First Week Back to School 24-25 #1

Our Declarations:

• ALL STUDENTS WILL FEEL SAFE AT SCHOOL
• ALL STUDENTS WILL BE TREATED WITH RESPECT
• ALL STUDENTS WILL LEARN AT HIGH LEVELS
• WE WILL EDUCATE STUDENT BY STUDENT, SKILL BY SKILL
• ALL STUDENTS WILL ENHANCE THEIR SPARK TO THRIVE AS LIFELONG LEARNERS
• WE ALL WILL IMPROVE EACH DAY
• WELL-BEING MATTERS FOR EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY

MISSION

All CGUHSD students will graduate College or Career Ready.

For a more detailed accounting of our commitments to our community and students, please click here.

Good evening Cougar Nation… Please, check out our new kindness wall......students, staff, and parents can give shoutouts of positivity to one another here and it will be displayed for all to see! This will go through a filter / approval process. Please click here to participate.

This newsletter is long, but is packed full of essential information, so please read all the way through and click on the provided links. I am extremely excited by the opportunity to start my second year as the principal here at CGUHS, and grateful to have met so many wonderful students, families, and staff thus far. I want to welcome all of our new Cougar Families and Students as well as our returning Cougar Nation! I humbly ask for the opportunity to earn your trust. You will always receive accurate, honest, timely, and concise information from me. I have created a "Back To School"website where you can get a lot of important information. Parking, schedule changes, etc can all be found here. Additionally, you can listen to past episodes of our Podcast, "The Consummate Cat" here. We will be doing student interviews at least once per month.

Our administrative team will meet with all students to review our behavioral expectations; however, below is a summary of what we will review:

1. Personal Electronic Devices
1. Off and away during class time, including if leaving the classroom to use the restroom or go to the office.
2. Hall passes. Security has been directed to inquire with students who are out of class and ask to view their pass. Please help us with this by ensuring you are in compliance with having a pass.
1. Restroom
2. Office/Counselor/Teacher/etc.
3. Nurse
3. Dress Code

This is how I think is the most efficient way to handle the dress code violation load utilizing the three strike rule:

1. Students will receive an email from Mr Raymond's office, Ms. Mendoza, notifying them that they have been dress coded and the number of strikes they have.

1. Once a student reaches strike three, they will be given IFS (intervention for success) the following day.
2. Consequences will increase with each violation up OSS.
3. Dress code violations will reset at the end of the semester.

1. Be the Three
1. Respectful, Responsible, Reliable

1. Student parking - a video will explanation and details are forthcoming
1. Here is the video that explains our new parking model. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS IN THE VIDEO TO HELP US ENSURE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DAILY.
2. Fighting / Vaping - Please see district policy, violations may result in short-term suspension (1-10 days out of school), Long-term suspension (a hearing with up to 365 day suspension), and applicable criminal charges as they may apply.

As this semester continues to move forward, there are a number of important items that I want to share. Please remember that , Mr. Raymond ( Student Discipline), Mrs. Telles (Climate / Culture), Mr. Robbins (Athletics / Activities), and Dr. Gardner (Academics) and I remain available to assist you in any way that we can.

Protect the Den!

Dr. Chris Lineberry

Principal

Casa Grande Union High School

Great news! We now have 2 full class periods of AVID being offered. If you are interested, see your counselors asap so that we can fill the class.

Our nation’s schools are full of students who possess a desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard, but many of them do not truly have the opportunity to be college-ready. These are often the students who will be the first in their families to attend college and are from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID Secondary equips teachers and schools with what they need to help these students succeed on a path to college and career success. To address this need, AVID has developed the AVID Elective course. For one period a day, students receive the additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses. Districts have the flexibility to decide how many AVID Elective classes to start and which grade levels will implement AVID first. What AVID is . We are offering AVID here on our campus, Ms. Demerest is the teacher and we are looking for YOU to join us! If you are interested, complete the schedule change request form and add AVID. This class is open to Freshman and Sophmores only at this time.

Nationally, there has been a significant spike in cyberbullying and classroom disruptions from cell phones in the classroom. We know that teen mental health continues to decline across the country from excessive screen time and social media. You can read some of the latest research on this important topic here. Our policy is OFF AND AWAY (Cell phones and Earbuds) during classtime.If there are extenuating circumstances, ex. diabetes and need to monitor, a caregiver with severe illness, etc please send Mr. Raymond an email and he and our staff will work with you to come to a solution.

Between classes and at lunch, there is no problem with students having their phones out or listening to music with their earpods, etc.

We face and a few challenges as we begin the school year. I still see two major challenges as we approach the beginning of our second week of school: incoming metal detectors and student drop off / pick-up.

Magnetometers (Metal Detectors)

We have purchased 4 metal detectors that will be utilized on our campus. We will have one that will be fairly permanent at the front office entrance. We will have one at our bus entrance gate and two at the front for student entry. It is going to take some time to work through the process of getting everyone through in a timely fashion. STUDENTS AND PARENTS we NEED YOUR HELP WITH THIS. Students, you will need to pass your laptops to security as you walk through the detectors. Nothing else needs to come out of your bags. We will have much more in depth discussion and training for our students once school begins. STUDENTS WHO DRIVE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ARRIVE EARLY, OTHERWISE WE WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT BACK UP AT THE GATE.

Schedules: CRITERIA FOR A CHANGE REQUEST (SEE CHART TOP RIGHT OF THIS SECTION) Click the here to submit a request. (must be from student school email account)

1. We have changed the process some, in that we have made it easier for students to get uninterrupted time with the counselors. We are now using a QR code and a program called Calendarly to schedule time. This has worked very well thus far and we will continue to utilize this process.

Moving Forward:

1. Counselors have been directed to address student who have no schedule at all first.

2. Counselors need students to please use the QR codes that have been sent out to make an appointment to see them.

3. Once we have handled all of the students without a schedule (mainly new students), we will begin to work on change requests.

Any student fines or fees can be paid online. Students can purchase parking passes, pay class fees, technology fines, etc. All of this should be done online. You can access the payment center by doing the following:

You will need a PowerSchool Parent Portal account to access TouchBase.

If you don’t have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, please call your
student's school office to get an account set up.

Please sign into to PowerSchool to access TouchBase. The steps below
can only be done using an internet browser such as Google Chrome, Internet
Explorer, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Android browser, etc. (computer, tablet, smartphone) and CANNOT be done using the Powerschool Mobile App.

1. Sign in to PowerSchool.
2. Once signed in, click the icon in the left panel labeled Purchases and Payments (see image on left).
   
   You will immediately be taken to TouchBase without having to sign in.

CGUHS Student Responsibilities 2024 - 2025

This school year we will be discussing academic responsibilities at length with all of our students. It is important that students not only familiarize themselves with these responsibilities, but that they practice these responsibilities on a daily basis. We reviewed these expectations with students this week. If students follow the guidelines below, they will experience tremendous success at Casa Grande Union High School.

• Acquire Knowledge of Content - Students understand the content they are learning in class.
• Come Prepared for Class - Students bring the needed materials for class.
• Take Notes - Students accurately and completely take notes.
• Ask Questions - Students ask questions when a lack of understanding occurs.
• Complete Homework - Students complete assignments on time.
• Attend Tutoring/Seek Help - Students attend tutoring or seek help when they need it.
• Attend Regularly - Students attend class regularly and arrive on time.
• Take Assessment Seriously – Students bring their best effort possible on assessments.
• Appropriate Work Ethic/Attitude/Behavior - Students display appropriate work ethic, attitude, and behavior.
• Put cell phones and ear buds off and away while in the classroom
• Be Kind

Our counselors and Dr. Gardner will be working closely with parents and our students / families to ensure that students are on track to graduate. Seniors must complete 22 credits in order to graduate. Additionally, every senior must take and pass the AZ Civics test, and must complete ECAP (Education and Career Action Plan). Additional information can be found here. We will be rolling out our ECAP (Education and Career Action Plan - state requirement to graduate) program as well as ensuring that students have opportunities to take and pass the Civics test and CPR (both state requirements to graduate) in the coming weeks.

Please stay tuned for information

Activities this Week: