Welcome to the High School Family Updates! This newsletter is sent out every week to high school parents, students and Education Advisors with important news, reminders and upcoming events. Look for it every week! Upcoming Important Dates: February 13 Student Break – No School! February 16 Presidents Day – No School! February 20 High School Hangout – David & Buster’s 🗓️ 25-26 Academic Calendar 📷 Submit Your Yearbook Photo Want to see yourself in this year’s yearbook? Submit your headshot using the Google Form linked below! This form is for 9th–11th grade students. Yearbook Submissions Google Form Note: Seniors should submit their photos using only the Senior Submissions form (see details in the class of 2026 section) HS Hangout: Dave & Busters Kick off the weekend with fun, food & games! Join us for a high school hangout at Dave & Busters in Ontario on Friday, February 20 from 11 – 1:30PM! Sign up HERE! 💃Prom 2026 You’re invited to an evening of magic and mystery at Prom 2026. Join us as we transform The Observatory in Santa Ana into a botanical wonderland filled with enchanting charm and ethereal vibes. Buy tickets here Have a song request? Fill out this form! Sage Oak Appreciation – NEW chance to win a giftcard! Show Sage Oak some love! Appreciate your friends, teachers, and counselors on this Public Padlet! Do you have a favorite teacher? Now’s your chance to let them know! 🎉. Submit a short video message thanking a teacher — or our amazing staff as a whole — for a chance to be featured in a student-created film! Sage Oak High School Yearbook Your year, preserved forever! Get yours to remember all the fun events, friends, and special moments. We have soft covers available for $41.27 and hard covers available for $48.27 (before taxes). You can also customize your copy by adding custom pages! Don’t miss out! Order here!  Every week, we will highlight a Sage Oak High School student who has been nominated by their Education Advisor. This week, Sage Oak High School is celebrating…  🌟Alexander Newman (12th Grade)🌟 In his two years at Sage Oak, Alex has taken full advantage of our live classes and dual enrollment opportunities. Through community college coursework, he has begun completing college general education requirements while also being able to pursue his passion for computer science. Alex is an incredibly self-driven learner, a quality showcased through his impressive computer science passion project focused on video game speed running via simulation. One of his most notable accomplishments is a program he developed that simulates 60 billion frames of game play—equivalent to 63 years of real-time play—in just 12 hours by running 10 instances of the game in parallel. WOW🤩! Alex’s dream is to “stay in school as long as possible learning about computer science,” with the ultimate goal of earning a PhD in the field. Alongside his college level Computer Science coursework, Alex credits Ms. Hoch’s Creative Writing class as a pivotal experience (he’s still working on his novel!) and says piano lessons through a Sage Oak vendor have helped nurture his creativity. His calculus and AP Statistics courses have also helped Alex build essential foundational skills for his programming work. Sage Oak’s flexible learning model gives Alex the time and space he needs to pursue his ambitious programming projects and explore his academic passions in depth.  FREE Khan Academy SAT® Tutoring Bootcamp Boost your SAT® score with the new FREE Khan Academy SAT Bootcamp, offered in partnership with College Board. Students receive targeted support from high-achieving peer tutors who scored in the 95th percentile or higher on the sections they teach. Their tutors are fully trained, certified, and freshly familiar with the SAT—bringing both expertise and enthusiasm to every session. Whether you’re aiming to build confidence or push for your best score yet, this bootcamp is designed to help you reach your goals! Join a Bootcamp HERE! 🤩Personalized College & Career Guidance—At No Cost! We are excited to be able to offer 30-minute, one-on-one strategy meetings at no cost to students with Ms. Jen Mejares-Pham, a college admissions and post-secondary strategy consultant who works with students on everything from college and trade pathways to applications, scholarships, and next-step planning. These sessions are a chance to ask questions, receive personalized guidance, and leave with a clear plan. Come prepared with questions and ideas. Sign-ups are limited, so don’t wait! Check out her video to learn more. Check out: learningwithjen.as.me and use the coupon MRSKING at checkout! Life Hacks Join “Life Hacks” every Friday at NOON! If you want to hang out and connect with some other high school students or get some helpful tips to navigate the teenage years, join Ms. Coral at Life Hacks every Friday at noon. Join the Zoom HERE! HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS Here is the link to the HS Counseling Calendar – subscribe to this calendar to have all the webinars that the counselors are hosting with zoom links! Coral Prendergast (last names A-L) – cprendergast@sageoak.education Mackenzie Akins (last names M-Z) – makins@sageoak.education   🆕 Graduation Webinar Parents and graduates are invited to join us for our Grad Webinar this Wednesday, February 11th at 12PM. This week, we will be discussing tickets, senior events, and senior to-dos! ZOOM LINK 🎓Graduation Performer – due this week! Grads interested in performing at the graduation ceremony on June 2nd should submit this form and a sample by Friday, February 13th. In the past we’ve had singers, singer songwriters, violinists and pianists, but we welcome all interested performers to submit their talents. Students interested in performing the National Anthem should also apply. 📸 Senior Submission: Submissions are now open for graduates to submit a headshot, quote and baby pictures that are used for the ceremony slideshow. The headshot will also be used in the yearbook. If you do not wish to submit one or more of the items, please indicate that on the first question. Due by March 20th. PSO Scholarship – Two more weeks to apply! This PSO Scholarship supports PSO’s (Parents for School Options) mission to provide free and equitable access to education. It is open to U.S. high school seniors enrolled in an online public school or independent study program who plan to attend a college or vocational school after graduation. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is February 20, 2026! Apply HERE! Sage Oak Scholarships – Two more weeks to apply! We are excited to announce several scholarship opportunities available exclusively to members of the Class of 2026. These awards recognize students who demonstrate character, commitment, growth, and excellence. These scholarships are designed to honor not just achievement, but who you are as a learner and a member of our school community; your effort, integrity, resilience, and impact. A total of 18 students will be selected across these categories. Available Scholarships: Service Scholarship – $500 Accountability Scholarship – $500 Growth Mindset Scholarship – $500 Excellence Scholarship – $500 Superintendent’s Award – $1,000 Click Hereto review eligibility and application requirements. If you are eligible, we strongly encourage you to apply. This is an opportunity to have your hard work recognized and supported as you take your next steps beyond high school. APPLY HERE Application Deadline: February 20, 2026 Complete Your FAFSA or CADAA Today! If you need help completing a financial aid application (FAFSA or CADAA), please come to the Financial Aid Support and Assistance Open Zoom on one of the following dates! February 25, 2026 1:00 PM Zoom Link April 9, 2026 Understanding Your Award Letter“ 11:00 AM Zoom Link Visit these slides for more information on how to apply, or visit FAFSA.gov or dream.csac.ca.gov. ⭐️Class of 2026 Resources⭐️ Grad Central P.R.F Save the Date Jostens Cap & Gown  Children’s Literature Festival Friday, March 6 Each year, the festival brings together educators, librarians, parents, students, authors, illustrators, editors, and those interested in children’s literature for a unique combination of full conference and small group sessions. This year our faculty is once again chosen from the “best of the best”. Sign up HERE! CTE Cinema Makeup School Wednesday, March 18 Give students a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood with a guided tour of Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles. Students will explore the campus, see professionals in action, and learn about exciting careers in film, television, special effects, and entertainment artistry—an inspiring experience for creative students exploring arts and industry pathways. Sign up HERE! Newport Bay Outrigger & Kayak Tour Friday, March 20 Get out on the water and explore the Back Bay by kayak! Sage Oak students will enjoy a guided kayak tour at Northstar Beach, spotting wildlife like herons, migratory birds, and marine life while learning about this unique coastal ecosystem. With expert guides from the Newport Bay Conservancy, this hands-on adventure is perfect for beginners and experienced paddlers alike. 🛶 Sign up HERE!  Parent 101 Webinar High School Parent 101: Feb 19, 2026 @ 12:00PM Click the link below to register. Please share with anyone you feel may be interested: Click here! Sage Oak Showcase Do you have any friends or family that are interested in learning more about the amazing programs Sage Oak has to offer? Invite them to attend one of our upcoming Sage Oak Showcases taking place at an Art in the Park near you! There, they will have all their questions answered and have the opportunity to participate in a fun art project! Sign up form! Feb 20th @ 10am @ Redlands, Fountain Valley & Pasadena March 6th @ 10:30am @ Los Alamitos, Riverside & San Diego March 13th @ 10:30am @ High Desert & Simi Valley Already a Sage Oak student? Register for Art in the Park here. Purchasing & Order Support We recommend keeping a small cushion in your student’s account to help cover higher-than-expected shipping costs. If you have extra funds as the Parent PO Deadline approaches, those funds don’t have to go unused. You can apply remaining funds toward service (VCI) POs before the deadline. This is a great way to make the most of your student’s available funds. Cultivate & Create: Get ready to imagine, create, and shine! 🌟 Sage Oak’s annual Cultivate & Create Art Contest begins TODAY, and all students are invited to be part of it! This is your chance to show off your creativity and talents in dance, film, music, photography, or visual arts. Whether you love to move, make music, capture moments, or create with your hands, there’s a place for your art here. This year’s theme is Beyond Your Imagination—a journey into endless possibilities. What lies beyond what you already know? What might exist in a world you’ve never seen? What amazing change could happen in you or around you if you let your imagination lead the way? Dream big, think boldly, and create something that feels impossible… until you imagine it. Artworks will be judged based on how creatively you interpret the theme, your originality, and your artistic skills. Most importantly, this is your opportunity to explore, express yourself, and have fun creating. 📝Check out the Cultivate & Create informational document for contest details. 🔗Use the survey link to submit your entry. 💡Sign up HERE for the Art Mentoring and Q&A zoom for students on Friday, February 27th from 12-1pm. All entries are due by Monday, March 23rd. Sage Studio Podcast – “Academic Flexibility: Discovering PLA with Chelsey Anema” In this episode of the Sage Studio Podcast, host Tiffiny Webster sits down with Chelsey Anema, principal of the Personalized Learning Academy (PLA) at Sage Oak Charter School. They delve into the unique aspects of PLA, a program designed to customize education to fit individual student needs. Chelsey explains the flex-based learning model, the role of parents as day-to-day facilitators, and the importance of the teacher-student relationship. The episode covers the grade levels supported (TK-8), the process of getting started, and additional enrichment opportunities like Oakschool classes and field trips. Watch now!  Sincerely, Traci King High School Principal |
