Dear Parent/Guardian,

School has started and what an exciting year it will be! We have doubled in campus space and have eight courtyards and a large front lawn lined with trees. Our student leadership class and student council members have already sponsored student activities, such as, Fiesta Friday, and we will soon be having sign-ups for campus clubs and organizations.

Due to the early start calendar and changes to the magnet transportation routes, we still have some space left to enroll new students. If you have friends or relatives still looking for a safe, caring, small high school, encourage them to come in and register immediately. Ms. Jet Manalastas, Senior Office Technician is available to answer questions and process new students. Her phone number is 818-654-3720.

Our new school calendar provides special benefits to our students. Students will finish their fall semester final exams before winter vacation and during the second semester they will have three extra weeks of instruction before the critical testing period begins in late spring.

There will be NO SCHOOL from Wednesday, September 2-Friday, September 10. This time is made up of national holidays, furlough days, unassigned days as well as professional development days for teachers. Also, there will be no buses, so students on sports teams will need to arrange their own transportation for any events during this time.

SCHOOL PHOTOS are scheduled for Monday, September 13,the day that students return, so please mark your calendars! These photos are used for school identification cards, class pictures in the yearbook and for admittance to school activities. All students will be required to carry ID cards at all times.

I am proud of the following students: Neli Salis-Garcia, grade 12, was selected to be one of 50 students to participate in a conference of the Chicano Relation Youth Leadership Project (CLYLP) recently at UCLA. This is a great honor and Neli will be writing about the many scholars, leaders and politicians and discussions in our student newspaper, The Pearl Post. Also, Izabella Ferayan,2010 graduate, who was asked to speak to the Board of Education at its July meeting. Izabella was also one of six students interviewed on the Patt Morrison radio show on Friday, August 27 to discuss the differences between schools in LAUSD.

Our first fund-raising event at McDonald’s Restaurant, 6830 Balboa Blvd. Van Nuys, was a big success. I would like to thank Mrs. Marla Kindelspire, PTSA secretary, and Mrs. Leslie Hicks and her leadership class for sponsoring this event. Thank you also to the Daniel Pearl staff who cleaned tables and served food to the families and students who came for dinner and enjoyed the fun.

In the coming year, we will bestrengthening our communication system to families and community members by sending out weekly messages via phone and email. Please make sure that your contact information is up-to-date and that we have an email address to ensure that you receive all school information in a timely manner.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call our main office at 818-654-3775 or email me at janet.kiddoo@lausd.net.

We’re off to a great start!

Janet Kiddoo
Principal