HTLA Community,
Welcome back! I hope you all had a restful and rejuvenating Winter Break and are ready to start the spring semester with renewed commitment to high achievement. We are all here to help if things go awry, but let’s start the semester on a high note and build from there. This has been an incredibly challenging school year. But, we, students, teachers, and families, have done amazing work as we continue to push for college readiness for all students. I believe we can do even better this coming term. Start this semester off by making sure students are logged into their first class this Monday, January, 11 at 10 AM. (Special bell schedule for Monday)
With the expectation of the first day, our weekly and daily schedules will remain unchanged from last semester. Students will be with the same cohorts of other students as last semester. It is our hope that familiarity will lead to increased connection and interaction between students. To that end, let me emphasize how important it is for students to be engaged only in their classes during class time. Other distractions, computers, video games, chat platforms, etc. need to be turned off and put away during class time. Parents, please help set up your child’s workspace to be as free of distractions as possible. Please talk to your child about putting away other devices during class and help us monitor this. Students are expected to be using the school-issued device for classes. Other devices should be put away. We also hope that you will turn on your cameras during class. It makes a huge positive impact on your and other students’ learning when you do.
As LA County is still in the grips of some of the worst COVID-19 infection rates in the nation, I want to urge you all to be safe. Continue to social distance, minimize travel, avoid contact with other households, wear a mask when necessary, and wash your hands regularly. At this point, it is likely we have all had members of our families and close friends who have been infected. We want to do our part to keep ourselves and everyone else safe. I recognize that this has been a long, difficult time for us all. However, with the release of two vaccinations, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Please stay the course as we all do our best to keep our community safe.
To this end, we will be continuing with remote learning. As before, we continue to monitor LA County Department of Public Health and state of California guidelines to see if and when we will be able to return to some level of in-person schooling. I will let you know of any significant changes in these guidelines and subsequent changes to our plans.
One of the most hidden aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been its impact on our emotional well-being. If you need help, any help, please reach out to Ms. Vasquez, our new School Counselor ([email protected]).
If you are experiencing any technological problems, please send an email to [email protected] for assistance. We are here to help. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance.
Some of you were working on clearing up some incomplete courses over the break. Please recognize your work for these courses is due by midnight on Sunday, January 10. Teachers will be reviewing any work you submitted. However, please be patient and understand that teachers are actively working on their current classes. Review of work submitted to clear an incomplete will not be finalized until February 21, 2021. Again, please be patient.
To help make this review of work submitted to clear an incomplete as simple as possible, if you submitted work, please send an email to Ms. Molina, [email protected], just so we can double-check.
Finally, parents, just a reminder that our office hours at school during this “safer at home” period are from 8 AM – 12 PM, Monday – Friday, or by appointment. Please join me for a Meeting with the Principal on either Thursday, January 14th at 6:00 PM or Friday, January 15th at 8:00 AM. A meeting link will be sent out shortly.
Again, let’s have a great spring semester. I can’t wait to see all the amazing work you will accomplish this term.
All my best,
Mathew McClenahan
Principal, HTLA