2025/26 Back to School Information

Families will be receiving their students’ Class List through an automated email from Powerschool in the next 48 hours. The Class List will show all of the classes the student is scheduled to take during the 25-26 school year. We do our best to build a class schedule for students that align with their high school requirements and their chosen elective list.

The driving factors in course scheduling are always: student interest, A-G State Requirements, and college preparation. During the Course Request meetings, our Counselors ask students for several alternative electives. That way, in the event of a scheduling conflict, we can place students in their preferred courses.

What is the best way to inquire about a course change?

If students have a question about their class list or would like to explore alternative course options, the best thing to do is to reach out to Ms. Reynoso via email the week of August 4th. Students will receive their class schedules (includes blocks, rooms numbers, and teacher names) at our All Family Orientation on August 12th. The last day to request a course change is Friday, August 22nd.

Since the closure of Dennis Uniforms, we have a new uniform provider; Land’sEnd. Please check out how to order HNHS Uniforms in the Back to School Information Brochure.

NOTE: I am sharing a PROMO code below that was passed on to me and is live through June 20th!

Promotion Code: BOOK

Pin: 7894

Families can determine which textbooks and materials need ordering through the Holy Names Textbooks and Materials Page: https://hnhs3128.org/.

Use your students’ Class List to identify which course your student needs textbooks for.

Remember: If Holy Names is providing a textbook for a course, it will not show up on the Textbooks and Materials Page. If a family is unable to purchase a textbook out of financial hardship, please reach out to the school Librarian.

Monday, August 11th

The First Year Orientation is a required event for all first-year students. It gives first years an opportunity to review important information about their first year of school and build community together with our Student Ambassadors! This is a student-only orientation and parents can drop their students off on the back campus between 8:30 and 9:00am.

Tuesday, August 12th

The All Family Orientation is a required event and we ask that at least one parent attend with their student. The All Family Orientation gives Holy Names and family members the opportunity to build community, share important information about the school year, answer questions, and most importantly discuss the “whys” and “hows” of student programming throughout the year. Parking will be available on the back campus.

The All-Family Orientation is held from 8:00am to 12:30pm.

Photo Day: 9th, 10th, and 11th Grade students will be taking their school photo on this day. Students are required to wear an HNHS Polo top to Orientation.

Per Bay Area Conference (BAC) guidelines, all new and returning students participating in athletic programming (including try-outs) must submit two documents to the HNHS Athletic Office on or before August 13th:   

1. Sports Packet
2. Doctor's Physical (given the turnaround time of appointments, we encourage families to schedule physicals with their healthcare provider as early as possible)

Both the Sports Packets and Doctor's Physical Form can be located and printed from our website under

Student Life > Athletics. Documents can be submitted to [email protected].

Monarchs! You are invited to attend our Volleyball athletic clinic at Holy Names this summer from July 28th to 31st from 3:30 to 5:30. This clinic aims to help build fundamental skills and connections with other students who have an interest in Volleyball.

(Note: THIS IS NOT A TRYOUT. Volleyball tryouts will be held August 11, 12, 13, and 14, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm at the HNHS gym)

Drop-off and pick-up will take place at the front of the school, located on Harbord Drive. A staff member will check in students, collect their signed permission forms, and guide them to the gym. Parents are asked to drop off their students and return to pick them up at 5 pm in front of the school. The campus will close at 5:15pm. Only Holy Names students will be permitted on campus during the clinic.

What to Bring: Students should bring athletic clothing, gym shoes (with clean soles, please, no mud!), knee pads, and water bottles. If medication is being carried, please ensure that your child's first and last name is visible on the container, along with the directions and dosage information. Include this information on the permission form and inform an adult if medication is brought to this clinic on campus by providing the details on the Permission Form.

Link to Volleyball Clinic Permission Slip (also attached as a PDF)

(BRING THIS FORM COMPLETED to Volleyball clinic check-in on July 28, 2025)

Julie Drucker - VPA Teacher / Production Director - We are excited to welcome Ms. Julie Drucker to our team! Julie has spent several years teaching theatre and dance to students of all ages. She is teaching Drama with Tech Theatre and Dance and Movement. She is also our new Production Director. Welcome Julie!!

Barbara Calabrese Barton - ACE Math Teacher - We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Barbara Calabrese Barton, our new ACE teacher from Notre Dame! Barbara grew up in Michigan and in addition to being an advocate for STEM education, Barbara is a musician! She believes in guiding students’ social, emotional and spiritual development and is excited to join the Holy Names team! Barbara will be teaching Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Pre-Calculus Honors, and supporting our music program! Welcome Barabara!!

Sonia Ramirez - In addition to continuing her work in Admissions, Ms. Ramirez is one of our 9th grade Advisors. Her role in Admissions and the relationships she has developed with our incoming first-years positions her well for the work that will take place in her Advisory 9 class.

Heather Sawtelle - In addition to teaching Art, Ms. Sawtelle will be joining the Development team next year as the new Strategic Initiatives & Innovation Coordinator! This new Development position centers on summer programming and development, and coordinating events targeted at middle school students in our community. This will be a challenging and fun opportunity and we know Ms. Sawtelle will do a great job!

Carrie LaBree - Ms. LaBree is now our Visual and Performing Arts Lead. Her experience as a teacher, VPA department member, and central role in so many VPA events, give us all the confidence in the world that she will do a wonderful job leading the department!

Nicole Frazier - Ms. Frazier is taking on the role of Advisory Coordinator. She will be working to support our advisors with curriculum that is more relevant to grade level and class-need. She is excited to support students develop skill sets that increase their chances of success in high school and beyond! 

Liam Dodson - Mr. Dodson is taking on a special Service Learning assignment for the 25-26 school year aimed at rejuvenating our Service Learning program. We look forward to program opportunities to come for students, faculty and staff! (Get your gardening gloves ready!)

Becky Lamb - After doing a stellar job teaching Algebra this past year, Ms. Lamb will be taking a step back from classroom teaching to focus on her WCEA Project Manager role. She will also be supporting Development and Admissions with data analysis and data management. We are thrilled that we will continue to see Ms. Lamb on campus next year and benefit from her expertise!

Marisol Rodriguez - Ms. Rodriguez is now our Front Office Manager! She will continue her role as Sub Coordinator and Parent Volunteer Coordinator. We feel great knowing that big smiles and warm welcomes will continue to be felt in the main office!

The Holy Names community is defined by its compassion, care, kindness, and radical hospitality! All of our staff and faculty members play a vital role in maintaining this campus culture. One of my least favorite parts of writing the last Monday Connect each year is sharing with students and families the staff and faculty who are not returning next year. Each of them have been central to this culture of care at Holy Names. This year, we have three members of our community who are not returning.

Ms. Mattie Boyce - Ms. Boyce joined our team during the COVID pandemic and immediately worked to improve the culture of math excellence at Holy Names. She has been with Holy Names for four wonderful years! Ms. Boyce was known for increasing students’ expectations for their own success with math, particularly in upper division math courses like Pre-Calculus and Probability and Statistics. She helped students become more confident in math and helped students develop the tools needed to take charge of their own math journey; in both high school and college. As a Holy Names teacher, she also met students where they were, and offered additional layers of support to students who needed it most. She is a wonderful math teacher, colleague, and will forever be a Holy Names Monarch!! Ms. Boyce, we will miss you dearly and are grateful for what you have given to our Holy Names community!!

Ms. Kim Richards - After graduating from Holy Names and living the life of a professional performer, Ms. Richards came back to her alma mater as our Production Director and soon thereafter, our Drama and Tech Theatre teacher. Ms. Richard added so much vibrancy, energy, and creativity to our Visual and Performing Arts department. She produced and directed several performances during her time at Holy Names (let alone the several hundred performances she engaged in as a professional - often in the Summer months before school!). Ms. Richards made Tech Theatre and Drama class fun, exciting, and at times, silly! (ask any student about warm-ups exercises and you will, without a doubt, find yourself smiling). Ms. Richards, we will miss you with all of our hearts and we hope to see you on campus in the near future. Our front doors (and auditorium doors!) are always open to you!

Ms. Athleen Portley - Whenever I talk with new families or new students (and for that matter current families and students), I always hear about the warmth and care they experience with Ms. Portley. I have been blessed to experience that warmth everyday when I get to work each morning. She has served Holy Names for 8 wonderful years. In the time she has been here, she has filled the front office with love, laughter, and compassion. Seen as one of the Holy Names pillars, Ms. Portley has made a positive impact on everyone who has been on our campus. She is usually the first person and the last person people see each day at Holy Names; and no matter how busy the Front Office was, she was always incredibly patient, kind, and composed. Along with Marisol, she was my “partner in the front”. We can all agree there was no better way to start your day than a morning conversation with Ms. Portley. She cares for our students so deeply and her commitment to radical hospitality is second to none. Ms. Portley, we will miss you dearly! Even though it will not be you who buzzes the front door anymore, we hope to see you walk through it in the near future!

New Courses! - I am excited to share that Holy Names is offering several new courses: Deaf Culture and History, AP Language, AP Psychology, and Dance and Movement! Digital Art and Photography is back by popular demand!

Course Updates - We have made some adjustments to the following courses that enable us to best serve our students.

Drama with Tech Theatre - These classes have been merged and students in these courses will have a more holistic understanding of the two sides of this coin. 

AP Literature and AP Language - Both of our AP English courses are now open to 11th and 12th grade students who meet the course requirements. This provides our students with two opportunities to take these courses, provides the classroom with a more diverse group of students, and creates flexibility in our master schedule enabling Holy Names to better meet each student’s course needs.

Theology 11/12 - The upper division Theology courses are now open to both 11th and 12th grade students. In addition to creating a more diverse classroom, this shift enables an expanding Theology curriculum to be organized in a modular way.

Holy Names is looking forward to our WCEA visit in February of 2026! Thank you to our students, parents, faculty, and staff who have worked so hard to help us capture all of the amazing work we are doing on campus. More to come!

HNHS will be closed starting Monday, June 23rd and will re-open Monday, July 28th. Any voicemails or emails sent to the main office will be reviewed when the school re-opens.