Congratulations to our 7th grade boys' soccer team for defeating TeWinkle 2-0 in the Championship game on Wednesday, March 27th held at Sowers Intermediate.  This is the first time in CMMS history that our 7th grade boys' team won the championship.  Coach Amos Hernandez is excited about the future of our boys' soccer program.  Coach Hernandez also coaches the varsity team and sees the potential in our middle school athletes to raise the bar when they get to the high school level.  The 8th grade team went undefeated in league play, but succumbed to TeWinkle in a 2-1 loss in a hard fought championship game.

Congratulations goes out to all our Mesa students that presented at the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair.  These students invested a significant amount of time and effort to investigate a scientific question and generate a project for the OC Science and Engineering Fair.  Four Costa Mesa students were selected as award winners for the outstanding science fair projects they submitted.  The award winners are:

Alyah Kanemoto - Second Place overall in Zoology

Ben Swanson - Honorable Mention in Physiology

Jimmy Solano - Honorable Mention in Physiology

Christina Laty - Honorable Mention in Pharmacology

Based on her second place performance, Alyah Kanemoto will also be moving on to compete at the state level.  Way to go Alyah!!!  Again, congratulations to everyone that participated and represented Costa Mesa High School/Middle School.

On Saturday, March 9^th the Delta Mesa Club competed at the Mesa Day Preliminary Competition at U.C. Irvine. Our students faced some tough competition from Fullerton, Orange, Los Nietos, Lynwood, Placentia-Yorba Linda, Pomona, Santa Ana, and Newport-Mesa schools. Our students prepared for this competition by devoting 2-4 hours a week to work on their projects after school. In true Mustang fashion, their hard work paid dividends with the following results:

             1^st Place for the Eye Model

                        Sarah Catania and Valerie Duarte

            1^st Place for the Speak Up Presentation

                        Nancy Le

            3^rd Place for the Eye Model

                        Bianca Duarte and Emily Olvera

Ms. Vazquez stated of her students, “Our students know hard work pays off…It’s a great day to be a Mustang!” Thanks for all of your hard work Ms. Vazquez and freshman Chris Hutchinson who has been mentoring our middle school students in preparation of this competition.

Something I have always loved about education is the fresh sense of renewal that accompanies the start of each new school year. As the 2012-13 school year kicks off our teachers and staff has renewed their commitment to work diligently to provide all students with a challenging, relevant educational program.

We are very proud of our strong academic program, as well as the varied and interesting elective courses offered to our students. The staff at Mesa has a well-developed belief system that drives everything we do at our school.  Developmentally, we are committed to the idea that the middle school years are the most important years of our student’s lives, not only in their physical and social growth, but also in their intellectual and educational development.  We hold ourselves accountable to an elevated standard of instruction, and we hold our students equally accountable to high academic and behavioral standards.  Believing that a safe and secure environment is a prerequisite to effective instruction and learning, we strive to provide a stable, yet flexible atmosphere that will meet the changing needs of our students.  We believe that an effective partnership between school and home is essential to the success of our children. 

To this end, you can provide your child with a structured schedule right away to ensure a successful start to the new school year. Include your child’s input in creating this after school schedule. Remember, no input from your child equals resistance. Be positive and give frequent feedback on the job they are doing. Here are some suggestions to make homework easier and meaningful:

• Schedule a time each night just for completing homework. This should be quiet time not in front of the TV or other distractions
• Find a quiet place to work and have supplies like pencil and paper handy.
• Be available to look over papers and discuss your child’s questions and concerns. If your child has attempted an assignment several times and is “stuck” give him/her some help, but do not do the work yourself.
• When you observe your child displaying good homework habits, reinforce this behavior with praise.
• When possible, relate homework to every day skills such as taking responsibility, following directions, beginning and completing a task, and managing time.
• Read to or with your child and invite your child to read to you, particularly if your child struggles with reading. Let your child see you reading, as you are the most powerful role model in your child’s life.

Our commitment to honor the traditions of the past and charter the future at Costa Mesa remain a top priority.We look forward to working with you as a school community to maintain the highest levels of student achievement, campus pride and customer service. Welcome to what is sure to be a great 2012/2013 school year Mustangs!

 Dr. Aaron Peralta

Principal