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Dear Parents,

 

I hope you enjoyed spring break with your kids. Mine was fine as I
stayed home.  My son received his driving permit during the break and I
began the process of teaching him how to drive. It is funny how he
suddenly now has a lot more time for me and places his friends on hold,
depending on my schedule because he is basing his decisions to play on
my willingness to teach him to drive. As parents we have to hold onto
these moments because we know what is next. Abandonment! (At least until
they need money. :-))

 

You will read the following message from me in different arenas because
it is very important that you get this message. 

 

As you should now know, this is advisement week and your child should be
discussing with you courses for next school year. Can you believe it? We
are talking about 2009-10. 

 

I have given a great deal of thought about the impact the financial
crisis will have specifically on Aliso Niguel. I feel that it is
important that I share with you again our mission statement which
states:

 

The mission of Aliso Niguel High School is to provide a rigorous
academic program for students to maximize their potential as they go
forward in life.

 

I also want to refer to one of our school's tenets that states:

 

Instruction: We believe that classroom instruction is the main purpose
of Aliso Niguel High School.

 

With this in mind, I have had to assess the best manner in which to
maintain the integrity of our instructional programs. Perhaps the
biggest concern is that there will be an increase in class sizes. This
can have a severe impact on the quality of instruction. With that in
mind I have directed the guidance team to execute the following:

 

1.	Increase the class sizes of physical education classes.
Rationale: Physical education is important, but can be carried out more
effectively in larger sizes than instruction in academic classes.  Since
students take physical education in the gymnasium and outside on the
track or blacktop, there are not the same limitations that classrooms
have and thus can support more students comfortably.

 

2.	Limiting 0 period classes only to students taking more than the
required coursework.  Rationale:  There is an unequal distribution of
students in classes during a school day. There are classes of 38 - 40 in
the morning classes and classes of 28 - 35 after lunch. By limiting 0
period classes to only those taking additional classes, class sizes can
be more evenly distributed throughout the day. 

 

3.	Review with athletic director and head coaches possible dropping
of off season sports classes.  Rationale: Head coaches are usually
teachers. When they are coaching during 5th and 6th periods, it limits
classes for students in various academic areas. With the association
rule that now allows coaches to work with their players outside of the
season, coaches can work with students afterschool. This would allow for
more teaching periods in the afternoon and lower class sizes throughout
the day. 

 

The implementation of these three procedures could have a positive
impact on the overall classroom environment at Aliso by maintaining
manageable class sizes with little to no cost. 

 

What this will do is reduce the number of students leaving campus at
lunch. I want to remind students and parents that the regular school day
starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 2:40 p.m. Students in 11th and 12th
grades can expect that they will have classes after lunch. It is
possible that they may have a 5th or 6th period if not both depending on
their course selections. 

 

I am sharing this with you early as it is only April so that you can
prepare now. If a student is considering work or another afterschool
obligation that is not school related, I would suggest that you not
establish times that may interfere  with your child's school schedule. 

 

These moves are going to take place with the best interests of all
students being taken into consideration. It is my hope that no one will
feel that their personal circumstance is not being considered if their
child does not get a schedule that affords them to leave at lunch. 

 

I thank you very much for your understanding on this matter.