Good morning High Desert Hawks and Families,

This school year at High Desert School, we are "Anchored in Achievement!" Set sail on a smooth school year by anchoring strong routines early—review your planner each night and keep your supplies shipshape. Steer clear of rough waters by asking for help when you need it; teamwork keeps the crew afloat!

Student Success Reminders:

• On-Time to School Behavior - Being on time to school is important for many reasons, including:
• Learning - Students who are on time can settle into the classroom, prepare their materials, and focus on lessons. A student who is late 10 minutes every day misses 30 hours of instruction per year.
• Respect - Being on time shows respect for teachers, classmates, and the school community. It also helps create a positive and collaborative learning environment.
• Preparation for future success - Punctuality is a valuable skill that can help students succeed in the workforce.
• Stress reduction - Being on time can help reduce stress and anxiety for both students and teachers.
• Positive habits - Students who are on time every day develop the habit of being punctual with important commitments.
• Self-esteem - Arriving on time every day can make students feel good about themselves.
• Important information - School days often start with announcements and introductions to new lessons. Students who are late may miss out on important information.
• Disruption - Being late can disrupt the flow of the classroom and impact the learning experience of other students.
• The Advantages of Being on Time vs. Being Late to School

Athletics

• Flag Football starts tryouts are Tuesday and Thursday this week.
• Congratulations to our Volleyball Teams for making it to the Championships on October 16th at Vasquez High School! We hope to see you there cheering on our Hawks! Volleyball Championship - October 16th - Girls @ 3:00pm, Boys @ 5:00pm at VHS.
• Please remember that you are a member of the team on and off the field. Keep up your grades and good behavior to remain eligible all season!
• Sports Currently in Season
• Varsity Girls and Boys Volleyball
• JV Girls Basketball
• JV Boys Soccer
• Cross Country
• Varsity Flag Football
• Spirit Squad
• 100-Mile Club

Monday, October 14

• 100-Mile Club 2:20-3:00pm
• Volleyball Practice (Girls Green and Boys) 2:30-4:30pm
• Cross Country Practice 2:30-3:30pm @ HDS Outdoor Stage

Tuesday, October 15

• School Site Council Meeting 2:30-3:30pm
• Varsity Flag Football Tryouts 2:30-4:30pm
• JV Girls Basketball Practice 2:30-4:00pm @ HDS MPR
  
• JV Boys Soccer Practice 2:45-4:45pm
• Cross Country Practice 2:30-3:30pm @ Outdoor Stage
• AADUSD Community Forum 4:00pm - Zoom Link

Wednesday, October 16

• ELAC Meeting 9:00am
• Early Release Dismissal at 1:10pm
  
• 100-Mile Club 1:15-2:00pm
• Varsity Volleyball Championship - 3:00pm Girls Green, 5:00pm Boys - 6:00pm Girls Final, 7:00pm Boys Final

Thursday, October 17

• California Great ShakeOut 10:45am
• Varsity Flag Football Tryouts 2:30-4:30pm
• Cross Country Meet 3:00pm @ Marie Kerr Park
  
• JV Boys Soccer Game 3:50pm @ SC Soccer Center
• JV Girls Basketball Game 4:00pm @ Trinity

Friday, October 18

• Q1 MOH Awards - 5/6th at 8:15am, 7/8th at 9:00am
• Show your Hawks Pride and Wear Green, Black, and White on Friday!
• Spirit Day - Adam Sandler Day and Potato Sack Race at Lunch

Have a great week and Go Hawks!

We are honored to be celebrating students' Medal of Honor Character Values on October 18th. Invitations will be going out on Monday via email for students receiving awards.

Students in Fall Sports will have team and individual sports photos taken on October 24th. Please be sure that students have their jersey that day for photos.

• Varsity Volleyball (Green/White/Boys)
• Cross Country
• Spirit Squad
• JV Girls Basketball
• JV Boys Soccer
• Varsity Flag Football

5th Grade is selling Boo Grams to fundraise for Outdoor Science School. Purchase a Boo Gram for a Friend or Two and support our students.

We are looking for three dedicated parents to join our School Site Council this year. The School Site Council is a vital part of our school's governance, working together with staff and students to develop, review, and evaluate school improvement programs and school budgets. By participating, you can have a direct impact on shaping the academic programs and resources that benefit all students. We are in need of one additional parent, please attend our first School Site Council Meeting, Tuesday, October 15th you are able.

Thank you to our parent volunteers for School Site Council:

• Christine Beaumont
• Teresa-Ann Stanley
• Open Position

Any 7th and 8th grade students interested in joining and / or returning to the 7th-8th Grade Handbell Group -- we would love for you to participate and join our group this year. Joining the handbell group is a great place to foster friendships, teamwork, and leadership in addition to all the musical skills learned.

Our first rehearsal will be Tuesday, October 22, from 2:30 - 3:15 P.M. in room 326 (one of the trailers down on the basketball courts).

No music background necessary; no fee for participation; you just need a willing and cooperative attitude to work as a musical team.

Please see Mr. Rowland in room 314 if you have any questions regarding participation in the program. Looking forward to conquering new goals and challenges as a group again this year.

The Booster Club plays a critical role in making extracurricular activities happen for our students. If every family donates $20 per student, Booster Club will be able to fund the many events and activities the Booster Club supports. In addition to financial donations, we need parent support through donations of snack bar items and help running the snack bar during home games. These fundraising efforts directly benefit our athletics programs, and this year, funds are being raised to light up our fields for evening events. Flyers are going home today with students for ways to support.

Snack Bar Donation Ideas:

• Regular Size Candy Bars or Packs
• Snack Bags of Chips
• Popcorn Bags
• Sports Drinks
• Water

Hello Parents, I want to personally thank all the families who have already participated in our SchoolStore fundraiser! We are on our way to reaching our goal, but we need everyone's help to make sure our teachers get the essential tools they need to help our students succeed. If your family has not participated, there's still time! This safe and easy fundraiser is 100% online so there is no face-to-face selling, collecting money, or delivering products. Your child will receive a prize just for participating, and more prizes will be awarded when goals are reached. Please help now. It really will make a difference. Go to https://www.schoolstore.net/sid.t?0000050255 to show our valued teachers your support.

Thanks, High Desert School Booster Club

P.S. Family participation is the key to our success, and we are counting on you!

"Our Hawk Mascot made her debut on Friday at the Spirit Rally. Thank you to our HDS Booster Club for making the mascot a reality. Talon brings school spirit and pride to our campus and events!"

~ HDS Staff and Students

• AVID - This year in AVID, we will be focusing on organization, goal setting, and academic achievement with the support of WICOR strategies implemented in all classrooms. This week, the focus is on Integrity.
• SEL - Each week, on Wednesday, our students will be working on soft skills to support their social and emotional development during middle school.

5th Grade will be returning to Outdoor Science School this year at Thousand Pines. Payment #2 is due by November 1st to secure students' spot on the trip. Make the first payment today! Your student won't want to miss this great educational opportunity.

Assemblyman Lackey is pleased to announce the 34th Assembly District Student Art Show for 2024. This is open to students in grades K-12 and Special Education who reside in the Assemblyman’s District.

Attached, please find, the application and rules for the contest; the deadline for student submissions is October 4, 2024.

This year’s theme is “California Dreamin” and the Assemblyman is looking forward to seeing the Golden State through the eyes of the students.

Each year more students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of more than $1.4 million in state and national awards. Each first-place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first-place winner wins $5,000!

The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief.

This year's theme: My Voice in America's Democracy

Want to apply? Read the rules and eligibility requirements, and download and complete the 2023-2024 Patriot's Pen entry form.

Turn in the Entry Form and Your Essay titled "My Voice in America's Democracy" by Friday, October 25th.

Step Up delivers 1-on-1 math tutoring, conducted online with a consistent tutor

• Students receive tailored math support using a curriculum that is tailored to address their needs

• Tutors focus on relationship-building and provide mentorship in a fun learning environment

• Students receive tutoring at least twice weekly via one of three program models: at-home, during an after-school program, or during the school day

Families, please click this link to apply.

All students must have a new athletic physical and online clearance each school year. To complete the online clearance go to: https://www.homecampus.com/login

• For School - Select Vasquez
• For Sport - Select the sport the applies with MS in the title (ex: MS Volleyball)

You will need to submit the following documents as part of the clearance process:

• Current health insurance card
• Physical (Medical History / Physical / Clearance)

Hello Students and Parents,

HDS is taking a trip to the Florida Keys on the Splash into Science program!

This trip is all-inclusive, and we’ll be going over what we’ll get to see and do on our program, such as:

• Swim with dolphins
• Snorkel the coral reef
• Kayak the mangroves
• Behind the scenes visit at The Turtle Hospital Rescue, Rehab, Release Center
• Explore Everglades National Park

Please check out our official trip website to see all the fun things we will see and do! I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Please contact me if you have any questions about itinerary highlights, information regarding WorldStrides FLAG Financial Assistance, Extended Payment Options, and other important items you need to know about Educational Travel.

HDS Florida Trip Registration Link

HDS Florida Trip Registration Flyer - English / Spanish

Thank you for those who joined us on October 4, 2024, at 9 a.m. to meet our new counselor, Ms. Zuly Quezada. She works closely with our students to help them better understand their behavior and is excited to share valuable insights with parents on how to support their children from home. Ms. Quezada addressed common concerns like: "Have you ever wondered why your child behaves the way they do?" "Are you tired of your child's tantrums and attitude?" and "Do you want to prevent your child from experiencing bullying?" If you missed the session, check out the presentation to gain useful strategies and get your questions answered!

About half of teens in the U.S. had a mental health concern at some point in their life. Recognizing teen mental health issues and connecting to early intervention and treatment can be lifesaving. Check out this free guide to the most common teen mental health challenges and find local mental health resources.

Stay up to date on all of the Hawk Happenings throughout the school year. Check out our Yearlong Calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year.

Our School is using PBIS Rewards to help us with our PBIS program! PBIS Rewards is a technology-based PBIS Management System that helps us with our behavior incentive program. You can learn about PBIS Rewards at their website (www.pbisrewards.com).

Our students can earn rewards throughout the day by meeting our behavior expectations. These rewards are in the form of electronic points. They can redeem these points for privileges, tangible items, access to events, and other similar things. Our expectation is that we will see overall behavior improve throughout the school and that the number of referrals we have will decrease.

PBIS Rewards has a Family App that will give you some insight into how your child is doing with respect to our PBIS program. The Family App will run on most smart devices, including smartphones and tablets. You can find it in the iPhone/iPad App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon App Store. Just search for "PBIS Rewards Family."

An email has been sent to families to get you set up on the PBIS Rewards Family App. Please access this email from PBIS Rewards if you wish to access your child's progress. If you did not receive an email, please contact Mrs. Van Ornum so she can help get you set up.

Principal, Mrs. Michelle Van Ornum

Email: mvanornum@aadusd.k12.ca.us
Website: http://aadusd.k12.ca.is/domain/9/
Location: 3620 Antelope Woods Road, Acton, CA, USA
Phone: (661) 269-0310
Facebook: facebook.com/hdsboosterclub/
Twitter: @Highdesert_aad