Greetings, Falcon Families!
For those of us who remember having to manually turn clocks back, I’m sure today’s “extra” hour is much appreciated! We have an upcoming holiday on Friday (in observance of Veterans Day) and a well-deserved break for the week of Thanksgiving, from November 20 through November 24.
In collaboration with our counseling staff and SOAR Center, IHS is promoting substance abuse awareness this week, with informational booths in the quad during lunch providing critical facts about the effects of drugs and alcohol on the brain. If you’d like more information about the supports available on campus for students struggling with addiction, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our School Social Worker, Angelica Barajas, or our Intervention Team.
Tryouts have begun for our winter sports, including basketball, soccer, and wrestling, with great turnouts for each of the teams. Our first scrimmages (for Girls’ Soccer and Wrestling) are on Wednesday, and our first home game for Girls’ Basketball is November 28. We’ll honor our fall athletes on Monday, November 13, at our Fall Sports Awards Night.
This Wednesday, four of our amazing seniors will be honored with awards for scholarship, leadership, and community service at the 67th Annual Teen City Government Day ceremony. After they receive their awards, they’ll have the opportunity to learn about city government at City Hall and even be able to participate in that evening’s City Council meeting. We are so proud of our winners: Audrey Melendez (scholarship), Eshaan Sidhu (leadership), Karina De Los Santos (school and community service), and Jared Tan (all-around outstanding - Glendon Rodgers Award).
Our top-ranked Marching Band and Color Guard performers will compete this coming Saturday in the Section Championships; currently, these amazing students rank second in the entire state of California. We look forward to watching them continue to impress judges with their “Written in the Stars” performance.
Senior parents! If your student hasn’t yet taken his/her senior photo, InMotionPro will be on campus this coming Tuesday, November 7, for the final round of makeups! You are not required to purchase these photos, but your student must take one with this company in order to be included in the yearbook. Jostens will be on campus during lunch on Tuesday, November 14, to take orders for graduation caps and gowns.
Our next progress report window opens on November 13. Reminder: if your student needs some additional help in one or more subjects, we have an excellent after-school tutoring program that runs from 4:15pm to 5:15pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with a bus provided for students needing later transportation. All students can access www.tutor.com 24 hours a day for academic supports. Students can find the contact information on Canvas.
Interested in more ways to get involved at IHS? Looking for some additional resources? Our Parent and Family Center is here to help! Find out how to become an “observer” on Canvas to track your student’s academic progress.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 661.834.8001 - we appreciate your support!
Sincerely,
Guillermo Alvarado, Ed.D
Principal, Independence High School
