Wed. Sept.18: IHS Info Night- Supporting your high school student | Student Union, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Thurs. Sept 19: IHS Staff Meeting- Parents, Guardians, and Students invited. Please RSVP HERE before Wednesday at noon.

Friday Night Lights

Fri. Sept 20: Sixers Football vs Mt Pleasant High @ IHS Stadium

JV - 4:30pm Varsity - 7:15pm

“It is important to be Spirited as it fosters a sense of community. This community stands as a support structure for students throughout their high school career whether it is teachers, students, or staff, there will be someone there who will have your back.” ~Aldrin Udasco, Senior

Can you believe we are already 15% done with the school year? You’ve received your first marking period grades. Remember, these are progress reports, which means they are meant to help you understand where you are in the class and create a plan to proceed.

Now’s the time: Connect with others– teachers, family members, and friends– to create a network of support. Engage with a supportive peer group to receive and give support to others!

• 46.4% of our students who participated in the school-wide lesson We Are Spirited were interested in being on an athletic team. Athletics is a great way to become part of a team that supports you! Teammates can help you study and help you stay focused on getting grades to play. You always have a coach in your corner as well.

• 96.1% of students who participated in the school-wide lesson We Are Spirited were interested in being part of their Class Activities (rallies, BOTC, etc), sports, or a club! Clubs include cultural clubs, performance clubs, service clubs, academic clubs, hobby/interest clubs! That’s an amazing way to connect with others and build your support network! Check out CLUB RUSH WEEK!

“It is important to be SPIRITED because it shows energy in the school community and inspires others to contribute to the school activities. Having pride and being involved will help raise school spirit in others.” ~Julieta Ramirez, Freshman

“It is important to be spirited and to have school pride because it's a chance for many people to get together and make connections.” ~Sean Balan, Senior

Feeling connected to school and others is linked with positive mental health and academic outcomes.

Fall Counseling Parent Night:

Thank you to all the parents who attended our first Counseling Parent Night of the year. It was great to see so many parents (and students)! Attached below are links to the presentation from Tuesday night. Our next parent night will be October 22 where we will be focusing on College Information. We hope to see you there!

Fall Parent Night Presentation: English | Spanish | Vietnamese

Classroom Counseling Lesson:

Last week, IHS Counseling completed our first lesson of the year to freshman students through their PE 1 class. Students learned about the transition to high school, what it means to be a SIXER and how to respectfully communicate. Be sure to talk to your student about what they learned.

This week’s lesson to sophomore students, through their PE 2 class, will be focusing on different forms of communication. Be sure to check in with your sophomore to see what they learned!

As a reminder, all lessons are posted to the counseling website on each respective grade level page. See what your student learned and engage them in a conversation about it.

ESUHSD College Night:

East Side Union High School District will be hosting our annual college night on Monday, September 23 from 5-8pm here at Independence! We will have over 100 representatives from colleges and resources present to answer all your questions! There will also be informational presentations for parents and students to attend. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Dates:

Sept. 20: Sophomore Counseling Classroom Lesson through PE 2 Class

Sept. 23: ESUHSD College Night | 5-8pm | Large Gym/IHS Theater

Sept. 27: Junior Counseling Classroom Lesson through US History Class

Counselor Caseload:

Please make note of your student’s counselor.

• Ms. Pham: Last Names A-Chi | 408.928.9680 | phamm@esuhsd.org

• Mr. Hennessey: Last Names Chj-Hd | 408.928.9563 | hennesseym@esuhsd.org

• Ms. Fernandez: Last Names He-Maq | 408.928.9574 | fernandezf@esuhsd.org

• Ms. Huynh: Last Names Mar-Par | 408.928.9567 | huynhtt@esuhsd.org

• Ms. Marquez: Last Names Pas-Sq | 408.928.9568 | marquezl@esuhsd.org

• Ms. Liang: Last Names Sr-Z | 408.928.9546 | liangb@esuhsd.org
  

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

• M. Robinson

Announcements:

Shout out to “Holleman/Fernandes/Larese Rubber & Mulch”. Our 3 heroes went above and beyond to ensure our football game last Friday was played as scheduled. It was an eXtraordinary act. Thank you!!!

Sixer Football back in action on Friday, 9/20/24 vs Mt. Pleasant High @ Lee Evans Stadium. JV @ 4:30 | V @ you 7:15pm. Gate is now CASHLESS - Get your tickets at GoFan.

In order to participate in a sport, you must be registered through www.athleticclearance.com. You can visit our website to learn how to navigate the registration site.

All athletes must have a current physical on file in Athletic Clearance (dated after 6/1/24).

Go6ers!

Week of 9/16/24

Fall Sports

Sixer Football:

9/20/24 vs Mt. Pleasant JV @ 4:30 | V @ 7:15

Coach Braun (braunj@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Golf (girls):

Coach Richard Lee (rlee@fusdk12.net)

Sixer Volleyball (girls):

Coach Kenny (ng.kenneth02@gmail.com)

Sixer Cross Country (boys & girls):

9/18/24 @ Montgomery Hill Park @ 4pm

Sixer Girls’ Flag Football:

9/17/24 vs Branham @ 7pm

9/19/24 @ Overfelt

Coach Baker (bakerl@esuhsd.org)Winter Sports

Winter Sports

Sixer Basketball (b):

Sixer Basketball (g): Coach Singh (singh@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Soccer (b): Coach Mendez (fmendez888@gmail.com)

Sixer Soccer (g): Coach Kimball (mskimball1997@gmail.com)

Sixer Wrestling: Coach Thompson (njakeg1209@yahoo.com)

Spring Sports

Sixer Badminton: Coach Allen Trinh (atrinh1219@gmail.com)

Sixer Baseball: Coach Fernandes (fernandesp@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Golf: Coach Bartholomew (bartholomewr@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Softball: Coach Yenchik

Sixer Swim: Coach Martinez (martinezad@esuhsd.org)

Sixer Tennis: Coach James (jesse316james@yahoo.com)

Sixer Track and Field

Sixer Volleyball: Coach Nguyen (ng.kenneth02@gmail.com)

Visit Sixer Athletics for up to date information about athletics! Follow us on Instagram: @indyathletics

Visit GoFan.co to purchase tickets

Seniors! Check out the special Senior Button in this Newsletter for all things relevant to you and graduation!

School Pictures

It's not too late to order school pictures! You can do so by going to mylifetouch.com click on the button that says Start Using Student ID Enter the city, state and school name, followed by entering the first name, last name and the student ID. The name entered needs to exactly as it appears on the ID card and in the school's data base. All packages will be shipped to the home address, for additional support please call customer service at 1.800.736.4753 Images are only available for 11months after picture day.

Follow us on Instagram:

Stay up to date on all student activities and events at IHS - be sure to follow your ASB accounts:

• https://www.instagram.com/indyactivities/

• https://www.instagram.com/indyathletics/

• https://www.instagram.com/indyperformingarts/

And, your class account for important information specific to your grade level:

• https://www.instagram.com/ihs_co2027/

• https://www.instagram.com/ihsco2026/

• https://www.instagram.com/ihs.co2025/

Important Reminders

We are a CLOSED Campus!

This is a friendly reminder to students and parents that we are a closed campus. Students should not be leaving the school grounds during school hours, particularly during break and lunch for safety reasons. The Public Library and Overfelt Gardens are off limits.

Students should not be hanging out in the parking lots during passing periods, break and or lunch. Staff members will ask the students to go back to the main campus.

NO DOORDASH!

Doordash is not allowed. We are a closed campus and we do not want strangers driving onto our campus and delivering food to minors. Students may not walk off campus to get a delivery either. This is a safety issue!

Parents, please do not send food deliveries to your student. ALL students may eat for free at break and lunch.

Dress and Attire

The expectations for clothing are clean, covered and appropriate. This means no clothing that displays explicit or derogatory language, no drug or alcohol references, no sexually explicit images or nudity, and no gang references or symbols.

Any clothing or accessory item that the Administration deems a safety issue will be addressed with the student and we will work with them to find a solution.

Parents, Cookies is a marijuana reference. Cookies clothing or accessories are not permitted. Parents, please partner with us on this!

Saturday School!

Come to Saturday School this year and recover an unexcused absence or an excused illness absence. A teacher will be there to help you with your academics. Use the time to study or work on missing assignments. Our next Saturday School is 9/21 at 8:45am in the Student Union. We will feed you! Please plan to stay until 12:45pm. Please see Ms. Goltzer or Ms. Andrade in C05 for questions or concerns. Use the form to sign up!

https://forms.gle/YLYgSvMsCKkrNba48

Attendance Matters!

September is Attendance Awareness Month.

Did you know.... Absences can be a sign that a teen is losing interest, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.

The C-05 office will continue to focus on attendance as we continue to strive towards our mission: Students Engaged in the Classroom. We would like to continue to remind SIXERs the importance of being on time, all day, every day, and that there is a correlation between attendance, grades and graduation. Avoid the truancy process!

Students who are consistently tardy or absent will meet with Ms. Goltzer and/or one of our Parent Community Involvement Specialists or a Student Advisor. We may request a parent meeting as well.

Parents, if you need to report a student’s tardiness or absence, please do so as soon as possible. The Attendance Office is in the Student Union. If you would like to phone instead, use the following phone numbers based on your student’s last name:

Attendance Staff

Short Term Independent Studies

Jennifer Andrade - 408.928.9521

Student last names A - L

Diana Castillo - 408.928.9552

Student last names M-Z

Thao Pham - 408.928.9542

Say Something

Students and Parents,

Our highest priority is safety. If you witness or experience something that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or that could potentially become a safety issue, please report it. You can do so anonymously. We have a link to the SAY SOMETHING app on our Independence website. Please give the Administration as much information as possible so that we may investigate the issue. You do not have to use your name. I am providing the link here as well. Let’s work together to keep our campus and community safe!

https://www.p3campus.com/tipform.aspx?ID=3000

September has arrived, and with it, Attendance Awareness Month! We urge you to discuss with your student the significance of consistent attendance and punctuality for every class. Last year, we achieved our 95% attendance target, and with your continued support and motivation, we can exceed that goal this year.

This week, let’s concentrate on establishing routines. For example, prepare your backpack & clothes the night before to prevent any delays in the morning.

Remember, three tardies will be counted as one unexcused absence.

Attendance Matters. On Time. All Day. Every Day.

Join us this Wednesday, September 18, 2024 6pm in the Student Union a Parent Informational Meeting. Learn ways on how to support your child’s High School experience & Education.

Last Wednesday, we had over 100 participants at our first Coffee with the Principal! If you couldn’t make it, you can view the presentation via this LINK. We look forward to seeing everyone again at our next meeting on October 2, 2024.

The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program is hosting two engaging and informative evenings, packed with tips on talking to teens about vaping, cannabis, and tobacco. They are available in both English and Spanish!

Thursday, October 24 | 6-7:30 PM
1290 Ridder Park San Jose, CA 95131
(English: Oak Grove Room | Spanish: Milpitas Room)

Registration: sccoe.to/parentsRP

Tuesday, October 29 | 6-7:30 PM
South County Annex Gilroy, CA 95020
(English: Conference Room | Spanish: Multi-Purpose Room)

Registration: sccoe.to/parentSCA

Services offered at the Wellness Center

The Mental Health and Wellness team includes social workers, interns, and community based organizations (CBO’s) that work together to provide mental health support to IHS students. The Wellness Center team offers referrals to community resources, group counseling, short term individual counseling, crisis intervention and education about mental health and wellness. Visit us in room D-01 to learn more!

How do I submit a referral?

Students, parents, teachers, and community members may submit a referral for any student at Independence by visiting the link below and filling out a Care Team referral. A social worker, intern or other school staff member will follow up with the student.

Care Team Referral form: https://forms.doc-tracking.com/48252/48252/2416

Calming Space: The Calming Space is designed to be a place for students who are experiencing stress in class and need a short break to self-regulate. Before students visit the Calming Space, we ask that they check in with their teacher and request a pass. Students may spend 15 minutes in the Calming Space; if they need more time, a wellness center staff member will check in to discuss additional resources and support. Students who visit the calming space during regular class time are expected to check in with Ms. Johnson, our Wellness Center Clerk, when they arrive and before they return to class. We also ask that students keep their electronics put away and that they do not engage in side conversations with other students.

Welcome Intern Team!

This week, the 2024-25 Social Work Intern Cohort joined the Wellness Center.