Amazing Falcon Families,

"Excellence is not attained by chance; it must be sought for and attended to with diligence." ~Abigail Adams~

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year. I am so excited to be your principal at HTM. For many new students, starting schools can be scary and make you anxious. For many returning 8th graders, this might seem easy for you but I know some of you may feel anxious about being an 8th grader and what that brings. Do not fear! We are here to help you have a great first day and an amazing year of learning.

Wednesday, July 19 will be an exciting day. First day is always hard for incoming parents, especially when your child is moving up one grade level. In this case, you are also transferring your child to a new district. It is so overwhelming. All I can tell you is to take deep breaths and remain calm, which is hard to do BUT also necessary. New Falcon Parents, I am thinking of you as you start your journey in middle school. Get ready for the wildest ride of your parenting lives.

Starting Great on Day 1

As we start the year, I want to remind all of us to be kind in how we drop off and pick up our students. Parents, to avoid hassles, please bring your child to school early. School gates are open at 7:00am. Only students will be allowed to enter the campus. If you need to talk to someone, please park at the east parking lot and walk to the main office. Also, please honor the bus driveway by not driving through it. It makes our bus drop-off that much more dangerous when cars other than staff drive through it. Please read the section on this newsletter about dropping of students. Thank you for honoring this request. Additionally, I have provided a few suggestions that will help you have a great start on the first day. You will find them by scrolling down on the newsletter.

Bell Schedules and Important Dates

Please read the sections that pertain to bell schedules, especially for the first three days. Also included are all the different schedules you will experience throughout the year. Together with the "Dates to Remember" you will be able to plan your year accordingly. Note that each bell schedule has a different end times. Schedule E is only used for the first day of school and the end time is 12:55pm. Schedule D is used only a few times over the course of the year. It is used for the two subsequent days of the first day of school. The end time is 12:58pm. The most important bell schedules are Schedule A and B as they are used for 95% of the school days. These bell schedules are also on the website and in that student and parent handbook.

California Universal Meal Program in Schools

California is the first state to provide free meals to all students regardless of income. All students will be able to eat for free (one breakfast and one lunch). Your child can eat at the cafeteria. Students will need their Student ID number to get their free meal. If they want a second helping, they will have to pay for it. As the students figure out the lunch lines, they may take longer to get through; however, do not fear, we will make sure that all students get through the lines and will receive their food. Note: students may tell you that we ran out of food. We do not. Many times, students will say because they did not get the food they liked such as pizza. If you have any questions, please call us.

Completing your Student Registration

Parents, if you have not provided proof of residency and/or immunization, you have received an extension to submit until August 30, 2023. After that, if your child is still missing the required documentation, they will be dropped from our enrollment. Please take time to complete this process. See below on what is required. Contact our amazing registrar, Maria Quintero at maria.quintero@sweetwaterschools.org.

Class Changes Requests

At this times, counselors will NOT be able to change classes as they have a 10-day window to meet the SEA contractual deadline for student contacts, which is by the 10th day. If you are requesting a class change, please read the section below on requesting class changes.

Safety Protocols for Visiting our Campus

Parents, it is important that anytime you come on campus to visit or to request a student to leave campus, you are required to show us a valid government ID. Please listen to Ms. Cruz' video on this safety protocol.

ASB GEAR for Sale

Falcons, we have PE clothes for sale including ASB Spirit gear. Every Friday is Falcon Friday where we encourage all of you to wear blue or anything with Falcon logos. Below is a flyer that shows you what we sell. Sales are Cash Only. The ASB Store is open on the following days:

• Monday, July 17: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
• Tuesday, July 18: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
• During school: Lunchtime

Click HERE to access the order form. Complete before arriving to order.

Falcon Flight Information

If you are interested in participating in Falcon Flight, read the flyer in the Falcon Flight for information and also to access the enrollment form. Additionally, all athletics information is in the same section below.

Finally, below are important information regarding HTM. Please read the information on the images provided so that you know as much information as possible.

Students and Parents,

For the next 10 days, the counselors have been given a directive from me to do three things during school day:

• Correct any errors on students' current schedules.
• Adjust the master schedule as needed.
• Balance classes as mandated by teachers' contract. Deadline is the 10th day.

If your child wants to change classes/period/electives in the first 10 days, they need to follow this protocol:

• They can come to the counseling center before school, nutrition break, lunch or after-school
• Fill out a “request to see a counselor” form. Please help us by making sure that students are in the correct classes and in the correct grade level when they come to your class.
• Email their counselors about the change of requests.
• Any change of classes DUE to a medical issue will require a doctor's note with a potential for a 504 accommodation.

Thank you for understanding.

1. Upon entry, all cell phones must be turned off and placed in the backpack.
2. If your a staff member directs you to put it away, please listen and put it in your backpack.
3. Cell phones are not allowed in the bathroom. If you are caught with it in the bathroom, your phone will be taken immediately and must be picked up by the parents. NO EXCEPTIONS.
4. If a staff member takes a cell phone away, they will give it back to you at the end of each period UNLESS it warrants being taken to the main office.

Click HERE to read the HTM Dress Guidelines for 2023-2024 school year. If you have any questions, please talk to admin.

It is time to get GEARED UP as the most spirited Falcon. You will need spirit gear to earn this title! So, get your gear on! Let's see you in blue! Click HERE to access the order form. Complete before arriving to order.

• Enrollment Form in English
• Enrollment Form in Spanish

Athlete Participation Information

• Register your child on Aktivate.Click HERE to enter Aktivate.

• Physical Exams – All student- athletes must have a pre-participation physical screening completed prior to being cleared to participate in a sport. The physical must be current (within 1 year from the date completed) and be valid through the entire season of sport. Note: Athletic Physicals must be completed by an licensed Medical Doctor (MD), Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), Physicians Assistant’s(PA) or Nurse Practitioner’s(NP). Chiropractic Physicals will no longer be allowed (Board Policy 6145.a).

• Without Insurance, a student athlete will not be able to clear for a sport. For Sweetwater Union High School District offered insurance plans, please contact your schools ASB office for more information.

Fall Sports | HTM

• Boys and Girl Basketball
• Softball
• Baseball
• Cheer (All Year)
• Cross Country

Winter Sports | HTM

• Boys and Girls Soccer

Spring Sports | HTM

• Co-Ed Flag Football
• Girls Flag Football
• 7th and 8th Grade Girls Volleyball
• Boys Volleyball
• Girls Field Hockey
• Track and Feild