Thank you for another great week! We had a nice Patriot Day Assembly and learned about the events that happened on 9/11. Please take some time to speak to your students about that day and why it is important to remember and thank our first responders.
This week is a busy but fun one with Back-to-School Night on Thursday evening and the Back-to-School BBQ on Friday. Please encourage your students to wear a Hawaiian shirt on Friday. Uniform bottoms are required. Additionally, this Friday marks the end of the first grading period. Please note that all grades will be posted and updated by Monday, September 22, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Please also be reminded that Monday is a minimum day for students with a dismissal of 12:10 p.m. Please plan pick up accordingly. On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, we will be having a planned emergency drill with HFA at 1:00 p.m.
Let's have another great week. Go White Tigers!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jason Gaylord
Principal
Action Items
Parent/Student Handbook Acknowledgment Form
We still need 47 students and parents to sign our Parent/ Student Handbook Acknowledgment Forms, which were due by August 22, 2025, by using this link. If you would like to review the Parent/Student Handbook, then please use this link here. Students were given a hard copy of the handbook to review with their teachers the first week of school.
Announcements
Sign Up for Parent/Teacher Conferences
The Heritage Junior High School faculty would like to invite you to attend Parent/Teacher Conferences. Parent communication between home and school is extremely critical in providing an effective instructional environment for our children. Our teachers truly appreciate the support that you give your child in his/her education while at home.
This year's formal Parent/Teacher Conference schedule is as follows:
Monday, October 20, 2025: 7:40 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday–Friday, October 21–24: 2:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
To request a meeting with your student's teachers, please use the link HERE to sign up. If you would like to meet with two teachers, we suggest you schedule back-to-back appointments using each teacher's link. However, if you would like to meet with three or more teachers, please call the front office at 760-294-5599, and we will coordinate a single meeting for the group, if possible. We are also offering a NEW option to schedule a telephone call rather than an in-person meeting when scheduling a conference. Finally, if you require a different date or time than we have listed, please do not hesitate to call the front office so that we may schedule something more convenient for you.
Class of 2026 — Eighth Grade Hoodies
We are excited to offer exclusive eighth grade hoodies to our Class of 2026 students for just $25! This will be the only opportunity to place an order this year. Orders can be placed through Friday, September 26th; unfortunately, we will not be able to accept orders after the deadline due to the production process. We hope to have hoodies available for distribution by the end of October. Every eighth grade student's name will appear on the back of the hoodie to create a "Class of 2026" image. The front of the hoodie will feature our white tiger logo and school name. To place your order, please click HERE. Note: The image shown on the order form is for reference and the year will be updated in production.
Eighth grade students will be allowed to wear their Class of 2026 hoodie any day of the week. This spirit wear exception is being made for the eighth grade students as a way of celebrating the Class of 2026 for the remainder of the school year.
Please contact the front office at 760-294-5599 if you have any questions.
Looking for a fun way to keep your daughter active on the Columbus Day school holiday? Does she want to learn about the new CIF sport of flag football? The Escondido Charter Flag Football program is hosting a fundraising clinic on Monday, October 13. This is a great chance for girls to learn the basics of the game, improve their skills, and have fun with their friends. We're offering the clinic for girls in grades 2 through 8. There are two options for the day: (1) Half-Day Clinic: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or (2) Full-Day Clinic: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Be sure to register your daughter by September 29 to ensure she gets a camp shirt! For more details and to sign up, please fill out the Google Form.
Calling all White Tigerettes. Come out and cheer with our ECHS Cheer team under the Friday Night Lights! Our fall cheer clinic will take place at Heritage Elementary School from Monday, September 15, to Thursday, September 18. Check in at 3:15, the clinic will begin at 3:30 and end at 5 pm. The White Tigerettes will cheer the first and second quarters of the varsity game on Friday, September 19th, at Orange Glen High School. We look forward to seeing you at our Fall Clinic! Sign up at this link.
Back-to-School Night
Join us on Thursday, September 18, 2025, for Back-to-School Night at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will start promptly in the East Valley Community Center located at 2245 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido, California, 92027, next to Heritage Junior High School. The event will conclude at 8:00 p.m.
Back-to-School "Luau" BBQ and Volunteer Procedures
Following Back-to-School Night, we will be having our Back-to-School BBQ for students and staff on Friday, September 19, 2025. During lunch, students may enjoy grilled hamburgers (vegetarian option available), hot dogs, chips, a dessert, and a water bottle. There is no cost for the BBQ other than a smile and possibly a thank you to the volunteers facilitating lunch. In keeping with the luau theme, students, staff, and parent volunteers are invited to wear a Hawaiian shirt for the day.
If you would like to volunteer, we would be more than happy to have you; however, we have a new process in place this year. Please download the application HERE, to be completed and returned to the front office along with some form of current government-issued photo identification (driver's license, passport, military ID, US or other governmental identification), to be scanned for a background check. Additionally, volunteers must read the AHCS Volunteer Handbook, which is the final page of the handbook. Please call the front office at 760-294-5599 with any questions or to express your interest in volunteering for the BBQ.
Wooden Wins
Each month we will be focusing on a virtue to develop the hearts and minds of our students. September’s virtue is Alertness, the ability to observe constantly, stay open-minded, and be eager to learn and improve. Here is a link to the poster. Please feel free to use this resource to speak to your kids about virtue at home. We will recognize our Self-Control and Alertness recipients at our Wooden Wins Assembly on October 3, 2025, in the East Valley Community Center (EVCC) Gym, adjacent to the HJHS campus.
Reminders
School Hours
Monday: 8:05 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Tuesday-Friday: 8:05 a.m. to 3:05 p.m.
Tutorial is offered Tuesday through Friday 3:10-3:50 p.m.
Punctuality Reminder
We need all of our parents’ support to ensure students arrive at school no later than 7:55 a.m. Students are able to arrive at school as early as 7:35 a.m. The expectation is for all students to be unpacked, seated, and ready to learn when the bell rings at 8:05 a.m. Being on time (or early!) is a sign of respect. Thanks for your support!
Drop-off and Pick-up
Enter at the southwest corner of the parking lot, drive straight to the East Valley Community Center, make a left and drive to the front of HJHS for drop-off/pick-up. See the traffic map here. Please be patient as the first few weeks are very busy.
Parents, please make sure that you are following our traffic pattern for drop-off and pick-up. Most of our families do a great job helping us by following the rules of the road in our drop-off and pick-up areas. Please note that these rules and regulations are in place to keep you, your students, and staff safe. Additionally, these guidelines are in place to keep our neighbors safe and able to use the roadways as designed. Please support us by following the rules and the law. We really appreciate your help!
Dress Code
All students are expected to wear uniforms. Please refer to the Heritage Junior High School Dress Code here for more details. Students may wear American Heritage Charter Schools (AHCS) spirit-wear every Friday. Please feel free to use this link to purchase uniform tops throughout the 2025-26 school year.
Tutorial
On August 26, 2025, HJHS started holding tutorials. Tutorial will be regularly held Tuesday through Friday after school from 3:10-3:50 p.m. Please use this linkfor reference. Students staying for tutorial, must remain on campus. They may not leave and come back to campus. If you would like to know if your student attended, please contact the front desk. We have students sign in every day for tutorial. If you need your student to leave early, then you must sign them out in the front office like a regular school day. Please note that tutorial is a privilege and students attending must be prepared to work on homework or ask for help. Tutorial will not run on modified or minimum days. Please feel encouraged to contact your student's teacher if you would like them to address specific needs.
Mark your calendars!
September 18: Back-to-School Night
September 19: Back-to-School BBQ and End of Grading Period
September 22: Half-Day (12:15 p.m. Dismissal)
September 22-26: FastBridge Testing
October 3: Wooden Wins Assembly
October 13: Columbus Day (No School)
October 17: End of Grading Period
October 20: Non-Student Day (No School) / Parent/Teacher Conferences
October 21 - 24: Parent/Teacher Conferences (2:10 p.m. Dismissal)
We appreciate you taking the time to read this important message. We want to encourage you to check for this email weekly and call the front office if you have any additional questions.
