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Head of School Search Update

Dear PCS Community:

We are writing to update you on the Head of School search, which is now public and open to applications. 

As you may know, the PCS Board of Directors has partnered with The K12 Search Group to lead a national search to find our next HOS. Mollie Mitchell and Melissa Bortner from The K12SG spent the last several weeks meeting with members of the PCS community to gather perspectives and insights on the school, the role, and gather input to inform the HOS search and job description. In addition, thanks to the efforts of Development Director Ildi Carlisle-Cummins, and many generous hosts (Erika Zavaleta and Bernie Tershy, Sarita Lobo, Layla Franks, and Shad and Stephanie Schidel) we held grade-level mixers where we were able to hear families’ thoughts around PCS bright spots and hopes for the future.

Thank you to all who participated in these mixers, in-person meetings, Zoom meetings, completed the online survey, and shared your perspective on the HOS search. We hope you see your input reflected in the final job description. Even in instances where that feedback may not be directly referenced in the final job description (everyone loves Fusion and our inclusive extracurriculars, our small class sizes and culture of student-led learning, and our wonderful faculty and staff), please know that your feedback was meaningful and will be used to help guide decision making during this process.

You can view the HOS job description on The K12 Search Group’s website. We urge every member of the PCS community to share this link or the listing on the PCS website employment page with your personal and professional network. Please send any recommendations for potential candidates directly to Mollie and Melissa.

The HOS Search Committee looks forward to the search process unfolding over the next few months. As previously mentioned, the position was posted on March 11th, with a deadline of mid-April. The Search Committee will perform an initial round of interviews in late April, with finalist interviews in early May. We anticipate selecting and announcing the new Head of School by the end of May.

Again, thank you to the faculty, staff, students, and families that have participated in the community engagement process for this search. We appreciate your commitment to PCS.

In partnership,

Mike Kubo, Search Committee Co-Chair

Rosamaria Garcia, Search Committee Co-Chair

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2025-2026 Academic Calendar

The Link for the Academic Calendar for 2025-2026 is available. (Click "View All Announcements".)

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PCS News & Updates

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PCS Ranked Among Best High Schools in America

PCS has once again ranked among the best schools in the County, State, and Nation. We are proud of yet another external validation of our school's excellence! Click here to read about PCS recognition in the 2024 U.S. News and World Report rankings.

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PCS Commitment to Ensuring Student Safety

Central to our work as PCS educators, administrators, staff and Board members is fostering student growth in a secure and inclusive learning environment where students feel safe, supported, challenged, and celebrated.  

With the recent executive orders and subsequent actions by the federal government that target the legal protections of those who identify as trans and non-binary, as well as individuals and families in the immigrant community, we understand that this is a time of uncertainty and concern for many of our students, faculty, staff, and families. We want to take this moment to reaffirm our commitment to supporting every student at PCS in alignment with our mission, vision, and values, and to communicate the legal protections of our students, faculty, staff, and families and the steps that we are taking to train and inform PCS employees in the continued protection of our students, faculty, staff, and families. PCS joins the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and school districts throughout the county in establishing an Immigration Support Plan for Schools, ensuring that our schools remain safe and welcoming spaces for everyone, regardless of background, identity, or immigration status.

Every student and family in our community has access to:

  • Comprehensive Support: We are participating in a county-wide, coordinated approach to safeguard the rights of immigrant students and their families (read the joint letter of support and protection of immigrant students and families here). All PCS faculty and staff have received initial guidelines about how to protect students in the event that immigration officers attempt to come on campus. On January 28, a cohort of PCS staff will be attending a professional development training that provides them with skills and tangible resources to support immigrant students and their families.  This training will also enable our staff to act as trainers to the larger school community. These trainers will follow up by providing our staff and faculty with additional training on February 24. 

  • Legal Protections: Our actions are guided by California state laws that protect student privacy and strictly limit any cooperation with immigration enforcement agencies. We are dedicated to upholding these laws and ensuring they are followed diligently at PCS. We also look forward to the Board approving a revised Resolution Ensuring PCS as a Safe Learning Environment for All, Regardless of Immigration Status (February 2029) at the February 5, 2025 Board meeting.

  • Resources for Families: We understand the importance of accessible information and resources. In collaboration with key community partners, we are continuing to provide tools like the susderechos.info website, offering guidance on immigrants’ rights under California and federal law, as well as connections to legal and community support.  PCS also works with the Safe Schools Project, to provide direct resources and leadership opportunities. In addition, we will be participating in the annual LGBTQ+ summit for educators in March to focus our efforts and ensure a unified approach. 

  • Mental Health Support for Students: We know that in order to ensure student safety at school we must continue to provide accessible mental health support. School Site mental health providers will continue working in collaboration with student identity group leaders (Queer Intersectional Alliance, Transgender & Nonbinary Student Union, Latine Heritage Student Union) to find ways to affirm identity, create joy, and identify avenues to allyship. Administration will continue to work with county representatives to bring timely training to PCS staff enabling them to provide culturally responsive education that integrates opportunities for students to see themselves reflected authentically in curriculum. Students and families may contact School Counselor David Salinas to access support.

We will also follow the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act - AB 537, which added specific protections against discrimination of any student due to actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. PCS joins Superintendents and Charter School Leaders countywide in support of LGBTQ+ youth and their families (read the joint letter supporting LGBTQ+ students here) and remains deeply committed to ensuring that no student is singled out or discriminated against based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.  As affirmed in the Resolution in Support for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and/or Nonbinary, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Agender, Asexual, (LGBTQIA+) Youth, Staff & Families (April 2024).  PCS is unwavering in our commitment to supporting our LGBTQ+ students, families and staff. 

We appreciate the support of our entire school community in these efforts as we work to live into our mission, vision, and values, and to uphold the legal and moral responsibility we share in protecting, including, and empowering every member of our community.

Sincerely,       

Maria Reitano, Head of School

Mike Kubo, Board President

Aliyya Hatcher, Director of DEI

Ina Avdaha, Bilingual Community Liaison

___________________________________________

Estimada comunidad de Pacific Collegiate School,

Central a nuestro trabajo en PCS como educadores, administradores, personal y miembros de la Junta Directiva es impulsar el crecimiento de los estudiantes en un ambiente de aprendizaje seguro e inclusivo, donde los estudiantes se sientan apoyados, estimulados, seguros y celebrados.  

Con las recientes órdenes ejecutivas y las subsiguientes acciones del gobierno federal que dirigidas hacia las protecciones legales de quienes se identifican como trans y no binarios, así como individuos y familias en la comunidad inmigrante, entendemos que este es un momento de incertidumbre y preocupación para muchos de nuestros estudiantes, profesores, personal y familias. Queremos aprovechar este momento para reafirmar nuestro compromiso de apoyar a cada estudiante en PCS en alineación con nuestra misión, visión y valores, y para comunicar las protecciones legales de nuestros estudiantes, profesores, personal y familias y los pasos que estamos tomando para capacitar e informar a los empleados de PCS en la protección continua de nuestros estudiantes, profesores, personal y familias. PCS se une a la Oficina de Educación del Condado de Santa Cruz y a los distritos escolares de todo el condado en el establecimiento de un Plan de Apoyo a la Inmigración para las Escuelas, asegurando que nuestras escuelas sigan siendo espacios seguros y acogedores para todos, independientemente de su origen, identidad o estatus migratorio.

Todos los estudiantes y familias de nuestra comunidad tienen acceso a:

  • Apoyo integral: Estamos participando en un esfuerzo coordinado en todo el condado para salvaguardar los derechos de los estudiantes inmigrantes y sus familias (lea la carta conjunta de apoyo y protección de los estudiantes inmigrantes y sus familias aquí).Todos los profesores y el personal de PCS han recibido indicaciones iniciales sobre cómo proteger a los estudiantes en caso de que funcionarios de inmigración intenten entrar en el campus. El 28 de enero, personal de PCS asistirá a un entrenamiento que les proporcionará habilidades y recursos tangibles para apoyar a los estudiantes inmigrantes y sus familias, Además permitirá a nuestro personal actuar como formadores de la comunidad escolar en general. Ellos impartirán entrenamiento adicional a nuestro personal y profesorado el 24 de febrero. 

  • Protecciones legales: Nuestras acciones están guiadas por las leyes del estado de California que protegen la privacidad de los estudiantes y limitan estrictamente cualquier cooperación con las agencias de inmigración. En PCS estamos dedicados a defender estas leyes y asegurar que se sigan diligentemente. También esperamos con interés la revisión de la Junta Directiva de una Resolución que garantice que PCS sea un ambiente de aprendizaje seguro para todos, independientemente de su estatus migratorio (febrero de 2029) en la reunión de la Junta del 5 de febrero de 2025.

  • Recursos para las familias: Somos conscientes de la importancia de disponer de información y recursos accesibles. En colaboración con socios comunitarios clave, proporcionaremos herramientas como el sitio web susderechos.info, que ofrece orientación sobre los derechos de los inmigrantes bajo las leyes federales y de California, así como conexiones con apoyo legal y comunitario. También estamos trabajando con el proyecto Escuelas Seguras para proporcionar recursos directos y oportunidades de liderazgo. Además, participaremos en la cumbre anual LGBTQ+ para educadores en marzo para centrar nuestros esfuerzos y garantizar un enfoque unificado. 

  • Apoyo al bienestar mental de los estudiantes: Sabemos que para garantizar la seguridad de los estudiantes en la escuela debemos seguir ofreciendo acceso a bienestar mental accesible.Los proveedores de salud mental de la escuela continuarán trabajando en colaboración con los líderes de los grupos de identidad estudiantil (Alianza Interseccional Queer, Unión de Estudiantes Transgénero y No Binarios, Unión de Estudiantes de Herencia Latina) para encontrar maneras de afirmar su identidad, crear alegría e identificar vias para crear alianzas.La administración continuará trabajando con los representantes del condado para brindar capacitación oportuna al personal de PCS para que puedan proporcionar una educación culturalmente sensible, que integre oportunidades para que los estudiantes se vean reflejados auténticamente en el plan de estudios. Los estudiantes y las familias pueden contactar al Consejero Escolar David Salinas para tener acceso a apoyo.

También seguiremos la Ley de Seguridad Estudiantil y Prevención de la Violencia de California - AB 537, que añadió protecciones específicas contra la discriminación de cualquier estudiante debido a la orientación sexual real o percibida y la identidad de género. PCS se une a los Superintendentes y Líderes de Escuelas Charter en todo el condado en apoyo de los jóvenes LGBTQ + y sus familias (leer la carta conjunta de apoyo a los estudiantes LGBTQ + aquí) y sigue profundamente comprometido a garantizar que ningún estudiante sea señalado o discriminado por su identidad de género u orientación sexual.  Como se afirma en la Resolución de Apoyo a los Jóvenes, Personal y Familias Lesbianas, Gays, Bisexuales, Transexuales y/o No Binarios, Queer, Interrogantes, Intersexuales, Agénero, Asexuales (LGBTQIA+) (abril de 2024).  PCS es inquebrantable en nuestro compromiso de apoyar a nuestros estudiantes, familias y personal LGBTQ +. 

Apreciamos el apoyo de toda nuestra comunidad escolar en estos esfuerzos a medida que trabajamos para vivir nuestra misión, visión y valores, y para mantener la responsabilidad legal y moral que compartimos en la protección, inclusión y empoderamiento de todos los miembros de nuestra comunidad.

Sincerely,       

Maria Reitano, Head of School

Mike Kubo, Board President

Aliyya Hatcher, Director of DEI

Ina Avdaha, Bilingual Community Liaison



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PCS STOPIt App

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