In the fall of 2015, more than 1.6 million juniors throughout the United States took the
PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Test). Of those 1.6 million less
than 1% qualify as academically talented
enough to attain the distinction of National
Merit Semi-Finalist. San Dieguito H.S. Academy congratulations (pictured left, l to r) Joseph Yu, Elisha Chen, Hana Chen, and
Erin Fuller.
San Dieguito H.S. Academy also announces 19
seniors who were named Commended Students in
the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Commended students placed among the top five
percent of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 competition by taking the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying
Test – PSAT/NMSQT.
The Mustang, San Dieguito H.S. Academy‟s student newspaper, is online at
www.sdamustang.com. The Mustang‟s
website includes the full print paper in
an outline form as well as up-dates and
stories about campus happenings, cultural, and world events. Find out what
students are talking about. Stay informed on the world of SDA students by
going to sdamustang.com.
Remember to visit our website often at
sd.sduhsd.net to stay up-to-date and
informed. Information is continuously
up-dated on the website. Each Friday
an email is sent home to all families with
the next week‟s news and important
dates. These weekly up-dates are sent
to the email address that is on the contact page of your student‟s Aeries account (Parent Portal).
Congratulations to seniors: Elizabeth Anderson,
Scott Anderson, Owen Bayindirli, Ethan Boutelle, Marcella Broadbooks, Mary Ford, Delilah Forrest, Devin Gaan, Chloe Griffin, Chet Gurevitch,
Lucas Hendricks, Kirstin Mueller, Sara Ostrie,
Sophie Peeler, Natalia Pinpin, Anne Pugmire,
Julia Shapero, Chloe Williams and Eric Wimsatt.
Check out our Facebook and Twitter
pages for fun activities and happenings
at school.
Academic Support for our students!
Math Tutoring
After-School Subject Tutoring
3:30-5:00 p.m., Learning Commons
Monday:
Tuesday:
Spanish
Science
Wednesday: Social Science
Thursday:
English
Credentialed SDA teachers assist students with the
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
3:15-4:15 p.m., Flex Lab
Credentialed SDA teachers assist students with all
levels of math.
subjects listed above.
This after-school tutoring is sponsored by the SDA Foundation.
Check with your student’s teacher as most teachers are available at certain times to offer tutoring and assistance.
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
2
Don‟t let the sunny skies fool you, it‟s
autumn at San Dieguito.
October and November are always
busy on campus, and this year is no
exception, with Cabaret Night, a new
pep band playing at athletic events,
and our three versus three soccer
tournament already in the books.
Our students have been busy in
classes as well, and the results are
as diverse as an award winning
newspaper, a student art show, and
a newly minted recycling program.
Fall has seen several parent events:
a parent forum, the screening of a
film, and a book club; activities for
students: a welcome back dance, the
Battle of the Bands, and Senior Java; and a host of alumni events celebrating the 80th anniversary of our
school.
On top of all that, Homecoming is in
the air.
Yet amidst this bustle, SDA maintains a relaxed, funky vibe that manifests itself in caring teachers and
smiling students. These are teenagers who give alumni tours when they
come back for reunions, decorate
the construction fences with colorful
paintings, and
might very well
be seen sporting a “Keep
SDA Funky” tiedyed
t-shirt.
Heck, they are
worn by teachers too.
As we move into this second quarter,
it‟s helpful to remind ourselves to
strive for balanced lives, even as the
demands of school rattle along. The
newness of the year has worn off,
and summer still feels like just a rumor, so as we navigate the challenges and delights of the school year,
surrounded by now familiar faces, it‟s
important that we take time to
breathe, say “thank you” to those
who support us, and think of ways we
might be supportive of those we
meet.
San Dieguito has a long history of
caring, and I hope for all our students
(and families too) that this second
quarter brings a feeling of connection
and sense of belonging. Ours is a
school rich with tradition and brimming with possibility, but underlying
all that we do, at our best it is a
school of kindness.
The history of San Dieguito emerges in mural form;
80 Mustang years researched and celebrated by
SDHSA art students.
At the monthly SDA student-run Forum
(pictured above and below), students
have a chance to share ideas and to talk
about issues and topics that are of interest and importance to them. All students
have an equal voice and administrators
and teachers who attend are interested in
what students have to say.
Mr. Paige’s Book Club met and
discussed the book, It’s Complicated, by Danah Boyd in midOctober. Check the website for
the next Book Club meeting in
the spring.
Speech and Debate team has been busy, competing in local and invitational tournaments almost every weekend!
On October 8th, they had some students at the League 1B competition held at Mission Vista High School. Freshman Madelyn Flores
placed 12th in Novice Congress, junior Austin Stead went a record of
3-1 in Varsity Lincoln Douglas, and senior Chloe Williams broke to
finals in Congress POing.
On October 15th, SDA students competed at the League 1C Speech Tournament held at Carlsbad High School. Freshman Moya
Caulfield placed 4th in Novice Expository, senior Matt Benowitz took 1st place in Varsity OPP, junior Jakob Becker placed 6th in
Varsity OPP, junior Hannah Gunderman and sophomore Yari Sequeira placed 7th in Varsity Duo, and junior Olivia Hussey placed
7th in Varsity OPP. Later this month, the team will be at Del Norte High School.
The team is looking forward to representing SDA during the rest of the Speech and Debate season!
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
3
Our year is off to a great start
in the SDA Music Program.
We have many great concerts
and events planned for the
2016-2017 school year!
On October 7th the students
performed in our 9th Annual
Cabaret Night, a collaborative
event between the music and
theatre programs. It was an
amazing night of performances
and laughter. A great time was
had by all who attended.
This fall marks the debut of the
San Dieguito Academy Pep
Band. The Pep Band will be
performing at various sports
events throughout the year, as
well as during other school
functions. The Pep Band features several members of the
SDA music program playing
pop and rock favorites.
We are happy for this opportunity to spread school spirit
through music!
SDA’s new Pep Band
The SDA Visual Arts Department was a recipient of the San
Dieguito Artist Guild's generous donation of $500 towards professional framing for exhibition opportunities within the City of
Encinitas. The funds were raised by SDAG last May through
their very popular Mother‟s Day Art, Garden & Studio Tour.
The frames will showcase the talent of our SDA student artists
showing at Encinitas City Hall from October 19 to November
23, 2016. This exhibition opportunity will be an annual partnership with the City of Encinitas.
Pictured (l to r), Jeremy Wright, Visual Art Teacher; Angela
Jackson, Visual Art Teacher; Delaney Stewart, Hana Litzlbeck, Tara Caulfield, Lena Keefe, Torrey Platenberg, Joice
He, Kajsa Medak, Visual Art Teacher and Laura Lowenstein,
San Dieguito Artist Guild Mother's Day Chair.
Cabaret Night 2016
For
information
about our upcoming
events, please visit
our
website
at
http://
www.sdamusic.org.
San Dieguito H.S. Academy Mustang Minds Academic Team is
getting an early start this school year.
In September, Ben Loren, Rohit Vighne, Klaus Neyer, and Michael Colbath competed in a Southern California Quizbowl Competition held at Torrey Pines. They competed at the Junior Varsity level and
came in third out of a very strong field of
12 teams. Klaus Neyer was the lead
scorer for all players competing at this
level. Later in the fall, these students,
along with Blue and Kai Flood, will compete in the Triton Novice competition to
be held at UCSD. These students bring
enthusiasm and knowledge that are fun
to share.
The Academic Team will be holding tryouts in November. Students interested in trying out for the team should come to room 28
for additional information. Flyers will be posted as we near the
tryout days. Competitions are held on Thursday evenings during
January – March 2017.
Mustang Minds welcomes JV coach Ellen diCristina and Freshman
coach Trish Hovey to the team along with returning Varsity coach
Linda Park.
by senior Savannah Casey
„
The San Dieguito H.S. Academy 2016-17 season is getting off
to a promising start. We began our season on September 29th,
30th, and October 1st with Boy Meets Girl, a hilarious and moving story of two individuals facing relationship problems, from
the perspective of five year olds, followed by a series of scenes
and songs.
On October 8th, we had a successful Cabaret Night, the musical theatre class‟s annual collaboration with the music program.
But that‟s not all for our department!
Coming up on January 19th, 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th, and 28th is
The Addams Family, the musical. Put on by the musical and
technical theatre classes, it tells the story of the Addams family
as they face consequences resulting from their daughter‟s new
relationship. It is set to be a thrilling and spooky spectacle of
song and dance.
The technical crew of Boy Meets Girl
Please visit the
SDA Theatre web
page for more details, follow SDA
Theatre on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Students are also
welcome to come
to Thespian meetings on Tuesdays
at lunch to get involved with our
department!
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
4
by junior Isaac Rosenbaum
In September, ASB held its annual Welcome Back
Dance. The theme was “Wild West” and it was a great
success, kicking off the 2016-17 school year with over
500 students at the dance, along with our Austrian exchange students who visited in September. We couldn‟t
have done it without the help of our amazing parent
chaperons and donations! Also a huge thanks to those
who hosted an Austrian exchange student!
In more news, ASB hosted the annual 3 vs. 3 Soccer
Tournament in late September with 36 student and
teacher teams participating. It was another great success and a lot of fun to get the students and teacher
Winners of the 3 x 3 soccer tour- teams together for this event.
nament, juniors Jake DavisCervantes, Aiden Escobar, and We also had a great turnout at SDA‟s Club Fair
(pictured below) on October 7th. Students had the opDavid Schlesinger.
portunity to sign up and join the clubs of their choice.
We have over 70 unique clubs at SDA that uncover our culture and community. You
can find the complete list of active clubs on campus by visiting the SDA website.
Battle of the Bands competition, October 31-November 10: SDA bands will
perform at lunch during these dates. Parents, teachers, and community members
will judge and pick the top four bands to play in the finals (SDA gym) on November
17 at 6:30 p.m.
Annual Flag Football Tournament, November 4: This is a unique and special
event for SDA. We will have over 30 student teams participate from 3:30 to 8:00
p.m. The top four student teams will compete against the faculty/staff team for bragging rights!
Blood Drive, November 15: In the gym from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. You must be 16
years or older to donate. If a parent or a community member would like to donate
blood, please contact the San Diego Blood Bank – walk-ins are always welcome.
Adopt a Family, November-December: Homerooms, clubs, teams, and organizations can sign up to adopt a needy family for the holidays. Groups that adopt a family will receive their wish list and will buy gifts and other things that the family needs.
Ping-Pong Tournament, November 29-December 2: In front of the gym during
lunch. Sign up in room 70 if you want to compete.
SDA Bazaar, December 8: A chance for students to sell their creations at lunch in
front of the PAC.
Student Body elections, December 9-13: Voting is done during lunch on December 9, 12, and 13. If your student wishes to run for an office, have him/her sign up
in room 70 by mid-November.
Winter Formal Dance, February 11, 2017: This year‟s Winter Formal Dance is at
the Port Pavilion in downtown San Diego from 8:00-11:30 p.m. Tickets will be on
sale in January. This dance is open to all grades, and it‟s going to be tons of fun!
We are very busy, but we believe that what we do is only to set the stage for our
peers to contribute to the beautiful, colorful culture that is so valued here at SDA.
Huge thanks to all you parents who support what we do.
by juniors Evan Moore and Alan Miyazaki
This year, the Japanese language students are
very fortunate to have Yasuharu Higure Sensei
in the Japanese classes. He is a Japanese
assistant teacher brought by the J-LEAP program, administrated by the Japan Foundation. The Japan Foundation “promotes international awareness and mutual understanding
between Japan and the U.S. through cultural
exchange, and it is funded by an endowment
from the Japanese government, annual government subsidies, as well as private sector
donations.” The J-LEAP program was primarily created to spread Japanese culture to America as well as further strengthen the alliances
between Japan and the United States.
One of the most commendable feats of our
visiting assistant teacher is his ability to adapt
to all of the different levels of Japanese taught
at
SDA. Whether
it
is
talking
to
the Japanese V students during breaks to help
them refine their grammar and vocabulary
skills or helping the first year students grasp
the basics of the Japanese language, he
seems to excel at assisting all levels of students.
Having a native speaker of Japanese in the
classroom helps not only the students but the
primary teacher as well. It allows our teacher to
more efficiently underline the main ideas we
should be learning instead of focusing on individual questions that the student might have.
Our experiences with Higure Sensei have been
beyond helpful in terms of learning Japanese,
talking to him during homeroom and after
school in Japanese, hearing about his daily life
and hobbies in Japan, and finally hearing an
authentic perspective on the American way of
life compared to Japan. We are both excited to
continue working with him throughout the year
and further expanding our understanding of the
Japanese culture and language in the future.
Pictured (l to r) Alan Miyazaki, Yasuharu
Higure Sensei, and Evan Moore
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
5
Counseling Corner
Freshman Presentations
Counselors visited Introduction to Technology classes in midOctober. Using a four year planning worksheet, students are taken through a step-by-step process to make sure they know the
graduation requirements and the UC/CSU A-G college requirements. These presentations will be followed up by another Introduction to Technology workshop where all students will be taught
how to log on to Naviance and how to explore the program, including starting with a MI Advantage. Students who have Introduction to Technology in spring will get these presentations then.
Sophomore Presentations
Counselors will be visiting first term World History classes to talk
about career planning and ways to connect with the community.
These meetings will be followed up with a homeroom workshop
on Naviance and will include how to explore careers using the
program. Students that have English in the spring will receive the
presentation at that time.
Junior Presentations
Classroom presentations with juniors will be in January and February to go over college searching and testing requirements. The
Naviance homeroom workshops began during the month of October and will be offered again in April.
Senior Presentations
We have already met with all seniors to give them college application and post high school information. We went over selecting
colleges, how to apply, how financial aid and scholarships work,
and SAT/ACT testing. We followed these presentations with homeroom workshops to specifically help students on college applications through Naviance. We are also offering homeroom open
labs for seniors to help with the UC/CSU/common applications in
the month of November.
How do colleges get test scores?
You must request your SAT/ACT scores through the testing
company, either on the registration form or online. After receiving your request, the testing company will send your
scores to the colleges you identified. Send a complete score
report with all of the tests you have taken and let the colleges
choose the best one.
Do all schools need a letter of recommendation?
If you are applying to a UC or CSU, you are not required to
send a letter of recommendation. Letters of recommendation
are needed for most private schools as well as for most
scholarships. To request a letter of recommendation from a
counselor or administrator, you must go through Naviance
and complete a FERPA form before a letter can be written.
Then complete the SDA Counselor Recommendation Survey
in Naviance and notify your counselor when it is complete.
You must have everything ready for your counselor at least
two weeks before your first application deadline or by November 6.
How can I get extra help with my applications?
The counseling department has set specific homeroom times
throughout the year to assist seniors with college related
activities. The dates for these open labs are November 618—CSU/UC/Common Application.
Still have questions?
Visit the counseling webpage:
http://sd.sduhsd.net/ and click on Counseling under Quick
Links.
PALs
Our Peer Assistance
Listeners (PALs) have
been newly trained this
year to work with and
support students with
academic needs and
students who need help
exploring careers. For
the students needing
academic support, the
PALs have learned ways
to help students get organized and how to
study to find more success. The PALs were trained on Naviance
and know how to explore careers and build a résumé. They will
help each student they work with create their very own résumé.
The PALs still continue to see students on any issue or situation
along with being able to conduct conflict mediations. They are a
well-trained and an exceptional group of SDA students!
Counselors Ann Nebolon, Vicki deJesús and Carolyn Lee
attended the California Association of School Counselors (a
statewide counselor conference) in mid-October. Ann
Nebolon made a presentation entitled “Support Groups and
Peer Counseling Programs: Yes You Can!” which reflects a
couple of the amazing programs we have for students at
SDA. She shared these programs with other counselors
from across the state.
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
6
The fall sports season is in full swing with the excitement of
playing in a new league, the tough Avocado West.
Volleyball is out to another great start having just won the
Scripps Ranch Volleyball Tournament led by junior Sarah
Colla.
Water Polo is having one of its best seasons in recent
memory with sophomore Matheus Gensler and senior Sam
Dumont leading the way.
Field Hockey has a new competitive edge and has won several games this season following last year's tough season.
The Mustang Tennis team have hit their stride just as league
play begins. Senior Jen Kerr is the defending CIF champion
leading the way in singles, and junior Sophia Zhu
and sophomore Amber Tse..... are the doubles team to beat.
The highlight of the season so far in golf has been beating
LCC in their first match up this season.
Cross Country has over 80 runners on the team; senior
Ross Urbina leads the way for the boys and junior Sarah
Lavake for the girls.
Don’t miss an opportunity to come out and
root on your Mustangs!
Dear SDA Parents,
It‟s hard to believe that we are already
a quarter of the way through the year! I
hope you and your student(s) have
enjoyed your year so far!
It is likely that at least one of the reasons you or your child chose SDA is
because of its culture of inclusivity.
That culture is a vital and valued aspect
of the SDA experience, and it is available to every member of the SDA community – both students and parents.
But like all communities, we are as rich
and dynamic as our members. What we
are able to provide for the students at
SDA is enhanced by the layers of ideas, participation and engagement from
you, our parents.
All too often you hear parents saying
that childhood goes way too fast. The
four years that your child is in high
school are really the end of that journey. Isn‟t it in our children‟s best
interest to have the best high school
experience we can offer them and isn‟t
it in our best interest to seize these
years while we can? I invite you to get
involved here at SDA, whether it‟s with
your time, talent or treasure… We welcome you.
You matter here… Your participation
matters and your contributions matter
and there is not only a place for every
student here at SDA, there is also a
place for every parent. Please stop in to
our office here on campus or go
sdafoundation.com for more information
on how to get involved.
There is still time to attend our annual
Fall Fundraiser: “80s for the 80th” on
Saturday, November 5. You can purchase a ticket at the door, 6:30 p.m. at
the Encinitas Community Center. It is
always a fun night! And thank you for
your generous contributions to our Mustang Fund Annual Appeal. Your donations support programs and activities
that benefit and enrich the lives of all
SDA students. This year, we have
rolled out Innovation Grants that are
available to any teacher with an innovative and new idea for their classrooms and programs. We are pleased
to share that we have already distributed three such awards with more on the
way, thanks to your generosity and
support.
For those who still wish to contribute to
our Mustang Fund Annual Appeal,
there‟s still time. You can go the foundation website at: sdafoundation.com
to donate directly or contact Leslie Saldana in the Foundation Office. I look
forward to seeing you around campus.
Sincerely,
Bobbi Cecio
President - SDA Foundation
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY
7
San Dieguito HS Academy
SunNewsletter
Second Quarter 2016-17
Published Bi-Monthly
800 Santa Fe Drive
Encinitas, CA 92024
Vol. 21, Issue #2
6
November 2016
Mon
30
7
Tue
Wed
1 First Quarter
Ends—Minimum
Day End of Quarter Bell
Schedule
Battle of the Bands, lunch
School Site Council,
3:30 pm, CC
8
Thu
2
9
LATE START
14 Adopt-A-Family
begins
Music Council,
6:00 pm, CC
20
21
15
16
Blood Drive, 8-1, gym
Athletic Council, 6:30
pm, LC
22
Fri
23
Sat
3
4 Ext. homeroom:
Link Crew activity
Alumni Committee,
First Friday w/Mr.
5:30 pm, CC
 Paige, 8:00 am, LC
SSS Council,
Battle of the Bands, lunch
9:00 am, CC
10 Grades available on the 11 Flag Football, after
Aeries Parent Portal
school
Comedy Sportz, 7:00
pm, Liggett Theater
Foundation, 4:30, Flex
Lab
Battle of the Bands, lunch
13
CC = Conference Center in Student Support “B” Building
MC = Mosaic Cafe
HR = Homeroom/LC = Learning Commons (Media Center)
Battle of the Bands, lunch
Veterans’ Day—No
school
17
18
Battle of the Bands
finals, 6:30 pm, gym
Senior Java, HR
24
25
5 Mock Hybrid, 9-1
SDAF Fall Fundraiser, 7:00-11:00
pm, Encinitas
Community Center
12
Tennis Tournament,
12-2:00 pm
19
26
Fall Break
27
28
29
30
Theater Arts Council,
6:00 pm, CC
LATE START
1
Alumni Committee, 5:30 pm, CC
2 First Friday w/Mr.
Paige, 8:00 am, LC
SSS Council, 9:00
am, CC
Comedy Sportz,
7:00 pm, Theater

Ping Pong, lunch
December 2016
Sun
Mon
4
5
Tue
Wed
6
7
Ping Pong
Thu
LATE START
12
Music Council,
6:00 pm, CC
13
ASB Voting
18
19
Foundation, 4:30 pm,
Flex Lab
Theater Arts Council,
6:00 pm, CC
Athletic Council, 6:30
pm, LC
20
8
14
15
21
22
Grades available
on the Aeries
Parent Portal
Band Concert,
7:00 pm, gym
Sat
10
16
17
tion Convention
ASB voting
Acting I Festival,
7:00 pm, Theater
23
Winter break—December 19-January 2, 2017
Encinitas Holiday
Parade
9 Ext. HR: Nomina-
SDA Bazaar, lunch
Election campaign begins
11
Fri
3
Alumni Lacrosse, 4-6 pm
24
January 2017
Sun
1
Mon
Tue
2
3
Winter break
8
9 School Site Council,
15
22
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
29creed, age, marital status,
or sexual orientation in its educational programs and the activities which
it operates.
4
10 Foundation, 4:30
11
17
18
Martin L. King Jr.
Day—no school
SDA vs. TP girls’ and
boys’ basketball,
5:30/7:00 pm, gym

24
Theater Council, 6:00
pm, CC
30
LATE START
Fri First Friday w/Mr.
31
Inservice Days—no school
ELAC, 6:30 pm, LC
25
LATE START
Dinner and sneak
peek, The Addams
Family, 5:30 pm,
Mosaic
Grad Nite, 5:30 pm, CC
ELAC, 6:30 pm, LC
Academic Council,
6:00 pm, CC
Paige, 8:00 am, LC
SSS Council, 9:00
am, CC
Alumni Soccer,
noon-6:00 pm
Sat
5
6
Alumni Committee,
5:30 pm, CC

12
13
14
Ext. HR: Winter
Assembly
Mock ACT/SAT, 9-1
20
21
pm, Flex Lab
Athletic Council,
6:30 pm, LC
16
23
Thu
School resumes
3:30 pm, CC
Music Council, 6:00
pm, CC
Robotics, 7:00 am4:00 pm, LC
Wed
19
Senior Java, HR
7
Robotics, 7:00 am4:00 pm, LC
The Addams Family musical, 7:00 pm, Liggett Theater
26 Minimum Day
Finals Schedule,
per. 1 & 2
Minimum Day
27 Finals Schedule,
per. 3 & 4
 First Term Ends
28
The Addams Family musical, 7:00 pm, Liggett Theater
1
2
3 First Friday w/Mr. Paige,48:00 am, LC
Second Term begins
Alumni Committee,
5:30 pm, CC

SSS Council, 9:00 am, CC
Club Fair, lunch
Comedy Sportz, 7:00 pm, Theater