Alta Sierra Bruin's Den

Dear ASI Parents and Guardians,

Thank you for sending your student to Alta Sierra Intermediate! We have had an outstanding first week of school, filled with energy, excitement, and positivity. Our students have already begun building new friendships, connecting with teachers, and engaging in learning. It has been wonderful to see their smiles and enthusiasm as they settle into their routines. We are truly looking forward to a fabulous school year ahead!

A few special thank-yous to you, our ASI families:

• Drop-off & Pick-up – Thank you for finding safe and respectful locations for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. Your patience and cooperation make a huge difference in keeping our students safe.

• Arrival Time – Thank you for ensuring students arrive after 8:00 a.m., when supervision is available. This helps us provide a safe, structured start to the day.

• Dress Code – Thank you for supporting your student in being in Dress Code daily. We are already seeing improvements, and students had the opportunity to review expectations during this week’s assemblies. Your partnership is key to maintaining a positive and distraction-free learning environment. Skirt and short length continue to be our most frequent conversations.

• Helmets & Bike Safety – Thank you to those of you who are encouraging your student to wear a helmet when biking, skating, or scootering to and from school. Safety during self-transportation is so important! Please also remind your student to lock up bikes, skateboards, and scooters daily in the racks near the main office.

We know the transition into a new school year is exciting and sometimes challenging, and we appreciate the way you are partnering with us to set your student up for success. Together, we will make this year one of growth, achievement, and memorable experiences for every Bruin.

Enjoy a wonderful and restful weekend—we can’t wait to see our students back on Monday, ready to learn and lead!

With gratitude,
Mrs. Carter
Principal, ASI

Our Goal is to get 100% parent participation and membership at the student level or higher this year!

Please stop by our table on the amphitheater to sign up during Back to School Night (they will have a square to take cards). Or drop off a membership check to the front office.

If you know in advance that you will be picking up your student early, please call the main office ahead of time. This allows us to have your student waiting for you and makes the process much quicker.

If you arrive without calling first, we will need to send a Teacher’s Assistant to your student’s classroom with a pass. This process takes more time, as we do not interrupt classroom instruction with phone calls. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Additionally, we kindly ask that you do not pick up your student early on Wednesdays or Fridays to match an elementary schedule. Alta Sierra does not have Early Release or Friday Game Day. Every class period is valuable, and your student’s last class of the day is just as important as the first.

We are thrilled to announce a new opportunity for students this year at Alta Sierra: Math Academy—a built-in support program offered during the school day.

Our Math Academy will serve up to 200 students per session. For the first session, we will frontload the first unit of study in mathematics. This will help students start strong, build confidence, and ensure success in their math classes. Our ultimate goal is to increase both confidence and competence while reducing the need for remediation in the future.

After this initial group, students will participate in Math Academy based on Unit Test scores. If a student does not demonstrate proficiency on a unit, they will have the chance to receive targeted reteaching and then an opportunity to retest. The retest score will replace or be averaged with the original score, giving students both proficiency and the opportunity for a higher grade in math.

These groups will remain flexible and fluid. Your student may need support for one unit, several units, or none at all. To make this possible, we are partnering with our elective teachers to share time during the elective period, ensuring that all students continue to have access to both core and elective opportunities. We have built this support into our master schedule for every period at both grade levels.

We are excited to launch this program and look forward to seeing our students grow in confidence, skills, and success in mathematics!

Get ready to dance the night away! Our first school dance of the year is next Thursday, August 28th, from 6:30 PM–8:30 PM in the gym. The theme is USA, so students are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue attire. Dress code will be checked at the door, so plan your outfit accordingly!

Presale Tickets:

• Sold starting Monday in Grizzly during lunch

• $7.00 (cash only)

Tickets at the Door:

• $10.00 (cash only)

Spirit Pack Tickets: A list of student names that purchased a Spirit Pack will be at the door.

Important Times:

• No student will be admitted after 7:30 PM

• Students may not leave before 8:30 PM unless picked up by a parent/guardian at the Main Door

Dance Rules & Expectations

Alta Sierra is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and fun environment. Attendance at any ASI dance requires adherence to school and district rules. Failure to follow guidelines may result in removal from the dance and additional disciplinary consequences.

1. Academic Eligibility: There is no grade requirement for the 1st dance.

2. Student Conduct Eligibility

• Students who have earned a suspension during the semester are not eligible to attend.

3. Dress Code

• All students will be checked at the door; outerwear must be removed.

• Guidelines:

  • No bare midriffs or cleavage

  • Shoulder straps must be at least 2 inches wide

  • Shorts must have a 5-inch inseam, stitched evenly, no holes revealing skin or undergarments; spandex/Lycra shorts are not allowed

  • Skirts must be no shorter than 5 inches above the knee cap and mid-thigh.

  • Slippers and pajama bottoms are not allowed

4. Prohibited Items

• No purses, backpacks, or large personal items unless approved for medical/health reasons

5. Behavior Expectations

• Students must act with class, dignity, and respect

• Inappropriate dancing (grinding, freaking) and dangerous behavior (moshing, lifting others, running) are prohibited

• All dancing must remain vertical

• Misbehavior will result in removal from the dance with no refund and parents/guardians will be contacted

6. Personal Belongings

• Alta Sierra is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items. Staff does not watch student personal items during the dance.

• Cell phones are allowed for parent contact. But filming during the dance is not allowed.

We now have a new platform to help streamline school communication for both parents and students. There are two sides to the platform: Parent Square for families and Student Square for students. Your student set up their Student Square account this week in science class.

Student Square is the app your student will use to access important school, class, club, and sports announcements. At school, your student can access it through Clever on a classroom Chromebook. At home, they can download the app to their phone for easy access. It’s the go-to source for staying informed and up to date with everything happening at school.

Be sure to ask your student to check Student Square regularly so they don’t miss any important updates!

Our Fall Student Body Fundraiser will kick off in September! More information will be shared in next week’s newsletter.

In the meantime, you can start compiling a list of contacts that your student is allowed to reach out to. We are looking forward to a successful fundraiser and truly appreciate your support in advance!

Good Attendance in school includes being on time and not being late. Being late can lead to poor attendance, and can also make students feel embarrassed and left out. Students who miss important information and instruction when they are not in class can fall behind, even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks. This week we gave students who were late warnings and encouragement to get to class on time before each period. Next week, we begin assigning lunch detention to students who are tardy (late) to class before school, after break, or after lunch.

Next week, students will select five possible clubs in AB class for the school year. At Alta Sierra, most club meetings are built into the school schedule, and all students participate. Students typically meet in one club about six times over the course of the year.

Please note that some clubs may require students to bring materials. For example:

• Cooking Club – baked goods

• Asian Leadership Club – Asian food

If there is a club you do not want your student to participate in, you will need to complete a Club Exclusion Form.

You can find:

• The list of ASI clubs and their descriptions under the Co-Curricular link on the Alta Sierra website. The Club Exclusion Form is at the bottom of the page

Deadline:

• Club Exclusion Forms are due to the Kodiak Cluster Office by Tuesday, September 10th to ensure timely placement of students

Email Option:

• You may also email completed forms to mailto:heidipowell@cusd.com

School Picture Day is on Monday, August 25th in PE

All students will take a photo during PE class. A link will be provided to you to view and purchase school pictures after this date.

Students will receive an ID card 1-2 weeks after this date from Larson Brothers Photography. Students need to keep this ID card with them at all times.

Back to School Night Information....

• It is super important to come to Back to School Night if you can. You will get a syllabus from each teacher and learn how the class is graded and what support is available for your student. Meeting the teacher and putting a name with a face is invaluable!
• Athletic Practice will end early at 5:00pm. Bus riders will take the bus at the regular time.
• Arrive early to get the best parking options.
• Plan to eat dinner here! Food vendors will be ready to serve customers at 5:00pm. We will have Salsa's, Pizza, Jamba, Water, Ohana Whip, and Dippin' Dots.
• Please access your students schedule on Parent Connection. It has room numbers. Or write down your students room numbers before arrival.
• Please follow your students schedule as teachers teach multiple courses at different times.
• Classroom presentations begin at 5:30pm in period 1.
• Zero & 5th Period will be presented at 7:30pm after the 7th Period presentation in the gym.
• Each classroom presentation is 15-minutes long. AB classroom presentations are 30-minutes long. (Parents have 5-minutes to walk to their next session.)
• AB teachers will introduce our fall fundraiser to you for pre-sale opportunities.
• ASI/BHS Foundation (PTC) will have information tables near the food vendors. Please stop by and purchase your membership!
• Limited spirit wear will be available.

We are excited to announce the finalists of the “ONE VOICE - THE SPIRIT OF 9/12” poetry contest.

• Every entry receives a certificate.
• The TOP 10 per category, will receive medals.
• The TOP three overall in middle school (7th-8th) will receive a $500.00 scholarship; the TOP three in high school (9th-12th) will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
• Grand Prize – 1 winner will be awarded a POETRY Grand Prize, which is a laptop.
• Teacher Award – The registered teacher of the POETRY Grand Prize winner will receive a $500.00 Amazon gift card.

9 out of 10 Finalists are from Alta Sierra Intermediate! (All are now 9th graders!)

1. Ethan Ma - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous
2. Grace Lim - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous
3. Gurneet Kaur - 8th Grade - John Sutter Middle School - Fowler Unified School District - Michelle Renteria
4. Juliette Heisdorf - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Brooke Valenzuela
5. Kashish Noorali - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous
6. Michelle Watt - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous
7. Mya Sadie - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous
8. Penelope Cino - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous
9. Persis H. Amponsah - 8th Grade - Alta Sierra Intermediate School - Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous
10. Sabella Nicolaus - 8th Grade Alta Sierra Intermediate School -Clovis Unified School District - Sheryl Milhous

Academic Assistance: Your student's teacher is your first contact when you have an academic concern.

• Staff email Links: https://altasierra.cusd.com/OurStaff.aspx

A secondary resource for you is your students Learning Director or our GIS. They will refer you back to your student's teacher first if you have not previously contacted your student's teacher.

• AB, PE, Special Education LD: Daryl Katoch mailto:darylkatoch@cusd.com
• Math and Electives (except Choir & Drama) LD: Shauna Everson mailto:shaunaeverson@cusd.com
• Science, Choir & Drama: GIS: Amy Rios mailto:Amyrios@cusd.com

Athletic Questions: Please contact our Athletic Director.

• Athletic Director: Brad Zimmer mailto:bradzimmer@cusd.com

Attendance Assistance: Please contact our Attendance Secretary.

• Attendance: Kennedey Hernandezmailto:kennedeyhernandez@cusd.com

Behavior & Discipline Assistance: Everyone in our Polar Student Services office would be happy to assist you.

• LD: Shauna Everson mailto:shaunaeverson@cusd.com
• GIS: Amy Rios mailto:Amyrios@cusd.com
• TOSA: Dan Houtsinger mailto:danhoutsinger@cusd.com

Fundraiser or Activities Questions: Please contact our Activities Director.

• Activities Director: Connie Martin mailto:conniemartin@cusd.com

Social-Emotional Assistance: Please contact your student's counselor with any social-emotional concerns. They would be happy to assist you.

• Last Name A - L Counselor: Mackenzie Mennucci: mailto:mackenziemennucci@cusd.com
• Last Name M-Z Counselor: Meghan Tenney: mailto:meghantenney@cusd.com

All Other Questions, Concerns, & Comments: Please contact me and I will be happy to assist you.

• Principal: Jennifer Carter mailto:jennifercarter@cusd.com

Our afterschool labs begin next week. Labs begin Monday and run from 3:20–5:20 p.m. (no labs on Fridays). Labs are organized by course, and students may only attend if they have homework to complete or need extra assistance from their teacher in that subject. This is a drop-in program—no sign-ups are required. Please note, if a student does not have an assignment to work on, they cannot attend.

Email: jennifercarter@cusd.com
Website: altasierra.cusd.com
Location: 380 West Teague Avenue, Clovis, CA, USA
Phone: 559-327-3500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altasierra/