Frequently Asked Questions.
Power Announcement is a notification system loaded with new features that will make it easier for us to keep in contact with your family and allows you, the end user, to set the preferences of communication. To guarantee the messaging system is used efficiently, we will need to confirm your contact information is accurate and up-to-date at all times.
Power Announcement allows our school to send messages using email, voice, and text messaging. Voice calls will be sent with the school number as the caller ID number. Voice calls will be sent with 480-969-5641 as the caller ID number. You may want to add these phone numbers to your address book to help you recognize incoming calls from the school easily. Text messages will be sent using a caller ID of 77811. You may want to add this number to your contacts as well so that you can easily identify these as Heritage Academy school texts. Please note you will not be able to reply to text messages sent from the school or district. For email, please add heritage@heritageacademyaz.com to your contact list so that spam filters do not flag the emails.
Power Announcement is integrated with the existing PowerSchool Parent Portal. If you log-on to the Parent Portal you will now see a new link called “Power Announcement”. Through Power Announcement you will be able to see all the contact information our school has listed for you. Within this section of the Parent Portal, you will also be able to choose your communication preferences based on message category, such as School Closures or Student Bulletins, and message type (email, voice and/or text message). You may uncheck any message category except for Emergency Messages.
You may access the Parent Portal through www.heritageacademyaz.com or directly by clicking here Parent Portal. Your account will require you to have both a Parent Access ID and Parent Access Password that were distributed at registration.
Setting up your parent preferences is your responsibility. By default, every message type and field will be selected for every category. You will receive messages to every contact field shown and every message category that has all three message types chosen. Tolls and charges associated with receipt of messages from the school are your responsibility and not the responsibility of the school.
This is an automated service, when entering phone numbers please do not use work phone numbers that you do not directly answer. Primary contacts for phone and email, in addition to announcements and school closings, will be used for attendance notifications. Attendance calls are for student safety, please use a number and emails that will contact you during the day. Alternate contact phone numbers and student cell phone numbers can be added for emergency calls, general announcements and school closing notifications.
Each message offers an opt-out link. Be aware this opts you out of all notifications: emergency, attendance, and school cancellations. If you want the phone number to receive emergency notifications while not receiving additional phone calls we suggest leaving the number but marking the preferences as needed.
Emergency messages are always sent with all three message types (email, text, and voice calls) and to every contact field shown even if you have opted out. Emergency messages will be labeled as such so you will know it is an actual emergency.
Attendance notifications are an important part of security for your student so that you and the school receive the necessary notification of your student’s presence at school. Please use a number and emails that will contact you during the day.
Only parents will have access to set whether messages from Power Announcement are sent to the Student Email. Student emails are set to the school provided email.
If you have any questions, please contact your student’s school. We hope this new school notification system is easier to manage, giving you the flexibility to change how you are contacted.
Thank you.
Registration is done at our New Scholar Orientations or by appointment with our Assistant Principal. Please take a moment to review the Course Catalog in determining what courses to register for.
How to Pay My School Bucks (MSB) Invoices
MySchoolBucks Parent Support 855.832.5226
parentsupport@myschoolbucks.com
NOTE: If your scholar has been attending a different school in a different district, click the words “School District” at the top of your MySchoolBucks account to add a new school district to your profile. MySchoolBucks.com will provide a list of available school districts during the signup process. |
- EASIEST Way To Pay
- Log into your PowerSchool account.
- Access the MySchoolBucks (MSB) icon on the left hand side
- Click “Go to MSB” on top right. If grayed out/not working, click “Get Started” to refresh, then “Go to MSB”
- Select “Invoices”
- Select “Buy Now” or “Add to Basket”
- Enter payment information
- Receipt will be sent to email listed in your MySchoolBucks account.
- Pay with an ECA tax credit donation
- DO NOT PAY THE INVOICE
- Log into your PowerSchool account.
- Access the MySchoolBucks (MSB) icon on the left hand side
- Click “Go to MSB” on top right. If grayed out/not working, click “Get Started” to refresh, then “Go to MSB”
- Click on “School Store” in the menu bar at the top of the page
- Click “Browse All Items” & Choose Pay Invoices with ECA Tax Credit Donations
- enter the amount you want to pay
- select the scholar you are paying an invoice for
- list the donor’s name
- list the donor’s address
- list the donor’s email address
- enter scholar’s name for them to receive the ECA donation
- choose one of the four activity types for this donation
- in last box list which specific sport, trip, or fee the donation is for
- IF this is just a general donation to be added to the scholar’s credit on their account, type in “general donation”
- Click the Buy Now button on the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
- Review order and click “Place order.” Enter payment info under “Choose Payment Method.” Click “Continue”
- Apply Account Credit
- Log into your PowerSchool account.
- Access the MySchoolBucks (MSB) store icon on the left hand side
- Click “Go to MSB” on top right. If grayed out/not working, click “Get Started” to refresh, then “Go to MSB”
- Access the “School Store” from the menu bar at the top of the page
- Click “Browse All Items”
- Click on the Pay with Existing Account Credit item
- Complete form to pay online. Click the “Buy Now” button or “Add to Basket” if you have more transactions
- Submit form by checking out
- Receipt will be sent to email listed in your MySchoolBucks account.
- Payment will be applied to invoice upon receipt of payment
Heritage Academy has 3 approved vendors for uniforms. They may vary in price, as does the quality in some cases. Visit this link to view options and pricing: https://heritageacademyaz.com/uniforms-dress-code
Is higher education a priority for your scholar? It is for us! In fact, Heritage scholars are not just preparing to go to college, they are earning college credits in their current classes! Check out all the cool things we are doing!
- Dual Enrollment Classes allow scholars to earn college credits in math, science, history, English, and several elective classes.
- Individual Assistance provided by College Coach, Maria Radostits. Click here to set up an appointment.
- Meet College Representatives from all in-state and several out-of-state colleges and universities.
- College Campus Visits in the Fall and the Spring to select in-state public colleges to help our graduates determine which college is the best fit for them.
- Senior Night Presentation in the Fall with updates for families on how to prepare for college.
- Advanced Placement. Heritage teachers also help prepare students to be successful in completing the Advanced Placement tests in Calculus and Computer Science Principles.
- Earn Your AA and AGS Degrees with our dual enrollment program which can take 18-24 months off of your Bachelor’s degree program, saving you time and money.
- Help Pay for College using Going Merry’s scholarship search tool where scholars can apply for scholarships starting in 9th grade. Click here to sign up.
Over 95% of Heritage scholars are working on college credits each year. After graduation, almost every Heritage scholar attends some form of higher education with scholarships from local colleges and major universities around the country. Heritage scholars tell us that the course work they had is often more challenging than their coursework at college.
Whatever your goals, Heritage is your gateways to higher education.
Heritage uses a communication tool that sends emails, text messages and/or voice messages. Messages are sent to all parents or specific groups (music, sports, etc.) to provide reminders or updates on changes to calendar items.
TIP: Make sure to check your spam/junk folder and set a rule for your email client to receive messages from BrightArrow. Check your local email client help center for details.
At the beginning of the year, Heritage gathers contact information, but we need to know if anything changes throughout the year. Please let us know if you receive a new email address or phone number.
Our front desk is available on school days, Monday – Thursday from 7:30am – 4:00pm at (480) 461-4400. A message can be left outside these times. Email is also a good option and our addresses are available on the Staff page.
Communication is a partnership. Keeping you informed is a priority for us at Heritage. Please let us know how we can improve.
Below are a few items to note regarding parking at Heritage Academy campus Gateway:
- Visitor parking is available in our parking lot close to the front of the main building
- Scholar parking passes are available for purchase. Please contact the front office for more information.
Our alumni and friends are essential to the school’s mission: Building America’s Heroes. Gifts provide financial stability to withstand economic adversity and minimize the impact of fiscal fluctuations from the State of Arizona. The gift of learning lasts forever in the hearts and minds of Heritage scholars.
Click here to review the many ways you can support Heritage today.
Thank you for being a Hero!
Absolutely! Heritage partners with Rio Salado College to offer over 27 dual enrollment courses and up to 93 college credits by the time they graduate from high school. This allows scholars to earn their Associate’s degree by the time they leave Heritage.
All dual enrollment courses are taught by certified dual enrollment instructors using college curricula. Certified dual enrollment instructors must have a Master’s degree or higher in the subject they are teaching or a Master’s degree in any subject with at least 18 credit hours of 500+ level courses in the subject they are teaching for academic classes. Dual enrollment instructors must have a Master’s degree and 5+ year experience in the subject they are teaching for occupational classes.
Heritage also offers AP Calculus and AP Computer Science Principles, where scholars can earn even more college credits.
Each year Heritage Academy honors the top students for their accomplishments and academic achievements with scholarships and awards.
The George Washington award is given to the most outstanding student. This award is given to the one student who most embodies the spirit of Heritage Academy by not only being an outstanding student but also by their service to the school and community.
The Thomas Jefferson and Dolly Madison awards are given to the top male and female students respectively. The Benjamin Franklin award is given to the scholar who demonstrated perseverance. All senior scholarships are nominated by and voted for by our staff.
A scholar receives a graduation diploma from Heritage Academy when requirements of the school and of the Arizona State Board of Education have been met.
Graduation Requirements
Subjects | Credits |
English | 4 |
Math | 4 |
Science | 4 |
History | 3 (4 for class of 2026 & beyond) |
Foreign Language | 2 |
Fine Arts | 1 |
Physical Education | 1 |
Electives | 7 (6 for class of 2026 & beyond) |
Total Credits | 26 |
Academic courses listed above receive one full credit and electives one-half credit. See the student handbook for more detail.
Absolutely. Our dress code is based on principles of maintaining modesty, cleanliness, and professionalism in your dress. Think of dressing for school as if you were applying for a job. Heritage Academy is not the place to experiment with fads. In any school activity where the regular uniform is not worn (such as sports, Dollars for Duds Days, field trips and tours, drama productions, dances, etc.), all clothing, words, and pictures must be positive, uplifting, and encouraging.
Uniforms can be purchased through our vendors Lands End, Tommy Hilfiger or Dennis Uniforms. There are also gently used uniforms available for purchase at the front desk.
Heritage Academy’s attendance policy reflects our belief that when a scholar is not in class, he or she does not earn the credit that is sought by being enrolled in class.
If parents desire to keep a scholar out of school for whatever reason that is their prerogative. However, the scholar will not be excused from class work or assignments missed.
Absences
Any scholar who misses ten percent (10%) or more of classes (maximum of 5 days) in a given subject may not receive credit for that subject. This applies to all absences unless on school business.
Yes, we are very happy to offer: Basketball, Football, Soccer, Volleyball, Weight Training, Cross Country, Track and Field, Wrestling, Softball, Baseball, Swim Tennis, and Golf.
Heritage competes successfully against other charter schools in the Charter Athletic Association (CAA):
- Art
- Orchestra
- Band
- Choir
- Digital Imaging
- Drama
- Stagecraft
- Computers
- Entrepreneurship
- Foundations in Personal Finance
- Dance
- Ballroom
Yes. The overriding standard of conduct at Heritage Academy is the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
If scholars would think through this one guideline and act accordingly, no other rules would be necessary. But alas we must have more explicit rules so please see the student handbook for more detail.
1. Does Heritage Academy currently operate an elementary school?
Yes! We do have a wonderful elementary program. Our current K-8 is located in Mesa near the Gateway airport. We would love to give you a tour if you are interested. I will link their website HERE.
2. Will there be an Elementary School info session soon?
Yes! There will be a parent info session next Wednesday evening on May 3rd at 5:30 pm at the Pointe 7-12 campus.
3. What is the homework workload?
It is typically 10 minutes per grade level. K-10 min, 1- 20 min, 2 – 30 min, 3- 40 min etc.
At Heritage we do want our scholars to still have time to be children. We do have homework, but it isn’t excessive. This gradual increase gets them ready for JH expectations in a natural way.
4. Uniforms- I know the tops are red, white and blue- and bottoms are khaki and blue correct? I saw mention of shorts and pants but can girls wear skirts? I didn’t hear anything about that.
Here is helpful information about uniforms CLICK HERE. At the bottom of the page is an illustration of examples of uniform wear. The students can wear whatever color/fabric/style they feel comfortable in as long as it is within the uniform dress code, which includes a logo’d polo. We have 4 main vendors for polo tops and then you can buy your pants/shorts/skirts from anywhere you’d like. Our website has the approved styles for elementary just to give families ideas. However, you can purchase everything other than the polo anywhere uniforms are sold (Target, Walmart, Old Navy, online, etc.)
5. I heard you will be offering sports- at what grade level does that start?
Sports start at the 7th grade and are during the school day (athletics are P.E. credits and taken during class periods), but in the younger grades it is after school programs and possibly 3rd party groups to run it. It will most likely depend on interest and participation. At our Gateway elementary school, we contract out our Saturday sports.
6. Class sizes?
We do anticipate growing the enrollment at the K-6, but will keep class sizes small. We do not have over 25 students per class, even at the upper grades (except classes like choir, band…) The classroom size at Pinnacle may be the biggest factor in how many students are in the classroom. I think we counted around 18-19 desks in their rooms.
It is definitely a family feel at Heritage Academy! That is one of the main reasons families come to us. Our values-based education with strong academics along with having a safe and small classroom environment. Everyone is kind, courteous, civil and friends! The culture is very special at Heritage.
7. I’ve heard you allow parent participation or PTO which is exciting!
Yes! We welcome parent participation and LOVE our PTOs. We feel we operate smoothly because of how much our PTO helps! They are an integral part of our schools!
8. Do I need to fill out an enrollment application if my child currently attends a Pointe school?
Yes, please create an account in our enrollment portal and fill out the application found HERE. An email was sent out 2 days ago with detailed instructions. CLICK HERE TO READ The good news is that since we will have access to items like transcripts and school records, the process will be much easier for you. We will send more details once you have submitted the first portion (residency).