Buccaneer Newsletter
January 12th - 15th



Welcome Back!
Happy New Year Buccaneers!
We hope you had a relaxing Winter Break and had time to enjoy some quality time with family. We pray that you are safe and healthy.
We say hello to 2021! We start a new year and a new semester. We have an opportunity to set new goals and New Year's Resolutions. What a great opportunity to set actionable steps to reach our most important goals for this year!
Last week, we watched in disbelief how domestic terrorists breached the U.S. Capitol building, incited violence, and disgraced the offices of many of our elected officials. As the principal of our amazing Southwest Middle School, I thought of our students, and the responsibility that we have as educators and leaders to set an example for you to follow not only today but for the future. What we witnessed was wrong and it is opposite of what our democracy represents. We must seek to model what it means to be a responsible and active citizen of the United States.
Out district's communication director, Mr. Manuel Rubio, sent out a letter to all of our families regarding last week's attack on the United States Capitol. If you have not already done so, please take a minute to read the letter; I have attached a copy of the letter in our Newsletter.
Finally, we want to take this opportunity to bid farewell to Ms. Angelina Santana, our assistant principal, who will be leaving us to work at Olympian High School. We thank her for her service and wish her the best. Her devotion to our community will never be forgotten. Ms. Santana, thank you for everything you have done for our kids, our staff, and our parents. You will be missed!
Staff, I will see you on Tuesday. Students, we will see you on Wednesday during advisory!!!!
Let us have an amazing year!
Mrs. Julissa Gracias
Sweetwater Union High School District Message regarding the attack on the United States Capitol


Our schedule for the next two weeks



word of the month: resolution

january celebrations
Martin Luther King, Jr. "Martin Luther King, Jr., original name Michael King, Jr., (born January 15, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.—died April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee), Baptist minister and social activist who led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. His leadership was fundamental to that movement’s success in ending the legal segregation of African Americans in the South and other parts of the United States. King rose to national prominence as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which promoted nonviolent tactics, such as the massive March on Washington (1963), to achieve civil rights. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964." https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Luther-King-Jr | The Great Kindness Challenge "At the heart of The Great Kindness Challenge is the simple belief that kindness is strength. We also believe that as an action is repeated, a habit is formed. With the Great Kindness Challenge checklist in hand, students have the opportunity to repeat kind act after kind act. As kindness becomes a habit, peace becomes possible." https://thegreatkindnesschallenge.com/about | Presidential Inauguration on January 20th "The Constitution of the United States had established March 4 as Inauguration Day in order to allow enough time after Election Day for officials to gather election returns and for newly-elected candidates to travel to the capital. With modern advances in communication and transportation, the lengthy transition period proved unnecessary and legislators pressed for change. The date was moved to January 20 with the passage of the Twentieth Amendment in 1933." https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/january-20/ |
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Great Kindness Challenge
Presidential Inauguration on January 20th
upcoming events
Faculty Meeting Our next faculty meeting will be on February 20th. We will continue the work assigned during our pull-out. | PEP Talks and Cyber Safety Presentations We will have a couple of presentations the next couple of weeks. We will be meetings with our 7th and 8th graders to review promotions requirements and summer school options. We also have our San Diego police foundation presenting to our students about cyber safety on the week of January 25th. More information will be forthcoming. | Semester Awards We will have our Semester Awards Assembly on February 5th. More information will be sent out in the next couple of days. |