The Weekly Penguin

Thank you everyone for your work this week, which although shortened for students without classes Wednesday still felt pretty full. Please read all items, including those I've brought to my area before the alphabetized tables of contents. Cheers!

PRINCIPAL'S ANNOUNCEMENTS

Drive Safely and Courteously in our Neighborhoods

We know it can be a rush to both enter and exit our campus during the school day. In addition to the continued information about following traffic laws and driving/walking through and around campus according to our planning, we are asking when you are idling on a street waiting to exit onto our main throughways that you are considerate of our neighbors and have them join the flow of traffic. We know traffic is tight but the window clears rather well when we're all on board, and neighbors attempting to exit their own driveways during for example during dismissal also need to enter into the flow of traffic, perhaps to pick up their own students from another school. Please be kind and courteous in "zippering" folks into traffic versus idling stationary in front of driveways. Thank you!

Upcoming events:

Wednesday, April 2: ACT, ACT Aspire - on campus. More information to come closer to the test date!

Wednesday, April 9: TUSD Superintendent's Concert - 6pm, Catalina High School

Tuesday, April 15: Student of the Month breakfast - 8am, RUHS auditorium lobby

Wednesday, April 16: UHS In-state college tours, day one - see announcement below

Wednesday, April 23: UHS In-state college tours, day two - see announcement below

Friday, April 25: World Penguin Day!

Wednesday, April 30: Coffee with the Principal - 7:30am, RUHS auditorium lobby

May 5 - May 16: AP exam regular schedule - RUHS south gym and supplemental areas, AM and PM

Saturday, May 17: Arts Under the Stars - RUHS campus, more info to come!

May 19 - May 22: AP makeup testing - RUHS supplemental areas, more information to come

Monday, May 19: UHS Declaration Night - time TBD, RUHS amphitheater

Wednesday, May 21: UHS graduation - 7pm, Kino Memorial Sports Complex

Saturday, June 7: South Gym Painting and Clean-up - 9am-1pm. Join us as we paint railings, paint walls, clean up the bleachers, and paint the bathrooms and locker rooms in our South Gym. University High School will have all of the necessary painting supplies and materials. Just bring yourselves and a can-do attitude.

Athletics - spring 2025

CCCC (College, Career, and Counseling Center) update

Graduation regalia, cords

KEYS students selected!

Pima County Summer Youth Program

Rincon CARES - 12th grade project

SARSEF 2025 awards

UHSFAA - hall of fame @ 50th anniversary

UHSPA update

Bond update: construction planning

New (Old) Instagram for UHS!

RUHS club list

Traffic around Rincon/University

UHSFAA - student microgrants

Home athletics this week!

Monday: JV baseball v. Flowing Wells, 4pm

Tuesday: Varsity softball, JV baseball v. Marana, 4pm

Volleyball Vs. Cholla, 4:00pm

Wednesday: Varsity softball v. Catalina Foothills, 4pm

Volleyball Vs. Salpointe, 4:00pm

Thursday: Varsity Baseball, JV softball v. Tucson, 4:00pm

Girls Tennis vs. Casa Grande, 3:30pm

RUHS Athletics T-Shirts for sale in the Bookstore!!

$15 for 1

$25 for 2

Spring sports are here! See below for direct links to each sport offered for the winter season at Rincon/University High School.

Spring sports lineup:

Baseball - VAR

Baseball - JV

Softball - VAR

Softball - JV

Tennis - boys VAR

Tennis - girls VAR

Track & Field - boys VAR

Track & Field - girls VAR

Volleyball - boys VAR

Volleyball - boys JV

Volleyball - boys FR/SO

All students (9th-12th) MUST have TUSD issued laptop!

Students MUST check out a TUSD issued laptop each year. Even if you use your personal laptop daily for classes, you will need to have a TUSD laptop for upcoming activities such as the ACT & AP Exams. If you do not currently have a TUSD laptop, please visit the finance office ASAP to get a permission form and check out a laptop for the remainder of the year.

April 4th at noon is the deadline to complete all work for online PE and Health courses. If you are enrolled and you don’t finish by the deadline, you will need to start the course from the beginning if you choose to take it again. Seniors who are enrolled in these courses need to finish by the deadline to be eligible for graduation. Wednesday, April 2nd during ACT testing, Mr. Encinas will be hosting a workday in the CCCC for seniors who still need to finish. A reminder will be emailed to these seniors prior to the workday.

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 24 (rescheduled from 9/10) – Links & more info were sent out on 9/30, so check your email if you missed this!

[Q2] Building Your College List – November 19 – Links & more info were sent out on 12/13, so check your email if you missed this!

[Q3] Financing College – Tuesday, February 18 – Links & more info will be sent out soon if you missed it!

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

---All seminars take place on Zoom starting at 6:00 pm. See attachment for more info; zoom links have been updated! We look forward to seeing you there!

FRESHMEN & SOPHOMORES:

Make an appointment to meet your counselor – they are excited to work with you during the first half of your high school career! Go to uhs.tusd1.org/CCCC and click on “Book Appointment.” Email your counselor if you don’t see any times available that work for you, or come by during drop-in hours during lunch or conference period. (Same thing for juniors and seniors!)

ALL STUDENTS:

You're invited to the annual UHS Career Cafe!

The career cafe is an opportunity for students to learn about the college & career journeys of current professionals. This year the Career Cafe features an ALL UHS Alumni lineup! All speakers provide valuable insight on finding and/or arriving at your desired career, no matter what field you may be interested in. We encourage students to join even if they aren't interested in the career field or don't know what the job is. Come learn about the experiences of UHS grads who have been in your shoes! Cafe treats for all who attend 🙂

See list of speakers here.

Students, make sure you are signed up for the Remind for your class, and please remember to check these messages! We post info about scholarships, summer activities, college & career-focused events on campus, and more! Don’t miss out!

Peer tutors: If you want to be a volunteer peer tutor, look for the QR code around the U-building to sign up, or email Ms. Brownstone (Kathryn.brownstone@tusd1.org). Your fellow Penguins will really benefit from your help, and this is an excellent way to give back to your community. We appreciate all of our current volunteers! If you are interested in receiving free peer tutoring, look for the list of tutors in the CCCC or ask your counselor!

Greetings Rincon/University 12th grade students and parents,

We are gearing up for graduation, and we are in the final quarter until then! University High School's graduation will take place on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at the Kino Sports Complex, and Rincon High School's graduation will take place on Thursday, May 22, 2025 at the Rincon/University High School stadium. We have some information regarding regalia for each day. Pardon the formality of the language but we want to be clear on what the expectations and requirements will be. Please reach out to your respective administration team if you have any specific questions surrounding your school's regalia and adornments.

The Rincon and University administrations would like to share the cord system that is approved

for graduation regalia. These cords will be purchased by each school for our respective students for this school year only, and afterward anything specified below will need to be purchased by their respective entities if they want to continue the practice for next year. All other regalia such as sashes, stoles, or other decorative items must be approved through the practices described in governing board policy IKFB-R - Graduation Exercises - Adornments to Cap and Gown. Cultural adornments are also allowed through the same governing board policy. All students must wear their respective school's graduation regalia and can participate in graduation exercises through stipulations described in governing board policy IKFB - Graduation & Promotion Exercises.

Top 20 (Rincon only): gold

National Honor Society (Rincon only): white

AVID scholar (Rincon only): turquoise

AP scholar: royal blue

AP scholar with honor: blue/white twist

AP scholar with distinction: blue/gold twist

Elected student council officer: silver (student council responsible to purchase for SY 25-26)

Competitive club officer: orange (club responsible to purchase for SY 25-26)

Interest club officer: red (club responsible to purchase for SY 25-26)

Any athletic honors, fine arts honors, or other academic honors will be purchased by the individual students through Jostens, such as letters, school graduation year numbers, pins, etc.

CLARIFICATION: random decoration of mortar boards (caps) and robes is not permitted. Come speak to Mr. Ranjel with any questions regarding the information provided. Stay alert for any further information regarding graduation!

We are proud to inform our community that the following UHS students have been selected to participate in the 2025 KEYS Research Internship this summer (June 2-July 18):

Jackie Stewart

Sophie Gao

Gracie Im-Pyun

Ashley Jo

Keertana Konkimalla

Brian Nguyen

Yedong Yu

Megan Zhu

Check out the press release with more information

KEYS interns will contribute to interdisciplinary bioscience research using biotechnology and data analysis techniques while contributing to the development of new scientific knowledge. Interns will also develop science literacy skills and learn how to communicate their research to a varied audience.

All interns will present their research through a poster presentation at the KEYS Research Showcase on the last day of the program, July 18th from 9:00am - 12:00pm at the Health Sciences Building (1670 E. Drachman Street, Tucson, AZ). We invite you to attend this event and learn more about the projects that interns have contributed to during their participation in the program.

Congratulations to our students, and the U of A offers a special thank you to the teachers who provided thoughtful and valuable recommendations for students who applied to KEYS this year. They could not have made a confident selection of interns for this cohort without their insight and knowledge of these amazing students.

Check out the below flyer for the Pima County Summer Youth Program. Get job skills and earn credit!

As their class gift, The Rincon High School Class of 2025 will run our 2nd Annual RINCON CARES donation campaign starting Monday, March 24 and culminating on Wednesday, April 2 with a big sorting event during their 'C Your Future' Day (flyer attached below). This event is their opportunity to come together one last time and leave a legacy in their community. We are trying to make it a big drive with many donations so it is more impactful to our community.

Next week, March 24 - 28 during morning drop off at RUHS, 12th grade students will collect donations of the following items:

- Diapers for the Diaper Bank,

- Canned & dry goods for the Food Bank,

- Socks (new) for the Homeless Shelters,

- Pet food for the Pet Shelters,

- Books or new toys for children of detained undocumented families at the Mexican border.

In addition, 12th grade students will collect items on in a large-scale community drive through donation event on Friday, March 28 from 3:30pm - 6:30pm in the RUHS Arcadia parking lot. Rincon is advertising this event with local neighborhood businesses, on radio, TV, social media and with the organizations we are collecting for.

We hope to have Kona Ice and a kettle corn vendor onsite during the community drive event on Friday, March 28. This will be mainly for students working the event to purchase after school snacks and encourage them to participate, as well as lend a festive atmosphere to the event.

Thank you for helping us promote this campaign!

Jennifer Vasquez

College & Career Readiness Program Coordinator - Rincon High School

Congratulations to our numerous students who were recognized for their outstanding work in science at the 2025 SARSEF presentations. You can review the extensive list on the 2025 UHS SARSEF spreadsheet. Stay tuned for more information for students who qualified for ISEF!

UHS Foundation and Alumni Association is accepting Hall of Fame Nominations Through April 15th, 2025!

See nomination process and form here

University High School will host a 50th Anniversary Celebration and their next major Hall of Fame event on March 28th, 2026. This event will recognize early members of staff who, like earlier awardees, have made a significant impact on the character and success of the school, and the first alumni honorees will also be inducted. All UHS alumni and past faculty are invited to nominate.

Thank you to those who attended our last meeting on Tuesday, March 18 in the RUHS Library. Future meetings will be on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Please park in the north parking lot off 5th street. Come up the stairs and the door will be unlocked. Turn left inside the doors. The library will be on the left.

• Our overall UHSPA Annual Fund Drive is LIVE! Your support allows us to continue our outreach efforts with our UHS Community. Primarily, we fund classroom grant requests, Grad Night, and teacher and student recognitions. Click here to learn more about UHSPA activities and DONATE to our fundraising effort.

• And speaking of Grad Night 2025, help us celebrate our seniors! Click here for more details on how to help:
• Seniors and Senior Parents- Buy your tickets now before the price increases!
• Join our Grad Night planning committee. Our next meeting will be after the monthly Parent Association meeting on March 18th. If you would like to join the group, please email uhspa@uhs-pa.org or show up to one of our meetings.
• Donate to support this great event.
• Find an item on our Grad Night Amazon Wishlist and purchase a prize for a senior or supplies to help us host the event.

Our UHS families have been amazingly supportive of our classroom supply drive. The Wishlist will stay open to reflect current classroom requests. Teachers/ staff please send needed supply requests to uhspa@uhs-pa.org. Anyone shopping on Amazon and wanting to send an item of appreciation to the school can check out our Amazon Wishlist to support our most recent classroom needs. Your continued donations of kleenex and hand sanitizer is greatly appreciated.

** Sign Up for Remind! text @uhspa2025, @uhspa2026, @uhspa2027, or @uhspa2028

(your student's graduation year to 81010. Subscribe to the UHSPA newsletter. Contact us at uhspa@uhs-pa.org.

UHSPA

uhspa@uhs-pa.org

uhsparents.org

University High School Parents Association (UHSPA)

PO Box 57076
Tucson, AZ 85732

Exciting News for Tucson Unified Schools!

The Tucson Unified School District is thrilled to announce that Davis Bilingual Elementary Magnet School, Rincon / University High School, and Tucson High Magnet School will soon see significant improvements in their instructional learning spaces, thanks to the support of the Bond Oversight Committee, the Tucson Unified Governing Board, and Tucson community. At Davis and Rincon/University, the bond program will replace portable classrooms with modern, permanent learning spaces for students. For Tucson High, the bond program will focus on long-awaited renovations and repairs to the Vocational “V” Building modernizing classrooms spaces for students.

The conceptual and design-build phase will run from February 2025, through June 2025. During this time, the Design-Build team will collaborate with each school’s administration to provide conceptual classroom designs for new learning spaces to meet both current and future enrollment needs.

Construction is expected to be completed by the 2027-2028 school year, providing students and staff with state-of-the-art facilities to support their educational journey.

Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project as we work together to create better learning spaces for our community!

Sincerely,

Dr. C

Charlotte Carter, MBA, PMP, Ed.D.

Bond Program Manager

Tucson Unified School District

Last week we announced our new Instagram page due to issues logging into and accessing the previous page. As soon as we advertised it, Instagram considered us imposters, and promptly killed the site. So, we did some serious digging and tracked down the login for the original page, and it's back up! Follow UHS on our new OLD Instagram page for all the latest news, accomplishments, and day-to-day happenings of the school!

Here is the latest 24-25 RUHS club list. Find a club that fits you and join the community!

As we continue to adjust our practices with safety in mind, we are continuing our discussions about working with our neighbors around the school, who like us have student and adult safety in mind primarily. We understand the traffic flow is challenging at times but again has been researched and tooled to the current iteration. We are continually monitoring the traffic flow and are always striving to find ways in which we can support both students and adults as they navigate inside and immediately outside the school property. Please read the RUHS driving and walking practices for details and clarifications.

We urge our families and especially our pedestrian students to practice safe routines during drop-off and pick-up times. Thank you to parents and students who have changed your practices to not park or stop in undesignated zones, and to keep traffic moving. Remember, the safety of everyone in the area, including your student, is the goal!

The UHS Foundation and Alumni Association (UHSFAA) seeks to support UHS students, particularly those who are first generation college bound and who are focused on building opportunities for themselves. Through this, the UHSFAA student microgrant is offered for application. Microgrants are awarded to students in need of anything that furthers their educational development. Grants of up to $500 per student per year are available at the discretion of the UHSFAA board of directors and UHS principal, and are based on available funds. Microgrant awards are through application, and can be given for many different kinds of needs: classroom needs including costs associated with internet access, textbooks or personal academic supplies, summer programs, professional education and internship needs, such as travel and public transportation costs, lunch costs, supplies or clothing needs, immunizations, and more. Requests for funding should be for proposals that can be 100% covered by the grant; requests to partially fund larger projects will not be considered. Please provide at least ten days lead time before the funds are needed so the UHSFAA can have adequate time to consider your application.