Congratulations to senior Caitlin Hird - San Dieguito Union High ...

Academic Achievement
Choice and Flexibility
Core Values
Community
Creativity
Individual Potential
People
Congratulations to senior Caitlin
Hird who was named the San
Diego County Office of Education
and NBC 7/39’s Inspirational
Student of the Month. Caitlin has
been raising money to help girls in
Tijuana get immunized against
HPV. Caitlin first toured the
school in Tijuana as part of her
dedication to community service
as part of Fronteras Unidas Pro
Salud and met the students. She
was very moved by the experience
and she said, “I toured the school and met the kids and that was it.”
Caitlin raised the money by hard work and perseverance. She went door to
door and spoke to a Rotary meeting in Rancho Santa Fe asking for donations.
Caitlin was interviewed for a news segment by NBC’s Rory Devine
and was presented a certificate by a representative from the San Diego
County Office of Education (pictured above) who surprised her, along with
her parents, in her AP Government class.
Caitlin expanded her work with Fronteras Unidos through an internship at
San Dieguito Academy. She has applied to Columbia University and Harvard,
and will certainly continue to make a difference in the lives of many
young women around the world.
A ribbon cutting ceremony
was held in November for our
new Performing Arts Center.
The Performing Arts Center,
which includes the music
wing, the Clayton E. Liggett
Theater and the amphitheater
opened its doors the first day
of school. Pictured right,
Board member Beth Hergesheimer
cuts the ribbon while
students, district administrators,
parents, alumni, community
members and representatives
of the architectural team look on.
Special thanks to our SDA parents who gave so generously to support our
first ever capital campaign and to the PAC committee who worked to make
the facility a reality: Marla Strich, Jean Maxwell, Nancy Meisenhelder,
Larry Lugo, Sandra Timmons (Campaign Chair), Don Cardenas, and
Sheila Durkin.
On January 11th San Dieguito students and staff
were present for the opening of The Mosaic Café.
Mosaic is the first student-run cafe and retail business
at San Dieguito Academy. Located on campus in the
old Mustang Center, students provide homemade
Panini sandwiches, smoothies, snacks, and beverages
to hungry students during lunch as well as fashionable
clothing items and skateboard supplies. The
business has been built from the ground up by the
students of the ROP Business Ownership and Management
class, taught by Oly Norris. Local radio station
91X came out for opening day of the Mosaic
handing out concert tickets, hats, and other items.
San Dieguito band, "The Asymptotes," put on a brilliant
performance on the outdoor stage as fans
lounged on new hammock chairs and woven blankets
on the grass hill. The Mosaic is open daily during
lunch. You can visit the website at http://
www.sdamosaic.com/.
Students
unveil the new
Mosaic Café
sign created
by Mr.
Wright’s art
classes.
Students (l to r) Carolina Diaz (CEO of Mosaic),
Amber Michaelis (Facilities Team Manager), and
Kara Gorman (Marketing Team Manager) on opening
day of Mosaic Café.

2
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
It has been an amazing year thus far at
SDA. We have seen our sports teams succeed
in league and in CIF, our National
Merit Semifinalists announced, our ROP
Business Management Class open the Mosaic
Café for SDA students, two amazing
student productions in the new Clayton E.
Liggett Theater and we also saw our marching
band take 1 st place in the Encinitas
Holiday Parade…just to name a few. Wow,
what an amazing start to the 2011-2012
school year.
“Once again, I
encourage you
and your
student to be
engaged in all
things SDA.”
As we get ready for the start
of the spring term, I want to
remind all parents and students
that with the change
of the calendar year that
SDA has something for everyone.
Once again, I want
to encourage you and your
student to be engaged in all
things SDA. The high
school years are filled with
excitement and challenges and this is a key
time in the lives of young adults. Take the
start of 2012 as an opportunity to support
and guide your teen as they navigate the
high school landscape. Stay involved and
on top of what’s going on at SDA by reading
the weekly emails we send, communicating
regularly with your student’s teachers and
getting involved by supporting and working
with the SDA Foundation.
Spring term will soon be here and schedules
will change on the 4 x 4. Your student
has already selected their courses for next
term and teachers are ready to welcome
them. Counselors will make minor adjustments
after reviewing grades from fall term
to check for eligibility for the new courses.
Student initiated changes are very limited
since the master schedule was built on student
requests and most classes are already
full. Because courses go by so quickly on
the 4 x 4, we are anxious to get the term up
and running.
Registration for Fall 2012 will begin on February
6. We are proud to say that the vast
majority of students choose to stay at SDA!
The window closes March 5, 2012. Online
course selection for current students begins
February 6 and continues to February 24.
The counselors offer extensive support in
course selection, including classroom
presentations to juniors in US History, to
sophomores in English 10, and to freshmen
in Year One PE. These presentations will
be held for students at the end of fall term
or at the beginning of spring term in an effort
to reach all students. In addition, counselors
meet with every student and
individually review their scheduling choices
during period 2 registration checks between
February 28 and March 31.
We do everything possible to see that our
master schedule reflects the needs and
interests of our students, and it is built on
student requests. Course offerings with
limited sign ups may be cancelled, and
courses with extensive sign ups may have
multiple sections. This is an exciting, interactive
process that reflects the multiple
opportunities offered at SDA.
The fall sports season closed near the end
of 2011. Many of the fall sports programs
reported an increase in the number of student
athletes indicating that the SDA athletics’
programs are providing opportunities
for more students to be connected to, and
part of, SDA.
All of the fall sports programs had strong
seasons with nearly all of the SDA fall programs
having athletes competing in the
CIF post season. Before beginning their
competition in CIF, the girls’ field hockey
team finished their season with a big win
over CCA to retain the Clash of the Academies
bejeweled trophy stick. The girls’ golf
program sent an athlete, Victoria Ly, to
CIFs for the first time in the history of the
Academy. The Cross Country team dug
deep and exceeded everyone’s expectations
with Nolan Gallagher being a standout
for the team in CIF competition. The
girls’ tennis program made a strong showing
in CIF competition with the doubles
team of Samantha Hodges and Jenai
Machhi advancing to the semi-finals. Congratulations
to all SDA student athletes this
fall.
The winter sports season is in full swing.
The next varsity basketball home games,
boys and girls, are scheduled for Friday,
February 3. When you make it to a basketball
game, be sure to check out our
concession stand! The boys’ soccer team
plays Orange Glen at home on February 8.
The girls’ soccer team’s next home game
is with Mission Vista at SDA on February
3. The weekly school bulletin always lists
the week’s games, their locations, and
their start times. Go Mustangs!
Finally, our girls’ volleyball program advanced
to the 2 nd round of CIF competition
and our girls, along with the entire North
County/Encinitas volleyball community,
have shown their resiliency and sense of
family in dealing with the sudden and tragic
loss of our JV coach Karen Reis. Karen
was and will always be in the hearts of
SDA and will never be forgotten.
How does an owner of six McDonald's
restaurants decide on appropriate work
schedules for her employees? How does
Hertz Rent-A-Car decide how many cars
of each type to have available for rent at
the various airports to maximize profit?
How does UPS decide where to locate
offices and delivery routes to ensure
packages get delivered on time and with
minimal cost?
These questions and more can be answered
using Operations Research - an
application of math widely used in industry.
This course provides a mathematics
framework for building decision-making
models to tackle complex real-world
problems and an introduction to industrial
engineering. Math applications do exist -
really!
The course was developed by engineering
and education faculty at Wayne State
University in Detroit, North Carolina State
University, and the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte as a post-Algebra 2
course. The project leaders describe the
program as follows:
Mathematics Instruction using Decision
Science and Engineering Tools
(MINDSET) uses decision making tools
from Industrial and Systems Engineering
and Operations Research in a fourth-year
high school mathematics curriculum.
Principal performance related goals of
the project are to improve upon the math
students’ ability to formulate and solve
multi-step problems and interpret results,
and to improve students’ attitude toward
math. (mindsetproject.org)
Students will use technology such as
Microsoft Excel and graphing calculators
to solve complex problems that can be
applied to the world around them. This
challenging and exciting class encourages
students to expand their thinking
beyond the textbook and the classroom.
The prerequisite for AMDM is successful
completion of Algebra 2 (C or better) and
an interest in applying the math they
have already learned.
If you have questions about the course,
please contact Amy Johnson or Paul
Brice and visit the project website at
mindsetproject.org.

3
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
Speech and Debate found great success
in the year 2011. To wrap up the
year, SDA first competed at the Novice
League Debate at Helix High
School in October. Everyone’s hard
work resulted in SDA’s first place in
sweepstakes. In Policy Debate, partners
Kira Gaby and Austin Ryan
placed first, while Stacy Li and Johnny
Menhennet took second. Keenan
Rodewald and Delaney Duff took
third place and Kevin Gallagher and
Taylor Knudson placed sixth. In
Lincoln Douglas debate, Riley Murphy
won first place and Jake
Hawkes took seventh.
Our second tournament was the Novice
Speech Tournament at Mission
Vista in November. Johnny Menhennet
won third in International Extempt
and Riley Murphy won second in Impromptu.
Together, they won second
place in Duo Interpretation. In Impromptu,
Mason Bright placed third
and Elizabeth Jacobson took sixth.
Taylor Knudson won sixth place in
Original Advocacy. Stacy Li won first
in Original Prose and Poetry and
placed sixth in Humorous Interpretation.
by Lauren Nelson, sophomore
In addition, SDA won 4 th
sweepstakes.
place
Finally, SDA attended the San Diego
Winter Classic at LCC in December.
In Varsity Policy Debate Michael
Wimsatt and Elliot Horen made it to
semifinals and Elliot Horen won first
place speaker. In Varsity Lincoln
Douglas debate, Cameron Koob
made it to octofinals. In speech,
Aram Mahmoudzadeh won first in
Impromptu, Stacy Li placed fifth in
Humorous Interpretation (claiming a
Tournament of Champions bid) and
sixth in Original Prose and Poetry.
Benjy Malings won seventh in Original
Prose and Poetry and Maia
Rosengarten placed fourth in Original
Oratory (claiming a TOC bid.)
Elliot Horen and Michael Wimsatt
competed in Varsity Policy Debate at
the Meadows School Tournament
where they received their second
TOC bid. They are now qualified for
the Tournament of Champions and
are making plans to travel to the tournament
in Kentucky at the end of
April. They also made it to the quarterfinals
at USC David Damus Trojan
Championships, thus, earning their
third TOC bid. All results for 2011
and 2012 are posted on the team’s
website at www.sdadebate.org.
The SDA Speech and Debate team
still have many more tournaments to
attend in 2012. We’d like to thank all
the parent volunteers and our coach,
Mrs. Barry, for making such a great
year possible. We look forward to
seeing all of you in 2012!
by Kristin Perkins, senior
The Theater Program is alive, well and quickly settling
into its beautiful new space. Sylvia, the after school
comedy, had audience members laughing all the way
through. The Acting One class put on a One Act Festival
that was entirely self-written and self-directed, incorporating
all the skills they have been hard at work
learning in the semester. After Michael Frayn’s Noises
Off! the Drama Production moved on to a whole new
set of challenges with Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses.
The set for the play consisted of an above
ground pool in which nine Greek myths with a modern
twist were performed. The actors were cold and wet,
but delighted with the production.
There is no break for the theater department with the
new semester looming as the Theater-for-a-Cause
production begins rehearsing in February and Musical
Theater students will begin working towards Cabaret
Night. This year the Theater-for-a-Cause show will be
A Piece of My Heart by Shirley Lauro and will show on
March 29, 30, 31. Proceeds will be donated to helping
veterans. On top of their rehearsals, SDA’s partnership
with Intrepid Shakespeare Company continues with
Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Their production
runs January 28 – February 19 with a student production
held February 18. The annual Cabaret Night is
back with an exciting change. Instead of being held in
the Encinitas Community Center as it has been for the
past three years, it will be held in the Clayton E. Liggett
Theater on March 3. With food, music, live performances,
and a good cause there is little reason not to go.
The money will go to the Theater and Band programs
and help develop a new generation of performers. The
musical has yet to be announced as Mrs. Siers struggles
to decide between many good options. Rest assured
whatever it turns out to be, it will be highly entertaining
and will show on May 31, June 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9.
Thank you for your support in last semester’s productions;
we are excited about another semester of great
theater. Please check our website for box office information!
by Anthony Polloreno, senior
On December 3rd, SDA’s Japanese National Honor Society (JNHS) participated
in the Encinitas Holiday parade. After weeks of construction
and planning, the members of JNHS proudly marched along side their
handmade pagoda atop float number 79.
The JNHS dressed in traditional Japanese
clothing. JNHS’s float, adorned by lights,
worked to celebrate the 25th anniversary
of Encinitas and the connection between
Encinitas and her sister city Amakusa,
Japan. Winning third place in “Most Unusual,”
the JNHS looks forward to participating
again next year.
The 2011 yearbook has again been selected by the Columbia
Scholastic Press Association as a Crown Finalist. Hundreds of
high school and college yearbooks and newspapers from
across the country enter their publication for judging. Only a
handful are selected. SDA’s yearbook, Hoofprint, was one of
66 finalists – 18 of schools selected are from California. We
are the only school in all of San Diego County to be selected.
Judges select books based on the quality of the writing, photography,
design, coverage and theme. Schools are awarded
either a gold or silver crown. We will find out whether we've
won gold or silver in March during the spring convention. Current
yearbook staff members who were a part of the 2011
yearbook are: Annalise Brolaski, Valentina Calmo, Monica
Calsbeek, Katie Ehlers, Jessie Fendler, Aine Gallahue,
Paige Kutilek, Clark Luckhardt, Caitlin McKinley, Hannah
Minton, and Sara Rodas. Please congratulate them on this
tremendous achievement.

4
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
by Alex Goldstein, ASB public relations
First semester went by in a blink of the
eye! With the new semester about to begin
– the newly elected student body officers
will take office. We welcome Clayton
Bishop, president; Genesis Castrellon,
vice president; Brittany Pyle, secretary;
Alec Smith, treasurer; and Amanda
Godfrey and Cassidy Mayeda, school
board representatives.
During the holidays, SDA conducted our
annual Adopt-a-Family program where we provide holiday gifts for less fortunate
families (pictured above, students pose while loading the truck with Adopta-Family
gifts). It was a huge success with over 25 homerooms participating.
In December, ASB planned a school wide ping pong tournament, which had
over 80 students and faculty participating (pictured below). Congratulations to
the winner Joe Stefanki and runner up
Jack Hagerty for their excellent singles
play.
San Dieguito Academy will be hosting
25 Austrian students for 10 days (March
20 to March 30). We are looking for
host families for these students; please
contact Mr. Rod Keillor at
rod.keillor@sduhsd.net if you are interested.
by Kira Gaby, Wesley Morberg, Joshua Herz, Jennifer McCluan, Amanda Gill
Directed by Dr. Andrew Accardi, emergency
room physician, Young Leaders
in Health Care (YLHC) is an outreach
program of Scripps Memorial Hospital,
Encinitas. In its third year, YLHC has
eight participating school chapters: La
Costa Canyon, Carlsbad High, High
Tech High, San Marcos, Vista High
School, Torrey Pines High School, Pacific
Ridge, and San Dieguito Academy.
The purpose of the program is to provide
students with an exposure to
health care professions and hands-on
activities. This year, the annual interhigh
school competition will occur on
May 24, 2012 at Scripps Hospital. The
SDA YLHC chapter has been assigned
the project topic: Healthy Eating and
Body Image (Eating Disorders) to research
and present a Public Service
Announcement.
YLHC provides a valuable opportunity
to introduce students to the healthcare
field in hands-on ways. Last month,
nurse practitioner and SDA parent, Amy
Bell, joined the homeroom. On her
first visit, she demonstrated for the
students the correct procedure for
suturing a pig’s foot. She then came
in for a follow-up visit where the students
got to participate in suturing
their own pig’s foot. It was a valuable
lesson that the students enjoyed.
Additional guest speakers are
planned for the spring term.
Hospital meetings generally occur the
first Thursday (6:00-8:00 p.m.) of
each month in the Scripp’s Encinitas
Conference Center, and club members
are encouraged to join Ms.
McCluan’s homeroom. Interested
students are also welcome to attend
club meetings every Thursday in
room 50 during homeroom. Additional
information can be found at the
hospital-sponsored website:
http://youngleadersinhealthcare.com/
or http://teachers.sduhsd.net/
jmccluan/YLHC.htm.
Winter Formal, February 4, 8:00-11:30 pm,
“Soaring over San Diego” at the San Diego Air and
Space Museum, $45 w/ASB sticker and $50 w/out.
Buy tickets on line or in the Finance Office (the last
day to purchase is 2/2).
Dodgeball Tournament, February 13, 15, 16, 23, 24
lunch, gym
Senior Java, February 16, homeroom
Airbands Finals, February 23, 6:30 pm, gym
Students vs. faculty soccer, February 29, lunch
Talent Show, March 15, 6:30 pm, Liggett Theater
Spring Fling Carnival, March 23, after school
Students vs. faculty softball, March 28, lunch
Congratulations to the band for their first place award
in this year’s Holiday Parade. This year’s performance
was especially colorful, thanks to the neon
shirts and colored headbands (pictured below). The
dance moves were pretty sweet as well!
This year’s SDUHSD Honor Band Concert will be
held on Sunday, February 26 th at 4:00 p.m. in CCA’s
Proscenium Theatre. This year’s high school conductor
is John Vorwald, a retired California music
educator who taught for over 30 years. This is particularly
special for Mr. Wuertz, as he was Mr. Vorwald’s
Assistant Director at Vista H.S. in 2003 and
2004.
Our 5 th Annual Cabaret Night Fundraiser is coming
soon! This event is scheduled for Saturday, March
3 rd at 6:00 p.m. in the Clayton E. Liggett Theater.
Tickets go on sale soon for this event. This is our
biggest fundraiser of the year, so we hope you will
attend. It also marks the first time that this event will
be on the SDA campus.
Be sure to check our website, http://
www.sdamusic.org, for current information and updates
about music activities at SDA. We also invite
you to join our Facebook group – just search “SDA
Music 2011-2012” and sign up!

5
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
Counseling Corner
Money for College — Financial Aid at a glance
Financial aid is money that is given, earned or lent to help pay for a student’s education.
Financial aid is available for career or technical schools, two or four year colleges
and universities. It is given in four types: grants, work study, loans and scholarships.
All seniors applying to college should complete the Free Application for Student
Aid (FAFSA) and the GPA Verification Form between January 1 and March 2,
2012. Students and parents complete the FAFSA to determine how much the family
can pay the following school year for college, and to help determine what kind of financial
aid package the college will offer the student. Many private colleges also
want the CSS PROFILE to be filed in the fall of the senior year.
Scholarships may be awarded by colleges, companies, organizations or through San
Dieguito Academy and the San Dieguito Academy Foundation. These scholarships
can be found through college websites, online scholarship search programs or
through Naviance. Many scholarships are for all grade levels as well as for seniors,
and we advertise scholarships all year long. Therefore, all students should continually
check their Naviance account and our counseling webpage for more information.
Plan ahead for the AP Exams
Advanced Placement (AP) exams will be administered May 7 through May 18, 2012.
The specific dates for each test as well as AP exam registration will be posted on
http://www.aptestservice.com/ and linked on the San Dieguito Academy website.
San Dieguito Academy will be administering 18 exams which help students earn college
credit or placement while still in high school. Each college determines their policies
regarding whether or not they will award credit for advanced placement. You
can register now for these exams. Regular registration now through March 14 is
$103.00. The world languages exams will be at a different regular registration
cost of $115.00 per exam. Late registration is March 15 to March 28, 2012 and
the cost is $120.00. Registration closes on March 28. Since each exam is
$103.00 and some students take five to six exams, it is helpful to budget and plan
ahead. For AP registration, go to www.aptestservice.com/. A representative from
AP test services will be on campus during lunch on February 23 and 24 to take cash
or checks if you would rather not pay with a credit card.
Junior year audits
Counselors have begun to meet with juniors in their U.S. History classes in January
and will continue to meet with juniors in February. They will be giving them combined
information regarding college and registration for classes for the senior year. Students
will receive an updated transcript and graduation status report which will help
them prepare for their senior year registration process. They will also go over post
secondary school options and college planning. Following these presentations, juniors
will learn how to log onto Naviance and what it offers as well as how to do a college
search and explore options. This will be done through the homeroom period.
Students are encouraged to:
Attend college fairs
Meet with college representatives who visit SDA
Look at their Naviance account and the counseling webpage
Make an appointment with their counselor if you have questions or need help
Naviance Parent Training
There is one Naviance Parent Training still available. Come learn what tools are
available and how to use them. Sign up by contacting the counseling office or contacting
Carolyn Lee at Carolyn.Lee@sduhsd.net. The session will be held on March
22 in room 97 (6:00 to 7:00 p.m. or 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.).
MiraCosta College Matriculation in a Day, March 22
Transportation will be provided to seniors who are interested in attending MiraCosta
for the Fall of 2012. Students will be given placement exams in English and math,
will receive academic advisement, and be given an orientation to the college. Interested
seniors should sign up in the counseling office where they will also receive
more detailed information.
San Dieguito Academy students will soon
register for their classes for the 2012-13
school year! Our registration process includes
many opportunities for students to
learn about their academic needs, to incorporate
plans for their future after high
school, and to find out about the many elective
options offered in the coming year.
Current SDA students will participate in our
In-School Elective Fair on February 10.
Teachers and upper-classmen will present
displays and answer questions about such
exciting electives as Architectural Design,
PALs, Sculpture, Guitar Manufacturing, Yoga,
Video Film, Photography, Culinary Arts,
Symphonic Band, Yearbook, and Biotechnology.
Additionally, videos are available
online depicting many electives, and counselors
and teachers share their insights into
course selection.
Counselors will make registration presentations
during the months of January and February.
Junior presentations occur in U.S.
History, sophomores in English 10, and
freshmen in Year One P.E. Throughout the
month of March, counselors will meet with
each student to be sure they signed up for
the correct classes. On-line registration
closes for current students on February
24. Incoming students must be registered
by April 19. A detailed instructional video
will be available online on the counseling
website. All registration materials are posted
online.
We are confident that this registration process
will offer students every opportunity to
have their academic needs met for the coming
school year.
Did you know?
It’s easy for your student to talk to his/her
counselor! There are several ways to go
about it. For students to make an appointment,
they can stop by the counseling
office and see our secretary,
Ms. Caron, who will give them the next
available appointment. We encourage
them to do this before or after school or
during lunch. If it is urgent, we will always
see them immediately! Parents can
make an appointment by calling or emailing
our office. We can make parent appointments
during our work day. We also
try to be available during the students’
lunchtime for drop-ins without an appointment.
Please don’t hesitate to send us an
email or call us with your questions or
concerns. We try hard to be available
and accessible to you and to our students!

6
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
Now that we are approaching the middle of
another school year, we are very excited about
some things going on in the Library Media
Center.
First and most exciting are the 48 new mini
laptops thanks to Tim Horning, Ryan Yee,
Mike Coy (Director of Technology), and Dayne
Tsuda (our computer tech who got them up
and running). The students are able to accomplish
quite a bit more during their class research
time in the Media Center. The Media
Center is now the largest computer lab on
campus. With complete access to our on-line
database, http://www.worldbookonline.com
students can do research from school, home
or with a hand- held device. This web site has
a lot to offer students.
In addition, all of our tutoring programs are in
full swing here on campus to help all students.
Students can get tutoring from math teachers
in all levels of math on Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday at 3:30 to 4:30 in room 122.
Also the National Honor Society, mentored by
Mr. Santos, offers tutoring for all students in all
subjects from 3:30 to 4:30 in the Media Center
Monday through Thursday. The tutors are all
National Honor Society students who have
created a friendly and productive place to
learn. In addition, tutoring is also offered for
ASL, Japanese and Earth/Space students by
students. Please see the Library Media Center
Web page for details.
“Hollywood Academy” — Does your son or
daughter want to work in TV? In movies? Could
he or she make something that’s actually better
than most of the shows on TV right now? Then
encourage your child to be part of the awesome
new team that brings the best of Hollywood to
SDA!
Starting next year, San Dieguito Academy will be
offering Advanced Video Film with a brand new
twist. In this class, each student will focus on
one of several different fields in the TV industry,
coming together to create and produce a weekly
TV show that is written, acted, and directed entirely
by the students themselves. This is also a
UC approved college prep course that can fulfill
the Visual and Performing Arts component of the
A-G requirements.
This class will help your child prepare for a career
in acting, screenwriting, stage management,
video and audio editing, design, and so much
more. This is a must-take course for any student
planning on majoring in Broadcasting, Communications,
Digital Media, Journalism, Theater, or
Film and Television. So encourage your son or
daughter to sign up because why should they
just watch TV when they can make TV instead?
Mustang Minds are excited to
kick another thrilling season competing
in the North County Academic
League.
We hope you join us for one or
more of our home matches in the
ultimate quest for the glorious
diadem of knowledge. The
schedule is listed below.
All home matches take place in
the library and begin at 6:30 p.m.
February 2, La Costa Canyon HS
February 23, SDA
March 1, SDA
March 8, SDA
March 15, SDA
Mustang Minds 2012
SDHUSD ADULT EDUCATION
BEST WISHES FOR 2012 FROM
SAN DIEGUITO ADULT SCHOOL!
OUR WINTER/SPRING SESSION STARTED JAN-
UARY 17, BUT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF
CLASSES WHICH START LATER IN THE
SESSION. ALONG WITH MANY OF OUR
RETURNING FAVORITES, WE'VE ADDED A
NUMBER OF NEW WORKSHOPS - THERE'S
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. CHECK OUR WEB-
SITE @ WWW.SDADULTED.COM AND GET OFF
TO A GREAT START THIS YEAR.
Happy New Year! Here’s hoping that
2012 will bring new opportunities for
our students and our school. The year
has already started off with an exciting
development on campus - the opening
of the Mosaic Café, the new student
run business management class held in
the former Mustang Center. This model
of career technical learning embodies
marketing, food services, product development
and facilities management
to give our students the real world experience
of running a small business.
And your donations helped to fund this
exciting new educational program!
Speaking of excitement, I encourage all
of you to attend one of the upcoming
performances in the new Clayton E.
Liggett Theater. If you haven’t yet seen
our new facility, I think you’ll be impressed
with the building and with the
caliber of performance among our music
and theater students. Each week
over 300 students are actively learning,
rehearsing and performing in the center
and all SDA students are enjoying the
benefits of the new facility thanks in
part to generous parent donors.
I am happy to report that as of the
New Year, 41% of SDA families have
donated to our general fund campaign.
This is the fund that benefits all students
by supporting grants to teachers
in all departments. Let’s make it 100%!
And lastly thanks to all of you who
have been so generous in volunteering
your time to the staff functions, in
the Attendance Office, acting as dance
chaperones, supporting our council
activities and providing the helping
hands that make our school such a
collaborative community.
If you haven’t yet donated, I encourage
you to join our $100/100% participation
appeal. If you haven’t volunteered,
I invite you to come to campus
and find out how you can make a difference
for all students. We are working
towards “building a foundation for
excellence” and we need everyone’s
support to make that happen. Go Mustangs!
Don Cardenas,
SDAF President

7
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
CC = Conference Center in Student Support “B” Building
MC = Mustang Center (Mosaic Café)
HR = Homeroom
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
29 30 31 1 2 3 4
Selection window
opens
Online registration
for current
students opens
Music Council,
6:00 pm, CC
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 LATE START 16
6:00 p.m.
17 18
DAY, 9:30
Dodgeball, lunch
President’s Day-
SSS, 9:15 am, CC Recycling, HR
No school
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
President’s Day-
No school
Club Fair, lunch
Athletic Council,
6:30 pm, CC
Foundation, 7:00
pm, library
School Site Council,
3:30 pm, CC
Second Term begins
Grades available
on Parent Portal
AP honors info
sessions, 5-5:45
pm, MC
Naviance information,
5-5:45, lib.
2nd Term Back
to School Night,
Dodgeball, lunch
Senior Java/Senior
meeting, HR
Dodgeball,
lunch
Airbands, 6:30
pm, gym
Mustang Minds,
6:30 pm, library
First Friday with the
principal, 8:00-8:45
am, CC
Online registration
for current
students closes
Dodgeball, lunch
Comedy Sportz,
7:00 pm, Theater
26 27 28 29 1 2 First Friday with 3
Honor Band Concert,
4:00 pm, CCA
Inservice Days—No school
Recycling, HR
Winter Formal,
Air & Space
Museum, 8-11:30
pm
Spring sports tryouts
begin
Speech & Debate Tournament at SDA
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Selection window
closes, 4:00 pm
Senior Out begins
Athletic Council, 6:30
pm, CC
the principal, 8:00-
8:45 am, CC
11 12 13 Grades available 14 15 16 17
SSS, 9:15 am, library
on Parent Portal
Pi Day
Foundation, 7:00
pm, CC
CAHSEE testing, 10th grade
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Spring Fling Carnival,
after school
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Recycling, HR
Family Forum, 6:30-
8:00 pm, library
February 2012
Dodgeball, lunch
Making the Choice
Night, 6 pm, gym
ELAC, 6:30 pm,
library
Students vs. faculty
soccer, lunch
March 2012
LATE START
DAY, 9:30
Teacher vs. students
softball
game, lunch
ELAC, 6:30-9
pm, library
Academic Council,
6:30 pm, CC
April 2012
Talent Show, 6:30 pm,
Theater
Mustang Minds, 6:30
pm, library
Comedy Sportz,
7:00 pm, Theater
Senior Java/Senior
out ends, HR
SAT at SDA
Rummage Sale
A Piece of my Heart, 7:00 p.m., Liggett Theater
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
First Friday with
1 2 3 4 5 6 the principal 8:00-
Teen Expo, lunch
7
8:45 am, CC
New Student
Music Council, Sudoku, lunch
Orientation and
MINIMUM DAY
Athletic Council, 6:30 Elective Fair,
Third quarter ends
6:00 pm, CC
pm, CC
6:15 pm, gym
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Spring Break-No school
Mustang Minds, 6:30
pm, library
MiraCosta Matriculation
Day, 7:30 am-
2:00 pm
In School Elective
Fair, homeroom
and lunch
Conner’s Cause
Benefit Concert, 10-
2 pm
Cabaret Night,
6:00 pm, Theater

San Dieguito HS Academy
800 Santa Fe Drive
Encinitas, CA 92024
www.sduhsd.net/sd
San Dieguito H.S. Academy
Newsletter
Third Quarter 2012
Published Quarterly
Vol. 16, Issue #3
Naviance and College Information, 5:00-5:45 p.m., library
Counselors will demonstrate how the Naviance program can assist your student in identifying
their interests and strengths, develop career plans, and navigate the college search and application
process. Junior parents are highly encouraged to attend this session.
AP/Honors Information, 5:00-5:45 p.m., Mustang Center (Mosaic Café)
Parents of 9th, 10th and 11th grade students will be able to get information and find out what
it takes to succeed in an Advanced Placement Honors Course. There will be a panel of teachers,
counselors and students sharing their advice. Bring your questions.
Back to School Night visitations begin at 6:00 p.m. Most of our students have new courses
and new teachers. This is your chance to acquaint yourself with your student’s spring schedule.
(A flyer is available on the website.)
All 10th grade students and 11th or 12th grade students who have not passed one or both parts of the CAHSEE, are required
by state law to participate in the CAHSEE on March 13 and 14. Students taking the tests will be notified by their
homeroom teacher of their testing room assignments. The tests are untimed. Students who do not complete the test in the
allotted time within the classroom, can continue in the Conference Center in the B Building after lunch to finish testing.
Results are mailed home. Tenth grade students who are absent on test days, will make up the tests on May 8 and 9.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
7:50 - 11:50. . . . . . . . . . . . English-Language Arts Test
11:50-12:30. . . . . . . . . . . . . LUNCH
12:35-1:50. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Period 1
1:55-3:10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Period 2
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
7:50 - 11:20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mathematics Test
11:20-12:20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LUNCH
12:25-1:45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Period 3
1:50-3:10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Period 4
It is the policy of the San Dieguito Union High School District to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, disability, race, color, national origin, religious creed, age, marital status,
or sexual orientation in its educational programs and the activities which it operates.