Tuesday, Jan. 14: Spring Counseling Parent Night | 5:30-6:30pm | The Learning Center (Student Union)

Wednesday, Jan. 15: Coffee with the Principal via Zoom

Wed-Fri, Jan. 15-17: Spring School-Wide Lesson in Math 1 and 2 classes

Wed-Thurs, Jan. 15-16: ELD 1 Scheduling Lesson

Thursday, Jan. 16 | Electives Fair & Spring Sports Fair at Lunch (Senior Stage)

Friday, Jan. 17: Junior Scheduling Lesson in US History course

Friday, Jan. 17 |7:00-9:00pm: Annual Indy’s Got Talent Show @ IHS Theater

A big Sixer Shoutout to Katie Hion, our incredible district-wide Student Governing Board leader! Katie, your unwavering support for IHS—even at the eleventh hour—never goes unnoticed. Your dedication to bringing students from East Side schools together and fostering collaboration for the betterment of our district is truly inspiring. Thank you for always showing up with a smile and leading the way! ~Dr. LaMontagne, MTSS Implementation

At Independence, connecting students, families, and staff to build a network of support means fostering relationships and implementing strategies that prioritize long-term success, even if they're not immediately gratifying. Here are a few strategies we use to create a supportive campus environment:

• 1:1 teacher-student conferences about grades

• Parent / Teacher / Counselor / Support staff conferences for student success

• Saturday school opportunities to recover a full-day absence.

Let’s support each other. Hear from our own students and staff about how to start the semester off right!

• “Don’t let the pressure of last semester weigh you down, it’s a new semester and make sure you stay on top of your studies but also go out and make new memories and experiences and be a part of the community that Independence has to offer.” ~Kaily Nguyen, Senior

• “Use a calendar/planner! At the start of each week, organize your top priorities using the Eisenhower matrix. Once you have your Important tasks listed, schedule time for them on your calendar. Google Calendar works best; you can also connect to Canvas to keep track of assignments!” ~Aldrin Udasco, Senior

• “Use a planner or sticky notes to keep track of assignments, never procrastinate ever!!” ~Venus Mamitag, Junior

• “My best advice to start the new semester is to stay on top of all of your work. You don't want to slack off for the first couple weeks because your grades are not what you want them to be. Slacking off will dig you in a hole and it will be hard to get out of that hole.” ~Ryjion Favila, Junior

• “Plan with the end goal in mind and work backwards from there. That was, if you can break up work into smaller steps, you can often end up working ahead, this will reduce your stress and create a better mindset to learn and be working productive.” ~Ms. Edwards, English and Theater Teacher

• “SLEEP! 8 hours of sleep minimum for teens is essential for proper brain function and development. Sleep is more important than ANYTHING else in my opinion. It's just not worth walking around school in a daze, and falling asleep in class, in order to watch one more video, play one more game, etc. You will be amazed how much FREE TIME you end up with if you get enough sleep so that you can pay attention, focus, and be productive during class! Less homework, less panic, less procrastination. If you have trouble getting to sleep, there are hundreds of strategies to try to improve sleep quality. Use the internet for ideas instead of scrolling TikTok and Instagram!” ~Ms. Debbie Huynh, Science Teacher

• “When the going seems all uphill, just think of the view from the top.” ~Ms. Helmer, Science Teacher

And, always remember to “Celebrate our student's small victories! Often we expect students to make sweeping change in their lives overnight or correct behaviors immediately. Our children need encouragement and recognition to continue making healthy choices. Leave their old mistakes behind and help them look to the future.” ~Ms. Goltzer, Associate Principal

We Are Spirited. We are Sixers.

Scheduling Process for 2025-26 School Year

IHS Counseling will begin the scheduling process for the 2025-26 school year this Wednesday, January 15 for current students in grades 9-11. Scheduling lessons will be presented during the students' class period. During the lesson, counselors will show students how to select their courses for next year through Infinite Campus’ Academic Planner. Student access to the Academic Planner closes on January 29 at 4pm. Counselors will meet one-on-one with students in February to confirm their course selections.

For more information on the scheduling process and resources, visit the scheduling page of the counseling website at https://tinyurl.com/ihscheduling-25-26.

Please note: counselor availability during the scheduling process will be extremely limited. We ask that if you need to get a hold of us, send us an email and we will do our best to get back to you in a timely manner. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Jan. 15-16: ELD 1 Scheduling Lesson

Jan. 17: Junior Scheduling Lesson through US History class

Jan. 21: Sophomore Scheduling Lesson through PE 2 class

Jan. 21: Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night | 5:30-6:30pm | The Learning Center

Jan. 22-23: ELD 2 Scheduling Lesson

Jan. 24: Freshman Scheduling Lesson through PE 1 class

Jan. 28: FSA ID Workshop (G.12) | 3-6pm | The Learning Center

Counselor Contact & Availability:

Counselors are located in the Learning Center (Student Union). Counselors are available for student walk-ins before and after school and during break and lunch. Parents are encouraged to make an appointment with your student’s counselor.

• Ms. Pham: Last Names A-Chi
• 408.928.9680 | phamm@esuhsd.org
• Hours: 8:30am-4pm
• Mr. Hennessey: Last Names Chj-Hd
  
• 408.928.9563 | hennesseym@esuhsd.org
  
• Hours: 8am-3:30pm
  
• Ms. Fernandez: Last Names He-Maq
  
• 408.928.9574 | fernandezf@esuhsd.org
  
• Hours: 8:30am-4pm
  
• Ms. Huynh: Last Names Mar-Par
  
• 408.928.9567 | huynhtt@esuhsd.org
  
• Hours: 8:15-3:45pm
  
• Ms. Marquez: Last Names Pas-Sq
  
• 408.928.9568 | marquezl@esuhsd.org
  
• Hours: 8:30am-4pm
  
• Ms. Liang: Last Names Sr-Z
  
• 408.928.9546 | liangb@esuhsd.org
  
• Hours: 8:15-3:45pm

College Access Support (located in D-208 & the Learning Center):

• 10,000 Degrees

• Anthony Garcia |415.578.4380 | anthony.garcia@10000degrees.org

• Available in person Wednesday & Thursday

• Book appointment here

• Destination College Advising Program (DCAC)

• Daniela Navarro | 510.332.3723 | danielan@berkeley.edu

• Available in person Monday-Friday

• Book appointment here

“Success is not final failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

• W. Churchill

Announcements:

Spring sports begin on 2/3/25, all athletes need to register at www.athleticclearance.com in order to participate.

Spring Sports Fair will be on 1/16/25 at lunch.

Spring sports physicals will be on Friday, 1/17/25 at 3:00 pm in M-34 ($25).

BVAL league play begins this week for soccer and boys’ basketball. Good luck to all of our teams this week.

Week of 1/13/25

Winter Sports

Sixer Basketball (b): Coach Gajardo (lj_gajardo@yahoo.com)

1/15/25 vs Prospect High JV @ 5:30 | Varsity 7:00

1/17/25 @ Lincoln High JV @ 5:30 | Varsity 7:00

Sixer Basketball (g): Coach Buckner (leilani.buckner10@gmail.com)

1/14/25 vs Oak Grove JV @ 5:30 | Varsity 7:00

1/16/25 @ Gilroy JV @ 5:30 | Varsity 7:00

Sixer Soccer (b): Coach Mendez (fmendez888@gmail.com)

1/15/25 vs Yerba Buena JV 5:00 | Varsity 7:00

1/17/25 @ San Jose V 5:00 | Varsity 7:00

Sixer Soccer (g): Coach Kimball (mskimball1997@gmail.com)

1/14/25 vs Willow Glen Varsity @ 7pm

1/16/25 @ Prospect Varsity @ 6pm

Sixer Wrestling: Coach Thompson (njakeg1209@yahoo.com)

1/16/25 vs Willow Glen @ 7pm (make up from 12/18)

Spring Sports

Sixer Badminton: Coach Allen Trinh (atrinh1219@gmail.com)

Sixer Baseball: Coach Fernandes (fernandesp@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Golf: Coach Bartholomew (bartholomewr@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Softball:

Sixer Swim:Coach Martinez (rodriguez.adrian1821@gmail.com)

Sixer Tennis: Coach James (jesse316james@yahoo.com)

Sixer Track and Field

Sixer Volleyball: Coach Nguyen (ng.kenneth02@gmail.com)

Fall Sports

Sixer Football: Coach Braun (braunj@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Golf (girls): Coach Richard Lee (rlee@fusdk12.net)

Sixer Volleyball (girls): Coach Kenny (leilani.buckner10@gmail.com)

Sixer Cross Country (boys & girls): Coach Kevin (ckwang91@gmail.com)

Sixer Tennis (girls): Coach Scott (rl20ii@yahoo.com)

Sixer Water Polo (boys & girls): Coach Martinez (rodriguez.adrian1821@gmail.com)

Sixer Girls’ Flag Football: Coach Baker (bakerl@esuhsd.org)

Visit Sixer Athletics for up to date information about athletics! Follow us on Instagram: @indyathletics

Visit GoFan.co to purchase tickets

Seniors! Check out the special Senior Button in this Newsletter for all things relevant to you and graduation!

Follow us on Instagram:

Stay up to date on all student activities and events at IHS - be sure to follow your ASB accounts:

• https://www.instagram.com/indyactivities/

• https://www.instagram.com/indyathletics/

• https://www.instagram.com/indyperformingarts/

And, your class account for important information specific to your grade level:

• https://www.instagram.com/ihs_co2027/

• https://www.instagram.com/ihsco2026/

• https://www.instagram.com/ihs.co2025/

We are a CLOSED Campus!

This is a friendly reminder to students and parents that we are a closed campus. Students should not be leaving the school grounds during school hours, particularly during break and lunch for safety reasons. The Public Library and Overfelt Gardens are off limits.

Students should not be hanging out in the parking lots during passing periods, break and or lunch. Staff members will ask the students to go back to the main campus.

NO DOORDASH!

Doordash is not allowed. We are a closed campus and we do not want strangers driving onto our campus and delivering food to minors. Students may not walk off campus to get a delivery either. This is a safety issue!

Parents, please do not send food deliveries to your student. ALL students may eat for free at break and lunch.

Dress and Attire

The expectations for clothing are clean, covered and appropriate. This means no clothing that displays explicit or derogatory language, no drug or alcohol references, no sexually explicit images or nudity, and no gang references or symbols.

Any clothing or accessory item that the Administration deems a safety issue will be addressed with the student and we will work with them to find a solution.

Parents, Cookies is a marijuana reference. Cookies clothing or accessories are not permitted. Parents, please partner with us on this!

Saturday School!

Come to Saturday School this year and recover an unexcused absence or an excused illness absence. A teacher will be there to help you with your academics. Use the time to study or work on missing assignments. Our next Saturday School will be in January 25th. We will feed you! Please plan to stay until 12:45pm. Please see Ms. Goltzer or Ms. Andrade in C05 for questions or concerns. Use the form to sign up!

https://forms.gle/YLYgSvMsCKkrNba48

Attendance Matters!

The C-05 office will continue to focus on attendance as we continue to strive towards our mission: Students Engaged in the Classroom. We would like to continue to remind SIXERs the importance of being on time, all day, every day, and that there is a correlation between attendance, grades and graduation. Avoid the truancy process!

Students who are consistently tardy or absent will meet with Ms. Goltzer and/or one of our Parent Community Involvement Specialists or a Student Advisor. We may request a parent meeting as well.

Parents, if you need to report a student’s tardiness or absence, please do so as soon as possible. The Attendance Office is in the Student Union. If you would like to phone instead, use the following phone numbers based on your student’s last name:

Attendance Staff

Short Term Independent Studies

Jennifer Andrade - 408.928.9521

Student last names A - L

Diana Castillo - 408.928.9552

Student last names M-Z

Thao Pham - 408.928.9542

Say Something

Students and Parents,

Our highest priority is safety. If you witness or experience something that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or that could potentially become a safety issue, please report it. You can do so anonymously. We have a link to the SAY SOMETHING app on our Independence website. Please give the Administration as much information as possible so that we may investigate the issue. You do not have to use your name. I am providing the link here as well. Let’s work together to keep our campus and community safe!

https://www.p3campus.com/tipform.aspx?ID=3000

As a reminder, Attendance Matters! Consistent attendance in high school is essential for academic achievement, as even missing a small amount of class time can have a notable effect on a student's learning and overall performance.

Attendance Matters. On Time. All Day. Every Day.

Please refer to the flyer below for information on upcoming parent meetings.

Services offered at the Wellness Center

The Mental Health and Wellness team includes social workers, interns, and community based organizations (CBO’s) that work together to provide mental health support to IHS students. The Wellness Center team offers referrals to community resources, group counseling, short term individual counseling, crisis intervention and education about mental health and wellness. Visit us in room D-01 to learn more!

How do I submit a referral?

Students, parents, teachers, and community members may submit a referral for any student at Independence by visiting the link below and filling out a Care Team referral. A social worker, intern or other school staff member will follow up with the student.

Care Team Referral form: https://forms.doc-tracking.com/48252/48252/2416

Calming Space: The Calming Space is designed to be a place for students who are experiencing stress in class and need a short break to self-regulate. Before students visit the Calming Space, we ask that they check in with their teacher and request a pass. Students may spend 15 minutes in the Calming Space; if they need more time, a wellness center staff member will check in to discuss additional resources and support. Students who visit the calming space during regular class time are expected to check in with Ms. Johnson, our Wellness Center Clerk, when they arrive and before they return to class. We also ask that students keep their electronics put away and that they do not engage in side conversations with other students.