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It’s hard to believe we’re a quarter of the way through the 2022-2023 season! We’ve held 10 practices and attended 10 tournaments; our membership has shattered records and is still growing, averaging 100+ students each week at practices for the last month. If you weren’t able to attend our Welcome Night & Parent Orientation a month ago, I’d encourage you to watch the recording – especially the superb keynotes by Drew Vetteth ‘23 and Terra Majors ‘23.
Last summer, we set an ambitious goal to break into the top 10 programs in California (we started at #13). Rankings are based on our overall standing in the Honor Society of the National Speech & Debate Association. Although the season is young and rankings will shift, we’ve already proven we can do it: on October 16th, we claimed the #10 spot for the first time. Incredibly, it’s possible we’ll achieve next year’s goal to reach the top 5 by spring. As a reminder to our students, especially our new members: our program communicates using Slack, including sharing announcements for tournament sign-ups and details about practices. If you haven’t downloaded the app to your computer and/or phone, please do so. Safety & Wellness As the school year and season get busier, it’s important for all of us to look out for each other, take time to care for our health & wellness, and remain grounded in focusing on learning and growing more than winning. Everyone deserves to feel supported and able to voice concerns. Please don't hesitate to reach out by email, phone, Slack, or in-person if you're experiencing discomfort, difficulties, or have concerns about someone else. Our school also has several options for reporting incidents. COVID-19 Requirements & Forms Our local league, the Coast Forensic League (CFL), requires all students, coaches, judges, and chaperones to complete a COVID-19 Safety Form in order to compete at any CFL tournament. Beginning 1/1/2023 the CFL definition of 'fully vaccinated' will also include the Omicron bivalent booster. Anyone who is not fully vaccinated must get a negative PCR test result before a tournament. Travel Waiver Permission Slips Some students are still missing travel waiver permission slips on file, which are necessary for participation at in-person tournaments. Please review the list of received paperwork, and if you’re not on the list, please complete the form. Check The Calendar Please review our practice, tournaments, and event calendar and make a habit of checking weekly to ensure you’re aware of all opportunities to participate and compete. Judge Trainings Optional parent/volunteer judge trainings will continue in November, with our next session held on ZOOM from 7:00-8:30pm on Thursday, November 3. Another ZOOM session will be held from 7:00-8:30pm on Saturday, November 12. Thank you, as always, for your enthusiasm, effort, and commitment to competing with respect, integrity, and kindness. It feels like there aren't enough opportunities in my day to brag about everything amazing happening on our team, because there's just so much of it all around. Please reach out anytime with any comments, questions, or concerns. |
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February 2023
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