Highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call for the Week of April 23rd

Here are the highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call for the Week of April 23rd!

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month and during RANCH students are learning about autism and inclusion. Each Wednesday students should wear blue as we commemorate April as Autism Awareness Month.

Teacher Appreciation Week

We will be celebrating our teachers the week of May 8th. Our School Advisory Council will be hosting a lunch for teachers on May 9th.

We are accepting donations to help fund this event. Please give on Wednesday or Thursday at student drop off in the morning, as we will have volunteers accepting cash donations or we have a QR code to pay via Rycor. You can also support our staff by donating on Rycor by clicking on the Teacher Appreciation Icon.

Donate to our Teacher Appreciation Luncheon here: https://www.studentquickpay.com/pasco/MyAccount/Main.aspx?webitemid=16173

Thank you for your support!

End of the Year Student Celebrations

We are currently preparing for our end of the year celebrations for our students and school to honor their achievements! If you are able to make a donation or contribution to these activities, please click here: https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSDonations and follow the directions.

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 who is part of one of our athletic teams or band, chorus, or orchestra, or you want to donate the Graduation Fees for a senior, please email Ms. Schultz at jschultz@pasco.k12.fl.us and she can assist you with submitting this donation.

We thank you in advance for your contributions and consideration!

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.

Senior 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 May 8th.

Prom 2023

We are excited to announce all of the information regarding Prom is on our website! Tickets are on sale now online. Tickets will be sold for $115 from April 16th to April 28th. Tickets will not be sold on the day of or at the door. All forms must be completed prior to the dance. Non JWMHS Guest Request forms (due on April 28th at 3PM) and all other information and forms can be found online: https://tinyurl.com/JWMHSProm!

Make sure that you have your dance number. If you do not, the course has been added to your myLearning account. Please accept the course or email Ms. Schultz at jschultz@pasco.k12.fl.us so that you can have the invitation resent.

Senior Debt List

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!

Congratulation to our Indoor Percussion team for their performances at competition this week! We are so proud of you!

Best wishes to our Boys Lacrosse Team as they compete in the Regional Semifinals after defeating Alonso HS this week! They will play Wednesday at Steinbrenner!

Best wishes to our student athletes competing this week especially as we have started District and Regional play! Good luck to Lacrosse, Baseball, Softball, Track, and Tennis! Play with integrity and good sportsmanship! Go Mustangs!

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! And, as a reminder, we are going to be looking at Loss of Privilege for Prom and Grad Bash. 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.

Parking and Second Semester

We currently have a waiting list for parking. In order to get on the waiting list, you must apply. Please go to our website for more information. 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. We are having a problem with students being dropped off on Photonics Blvd. near the bus loop as well as in Orange and the front of the school. 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.

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.

I hope that we can find a way each day to show kindness. Kindness can change everything. Let’s make Mustang Nation the best place to be!

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.

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.

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.

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 (March 21st ) 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!

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.

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!