway North
Suite 3
West Palm Beach, FL 33411
4
Guidance
SCHEDULE CHANGES
Students at Park Vista High School have been
afforded the opportunity to attend registration
assemblies, and to review their course selections
with their current guidance counselor at the time of
course selection. Park Vista students are registered
for courses based on teacher recommendations,
demonstrated scholastic ability, academic
history, and their expressed interests, talents,
and goals. Every effort has been made to assure
that each student has been scheduled in the most
appropriate coursework to meet his or her ability
level, interests, and objectives. All students have
received prior recommendations for academic
course placement from their previous subject
area teachers, advisement from their guidance
counselor, and consultation from their parent or
guardian. Students were directed to select and
rank their elective course choices, and every
available measure was taken to accommodate
these requests according to course availability
and scheduling factors. Students who did not
complete or submit a course selection sheet were
given a schedule designed by their guidance
counselor. Students whose performance on
FSA, PERT, or EOC exams is below proficiency
levels, as mandated by the State and district, are
placed into the required remediation or intensive
coursework.
Schedule changes at Park Vista High School are
permitted under the following circumstances:
1. Student is enrolled into a course for which
they have already earned credit, or for which
they are concurrently enrolled in and near
conclusion in for virtual school or credit lab.
Rule exclusion for repeatable courses (i.e. PE
or intensive coursework).
2. Student is in the wrong level or is unqualified
for the course. This rule excludes courses for
which a student applied, such as AP, AICE, or
dual enrollment.
3. Student previously failed the same course
with the same teacher, as permitted within
CSR rules.
4. A grade 12 student needing a course change to
meet an outstanding graduation requirement.
Under no circumstances will the following
schedule changes be permitted:
1. Teacher change except as noted in item 3
above.
2. Period or class hour changes.
3. Any elective course changes.
PSAT IS OCTOBER 19TH, 2016
Juniors that are college bound and any interested freshmen should take the
PSAT on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, 2016. Registration will begin
September 1, 2016 and end on September 30 (or until we sell out of tests).
The cost is $15.00 or free for students participating in the free/reduced lunch
Program. All sophomores will automatically be registered for the PSAT and
there will be no cost for the sophomores. Practice for the PSAT can be found
at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice.
GPA & CREDIT RECOVERY
Park Vista offers options for students to retake a courses where they earned a
“D” or an “F” and for students who need to improve their grade point averages.
Students can retake the course in their regular schedule, in virtual school, in a
credit recovery program on campus during the day, or in the credit lab which
is offered through the community school program after school.
Students may repeat a course for grade forgiveness if they received a “D” or
“F” in a course. Forgiveness for required courses shall be limited to replacing
a “D” or “F” with a grade of “C” or higher, earned subsequently in the same or
comparable course. A course is forgiven only if a student receives a grade of
“C” or higher. Middle school students may replace a grade of “C”, “D”, or “F”
with a grade of “C” or higher, earned subsequently in the same or comparable
course. Students earning a grade of “D” on the repeat effort, earn credit for
that course; however, the initial failing grade is not forgiven. Students may
again choose to repeat the same course, and upon earning a grade of “C”
or higher, all earlier grades will be forgiven. In all cases of grade forgiveness,
only the new grade, of “C” or higher, shall be used in the calculation of the
student’s grade point average. Any course grade not replaced according to
a District School Board forgiveness policy shall be included in the calculation
of the cumulative grade point average required for graduation. In all cases
where courses are forgiven under the provisions above, the initial “F” or “D”
grade(s) will remain as part of the academic history, but will not be calculated
in the grade point average. Students should be advised that many universities
calculate GPAs based on all courses attempted.
TAKING AN ONLINE COURSE IS A REQUIREMENT
FOR GRADUATION!!
The following semester courses are good choices for students to fulfill this
obligation:
•
•
•
Driver’s Education
Career Research and
Decision Making
Peer Counseling
•
•
•
•
Personal and Family Finance
Parenting Skills
Social Media
Outdoor Education
Go to FLVS.net to create an account and register for a class. Your counselor
approves online classes daily. Once you register for the class check the
FLVS.net website for a welcome message from a teacher to begin the class.
If the class is a single segment (semester) class (i.e. Parenting Skills, Social
Media, etc.) this will complete your requirement. If the class is a full year 2
segment (semester) course (i.e. English, Spanish, Algebra, etc.), you must take
both semesters on the computer to complete your requirement. Your Guidance
Counselor approves on-line courses daily. Continue to check the FLVS website.
You will be notified by FLVS when your course has been assigned and you are
able to begin the class. This may take a few days to a few weeks.
5
Guidance
NEW FAFSA INFORMATION!
New for next year seniors, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal
Student Aid) application process will begin in October 2016 for the
class of 2017. Apply online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
UNDECIDED ABOUT YOUR PLANS AFTER
HIGH SCHOOL?
Go to www.mynextmove.org, then go to ‘tell us what you like to
do’, and complete the survey. Participants will find many possible
future occupations and career choices based on interests.
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST
GUIDANCE NEWS!
Park Vista School Counselors invite you to receive information
via texts! Text @pvguidance to 81010 in order to receive
important information regarding scholarships, college visits,
summer programs, financial aid, etc...
REMINDER!
Current 11th graders going into 12th – you must complete
your online class and 20 community service hours before
purchasing a parking decal and participating in some school
activities for your senior year!
Current 10th graders going into 11th – you must have
completed 20 community service hours before purchasing a
parking decal and participating in some school activities for
your junior year!
PARK VISTA CELEBRATES NATIONAL MERIT
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FINALISTS!
The faculty, staff, and administration of Park Vista High School
would like to extend our congratulations in recognition of our
two graduating seniors who have been named as finalists
for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. They are
Neeraj Patel and Anthony D’Achille. After graduation, Neeraj
expects to be attending Yale University and Anthony plans to
attend The Georgia Institute of Technology. Again, we offer
our enthusiastic congratulations to both these students for
their high academic achievement and we wish them continued
success as they move forward in their future pursuits at the
competitive college level.
Support Our School By Supporting
Our Newsletter Sponsors!
ONSITE ADMISSIONS A HUGE SUCCESS!!!!!
Park Vista Guidance Office was able to arrange for Florida
International University and Palm Beach State College to offer
onsite admissions to qualified seniors this year. FIU offered
17 seniors admission on the spot and PBSC was able to offer
34 instant admissions. We hope to be able to offer this again
next year and expand the number of schools willing to offer this
unique and convenient opportunity to our 2017 seniors!
SUMMER CLASSES ON VIRTUAL SCHOOL
If your child is planning to register and complete an online course
through virtual school this summer, our advice is to register
NOW and ask for a start date of June 3rd. Guidance counselors
approve FLVS requests each working day and continue to do
so throughout the summer.
VIRTUAL CLASSES FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR
If you and your child chose to enroll in a virtual class, either on
campus or off campus, beginning in August, we recommend they
register early in the summer and ask for a start date of August
8th. This date is one week before school begins. Students
should be active and working (shown as an “A” for their status
on FLVS) in the online class on the first day of school.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
Have you decided how you are going to spend your summer?
Have you considered the possibility of participating in a summer
program?
Not only are these programs an exciting way to spend your
summer, but you’ll get to experience life on a college campus,
list it on your resume, explore new and exciting fields you may
want to pursue as a college major, make new friends with
students from around the world and possibly earn college credit.
A wide variety of summer pre-college and enrichment programs
are available for review on the Park Vista Website. Please follow
this link for more information about the many summer programs
available to our students.
http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/91eeehs/summer%20
programs%20updated.pdf%20(1).pdf
6
Guidance
SCHOLARSHIPS
Have you considered how you are
going to pay for college? Park Vista
High School has many resources
that may help you cut down on
college costs. The Scholarship
Bulletin is updated every two weeks
throughout the school year until
May. The bulletin is available as a
hard copy in the Guidance office
and also at www.pvchs.com under
the “Guidance” tab and then under
“Scholarships”. Sign up on www.
fastweb.com and www.cappex.com
to have scholarship applications
emailed directly to you. You will
build a profile on these websites and
they will match you to scholarships.
For students, we also host
Scholarship Thursdays throughout
the year, once or twice a month, in
the Guidance Office during lunch.
During Scholarship Thursdays
students can ask questions and pick
up current scholarship applications
that are available.
COMMUNITY SERVICE NEWS
All Park Vista Students need a minimum of 20 documented hours of community service in
order to graduate. Students interested in certain scholarships or special programs may
need more hours. For example, students interested in Florida Bright Futures need either
100 (Florida Academic Scholar Award), 75 (Florida Medallion Scholar Award) or 30 hours
(Gold Seal Vocational Award). Community Service is defined as non-paid volunteer
work with a non-profit agency (an organization that is established to achieve an
objective or a purpose, not to make money). The following guidelines must be followed:
•
Students may begin accumulating service hours as early as the summer prior to
entry of the 9th grade year.
•
Service should benefit the community at large. Working solely for an individual will
not be acceptable.
•
Hours must be documented in writing, with a supervisor’s signature. Parents cannot
sign to verify their child’s participation in an activity.
•
The following are examples that would not count as community service:
»»
Rehearsal time for participation in a fine arts or performing arts program.
»»
Practice time for sports and band.
»»
Club meetings to organize community service activities.
»»
Donating canned goods or items to gain community service hours.
For a full list of the community service guidelines and a copy of the current Community
Service Log, please see the Park Vista Website under the Guidance Tab.
Advertise in the
Cobra Bites!
A few spots are left!
This is a wonderful way
for your company
to get community recognition
and exposure,
and at the same time
We need you!
help support your
local schools!
For more information email
tasha.burke-peart@
palmbeachschools.org
7
Guidance
COLLEGE PLANNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS
Used with permission of InLikeMe.com
During 11th grade, the college preparation process kicks into
high gear. In addition to building their admission credentials,
college-bound juniors need to focus on entrance exams and
learn about colleges and student aid. Thoughtful planning and
organization (pay careful attention to schedules and deadlines)
during junior year will help you get a jump start and reduce senior
year stress. Here are some tips to help you develop a college
admissions timeline and action plan to keep you on track and
help make you successful. Read the full list on InLikeMe.com.
•
•
Stay Focused on Academics: Admissions officers,
guidance counselors and college advisors agree that your
academic record is an extremely important part of your
college application. Think twice before dropping a foreign
language or enrolling in an easier math class. A rigorous
class schedule shows intellectual curiosity, a willingness to
challenge yourself and that you are comfortable with hard
work. There are compelling financial benefits, too. A strong
academic record can lead to merit scholarships. Credits
earned from dual enrollment, AP and IB classes and CLEP
exams can cut college costs.
Be Involved and Build Your Resume: All competitive
colleges seek a diversified and interesting student body.
There is a growing preference for involved, high-achievers
who are also leaders with at least one compelling activity or
interest that sets the student apart from other applicants. If you haven’t done so already, junior year is not too late
to become involved in activities and community service &
experiences you enjoy with “college appeal”.
•
Take the PSAT in the Fall of Junior Year: A strong score
on the PSAT / NMSQT exam can lead to thousands of
scholarship dollars. The experience of taking the exam
will give you a sense of what to expect on the SAT. Taking
the PSAT also gives you access to the College Board’s My
College QuickStart and MyRoad which provide personalized
feedback, practice and college planning based on your
PSAT/NMSQT results.
•
Set Up a College Admissions Email Account: If you
don’t have one already, set up an email account to use for
college admissions. Avoid user names that an admissions
officer might find silly, inappropriate or immature. You’ll
often be asked for an email address when you attend
university presentations, college fairs and register to receive
scholarship and college admissions information.
•
Keep a College Admissions Notebook & Folder: Make a
college notebook for user accounts, passwords, notes and
other information. Place college admissions, student aid
and scholarship information in your folder for easy reference
along with information pertaining to high school awards,
honors, community service hours, etc.
Author: Lynn Radlauer Lubell is the Publisher of InLikeMe.com,
and the Founder of Admission By Design, a College Consultancy,
based in Boca Raton, Florida.
COLLEGE APPLICATION TIME FOR CURRENT JUNIORS!!!
Attention all juniors! Did you know you can start applying to some colleges as early as August 1st? This is the time to start
narrowing down your college choices. There are many college search engines that can help you with this process such as www.
inlikeme.com or www.collegeconfidential.com . Also, please take the time to review our “College Admission” booklet located at
www.pvchs.com under the “Guidance “ tab and then under “College Information”. It has all of the information you will need for the
college application process. Parents, please consider attending our last Coffee Talk presentation of the year on How to Search
for Colleges and How to Apply which will be hosted in the media center on Thursday, May 26 at 8:00 am.
Park Vista Community
High School
7900 Jog Road
Lake Worth, FL 33467
Non Profit Organization
US Postage Paid
Orlando, FL
Permit #2346
We are an
“A” rated
school!
Hours
7:30 a.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Phone
561-491-8400
8
Athletics
Girls Volleyball
Anyone interested in trying out for Girls
Volleyball next year should contact Coach Erica
Green (Erica.Green@palmbeachschools.org) to
get information about summer conditioning and
tryouts. Summer training starts in June!
Park Vista Swim Team!
Summer Pre-Season conditioning for the
Park Vista Swim team begins Tues June
7th from 9-10:30am, at Lake Lytal Aquatic
Complex in West Palm Beach. Conditioning
will be every Tues, Wed, and Thurs. We will
have an informational meeting in May. Listen for
announcements and fliers. Any questions see
Coach Andrews in Portable 7, Mrs. Moorhouse
in 4-109,​or email sharon.moorhouse@
palmbeachschools.org.
Park Vista Special Olympics
In April, our Park Vista Special Olympics-Unified Volleyball team competed in
the Area Competition at John I Leonard High School. This team is comprised
of Special Olympic Athletes and volunteers (Unified Partners) who participate
together as one team. They
competed against a team
from Palm Beach County as
well as one from Broward and
they took first place in their
division! As a result, they have
now qualified to compete in
the State Competition in
Orlando, Florida during May
20th-22nd.
Congratulations
and good luck to all of our
athletes and Unified Partners!
Jeanne Ladner and
Stephanie Gilbert with
Special Olympics Team