
April 2024 Newsletter
Helix Charter High School: Class of 2026
A Message From Your 2026 Team:
Class of 2026 Families,
Welcome back from Spring Break! We hope you and your student were able to take time to rest, recharge and spend time with one another.
Our students did outstanding in Spring Semester 1. Be sure to take a look at our list of 332 students that were on Honor Roll by achieving a 3.5 GPA or above and the 87 students that were able to maintain Perfect Attendance. As we approach the halfway point of high school the Class of 2026 currently has 276 students that are candidates to receive a Platinum Cord for graduation (by maintaining an overall GPA of 3.5). Way to go Class of 2026!
Only ten weeks left of 10th grade! We are looking forward to an amazing semester. Please do not hesitate to contact the Grade Level Team with any questions, concerns or good news you would like to share with us.
Mark your calendar:
April 10: Helix Trades Day
May 6: Progress Reports Due (Spring Semester 2)
May 8: Athletic Eligibility Determined
May 27: No School - Memorial Day
May 28 & 29: Senior Boards (Minimum Days)
May 30 - June 1: Finals Week (Spring Semester 2)
June 5-6: Spring Semester II Finals Days-- Finals Schedule
June 6: Graduation
June 11th-July 3: Summer Registration Dates
June 12th- July 3: Summer School dates
August 8: First day of 11th grade
2026 Announcements
Preparation for the Mid-High School Reflection (MHSR) is here!
The Mid High School Reflection (MHSR) project is an opportunity for 11th grade students to reflect on their high school experience. Through the reflection process students will examine their growth within Helix's School-Wide Learner Outcomes (SLO's) and will have the opportunity to research post-secondary options.
Most of the work for this will be completed through Advisory activities for the remainder of the semester. The MHSR is scheduled to take place the last week of August. We plan on hosting a family information night within the next couple weeks. More information to come!
We appreciate families supporting students during this time as they prepare to check off this important Helix Graduation Requirement.
Upcoming Events & Important Dates
Trades Day - Wednesday, April 10 from 9am - 2pm
Helix's Trades Day is a career expo that exposes our students to unique career paths that don't require a college degree like construction trades, law enforcement, cosmetology, real estate and more. We will have over 25 career vendors available to talk to students, explain how to get into the industry and even sign up for training programs on the spot. All interested students are invited to participate. Certain classes will be coming out or students can come out during break, lunch or free periods.
Spring Fling - Wednesday, May 1 from 5pm - 7pm
Helix's annual Spring Fling Showcase for incoming freshmen is coming up! Helix Academics, Arts, Activities and Athletic programs will be showcased throughout the event allowing families to get acquainted with the many curricular and extracurricular programs offered at Helix. Incoming 9th Graders will receive a complimentary meal ($5 ea. for additional family members). Students will be able to sign-up for school athletic teams, clubs, and service organizations. Teachers will be available to provide information and answer questions regarding Helix academics and students from the Helix Performing Arts Programs will perform. For more information on upcoming events for next year's freshmen, check out this newsletter.
Summer Conferencing & Online Enrollment COMING SOON!
Notifications about Helix's annual online enrollment and summer conferencing scheduling process will be coming soon. At the end of April, keep a look out for more information on our annual required process. Dates, times and links will be shared at that time. Grade Level Teams are looking forward to meeting with all students and families to reflect on the school year and review what is coming in the upcoming school year.
Summer School 2024
Summer School will run from Wednesday, June 12th to Wednesday, July 3rd. We will offer students the opportunity to earn 10 credits this Summer by running a Morning Session and an Afternoon Session.
If your student has failed a class this school year, please plan on having them attend summer school.
Math 176
Students interested in taking Math 176 over the summer in preparation for 11th grade AP Calculus, should expect to attend Summer school during the following dates:
Monday, June 10th - Wednesday, July 3rd
8:00 a.m. - 1:40 p.m.
Break(s) determined by instructor
Lunch 11:15 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.
Student Spotlight
Helix Speech and Debate - State Qualifiers
Several students from the Speech and Debate team have qualified and will be representing Helix at the California State Speech Championships in April at Clovis North HS in the Fresno area. The whole team represented Helix well over the past 3 weekends and Helix took 3rd place in League (missed 2nd by 1 sweepstakes point)!
We are very proud of the work they have done up to this point this year and are excited about our chances at State!
Here is a list of how the 10th grade students fared at the State Qualifiers. The bolded lines indicated that those students will be competing in those events at State.
STATE QUALS RESULTS (State competitors in bold, students are only allowed to compete in one event at State).
3rd place Grand Sweepstakes
- 2nd place - Original Oratory – Kaia Mayland
- 3rd place - Dramatic Interpretation – Lea Leota
- 7th place - Original Oratory – Sydney Player-Barillas
- Semifinalist - Duo Interpretation – Paola Aguilar/Lea Leota
- Semifinalist - Humorous Interpretation – Sydney Player-Barillas
- Semifinalist - Original Prose Poetry – Sydney Player-Barillas
- 3-2 record - Public Forum Debate - Lucinda Anderson/Kaia Mayland
- 2-2 record - Lincoln Douglas Debate - Faith Jennings
Positive Impact
Many of our 10th grade students utilized Spring Break to earn some community service hours. We love seeing our 10th graders making a positive impact on our local communities. We received this positive message from Casa de Mosaic, "Thank you for sending six fabulous students to help us at Casa de Mosaic’s egg hunt. They showed up despite the weather alert!!. Thank goodness because we had to go to plan b to make it an indoor event and they stepped up.
Reagan was in the rabbit suit and she was fabulous!!
The young ladies exceeded my expectations. Thank you Highlanders! They brought many smiles to adults with autism/developmental disabilities."
Spring Semester 1 Perfect Attendance
Big congratulations to our students who earned Perfect Attendance for Spring Semester Term 1. To earn perfect attendance, a student must be present every single day with no tardies, no lockouts, and no off-campus passes.
Truly a remarkable accomplishment!
Spring Semester 1 Honor Roll
We'd like to recognize our Fall Semester Term 2 Honor Roll students. All of the students listed earned a 3.5 GPA or higher.
Family First Info Nights
Every Thursday at 6pm, Helix staff or special guests present on different topics applicable to high school parents. These events are held in the Helix Library and are open to the public! See below for our upcoming schedule. Visit helixcharter.net/FamilyFirst for more information and for links to previous recordings.
Graduation Regalia - Thursday, April 4 at 6pm via Zoom
Our Student Support team will explain about the requirements to get a Platinum Cap, Golden State Seal, Biliteracy Seal, Honors Cord, and Valedictorian recognitions. Families from all grade levels are invited. The meeting will take place on Zoom. Please click here to join the webinar.
Accessing Accomodations for College Classes - Thursday, April 18 at 6pm via Zoom
Does your student have an IEP or 504 plan? Does your student receive accommodations in their high school classes and plan to take a dual or concurrent enrollment college class? Please come to our Family First Zoom webinar on "How to Access Accommodations for College Classes" happening April 18th starting at 6pm. We will discuss the required steps students must complete in order for Grossmont/Cuyamaca College to potentially honor some accommodations from their IEP or 504 plan. Families and students will learn how they can submit a copy of their IEP or 504 to Grossmont College's Accessibility Resource Center (A.R.C.). This event will be held via zoom. Please click here to join the webinar. For translation services, click here.
C4Me (College Tour Trip for Juniors) - Thursday, April 25 at 6pm via Zoom
NCAA Eligibility Workshop - Thursday, May 2 at 6pm
Student & Community News
BigFuture $500 and $40,000 Scholarships Every Month
10th graders can now qualify for $500 and $40,000 scholarships from BigFuture®! The scholarships are open to all students, with no GPA, test score, essay, income, or citizenship requirements. Every month, they award $500 and $40,000 to students who take steps toward their career and the education they need to reach it.
How to Get Started
To qualify for monthly drawings, you just need to sign in to your BigFuture dashboard and complete steps, beginning with starting a career list and building a college list. Here is a how-to video and another video to see past winners.
Performing Arts Auditions
See graphic for dance & choir auditions for next year.
Pancho Sanchez Concert - Friday, April 12 at 7pm
Join us for this exciting event in our Performing Arts Center. Purchase tickets here.
Support Helix through Farm Fresh To You
Use promocode: HelixCharter when purchasing Farm Fresh to You products and they will give 10% back to Helix.
Bike Safety Classes for Teens Riding in La Mesa
The SD Bike Coalition & the City of La Mesa are offering FREE bike safety classes for teenagers riding in La Mesa. Visit www.sdbikecoalition.ord/events to register for one of their free upcoming events.
Community Service Opportunities
A list of community service opportunities can be found at helixcharter.net/community. We keep it very updated and some interesting new opportunities have just been added!
Contact Information
Mrs. Paula Ann Trevino (trevino@helixcharter.net) - Grade Level Principal
Mr. Hugo Gonzalez (gonzalez@helixcharter.net)- School Counselor
Ms. Lopez-Barajas (lopez-barajas@helixcharter.net)- Academic Advisor
Ms. Joan Urich (urich@helixcharter.net) - Administrative Assistant
Ms. Brenda Flores (bflores@helixcharter.net) - Attendance Technician
Ms. Rebekah Smith (rsmith@helixcharter.net) - School Social Worker