• Day of the Dead Celebrated

    What a lovely celebration. The Choir kicked things off with a song and we were mesmerized by their version of La Llorona. There were beautiful and heartfelt masks on display and we have winners from the competition. Edwin Zarza took third, Emily Sims was second place and Alicia Nguyen's Culebra took first place honors. We had hot chocolate and were able to look at and admire the altar which featured friends and relations who have passed on. We are so touched to have the whole community together. We are going to have the instillation open through the end of the week. We have winners--Alicia Nguyen wins honors for her work as a sculptor. Evelyn Romo wins first place for the mask project and Natalia Ochoa was named as Best Essayist while Cynthia Ford won for best poem. The real winner was the community which got a great moment to reflect and remember. And have pan dulce!

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  • Winter Sport Meetings Thursday

    Winter Sports are on the way. We start the next season of Spartan sports on Monday November 4,. But before the tryouts, some of our coaches want to check in with students first. Boys Basketball under the leadership of Coach Rynning is going to meet outside the gym tomorrow, October 31st for a check in. The boys have freshmen and JV tryouts starting next week at 6:00 and Varsity at 7:30. Girls basketballers should meet with coach BJ early if they choose. The Girls will be in the big gym from 3:30--6:00 daily. Boys soccer coach Enriquez looks to return his squad to NCS playoffs. He would like to meet with the boys at lunch time tomorrow October 31 in the bleachers. His team will be on the field for tryouts on November 4 starting at 8:00 p.m., that is to allow the girls who are on from 6:00--8:00 to get first practices in .The team doctor will be on site Tuesday for physicals. Bring $25 if you haven't been cleared, and go Spartans!

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  • Alumni Panel is a College Week Highlight

    We celebrated those who had on their college gear today to kick off the week, and though we might have missed a few of you in the excitement, we want to catch everyone on Wednesday for the Alumni College panel that is happening in room C 209 at lunch time. If you've ever wondered how students get from high school to college, this may be the most important lunch meeting you take this year. We are going to have the panel of former Spartans who have become Golden Bears, Gauchos and other institutes of higher learning. We want our current students to ask the Spartans Past about the Process. How many applications did they send out? How was the financial aid process? What was it like living at home? or in a dormitory? or in a fraternity or sorority? What about choosing a major? Joining an extracurricular? Then what about all the questions "you're afraid to ask". That's what the panel is here for. Find out everything you want to know but haven't found the right person to answer. We have the right people right now

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  • Days of the Dead come to Life

    Outstanding displays of art and memory in D 208 today and then later out by the main stairs for our altars. The Day of the Dead is a week long event with masks, and photos and art work that speaks to the departed. We had our teachers and staff vote today on the finest of each of the icons, but it is a very tough choice. Students worked in a multi-disciplinary way, using their art and their language arts classes together to make these memorials come to life. Over the next few days, we invite teachers to add to our memorial with images and items that spoke to their predecessors. We are going to see that Halloween and the Day of the Dead bring out the best in our students self-expression, come see it through our eyes as well.

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  • We Be IB!

    It's official. The IB program is coming to Pinole Valley. Four years in the making, we have done a lot of heavy lifting along with our District administration, our parents and our students past and present. Starting in the 2020-2021 calendar year, we will offer our very first courses in IB History, English Language Arts, Biology, Art, Spanish and Mathematics. We will launch our Theory of Knowledge course and train our teachers in the Extended Essay and Community Service element of the Diploma Program. We can begin to admit our sophomore class as our first cadre of new students and are thrilled to offer this unique option to WCCUSD and the Pinole Valley community

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  • Tuesday school is Open!

    Tuesday October 29 is the first day back after the power outage. We are eager to return and hope you are too. The school will be on a regular schedule with classes starting at A Period and all of the regular courses followed by our extra curriculars including the last regular season game for girls tennis. We are going to have Nacho Tuesday for our judges in our Dia de Los Muertos contest, allowing them to make a good decision on a full stomach. We are excited to then crown our top poet, artist and writer. The Tuesday will be the start of college week and we will try to catch up to our missed opportunity to meet with representatives from San Francisco State later this week. We encourage you to share your college stories and bring out your college swag to show our current students what lies ahead. Most immediately--the re-start of school!

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  • Volleyball Girls Earn North Coast Section Bid (updated!)

    The Spartan girls have gone further than any squad in the past seven years. Thursday night Big Blue is staying HOME. We have a North Coast Section home game now vs. El Molino High School and we are so excited to have our own court (where we are undefeated) to be hosting this prestigious game at. We would love you to come to our gym and provide the girls the emotional support and loud gym to get us ready for this elite competition. We originally were going to play in Forestville but the fire situation necessitated the game be moved. We will be hospitable hosts but still want this win. Also, we honor Delaney Knight, our Spartan athlete of the week, coach Melanie says, "Without her, we don't win the title game". We salute all the girls, who are also being honored at Pinole city hall on November 19 for their great season and representing us so well. We are Spartan proud

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  • Pinole Valley closed for students Monday October 28

    Due to the power outage in the community, Pinole Valley High School will be closed for all students on Monday. Our staff reports to duty for a teacher work day at DeAnza High School. We are going to get some professional development work done and we anticipate teachers getting some grading and prep work done as well. We are hoping to resume school and the festivities of both College Week (we hope San Francisco State is willing to reschedule) and the Day of the Dead Festivities. Why not Nacho Tuesday? We are also hoping that our athletes get back on track (or in the gym). But safety first. We hope all of our students find a place to spend Monday and come back rested and ready as soon as we get word that Pinole Valley will be re-open. It is also senior night on Friday, with our Band, our cheer squad and our football team doing a last victory lap on the field. We'll let you know as soon as we know about the plans for re-opening school and picking up where we left off.

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  • Homecoming Brings it all Together

    We had a great time on Friday thanks to the whole Pinole community coming together. We honored Earl Combs as our Grand Marshall, for his work building the first Pinole Valley and chronicling the transition from Portables to Permanent in photos over the years. We then highlighted the Emperor (Coach Bodwin) and the Empress (Ms. V) who looked very commanding from the top of a tank! We had Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses, Dukes and Duchesses and Counts and Countesses. Then we had the great class floats with the theme of Past, Present, Portable and Future. We had a loud and raucous rally put on by Leadership and then a game for the ages, with the Spartans rolling Richmond High 51-8. We are moving our dance to this Friday., because why should a good party end in a weekend?

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  • Homecoming Dance Postponed!

    Due to the PG and E power situation, the District has told us not to hold any on campus events, including our Homecoming Dance. But the Dance is only Postponed, not cancelled. We are scheduled to have the Dance next Friday November 1 after the last home game of the season. We are prepared to honor any and all tickets already sold, and refund any for students unable to attend. We are going to celebrate in style, as soon as it is safe to do so. We had a great homecoming day, and are even more ready for a great Homecoming Dance

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  • Homecoming Day, Night and Weekend

    Friday morning we celebrate with an all school rally in the gym. After 4th period, we want everyone to cheer, sing and take part in a day to let the world know we've got Spartan pride. it is a Color Day for Spirit, with the Freshmen wearing Blue, the sophomores in Gold, the juniors in White and the seniors in Black. After the rally, we will begin the largest parade in years. Over 300 students and nearly 40 clubs and entities will march down Pinole Valley Road with us. Then at 4:00, JV football wraps up their season with a contest against Richmond High, followed by Varsity at 6:00 p.m. We will have festivities galore with the Homecoming Court announced, the floats taking a victory lap around the field, a singer from choir doing a solo National Anthem, the Band playing their best, our cheer squad which will come out and dance 38 girls strong at halftime. And the new flag team.

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  • Girls Take TCAL Title!

    The Spartans are on top of the Tri County Athletic League Stone Division after an epic four game, come from behind victory over Jesse Bethel High School on Thursday in Vallejo. The Lady Spartans will move on to the North Coast Section to continue their magical season. After falling 25-20 in the first game, Pinole Valley began to turn the tide with a 25-21 win in game two. The host Jaguars pulled ahead in game three and were serving for game, when the Blue and Gold ran off three late points to take the game and a 2-1 lead. The fourth game was closer still. The teams were tied at 24, 25, 26 and 27 when the visiting Spartans finally put their hosts away. The win was sweet revenge for Pinole Valley which had the one-seed last year but fell to Bethel at home. With the win, Coach Melanie brings the first flag to the new gym (where the girls were undefeated all season). We are going to honor the girls at Friday's rally and then again at the Pinole City Council. A great win for the program and for the school too. Stay posted for the next post season challenge for the best team at the net!

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  • Tennis Squad plays for Title

    It comes down to today's match hosting Jesse Bethel for the Lady Spartans. The tennis team is having their best season in years, and today we are hosting the Jaguars at the Pinole Tennis Center with the opportunity to clinch the flag for the Blue and Gold. It has been a great run regardless, but how cool would it be to finish the year with the flag? Boys interested in taking part in the best sport at the net, should be getting ready now for the Spring season. We are starting our Winter Sport tryouts on November 4, and hope that everyone wanting to play Soccer or Basketball or Wrestle keeps their grades up so that they can suit up. We are convinced that a strong body along with a strong mind is great preparation for the challenges after high school too. Also today, it is Open Mat time in the gymBoys w for Wrestling conditioning, then tomorrow, it is Cross country in action and Water Polo hoping to sweep and get a post season berth as well. Come on out and cheer us on!

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  • Spartans get into the Holiday Spirit(s)

    We are getting ready for a great end of October. We have our Day of the Dead ceremonies that will be on the day before Halloween where we will have food, drink, music and the winners of our contests Art, Poetry and Essays (due October 22). We are going to honor our predecessors and those who have passed, with some of the elements that they enjoyed on earth. While this is happening we will honor another tradition, that of a student built, student run and student staffed Haunted House. This will be our fifth year running but the first time that our Spartan House of Horrors (also known as the Dance Room) will be constructed on the new campus.. The Band will be parading in their best costumes, the Choir will be singing and performing at the Dia de los Muertos, and we will be happy haunting until the last pumpkin is carved.

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  • Engineers Build on Previous Knowledge

    Mr. Robert's class of sophomores, taking Principles of Engineering are building some not-so-simple machines. Pictured here is a machine that does three things. The students make the machine while doing the calculations. It is done with a group, so many hands are engaged in making the pulleys, levers and lifts do their thing. As students advance, their machines and the demands will grow more elaborate. But it is a distinct pleasure to see them at work, and hear them articulate what their creations are all about. We start Engineering in Grade 9 with an Introduction course, and continue through with Civil Engineering and Computer Integrated Management. It is from these builders that the structures of the future will be born.

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  • PSAT and SAT prep

    Wednesday, October 16 is our big day. We are giving the entire senior class the SAT test. The real test. We turn over the normal school day to make this happen, and will spend the week leading up to the test sharing test tips and techniques. The class of 2020 is not alone. On the same day, every junior and sophomore will be taking the PSAT. For the 2021 students, this will be their second opportunity, for the sophs, this is their opportunity, if they score well to become National Merit Scholars. The students will be given sufficient time and resources to have the best testing environment. We are also going to have activities that day for our freshmen. Providing some study and life skills in multiple workshops. It's not too late to get ready for testing, and we are confident that it will be a meaningful and enlightening academic experience

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  • Honoring Ms. Johnson, October Teacher of the Month

    Ms. Johnson was honored at yesterday's faculty meeting as October teacher of the month. She is being celebrated for her many accomplishments, not the least of which is her great joy in teaching. Ms. Johnson is a math teacher who gives her students the confidence to ask questions when they are unsure. The classes are very student-centered, meaning that there is as much time hearing student voice as the teachers. Also, as Engineering academy lead, Ms. Johnson's lab is where students get hands on experience in everything from building to planning. And there are a lot of mistakes made between the blueprints and the final project; and that is a learning experience too. Ms. Johnson runs our robotics program and is instrumental in organizing study trips that take our students all around the Bay Area and into many walks of life. We are so happy to have her on our team!

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  • School Site Council Meeting Tuesday

    How do we spend our money? We do it with the blessing of our monthly School Site Council. Voting members include the principal, teachers, staff, students and parents. We make sure that we are supporting the district initiatives, to raise test scores, to promote a healthy and strong school culture and to support strong teachers. We go over our goals and make sure we put our money where our values are. The meetings are the second Tuesday of the month, and open to all, even non-voting members. We will publish our notes for full transparency, and hope that we spend your tax dollars to support our students and wisely The Site Council works throughout the year to gather information and data to show that where we spend our money has the maximum benefit for students. We meet regularly since there are always opportunities to do better by our students.

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  • Spartans beat Bethel earn Bye

    A huge road win Friday night at Jesse Bethel puts the Spartans in a second place tie in the Tri County Athletic League. Big Blue fell behind early but rallied in the second half, led by the stout defense of Athlete of the Week, Tiheim Keaton and the rest of the squad. With the 32-21 road win, Pinole Valley now controls its destiny the rest of the way. With all that momentum it would be great to get back out there this Friday but it is our bye week, a great time to celebrate and get ready for the last regular season road game--at Albany October 18. We also want to recognize the boy Water Polo team who turned back Concord High this weekend. The girls volleyball team travels to Kennedy-Richmond today for a make-up game, and we have Tennis and Cross Country in action this week as well. Track conditioning on the field starting Tuesday. A big week to be a Spartan Player!

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  • Engineers have a Sweet Study Trip Friday

    As the culminating activity of Manufacturing Week, our Engineering team is going to Crockett on Friday to visit an actual factory in action. Thanks to Ms. Johnson and the team at C & H Sugar, our crew will get a tour and a day inside the space that some have described as having a "Willy Wonka" vibe. Apparently the Spartans have the Golden Ticket to go into the building and see how everything works. In addition, the Engineering team is finishing up their first manufacturing projects--working on door stop production for classrooms who have need. There have been some hiccups in completing the work, which as Ms. Johnson points out is "actually a very good teachable moment" in that not everything goes according to plan. Except, we hope for Friday's study trip, which we hope is smooth sailing (no chocolate river, right?)

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