I hope everyone enjoyed a restful and reflective Presidents' Day weekend. It was a fitting moment to pause and honor the legacies of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and all who have shaped our nation’s history. In the spirit of classical learning, we look to these figures not just as names in a book, but as models of character and civic duty.
Even with a short week, Heritage Elementary was alive with the energy of discovery. Our 6th graders officially kicked off Greek Week with a vibrant opening ceremony. Adorned in their city-state colors, students participated in games and challenges that brought the Greek mythology and the history of the Mediterranean to life. This wasn't just about competition; it was a perfect display of Team Spirit, the current virtue on our Pyramid of Success. Watching our 6th graders cheer for their fellow "citizens" reminded us that the strength of the community lies in its unity and shared purpose.
Meanwhile, our 1st graders ventured out to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The crisp, cool weather on Thursday provided ideal conditions for observing animals in their naturalistic habitats. For many of our White Tigers, this was their first time experiencing this world-class treasure right in our own backyard!
The Week Ahead
The momentum continues as we transition into another busy four-day school week:
3rd Grade Field Trip: Our students head to the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park to explore the wonders of the physical world.
Friday is Sports Spirit Day: Students are encouraged to wear jerseys representing their favorite sports teams.
Whether it is through scientific inquiry or showing pride for a favorite team, let’s continue to cultivate that "eagerness for the success of the whole" that defines our school community.
From all of us at Heritage Elementary, we hope you have a wonderful week. Go White Tigers!
Yours in learning, Marc Gilbertson
Important Announcements:
Presidents' Day Weekend: School will be closed on Friday, February 13 as we honor President Lincoln’s birthday and Monday, February 16 for Presidents’ Day. We hope you enjoy the extended four-day weekend, and we look forward to having everyone back on Tuesday, February 17.
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.
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. Online registration is now open.
February is the Month to Explore Museums: Families can get 50% off regular admission to over 70 museums in San Diego County during San Diego Museum Month. You can pick up your passes at any San Diego County Library or download them straight to your phone. If you appreciate old maritime vessels, sea life, art, even comic art, music, history, gardens, cars, trains or archeology, there is a museum or attraction for you. Click here
to find out more information and to see the complete list of museums that are participating.
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.
Art Supplies Requested: Mrs. Morgan needs your help collecting empty 16 oz. plastic water bottles for upcoming projects in her art classes. Parents may send these donations to school with their children or drop off supplies in the main office. Thanks in advance!
Breakfast and Lunch Service: Check out the calendar below for the monthly menu. Please remember to pack a healthy snack and water bottle for each day this week!
Dress Code Reminder: During the colder months, please be reminded of the following dress code expectations:
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.
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.
Reminder for Parents of Kindergartners: Headed to the doctor or dentist for your student's check-up? State law requires that all kindergartners have an oral health examination (dental exam) and a recommended health checkup from a doctor during their first year in school. When your child goes in for a dental checkup, please have the dentist fill out an Oral Health Assessment Form. When your child sees the doctor for an exam, please have the doctor fill out a School Entry Health Checkup Form. These forms are also available in the Heritage office. Completed dental forms are due by May 28, 2026. Completed health forms are due by November 1, 2026. Please contact Nurse Garcia at nurse@amhcs.org
if you have any questions.
Wooden Wins! Pyramid of Success
Virtue of the Month: Team Spirit
Throughout February, Heritage Elementary School will focus on TEAM SPIRIT, a powerful block near the center of Coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Coach Wooden defined Team Spirit as "an eagerness to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the welfare of all." It is the transition from thinking about "Me" to thinking about "We."
Team Spirit is built on a foundation of selflessness. It is the willingness to help a teammate succeed, to cheer for a peer’s accomplishment, and to understand that our classroom community is strongest when we support one another. After our inspiring participation in the Great Kindness Challenge during the last week of January, Team Spirit is the natural next step: turning those individual acts of kindness into a permanent culture of mutual support.
In the classroom, Team Spirit looks like:
Celebrating Others: Offering genuine praise when a classmate masters a difficult concept or gives a great presentation.
Collaborative Learning: Working together in groups where every voice is heard and the goal is the success of the entire team.
Shared Responsibility: Stepping in to help a friend clean up a spill or organize materials without being asked.
For our classical education approach, Team Spirit reflects the concept of the Common Good. We learn not just for our own sake, but so that we may better serve our community. In a classical setting, the classroom is a civitas (a small city) where we practice the virtues of friendship and fellowship to pursue truth together.
Ways Our Students Are Practicing Team Spirit
Following the momentum of the Great Kindness Challenge, our students are putting the team first through these specific actions:
Kindness in Motion: Building on January's challenge, students are continuing their "Kindness Checklists," focusing on how their individual kind words create a positive "team atmosphere" in the hallways, playgrounds, and classrooms.
Socratic Support: During seminars, students are practicing the "Team Spirit" of dialogue by listening intently to others’ ideas and helping their peers clarify their thoughts rather than just trying to be the "right" one.
Playground Partnership: In PE and during recess, students are focusing on inclusive play, ensuring that everyone is invited into the game and that sportsmanship is valued over the final score.
Classroom Stewardship: Many classes are working toward a "Team Goal" (such as a tidy classroom or a no-tardy streak), learning that every individual's contribution is necessary for the group to succeed.
Practicing Team Spirit at School and Home
We encourage families to nurture this "We over Me" mindset through these daily habits:
Be a "Bucket Filler": Encourage your child to share one "team win" at the dinner table such as something great a classmate or sibling did that day.
Supportive Listening: Practice giving full attention when a family member is speaking, showing that their thoughts are valuable to the "home team."
Shared Success: Remind your child that when one person in the family or class succeeds, the whole team succeeds.
Family Activities to Build Team Spirit
Family Service Project: Choose a small way to serve your neighborhood together, such as picking up litter at a local park or making cards for a senior center.
The "Co-op" Challenge: Play a cooperative board game or a puzzle where the players work together against the game itself, rather than against each other.
Team Chores: Set a timer and see how quickly the whole family can clean a common area together, emphasizing that "many hands make light work."
Read Together: Explore stories of great teams and loyal friendships. Recommended titles include: The Invisible Boy
by Trudy Ludwig, and Swimmy
by Leo Lionni and, for older audiences, check out The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation).
"The team that has the most Team Spirit will usually win. And by Team Spirit, I mean the player who is more concerned with who gets the credit than with who gets the basket." —Coach John Wooden
Affirmations for TEAM SPIRIT and Memory Work for February:
I have Team Spirit.
I am considerate and respectful of others.
I am willing to put “we” above “me.”
I sacrifice my own personal interest for the good of the team.
Campus Culture:
Homework Stars: Congratulations to our Homework Stars: Mehki in Mrs. Conti's class, Blakely in Mrs. Greiner's class, Matias in Mrs. Drum's class, Emma in Mrs. Marler's class, Janelle in Miss Goodman's class, Elsa in Ms. Stewart's class, Mikayla in Mr. Greiner's class, and Melanie in Ms. Hellinger's class. These students have consistently completed all of their homework! Keep up the good work, White Tigers!
Yearbook Purchase: You may purchase the 2025-2026 Heritage Elementary yearbook here
for $37. We will have a limited number of copies available this year. Please contact us at (760) 737-3111 with any questions or concerns.
6th Grade Yearbook Dedications: Send your 6th grader into middle school with a warm and encouraging message for them on our dedications page in the yearbook. Dedications only cost $20 for 1/4 of a page in our Heritage Elementary yearbook. Spaces are limited, so get your order in before spaces run out.
Calling on Volunteers! There are so many ways parents, grandparents, and family members can get involved to support our students and the school. For instance, we would love to have volunteers to participate during school BBQs and events, lead student reading groups during the school day, help supervise during recess or lunch, copy papers or assemble packets for teachers, and so much more. Interested in being a contributing member of our school community? Please contact the main office at (760) 737-3111.
Mark your calendars!
Monday, February 16: Presidents' Day (school closed)
Friday, February 20: College and Sports Spirit Day
Wednesday, February 25: Spring Photo Day (Free Dress Day)
Monday, March 2: Dr. Seuss and Mismatch Spirit Day
Friday, March 13: End of Second (Midterm) Grading Period
Monday, March 16: Minimum Day (12:00 noon dismissal)
Our mission is to develop the hearts and minds of students with a rigorous core curriculum, with a perspective that cherishes timeless virtues and the American spirit.
