Ruth Asawa SOTA Friday Community Letter | November 21, 2025
(School Email) |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Important Announcements
- Show Announcements
- PTSA
- Student Organizations & Clubs
- Counseling
- College & Career
- Wellness Services
- Attendance
- Student and Family Handbook
- Student Opportunity Bookmarks
Dear Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Community,
As we head into Fall Break, I want to wish each of you a restful, joyful, and restorative week. This season invites us to pause, reflect, and give thanks—for our students’ creativity and resilience, for our families’ steady partnership, and for the dedication of our staff who make our school such a vibrant place to learn and grow.
As we celebrate, I also encourage us to hold space for the deeper meaning of this time of year. Fall is not only a season of gratitude, but also a moment to remember and honor the Indigenous peoples whose histories, cultures, and stewardship of the land continue to shape our community today. Let this break be an opportunity to learn, reflect, and support one another with empathy and intention.
I hope the week ahead brings you connection, rest, and plenty of joy. We look forward to welcoming everyone back after the break, refreshed and ready for the exciting weeks to come.
See you in December!
Warmly,
Principal Kim
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
Every Friday 8:30-9AM: Principal Chat with Parent Advisory Committees/Art Departments meet in room #309.
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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 |
Toy Drive In the holiday spirit, the 10th grade student government is hosting a winter toy drive! Please donate new, unwrapped toys to the bins in the main office or library between December 1st-17th! Our goal this year is 150 toys! All toys donated will go to the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Program and everyone who donates will be entered in a raffle! Happy Holidays! * We are also collecting new socks! 🧦 | |
ADVISORY COUNCILS & COMMITTEES Important Resources and Contact Information ← click here | |
School Site Council (SSC) Recap - October Hello from the SSC! Here's our October monthly meeting recap. Agendas and notes are always available in our running document here. Highlights from the September 19 meeting:
Our next meeting is 4pm Thursday Nov 20. All meetings are open to the entire school community. If you have any questions about the SSC feel free to reach out! | |
SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
| Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Piano Department presents: WINTER PIANO RECITAL Featuring works by Moskowski, Kapustin, Mozart, Chamanade, Brahms, R. Schumann, C. Schumann, and more Tuesday, December 2, 2025 @ 6:00 PM Adults $15 |
WINTER GALA FUNDRAISER PTSA and the Arts Departments are teaming up to present a fun-filled evening of arts, fellowship, and philanthropy. All ticket sales and donations will benefit our Artist-in-Residence program as we raise funds to support increased artistic mentorship and engagement for our student body. Emcees from the Theatre Department will lead a first-act variety show, and the second act will feature selections from "The Nutcracker" from our Conservatory Dance and Orchestra students. You'll get a few surprises from our teaching staff along the way! We will have exhibitions and performances from students across every department showcasing the art they have been working on during the fall semester! We are excited to offer the "VIP Experience" for our donors at the $500+ level and for patrons who purchase $100 VIP tickets. The VIP Experience includes:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2025 @ 7:00 PM VIP Doors open at 6:00 PM Ruth Asawa School of the Arts *No one will be turned away for lack of funds | |
| Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Creative Writing presents: LINE AFTER LINE IF YOU'RE LOST AND YOU LOOK...you will find the writers from Creative Writing performing their vibrant poetry in Line After Line. Come witness the glamour and bravery of poetry that doesn't hesitate to ask questions, offers no straight answers, and instead brings beauty as a potential solution for every heartache. Tuesday, December 9, 2025 @ 6:00 PM Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Adults $15 |
ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN WINTER SHOWCASE 2025 Thursday, December 11, 2025 @ 5:00 PM Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Admission is FREE! | |
| Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Musical Theater presents: ALL THAT GLITTERS Join us for songs from the Golden Age of Broadway! Friday, December 12, 2025 @ 7:00 PM Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Adults $20 |
| Join us for the Black Student Union's Kwanzaa Celebration on Friday, December 19th, 2025 at 4:30 PM in the Library! Pull up for good food, live performances, games, and raffles, all while we celebrate the 7 Principles of Kwanzaa with our Ruth Asawa School of the Arts community. Tickets are only $5, and every dollar helps send our BSU students to upcoming BSU conferences. Come vibe with us, support the squad, and kick off the season in community, culture, and joy. Friday, December 19th, 2025 at 4:30 PM Ruth Asawa School of the Arts General Admission $5 |
PTSA | |
FOLLOW @asawasotaptsa | |
Artist In Residence Annual Fund Campaign We invite all Ruth Asawa School of the Arts families, friends, and community members to donate as much as they are able, as early as they can. Your contribution directly supports the artists who shape your student’s education day by day, project by project, rehearsal by rehearsal. Our goal is to raise $300,000. As Ruth Asawa’s life’s work embodies, All Is Possible. Together, we will keep her vision alive for every student, every art form, and every dream. Click HERE to donate. | |
Save-the-Date: Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Mixer with Live Auction 2026! Friday, February 27th! The Auction team has begun and would like anyone who is interested in being on the team to join us. We will have a silent and live auction and need all the help we can to solicit for donations, data entry, marketing, and more. Please email auction@ruthasawasotaptsa.org to volunteer. Would you like to donate to the Auction? We would love to have some original art pieces from our amazing community, Count Me in Events with our parents or teachers, Gift Certificates, Concert/theater tickets, Memorabilia, Vacation homes stay, or One-time special experiences. | |
New Merch Alert! We have some new items to go along with the clothing lines and will have them available for sale this weekend in the concessions area of the DKMT lobby. Pick up a custom pencil, pen, beanie, note pads, and more! These items are only available at the pop-up shop and concessions. If you purchased an item online, please have your student pick it up from the office AFTER you receive an email confirming that your order has been processed. Processed orders will also be available for pickup during our pop-up shop days. Click HERE to view new items! | |
🌟 Join the PTSA Community Forum! 🌟
Send an email to main+subscribe@RuthAsawaSOTA.groups.io OR Click here → PTSA Forum to get plugged into all the fun updates on events, performances, and everything happening in our school community.
Want to get involved and connect with other amazing, supportive parents? CLICK HERE to connect with our Volunteer Coordinators to learn more! Our Groups.Io is a community news forum for sharing information, news from school, teacher wish lists, volunteer opportunities and more. Please join for all your Ruth Asawa School of the Arts news! | |
McAteer Campus Community Farm Workday We have a community day at the McAteer Campus Farm, Saturday, November 15, from 11 am to 2 pm, and we'd love to have you join us. We've got lots of ways to help out and get involved including planting, weeding, working in the greenhouse, site maintenance, construction, and art projects. You're also welcome to come just to check out the farm and grab some pizza from the pizza oven. The farm is next to the track on the Glen Canyon side. If you can join us for an upcoming community day, please let us know using this form. Please also follow the farm on Instagram for more updates throughout the year: www.instagram.com/mcateerfarm. Feel free to reach out to Amy Morris (PTSA Farm Lead) with any questions: amymo23@gmail.com. | |
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS & CLUBS | |
FOLLOW @SOTASTUDENTGOV | 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! 🙂 |
Culture Day is coming! Tuesday, March 17, 2026 Student Gov. is hard at work planning RASOTA’s next summit. Culture Day will include workshops from prominent San Francisco organizations, as well as student cultural affinity groups. If you belong to a cultural organization in the city that would be interested in presenting, please submit this form by December 19, 2025 | |
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ALL STUDENTS | **ROSE LAB IS NOW OPEN!** **PSAT & SAT Announcements** - If you have any questions, please contact Jonathan Fong, fongj4@sfusd.edu |
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 –------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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 ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
Robert Francoeur | Wellness Coordinator
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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 Announcement: 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 Recent Book Release: “Talk to Your Boys”: Video Interview with the Authors: Live Conversation with Priya Parker & the authors of Talk To Your Boys More Resources: UCSF Study with a stipend. Please see link below for more details: We are looking for 14-18 years-old adolescents who will get a chance to undergo either a free 12-week mindfulness training, in which they will learn self regulation skills (breathing, yoga-based movements, meditation) or a free 12-week psychological education training that can help them better regulate emotions (with a random assignment to one of the groups). The groups will meet once-per-week for 1.5 hours online via Zoom. This study also involves mental health questionnaires and a daily sleep diary, with the option of wearing a sleep actigraph watch. Participants will also undergo about an hour long MRI scan before and after the training. MRI scans will take place at a state-of-the-art UCSF facility at Mission Bay. Participants will receive up to $535 in gift cards for completion of the study. Please discuss with your parents and contact us for more information: Website https://radiology.ucsf.edu/research/labs/BrainChange Screening Eligibility Survey: https://ucsf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9NR5oBgaR4ExsWx California Launches Free Behavioral Health Apps for Children, Young Adults, and Families Podcasts Click Links:
Please contact Robert Francoeur if you have any suggestions, questions, or need support. Couseling slots on-site are full at the moment, email or call Robert for outside counseling referrals in the community. Thank you for your donations of herbal tea. We always need 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). Unexcused absence means teachers are not required to allow the student to make work up. |
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 us at sch815@sfusd.edu. |
Absences: If a student is absent, the guardian/caregiver must communicate with Ruth Asawa SOTA in one of the following way:
The note must include the following:
Tardies: Students must bring in a written excuse from guardian/caregiver or medical note to excuse a tardy. Permit to Leave: Permits to leave are issued by the office or Wellness Center. If a student needs to leave early due to a doctor/dental appointment, a guardian can send in a written note to excuse the student. The note must include the time of departure. COLLEGE TOURS: Seniors/Campus Visits - Arrangements must be made in advance and in writing with the senior counselor and teachers. Truancy: If a student has unexcused absences, the school or district will notify the family/guardian by sending you a truancy letter. A truant is defined by the following:
Click HERE for SFUSD Truancy Information. *We encourage parents/guardians/caregivers to review their student's attendance record regularly on ParentVue and communicate any discrepancies to the school. Students and Families can find out more about SFUSD Attendance policies in the Student and Family Handbook. Attendance Code in Synergy (ParentVue and StudentVue) | |
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND EVENTS | |
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. | |
BAY AREA BASKET MAKERS EXPLORE NEW FORMS | |
