Happy Monday,

Thank you to everyone who came out for our incoming student event on Saturday, 11/19.

This is a short week, I hope everyone is able to spend time with loved ones this Thanksgiving break and enjoy some much-deserved downtime.

When we return we have four weeks until the end of the first semester.

Student Shoutout

Gustavo Echevarria is new to Independence High School, but right away he was engaged in class, helped tremendously at our special reception event, and positively interacts with students in class. Gustavo is a leader! ...Thanks Gustavo!!! ~Mr. Paul Fernandes, English Teacher

Shoutout to IHS 76th Cavalry Marching Band and Color Guard for placing 2nd in the Western Band Association Championship, Class 2A!

Shoutout to all Staff and Students who made IHS Open House a success this past Saturday

Announcements

Sixer Study Hall Monday(3:45-4:45) in the school library. All are welcome. Contact Coach Carson w/questions carsona@esuhsd.org

Week of 11/21

Tuesday, 11/22

Sixer Soccer (boys) Scrimmage at Yerba Buena

Wednesday, 11/23

Sixer Basketball (girls) @ Wilcox JV/5:30pm | V/7pm

Visit Sixer Athletics for up to date information about athletics! Follow us on Instagram: @indyathletics

Make Your Senior Portrait Reservation

Senior Portraits will be taken at Now and Forever Studios in Los Gatos. Act fast to secure a reservation and plan for travel to the event. Contact the studio via phone to make your sitting reservation now: (408) 354-8660. Or, visit www.nowandforeverstudio.com to make an online reservation.

These are the formal pictures that are often sent to relatives and passed out to friends and staff during the graduating year. Senior portraits are optional and include a formal and a graduation photo - all attire will be provided by the photographer. There is no pressure to purchase photos, but there is a "sitting fee." If students sit for a photo, then the studio will provide IHS with a copy to publish in the yearbook.

Senior Prom

The Senior Prom will be held at Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz, CA, on Saturday, April 8th, 2023. Ticket sales will begin in January. Early pricing will be approximately $75 and will include chartered bus transportation to the venue. The prom will include finger food/ dessert buffets, dj and dancing, a variety of photo booths, and 2-hours of private access to the Boarrwalk’s Arcade and Laser Tag. Although bus transportation is preferred, if desired, families may arrange for chartered transportation or drop-off. Students will not enter the event until 7 pm, and will have enough time to dine at a variety of nearby restaurants in Santa Cruz (at the Wharf or in Downtown). More info to come in January.

Yearbooks are going fast! Buy Now!

Yearbooks are priced according to a sliding scale, so purchasing earlier guarantees a better price. Right now, the yearbook is at its lowest cost, $65! Act now, the price will increase to $75 on December 1st.

Students and parents/guardians can order a yearbook at the school bank (A-06), or visit www.yearbookordercenter.com (enter code 6072) to purchase online. In addition, the YOC offers packages for purchasing advertisement pages to honor graduating seniors and promote local businesses.

For further information, please review the Yearbook Frequently Asked Questions document.

IHS Counseling Corner Website: www.tinyurl.com/ihcounseling

Counseling Office located in N 02

* Applications for FAFSA (fafsa.gov) & CADAA (https://dream.csac.ca.gov) open October NOW !

* AB 469 - ALL Senior Students must complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or the CADAA (California Dream Act Application) and submit on or before March 2nd - Please attend any Cash 4 College Workshops online or for in person assistance on the applications!

* Parents & Students: After School Workshops & In class grade level presentations:

Want support with College Apps before Thanksgiving Break? 10,000 degrees will be hosting a College Application Workspace this upcoming Tuesday in the I-Café during 1st & 7th periods! Stop by and get your questions answered or use the space to put in a dent in your applications before the holidays! Hope to see you there!

*11/22 – 10KD College Application Workspace 1st & 7th periods in I-Café w/Mr. Garcia

*11/22 - SJSU/Cal State Apply Workshop via Zoom 5:30-6:30 pm – Staff will go over the application step-by-step, as well as have a live Q&A. Dates, times, and registration links can be found at https://sjsu.edu/soar/events/workshops.php

*11/28 – SJSU/Cal State Apply Workshop via Zoom 5:30-6:30 pm – Staff will go over the application step-by-step, as well as have a live Q&A. Dates, times, and registration links can be found at https://sjsu.edu/soar/events/workshops.php

* As the second grading period just ended and as the last 6 weeks of grading period 3 are about to begin, we want to provide you with some resources to support your students, especially as they are working on their PIQs and applications for scholarships and studying for their classes.

College and career readiness flier

General posters in English and Spanish

Postcards in English and Spanish

* Upcoming teacher office hours & extra help will take place on December 1st from 8:30 - 9:30 am.

* Our Head Counselor Mrs. Pham is out on maternity leave. Based on the student's last name, students can reach out to the following counselors for assistance in N 02.

A's = Ms. Fernandez & Mr. Hennessey

B's = Ms. Huynh & Ms. Liang

C's = Mr. Ly & Mrs. Marquez

* Together with counseling, Mr. Anthony Garcia (garciaa@esuhsd.org) is our 10,000 Degrees Fellow who assists, supports, and guides our students with financial aid, college, questions and much much more! www.10000degrees.org

* In Office Counselor Hours:

Mr. Thompson Ly: 8:45 am - 4:15 pm

Mr. Mark Hennessey: 8 am - 3:30 pm

Ms. Flor Fernandez: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Ms. Thuy Huynh: 8:15 am - 4 pm

Mrs. Lissenia Marquez: 8:30 am - 4 pm

Ms. Bonnie Liang: 8:15 am - 3:45 pm

Mr. Anthony Garcia: 9 am - 4 pm Tuesdays - Thursdays (10,000 deg.)

Ms. Dalia Cuenca: 8 am - 3:30 pm Mondays & Tuesdays (USF Intern)

Ms. Erin Serrano 8 - 3:30 pm Tuesdays & Thursdays (USF Intern)

Annual Talent Show Tryouts! (12/1 - 12/2)

Calling all performers (comedians, singers, dancers, musicians, extreme sports enthusiasts, etc… Tryout for the ASB’s Annual Talent Show in December. Qualifiers will perform in the Theatre to a guaranteed sold-out crowd on Friday, 1/13. Proceeds benefit the IHS Tech. Theatre Program.

Performing Arts - WinterFest Musical Concerts (12/6 - 12/7)

Yearbooks are going fast! Buy Now!

Yearbooks are priced according to a sliding scale, so purchasing earlier guarantees a better price. Right now, the yearbook is at its lowest cost, $65! Act now; the price will increase to $75 on December 1st.

Students and parents/guardians can order a yearbook at the school bank (A-06) or visit www.yearbookordercenter.com (enter code 6072) to purchase online. In addition, the YOC offers packages for purchasing advertisement pages to honor graduating seniors and promote local businesses.

For further information, please review the Yearbook Frequently Asked Questions document.

As we begin the third marking period, overall attendance is an area that, as a site, we are working on since our goal is to maintain a 95% attendance record, and we are currently averaging below 90%.

The C-05 team has been diligently working with students, and having parent conferences with students to address attendance and generate a plan to help support and motivate the students to be in class.

We would like to continue to remind SIXERs of the importance of being on time, all day, every day, is how there is a correlation between attendance and grades.

One way to recoup a FULL DAY absence is by attending Saturday School.

Saturday School

Our next Saturday School is scheduled for Dec. 3rd. Saturday School is a way for students to recover from a FULL day of absence. This is to clarify that it will not excuse tardies.

You may sign up by clicking the following link:

https://tinyurl.com/SaturdaySchoolatIHS

SARB Meeting

The next SARB meeting will be Tuesday, November 22nd, at the District Office at 2 PM.

Student Parking Permits

This is a friendly reminder that if students are driving their car to school, they must fill out a student parking permit application.

The student parking permit application will be completed online. Once the form has been submitted, please bring your driver's license, current motor vehicle registration, and proof of auto insurance to C-05 to receive your parking permit.

The online application can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUdLoXqaupme8lYk5rdzpOl3hWnfXKSbJGF9PsL4WqSiYNjA/viewform

The IHS Attendance Office is located in N-01

Attendance Secretary

Naicila Vidal - 408.928.9521

Student last name A - L

Diana Castillo - 408.928.9552

Student last name M-Z

Thao Pham - 408.928.9542

We Are Engaged- Our Sixer Values in Action

On Saturday, 11/19, IHS Sixer students and staff welcomed incoming 8th graders to an Open House that celebrated how we connect, engage, and learn as a community! Being engaged– whether it be through a club, actively learning in class, or helping others– truly creates a positive campus and community culture. We are so proud of everyone who came together to celebrate learning and represent IHS.

We are in our final marking period before grades for the semester come out. Please ask your student how they have engaged with their teacher and their learning this semester!

View our School-Wide lesson, We Are Engaged 2022-2023 HERE.

A multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is a proactive and preventative framework that integrates data and instruction to maximize student achievement and support students social, emotional, and behavioral needs from a strengths-based perspective.

Student voice is an important part of the narrative data we collect to inform decisions made around school improvement and high-quality instruction. One way we collect student voice is through school-wide lessons carried out in 4th period classes, PE 1 and 2, US History, English 3, and Government/Economics classes.

As the holidays approach please refer to the academic calendar to support you in the planning of any holiday vacations. As a reminder, vacations are not excuse absences in session days. For further questions please contact your attendance clerk.

Community Resources

Santa Clara County Public Health Resource Fair Series

Public Health Department: 1775 Story Rd, #120 San Jose CA, 95051 (Next to Harbor Freight store). Inside the Corridor/Plaza.

Upcoming series Date:

Friday, December 9th from 1 PM- 4 PM

The public health department is supporting the COVID-19 recovery efforts by creating a series of resource events for the community in East San Jose by inviting the community to learn and explore the available resources. Some of the resources include health coverage for both adults & Kids, mental health & wellness, food assistance, and other resources. At the same time, we will be having vaccines available to the public at our event. Vaccines will be on a first-come, first basis to vaccinate as many people as possible. For vaccines, we will have Flu vaccines, MPOX vaccines, & COVID-19 series & boosters.

The Mental Health and Wellness Center is located in Room D-05.

We are open from 8:30 am - 3:45 pm every school day.

Office Closures: Wednesday, 10/19/22, we will be closed from 8:30 am until the start of 7th period (2:13 pm) for our monthly social work meeting, Wellness Wednesday, and Care Team meeting. If you need support from an adult, please go to C-05, N-1, or N-2 for assistance.

Calming Center Updates

We are very happy to announce that the calming space has been reopened and is welcoming students. Things might look a little different than before so come check it out to see the changes! Don’t worry it is still just as relaxing as before.

How do I submit a referral?

Students, parents, teachers, and community members may submit a referral for any student at Independence by visiting the link below and filling out a Care Team referral form. A social worker or intern will follow up with the student.

Care Team Referral form: https://forms.doc-tracking.com/48252/48252/2416

Wellness Center Groups: All of our groups provided by our Community Based Agencies are now running! Our groups include Ujima’s Life Skills group, Art Therapy, New Hope for Youth, Art of Yoga, City Peace Project, City of San Jose Female Intervention Team, and YWCA Teens Ending Abuse (TEA) Club. Please see a social worker in D05 for more information.

Wellness Wednesday: We came with questions and you brought the answers! Students lined up last week to participate in our mental health trivia game. Every student who participated was given candy and a stress toy. Our stress toys were so popular that the entire box of 70+ squishies was empty by the end of lunch. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to participate! Make sure to keep an eye out for us next week!

To Be Honest Mental Health Survey: To Be Honest is a local mental health education program for adolescents and young adults ages 14-25 in Santa Clara County. They want to learn more about what mental health resources and support you need! If you are interested in sharing more about the mental health resources would help you and your peers, please fill out a survey here: tinyurl.com/mhsurvey22 To learn more about To Be Honest, visit ToBeHonest.Today

Calming Space: The Calming Space is designed as a space for students who are experiencing stress in class and need a short break to self-regulate. Before students visit the Calming Space, we ask that they check in with their teacher and request a pass. Students may spend 15-20 minutes in the Calming Space; if they need more time, a wellness center staff member will check in to discuss additional resources and support. We ask that students always check in with an adult when they arrive and before they leave the Calming Space, keep their phones away, and that they try at least one station in the space. We have an exercise station, an art station, a reading/writing corner, and a kinesthetic area. Stop by to take a look!

Wellness Center Instagram @indywellness76