Peek at the Week

We hope all of you had a restful, three-day weekend! Students are off to a GREAT start! Moving into September is the mark of the Fall season. The first six weeks will be approaching at it is important that students and parents understand the need for passing classes to ensure that high school credits are earned for graduation. We have been SUPER proud of the student progress, but also want to emphasize that our staff is here to offer any support or help for students that may need it. Our goal has been to communicate with students to meet ALL class deadlines by Friday of each week to allow students a "brain" break over the weekend. On occasion, some students may experience class projects that may require weekend attention. To help students stay on track, we will be offering additional support on Fridays for any students that is failing at progress report or with a final report card grade.

If ever you need additional information or have questions about any items you view, please feel free to contact the school office. It is always our goal to keep families and students continuously informed. Thank you for your continued support! At any time throughout the year, please let us know if there is anything that you or your student may need.

Respectfully,

Dr. T. Rodriguez, Proud Principal/Director of Early College HS

We would like you to be aware that a variety of safety drills have begun to be shared with your students and will continue each month. These drills include the following: fire drills, shelter in-place, lockdown, active shooter, etc. Please be aware that in the event of an emergency at DMC or on campus, you will receive a message from the school via voice or text message (depending on the emergency). It is important that parents be aware of timely and accurate information for any safety matter.

Families and students will be available to view 3-week progress reports in the Home Access Center (BLUE button below for more details) this Friday, Sept. 6. If you have any trouble with access, please contact Mr. Porter, IT Specialist, for assistance at 512-689-3821 or gilbert.porter@ccisd.us. As a reminder, this will be the same location that digital report cards will be posted at the end of the 1st six weeks. Paper report cards are no longer mailed out by the district/campus.

By this time, ALL students should have a clear backpack. We want to thank all the students and their families for their continued support. We are encouraging students to only pack the essentials to ensure that backpacks are not overloaded. The lighter the backpack the longer they will last.

Dress Code will continue to be enforced as per the District guidelines. Students that exhibit continued concern will be required to call home to seek assistance with additional garments. As a reminder, no house slippers, pajamas, or crop shirts (show stomach area) are allowed. Jackets that cover inappropriate attire must remain on all day or students will be asked to change shirts.

Parents - We need your help to ensure students get to class on time and are at school daily! Depending on your student's schedule, your student must be dropped off early enough to ensure that they are in class seated on-time. The building doors are open by 7:00 am to assist families and students with early drop off as needed. In addition, breakfast is available daily for ALL students. Transportation is now available to assist those that may need it. For more information, please contact our office.

As a reminder, students with persistent absences and/or tardies are required by law to make-up time to recover class minutes. If a student has an attendance or academic concern, it will be necessary for the student to stay on designated Fridays till 4 pm. According to the law, high school students must be in EACH class 90% of the time to receive a documented grade or earn credit. Students that do not meet this state requirement run risk of retaking the course and loosing credit. It is our goal to help students avoid this consequence as this could delay graduation.

All students should have a personal or school-issued computer by this time. Please remind your student of the expectation to bring their computer device fully charged to school everyday.

As a reminder, cell phones and wireless earbuds are strictly prohibited form use during instructional time. This also includes smart watches that are causing a distraction or attention from students. Consequences of persistent violations are noted on the attachment below.

Our PTSA Membership drive is ongoing and we would like to encourage all households to participate, including your student. There are PTA envelopes at the school office or you may purchase online (link is noted on the button below). Your membership cards will be mailed directly to your household with opportunities for various discounts. Our goal is to get 50 new members more than last year to be eligible for a school award. In addition, if we get at least 15 male members (fathers, uncles, grandfathers, etc.), we can also receive a special award.

We are still looking for parent representation for each grade level to serve on our PTSA Executive Board. If interested, please email me at tracie.rodriguez@ccisd.us with your first/last name, student's name/grade level, and contact information so I can contact you with more details.

The Parent CREW meetings are for grades 9-11 parents to share important campus information. Every meeting will provide valuable information from the following individuals/departments: counselor update, administrative update, PTSA update, and upcoming calendar items.

These meetings begin at 5:30 pm and are held on Wednesdays only two days a semester and limited to 1 hour maximum. The first meeting is on Wednesday, Sept. 11. We encourage ALL parents to attend to stay connected with necessary information. If you are unable to attend in-person, we highly recommend that you connect with us online through our TEAMS link located on our webpage.

Senior parents have different meeting dates due to the scope of information that is needed for students to prepare and transition out of high school. These meetings begin at 5:30 pm and are held on Tuesdays only two days a semester and limited to 1 hour maximum. The first meeting is on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

We encourage ALL senior parents to attend to stay connected with necessary information. If you are unable to attend in-person, we highly recommend that you connect with us online through our TEAMS link located on our webpage.

All high school students and parents are welcome to attend this annual event to observe a variety of college options.

PSAT Testing is available for any student in grades 9-11. Students must register to ensure a test is ordered for your student. The PSAT test will be administered at school on Wednesday, October 11.

We would like to inform you of some important dates. The Beginning of the Year Universal Screener (BOY) and Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA) testing window begins next week. The purpose of this screener is to assist teachers in gathering baseline data on course-specific skills, which will enable them to monitor student progress through the school year.

Students leadership clubs will be held on designated Fridays the last hour of the day. A menu of clubs will be provided to students to make a selection of their choice. More information will be provided to students on the selection process in the upcoming week. If students would like to propose a new club, they may submit a proposal to the administration.

An example of one of these clubs is our partnership with the DMC Intramural Sports Program. Students will be receiving opportunities to participate in varied events coordinated through this program. Some of these events are limited to just early college high school students. More information will be provided on the types of recreational events that students may access.