Culver City High School

Principal's message

Principal Magee’s Message to CCHS Parents

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year. One of my areas of focus this year will be increased parent involvement because your child’s school needs you. We understand that you have demanding schedules and busy lives that can make school visits inconvenient. However, the benefits to be gained from your involvement outweigh the difficulty. The most important relationship a school can establish is one with the parents of their students. Research shows that strong parent involvement in their child’s education relates to student achievement. Further, research indicates that the more intensively parents are involved with their student’s education, the more beneficial are the effects.

When your children were in elementary school, you may have brought cookies for class parties, helped your kids with homework, or volunteered to go along on field trips. Typically, however, parents tend to be far less engaged once their kids reach middle school. As students become older, we expect them to become more independent and self- sufficient. Students often tell their parents it isn’t cool for them to come to school like they did when they were younger. Child care for younger siblings, work responsibilities, and other pressures parents face certainly influence their ability to be involved with their child’s school. And let’s face it…how many parents remember the law of cosines or the factors that led to the War of 1812? Because high school students have multiple teachers and their homework is more sophisticated, helping your student with assignments is certainly more complicated than at the lower grades.

Ways that you what can support your child’s education

Attend school functions such as parent-teacher meetings, Back to School Night (September 30), and Expo/ Open House (March 17).
Be involved with you child’s schoolwork by making sure that she or he has a quiet place to study, by enforcing a daily designated homework time, and by monitoring homework.
Contact teachers for recommendations if your child is struggling with course content.
Communicate with you student’s counselor if you see that your child needs additional academic or social support.
Make sure that your student is taking advantage of the many opportunities that are available at school. CCHS provides free before and after school tutoring in most subjects. The College and Career Center, Tech Center, and Library are open for student use during nutrition and lunch as well as after school.
Demonstrate that you value learning by reading for pleasure and having a positive attitude about your child’s school.

Preparing for College

          Another critical role that you as a parent play in your child’s education is making sure they are preparing for college. According to Dr. Patricia McDonough from the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, “Parents play a decisive role in shaping college aspirations. Ninth graders who talk most with their parents about college plans were more likely to go to college. Effective parental encouragement includes parents saving for college, taking students on campus visits, or attending afinancial aid workshop with their child. While parental support and encouragement alone does not determine whether students ever actualize their plans, the most important predictor of college plans is the amount of encouragement and support parents give their children.”

          Having a clear academic plan is a critical step. The CCHS counselors work closely with your student to develop and revise this plan. Our College and Career
Counselor also meets with each student to develop and review a four-year plan of study. It is important to contact your student’s teachers and counselors when your student encounters difficulty in a class. By proactively addressing concerns early in the year, the chances for successfully conquering the problem increase. In the event your child needs to make up a course, enroll in summer school. Too often juniors and seniors find that they do not have sufficient time to complete courses required for graduation.

          We at CCHS pledge to support you in your involvement with your child’s school. You are strongly encouraged to attend Back to School and Open House so that you can meet your student’s teachers and learn more about course expectations as well as the school community. Important advisement meetings held throughout the year include College Fair, College and Financial Aid Advisement Night, California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Information Night, 9-11th Grade Parent Information Nights, and Advanced Placement/Honors Night. Specific dates for these events will be posted on the school calendar on the website. We hope to make attendance more manageable for you by providing child care and translators.

          CCHS welcomes your partnership and invites you to be a part of the school planning and decision making process through PTSA, Booster Club, English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC), and School Site Council. It takes a collaborative effort on the part of students, parents, and the school community to prepare our young people for a productive and successful future beyond high school. I look forward to working with you and your students as you fully access the resources available here at CCHS.

Cotton. K., and Wikelund, K. “Parent Involvement in Education.” School Improvement
          Research Series. May 1989. http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/3/cu6.html

McDonough, P. “Parent Involvement for Improved College Access.” Access Update.
          Summer 2004. http://www.CollegeAccess.org

Principal Magee’s Message is Also Available here in PDF format