Happy Sunday, all! Don't forget next week is only three says before our Rodeo Break. Have fun!
PRINCIPAL'S ANNOUNCEMENTS
An excellent Penguin Pathways day!
Thank you to all our guests who came to present to our students on our Penguin Pathways day, and I hope our 11th grade students had a good testing day with the AZVAB. A huge thank you to Ms. Palos for taking lead in organizing the different sessions...I think I'm going to take flying lessons from one of our guest groups!
Tardy accountability, attendance expectations
My expectations for all UHS students is to be on time each day and to each class, do as well as you can in your coursework, and maintain a clean discipline record...in addition to of course having fun at school and enjoying the various clubs, fine arts, and sports we have to offer. Attendance is my current focus alongside Mr. Miller, who is in charge of attendance accountability. For your info: my limit is 5 tardies per class, per semester. Mr. Miller is instituting consequences for excessive tardiness, but in an effort to curtail the high number of tardies across the entire UHS student body, we will also be instituting tardy sweeps starting next week.
For the moment I'll be focusing on 1st period, but that is subject to change at any time. If students arrive late they will check in at the attendance office as usual, but during a sweep they will also get a visit from me with my signature and date stamps. If a student receives this stamp they have been caught in the sweep, which will be entered in as a disciplinary consequence on their student record. If they are caught in more tardy sweeps after the first one they will be issued escalating consequences according to the TUSD Code of Conduct, which will start with after-school and lunch detentions and escalate further from there if necessary.
We know every situation is different, but at this point the expectations need to be made clear: get to school on time, every day, every class. Other periods will be targeted accordingly, but this is our start. Your teachers are on time for you, be responsible and do them the courtesy of being on time for them.
Please Respect Our Neighbors - continuing
As we continue to adjust our practices with safety in mind, this is the next step. We urge our families and especially our pedestrian students to practice safe routines during drop-off and pick-up times.
Students: if you are entering our campus on foot, do not walk through gates that are designated for vehicles. On Arcadia, the pedestrian gate in front of the administration building is the only gate that students should be using to enter campus on foot. On 8th Street, south of our campus, pedestrians need to enter through the gate next to the softball field. On 5th Street, north of our campus, students should be entering the pedestrian gate right next to the parking lot. Foot traffic entering/exiting through the parking lots puts lives in danger and hinders the flow of safe traffic.
Please make sure you are following the traffic patterns and utilizing pedestrian gates for foot traffic. As a school community, we have to work together to ensure everyone is safe. If we all abide by the designated foot and vehicle traffic patterns, we not only limit the potential for accidents, it also helps to keep the traffic flow smooth and timely.
Thank you for your continued support and dedicated attention to this matter.
See attachment for clear guidance.
Please respect these traffic laws reinforced by signs near the south 8th St gate:
- There is no parking, stopping, or standing during school hours (7:30am-4:00pm, M-F) going east on 8th St from Mountain View Ave to Arcadia Ave.
- There is no parking anytime going north on Arcadia Ave from 10th St to 8th St.
- The driveway 8th St gate to Rincon/University High School is an exit gate only. This will be enforced by the school through campus security and administration. All traffic is to exit and turn right (westbound) to exit the neighborhood. This is part of the through-campus loop which has been established between the school and the neighborhood through consultation and observation.
- All students walking off campus to the south will go through the eastmost walk-out gate, NOT the driveway gate. This will reduce the risk of being hit by a car.
- All parents/guardians/community: the best route to drop off or pick up your students is to enter the campus and follow the route. This will help to reduce double- and triple-parking along Arcadia Ave, cars making illegal U-turns, and potentially hitting any pedestrian traffic.
The reason for this is that students walking across the street are dodging vehicles going in multiple directions, creating blind spot corners without room for cars to navigate safely. We aim to get all parties on the same page: the Sierra Estates neighborhood and its residents, RUHS students/parents, RUHS administration and staff, and TPD. The danger brought upon the students and pedestrians by illegally dropping students off on 8th St. between Mountain View and Arcadia and Arcadia from 10th St. to 8th St. is palpable. Our priority is the safety for students and pedestrians. Please use caution.
Rincon and University High Schools are the central hub in this community, and we want to develop safe, respectful relationships with our neighbors so that we are a welcome entity in the community, modeling civility and respect.
Please be extra-vigilant during student drop-off and pick-up to follow and abide by the posted signs, and by obeying all traffic laws regarding parking, speed limits, and safe driving overall.
TPD regularly enforces the area and violations of regulations may result in hefty fines. Beyond that, we want to teach our students what it means to be courteous neighbors as leaders in the community. As concerns continue to escalate, we advise all members of the Rincon/University community and surrounding neighborhoods to report violations to TPD. However, we are hopeful that the continued communication between the schools and the neighborhoods combined with proceeding with caution while traveling in the area will eliminate the need to involve law enforcement.
We understand the traffic flow is challenging at times but again has been researched and tooled to the current iteration. We are continually monitoring the traffic flow and are always striving to find ways in which we can support both students and adults as they navigate inside and immediately outside the school property.
We urge you to support our neighbors, as well as our young drivers and pedestrian students, by practicing patience and consideration while traveling in the nearby neighborhoods. Remember, the safety of everyone in the area, including your student, is the goal!
Upcoming events:
Tuesday, February 18: UHS Student of the Month breakfast - RUHS auditorium lobby, 8:00am
Tuesday, February 18: UHSPA meeting - RUHS library, 6:00pm
February 20 - February 21: Rodeo Break - SCHOOL CLOSED FOR STUDENTS, STAFF
Wednesday, February 26: spring orchestra concert - RUHS auditorium, time TBD
Thursday, February 27: Coffee with the Principal - RUHS auditorium lobby, 7:45am-8:45am
February 27 - February 28: Intermediate drama showcase - RUHS little theater, times TBD
Friday, March 7: Grading Day - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
March 8-March 16: Spring Break - SCHOOL CLOSED FOR STUDENTS, STAFF
Wednesday, March 26: TUSD PLD - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Wednesday, April 16: UHS Instate college tours, day one - see announcement below
Wednesday, April 23: UHS Instate college tours, day two - see announcement below
Athletics updates
Anyone interested in a spring sport must have an athletic packet filled out before trying out, practicing or competing. See athletic director Mr. LaVetter or office assistant April Bull Calf in the athletic office located in the SW corner lower level of the north gym. The first day of tryouts is Monday, February 10 so don't delay in getting your paperwork done! Thank you in advance!
RUHS Athletics T-Shirts for sale in the Bookstore!!
$15 for 1
$25 for 2
Winter sports are wrapping up and many of our teams are heading to post-season play. We'll update with the schedules as they come, but stand by for Spring sports! See below for direct links to each sport offered for the winter season at Rincon/University High School.
Winter sports lineup:
UHSPA update
Make sure to join us for our monthly meeting on February 18th at 6PM in the RUHS Library. Future meetings will be on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Please park in the north parking lot off 5th street. Come up the stairs and the door will be unlocked. Turn left inside the doors. The library will be on the left.
- Our overall UHSPA Annual Fund Drive is LIVE! Your support allows us to continue our outreach efforts with our UHS Community. Primarily, we fund classroom grant requests, Grad Night, and teacher and student recognitions. Click here to learn more about UHSPA activities and DONATE to our fundraising effort.
- And speaking of Grad Night 2025, help us celebrate our seniors! Click here for more details on how to help:
- Seniors and Senior Parents- Buy your tickets now before the price increases!
- Join our Grad Night planning committee. Our next meeting will be after the monthly Parent Association meeting on February 18th. If you would like to join the group, please email uhspa@uhs-pa.org or show up to one of our meetings.
- Donate to support this great event.
- Find an item on our Grad Night Amazon Wishlist and purchase a prize for a senior or supplies to help us host the event.
Our UHS families have been amazingly supportive of our classroom supply drive. The Wishlist will stay open to reflect current classroom requests. Teachers/ staff please send needed supply requests to uhspa@uhs-pa.org. Anyone shopping on Amazon and wanting to send an item of appreciation to the school can check out our Amazon Wishlist to support our most recent classroom needs. Your continued donations of kleenex and hand sanitizer is greatly appreciated.
Other recent UHSPA activities included supporting Counselor Appreciation week. We certainly appreciate everything our CCCC staff does for our students.
** Sign Up for Remind- text [student grad year code] to 81010 -- ([student grad year code]: @uhspa2025, @uhspa2026, @uhspa2027, or @uhspa2028) ** Subscribe for communications from UHSPA ** Contact us at uhspa@uhs-pa.org **
Yearbook update
Yearbook PurchasingYearbook submits the final number for publication by MONDAY, February 24th, so PLEASE order soon. We will only purchase 50 books beyond the Feb. 23rd purchased amount. Last year we sold out, so please order soon to make sure you have a book when they arrive in May! Yearbook staff has been working hard to create a 312-page book that captures the moments, community, and achievements of our 2024 - 2025 school year!
The yearbook is price $75 for a limited time. The next price increase will happen on 2/28. Purchase your yearbook soon if you are hoping to purchase it at a lower price. The link for purchase is https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/ and our school code is 15096125.
UHSFAA - student microgrants
The UHS Foundation and Alumni Association (UHSFAA) seeks to support UHS students, particularly those who are first generation college bound and who are focused on building opportunities for themselves. Through this, the UHSFAA student microgrant is offered for application. Microgrants are awarded to students in need of anything that furthers their educational development. Grants of up to $500 per student per year are available at the discretion of the UHSFAA board of directors and UHS principal, and are based on available funds. Microgrant awards are through application, and can be given for many different kinds of needs: classroom needs including costs associated with internet access, textbooks or personal academic supplies, summer programs, professional education and internship needs, such as travel and public transportation costs, lunch costs, supplies or clothing needs, immunizations, and more. Requests for funding should be for proposals that can be 100% covered by the grant; requests to partially fund larger projects will not be considered. Please provide at least ten days lead time before the funds are needed so the UHSFAA can have adequate time to consider your application.