Wildcat Press
Sept 13, 2020 Vol. 8
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Principal's Message
Hello Wildcat Pride,
I would say we had a pretty great first week of students back on campus. They were clearly happy to see one another and their teachers. Most kids I spoke with were glad to be back "in" school, although a lot of them would have liked to sleep in and come later in the day.
Thank you to all of our community for helping to insure that we are back and safe. For the most part our students were great about following directions of staying to the right, social distancing, masks up and sitting in small groups at lunch. Anyone who "forgot" was quick to correct with a simple reminder.
As students continue to return and school becomes more and more "normal" we will continue to give gentle reminders to adhere to all the rules. Please help us by giving reminders at home, that to stay in school we need to follow the state and district guidelines. Each week we will see more and more normalcy returning to campus, next week we begin having home badminton matches, then volleyball and football.
It was honestly just great to get kids back on campus they bring an energy. When they are not here days seem to last a week.
Thank you to our families for trusting us to take care of your students, we promise to treat them as our own. We will continue to do everything possible to keep them safe.
Have a great week, stay safe and be well,
Rod Huston
Principal
Mesquite High School
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MHS Administrative Team!
Mrs. Marguerite Brown
Assistant Principal
Activities and Clubs
Grade Level: Freshman
Juniors Last Name O-Z
Mr. Rudy Alvarado
Assistant Principal
Athletic Director
Grade Level: Sophomores
Juniors Last Name E-N
Mrs. Mitzi Escobar
Assistant Principal
Registration & Academics
Grade Level: Seniors
Juniors Last Name A-D
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Wednesday the 16th is a Virtual 1/2 day
Students with the last names M-Z will attend school on campus Tuesday's and Friday's.
Upcoming Important Dates
- Early release Wednesday, September 23rd
- Early release Wednesday, September 30th
- Grading 1/2 day K-12 Friday, October 2nd
- Fall Break - Monday, October 5th - Monday, October 12th
Student Parking Passes
- Students driving themselves to school are required to park in the student lot on the North side of campus.
- Parking in the student lot requires a parking pass, parking passes cost $60 for the year.
- If you need to purchase a parking pass please remember to fill out the Parking Rules and Regulations sheet and turn it into Mrs. Walsh in the bookstore to pick up your parking pass.
- Your car in the parking lot is not at locker, students will not be allowed to go to their cars during the school day.
Dropping off Personal Items for Students
- We will only accept emergency items being dropped off. Things such as PE clothes, instruments or homework.
- These items will need to be brought to the front desk.
- If you have a medical emergency please check in through the nurses office.
- We will not be calling students out of class to pick up items, they will need to come during passing period.
- Food and drink are not permitted in the classroom, therefore we will not be calling students down to pick up big gulps or Dutch Bros. etc.
- Please understand that we are trying to minimize disruptions to the learning environment.
- We are also trying to keep our campus as safe as possible.
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SOS Prevention Program - Sept 28 - Oct 01
As part of our commitment to prevention education, Gilbert Public Schools (GPS) is offering depression awareness and suicide prevention training as part of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) prevention program. This program has been proven to be successful at increasing help seeking by students concerned about themselves or a friend and is the only school-based suicide prevention program listed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as an evidenced-based program.
This year, our school will be holding the Signs of Suicide Prevention Programming during the following dates: 9/28/20-10/2/20.
If you do not wish for your child to participate in the program, please complete the parent permission OPT-OUT form.
If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in the program.
SOS Portal for Parents
There is a new feature for parents, right under the sign in feature, where you can click on the active link and it will take you to the Parent resources.
SOS Parent Portal Link: https://sossignsofsuicide.org/parent
This portal provides access to the SOS videos, tips on how to talk to teens about mental health, as well as COVID-19 materials. It is important to note that as a school, we will NOT be administering the screener as stated in the portal for parents.
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Counseling Department
MHS Counselors
Ms. Erin Harris: Last names A- F
Mr. Joe Domikaitis: Last names G-N
Mr. Larry Cook: Last names O-Z
Mental Health Counselor: Mrs. Megan Mims
Counseling Secretary: Mrs. Kaley Farley 480-632-4750 ext 1134
Students will need to submit a Counseling Appointment Request Form to schedule an appointment with their counselor. There will also be signs posted in school with a QR code for students to scan to submit the Counseling Appointment Request Form.
Early Release Form
Please also remember if you have NO RELEASE, OFF CAMPUS RELEASE, or RELEASE TIME in your schedule, please complete the 2020-21 Release Time Form
If you have not done so already, please email the completed form to Kaley.Farley@gilbertschools.net
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Counseling and Career Center Google Classrooms
Be sure to join your cohort's Google Classroom to receive important counseling, college and career information throughout high school.
- Class of 2024 (Freshmen) - class code: yoeirhl
- Class of 2023 (Sophomores) - class code: td5n5a7
- Class of 2022 (Juniors) - class code: eqt23fb
- Class of 2021 (Seniors) - class code: j4jam3c
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PSAT/NMSQT Exam - Saturday, October 17
Attention Sophomores and Juniors!
Mesquite High School is offering the opportunity for students to take The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) on Saturday, October 17 at 8:00 a.m. at Mesquite High School.
The exam measures critical reading skills, math problem-solving skills and writing skills. Students can take the PSAT/NMSQT in order to receive feedback about strengths and weaknesses, enter the competition for National Merit Scholar scholarships (11th graders) and to help prepare for the SAT.
Online exam registration is now open and will end on Fri, Oct 2, 2020 at 11:59 PM. The cost of the exam is $25. To register and pay to take the PSAT/NMSQT exam, please go to: www.TotalRegistration.net/PSAT/030157
Here are the important dates for the registration process:
Fri, Oct 2, 2019 at 11:59 PM - Registration Ends
Sat, Oct 3, 2019 at 12:01 AM - Registrations and payments after this date will incur a $10 late fee.
Mon, Oct 5, 2019 at 11:59 PM - Registrations that have not been paid for will be canceled and exams will not be ordered.
Please contact Ms. Erin Harris at Erin.Harris@gilbertschools.net if you have questions.
Why is the PSAT/NMSQT important?
Taking the PSAT/NMSQT opens the door to more benefits than you might think.
It connects students to more than $235 million in scholarships, including the National Merit® Scholarship Program. If you opt into the free Student Search Service®, scholarship providers will invite you to apply.
It's excellent practice for the SAT. Both tests measure the same knowledge and skills and ask the same types of questions, so PSAT/NMSQT takers will know what to expect on the SAT.
It's the first step to a free, personalized SAT study plan. Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy® uses your PSAT/NMSQT score to create a customized SAT study plan with sample questions that focus on areas where you need help.
It shows student progress on the road to college. The PSAT/NMSQT is part of the SAT Suite of Assessments that shows you whether you are on track for college.
It shows which Advanced Placement Program® (AP) courses you are ready for. The PSAT/NMSQT Score Report indicates which college-level AP courses you have the potential to succeed in.
Free online SAT practice:
The format and content of the PSAT/NMSQT is almost the same as the SAT, so a great way to start your practice is to use the official SAT practice on Khan Academy.
Just visit www.collegeboard.org and click “Sign Up” to get started.
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Advanced Placement Exams 2021
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Arizona College Consortium Virtual Conference and College Fair
Mesa Community College along with over 30 other post secondary institutions, will be holding free, interactive virtual college fairs for high school students throughout the fall semester. One of the best parts about these events is that high school seniors have the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a $500 tuition scholarship!
Please join us for our first fair that will take place:
Saturday, September 19, 2020
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Registration is now open, and we ask each of you to encourage students to register, browse Mesa Community College’s booth along with any others they are interested in. We will have representatives available to chat with students and answer any questions they may have.
In addition, there will be two more fairs in the fall and three more in spring, with more information to follow.
View the Fall College Fair View Book to learn more about the institutions who will be participating in the fall fairs.
Students, parents, administration and counselors can register here:
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Message from our Athletic Director
What a week it has been for our Boys Golf team as they defeated both Highland HS and Desert Ridge HS in their match on Thursday.
Great job fellas!
I'm already looking forward to next week when we get our badminton team up and running as well.
This weeks schedule:
Monday 9/14 4 PM Badminton at Home vs. McClintock
Tuesday 9/15 3 PM Boys Golf at Dobson Ranch vs. multiple opponents
Thursday 9/17 4 PM Badminton at Home vs Millennium
This week we announced the hiring of our new Boys Basketball coach, Mr. Shawn Lynch. With years of experience as a coach, teacher, and administrator, I am confident in his ability to develop our players on and off the court.
Please see the announcement below for an important meeting.
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Attendance
Bus Information
Click below to find current information on buses
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Chromebooks
The last day to purchase the Chromebook Device Protection Plan (DPP), is the end of day Friday, September 18th.
The cost is $25.00 and will cover unintentional damage for this school year. If it isn't used this year, it rolls over to next year. It may be purchased in the bookstore or in Infinite Campus.
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Safety & Security
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