Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! Alta Loma Junior High is a special place with a long tradition of excellence in academics, and a tradition for being a favorite among students. This is largely due to an incredibly student-centered, caring staff that makes it a priority to put kids first and connect with them both in and outside of the classroom, and to you, our outstanding parent community. I am honored and privileged to write to you as the principal of Alta Loma Junior High. It is our goal to continue the tradition of excellence that has been the hallmark of Alta Loma Junior High School.

This year in particular, we are taking great strides to improve student opportunities and academic excellence. We have more than doubled the amount of eighth grade students who will be taking Algebra I coursework.  Working in collaboration with the local high schools, Alta Loma Junior High is committed to making sure that more and more students are prepared and have the opportunity to take advanced mathematics courses at the high school  level. To help facilitate this change, we have created our elective Boost class to provide extra time and support to those students who have been recommended by their teachers.  We are also offering our on-line courses to all of our seventh and eighth grade students to help prepare them for the challenges of both algebra readiness and algebra I skills. These courses can be accessed at www.learningupgrade.com.   Students will be given a user name and password at the start of school.  Students will love our incentives attached to the program!

Another program to access at home is directly related to the Accelerated Reader point expectations associated with each language arts class. Using the internet based Renaissance Home  Connect, you can access information about what your student is doing at school. It allows the teacher, you, and your student to share information about progress in Accelerated Reader. You can view Renaissance Home Connect by logging in to https://Hosted207.renlearn.com/711687/HomeConnect. Your student will come home with a letter describing the process as well as providing a user name and password. If you would like to receive emails showing your student’s quiz or test results, click the Email Setup link in Renaissance Home Connect and follow the directions. To make sure emails reach your inbox, add homeconnectautodelivery@renlearnrp.com to your address book. If you have questions regarding your student’s log-in information, please contact his/her language arts teacher.

For those of you new to our school, ALJHS is a wonderful community school with an active Parent Teacher Student Association. We encourage you to get involved through the elected positions available on our School Site Council, or through PTSA membership. We know that our partnership with you, the community, is essential in helping our students achieve their potential. We invite you to take a personal interest in your child's studies, homework, and attend activities to stay informed such as Back to School Night on August 14. This is an important opportunity for you to meet your student's teachers, learn their expectations, and be informed of all the ways that you can assist and monitor the progress of your child.

We encourage you to check the website often to access our monthly Pow-Wow Newsletter, the Helping Student's Learn newsletter, Parent Handbook, and Calendar for upcoming events and activities. You'll also want to access individual Teacher Websites for classroom information and to monitor student grades throughout the year. As always, my door is open and I invite you to visit, share your ideas and expertise, or just say hello. Here's to a great year in a great place to be. I look forward to meeting you soon.

Sincerely,