Hilltop Herald - Parent Edition
Be Respectful ~ Be Responsible ~ Be Resilient
Volume 1 ~ Issue 11 ~ October 10, 2022
Wonderful Falcon Families,
"If you have a meaningful pursuit in life, it will never be easy" ~Kara Lawson, Head Coach of the Lady Blue Devils of Duke University~
I hope that all of you had a marvelous weekend and enjoyed family time. Last week, I shared with you about developing habits that help you to be successful by changing bad habits with great ones such as going to tutoring after school as a daily habit. This week, I want to challenge you to learn how to "handle hard better." In her second year as head coach of the women’s basketball team at Duke University, Coach Lawson tells her players that any meaningful pursuit in life is not easy, so we must learn to handle hard better. She says that life does not get easier; instead, it gets harder. So instead of looking for the easy way, she says we must embrace learning how to handle hard well. So, what is in your life right now that seems hard? Identify the "hard" thing and talk to someone, a teacher, a counselor, a coach, or any adult on this campus. It is your parents or uncles, aunts, and grandparents. If we combine this message with developing great habits, you will be able to accomplish anything that you set your mind on. Parents/Guardians, watch Coach Lawson video together with your child and discuss with them why this message is important for them to learn sooner than later.
Here is my own story about handling hard better. When I came into this country, I was an international student. That meant my visa only allowed me to be a student here in the United States. My parents dropped off my sister and me to attend PLNU with $100 in the bank in 1984. And they said to us, "That is all we can afford to give you. The rest you will have to figure out on your own." And then they left to go to the Philippines and then back to Africa. As an international student, I was only allowed to work on campus, which meant the amount I needed for college would not be sufficient. In my senior year, I decided to go to the immigration office downtown to request for a work permit knowing full well that they do not easily give work permits to Filipinos. Still, I stood in line with that thought but I said to myself, "What is the worst that could happen? Them telling me no. I might as well ask." I went up to the counter and stated my reason for getting a work permit. The immigration officer looked at me, took his stamp, and approved my request. That permit is what allowed me to get my first teaching job after college. If I listened to my negative thoughts, I may have never become a teacher here in the States.
One of the ways in which we handle hard better is have positive mental thoughts that we can replace when negative ones invade our minds. For me, I knew what the worst outcome was, so I needed not be afraid. What is your positive thought to help you handle hard better?
Increasing Tardies
Towards the end of the first quarter, we have noticed an increasing number of students who are tardy throughout the day and especially for Advisory at the beginning of the day. Students should not be tardy to Periods 1-6 because they are already in school. While Advisory tardies are more challenging, know that we take these very seriously also. We have implemented a tardy detention on the day of the tardy starting this week. You will be called by the office staff on the same day to determine if the tardy is excused. If a student is not able to attend that day, then he/she can do it another day on the same week. Remember, the first bell rings at 8:05am and they must be in class by 8:10am. Please listen to my video that follows my principal message.
Completing the Alternative Household Income Forms
Parents, we are about halfway through in our collection of these important forms. Submitting these forms helps the federal government to determine how much federal funds should they give to a district and school. Funds that we receive from having these forms help us to provide services to students and support for teachers and workshops for parents. If you have not completed one yet, please go to the section below on Household Income Forms and download the pdf form.
SUHSD Magkaisa Conference is October 15, 2022
The 20th Magkaisa Conference will occur on Saturday, October 15, 2022. Please read the information below. I hope all our Filipino students as well as other will attend. You will be receiving an email invite this week. Hope to see you there.
HTM Chocolate Fundraiser
Students, our schoolwide fundraiser begins on Monday, October 10, 2022. Participation is completely voluntary. If you want to help bring funds to the ASB for student events and activities, please talked to Ms. Reimund or your PE teachers. They will be distributing boxes tomorrow after school in the PE area. If you sell your one box by Wednesday, October 12, you will receive a breakfast burrito. You have two weeks to sell as many boxes as you wish but sell at least one. All monies collected need to be returned to the ASB. Fundraising ends in two weeks. Please see flyer below.
Falcon Flight Program Rules
Students, if you are part of the Falcon Flight Program, please make sure that you follow ALL rules to participate in the program. In the Falcon Flight section below, I have included all the rules that must be followed. This is especially important for accurate attendance records. Parents, know that for your child to leave early, you must have completed an early release form; this is important if your child has a regular day where he/she might need to leave early. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Please make sure that you read the newsletter in its entirety to ensure that you are in the KNOW of what is happening at HTM.
Sincerely,
Ms. Finley
All Falcon Flight Programs will resume on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. If you are a Falcon Flight family, it is important that you follow ALL rules pertaining to the program in order to remain enrolled in the program. Please read all the rules in the image below. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Ms. Reimund and Ms. Pulido who are the coordinators of the programs.
Parents, if you want your child to join Falcon Flight, click HERE to sign up. Once a staff member enrolls your student into the program, you will receive an email stating that they are now part of the program.
Effective upon returning from break on October 3, 2022, student athletes and VAPA participants are recommended, but no longer required to test weekly to continue to participate. Testing and masking requirements for Covid-positive, symptomatic students and close contacts are still in effect. Please continue protecting your family by testing weekly.
If you wish to continue to test weekly, click HERE to sign up for the testing program.
Students, if you test positive for COVID, click HERE to determine which scenario fits your situation. Once you have identified the correct scenario for you, please follow all safety protocols that go with the scenario.
For classwork, you will be placed on independent study. Please contact the attendance office to report the absence or email our assistant principal secretary, Ms. Garcia at patricia.garcia2@sweetwaterschools.org. It is important that once Ms. Garcia sends you the independent study form, you sign it immediately.
At this time, teachers are NOT required to host a virtual synchronous session during her in-person instruction. This is being negotiated with the teachers union right now.
Weekly COVID testing is no longer mandatory but strongly recommended for all athletes and extracurricular activities. If you have not done so already, please sign up with SDSU-NIH Testing program [Click HERE] or you will have to provide test results from your healthcare provider or other verified health organizations.
Easter Finley, Principal
Email: easter.finley@sweetwaterschools.org
Website: htm.sweetwaterschools.org
Location: 44 East J Street, Chula Vista, CA, USA
Phone: 619.498.2700
Twitter: @erfinleysd