Good afternoon Falcon Families! I hope this finds you well after a restful weekend. Speaking of rest, your student needs at least 8 hours of sleep every night in order to be alert and attentive in school. Several parents have expressed frustration at their student’s use of electronics until way late into the evening and early morning hours. Your student’s school work would never require them to be on their computer for that many hours. If a student is behind in classwork and assignments, they can create a plan to get back on track that includes catching up a little each day; rather than spending hours at a time on their laptop. Please do the following to help your student be successful:

• Have a consistent and specific bedtime for your student
• Regulate electronics- students should be electronic free for at least 20 minutes prior to bedtime to allow their brain to relax
• Check Skyward often to help your student stay on track with assignments in an effort to not get behind

 
We have a modified schedule on Monday, September 8 for our first round of testing. All 9th and 10th grade students will take the FAST PM1 test for Language Arts and 11th and 12th grade students who need a concordant score will take the FAST ELA retakes. 

We have a spirit week this week sponsored by the Random Acts of Kindness Club and SGA. Please see below.

Please join us for our first PTSA and SAC meetings of the year! September 9, 2025 in the Media Center: PTSA- 5:00-6:00 pm
SAC- 6:00-7:00 pm 

Fall Portraits for students in grades 9-11 will be September 11, 2025. Please see information below to order.
Senior ads for the yearbook are officially on sale! Ads can be ordered at www.yearbookordercenter.com . The final date to order ads is December 5, 2025. Don’t delay!

This year's first PERT will be on Monday, September 22nd. This is for all students interested in Dual Enrollment at Valencia. Registration closes September 12th @ 3pm. Students need to check the Student Body Canvas page for the link to register.

 **Signing up for the PERT does not mean you have applied to Valencia. Students must still apply and be accepted to Dual Enrollment.** That registration opens September 2, and is open for a month.
 GPA Requirement
 9th - 11th grade: 3.0 unweighted
 12th grade: 3.0 weighted

Homecoming tickets are on sale and the price has increased! Please see information below and also information for Homecoming Spirit Days. Get those outfits ready! Please email Deziree Lara with any questions: deziree.lara@ocps.net 

Please see the reminders for dress code below. Be sure to get your Homecoming outfit approved by an administrator IF you think it may be questionable. If it follows dress code, there is no need to get it approved.For daily dress code, students should pay special attention to the following: 

• Any clothing with references to alcohol, drug use, or weapons is prohibited.
• Crop tops and shirts that show the midriff are prohibited.
• Clothing must have straps and undergarments cannot be visible.

Thank you for helping your student keep their school clothing and non-school clothing separated.
 
 
***Attention Late Arrival Students! A tardy report will be pulled this week and if you have been tardy to class in your arrival period more than 5 times, your late arrival privileges may be in jeopardy! You are still required to arrive on time to whatever period your first class is!
 
Early release and late arrival students received a specially printed id so they can quickly be identified and verified by our security guard. Please note, that if your student loses the id or does not have it with them, they will be required to purchase a replacement for $5. If a student does not follow the procedures for late arrival/early release, this privilege will be revoked. Here are a few reminders:

• You must have your specific late arrival/early release id on at all times
• You must enter and exit through the front office
• Late arrival will be revoked if you are tardy to your first class on your schedule more than 5 times in a quarter.
• Early release will be revoked immediately if non-authorized students attempt to leave with you.
• You MUST have purchased a parking spot if you are a driver. If you do not have transportation to leave early, you will have a full schedule. You cannot leave with another student.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about these policies.
  A few reminders for parents and students about our parking lot:

• You MUST purchase a parking pass to park at school. We need to know that every car is authorized to be there. I had a student car towed off property this week because we could not identify whose it was and it was not authorized to be there. Buying a parking pass for $60 is cheaper than $200 to get your car back when towed. This is for the safety and security of our school.
• Please do not line up for afternoon dismissal prior to 1:45 pm. It causes traffic congestion, and we already have enough of that.
• I recommend dropping your student off early, courtyard doors open at 6:45 to avoid morning traffic.
• I recommend coming about 2:30 pm if you are picking up in the afternoon if you want to avoid the rush of traffic and buses leaving the property.

Thank you for helping us keep our students and faculty safe by adhering to speed limits of 10 mph and following all traffic cones, barricades, and signs in the parking lot. You will see additional changes in the near future as we are always striving to improve.
 
 Our SOAR store for positive student behaviors opened last week! Please consider donating to help us reward our students. Ask you student how many positive SOAR points they have.
 Link to our SOAR store donations needed on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/YLZ3GF3D7XXN?ref_=wl_share

 
  Please see the Athletic newsletter for this week:

Attention Seniors! You need to be following the Class of 26 Instagram page and checking your school email for important dates and reminders, as well as the ERHS College and Career page. You don’t want to miss the deadline for being included in the yearbook!
 erhs_classof26
 eastriverhs_collegeandcareer
 eastriverhs_ocps
 
 Let’s have a fantastic week!
 
 Please email me with any questions or concerns at rebeccca.watson@ocps.net It is my privilege to serve at East River.
 Be safe and kind!
 Becky Watson
 Principal, East River High School