Amazing Falcon Families,

"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” ~Winston Churchill

Happy Presidents' Day!

In our ongoing celebration of Black History Month, we focus on the athletic achievements of African-Americans Athletes who are some of the most enthusiastic individuals on the planet. They live the quote of Winston Churchill who said, "Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Gail Devers, a graduate of Sweetwater High School and is also African- American, is such individual. She is a two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters, the only second woman to accomplish such a feat. Her journey to Olympic gold was not an easy one. In 1990, she was diagnosed with Graves' disease. During her radiation treatment, Devers began to develop blistering and swelling of her feet. Eventually, the sprinter could barely walk and had to crawl and or be carried. A doctor considered amputating her feet. Amazingly, Devers recovered after the radiation treatment was discontinued, and she resumed training. At the 1991 World Championships, she won a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles. In 1992, she won her first Olympic gold medal. It wasn't until 1996 that she would win her second gold medal. She is a great example of enthusiasm, persistence and grit that many African-Americans have. These traits, however, are not just for African-Americans. All of us can be models of enthusiasm, persistence and grit. And the way we model these traits is by sticking it out during the challenging times in our lives and never giving up. Falcons, you can be just like Gail Devers.

Tomorrow is Resetting Password Day.

Falcons, due to our system outage, you and I will have to reset our passwords tomorrow during advisory. Your teachers will walk you through the process. In preparation for tomorrow, please choose a password with a minimum of 12 characters. Make sure that you write it down so that you don't forget. It is important that you charge your ipads tonight so that the resetting process is smooth. Thank you for being prepared.

It's Yearbook Time!!

Falcons, do you want a memory of this year. You may now purchase a yearbook for this year's memories. Go to ybpay.com and use our school code 14441323. The cost is $25. The cost will go up in mid-March and again in April. Copies are limited so buy them now. Parents, you will also have an opportunity to buy ads for your 8th graders. More information to come regarding student ads.

Falcon Flight and Spring Sports

Tryouts for spring sports has been moved to Tuesday due to our Girls' Soccer Team going to the championship game on Monday evening. However, in order to tryout, you must be signed up to participate in Falcon Flight. Please read the information below regarding Falcon Flight and/or Spring Sports. For more information, please email our to coordinators, Ms. Pulido at jessica.pulido@sweetwaterschools.org or Mr. Horton at joshua.horton@sweetwaterschools.org. Also, Spring Break field trips will occur this year and you must be signed up in Falcon Flight to

Falcons, let's have an amazing and safe week.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Finley

Falcons, I was so excited last Thursday when we left for our four-day weekend. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as at 4:30pm, it was brought to my attention that an individual who worked at the deli was violently attacked by a student who was trying to steal something. While the attacker was not a HTM student, we heard about the incident because videos on social media indicated that HTM students had recorded the incident. This saddens my spirit.

If the first thing you think of, when you witness violence, is to post it, there is something very wrong about that. First, I have said this many times over as it relates to our students fighting, violence or promoting violence is not acceptable. When you post recordings like this on social media, you are promoting violence. Our first thoughts should be to help or get help. When we see others film violence, our first reactions should be to stop the recordings. What these recordings do is to cement ideas in people that the Hilltop community is not a safe community. I believe our community is safe but we all have to do our part in keeping it safe. Falcons, stop recording violence please.

Furthermore, the deli is part of our community. The owner and its workers should feel safe serving us. They should not be afraid to have students come in and question the reasons why they are going into the deli.

As I have said before if you see or know something, say something to a trusted adult. Our first reaction should not be to post on social media. Violence is not acceptable and should not be tolerated by anyone. We have a great school in a great community. Let's continue to make our campus and community not only great but also safe.

Parents, if you have not done so already, please take time to discuss this incident with your children. Thank you.

Hello Students,
This is a reminder that you will be receiving a blue pass to go to our computer lab, room 1004 starting Tuesday, February 21, 2023. It is very important that you go to room 1004 because you will be taking the ELPAC test right away. This test is very important for your English placement and reclassification status. Please take a minute to watch the videos that I have attached for you to see. We wish you the best of luck with the ELPAC test.

Hola estudiantes,
Este es un recordatorio de que recibirás un pase azul para ir a nuestro laboratorio de computación, salón 1004 a partir del lunes 13 de 2023. Es muy importante que vayas al salón 1004 porque tomarás el examen ELPAC en cuanto llegues. Esta prueba es muy importante para tu ubicación en inglés y tu estado de reclasificación. Tómate un minuto para ver los videos que he adjuntado para que aprendas más información sobre la prueba. Te deseamos la mejor de las suertes con la prueba ELPAC.