Dear Falcon Families,
Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! We’re excited to be back and looking forward to another great year at Scripps Ranch High School.
This is my first weekly parent update of the school year. For those families who are new to SRHS, I send an update each Sunday around 4:00 p.m. with the latest school information. These updates will include links, videos, and other resources that you may need to reference later, so please be sure to save them throughout the year.
In the header of each message, you’ll also find links to several important SRHS websites and social media pages, including counseling, ASB, and our SRHS FalconPride Instagram page. If you have Instagram, give the FalconPride page a follow to see pictures highlighting the many successes of our students throughout the school year.
Every Monday will continue to be a Modified Monday, meaning school will end at 2:29 p.m. Modified Mondays provide teachers with time to either offer revision and reassessment opportunities for students or collaborate with their colleagues on instructional practices. Teachers offering revision or reassessment opportunities will communicate directly with their students. We encourage students who are given these opportunities to take advantage of the additional time and support.
I’ve tried to include as much information as possible in today’s update so that families and students feel ready for the first day of school. Below, you’ll find our bell schedule, directions for the first day, information about our annual Week of Welcome, student parking and drop-off procedures, and several other important updates. See below for the latest updates as of 8-2-26.
Upcoming Calendar Events for August, September and October
- 8/10 - First Day of School, Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 8/17 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 8/24 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 8/26 - Back to School Night 5pm
- 8/31 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 9/7 - Labor Day, No School
- 9/14 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 9/18 - End of the first grading period
- 9/21 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 9/25 - Homecoming Rally and Homecoming Football Game
- 9/26 - Homecoming Dance
- 9/28 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 10/5 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 10/12 - Non-Instructional Day, No School
- 10/19 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 10/26 - Early out Modified Monday (8:35-2:29pm)
- 10/30 - End of the second grading period
Attendance: A Major Focus This Year
One of our biggest areas of focus this year will be student attendance. I want to be direct about why.
Over the past several years, we have seen a significant increase in full-day absences, late arrivals, early releases, and students missing individual class periods. It has also become too common for students to ask their parents to excuse them from school because they do not want to attend or they want to leave early.
To put the problem into perspective, there were approximately four different days last year that students treated as unofficial “Senior Ditch Days.” Many of those absences were then reported by families as illness. We also had multiple days when our attendance staff had to prepare more than 200 “blue slips” for students to leave school early. The amount of staff time required just to process that many early releases was significant.
The impact goes far beyond the attendance office. When students repeatedly miss class, teachers must adjust instruction, reteach missed content, create and supervise makeup assessments outside of the school day, and provide additional individual support to help students catch up. This negatively impacts teachers and takes time away from planning and providing the highest-quality instruction possible for all students.
This message is not about students who are legitimately sick, have a medical appointment, experience a family emergency, or need to miss school for another valid reason. We understand that those situations happen. This is about preventable absences and a growing mindset that missing class is acceptable. Missing class does have a big impact, especially when it becomes a schoolwide pattern.
This year, SRHS will place a much greater emphasis on protecting instructional time, identifying concerning patterns early, supporting students who are experiencing legitimate barriers, and holding students accountable when they repeatedly miss school or class. Families play an important role in this effort. Please do not excuse your student from school simply because they do not want to attend, want to avoid a particular class or assessment, want to leave early, or are participating in an unofficial ditch day.
Please take a few minutes to read our 2026–27 SRHS Family Attendance Guide. It explains how to report an absence, late arrival, or early release; which absences may be excused; chronic absence and truancy; attendance recovery; and how attendance may affect dances, prom, senior activities, commencement, and other school privileges. A few key changes families should know right away:
- Early-release requests must be submitted through the SRHS Attendance Form by 10:00 a.m. If a request is not submitted by 10:00 a.m., a parent or guardian will need to come to the Attendance Office in person, show identification, and check the student out. This also applies to students who drive themselves.
- Attendance forms must be submitted using a parent or guardian email address listed in PowerSchool. Submitting the form verifies the reason provided, but it does not automatically mean the absence or late arrival will be excused.
- Students who become sick during the school day must report to the Health Office. Students should not text or call a parent to arrange to leave campus on their own. The Health Office will contact the family and coordinate the release when appropriate.
- Absences should be reported within 24 hours. Requests involving older, repeated, or multiple absences may require administrative review. Families should regularly check PowerSchool and not wait until a dance, senior activity, or commencement deadline to address attendance.
- Unexcused absences will now be included when determining eligibility for school activities. Students will receive a one-time grace allowance for one parent-verified, full-day unexcused absence per semester. This does not apply to selectively missing a class, leaving campus without permission, or spreading absences across multiple days.
Our expectation is that students should be in every class, on time, every day. We need our families’ partnership in reinforcing that expectation at home and avoiding preventable absences whenever possible.
Not returning to SRHS this year?
Please let us know as soon as possible by completing this form.
Back to School Night
This year’s Back to School Night will be Wednesday, August 26 at 5pm. We look forward to seeing you on campus.
From the Office of the Registrar
Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year. At the beginning and end of each semester, please have your student review their transcript to ensure all information is correct (GPA, courses listed, grades on their transcript). Reach out to the registrar if there are any errors on your student's transcript. (This does not include entry and exit date; this is automatically set by SDUSD every school year). If you have a senior (class of 2027), please ensure your student regularly reviews their student email, and their class of 2027 google classroom for messages from the registrar.
Please bookmark the registrar's linktree for contact information, transcript requests and records related information: https://linktr.ee/srhsregistrar
Bell Schedule
See the 2026-2027 Falcon Time Schedule for this year’s bell schedule. During “Modified Mondays,” school will begin at 8:35am and end at 2:29pm.
Yearbook Sale
Don't miss your chance to grab this year's yearbook at the best price you'll see all year!
- KICKOFF SALE: $80 (Now through August 28)
- After August 28: Price increases to $100
This is the lowest price the yearbook will be offered all year, so don't wait!
How to order:
- Order online through the Jostens link, or
- Purchase in person through the Finance Office
Jostens Link: https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A01006935
Directions for the First Day of School August 10
We will not be printing schedules for students, so students should check PowerSchool the morning of August 10 to see their final schedule. Their schedule may have changed since Kick-Off. If a student is NOT able to access their schedule on PowerSchool during the morning of August 10, they may see a staff member at the front of the school or go to the library starting at 7:30am to get a copy.
Week of Welcome
This year, we are excited to start our school year off with our annual “Week of Welcome.” During the first week of school, we will have various activities to help students build relationships with their peers/staff, review our Falcon Pride values, build school spirit, increase student connection with the school, and more. During Monday and Tuesday, teachers will give a brief overview of their classes as well as take students through various fun and informational activities. Wednesday and Thursday teachers will begin their classes and students will continue with school culture building activities during their advisory period. The week will finish with class level assemblies and a fun lunch activity on Friday.
Student Parking
The student parking lots are located inside the campus gates, and the gates will be closed during the school day. Student parking lots will be the South Parking Lot, the west side of the Bungalow Lot, and certain spots in the parking lot outside of the 700 building. See the Student Parking Lots for a visual.
Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up
At Scripps Ranch High School, traffic during student drop-off and pick-up can be challenging because our campus has only one way in and one way out. To help reduce traffic as much as possible, we are asking parents and guardians to drop off and pick up students at the designated locations along the east side of Falcon Way, Scripps Lake Drive, or Treena Street. Please see the Student Drop-Off & Pick-Up information for additional details.
Office Hours
Due to mandatory staff meetings, our office will operate on revised hours. Details are listed below:
- August 5, 2026 - 10:45 AM to 4:00PM
- August 6, 2026 - 10:15 AM to 4:00PM
- August 7, 2026 - 9:30 AM to 4:00PM
Finance Office Hours
Starting Aug 10th: Monday-Friday before school from 8:00-8:25 am and lunch time.
The finance office will not be open after school.
9th & 10th Grade Student ID Card Distribution
Student ID cards will be distributed at lunch during the first week of school. Additional details will be posted in the "Class of" Google Classroom. Please encourage your student to login to check this platform regularly for announcements, events, policies and school updates.
Counseling Updates
- Class Schedules: Students had the opportunity to view their tentative, unofficial schedules on their Kick-Off Day. Following Kick-Off, the Parent/Student Portal was temporarily closed to allow staff to process course change requests, balance class sizes, and resolve scheduling conflicts or errors. Please note that while some students may have noticed schedule updates before the portal was closed, further adjustments may still occur as we complete these tasks. The Parent/Student Portal will reopen on Sunday, August 9th at 5:00 P.M. We encourage all students to check their official schedule on the morning of the first day of school to account for any last-minute changes.
- Class Change Requests: As communicated in advance, course change requests were accepted via a Google Form on a student’s Kick-Off day. To ensure counselors can track all requests, have the time needed to finalize schedules and prepare for the start of school, requests cannot be accepted via email. Counselors will spend this week reviewing submitted requests and making changes when possible. If a student’s schedule is changed, it will be reflected in PowerSchool and can be viewed on the first day of school. Please remember that the master schedule was created based on students’ original course requests, and available space for changes may be limited.
- Counselor Availability: Given the volume of tasks required to successfully open the school year, we kindly ask that families wait to contact counselors until after the school year begins. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to ensure a smooth start for all students.
Grad Nite
Shared on behalf of the Foundation and the Grad Nite committee:
- Calling all SRHS Seniors and families—stay connected as we kick off an unforgettable year. Grad Nite Hub.
- Merch and flocking are available for everyone who wants to show their Falcon Pride. Store
- Seniors, your Kickoff Package is live now. Exclusive items, limited quantities, and the presale closes August 9. Order Today
That’s all for today. Thanks and I hope you have a fun-filled last week of summer. Go Falcons!
Sincerely,
Matt Lawson, Ed.D
Principal
Scripps Ranch High School