Good morning High Desert Hawks and Families,

This school year at High Desert School, we are "Anchored in Achievement!" Set sail on a smooth school year by anchoring strong routines early—review your planner each night and keep your supplies shipshape. Steer clear of rough waters by asking for help when you need it; teamwork keeps the crew afloat!

Student Success Reminders:

This week, we want to remind students and families that Attendance Matters! Regular attendance is crucial to their success, and together, we can ensure they’re receiving the most from their education.

Here are some Key Reasons to Prioritize School Attendance:

• Academic Progress: Every day in school provides new learning opportunities. Students who attend regularly perform better academically and are more likely to keep up with their classmates.
• Social Connections: School is where friendships and peer connections are built. Regular attendance allows students to form strong bonds with classmates and build a sense of belonging.
• Future Success: Good attendance habits set students up for success beyond school. Showing up on time and consistently is a skill that benefits them in higher education and their future careers.

To address attendance concerns, High Desert School will be introducing After-School Detention and Saturday School for students with frequent absences or tardies. We encourage you to help your student build strong attendance habits and take advantage of every school day!

Athletics

• Congratulations to our Cross Country Team for completing a great season! Our girls team brought home 3rd Place and 5th Grader, Avery Walker, placed 1st overall for all girls in Silver League (grades 6-8). Incredible job!
• Reminder to all athletes: Please remember that you are a member of the team on and off the field. Keep up your grades and good behavior to remain eligible all season!
• Sports Currently in Season
• JV Boys Basketball
  
• JV Girls Soccer
• Varsity Flag Football
• Spirit Squad
• 100-Mile Club

Monday, November 18

• 6th Grade Handbells Begins 2:30-3:15pm
• Dance Force Practice 2:30-4:00pm
• 100-Mile Club 2:20-3:00pm
• District Safety Committee Meeting 3:00-4:00pm @ District Office

Tuesday, November 19

• 7/8th Handbells 2:30-3:15pm
• JV Boys Basketball Practice 2:30-3:30pm @ HDS MPR
  
• Varsity Flag Football Practice 2:30-4:30 @ HDS Lower Field

Wednesday, November 20

• Booster Club Staff Luncheon @ 11:00am
• Early Release Dismissal at 1:10pm
• 100-Mile Club 1:15-2:00pm
• Varsity Flag Football Practice 1:30-3:30pm @ HDS Lower Field
• JV Girls Soccer Practice 1:30-3:30pm @ HDS Lower Field

Thursday, November 21

• ASMO Meeting 4:30-5:30pm @ HDS Library

Friday, November 22

• Show your Hawks Pride and Wear Green, Black, and White on Friday!
• ASB Spirit Day - Onesie Day
• Minimum Day - Dismissal at 12:05pm

Have a great week and Go Hawks!

Our district will be reviewing the District Safety Plan and would like the principal, a teacher, and a parent to participate in the District Safety Committee as representatives of High Desert School.

There are 3 meetings this year.

• Monday, Nov. 18th from 3-4pm
• Monday, Jan. 27th from 3-4pm
• Monday, Apr. 28th from 3-4pm

Please email Mrs. Van Ornum by October 23 if you are interested. mvanornum@aadusd.k12.ca.us

Any 6th grade students interested in joining 6th Grade Handbell Group -- we would love for you to participate and join our group this year. Joining the handbell group is a great place to foster friendships, teamwork, and leadership in addition to all the musical skills learned.

Our first rehearsal will be Monday, November 18, from 2:30 - 3:15 P.M. in room 326 (one of the trailers down on the basketball courts).

No music background necessary; no fee for participation; you just need a willing and cooperative attitude to work as a musical team.

Please see Mr. Rowland in room 314 if you have any questions regarding participation in the program. Looking forward to conquering new goals and challenges as a group again this year.

Our Hawks Spirit Wear has been redesigned and is available now! Check out the latest styles and wear your spirit wear on Fridays to show your school spirit!

Go Hawks!

The Booster Club plays a critical role in making extracurricular activities happen for our students. If every family donates $20 per student, Booster Club will be able to fund the many events and activities the Booster Club supports. In addition to financial donations, we need parent support through donations of snack bar items and help running the snack bar during home games. These fundraising efforts directly benefit our athletics programs, and this year, funds are being raised to light up our fields for evening events. Flyers are going home today with students for ways to support.

Snack Bar Donation Ideas:

• Regular Size Candy Bars or Packs
• Snack Bags of Chips
• Popcorn Bags
• Sports Drinks
• Water

Hello Parents, I want to personally thank all the families who have already participated in our SchoolStore fundraiser! We are on our way to reaching our goal, but we need everyone's help to make sure our teachers get the essential tools they need to help our students succeed. If your family has not participated, there's still time! This safe and easy fundraiser is 100% online so there is no face-to-face selling, collecting money, or delivering products. Your child will receive a prize just for participating, and more prizes will be awarded when goals are reached. Please help now. It really will make a difference. Go to https://www.schoolstore.net/sid.t?0000050255 to show our valued teachers your support.

Thanks, High Desert School Booster Club

P.S. Family participation is the key to our success, and we are counting on you!

"Mr. Afetian is very kind and considerate. He recognized that Mrs. Graff and Ms. Alford Walsh both had after school sidewalk duty. He volunteered to be available this week for both of us since we are injured. Thank you for being a great colleague."

~ Mrs. Graff and Ms. Alford Walsh

"We are so proud of the initiative we see Riley take with ASB activities on Friday. We LOVE your school spirit Riley."

~ Mrs. Heather and Mrs. Monique

• AVID - This year in AVID, we will be focusing on organization, goal setting, and academic achievement with the support of WICOR strategies implemented in all classrooms. This week, the focus is on expressing gratitude.
• SEL - Each week, on Wednesday, our students will be working on soft skills to support their social and emotional development during middle school.

5th Grade will be returning to Outdoor Science School this year at Thousand Pines. Payment #2 is due by November 1st to secure students' spot on the trip. Make the first payment today! Your student won't want to miss this great educational opportunity.

The Autry Museum invites all student to submit a two-dimensional piece of artwork representing the theme: Visions of the Future.

Student application must be submitted online.

Entries due to the HDS Office by February 7, 2025

Step Up delivers 1-on-1 math tutoring, conducted online with a consistent tutor

• Students receive tailored math support using a curriculum that is tailored to address their needs

• Tutors focus on relationship-building and provide mentorship in a fun learning environment

• Students receive tutoring at least twice weekly via one of three program models: at-home, during an after-school program, or during the school day

Families, please click this link to apply.

All students must have a new athletic physical and online clearance each school year. To complete the online clearance go to: https://www.homecampus.com/login

• For School - Select Vasquez
• For Sport - Select the sport the applies with MS in the title (ex: MS Volleyball)

You will need to submit the following documents as part of the clearance process:

• Current health insurance card
• Physical (Medical History / Physical / Clearance)

Hello Students and Parents,

HDS is taking a trip to the Florida Keys on the Splash into Science program!

This trip is all-inclusive, and we’ll be going over what we’ll get to see and do on our program, such as:

• Swim with dolphins
• Snorkel the coral reef
• Kayak the mangroves
• Behind the scenes visit at The Turtle Hospital Rescue, Rehab, Release Center
• Explore Everglades National Park

Please check out our official trip website to see all the fun things we will see and do! I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Please contact me if you have any questions about itinerary highlights, information regarding WorldStrides FLAG Financial Assistance, Extended Payment Options, and other important items you need to know about Educational Travel.

HDS Florida Trip Registration Link

HDS Florida Trip Registration Flyer - English / Spanish

Thank you for those who joined us on October 4, 2024, at 9 a.m. to meet our new counselor, Ms. Zuly Quezada. She works closely with our students to help them better understand their behavior and is excited to share valuable insights with parents on how to support their children from home. Ms. Quezada addressed common concerns like: "Have you ever wondered why your child behaves the way they do?" "Are you tired of your child's tantrums and attitude?" and "Do you want to prevent your child from experiencing bullying?" If you missed the session, check out the presentation to gain useful strategies and get your questions answered!

About half of teens in the U.S. had a mental health concern at some point in their life. Recognizing teen mental health issues and connecting to early intervention and treatment can be lifesaving. Check out this free guide to the most common teen mental health challenges and find local mental health resources.

Stay up to date on all of the Hawk Happenings throughout the school year. Check out our Yearlong Calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year.

Our School is using PBIS Rewards to help us with our PBIS program! PBIS Rewards is a technology-based PBIS Management System that helps us with our behavior incentive program. You can learn about PBIS Rewards at their website (www.pbisrewards.com).

Our students can earn rewards throughout the day by meeting our behavior expectations. These rewards are in the form of electronic points. They can redeem these points for privileges, tangible items, access to events, and other similar things. Our expectation is that we will see overall behavior improve throughout the school and that the number of referrals we have will decrease.

PBIS Rewards has a Family App that will give you some insight into how your child is doing with respect to our PBIS program. The Family App will run on most smart devices, including smartphones and tablets. You can find it in the iPhone/iPad App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon App Store. Just search for "PBIS Rewards Family."

An email has been sent to families to get you set up on the PBIS Rewards Family App. Please access this email from PBIS Rewards if you wish to access your child's progress. If you did not receive an email, please contact Mrs. Van Ornum so she can help get you set up.

Principal, Mrs. Michelle Van Ornum

Email: mvanornum@aadusd.k12.ca.us
Website: http://aadusd.k12.ca.is/domain/9/
Location: 3620 Antelope Woods Road, Acton, CA, USA
Phone: (661) 269-0310
Facebook: facebook.com/hdsboosterclub/
Twitter: @Highdesert_aad