Matador Weekly Update

Hello Matador Families,

We kicked off November with our annual Día de los Muertos celebration on Monday, and it was incredible! Between the performances, altars, booths, artwork, music, and student projects, the event was an amazing showcase of the rich cultural diversity on Mira Loma's campus. It also highlighted the integrated, hands-on learning that brings our vision of developing internationally minded students to life. We have such passionate staff and students who make these experiences possible, and we are incredibly proud of this special event!

Additionally, we welcomed prospective students to campus for our 8th Grade Tours, showcasing all that Mira Loma has to offer. A large panel of our current students shared their experiences at Mira Loma, helped facilitate the event, and led campus tours. It was wonderful to see our students take pride in their school and represent our programs and community so well!

Last week, our Honors Concert Band and Choir joined Arcade and Churchill Middle Schools for a successful Fall Concert! We are also excited that our Honors Concert Band will have the incredible opportunity to perform the National Anthem at the Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs game tonight, Friday, November 6, 2026!

We also want to share that Mira Loma is exploring an expanded 7-period schedule to provide students with greater flexibility and more opportunities to take electives and Career Technical Education (CTE) courses. Parent input is an important part of this process, and we invite families to attend our Schedule Change Parent Forum on Thursday, November 19, from 6:00–7:00 p.m. in the Science Flex Space. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the proposed schedule, ask questions, and share your perspectives. We hope you'll join us!

We also recently celebrated 20 outstanding students who demonstrated two of our ML Learner Profile characteristics: Open-minded and Balanced. These students were nominated by staff and recognized for the positive ways they demonstrate these qualities in our school community. Congratulations to our honorees!

I've also enjoyed spending time in classrooms, participating in fun activities, engaging in class discussions, and even joining students in labs. It's been a joy to see the learning happening across campus, and November is already off to a wonderful start!

As a reminder, students will attend school for just two days next week before our Veterans Day break, November 11–13. We extend our sincere gratitude to all veterans for their service.

As always, it's a great week to be a Matador!

Sincerely,

Dr. Carrie Jackson

Principal

Mira Loma High School

November 6-Band to perform at King's Game

November 11-13-NO SCHOOL

November 19-Schedule Change Parent Forum, 6pm, Flex Space (see flyer)

November 23-27-NO SCHOOL

Our annual Día de los Muertos celebration was an incredible success thanks to our amazing students and dedicated committee members Margarita Sanders, Josh Stinson, Kristi Char, Elisa Nieves, Ruby Mancilla, Jasmine Petree, Mike Bender, and newest member Luis Tapia, and many more staff who helped bring this beautiful Mira Loma tradition to life!

One of the highlights of the week was spending time with students in Mr. Canet's and Mr. Hill's science classes, getting to participate in some fun, hands-on labs! It was wonderful to see students engaged in learning and putting scientific concepts into practice.

Freshman golfer Allison Oh had an outstanding season making it all the way to the Masters championship tournament as the only representative for the PVL. Allison finished a respectable 56th out of 105 of the best golfers in the Sac-Joaquin region. The Mira Loma team had no seniors this year so will expect to bring back the entire undefeated team for the 2027 season. Team captains Lexi Chin and Makayla Smith also had incredible seasons, giving Mira Loma the most impressive top 3 golfers in the league.

Students requesting Letters of Recommendation should ask teachers at least three weeks in advance and attend a lunchtime LOR meeting. Mira Loma uses Naviance E-docs for college application materials. Please reach out to Counseling if you need Naviance access or support.

See the College and Career Center for more information.

Mira Loma Campus Tours!

Our first round of campus tours was a great success! We welcomed prospective students and families to explore all that Mira Loma has to offer. Our amazing student panel shared their personal experiences and led tours around campus, showcasing our programs, opportunities, and Matador pride. We are excited to offer additional campus tours on December 3 and January 14 for families interested in learning more about Mira Loma. A huge thank you to Rachel Volzer for organizing these wonderful events and helping us welcome our future Matadors!

Host a Japanese Student in March 2027!

Are you interested in hosting a Japanese high school student from our sister school, Tanabe High School in Japan? Tanabe students will be visiting Mira Loma in March 2027, and we are currently looking for host families!

Hosting is a wonderful opportunity to build friendships, experience Japanese culture, and create lifelong memories. Student hosts may also earn service hours toward IS, MYP, and IBDP requirements.

Applications are now open! Please submit your application as soon as possible.

Questions? Please contact Mari White (D4) at mari.white@sanjuan.edu.

FAFSA is now open! If you need assistance please come to the College and Career Center on Thursdays or see Mrs. Lentz for an appointment.

Tutoring in the Library:

• Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays - 7:20-8:20 AM

• Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays - 3:45-4:45 PM

We are getting closer to our goal! The Mira Loma PO (Parent Organization) is trying to raise at least $5,000.00 this fall in donations to support our school, staff, and community. Every parent at Mira Loma High School is automatically a member of the PO, and every student benefits from the PO's support.

So far, we have received around $3000.00 in contributions. If 100 more families contribute just $20.00, we can reach our goal, and the grants we can offer to the school this year will be secured!

Donate Now: https://miralomaibpo.square.site

Last year, we were able to provide over $5000.00 in grants so teachers, staff, and student clubs could purchase items like

• notebooks and school supplies for in English and Math,

• cooking items for the Food Science class,

• monologue books for Drama,

• storage supplies for Track & Field

• pop-up tents for various presentations, and more!

The ML PO also supports teacher appreciation and student recognition events. The majority of our funding comes from donations from parents like you. Thank you to those who have already donated! Please help us continue supporting our incredible students and their efforts towards excellence!

To clear absences, please call 916-971-7972 or email miralomaabsence@sanjuan.edu.

When reporting absences/tardies, it is important to include your child's six-digit student ID number along with their first and last name. This will help ensure accurate identification. Parents must clear absences within 5 school days. Absences not cleared within 5 school days will be recorded as a Cut.

You can clear full day absences through the parent portal.

Excused tardies such as verified medical appointments, late bus, SARB, DMV (must provide a receipt) or illness are excusable reasons for tardies. Please bring in a verification note if possible.

To request an early dismissal, please call 916-971-7459

Parent/Guardians must contact the Attendance Office at least 30 minutes prior to an early dismissal. Failure to do so may result in a long wait time. Dismissal slips are not sent to classrooms 30 minutes prior to the end of the school day. Early dismissals are not accepted via email or Parent Portal. Parent portal is for clearing full day absences.