Highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call for the Week of November 6th

Here are the Highlights from the Weekly School Messenger Call for the Week of November 6th!

We hope that everyone enjoyed their extra hour of sleep as we fell back for Daylight Saving Time!

Friday, November 11th is Veterans Day and we would like to salute all of those who have served our great country. Thank you for your service!

This Tuesday is Election Day and we encourage you to exercise your right to vote, especially to our Mustangs who are voting for the first time!

Penny for Pasco

On the ballot this November is the Penny for Pasco. It can be found on the back of the ballot and is the last item on which to vote. This initiative provides funding for different projects in Pasco County and it is being voted on so that it can be renewed. Because it is being renewed, there aren’t any increases in what you are currently paying in sales tax and everything will remain the same. For JWMHS, renewing the Penny for Pasco means that we will be able to have a turf field and rubber track constructed. It also means that we will have money to refresh the campus of JWMHS. We ask that you please read about the initiative and to consider supporting this renewal. Please read about it here: https://pennyforpasco.com/ or at https://pasco.k12.fl.us/penny4pasco!

Annual Holiday Food Drive – Please donate now!

We are collecting food for our Annual Holiday Food Drive. Please bring non-perishable items to your RANCH/Homeroom teacher! With this donation, we will be able to help families in our Mustang community. Thank you for your donation in advance.

On Track Students – Come Watch Boys Soccer on 11/14 with a FREE Ticket to the Game!

All On Track students will be able to get into the November 14th Boys Varsity #MustangSoccer game for FREE! Tickets will be passed out this week during RANCH class to all ON Track students. We hope that you come and support the boys and continue to stay on track!

Congratulations! And Best Wishes!

Congratulations to #MustangVolleyball on a great season, making it to the Regional Finals!

Congratulations to Regan Bright who broke her own school record again for the 100 Fly for #MustangSwimAndDive at the State Meet! Congratulations to all of our swimmers who participated in the meet!

Best wishes to the Girls #MustangGolf team members, Nicole Baum, Gabby Gionta, Lindsey Kerr, Autumn Postlewait, and Marina Saviceva-Noti who will represent JWMHS at the State Meet this week!

#MustangFootball will start the Playoffs at Springstead High School this Friday at 730PM at Springstead!

Our Winter Sports have begun and we want to extend best wishes to all of our teams competing this week, especially in the Playoffs! Go Mustangs!

Congratulations to our Marching Mustangs who earned Superiors at Marching MPA this weekend for their musical Invasion!

NAVIANCE Is Here!

November is Naviance month, we will be introducing students to Naviance during Ranch sessions all month! We are excited to announce that Pasco County Schools has partnered with Naviance, a customizable online planning tool for students in grades 6-12. With Naviance, students can discover personal interests & strengths, research career & college opportunities, & connect learning to academic goal setting & planning. Pasco County students can access Naviance for FREE directly from their myPascoConnect dashboard!

Save the Date! – First Annual Freshmen/Sophomore Prom – January 28th 

We will hold our First Annual Freshmen/Sophomore Prom in January! This will be held in place of our Winter Ball and will be held on Saturday, January 28th! We hope that this will be a fun event for our underclassmen! Upperclassmen can attend, but, to mix it up a bit, will need to be guests of the underclassmen! We will be sending out more information in the coming weeks! Stayed tuned and get ready to dance under the Neon Lights!

The Lockheed Martin Engineering Day

The Lockheed Martin Engineering Day will be held on November 8th 9:30AM for Seniors interested in learning more about careers in engineering. This year Lockheed Martin is providing a virtual session for students interested in engineering careers. Students must register to reserve a spot and space is limited! See Mrs. Chamberlin for more information!

Class of 2023 Cap & Gown and Diploma Ordering

Seniors, please complete the following form so that we can order your cap and gown and diploma! You will need to know your height so that we can order your gown appropriately. Make sure that you capitalize and punctuate your name correctly, with all of your names capitalized and periods after an initials. For example, my name on a diploma could read:

  • Jessica R. Schultz
  • Jessica Rachel Schultz
  • Jessica Schultz

Complete the form by clicking this link: https://jwmhs.pasco.k12.fl.us/mform/view.php?id=94971

SPC Admissions Event

St. Petersburg College will be hosting an admission and application for Seniors interested in attending SPC during Fall of 2023. Students need to sign up to attend this event that will be held on November 10th in the Media Center at 8:30AM! Please see Mrs. Chamberlin for more information!

The ASVAB for Juniors and Seniors

The ASVAB will be held on December 12th 8:30AM. Juniors and Seniors who would like to take the ASVAB can sign up to test. See Mrs. Chamberlin for more information!

Dual Enrollment Students for Next Semester

Are you taking a Dual Enrollment class next semester? Eligible dual enrollment students should utilize the Spring 2023 Dual Enrollment Online Registration and Course Request Worksheet located on the Pasco County school district Dual Enrollment website to find important dates and to make plans for Spring DE coursework. In order for students to be able to register online during their assigned time, students and parents/guardians must meet the deadlines listed on the online registration worksheet. Visit this website for more information: http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/oll/page/dual-enrollment

Band Fundraising for JWMHS Percussion

A fundraising event for J.W. Mitchell High School Percussion will be held on November 12 from 8AM to 2PM in the south parking lot at JWMHS. Purchase a spot to sell your items or come shop this huge event! There are also opportunities to advertise your business via banner advertising for $50 and other advertising spots for $100!

Click here to sign up: https://forms.gle/YJB8N3xbJTbHyp6e9

Or you can pay online to reserve your spot at: https://www.studentquickpay.com/pasco/

Login as a guest and look for the box for JW Mitchell Band – 22-23 Rummage Sale

Email MitchellBandSale@gmail.com for details!

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 8:40AM. If a student arrives after 8:40AM, 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 (October 4th) 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/

Hooray! Your Mustang Gear for your donation has arrived! We have already handed out gear to more than 150 students, but many student did not complete the form that we needed completed in order for students to get their Mustang Gear. Please complete the online form that we sent previously via email so that we can provide you Mustang Gear! We will be sending home a separate communication to all those who we have on file for doing so as well, so be on the lookout! And, thank you for your donation!

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!

Around the RANCH Newsletter

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

Let’s keep #MustangExcellence going and have another great week in #MustangNation!

Have a great evening!

Go Mustangs!

~ Ms. Schultz

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