Counselor's Connection

A warm welcome back to school from the Mills Counseling Department! To learn more about our counseling services, check out the Mills Counseling website. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need advice or support. We are here for you! Each Mills student is alphabetically assigned to a school counselor by last name. This year's counseling assignments are as follows: 

Rachel Mack (A-Gi)

Jayde Tijero (Gl-Lo)

Kalani Vasquez (Lu-P)

Jonathan Fong (Q-Z)

President's Message

Dear Mills Families and Staff,

Happy New (School) Year! I am excited for another Vikings adventure with all of you. I was just thinking about it the other day - this is my 10th year as a Mills parent and my 6th school year as the PTO President.  

Each of my three daughters are different in their strengths, challenges, and how they challenge me! So I couldn’t say I’m an expert at this high school/teenage/parenting thing…at all. But there are a few things I like to remind myself:

• These years go by so quickly. I really try to cherish and soak up every moment. You don’t get them back. And our kids are at that age where they’re defining themselves, fumbling, and thriving all at once. So enjoy it.  
• Kids are their own worst critics. They may not always show it, but they are harder on themselves than you could ever be.  
• Something (grades, not getting into their first choice college) or someone (a friend, a teacher, maybe even you) will break your kid’s heart. We just need to listen and be there for them. With support and a few tears, they’ll get past the storm.  

Families, we have some great events lined up and we hope we’ll see you there.  Our job as the PTO is to be a resource for our families, students, and staff.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions and if we can’t find the answer, we’ll help get one for you.  

Here’s to a successful, fun school year for our students, staff, and family!

In Community,

Joy Pasamonte Henry

President, MHS Parent Teacher Organization

A Year End Celebration at Bacchus Wine & Spirits with past and current board members (l to r: Joy, Catherine, Phuong, Nazneen, Usha, Karen, Mingyu, Shan, and Iyanrick)

Me, with my daughters, Celeste, Genevieve (current Vikings Junior), and Ema in Tokyo this summer

P.S. We love photos of families, students, and staff! If you have any you’d like to share in the newsletter or on social media, please send them to info@millshspto.org

Join the Kapwa Learning Community at Mills!

We are excited to announce the launch of the Kapwa Learning Community at Mills High School! This new program is designed to support and enrich the experiences of Filipino Islander and Filipino American students through a collaborative effort involving the Mills High Filipino American Alliance Student Club, MHS School Counseling, and our local college programs, Skyline’s Kababayan and College of San Mateo’s Katipunan.

The Kapwa Learning Community will focus on centering the Filipino Islander and Filipino American experiences through a comprehensive approach that includes education, counseling, and peer support. Our goal is to enhance students’ personal, academic, and life success by making their school experience more relevant to their own backgrounds, histories, and communities. You can learn more about the program on this Kapwa flyer. 

9th-12th Grade Students: Apply to be a Youth Climate Ambassadors

Applications are due September 2 at 10 p.m.

The Youth Climate Ambassadors program brings 9-12th grade students from across San Mateo County together to empower youth to take climate action into their own hands. Through the seven-month program, students develop projects designed to drive change within San Mateo County and gain a diverse set of skills related to sustainability and climate action. Students are paid a $550 stipend. Learn more.