Weekly Update #3

Our Declarations:

• ALL STUDENTS WILL FEEL SAFE AT SCHOOL
• ALL STUDENTS WILL BE TREATED WITH RESPECT
• ALL STUDENTS WILL LEARN AT HIGH LEVELS
• WE WILL EDUCATE STUDENT BY STUDENT, SKILL BY SKILL
• ALL STUDENTS WILL ENHANCE THEIR SPARK TO THRIVE AS LIFELONG LEARNERS
• WE ALL WILL IMPROVE EACH DAY
• WELL-BEING MATTERS FOR EVERYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY

MISSION

All CGUHSD students will graduate College or Career Ready.

For a more detailed accounting of our commitments to our community and students, please click here.

Good evening Cougar Nation… our 2nd week back to school and we are making tremendous progress. We have met with every student grade level and let them know, very clearly I might add, our expectations for this coming school year. We want and aspire to be the embodiment of "Commitment to Excellence". Our "Welcome Back Event" is scheduled for this Thursday, August 7 from 5-7pm in the main gymnasium. You can meet our awesome staff, learn about our programs and clubs, and have a hot dog and some chips on us! We are off to a fantastic start, other than a few minor issues, we have had zero vandalism this school year. I want to thank all of our students, families, and community for supporting us to keep our campus the source of pride that it has always been. On Friday we had assemblies to celebrate our Renaissance Program kickoff. Renaissance is a program that focuses on creating a school culture amongst students, staff, and community where Mondays are the favorite day of the week! We had a blast during our Spirit Week and in the assemblies, our students were amazingly engaged and well-behaved, and our student leaders did an awesome job. Check out the photos below. I want to welcome all of our new Cougar Families and Students as well as our returning Cougar Nation! I humbly ask for the opportunity to earn your trust. You will always receive accurate, honest, timely, and concise information from me. You can watch a video describing the traffic pattern for drop off and pick up by clicking here. I have created a "Back To School"website where you can get a lot of important information. Parking, schedule changes, etc can all be found here. Additionally, you can listen to past episodes of our Podcast, "The Consummate Cat" here. We will be doing student interviews at least once per month.

Our administrative team will meet with all students to review our behavioral expectations; however, below is a summary of what we will review:

1. Personal Electronic Devices
1. The Arizona Legislature has passed HB 2484S.1, which states simply that students are not to use cell phones during the instructional day, which is from 8:10 to 3:15pm. This is the law and we must comply with it. We have a page on our site that will be specifically designated to explain this policy and our plan for implementation and enforcement.
2. Hall passes. Security has been directed to inquire with students who are out of class and ask to view their pass. Please help us with this by ensuring you are in compliance with having a pass.
1. Restroom
2. Office/Counselor/Teacher/etc.
3. Nurse
3. Dress Code

This is how I think is the most efficient way to handle the dress code violation load utilizing the three strike rule:

1. Students will receive an email from Mr Hillyard's office, Ms. Mendoza, notifying them that they have been dress coded and the number of strikes they have.

1. Once a student reaches strike three, they will be given IFS (intervention for success) the following day.
2. Consequences will increase with each violation up OSS.
3. Dress code violations will reset at the end of the semester.

1. Be the Three
1. Respectful, Responsible, Reliable

1. Student parking - a video will explanation and details are forthcoming
1. 
   
2. Fighting / Vaping - Please see district policy, violations may result in short-term suspension (1-10 days out of school), Long-term suspension (a hearing with up to 365 day suspension), and applicable criminal charges as they may apply.
3. As this semester continues to move forward, there are a number of important items that I want to share. Please remember that , Mr. Munoz and Mr. Hillyard ( Student Discipline), Mr. Munoz (Climate / Culture), Mr. Robbins (Athletics / Activities), and Dr. Gardner (Academics) and I remain available to assist you in any way that we can.

Protect the Den!

Dr. Chris Lineberry

Principal

Casa Grande Union High School

We started our week by saying that if any students needed a schedule change, that we would be working on it this week. I sent out a link last week (see paragraph below) and we are working to get all of the changes documented and made by Monday morning.

1. . If you need the change, please click here. If the change is granted, it will reflect the following morning in Powerschool. If for some reason the change is not granted, you will receive an explanation from your counselor of why via email.

3. We are in the process of also balancing classes. When we develop the schedule, due to late registrations and no-shows, we have some classes that have too many students, and we have some that have too few. We are also working on balancing schedules this week, so please be aware that there may be slight changes in some schedules (not very many) due to balancing needs. If there is an issue with a class change, please advise your counselor immediately.

Great news! We now have 3 full class periods of AVID being offered. If you are interested, see your counselors asap so that we can fill the class. We have some outstanding data thus far regarding AVID and student performance. For example, 30% more students (84%) passed all of their classes if they were in AVID as compared to their non-AVID counterparts. We see similar relationships between student attendance and performance as well.

Our nation’s schools are full of students who possess a desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard, but many of them do not truly have the opportunity to be college-ready. These are often the students who will be the first in their families to attend college and are from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID Secondary equips teachers and schools with what they need to help these students succeed on a path to college and career success. To address this need, AVID has developed the AVID Elective course. For one period a day, students receive the additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses. Districts have the flexibility to decide how many AVID Elective classes to start and which grade levels will implement AVID first. What AVID is . We are offering AVID here on our campus, Mrs. Savolt is the teacher and we are looking for YOU to join us! If you are interested, complete the schedule change request form and add AVID. This class is open to Freshman, Sophmores, and Juniors only at this time.

Any student fines or fees can be paid online. Students can purchase parking passes, pay class fees, technology fines, etc. All of this should be done online. You can access the payment center by doing the following:

You will need a PowerSchool Parent Portal account to access TouchBase.

If you don’t have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, please call your
student's school office to get an account set up.

Please sign into to PowerSchool to access TouchBase. The steps below
can only be done using an internet browser such as Google Chrome, Internet
Explorer, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Android browser, etc. (computer, tablet, smartphone) and CANNOT be done using the Powerschool Mobile App.

1. Sign in to PowerSchool.
2. Once signed in, click the icon in the left panel labeled Purchases and Payments (see image on left).
   
   You will immediately be taken to TouchBase without having to sign in.

CGUHS Student Responsibilities 2025 - 2026

This school year we will be discussing academic responsibilities at length with all of our students. It is important that students not only familiarize themselves with these responsibilities, but that they practice these responsibilities on a daily basis. We reviewed these expectations with students this week. If students follow the guidelines below, they will experience tremendous success at Casa Grande Union High School.

• Acquire Knowledge of Content - Students understand the content they are learning in class.
• Come Prepared for Class - Students bring the needed materials for class.
• Take Notes - Students accurately and completely take notes.
• Ask Questions - Students ask questions when a lack of understanding occurs.
• Complete Homework - Students complete assignments on time.
• Attend Tutoring/Seek Help - Students attend tutoring or seek help when they need it.
• Attend Regularly - Students attend class regularly and arrive on time.
• Take Assessment Seriously – Students bring their best effort possible on assessments.
• Appropriate Work Ethic/Attitude/Behavior - Students display appropriate work ethic, attitude, and behavior.
• Put cell phones and ear buds off and away while in the classroom
• Be Kind

Our counselors and Dr. Gardner will be working closely with parents and our students / families to ensure that students are on track to graduate. Seniors must complete 22 credits in order to graduate. Additionally, every senior must take and pass the AZ Civics test, and must complete ECAP (Education and Career Action Plan). Additional information can be found here. We will be rolling out our ECAP (Education and Career Action Plan - state requirement to graduate) program as well as ensuring that students have opportunities to take and pass the Civics test and CPR (both state requirements to graduate) in the coming weeks.

Activities this Week:

August 7 - 5 -7pm in the Main Gym - Back to School Night / Open House

Please stay tuned for information