Principal’s Message
Greeting Vista High School Families!
It has been my great pleasure to celebrate our students in a variety of ways this week! Today, our students participated in the fall pep rally, celebrating our Fall season’s athletes! It has been a week of many “Senior Nights”, celebrating our seniors' accomplishments over their final Fall season. We encourage all students to find a place at VHS to connect! Maybe that’s a sports team in our upcoming Winter season, or maybe it’s in the visual and performing arts, the Panther After Hours program, by joining a club, or by taking a special interest in academics! We love connecting our Vista students to their interests and to each other!
I invite you to our upcoming Coffee with the Principal on Wednesday, October 18th! Our coffee chat will be held in the Library at 6:00 PM, and we will be introducing our health and safety mentors to you! This will include our School Resource Office, Deputy Ochoa, our new Tariq Kamisa Foundation mentors, and members of our service team here at school! We will also discuss our new student behavior recognition program, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support. We welcome you to bring siblings and family members - everyone is welcome!
Have a wonderful weekend, Vista High School. Reach out if you need support, we are here for you!
Principal Ratliff
Semester 1 Progress Report - GPA Stars!
From the Counselors
Counselors just wrapped up meeting with your Freshman students through their Freshman Seminar class! Through the freshman lessons, we showed students how to access their counselor, grades, and transcripts, and they created their 4-year academic plan through Aeries. They were able to pick out which classes they wanted to pursue for the next 4 years! Encourage them to show you their academic plan, students have the opportunity to make changes throughout the year. We will be meeting with them again in the spring to finalize their courses for their sophomore year through their Academic Plan.
This week we are diving into Senior lessons during their English classes. We are reviewing senior's post-secondary plans and reminding them of all the upcoming college/financial aid deadlines. On October 27 we will be hosting a school-wide iApplied Day for all seniors to apply to at least one college during the school day!
All students have a Counseling Canvas Title with the lesson and resources they can access throughout the year. We meet with all grade levels once in the fall and once in the spring. After seniors, we will be meeting with Juniors and then Sophomores and plan to finish our lessons before the Thanksgiving Break. Please visit our website for more information. Your student can access their counselor before school, nutrition, lunch, and after school. They can also email us!
Important Reminders from the Attendance Office
As we start the new school year, we'd like to remind all families about some key things to remember regarding attendance and picking up students from school during the school day:
Early Release:
- Please call attendance 2 hours in advance if a student needs to be released early.
- There is no early student release after 2:50 p.m.
- A parent or legal guardian must call to release a student and must present a valid government ID (Driver's License, Passport, Military ID).
- Only persons listed on the contact list in Aeries with a valid government ID can pick up a student.
Excusing an Absence:
- Families have 72 hours to clear an absence.
- Legal notes must be provided for an absence to be cleared after a student has reached 10 excused absences.
PTSA Update
Our stated goal is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. Our mission is for Parents, Teachers and Students to work together with our school to help provide programs and enrichment activities which enhance your child's learning environment! Click HERE to join the PTSA!
For current updates on the VHS PTSA, follow us on VHS PTSA on Facebook. Stay Connected!!!
From the Librarian
The San Diego County Library has made its digital and audio books available to thousands of local students throughout the county. Any student in Vista USD, using just their student IDs, may check out the library’s collection of age-appropriate digital materials via Sora, an app used by school districts.
Additionally, every VHS student can check out the San Diego County Library’s Teen Book of the Month with their student ID through the Sora app— the ebook and the audiobook! Unlimited checkouts means no waitlists or holds.
Teen Book of the Month (October 1-31)
Gallant by V. E. Schwab
Olivia Prior has grown up at the grim Merilance School for Girls with no no past except for her one treasure, her mother's journal, so when a letter arrives inviting her to come home to ruinous manor, Gallant, she seizes the chance to find out about her family. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home. Olivia knows that Gallant is hiding secrets, and she is determined to uncover them. When she crosses a ruined wall at just the right moment, Olivia finds herself in a place that is Gallant—but not.
After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don't fall in love. Granted, she's never been great at any of those things, but that's a problem for Future Yami. She isn't going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she'll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do?
PSST World
Go HERE to check it out or to make a report.
Smash Bros Gamers Tournament - Oct. 20
Attention SMASH BROS Gamers. On Friday Oct 20th, Panthers After Hours Esports will be holding our first SMASH BROS tournament of the semester. The tournament will be held after school at 3:30 in room M14. Register now in room M14, on Minga, or from the QR codes posted around campus.
For additional information and answers to questions you may have, see Mr. Murphy in room M14 after. All students are welcome.
Senior Portraits through Keane Studios
The official senior yearbook photographer is Keane Studios. Seniors MUST get a portrait taken through Keane Studios if they would like a portrait in the yearbook. The yearbook-only portrait session is FREE. Keane Studios Senior Session Guide
Keane Studios will be on campus for the following scheduled days:
- Tuesday, September 5
- Tuesday, November 28
Students are encouraged to make appointments to avoid long wait times.
Keep an eye out for their upcoming emails, where they will provide you with all the necessary details on how to schedule your session. Please book using the link in your email as it's attached to YOUR account. Sharing this with your friend means your friend will book under YOUR name. If you have to create a new account, your username is your student ID and your password is your last name (case and hyphen sensitive).
Follow Keane Studios on Instagram for inspiration on what to wear and bring to your session. @keanestudios. Feel free to visit their website at www.keaneseniors.com to explore their portfolio and session offerings. Email them with any questions at info@keanestudios.com.
California Department of Education Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide
Vista High School
Email: teachername@vistausd.org
Website: http://vhs.vistausd.org
Location: 1 Panther Way, Vista, CA, USA
Phone: (760) 726-5611
Twitter: @VHSPanthers