Mariner Update Family Edition

Volume 14 Issue 8

I love our school, and I hope you do too!

As educators and parents, our gifts are meant to be shared for the benefit of others—essentially, the purpose of receiving a gift is to give it away in service and love. Together, we are using our gifts to build up our students and strengthen our school community.

Principal Message: Stay the AVID/WICOR Course

As we continue to enhance our students’ learning experience and prepare them for future success, I want to introduce you to an important part of our program: AVID and the strategies we call WICOR. These strategies—writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading—are at the core of how we engage students and prepare them for college and career readiness.

We are proud to announce that IHCS is working toward becoming an AVID Demonstration School—a distinction awarded to schools that exemplify the best practices of the AVID College Readiness System. Demonstration Schools serve as model institutions for other schools and districts, showcasing how AVID can transform learning environments. Our K-8 AVID program’s many strengths have positioned us well for this honor.

We are fortunate to have the guidance of Traci Vaughn, our RCOE AVID Coordinator, and Dennis Regus, RCOE Math Consultant, as they help steer our AVID Team. Their expertise will guide us through an AVID walkthrough focused on applying WICOR strategies in mathematics.

On Thursday, October 10th, Ms. Vaughn will meet with our AVID Team to discuss the next steps in our journey toward becoming an AVID Demonstration School. These schools are known for fostering a college-ready culture, maintaining high expectations, offering inquiry-based tutorials, and empowering AVID educators to lead with purpose. Ms. Vaughn has consistently assured us that IHCS is more than ready to undertake this process with confidence.

At the heart of our AVID program is a mission to level the playing field for students from minority, rural, and low-income backgrounds. This aligns perfectly with our school’s mission of achieving high levels of success for every student. Together, through our collective dedication and belief in what’s possible, we will continue to create opportunities and pathways for success, ensuring that this vision becomes a reality for all.

October 10th marks the start of our journey toward becoming an AVID Demonstration School. In the near future, our AVID Team will present the next steps to staff, students, parents, and our guiding coalition at upcoming meetings. We look forward to your partnership and support as we continue on this exciting path.

Remember, we are not in this alone. We have an incredible team here, and the more we lift each other up, the more we can empower our students to learn at the highest level.

So, stay the course, seas the day, and let’s SAIL together. As we do, success will continue to make waves across IHCS! Keep believing—it’s our turn.

Sincerely,
Your dedicated admin team –

Assistant Principal Mrs. Barry, Assistant Principal Mr. Castro, and Principal Mr. Candelaria

Mariner Families! As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th, we invite you to contribute to our festivities by volunteering during students' lunch hours (10am-1pm). We are seeking enthusiastic parent volunteers to help with a variety of activities, including coloring, facilitating games, and reading books. If you are interested in participating, please stop by the front office to sign up for a time slot that fits your schedule. Please note that volunteers must have completed the district’s volunteer application process and their designated ID card. If you haven’t had the chance to do so, you can start the application process by visiting this link: https://www.perrisesd.org/page/volunteers We greatly appreciate your support and look forward to celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month together! Best regards, IHCS Admin Team!

Click here to apply to volunteer

Inside our ship

Saturday STEAM and Mariachi School: We will have our second STEAM Saturday Academy on Saturday, October 12th. If your student is already in the Saturday Mariachi Class, you will need to fill out an application for STEAM Saturday Academy if you wish for your child to attend the STEAM School after their mariachi class has concluded. Call our front office if you have any questions.

Friday Flag: Join us at our Friday Flag Ceremony as we celebrate student achievement, student attendance, Hispanic Heritage Month, our former School Advisory Council members, and Mr. Chasteen will lead the band in a special performance and more. Also, Mr. Castro, Assistant Principal, (AKA, Mr. Amazing!, not to be confused with Mrs. Barry, Assistant Principal, (AKA, Mrs. Amazing!) is pictured as he is creating a special musical arrangement surprise for the ending of our ceremony!

Love for Life Student Ambassador Program: Permission Slips were handed out last week to selected students. Students who were not selected will be placed on a waiting list. We will begin the Love for Life Student Ambassador program on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. The program will take place after school in the front office, from 3:45-4:45, each Wednesday. Students will learn information Grades 3-5 group with support from Mrs. Santiago in the front office conference room and Mr. Llausas will support the middle school group who will meet upstairs in room 127.

The ambassador program will include a group of 15 selected students in grades 3-5 and an additional middle school group of 15 students, who will learn strategies to promote a positive school climate. The ambassador program will promote a positive school climate through mentorship and will emphasize the cultivation of resilience, equipping students with tools to prevent bullying, and to build confidence and empathy, and foster leadership skills. Student ambassadors will be supported to conduct in-class presentations to practice peer to peer support and raise awareness about relevant causes, as well as providing information on the resources available to support all students. This program will provide an opportunity to make a schoolwide outreach and impact students beyond the participating ambassadors.

National Walk to School Day: National Walk and Roll to School Day is an annual event that takes place in October to promote walking and rolling to school. The day aims to raise awareness of the benefits of walking and rolling (bikes, scooters, etc…) to school. Thank you to Mrs. Testa and our IHCS Cheer Team for organizing this special walk to school event on Wednesday, October 9th, and leading our students, staff and parents along the way with a very positive IHCS spirit. Thank you to all who participated.

AVID Insider

Students in grades 3 to 8 have a planner that they are expected to use every day. Sometimes, they may not be sure how to use it properly. Here’s a helpful resource to guide students on what the planner is for and what they should write in it.