Parent Letter

"He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination."

~Jose Rizal

Happy Sunday Ochoa Families,

We are approaching the end of Quarter 1 progress. Students will be receiving progress reports if they currently are have grades below a "C". Students with D's and F's will have comments provided explaining the reason why the grade is low at the mid-quarter mark. Not to worry, there is plenty of time for students to improve those outcomes. Encourage your students to check in with their teachers in the event there are any missing assignments they may need to get completed and turned in prior to the end of the quarter, October 19th.

I'd like to address a concern about parking lot safety for our students. We are noticing there are many occasions where families are disregarding the posted traffic signage. For example: no left turn and or u-turns in the main parking lot. In the rear parking lot, we are seeing families enter at speeds that exceed the 5 mph allowed, failure to follow arrows for the flow of traffic and yield to pedestrians. These are basic rules of the road intended to keep our students safe. This presents a huge safety concern for our students and staff. We want to avoid any tragic situations at all costs. Please drive with care for the safety of our students and staff. *If you have teens doing pick up an drop off please talk with them about these important safety concerns.

Also this week, our teachers met to discuss students who are exhibiting needs for additional support. As a result we will be reaching out to families to schedule Student Success Team Meetings over the next few weeks. If you receive one of these calls and or emails, please do respond with your availability as soon as possible. This is only one of the ways that Ochoa staff are proactive about early interventions to support student learning and engagement.

October is Filipino American Heritage Month, as the month gets underway, students will begin seeing rich expressions of culture around campus, learning about the invaluable contributions of Filipino Americans in their classes as well as through our morning announcements.

This week in Bulldog Athletics our Flag Football team play at LaVista (formerly Chavez MS starting at 3:30PM (students may arrive at 3:15PM) and Volleyball plays at King Middle School at 3:30PM (students may arrive at 3:15PM). As a reminder, students must leave campus (go home) and arrive at the site no earlier than 15 minutes ahead of game time.

*NOTE: Parents must pick students up within 15 min of game end .

Thank you all for your partnership. I know it will be a great year!

Warmly submitted,

~Ms. Rowe-Andrews, Principal

Here is where we are:

Goal 98% ~ CurrentOverall= 93.71% 🔻🔻

7th grade= 93.91%

8th grade= 93.49%

*We have lots of work to do to reach our goal of 98%. Please let us know how we might help with issues around attendance. There are district resources that help, please let us know.

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 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

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.

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, October 5, 2026

• SST Mtg, 8AM
• SST Mtg, 9AM
• SST Mtg, 2PM
• HUSD Benefits Dept-Open Enrollment 9/14-10/9/2026

Tuesday, October 6, 2026

• SST Mtg, 10AM
• SST Mtg, 2PM
• 504 Plan Mtg, 2PM

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

• Walk & Roll to School English/ Spanish, 8AM
• Faculty Meeting, 1:45PM, Library
• College Day: Wear College Gear
• Flag Football plays Chavez @ Chavez MS 3:30PM & Volleyball plays @ King, 3:30PM

Thursday, October 8, 2026

• Puente Field Trip, Chabot College Campus tour, 10AM
• SST Mtg, 2:30PM
• District Advisory Committee Mtg, 5PM

Friday, October 9, 2026

• School Spirit Day: International Culture Day (Students & Staff)
• SST Mtg, 8:45AM

Looking Ahead

Monday, October 12, 2026

• SST Mtg, 8:45AM
• 504 Plan Mtg, 2PM

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

• Minimum Day, 1:30PM Student dismissal
• SST Mtg, 9AM
• COST Mtg, 1PM

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

• SBDM Member Mandatory Training 8-12PM (The HUB)/12-3PM (On Site)
• Dept. Collaboration 1:45PM
• Local Curriculum Council, 3:30PM
• Board of Education Meeting, 6:30PM

• This Board of Education meeting will be held in person. Viewers may also participate via Zoom or view only on YouTube. Join by telephone: +1 408 638 0968 or +1 669 900 6833 Zoom ID: Closed Caption is available in several languages via Zoom. The agenda shall be posted on the board meeting website at least 72 hours prior to a regular meeting.

• Fall Music Concert

Friday, October 16, 2026

• The Great Shake Out Drill!
• Puente 8 & AVID 8 Field trip to CSUEB

Saturday, October 17, 2026

• Oakland Ilokana - Film Screening & Cultural Preservation Workshop; 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. @Hayward Library

• YEP will proudly celebrate Lights On Afterschool, a national celebration highlighting the incredible impact of afterschool programs on students, families, and communities.

Saturday, October 24, 2026

• Ilocano Weaving: Heritage, Resilience, and Our Immigration Story; 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Weekes Library
• 3rd Annual Filipino American History Month Celebration, Schafer Park Elementary, 10:30AM-3PM

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

• SSC Member Training,5:30PM (The HUB)

Friday, October 30, 2026

• Halloween Festival

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