Upcoming News & Events

January 18, 2022 (traduccion abajo) Dear HSHMC Families, Happy New Year! As we approach the beginning of our Spring semester, we know these remain uncertain times and the COVID pandemic continues to challenge so many decisions we need to make as individuals, as organizations, and as a community. Nobody seems to have a crystal ball that can predict how these challenges will resolve or what challenges lie before us. We are encouraged by the advice we have received from medical experts predicting that the current COVID-19 surge is a temporary situation. However, the current surge reminds us we must continue to be prepared and act to safely offer educational services. And we will do everything possible to continue to keep our school and classrooms open. Currently, we are experiencing a high number of absences of both staff and students. This in part is a result of our strict quarantine procedures. Your patience and support during this time has been amazing. There are some certainties, however. HSHMC will continue to take every step we can to provide a quality and safe learning experience. The vaccination mandate, passed on 10/12/21, by the HSHMC Board of Directors added to the safety and welfare of our students, staff, and community. The plan has been highly successful.  More recently, on January 13, 2022, the Board extended vaccination requirements to include booster shots for all eligible students and staff to remain part of the HSHMC community. Our next vaccination/booster clinic will be held on campus on February 7, and we encourage any, and all, family members to come in for their shots. These measures are complemented by our mask enforcement policy, ongoing testing, and strict adherence to stay at home and quarantine guidelines. All these decisions follow guidelines and recommendations from various local, state, and national school, public and health organizations, including the CDC. Our policies and practices will continue to be updated based on the guidelines and requirements of these organizations. At this time the science is in and the use of three-ply masks, including N95s, have proven to be much more effective than cloth masks. We encourage you to make that switch. We have been advised that San Diego Unified School District has not ruled out declaring COVID Impact Days in specific situations and if it was absolutely necessary, we might follow suit. However, our goal is to stay open and stay safe. We might also limit certain extra-curricular activities and events during high surge times. We will do what we need to be responsive and responsible. In the meantime, we are so proud of the staff and students who show up here each day to share in teaching and learning. Witnessing their efforts and accomplishments makes all this work worth it. Every day, exciting things are happening, and our staff and students are going above and beyond to make that happen. We know from talking with our educational colleagues and parents from other schools that what is happening here remains unique. We want [...]

HSHMC has modified our schedule for the week of January 24-28, which is the last week of Semester 1. During the week of January 24-28, students will have minimum days with early release at 12:30 pm. However, if a student has one or more incompletes, they are required to stay for Academic Recovery until 3:00 pm each day on Monday through Thursday until all incompletes are cleared. There will not be academic recovery on Friday 1/28 and all students will be released at 12:30 after finals. If you have any questions, please contact the school at 619-528-9070.

We were notified today that an individual at our school has tested positive for COVID-19. Due to procedures related to privacy laws, we are limited in what we can say. We urge you to also respect the privacy of our students and staff. HSHMC works with the San Diego Public Health Department to follow up with all cases and symptomatic contacts to identify all exposed persons and recommend home quarantine and testing. If you or your child are not contacted, it means that we have no evidence of direct exposure to you or your child. Our advice and practice has not changed since the beginning of the pandemic. That is, if your child is feeling ill or has a fever or symptoms of COVID-19, even if symptoms are very minor, please do not send your child to school and consider getting your ill child tested for COVID-19. Students should remain home until a return date is determined in consultation with school personnel based on test results and symptom improvement, and following all applicable state and county health guidelines. They can return immediately if they have a documented chronic illness that explains their current symptoms. Remember, symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure, can range from mild to severe, and could include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, muscle or body aches, headache, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and new loss of smell or taste. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms should be tested. However, many infected people do not develop symptoms, which is why it is recommended that exposed people be tested whether they have symptoms or not. If your child is well and without any symptoms, please remind them to use their face covering, and wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. We know this information is concerning for our students and families. Ensuring the health and safety of our students, teachers, and staff members is of the utmost importance to us, and we will continue to follow all public health guidelines strictly.