October 2009 
By the time you receive this, we will be well into the 2009-2010 school year. We had a very good opening this school year. With all the budget cuts we have had to endure, I have to thank our staff for the way they all pitched in to make certain the year opened smoothly without any hitches. Because of their work, there was very little disruption to student learning. We could not have done it without the staff’s generosity. They truly are great!
Students are in their classes for the school year, and the classes are well into rigorous work. The first six-week grading period is nearing the end. Please make certain you check on your student’s progress using Parent Connect. If you do not have Parent Connect, please come see Mr. Jeff Thomas so you may get connected. If you cannot access Parent Connect, please make certain you make every effort to make contact with your student’s teacher to confer about their grade and progress.
The welcome back dance, “Jamaican Me Crazy”, was a great success. The students danced to the sounds of a variety of music and reacquainted themselves with old friends and had the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. A good time was had by all.
We’ve had several new teachers and classified staff members join Serra this year. In the Special Education Department we welcome William Hicks, Cory Hoffman, Ronald Kasper, Brenda Iodice, and Kimberli Santa Maria. In the Math department Aaron Basch, Erin Berry, Peter Burrell, Tomas Cometto, and Brett Patrick joined us. In the Science department we have Erin Barron, Robert Dyson, and Ariel Valentino. Tom Cotner came into the English department that also welcomed back Lynda Lavine. We have two new faces in the NJROTC program, Commander Mike Brown and Petty Officer John Prior. In the Counseling department two new counselors have been added, Mrs. Megan Corazza and Dr. Elva Mora. In PE we welcome Ms. Taylor Edwards. Martha Vidana-Cross is our new ELST; John Moreno is our new Network Systems Media Support Technician, and Carlos Gaines is our new Plant Operations Supervisor.
Also new to our school is Eric Burtson. Mr. Burtson is actually returning to us as an administrator. Mr. Burtson was once a Science Administrator at SHS and he has now joined us as a Vice Principal.
Open House was held September 30 with a very good turn out of students and parents. The staff was thrilled to have such a good turnout from the community. The NJROTC cadets and cheerleaders were very helpful and instrumental in helping parents and students, and we would like to thank both groups for all their help. We also want to extend a thank you to the band for providing excellent musical entertainment. Parents were able to visit their student’s classes and become more familiar with their student’s courses, course work and gain a little more knowledgeable about the curriculum and the teachers’ learning expectations.
The PTSA has now become the PTO. The change occurred at the end of the 2008–2009 school year in order to give this group more autonomy and enable them to utilize more of their resources in order to benefit the students at SHS. They had an extremely successful school year in 2008-2009 and have started out this school year with a bang. They are looking forward to helping and providing students and staff with additional support for the school year and we want to thank them for everything they do for our students.
The Serra Foundation also had a successful start of the school year. They too have been able to raise considerable monies in order to serve the students and staff at SHS. Most recently the foundation has been responsible for the signage you may see adorning the buildings at SHS. The Foundation will also be responsible for the legacy wall that will be used to raise much needed funds and help decorate the lobby of the gymnasium. If you would like to leave your mark on SHS and become a part of the school’s history, please contact the Foundation about purchasing a tile for the legacy wall.
Neither of these generous parent organizations could provide the much needed financial and volunteer assistance without the help of many of the parents here at SHS. Please support either one of these organizations and, in turn, support the students of SHS.
Fall sports are well underway, and many of our teams are recording successful seasons. Currently, Cross Country, Girls Tennis, Girls Volleyball, Field Hockey, Football, and Water Polo are all in season, and all of our teams are competing for spots in the play-offs. Girls Field Hockey took first place in the recent Helix Highlander tournament. Blake Bailey was nominated and received the honor of UT player of the week for the week of October 4th. Please drop by one of these events to cheer our students and support these programs.
We’re two months into the school year, and I want to thank all the staff, students, and parents. Thank you so much for supporting the students and Serra High School. I look forward to working with you and your children. Working together we can support our students and SHS in order to make SHS an excellent school for students.
Michael Jimenez
Principal
Serra High School
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