Wildcat Press Newsletter
Feb 21, 2021 Vol. 29
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Principal's Message
Hello Wildcat Pride,
It always feels like the short weeks last forever, why is that?
This week we had a great turnout for our incoming 2021-22 students. So much fun to see all the new faces and to see younger siblings of current and former Wildcats cruising the campus. We have lots of our registration complete, but please check in with your student to be sure they have turned in their form and met with their counselor. The more students we have the more teachers we get and the more electives we get to offer.
In reflecting this week on how this year has gone, it is wild to think about all that we have been through, yet we are only 13 weeks away from summer. If you have a student who struggled through this year, summer school is a great way to help them get back in the groove. To strengthen some of the skills that may not have mastered during the virtual and hybrid learning periods. Also, now is the time to start communicating with teachers to ensure your student is completing the work and staying on top of the necessary skills for this semester. Infinite Campus is the correct gradebook, if it shows a grade lower than you would like, email the teacher for clarification on what needs to be done.
If your student struggles with math and you do too, Khan Academy and WolfRamAlpha are excellent programs that can benefit you both. Please know that all teachers are available to work with students, just contact them to set up times.
Only two weeks until spring break, lets keep everyone healthy and moving forward.
Thanks for your partnership, together we make Mesquite great!
Rod Huston
Principal
Mesquite High School
@MHSAZ_Principal
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MHS Administrative Team!
Mrs. Marguerite Brown
Assistant Principal
Activities and Clubs
Grade Level: Freshman
Juniors Last Name O-Z
@MHSWildcat_News
Mr. Rudy Alvarado
Assistant Principal
Athletic Director
Grade Level: Sophomores
Juniors Last Name E-N
@MesquiteAthDept
Mrs. Mitzi Escobar
Assistant Principal
Registration & Academics
Grade Level: Seniors
Juniors Last Name A-D
@Mhsescobar
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February Calendar
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Graduation Information
Cap and Gown Information
If you have not yet ordered your cap and gown, there is still time! Click on the link below:
https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1034683/Mesquite-High-School/
Caps/gowns/announcements will be distributed during both lunch hours on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 in the auditorium lobby.
Class of 2021
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Wildcat Counseling
Attention Seniors!
We want to recognize your accomplishments! Please complete the 2021 Senior Scholarship Survey here. This form must be filled out and submitted by Wednesday, April 7, 2021 in order to be included in the MHS Scholarship Recognition Program.
Attention Juniors!
The deadline to apply is March 24th.
ACT TEST - JUNIORS
AP Exam Registration for Spring Semester Classes
For students who are interested in taking AP exams for AP Government and/or AP Economics spring semester classes, the deadline to register for the AP exams is Friday, February 26th. The cost of the AP exam is $99.00. Click here for instructions to register for the AP exam(s).
Students may still register for any other AP exam until February 26th, but there is an additional $40 late fee per exam for first semester and year-long classes.
Taking the Advanced Placement exams is an important part of all AP courses. Mesquite High School desires that all students take AP exams for the AP classes that they have taken. Scoring well on an AP exam can often earn students college credit for their high school class, saving a significant amount on tuition.
Online Classes
If your student is taking an asynchronous online course through Global Academy, they need to be sure to log in to the course EVERY school day and spend at least 30 minutes logged in and working on the course. This is a state requirement for attendance. If they do not log in every school day, Global Academy will drop the course, which can result in having to start a course over from the beginning and/or being put on a waitlist because the class is now full.
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Academic Support
Peer Tutoring
PEER TUTORING is available during both lunches on TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS (10:30-11:00 and 11:55-12:25) in the MHS Career Center. No appointment is needed; come on in!
Assignment Tracker
Click here for an Assignment Tracker to list your missing assignments/quizzes/tests and catch up in your classes (you will need to make a copy of the Assignment Tracker in order to enter your information, or you can print a copy).
Counselor Appointments
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On Tuesday, February 23rd at 6:00 pm Maricopa Community College will be hosting a FAFSA Night for Mesquite High School. To access this live Webex presentation please click here. This presentation will assist students and their families in understanding Federal Student Aid. In addition, we will also go over the next steps after completing the FAFSA, grant and scholarship opportunities.
Students and their parents will have an opportunity to register for one-on-one sessions with a Maricopa Financial Aid Advisor. These advisors will meet with you in a private session, answer any questions and walk you through the process step-by-step. To prepare for these sessions we ask that you bring the following:
· Social security numbers (for parent and child)
· Tax information for 2019 (you can import this info from the IRS while you are here)
· Income information
· FSA ID
If you do not have your FSA ID, please click here to sign up for one. Both the student and the parent will need one to sign the application electronically. For additional information on completing your FAFSA application please visit the following website.
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Message from our Athletic Director
Research indicates that students who are involved in extra-curricular activities at school have better attendance, are more engaged and get better grades. Lets fill up our teams this spring. We have something for everyone and in most cases especially for freshman and sophomores very few will be cut. The spring options are boys volleyball, girls beach volleyball, boys and girls tennis, baseball, softball and track. Track has events for everyone so please encourage your kids to get involved.
March 1st is the start to our Spring season! In order to participate in tryouts, students need to be cleared in Register My Athlete prior to tryouts. In order to be cleared for tryouts, we need a physical as well as a certificate of completion for the Brainbook course uploaded into www.registermyathlete.com. For links to physical forms and brainbook, click HERE. If there are any questions about the requirements, please have your student swing by the athletics office and we'd love to help them out.
If you visit www.mesquitewildcats.com you can find coach contact information if you have particular questions about their program. Simply click on Spring Sports, choose your sport and you'll be able to find an email address for our head coaches. Thank you!
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Black History Month
Jesse Owens (1913 - 1980)
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Health Office Hotspot
HEALTH OFFICE HOTSPOT - AH AH AH CHOO!
Allergies, flu, Covid ... they all seem to have the same symptoms and can be difficult to determine the difference. Below is a simple chart to help determine what your child may be experiencing. As you can see, there are many of the SAME symptoms. If your child has seasonal allergies, please make sure he/she is taking their medication like they need to so symptoms are reduced. If the symptoms do not improve, or there are new symptoms that arise, we ask that you keep your student home from school and seek the proper treatment and follow up with your medical provider. As always, we want ALL of our students to be in class and on campus. You can help achieve this goal by keeping your student home when not feeling well. If you have any questions, we are here to help.
A healthy WILDCAT is a happy WILDCAT! GO CATS GO!!!!
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WILDCAT WELLNESS
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Mrs. Mims is a Licensed Master Social Worker and the School Mental Health Counselor here at Mesquite High School. She is responsible for providing individual and group mental health counseling support which is skills based activities and social-emotional learning support, and at times might include crisis prevention and intervention.
These Mental Health Counselor and Social Work Support Services are FREE and offered in hopes of assisting students become resilient, successful learners and gain positive personal and social competencies. Mrs. Mims can also help provide families support by connecting them with resources in the community such as outside therapies, local food pantries, housing assistance, and more.
If you’d like to learn more about how Mrs. Mims can help support our wildcats and their families during the school year, check on her google page here: https://sites.google.com/gilbertschools.net/megan-mims-lmsw-cctp/home or email her at Megan.Mims@gilbertschools.net if you have questions or concerns!
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SAFETY AND SECURITY
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About MHS
Email: mhsinfo@gilbertschools.net
Website: https://www.gilbertschools.net/mesquitehigh
Location: 500 South McQueen Gilbert, AZ 85233
Phone: 480-632-4750
Twitter: @MHSWildcat_News