SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER

We have made it through our first full week! Today is day 10 already! Other than a few minor bumps, we have had a GREAT start to the school year! Our counselors have worked hard to make schedule changes and our teachers have been great at adapting as students have been dropped and added to classes. It has been time consuming as our enrollment is up over 100 students then we were a year ago thanks to a very large 9th grade class (almost 600 students). I'm still waiting on the final numbers which I will share next month. We have had to add 5 extra classes since we started! Thankfully, we are almost finished with schedule changes! Because we sent an August Welcome Back Newsletter, this one will be short. Although there are not a lot of events to recap so far, there are some upcoming events to bring to your attention.

If your student missed having their picture taken, we will be having a make up day this Thursday, from 9:00 to 1:00. Students should receive a call slip as they need their picture for their ID card. If they don't get a call slip and still need a picture, they can also go to the Student Center during nutrition. THIS PICTURE IS ALSO USED FOR THE YEARBOOK FOR 9th - 11th GRADERS. Therefore, it is important that if they haven't already done so, they get their picture taken this Thursday.

On Wednesday, August 27th, Canyon High School held its annual 9th Grade Orientation Day. A tradition that started back in 2007. The Orientation is led by Motivational Speaker Keith Hawkins. During the 3 1/2 hour event, almost 600 9th Graders were divided into groups of 10-12. Each group was paired with two of our Ambassadors who helped guide them through the activities for the day. The purpose of the event is to help inform, acclimate and make our current 9th graders aware of what makes Canyon a Great School and how they can be part of it. It also provides each 9th grader with two upperclassmen that they can contact if they need help during the school year.

One of the things that helps make Canyon a Great School is its culture! One of the best ways to see our culture on display is at our Home Varsity Football Games. If your student has not had the opportunity to attend a home varsity football game, I would strongly encourage them to do so. Our Football Games are much more than just a game. It is a coming together of our community. Besides the game, our Cheerleaders, Song Team, Marching Band and Color Guard are there to perform and entertain. Our ASB also finds ways to involve students with dress up themes as well as the tradition of having our student fans run the field before the game. Tickets are free to students with an ASB card so hopefully we will see them at the next home game on September 18th.

As most of you know by now, this is the last year of the Comanche mascot. By July 1, 2026 we will officially have another mascot (colors will still be Black and Gold). At the end of last school year, Canyon students voted on a list of 32 possible mascots. The top 16 vote getters were placed into a Tournament Bracket that will require four rounds of voting. Last Friday, August 29th, the first round of voting was held. To see the results and current updated bracket, please click on that attachment below. We our now down to the Elite 8. Our goal is to announce the new Mascot sometime during Homecoming Week in October. Voting will continue to be done by Canyon Students and Staff until we get to the final vote at which point we will also involve El Rancho 7th and 8th Graders.

We want to invite everyone to Back to School Night, Wednesday, September 10th at 6:00 PM. This is a night when parents have the opportunity to meet their student's teachers and learn about all of the great things their students will be doing during the 2025-26 school year. Parents will follow their students schedule with 0 Period beginning at 6:00 PM. If your student does not have a 0 period, then your night will begin at 6:15 PM with Period 1. Classes are 10 minutes long with a 5 minute passing period in between classes. Parents should print out their students schedule ahead of time and we will have maps available that evening.

Canyon High School is one of the few schools in Orange County, and the only one in Orange Unified to offer an IB Program to its students. Students who have the ambition and dedication to complete the IB Program, can earn an IB Diploma. Others who can't make the necessary commitment to complete the entire program, often take classes to help complete graduation requirements. If your student is interested in being part of the IB Program, they can talk to their counselor or our IB Coordinator Ms. Georgina Vargas for more information. In the meantime, please take a moment to look at the IB Newsletter.

Last Friday, our Varsity Football Team had the exciting opportunity to play at SoFi Stadium, home of the LA Rams and Chargers. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our team to play in an NFL Stadium and their parents to watch them play. Our team, under the direction of Coach Phil Hughes, took full advantage of it coming away with a convincing 26-7 win over Ayala High School. Our amazing Cheer and Song Teams also made the trip to support our team and were able to perform on the field at halftime.

Tickets for the Welcome Back Dance (also known as WARP) are currently on sale in the Student Center. They are $20 with ASB Card and $30 without. Prices go up on Monday, September 8th. Tickets will SELL OUT, so don't wait! The LAST DAY to purchase tickets is the 17th or as long as supplies last. WARP is on Friday, September 19th from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in the Canyon HS Quad and is open to all grades.

Our Annual Club Carnival is scheduled for the end of the month. It is a two day, lunch time event on Wednesday, September 24th and Thursday, September 25th. This is a great way for students to get connected to CHS. Please encourage your student to attend and visit the many booths that will be set up. There is a club for everyone and if your student doesn't see a club they want to join, they can start their own. They would need to talk to Mr. Steve Smith, Activities Director.

Canyon High School will once again be offering students the opportunity to take the PSAT or SAT for free. The SAT will be administered to interested 12th Graders Only on Thursday, October 16th. The PSAT will be administered to interested 11th Graders Only on Friday, October 17th. Testing will take place in the morning and students will be excused from those classes. To sign up, please fill out the following Google Form.

DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS SEPTEMBER 12

AP registration is open, for more information and to register, please click on the attachment below.

Every morning at 7:30 AM, we offer Math Tutoring in Room 139. Mr. Joe Svoboda is available to help any student who is having trouble with Math. No appointment is necessary. This is a great opportunity for those who can't get help outside of school to come before school and get help with Math. Due to Faculty meetings, there is no tutoring on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month.

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY TUTORING

The National Honor Society has tutoring in the library from 3:30 to 4:30 Tuesday through Thursday.

For all the athletic schedules, please visit the Canyon Athletic Website

To Purchase Tickets for Varsity Football and Volleyball Games, please use the link below:

https://gofan.co/app/school/CA18766

What do you do if you need to pick your student up early? Who do you contact if your student is sick or you need to clear an absence? For answers to these questions and more, please click on the link below.

September 10th: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT 6PM

September 12th: Welcome Back Rally

September 19th: Welcome Back Dance @ 7PM

September 24th and 25th: Club Carnival during lunch

October 2nd: PTSA Meeting @ 9AM in the CHS Library

October 8th: Homecoming Rally in the Gym @ 7PM

October 9th: Homecoming Football Game vs. Irvine @ 7PM

October 11th: Homecoming Dance @ 7PM

To View more events at CHS, the Canyon Master Calendar Please Click Below

https://www.canyonhighschool.org/resources/mastercalendar