Here are the Highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call for the Week of December 17th!
Finish #MustangSTRONG!
As we finish this year and more fully enter the holiday season, I would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday, Happy Kwanza, and Happy New Year! May this new year be one of joy and peace for us all. Now let’s finish the semester #MustangSTRONG! Please continue to do your work and keep your grades passing, both in the classroom and online. Remember, your semester grade is what is posted on your transcript and calculated into your GPA and it is made up of your two quarter grades and exams.
End of the Semester & Finals
The end of the first semester is close! We will have District Finals and Semester exams from December 18th through December 22nd and we do NOT allow for students to take exams early or during a different class period.
Winter Break and School Closures
The school will be closed from Saturday, December 23rd to January 8th with students returning on January 9th. Please do not come to campus during this time unless you are a member of an athletic team and have scheduled practices or games. Please also know that faculty and staff are also on winter holiday and we will not be answering email until we return as well. Thank you for your consideration and understanding.
Congratulations on Earning an A School Grade
Congratulations on being an A school! We are so proud of your hard work and dedication! Keep up the good work and let’s do it again this year!
Please Donate Now to the Baby It’s Cold Outside Baby Items Donations
While you are out shopping during the holidays, please consider purchasing baby items for our annual Baby It’s Cold Outside Baby Items Drive. Families in Pasco County will benefit from diapers, clothing, books, baby wipes, and other items. Please turn them into your RANCH classes! Thank you in advance for your donation to all of our causes this month!
Yearbook Sales
A great holiday gift is a JWMHS Yearbook! Buy one today!
If you haven’t purchased your copy of the Stampede, be sure to buy your yearbook on Rycor by January 15th. The only way to guarantee you get a yearbook is to preorder in advance. Yearbooks are $80 until December 31st when the price will increase again!
Trinity Cup – January 13th
Our Third Annual Trinity Cup will be held on Saturday, January 13th at RRHS. It will feature all of our Winter Sports playing against River Ridge HS. We haven’t won the Trinity Cup last yet, so let’s do it this year! More details to come! Let’s Beat the Knights!
Save the Date! – St. Valentine’s Ball
We will hold our annual Winter Ball in February to celebrate Valentine’s Day! This be held on Saturday, February 10th! All students from all grade levels can attend! This dance in our annual charity event where the proceeds will benefit local charities, including local animal rescues and Metropolitan Ministries. We will be sending out more information in the coming weeks! Stayed tuned and get ready to dance!
Tis the Season to Donate to JWMHS!
We would truly appreciate any support that you can provide to JWMHS. No amount is too small or too big for our organizations. Here are some links to donate. We thank you for your support!
To donate via Rycor, create an account or use your Pasco account and then scroll down to find the 23-24 JWMHS donation buttons. Some of the donations come with free Mustang Gear! Click here to make a donation via Rycor: https://www.studentquickpay.com/pasco/
Some ways to donate to JWMHS include providing a donation for:
- Band Trip to Boston for a band student (any amount)
- Graduation Fees for a senior ($100)
- Prom ticket ($125)
- Grad Bash ticket ($125)
- Yearbook for a student ($100)
If you would like to donate to a team or organization, please consider donating to
- The Marching Mustangs Band
- Orchestra
- Chorus
- Athletics
- Yearbook
- Newspaper
- Mustang News Crew
- The Literary Magazine
- Senior Scholarships
- Mustang Excellence
- Campus Improvements
- Student & Staff Incentives
There are other ways to donate outside of Rycor. If you would like to make a donation of gift cards or donate to a specific student, please email Ms. Mattos at mmattos@pasco.k12.fl.us and she can assist you with submitting this donation.
Driving to School & Pick Up and Drop Off – Please Follow the Rules and Be Patient!
As you come to school, please follow the speed limit and the signs in the parking lot as to the direction of the traffic flow and where to drop off and pick up students. As a reminder, all students should be dropped off and picked up in the Red Car Loop. No one should be dropped off or picked up anywhere else on campus, especially Photonics Blvd. Also, please be ready to drop off your student when you get to the car loop. Please do not have further conversation at the car and please do not dilly dally as you exit and get your items to go to school. It is holding up the car line and we are trying to get people and cars in and out quickly.
Parking on Campus
All parking spots are assigned to staff or students. Please park in your assigned parking spot only. You can apply to park by following the parking procedures listed on our website. Only juniors and seniors are allowed to park on campus. Students that have been approved to park on campus can view their parking spot numbers in My Student. Student Parking passes will be passed out during all lunch periods. All student drivers must pick up their parking pass and display the pass in their vehicle.
Arriving to Campus & Class on Time
Please arrive in your classes on time each day, as being on time is important now and in the future. Security 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.
Free Lunch and Breakfast
All students will be receiving free breakfast and lunch this year. You do not need to apply for Free or Reduced Lunch. Breakfast will be served each morning until 8:20AM when the warning bell will sound. If you need to put money on your lunch account, you can do so at this time via www.mySchoolBucks.com or sending cash or a check payable to JWMHS.
Please Keep Campus Clean – Throw Away Your Trash
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. Please take pride in your school and keep it clean!
Mustang Athletics
Tickets for all games can be purchased on GoFan.co and we encourage you to make sure that you familiarize yourself with that website. (https://gofan.co/app/school/FL5921).
Kindness
During the holiday season, I hope that this week families will talk with each other about being kind and avoiding hate speech and hateful acts. There is no place at JWMHS for words and actions that are hateful and bigoted, especially during this time of the year. Each of us is unique and has something to offer our Mustang community. Hopefully, as we are kind, we can see that our differences bring us together and make us stronger. Again, please be kind to each other.
Around the Ranch Newsletter
We will not have an Around the Ranch Newsletter this week!
Check Our Website for The Full Transcript of This Message
Please make sure that you are checking our website for a full transcript of the email that has gone out to Mustang Families as there are many reminders and announcements that do not get repeated every single week.
Let’s make JWMHS the best place to be! We look forward to a great week in #MustangNation!
Again, on behalf of JWMHS, we would like to wish you a very Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Congratulations on being an A school!
Have a great evening!
Go Mustangs!
~ Ms. Schultz
Quick Links
Around the Ranch Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/AroundTheRANCH
Highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call: https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSWeeklyCall
Meet the Faculty and Staff! Watch a video about your teacher and get your class supply lists: https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSOrientation
Login to your Parent Portal and Complete the Forms Required for the New Year: https://pasco.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/index.php?skipSSO
Pay Student Fees or Purchase a Yearbook or Locker: https://www.studentquickpay.com/pasco/
RANCH Round Up from Mrs. Chamberlin: https://www.smore.com/mfg1q
Athletic Information: https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/athletics/
Complete Athletic Paperwork: https://athleticclearance.fhsaahome.org/
GoFan Ticket Sales: https://gofan.co/app/school/FL5921
Safety and Security Policies for Athletic Events: https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/jwmhs/2019/08/front.USE_.2.pdf
Request a Schedule Change: https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSScheduleChange
Purchase Mustang Gear: https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSSpiritStore
Apply to be a Volunteer: http://pasco.k12.fl.us/comm/page/volunteer
Purchase a Mustang Legacy Brick: https://tinyurl.com/mustanglegacybrick
Reminders and Announcements
Graduation Requirements and Understanding High School
School Counselors and Academic Advisors have been going into English classrooms to discuss requirements and other important information with students. We encourage parents to speak with their children regarding this information. It can also be found on our website (https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/academics-guidance-and-testing/). It is very important that everyone is on the same page regarding this information so that there are not any surprises. We also review this information during the first week of school and during course selection in the winter.
Pasco eSchool Placeholders
Of note, if you have an eSchool placeholder, on campus or off campus, please sign up for your classes as soon as possible. Directions can be found on our website.
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.
Cell Phone & Earbud Policy for the 2023-2024 School Year
As a reminder, students will not be able to use cell phones and earbuds during class time. Students will be able to use them during passing and lunches. Students will be expected to put their cell phone and earbuds in cell phone storage areas in the classroom. Students will not be able to take phones to the restroom during instructional time. Please make sure that you review this policy with your child so that everyone understands the expectations of students. It can be found here: https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/cell-phone-policy-for-2023-2024/
Healthy Student Forms and the Clinic
We sent home the 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.
Pick Up and Drop Off Continued
As a reminder, all students should be dropped off and picked up in the Red Car Loop. No one should be dropped off or picked up anywhere else on campus. Children should also not be going into the parking lot to cross traffic and enter a car or exit a car. Students should wait on the sidewalk for parents to drive around. We have rules in place to keep children safe and to avoid accidents. Students and parents, please follow and support our rules.
Make a Donation to JWMHS!
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 Spirit
You can purchase a BEAT THE KNIGHTS shirt, Tradition Starts Here Stampede shirt, or Stang Gang shirt online via Rycor! Get them in time for the big game and show your #MustangPRIDE!
Here is the link to our online Mustang Spirit Store to purchase Mustang Gear (BEAT THE KNIGHTS shirt, Tradition Starts Here Stampede shirt, or Stang Gang shirt). You can purchase polos, jackets, hats, and other Mustang Gear! https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSSpiritStore
