Class of 2025 Newsletter
January 2025
Class of 2025 Families,
Welcome back and Happy New Year! We are excited to welcome the Class of 2025 back onto campus for their final term of high school. The next few months will fly by. Senioritis will be in full swing - which means the distraction of life after high school may potentially lead to avoidance, distraction and increased procrastination. It is more important than ever for students to maintain positive attendance habits and stay on top of their grades. There is still a lot of work that must be completed as we journey to graduation. Please do not hesitate to contact the Grade Level Team or your student's teachers with any questions.
Mark your Calendar:
January 1-7: Winter Break
January 8: First Day of Spring Semester 1
January 20: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 22: Virtual Back to School Night
January 25: Winter Formal
January 30: Student Minimum Day - Staff PD
January 30: Parent Shadow Day
February 10: Progress Reports Due - Spring Semester 1
February 12: Athletic Eligibility Determined
February 14: No School - Lincoln's Day
February 17: No School - President's Day
February 20: Student Minimum Day - Staff PD
February 28: Last Day to Submit FAFSA/CADAA for 2 Extra Tickets for Graduation
March 12-13: Spring Semester 1 Finals
March 14: Grossmont College Onboarding Day
March 14-31: No School - Spring Break
March 18: Athletic Eligibility Determine
March 31: First Day of Spring Semester 2
Do you have a student who will be entering the 9th grade for the 2025-2026 school year? If so, you must submit an application between Monday, 1/6/25 - Saturday, 3/1/25.
Helix is a Charter School, so no one is automatically enrolled and you must apply by Saturday, 3/1/25. The application and all information about enrollment can be found here: helixcharter.net/Enroll.
Yearbooks are currently for sale for $85 at the Dawg House and through the student store.
Yearbooks SELL OUT, so buy one TODAY if you are interested!
We hope all families will consider joining the Helix PTSA, click here to join. There is no commitment involved. It is just an annual, one-time donation of $13. The funds raised through PTSA memberships go directly back to the school and students for scholarships, special programs and anything the students may need! The more members we have, the greater access we have to grants and programs that will support Helix students.
***Any students interested in applying for PTSA scholarships (we give out $5,000 each year) must be PTSA members.***
If you want to make more of a commitment, consider joining the PTSA board. This means attending one meeting per month (if you are available) and being on an email distribution that shares information about upcoming volunteer opportunities. The meetings are typically held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 5pm at Helix or via Zoom. If you are interested, please email PTSA President Dave Hardenburger at helixptsapresident@gmail.com.
If you just want to be informed about upcoming events and school news, follow Helix PTSA on social media on Facebook and Instagram.
If you require a letter of recommendation for a College Application or Scholarship Application, please provide teachers/staff members with at least 10 days to complete. It is a great idea to give letter writers a thorough Brag Sheet to help them write the best letter about you!
Almost every student applying to college has the following traits: hard working, great grades, focused and determined. Your letter of recommendation is an opportunity for us to tell the colleges more about you BEYOND the traits that everyone in college has, how can we tell a more unique story for you? The more thoughtful you are in responding to each of the questions, the better job we can do for you. TELL us about you!!! Remind us of a lesson or conversation that we may have had that was pivotal for you. Admissions officers do not want to read the cover of your book in these letters, they want the heart of the book in them.
***REMEMBER...ONLY REQUEST A LETTER IF YOU TRULY REQUIRE A LETTER.***
Only request a transcript when the college asks for it, not earlier as it may get lost. Please make all requests through Xello.
Student athletes should see Mrs. Street or Ms. Markey for transcript requests for college coaches or the NCAA.
***REMEMBER...ONLY REQUEST A TRANSCRIPT WHEN THE COLLEGE ASKS FOR IT.***
All families are invited to join our monthly PTSA meetings, to get informed about what is going on at the school, volunteer opportunities, ways to get involved, etc. The January meeting will be held on Wednesday, 1/15/25 at 5:30pm.
We hope all families will consider joining the Helix PTSA, click here to join. There is no commitment involved, it is just an annual, one-time donation of $13. The funds raised through PTSA memberships go directly back to the school and students, for scholarships, teacher supplies and needs, special programs and anything the students may need!
As Spring Semester 1 gets underway, we invite you to join our virtual Back to School Night on Wednesday, 1/22/25. This is your opportunity to meet your student’s new teachers and to acquaint yourselves with the instructional programs. We are offering this second Back to School Night of the year virtually in hopes it will be more convenient and accessible.
On Wednesday, 1/22/25 starting at 3:30pm, you will be able to login to view videos from each of your student's teachers. You can access Canvas courses by using your student's Chromebook with Canvas open in Browser or via your Parent Observer Account. If you are not sure if you have a Parent Observer Account set up, please watch the instructional video here - How to set up a Parent Observer Account. These videos will not expire, so you can view them on demand.
Prepare for takeoff on 25/25! Winter Formal will take place on Saturday, 1/25/25 at the Air & Space Museum from 7pm-11pm. Tickets are on sale now at the Dawg House. Here are a few reminders if you want to get cleared to attend the dance.
We go back 5 weeks from the date of the dance to check the following:
- No truancies
- No suspensions
- No more than ONE lockout
- No more than THREE unexcused absences
- No more than FIVE tardies
- No more than FIVE excused absences
- Must have 2.0 GPA from the December report card
The Highland Players production of Hadestown will be shown in the Helix Mainstage Theater on Wednesday, 2/5/25 - Friday, 2/7/25 and Tuesday, 2/11/25 - Friday, 2/14/25. All shows will begin at 7pm. Hadestown, which won the 2019 Tony award for Best Musical, is a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridyce.
