Hilltop Herald - Parent Edition
Be Respectful ~ Be Responsible ~ Be Resilient
Volume 1 ~ Issue 16 ~ November 14, 2022
Wonderful Falcon Families,
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~William Arthur Ward
As we go into the Thanksgiving week, I want us to focus on all that is good. Eckhart Tolle once said, "Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance." It is impossible to be grateful and be depressed at the same time. And being grateful for what we have is a choice. I want you to take time this week to chronicle all the good in your lives and verbally express your gratitude for them. Here is what I am thankful for:
- I am thankful for my faith that keeps me grounded.
- I am thankful for my husband and two children who serve as constant reminders of what is important.
- I am thankful for my circle of friends who have encouraged me along this journey called life.
- I am thankful for my HTM staff who continue to persevere and aim to give the best of themselves and many times in sacrifice of their own families.
- I am thankful for all the HTM teachers who stepped up this semester and covered classes so that all students could continue learning at school.
- I am thankful for my students who have shown resilience beyond compare.
- I am thankful for my students who are willing to try new ways of learning
- I am thankful for my HTM parents who continue to do their very best to support their children's learning.
FLAGS Multicultural Fair this Friday, November 2022
Falcon Families, please come and join us this Friday, November 18 from 5:30pm -7:30pm. See flyer below.
Turkey Trot this Friday, November 18, 2022
Falcon Families, students have been working very hard to qualify to run for this year's Turkey Trot. We will have a special bell schedule where students report to Advisory just before lunch. Best wishes to all participants.
HTM Mock Elections Day Resutls
On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Falcons participated in a mock election on campus. Below are the results of the elections. Thank you to Mr. Stubbs and the US History teachers for make history come alive.
Your Semester Grades
We are 20 days away from the end of the semester. This means if you are good grades, you need to maintain them. If you are doing poorly, such as failing classes, it is important that you attend all available academic support. Additionally, you need to talk to your teachers. Please see section "What to Do after Progress Report 2." Eighth graders, any Fs can affect your ability to participate promotion. Please do what it takes to protect this rites of passage into high school.
Fall Spirit Week Starts Tomorrow
Our spirit weeks starts off with Crazy Socks Day. See all the days below. On Wednesday, we will have a Charity Day. We are asking that every students brings at least one can of food to give away. If everyone brings one, we will have 800+ cans of food to give to the food bank. Thank you for your support.
Winter Sports Tryouts Starts This Week
Students, cheer tryouts are this week while soccer tryouts are next week. You must be enrolled in Falcon Flight in order to tryout. Please make sure you join in the next two weeks. Please read the Falcon Flight section for more information.
Falcon Flight Program Rules and Changes
Falcon Families, 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. Early release begins at 4:35pm. If you cannot stay at least until 4:35pm, you might not be eligible for Falcon Flight. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Finally, we have two new coordinators: Ms. Pulido and Mr. Horton. They can be contacted regarding the changes via email: jessica.pulido@sweetwaterschools.org or joshua.horton@sweetwaterschools.org.
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
Winter Sports is almost upon us and you must be in Falcon Flight in order to participate. Parents, if your child wants to play Boys and Girls Soccer and Cheer, 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.
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.
Once your child has been chosen to be part of the team, we will host a Winter Sports Athletic Parent Meeting.
Now that Progress Report 2 is over, make sure that in the next 5 weeks, you are doing your best to maintain your grades if they are acceptable or make up missing work if your grades are not where they should be.
I have included the California Education Code and our district policy that govern how students grades are assigned. The maint point that I want to emphasize from this is that your teachers are the only adults on campus who can assign your grades. Both Ed Code and Policy state, "The teacher determines the final grade." A principal or assistant principal or counselor cannot do it. So..... it is important that if you are currently failing or receiving a D, that you, the student, needs to talk to your teachers as to how to raise your grades. This also means that you, the student, attend Falcon Scholars and/or Saturday Academy. Finally, it also means that you cannot submit late work just before the final grades are due in December. Furthermore, our board policy also states that excessive unexcused absences can negatively affect your grades. Thus, if you have any unexcused absences, you should attend Saturday Academy.
Falcons, you got this! It is time to show your resilient spirit and get to work.
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