The Weekly Penguin

This was an excellent week! We are really moving now, and things are going very well both in classrooms and around campus. Thank you to everyone who attended Open House last night, it's always great to see so many parents take an active interest in their students' education. I spent the time wandering through classrooms and acting as the tour guide. Thank you to all students and staff for a great first fire drill today, smooth and by the numbers. Reminder this was the only drill of any kind to be announced, but when each subsequent drill is called we will send out correspondence announcing it is a drill. We will also notify immediately of any emergency situations on campus with pertinent information.

One more thing for the top today: student IDs and entry into school. All students must be in possession of their IDs any time they are on campus. They may wear them (the best way), or have them in a pocket, wallet, backpack, purse, etc. The procedure we are implementing for students arriving late to school is to present both their ID and a copy of their current class schedule at the buzzer door. This schedule can be either a paper printout or from their StudentVUE app (not a screenshot). This again is for campus security. It is time-consuming and an inconvenience. The point: get to school on time. This procedure can be avoided if arriving on time. The lines for late students from both UHS and RHS went around the admin building on multiple days this week. We will begin tracking tardies in the next week or so, please be respectful of your teachers who show up on time to teach you!

We will be switching the Penguin to go out on Sundays after today. Thank you all! Have great weekend!

Athletics update

Attendance procedures

Campus security: drop-off and pick-up procedures

Campus security: on-campus procedures

CANVAS access for parents

CCCC (College, Career, and Counseling Center) update

Counseling team and assignments

Parent cohort meetings!

ParentVUE access

Parking permits 2024-2025

Restroom availability during school year

Student schedule change request form

UHSPA - mid-August update

Yearbook and retake info

Fall Sports season is here! Get your season pass for $30 in the finance office. This ticket allows you to get into all home game event excepting post-season competition/play. All proceeds generated from purchasing this pass stay at the school.

• Cross Country athletes: meet in front of the Amphi (Languages) Building at 3:30pm. Talk to Coach about Wednesday schedule.
• Swim athletes: meet by the Arcadia gate at 3:20 pm, a bus will take you to the Catalina HS pool.
• Girls volleyball athletes: meet in the South gym at 3:30 pm - tryouts start Monday!
• New Football athletes: please speak to Mr. LaVetter in the Athletics Office or email Lance.LaVetter@tusd1.org

To excuse a student’s absence or tardy

If your student will be absent or tardy, this year you will have 3 ways of reporting it. You will need to have the student’s name, date of birth and the reason they will be out.

• Go to your ParentVue account, select attendance from the menu on the left and click on the box “report absence”. This is the fastest way.
• You can email universityattendance@tusd1.org or laura.feigenbaum@tusd1.org.
• Call the attendance line at 520-232-5902. If you are unable to reach a person, please leave only ONE message.

Our office staff will retrieve your information from one of the methods above as quickly as possible during office hours. Your information may not be entered prior to you receiving our automated attendance call. Please refer to your Parent Vue account after 3:00 p.m the same day to verify that the absence/tardy has been updated. If it has not been recorded, please email universityattendance@tusd1.org to fix. Please be aware that the highest call volume is between 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Student’s leaving early

If you are aware that your student will need to leave early, you have some options:

• You can send a note with the student and have them come to the attendance office before school starts and we will issue a pass.
• You can either email or give us a call directly. We will issue the pass for the student to leave their class at the time requested. Please give us at least 15 minutes to complete this process if calling in.
• If you need to come in, we will be happy to get your student for you upon your arrival, be aware that it may take additional time this way so please plan accordingly.
• For added security, you will need to show your photo ID in two areas on campus, at the front security gate and ALSO in the Attendance Office. Your student WILL NOT be released without proper identification. ANY parent, guardian, or person on emergency contact listed in the original student’s registration for the current school year can sign-out your student.

We WILL NOT accept calls, emails or in person requests for students to leave early after 2:45 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, or after 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Students MUST sign-out and receive a pass from the attendance office prior to leaving campus.

***We are continuing to see a number of traffic violations, and TPD officers are now patrolling the school and surrounding areas during high volume times. Please stay safe! Follow our procedures!

Student pick-up and drop-off will occur on Arcadia Ave, on the east side of the school. Arcadia Ave can be accessed from either 5th St to the north of the school, or Broadway Blvd to the south of the school, all just east of Swan Rd. The entrance to the school is the southernmost purple rolling gate with the white security guard booth alongside, as indicated below. You may also drop of students along Arcadia Ave by pulling into the bays, which are designated for parent drop-off and pick-up. Please do not seek other entrances, driveways, drop-off or pick-up locations, such as the curb in front of the admin building (it is marked for law enforcement and district vehicles). We know some of you get here particularly early or have done things a specific way in the past, but please follow these procedures. See the maps below for access and routes. (RUHS school access map, and RUHS dropoff, pickup map)

Students may park in one of two designated areas depending on the specific permit you applied for and were provided. See the maps below for access locations. (RUHS south student parking, RUHS north student parking). Students note: the north lot is primarily reserved for faculty and staff. Park only in the locations outlined by the red rectangles and only if you have a permit specifically for the north lot.

Please follow all traffic laws and safety procedures above and beyond what you might plan for. The safety of our students, staff, and families is paramount and we CANNOT put that at risk by speeding, double- and triple-parking, stopping in main throughways/streets, pulling into public bas bays, pulling into bike lanes, or otherwise driving unsafely or stopping anywhere other than designated areas. Tucson Police will have intermittent patrol around the school but tickets/fines/paper arrests are the norm procedurally. Please be safe.

Arriving late to school

All exterior gates to the school except the main gate at the guard shack on Arcadia Ave will be closed no later than 10 minutes after the tardy bell. The Penguin gate leading to the interior of campus next tot health office will be closed right at the tardy bell. All students arriving late will then need to be dropped off OUTSIDE the main gate and check in with security before entering campus. Students will then go to the buzzer door next to the administration building to be let in after verifying their identification (see student IDs below). Students will then head to their respective attendance office to sign in and get a tardy slip to get into class. This is not an excused tardy if there was no call in previous to arrival. Students will not enter the school through any other gate, fence, door, or other entrance aside from the buzzer door when arriving late to school.

Items for student pickup

Any items brought to the school for student pickup (i.e. forgotten school materials such as musical instruments, school devices, athletic equipment, etc.) must be dropped off with the security monitor at the main gate. We will ensure all items are brought to students. The following are items which will not be delivered:

• Cash money
• Food (with exceptions for students who forgot their lunch and have specific dietary restrictions)
• Flowers/balloons

No food delivery

Students are not allowed to order food through delivery services of any kind to be delivered to the school. Any deliveries arriving for students will be turned away at the students' expense.

University High School utilizes CANVAS for its classroom curriculum. Here are the instructions for parent access to your student's CANVAS classrooms. Contact the school if you have any questions.

Happy Friday from your Student Services Team! Please note the following important info and dates:

Counselors will be visiting classrooms next week at all grade levels to introduce themselves and make sure students know how to contact and connect with their counselor. We will also be sharing information about getting set up in AP Classroom. Please use the following contact info for your grade-level counselor (website info is not current at this time):

Mr. Sam Matz, samuel.matz@tusd1.org, 9-10 A-L

Ms. Kate Brownstone, Kathryn.brownstone@tusd1.org, 9-10 M-Z

Ms. Amy Villagio, amy.villagio2@tusd1.org, 11-12 A-L and Department Chair

Mr. Max Encinas, maximiliano.encinas2@tusd1.org, 11-12 M-Z

SENIORS: Join the instate university info sessions & workshops to complete your general instate college applications and gather information on the Honors Colleges before your ECAP is due on September 3rd! First one is on Tuesday 8/13! Find all the details on the Instate Application Sessions - August 2024 attachment below.

JUNIORS: Join the UHS Counseling team for our quarterly College-Ready Seminars focusing on how juniors can prepare for applying to college. Each quarter we will focus on a different topic to assist juniors & families in their college planning by breaking down the process and helping you work smarter, not harder! We highly encourage all junior students and families to attend each quarter so they are best prepared for next year.

[Q1] College Admissions Testing – September 10

[Q2] Building Your College List – November 19

[Q3] Financing College – February 4

[Q4] Planning & Preparing for the College Application Process – April 15

All seminars take place on Zoom starting at 6:00 pm. More details and zoom links can be found on the 24-25 College-Ready Seminars for 11th Grade Students & Families attachment below.

ALL STUDENTS:

College visits start next week! Many colleges and university representatives visit UHS each year, primarily in the fall semester, to share admissions and application information. Unless noted otherwise, all grades are welcome to attend these visits. While we try to schedule visits when class is not in session, sometimes they do fall during class time. When you sign up for a visit, you will receive an email confirmation that can be used as your pass to leave class to attend the visit; however, you have to clear it with your teacher prior to missing any class for a visit! Students can review the current schedule and sign up for visits here: CCCC (tusd1.org) (go to the College & Career section, then look at the info under College Visits)

Doorway to College Foundation is offering a PSAT/SAT Test Prep Seminar, to be held in person at UHS on Wednesday, 9/18/24 and Thursday, 9/19/24 from 6:30 to 9:00 PM. Find more information and how to register on the Doorway to College PSAT and SAT Test Prep Seminar attachment below.

Scholarship assistance available to students with demonstrated financial need – please contact Ms. Villagio – amy.villagio2@tusd1.org

Amy Villagio

Department chair

Counselor grades 11/12

Last names A-L

email Ms. Villagio

Max Encinas

Counselor grades 11/12

Last names M-Z

email Mr. Encinas

Sam Matz

Counselor grades 9/10

Last names A-L

email Mr. Matz

Kate Brownstone

Counselor grades 9/10

Last names M-Z

email Ms. Brownstone

Marcos Flores

504 coordinator, testing coordinator

email Mr. Flores

Katrina Messing

Recruitment and Retention Coordinator

email Ms. Messing

Megan Palos

College and Career Coordinator

email Ms. Palos

Kirsten Pelot

MTSS Coordinator

email Ms. Pelot

Parent cohort meetings will be on Zoom, all starting at 6pm according to the dates below (no password needed):

Monday, August 12 - 9th grade parent cohort meeting

- Meeting ID: 898 9567 6992

Tuesday, August 13 - 10th grade parent cohort meeting

- Meeting ID: 857 6116 1345

Monday, August 19 - 11th grade parent cohort meeting

- Meeting ID: 827 7236 8971

Tuesday, August 20 - 12th grade parent cohort meeting

- Meeting ID: 819 1041 0456

We will introduce the administration and counseling teams, have a presentation from the Parent Association, and any class-specific information. We'll see you then!

TUSD has a tutorial on how to access ParentVUE, which you will need to see your student's schedule, complete registration, and see other pertinent information. Learn what you need to know about accessing ParentVUE.

We have been receiving requests from folks about late submissions for parking permits. At this point there is a substantial wait list, but if you have applied for a permit and not received notification of receipt you can email me directly and I can give you more information. Not everyone who applies for a permit will be granted one, and not every 12th grade student is automatically issued a permit. We know there are extenuating circumstances at times, but we will be fair and equitable to those who submitted the application earlier this year. Please note: we will only contact students if they have been selected to receive a permit, they will not receive any correspondence if they are not selected. Thank you in advance for your patience. See the existing information below.

The application window for 2024-2025 student parking permits is still open! Students: if you have not yet done so, complete the UHS parking permit application form.

• The first round of permits has been assigned and a wait list created for the remainder of applicants.
• Students selected for a permit have until August 13 to collect it. After then they may lose their permit and students on the wait list will be considered to receive permits.
• Students will be notified if they are selected to have a parking permit, and will receive further instructions of what will be due in the finance office along with all necessary supplementary documentation.
• Any remaining applicants who are not selected to receive a permit will be placed on a waiting list. I will go through the wait list after August 13 and issue any remaining permits by priority of year in school, distance from school, and after-school activities. There are temporary permits available for special circumstances, i.e. you are having surgery on a knee and will need some weeks to recover.
• You must access this form using your TUSD email/ID because we require file uploading and it is part of our district digital security measures. For any further information or questions please contact Ms. Montano in the UHS administration office.

Ongoing repairs and upgrades to our water system will result in the closure of certain restrooms and water bottle filling stations. Signage will be posted to direct you to the available facilities and identify those that are closed. For your safety, please refrain from using any closed restrooms across the campus, as they lack running water.

Restrooms currently closed for use:

• auditorium dressing room restrooms

Open beginning Monday:

• auditorium lobby restrooms
• lower level restrooms in the small NW hallway (formerly staff restrooms)

ALL OTHER RESTROOMS ARE OPEN AND AVAILABLE FOR USE. Non-gender specific student restrooms will be available in the cafeteria and the health office (inside the administration building).

Student schedule changes are still in process. Because of the number of requests, we will not be individually contacting families or students if a change has or has not been made. To check and see if your schedule has been changed, please check your StudentVUE or ParentVUE account each morning. That is the real time listing of your course schedule, and the courses listed are the ones that you should attend. For the first 10 days of school many requests may still be processed, we asked that you have patience and ask that you NOT call the school asking for an update on your request.

Here is the refreshed schedule change request link. It has been tested and should work. Reminder that ALL schedule change requests must got through this link. All requests are considered but not all requests may be honored due to such factors as graduation requirements, or section/course availability. The last day to make schedule change requests is August 13, 2024.

We have almost made it to the end of the first week of school! Wanted to let everyone know about our upcoming meeting and provide thanks to all the parents that supported our back to school teacher supply drive!

Make sure to join us for our first meeting on August 20 at 6PM in the RUHS Library. Future meetings will be on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. This meeting will focus on welcoming underclass parents to the UHSPA since the meeting will be at the same time as the senior cohort Zoom meeting.

Our UHS families have been amazingly supportive of our classroom supply drive. The Wishlist will stay open to reflect current classroom requests. Check out our Amazon Wishlist to support our most recent classroom needs.

** Sign Up for Remind- text [student grad year code] to 81010 ([student grad year code]: @uhspa2025, @uhspa2026, @uhspa2027, or @uhspa2028) ** Subscribe for communications from UHSPA **

The yearbook is discounted to our cost ($65) for a limited time. To make sure to get the lowest price, please purchase your yearbook soon. The link for purchase is https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/ and our school code is 15096125.

Underclassmen and Underclassmen Parents: Picture retakes are scheduled for Friday, Sept. 20th.

Seniors and Senior Parents:

1. The senior ads (yearbook tributes) will be available for sale by the third week of August.

2. If you have already signed up for your yearbook photo session, THANK YOU so much! It helps our yearbook staff tremendously that you completed this important task for the senior section.

3. If you have NOT signed up for your senior yearbook photo session yet, please see below:

If you are taking your yearbook photo through Silhouette, please SIGN UP soon! Those images need to be taken by late October. https://www.silhouettephoto.com/

If you are planning to get your yearbook picture done at school, you need to schedule it by THIS WEEKEND because the appointments are August 5th and 6th! The Prestige website is set up to make you pay a sitting fee, but you do not have to pay a fee to be in the yearbook. To bypass the sitting fee:
1. Select the $15 option (2 poses, so the shortest amount of time).
2. Continue clicking as if you will pay, but once you get to the screen where prompts you to payment type, scroll to the very bottom and click on “Continue" where it gives you the option to pay the day of your sitting. If you ONLY do the yearbook pose and not a second pose that day, you will not be charged. https://schedule.prestigeportraits.com/schedule/home.html

Reasons to consider paying a sitting fee:
1. Assures you will have enough time scheduled for additional backdrops and poses. If you would like to see the quality of what Prestige offers, you can find examples at this site: https://prestigeportraits.com/get-prepared/senior-portrait-session/
As an additional pose option, there will be a cap and gown available (cap and gown cannot be used for the yearbook picture).
2. Last year they had a gorgeous shimmery backdrop that made people look like movie stars (also not an option for the yearbook picture).
3. If you cannot decide what to wear, you get to have some options. Just bring them with you to school that day.
4. Finally, by using prestige for your personal senior portraits, you are eligible to apply for a $1000 scholarship. Take that to the bank – Literally! https://prestigeportraits.com/get-inspired/prestige-college-scholarships/

Please email Ms. Wheeler with any questions you may have about the yearbook or the senior yearbook photos. Patrica.wheeler@tusd1.org