Dear HTeX Community,

We are overflowing with gratitude for our incredible school community and the Parent Association for helping us reach our Jog-a-Thon goal. Your enthusiasm and support truly make a difference. As a fun reward, we had a blast celebrating by turning Mr. Brian and I into human sundaes during Wednesday’s Community Meeting! It was a sweet memory for all.

We are also thrilled to share exciting news about the benefits of Prop 28 Arts and Music Grant, which supports art and music education. The measure required the state to establish a new, ongoing program supporting arts instruction in schools. Based on stakeholders’ feedback on hopes for the usage of this funding,  our students have begun to experience this month the joy of music and creativity through amazing programs like Songbirds for TK-Kindergarten, APT 4 Music for grades 1-3, and grades 4-5 performances with the Cygnet Theater. These opportunities enrich our children's learning and make HTeX a place where their imaginations can soar.

Thank you for being part of what makes our school such a special place to learn, grow, and thrive!

With appreciation,

Dr. Melissa

Please mark your calendars for the following exciting events:

• Monday, January 20th: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day - No School

• February 3-7: Book Fair!

• Wednesday, February 19th: HTeX 5th Grade Parent Info Session to HTM/HTMMA 1:15-2:15

Calling All High Tech Families!!

I hope this message finds you well. As we strive to create a fun and engaging school environment for our students, we are excited to extend an invitation for our students adults to volunteer during recess.

Recess is a crucial time for our students to unwind, socialize, and engage in playful activities. Your presence during this time can make a significant difference in enhancing their overall school experience. Some of our student population has messaged to us that being outside for recess can be overstimulating. We would like to offer our parent volunteers a chance to come in and support those students. Our hope is to keep all students engaged in an activity that fits their needs. 

If you're interested in volunteering, please sign up for specific dates and times using our on-line form. We appreciate any time you can contribute, whether it's a one-time commitment or a recurring schedule. Our kiddos love consistency and we would appreciate a recurring schedule, but if you have a limited schedule, and want to help, we can discuss those opportunities on a per case basis. 

Thank you for considering this opportunity to be involved in your child's school life. Your support is instrumental in creating a positive and enjoyable school environment.

Thanks Kindly,

Mr. Brian

Mental Health Supports for Explorer Students

If your child is experiencing social, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulties that are impacting them at school, wellness check-ins are available to all students as a support. Wellness check-ins can take place as needed throughout the year.

This year we will also work to offer monthly lunch bunches for students struggling to connect with their peers during unstructured times. This support will also be available to all students throughout the year.

If you have any questions about any of these supports please email Ericah Edwards at eedwards@hightechhigh.org.

Let’s continue to work together this school year to create a community that connects all students to the supports that they need and deserve!

Mental Health Supports In-Home + Community

Rady Children's and SDCOE have collaborated to create a webinar series for parents and caregivers that addresses mental health challenges faced by youth. These are a great opportunity for families to connect to resources and have some of their questions answered by clinicians. Some of the topics include bullying, self-harm, and stress/resilience. 

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/12m2SwqAJ4O0C5WPu22eKa0Y7ut6PFoob/view

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VII7yBVVSxE56QH-WEA2dZ6JKywQ79oL/view?usp=drive_link

As part of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative’s (CYBHI) to improve equitable access to mental health support for all young Californians, two free programs — BrightLife Kids and Soluna — were created in partnership with CalHOPE.

• https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wP4-T_E8TLewycrEVwdYIAMbPgexyzMN

Additional Resources:

• Parent Guide to Mental Health and Wellness/ Guia Para Padres de Salud y Bienstar Mental

• Call the National Parent Helpline: 1-855-4A PARENT (1-855-427-2736) to get emotional support from a trained Advocate and become empowered and a stronger parent. They are available Monday through Friday from 10 am to 7 pm

Dear HTeX Community, 

I am so excited for the return of our annual book fair! Our book fair will take place February 3-7 both before and after school. We will also have class visits during school.

We need your help to make this an awesome experience! Please click here to sign up for the book fair committee if you are interested in helping with the planning process. We will have our first meeting on Friday, January 24th after drop-off.

All families are a part of the parent association and you all are invited to our next General PA meeting taking place on January 23rd at 6:30pm via Zoom, the meeting link is tinyurl.com/HTeXPAZoom. Hope to see you there! 

Best Wishes, 

Marissa on behalf of the PA

Friendly Reminders: Absences

While we love to see your children’s smiling faces in school, and regular daily attendance is important to all we do, we do want to remind you to keep students home if they are ill, particularly if they have a fever.

COVID-19 Reminder For Students

• If they are symptomatic, they should be encouraged to test and/or share with parents they should test.

• If they test positive, they should also stay home if they are symptomatic.

• They can return to school when they are also fever-free for 24-hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and other non-fever symptoms are improving.

• If they test positive but are asymptomatic (no fever, and no other symptoms) they can remain at school unless symptoms develop.

• They should be encouraged to wear a mask through Day 10 (masks should be available at the front desk).

Tests

• Everyone can, once again, order four free boxes of COVID-19 tests via USPS. This can be done through this link.

Please continue to communicate with the school if your child will be absent due to illness by contacting Maggie at mfragoso@hightechhigh.org. Please notify Ms. Maggie the day of student absence.

We are looking forward to an exciting school year of learning and want to help keep our community healthy!

HTeX Community Meetings - Call for Presenters

The HTeX Community Meeting is a cherished time for our entire school community to unite, creating a space for collective learning, sharing valuable information, and celebrating the diversity and achievements within our community. It serves as a focal point where students, parents, and educators come together to strengthen the bonds that make our community special.

Our Community Meetings are co-led by our Student Ambassadors and mentor staff, Ms. Nikki, Ms. Clara, and Ms. Destiny! We hold our Community Meetings once a month on the black top.

If you are interested in presenting to our students for our school wide Community Meeting, please complete this form.This is an OUTDOOR event. Presentations will be up to 20 minutes.

We will reach out to you to follow up.

-Ms. Nikki, Ms, Clara, & Ms. Destiny

Youth Truth Family Survey By January 31st 

2025 has begun in earnest, and we are all looking forward to a wonderful term of joyous learning.  We always value your feedback, and one way to elicit such feedback is through the annual YouthTruth Family Survey (Students and Staff will take the survey starting this week).  We use your voice to celebrate what's going well and to improve what's not.  See below for more info! 

HOW ARE WE DOING?

HTeX has partnered with the national nonprofit, YouthTruth, to help us hear feedback from you about what we are doing well and how we can improve.

PLEASE TAKE THIS brief ONLINE SURVEY HERE before Jan. 31st:    ytsurvey.org/hthfamily25

Your response is anonymous and will be combined with responses from other parents/guardians throughout HTH schools. Thank you for your feedback! It is a gift that helps us continually improve.

Queridas familias de HTeX,

2025 ha comenzado en serio, y todos estamos mirando adelante a un término maravilloso de aprendizaje alegre.  Siempre valoramos su opinión, y una forma de obtenerla es a través de la encuesta anual YouthTruth Family Survey (los estudiantes y el personal realizarán la encuesta a partir de esta semana).  Utilizamos su voz para celebrar lo que va bien y mejorar lo que no.  Más abajo encontrarás más información.

Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor DeepL.com

¿CÓMO LO ESTAMOS HACIENDO?

HTeX se ha asociado con la organización nacional, Youth Truth, para ayudarnos a escuchar su opinión, sobre lo que estamos haciendo bien y cómo podemos mejorar.

POR FAVOR, REALICE AQUÍ ESTA breve ENCUESTA EN LÍNEA antes del 31 de enero: ytsurvey.org/hthfamily25

Su opinión es anónima y será combinada con respuestas de otros padres de familias en todo el distrito. ¡Muchas gracias por su opinión!, es un regalo que nos ayuda a mejorar continuamente.

Thank you so much for the feedback!

Hello Parents,

First and foremost I would like to introduce myself as the new ELO-P Site Supervisor for afterschool. My name is Bosque Leanio and I have worked with after school programs for the past 8 years. I'm very motivated to help out as many kids as we can and provide them a fun and enriching program! My goal is to bring a more organized, safe, fun, and diverse culture to the program! Feel free to stop by and say hi and let me know any questions you may have! Looking forward to meeting everyone! 

Some important information:

We will be conducting a thorough review of all enrollments, verifying FASS forms, managing billing processes, and ensuring everything is properly organized,  Please be on the lookout for invoices that will be sent via Square.

Additionally, when picking up your child, please wait to be buzzed in before entering. Once inside, sign your child out, locate their card, and scan them out. This process is essential for safety and compliance with the requirements of our ELO-P program. 

FASS INFO: Also, if you haven’t filled out the FASS form for the 2024-2025 school year, please note that High Tech High has replaced the Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) applications with the new Family and School Support (FASS) form. This change aligns with the school's adoption of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows all students to receive free breakfast and lunch without needing to provide detailed household income information.

While the FASS form is simpler, it’s important for all families to complete it to help secure additional state funding that enhances educational resources and services. Your participation is vital in supporting our school community.

FASS Link: Please take 2 minutes to fill out the form linked HERE.

The HTex Afterschool Team

Copyright © High Tech Elementary Explorer. All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
2230 Truxton Rd San Diego CA 92106

Questions?
Email us at htexpacommunications@gmail.com