Weekly Update #23
January 20, 2025
Mission and Vision
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.
Hello Cougar Nation! I hope that you have enjoyed the 3 day weekend in honor of the true hero of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of our students and community members participated in a day of service today in honor of Dr. King. This upcoming week we have a few things on the agenda, first we will be doing ASVAB testing with the second half of our Juniors and any Seniors who did not get to take it last year. ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is a test that measure a student's aptitude in a variety of career areas. The results of this test, although supplied by the military, does not have to be seen by the military. We use the ASVAB test to help us to give students greater insight into potential career opportunities, and to fulfill the graduation requirement of ECAP (AZ Dept of Education Requirement).
We still have a number of students who need to complete the Benchmark testing from last week. We will be pulling you into the L building to get this done.
I would like to thank all of the wonderful community volunteers who came out to our school to support our students and participate in the community interviews. I know that I heard from multiple community members how incredibly impressed they were with our students, their responses, and how they presented themselves!
Tutoring will be starting this Thursday, January 23, 2025. See schedule to the above right.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING TRAFFIC FLOW AND CONSTRUCTION
The City of Casa Grande is scheduled to begin the Trekell Road Improvement Project on Monday, January 20, with construction expected to last approximately eight months. This essential project will bring significant upgrades to Trekell Road, enhancing safety and increasing capacity to meet the demands of our growing community.
Project Overview
The $5.8 million project spans Trekell Road from Rodeo Road to McCartney Road and includes:
- Widening Trekell Road from two lanes to four lanes between Avenida Luna and McCartney Road.
- Adding a two-way left turn lane at McCartney Road.
- Removal of existing asphalt and installation of new asphalt, curbs, gutters, and driveways.
- Construction of a median near Casa Grande Union High School.
- Infrastructure upgrades, including box culvert replacements, catch basins, traffic signals, streetlights, and ADA-compliant sidewalks.
These improvements aim to enhance traffic flow and safety while supporting the city’s rapid growth.
Traffic Impacts
- Lane Closures: One lane in each direction will remain open throughout construction.
- Bike Lane Accessibility: Bike lanes will be closed, and motorists will need to share the road with cyclists.
- Parking Restrictions: Parking within or near traffic control devices is prohibited, and fines will double in the construction zone for violations.
- Delays Expected: Motorists should anticipate delays and are encouraged to drive cautiously and adhere to posted signs.
Work hours will be Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How This Affects Casa Grande Union High School
Given the proximity of the project to the high school, traffic patterns and travel times near the campus may be impacted. We recommend sharing this information with staff, students, and parents to promote awareness and ensure safety during this period.
Reporting and Updates
Residents can report construction-related concerns using the See Click Fix app. For traffic updates and city alerts, we encourage stakeholders to visit //www.casagrandeaz.gov/stayconnected.
The City of Casa Grande appreciates your patience and cooperation as we work to improve our infrastructure for the benefit of the entire community. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact PIO@CasaGrandeAZ.gov.
Thank you in advance for your partnership during this important infrastructure project.
The main thing to keep in mind is to allow for extra time, I know that this is challenging, but the challenge now will result in safer commuting later.
There are going to be traffic changes on Trekell Road starting on January 21, 2025. This project will make our roads and school safer and will help traffic to flow more efficiently. We will be pushing information out regarding the construction. The main thing to keep in mind is to allow for extra time, I know that this is challenging, but the challenge now will result in safer commuting later. More details to come throughout the week.
For our students who park on campus, there are many of you who are not following our guidelines, there is a quick video below to explain what needs to happen and what will happen if you park in unassigned spots. (I have been told Mr. Raymond and I need to amp up our acting skills:)).
Cougars, we need your help in keeping our campus clean and safe. We have started a "See Something, Say Something" tipline on our campus. You can scan the code from any number of signs we have throughout campus, or you can save this link ( https://forms.office.com/r/K7M0FaRddn ) so you can access it any time. We have to take better care of our campus, from stopping the wreckless, pointless, and expensive damage to our restrooms, to ensuring that trash is picked up on our campus every day. I put together a short video demonstrating the clean up process. Click here for the video.
When it comes to safety we have to be sure that when walkers are leaving our campus that they are exiting the walking gate, we have too many students moving around and walking through the crowded parking lot with buses. Additionally, the Staff Parking Lot / Bus Entrance and Exit is not a parent drop off or student parking. We are doing this for your safety! Please, comply the directions we have set forward to ensure that all students, staff, and community members stay safe while on our campus.
- Student parking and Parent Drop Off / Pick-up - STUDENTS AND PARENTS PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK TO LEARN MORE. STUDENTS, YOU MAY BE FINED FOR A FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH OUR PROCESS.
We continue to offer tutoring after school, the schedule is pictured to the Right. Please, check out our 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. You never know how a positive word can positively impact another person. Please click here to participate.
Some of the information below is new, however, there is also new information included weekly, so PLEASE take the time to read through the newsletter every week; I send them out on Sundays.
There are 2 issues we are working to address that have been ongoing at our campus: 1. Tardiness 2. Dress Code.
Tardniness UPDATE: In the next week we are going to start to send students who are late to first period to SWEEP. SWEEP means that students go to a separate classroom from their assigned class and are assigned an Y in the attendance portion of PowerSchool. Some parents and students have asked, "Why are you guys doing this?". The answer is simple, last semester alone we had 30,000 (yes, 30,000) tardies. 30,000 in 90 days, an average of over 330 a day! Students and parents, the good news is that our Cougars are responding and responding well. Every day fewer and fewer students are being sent to sweep. It is important that students are on time and ready to learn when class starts. We open the gates out front and at the buses at 7:15, if you need to be early to avoid being late, there is plenty of opportunity for that.
Additionally, we will do random SWEEPS throughout the week and school day, meaning that if students are tardy to class, they will go to SWEEP instead of class. We have got to get students to class on time. As we roll out our Renaissance Rewards program right before Fall Break we will be putting rewards into place to thank those students who are doing what must be done. Don't be late, you'll miss something great!
Dress Code: We are still having a number of students come to school out of dress code. Please familiarize yourself with the criteria required by our governing board for students to be in compliance with the dress code. You can find information on student expectations here. The process is as follows:
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.
- Once a student reaches strike three, they will be given IFS (intervention for success) the following day.
- Consequences will increase with each violation up OSS.
- Dress code violations will reset at the end of the semester.
- 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. If you are a student and are interested in being featured on our podcast and being interviewed, please click here to complete the Interest Form.
- Our administrative team met with all students on campus. We have reviewed our behavioral expectations; however, below is a summary of what we will / have reviewed and a link to the presentation is here:
- Personal Electronic Devices
- Off and away during class time, including if leaving the classroom to use the restroom or go to the office.
- 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.
- Restroom
- Office/Counselor/Teacher/etc.
- Nurse
- Be the Three
- Respectful, Responsible, Reliable
- 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
CHALLENGES
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)
Moving Forward:
1. Counselors are very busy meeting with students right now. We are looking at schedules for second semester and ensuring that all students are where they are supposed to be. Students, if you have a scheduling question for 2nd Semester, NOW is the time to meet with your counselor and get it situated for your success.
