Ruth Asawa SOTA Friday Community Letter | June 5, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dear Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Community, As we close out another incredible school year, I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for the heart, creativity, resilience, and dedication you brought to our community this year. This year was not always easy. Our students balanced rigorous academics in the morning with intensive conservatory-level arts training in the afternoon. They performed, created, competed, rehearsed, studied, advocated, and supported one another through every challenge along the way. What makes our students so special is not only their talent, but their perseverance, compassion, and courage. To the Class of 2026 — thank you for the leadership and spirit you brought to campus. Watching you grow over these past four years has been an honor, and your impact on this school will be felt long after graduation. To our families — thank you for your partnership, patience, and trust. Schools thrive because of strong communities, and your support continues to make all the difference. To our teachers, staff, and artists-in-residence — thank you for the countless hours, care, and passion you pour into our students every single day. The work you do changes lives. As we head into summer, I hope everyone finds time to rest, recharge, create, and spend time with loved ones. While the school year may be ending, please remember that this community will always be here for you. Once you are part of Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, you are always part of this family. Congratulations on all that we accomplished together this year. I could not be more proud to serve as your principal. Have a safe and wonderful summer. With gratitude, Principal Kim | ||||||||||
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS | ||||||||||
Summer Reading (2026) Click HERE for summer reading information. All of us in the English Department are excited to discuss these texts with students and facilitate discussions among students. Thank you for supporting your student in their summer reading. It will be a great way to begin the year and a great way for students to come to the first day of school already prepared to learn and demonstrate their skills. | ||||||||||
Working List of Local Food Pantries This list for families who rely on school meals for their children has been created by parent volunteers, so it may not be complete. Please add additional resources in your respective neighborhoods, if necessary. | ||||||||||
Every Friday 8:30-9 AM: Principal Chat with Parent Advisory Committees/Art Departments meet in room #309. | ||||||||||
Spotify Series | Dragons! Do you ever need a little pick-me-up in the morning? Love setting a mood while you get ready for the day? Well, tune in to our staff GRWM (get ready with me) series! Each Monday, you can find a new playlist curated by a different staff member with the theme of getting ready to conquer the day! Check out the official Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Spotify account here: https://open.spotify.com/user/31mapwqnrtgde77ars3ywzwbzray | |||||||||
You still have time to order a Yearbook Click HERE to place your order: Order your yearbook. (Passcode: 1015683152154487) 2025 National Yearbook Cover Winner | ||||||||||
🎓 Congratulations, Graduates - Take A Bow As the curtain falls on your high school journey, we celebrate your final bow and celebrate you with a standing ovation you've truly earned. Your creativity, passion, and perseverance have brought you to this curtain call, and what a performance it’s been! Bravo, Class of 2026, take your bow and step boldly into the next act!
Be part of the alumni - Please stay in touch — join the Friends list! Please check the box and we will reach out. | ||||||||||
ADVISORY COUNCILS & COMMITTEES Important Resources and Contact Information ← click here | ||||||||||
Info coming soon. | ||||||||||
SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS | ||||||||||
PTSA | ||||||||||
FOLLOW @ruthasawasota | ||||||||||
NEXT: PTSA Election General Meeting - Thursday, June 25th, 6PM- Zoom Only Please join us via Zoom to meet for a quick election meeting to vote for and announce the next PTSA Executive Board. This will be the only item on the agenda and may take 5-10 minutes depending on questions and comments. Please join if you're available, we appreciate your support.
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Online Spirit Wear News Coming Soon! Keep an eye out for our new online store rolling out this summer. Check it out via our main website or via Groups.Io.! And join us for Back to School Coffee the first day of school to purchase items from our current stock. Lots of styles to choose from as well as a retro rack! | ||||||||||
Groups.Io is the Communications Venue for Ruth Asawa SOTA PTSA - Free - Join Today! Connect with parents from All Departments to share information, resources, and updates. There is an app to easily use the platform from your phone. Prefer not to use the app, that's okay too! There is a website forum with settings and options to get all or a summary of the goings on in the community. You can customize to your desire and even mute convo's that aren't important to you. What are you waiting for, click on the link below to begin connecting to the Ruth Asawa SOTA Community! | ||||||||||
McAteer Campus Community Farm We’re excited you’re interested in joining us! Whether you’re helping with planting, weeding, or other farm projects, your time and energy truly make a difference. Our upcoming volunteer workdays are from 11 am - 2 pm.
We’d love to see you on one (or all!) of those days. Be sure to check out our instagram feed for fun updates and please fill out this form, so we can stay in touch. The remaining community days of this school year will be on May 30. Amy Morris - mcateercommunityfarm@gmail.com | ||||||||||
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS & CLUBS | ||||||||||
Event Inclusivity: Student Government wants to ensure that all student government-sponsored events remain inclusive for our entire student body. Any students with financial need may schedule a private conference with Ms. Jhina Alvarado at least a week before any event! 🙂 | ||||||||||
**NEW CLUB!** Are you interested in leadership, collaboration, and making school a more connected place? Join a student led club focused on planning events, supporting peers, and improving school culture and climate. This is a great opportunity to build leadership skills and make an impact. Learn more: Scan the QR code | ||||||||||
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ALL STUDENTS | **NEW** SFUSD Summer Credit Recovery 2026 | |||||||||
CLINT CALIMLIM Head Counselor 9th & 10th Grade | Student Drop-in Office Hours: OFFICE 324A
Parent/Guardians: Appointments
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CARISSA JOW Counselor 11th & 12th Grade | Student & Family Office Hours: OFFICE 324B Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday Please schedule a time: Click Here Parents/Guardians: Please email jowc@sfusd.edu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **SAT Information** SFUSD Juniors! The remaining 300 Saturday SAT seats at Lowell for each of the Spring 2026 SAT dates (March 14, May 2, and June 6) will be available on the official College Board SAT registration website (https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/registration). First come, first served for registration, so don't delay if you would like a San Francisco testing location for the SAT. | |||||||||
SERGIO DUARTE Counselor In-Training All Grades | ||||||||||
College & Career For All Grades Teacher + College Counselor Cheryl Kapchan College Advisor Jeff Smith | College & Career Center: room 326 The College & Career Resources Website College Center Calendar College Visits Student Drop-in Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri: lunch, (sometimes) art block, and after school | |||||||||
WELLNESS CENTER | ||||||||||
Robert Francoeur | Wellness Coordinator
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Miranda Rutledge, BSN, RN | School District Nurse
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Christian Lizaso | Community Health Outreach Worker
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Sabrina Kohmann | RAMS Counselor-Associate Marriage and Family Therapist.
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Hannah Rosen | SIT Intern Counselor
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Ayelet Shrek | RAMS Intern
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Donated Supplies Requested: Donations of herbal tea please (decaffeinated), Apples and Cinnamon Oatmeal. We desperately need mugs please!
Community Resources:
NAMI SF Announcement: Public programming calendar. All NAMI events are free and open to all. BIPOC Mental Health Support Group: BIPOC Support Groups In recognition of Pride Month, NAMI San Francisco will host our Fourth Annual LGBTQ+ Roundtable: Healing, Connection, and Community Care. This year's conversation will bring together Bay Area mental health professionals to discuss LGBTQ+ mental health, affirming care, resilience, suicide prevention, and the role that connection and community play in supporting well-being. Moderated by NAMI SF Board Member Mike Locke, this year's panel includes: • Dr. Chase T. M. Anderson, UCSF Whether you joined us last year or are joining for the first time, we hope you'll be part of this important discussion. Tuesday June 16th More Resources: *New: The New Drug Talk Podcasts Click Links:
Please contact Robert Francoeur if you have any suggestions, questions, or need support. Wednesday, 6/10 is the last day I will be responding to emails or answering phone calls. I will resume answering emails and returning calls starting on 8/17/26 when the 26-27 school year begins. Do not hesitate to call Wellness Coordinator, Robert Francoeur, MS, LMFT, PPSC to consult about mental health issues (415-695-5700 ext 1248). I can also search for therapists in the community who have openings. Thank you for your donations of herbal tea. We always need herbal te.! Please donate spare mugs for herbal tea. Thanks for your help getting our Wellness Center looking good and welcoming for our students! | ||||||||||
ATTENDANCE | ||||||||||
Printable Excuse Note | Download our printable excuse note by clicking below. Submit within 3-days of the absence. As a reminder, excused absences means your child is allowed to make up work (homework, quizzes, tests). An unexcused absence means teachers are not required to allow the student to make up work. | |||||||||
Permit to Leave (3 options) |
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Submit Full-Day Absences through ParentVUE | Parents Can Submit Full-Day Absences through ParentVUE: You can enter a full-day absence via the ParentVUE portal on their mobile app or desktop site. To learn more, select your preferred language: | |||||||||
ParentVUE Access | Access all your student’s school information in one place, including attendance, grades, teacher emails, class assignments, and school communications. If you need an activation code, email the school and include both your name and your student’s name. ParentVUE is available in six languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. For assistance, please email | |||||||||
ANNOUNCEMENTS - EVENTS - JOBS | ||||||||||
Ruth's Table | Art Gallery & Making Space 3160 21st Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 | ||||||||||
Youth Art Exchange (YAX) *Free Art Classes We are Youth Art Exchange (YAX), a youth arts non-profit dedicated to community arts engagement and providing a supportive environment for all students. We are excited to announce our free Fall after-school art classes for SFUSD high school students. Our art classes include Music Production, Printmaking, Animation, Fashion Design, Black & White Photography, Architecture, Street Art and Murals, and Drawing and Painting Please use this link to register for our Fall classes (free for SFUSD public high school students): [Registration Link]. If you have any issues, join us for orientation on September 2 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at 1950 Mission Street, San Francisco, where we’ll assist you and provide free snacks. We look forward to seeing your students in Fall 2026! | ||||||||||
Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ) EcoApprentice Program LEJ is excited to announce the application period for their EcoApprentice Program is now open! This is a program for young adults, ages 18-25, to gain environmental knowledge and important career and life skills. Interns will have the opportunity to be involved with ecological restoration projects at Candlestick State Recreation Area in Bayview Hunters Point by caring for plants as well as leading volunteers, working in our the native plant nursery, and helping LEJ develop their new urban agriculture program. Program Duration: August - December 2026 Schedule: 20+ hours a week, Tuesday - Friday Pay: $21 per hour. Application Deadline: June 30th Apply here: EcoApprentice Online Application (Fall 2026) To see the full details about this program, please also see the attached flyers! | ||||||||||
Grow the Mosaic! Sunday Streets 2026Get ready to hit the streets—Sunday Streets SF is preparing for its 18th season! Since 2008, Sunday Streets has transformed San Francisco’s streets into car-free community spaces, bringing neighbors together for a day of connection, movement, and fun. Stay tuned for more information on routes and dates. If you have big ideas or want to jump into the planning, feel free to get in touch at sundaystreets@livablecity.org. | ||||||||||
Sunset Night Market Volunteer Opportunity Into the Streets is looking for volunteers to help with its Sunset Night Market on June 12th, to help with setting up the event, controlling traffic, and helping with other tasks. The Sunset Night Market is a celebration of cultural diversity in San Francisco's Sunset District. Inspired by Asian night market traditions, the event unites food vendors, local businesses, artists, and performers for a lively, inclusive neighborhood gathering. Shifts: 10:00 AM–1:00 PM and 1:00 PM–4:00 PM for setup, see the sign-up form for other shift openings Location: Irving St between 20th and 25th Avenues Sign up here: Sunset Night Market June 12th, 2026 - Volunteer Form 日落區夜市志願者登記表格 See the flyer below! | ||||||||||
Asawa Records Asawa Records is the student-run record label of the Ruth Asawa School of Arts, led by the Electronic Music Class | ||||||||||
Calling All Youth PoetsElementary through high school students are invited to perform at our Juneteenth Block Party poetry competition. Poetry Competition Prizes1st Place$500 - 2nd Place$250 - 3rd Place$150 Poetry Themes
Interested? connect@riveroflifesf.org 415-349-3546 Click HERE for more information. | ||||||||||
Food Resources | Nutrition and food access are more important than ever. Student Nutrition Services and our partner organizations are here to help. See below for additional food resources in San Francisco.
You can find all of this information and more at sfusd.edu/foodresources. Home | Shop Simple with MyPlate myplate.gov | |||||||||
Update Student Name and/or Gender Marker in SFUSD Systems → SFUSD affirms all students’ right to be addressed by the name and pronoun that reflects who they say they are at school. Students who, because of their gender identity or cultural experience, use a name and/or gender marker different from those given at birth, AND want to have this information included in an SFUSD system, can review this document on how to update a student's name and/or gender marker in SFUSD systems. | ||||||||||