Principal’s RAMpage v3.9

Oct 4, 2022

Dear Dixon High School Families,
We are right in the middle of our fall semester and it goes fast from here!  Please make sure you have checked on your student’s grades.  Report cards were sent out last month and you can always check in Homelink.  I think it is important to remember that students have time to improve grades but they also need to change their practices and behaviors.  For example, are they completing their planner every period, every day?  Are they missing assignments?  Are they keeping an organized binder?  Are they making use of our resources such as awesome teachers, willing to support at lunch or after school, the library, which is staffed and open every day, or the Learning Center?  If you need support in supporting your student, please reach out to your student’s teachers, counselor, or any other adult on campus.
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind this week:

Technology Upgrades
The DUSD Tech Department continues to work to support all students with Chromebooks and new devices finally arrived.  We were able to provide new devices for all 11th graders and will begin providing new gear for other grades soon.  With this said, we need your help with a few things:

  • Please make sure your student takes care of their device.  While we understand there is some wear and tear with regular use, damage like missing keys, dropped devices, etc should be reported immediately.
  • Students must bring a fully charged device (and a charger) every day. 

Parent Information Opportunity
DUSD is hosting a community night about social media.  The evening is hosted by the Organization for Social Media Safety and will be held in the Community Theater on campus from 6:00-7:30 pm on October 19.  This is a great opportunity to get updated information about how to support our teens.

Resources for Students and Families
Our teachers are working very hard to meet your students’ needs in class and out.  But, there are many ways to help your student if they are struggling.

  1.  We expect every student to use a common binder system AND complete their planner every hour, every day, at Dixon High School.  Please take a look at both of these resources every evening to make sure your student is taking advantage of these tools that are used to help students stay focused and organized.
  2. When you look at the planner, take a look to see how often your student is out of class.  If they aren’t in class, they can’t learn.  Teachers will be initialing the planner when students leave class each period. 
  3. Encourage your student to go to the Learning Center in the library.  They have tutoring and support every morning and afternoon.
  4. Reach out to staff if you need any suggestions or help.  We REALLY want every student to be successful.

ACT and SAT for 11th Graders
If you have a college bound student, please encourage them to sit for the SAT/ACT exams during their junior year.  Even though our UC and CSU partners don’t require the exams, there are many reasons to take them:

  • Scores can be used to determine course eligibility in English and Mathematics at UC’s and CSU’s.
  • Scores can opt students out of requirements such as CBEST assessments for graduate programs.
  • Many other colleges and universities still require the exams.  

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our counselors.

CSU and UC Presentations this Week
Please join our counseling staff this evening (CSU) and/or tomorrow evening (UC) to get detailed information for parents and students.  We are super excited about these opportunities and we will have presentations in both English and Spanish!  Meet at the Community Theater for a 5:30 start of the hour long programs. 

Seniors Only
If you are the parent of a senior, you know that college application season can be really stressful.  Please remind your student that their life journey is just beginning and that they will be okay!  Also, encourage them to apply to many different schools before making a decision.  Some things to consider…

  • Do they want a big school or a small school?
  • Do they want to live on campus or at home?
  • Do they want a competitive school or something less competitive?
  • What do they want to study (we ALWAYS recommend they study what they want to learn)?
  • Do they want to drive back and forth or fly back and forth?

Also, please remember that our staff knows lots about college
There are so many fun things to talk about!!
This year, every senior family is expected to complete the FAFSA, a financial document for all post-secondary institutions.  If you would like some help our counseling office is hosting a Workshop on November 17, 2022 beginning at 5:30pm.  We can help you with this!!  

School Pictures
Make-up picture day is coming up on October 11th. All students can order school pictures online at: mylifetouch.com.  Images can be previewed there and you can order with your student ID#.   We will schedule students that missed taking a picture in August.
For senior portraits, students go to prestigeportraits.com and enter their appointment code (sent to homes on a postcard or via email from Prestige Portraits) to find their appointment time.   All seniors need to take a senior portrait with prestige  for the yearbook. Make-up appointments are November, 7, 8, and 9, schedule online at prestigeportraits.com
We Have Answers
Do you have questions about school policies and procedures such as dress code, attendance, etc?  Please take time to read through the DHS Student & Parent Handbook!  Many answers can be found here!

Upcoming Calendar Events – Get out those calendars!  🙂
October 4: CSU Parent and Student Presentation (5:30-6:30)
October 5: UC Parent and Student Presentation (5:30-6:30)
October 10: No School – Local Holiday
October 11: Make up Pictures 
October 11: PTO Meeting, 7:00 PM 
October 12: PSAT Test Day (7:15am start time)
October 19:  Social Media Safety Presentation
October 28: No School – Teacher Workday
November 2: UC Application Workshop (5:30-6:30)
November 3: CSU Application Workshop (5:30-6:30)
November 7-9: Make up Senior Portraits
November 17: FAFSA Workshop
Site Information
Here are links to important documents you need:

As always, please let us know how we can help.  
Warmly,
Stephanie Marquez
Proud Principal of Dixon High School
smarquez@dixonusd.org, (707) 693-6330 ext.7113