Eagle Families,

Homecoming Week is finally here! This is one of the most exciting weeks of the year at Pasadena High School a time to celebrate our traditions, our school spirit, and the incredible students who make our campus special. From Spirit Week and Career Day to the PSAT/SAT School Day, Pep Rally, Homecoming Football Game, and Homecoming Dance, this week is filled with opportunities for students to create memories that will last a lifetime. 

I encourage all to participate, get involved, and show their Eagle Pride. Dress up for Spirit Days. Attend the Pep Rally. Support your classmates at the Homecoming Game. Enjoy the Homecoming Dance. Most importantly, take pride in being part of something bigger than yourself.

High school passes quickly. The friendships, traditions, celebrations, and memories made during weeks like this are often the moments students remember years after graduation. My hope is that every Eagle takes advantage of the opportunities this week provides.

Why Attendance Matters

There is something I have always believed as an educator:

We can teach students math, science, reading, technical skills, and prepare them for college and careers. However, one of the most important life lessons we can teach our children is the responsibility of showing up, showing up on time, and being dependable every single day.

That lesson follows students long after they leave PHS. Employers value it. Colleges expect it. Scholarships, internships, careers, and future opportunities all depend on a person's ability to be present and dependable.

Simply put:

Parents, please help us by checking attendance in Skyward, ensuring students arrive before 7:10 AM, and encouraging them to be present and engaged each day.

Let's make this a week filled with school spirit, academic success, and unforgettable memories.

Eagle Pride Never Dies!

TUESDAY 10/19: Homeroom

Eagles, Wednesday is more than just another testing day it's an opportunity to invest in your future.

Whether you are taking the SAT, PSAT, or a Mock SAT, every assessment provides valuable information about your academic strengths, college readiness, and next steps after high school. The schoolwide PSAT/SAT testing day is scheduled for October 21. 

These assessments help:

Be Ready for Success

Remember, this is not about being perfect. It is about showing up, being prepared, and doing your best.

Homecoming Dance Emerald Evening

As your principal, I want to take a moment to share something that concerns me deeply. We are reaching a point in the semester where many of our students are at serious risk of losing credit for classes they are actually passing, simply because of attendance. I do not want any student or parent to be surprised when this happens.

Parents and students, please understand that there is a difference between daily attendance, class attendance, and truancy.

A student may have great overall attendance but still lose credit for an individual class. Texas law requires students to attend at least 90% of each class to earn credit. This is calculated by CLASS PERIOD, not by whether your student was counted present for the school day.

For example, we have students who come to school almost every day but consistently arrive late and miss 1st period. Our school day begins at 7:10 AM. If your student arrives after 7:30 AM, they are marked ABSENT for 1st period, not tardy. Those absences add up, even if they attend every other class that day.

Under our attendance procedures:

Think about that. Your child could have a 95 in a class and still not receive credit because they missed too many class periods. We do not want students spending their summer repeating classes they already passed academically.

Under Texas compulsory attendance law, students are required to attend school, and parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their children attend. Ten unexcused absences or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year can result in a truancy court referral, subject to applicable legal exceptions.

Unfortunately, during the week before October break, I had to file court complaints involving four additional parents because of their children's attendance.

I do not share that to embarrass anyone or to scare families. I share it because I want you to understand how serious this has become. We have contacted families, developed attendance plans, provided opportunities to recover attendance, and even visited homes. Court involvement is never our goal, but we must follow state law.

We are asking all families to review and address outstanding student fees.

If you notice that your student has a higher-than-expected AP Exam fee, one possible reason is that your Annual Student Registration or household income information has not been completed or verified.

You can review outstanding student fees and make payments online through Skyward Family Access.

Our goal is for every Eagle to graduate with more than a diploma. We encourage every student to enroll in at least one Career & Technical Education (CTE) pathway and earn an industry certification before graduation. Whether your child's future includes college, the military, or the workforce, an industry certification provides real-world skills and opens doors to career opportunities from day one.