How quickly we find ourselves at the end of 11th grade. While students are about to cross the bridge from Junior to Senior year, the final two weeks of school present a busy schedule of exams, revisions, speeches and more.

The excitement of the end of the year is palpable but the emphasis on having a solid end of the school year is more important than ever. Please be sure to check in with your students. Continue encouraging them to attend tutorials when needed, and maintain healthy habits like a regular bedtime (8 hours of sleep per night) and breakfast in the morning before school.

We look forward to seeing you during Summer Conferencing this summer. Take care and let's have a great end of the school year!

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Grade Level Team or your student's teachers with any questions, concerns or good news you would like to share with us. As always, continue to check in with your teenager on a regular basis.

Mark your Calendar:

May 27: No School - Memorial Day

May 28-29: Minimum Days - Senior Boards

June 5-6: Spring Semester 2 Finals

June 6: Class of 2024 Graduation

June 11-July 3: Summer Conference Appointments

June 12-July 3: Helix Summer School

July 4: Fourth of July

August 1: University of California Applications Opens

August 8: First Day of Senior Year

August 22: Back to School Night

August 28: Parent Shadow Day

September 2: No School - Labor Day

September 9: Progress Reports Due - Fall Semester 1

September 12: Athletic Eligibility Determined

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to participate in the Class of 2024 Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2024 as a Tartan Bearer, Field Usher or Graduation Usher.

This is a time-honored practice that not only supports the Helix Graduation Class, but also publicly recognizes their academic achievements at Helix based on their class rank.

Tartan Bearer (Rank 1-24): Tartan Bearers escort the Helix Tartan onto the field prior to the start of the ceremony. They will represent the entryway for graduates at the start of the ceremony and during the graduates' roll-call.

• Gunnar Balma
• Gracie Barksdale
  

• Lukas Beer
• Kaitlin Daniel
• Cobry Dean
• Faauiomalo Filemoni
• Lorelei Garrison
• Daniel Ho
• Dylan Hong
• Isaiah Johnson
• Peyton Kertson
• Caylie Isabelle Lansang
• Tyler Nguyen
• Sage Onderdonk
• Phuong Phan
• Kyle Phaymany
• Lily Santoro
• Aidan Sweeney
• Aleksander Talamantez
  
• Tiffany Reign Valdez
• Lilette Woldemichael
• Lendia Wylie
  
• Yao Xiao
  
• Diego Zagal-Flores
  

Field Usher (Rank 25-28): Field Ushers assist with the graduation rows before and during the graduate roll-call fo diploma recognition.

• Omar Arevalo
• Madison Carey
• Jarod Lee
• Austin Loorya

Graduation Usher (Rank 29-36): Graduation Ushers assist with Graduation Program distribution and direct arriving guests when needed.

• Scarlett Bullis
• Lauren Farace
• Hayden Kim
• Bianka Makaric
• Milo Neville
• Alina Ortuno
• Kalani Tran
• Jaylyn Wu-Cardona

Annika had great swims at the League Meet. Great job!

Antoin had a great season on 3rd base. Way to go!

Congrats to Daniel Ho for advancing to the CIF Boys Golf Southern Regionals which was played on Wednesday, 5/22/24 at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino Hills, CA.

He shot a six under par 68 and has now qualified for the CIF State Championships on Wednesday, 5/29/24 at San Gabriel Country Club. What an amazing accomplishment...way to go Daniel!

Congrats to the Boys Track Team who won the CIF Section Championships. The boys 4x400 relay took first place , Laurence Burston & Spencer Gray are members of the realy and the girls 4x100 relay took third place, Shaelynee Swift is a member of the relay.

Spencer Gray placed 2nd in the 200m and Shani Ford placed 1st in Shot Put. Way to go!

Special shout out to the following 11th graders who qualified for the State CIF Championships in Clovis, CA.

• Laurence Burston - 4x400m Relay
• Spencer Gray - 4x400m Relay and 200m
• Shani Ford - Shot Put
• Shaelynee Swift - 4x100m Relay

Congratulations to the following 11th graders for their participation in the Aspire MESA Club for the 2023-2024 school year.

Moon Base Competition - 2nd Place Overall at Regionals

Devon Loy and his teammates Gavin Nascimento (10th) and Evan Tran (9th).

(Impact-to-Mass Ratio: 1st Place Regionals; Innovative Engineering Design: 3rd Place at Regionals)

Python Coding Solutions - Novice

• Kaylee Dominguez
• Dylan Hong
• Elnathan Kidane
• Caylie Lansang

Math Escape

• Caylie Lansang

Boat Challenge

• Dylan Hong

At the ACE Club Student Showcase at SDSU, our students presented the low-income housing complex that they designed and virtually built this year to an audience of their peers, families and industry professionals. The culminating part of the Showcase is scholarship awards and our students cleaned up!

Congratulations to 11th graders:

• Julius Bey - $1500 scholarship
• Natnael Gebredingle - $1000 scholarship
• Caylie Lansang - $2000 scholarship
  

Julius Bey has also been hired as an intern with a construction firms this summer. Way to go!

Online Enrollment and Summer Conferences are REQUIRED steps in securing your student's enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. Verification of your student's online data in ParentVUE must be completed by Monday, 5/20/24.

Click on the photo below to view the steps for completing online enrollment and scheduling summer conferences online.

*If your student will not be returning to Helix next year, please notify your Grade Level Team ASAP.*

What to expect during Summer Conferences:

• In-person meeting with GLT to discuss class schedule and the upcoming school year
• 90 minute experience to prepare for the upcoming school year
• Student should attend conference with one parent/guardian

• School photo for ID cards (Senior Portrait information coming soon)
  
• Finance Office for Class Spirit Pack, pay fines, purchase spirit items, yearbook, etc.
• Completion of Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Steps (if applicable)

Find out more information about Community Service Opportunities; Internship Opportunities; Scholarship Opportunities; College Visits/Tours/Fly-Ins by clicking the box below.

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.

If your student plans to drive to school and park in the student parking lot (the lot with the solar panels), they must have a Helix Parking Permit.

*Please note that their car is REQUIRED to have a visible Helix Parking Permit.*

Please complete this form to register their vehicle.

The La Mesa Police Department (LMPD) is holding its Youth Leadership Camp this summer from Monday, 6/10/24 - Thursday, 6/16/24, hosted and facilitated by La Mesa Police Officers.

The purpose is to provide leadership training and life-enhancing skills, personal development training, academic enrichment, team building, and to teach responsibility to one's family and community. Participants will engage in classroom instruction, discussions, and scenarios; athletic and academic challenges (team and individual); field trips to volunteer and perform community service work; and other activities. Physical challenges may include hiking, kayaking and swimming. Participants will develop the concepts of becoming a successful leader.

The Camp is four days long, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Students will need to be dropped off and picked up at the LMPD. Lunch, snacks, and beverages will be provided daily free of cost.

Please fill out the application and submit by Thursday, 5/30/24 to be considered. It is first come first serve, so make sure to turn it in soon if interested. Application can be found here.

Summer vacation is the perfect time for students to complete community service, participate in leadership programs, prepare for college and explore potential careers. All summers in high school are important, especially the summers after sophomore and junior year.

When admitting students colleges look for applicants who have drive, passion and strong leadership skills. Summer programs are a great way to boost chances of college admission. When looking for a summer experience students should look for one where they will gain valuable skills and become a better leader. The lessons they learn during the summer are skills that can apply to school and beyond.

Check out the information below about:

• Community Service
• 10 Ways Leadership Programs Benefit Children and Teens
• 25 Summer Leadership Programs for High School Students in 2024
• 14 Summer Activities to Boost Your Resume and College Apps

We will have Minimum Days for Senior Boards on Tuesday, 5/28/24 and Wednesday, 5/29/24.

4th period ends at 12:30pm. Students can leave then or after lunch at 1:01pm. All seniors have an assigned day, time and room for their presentation.

Click here to volunteer as a judge.

Spring Semester 2 Finals are Wednesday, 6/5/24 and Thursday, 6/6/24.

Finals can be a stressful time for students and in your household. To support your student we encourage:

• Plenty of rest: aiming for 8-10 hours per night
• Healthy breakfast and lunch
• Regularly studying: not just completing homework but reviewing notes each evening for understanding, creating notecards where appropriate, brushing up on skills through programs like Achieve or Khan Academy
• Practice breathing to help calm anxiety

Thursday, 6/6/24 is the last day of school and graduation for the Class of 2024. Remember that in order to attend graduation, you must have a graduation ticket.

There are two amazing ASPIRE Summer Camp sessions happening this June, at no cost to Helix students! Camps are open to students going into grades 10-12.

Camp will run Tuesday, 6/10/24 - Friday, 6/28/24, every day of the week. There are two sessions to choose from: 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Find the schedule and register for a session here.

Remember that the ACT is still required for some out of state colleges. We encourage students to sign up for the Spring Test Dates.

Remember that the SAT is still required for some out of state colleges. We encourage students to sign up for the Spring Test Dates.

Mrs. Yolanda Street - School Counselor

Ms. Danika Markey - Academic Advisor

Ms. Sara Brown - Administrative Assistant

Ms. Brenda Flores - Attendance Technician

Mrs. Danielle Yee - School Social Worker