Student & Family Handbook
Link to 26-27 Student Handbook
Dear Capuchino Students and Families,
I hope this message finds you and your family well. As we embark on the 2026–27 school year, I am excited to welcome back our community of students and families. Our administrative team is committed to working together to support your child throughout their high school journey.
For our new families joining the Capuchino High School community this year, welcome! We look forward to supporting your student's transition into high school by building meaningful relationships, fostering a strong sense of belonging, and connecting them with the many resources, activities, and opportunities available on our campus. We believe these foundations are essential to ensuring that every student feels seen, supported, and challenged to meet high academic expectations throughout their high school journey.
As part of our commitment to creating the best possible learning environment, Capuchino High School will be implementing a Bell to Bell Cell Phone Policy beginning this school year.
Under this new policy, all students will receive a Quiet Case on the first day of school and will be expected to securely store their cell phones, headphones, smart watches, and Meta glasses from the start of the school day until the end of their last class period.
This change is not about taking phones away. Rather, it is about creating classrooms where students are fully engaged in learning, actively participating with their peers and teachers, developing self-management skills, and minimizing distractions that interfere with instruction and school culture.
On the first day of school, students will follow a modified schedule that includes a schoolwide assembly where administrators will explain the expectations, procedures, and purpose behind the Bell to Bell Cell Phone Policy. Students will also receive their Quiet Cases and have an opportunity to ask questions before the policy goes into effect.
We recognize that, for many of our returning families, this represents a significant shift from our previous practices. This decision was made thoughtfully and is grounded in our commitment to improving instructional focus, student learning, and the overall classroom experience.
A common question we receive is, "How do I reach my student during the school day?" If you need to contact your student for an urgent matter, please call the Capuchino High School Main Office. Our administrative team will promptly relay the message or assist your student in contacting you when appropriate.
During the first week of August, the CHS Administrative Team will send additional information outlining the first-day schedule, arrival procedures, and more details about the Bell to Bell Cell Phone Policy. We appreciate your partnership and support as we implement this important initiative to create an even stronger learning environment for all of our students.
Our scholars will continue to develop in alignment with our Graduate Profile and the IB Learner Profile. As a school, we remain focused on advancing the goals outlined in our Action Plan for both our WASC and IB reviews, which help guide our continuous improvement.
Capuchino has served San Bruno youth and families for over 76 years, fostering learning, individual growth, and empowering our students to make a positive impact in their communities. Our student scholars are remarkable in every regard, and we thank you for entrusting us with the responsibility of supporting their growth. Our goal is for every student to graduate demonstrating the knowledge and skills necessary to be prepared for college and career, grounded in the principles of the IB Learner Profile.
In the year ahead and beyond, we will continue refining our curriculum, reflecting on our instructional practices, and strengthening our school community to ensure that every student experiences a sense of belonging while being challenged to reach their full potential.
Our professional learning this year will focus on self-management, a set of learnable skills that help students plan, organize, monitor their progress, reflect on their learning, and follow through on goals. Grounded in our district's Humanizing Pedagogy framework, we believe self-management is not about controlling students or promoting compliance. Rather, it is about expanding students' agency, independence, confidence, and capacity to take ownership of their learning. By intentionally teaching and reinforcing these skills across classrooms, we aim to equip every Mustang with the habits and mindsets needed to be successful not only at Capuchino High School, but in college, career, and life.
To learn more about our school and the IB Programme, please click here. Additional information regarding our school values and the IB Learner Profile can be found in our mission statement.
Our staff is rested and rejuvenated, and we are excited to welcome back our students on August 12th. I am eager to continue learning about the incredible things our students accomplish and to connect with our family community throughout the year.
Go Mustangs!
Jose A. Gomez
Principal
650-558-2700
jagomez@smuhsd.org
