Volume 5 Issue 7 | February/March 2022
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FEBRUARY 2022 HSC MEETING
Minutes from past meetings and dates of upcoming meetings can be found here.
The next HSC meeting is Mon, March 21st, at 7pm on Zoom.
Email us any time with questions or suggestions: president@leighhsc.org.
Highlights from Principal Kara Butler
  • Leigh students are achieving great things!
  • It's been an amazing winter season for our Leigh athletes. Competitive Cheer won back to back CCS championships and 1st place for Nationals in two categories. Girl's Soccer won CCS and CIF NorCal Championships. Boy's basketball made it to CCS quarterfinals. Boy's Soccer made it to CCS semifinals. Wrestling sent four wrestlers to CCS and one to State. (Note: updated since Feb meeting)
  • Band placed 2nd at Fremont HS; Scholastic Regional A; 4th at James Logan HS, Scholastic Regional A; 5th at Independence HS, Scholastic Regional A.
  • The Science Olympiad Team is competing this week.

  • Staff are busy scheduling classes for next year.

  • The Bell Schedule Committee continues to work on the bell schedule for next year. A survey with narrowed-down options was shared with parents. The committee's goal is to have all plans for next year's bell schedule finalized before Spring Break.

  • Next year (2022-23) will be Leigh's 60th Anniversary. Leigh opened in 1962 and the first graduating class was 1963. There will be an Anniversary Celebration at the Homecoming football game in the Fall.
Highlights from Activities Director, Erika Marcucillo
Past events/activities in February
  • The leadership class organized activities for Lunar New Year.
  • There was a Valentine’s Day dance on Feb 14, and a Spirit Day on Feb 18.
  • Several activities were planned for Black History Month.
  • Over 100 students applied for Leadership for next year. Interviews were held in February.

Upcoming events
  • View Student Daily Announcements to see what is happening on campus each day.
  • There will be a dance at Leigh on March 25 with a Carnival theme (most likely on the blacktop).
  • Relay for Life is happening at Leigh on April 30th.
  • Michael De Leon will return in April to speak to an assembly about drug abuse and its consequences, and will do a parent information night the evening before. He spoke to the freshmen and sophomores in January, and will speak to the juniors and seniors in April. There will be a different April speaker for the freshmen and sophomores.
Highlights from College & Career Specialist, Nathalie Goricanec
Volunteers needed for the Career Fair @LHS - April 14th, 2022
  • After a very successful first edition in February 2020, and a 'short' break, the CCC is delighted to announce the 2nd annual Career Fair which will take place on Thursday April 14th from noon until 2:00pm. We are looking for parents, relatives and community members who would be willing to hold a booth/table to present their career to the Leigh students. No formal presentation required – just be willing to share with students, in a small setting, what you do and how you got there. We welcome anyone willing to talk about their current or past careers! If you are interested, please sign-up here.

Looking for individuals to proctor AP testing at Leigh in May 2022 (paid position)
  • AP testing is a very busy and time-intensive period at Leigh High School, and we need to hire reliable proctors to ensure proper administration of the tests. Proctors will have to be fingerprinted by CUHSD and need to be legally authorized to work as this is a paid position. The proctor's role is to prepare the room before the test, check-in students, read (and follow) instructions, supervise students, collect all tests and turn them in to the administrator in charge. Training will be provided, no prior experience required. Attention to details and sense of responsibility are paramount for this position. Proctors will be paid $15/hour, shifts are usually 3+ hours. If you are interested, please fill out this form and we will contact you to guide you through the process. Questions? Please contact Nathalie Goricanec by email: ngoricanec@cuhsd.org.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities
  • View the CCC website to learn about upcoming financial aid workshops, college tours, engineering conferences, college tours, scholarship opportunities and more.
RECENT PROGRAMS/ACTIVITIES FUNDED BY HOME AND SCHOOL CLUB

  • $15,000 for Wellness Center Consultant
  • $160 for Physics Olympiad entry fees
  • $645 for American Experience field trip to Angel Island
  • $60 for Quizizz subscription fee for Integrated Math I
JOIN OUR 2022-23 HSC BOARD & COMMITTEES

The Leigh Home & School Club invites you to join our Board and Committees next year. Most Home & School Club tasks are done from home and do not require you to be at school. All skills and interests are needed, and you can put in as much or as little time as you have available. We have a variety of projects such as … project planning, community building, financial management, communications, fundraising, gardening, writing, hospitality, technology support, volunteer coordination, College & Career Center support etc.

Many of our Board roles are shared by two people, and we have multiple people on each of our committees. The more people we have, the more fun it is and the easier it is for all as we can share the workload. This is a wonderful way to support our school and also get to know other parents in our community!

If you have a skill you’d like to share or you are someone who just likes to get stuff done, please contact our HSC president, Susan Smith, at president@leighhsc.org.
FEBRUARY STAFF APPRECIATION

Thank you to the Staff Appreciation Team and all of the parent volunteers who showered our staff with love in February!
LEIGH WELLNESS CENTER NOW OPEN

The Leigh Wellness Center opened on January 25th! The Wellness Center is a place for students to check in with someone, take a wellness break, and learn coping strategies to deal with life stressors such as anxiety, bullying, family concerns, tough relationships, or suicidal thoughts and feelings. Students may access the Center during class with permission, before school, between classes, and at lunch. The center is supported by our Wellness Coordinator and our Wellness Team, all of whom are dedicated to creating a culture that prioritizes student mental health and wellness, and to improve access to mental health education and services for students on campus.

Thank you to our Leigh families for your very generous donations to the Home & School Club which enabled us to provide the funding to create this space. Thank you to the many people who brought this project to life: Principal Butler, Leigh staff, Kristin Welter (HSC Mental Health & Wellness Committee Chair), Priya Bhogaonker (Wellness Center Consultant), and the many parents and students who put countless hours into this project from the infancy stages when helping with research, to shopping, cleaning, painting, and decorating, to helping bring everything together so we could open on January 25th. Thank you!
How can parents support the Wellness Center?

Visit the Wellness Center Website

Talk to your student about the Wellness Center
  • Ask them if they have stopped by – this may open up healthy and insightful conversations (the Wellness Center is located right off the quad, next door to the College & Career Center).

Buy books for our Lending Library
  • Local San Jose bookstore Hicklebee’s has helped us create a wishlist for Leigh HS supporters to buy books and supplies for the Wellness Center. Purchase books now on the wishlist on the Hicklebee's website. No need to pay for shipping - the bookstore will deliver them directly to Leigh.
PURCHASE GRAD NIGHT TICKETS FOR SENIORS!
Grad Night at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk promises to be an unforgettable night for our seniors as they spend one last time together as a class. Chartered luxury buses will collect students from Leigh at 9:00 pm and return by 3:00 am the next morning. Our new Graduates will spend the night of June 2 and morning of June 3 celebrating their time together. This ultimate Graduation Party brings together the class of 2022 for a celebration of their four years together.
PURCHASE GRAD LAWN SIGNS

Can you believe it? Do you hear that calendar page turning? Is your lawn feeling bare? Incredibly, graduation will be here before we know it and that means it’s time to buy your “Leigh Grad” lawn sign to show how proud you are of your Leigh graduate!

Order your yard sign online now! We will have pick up times at Leigh and will send out the dates and times via the email address you list when you place your order as the year progresses. Congrats to our seniors and their families on making it through these last crazy school years! Any questions, please contact Alexis Hoekstra at alexishoekstra@comcast.net.

Thank you for supporting Leigh! (PS--These signs are used as a fundraiser for the Leigh Grad night celebration, the Herf Jones signs DO NOT funnel any portion of their profits to our school.)
UNDERGRAD PARENTS NEEDED TO CHAPERONE ON GRAD NIGHT

Parents of 9th/10th/11th Graders – we would love your help on Grad night, Thursday, June 2nd. Parents are needed to accompany the students on the buses and to be available to provide support if needed at the boardwalk. This is a fun evening for evening for everyone and a great way to see what Grad Night will entail when your student is a Senior. Please contact Amy Hogg, Grad Night Chair, at gradnight@leighhsc.org.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE LEIGH STAMPEDE!

Early bird registration is now open! Sign up NOW! Special family rate available. Come enjoy this wonderful community celebration!
VOLUNTEER AT THE LEIGH STAMPEDE

The Leigh Longhorn Stampede is on May 21, 2022 and we need parent and student volunteers to make this happen (many, many volunteers!) This will be a really fun morning as we come together to celebrate our community. We invite you to be a part of this and we thank you for your support!

We have many volunteer opportunities available including set-up, clean-up, t-shirt pick-up, course marshal, photographer, helping at the water-station, handing out medals, and more. This is a great way to be involved. Share with alumni and incoming families as well!

All students will receive community service hours.

Questions: contact stampedeinfo@leighhsc.org.
THANK YOU TO OUR STAMPEDE SPONSORS
The Longhorn Stampede would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. All proceeds from the Stampede go to our booster clubs at Leigh, and support academic, social/emotional, and extracurricular programs for all Leigh students. We invite our local businesses and organizations to sponsor the Stampede. View the Stampede Sponsorship Packet to learn more about sponsorship opportunities and in-kind donations. Questions: contact StampedeSponsorship@leighhsc.org.

HOME & SCHOOL CLUB MARCH MEETING
Monday, March 21 @ 7pm via Zoom

We invite you to join us for our next Home & School Club meeting. Zoom link is below. Dates for all future HSC meetings are here - mark your calendar!

ALL ARE WELCOME!  


Meeting ID: 918 5093 0665
Are you shopping on Amazon? Yes? Great! Use Amazon Smile and a % of your purchase automatically comes back to Leigh HSC. Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/77-0199809 or with AmazonSmile ON in the app. This is free money for Leigh HSC - to date we have received $614 through this program. Thank you for your support!
Leigh High School Home and School Club is an all volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Tax ID # is 77-0199809. All donations are tax-deductible.