Saddleback welcomes a new class

Story and photos by Mark Silvas

 

On Wednesday June 4, 2015 Saddleback High School welcomed the incoming freshmen class to the gym to show what our school is all about and to showcase the extracurricular activities that Saddleback has to offer.  The incoming class had the chance to to sign up for the activities they wanted.

The parents and students were welcomed in with a performance by the band while staff and administration greeted them. Among the staff was Saddleback’s new principal, Mr. Ed Bustamante, who introduced himself to students and parents at the event.

 

After everyone was settled in, Dr. Robert Laxton, our current principal, let the parents know in a slideshow what kind of environment Saddleback is and where the school is going in the next few years. Following the slideshow was a performance by the dance and cheer teams.

Librarian Mrs. Valerie Glover who helped organize the event said, “The ninth grade parent meeting is to show parents and the community what Saddleback has to offer in academic programs, pathways, and extracurricular activities.” Glover added, “Students and their parents can choose what high school they will attend, and we hope they will choose Saddleback.”

The event was put on to benefit the incoming class before they enter high school, “Freshmen will know they will be coming to a great school for them that has many opportunities they can take advantage of,” said Glover. “We hope students who want to be college and career ready will come to Saddleback High School to develop skills that will prepare them for the future.”

Saddleback Partners with Parents

By Valeria Muñoz-Vera

Photos by Valeria Muñoz-Vera

Bright and early on May 16, 2013, parents of students from all grades arrived at the Saddleback campus to attend the fourth annual Parent Partner Conference. The meeting was divided in order to give accurate information to both parents of students currently attending the school and the parents of eighth graders, next year’s Roadrunners.

The different sessions were led by Mrs. Holga Henderson, Higher Education Coordinator, Mrs. Nancy Villarreal and Mrs. Stephanie Sachs, both counselors, and Ms. Carolina Gonzalez, Community and Family Outreach Liaison. Parents were invited for refreshments before the presentations began and were able to enjoy the performances of the Cheer Team and Dance Team throughout the day.

 

 

Henderson held a presentation in the library.  The topic was the cost of a higher education and the requirements to move onto college. Seniors Xosthan Abarca, Jesus Garcia, Steven Mejia, and Junior Christian Islas gave their testimonies of how to successfully get through high school and onto a higher education.

Gonzalez and Julie Anderson, Outreach Consultant, held another presentation in the Forum regarding the school website and Aeries for grades. They also discussed the relationship between economic status people and level of education they receive. The higher education people receive, they explained, the better economic and social status they will have. The purpose of the presentation was to let the parents know how much better of the students will be if they attain a higher education.

After the presentations, the parents got to watch the video which was shown to the students this past week regarding bullying and staying on task. Mr. Gerardo Correa, assistant principal of guidance, believes that the “presentations were informative and parents got a lot out of them.” Gonzalez shared that, “It went pretty good. I would of been happy with more parent participation. I’m still happy that the parents came and got good information about the school.”