It was great to meet so many of you during our Open House last week! Active parent involvement is crucial to the success of your children and we appreciate your support.

Our First Quarter Progress Reports will be active on ParentVue on Monday, September 9th. We encourage all parents and students to open their ParentVue and StudentVue accounts and check to see if their current course grades and class attendance are where they should be. If students are not passing a class, or want to improve their grades, they should attend Conference Periods on Friday. Teachers are available in their classes for Conference Period and students can get extra support and make up tests and quizes during this time. Students can also seek help from their teachers during Badger Power Hour every Friday. These interventions periods are built into our schedule to assist students to be as successful as possible, so please take advantage of this dedicated support!

Please be aware that only the 6th Street walkthrough gate will be open after 8:05 a.m. when classes begin. This allows us to have the maximum support of our monitors and security agents in the building once classes begin.

Catherine Comstock

Interim Principal,

Tucson High Magnet School

Every morning, beginning at 7:00 a.m., our students are greeted at the gate by a Security Monitor checking student ID's and a Food Service Employee offering them a free bag of breakfast! Pictured are Jonah Trujillo, THMS Food Service, and Ana Rodriguez Romo, THMS Security, welcoming students to campus! Join us early and avoid the traffic!

Last Monday, THMS Student Council Officers, Karina Holguin, Jimena Aguayo Portillo, and Christopher Ledesma, accompanied Interim Principal, Cathy Comstock, and TUSD Superintendent, Dr. Gabriel Trujillo, at the Pima County Board of Supervisors. They were joined by members of the Badger Foundation for the Board of Supervisors Proclamation that the week of October 14, 2024 through October 20, 2024 be "Tucson High Magnet School Week."

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, on August 8, 1906, voters of Tucson School District No. 1 approved the formation of a high school district; and

WHEREAS, the first day of class in the newly established Tucson High School was on September 10, 1906 with 45 students who began classes in the Plaza School at 13th Street and 4th Avenue before moving to a two-room building located at 1010 E. 10th Street; and

WHEREAS, in 1908, students moved to the newly constructed Tucson High School building at 501 E. 6th Street, which is currently Roskruge Elementary and Bilingual Magnet Middle School; and

WHEREAS, construction on the current Tucson High School Main Building with its ornate details such as Corinthian columns, which stood as an architectural masterpiece then and remains the same today, was completed in 1924 at a cost of $750,000, and

WHEREAS, Tucson High School’s 14 towering columns of the Main Building welcomed classes ranging in size from 175 in 1924 to the largest class of 3,500 and served as the only high school until the fall of 1956 when a second high school, Pueblo, opened followed by Catalina in 1957;and

WHEREAS, the Tucson High Main Building is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Pima County Board of Supervisors hereby proclaims the week of October 14 through October 20, 2024, to be: “TUCSON HIGH MAGNET SCHOOL WEEK”

PASSED AND ADOPTED this 19th day of August 2024.

In addition to Fall and cooler weather (hopefully!), September brings our first Holiday of the school year, Parent Teacher Conferences, and Benchmark Assessments. These events require an adjustment to our weekly schedules.

There is no school next Monday, September 2nd, in recognition of Labor Day!

On Friday, September 20th, we will be on a Half Day Schedule for Parent Conferences.

On Monday, September 23rd, we will follow a Testing Schedule for Benchmark Assessments.

On Friday, September 27th, we will follow a Testing Schedule for Benchmark Assessments.

On Monday, September 30th, we will follow a Friday Schedule due to Grading Day on Friday, October 4th.

Please refer to the September Schedule Changes document attached below for more detailed times.

The THMS Class of 2025 will have a Senior Class Graduation Planning Meeting on Friday, September 13, 2025, during Badger Power Hour (10:21 - 11:21 a.m.), in the Auditorium. Seniors will be dismissed to the Auditorium after their 2nd Period class. Josten's will do a Senior Class presentation on Graduation Announcements, Caps and Gowns, and other important topics relating to our Graduation in 2025! Finish Strong, Badgers!

Parents are invited to attend our Fall Parent Teacher Conferences. Teachers have the option of offering Parent Conferences on Thursday evening, September 19th, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. or on Friday afternoon, September 20th, from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Teachers will communicate their chosen Conference Day so you can schedule a brief conference with them. Students will follow a Half-Day Schedule on Friday, September 20th, with dismissal at 12:17 p.m.

Parents, please review your child's progress on ParentVue. On that website you can check your child's current grades, attendance, schedule, and progress toward graduation. We need your partnership, encouragement, and motivation to help our students to graduate on time during their four years of High School! Thank you for your continued support!

Hello Badger Families,

Monday, September 23rd and Friday, September 27th, your student(s) will be taking our ACT Mimic or Benchmark test. This is a test to track and monitor student preparation as they advance through high school.

On September 23rd and 27th we will have a modified Friday schedule. Students will report to 2nd period at 8:05. After 2nd period, students will stay in their class and take their benchmark exams.

Then students will proceed through 4th and 6th period normally. Please see below.

Benchmark Schedule Sept 23/27

• 0 Period 7:05 a.m. – 7:58 a.m. (53 minutes)
• 2nd Period 8:05 a.m. – 9:39 a.m. (94 minutes)
• Testing 9:39 a.m. – 11:21 a.m. (102 minutes)
• Main and Voc
• 1st Lunch 11:28 a.m. – 11:58 a.m. (30 minutes)
• 4th Period 12:05 p.m. – 1:39 p.m. (94 minutes)
• Tech and Gym
• 4th period 11:28 a.m. – 1:02 p.m. (94 minutes)
• 2nd Lunch 1:09 p.m. – 1:39 p.m. (30 minutes)
• 6th Period 1:46 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. (94 minutes)
• 7th Period 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (75 minutes)

Hello Badger Families,

Coming up on October 22, 2024, 11th grade students (Cohort 2026) will have the opportunity to take the PSAT-NMSQT. This is a Practice SAT that is also a National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

If you would like to register for this test, free of charge, offered at Tucson High, please use the Microsoft Forms Sign up Link below. The deadline for sign-ups is September 20th, 2024.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Assistant Principal, Christopher Hixon

We have received several messages from local businesses that surround our school asking that we remind Parents and Students that their businesses are private property and they should not park in private lots to pick up students or during evening events.

In addition, we continue to hear from the City of Tucson that our neighbors are experiencing dangerous driving issues during pick up. They report that vehicles are driving too fast, double parking, blocking traffic, and making it difficult for neighbors to access their driveways. We know that our lack of parking is very inconvenient, but we appreciate respectful driving practices in the neighborhoods surrounding our school. Thank you!

All students and families are encouraged to attend the Southern Arizona College and Career Night on Tuesday, September 17th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center. Connect with representatives from colleges, universities, trade schools, military, professional, and industry leaders. This is a great place to start planning for your future career! Please see the attached flyer We hope to see you there!

Dear Badger families,

We’re going to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand in Summer 2026, and you’re invited!

We’re excited to tell you more about the 29th trip we’re planning with EF Tours, our educational travel partner. Please be sure to register for this info session to be considered for this opportunity!

When students travel, they expand their knowledge of the world around them, discover more about themselves, and grow more confident. These skills are critical for creating the global citizens of tomorrow, and we would love to have your student join us on this adventure.

In this info session, we’ll talk about:

· How this opportunity will benefit your student

· What we’ll see and do on our trip

· Everything that’s included in this experience

· How you can use AZ State Tax Credits to make the trip affordable

· How we’re keeping this safe and affordable

· How to enroll on this trip (before it fills up!) during EF’s risk-free enrollment period

There are limited spots on this trip, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity! Please RSVP!

Thanks,

Martha Reed, THMS Travel Club Advisor

James Fennewald, Lead Chaperone

Keith Huffman, Chaperone

Sierra Hoff, Chaperone

If you did not have your school portrait taken during summer processing, please plan to do so this on Monday, September 16th, in the Cafeteria. We hope to have as many students as possible be photographed so that they can be included in our 24-25 Yearbook.

Our Fall Sports and Fine Arts seasons are off and running. Please refer to the listing below from the Athletics and Activities Office for scheduled events. Come out and support our student athletes and artists!