Craig CollinsCraig CollinsCraig CollinsCraig Collins Principal

Andrea Padian Andrea Padian Andrea Padian Andrea Padian Editor (Position Open)

Andrea PadianAndrea PadianAndrea PadianAndrea Padian President

Principal’s MessagePrincipal’s MessagePrincipal’s MessagePrincipal’s Message By Craig Collins THHS Principal

Craig.Collins@svusd.org

ServiceServiceServiceService

One of the many great things that Trabuco Hills students do is service in the community. While there is an eight hour requirement to graduate, so many of our students go far beyond the minimum and take on projects that reflect the spirit of the season.

This past weekend both our cheer and band participated at the Grand re-opening of the McDonalds across the street from THHS. While this may not seem like a community service event, Fred Hill, the owner, has dedicated the past thirty years to Ronald McDonald Houses. When his daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of eight, he got the idea to have a place close to the hospital, where families can stay to be close to their child. This led to the first Ronald McDonald House. If you look at the new décor in the restaurant, you will see pictures of Ronald McDonald Houses from around the world, photos of Mr. Hill with his daughter at the openings of Ronald McDonald Houses, and a quilt that his other daughter made from

t-shirts from various houses. It is a fitting tribute to a project that has touched so many families in a positive way and will continue to help families in the future. I am very proud that our students were able to be a part of this celebration. In appreciation for our participation, Mr. Hill donated $1000 to the school. The money will be divided between our band and cheer groups.

Volume 2 Issue 2 Volume 2 Issue 2 Volume 2 Issue 2 Volume 2 Issue 2 December 2011December 2011December 2011December 2011

Inside this IssueInside this IssueInside this IssueInside this Issue How to Help our School…...….... pg 11 Principal’s Message continued ..... pg 2 Tax Help Thank You………….....pg 11 Message from Andrea .…...…..…. pg 3 Upcoming Association Meeting...pg 12 Mustang Marvels …………...……. pg 3 Drinking & Driving Costs ……....pg 12 PTSA Holiday Party ….……...........pg 4 PTSA Membership Perks ............ pg 12 ASB in Action………………..…. pg 5-7 Ralphs/Escrip Fundraising …..pg 13/17 What up? Campus Life…….......... pg 8 Free Tipsy Tow ….…. ………… pg 13 Adopt a Book …………………...…pg 8 Free MasterDrive Seminar ….…..pg 14 Advocacy Report ………………… pg 9 Staff Cookie Exchange………......pg 15 2012-2013 PTSA Board Positions ...pg 9 Grad Night/ Car Wash…………...pg 15 Race to Nowhere…………………...pg 9 CHP Start Smart/ Valentines ..….pg 16 Mini-grants ……………..…............pg 10 Calendar & Volunteer Needs…….pg18

continued on page 2

“I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something

about that. Then I realized I was somebody.”

~ Lily Tomlin

Trabuco Hills High School PTSA Pony Express 27501 Mustang Run, Mission Viejo, CA. 92691 (949)768-1934

www.thhsptsa.org

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Saddleback Valley Council PTA Fourth District PTA California State PTA National PTA

The Pony ExpressThe Pony ExpressThe Pony ExpressThe Pony Express

ASB is once again actively engaged in their holiday pro-jects. Just before Thanksgiving, our students and their families donated over 30,000 pounds of food to local food banks. Our “Stangs for Change” coin drive donates food and toys to needy families and receives contributions from homeroom classes. This year’s goal is $2 per student.

Trabuco Hills High 2011-2012

PTSA Board members

Andrea Padian

President

Craig Collins

Trabuco Hills High Principal

Vanessa Braaksma

Executive Vice President & Convention Chair

Rachel Ward

Vice President Membership

Brenda Hanrath

Vice President Ways & Means

Lexi Witkin,* Student Leader (President)

Cindy Johnson, Treasurer

Carol Byrnes, Financial Secretary

Lisa Semon, Historian

Linda Boud, Recording Secretary

Louise Robertson, Auditor

Gayathri Sivadas,* Parliamentarian

Nicole Cassens, Corresponding Secretary

Mike Padian, Legislative/Advocacy Representative

Joan Rosenberg, Foster Care Liaison

Cindy Ashley, Volunteer Development

Lisa Bauer & Diane Williams

Grad Night Co-Chairs

Deb Johnson, Webmaster

Andrea Padian, Reflections

Chris Burns, College Fair

Toni Solo & Linda Boud, Parent Education Chairs

Tish Witkin, Arts Advocacy Chair

Christina Simon,

Drugs & Alcohol Prevention & Silent Auction Chair

Sheryl Titchener, Challenge Day Leader

Mike Padian & Toni Solo, Mini-grant Chairs

Michelle Parry, Special Education Chair

Kim Waters, Grant Writer

Suzann Gastreich, Welcome Committee Chair

Gabriela, James & Nicole Perado, Outreach

Grazyna Buchowiecki, Ralphs & E-Script Chair

Kim Schneider, Taste of the Hills Chair

Diane Depreta, Teacher/Staff Appreciation

Renate Koziol, Publicity Liaison

Shari Goldstein, Adopt a Book Chair

Kathy Hicks, Restaurant Night Chair

Sally Hunt, Senior Scholarships & Award Night

Teacher Representative—OPEN

Principal’s Message (continued from page one)

Other groups on campus are engaged in charitable programs as well. Our Spanish Club has their Adopt- a-Family program. The Red Cross Club does the Cards for the Military program and this year, six clubs are uniting to send cards to the Recovering American Soldier program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

In addition to all THHS students give, they also do a great deal of community service. Our Off the Wall drama group performs their award winning Anti-Bullying piece throughout the county. Our choir performs at assisted living homes, and local elementary classes come to our campus to be entertained by our students. This year, they are performing Rapunzel.

With so many activities going on by so many of our groups, I no doubt, have left some off this list.

It’s so important for our students to be reminded of how wonderfully they have been blessed ,and what better way to say thank you for those blessings than to share them with others in the area, whether

they are possessions, money, or talent. I am very proud that our stu-dents give back to the community that has given so much to them.

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 page 2

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Student Board Members*

Lexi Witkin,

Student Leader/President

Sojin Ki, Freshman Rep

Blake Hanrath, Sophomore Rep

Jessica Shipma, Junior Rep

Kevin Tran, Senior Rep / Reflections Chair

Tiffany Conaway, Grad Night Chair

Nicholas Tasato, College Fair

Jacob Buchowiecki, Membership

Alex Joo, Special Education

Alayna Zuckerman, Grant Writer

Marisa Pinon, Advocacy

Julia Mihaylov, Newsletter & Website

Gayathri Silvadas, Parliamentarian

Nicole Perado, Outreach

Are you a Student who needs to make $$$ for the holi-days or Grad

Night?

Sell PTSA/Mustang Community

Discount Cards! Earn Cash or money towards your Grad Night Account, but START NOW Email Andrea at apadian@aol.com for more information,

A Message from Andrea

Trabuco Hills High PTSA President apadian@aol.com

Mustang MarvelsMustang MarvelsMustang MarvelsMustang Marvels At this time I would like to thank several PTSA board members for their dedicated work. First, Mike Padian, our mini-grant chair, who has once again done a great job leading this program. Once the grant recipients are chosen by the committee, Mike follows through by ordering items and coordinating with staff members and the district to make sure the grants are fulfilled as quickly as possible. Thank you Mike!

I’d also like to thank Michelle Parry, our special education chair, for organizing our Annual Special Edu-cator’s Day Breakfast, as well as Einstein’s Bagels, Star-bucks and Party City for their food and party donations. A big thank you as well, to the Best Buddies who made appreciation cards for all the special ed teachers and staff. The breakfast was a huge success thanks to Mi-

chelle, who is deeply committed to helping all our special education families and teachers.

Our parliamentarian, Gayathri Sivadas is a busy senior that has never let me down. She just completed our by-

law updates and is now working with our nomina-tion committee to fill the slate with officers to be nominated for next year’s PTSA Board. Again, she is always on top of these things and I appreciate very much the time she spends working with the PTSA. Thanks Gayathri.

And last, but certainly not least, I must thank Mr.

Collins, the principal of THHS, who sits on our execu-tive board. I meet with him several times a month, he is at all out meetings, brings ideas and helps implement others. He is a tremendous asset to our PTSA and I don’t have enough room to tell you all the things that he has done to support our PTSA, and school. Thanks so much!

Well, as the New Year approaches I am once again thinking how quickly the year has gone by. This issue of the Pony

Express is crammed with info and photos of the many things going on at our school and those to come in 2012.

ASB has been busy as usual and their first articles of the year describe many of the fun events our students have partici-pated in this fall. Amazing kids!

Lots of education classes are coming up in the next couple months that I think you’ll all benefit from, particularly if you have a new driver in your family or one that is about to start driving. One is Master Drive, which educates parents and future drivers on the licensing process. Parents describe this class as something “not to be missed”, and it will be held January 11th (location changed to the library not MPR) - so RSVP right away-IT”S FREE! Another class is put on by the CHP and a valuable tool for all, with lessons on how to drive more safely and avoid accidents. It, too, is free. And, like last year, we will hold a screening of Race to Nowhere Febru-ary 15th. It was sold out last year, so once we have the web-site address to purchase tickets, buy them right away. For those of you that don’t know about the film, it deals with the incredible amount of pressure put on our kids to get into the top colleges especially when so few get into them—and they aren’t necessarily the “best” for your kid. The result is burnt out kids with no free time for themselves, many suicidal or

with eating disorders, excessive stress...and many who are TOP students already, driven to cheat on tests. This is a film that parents, students and teachers should all view. Follow-ing the movie, we will hold a discussion and our superinten-dent might be there to lead it with Mr. Collins. One logical solution to this growing problem is the elimination of home-work on weekends & during holiday breaks, with a grass roots effort to do so starting now. So come to learn more.

A time of seasonal celebration, the PTSA held their annual holiday party this month and hosted the annual Cookie Ex-change for teachers and staff. And, dealing with a more seri-ous subject, there are two articles from AAA about celebrat-ing safely this season. Celebrations can turn into nightmares quickly, so please heed their warnings and act accordingly..

PTSA elections are coming soon. Please consider serving on our board and making a real difference in our kids’ education here at Trabuco Hills.

As always, we have our advocacy update, mini-grant review & more...including our first outreach project—writing Valen-tine’s Day letters/cards to troops overseas...what a great gift..

Challenge Day is coming! I think it will fundamentally change our students & school environment. School districts participating in this program have seen a 45% decrease in bullying and fights. Wow! Also coming soon in 2012 will be classes (Saddleback College) on study strategies, Grad Night, Taste of the Hills, campus beautification and more. Come to our meetings to learn more and get involved. We are plan-ning exciting things and we will need your help.

I wish you all a relaxing and joyous holiday season, and a very happy New Year . See you in 2012!!! Go Mustangs!

Andrea Padian

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express page 3

March, 2011, Volume 1, Issue 5 page 4

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 page 4

PTSA Holiday Party at Embarcadero Cheers & Happy New Year!

This year Trabuco Hill’s Homecoming theme was circus, but not just any circus, Monty and Milly’s Circus the Greatest Show on

Earth. This years princes were, Nick Adair, Vince Ricco, Bryce Kelley, Caleb Castewall, and our homecoming king was our very own Mitchell Simonsen! He was announced during our home-coming assembly. Which consisted of many dances made by cheer, hip hop club, football players, ASB, and there was even a faculty dance. After these young gentlemen did an adorable piece with their moms, Mitchell’s name was announced by a hawk fly-ing across the field declaring the king, Mitchell!

Our homecoming princesses were Sarah Yates, Monica Ukah, Kiley Sinclair, Melissa Bickler, and our Homecoming queen was the beautiful CJ Smith! After a great little skit by the Comedy Sportz team, a routine by the “evil” little clowns from Melinda Heights Elementary, and an eye watering father daughter dance, the Queen’s name was announced. The letters “CJ” were lifted in the air, the name made of balloons, during the football game half time show! As the crowd cheered, the queen’s expression was priceless! This years homecoming was something very special to be a part of! As said by many students, it was the best Homecom-ing in years!

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express Page 5

ASB In Action!ASB In Action!ASB In Action!ASB In Action!

Homecoming 2011 Homecoming 2011 Homecoming 2011 Homecoming 2011 Monty & Milly’s CircusMonty & Milly’s CircusMonty & Milly’s CircusMonty & Milly’s Circus————the Greatest Show on Earththe Greatest Show on Earththe Greatest Show on Earththe Greatest Show on Earth By Megan Mondt, Sophomore Class President

continued page 6

“Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus

What is a friend? I will tell you...it is someone with whom you dare to be yourself. “ Frank Crane

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” Oprah Winfrey

ASB In Action! ASB In Action! ASB In Action! ASB In Action! Continued from page 5

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 6

PlinkoPlinkoPlinkoPlinko By Megan Mondt, Sophomore President

When Trabuco Hills High School students are caught being respon-sible, or doing a good deed, they are rewarded with a little thing called Plinko! A student seen picking up trash, helping another student, cleaning up after others, being respectful, or doing something a teacher or staff member thinks deserves recognition, they are given a horse power ticket! With this horse-power ticket the student turns it in to a black box in the student store. Then, once every month students’ names are picked from the black box and they get to go on the announcements and play the game Plinko! Just like the Plinko game on the Price Is Right, students are handed a round, but flat, oversized, coin-looking chip. The re-sponsible student places the chip into the Plinko board which will bump the chip back and forth as it descends to the bottom. Once at the bottom, the chip will land on the student’s prize! These prizes can consist of gift cards to iTunes, Target, many restaurants, tickets to Knottsberry Farm, or even American Express cards. SO, show your mighty mustang character, do a good deed, and you may be rewarded with Plinko!

Disco Night Once Again Proves to Disco Night Once Again Proves to Disco Night Once Again Proves to Disco Night Once Again Proves to be a Successbe a Successbe a Successbe a Success By Caleb Castellaw, Senior President

Record breaking, this year’s back to school “disco dance” had more students in attendance than any other year. Following a day at school of sequins, leisure suits, the frequent afro, and “doing the hustle” on the rally stage, students piled into the stands of our first home football game of the school year. Our Mustang football team put out an impressive victory against the JSerra Lions. After the game, students filled into the gym for a night to remember. Groovy tunes, provided by the famous DJ Kevin, had students up on their feet and dancing to the beat. Although extreme heat in the gymnasium was pervasive, students were able to quench their thirst by purchasing water bottles for just

one dollar. In the end, the night proved to be one of the most memorable disco dance ever.

Got Spirit?Got Spirit?Got Spirit?Got Spirit? By Alexis Drakodaidis, Junior Class President

“Got Spirit?” is a school wide class competition. It is a day that takes place at least six times a year where the entire school dresses all out in their class colors. Fresh-men are yellow, sophomores are red, juniors are green, and seniors are blue. It is the biggest spirit day at Tra-buco and almost everyone participates.

Our first “Got Spirit?” day of this school year was on September 16th. Everyone came to school wearing their class colors and it turned out to be a huge success. Af-ter tallies were counted, we realized that a whopping 95% of the school participated! In everyone’s third pe-riod class, the teacher counted how many people from each grade level wore their shirt and then turned the tallies into ASB to be counted. If a student was dressed from head to toe in their class color, the teachers gave them a gold coin which adds twenty-five points to their grade level tally.

Although the first “Got Spirit?” was a huge success participation wise, it wasn’t successful paint wise. Please remember: NO PAINT!

continued page 7

ASB In Action! ASB In Action! ASB In Action! ASB In Action! continued from page 6

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express Page 7

On October 7th a big event happened! What might that event be? Well…CLUB DAY! Yes, Club Day! The entire quad was covered with so many different clubs booths that they even had to make it an extended snack to hold all of the excitement! The clubs’ leaders and members held up big signs, handed out flyers, and some even gave out food for those who signed up to be a member of their club!

Whatever your personality may be, what ever your hobbies include, and whatever your interests are, there’s a club for you! Trabuco has many curricular and non-curricular clubs. The difference between curricular and non-curricular is that a non-curricular club is not a class on campus and just provides a meeting place like the Fashion Club, Hello Kitty Club, Star Wars Club and the Hip Hop Club. Whereas, a curricular club is a class on campus and the advisor teaches the club - like the Dance Production Club, Spanish Club, Science Olympiad, and the Video Club, to name just a few. If have any questions or need a list about clubs, feel free to come to the ASB room at any time and ask your questions. There’s a list of all clubs on the table so feel free to grab one.

Trabuco Hills Canned Food Drive!Trabuco Hills Canned Food Drive!Trabuco Hills Canned Food Drive!Trabuco Hills Canned Food Drive! By Natasha Behnam, Sophomore Class President

This year, Trabuco Hills High School came up with a whopping 13,000 pounds of canned food for our annual canned food drive. That’s right, during the four day long canned food drive, our school came up with about 12,000 cans to help out our community!

Of course there was a twist to this, as the canned food drive was also a class competition for a little extra moti-vation. At the end of the week, with rough estimates, the Freshman brought in a total of about 2,000 cans, Sophomores also about 2,000, Juniors about 2,500, and Seniors rounding it up with about 3,500 cans. Each can brought in per class was worth two Got Spirit points, and soup cans were worth ten points, which did a huge favor to all the class Got Spirit points. After all the extra points were counted, the rankings for Got Spirit were Seniors in first place, Sophomores in second, Freshman in third, and Juniors in fourth place

So, how did the seniors end up being so far ahead, you ask? Well, sure, it was all the kids’ desire to help the community and to also keep their senior title as the top dogs, but they may have gotten a little extra help on the way. One senior girl, Nicole Nagash, and her family donated an extraordinary amount of 1,632 soup cans and 144 other cans to the canned food drive, immensely upping the seniors’ ranking, not to mention helping out our needy families greatly! We also got many clubs at our school such as NHS, CSF, and ASB to collect cans outside of grocery stores on the weekends, which helped tremendously, too.

Speaking of the benefits of our canned food drive, everything our school collected went to the South County Outreach Food Bank, which donated all the food to needy families across Irvine to San Clemente.

“Overall, I think it was a pretty good success,” said Montana Kleppe, the ASB representative in charge of the canned food drive, “but there’s always things we could do better for next year, such as involve local fast food places to chip in and help.”

Well, for the short amount of time that it lasted, the canned food drive was surely a success and worked to help out those in need. While there’s always room for improvement, every little bit counts, and the generosity of the community was greatly appreciated. Trabuco Hills definitely helped a lot of families out there this holiday sea-son!

Club Day at THHSClub Day at THHSClub Day at THHSClub Day at THHS By Marissa Garcia, Freshman Class President

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 page 8

What Up? Campus LifeWhat Up? Campus LifeWhat Up? Campus LifeWhat Up? Campus Life Taking It OnTaking It OnTaking It OnTaking It On By Julia Mahaylov, julze97@cox.net Student Newsletter Associate

High school: the time when the fundamental privilege

of decision-making falls into our hands as high school

students. High school is all about new experiences and

becoming more independent as an individual; conse-

quently, having the ability to make our own decisions

is an underlying stepping-stone to growing up.

Whether we choose to take on these exclusive opportu-

nities and learn from them is entirely up to each of us

as individuals.

“He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity

loses the prize as surely as if he had failed.”

-William James

In high school, various opportunities present them-

selves; however, not always in ways we may expect. In

order to acquire a multitudinous amount of knowledge,

we need to take on the opportunities that come across

our paths. Whether we decide to go through and ac-

complish the task we take on, is, again, solely up to us.

Remember, advantageous possibilities will only bene-

fit us if we make the appropriate choices that go along

with them. Keeping our goals and values in mind help

us make these sometimes challenging and crucial deci-

sions.

“Life is the sum of all your choices.”

-Albert Camus

Making the right choice isn’t always as simple and ef-

fortless as it may seem. We all indubitably make a

wrong decision at some point in our lives; however,

whether we choose to learn from the mistake and turn

that choice into a valuable experience is what matters

most. Often times making the lesser choice is the only

way we can learn; and if that’s how it needs be, so be

it. Now it’s all about learning, so let’s learn while we

still can.

“Always walk through life as if you have something

new to learn and you will.”

-Vernon Howard

(Look for more campus life reports from Julia in up-

coming months. If you have an article or story you’d

like to submit, email Julia.)

Holiday Gift Idea for the School?Holiday Gift Idea for the School?Holiday Gift Idea for the School?Holiday Gift Idea for the School? Buy a Book for the LibraryBuy a Book for the LibraryBuy a Book for the LibraryBuy a Book for the Library Shari Goldstein Adopt a Book Chair steveandshari@cox.net

Wouldn’t it be nice to have new books in the library? For just $20.00 you can donate/or gift a fiction or non-fiction book, and for $100.00, you can donate/.gift a research book. All adopted books will have the name of the family who purchased the book inside the cover. In the next few weeks, check the school website and PTSA website, www.thhsptsa.org for a list of desired books. Please use the form you received in your regis-tration packet or download a form from our website, www.thhsptsa.org and follow the Adopt a Book link. You will be notified when your book is purchased and ready to be checked out. ! If you have any questions, please email Shari Goldstein at steveandshari@cox.net.Adopt a Book

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express page 9

Advocacy ActionsAdvocacy ActionsAdvocacy ActionsAdvocacy Actions

By Mike Padian Legislative/Advocacy Rep Padianteam@aol.com

New Academic Standards for Lan-guage Arts and Mathematics, and Sciences

New Common Core academic standards for language arts and mathematics, and when they will be implemented, will be the topic of conversations in Sacramento and state school districts for the next several years. In 1997, Cali-fornia adopted state academic standards, outlining what students are expected to learn at each grade level. In 2009, 48 states adopted Common Core State Standards, in order to create consistent expectations and assess-ments, to better prepare students for higher education and a global economy, and to allow for collaboration among states on best practices and professional development. The California Board of Education selected additional standards, and approved the combined Common Core Standards in August, 2010.

California is in the process of implementing those stan-dards, with new curriculum frameworks, new instruc-tional materials, new teacher training programs, and a new state testing system. Budget constraints, however, have placed a hold on new curriculum and textbooks un-

til 2015-2016. Seven school districts (SVUSD not one) are proceeding to implement the new standards on their own.

The governor has signed AB 250, supported by the PTA, which establishes a structure for implementing new stan-dards and allowing school districts to use the new stan-dards before 2015. The bill also retains the STAR testing program until 2015, so the state can remain within the requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind).

Meanwhile, a recent survey by WestEd, a San Francisco education think tank, concluded that California’s elemen-tary students are not learning enough science, and most of their teachers are not trained in science instruction. Only 10% of elementary students regularly receive hands-on science lessons. 66% of teachers say they do not feel prepared to teach science, and 85% say they have not received any science training in the last three years. 60% of school districts have no staff dedicated to ele-mentary science.

The study concluded that teachers neglect science and favor math and English because those are emphasized in state tests. California has high standards for Science, but in the Academic Performance Index (API) science makes up less than 6% of a school’s score, as opposed to about 57% for English. The governor has signed SB 300, also supported by the PTA, which requires the State Superin-tendent of Education, to create new science standards by August 2013.

Award winning documentary

Race to Nowhere February 15, 2012

Trabuco Hills High School Theater 7 PM

Look for more information on how to purchase tickets soon

$10 + processing fee online *Discussion to follow the screening moderated by Craig Collins, Principal

Be Part of the 2012Be Part of the 2012Be Part of the 2012Be Part of the 2012----2013 2013 2013 2013 PTSA BoardPTSA BoardPTSA BoardPTSA Board

Interested in serving on the 2012-13 PTSA Board

as an elected officer? Positions include Presi-

dent, Executive VP, Membership VP, Ways &

Means VP, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, His-

torian, Auditor, Secretary, and Student Leader.

Email Gayathri at email2gaya3@yahoo.com for info before 1/6/12. The nominating committee will meet in January to fill the slate of nominated offi-cers for the election which will be held at the March PTSA meeting. The slate of officers will be an-nounced at the next association meeting on Febru-ary 13, 2012 in the MPR.

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 page 10

PTSA MINIGRANTSPTSA MINIGRANTSPTSA MINIGRANTSPTSA MINIGRANTS By Mike Padian, Mimi Grant Chair

Classrooms Get Early Classrooms Get Early Classrooms Get Early Classrooms Get Early Holiday MiniHoliday MiniHoliday MiniHoliday Mini----grant Presentsgrant Presentsgrant Presentsgrant Presents

Five classrooms are already using the new educational supplies that your PTSA purchased as part of the 2011-2012 Mini-grant Program. The other items have been ordered, and most will be here before the winter break.

“Awesome…I received the calculators… thank you & the PTSA so much!!...It is much appreciated” Christine Egge, Math (40 handheld calculators)

“Great news…the equipment for the aquarium has been ordered…The money you are providing (along with the money we have already raised) will be enough to pay for our whole aquarium setup. Thank you!” Mike Folmar, Biology (aquarium for raising endan-gered abalone for re-establishment off Catalina)

“Thank you so much!!!!! This is fantastic!!!” Barbara Gard, Fine Arts (overhead video projector and new desktop computer)

“Oh my! Thank you so much. The PTSA has done soooo much for us lately. I can’t thank you enough.” Shauna Coghill-Pappert, Health (DVD/VHS player)

“Thank you so much for approving my grant request. This piece of equipment will be a fantastic supplement to support my instruction and provide my students with timely feedback and information.” \ Patricia Stewart, English (overhead document camera).

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Jeanette Suarez, Math (Interwrite Mobi tablet)

“This is great news! A simple “thank you” doesn’t do justice to my level of gratitude. This will be a huge help to our students. I am extremely grateful.” Ryan Kroger, Physics (two laptop computers)

“Yes I have them (personal writeboards)!!! We used them yesterday actually… the kids though they were great. I did have to remind them that they are NOT spanking paddles.” -Christine Thompson, Social Stud-ies (40 personal whiteboards)

Christine Egge’s Math class show off their new calculators and work out answers to questions on their new white

boards. When you support your PTSA, you are supporting all students and teachers at our school! Thanks!

DONATION BIN: We have a donation bin in con-junction with Community of Change. Please donate your old clothing, towels, blankets, sheets, rags, purses and shoes! All textiles will be accepted. The PTSA will receive a dollar back for every 50 pounds of donations collected. The bin is located on the Santa Margarita Pkwy side of the school near the ten-nis courts, on the road that leads to the front of the school. You can just pull up to the bin and drop off

your goods. Do it throughout the year!

SPREEBIRD—(formerly Screamin Daily Deals):

Want to get a great deal on food, entertainment, mas-sages, hair care and more? Check out Spreebird! You will get about 3 deals per day from local busi-nesses. Purchase your deal, print the coupon and en-joy savings up to 70%! Sign up on the PTSA web-site, or www.spreebird.com, choose THHS PTSA as your school to support! It’s free and our school is

entered in a 100K giveaway based on new sign ups.

KEY TO SAFE DRIVING: Protect your teen from texting & talking on their cell phones while driv-ing! It does allow your teen access to 911 and parents in case of an emergency. The device is $95.00 and

can be purchased from the PTSA website.

ITALIAN ICE: Sold every Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm in front of the school. Cost is $3.00 per cup and

supports PTSA. Yummy, too!

RECYCLING: Drop off your used printer cartridges, laptops, digital cameras, and cell phone—broken or otherwise in the of-fice recycle box. If you know a business that would donate their old recycles, we can pick them up. Email Brenda at brendahanrath@cox.net

for info.

RALPHS & E-SCRIP: Go to the PTSA website at www.thhsptsa.org and sign up your Ralphs Club Card or Vons/Pavilion’s card with the Ralphs Community Contribution Program and/or EScript program. It’s easy and a percentage of all your purchases will go back to the school/PTSA. It costs no money and doesn’t take away from your own rewards. Don t wait! Do it today. Families can raise thousands of

dollars this way, but not if you don’t sign up.

SIMON’S AUTO BODY, INC: When you go to have your car fixed at Simon’s and mention the Tra-buco Hills PTSA, he will donate 10% of the total bill back to our PTSA! The shop is at 23551 Commerce

Center Dr., Laguna Hills, 949-951-5265.

Eat Out Eat Out Eat Out Eat Out————Help our SchoolHelp our SchoolHelp our SchoolHelp our School

Mark your calendars now and join other students, families and faculty to make these upcoming restaurant nights a success. It is important to print a flyer before you go and you can find them before the event on the Daily Announcements in PDF form, pick one up at the office, or download and print the flyer from the PTSA website at www.thhsptsa.org/ before you leave to go eat. Look under Restaurant Night fundraising.

January 19 Chick-fil-a in Foothill Ranch

This is a real win-win fundraiser for everyone. Sim-ply by eating out or picking up some take-out, you raise between 15-20% of your purchase back for our school to help purchase paper and other soft supplies

for the teachers and classrooms.

How Can YOU Help Support Our PTSA, Students & Teachers?How Can YOU Help Support Our PTSA, Students & Teachers?How Can YOU Help Support Our PTSA, Students & Teachers?How Can YOU Help Support Our PTSA, Students & Teachers?

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express page 11

Tax Help Thank YOU Tax Help Thank YOU Tax Help Thank YOU Tax Help Thank YOU

Our sincerest thanks to Chris Carroll and his firm, particularly Emily, who we worked with directly, for donating their time to complete the Trabuco Hills High PTSA taxes this November, With new rules, including the need to now complete a Califor-nia State tax return as well as a federal return, their help was really appreciated—we not only saved money for other things but a lot of time and frustra-tion as well. A BIG thank you from the PTSA!!

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” ~ Mark Twain

SVUSD Board of Education SVUSD Board of Education SVUSD Board of Education SVUSD Board of Education MeetingMeetingMeetingMeeting

*January 10, 2012*January 10, 2012*January 10, 2012*January 10, 2012

*February 14, 2012*February 14, 2012*February 14, 2012*February 14, 2012

6:30 PM SVUSD Board Room6:30 PM SVUSD Board Room6:30 PM SVUSD Board Room6:30 PM SVUSD Board Room

page 12 December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2

Drinking and Driving Costs Drinking and Driving Costs Drinking and Driving Costs Drinking and Driving Costs more than YOU Thinkmore than YOU Thinkmore than YOU Thinkmore than YOU Think

The holidays are filled with fun and festive celebrations with family, friends and co-workers, but it is a danger-ous time, too. According to AAA research, almost 18,000 people were injured or killed in alcohol related crashes in California during November and December from 2005-2009.

And if that isn’t enough to make you reconsider drink-ing and driving, the average cost of a first time offense arrest can cost $12,000 between fines, vehicle storage, alcohol education classes, the victim restitution fund, DMV license reissue fees, attorney fees, and insurance costs. Add to that booking and fingerprinting fees and ignition interlock-device costs—which vary around the state. And if you are under 21, plan on spending $17,000 on a DUI, due mainly to the increase you’ll pay in insurance, which is much more than for older drivers. If you need more incentive to give up the keys, consider

jail time, court time or time off work for court and other mandatory appointments, repairing or replacing your vehicle, living without a driver’s license and other pos-sible legal liabilities. And of course the biggest cost,

which can’t be measured in dollars and cents, is if

someone is injured or killed—perhaps someone you

love...or someone that is loved by others. Remember Jason Barber’s assembly last year—the consequences of drunk driving? It’s a choice—not an accident. His brother was killed and he was responsible..

So—how can you celebrate safely? • Plan ahead with a designated nondrinking driver be-

fore the partying starts. • If you are hosting a party, offer alcohol free drinks

and plenty of food. • Use public transportation or participate in the AAA

Tipsy Tow Program (see detail on page 13) • Reserve a room near the party or spend the night at a

friend’s rather than driving home (Information taken from page 10 of Westways Nov/Dec

2011—AAA magazine.)

Membership Matters!Membership Matters!Membership Matters!Membership Matters!

Did you know there are lots of great perks available for all PTSA members?

• Aquarium of the Pacific FREE admission coupons for members 17 and younger and discounted tickets for 18 and older if you go to our website—www.thhsptsa.org/

• Enterprise Discounted Car Rentals. • T-Mobile Service & Phone Discounts—14% Off recurring

monthly charges. • Legoland FREE admission coupons • Hp *Save on Computers & Printers • As a digital learning platform, Thinkfinity offers comprehen-

sive teaching and learning resources in each academic sub-ject and literacy. The easy-to-navigate K-12 resources are grade-specific and are aligned with state standards. And it’s free!~ Visit their website at www.thinkfinity.org

• CSN –Child Safety Network • Receive exclusive savings at Office Max • PTSA/PTA scholarships for Seniors, teachers, nursing staff

& PTA volunteers Go to www.capta.org and click on Member Perks for more perks and information. Or click on scholarships to find out more.

Don’t miss the next Don’t miss the next Don’t miss the next Don’t miss the next THHS PTSA MeetingTHHS PTSA MeetingTHHS PTSA MeetingTHHS PTSA Meeting

MondayMondayMondayMonday February 13, 2012February 13, 2012February 13, 2012February 13, 2012

7 PM in the MPR7 PM in the MPR7 PM in the MPR7 PM in the MPR Get Informed, Join PTSA,

Buy Discount Cards, find out about upcoming events

Let your voice be heard!Let your voice be heard!Let your voice be heard!Let your voice be heard! • Info on Challenge Day

• 2012-2013 THHS PTSA Board Nominees Announced

• Student Leader & ASB Reports • Reflections Winners Awards

• Committee Reports • Scholarships & ROP class informa-

tion with guest speaker, Bridget Mondt

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express page 13

PTSA FUNDRAISING!PTSA FUNDRAISING!PTSA FUNDRAISING!PTSA FUNDRAISING! By Grazyna Buchowiecki, Ralphs & Escrip Chair

“Many a little makes a mickle.” And we all know how truthful that is. Together we can make a difference and the THHS PTSA strives to make that difference in our school’s life. However, without support from parents, students and the commu-nity, that would not be possible. Every little piece of help and support from each of us will make that “mickle,” and the best part is that you do not have to do a lot. Just your willingness and few minutes of your time is all that’s needed.

THHS PTSA runs two very powerful fundraising programs, Ralphs Community Contribution and eScrip, which can bring thousands of dollars to help our school. The success of these fundraising programs depends on us: parents, students, families, teachers & our friends. We have to take action in order to be successful. And, it’s a simple action at that. Just sign up for the programs on the websites, then shop as usual and we earn.

Ralphs Community Contribution program is based on Ralphs Value Customer cards. The majority of us already have these cards, so the only thing you need to do is log into Ralphs website www.ralphs.com, then choose Service/Community Contribution and follow the site’s prompts after clicking “Enroll”. Choose TRA-

BUCO HILLS HIGH SCHOOL PTSA or GROUP ID # 92164.

The eScrip program is based on Vons/Pavilions Value Customer cards and your credit/debit cards. This program has endless possibilities. You can help earn money for our school on all your purchases. Each time you make a purchase using your registered card(s), participating merchants contribute various percentages of the purchase amount back to our school. The eScrip Online Mall is a one stop shopping place, where thou-sands of your favorite online merchants are waiting for you. eBay, Apple Store, Home Depot, Walmart, Toys R Us are just a few of them. eScrip also will contribute to your school while you dine. eScrip Dining will contribute up to 5% of your bill when you dine at any of the thousands of participating restaurants across the country. So shopping and/or dining earn money for Trabuco Hills PTSA which supports the school with mini-grants for equipment to the classrooms and other programs for the students. It is that simple. The only thing you have to do is become a participant in the eScrip program. Simply go to the eScrip website www.escrip.com and enroll in the program. Choose TRABUCO HILLS PTSA GROUP ID #10482514 as a

group you want to support.

Don’t wait; become a part of supporting our school community. Register for both programs before you

start your holiday shopping. You shop and save, as usual, and our PTSA earns money at the same time. It’s that easy and, best of all, it’s free. If you don’t participate, the money stays there and NO ONE earns.

Thank you! Happy holiday shopping!

FREE Tipsy TowFREE Tipsy TowFREE Tipsy TowFREE Tipsy Tow————Don’t Drink and Drive this Holiday SeasonDon’t Drink and Drive this Holiday SeasonDon’t Drink and Drive this Holiday SeasonDon’t Drink and Drive this Holiday Season

Did you know that statistics overwhelming show that deaths from car crashes during the holiday season in-crease significantly—particularly on New Year’s Eve? And for that reason, AAA will again offer their FREE Tipsy Tow program for drivers that have been drinking this New Year’s Eve. It is a program available to members, as well as nonmembers. AAA offers a free ride to impaired drivers to their homes within 7 miles from the point of pickup. “You may think you’re okay to drive, but research shows that impairment starts

with the first drink. Just one glass of wine, one bottle of beer or one shot of liquor affects your vision, co-ordination, and judgment.” (Westways, Nov/Dec 2011, pg.9) Ask for a Tipsy Tow by calling (800) 400-4AAA. The service runs from 6 PM, December 31st, through 6 AM on Sunday, January1st.

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 14

THHS Library

GRAD NIGHT 2012 !!! GRAD NIGHT 2012 !!! GRAD NIGHT 2012 !!! GRAD NIGHT 2012 !!! June 14th (Following Graduation)

Buy tickets NOW for ONLY $140.00 Rates GO UP January 2nd to $160

*NO refunds after December 31, 2011

Last BIG party with your fellow Mustang Grads!

Download required registration and permission forms at www.thhsptsa.org////

Make checks payable to THHS PTSA—Grad Night, write student name on memo line

Turn forms & payment in @ the reception desk in front office or mail to school: Attention: Grad Night, THHS, 27501 Mustang Run, Mission Viejo, CA. 92691

(Payment plans available. Start payments in December, with 4— $35 payments each month until March and save the $140 price. )

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express page 15

Annual PTSA Teacher/Staff Holiday Cookie ExchangeAnnual PTSA Teacher/Staff Holiday Cookie ExchangeAnnual PTSA Teacher/Staff Holiday Cookie ExchangeAnnual PTSA Teacher/Staff Holiday Cookie Exchange

Grad Night Car WashGrad Night Car WashGrad Night Car WashGrad Night Car Wash

COMING SOONCOMING SOONCOMING SOONCOMING SOON If you need help paying for Grad Night, you can work at a car wash (RSM Toyota) to earn money towards you account. Last year, students doing this earned all the money needed to pay their entire Grad Night bill in about four hours. We also need additional helpers (14 and older) who will receive commu-nity service hours for helping.

You can also sell community discount cards or tickets for a car wash at Santa Margarita Ford.

If you don’t make some effort to earn money to pay for Grad Night, we will not be able to help you financially with scholarship funds.

For more information or to sign up to work at the car wash, email Andrea at apadian@aol.com

PTSA Hospitality Chair, Diane Depreta, and her gang of helpers laid out an amazing spread for our teachers and staff , all provided by our THHS families. We had almost 200 dozen cookies of all shapes, sizes and varieties, and the teachers and staff were amazed and grateful. The PTSA is thankful to all the parents that baked cookies and treats, managed to get them out of their own homes uneaten and to our school for this fun and much anticipated event. Yum! Happy Holidays!

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 page 16

OutreachOutreachOutreachOutreach————Valentine’s Day Cards & Letters to the TroopsValentine’s Day Cards & Letters to the TroopsValentine’s Day Cards & Letters to the TroopsValentine’s Day Cards & Letters to the Troops

We’re hoping that the whole school will get involved in our first big Outreach pro-gram—and write letters and make Valentine’s Day cards for the troops overseas. Student Outreach Chair, Nicole Perado, will be leading this project with the help of all our student board members, and ideally, we will have 3200 letters to forward in January. Letters must be written by mid January in order to ensure they arrive by Valentine’s Day. If you’d like to send gifts, chocolates, CDs or phone cards are great ideas that we know the troops love. After hearing Nicole’s idea to do this project, SVPTA President (Saddleback Valley) and THHS PTSA member, Suzann Gastreich, decided to have the whole school district participate as well. Elemen-tary students often just make cards but in high school we have so many great writ-ers—that we are hoping for great letters. Start writing your letter during the holiday break. Look for more information in the daily announcements...but please write and let them know how much we appreciate them.

“The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.” ~ Ethel Percy Andrus “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.” ~Danny Thomas “It is one of the most beautiful compensa- tions of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Trabuco Hills High PTSA Pony Express page 17

Mark Your Calendar...Mark Your Calendar...Mark Your Calendar...Mark Your Calendar... • December 19-30 No School—Winter Recess PARTY! Happy Holidays! Enjoy your kids!

• December 31 New Year’s Eve! Celebrate Safely!

• January 1 New Year’s Day

• January 2 School Begins! Happy New Year! New Efforts! New Start! Go Mustangs!

• January 9 PTSA Executive Board Meeting

Collaboration Day

• January 10 SVUSD School Board Meeting 6:30 PM SVUSD Board Room

• January 11 MasterDrive: 6:30—8:30 PM MPR RSVP to Linda at boud@cox.net

• January 16 Dr. Martin Luther King Day * No School

• January 19 Restaurant Night, Dine at Chick-fil-a in Foothill Rnch * earn $$ for our school

• January 23 Collaboration Day

• January 23-27 High School Final Exams, MINIMUM Days *End of semester on the 27th

• February 8 CHP Start Smart Driving Program FREE, 6:30-8:15 PM, MPR , RSVP to Linda at boud@cox.net

• February 13 PTSA Association Meeting 7 PM MPR *Nominations for 2012-13 Board

Collaboration Day

• February 14 SVUSD School Board Meeting 6:30 PM, SVUSD Board Room

• February 15 Screening on “Race to Nowhere”, THHS Theater 7 PM, discussion follows

• February 17 PTSA Founder’s Day

• February 17 No School

Trabuco Hills High

December 2011, Volume 2, Issue 2 page 16

PTSA Discount CardsPTSA Discount CardsPTSA Discount CardsPTSA Discount Cards

*ONLY $10.00! 30 Vendor discounts you can use every day until the end of August 2012. You can earn your money back after just one purchase in many cases!!! Email apadian@aol.com OR brendahanrath@cox.net

for information, a full list of vendors, &/or to buy a card today. Help PTSA and SAVE! Interested in earning Interested in earning Interested in earning Interested in earning holiday money? Drop us a line.holiday money? Drop us a line.holiday money? Drop us a line.holiday money? Drop us a line.

Volunteer Help NeededVolunteer Help NeededVolunteer Help NeededVolunteer Help Needed • Taste of the Hills Committee Members: We are planning this event

now so if you’d like to be part of a fun committee, get involved by emailing Kim at kimschneider@cox.net

• Grad Night Committee: We need people on this committee with and WITHOUT seniors. Email Lisa at lisakaybauer@yahoo.com or Diane at dmwilliams@swlaw.com

• Challenge Day: We need parents and students interested in being part of the Be the Change Team at THHS. Email Sheryl at sheryltitch-

ener@gmail.com for info. • Student Musicians wanted for our Taste of the Hills Concert. If you’d

like to play at this event, contact Brenda Hanrath at brendahan-

rath@cox.net for info about audition dates & locations. We’ll be featur-ing 8 student bands or soloists during the Taste of the Hills on June 2, 2012 and you could be one of them!

• Silent Auction gifts for the Taste of the Hills silent auction: tickets, time share rentals, gift cards, etc. Email Christina at dunes2river@cox.net