The Mustang Messenger

We had a short but busy week at Rancho Pico! It is hard to believe that today marks the half way mark of the second quarter. Please check Infinite Campus (IC) for your students progress report grades that will be posted on Monday, November 13th. If your student needs support, please contact their teacher of counselor.

We are working to improve our ADA (Average Daily Attendance). Please take note of our upcoming holidays and student free days. This information can be helpful for families making family vacation plans and appointments.

Have a great long weekend,

Catherine Nicholas, Ed, D.

Principal

Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable).

School will be closed on Friday, November 10th in recognition of Veteran's Day.

The Rancho Pico Robotics Team attended the First Lego League Qualifying Tournament at Valencia High School on November 5th. They scored 2nd Place out of 27 teams for their Innovative Project. They will be moving on to the Regional Tournament which will take place at the beginning of December.

All six middle school competed in the SCV Business 8th Grade Speech Competition at Rancho Pico on Wednesday evening.

Chukwumdi Okoronkwo, Joshua Jin, and Kaleb Kim represented Rancho Pico. Congratulation to Chukwumdi Okoronkwo who placed 2nd place in the competition. Chuck will present his speech again to the SCV Business Group at their breakfast meeting.

On Wednesday our students were given treats as they entered campus to show how grateful we are for their hard work in school and their kindess towards others.

Thank to our amazing PAC and for our generous parents for the donated treats to make gratitude day happen for our students.

Rancho Pico participated in the All School Cross Country Meet on Thursday at Central Park.

Congratulations to our 7th grade boys who got 3rd Place overall.

Victor Esquival who got 1st place in 7th grade boys

Brayden Yudin who got 9th place in 8th grade boys

Aude Ste-croix who placed 3rd in 7th grade girls

Way to go Rancho Pico!!

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Rancho Pico Junior High from November 27th through December 1st. We are looking for volunteers each day to help make it a huge success.

Volunteers will be responsible for controlling entry into the Book Fair, managing the accessories near the check-out, maintaining the stock of books, and supervising the craft table. The Book Fair will be available for students before school, at brunch and at lunch.

A Sign Up Genius link will be sent out on Monday, November 13th.

Thank you,

Rancho Pico PAC

Schools receive funding based on ADA, average daily attendance. It is the one thing we can control to increase our school funding. Rancho Pico's goal is to increase our ADA by 2%, from 96% to 98%. Every student present, every day.

It is very important that students attend school every day unless they are contagious and too ill to come to school. Please be mindful of our district calendar and upcoming breaks while planning vacations and appointment.

8th grade scientists engineered egg drops. Most designs were successful!

Erin McHorney and Richard Gonzalez were recognized and celebrated at the Hart District's Employee of the Year lunch on Wednesday, Nov. 1st at the Valencia County Club.

Erin McHorney teaches 7th grade. She is our math Teacher on Team Explorers, coaches our Math Counts Team, is our Math Department Chair, and supports students after school during Target Tutoring and in our support class. We appreciate all Mrs. McHorney does for students at Rancho Pico.

Richard is a campus supervisor who is willing to help anyone with anything. He is instrumental in helping to keep our campus safe and is a trusted adult for students to rely on. We appreciate Richard's contributions to our Rancho Pico culture.

Greetings WSHUHSD Families,

Academy of the Canyons (AOC) Fall 2024-2025 Admissions season has opened. We will be taking

applications from students starting in November. In order to receive an application, you must attend a mandatory informational meeting to learn about the school. Here are a few facts about AOC:

 Located on the College of the Canyons Valencia campus

 Serves grades 9-12

 Students take high school and college classes to meet their educational goals

 Traditions over 23 years old

 Personalized educational experience

 Small, intimate, and supportive setting

 Earn an AA degree in science, math, psychology and other majors

 Exploration of student passions and interests

 Over 30 clubs

 Project-based learning

AOC students take COC classes each semester along with their AOC classes starting in the 9th grade. This offers students an opportunity to explore their future by taking an array of college classes offered at COC. COC waives course enrollment fees (tuition) for students who are California residents. Admission to AOC is available to any student living within the area served by the William S. Hart Union High School District. We admit students once a year for the fall semester through an application and selection process that begins in November of the previous school year. Interested students and parents must attend a mandatory information meeting about the school and application process. For more information about the Academy of the Canyons, please read the school profile and go to the school’s website at www.academyofthecanyons.com.

Thank you for your interest in attending AOC. The first step in the application process is registration and attending our AOC Information Meetings to learn about the school and application process. We hold two meetings for incoming 9 th graders (current 8 th graders) and one meeting for incoming 10 th and 11 th (current 9 th and 10 th graders). More details about the application process will be distributed at the meeting.

AOC Information Meetings

Applicants currently in 8th Grade register for ONLY ONE meeting below:

Tuesday, 7 November 2023 @ 6:00-8:00 p.m.

https://hartdistrict-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcodeGvrzkoH9DY_K0a_IzFCdl2nbCwmTX8

-OR -

Wednesday, 8 November 2023 @ 6:00-8:00 p.m.

https://hartdistrict-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsceyhpz0rGt3aXYsM1wzMXrGH8lZMaa5A

Applicants currently in 9th and 10th Grade (No openings for incoming 12th Graders)

Tuesday, 14 November 2023 @ 6:00-8:00 p.m

https://hartdistrict-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsd-yuqz0qH9yr0_N9qipB3UibFgfv_g5R

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining

the meeting. Please check your spam or junk folder.

* The mission of a Middle College High School (MCHS) is to give underrepresented students, with

strong academic potential, an opportunity to access college courses on a college campus. This allows

students the opportunity to earn transferable college credit and in some cases earn an Associate degree

with low costs to students and their families (MCNC, 2022).

CJSF is an Honor Society that recognizes students for their academic achievement and service to the community. Spring 2024 membership will be open to both 7th and 8th graders who earn qualifying grades. Applications will not be available until after Winter Break, but students who plan to join are able to start working on their Community Service hours now. Questions should be directed to Leslie Wright

(This link has been fixed): Click here for more information or to print the Community Service Log - students can also pick up a copy from Room 206.

Click here to view the CJSF website - new/upcoming Volunteer Opportunities will be posted regularly.

Does your student need extra help with academics? We have advanced math students from West Ranch who come over on Wednesdays and offer free math tutoring from 3:00 to 4:00 in Mrs. McHorney's room, 604. Students from any math level are welcome to come and get support!

We also have tutoring for all subjects, available on Mondays in room 605 in Mrs. Spector's room and Thursdays in room 207 in Mr. Smith's room.

Rancho Pico students are opportunity Ready!

Students are encouraged to wear a college shirt or a shirt that represents a future career goal on Thursdays. It is great to see all of the college and industry shirts out on campus.

Fridays are Spirit Days and students are encouraged to wear Rancho Pico Spirit wear.

The William S. Hart Union High School District prohibits unlawful discrimination against and/or harassment of any student, employee, or job applicant on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, ancestry, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, political affiliation, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by state and federal nondiscrimination laws, respectively, at any District site and/or activity. The William S. Hart Union High School District also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. All inquiries regarding discrimination, civil rights, Title II, and/or Title IX should be directed to Mark Crawford, Director of Human Resources. Complaints regarding 504 plans should be directed to Erum Velek, Director of Student Services and Equity. Both can be reached at the William S. Hart Union High School District, 21380 Centre Pointe Pkwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, or by phone (661) 259-0033, or by email: UCP@hartdistrict.org.

El Distrito de Escuelas Secundarias William S. Hart Union prohíbe la discriminación ilegal y/o el acoso de cualquier estudiante, empleado o solicitante de empleo basado en raza actual o percibido, el color, el origen étnico, el origen nacional, el estado migratorio, la ascendencia, la religión, la edad, estado civil, embarazo, estado parental, discapacidad física o mental, condición médica, estado militar o de veterano, afiliación política, sexo, género, identidad de género, expresión de género, información genética, orientación sexual o cualquier otra base, prohibida por leyes estatales y federales. Leyes de no discriminación, respectivamente, en cualquier sitio y/o actividad del Distrito. El Distrito de Escuelas Secundarias William S. Hart Union también proporciona igualdad de acceso a los Boy Scouts y otros grupos juveniles designados. Todas las consultas sobre discriminación, derechos civiles, Título II y/o Título IX deben dirigirse a Mark Crawford, Director de Recursos Humanos. Las quejas relacionadas con los planes 504 deben dirigirse a Erum Velek, Director de Equidad y Servicios Estudiantiles. Se puede comunicar con ambos en William S. Hart Union High School District, 21380 Center Pointe Pkwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, o por teléfono (661) 259-0033, o por correo electrónico: UCP@hartdistrict.org.