HAWK News: Character in Action + Pizza Days Are Back!

“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.” 

— Abraham Maslow

Hi, TEA Families!

Here are a few important reminders and resources to help keep the school week running smoothly:

A reminder to all drivers that the speed limit on school grounds is 15 mph. With students, families, staff, buses, and vehicles all moving through the property, please slow down and stay alert, especially during arrival and dismissal.

Thank you for your patience as everyone settles into the pickup routine. As a reminder, Lower School dismisses at 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Upper School dismisses at 3:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday and at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays.

During pickup, please follow the direction of TEA staff managing traffic and do not pass waiting vehicles unless a staff member directs you to do so. Upper School families should pull all the way forward into the circle when space is available.

[READ THE FULL PICKUP PROCEDURES]

Smile, Hawks! Picture Day is coming up:

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Lower School Back-to-School Night! For families who would like to revisit the information shared, or who were unable to attend, the presentation slides are available below.

[VIEW LOWER SCHOOL BTSN SLIDES]

Tomorrow night, Upper School parents and caregivers will gather in Building One before following their student’s bell schedule, moving from class to class to meet teachers and learn more about each course.

Upper School families, please bring a laptop! You’ll use it throughout the evening to access your student’s schedule in real time and view course overviews.

Eight traits anchor our school: stewardship, advocacy, gratitude, empathy, craftsmanship, collaboration, responsibility, and perseverance. Many adventurous experts have spoken to these core characteristics as meaningful aspects to their life's work.

Connor Ryan, a professional skier and filmmaker of Hunkpapa Lakota descent who grew up skiing in Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne homelands at the foot of the Rockies, speaks to stewardship as a relationship rather than a duty: "As humans, that's what we're meant to do: have relationships with the land." 

Jeremy Jones, the Truckee-based big-mountain snowboarder who founded Protect Our Winters after three decades of watching winters locally shorten, speaks to advocacy in similar terms of obligation: "I feel like it is my responsibility to use my voice ... we need to come together to help the long term health of our community." Our students regularly carry these same convictions, practicing stewardship and advocacy daily in and out of the classroom.

Rue Mapp, who built a national movement inviting Black families back into the outdoors through Outdoor Afro, spoke of belonging in nature in a way that speaks to both empathy and gratitude: "Nature isn't somewhere over there; nature is in us." 

Cheryl Strayed, writing about her eleven-hundred-mile walk on the Pacific Crest Trail, described a related discipline of perseverance: "I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed."

Craftsmanship shapes how our students finish what they start. Alpine ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin, reflecting on her historic 2026 season, credited her dominance to something more precise than speed or aggression: "I felt like technical precision and my understanding of how the turnshape really needs to feel was on another level this year."

Collaboration and responsibility close the circle. Arlene Blum, who led the 1978 American Women's Himalayan Expedition, the first American and first all-female ascent of Annapurna, arrived at her climbing plan alone before her team asked to be part of the decision. The group deliberated, reached the same plan by consensus, and Blum came away certain that "good leaders are good listeners."

Make a habit of asking your student this year which of these eight words showed up in their day.

With excitement for the year ahead,

Jessa "Ms. J"

TEA will be out in the Truckee community at the Tahoe Ability Program Inclusion Fusion 5K at Truckee Regional Park! The all-abilities event includes a 5K, fun run, community celebration, and local organizations sharing resources with families.

Stop by the TEA table to say hello, and consider joining the fun by running, walking, rolling, or cheering on participants! Get more information about the 5k event HERE. 

TEA High School students and parents are invited to get a behind-the-scenes look at the college admissions process at the North Tahoe Area College Admissions Case Study at Truckee High School. TEA’s High School Academic, College and Career Counselor Katy Watts will be there to support our families.

Rather than a traditional college fair, students and parents will step into the role of an admissions committee, working with actual college representatives to review mock applications and decide who is admitted, waitlisted, or denied. The event is open to students in grades 9–12 and their parents, and advance registration is required for each attendee.

Our competitive athletics season (register here) began last week with Cross Country Running. Our small team of student-athletes put in strong efforts on our single-track trails here on campus, running about 2.5 miles each practice.

6th Graders Griffin Hull and Bechler Ehlers raced last Thursday against 106 runners from schools across the region. Impressively 450 student-athletes were in attendance from Truckee, the Basin, Reno and beyond. Both competed hard and represented themselves and TEA extremely well.

Calling All Student-Athletes -We need more runners for our XC team (MS & HS). Currently, less than 10% of our 5th–8th graders are participating, compared to roughly 30% nationally. Please talk with your child about running soon, we’d love for them to join the team, or try it for a day. 

The benefits are real: better fitness and health, improved sleep, more social connection, a competitive outlet, and strong skiing legs for winter.

More participation is needed in these athletics offerings too:

Pricing has been reduced for teams across the board this fall, sign up today HERE. 

Go Hawks!

We are excited to welcome the Chaidez family to TEA! Michael Chaidez is joining the 8th grade class this year, along with his mom, Elda Nunez, and his grandparents, who are an important part of their close-knit family. Michael also has an older brother who remains closely involved in his life, as well as a beloved bunny named Gillie.

The Chaidez family enjoys traveling, exploring new places, spending time outdoors, and creating meaningful memories together. They are looking forward to Michael beginning this new chapter, making new friends, exploring new subjects, and getting involved in school activities and clubs.

Michael is a kind, curious, and creative student who enjoys fishing, bike riding, camping, video games, and expressing himself through art. He is especially passionate about e-bikes and gaming.

Welcome to TEA, Michael and the Chaidez family! We are so glad you’re here!

TAP is excited to announce that Pizza Days are starting soon! This year, families can sign up once for the entire school year rather than registering for each Pizza Day individually.

For a set fee, participating students will receive two slices of pizza, a drink, and a fruit snack on each scheduled Pizza Day. More information including the sign-up link will be shared tomorrow in a separate ParentSquare post.

Pizza will be served at both Lower and Upper School on the following dates: 

Want to help serve pizza to our students? Sign up below to volunteer!

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