With any luck, our students, our teachers, and our families had a restful break and are ready to move into the 2nd semester of the year with energy and optimism! Typically, January brings with it a whole new set of questions as student focus shifts toward the end of the 2022-23 school year. Below are some items that may be of interest to you as we start the second semester.

Our graduation ceremonies will be held on Wednesday, May 31st. There will again be TWO ceremonies. The early ceremony will begin at 3:00 and the late ceremony will take place at 6:30. Students will have the opportunity to submit ceremony requests at a later date and our team will work to balance the ceremonies based on the requests. Students and parents will be notified when the form to request their ceremony preference becomes available well in advance. As we have learned in prior years, two ceremonies makes for a much more enjoyable experience for all participants. It allows for more room to spread out in the stadium, parking is easier to find, and smaller ceremonies also allow us to "have a little fun" with the graduation ceremony and make it more enjoyable for our students. Stay tuned for additional updates.

Graduation FAQ

With graduation only a few months away, questions about the ceremony and what we can expect are already rolling in. Below are some frequently asked questions:

Q) Graduation is on May 31st. What time will the ceremony be held and where will it be?

A) There will be TWO ceremonies this year. One at 3:00 pm and one at 6:30 pm. Both ceremonies will be on Northrup Field at Tustin High School (the stadium).

Q) Why are you holding two ceremonies?

A) There are several reasons for holding two graduation ceremonies. The smaller ceremonies will allow us to issue more tickets to a smaller group of students while still meeting capacity restrictions. The smaller ceremonies also allow for easier access to parking and stadium seating. Similar to last year, we will also be able to allow graduates to walk in and sit with friends during the ceremony which makes for a "lighter," more enjoyable experience for our students.

Q) How will students be assigned to a graduation time?

A) In the coming weeks, an electronic form will be sent to student emails allowing them to choose which ceremony they would like to attend. Students will be placed in the ceremony they choose on a first-come-first-served basis. For planning purposes, students should coordinate with their peer group to select the ceremony they prefer.

Q) How many tickets will be passed out to each student?

A) At this time we are looking at 4-5 tickets per student. Depending on ceremony requests, it is possible that students in the smaller of the two ceremonies have the opportunity to receive an additional ticket if space allows for it. We will communicate final numbers in May.

Winter Sports are in full swing and many teams will soon start league competition. If you are interested in attending a game or match, check the schedule here. We've got Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Soccer, Girls Water Polo, and Boys and Girls Wrestling all competing over the next few weeks so there is plenty to watch!

Prior to leaving for a well-deserved break, our staff was treated to a breakfast hosted by our PTO. The mood was festive and there were raffles and contests to keep the energy going. It was a great event and our staff felt extremely appreciative. As a staff, we want to say thank you to the parents who volunteered their time at this event and to those who have volunteered or donated in other ways over the years. We appreciate you!

The lights for our Auxillary fields have been installed and should be operational shortly. These lights are designed to extend the use of our auxiliary field so that teams who are not in season have the opportunity to utilize field space for practice.

This month, our 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade students will begin choosing courses for next school year. The process begins with Grade Level Meetings where school administration educates students on how the process works and gives students things to consider when selecting classes for the next school year. Counselors will then meet with each student to verify courses, make adjustments, and finalize course requests. The process takes several weeks and adjustments are made throughout the second semester, but the process helps us build a student-centered master schedule that meets the majority of student needs on campus.

On 1/17, 1/18, 1/19, and 1/20 students will attend grade-level meetings where they will learn about course selection for the upcoming school year (Seniors will hear information about graduation and senior/end-of-year activities). In order to ensure that parents are "in the know" our counseling team holds "Counselor Coffees" that coincide with grade-level meetings. These meetings highlight the information shared with students but in a parent-friendly format.