Thankfully, the weather cooperated with our school schedule this past week, allowing us to dodge the rain during recess and lunch! It has been another action-packed week on campus with students diving into enriching activities that bring their lessons to life.
Highlights from the Week
Greek Week: Our sixth-grade students concluded their festivities on Tuesday. We started the morning and closed out Greek Week with spirited city-state chants and a true celebration of sportsmanship. It is wonderful to see our oldest students engaging with the past to better understand the world they live in today.
Fleet Science Center: Also on Tuesday, our third-graders visited the Fleet Science Center. They immersed themselves in hands-on scientific concepts—including some literal immersion in the ball pit!
Sports Spirit Day: Friday’s sports-themed day showcased the diverse athletic interests of our students. From soccer and baseball to Olympic pursuits like gymnastics and hockey, it was a joy to see the wide range of passions that make our student body so unique.
As we enter the final week of February, we maintain our focus on Team Spirit, the virtue of the month. Across American Heritage Charter Schools, Team Spirit isn’t just about cheering from the sidelines. We want Team Spirit to be about (1) recognizing that a victory for one student is a victory for the whole class; (2) working together to solve problems, whether it's a complex math equation or a conflict on the field, and (3) ensuring every student feels they have a spot on the team, regardless of their individual interests or talents. When our students practice Team Spirit, they learn that individual effort is vital, but we go even further when we go together.
The Week Ahead
We have several exciting events on the horizon:
Spring Picture Day on Wednesday: Students may come to school in free dress. Please take a moment to review our “Dress for Success” guidelines [linked here] to ensure all outfits remain conducive to a learning environment.
Professional Development: A group of our teachers and administrators from across the organization will be traveling to the Classical Learning Symposium in Arizona. We are committed to constantly refining our approach to classical education and investing in the growth of our team to better serve our students.
Thank you for your continued support and for being an essential part of our team. Go White Tigers!
Yours in learning, Marc Gilbertson
Important Announcements:
Spring Pictures on Wednesday: Spring Picture Day is coming up on Wednesday, February 25. Students may wear “free dress;” however, please remember to adhere to the Heritage Elementary Dress for Success guidelines.
Breakfast Reminder: Our free breakfast and lunch program has been a blessing to so many families this school year! To help your child start the day right, please ensure he or she arrives at the MPR by 7:50 a.m. We stop serving at this time to give students enough time to reach their classroom and finish their meal before school starts at 8:00 a.m. Thank you for helping us keep our mornings running smoothly.
Last Call! 6th Grade Yearbook Dedications: Only five spaces for dedications remain in the yearbook before they sell out, so get your order in here. Send your 6th grader into middle school with a warm and encouraging message for him or her on our dedications page in the yearbook. Dedications only cost $20 for 1/4 of a page in our Heritage Elementary yearbook.
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.
Dr. Seuss Day: In honor of Dr. Seuss Day/Read Across America Day on Monday, March 2, students can come dressed as a whimsical Dr. Seuss character or put together a wacky, mismatched outfit. We can’t wait to see your creativity!
Read Across the School Challenge: Celebrate National Reading Month with a reading streak! All students who score 100% on three Accelerated Reader quizzes within their reading level during the month of March will earn an exclusive Read Across America brag tag and a Panda Express meal coupon. Let the reading commence!
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: As we approach our Used Uniform Swap on March 23, we are asking for your help to stock our shelves. If your student has outgrown their gear, please consider donating it to a fellow Heritage family. Since the weather is still chilly, we are especially looking for pants, sweatshirts, and jackets. Every item donated is given away for free, helping our community stay prepared and sustainable!
Join the Crew!: Parents, we need your help to make our uniform swap a success. We're looking for volunteers to organize donations (sorting by size and gender) and staff the swap table after school on March 23. Whether you have 30 minutes or two hours, we’d love to have you! Please call or stop by the main office to let us know you can help. Thank you!
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!
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!
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: Rafeea in Ms. Luis's class, Jimena in Mrs. Martineau's class, Rafaella in Mrs. Scarpello's class, Anapaula in Mrs. Seavello's class, Cami in Ms. Hoffman's class, Gabriel in Mrs. Lemus's class, and Marly in Mrs. Lau'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.
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!
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.
