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2015-2016 - September 15, 2015
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The Art Club’s sidewalk chalk takeover
(Click image to enlarge)

d.tech families,

d.tech was founded on the idea that high school students are capable of engaging in activities to make a positive impact in the world.  We believe that when students do this they begin to discover their superpowers.  As students begin to understand what their unique contribution to the world can be, they unlock their superpowers.  

This week we launched studio time and students are buzzing with great ideas and finding their superpowers.  Students launched businesses on Etsy, started writing books, used TinkerCad to create projects for 3D printing, refinished a guitar, launched their clubs, and drafted research proposals for artificial photosynthesis.  We are very delighted to see students start to explore what their superpowers might be through their passion projects.  We are also very excited to welcome a new staff member to support student work. Jasmine Calderon will work with Galen McAndrew in the DRG (design realization garage) to help students turn their ideas into actions.  Jasmine has her BFA in interaction design, was the senior lab monitor at California College of the Arts, and was an Intel technologist in residence.  Students will get to know her well as they work in the DRG.

Students also have the opportunity to dive into passion projects through the Intersession program.  This week students took a survey to begin choosing courses.  We will do our best to let student interest drive the course selection, but it is impossible to make a perfect match 100% of the time.  We will once again work with Oracle and other community partners to provide a great program for our students.  We’ll also once again need parent volunteers to serve as drivers. Our first Intersession is October 5-16.  

Lastly, we are in the process of solidifying dates for our next parent meeting which will involve a Buzz training.  More details to come.  

Have a great week,
Ken

World Language 

Many of the students are taking their world language class online which requires a high degree of self-direction.   We remind students to use F.I.T. for world language work and may soon be including it in the criteria for early release on Fridays.  It behooves you to ask your son/daughter how they are doing in their world language class.  Students in the Skyline courses have a syllabus they are following; students taking the courses online have the entire curriculum available when they log in.  The Skyline Spanish teacher also has office hours Friday afternoon from 3:10-4:00pm.

d.lab (design thinking class)

This week students launched into their design challenges in their d.labs.  Students are redesigning casual dining, remaking d.tech, designing ways to avoid technology distraction, creating an employee workspace at Ensemble capital, & redesigning seating (which has a strong maker component). Talking to your child about a design challenge is a great conversation starter.  

PE Minutes

All students should continue to keep track of their PE minutes (remember, 200 minutes per week is the required amount). Within the next two weeks, students will learn how to log and submit their minutes for this semester. For now, there is no need to submit anything. Students should record their activity, time, and intensity (scale of 1-10).
 

Morning Tardy Procedure

Tardy students must report to the Front Office upon arrival to school and receive admittance to class.  Excused Tardy: ​The only excused tardies will be a Medical/Dental/Special appointment or family emergency. The student must have a note from the parent upon arrival to school or the parent may call the school to report the tardy. The Associate Director determines if the tardy is an excused or unexcused tardy.

Student Check-Out Procedure

If your student needs to leave early, please follow the procedure below:

  1. Parent or guardian should call or email the Front Office ahead of time.
  2. Parent must call the office to grant student permission to leave campus on their own.
  3. Students should pick up a Permit to Leave from the Front Office ahead of their appointment. The student should show the Permit to Leave to the teacher at the time of their appointment.  
  4. Only an authorized person with identification may pick your child up from school. If your child will be taking public transportation, the parent or guardian must provide a note or phone call to this effect.
  5. Please avoid scheduling appointments on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons  because that is when d.lab meets.  The work in d.lab is very difficult to make-up.  

Absences Procedure

Students are required to attend school on all days that school is in session. Parents must telephone the Front Office, (650) 231-2701, by 8:45 a.m. each day their child is absent unless they have already notified Hanan Holloway by email (hholloway@dtechhs.org).

Students and parents have 48 hours to clear an absence; otherwise it will be recorded as a truancy (see Handbook).  Students who are considered truant from school during the day of an activity or athletic contest may not be allowed to participate in that event. Absences must be cleared by a parent/guardian via a phone call or a note explaining the absence. Absences not cleared after three school days (72 hours) will be considered unexcused and marked as a truant.

Please see the d.tech Community Handbook for more information regarding Absences and Tardies. 

Contacting a Student

Emergency or Urgent Message: the parent calls the Front Office directly so Staff is aware of the situation and can support the student as needed.

Non-emergency Contact: calling the school phone to leave a message for your child is discouraged. Please try to make arrangements with your student outside of school hours.  If unavoidable, leave them a message on their cell phone so they can check it during non-academic times (lunch, before and after school, and during passing period).

Ways to Support d.tech  

Dear Parents,

The Annual fund drive is in full swing at d.tech. We have raised $7,000 so far and are still $103,000 away from our goal.

Help us reach our goal of 100% participation in 100 days!

Corporations and foundations ask for our school’s Annual Fund participation rate when deciding whether or not to provide us with additional funding. These corporations and foundations want to see that our families are fully engaged and financially supportive because that reflects the good job we are doing as a school.

We are requesting our families make a tax deductible gift of $1000 or MORE. EVERY gift, no matter the size, makes a difference!

You can write a check made out to Design Tech High School; contribute online through PayPal; or fill out the Pledge Form and make monthly (or quarterly) payments. We hope we can count on your donation.
(Pledge Form Link: https://goo.gl/kaoTrK)

Quotes from Parents on why they support d.tech's annual fund drive:

d.tech has been amazing for my son. He has thrived in this learning environment. I donate to d.tech to make up for the funds we don't receive so that we can continue to operate as a school and have what we need to make a difference in our kids lives.

- Jaime Dal Porto

We are so fortunate to have d.tech in our community.  What an excellent educational opportunity for our children! Donating to the annual fund is a necessity that supports our teacher’s classroom needs.   Our children will benefit from every dollar raised. It is simply what we have to do to enhance this 21st century education for our children.

- Alexandra Kromelow

 

School Supplies Wish List

Teachers and staff would greatly welcome donations of the following:

  • Copy Paper
  • Scissors
  • White glue
  • Glue dots
  • Blue tape
  • Masking tape
  • Adhesive tape (e.g., Scotch brand)
  • Index cards
  • Foil
  • Fabric

Please drop off donations at the Front Office. 

dtech 3D Model

In case you haven’t had time to come by and visit us yet, check out this video made by our learning specialist, Russ Moeller, and get a 3D tour of our Rollins Road campus.
 

Parent Coffee Chat is Back!

The Family Support Team would like to invite you to this informal social gathering to enjoy morning coffee/refreshments and connect with other parents to exchange thoughts and ask questions. (Volunteers will be taking RSVPs and accepting payment for Parents Soiree during the Chat.)

Date: Monday, September 21, 2015
Time: 8:30-9:30am
Location: d.tech, back portion of school parking lot
For food sign-up, please visit our Volunteer Page: http://vols.pt/cuj6R9

Parent Involvement

Check out our August 2015 Volunteers. Way to go, Dragon Parents!  (https://goo.gl/KimFv2)

We are requesting more volunteer drivers for the October Intersession. Please visit our Volunteer page and sign up for Intersession Support. For questions, please email our Parent Lead, Annie Kishiyama at jeff_annie_kishiyama@yahoo.com. Thank you.

d.tech Volunteer Page

Please visit our Volunteer Page (http://vols.pt/cuj6R9) weekly to sign up for immediate and ongoing needs (Drop-Off Supervision and  Lunch Helpers).

Lunch Helpers. 

We have open spots for 9/15, 9/16, 9/17 and 9/18. As a reminder, each time you volunteer, you earn meal credit towards your student’s account.

d.tech Parents Soirée

Saturday, November 7, 2015 ~ 7PM to 10PM

Admission $20 Per Person. RSVP by October 23.

Make check payable to: Design Tech HS. Drop off ticket order form & payment at the school office in an envelope labeled "Parents Soirée."  For ticket order form: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzKsl1aoog3xZ0lyalJxbjV3U3c

 

poster (1).jpg

 

Optional, September 14:
"Navigating the Tides of Adolescence" panel discussion.
Sacred Heart Prep School, Atherton
Details in BigTent Forum

Optional, September 16:
“Menlo-Atherton Parent Education Series: "Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain"
7-8:30pm with fee.
Details in BigTent Forum

Monday, September 21, 2015:
d.tech Parent Coffee Chat
8:30-9:30am

1800 Rollins Road, Burlingame (rear of school parking lot)

Saturday, November 7:
d.tech Parents Soiree
7-10pm at the Millbrae Community Center
$20 per person covers food, DJ, venue rental
details in BigTent calendar or write to d.techparentcommunity@gmail.com

 

Extra Student Opportunities:
These are events and programs which may be of interest to d.tech families.  These are not school-sponsored or affiliated with Design Tech. We will be explicit with the information we have:

Sparking Creativity: Imagining Tomorrow’s Schools
This is a presentation at Stanford University on Friday, September 25, with Tony Wagner, Madeline Levine, and Denise Pope.  Some of the practices at d.tech are informed by the work of these three scholars.  Cost is $10

High School Yoga
We were put in contact with this Yoga teacher and she created a class for our students based on the Wednesday dismissal time.  We have not met her personally, but she did have a positive referral and is a former high school Biology teacher.

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