“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”

~Madeleine Albright

Good afternoon Ochoa Families,

Thank you to the parents who participated in last week's workshop with Familia Adelante, we challenge you this week to bring a friend or two. There is valuable information for all families. Can't attend in person on Friday at 9AM? That's okay, we also have a virtual option available. Link to Flier_English / Flier_Spanish. We hope to see you there!

As a parent, I have asked my children, many times... "What did you do/learn in school today?" I was always met with, "oh nothing." Sometimes we have to ask follow up questions to probe and get to the heart of the details. Here is a high level update of some of the things students have been learning: In Science our 7th and 8th graders are learning about ecosystems and magnetism respectively. History: In 7th grade history, students are just finishing a unit on China and are moving into Medieval Japan, where students are learning to make inferences and think critically about historical leaders and events. Our 8th graders just finished the Jefferson Era, and investigating major changes from Jefferson to Madison's presidency. Our English and Puente classes are reading various novels and drawing on specific themes through readings, discussions and socratic seminars. Math is working on inequalities, pythagorean theorem, absolute value and trigonometry. Our Music programs are preparing for the upcoming All-District Music Festival. Art students just learned about "Notan," an art design that explores the balance between light and dark, contrasts. AVID students are exploring the soft-skills needed as adults to develop for successful college lives and careers. Financial Literacy students, are learning how to live on their own, maintaining a household and managing finances.

As a reminder, in March, we continue to observe Women's History Month. We will celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of Women, past, present and future. Ask your students what they are learning through our daily morning announcements and in their classrooms.

As the weather begins to warm, I want to remind families to speak with their students about what attire is school appropriate. Know that the dress code is intended to maintain safety for all students, with that said, we do try to enforce our dress code equitably. Safety is our number one priority, and we are also preparing our students for life as adults. We do not enjoy enforcing the dress code, and or delivering the message about losing privileges as a result of these violations.

Please remind students of the following:

• No undergarments shall be exposed
• Slides, that is a shoe open at the toe and heel are not permitted
• Pajamas are permitted only during school spirit week
• Crocs can be worn with the heel strap only, but are not suitable for Physical Education class
• All students who are wearing tank tops must make sure the straps are 2-3 fingers/inches wide
• Tube tops/halters that have excessive cleavage should be worn on the weekends with family or with a sweater or shrug at school
• Jeans with holes are okay, however the holes may not expose any undergarments, or the area from the waste to the knee. If jeans have holes, we encourage they wear shorts/under armour to ensure its not too revealing.
• Clothing items that promote drug, alcohol use or profanity may not be worn at all
• Shorts should meet your thumbs when your arms are placed at your sides

We appreciate our students and families at Ochoa. Have a wonderful week! Thank you for your continued partnership as we support our students. *Please read my message on parking lot safety below!

Warmly submitted,

~Principal Rowe-Andrews

Message for Family Newsletter -

Ramadan Observance

Ramadan begins at sundown on February 28 and is observed through sundown on March 29. Some of our Muslim students will be observing Ramadan and we would like to invite families to communicate with your child’s teacher, counselor or principal to let us know if your child will be fasting or other things we should know about. Here is a page about Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr with essential facts that can increase our cultural awareness.

At Ochoa each year we provide a safe space each year to allow students who are observing Ramadan. We will include this in the morning announcements for any student who would like to participate. They would simply need to alert the main office, site admin, AP Ms. Pisa or myself, Principal Rowe-Andrews and we will ensure they have the appropriate details.

Thank you.

As you have heard me say many times, the primary responsibility of school staff, admin included is student safety and learning. As Ochoa staff and I supervise the parking lots at drop off and dismissal, there are serious safety concerns that we must not ignore. Please help us to keep our students safe by adhering to the following:

• Do remember there are children walking/crossing; they may not be alert always
• Do always yield to school busses
• Do adhere to ALL traffic signage (example: stop signs/no u turns/right turn only/directional arrows)
• Do drive less than 10 mph while inside the loop and our parking lots; be ready to stop
• Do travel the state mandated speed limit of 25 mph (or less) when driving in a school zone
• Do drive one way in and one way out allowing a more efficient flow of traffic
• If you are in the rear parking lot, and there are no spaces, please exit to allow the school buses sufficient space to move/ingress/egress
• Do not block the entrances to either lot

What is LCAP? The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) serves as the spending plan that accompanies the District's budget. The LCAP is a three-year plan that describes the goals, actions, services, and expenditures to support positive student outcomes that address state and local priorities.

LCAP Presentation: Presentation_English or Presentation_Spanish

SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED==> LCAP Survey: Click ==> to Take Survey_English/Spanish

Thank you to those who took the survey.

Hello Ochoa Community,

As you know at Ochoa we are all about encouraging a College Going Culture and Career Readiness. We will be hosting our annual Career Day here at Ochoa to show our students the amazing career possibilities they can look forward to. If you or someone you know has a career in Nursing, Cosmetology, Medical, Engineering, (any area), Aviation, Graphic Arts/ Design, Dentistry, Cyber Security, Education, Mortuary Services, Coroner, Pilates Instructors, Dancers, Artists, Music Producers, Content Creators, Influencers, Marketing Specialists, Researchers, Acting, Landscape Design, Nail Tech, Lawyers, Writers, Motivational Speakers, Scientist, Forensic Scientists/Psychologist, Criminologists you name it. There are no careers that would be off limits. We want invite them come speak with our Ochoa Scholars about their career paths.

Presenters can be on site for one class period or six, tell us your ideal timeframe and we can make it work. All presenters will be assigned a room with specific equipment they request. There will be teachers/staff in the room at all times and your presentation can be from 10-15 minutes and allow 15-20 minutes for question and answer sessions. We hope to expose students to a many careers opportunities. Please help us prepare for our March 19th Career Day from 8AM-1:30PM. We will provide presenters with breakfast and lunch. Please see the flyer and sign up below.

UPDATE: At the last Saturday HUSD Budget Town Hall, our Superintendent, Dr. Reimann expressed that every student absence district wide, not only costs valuable learning time for our students, it also costs HUSD approximately $86 per student, per day. Our Assistant Sup of Business Services, projects "just a 1% increase in attendance, can yield as much as $2 million" back into the district to be used to better support student learning and development. That is a significant amount of possibility that our students are missing out on. How can we make changes at Ochoa with our student population to improve these outcomes? We are at 91.21% for December (👇from November 92%) and our goal is 98%.

Check back often for updates on our current budget shortfall.

Let's talk about the upcoming assessments for which students are responsible.

English Language Proficiency Assessment of California (ELPAC) Testing-begins in March. This assessment is taken by our multilingual students, who speak a language other than English as their primary language in the home. The goal: reclassify as English Proficient

Parent Guide to understanding the ELPAC Test_ENGLISH and IN SPANISH

STARTING SMARTER PRACTICE TESTS & SAMPLE SCORE REPORTS

CAASPP Testing Begins- April 28, 2025

C.A.A.S.P.P.- ELA & Math Tests (7th & 8th Grade) This assessment is taken late April into May by all 7th and 8th grade students in California and assesses student reading comprehension, writing skills, and research skills

Parent Guide to Summative CAASPP_ENGLISH and IN SPANISH

PRACTICE TESTS FOR STUDENTS

C.A.S.T.- California Science Test (8th Grade) This assessment is taken April into May by all 8th grade students; it covers all of the sciences from earth and space, physical, and life sciences.

Parent Guide to Understanding the CAST_English and IN SPANISH

PRACTICE TESTS FOR STUDENTS

*Click here to link to a current (2023-24) sample of the CAASPP student report.

Families, at our last District English Language Advisory Committee meeting, our MLL department shared a new resource that you may use to help your students prepare for the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC). Summit K12 is an online application that students now have available to them to help develop their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in English. Please take a look at this video to learn more about Summit K12_English or Summit K12 _Spanish. Summit K12 is a great way for your student to practice and build their skills to become English language proficient.

Parents, you can learn English along side your student, as this program allows up to four sign on's per family. Here are the instructions to access Summit K12_How To Access_English or Summit K12_How to Access_Spanish

ELAC Meeting

1. Next ELAC meeting is March 13th

__________Additional Resources:_____________

Click here to: Visit our Multilingual Learner Department's Webpage

Resources for Families of Multilingual Learners

Parents: Get Involved

District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC)

Site Level: English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC)

Board Policy 6020: Parent Involvement & Family Engagement

*EL Spec Schedule: at Ochoa the 2nd and 4th Wednesday/every Thursday and Friday.

We hope to see you in attendance for the budget meetings continuing this week.

📕Update: This week, Admin will be meeting to ge additional information about decisions around the budget. We will keep you posted as information develops. Also a special Board of Education Meeting to share the plan with the public has been added to the calendar for Tuesday, January 14th at 5PM (open session only). Please follow this link to log in by Zoom (to offer your input) or by You Tube (simply to observe/listen)

SBDM meets: **Tuesday, April 8, 2025 Meeting Agenda (Eng/Span)~Hybrid

Submit Meeting Agenda Items by clicking the box below Due: 3/31/25

I feel it important to share with you the urgency of getting students to school each day. Ochoa, like all schools sets an attendance goal for each month. Although we strive for 98% monthly attendance rate, we have not been able to reach 95% as of yet this year. We are noticing patterns of absences, Monday, Wednesdays, and Friday each week. If your student has appointments, we ask that you make them at the end of the school day whenever possible. We especially are noticing patterns of absences around holiday weekends. More than anyone, we recognize the need to enjoy a little family time, however doing so may come at a cost to your student's learning. Take a look at our attendance rates so far this year.

Our monthly Attendance goal: 98%

**February attendance= 89.48%

January attendance= 91.78%

December attendance=91.21%

November attendance= 92.17%

October attendance = 93.5%

September Attendance = 93.3%

August Attendance = 94.19%

When our students miss instruction, they are still responsible for the work and mastering the content. Repeated absences over time (days, weeks, months, years) has the potential to create learning slide. This can make children fall behind their grade-level peers and create a level of anxiety, when they are unable to perform in the classroom. Help your student move toward the path to success this year and make sure they are in attendance daily and for the duration of the school day. Quarter 2 starts this week, let's turn our attendance rates around. Help Ochoa achieve a 98%!

Keep your Child on Track in Middle School_English

Keep your Child on Track in Middle School_Spanish

• The N-word+ ban policy translated into Spanish for easy access and understanding.

• A document outlining the history and harm of the n-word, also translated into Spanish, to help families discuss the significance of the policy at home.

• A link for families to provide their input on the policy, ensuring their voices are heard.

• A resource guide on how families can support at home (Spanish here and English here) with practical tips on fostering conversations about respect, inclusivity, and the importance of eliminating hate speech.

• Slide decks from the presentation: English presenter and Spanish presenter

• Spanish Words That Are Anti-Black & Anti-Indigenous video

Ochoa Families, there are many interventions that we put in place here at Ochoa to support all of our students; some are especially for those students who may be struggling academically and or behaviorally:

• Attendance incentives & programs (AC Transit Free bus pass)
• COST- Counseling supports (individual/group)
• Tutoring Support (Lunch/ After school/Weekends)
• Focal Student Progress Monitoring
• After school Programming (YEP)
• Restorative Circles & Mediations
• Academic Counselor Check Ins
• Student Success Team Meetings
• Progress reports (weekly)
• Check In-El Spec

This is a non-exhaustive list, however these supports are put in place to ensure your student gets the help they need to be successful and thrive here at Ochoa Middle School. When students do not meet academic or behavioral requirements, they are in danger of being placed on the 1) Risk of Retention List (Academics) or 2) The LOP List (Behaviors). I want to share with you what being placed on either of these lists might mean for your student. Please know that I am sharing this information proactively with the best of intentions for us to work in partnership.

Students at Risk of Retention (ROR)

Identified during the 3rd-4th qtrs

When students are unable to maintain their academics and have three or more "Fs" on their quarterly report card, we begin to hold a series of student success team meetings, academic check ins and start a process of progress monitoring your student. We offer one or a combination of the interventions listed above. If there are no improvements in their grades from Quarter 1 through the middle of Quarter 4, we will make a recommendation for retention. Students with three or more "Fs" on their report cards, will then be placed on the LOP list, where they become ineligible to participate in school related events such as: clubs, games, dances, end of year field trips, end of year fun school related activities up to and including 8th grade promotion. These lists apply to 7th and 8th grades students.

Students on the Loss of Privileges List (LOP):

Students can be placed on the LOP list for a number of reasons. The first, described above for academics and failure to perform. The second reason is based on violations of school rules and policies outlined in our student, district handbook, and california education code. This non-exhaustive list of violations may include:

• attendance
• any disciplinary action (Suspensions, In School Suspensions)
• poor attendance (includes tardies/absences)
• poor behaviors (any disciplinary actions)
• failure to serve consequences (i.e. detentions, community service, study halls, progress reports)
• failure to adhere to dress code
• failure to adhere to cell phone policy
• failure to maintain grades (less than two Fs)

Students appearing on this list will not be able to participate in any school related activities.

Families, this doesn't mean students can't make mistakes, we expect them to, however as we move toward the end of the school year, we do not expect to have to reiterate expectations, especially when there may have been an obvious disregard for the school and district policies. We are here to work in partnership with you and want ALL-100% of our students to participate through year end. Please have a proactive conversation with your children so that they fully understand this process.

Our meetings this year are:

SSC Meets as follows: Meetings held virtually at 5:30PM

10/17/2024- Hybrid Mtg, 5:30PM

10/22/2024- SSC District Training (mandatory), 5:30-7PM @ The HUB

12/5/2024- Topic: CAASPP Data review, 5PM Virtual

1/16/2025- Topic: Planning for 2025-26 & Budget Updates, 5:30PM Virtual

3/20/2025- NEXT MEETING TOPIC:review draft of the 2025-26 SPSA

4/17/2025

5/22/2025- if needed to finalize the SPSA for 25-26

Board Policy 6020: Parent Involvement & Family Engagement

🔻🔻All students must be picked up within 15 minutes of school events end.🔻🔻

Student athletes must maintain a 2.0 GPA with no more than one "F: Grades will be monitored regularly and students will be advised by the athletic director. School games and evening events must follow school expectations.

• dress code is enforced
• students must attend school; If absent and or on suspension during the day may not attend events/sports etc
• school appropriate language required
• school appropriate behaviors required

*Agenda is posted 72 hrs in advance.

Next Meeting: March 4, 2025

Meeting Agenda :To be published

Join Here: Google Meets Link or In person

Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) was introduced to Hayward USD in 1996 as a strategy for ensuring that staff, parents, and students at individual school sites had a vehicle for engaging in the decision-making that most affected their own sites. Over the years, HUSD board and district leadership have affirmed the importance of SBDM as a means of exchanging ideas, data, and other information necessary to improving educational opportunities for HUSD students.

These are public meetings any member of the Ochoa community is welcome to join meetings, submit agenda items, voice concerns, support process improvements and spending (MAA funds), and offer input to the School Site Council (SSC) team at Ochoa Middle School regarding suggestions for spending that supports student academic achievement.

Board Policy 6020: Parent Involvement & Family Engagement

Monday, March 10, 2025

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

• Literacy Committee Mtg, 4PM

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

• Soccer Teams (girls/boys), (Link to Soccer Schedule_2024-25)
• Softball , (Link to Softball Schedule_2024-25)
• HUSD Board of Education Mtg, 6:30PM

• Agenda Link

Thursday, March 13, 2025

• Puente Field Trip, 10AM

• Familia Adelante Family Workshop #2, 9:30-10:30AM~Parents bring a friend or Join virtually

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March 15, 2025

• African American Family Conference, All families/Staff invited (FLIER)_Please join us!

March 18, 2025

• District-Wide Min. Day (AB/AR Training); 1:30PM dismissal for students

March 19, 2025

• Career Day (Speakers assigned to classrooms) SPEAKER SIGN UP (Parents needed)

March 20, 2025

• ELPAC Testing
• SSC Mtg, 6:30PM (Virtual)
  

March 21, 2025

• Assembly Schedule: Ochoa Talent Show today

March 28-April 4th

• Spring Break; students return 4/7

Does your student require public transportation? If you would like to apply for a free AC transit card for your student please click the link below. This is not transportation specific to students with IEPs, but is available for ALL students.

Students should plan to arrive to school each day between 8 and 8:15AM, unless they have a zero period class. Students with a zero period PE class must arrive at school daily no later than 7:15AM. The first bell rings at 8:20AM and students must be in their seats or on their PE numbers by that time. Even if a student arrives "just 1 minute late," they legally must be marked tardy according to the law. Help us to achieve our daily and annual attendance goals this year and help us to get to 98% or better.

Website: https://ochoa.husd.us
Location: 2121 Depot Road, Hayward, CA
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