Mayor Tim Sbranti
Dublin turned out Thursday evening at Emerald Glen Park for the first City of Dublin Farmers’ Market of the season. City of Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti formally opened the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and Dublin High School’s Jazz Band provided entertainment. The City of Dublin Farmers’ Market continues on Thursdays from 4pm – 8pm. Every first Thursday will feature a concert in the park and wine tasting from local vintners including samples from local restaurants. Community nights will be held every second and fifth Thursday featuring local talent from Irish Dancers to jazz bands, the third Thursday of each month will be family night and the fourth Thursday will focus on healthy living. Based on the opening night turnout, the City of Dublin’s Farmers’ Market looks to be a hit with the community.
Dublin High School Class of 2011 seniors have had the blessing of choosing from multiple college acceptance letters this Spring. College acceptance letters have been arriving in mailboxes across Dublin from Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Yale, Julliard, Penn State, Purdue, every University of California (UC), every CSU campus and many more. The full list of colleges that accepted Dublin High School Class of 2011 seniors is summarized below. The success of this year’s graduating class builds on the achievements of the Dublin High Class of 2010 (last year’s Dublin High School college acceptance results are available here).
The Class of 2011 includes a senior accepted into the highly selective United States Military Academy at West Point (read more…). In addition, nine seniors in Dublin High School’s Class of 2011 have chosen to serve their country by enlisting in the military.
To help Dublin students achieve their college dreams, OneDublin.org has revised and expanded its College Primer for Parents covering college admissions, scholarships and more (available here). Nine Dublin High Class of 2010 graduates contributed articles to the Life in College Series.
Dublin High School Class of 2011 students are also taking advantage of cost-effective Community College Transfer Programs into 4-year colleges. According to Dublin High School Counseling, 95% of Dublin High School students destined for a local community college are intending to transfer into a 4-year college for their junior year. More information on Community College Transfer Programs is available here.
All told 98.7% of the Dublin High School Class of 2011 reported plans to attend college this Fall having received one or more acceptance letters. Dublin High School is included in Newsweek’s 2010 list of America’s Top Public High Schools and received a statewide rank of 10 (out of 10) and a similar schools rank of 9 (out of 10) from the California Department of Education for its 2010 API of 868 (full results available here). Dublin High School’s UC admission rate for 2008-9 was 84% (read more…). Congratulations Dublin High School Class of 2011 and good luck on your finals!
The full list of colleges that extended offers of admission to Dublin High School Class of 2011 seniors is provided below (source: Dublin High School Counseling’s Senior Exit Survey 2011, available here…):
Read more…
CBS 5 Anchor Juliette Goodrich will be auctioning all first place winners in the Dublin Partners in Education (DPIE) Student Art Contest this Friday at DPIE’s 13th Annual Student Art Auction. Ms. Goodrich is a frequent supporter of Dublin public schools including last Fall’s DPIE Celebrity Waiter Dinner. This year’s DPIE Student Art Auction will be held at the Holiday Inn (Dublin). The event opens at 7pm with an opportunity to view the art before the live auction, led by Ms. Goodrich, kicks off at 8pm. Tickets are $40 per person and includes wine, champagne, hors d’oeuvres and dessert. To reserve tickets please contact Sofia Striffler at (925) 828-2551 x8024 or via email (strifflersofia@dublin.k12.ca.us). The event raises funds for Dublin public schools and is open to the community.
In addition to the 18 first place pieces of professionally framed art to be auctioned by Juliette Goodrich, all second and third place pieces will be sold via silent auction throughout the evening.
Leading up to the event all first place art is on view across Dublin:
The California Department of Education (CDE) annually ranks all California public schools (including charter schools) on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest). The ranking is based on each school’s Achievement Performance Index (API) score. The rankings based on the most recent API scores were released yesterday by the CDE.
Dublin High School, based on an API of 868 for 2009-10, achieved the highest ranking of 10 (an improvement from 9 one year ago). The CDE also creates a list of 100 “similar” schools based on demographic, socio-economic and other factors. Dublin High School maintained a ranking of 9 when compared to similar schools.
Below is a summary of results for all Dublin Unified School District public schools. Every public school in the Dublin Unified School District now has a ranking of 8 or higher, with Dublin High School, Wells Middle School, Frederiksen Elementary School and Murray Elementary School all improving over 2009, with Fallon School, Dougherty Elementary School, Dublin Elementary School and John Green Elementary School maintaining their ranking.
| School (click link for detailed 2010 results) | 2010 Growth API |
2010 Statewide Rank | 2009 Statewide Rank |
| Dublin High School | 868 | 10 | 9 |
| Fallon School (K-8) | 910 | 9 | 9 |
| Wells Middle School | 838 | 8 | 7 |
| Dougherty Elementary School | 939 | 10 | 10 |
| Dublin Elementary School | 890 | 9 | 9 |
| Frederiksen Elementary School | 861 | 8 | 7 |
| John Green Elementary School | 933 | 10 | 10 |
| Murray Elementary School | 870 | 8 | 7 |
Schools across Dublin are holding elections for key positions on PFC and SSC (School Site Council) groups. Both groups provide an opportunity for parents to participate in the education of their children.
Kolb Elementary School, opening for the 2011-12 school year, is the newest school in Dublin and is holding elections for both the PFC Board and School Site Council (SSC). Parents wanting to get involved are encouraged to nominate themselves or a member of the school community. Parents in these leadership positions play an important role in shaping the learning environment including prioritization and approval of School Improvement Fund (SIP) expenditures, creation and approval of the School Site Plan, fundraising for events, grade level programming and school community event planning.
All positions can be done on a shared basis to ease the workload and add some fun. Please consider submitting your name or a member of the school community for consideration.
To be considered for Kolb Elementary School PFC and SSC positions, please return your nomination forms to the Fallon School front office or send an email to the appropriate contacts with the necessary information by Friday May 13.
The Kolb Elementary School PFC nomination form is available here. The Kolb Elementary School SSC nomination form is available here. A summary of all Dublin Unified School District parents organizations is available here.
The Barnes & Noble at Hacienda Crossings will be host to Wells Middle School’s Summer Reading & Poetry Contest. The event will also serve as a Book Fair Fundraiser – a portion of purchases made between 3:30 – 10:30pm will go to Wells Middle School (print & present the coupon available for download here). Wells Middle School’s Jazz Band will provide entertainment starting at 8:00 PM.
Below is a summary of events:
- Poetry Contest: Wells Middle School student work will be on display, and City of Dublin’s Poet Laureate Jonnie McCoy-Howell will be performing public readings of the finalists’ work. Barnes & Noble customers have until 7:30 PM to vote for the winner of the People’s Choice award – stop by the Wells Middle School table to vote.
- The Wells Middle School Jazz Band will perform beginning at 8:00 PM.
- All current Wells Middle School students are eligible to enter the Door Prize for a chance to win a Barnes & Noble Gift Card or Regal Cinema Tickets
- Bring the attached Barnes & Noble voucher, present it at time of purchase and Wells Middle School will receive a portion of the proceeds.
Wells Middle School’s leadership team was recently interviewed by OneDublin.org. Read more…
- Actor Jason Alexander Leads CSSSA Class
Over the weekend three Dublin High School students, all members of the Dublin High Drama Club, opened their mailboxes to find acceptance letters into the selective California State Summer School of the Arts (CSSSA). CSSSA, in its 25th year, is a 4-week intensive residential program for talented high school students from across California.
This year’s program will be held at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California. CalArts is a private college established by Walt and Roy Disney in 1961, and is the first U.S. higher educational institution to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in both visual and performing arts. Completing the CSSSA program is accepted as three college credits by the CSU system which are also transferable to other colleges and universities through the U.S. CSSSA provides high school students with an enrichment opportunity for the performing and visual arts, as well as a taste of the college experience including living on campus.
CSSSA offers seven tracks for students – animation, creative writing, dance, film and video, music, theatre and visual arts. The program is selective (less than half of applicants are accepted), and each student is required to submit a portfolio of original work that is reviewed by a panel of professionals in each field. Any evidence of parent assistance in the application reduces the likelihood of acceptance. A combination of CalArts professors and leading artists in each field offer students an unforgettable, and in many cases life-changing experience. Two of the accepted Dublin High students will be participating in the Theatre Program and one will be participating in the Creative Writing program.
Dublin High School sophomore Ryan McRee’s experience in the Theatre Program at CSSSA last summer inspired additional Dublin High students to apply for this summer’s program. Ryan wrote about his experiences at CSSSA in an article for OneDublin.org last year (read more…) The math and science counterpart to CSSSA is COSMOS (the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science). Both the CSSSA and COSMOS program tuition fees are subsidized by the State of California (out-of-state participants pay the full tuition).
The Importance of College Retention and Graduation Rates
There are many factors that influence the cost of college degree – annual tuition fees, living expenses, travel expenses, books and offsetting financial aid and/or scholarships. One of the hidden costs is how long a student spends in college: if a 4-year degree takes 5 or 6 years that’s extra years of expense and the opportunity cost of not being full-time employed (or getting a head start on grad school). Another impact of low first-year retention rates and/or low 4-year graduation rates is a lessened ability to create a close-knit community of students and friends that stick together through college. College retention and graduation rates are another factor to consider when looking at colleges.
Below is a summary of first year retention rates and 4-year graduation rates for select Bay Area, California and out-of-state colleges (both public and private). It is important to note that these are aggregate measures for each college and that these statistics could vary materially by program, or by college within a university. Ask the college admissions officer for more granular statistics specific to the major you are considering.
| Bay Area 4-Year Colleges | Type |
First Year Retention Rate |
Four Year |
| St. Mary’s College of California | Private |
81% |
50% |
| UC – Berkeley | Public |
96% |
66% |
| Stanford University | Private |
98% |
79% |
| San Francisco State University | Public |
76% |
12% |
| San Jose State University | Public |
80% |
9% |
| Santa Clara University | Private |
93% |
78% |
| CSU – East Bay | Public |
75% |
17% |
| California College of the Arts | Private |
73% |
27% |
| Mills College | Private |
74% |
53% |
First year retention rates and four year graduation rates of additional colleges outside the Bay area:
The average per capita personal income in California fell 2.5% to $42,325 (over the period 2007-9). In just one year, based on a survey of Bay Area, California and select out-of-state schools, private college tuition fees are rising at 5% per year or higher. California’s public university system is seeing even faster tuition inflation – as high as 44% in one case. If the current rate of tuition increases continues, it is possible that private college tuition for one year could exceed the average per capita personal income in California. Add on living expenses, books and transport and that’s already the case.
With increasing pressure on both public and private colleges in California, neighboring states are seeing increased enrollment from California students. This was evident at the East Bay College Connection Fair held recently at St. Mary’s College of California. Washington State University touted it’s “Cougar Academic Award” to out-of-state students ($4,000 and $9,000 awards, based on GPA, SAT and ACT results). Western Washington University distributed information on scholarships for out-of-state students including the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program (which reduces the out-of-state tuition to 150% of in-state based on merit). Western Oregon University put a spotlight on the $9,504 in potential savings through the WUE program. Not all public colleges in neighboring states participate in WUE – and it is important for parents interested in taking advantage of this program confirm that awards will guaranteed in future years. Some colleges have opted out of the program altogether as more California students look outside California for college options.
Colleges from neighboring states weren’t just touting tuition-reduction programs like WUE. Completing a four-year degree in four years is also a major cost factor. Several colleges in Washington and Oregon were quick to highlight that their public colleges were not suffering from the class impacts that have made graduating in four years a challenge for some programs.
College Tuition Cost Changes (2009-10 to 2010-11)
Life at Sonoma State University – Fulfilling a Love of Music
by Ann Kenney (Dublin High Class of 2010, Sonoma State Freshman)
Finishing the first semester of college with a 3.7 GPA would be considered an accomplishment by most people, and I put up no argument there. Walking away from a fifteen unit semester, including a math class, which is not my best subject, with a grade point average higher than the average first year college student, made me truly appreciate all the work I did throughout high school. My first fall semester at college was not always a walk in the park, but I felt that the intensity of my high school curriculum prepared me to enter college, ready for anything. While my schedule in high school wasn’t littered with advanced placement and honors classes, I was able to take a few classes that I was interested in, while being enrolled in band and being a member of the swim team. My high school experience adequately prepared me for college because of all the challenges that Dublin High presented.
Throughout my years at Dublin High School, I struggled; high school was definitely a difficult stage in my life. Sometimes I would come home from one of my days and think to myself, am I doing too much? Due to swim practice and band my normal 12+ hour day would start at five in the morning and end at 5:30 in the evening or later, but of course I squeezed academics in there as well. It was when I was at my lowest that the teachers at Dublin High School were there for me. Teachers are not required to be there for their students. They get paid to bring the materials to the kids and hope that it sticks, but the teachers at Dublin High School, at least the ones that I had, were always looking to help in any way they could, even if that meant giving up their lunch or staying for an hour after school.
OneDublin.org 