Career Day Spirit Day THIS FRIDAY: Students are encouraged to dress up this Friday, January 30, representing their career ambitions. Let’s show some spirit and dress up as what we aspire to achieve through our SKILL and perseverance!

Action Item! Heritage Elementary Re-Enrollment: Parents of current students in kindergarten through 5th grade must complete the Heritage Elementary online re-enrollment form for the 2026-2027 school year no later than Thursday, February 5. Failure to complete the re-enrollment packet may result in current students losing their seat to lottery applicants for the 2026-2027 school year. 

Parents of Students in 6th Grade! Heritage Junior High School (HJHS) Enrollment: The parents of current 6th grade students should have received an email from HJHS last Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and must complete the Heritage Junior High School’s (HJHS) letter of intent and enrollment form. 

Scripps National Spelling Bee 2026: Heritage Elementary, Heritage Flex Academy, and Heritage Jr. High students in grades 1-8 have the opportunity to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Class, grade-level, and school-wide competitions will take place over the next two weeks. Participation in the spelling bee is completely optional. The 6th grade champions from Heritage Elementary will compete against 6-8 grade students from Heritage Flex Academy and Heritage Junior High School to select the top-speller from Heritage K-8 Charter Schools who will advance to the countywide spelling bee. Study lists for students are linked below. Mastering these challenging spelling bee words is a great opportunity for our super spellers to shine! Spelling Bee Study Lists are accessible here.

Delanos Soccer Academy: Coach Dario will be providing a 12-week soccer training session to students in grades 1-6 on Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15 p.m. starting February 11 and running through May 6. Check out the linked soccer flier for more information and how to register. Please note online registration begins on Monday, January 26.

Lost and Found: Our Lost and Found is overflowing! If you are missing a jacket, water bottle, or lunch box, please come take a look! Near the beginning of February, all Lost and Found jackets will be donated to the Used Uniform Swap. As we begin the new semester, please take the time to label all of your child’s belongings. Labeling items, especially sweatshirts and water bottles, makes it much easier to return to the correct owner.

Final Weeks for School Uniform Donations: We are planning for winter used uniform swap and could use some more donations. Please donate clean and gently-used school uniforms to our school. Given the colder temperatures, receiving pants, sweatshirts, and jackets will be especially helpful. All used school uniform items that remain in good repair will be gladly accepted and happily redistributed to Heritage families.

Breakfast and Lunch Service: Check out the calendar below for the monthly menu(s). Please remember to pack a healthy snack and water bottle for each day this week!

• Leggings or tights can be worn under shorts, skorts, and skirts but must be either solid navy blue, white, or maroon.
• All bottoms must be a uniform type material. No denim, jeans, sweats, leggings (worn as pants), cargo pants, or sweatpants are permitted.
• Sweaters, sweatshirts, and hoodies must be either solid navy blue, white, or maroon.
• On especially cold days, outerwear (in the form of winter jackets, parkas, and rain jackets) can be any color but may only be worn outside.

February Consortio:  We are delighted to invite you to Consortio: Partnering with Parents, a monthly gathering designed to inspire, encourage, and support you in your parenting and educational journey. Please join us on Wednesday, February 18 at 8:30 a.m. in the 1845/TK Building for our Teacher Spotlight: "Lessons that Inspire at Home and at School." Our own Mr. John Class—a Heritage Elementary School parent and Heritage Flex Academy teacher—will share practical insights and meaningful encouragement for families. Enjoy a time of wisdom, discussion, and connection with fellow parents. Children are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there! If you have any questions, please contact Jill at jthomas@amhcs.org

Walk-off Authorization Forms: If your child will be walking home after school, a Walk-off Authorization Form will need to be completed and kept on file in the front office. All authorization forms must be approved by the Principal before students will be permitted to walk off campus, so please submit this form to the front office as soon as possible.

Attention Parents of 6th-Graders! It’s time to prepare for seventh grade! Students entering seventh grade in August 2025 are required by California law to submit proof that they have received the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine booster. Personal beliefs exemptions are no longer accepted. For medical exemptions, you must submit a valid CAIR medical exemption obtained through the State’s medical exemption program. Please bring your child’s updated immunization record to the Heritage office before the start of 7th grade. For more information, you can visit the California Department of Public Health "Shots for Schools" website or the San Diego Health and Human Services Agency" Immunization Requirements for Childcare and Schools.” If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Garcia at nurse@amhcs.org. 

Developing skills requires a commitment to "back-to-the-basics." Whether in academics, the arts, or athletics, true excellence is built upon a foundation of well-practiced habits. By focusing on skill, our students learn that greatness is not an accident—it is the result of intentional, repetitive, and high-quality effort.

In the classroom, skill looks like:

• Mastery of Fundamentals: Knowing math facts by heart, utilizing proper grammar, and practicing elegant penmanship.
• Precision and Speed: Being able to perform tasks correctly and efficiently without having to stop and "overthink" every step.
• Refinement: Taking a good piece of work and making it better through careful editing and attention to detail.

For our classical education approach, skill is deeply rooted in the Grammar Stage of the Trivium. This is the season where students master the "tools of learning"—the fundamental rules, facts, and methods that allow them to eventually engage in complex reasoning and beautiful expression.

Ways Our Students Are Practicing Skill

This month, as we begin the second semester, our students are "sharpening their tools" through these specific actions:

• Setting Semester Goals: Students in all grades are identifying one specific academic skill (such as reading fluency, cursive, or long division) they want to master by the end of the term.
• The "Art of the Start": We are revisiting classroom routines and procedures to ensure we can execute the fundamentals of our school day (like transitions and morning recitations) quickly and with excellence.
• Writing Mastery: In our upper grades, students are focusing on the skill of the "well-developed paragraph" or WDP, ensuring every sentence has a specific purpose and every word is chosen with care.
• Musical and Physical Fundamentals: In PE and Music classes, students are practicing the core movements and notes that serve as the building blocks for more complex performances later this spring.

Practicing Skill at School  and Home

We encourage families to help students build mastery by focusing on the "how" just as much as the "what":

• Focus on Fundamentals: When helping with homework, emphasize the importance of the basics: neat handwriting, correct spelling, and clear margins.
• Quality Over Quantity: It is better to do five math problems perfectly than twenty with careless errors. Encourage your child to take pride in the "craft" of their work.
• Embrace Repetition: Remind your child that "practice makes permanent." Repeating a difficult task correctly builds the "muscle memory" needed for true skill.

Family Activities to Build Skill:

• The "Master Chef" Night: Choose a simple recipe and focus on the skill of cooking, such as measuring precisely, chopping safely, or following instructions in the exact order.
• Skill Exchange: Have each family member teach a "mini-lesson" on a skill they possess (e.g., tying a specific knot, drawing a bird, or a specific soccer move).
• Review the Basics: Spend 10 minutes a night playing "flashcard games" for math or vocabulary to help fundamentals become second nature.
• Read Together: Explore stories of people who spent years mastering their craft. For titles that emphasize skill and mastery, look for: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Picture Book Edition), and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

"You must be able to execute the fundamentals properly and quickly. To do this, you must be mastered by them—they must become second nature." —Coach John Wooden

Affirmations for SKILL and Memory Work for January:

• I am skillful.
• I have an open mind, open ears, and an eagerness to learn.
• I am willing to put forth hard work and practice in order to reach my goals.