Parent Letter

“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”

~John Steinbeck

Happy Monday Ochoa Families,

This week we host our Back to School Night for Families. This is a chance to get out and meet your student's teachers, see what they will be learning, what projects and activities they will be engaging in. On Thursday, September 10th the evening begins at 5:30PM for our students with Zero Period PE classes. You will meet the PE teachers in the Ochoa Library. At 5:45PM Families will meet with me, Principal Rowe-Andrews in the MPR for our Welcome to 2026-27. Immediately following, families will follow their student's schedules from 1st period-6th period to meet their teachers. As a reminder, this evening is not for individual conferences, rather its an opportunity to provide a general overview of the school year ahead. So, please join us for a night of fun!

Student schedules are now balanced. We will now begin locker distribution. Unlike in years past, students will be issued lockers by request only. We have taken this approach for a number of years now because we found that surprisingly, many students would prefer not to use the hallway lockers. Please let your students know that they received a locker request form today in their school email. If they wish to have a locker, they must complete the form and one will be assigned. All lockers are issued with a school-issued lock, you do not need to purchase one. We require the locks remain on the locker through the end of the school year or students will incur a fee of $10 for lost locks.

Calling all Families: Clink the blue links to nominate yourself or others below:

These are important positions and help to support a positive school culture. Families have an opportunity to provide direct feedback about their and their student's experiences and have an opportunity to impact change. Join either our SBDM Team or our SSC this year and help make Ochoa a better place for students to learn and thrive. Currently there are no nominations so we will do a call for nominations again this week.

We need you families...

Site Based Decision Making Team Nominations_2026 (1-2 parents needed)

School Site Council _ Nominations_2026 (2-3 parents needed)

Remember to check the Calendar at a Glance, at the very bottom of this letter as there are district meetings and holidays that will impact our schedule. Today, we observe the Labor Day Holiday and there is no school and on 9/8 we have a district-wide minimum day so that teachers may complete required mandated training and professional learning. Students dismiss at 1:30PM. Please note, all students NOT attending YEP's Free After School Program or meeting with a club/sports advisor, must be off campus within 15 minutes of dismissal, this includes the park, as there is no supervision after that time.

Ochoa is in need of a new marquee, please forgive its unsightly appearance. Stay tuned for information to help us fundraise for a better way to keep you all informed and in the loop.

Final rosters for the Ochoa Volleyball and Cheer Teams have been posted. Flag football is up next! As we prepare to open the athletic season for students, please read our district/school policy on athletic programs below. Our games begin September 16th, more information to come.

Thank you all for your anticipated cooperation and I sincerely look forward to opportunities to connect with you all this year.

Warmly submitted,

~Ms. Rowe-Andrews, Principal

Here is where we are:

August 2026= Overall 94.52% - 7th graders 94.21% and 8th graders 94.85%

September Wk 1= 90.07% - 7th graders 89.18% and 8th graders 91.05%

*We have lots of work to do to reach our goal of 97%. Please let us know how we might help with issues around attendance. There are district resources that help, please let us know.

Please join us, ALL fathers and father figures as we celebrate the impact you all have on students each day.

There are spaces left in our YEP program, do not miss out...Our Youth Enrichment Program also known as Y.E.P. is our after school program, run by our Site Coordinator Mr. Ryan Edmonson.

Please click the link to sign up/register (English/Español) . Click the green button below to sign up.

*YEP FREE after school support for students M,T,Th,F from 3:15-6PM and Wed. from 1:30-6PM

Do you have a student who might be interested in playing middle school sports? No experience is needed, please complete the linked athletics interest form below. The year begins with Volleyball and Flag Football, both are coed and Open Gym and Try outs for Volleyball and Cheer begin this week.

Families, when students are attending the games as both athletes and spectators, we must make a few requests:

First and foremost, we want to remind you that the responsibility of the school athletics program in addition to exposing students to multiple sports, it is to teach students discipline, sportsmanship, responsibility, and accountability. *Families, please remember to model the pro-social behaviors that we want and expect to see from our students athletes when attending our games and other school functions. Parents you are our student's first teachers.

• Please review these expectations with your students.
• Students and families attending school events are expected to uphold the appropriate conduct of sportsmanship at all times.
• Student athletes are required to maintain a min. of 2.0 GPA; counselors review weekly
• Students not in attendance at school for the day are not authorized to attend.
• All student athletes and spectators, may arrive to the games 15 minutes prior; there is no adult supervision before that time. *unless specified by the coach in attendance. Ex: game starts at 3:30PM, arrival time is 3:15.
• All student attendees must be picked up promptly after the game ends to ensure their safety.
• Students on suspension may not attend any school events or be on any school campus during a suspension.
• Students who did not attend school may not attend or participate in any school related event activity or sporting event.
• Two-sport athletes have a responsibility to complete what they started. This is a commitment expected in high school, collegiate, and professional sports programs. If your student is enrolled in multiple sports, remind them if they are to continue, they must finish what they started with the current season.

YEP's Bridge to College program is the only program in California - and possibly, the nation - designed to provide college & career exploration to HUSD students beginning in the 7th grade through 12th grade. In partnership with Chabot College, instructors provide courses, directly after school, to expand students’ college-level mindset and prepare for college-level work and instruction.

Bridge to College allows students to complete college courses while they complete middle school and high school. Courses offered every Spring and Fall. The course and books are free!

If you have any questions, please contact your school YEP site Leader:

Norma Dib ~ 510.723.3857 ~ ndib@husd.k12.ca.us

Does your student require public transportation? If you would like to apply for a free AC transit card for your student please click the link below. This is not transportation specific to students with IEPs, but is available for ALL students.

SCHOOL SUCCESS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO GOOD ATTENDANCE. Ochoa strives for a 98+% attendance rate for our students each year. Poor performance in the classroom is often the result of poor attendance. If students are to achieve maximum value from their middle school education, 100% attendance is the goal. Did you know that the state of California only allows students to be absent, with *valid excuse for less than 10% of the year?

*valid excuses for absences from school are:

• Illness or quarantine
• Medical, dental, or optometry appointments

• Religious Requests, upto one per quarter with prior written notice and approval
• Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family

California law requires all students 6 to 18 years old are required to attend school on time and regularly. Cal. Ed. Code § 48200.

A child is habitually truant if, without valid excuse, they are:

• Absent for three days in a single school year,
• Absent or tardy more than 30 minutes three times in a year,
• Any combination of the above. Cal. Ed. Code § 48260(a).

A child is chronically truant if they have missed 10 percent of the school year. Cal. Ed. Code § 48263.6.

Parents must Report Absences-Please call us!: All absences must be cleared by a phone call or a note within 72 hours of the absence from a parent/guardian to the attendance office (510 723-3130 Ext. 43111). When absences are not cleared in this manner the family can expect to receive a call from our office or automated phone system.

Monday, September 7, 2026

• Labor Day Observed, No School

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

• District-wide Minimum Day, Students dismiss at 1:30PM

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

• College Day; Wear College Gear
• Williams Act Inspection, 8AM
• Dept Collaboration, 1:45PM
• Board of Education Meeting, 6:30PM

Thursday, September 10, 2026

• 504 Meeting, 11:30AM
• Local Curriculum Council, 3PM (virtual)
• Back to School Night, 5:30PM

Friday, September 11, 2026

• School Spirit Day; Wear Black & Gold
• 504 Meeting, 10:30AM

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

• Hispanic Heritage Month begins
• Assistant Sup. Ed Services, Site visit, 11AM

Looking Ahead

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

• First Games_Volleyball & Flag Football

Friday, September 18, 2026

• Million Fathers & Father Figures March (AM Drop off)~Donuts for Dads

Ochoa Middle School is accepting new students. That's right click the link below to learn more about school choice in the Hayward Unified School District.

Here are program offerings at Ochoa Middle School:

1. Advanced Math: (Algebra/Geometry/Compression) *for eligible students

2. S.T.E.A.M. related Instruction with our CELI Climate Program

3. English Language Development & Progress Monitoring (ELD)

4. Visual & Performing Arts Programs: Art, Intro to Architecture, Choir, Band, Guitar, Orchestra and Piano

5. High Interest Electives: Computer Applications, Financial Literacy, Home Economics, Leadership and Student Government

College & Career Readiness Programs: AVID & Puente

6. Sports: Volleyball, Football, Cheer, Soccer, Softball and Basketball

7. Clubs: various

Website: https://ochoa.husd.us
Location: 2121 Depot Road, Hayward, CA
Instagram: coming soon

Facebook: coming soon
Twitter: coming soon