Greetings Catalina Community!

I want to take the time to introduce myself and to share with you my vision for Catalina High School. My name is Dr. Norma Gonzalez and I have been in education for 29 years! I have taught all grade levels from kindergarten to seniors in high school. In high school I taught Social Studies and Language Arts. In middle school I taught Social Studies and Cultures.

I am honored to serve as the Principal here at Catalina High School!! I love the diversity and the Catalina community.

I am proud to announce that we have earned a “C” letter grade through the state this year and my plan is to continue to move up. I have a vision of academic excellence through a rigorous curriculum and culturally responsive instruction. I would like to offer more Dual-enrollment classes so students can leave Catalina with college credit. I am also proud of our CTE programs and the opportunities that our students have through CTE.

In collaboration with Mr. Bridges, I want to have a more robust sports program. Students engaging in sports increases academic excellence and we have some great athletes currently.

I look forward to continuing to serve as the Principal.

Thank you to the Catalina community!!

Dr. Norma Gonzalez

Hello Trojan families,

Please mark your calendars for Catalina High School’s upcoming Spring State Testing. All freshmen and juniors will be testing April 4th- 6th. Statewide assessments show how well schools are teaching and how well students are learning, as these assessments are aligned with Arizona’s Academic Standards.

All 11th grade students will be given the ACT (at no cost) and the AzSci. All 9th grade students will be given the Aspire test. These tests are mandatory throughout the state of Arizona. We have prepared your student to do well and succeed by providing focused classroom instruction and review of basic math and ELA concepts.

Testing will take place in the morning and will conclude after lunch. Please reschedule any conflicts you may have on these days to ensure that your student is present. ATTENDANCE IS ESSENTIAL! Additional information and reminders will be sent out to families and students as testing approaches.

In addition, we are offering tutoring on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00pm in the library every week. Please encourage your students to attend tutoring if they are struggling in a class, need to make up work, or need additional support to complete assignments.

Thank you for your partnership and support in helping us complete these required assessments. For questions, feel free to contact Dr. Kelly Bristow, Assistant Principal at 520-232-8400.

Dr. Kelly Bristow

If your student is going to be absent, it is highly important for a parent or guardian to call them in and excuse the absence. If your student receives more than 12 unexcused absences in a class, they will receive no credit for the course and will have to repeat the course. Catalina's direct attendance line is (520) 232-8475. Feel free to call anytime of the day or night, as you are able to leave a message 24 hours a day. An absence must be excused within 48 hours.

I'm happy to announce that one of our CHS student's artwork has been selected in the D5 art competition. Congratulations, Azul Martinez Borrego (10)!!!

See details below. Woohoo!

Magdalena Piller has put up her installation in the display case in the Upper Main Hallway. It is about the duality of chaos and order. She has transformed the Arizona State Seal program by using the woodworking skills she learned in our CTE program. At first, she didn't have enough art credits and they could not accept her, but the case was made that her woodworking skills was art. So now they will accept CTE construction credit as a fine art credit for other students in that program. Congratulations Magdalena!!! Below you will see pictures from her installation.

Come celebrate our art students, Sierra Moore and Kadence Mueller, who will be showing their artwork at the UAMA High School Exhibit.

You're invited to a celebration and award ceremony for the exhibit Our Stories: High School Artists on Saturday March 11, 11:00am-12:00pm at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. The ceremony will start at 11:30am, all artists will be recognized during the ceremony and the five winners of the Outstanding Emerging Artist Award will be recognized. This event is open to the public and admission is free all day, feel free to invite friends and family! This is a fun, casual event with light refreshments. Masks are recommended while inside the museum and most UArizona buildings, and masks are available in the lobby of the museum. Note: The exhibit opens on Sat. February 25 and will be on view through Sat. May 20.

After the reception, stay and enjoy activities, performances, and a food truck as part UAMA's Spring Community Day!

Our Stories: High School Artists Celebration and Award Ceremony

When: Saturday March 11, 11:00am-12:00pm

11:00am - Time to view the exhibition, light refreshments in the museum lobby

11:30am - Award ceremony and remarks from UAMA and School of Art staff

12:00pm - Reception ends and UAMA Community Day begins

Where:

The University of Arizona Museum of Art

1031 N. Olive Road, Tucson, AZ 85701

Nearby Parking: UA Park Avenue Garage (free parking on weekends)

**The museum is a short distance from the garage. Head south/into campus on the walk/bike path that goes underneath Speedway Blvd. The museum will be on your right after the underpass, you can take the stairs or, to avoid stairs, continue a little further on the walk/bike path and turn right at the yellow and blue sculpture (near the School of Music).

Accessibility: If you or someone in your group would like a golf cart pick-up, call the UAMA front desk at 520-621-7567

March Madness for writing!! The English Department will be focusing on writing this month. Students will be on their computers practicing their writing skills in preparation for the ACT test in April. Please have students charge their computers every day, and they will need to carry them from class to class. They will be using their computers in other classes as well.

Engineering/Mechatronics & Design

• Apply basic engineering principles and technical skills in a wide variety of projects (design, create, test).

• Instruction will be problem-based with a special focus on aerospace technology, mining technology, alternative energy, and power systems including solar.

• Additional topics include computer-aided design, electronics, hydraulics, mechanical drawing, robotics, and precision measurement. Direct Employment:

• Engineering Technician

• Manufacturing Equipment Technician

• CAD Technician

For more information on JTED Programs, please contact your student's counselor.

Any families interested in purchasing a yearbook for their student, please contact Shelly Newsome by email or call at 520-232-8523.

Yearbooks are $40.00 this year.

Greetings Trojans!!

Our Counseling staff has been hard at work on course selections for next school year.

Here are a few new courses that will be offered in addition to what we have offered this year.

• Creative Writing
• Intro to Engineering
• Soccer (PE)
• Swimming (PE)
• Softball (PE)
• ACT Prep (all 11th graders)
• Acting for Film (Fine Arts)

We will continue to offer many Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses next year, if you feel like that is a good fit for your student.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach-out to your student's counselor.

For last names A-L

Contact Mrs. Tori Bacal by email

For last names M-Z

Contact Mrs. Wanda Buchanan by email

Students can continue to make any progress at home on any credit recovery classes that they have. Credit Recovery courses will be open over Spring Break for students to work on as well. More information to come.

In the Student Success Center, resources are available to students throughout the school day.

• School Supplies
• Personal Hygiene Supplies
• Canned and Dry Food
• Prom Wear for Juniors & Seniors

Contact Mrs. Amy Schull by email or call at 520-232-8438

The School of Journalism has had a summer diversity workshop since 1981. This year, we’ve put together a simple application form for the 2023 Donald W. Carson High School Diversity Workshop, and I would greatly appreciate you sharing it as widely as possible with your worthy freshman, sophomore and junior students. This year’s workshop is June 4-June 9. There is no cost.

We’ll continue to update the details/schedule as the date approaches. Here’s a direct link to our webpage:

Here's a direct link to the application

Graduation Cap and Gown Information:

All graduates will be wearing royal blue caps & gowns from Herff Jones/Rembrant Grad. If you have not ordered/purchased one yet, please do so as soon as possible by going to Herff Jones/Rembrandt website

If you want to purchase a cap and gown, scroll to the bottom and look for “Cap-Gown-Tassel Unit” for $40.95

• If you want to borrow a Cap and Gown, see Mrs. Schull starting April 10th.

Caps & Gowns will need to be returned— Tassels cost $10 and may be kept.

Contact Amy Schull by email or 520-232-8438

On February 10th, Catalina hosted the Skills USA Region 6 Construction Competition. Catalina has competed in this event for 20+ years. This year we had 8 students compete alongside students from CTE Constructions programs at CDO, Sahuarita, Vail, San Manuel, Benson, Marana, and JTED. Catalina's Jesus German placed 2nd in Cabinet making!!

The Construction Program at Catalina is taught by Mishari Otaibi. He teaches Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical, Masonry, and Sheet Metal in our construction classes. Students complete the program typically with 2 industry recognized certifications: OSHA 10 and NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) Core.

CTE is a great opportunity for students to learn skills and trades, for post-secondary life. Many of our alumni have gone on to have fulfilling successful careers with the skills and certifications from our Construction, Culinary and business operations programs.

Spring Sports has begun at Catalina High School.

Look up the following schedules to support athletes who have been practicing this past month.

Catalina Varsity Softball Schedule

Catalina Freshman/Sophomore Softball Schedule

Catalina JV Baseball Schedule

Catalina Boys Track & Field Schedule

Catalina Girls Track & Field Schedule

Catalina Golf Schedule

Catalina Tennis Schedule

The Spring season of Sports is underway as February 6th was the first official date to begin preparing for the season. The spring season includes six sports activities between February 6th to May 5th with Baseball, Softball, Coed Tennis, Track and Field, Boys Volleyball, and Coed Golf.

The Catalina Trojans are still looking to add new student-athletes (of all skills levels) to fill rosters on all spring teams. GET IN THE GAME!

*For more information or to register for a spring sport contact Angelica Green-Valenzuela by phone at 520-232-8400 or Tim Bridges by phone at 520-232-8412 for more information or

Contact Angelica Green-Valenzela by email or Contact Tim Bridges by email.

Use the links below for required forms, information, and online registration:

Online Sports Registration

Annual Physical Packet

Annual Participation Packet

Sports Participation Fee: $65 (Fee Waivers Available): · For more information Contact Shelly Newsome by email for information or call her at 520-232-8400

Pizza Bread

5 Biscuits cut into 8 pieces

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1Tsp Oregano

2 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 cup Sausage

1/2 cup Pepperoni

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Cut up biscuits and toss with garlic, oregano, olive oil, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, and parmesan Cheese. Place in a cake pan and cook at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

We've finished AZELLA reassessment testing for all ELD students. Scores will not be available in until the end of summer. We will contact students who test proficient and make changes to their schedules as soon as we receive the scores. Benchmark and ACT testing is going to be a big focus at the end of this quarter. Please ensure that students are attending every day. Shout out to senior Makula Kaba for receiving an Arizona state Student Success Story award in December. She will be recognized at the TUSD Board of Supervisor's meeting on February 28th.

Students got to take part in Blind Date with a Book for the month of February and many books were checked out and ‘dated’! Those that participated and filled out a review will get a chance to win a prize!

We had a number of displays including Black History Month, as well as many genre displays put together by our Library Aides.

With the cyber-attack on all of our systems, our Destiny catalog was affected and some of our book returns and book checkouts were lost between January 18th to 31st. Please have your student log in to Destiny and check that their account is accurate. They can log in with their single sign on.

Our new Library Media Website is up and running! Please check it out for information on our books, research, events, and digital citizenship.

Our Media Center just received the first round of new furniture and things are looking great and much more modern! We will soon be getting new couches and more tables and chairs for our students. So far they are loving the new café height tables

Tucson Festival of Books is happening at the U of A campus March 4th and 5th. Consider taking your family and friends; there’s something for everyone! Several English classes will have the opportunity to see award winning author, E. Lockhart, on Monday, March 6th. The Catalina Foundation generously donated money to buy 35 of her books to raffle off to students!

In March we celebrate Women’s History Month!

March Book Madness is coming up…. This is a National Tournament of Books. There are 16 books to start with and each week during March students get to vote on our website for their favorite book. The final round of voting will be March 22nd and the winner announced March 29th.

You can access the Media Center Website Here.

As always, you can contact me, Karin Bernal, by email if you have any questions or concerns. My office hours are Monday - Friday 7:40AM to 3:30PM. 520-282-8424.

We are excited to announce the offering of a new dual credit class for next school year. It falls under the branch of General Technologies Mathematics (GTM), and the course is called Applied Technical Mathematics. The course will cover applied geometry and trigonometry. Includes a brief review of operations with integers; review of pre-algebra; systems of measurement; solving problems involving right- and oblique triangle trigonometry, perimeter, areas, surface areas, and volumes; and practical applications. It is a good opportunity for students in high level CTE classes and students who want to pursue trades as a career. Dual credit classes are a good way of getting your student's college career started before they leave high school. It is free for your student, and they will have the opportunity to receive college credit through Pima Community College. If your student has any interest, make sure to reach out to counselors and sign up for this new chance at college credit.

The Crochet Club is just one of many clubs available to your students at Catalina. The club meets in the Library, during lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays.