We have wrapped up the first official week of the 2023-2024 school year! Welcome back and we are so happy to have our Dorados back on campus!

We have some important updates and reminders for you to review.

Newsletter Topics Include:

• Open House
• Advisory (DORADO DAYS)
• Student Reminders: Tardy Policy, Phone/Device Policy, Dress Code & Student IDs, Parking Permits & Driving, Gates
• The New Grading Policy
• Did You Know?

Thank you for all that you do to support your Dorado this school year!

Amphitheater has shifted to a new Student Information System as our previous one is no longer an option for schools. The shift to our new system, Infinite Campus, has been happening for several months. This includes providing a new Parent Portal to replace the Tyler system many parents are used to using.

The District will have the new Parent Portal up and running very shortly and will be sending out information as soon as all of the bells and whistles are in place.

In the meantime, you can watch this video to get an idea of what the portal will look like, and you can download the Infinite Campus app it to your phone so you have it when it's ready. We've included the icon to help you identify it in the App Store/Google Play.

All CDO students continue to have an opportunity to be a part of a small community this school year. On Early Out Wednesdays, all 3rd period classes will complete normal lessons, dismiss for a 5-minute stretch break, and come back together for ADVISORY. We call each of these early out Wednesdays, Dorado Days.

What are Dorado Days (Advisory)?

• The purpose of Dorado Days is to ensure that each student connects with a familiar peer group at school and at least one adult on campus that knows them well. Dorado Days aim to help students navigate high school successfully.
• Gold Days = stay with Advisor for activities
• Green Days = "travel" to a teacher for help/tutoring/makeup or to a study venue

What role does my student play in this community?

• actively engage and participate in Dorado Day activities
• cultivate and promote a healthy and safe school climate for other students and staff
• develop, pursue, and achieve academic and personal goals
• access teachers to obtain answers to academic and extra-curricular needs

When is the first "green day", or travel day?

• The first "Green Day", or Travel Day, will be on Wednesday, August 30th.
• This is an opportunity for students to "travel" to one of their teachers for support.
• Students will have a chance to sign up for their travel destination the week before they travel. Next Wednesday, August 23rd, students will be signing up for their August 30th destination during Advisory.

Each day on the announcements, since the start of school, we have reviewed CDO's tardy policy. Today was the first day that the tardy policy was enforced.

Students may have up to 3 tardies in a class before they will be referred for a lunch detention. Students will receive warning slips for each tardy. Please remind your Dorado that it is important to arrive in class before the final bell rings. Passing periods are 7 minutes long, and there is a 1-minute warning bell to assist students with getting to class on time.

CDO's cell phone policy is fairly simple; students should not have their cell phones out in classrooms unless otherwise directed to do so from their teacher. The policy states that cell phones must be in backpacks or classroom phone caddies. Teachers will let students know which of the options is preferred in their classroom.

Ear buds are another device that students are not allowed to have out in classrooms, unless permitted to do so by their teacher.

Parents, we ask for your help to reiterate to our students that bringing any electronic device to school, including cell phones and ear buds, is a privilege. The school is equipped with landline phones throughout the entire campus should an emergency occur. Taking phone calls or text messages from friends or family during classtime is not appropriate. Should an emergency occur, students can still request to come to the front office to use the phones up there, or ask an administrator or other staff member if they may use their phone. We appeciate you helping us to minimize the distraction that devices in the classroom can cause.

Student IDs are a part of our Dress Code. All students at CDO must carry their CDO ID on them at all times. We ask students to show their IDs to us to ensure the safety of our campus and community. Please remind your kiddos that they must have their ID every day!

Here is what you need to know about our Dress Code: it is likely the same as you have seen at other schools.

What we reiterate with students is that school is a bit more formal than what you wear on the weekend. We also ask that students do not wear clothes with vulgar images or language, any violence, drugs or alcohol or other offensive material. We ask them to please make sure that shirts and shorts are covering what they need to cover and that undergarments are not visible.

These are some typical dress-code violations we see:

• alcohol/drug-related t-shirts
• muscle shirts with wide gaping arm holes
• tube tops/sports bras worn as shirts
• inappropriate brands for school (Playboy, Cookies, etc.)
• profanity on clothing
• extremely short shirts and shorts

We are helping to prepare our Dorados for success outside of the classroom, and that starts with creating an academic environment on campus. Our goal is to first have a conversation with them to make sure they understand our expectations. Students typically have a choice to put on another article of their own clothing, pick up a Dorado gear article of clothing that they must return, or call home.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

This is just a friendly reminder that ALL STUDENTS driving a vehicle to CDO must have a parking permit. These can be obtained in the bookstore and are required for students to park on CDO's campus. Driving is a privilege and unfortunately, students who drive recklessly in the parking lots may have their permits revoked at any time. We need your help to reinforce the importance of driving safely to keep our Dorado drivers safe, and to keep our community safe.

For the safety of our staff and students, we have limited our entry and exit points throughout the day. Please help remind your student about the following:

• ONLY STUDENTS WITH A FIRST PERIOD will be allowed on campus before 8:15 a.m.
  
• WHEN COMING BACK FROM OFF CAMPUS LUNCH, students must use the Bookstore, T and Dance Gates.
  
• WHEN HEADING TO P.E. CLASS, students should not use gates on the back side of campus, but should use covered walkways, staying within green fences and gates, and also the North Gym to access the boys' locker room.
  
• AT DISMISSAL, the blue gate will be open between the football field and baseball field to help with traffic leaving our school. Please use this option to avoid traffic congestion on Calle Concordia. The back gate will be secured at 4:20 p.m. daily.
• JUNIOR AND SENIORS must have an off campus pass to leave campus at lunch. They are not permitted to loiter in the parking lot or go up to the park. Off Campus students may only return to campus through the T Gate or the Bookstore/Dance Gate.

With a new school year, there will always be new information to digest for staff, students and parents. This year, as was addressed in a previous letter sent out the first week of school, Amphitheater's grading policies have changed. I have included some frequently asked questions (FAQ) below to try to help address some of the questions we have heard:

• The Grade Point Average (GPA), while reliant on the letter grades earned each semester, is separate from the individual grades students receive on assignments throughout the semester. GPA is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total number of classes attempted. For example, at the end of a semester, a CDO student typically receives 6 letter grades for their schedule of classes. Each final letter grade appears on a high school transcript and is assigned a point value, as shown below, then divided by the number of classes taken to determine the GPA.
• Non weighted/Non Honors courses are as follows: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0
• Weighted/Honors courses are as follows: A = 5.0, B = 4.0, C = 3.0, D = 2.0

Absolutely not. Students will be measured on their learning proficiency demonstrated in their work, assignments, assessments, etc. throughout the semester. Students may excel in some learning and may be "approaching" in others. Here is a visual that CDO is using to help students understand what the 0 - 4 scale means for them:

This seems to be a common misperception. While the letter grade of "B" is associated with a "3" in the grade book, averaging a 3.0 or higher for the semester is actually an "A-". Remember that the final grade is determined by the average grade achieved throughout the semester. Below you will see the Grading Scale breakdown.

Final grades are determined by adding up the scores for all assignments and dividing them by the number of assignments. For example, without any category weighted, if there were only 4 assignments and a student receives scores of 3, 3, 2, 4 (total of 12), then divide by 4 (number of assignments), the average would be 3.0. On the scale above, this would be an "A-". Please keep in mind that different categories of assignments can carry more weight overall in the end. For example, some teachers may say that "homework" only contributes to 10% of the total grade, while assessments are at 30%. Teachers will share these categories in the syllabus, much as they have always done in the past.

No. If a student does not demonstrate proficiency or does not turn in/complete an assignment, project, assessment, etc., the student will receive a zero (0).

You can always contact individual teachers if you have specific questions regarding their courses, reach out to a site Administrator, or Parents/Guardians can attend a Parent Information Meeting on Zoom that is being hosted by the District. This is optional and is simply a time provided for parents/guardians to have any further grading questions addressed.

• MS/HS Grading and Assessment – Parent Information Mtg.
• Monday, August 21st
• 5:30 – 6:30p.m.
• Link: https://amphi.zoom.us/j/95117993631?pwd=T1RXVlEvWE10WEVYajdlWEEwY0Y5dz09&from=addon

• MS/HS Grading and Assessment – Parent Information Mtg.
• Thursday, August 24th
• 6:00 – 7:00p.m.
• Link: https://amphi.zoom.us/j/98184966898?pwd=ZFZiM1FXc2xuZjkwOE00a0poT0hpUT09&from=addon

Mandatory Sport Participants Parent Meeting: In order for athletes to travel and compete, at least one parent must attend a mandatory meeting. If you missed the two meetings provided at CDO, you have the following make-up choices below:

• August 15th @ 5pm at Ironwood Ridge High School's Auditorium
• August 17th @ 7am at Ironwood Ridge High School's Auditorium
• August 15th @ 6pm at Amphi High School's Auditorium

Fall Sports have begun! Please visit our Athletics website for updates and information about the current season. Fall Sports include:

• Swim
• Football
• Golf
• Cross Country
• Girls' Volleyball
• Cheer/Pomline

CDO has over 60 clubs for students to join throughout the year. Take a look below at our latest list for the 2022-2023 school year. You can click the image for a better view.

• August 16th: Open House
• September 1st: Progress Report 1
• September 4th: Labor Day
• October 6th: End of Quarter 1 - Quarter 1 grades
• October 9-13: Fall Break
• November 9th: Progress Report 2
• November 10th: Veterans Day
• November 23-25: Thanksgiving Break
• December 21st: End of Quarter 2 and Semester 1 grades

Tara Bulleigh, Principal

Canyon del Oro High School

An International Baccalaureate World School

Office: (520) 696-5565

Email: tbulleigh@amphi.com
Website: https://www.amphi.com/CDO
Location: 25 West Calle Concordia, Tucson, AZ, USA
Phone: 5206965560
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDOHighSchool
Twitter: @CdOHighSchool