Good afternoon. I’m Jeff Harris, Superintendent of Schools for Del Norte, and this is the update for the week of August 24, 2026.

First Day of School
Welcome back! It’s great to see students back on our campuses, reconnecting with friends and teachers, meeting new people, and settling into their classrooms.

There is something fulfilling about the first day of school. A tremendous amount of work goes into getting ready for it all summer. Today is when all of that preparation comes together, and our schools are once again filled with students learning and growing.

I want to thank our staff for all of the hard work that went into preparing for today and our families and community for helping us get the new school year off to a strong start. We’re excited to have everyone back and to see what the year ahead brings.

Dates to Remember
As far as dates to remember, I want to remind you to mark your calendars for our first holiday. There will be no school on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day. School will resume, as normal, on Tuesday, September 8.

If you are looking for one of the District calendar refrigerator magnets, they are once again available. If your child doesn’t receive one of the magnets this week, feel free to stop by their school and pick one up.

Every Day Matters
Today was the first of many important school days this year. Simply being at school each day gives students the best opportunity to keep up with their learning, to stay connected with their teachers and classmates, and to make the most of the school year. I was reminded lately of the phrase, “2 Is Too Many.” If a student misses only two days of school per month, they will meet the state criteria for being chronically absent and will have missed over a month of school by June.

We do know, however, that there will be times when students need to miss school. If your child is going to be absent, please let your school office know as soon as possible. And if there is something making it difficult for your child to attend regularly, please reach out to us. Whether it is transportation, a family circumstance, or another challenge, the sooner we know about it, the sooner we can work with you to see how we can help.

Stay Connected - Communication
Now that the school year is underway, families should begin receiving regular communication from their child’s school and from the district through phone calls, text messages, emails, school websites, and other school communication channels.

If you are not receiving those messages, please check with your school office to make sure the phone numbers and email addresses we have for your family are current. This is also a good time to make sure your emergency contacts and contacts for anyone authorized to pick your child up from school are up to date.

Good communication starts with being able to reach one another, and we want to make sure families are getting the information they need throughout the school year.

Still Getting Settled? We Can Help
Today is the first day of school, but it is not too late to reach out if your family is still working out plans for the new school year. Help is available with transportation, enrollment, after-school programming through ELOP, school supplies and other necessities through our Care Closets, free school meals, and other student and family needs.

If you aren’t sure where to start, contact your child’s school office. Our staff can help you or connect you with the right person. You can also find school and district resources at dnusd.org.

Sports Update
If you are looking forward to cheering on our Warriors this year, DNHS is once again offering annual athletic passes for the 2026–27 school year.

An Individual Athletic Pass is $125, and a Family Pass for four people is $275. One pass provides admission to all regular-season DNHS home athletic events in every sport for the entire school year, with the exception of NCS/CIF playoff games.

Regular league admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors, so the annual pass can be a great value for families and community members who regularly attend Warrior athletics. Most importantly, proceeds from the passes go directly toward supporting DNHS athletic programs and our student-athletes.

Athletic passes can be purchased at dnhigh.org/seasonpass and there is also an FAQ detailing more information. For questions, contact DNHS Athletic Director Taylor Duncan at tduncan@dnusd.org.

Finally, Del Norte High School athletics are picking up momentum as we move into the new school year. Today, both Boys Soccer and Girls Soccer travel to McKinleyville, with the Boys Varsity team playing at 4:00 PM and the Girls Varsity team following at 6:00 PM. On Tuesday, both teams return home to take on Fortuna at Del Norte High School, with Boys Soccer at 2:00 PM and Girls Soccer at 4:00 PM.

Friday brings a full weekend of competition, with JV and Varsity Football traveling to Oakland High School for games at 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Boys and Girls Soccer will also compete Friday and Saturday at the Upper Lake Tournament, with times to be determined. On Saturday, JV and Varsity Volleyball head to the Yreka Tournament for their first tournament action of the season. Best of luck to all of our Warrior student-athletes as fall sports get into full swing. You can find schedules for all Del Norte High School fall sports at dnhigh.org/sports

That’s it for this week’s update. We are excited to welcome students back this coming Monday and look forward to a strong start to the new school year. Thank you.