Dear Parents/Guardians/Students, Welcome to the 2009/10 academic school year! A very special welcome to the incoming ninth-graders, the class of 2013! We look forward to meeting you at the freshmen orientation on Tuesday, August 18th for orientation, a barbecue and schedule pickup.
The Strategic Plan that was collaboratively worked on last spring has now moved into the Strategic Action Mode. This will be an exciting year as we unpackage the strategies to align with Encina's overall goal, which is to continue building a college culture where students will have viable options upon graduation. Options such as attending a university/state/community college or preparing for a career specific goal meaningful and productive for them. In addition to meeting the regular A-G requirements, Encina offers three specialized programs that will lead to our overall goal. The programs are: Medical Professional Program, this program offers three career paths, Dr. and Nurse Program, Health Academy and/or the ROP component. AVID (targeted population using AVID curriculum and methodology) and the Business Academy (students are preparing for the business world and are assigned business mentors who support field trips, mentor meetings, and internships.
We continue our partnership with American River College offering two clases on campus in the fall (Trigonometry and Psychology) and two in the spring (Chemistry and Physics). Students receive dual credit. Our students are meeting the challenge of these classes and doing well. Last term, the GPA for Encina students was higher than ARC students who attended the same classes!
New Additions: During the summer, the gym floor was completely redone. We will officially dedicate it during freshmen orientation. The new floor (with the new bull-dog) definitely adds a sense of pride to our school. We also have added one new AP class this year, AP Spanish. Adding this class speaks to the growth in the Foreign Language Department. More of our students are stretching and opting to take more rather than less.
We are excited that parents will have access to a variety of features on our new SIS (Zangle). A parent center will open shortly on the Encina campus where parents will have access to a computer to be used during the school day. Subsequent training will also be available.
Please look for our monthly newsletter, the Bulldog Bark, as it will keep you informed of important information and activities that will be going on during the school year. Thank you for entrusting your student(s) to be a part of he Encina Learning Community. As always, we welcome your comments and visits to the campus. We look forward to a challenging and successful school year! Go Bulldogs!!!!
Myrtle Berry,
Principal, Encina Preparatory High School
