CORONA DEL SOL
HOME OF THE AZTECS
September 9, 2016
AZTEC HIGHLIGHTS
Challenge Day: Corona del Sol will host Challenge Day at the Arizona Community Church on October 24th. The
program was so impactful at all of the Tempe Union High Schools last year that the City of Tempe has now
offered to fund the program for a second year. Challenge Day is a powerful, one-day program that goes
beyond traditional anti-bullying efforts, building empathy and connections among students. Here are two
short videos to provide a snapshot of Challenge Day and its potential impact:
MTV: http://www.challengeday.org/mtv/
Oprah: Where are they now? http://www.challengeday.org/videos.php
PARENT COMMUNICATIONS:
Aztec Incentives: The deadline for the 2016-17 Aztec Incentive Reward Program redemption is September 30,
2016 (last day of the first quarter). Information about the Aztec Incentive Reward Program can be found on
the Corona del Sol website - look for Distinctive Program under Administration. Any questions? Please contact
Justine Centanni at jcentanni@tempeunion.org.
Scottsdale College Fair: All are welcome to attend the 10th Annual Scottsdale College Fair, to be held at
Desert Mountain High School on Saturday, October 22nd from 1 – 3 pm in the gym. The fair will host 100+
colleges and universities, and it's free for you to attend. Colleges have lots of valuable information for
students, including updates to financial aid and scholarships. Follow the Scottsdale College Fair Twitter page.
More parking now available: CDS has 50 additional parking spaces available in the LDS church lot on Knox Rd.
To get a permit, please go to our CDS website, go to About CDS, and click on Parking and Transportation. Fill
out the online application, print the rules/parent signature page and have your student bring it to the
Principal’s assistant. Cost is $100. First come, first served.
Bus Route changes: All bus riders - please check the TUHSD website under Transportation for the latest bus
schedule for Corona. Changes were made to the afternoon routes last week. Please make sure your students
knows the correct morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off route numbers.
Reminder: The Corona del Sol front office will no longer hold items for students to pick up. The one exception
is your student’s ID. Please make arrangements to meet your student between classes to give other
items/lunch/money to them during passing periods. Below are our typical passing times. Early-release days
(Weds) are slightly different – see attached bell schedule.
PASSING PERIODS: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri
7:19 am – 7:25 am
8:21 am – 8:27 am
9:28 am – 9:34 am
10:30 am – 10:36 am
10:30 am – 11:15 am (4th lunch)
11:32 am – 12:27 pm (5th lunch)
12:11 pm – 12:17 pm
1:13 pm – 1:19 pm
Attendance policy: High school attendance is ultimately the responsibility of the student and his/her family. It
is important that parents and students recognize the direct relationship that exists between academic success
and regular school attendance. Students should remain out of school only when necessary. Students are
allowed 10 absences (excused or unexcused) per semester. The eleventh total absence may result in loss of
credit, unless there are extenuating circumstances. School-related absences do not count toward your
student’s total absences. You may access your student’s grades and attendance through ParentVue on the
school website. Please contact the library if you need assistance with ParentVue.
Student Drop off/pick up information: Parents, please remind your students to use the crosswalks at all times
when crossing any street. This is for their safety and the safety of others. Please obey all the traffic signs
around campus and remember, there is no drop off or pick up on Knox Road in the West direction. The area
is clearly marked No Parking. U-turns on Knox Road are also not permitted. We greatly appreciate your help as
we try to keep everyone safe. Drop off/pick up students is allowed in the Rural Lot, the LDS Lot and on the
South curb of Knox Rd.
Stay in the loop: Be sure to stay up-to-date with all that is going on at Corona del Sol. You can find a wealth of
information on our website at http://www.tempeunion.org/coronadelsol. Scroll down to see links to all the
important information. Join our official Facebook page (search for Corona del Sol Official Facebook Page) and
follow us on Twitter at @cdsaztecs. Seniors, follow @coronaclassof17 for all things senior-related!
College night: The 2016 Junior/Senior College Night will be held Thursday, September 15th from 6 – 8 pm in
the CDS Auditorium & Lecture Halls A & B. Thirty-minute sessions will be offered in the auditorium and lecture
halls with presentations from ASU and Barrett Honors College, NAU, U of A and UA Honors College, GCU. Also
presenting – the ASU Director of Financial Aid.
Transcripts: Juniors and Seniors - Have you created an account in Parchment? Parchment is an electronic
service that TUHSD now uses for sending transcripts. Go to the CDS website under Quick Links, or go directly
to Parchment.com. Create your student account today!
Scholarship updates: Students and parents in grades 9-12 will want to be up-to-date on all scholarship, precollege program, internship, volunteer and employment opportunities TUHSD posts. Bookmark this
site: http://www.tempeunion.org/TUHSDScholarshipSearch and sign-up for text message or email alerts using
the Remind system to be notified each time it updates during the school year. Remind system directions are
attached.
PSAT: Students taking the PSAT - Registration for Kaplan’s free PSAT Prep Live has begun. Highly-rated, expert
instructors will review all the areas of the exam, streamed live online leading up to test day. Register now by
visiting www.kaptest.com/psatpreplive.
CDS Early Learning Center: The Early Learning Center is still enrolling children, ages 2-5, for the 2016-2017
school year. Children must be fully potty-trained. Tuition is $140.00/week with a $75.00 registration fee and
hours of operation are 6:30 am-4:30 pm. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact
Judy Garbosky at 752-8874 or jgarbosky@tuhsd.k12.az.us.
Student IDs: All students are required to wear their IDs and they must be worn and visible at all times during
the school day. Please help us keep our campus secure and remind your students to wear IDs.
Calculators: We would like to encourage you to get your math students a TI‐84 graphing calculator. While CDS
has a limited number of these calculators for use in both math and science classes, we will not be able to
accommodate every student who does not have a calculator. The purchase of a graphing calculator will not be
for a one‐time use, but will be used throughout high school in all the math (and in many science) classes, and
will most likely be used in college classes, as well. It is a wise investment. They are available at places such as
Walmart, Target, Amazon and any office supply store. The CDS Math department recommends purchasing a
Texas Instruments 84 (TI‐84) graphing calculator. While there are many options, the TI‐84 is the most
commonly-used calculator. If you have any questions or concerns, please email the Math Department chair,
Don Guess, at dguess@tempeunion.org or speak with your student’s math teacher.
Site council rep: The Corona del Sol Site-based Council, a representative committee that serves as a sounding
board, a problem-solving/decision-making group, and a liaison between school and community, is looking for
a freshman representative. If your student is a freshman who is interested in serving on Corona's Site Council,
encourage him/her to download and fill out the online application available on Corona's website, and submit
the completed application to Mrs. Centanni in the library no later than Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
Students can find the application under Administration on the Corona website; click on Committees, and
scroll down to find "CdS Site Council Student Application" under Other Site Council Documents.
SENIOR INFORMATION
Senior pictures: The deadline for seniors to have portraits taken for inclusion in the 2017 yearbook has been
extended to September 17, 2016. Only portraits taken at Southwest Portraits will be included in the CDS
yearbook. See our website for more details.
Senior ads: Proud Parents ads must be submitted online this year. Go to yearbookordercenter.com (school
#6928) to create your ad. Ads are $40 through Sept. 30th, $45 from Oct. 1-30th and $50 from Nov. 1-10th.
Nov. 10 is the final deadline. All ads will be printed in color this year and you have the choice of several
designs. Online help is available through yearbookordercenter.com. Email yearbook adviser Kris Urban
at kurban@tempeunion.org with any questions.
Caps and gowns/Grad announcements: Information is available at the Activities desk in the front office.
ACTIVITIES:
Spirit week: Next week is Homecoming Spirit Week with a Netflix theme! Monday: The Office (business attire);
Tuesday: American Dad (America Day); Wednesday: Saved by the Bell (90s day); Thursday: Gossip Girl (Frat
out); Friday: Orange is the New Black (Black out day). Flyer attached!
Spanish club: The Spanish club will meet Tuesday, September 13th, in Mrs. Hardy’s room, E052. We will go
over our service projects and activities to include all the celebrations we will have this year. This is going to be
an amazing year full of adventure and growth and we want everyone to be a part of it. All students are
welcome and are encouraged to come and join one of the best groups at Corona!
Staff of the month: Each month, the Rotary Club honors two staff members chosen by their peers.
Congratulations to our August winners, Mary Baker (classified) and Ben Forbes (certified). Thanks for all you
do!
Rho Kappa: Parents of juniors and seniors - applications for Corona del Sol’s Dr. James McBride Chapter of Rho
Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society will soon be available. Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society is
the only national organization for high school juniors and seniors that recognizes excellence in the field of
Social Studies. RHO KAPPA provides national recognition and opportunities for exploration in the social
studies. NCSS hopes to encourage an interest in, understanding of and appreciation for the social studies.
For more information you may contact Chapter Sponsor Ms. Lisa Adams at ladams@tempeunion.org.
Robotics: Do you have an interest in robotics? Are you tired of tripping over old tools cluttering up your
garage? Corona del Sol's competitive robotics team is looking for your expertise and equipment donations as
we design, build, program and compete in this year's FIRST Robotics Competition. We are looking for parent
volunteers and equipment donations (chop saws, welding equipment, drills, scrap aluminum, etc.) to help us
attain our goal of competing in FRC Nationals in Houston, Texas. For information on how you can assist, please
contact Stephen Heiser at stheiser@tempeunion.org or (480) 752-8888 ext. 80545.
ATHLETICS:
Important note from the Athletic Director: If your student is currently participating in a Fall sport, the
$50 activity fee MUST be paid before the team’s first competition. Please pay in the bookstore as soon as
possible - no online payment available at this time.
Football: The Aztecs travel to Cesar Chavez tonight . . . come out and support Varsity football!