Weekly News 2/17/23

Some great quotes from African Americans:

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.” —Rosa Parks

“Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” —Dr. Mae Jemison, first African-American female astronaut

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress” —Frederick Douglass

Join Advanced High School drama in, “I’m Getting Murdered in the Morning” a murder mystery dinner. Showtimes are March 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at 7:00pm. With the purchase of your ticket, you get a three-course meal and a show. Tickets are limited and sell out fast! Purchase yours HERE.

A special request from Heritage Maricopa parents:

We are making great progress collecting signatures to bring a new Heritage Academy Elementary campus to Maricopa! We have collected 500 signatures and are halfway to our goal of 1,000.

We only have 3 weeks left to reach our goal and we still need help collecting interest forms. If you are willing to help and want to join our committee, please reach out to Jenny Webster and Cammi Bates at haelementarytomaricopa@gmail.com.

Please join our Facebook group HERE

And sign our online interest form HERE

Wow! We have been able to collect 188 boxes total now of tissues for the school! NJHS would like to thank all the parents that have donated. This is where we stand…

Current Leaders: 

Hettinger: 97 boxes

Sims: 60 boxes

Ford: 54 boxes

Heritage Academy Maricopa has formed a Trap and Skeet Club and we’re looking for scholars grades 9 through 12 to join our team! Whether you’re a seasoned trap and skeet athlete or a beginner, we welcome you to come and learn the sport of trap, skeet, sporting clays, and 5-stand in a safe and responsible environment.

Scholars will learn a new skill they can enjoy for a lifetime, make lasting friendships, and compete against scholars from other high schools’ teams across the nation.

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to be a part of the fastest growing and safest high school sport in the country! 

Learn more and JOIN TODAY click HERE!

We will be participating in State Testing April 3-6.   Please take a look at the schedule as not every grade level is testing every day.  The scholars come only on the day they are testing otherwise they will have assignments in Google Classroom as we will be virtually learning that week.  We will also send out reminders as the testing week approaches.

Please take note:

• Any scholar arriving later than 8:15 am will not be allowed into the testing room and will have to make up the test on Thursday afternoon. Please plan any appointments in the afternoons for that week.
• There will be NO makeup testing for ACT.  
• My Hot Lunch Box will NOT be serving lunches on those days. Please cancel your orders for that week.

Last weekend our very own Heritage Harmonics (Morning Choir) went to the annual Jazz Mad Choir Festival in Flagstaff AZ. This festival attracts over 2000 students from over 120 schools (from the Valley and beyond) all there to participate in the creation of great choral music.

The Harmonics were able to attend many inspirational performances (including our sister schools Heritage Mesa and Heritage Lavine). They were also able to perform their own music and received a score of 29 out of 35 possible points and were given an “excellent” rating (Just 2 points away from a “superior”). The rating scale is as follows… 1: Superior (31-35), 2: Excellent (24-30), 3: Good (17-23), 4: Needs Improvement (0-16).

“I am very proud of the amazing and talented scholars in Harmonics. Our score reflects a lot of hard work and dedication, and I am very happy with our results. I loved how well our scholars responded to the experience. They respectfully observed other schools’ performances, listening intently to what the professional musicians said. When it came time for their performance, they performed to the best of their ability and humbly accepted both praise and critique from our clinician” – Mr. Bunker

The crowning performance of the event was from NAU’s “Shrine of Ages Choir” and the guest performance of an international acapella group called “Accent”. The choir looks forward to returning to the festival for years to come.

Here are few comments from scholars:

Ryah Wilkinson

Jazz mad was amazing because we all made personal connections that wouldn’t have happened otherwise

Carleigh Mrosko

It was awesome how we got to listen to other groups and hear the advice they got, so we can have ideas on things we could do better. I learned the difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants and the incredible difference it makes when singing. I’ve grown to be more aware of the words in singing. My favorite part was getting to hang out with everyone. And getting to go to Accent’s performance. And playing in the snow.

Delaney Fortier

It was a great way to strengthen our bond as a choir and learn about how we sound as a group by getting an opinion from a professional. I think our critique gave us valuable information that will help lead us to getting a superior next year. Personally, my favorite part was getting to see the Shrine of Ages choir because they had such a beautiful, moving sound, and they really inspired me to want to continue singing in a choir.

Cooper Price

I think it was good to have a clinic to tell us thing that we could do better at because sometimes we can’t see it ourselves. Personally, I would have never even considered the facts that our consonants weren’t coming through as well as we thought.

11th grade citizenship scholars’ with Mr. Hamblin hand-sewed magnets into cloths, so that teachers can have whiteboard erasers that don’t fall on the

Lucas, Chloe and Lorelei Adams in their NHS project. They taught art and origami to elementary children at Pathway for a week.

Mr. Hamblin’s 11th grade citizenship scholars hand-sewed magnets into cloths, so that teachers can have whiteboard erasers that don’t fall on the floor. What a great idea!

DRIVELINE REMINDER!

PLEASE remember that 0ur driveline is being monitored closely this year.  No one can park on the street outside of our campus before the driveline.  Parents must park in our “cell phone lot” until our gates are open at 3:15. Our city and our neighbors need your cooperation.

***MARTIAL ARTS***

Over 380 competitors from Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and a few other places around the Western US joined us at ASU for a Regional ATA Martial Arts tournament February 11. Preston C. (1st in Forms and Sparring), Amare A. (2nd in forms) and Caleb A. (1st in Forms and Sparring) represented Maricopa and Heritage Academy and earned some hardware whilst their families cheered them on. Examples of excellence, determination and leadership. Way to go #NinjaHeroes ! – Master Feiles

***LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS****

If you have time and are willing to help we have lots of open slots for our home games coming up. We would greatly appreciate your help.  Every service helps our Heroes be presented at their best.

Click HERE to help out.

SCHOLARS SHOULD NOT BE SIGNED OUT BETWEEN 2:30-3:30 PM

Need to schedule an appointment for your scholar during school hours? We ask that you try and schedule appointments on Fridays when the scholars are out of school.  We know this isn’t always possible due to days and hours of operation, however due to our driveline, we are not able to sign scholars out after 2:30 pm.  If you have an appointment for your scholar, we will need you to pick them up before 2:30 pm or wait until school is out to pick up your scholar.  

From Powder Puffs to Clouds of Dust

Playing the Game So She Can Be a Part of the Game 

by John Hill

 Big Game Equals Big Dreams

As we all watched our state host the Super Bowl this past weekend, a lot of kids were dreaming. Dreaming of one day playing in the big game; dreaming of scoring the winning TD; dreaming of simply being a part of the big game. But to have the dream of being a part of the game at the highest level you need to be a part of the game at some level.

For Heritage Academy Maricopa’s 8th grade Hailey Mattson, the highest level of the game she aspires to is NFL commentator. Her dream of being a part of the game of football as a commentator means she needs to be a part of the game of football as a player, which is currently the junior high tackle football team at Heritage Academy.

“She’s smart,” said assistant coach Mel Liggett. “She knows that the best football commentators, those that know the game inside and out, are the ones that played the game. You have to play the game to be able to talk about it.” Hailey is not looking to be a sideline reporter like most female broadcasters. She wants to be in the booth. She is playing the game as a middle schooler right now so she can intelligently talk about it as a professional in the future.

Dreamers, Doubters & Doers

It would be easy for Hailey to simply have a dream of making it as an NFL commentator and to sit idly and keep dreaming. But for Hailey it is less about the dreaming and more about the doing. She was not satisfied in only being a part of the all-girls Powder Puff flag football team. She wanted to be a part of the otherwise all boys tackle team. And despite the naysayers and doubters, she took action on doing what she wanted and tried out for the team. She not only made the squad but became a starter and every down player on offense as a tight end.

According to her mom Deidre Mattson, Hailey being a dreamer turned doer is par for the course. “Hailey is definitely a doer. If she puts her mind to something she will do whatever it takes to accomplish it. There is nothing this girl thinks she cannot do or won’t try” According to student assistant coach Yannick Gatlin, “She’s 100% all in. Great player. Lots of heart. The other players do not even see her as a girl. They treat her as an equal.”

But that was not always the case. Many doubted her along the way or underestimated her to their peril. In practice the team runs a drill in a confined space where it is one player with the ball against two other players on defense. “You can go hit this guy, or you can go hit that guy,” explained coach Liggett. The strategy is to identify the weaker player and take him (or her) on in trying to break through to score. In the beginning, most of the boys chose to run at Hailey – the supposed weaker player as a girl. “But they learned really quick – the fact she is a girl doesn’t matter.”

When asked if she feels people doubt her, Hailey paused for a few seconds and reflected, “They think I can’t do it because I’m a girl, but I show them I can do it.” And when I asked her how it feels when she makes the tackle on a ball carrier and proves everyone wrong, she absolutely beamed and gave an emphatic answer. One word – “Amazing!”

Impact Player: On and Off The Field

Hailey’s joy in playing the game is palpable. But her impact goes beyond her hits on the ball carrier. In every game she plays, she impacts players on the other team with her pads and girls everywhere with her story. When asked what impact she wants to have on other girls, Hailey flashed her familiar warm smile and said, “To show them it is not just a boy sport, and they can do it too. I tell myself I can do it, and I can accomplish whatever I hold my mind to do, and so can they.” For girls (or boys) who might worry about what others think, Hailey’s advice is simple: “Do what you want to do.”

Actions Speak Louder Than Words Dreams

Dreams can come true, but you have to make them actionable by putting in the work. You have to ignore the naysayers. You have to focus on the steps you need to take to get where you want to go. A super dream does not come true by accident or all at once. You have to have a plan and be more doer than dreamer.

Hailey Mattson has a plan for where she wants to go, and she knows how she is going to get there. The sky’s the limit, and it is a cloudless sky (except for the cloud of dust after one of her plays!). Everything is crystal clear and shines brightly like her smile.

I have no doubt that I’ll be watching the Super Bowl one day and I will see Hailey Mattson expertly commentating on the game. And how will that make me feel as one of her former teachers? One word: Amazing!

Hailey Mattson is an 8th grader at Heritage Academy Maricopa. She was in John Hill’s 7th grade English class last year. Her persuasive essay for that class was titled “Football Is For Boys AND Girls.” Mr. Hill plans to submit the essay to The New York Times student competition this spring. Hailey’s final game for the junior high tackle football team is Friday, February 16 @ Heroes Field.

CLICK HERE to check the website of The College Funding Coach

Register for the FREE educational workshop HERE

2022-2023 COURSE FEES

MySchoolBucks is our payment system for course fees and to make purchases through the school store.

To create your account go to MySchoolBucks.com and follow these instructions:

1. Click “Sign Up Free”
2. Follow the step by step instructions to add our school and your scholars to your account.  Our district is Heritage Academy Inc.  
3. Click on “School Store” on the top menu bar for a list of options.

4. If you click on “Store Home” it will take you to where you can purchase items like a parking permit, pay your PTO dues, or rent your choir robes.
5. If you click on “School Invoices” this is where your current course fees and end of year school balances from last year will be listed.  You will be able to make a payment right through this system!

REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR LUNCH!! 
NO OUTSIDE FOOD IS ALLOWED

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR SCHOLAR 

DID YOU ORDER LUNCH? 

HERE ARE A FEW REMINDERS:  

1. Change your scholars grade level under your profile.
2. Communicate with your scholar if you ordered lunch for them so they know to pick it up.
3. If a lunch is ordered and not picked up during lunch time, it will be donated.
4. If your scholar is absent, cancel the order or contact the front office if you want it saved by 10:00 am, otherwise it will be donated.
5. If you want a friend to pick up your lunch, it must be communicated to the front office by 10:00 am so the records can be updated.

DRESS CODE REMINDERS

Khaki pants need to be cream, beige, or khaki in color (according to the chart below).  The colors that are crossed out in red are not approved.