Monday (01/12), Spring Sports Night Thursday, (01/15), Academic Awards Assembly (Bell Schedule) Monday, (01/19), Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (No School) Tuesday, (01/20), NHS Blood Drive Friday (02/06) - End of the First Grading Period Saturday (02/07) - Saturday School Friday (02/13) - Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday (No School) Monday (02/16) - President’s Day (No School)
NEW & TIME SENSITIVE INFORMATION
Spring Sports Night Spring Sports Night will be held on Monday, January 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the American Spirit Theater. If you are interested in playing a sport during the spring season, we highly recommend that you attend this informational meeting!
Senior Yearbook Dedication Ads - Almost Sold out The 2026 yearbook is selling fast, and over half of the books are already gone. Quantities are limited, and once the final copies are sold, no additional books will be available, so don’t wait. At $90, the yearbook is a lasting keepsake that captures your student’s hard work, memories, friendships, and achievements from this school year. It’s one of the best ways to commemorate everything they’ve accomplished. Important reminder: yearbooks can only be purchased directly through the publisher at www.jostens.com. No books will be sold in person on campus. Secure your copy now before they sell out completely!
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday We will be closed on Monday, January 19, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. School will resume on Tuesday.
LOTTERY & ENROLLMENT
AMERICAN HERITAGE CHARTER SCHOOLS 2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR LOTTERY INFORMATION
The lottery for ECHS is now closed. Lotteries for the 2026-2027 school year are still open for all other programs. Applications are not required for currently enrolled AHCS students, but new siblings must submit a lottery application.
Heritage Elementary School: Lottery applications are available online at https://amhcs.org/heritage-elementary-school/hes-admissions/. The lottery closes on February 6, 2026. Please contact the Heritage Elementary office at 760-737-3111 if you have any questions.
Heritage Junior High: Lottery applications are available online at https://amhcs.org/heritage-junior-high-school/hjhs-admissions/. The lottery closes on February 6, 2026. Please contact the Heritage Junior High office at 760-294-5599 if you have any questions.
Heritage Flex Academy: Lottery applications are available online at https://amhcs.org/hfa/hfa-admissions/. The lottery closes on February 6, 2026. Please contact the Heritage Flex Academy office at 760-466-1166 if you have any questions.
PARENTS
Dress Code Please remind students that pajama pants and jeans with rips and holes are not appropriate attire for school. Additionally, shirts must cover the shoulders and midriff. Please review the dress code on page 44 of the Student Handbook
for clarification. Students will not be allowed to return to class until they are in compliance with the dress code.
ECHS Cell Phone and Earbud/Headphone Policy Reminder ECHS recognizes the importance of communication and collaboration, and provides devices for students to be productive in the classroom. To keep the focus on academics and to reduce unnecessary distractions, the school enforces the following: ● Earbuds and headphones will be kept in a student’s backpack or locker during classes. ● Cell phones and all mobile devices shall be TURNED OFF when entering a classroom, restroom, locker room, library, or the theater. ● Cell phones and all mobile devices shall be kept in a student’s backpack for the entirety of the class period or a cell phone locker in the classroom. ● Cell phones and all mobile devices can be retrieved at the end of each period ● Students are not to take their cell phone with them when going to their locker or the restroom. ● If a student needs to make an emergency call during the day, they are to come up to the office or use their cell phone before school, between classes, at break, lunch, or after school.
First Offense: Any student who is seen with earbuds or headphones on during class or with a cell phone during class, while in a restroom, locker room, library, or theater, will have their cell phone confiscated and locked in a cell phone locker. The student may pick up their cell phone at the end of the period. Second Offense: Earbuds/headphones and/or cell phone will be confiscated and can be picked up at the end of the school day. Third Offense: Earbuds/headphones and/or cell phone will be confiscated and a parent/guardian will be contacted to pick up the device. Additional Offenses will require a meeting between the student, parent/guardian, and administration to develop a behavior contract and discuss appropriate consequences.
PROJECT NEXT
Project Next Career Coaching Ms. Osorio, our Career Coach with Project Next, is here to support students with their next steps after high school. She is available on Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Tuesdays through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the ECHS Future Center. Check out the menu of services here, book an appointment here, or email her at tatiana@projectnext.org. Be sure to follow us on Instagram to stay updated on events and opportunities throughout the year at echs_futurecenter.
Seniors: Ms. Michelle, our FAFSA Coach, is here every Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. She can support you with submitting the FAFSA. Book an appointment with Ms. Michelle by clicking here.
Don't forget to check out our upcoming events!
January 15 (15 spots left) Action Heating & Air Field Trip 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. sign up today by clicking here
January 20 DPR Career Chat (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) 12:40 p.m. • Future Center sign up today by clicking here
January 22 5-Year Plan Workshop 12:55 p.m. • Future Center Sign-up coming soon
January 29-NEW DATE National Guard Career Chat 12:40 p.m. • Future Center sign up today by clicking here
ACADEMIC & STUDENT SERVICES INFORMATION
ECHS/Palomar Partnership Courses Palomar classes start on Monday, January 26. Students who are taking our ECHS/Palomar Partnership Courses (American Sign Language 101, Counseling and Career Planning 115, Child Development 100, Physical Geography 100, Political Science C1000, Psychology 100 and World Religions 101) should have received emails last week with more detailed information about the course and textbook (if applicable). There are a few spots available in all the classes except Psychology, so email echsstudentservices@amhcs.org if you would still like to enroll in a course.
Big Future Scholarships Students in the classes of 2026, 2027, and 2028 are now eligible for BigFuture Scholarships. They must have a College Board account. When students complete one or more qualifying steps on their BigFuture dashboard such as researching colleges and careers, they’ll be automatically entered into monthly drawings for $500 or $40,000 until their senior year.
STUDENT SERVICE INFORMATION FOR SENIORS
San Diego Foundation Scholarships The San Diego Foundation offers a wide variety of scholarships and is a fantastic local resource for San Diego seniors. By filling out one "Common Application," you can access over 150 different scholarship opportunities with awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. The application opens this week on Wednesday, January 14, and the deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 4, at 2:00 p.m. You can review the 2026-2027 Scholarship Criteria list
to see which specific awards best match your background and goals. Check out this link
for more information and to start your application!
Cal State University Fall 2026 Admission - Extra Time to Apply! The following CSU campuses continue to accept freshman applications for specific majors: Channel Islands, Chico, Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fresno, Humboldt, Maritime, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Marcos, Sonoma, Stanislaus. Visit this application dates & deadlines page
for more information.
CAMPUS CULTURE & COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
ASB Attention all grade 9 through grade 11 students! Are you ready to make a difference at our school? Do you have a passion for leadership and a desire to contribute to our school community? If so, we invite you to apply for a position in the Associated Student Body (ASB) Cabinet for the upcoming school year! We are currently accepting applications for the following officer positions: President (you must be current Junior) Vice President Secretary Treasurer If you are ready to take on this rewarding challenge and make a positive impact on our school community, we encourage you to apply using this link by January 12, 2026, to run!
Self Defense Play it Safe Self Defense is having a class on Monday, January 26, in the ECHS Gym from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. This class has been designed to offer the best and most practical self-defense techniques for the average female or male in realistic assault situations. All students receive hands-on training. Students will learn: prevention, boundary setting, verbal & physical defense, and the importance of voice, confidence, and awareness. Conflict resolution, de-escalation, acquaintance assault, and stranger defense will be discussed. Scouts will earn a Community Partner patch for this class. Tracie Arlington, black-belt and Founder of Play It Safe, will be teaching. The cost is $30. Please RSVP by Friday, January 16 to Karen Fosterling letthekidsexplore1@gmail.com.
Sister Project The next Sister Project event will be on Friday, January 16, from 3:35 to 5:00 p.m. in the ECHS Student Union. The theme is Making Vision Boards and Mocktails! Please bring any crafting supplies you'd like to use and a snack to share with the group.
Town and Country Town and Country will be held on the following January Dates: Tuesday, February 13 and Tuesday, February 27. Please bring a permission slip if you haven't attended yet this school year. Permission slips are in the front office. Instructions about this event are on the permission slip. Happy New Year!
Robotics We have started on a new robotics season. The 2026 game released on Saturday January 10. We have a lot to plan and build to be ready for Competition by February 28. The new robotics game is out, and we are busy building our robot. We are going to two district competitions this year with a good chance of going to the Southern California District Championships in Anaheim. Then from there we hope to be going to the world championships. Please consider a donation to these hard working students. Your donation is tax deductible, and can be made using this Paypal link.
Additionally, the robotics team would like to ask for any donations of old laptops, monitors, computers or tools that work. WE NEED HAND and POWER Tools so if you have old tools sitting around or you just call the guy now give them to help students learn to be handy. If you have anything to give, please either leave them at the front desk at ECHS, by the robotics lab or email tdewey@amhcs.org. Thank you!
We are updating our social media: Find our latest videos on instagram here. Find our history website here.
Ultimate Frisbee On Friday, January 24, Mr. Prodan will be hosting some ultimate frisbee games on the field. All are welcome, no experience necessary. Come play!
EF France 2026 Last chance to sign up for the summer trip (June 2026) to France through EF Tours with Mr. Prodan, Mr. Currie, Ms. Ruch and Mr. Waterhouse. They will be taking travelers through Paris, visiting the beaches of the D-Day Invasion in Normandy, and visiting the beautiful chateaux of the Loire Valley. Here is the itinerary for our June 2026 tour. See last video's tour here. Email Mr. Prodan at sprodan@amhcs.org if you are interested, or for more details and how to enroll. Note: This is not a school sponsored event.
Community Service Opportunity Heritage Elementary's ELO-Program is looking for high school volunteers. Volunteers will help students with homework as well as aiding teachers in a variety of classes such as coding, 3d printing, art, dance and more! If you are interested in helping our youngest White Tigers and earning community service hours, please click on this link.
ATHLETICS
ECHS Athletics Please check our athletics website, for the latest updates! You may also contact our athletic department at echsathletics@amhcs.org, if you have any questions. We look forward to sharing with you as we Play As One!
Athletics Physical Form This form
needs to be completed before trying out for any ECHS sport. It should be uploaded to your Student Management Portal. This can be found on our athletics website
under “Athletics Dept & Forms” and then after selecting “Clearance Forms”.
ISPE If you are enrolled in ISPE this year, please click on the link that correlates to your program TCP
or CLP
to input your hours. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Mallie at mgreen@amhcs.org.
Co-Curricular Eligibility Policy The ECHS Co-Curricular Eligibility Policy has been recently updated. To review the policy, click HERE.
OUR MISSION IS TO DEVELOP THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF OUR STUDENTS THROUGH A RIGOROUS CORE CURRICULUM WITH A PERSPECTIVE THAT CHERISHES TIMELESS VIRTUES AND THE AMERICAN SPIRIT.
