Great Oak - Newsletter Vol. #13

On Friday, our school community had the honor of hosting a site visit from our Superintendent Dr. Velez, Assistant Superintendent Dr. McTasney, and Area Board Member Steven Schwartz. It was an incredible opportunity to showcase the hard work, vibrant learning environments, and strong sense of community that define our school every day.

Our district guests walked away deeply impressed by what they saw across our classrooms. Specifically, they highlighted:

• A Welcoming & Inclusive Atmosphere: The genuine sense of belonging created through positive, meaningful interactions between staff and students in every classroom.

• Thoughtful Instructional Strategies: Authentic student groupings and intentional peer pairings designed to support language development and collaborative learning.

• Effective Teamwork: The seamless integration of our Teaching Assistants (TAs) to support student learning throughout the school day.

• Dedicated Scaffolding: Teachers actively pushing student thinking through purposeful proximity, thoughtful check-ins for understanding, and high-level questioning.

  
  

It takes a dedicated team to cultivate an environment where every student can thrive, and this visit was a wonderful affirmation of the hard work happening on our campus every day.

Thank you to our outstanding educators, staff, and students for making our school community a place we can all be deeply proud of!

We are thrilled to officially welcome JoeAnna Hernandez to the Great Oak High School administrative team as our new Assistant Principal! Mrs. Hernandez brings a wealth of experience, dedication, and heart to our school, and we are excited for the impact she will make on our campus.

Mrs. Hernandez has proudly served our district since 2001 in a variety of leadership and instructional roles,including elementary classroom teacher, Literacy Specialist, District Categorical Programs Coordinator,Assistant Principal, and Elementary School Principal. She brings deep expertise in supporting special populations, strengthening instructional practices, and using data to drive student success.

On a personal note, Great Oak High School already holds a special place in Mrs. Hernandez's heart—she is a proud parent of two GOHS graduates as well as a current Great Oak freshman! Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family, cheering on her children in their activities, and playing with her two Bichon/Shih Tzu mix dogs.

Mrs. Hernandez believes that strong relationships, collaboration, and leading with positive intent are at the core of student achievement. Please join us in giving her a warm Wolfpack welcome!

Dear Families,

As we enter November, our district-wide "Level Up" attendance initiative focuses on a crucial phase of the school year: maintaining academic momentum, supporting student mental health, and staying grounded as we approach Thanksgiving Break.

November can be a demanding month for secondary students as major projects, mid-term assessments, and cooler weather all arrive at once. Keeping daily routines steady helps students manage stress, protect their GPAs, and finish the trimester/semester strong.

How Families Can Support November Success & Well-Being:

• 🎮 Maintain Academic Momentum: With fewer instructional days in November, every class period matters. Staying present helps students keep up with fast-paced coursework, avoid make-up work backlogs, and preserve their hard-earned GPA stats.

• 🧠 Prioritize Mental Health & Wellness: Academic expectations and busy schedules can feel overwhelming. We encourage students to practice self-care, maintaining consistent sleep schedules, balancing screen time, and reaching out for help when needed.

• 🛡️ Stay Grounded Before the Break: Attendance often dips right before holiday breaks. Encouraging your student to stay engaged and finish strong through the Friday before Thanksgiving break keeps their learning streak intact and makes returning after the break much smoother.

• 📊 Monitor Student Stats Together: Use the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to check attendance trends and grade progress with your teenager. Small weekly check-ins help identify potential stress spots early.

We Are Here to Support Your Student

Your student’s well-being always comes first. If your student is experiencing stress, mental health challenges, or difficulty getting to school, please reach out to our counseling or wellness team. We have campus resources, counseling services, and support plans ready to help every student stay grounded and supported.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to keep our secondary students healthy, present, and leveling up!

GOHS Staff

I want to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thank you to Better Buzz Coffee for their incredible generosity and ongoing support of our Wolfpack!

Whether fueling our faculty during early morning Staff Development sessions or helping us celebrate our outstanding educators during Teacher Appreciation week, Better Buzz has consistently stepped up to keep our staff energized and feeling appreciated. Their donation of delicious coffee for our campus events makes a meaningful difference, reminding our teachers and staff just how much our local community values their dedication to our students.

Community partnerships like this are part of what makes Great Oak such a special place to work and learn. Next time you visit Better Buzz, please join us in thanking them for supporting Great Oak High School!

TVUSD is proud to partner with the City of Temecula and MilVet, a national organization who supports deployed military families with care packages and other basic needs.

We need your help! Between now and October 30th, we will be collecting donations in the front office. Please refer to the attached flyer to learn what supplies are needed and appreciated.

Sign Up Genius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904084CA8A729A2F58-65989279-support

Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/KSQ31S9F3A2L?ref_=wl_share

Dear Great Oak Families,

As we work together to support student success, clear communication about our campus expectations is key. Today, we want to share an important reminder regarding student eligibility for extracurricular activities, events, and campus privileges through our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program.

Students who accumulate 8 or more hours of detention—due to tardies, single-period truancies, or other disciplinary actions—are placed on our school’s NO GO List.

What does being on the NO GO List mean?

Students on the NO GO List are temporarily ineligible for several school privileges and events, including:

• Purchasing items from the school bookstore (e.g., parking permits, Prom tickets, Disneyland Grad Night tickets, graduation cords, and stoles).

  
  

• Attending school events, dances, rallies, assemblies, or athletic contests.

  
  

• Student-Athletes: Inability to leave class early for away game transportation or participate in home/away athletic contests.

  
  

How to Get Off the NO GO List

To regain full eligibility, students must clear their detention hours to below 8 hours total. Detention can be served at the following times in Room 306:

• Before School: 7:50 AM – 8:20 AM

  
  

• Lunch: Every day in Room 306

  
  

• After School: 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM

  
  

• Saturday School (4 Hours of Credit): The next Saturday School takes place on Saturday, October 17th.

  
  

Parents and students can sign up for the upcoming Saturday School using this registration link.

Senior Class Reminder 🎓

A special note for our Senior class families: Seniors must clear ALL outstanding discipline hours prior to the end of the school year in order to receive their graduation tickets. We strongly encourage seniors to begin clearing any balance now so they stay on track for graduation celebrations!

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in encouraging prompt attendance and positive habits. If you have questions regarding your student’s detention balance or PBIS status, please reach out to our PBIS Coordinator, Mr. Morton, or contact the front office.

TVUSD students may attend the AP Readiness program at UCR in order to receive supplemental, supportive instruction in their respective AP courses. The intent of the workshops is to provide instructional support to AP students in courses including:

• Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
• Calculus
• English Language and English Literature
• AP Human Geography, AP World History, AP US History

The workshops run one Saturday each month leading up to the AP exams. Four of the sessions are virtual and four of the sessions are in person at UCR. They are all different, and they are organized to match the curricular development in each subject. A student may go to just one, a few, or all eight workshops. A student who attends all of them would receive 32 additional instructional support hours - FREE OF CHARGE.

The district provides busing for students, although students can also just show up to UCR. If a student rides the bus on the way to UCR, they MUST ride the bus home. The process is:

Step One:

Students must register for the workshop. Here is the link. Once a student registers for the first one, he/she doesn't need to register again this year.

Step Two:

If a student wishes to ride the bus, they download the trip slip below, fill it out, and return it to the school site contact listed below. Trip slips must be received by the Wednesday before the session. Students should arrive at GOHS at 7:15am and the bus will leave promptly at 7:30am. Students may also get themselves to UCR as long as they arrive no later than 8:45 a.m. They must be picked up in this case at 1:00 p.m.

• Trip Slip September (Due September 9th)
• Trip Slip November (Due November 4th)
• Trip Slip January (Due January 20th )
• Trip Slip March (Due March 10th)

PLEASE REGISTER ASAP SO CLASSES ARE AVAILABLE

Return trip slips to: Briana Muro-Gaona, bmuro-gaona@tvusd.us

All children are offered a breakfast AND a lunch every school day for FREE! Most of our school sites operate under the community eligibility provision and do not require meal applications. However, if you have a student that attends any of the schools listed above, and you think you may qualify for free or reduced price meals submit an application today! Having an approved application on file may qualify you for utility discounts, testing waivers (including AP exams!), and earn money for your school/district.

Care Solace can quickly find treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of the circumstance.

Care Solace's care navigation services are confidential and complimentary to TVUSD students, staff, and their families. Care Solace's team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in any language.

• Call 888-515-0595
• Visit www.caresolace.com/tvusdfamilies and either search on your own OR click "Book Appointment" for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

How can Care Solace help you?

• Mental Health & Substance Abuse: Find community-based providers & secure appointments.
  
• Food Assistance: Access food pantries, home delivery meal programs, and government/non-profit programs.
  
• Shelter Support: Find transitional housing, shelters, and housing programs.
  
• Community Health Services: Connect with low-cost or free medical and dental care, female health services, and preventative care.
  

Please be aware that these are the only approved GOHS social media handles:

GOHSFacebook

GOHSTwitter

GOHSInstagram

*GOHS does NOT endorse or support the messaging of any other social media platform claiming connection to our site.