Horsemen Highlights for week of September 18-22, 2023.
Dear Parents,
As students are getting settled into their classes, homework, classwork and test grades are beginning to indicate your child’s academic performance in each class. Teachers are beginning to reach out to parents of students who currently have a grade of D or F. Missed assignments are the main cause for those with low grades. It is imperative that students complete all their assignments even if they are absent. Students must meet deadlines and plan ahead if they have athletics or other activities. Students should be referring to their teachers’ Google Classrooms to find out what they missed. Please refer to OnBoard to check your child’s attendance and current grades. Also, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns about their grades. Students are doing much better getting to school on time. Thank you for your support with this.
I would like to reiterate that we do not allow food delivery services such as GrubHub and DoorDash on our campus at any time for safety reasons. We cannot have random strangers walking or driving through our campus trying to deliver food and trying to interact with our students. We will turn them away on sight. Thank you for your support and understanding.
This week we began instituting a tool to ensure computer use integrity called Go Guardian.This program blocks any questionable content from being accessed online from student Chromebooks.This tool also helps teachers monitor what students have on screen during class time; for example, teachers can message students if they are on a gaming site instead of the article a teacher may be discussing. This helps ensure students are engaged in the classroom instruction and not using their Chromebooks for unintended purposes. The ability for these Chromebooks to be monitored by teachers is only available between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm during school days.
As always we appreciate your continuous support of St. Michael’s High School. Go Horsemen!
Yours in Christ,
Martin C. Sandoval, Principal
Academics:
Seniors Ceciliana Ruiz, David Velasquez, James Gallegos, and Luke Garcia earned academic honors from The College Board’s National Recognition Program. The National Hispanic Recognition Award (NHRA) honors strong academic achievements of underrepresented students, showcasing their hard work and talents.
The National Recognition Programs help students find ways to celebrate their uniqueness. Eligible students have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, are in the top 10% of PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT 10 assessment takers in each state for each program or have earned a score of 3 or higher on two or more AP Exams. They attend school in a rural area or small town, or identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Indigenous/Native.
Congratulations Ceciliana, David, James and Luke!
Reminders:
We are on a Meeting Schedule Tuesday, September 12th. Release time is 2:55. Teachers will be in professional development for the afternoon; please make sure your students are picked up in a timely manner. The library and classrooms are closed on meeting schedule days.
Meeting Schedule (45-minute classes)
Zero Hour Warning 7:25
Zero Hour 7:30-8:20
1st Period 8:25-9:10
2nd Period 9:15-10:00
3rd Period 10:05-10:50
JH LUNCH 10:50-11:40
SH 4th Period 10:55-11:40
SH LUNCH 11:40-12:25
JH 4th Period 11:40-12:25
5th Period 12:30-1:15
6th Period 1:20-2:05
7th Period 2:10-2:55
School begins at 8:25 a.m. For more information on the SMHS attendance and tardy policies, please see the Student-Parent Handbook (pp. 30-33). Click HERE.
As mentioned, attendance is vital for student success. St. Michaels follows the attendance compulsory law. Students are only allowed to miss 10% of school each semester. Therefore, students have the flexibility of 9 full school days. Please review pages 30-33 in the Student-Parent handbook for further information on the attendance policy.
We are now on a continuous grading system. There is not an automatic reset at the end of the quarter. Please make sure that you continue to check your student’s grades and keep them on track. As we progress through the semester it can be difficult for students to catch up if they fall too far behind.
Covid cases are on the rise throughout the country. Please adhere to the best practices administered by the CDC and the NMDOH. You can find more information by clicking HERE.
For access to the Covid 19 Tool Kit click HERE. Refer to pages 11-12 for quick information on what to do with an exposure and a test result.
Counselors' Corner:
The Senior and Senior Parent meeting will be next Wednesday, 9/20 at 6:00 p.m. We will have three speakers and we hope that your students can be present for the first two. Alex Gallegos, Academic & College/Career Counselor, will present on Naviance, Common App, and FAFSA updates. Bev Mclean, former Director of Career and Professional Development at St. Mary's College, will host a discussion on navigating college career centers. Ann Erickson, Senior Moderator, Events & Fundraising Manager, Class of 2024 Events, will be on hand for an update on senior event planning, fundraising, and expectations.
Mark your calendars parents! The New Mexico Higher Education Department is hosting a college fair for Juniors and Seniors on September 28th from 1:00-2:15.
Indiana University Bloomington will be on our campus during senior high lunch on September 18th.
Mr. Gallegos will be hosting two weekly resume workshops starting Mondays after school at 3:45 and Thursdays during senior high lunch for the remainder of the semester.
All seniors should have received an email from Mr. Gallegos regarding their Naviance accounts. Please email Mr. Gallegos [email protected] if there are any questions.
A Message from Mr. Rich
Many of us have questions, thoughts, and strong feelings regarding suicide and suicidal behavior. We also know that self-harming and avoidance behaviors happen when folks do not know what else to do to alleviate emotional pain and isolation.
Please take a moment to click on the links below. New Mexico Health discusses September as Suicide Awareness month in New Mexico; the second website is for The Child Mind Institute. Both websites are parent and family friendly and offer many helpful links to resources.
We are all trying to manage one day at a time. Fortunately, we really can reach out to each other.
https://www.nmhealth.org/news/awareness/2023/9/?view=2015
Childmind.org
Activities:
Upcoming dates to remember:
September 20: Senior Retreat. Ms. Lopez will send information out to seniors.
September 26: Senior Ring Mass. All students must be in mass dress.
Congratulations to the following orchestra members who auditioned for and won positions in the District Honor Orchestra:
Mataya Sand - viola
Felix Montoya - cello
Asante Cole - cello
John McCabe - bass
A daylong festival and concert will take place in Los Alamos on September 29th at 6:30pm in Duane Auditorium on the campus of Los Alamos High School. All are welcome to attend. Bravo Musical Horsemen!
The Santa Fe New Mexican is seeking dedicated, curious high schoolers to contribute to the paper’s youth section Generation Next. Teens interested in writing feature stories, opinion pieces and reviews of current movies, TV, music and books are encouraged to apply. There are additional opportunities for photojournalism, illustration and social media promotion. For more information, please see Mrs. Wynn in the Library or email her at [email protected]
Athletics:
Boys Soccer fell 6-0 to Bosque over the weekend. Girls Soccer fell 7-4 (OT) to Bosque over the weekend.
Horsemen football fell to Los Alamos, 28-7 and moved to 3-1 overall on the season.
Volleyball won the Moriarty Tournament beating Pojoaque Valley, Sandia Prep, and Texico. They improved their record to 6-0 on the season.
Cross Country participated in the University of New Mexico Invitational on Saturday, January 9th.
The volleyball team after winning the Moriarty Tournament.
Annual Raffle:
Each year, St. Michael’s High School raises thousands of dollars to support a variety of school initiatives to improve your student’s experience on campus. A significant source of this fundraising is the annual raffle, and we need your support to make this a success! The general raffle is administered by the school through an electronic service to make the raffle process easier for the seller and donor.
Spirit Shop:
The Spirit Shop Hours for the week of 9/18- 9/22 will be as follows:
Monday-Friday
8:00am- 8:30am
3:00pm- 4:00pm
Alumni Association:
Alumni General Meeting- The Alumni Association is rescheduling their meeting from Sept. 13th to Wednesday, Sept. 20th at 6:00pm in the Library.
All Alumni and Parents/Guardians of Alumni are welcome. General Meetings will be held every other month on the 2nd Wednesday in the SMHS Library. Please see the school website under the Alumni Tab for further meeting dates.
Alumni Brick Patio Capital Campaign- The Alumni Association has begun PHASE IV of the Brick Project. Please purchase a brick for the Alumni Patio overlooking the SMHS Football Field. See the school website under the Alumni Tab for further details.
Alumni Reunions-Please welcome back home the Classmates and their families as they celebrate their Reunions!
The Class of 2013 10 Year October 7th
The Class of 1983 40 Year October 14th Homecoming
The Class of 1973 50-year October 20th
“Once a Horsemen, Always a Horsemen!”
For information regarding the Alumni Association please contact: Annette Legits, Alumni Relations Coordinator, at [email protected] 505-466-5088
Parents Association:
Next General Meeting- The next General meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 19th, at 5:30pm-6:30pm. The Location is TBD.
The Parents Association will be discussing planning their year's events. Please consider participating in a committee. We are looking forward to an exciting new year!
Twice is Nice Clothing Sales- The Parent’s Association is now selling clean, gently used School Uniform clothing in the Spirit Shop. If you would like to donate any of your St. Michael’s clothing, please bring them to school. The Parents Association will only accept school appropriate shirts, tees, sweaters, sweatshirts that are cleaned. No pants or shorts are accepted.
Concessions- The Parent’s Association needs your help with Concessions.
The Proceeds from activities that raise funds such Twice is Nice and Concessions are redirected back to supporting students with Tuition Assistance. In addition, funds were raised to provide refillable drinking fountains, benches in the hallways, the foosball table, ping pong table and microwave ovens in the cafeteria. The Parent’s Association has also been instrumental in helping the SMHS administration complete remodeling projects around campus.
If you would like to become involved in the SMHS Parents Association please contact: [email protected] or contact Annette Legits, Parent Relations Coordinator at [email protected] or 505-466-5088.
Communications:
Please save this newsletter as a resource for yourself and your students. Print it out and post it on your fridge as a quick reference for upcoming school events. Look for these newsletters on a weekly basis. This newsletter will not be your only source of school-related information. The Student and Parent Resources page on our website has been updated to be more responsive to parent and community needs. We will also be using Remind Communication to quickly, efficiently, and effectively send out school wide announcements. If you're not already familiar with Remind, it's a school communication tool that makes it easy to stay involved with your child's education and school activities. Join us on Remind now using code: @stmikeshs.
For assistance connecting please contact our Admissions, Communications, and Marketing Manager Alexa Chavez via email at [email protected].
