Heritage Academy’s mission statement:
We are dedicated to youth, their growth and development, and believe in building sound character through strong families, strong communities, and a strong nation.
While teaching the academic disciplines, Heritage Academy is dedicated to instilling into the minds and hearts of our youth knowledge of and respect for the ideals and values of the great men and women of history, including those who founded the American nation.
As they gain an appreciation of these people of accomplishment, they will be ready to provide the selfless service to their fellow citizens and to their country which will be required in the coming years to assist in restoring America’s greatness.
Heritage Academy exists to this end.
A NOTE FROM Mrs. Udall:
Hello Heritage Families,
Thank you for your patience this week as we’ve navigated the first days of school. A few quick reminders:
DRIVE LINE. Pull ALL THE WAY up toward the dumpster before dropping off scholars. Keep the middle and far left lanes moving. No dropping off along Drew Street or the alley. Let’s be good neighbors and not clog up or block driveways, parking spots, etc.
PARKING. Carpool if possible. All scholars who drive should pick up a parking pass from the front desk BEFORE parking in the lot. We don’t have enough spots for everyone who wants to drive, so parking is first come, first serve. Other free places to park are along 1st Avenue and behind the church south of campus (not FUMC). The City of Mesa will be monitoring the city lot west of the school. The alley will be closed sometime in the next month for construction purposes.
DRESS CODE. No scholars will be allowed to sit in their classes out of dress code. Beginning next week, there will be a random daily dress code check. Any scholar out of dress code will be sent to the front desk and may not return to class until they are in dress code. Scholars may be calling home to get permission to shave, get different clothes/shoes, etc. If hair is out of dress code, scholars will be asked to pull it up/gel it/pin it back to be in compliance with our dress code while on campus. Log entries will be written for dress code violations.
HEAT & LUNCH & WATER. We are closely monitoring the heat and will offer scholars a place to eat inside when there is a heat advisory. Our PTO sells snacks each day in the kitchen during lunch. We sure appreciate our PTO! We have access to the FUMC gym for our PE classes and sports classes. Send a refillable water bottle for your scholars to stay hydrated.
CLOSED CAMPUS. Heritage has a closed campus. A closed campus means a parent/guardian is required to sign out their scholar. If your scholar drives to campus, you may sign a waiver for them to sign themselves (not their siblings) out. All scholars must sign out before leaving campus. We ask you to drop off lunches and other forgotten items at the front desk only. We do allow seniors on track to graduate to leave campus for lunch.
SCHEDULES. All our electives and classes are full. The only schedule changes that will be made at this time are by teacher recommendation or for seniors to graduate.
NEW STAFF. We have a great staff and would like to introduce some of our new teachers. Full bios can be found on our website.
DE Computers – Heather Forcey has been teaching CIS 105 on our Gateway campus, and now we get to share her.
Orchestra – Greg Hamilton a professor and professional musican joins us from Minnesota. He plays the cello and bass. We share Greg with our Maricopa campus.
Algebra II – Ashley Johnson has been teaching at Mountain View HS and is also bringing along her daughter who will be a 7th grade Hero.
7th grade history – Anna Meissbach hails from Kansas and has always dreamed of teaching history.
8th grade history – Liz Purtell has been teaching history at ASU Prep and has a passion for our Constitution.
Martial Arts – Jacob Thomas has a military and martial arts background. He has trained in many different martial arts styles and is excited about introducing them to our scholars.
Yearbook, FACS, scholar council – Kim Wilson has graduated 5 Heritage Heroes and is now taking on some of our busiest electives.
Swim Coach – Doreen Lemke has spent her life dedicated to the sport of swimming and is invested in the swimming world.
We are so lucky to have them join our wonderful staff.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Heidi Udall, Principal
Please log in to your MySchoolBucks account to see any outstanding invoices.
Scholars will be dropped from classes beginning Monday 8/14 for non-payment of fees.
If you can’t see the invoices in MySchoolBucks, it is usually because your scholar(s) has not been attached to your parent account. When you log in to your account, click on the person shaped icon in the right-hand corner > “my students” > “add a student” to connect the scholar to the account. It will ask for the student’s id or birthdate. Refresh the browser and you should be able to see the outstanding balances under “School Invoices.”
How Do You Pay the Invoice Balance?
The Easiest Way to Pay: Click on the link directly in the invoice labeled “PAY NOW” and pay right away. (This is for NON-ECA payments ONLY!) A receipt will be emailed to you within minutes. We are unable to process refunds or change payments to ECA donations after you’ve paid the invoice.
Do You Want to Pay Using ECA Tax Credit?
If you wish to make payment as an ECA Tax Credit, do not pay using the link in the invoice. Instead, log into MySchooolBucks > School Store > Donations > View Details OR go to hamesa.com. Please remember all ECA donations are non-refundable. We are unable to process refunds or change payments to ECA donations after you’ve paid the invoice.
Send an email to mesaregistrar@heritageacademyaz.com and include the following information:
PAY FEE WITH ACCOUNT CREDIT: Last Name First Name Invoice to be paid Amount to be paid
If you wish to transfer funds between scholars, please use the following format:
TRANSFER FROM: Last Name First Name Amount to Transfer TRANSFER TO: Last Name First Name Fee to be paid with transfer
Once the registrar receives the email, payment will be applied the invoice.
Picture Day is Next Week, August 15th or 16th during your child’s English or Economics Class. All scholars will be required to be in Heritage uniform for pictures. Please make sure your scholar’s hair, facial hair, and uniform meet Heritage standards to ensure they will have their photo taken.
Scholars will receive their photo IDs once their picture is taken.
Prestige Photography by Lifetouch has been selected as our official senior photographer for the Class of 2024.
8/11/23 -Prestige will be on campus for senior sessions. You will receive a communication via Prestige/Lifetouch beginning 30 days before picture day to schedule using your 8-digit code. The website is also full of helpful information about your scheduled session.
- Senior image for yearbook will be head and shoulders pose.
- Dress code: “Dress for Success” – Button up or nice blouse provided by student.
Prestige will be back on campus for make ups for the yearbook pose only on 10/19/23
**It is MANDATORY to be photographed for at least a yearbook photo session at one of the dates listed above**
Set up your appointment with Prestige.
Please visit our website schedule.prestigeportraits.com
- Enter your 8 digit code from your email from Prestige- If you don’t have a code, enter in your State, and City. And then hit search.
- Once you have entered in your City and State and hit the search button. A list of high schools will appear, now find and select the correct high school.
- Next step, select your school. Then type in the students’ first and last name (No Nick-Names) and then schedule your appointments.If you run into any difficulties scheduling an appointment, please call (800)736-4775 Option 2 Option 2, and a live person will help you get scheduled.
LET’S EAT! Heritage’s lunch options
Heritage Academy utilizes the services of My Hot Lunchbox for our scholar lunches. Scholars are welcome to continue to bring their own lunches. Our PTO also sells snacks each day from the kitchen.
ORDER UNIFORMS NOW FOR FALL!
Heritage Academy has 3 approved vendors for uniforms.
More information on our website HERE
DRIVE LINE
In back (on Drew Street):
- For all lanes, pull as far north as you can. Do not drop off or pick up scholars by the junior high stairs. Please pull all the way up toward the dumpsters so we can keep traffic flowing and off Drew Street.
- The far right lane is our designated Carpool Lane. Please use this lane if your carload needs extra time getting in and out of the car.
- The left lane is for quick drop-off or pick up.
- Keep the far left lane open for vehicles to exit. No stopping, loading, or unloading in this lane.
- If you need to park during these rush hours, please use the City of Mesa parking lot west of Drew Street.
- Scholars are expected to use the crosswalk and not J walk across Drew Street if they are crossing.
In front (on Center Street):
- There is 10 minute parking at the front of the school. Mesa PD will issue a ticket if you U turn. Do not park in this space before or after school. If you are waiting for you scholar, park along 1st Avenue.
- The alley will be closed for the next 12 months. The Heritage parking area will no longer be accessible from Main Street.
General:
- Scholars are welcome to drive to school. Parking permits are required and can be picked up at the front office. We suspect we will run out on the first day. We do not have enough spaces for everyone who wants to park – please carpool, if possible. Seniors and Juniors are given priority. Other free parking is along 1st Avenue and in the church parking lot south of campus (not FUMC).
- Parking is becoming more difficult in downtown Mesa. The City will ticket anyone who violates the permitted spaces and the 2 hour parking spaces in the city lot west of the school. All 1 hour parking spaces now require a tan permit.
- Please be courteous to our business neighbors. Do not use their parking spaces or block their parking lots. If you need to wait for your scholar, park over in the Bank of America parking lot. Do not clog up the spaces behind Main Street businesses.
First Semester:
August: Senior Pictures: Aug 11th (look for email & sign up!) Group Picture: Aug 16th
September: Senior Assassin Meeting: Sept 7th 1st Senior BBQ: Sept 7th Senior Assassin Start Date: Sept 11th
October: Senior Lake Day: Oct 27th
November: Nothing for now
December: 2nd Senior BBQ: Dec 7th
INTRODUCING the Paul Revere Academy (PRA)
Heritage is expanding! We are excited to introduce a unique academic experience through the Paul Revere Academy (PRA) – starting in July 2023. East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) and Heritage Academy have partnered to bring a complete high school education to the West Main Street campus of EVIT. Students will earn their high school diploma and industry certifications all on one campus.
Paul Revere is considered one of the Founding Fathers as well as a skilled tradesman. While PRA is part of the Heritage family of schools, it is designed to serve scholars interested in obtaining hands-on training and workforce ready credentials. At the same time, it extends our mission of building character, developing loyalty to the ideals of our country, and serving in our community.
Scholars at PRA will split their day between taking core classes at Paul Revere Academy and elective/Career Technical Education (CTE) classes at EVIT. All youth interested in a more streamlined approach to obtaining a high school diploma and CTE certificates are welcome to apply. Please visit our website: www.paulrevere.tech for more information.
Stephanie Lund, Principal stephanie.lund@paulrevere.tech
COLLEGE CORNER
Seniors – don’t forget to schedule your senior 1-on-1 meeting with Mr. Brown.
You can scan the QR code outside Mr. Brown’s office or click here.
FAFSA INFORMATION!
12th grade is the time to apply for admission to college and to apply for federal student aid by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. Opens Oct. 1. Check out goingmerry.com for a more user-friendly application, plus, there are thousands of scholarship opportunities. Just complete your profile.
Complete the FAFSA form even if you believe your child won’t qualify for any free federal aid. Many colleges will require FAFSA if you are getting any aid directly from the school. In addition, your family circumstances may change due to divorce, death or medical issues and you can appeal to the school due to the change in circumstance.