Highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call for the Week of May 7th

Here are the Highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call for the Week of May 7th!

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week

We want to thank all of the Faculty and Staff of JW Mitchell High School for their dedication and commitment to excellence and our students and school. We are going to be celebrating them this week and we couldn’t be more proud of each of them! Thank you, Faculty and Staff for all that you do to make #MustangNation the best in Pasco County!

Asian Pacific Heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month and we would like to thank those who have contributed to the great tradition of the United States! We will celebrate this month during RANCH.

End of the Year Reminders for All Students

Locker Cleanout

Locker Cleanout will be held on May 19th. Students will need to throw away any trash in provided garbage cans in the Commons Areas. Anything left in your lockers will be thrown away except for TEXTBOOKS and LIBRARY BOOKS. Return anything to your teachers or the Media Center that belongs to JWMHS.

The Debt List and Returning Textbooks

If you have any debt that you need to pay for, including fundraisers or other items that you have not paid for, please do so now. If you have any textbooks from previous school years that you need to return, please do so now to Student Services. If you have any Media Center books from previous years, please return them now to the Media Center. Finally, if you have any athletic equipment or uniforms that you need to return, please do so now either to your coach or to Mrs. Dixon. Doing this will keep you off of the debt list.

No Backpacks from May 22nd to May 26th

Beginning on Monday, May 22nd, students are NOT allowed to have backpacks, bags, duffle bags, large purses, etc.

Students ARE ALLOWED to have drawstring bags, regular size purses, or clear bags/backpacks. If someone has a one of the “not allowed” bags with them, they will be kept in Room 119 to store it there for the rest of the day. If this continues to happen, disciplinary consequences will occur.

Juniors – Class of 2024

Junior to Senior Picnic and Class of 2024 T Shirts

Juniors can start purchasing their Class of 2024 T Shirts this week for $10 in Room 722 or on Rycor! We will hold the annual Junior to Senior Picnic on Thursday, May 25th to celebrate the Class of 2024!

Seniors – Class of 2023

Graduation and End of Year Information

Seniors received a lot of information regarding graduation and the end of the school year. This information is posted on our website and we are updating it with more information as we receive it! Please make sure that you review it. We sent out a mailout to you recently and it also contains much of the information (but not all) on the website! (https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/class-of-2023-graduation-and-end-of-year-information/)

Senior Shout Outs

If you are the parent of a member of the Class of 2023 and want to give a Senior Shout Out at the Graduation Ceremony, please go to our website and complete the form found there (https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/senior-graduation-shout-out/)! Each Shout Out is $20 and there is no limit to the number you can purchase. It is a great way to honor your senior during the ceremony! The last day that we will accept them is tomorrow, May 8th.

Senior Graduation Practice and Checkout

Senior Graduation Practice and Checkout are on Wednesday, May 24th and Friday, May 26th from 8:20AM to 1:30PM and are MANDATORY if you intend on participating in the Tuesday, June 6th Graduation Ceremony. Please DO NOT schedule trips, appointments, or work during school hours as school is in session until Friday, May 26th and, again, you must be present to walk.

Senior Breakfast

Senior Breakfast will be held on Thursday, May 25th at 9AM at Spartan Manor for senior students only. This event has a dress code and students must wear their professional best. We will not allow students to enter if they have on jeans, shorts, tshirts, or any unprofessional clothing. If you have a question please ask Mr. Quina!

Senior Debt List & Graduation Fee

Seniors, please start looking around your house, room, and car for items that belong to JWMHS and return them to school to avoid being on the debt list.

The Senior Graduation Fee is $100 and can be paid on Rycor/Student Pay. This graduation fee is due on May 26th, the second day of the required Graduation Practice and Senior Checkout.

Congratulations and Best Wishes!

Best wishes to all of our students who are taking AP Exams and EOCs this week! We know you are ready to be successful and earn passing scores! #StriveForTheFive

Congratulations to Chris Saintvalle who placed 4th in the Regional in the 400m Hurdles, broke a school record, and is off to the State Championships! Tristan Capille also placed 7th .

Best wishes to Mustang Softball as they advance in the playoffs!

Play with integrity and good sportsmanship! Go Mustangs!

Yearbooks Have Arrived

Yearbooks have arrived! All students may pick up their yearbook in Student Services before school and during all lunches. Extra yearbooks will be on sale while supplies last for $95 cash or credit. Thank you for looking on the Bright Side!!

State Testing and Advanced Placement Testing

We have begun state testing and we encourage you to review the Testing Calendar (https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/school-calendars/). We will not be able to hold exams earlier, especially FSA and EOCs tests and final exams, and these impact students’ grades. School is in session until May 26th and students should plan on being there through May 26th. Parents, please assist us in this by not scheduling trips and appointments until after May 26th.

Parking and Second Semester

Unless you have an assigned spot, you cannot park on campus.

Pick Up, Drop Off, and Parking Lots

Please help us by dropping off and picking up such that students are entering and exiting the car next to the sidewalk in the Red Car Loop only. DO NOT drop students off in Orange or in front of the school. This is not an unreasonable request and one that we make weekly and address continuously. Please, parents and students, follow our rules and expectations. We want to keep children safe and we are very concerned that a student is going to get hit so that people can save a few minutes each morning.

Mustang Legacy Bricks

A great Senior Graduation present is a Mustang Legacy Brick! Celebrate the traditions and legacy of JWMHS by purchasing a piece of history. All funds for purchasing a Mustang Legacy Brick will be used for campus improvements, classroom activities, and other school priorities. And, your name will be a permanent part of our campus!

https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/mustang-legacy-bricks/

Around the RANCH Newsletter

There will not be an Around the Ranch Newsletter this week.

Please make sure that you are checking our website for a full transcript of the email that has gone out to Mustang Families are there are many reminders and announcements that do not get repeated every single week.

Let’s make Mustang Nation the best place to be! There are only a few more weeks of school! Let’s make it most excellent!

Have a great evening!

Go Mustangs!

~ Ms. Schultz

 

Here are some links you will need to make your school year successful:

Reminders and Announcements

Course Selection for the 2023-2024 School Year

9th, 10th, and 11th grade Parents can now check what their students entered for the 23-24 course selection in their myStudent parent portal under class requests. If your student hasn’t entered their selections, please reach out to the appropriate grade level AP or counselor fora assistance.

Parent Bill of Rights Acknowledgements in myStudent

If you have not logged into your Parent Portal of myStudent, we ask that you do so this week. There are consent forms that need to be completed as a result of the Parents Bill of Rights legislation. We would like to partner with you regarding making decisions for your child that are consistent with your wishes as a parent/guardian. Please help us do so by completing this important paperwork. Login here: Login to your Parent Portal and Complete the Forms Required for the New Year: https://pasco.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/index.php?skipSSO

Changes can be made by following the directions that we are providing on our website (https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/how-to-for-parents-and-students/). We would encourage you to review what you have already done if you have said no to anything as there have been changes made to further explain each of the items.

Student Parking

As students come to school each day, they should park in their assigned parking spot. If students do not have a parking spot, they cannot drive to school until they have a parking space. If a student does not have a spot, please apply on our website, but know that there are not many spots available. Please see Mrs. Baldwin for more information.

Bicycle Parking

If you ride a bike to school, please park them in the middle of campus near the RED Building outside of Room 528. There is an alcove there where you can do so safely. We encourage you to bring a bike lock so that you bike remains safe. Do NOT park or attach your bike to the fences. If you do, we will cut the locks and move them to the assigned parking area. (jwmhs bike parking.png)

Pick Up, Drop Off, and Parking Lots

Please remind your children that in the Red Car Loop that they should remain on the sidewalks and not walk through this active parking lot. Please help us by dropping off and picking up such that students are entering and exiting the car next to the sidewalk in the Red Car Loop only. We are having a problem with students being dropped off on Photonics Blvd. near the bus loop. This is causing traffic to back up and for busses to not be able to get into the bus loop. Please only drop off students in our Red Car Loop. We want to keep children safe and we are very concerned that a student is going to get hit so that people can save a few minutes each morning.

Included is a picture of the routes that you can use to enter the campus off of Little Road and Jaguar Trail (routes for entering campus.png). All of this information can also be found here: https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/parking-driving-bicycles-and-fencing-at-jwmhs/

Gates and Arrival at School

The gates will remain open each day until 8:30AM. If a student arrives after 8:30AM, he or she must go to Student Services and check in there as the gates will close and should remain closed for security. Do not prop open gates or put items in gates so that the gates remain open. If you arrive to campus on time, you should not need to worry about having to use these gates. If you arrive late to campus, please do not ask someone to come and open the gate. Please follow our expectations and report to Student Services. Violations of these expectations will result in disciplinary action. Please arrive in your classes on time each day, as being on time is important now and in and the future.

Tardies, Getting to First Period on Time, and Being Late to School

Parents and guardians, I need your help. Students are arriving to school on time, but not going to class on time. Seems unusual, but here we are. Please talk with your children about being to class on time. Leaving five to ten minutes earlier will assist everyone with getting to school on time. As a reminder, we will be closing our gates at 8:30AM. Please make sure that you are on time each day to each and every period. If students are not in class on time, students will be marked tardy and there will be disciplinary consequences. Students need to check in AND out with Student Services when then arrive late to school or need to leave early.

Loss of Privilege and Attendance

We want to remind students that you need to be in school. Unexcused absences count toward Loss of Privilege. And, as a reminder, RANCH is an attendance taking class. We will be reviewing Loss of Privilege this week!

Absence notes can be accepted until 72 hours after your return to school from an absence. You can deliver them in person or use the link on our website: https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/mform/view.php?id=12087. We will not accept a note for an absence after the 72 hour period. For example, any absence after Tuesday of last week will no longer be accepted to excuse the absence.

Be in school every day and Loss of Privilege (LOP) will not be an issue for you in the future! Be in all classes, including RANCH. And, if you are a student athlete being in all of your classes is important, especially on game day as you must be in all of your classes to play.

Leaving Campus Without Permission & Loss of Privilege

If students are found leaving campus and/or subsequently returning and they drive to school, the first time that this occurs the student will lose parking privileges for two weeks. After the second time, the student will lose parking privileges for the remainder of the semester. There will also be other consequences assigned. If a student does not drive, there will be different consequences assigned. And, as a reminder, if you are found opening gates to let people in, you can also be assigned discipline and lose privileges. Student-Athletes need to be aware that violations such as this can also have consequences assigned by your coaches.

Breakfast and Lunch and Outside Food

Breakfast is served each morning until 8:20AM when the warning bell will sound.

As a reminder, we are a closed campus and students CANNOT have food delivered to school via services such as Uber Eats, etc. Food from outside vendors such as Chick Fil A, etc. cannot be dropped off by parents and guardians. It is not allowed in our cafeteria. Violations of this will result in the confiscation of the food until the end of the school day. For the school and school district, if we are found in violation of this policy, we can lose our Federal funding for our School Lunch Program. Please follow our rules.

Healthy Student Forms and the Clinic

We have previously sent home a Healthy Student Form. This will allow your child to receive Tylenol or Ibubrofin in the Clinic. Please make sure that you complete this form if you would like for the Clinic, School Nurse, and Clinic Assistant to help in these matters. Then, please return it to your RANCH teacher or Student Services.

Mustang Spirit

Would you like Mustang Spirit Gear? Here is the link to our online Mustang Spirit Store to purchase Mustang Gear: https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSSpiritStore

You will get free Mustang gear for donating to our Mustang Excellence Fund or to our Staff and Faculty Appreciation Fund. If you have already made this donation, we thank you in advance. These donations will help us throughout this school year as we recognize our Mustangs for their hard work and excellence! There is still time to make these donations and get your free Mustang gear! Here is the link to make a donation: https://www.studentquickpay.com/pasco/

Mustang Athletics

As a reminder, we will be enforcing our Event Security Policies (https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/jwmhs/2019/08/front.USE_.2.pdf) and want to remind you that only bags that are clear plastic, clear vinyl, clear Ziploc bags, small clutch-type purses no larger than 4 inches by 6 inches, diaper bags, and medically necessary items are permitted inside an event venue. No other bags of any kind are permitted except for properly credentialed school and professional photographer’s camera bags. Please go to our website to review these policies and procedures. If you travel to other schools and other school districts, they will also have policies and procedures that they will enforce. Please adhere to their directions and expectations and be a good representative of JW Mitchell High School!

Any student who wants to try out for a sport must complete all of the paperwork on www.AthleticClearance.com prior to tryouts. All of this information can be found on the Mitchell website under Athletics and then Forms. Athletic fees must be paid online one week after you are on the team. Please do not pay the athletic participation fees until you have made the team. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Dixon via email at rdixon@pasco.k12.fl.us or at 727-774-9382.

Keeping Campus Clean

Any drink containers or food wrappers need to be disposed of in our commons area garbage cans and not classroom garbage cans or recycle bins. Keep our campus clean, including the cafeteria and patio areas. Please take pride in your school and keep it clean!