Dear Jepson Families,

Our second semester is off to a smooth start and our students and teachers are connecting with one another in positive ways in our core classes and electives. Students are actively participating in campus life on our basketball and wrestling teams and coming together to make friends in a variety of clubs such as the Multicultural Club, E-Sports Club, Creative Writing Club, Club Rainbow, and more. Our Leadership students are doing a great job coordinating fun activities for us. We enjoy seeing our students show their Jaguar pride and spirit!

A big “thank you” goes to our PTC leaders---Heather Santopadre, Tera Whaley, Leah Purnell, Noel Bradanini, and Kymberly Hawkins---for their generous support of our school’s programs and activities, including at our basketball games and our recent Movie Night.

You will receive your student’s 2nd quarter grades later next week by mail. Please reach out to your student’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns. We want to partner with you.

Wishing you the best, and Go Jags!

Tom McHale, Principal

Joe Cooney, Assistant Principal

Jackie Carmona, Dean of Learning Support

• Monday, 1/16: No School, Martin Luther King Day
  
• Wednesday, 1/18: Quarter 2 Report Cards Mailed Home
• Thursday, 1/19: Winter Sports Rally (M/F Bell Schedule)
• Monday, 1/23 - Friday, 1/27: Great Kindness Challenge Week
• Monday, 2/20 - Friday, 2/24: No School, President's Break
  
• Friday, 3/17: Minimum Day, End of Quarter 3
• Monday, 3/20: Start of Quarter 4
• Friday, 4/7 - Friday 4/14: No School, Spring Break

All City Coach fares are scheduled to resume on February 1st, 2023.

The Vacaville City Coach bus system suspended fares for all riders in Spring of 2020 due to COVID-19. This included all bus routes and the City Coach Direct on-demand service. Suspended fares are ending this month.

Information about bus fares and where bus passes can be purchased can be found here: https://citycoach.com/fares/

· Youth (ages 6-18) Single Ride - $1.25

· Youth (ages 6-18) Monthly Unlimited - $21.00

· City Coach Direct - $3.00 per ride

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or you can contact City Coach directly at 707.449.6000 with questions about their fares or services.

The Soccer season will start the first week of February. The first informational meeting for students will be Friday, January 20th during both lunches.

• Girls Soccer - Meet in the Gym
• Boys Soccer - Meet in the Weight Room

Please make sure that students have a current physical with the front office. No physical = no tryouts. Tryouts start the first week of February! See you there.

Chris Marino, Athletic Director

Hello, Families of 8th grade students!

We are excited to announce our dates for Vacaville High Schools registration! However, if you have plans on going to Will C. Wood, Buckingham, or somewhere else, please call or email the counseling office to let us know as soon as possible!

On Monday, February 6th in our 8th grade science classes, VHS counselors will visit and get a chance to meet with each student and help them select their 9th grade courses. Students will then be able to take their course selection sheets home so that parents can review and then return back to Jepson. Most courses will already be pre-selected for all rising 9th grade students. Pre-selected courses include English, Health/Freshman Focus, PE, and Math (dependent on 8th grade Math). Students, however, will be able to select a Biology and elective choice that they would like to enroll in. While students may choose between regular and Agricultural Biology, two important courses that will determine elective placement are AVID and Foreign Language.

AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college readiness program designed to help students develop the skills they need to be successful in college. While the program is aimed for students who have the desire to attend college, are first-generation college students and are from an underrepresented/minority or low-income background, all interested students are welcome to attend the informational session.

Students who choose to begin taking college-required courses, or A-G classes, are advised to begin by taking foreign language as their 9th grade elective since they need to fulfill two consecutive years. Students can choose to enroll in Spanish, French, or American Sign Language.

Vacaville High School Orientation Info: 8th Grade Orientation Timeline

Important dates:

• Friday, January 13th - VHS AVID Applications and Teacher Recommendations are due!

• Tuesday, January 17th - Wednesday, January 19th - VHS AVID Student Interviews

• January 17th, 19th & 20th - 8th grade counselor visiting 8th grade Science classes to prepare them for the Vacaville High School Counselor visits.

• Monday, February 6th - The VHS Counseling team will visit Jepson 8th graders to begin the 9th grade Orientation process (in Person in Science Classes)

• Monday, February 6 - Sunday, February 12th - Aeries Student Portal Course request Registration window opens. Students should login to their student portals and complete their 9th grade course requests. All course requests are due by Sunday, February 12th.

• Wednesday, March 8th - 8th Grade VHS Preview Night for students and families (In person 6:30-8:00 pm @ VHS Gym).

• Saturday, March 11th - VHS Applications for Independent Study Physical Education (ISPE) due for consideration. VHS staff will communicate directly with students regarding the approval of their enrollment in the program.

• Monday, May 1st - Students wishing to participate in VHS athletics will need to get an updated physical examination dated after May 1

• Tuesday, August 15th - Freshman Orientation at Vacaville High School (information will be mailed home in the summer)

TBA- The Vacaville Early College High School (VECHS) program Informational Session

Students will all take part in a presentation from Jepson counseling on January 17th, 18th, and 19th in their Science classes. The presentation includes an overview of the transition to high school and the registration process. At that time, we will review an informational packet that includes resources about graduation and college entrance requirements. This presentation will get them ready and prepared for the VHS Counselors Visit.

We encourage all parents to begin the conversation of the high school transition with their children and encourage them to finish their last year of middle school strong. Counseling is available to answer any question regarding the transition to high school.

Warmly,

Cindy Ayala

8th Grade Counselor

707-453-6282

The counseling team will be running groups in the Spring. Help us plan our groups by filling out a quick survey! Small Groups meet weekly for a short period of time. Usually 3-8 weeks. In these groups you get the opportunity to talk about different topics, learn new skills as well as meet others.

What groups would you be interested in? Please Provide us with your first and last name as well as your grade level. Check the boxes of groups that you would be interested in and write in others if not listed. Here is the link: https://forms.gle/CJRvk2f9pskxv26u5 You can also find the link in the Counseling Department Google Classroom Please provide us with your first and last name as well as your grade. Check the boxes of groups that you would be interested in. Have any questions? Please feel free to email us at aclopez@Vacavilleusd.org.

The counseling office is a place where many students visit for various needs - scheduling, anxiety, peer conflict, grades, etc. One of our goals this year has been to create a wellness room for our students to access when they need time to decompress and focus on mental wellness. We have many needs to help get our wellness center up and running. If you are able to donate, please consider donating from our wishlist.

The next 9-week class for Parent Project will begin in March. Parent Project empowers caregivers with strategies and tools needed during these teenage years.

Use the QR code or click HERE to register!

The cold weather is here! It is not too late to grab your Jepson spiritwear sweats. Most sizes are in-stock and available for quick turnaround time. Order forms are available in the office. Proceeds benefit our Jepson PTC.

Our talented Jepson musicians and singers brought us into the holiday spirit with festive Winter Concert performances. We celebrate our Concert Choir, under the direction of Kenna Guy, Concert Band, Symphonic Band and Jazz Band led by Justin Au, Orchestra directed by Melinda Ellis, and Mariachi conducted Sergio Cabada. We are very fortunate to enjoy a rich music program at Jepson, and we look forward to our students’ future performances.

Have you logged into Aeries Parent Portal, yet? The portal allows you to track your student's grades and attendance on a daily basis! Click HERE to learn how to create an account.

If you need your student's ID number and verification code, please call us at (707)453-6280.

Yearbook pre-orders will continue now through April 22nd, 2023. In order to guarantee a yearbook please make sure you preorder your book using the link or QR code below. Our basic book package is still available at $35. After April 22nd the only other opportunity to purchase a yearbook is in-person sales. In-person sales will happen during the last week of school and the basic yearbook price will increase to $40.