Principal's Weekly Update

News and events from Aptos Junior High - Week of March 20

News and announcements!


Hello Sea Dragon families!


The Home and School Club is asking for your help selling burritos or a making a donation of a beverages to sell during the Burrito Bash event at our Open House on Wednesday, 3/22. Click on the link below to to volunteer your time or to donate a beverage. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4baeaf29a1fa7-ajhs#/

As we continue with recovery efforts in the Pajaro Valley I wanted to share a link to a vetted fundraiser for Farmworker families, for any of you able to donate.


Please send me your name if you are interested in serving next year on our School Site Council. We are on the lookout for four parent representatives. We meet once a month on a Thursday from 4:30 - 6pm. Thank you for considering!


A big shout out to 8th grader Alexa Morales, interpreter extraordinaire, who stepped in at the last minute to interpret for our 8th grade Parent Info Night last week when our official interpreter was unable to make it - nicely done, Ms. Morales!


8th grade parents, please be sure to get the completed field trip form for Great America back to us by Friday, 3/24 - thank you!


Best wishes for a great week!


Kerry le Roux

What's happening this week?

Mon, 3/20

  • Jesus Guerrero joins AJHS as our new full-time Campus Supervisor - welcome, Jesus!

  • Lunch time intra murals with Mr. Morgan

  • 3:30pm After School Math Support Class - Ms. Baronia in room 30


Tues, 3/21

  • 7:15am Dance team in the gym

  • 3:30 - 6:00 pm Drama in room 33

  • 3:30 - 4:30 - After school 8th grade academic support for Promotion participation (Wellness Center)


Wed, 3/22

  • Q4 PBIS Assemblies all day


  • 5:30 - 7pm Open House

    • 5:30pm - Burrito Bash in the quad (Home & School Club) - $10 for burrito (bean/cheese or chicken), chips, salsa, drink, dessert

    • 5:30pm - Art Show in Room 2

    • 6:00pm - Choir performance in the Gym

    • 6:15 - 7pm - Classes open for informal visitations

    • 7:00m - 6th grade parent Q&A in the Gym


Thurs, 3/23

  • 7:15am Dance team in the gym

  • 3:30 - Home games Girls’ Football; Wrestling

  • 3:30 - 4:30 - After school 8th grade academic support for Promotion participation (Wellness Center)


Fri, 3/24

  • Spring Picture Day - PE classes

  • Lunch time intra murals with Mr. Morgan

  • 3:30 - 6:00 pm Drama in the Gym


Sat, 3/25

Ongoing information from previous updates

Spirit Week coming up - March 27 - 31

Monday: Pajama Day!

  • Charades in Room 19 at lunch


Tuesday: Match-with-a-Friend/Friends Day!

  • 3 Legged Obstacle Course in back quad at lunch


Wednesday: Mis-Matched Clothing Day!

  • Photo Ops in the back quad at break


Thursday: Decades Day - dress in the clothing of your favorite decade!

  • Karaoke in back quad at lunch


Friday: Fanatic Fan Friday - sports, celebrity, games - show us your fandom!

  • Costume Contest for craziest fan outfit in back quad at lunch

Summer School 2023

We need your child's information if you are planning to send them to Summer School! There will be multiple programs and opportunities available to meet student needs. Classes will be Mon - Fri for 6 hours a day starting June 12 through July 7. Transportation will be provided, as well as breakfast and lunch. (Site location, as well as start and end times will be confirmed on May 1st.) Additional Expanded Learning before- and after- school opportunities will also be available if your child needs a 9 hour day.

The application deadline for priority enrollment is March 31, 2023. Applications will be accepted through April 10th. After this, students will be wait listed and placed if staffing and transportation permits.

Please click this link to add your student to the enrollment list!

8th Grade Promotion Info

8th grade families this is for you! Please click the link in parentheses for the letter explaining the new criteria for participating in the Promotion Ceremony on June 1. (Eng) (Spanish)


Save the dates:


  • March 27 - Ticket sales begin for Great America ($80 per student, covers buses and entry ticket; breakfast and lunch provided; students may bring additional spending money)
  • May 12 - 8 - 4pm - 8th grade Great America field trip
  • May 19 - 6pm - 8pm - 8th Grade Dance in the gym

(Dance Committee Planning meeting #2 is March 30 at 6pm in room 19)

  • May 30 - Promotion Practice (at AJHS) and Play Day
  • June 1 - 11am - Promotion Ceremony at Cabrillo College

Do we have a tax accountant in our parent community?

Do we have a tax accountant among our parent community? Willing to connect with our awesome Home & School Club treasurer (who has all the accounts up to date, no papework to track down) to consider preparing our tax return, preferably pro bono but we can talk! Mary Beth Ficklin would love to hear from you! mbficklin@gmail.com

Let us know if your student has COVID

Just a reminder to let our attendance office or health care assistant know if your child has COVID. (T. 831-728-7834) And don't send your child to school with COVID symptoms. Keep them home until their symptoms resolve AND they test negative. Quarantining at home when they're sick is the only way to avoid infecting others - we appreciate all the families who support this protocol.


Scenario 1: My student develops symptoms at school, what will happen now?

Your student will be sent to the Health Office and evaluated by our Health Care Assistant and/or School Nurse. You will receive a call to pick your student up from school and you will be provided two (2) home test kits and a COVID Form which you can also complete online. Please note: PVUSD will not test on site.


Upon arrival at home, have your student take the first home test kit. If negative, have them take the second home test kit 24-48 hours after the first test. Please note: if you would rather have your student take a PCR test through INSPIRE, please utilize the Inspire COVID-19 testing center at one of the county testing locations.


If both home test kits (or the INSPIRE PCR test) have resulted as negative for COVID, and at least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever- reducing medications, and other symptoms have improved, your student may return to school. For your student to be “cleared” to return to school, you are required to return the completed COVID-19

Clearance form provided when you picked up your child or complete the Google COVID-19 Clearance form online indicating that your child’s tests were negative and their symptoms have improved.


Scenario 2: My student develops symptoms at home, what should I do?

Please call (T. 831-728-7834) or email Yolanda Figueroa, our Health Care Assistant) and Susie Cunha our Attendance Specialist, to let us know your student has developed symptoms at home. Please include your student’s first and last name, grade level, and school site. An asymptomatic parent may pick up home test kits for a child from your home school site.


Have your student take the first home test kit. If negative, have them take the second home test kit 24-48 hours after the first test. Please note: if you would rather have your student take a PCR test through INSPIRE, please utilize the Inspire COVID-19 testing center at one of the county testing locations.


If both home test kits (or the INSPIRE PCR test) have resulted as negative for COVID, and at least 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever- reducing medications, and other symptoms have improved, your student may return to school.

For your child to be “cleared” to return to school, you are required to return the completed COVID-19 Clearance Form or submit the completed Google COVID-19 Clearance form online indicating that your student tests were negative and their symptoms have improved.

Language Ambassador Program through SCCOE

Parents, is your student multi-lingual? Click here for a great opportunity from the County Office of Ed to register your student in the Language Ambassador program (English) (Spanish)

Parent Volunteers - your help is needed!

We are still on the lookout for a volunteer - or volunteers - to support at lunch from 12:45-1:25pm on Mondays and Fridays. If you can help, please connect with Kerry and we’ll get you set up with volunteer paperwork.


We could also use extra support before school if you're available at drop-off time (between 8 and 8:45am). Thank you for considering! Email kerry_leroux@pvusd.net if you are interested!

Short Term Independent Studies

If you plan to have your student miss school for between 4 and 15 days due to an unavoidable situation, for example, out of state travel for family emergency, please consider requesting a Short Term Independent Study contract. To implement one of these contracts, you are required to meet with teachers at least 1 week ahead of the planned absence, and once the contract is signed, your student will be responsible for the work listed on the assignment sheet. This affords students the opportunity to keep up with any misses school work, and the school is able to recoup ADA funds in this way, which we are unable to do for unexcused absences.

Yearbook!

Yearbook! Click here to order!

Parents of 8th grade students, we will be featuring baby pictures in the 2022-2023 yearbook. If you would like to see your child's baby picture included, please email a picture to our Yearbook Class teacher Mr. Morgan (ryan_morgan@pvusd.net).

Athletics information

Is your student participating in extra curricular athletics?
You can find detailed after school Athletics info on our website by clicking here!

Remember: Track & Field and Boys' Volleyball starts 3/27 - tryouts are Monday 3:30 - 5pm!

Redwood Village Bridge - out of bounds

Please help us keep your students safe - the wooden bridge crossing over from Redwood Village to Soquel Ave is out of bounds due to damage from the storms. This includes the bridge itself, as well as the surroundings/underneath.

Palm Deli - Positive Behavior

We have had a spate of challenging behaviors recently from some of our students who head to Palm Deli after school. We want to be good neighbors with our business partners and ask that parents pick students up promptly after school. Students are not to loiter in the Redwood Village after school. Thank you for your support!

Parent Involvement/Education Opportunities

Mini Monday Parent Nights - 6:30pm Zoom meeting

March 27, April 24, May 22

Recorded for Youtube to watch later: tinyurl.com/YTParent


Parent Engagement Newsletter -

To subscribe via text

○ Send a text message to 81010

○ Type in the class code @fnbf


Family Engagement and Wellness Center - 530 Palm Avenue, Watsonville

T. (831) 786-2384

Tues-Fri 11am - 7pm

Sat 9am - 4pm

Aptos Junior High School

For more information about our wonderful school, please see the latest School Accountability Report Card (SARC) 2022!
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