October Newsletter

Milwaukie High School & Milwaukie Academy of the Arts

Greetings Mustang Families,

Happy October! We’re thrilled to kick off this month with some exciting events and opportunities for your students. As the fall season settles in, it’s time for one of our most anticipated weeks of the year—Homecoming!! This week will be full of spirit, fun, and community engagement, and we can’t wait to see all of our students get involved.

Homecoming Events

Here’s a quick overview of the events happening:

Monday: Play House Night, 3:30-4:30 PM
Tuesday: Banner Night, 3:30-4:30 PM
Wednesday: Play House Touch-Up Night, 3:30-4:30 PM
Thursday: Movie Night, 3:30-5:30 PM
Friday:

Homecoming Parade at 1:45 PM
Assembly at 2:15 PM
Homecoming Football Game at 7:00 PM!

Saturday: We wrap up the week with our Homecoming Dance in the main gym, 7:30-10:30 PM.

Dress-Up Days! Help your students plan their outfits for:

Monday: Pajama Day
Tuesday: Dynamic Duos/Groups (The Admin team will be rocking Mario costumes!)
Wednesday: Decades Day
Thursday: Jersey Day
Friday: Maroon & Gold Day

We’re looking forward to seeing the Mustang pride in full force this week! Let’s make this Homecoming Week one to remember! Go Mustangs!

The week of October 7-11

Tuesday, October 8⋅5:00 – 7:30 PM: ECMC College Night/College Fair

Join us for a college night and fair with representatives to help guide students through the college process, including applications, scholarships, and financial aid.

Wednesday, October 9: College & Career Day (9:30 AM – 3:30 PM)

Who will attend in person from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM:

9th Grade Students: That receive an invitation to come in to complete missing assignment and get caught up.
10th Grade Students: All 10th graders will take the Pre-ACT test at no cost. This will provide insight into strengths and areas of focus for the future.
11th Grade Students: who have signed up will take the PSAT. all other 11th graders will participate in the virtual College & Career Day.
12th Grade Students: Students that receive an invitation to complete their Extended Application to complete their graduation requirement. We will provide support in completing this important task in the morning.
STAMP Test: Students that sign up to take the STAMP test. This test assesses proficiency in a second language. Based on the scores, students can earn up to 4 high school credits and potentially qualify for the State of Oregon Biliteracy Seal.

All other students will participate in the ONLINE - College and Career Day! This event will run until 3:30 PM, and families are welcome to join the sessions as well. High school students and families can join from home! Use this link to explore the session that will take place on October 9th.

Some highlights are:

Options after high school
Career paths
Paying for college
Managing money
Access to Zoom links: nclack.k12.or.us/ccr-fair

Thursday, October 10th at 6:00 – 7:30 PM: Parent Coffee Talk - Overview Night

An evening to review the exciting things happening at MHS/MAA this year, including:

Overview of resources & Graduation Requirements
Resources available:
Tutor.com and ParentVue
Health Center Tour

It's a busy and exciting week! We encourage all families to participate and take advantage of these opportunities to support our students' college and career readiness.

Week of October 14-18: Evening Events for Parents

We have some wonderful events coming up during the week of October 14-18, and we invite all parents and families to join us for these engaging activities:

Monday, October 14⋅7:00 – 9:00 PM: Padres/Madres Meeting in the Commons

Come connect with other parents and hear important updates about our school. This is a great opportunity to engage with the community and discuss ways to support our students' success.

Wednesday, October 16⋅6:30 – 8:00 PM: Instrumental Music Concert

Join us for an evening of beautiful music as our talented students showcase their skills in the fall instrumental concert. It’s a perfect way to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our student musicians.

We look forward to seeing you at these events and thank you for your continued support in making our school community strong!

Celebration of our September - Student of the Month

As we wrap up September and head into the heart of fall, I want to take a moment to share how excited we were to celebrate one of our exceptional students, Guadalupe Barrera, as our Student of the Month at the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, September 17.

Lupe, as he’s known, is an outstanding student with a remarkable 3.9 GPA. He has excelled academically by taking numerous AP courses and has been a peer tutor, as well as an elementary tutor. In addition to his academic achievements, Lupe is actively involved in Ascension, one of our student leadership groups that honors and celebrates Hispanic culture.

At the City Council Meeting, Lupe was awarded a certificate by the Mayor and celebrated by the entire City Council for his hard work, dedication, and positive impact on our school and community.

We are so proud of Lupe and his accomplishments, and we look forward to seeing all he will continue to achieve this year!

Save the Date: Parent Conferences

Monday, November 25⋅11:30am – 7:30pm
Tuesday, November 26 8:00am - 3:30pm

More information to follow at the end of October

As we head into a busy and exciting month, I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming activities and celebrating all the wonderful things happening in our school community. Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to making our school a great place to learn and grow.

Be well, and as always, Go Mustangs!

Kim Kellogg

MAA

Dear MAA Community,

We are excited to announce that Milwaukie Academy of the Arts (MAA) is currently seeking dedicated and passionate individuals to join our MAA Board. Serving on the board is a unique opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of our school, support arts integration into the core classes and help shape the future of our students.

We are looking for individuals who are committed to fostering a positive learning environment, have a passion for the arts, and are eager to collaborate with other board members and our school community. Whether you are a parent, educator, or artist, your perspective and involvement are invaluable.

If you’re interested in becoming a part of our MAA Board, please reach out Cynthia Wilson at Cynperezwilson@gmail.com for more information or to express your interest. We look forward to working with enthusiastic new members who share our vision for a thriving, creative, and inclusive school community.

Thank you for your continued support of Milwaukie Academy of the Arts!

Sincerely,
The MAA Board

Save the Date: Our First Theatre Performance of the Year!

We are excited to announce our upcoming production of Peter and the Starcatcher! Mark your calendars and join us for a magical evening at the theater. Here are the details:

Production: Peter and the Starcatcher
Dates:

November 7-9
November 14-16

We hope you can make it to one of these performances to support our talented students. It promises to be a fantastic show!

Counseling

I want to congratulate everyone on a first great month of school and continue to encourage all of our Mustangs to practice great attendance and continue to do all of their great work. At this point in the school year, all students' schedules have been solidified and before you know it we will be at our first grading period, which ends on October 31st and first quarter grades being issued on November 1st. Please remember that quarter grades are not transcripted and are a good opportunity to gauge how your students are doing before grades are fully transcripted at the end of first semester, which takes place on January 30th.

I cannot stress enough the importance of all of our students receiving all of their credits, to make sure that everyone is on track to graduate, regardless of the graduation year. This is a very important time in their education. I hope everyone is planning on participating in our annual College and Career day which is taking place on October 9th. You can find more information about this in the College and Career section and should you have any questions please never hesitate to reach out.

Greg Neuman

Assistant Principal

College & Career

We are excited to announce that our virtual college and career fair is coming soon. On Wednesday, October 9th, high school students from across the district will have a variety of opportunities to tune into live sessions from their Chromebooks at home and view important college and career related sessions. These sessions will include topics such as college talks from colleges and universities; applying to college, financial aid and scholarships; and learning more about opportunities in the workforce and trades.

The day will have opportunities for engagement just like a normal day, but students will participate from home virtually. Our schools will be open for all 10th graders who are taking the PreACT and for some 11th graders who have chosen to sign up for the PSAT.

During the time leading up to October 9th we are encouraging families to plan their day together and select the sessions that make sense for you and your family. These sessions will continue to be updated as the event gets closer so continue to check the link prior to October 9th. For those who can’t tune in live, we will have access to recordings of these sessions to be viewed at a later date. Parents and guardians, we highly encourage your participation.

For our 10th grade and some 11th grade test takers, school will start as usual at 8:35. The test and school day will end at 12:00. We will serve lunch at 12:00 and for bus riders, we are coordinating the timing for buses to depart soon after lunch.

Athletics

Hello Mustang Family,

We are thrilled to share some exciting updates from our fall athletics season! Our teams have been working hard, and it’s shaping up to be a fantastic season across the board. Here’s what’s happening:

Football: Our team plays its first conference game on Friday, 10/4, which will also be our Homecoming game. It promises to be an exciting event, and we’d love to see you come out and support!
Volleyball: The team has had a strong start and is currently battling for a playoff spot in the conference. Their next game is on 10/2 at Parkrose High School. Come cheer them on!
Boys Soccer: The boys have been outstanding, with only one loss this season. They’re pushing towards the playoffs with a high OSAA ranking.
Girls Soccer: Still undefeated after six games! Their next game is on 10/1 at Parkrose High School—don’t miss it!
Cross Country: Our runners are achieving personal bests and are gearing up for the district meet on 10/30 at Blue Lake Park. We’re excited to see them compete!

Looking ahead:

Winter Sports: Basketball, swimming, and wrestling kick off in November. Please remember to sign up on familyid.com, and ensure your student has a valid physical (physical exams are good for two years).

We look forward to meeting more parents this year and sharing the excitement of high school sports. Thank you for your continued support, and go Mustangs!

Thank You,

Tom

SSO

Lunch Updates

We’d like to remind you that all of our students receive breakfast and lunch at no cost, so please encourage your students to take full advantage of these meals each day!

We would also like to reiterate that MHS/MAA is a closed campus. While we encourage students to stay on school grounds during lunch, we understand that some may choose to leave. Please keep in mind that when students leave campus, they are doing so at their own discretion. We do have a campus monitor stationed near the food carts to keep an eye on things when possible, but since this area is off school grounds, supervision is limited.

As you know, we transitioned to one lunch period this year. The first week was a bit hectic, but we’ve made several adjustments, and now all students who get lunch are served in about 12 minutes. This leaves them with nearly 30 minutes to enjoy their meal. If the initial rush seems overwhelming to your student, we recommend waiting about 10 minutes – by then, the lines have cleared and there’s plenty of food available.

We’re also excited to announce that we’ll be starting some lunchtime activities to keep students engaged. This week, we’ll kick off with a little karaoke, and we’re working on organizing a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. More information to come. Plus, the gym is open with supervision during lunch, giving students a great option to stay on campus and have some fun.

We strongly encourage our students to stay on campus, enjoy the activities, and make the most of their time with their friends. Thank you for your support in helping us create a safe and positive environment for all!

Homecoming Dance

Our homecoming dance is this Saturday, October 5th from 7:30pm to 10:30pm in our commons. Please remind your students that backpacks are not allowed inside the dance. Please keep these either in cars or at home.

Playhouse Auction at Homecoming Football Game

Every year for homecoming our students decorate playhouses that embrace the homecoming theme. The playhouses are used during the homecoming parade as a float and then auctioned off to the community.

This year our homecoming theme is decades!

Seniors: 2000’s

Juniors: 1970’s

Sophomores: 1990’s

Freshman: 2010’s

Community members can bid on a playhouse at our homecoming football game on Friday, October 4th. All proceeds will be used to support the Milwaukie community during our annual Mystery Mustang Holiday Family Adoption!

We will email pictures of the finished houses to families through ParentSquare and post them to our Milwaukie High social media accounts on Thursday, October 3rd.

The bidding starts at $50 (cash only)! Winners will be announced during the 4th quarter and can be taken home that night!

You can view the measurements and details about the playhouses here.