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🎶❄️ Thank You Encinal Teachers and Staff for All You Do. Happy Holidays! 🎄🎵

What’s Next

General Meeting: Thursday 1/15/2026 7-8:00pm Room 3105 (snacks and drink provided)

See what else we are doing to support our students

IslandHacks 2025 (written by Bao Son Nguyen Trong)

IslandHacks, a student led nonprofit organization in Alameda, held their third annual hackathon on November 15, 2025. Open to middle and high school students in Alameda, the hackathon is described as a “social coding event” where students work with peers to learn computer programming and create a project that fits a given theme. This year, the theme was “something that helps fix a problem of someone you know.” The event is free for all students; additionally, snacks and drinks, along with all three meals, are served throughout the day.

This year’s event was hosted at Penumbra, a biotechnology company based here in Alameda who generously provided a spacious venue to host over 100 attendees. In addition, Exelixis, another Alameda biotech company which hosted the event last year, was generous enough to sponsor catering for lunch and dinner, ensuring every attendee had the energy they needed to do their best. Encinal’s PTSA helped sponsor additional snacks and prizes, helping make the event a memorable experience for all.

Encinal students played an important role beyond participation: three Encinal students served on the IslandHacks leadership team, helping plan, organize, and run the event from start to finish.

Twenty Encinal students participated, spending the day coding, designing, and collaborating on creative tech projects—from beginner-friendly apps to more advanced prototypes. Their enthusiasm, teamwork, and willingness to take on challenges embodied the Jet Pride.

Welcome Back – Join Us and Support Our Students 

Encinal Joins Record-Breaking Ride 4A Reason to Sacramento 

On April 26, over 330 cyclists pedaled 45, 68, or 110 miles all the way to Sacramento in support of Oakland and Alameda public schools—marking the largest turnout ever for Ride 4A Reason!

This year’s ride raised over $215,000 for 11 participating schools, including Encinal Junior/Senior High. Funds raised help support vital enrichment programs such as field trips, art education, science equipment, after-school programs, clubs, sports, and libraries.

*** You can still support our classes by donating up to May 15th HERE ***

Ride 4A Reason is powered by dozens of volunteers from each school and continues to be a truly inspiring community-led tradition. Since the event began in 2008, more than $2 million has been raised for public schools in Oakland and Alameda.

Encinal’s participation was led by Jo Zulaica from our PTSA board, with strong representation from our school community. Riders included Mr. Tim Zolezzi (assistant principal), Mr. Andy Lee (teacher), and Donovan Smith (student). Thank you for showing your Jet Pride and riding for a reason!

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Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week (May 5-9)

Check out our Oct-Nov newsletter and podcast.
🎙️🎙️🎙️Your Journey Starts Here: College & Career Center Essentials🎙️🎙️🎙️

Check out the rest of our newsletters and podcasts here under our [Perspectives] section.

Encinal families, we’d love your input as we plan our upcoming activities. Please take a minute to complete this Community Survey

Thank You Volunteers

(Sep 13, 2024) We’re so grateful for the strong support from our Encinal community! When Ms. Snyder sent out the ParentSquare request for volunteers, over 30 of you responded and showed up. The free TB screening, hosted by the PTSA in collaboration with our Boosters and supported by Encinal Leadership students, was a great success. A special thanks to Laria Pippen, medical professional and Encinal parent, for conducting the interviews and signing off on the screenings. This teamwork has allowed us to secure more volunteers and saved our parents valuable time!

Ride 4A Reason Funds Distributed to Encinal Classes

(Sep 10, 2024) A big thank you to everyone who supported last school year’s Ride 4A Reason, organized by the Encinal PTSA and our student leadership. We had a blast raising funds and riding for this event! Over $13,000 was raised for Encinal, and the funds were distributed to each class based on their contributions. Our leadership students are already excited to partner with the PTSA for another round next year. Check out the excitement in our pictures 😄, and stay tuned this spring for more details on Ride 4A Reason! For more information, contact Jo Zulaica, our PTSA lead for the event.

Encinal Support 2nd Annual Island Hacks

(Sep 7, 2024) A big thank you to our community partner, Exelixis, Inc., for supporting over 100 students at the second annual IslandHacks, a 12+ hour hackathon focused on real-world collaboration. Students from Alameda High, ASTI, Encinal High, and St. Joseph participated, demonstrating impressive teamwork and creativity. The event was organized by student leaders, including our own Encinal students. Encinal PTSA contributed with door prizes and snacks. Sean Ward (Encinal teacher) and Albert Tan (PTSA parent) were also present to help supervise and judge the event. The top middle picture features a Calorie Calculator created by a team including two Encinal freshmen, and another Encinal student was part of the team that won Best Beginner Project (bottom left picture). For more, visit: https://www.island-hacks.org/ (note: The first Island Hacks was hosted at Encinal)

Coffee with Principal Snyder is Back (First Fridays)

(Sep 6, 2024) It was great to see so many Encinal families at our first monthly Coffee with Principal Snyder! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat and discuss the exciting new school year. A group of JJ parents also gathered to brainstorm ways to boost JJ engagement. Stay tuned for updates on our website and newsletter. Special thanks to the PTSA for providing Peet’s coffee and pastries for the event!

Back to School Mixer: An Excellent  Start to the Encinal School Year

On August 10, 2024, our Encinal community came together for a successful Back to School Mixer, with 171 parents, teachers, students, and families in attendance. Hosted by our PTSA, with the support of our dedicated school staff and student leadership team, the event featured delicious tacos from Calafia Taqueria, which were a hit with everyone.

A special thanks to our hardworking PTSA board and family for their outstanding efforts in organizing and supporting the event. From registering attendees with name tags and grade-specific color dots to serving food and drinks, and ensuring a smooth cleanup.

We were delighted to welcome many new families, including incoming 9th graders and 6th grade Junior Jets, as well as returning families. Our leadership students did an excellent job conducting 5-6 tours of our beautiful campus, helping everyone feel at home.

Principal Snyder gave a warm welcome speech and introduced the staff, setting a positive tone for the exciting year ahead. We’re thrilled for all that’s in store for our Encinal community this school year! Go Jets!

Here Are The Ways You Can Help

1. Direct Donation

The best way to support Encinal PTSA is through a direct donation. Our goal is $150 per family. Donations are tax-deductible. (Tax ID: 23-7053025)

Please donate any amount you are able to give: $1, $5, $50, $1000. Every dollar makes a difference!

Donate with our new PTSA membership site.

2. Participate in Your Company’s Donation-Matching Programs

Double the impact of your donation! Many employers offer programs to match charitable contributions made by their employees.

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Photo Credit: Anne Kohler, Encinal parent