January Newsletter
Class of 2027
Class of 2027 Grade Level Team
(Ms. Bojorquez, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Carbajal, Mr. Watkins, Ms. Castrejon, Ms. Soto)
Upcoming Events & Important Dates
- Wednesday, January 10 - First day of Spring Semester 1
- Monday, January 15 - MLK Day, No School
- Wednesday, January 24 - Back to School Night
- Thursday, February 1 - Parent Shadow Day and Mid-High School Reflections
Enrollment for 2024-2025 School Year Opens on January 8, 2024
If you have siblings you would like to enroll for next school year, you must submit your applicaiton between January 8, 2024 and March 1, 2024. Helix is a charter school, so no one is automatically enrolled and you must apply before March 1 to ensure your incoming student has a spot. The application and all information about enrollment can be found here - helixcharter.net/Enroll.
Back to School Night - Wednesday, January 24 from 5:30-7:15
As our new term gets underway we invite you to visit the first term classes of your student on Wednesday, January 24. This is your opportunity to meet your student’s new teachers and to acquaint yourselves with the instructional programs. Your presence will also provide you with the tools to help your student(s) be successful in their classes. We will share more information via email as we get closer.
Parent Shadow Day & Mid-High School Reflections - Thursday, February 1st from 8:30-1:00pm
We are excited to invite you to our Parent Shadow Day! The purpose of this event is to observe your student’s classrooms and school environment. This year will be an extra special day because we are holding our Mid High School Reflections (MHSR) on the same day! MHSR is a project that all 11th graders must participate in. They present on their high school experience and goals going forward. We love to have parents and community members join us as audience members for these presentations. If you would like to participate as an audience member, please RSVP here. Audience members can check in at the admin building at 1:00pm and head to the library. We will provide a catered meal and give a brief explanation of the project. Right after lunch, we’ll head to classrooms to hear student presentations, which will run from 1:30-3:30.
We will be on the following bell schedule on Thursday, February 1 2024. If your student is not a junior participating in the MHSR, they may leave after 4th period or lunch.
Refreshments will be served in the Library during Parent Shadow Day, hosted by the Helix Foundation, Alumni Association and PTSA. Information and sign-ups for all three organizations will be available.
The PTSA will hold a quick, informational meeting during Nutrition Break at 10:30 in the library for any interested parents. You can meet the team and they'll share what they've been up to, including some great fundraising initiatives for students.
Free Mental Health Webinar Series for Parents and Caregivers in 2024
Click on the flyer for more information.
Happy New Year, everyone! The 2027 GLT will be hitting the ground running this month with course request season.
During this time, students will have the opportunity to select their classes for 10th grade. As sophomores, the Class of 2027 will have a broader selection of classes to choose from. Although the process may seem daunting, we are here to support you and your student every step of the way. Below you will find a timeline of the process and some information regarding our upcoming parent presentation. During this presentation, we will go in depth on what requirements our current 9th graders will need to accomplish next year.
Here we go!
Link to Course Request Website
Family First Course Request Presentation
Come learn more about choosing classes for 10th grade.
Wednesday January 17th via Zoom
Spanish Presentation at 5pm
English Presentation at 6pm
Presentations will be recorded. Q&A to follow
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Spanish Presentation:
https://helixcharter.zoom.us/j/81337789702
Passcode: SPAN2027
English Presentation:
https://helixcharter.zoom.us/j/85720836311
Passcode: CLASS2027
Student & Community News
Winter Play - Twelve Angry Jurors - January 24- February 3
The Highland Players production of Twelve Angry Jurors by Reginald Rose will be shown in the Helix Black Box Theater on the following dates:
- Jan. 25, 27, Feb. 1, 3 ("Fair" Cast)
- Jan. 24, 26, 31, Feb. 2 ("Impartial" Cast)
Community Service Opportunities
A list of community service opportunities can be found at helixcharter.net/community. We keep it very updated and some interesting new opportunities have just been added!
Winter Formal Eligibility
WINTER FORMAL ACADEMIC & ATTENDANCE EXPECTATIONS
We go back 5 weeks from the date of the dance to check the following:
No truancies
No suspensions
No more than ONE lockout
No more than THREE unexcused absences
No more than FIVE tardies
No more than FIVE excused absences
Must have 2.0 GPA from the December report card
Emails were sent to those students who have unserved detentions. Your dance privileges for Winter Formal have been taken away. If you received one of those emails and want to attend the dance, read the email and follow the directions on the email.
Language Placement
Interested in taking Spanish as your Foreign Language?
Placement testing for Spanish will take place 1/15-2/29:
Spanish SPEAKER placement testing: Mondays, 2:54-3:35 in room 400 students should plan on coming two times (once for the written assessment and once for the oral assessment)
Regular Spanish placement testing (non-Spanish speakers, those hoping to enter Spanish 120 or 3/4C): Mondays or Wednesdays, 2:54-3:35 in room 430
Students who have a background in a language are highly encouraged to take these placement exams in order to accurately assess their level.
French/ASL: All students wishing to test into French or ASL please email Mrs. Amanda Dolphin at dolphin@helixcharter.net
If you are a student who has taken an AP Language test, please send the score report to Ms. Soto and Ms. Castrejon in order to update your transcript. Make sure your name is visible on this report.
Student Highlight of the Month!
Our Student Highlights for the month of December are Brenton Gary and Merci Wymore!
The 2027 GLT chose Brenton because "Brenton has shown a lot of growth from the beginning of the year to now. He is always respectful and understanding and willing to implement the strategies and advice we give him. Brenton is an amazing student and person and we enjoy having him as a part of our Helix family."
Here is what Mrs. Heath had to say about Merci, "Today (December 21st) was my last day being Merci's teacher and as I told her, she is something special. She is the exact type of person that I hope my daughters end up being like. In my sixteen years of teaching, I have never had a student who was as thoughtful, caring and welcoming to ALL students. She goes above and beyond to make sure everyone feels special. On top of all of that, she is hard working, intelligent and confident. Thank you for allowing me to be her teacher and I hope that I continue to be part of her life in the future.
Every month your GLT will be recognizing students who have gone above and beyond and have shown what it means to be a true Scottie.
Academic Support News
Week 1 (Jan. 1 - Jan. 5) - Final Week of Winter Break
Week 2 (Jan 8 - Jan 12) - Start of Spring Term
January 10th - 1st day back
Week 3 - (Jan 15 - Jan. 20) Short Week - Martin Luther King JR. Day
No school Monday Jan 15
Week 4 (Jan 22 - Jan 26) - PARENT SHADOW DAY! (Jan. 24th)
Around the start of Quarter 4, the new EXL building should be completed. With that, EXL students will be moving into a new environment. While this is exciting, no changes about what we do in EXL will change. However, with the upgrade, we will have a better space for learning!
Back to School - with the start of a new semester, some of your class schedules are gonna change. As such, here are some things that you can do to be prepared:
Get organized and start early - while the holiday break was not long, it can be easy to fall into a mood of laziness. Stay motivated and engaged at the beginning! If you can start off strong and keep your grades high, you can still stay on track if you have some off days. Continue using tutorials and EXL to get help and truly understand what you are doing
Check your syllabus - this is where you can find all important information regarding the policies of your class/teacher. Be mindful of the expectations
- Prioritize health - make sure you are getting adequate sleep and food. These two things impact your function and engagement in school more than you think
Academic Coach Highlight
Bianca Gonzalez
Bianca Gonzalez is in her second year as an Academic Coach. Ms. Gonzalez has worked tirelessly to ensure the success of her students at all levels. She is always thinking forward and anticipating different ways she can work with the individual needs of her students. This is her first time in education and has grown to love it. Her years in customer service has been a benefit in building patience. Ms. Gonzalez loves art and is very much into crafts, especially painting. Also, she really loves history, Mesoamerican (Chicano history, which is what she majored in!) in particular. She wants to keep using her passions and learned experiences to encourage the young minds of our country.
What are your hobbies, and how did you get into them?
Her hobbies include anything relating to crafts! Her family was not interested in it but they wanted her to do it. So, they got her started by buying things like an iron press and cricket. Now, she makes all sorts of amazing things (Padres t-shirt with customized names).
How to Order School Photos
If you are wanting to order school photos of your student please keep in mind that the company that takes the photos reaches out to students about ordering pictures, not Helix. You might have emails from Cherished Memories Photography in your inbox that explain the process about placing an order. For your reference, here is the process:
- Go to their website https://cherishedmemoriesphotography.com/order/
- Type Helix into the search bar and select "Helix Charter High School"
- After you've been redirected to the new page, select "Fall Portraits"
- When you are redirected to the Sign-In page:
- FOR ONLINE CODE: Use the prefix GU & your Student ID Number to gain access. Your Sign-in would be GU*****
- FOR EMAIL: Use your Helix Email address
Helix PTSA Openings
The Helix PTSA plays an important role in keeping our community strong. We have the following open positions, please email helixptsapresident@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering. We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 5:30 in the Helix Admin building.
VP - Acts as an aide to the President and assumes duties as directed by the President. Direct duties: Preside at PTSA meetings when the president is unavailable. Find speakers for Membership meetings. Work on any special projects as needed.
SECRETARY - Responsible for keeping accurate records of the proceedings of the association, complete records of members and leaders, as well as sending communications on behalf of the board of directors.
HISTORIAN - Captures, assembles and preserves record of activities and achievements of a PTA.
Tutorials
Teacher Tutorial 2:54pm-3:35pm
Monday/Wednesday
Art, English, Helix First, LOTE, PE, Performing Arts, Science
Tuesday/Thursday
Business, Family/Consumer Science, Math, Social Science, Tech
Academic Support Tutorial 3:00pm-4:00pm
Room 1340 Monday-Thursday
*This tutorial offers more one-on-one support from Academic Coaches