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ASVAB testing reporting for duty
An annual tradition, our upperclassmen are looking to see what the future holds and what path they should follow. We offer a free opportunity with the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Test or ASVAB. The exam takes place on Wednesday in our D 208 testing room, and will test the students on a variety of academic and critical thinking tasks. What would make a student fired up about taking a test? This one comes back a week later along with the test coordinator and tells the students what pathway is best for them. We know that no test can actually predict the future, but we like about this particular assessment is that it has opened people's eyes to some career options that weren't even on their radar. The students get the test free of charge, (they just need to make sure that they catch up on any missing or late classwork) and then Wednesday next need to plan for the debrief. We can't wait to see what is in the cards for the class of 2020. But we are willing to wait a week or so to find out!
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Coming In and Going Out
Our mission statement has said that we aim to be a vital part of our community and that we love getting out into the community as well as bringing community voices in. This is the week we demonstrate that. Tuesday the Engineering team is going to Zymergen for a study trip, then on Thursday we have a pair of off site visits, the Law Academy is going to Boalt Hall at the University and then on the same day we have our Health Academy going to OTI, for what has always been a great day of learning. Then tomorrow, the Diablo Valley College choir is coming to our theater for a master class and performance as well. Friday, a professional artist comes to our AP class to share the story of her journey and how we can make art not just a pastime or passion, but a real career. Come make connections with us all this week and the weeks ahead., while all that is going on we continue with our Poetry Out Loud work in English classes and send our best and brightest to Stewart School for the National Honor Society event. We will send a student speaker to the local Lion's Club oratorical contest and of course, our athletes are all over the region too. Best way to be a Spartan goodwill ambassador is to be present and be engaged. We will for sure, see you out there!
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Big Tuesday for Spartan Girls
The Lady Spartans are gearing up for Super Tuesday. We are thrilled to be able to host our Senior Night vs. DeAnza as the Spartans will play the game and then have the ceremony immediately after the contest. The girls would love your support and want you to watch them play and then be honored. While that is going on, the girls basketball team hits the road for a showdown against their TCAL rival Kennedy Eagles. The winner of this game takes command in the league and will likely be able to clinch the flag. The Spartans won the first game in December to kick off the season, that just means the host school will be doubly ready for revenge. We have what promises to be a hard fought battle on the court. And if you can't be two places at once, then check out the hoops girls when they come back to the home gym Friday night as we host Hercules with the band, the cheer squad and you!
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Spartan Winter Sports heat up
It just keeps going, the Lady Spartans basketball team jumped all over Vallejo High on Friday night emerging with a 50-14 victory. With the win, the Ladies move to 7-0 in league and a TCAL showdown against Kennedy High in Richmond on Tuesday night. Beyond that the basketball girls have a weekend at the Martin Luther King Jr tournament where they will get at least two games to get in post-season shape. We are hoping to see everyone here next Friday night January 24 as we host Hercules High in the big gym. We are all over the place this weekend as well. The wrestlers were home for Senior Night and swept a pair of matches against Kennedy and El Cerrito. With the wins, the Spartans take control as wrestling bosses of the West Contra Costa Unified School District, freshmen Diego Angulo won by pin in both matches and the Pinole Valley team goes into this Saturday's invitational with a lot of enthusiasm and momentum. The girls soccer team has its Senior Night coming up Tuesday as we host DeAnza on the pitch. Come cheer the class of 2020 one more time. Meanwhile boys basketball is home Saturday for a mid-afternoon game against Alhambra
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Interact Club Serves it up for Pinole
Over the years, Pinole Valley Interact has done significant service for the community and school. This year is no exception. Senior leader Leda Pho-Thai has written an article in the Pinole Historical Society's Winter 2020 newsletter getting it told about why students choose to spend some of their free time as volunteers. Leda was part of the crew that worked at the dinner for the Historical Society in November and she and her Rotary teammates had a great impact on the event. We have seen the Interact Club doing clean up work, support work and serve as helpers at multiple events around town. Interact is always looking for new members and just last week with brooms at the ready did a significant campus clean up. The kids say part of the charm of Interact is getting to work with and plan with peers who often wind up as friends. We just know that we are better for having an active club on campus, and honored that they look to serve and find ways to make our school and community better places to be.
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Poetry Gets Loud
One of our favorite pastimes this time of year is the Poetry Out Loud competition that heats up in every English class and multiple other locales during the winter season. Students are tasked to find a poem of their choosing (or have one chosen for them) to memorize and perform before their classmates and teachers. The poems range from the serious to the silly from the famous to the fun-loving. Poems that rhyme, some that don't, epics and epigrams. We honor the spoken and written word. What we love is that all students: English learners, special needs students, Advanced Placement at every grade level get their turn. And when they have finished at the class level, the ones voted on by their peers will move on to the school level competition. Students then advance to the big finish, a poetry reading in our new theater featuring ALL the classroom champions in one place with the winner being crowned and moving on to the County Level. The real winners are all the students who take part. Learning a poem, hearing new ones, digging into what Language means and how it sounds different when each person speaks it. We hope that it sparks a love for language and for the poetic arts. And hey, there's always next year!
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Debaters take honors in first tournament together
That's Mara Crooks and Fortune Nwadike and if you wonder why they are smiling, it's because they are winners from the San Ramon Valley tournament. Making it even more impressive, neither student had debated with the other until that day. With the win, the team (and yes, now they are a team) can move up to the next level of competition. The forensics team practices at lunch and after school and goes on the road to the Martin Luther King Jr tournament this upcoming weekend. A chance for you to see Mara, Fortune and the rest of the team is scheduled for February 29. We will have students compete in multiple Individual Events and hope to harvest more in the way of trophies and smiles in the weeks to come.
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Spartan athletes sweep the Weekend
Pictured above are three of our four first place wrestlers from the past weekend in San Francisco. It's not just our ability to host meets (which is getting us a lot of love) but the talent being grown in just our second year of varsity competition. Coach Armando is pictured with Haley Cook, Sam Bressie and Michael Wilson, not pictured is Diego Angulo, who helped pace Big Blue to another top five finish. We are thrilled to have the wrestlers back in action twice more this week, and look forward to increased participation and success as the year rolls on. Meanwhile it was a clean sweep for girls basketball. The Ladies just ran DeAnza off the court 64-22 on Friday night and then tipped Santa Rosa 48-43 on Saturday running their record to 11-4 overall and 5-0 in league. The girls have two games this week, at Albany on Wednesday and then home vs. Vallejo on Friday night. We also have two Athletes of the week, one from each sport, it is Michael Wilson taking top honors in Wrestling and Burcin Kuru who led the Spartans to basketball glory. They win a Spartan T shirt and get their names in lights. Also on this website!
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Final Exams Schedule and More
This week ahead begins with one of two most important assessments of the entire school year. We begin on Monday with Final exams in Period A, 1,3, and 5. Students will be given nearly 100 minutes per subject to complete comprehensive assessments. The bell schedule looks like this: Period A 8:07-8:59 (52 minutes) Period 1 9:06--10:43 (97 minutes). Period 3 11:03--12:40 (97 minutes) and Period 5 1:32--3:09 (97 minutes). The same bell schedule is in effect for Tuesday, except students go Period A, then 2,4,6. All of this is done so that students can focus and perform for a few classes rather than many in a day and to spread out the study and output. Some classes and teachers choose to do projects or presentations, but regardless, the finals are especially important considering students receive TWO grades for this academic time. One for Quarter Two and one for Semester One. The quarter grades impact eligibility, honor roll and participation in extra curricular---the semester is for the transcript and permanent academic record. After testing, we have our early release Wednesday and then a final day of school on Thursday. We anticipate some stress and some success for the big week coming
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New Year's Resolution
There are so many things going on that the new year is a time to slow down and check it all out. It is also a time for new things. Here's an example: Starting on Thursday and continuing every Thursday at lunch is Mr. Hein's ping pong club. We don't know how popular it is likely to be, but if you want a place at the table, we suggest you head to D101 at lunch time and find out. If table tennis isn't your thing, maybe mountain biking is. Pinole Valley is going to get started this Sunday with its first ride along with the Richmond Club that provides kids helmets, water and if you need it, a bike! There are clubs for every taste and many happen after school, so students do not have to race through their lunch to participate. We have the Poly Club getting dances ready for the Spring, in particular, we are looking for young men willing to become Haka trained. It is a thrill to see students find some community or interest to inspire them. Sometimes those hobbies turn into vocations. We have clubs that are looking for new talent as we enter the new year, robotics will go to UC Berkeley and needs to bring in new talent. The Chess club recognizes that some of their kids are moving on or getting ready for graduation, so new players are encouraged. Or if you want to build your resume, and have a desire to teach, the Math Club is here to assist with students struggling with classwork or home work or being ready for Final Exams. Even if all they become are a fun way to meet people, we say, sign up and show up. There's something for everyone this year.
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Welcome to PVHS--HOME OF THE SPARTANS!Inside Pinole Valley-January 20-24, 2020
Monday, January 20, 2020
- Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday observed—happy birthday!
- Wrestlers at MLK tournament
- Girls Basketball at Bishop O’Dowd
Tuesday, January 21
- Semester Two Begins also Quarter Three
- School Site Council meets in the groovy lounge after school
- Best time to get those new study habits in place
- Engineers to Zymergon Study Trip
- Girls Soccer Home vs. DeAnza
- Girls Basketball plays for first place today at Kennedy
- Poetry Out Loud participation all week
- Art Calendars on Sale, Sadie Hawkins Tickets on Sale
- Softball and Track conditioning today and Thursday
- Tutoring returns to the Library today.
Wednesday January 22
- Collaboration Day Schedule
- ASVAB Testing
- Resolution—form a study group to push yourself and friends (gently) toward success
- Wrestling Senior Night II—vs. DeAnza and Richmond
- Diablo Valley College Choir visit to PV today
- National Honor Society goes to Stewart School
- Boys soccer at Richmond
- Boys basketball at Hercules
Thursday, January 23
- Last Day of Tutoring, Detention, Ping Pong for the week
- Resolution—stay after school and ask your teacher for clarification and then succeed
- Girls soccer at Albany High
- Health Academy goes to OTI
- Law Academy goes to Boalt Hall
- Lions Club student speaker meeting today after school
- Earth Team meets today after school.
Friday, January 24
- Now more than halfway through the school year
- Resolution—use weekends to review or get ahead, making Monday oh so better
- Josten’s Cap and Gown folk here today for seniors
- Boys soccer home vs. Kennedy
- Girls Basketball home vs. Hercules
- Boys basketball at Jesse Bethel
- Wrestlers at San Ramon tournament
- Speech Team goes to San Marin
- Non Discrimination Policies
- 504 Coordinator, Mr. Amar Nalic 510 231-1442 ext 11578 analic@wccusd.net
PVHS 2019?VISION
Pinole Valley High School’s vision is to become recognized as a California distinguished school. We will become a vital part of our community—a school that serves our city by sharing our work and talents while utilizing the city and its resources to best serve our students.
MISSION
Pinole Valley High School strives to prepare its graduates to succeed in both the academic and professional worlds. Our high-quality, challenging academic programs enable students to develop the cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral skills necessary to become both lifelong learners and engaged, responsible, respectful participants in our diverse local and global communities.
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Back-to-School Paperwork Available Online
WCCUSD is going paperless for its Annual Back-to-School Paperwork and launching a new system that allows families to complete all the necessary information online from their computers or mobile devices.
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Thanks to Earl Combs photographer of Pinole Valley August 2019
