Parent Letter

"Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world."

~Dolores Huerta

Happy Sunday Ochoa Families,

What an amazing turn out for our Back to School Night, held last Wednesday. Families, thank you for taking the time to come out and visit our campus, meet teachers and learn about what's happening in the classrooms. We know how challenging this can be mid-week after a long day at work. Remember you can get involved and help to develop our SPSA, Single Plan for Student Achievement. We make it easy by always offering virtual meeting options for you. The SPSA is a living and breathing document and as a member and attendee, you have a voice on how we spend federal funding to support the needs of Ochoa students. I look forward to your involvement. Please vote below.

Also, our Annual Million Fathers March was a huge success. We had many fathers and father figures to walk their students to school last Friday to show support for your student's learning and well being. We hope those in attendance enjoyed the fresh donuts and coffee. All Father Figures are appreciated at Ochoa.

Remember, attendance matters. Students should come to school daily and stay for the duration of the school day. They should arrive between 8-8:15AM daily; those with a zero period PE class will arrive by 7:15AM. On Mon, Tues, Thur, Friday, students will dismiss at 3:05PM; every Wednesday they dismiss at 1:30PM. Please do not allow students to wait longer than 15-20 min. after dismissal. Families, when we take extended vacations during the school year, it reduces funding to the site. Please coordinate vacations and extended weekends around our school holidays, listed on the HUSD traditional school calendar. Our attendance numbers are headed in the wrong direction and it's only September. Please, please please consider the loss of instructional time and funding for students.

Hallway lockers:. Students who requested a locker received them last week. Requests received after Monday, September 16th, will be fulfilled within 1-2 weeks.

The Quarter 1 progress reports will be completed by September 25th. Please encourage your students to check their Student Portal/Infinite Campus regularly to make sure all assignments are appropriately submitted. The first quarter ends on, October 18th.

Anthony Ochoa is will begin our School Site Council (SSC) parent election on Monday. Check for the link below. School Site Council (SSC) is a legally required decision-making body for any school receiving federal funds (Title 1 and LCFF). the Council includes teachers, parents, administrators, and interested community members who work together to develop and monitor the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA).

Nominated this year: "Ms. Emmy" Tibon (8th gr parent), Ms. Ruth Mondoy (8th gr parent), and Ms. Paulette Frichittavong (7th gr parent). We need two parents to be active participants on our SSC. Be sure to cast your vote Monday-Friday of this week.

Click the link below to vote, for up to two parents.

Current Membership:

Adrian Estacio, Staff member- Member through 2025

Sumeet Naidu, Staff member- up for reelection

Sarah West, Staff member -up for reelection

Sonia Heister- "Other/Non-Teaching" Staff member through 2025

Emmeline Tibon, Parent Member- up for reelection

Jacob M-Student Member 2025

Vacancy-Student Member- Do you know a student who might want to represent on our SSC? Encourage them to pay close attention to morning announcements this week.

Finally, Anthony Ochoa is being considered as a School to Watch. Are you a parent who would like to volunteer to be part of our documentation and writing team? Please email Ms. Andrews with STW in the subject line.

Warmly submitted,

-Principal Rowe-Andrews

Join us this week Wednesday at 9AM for a Coffee with the Principal. These meetings are offered in person, in the library and online. Please see the link below for any family member wishing to join virtually. We will offer a continental breakfast for those in person. Generally, we have meeting topics, but this first meeting will be yours. More of a Q & A format and time to get your input and suggestions for our future meetings. We hope to see you there!

Click here to join: Coffee w/ The Principal

Wednesday, September 25 · 9:00 – 10:30am

Time zone: America/Los_Angeles

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/nyw-ayuc-ajb

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 601-840-3056‬ PIN: ‪473 371 300‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/nyw-ayuc-ajb?pin=8506211218595

Parents, many of our students walk through the Chabot campus to catch or be dropped off by the bus. Chabot's Safety Officers have come to site on several occasions to remind us that LOT E is under construction and is unsafe for students/pedestrians. This message has been shared over the past few weeks in the morning announcements, yet as recently as this past Friday, we received video footage of students walking through Lot E. This is a huge safety concern as large trucks are moving through this area to support their on-going construction. Please direct your students to walk through LOT G instead, which is accessible closer to the Hesperian side of the campus.

Additionally, over the past few years and now this year, we have had a number of students hit by vehicles on their way to school. Please remind students to walk with clear vision and to not be distracted by cell phone use as they are walking to and from school each day. Parents if you see something, please do not hesitate to report. On several occasions, the driver has left the scene without minimally checking on the student. This is against the law. Please be mindful of everyones safety and proceed with caution. "Drivers who accidentally strike pedestrians can face criminal and civil charges. Depending on the severity of the incident, you may face: Suspension of driver's license. Fines. and/or Jail time."

Thank you.

Student athletes must maintain a 2.0 GPA with no more than one "F: Grades will be monitored regularly and students will be advised by the athletic director. School games and evening events must follow school expectations.

• dress code is enforced
• students must attend school; If absent and or on suspension during the day may not attend events/sports etc
• school appropriate language required
• school appropriate behaviors required

Click here to: Visit our Multilingual Learner Department's Webpage

Resources for Families of Multilingual Learners

Parents: Get Involved

District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC)

Site Level: English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC)

Board Policy 6020: Parent Involvement & Family Engagement

My Schedule: I am at Ochoa the 2nd and 4th Wednesday/every Thursday and Friday.

*Agenda is posted 72 hrs in advance.

Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) was introduced to Hayward USD in 1996 as a strategy for ensuring that staff, parents, and students at individual school sites had a vehicle for engaging in the decision-making that most affected their own sites. Over the years, HUSD board and district leadership have affirmed the importance of SBDM as a means of exchanging ideas, data, and other information necessary to improving educational opportunities for HUSD students.

These are public meetings any member of the Ochoa community is welcome to join meetings, submit agenda items, voice concerns, support process improvements and spending (MAA funds), and offer input to the School Site Council (SSC) team at Ochoa Middle School regarding suggestions for spending that supports student academic achievement.

Monday, September 23, 2024

• SSC elections begin
• Bridge to College, YEP class

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

• Vision & Hearing Screening, Library (PE Classes 8th Grade/SpEd)

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

• College Day- Wear College/University Gear to support a college going culture!
• Coffee with the Principal, 9AM-Hybrid Meeting (In Person/virtual)
• Students dismiss at 1:30PM
• Bridge to College, YEP class
• Volleyball & Football Play @King
• HUSD Board of Education Mtg, 6:30PM

• Agenda Link

  Participate in person or virtually via Zoom!

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Friday, September 27, 2024

• School Spirit Day~ Wear Black & Yellow
• SSC elections end

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Looking Ahead:

• Ballet Folklorico (Assembly Schedule), 9Am and 10AM

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

• October 16th at 6:30pm

Friday, October 18, 2024

• Family Movie Night, 6PM

Thursday, October 31, 2024

• Halloween Dance, 3:30PM-5:30PM

Could your student benefit from homework support? Some social time with friends in clubs? Please contact Mr. Ryan Edmonson at RE2216@husd.us, to enroll in the YEP program.

Ochoa has a nice sized garden and we are looking for families who might be willing and able to help us plan to revitalize it. Currently, we are growing grapes, apricots, pomegranates, and apples. Our Site Based Decision Making Team has been discussing the possibility of creating a garden to table home economics program for our students. If you or someone you know might be able to offer some expertise in this area, please reach out to Principal Rowe-Andrews or Ms. Hiester, Family Engagement Specialist.

We would love to hear from you.

Does your student require public transportation? If you would like to apply for a free AC transit card for your student please click the link below. This is not transportation specific to students with IEPs, but is available for ALL students.

SCHOOL SUCCESS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO GOOD ATTENDANCE. Ochoa strives for a 98+% attendance rate for our students each month/year.

September Attendance to date (through 9/20) = 93.48%

August Attendance = 94.19%

Poor performance in the classroom is often the result of poor attendance. If students are to achieve maximum value from their middle school education, 100% attendance is the goal. Did you know that the state of California only allows students to be absent, with *valid excuse for less than 10% of the year?

*valid excuses for absences from school are:

• Illness or quarantine
• Medical, dental, or optometry appointments

• Religious Requests, upto one per quarter with prior written notice and approval
• Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family

California law requires all students 6 to 18 years old are required to attend school on time and regularly. Cal. Ed. Code § 48200.

A child is habitually truant if, without valid excuse, they are:

• Absent for three days in a single school year,
• Absent or tardy more than 30 minutes three times in a year,
• Any combination of the above. Cal. Ed. Code § 48260(a).

A child is chronically truant if they have missed 10 percent of the school year. Cal. Ed. Code § 48263.6.

Parents must Report Absences-Please call us!: All absences must be cleared by a phone call or a note within 72 hours of the absence from a parent/guardian to the attendance office (510 723-3130 extension 43111). When absences are not cleared in this manner the family can expect to receive a call from our office or automated phone system.

Students should plan to arrive to school each day between 8 and 8:15AM, unless they have a zero period class. Students with a zero period PE class must arrive at school daily no later than 7:15AM. The first bell rings at 8:20AM and students must be in their seats or on their PE numbers by that time. Even if a student arrives "just 1 minute late," they legally must be marked tardy according to the law. Help us to achieve our daily and annual attendance goals this year and help us to get to 98% or better.

Website: https://ochoa.husd.us
Location: 2121 Depot Road, Hayward, CA
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