Monday, November 2, 2009

AHS Weekly Update- 11-2-09










Happy November!

Student DPs Going Up on the Web

• Congratulations to Matthew Longwell, the first Animas High School student ever to post his AHS Digital Portfolio online. Look to see all of our students DP’s uploaded to the internet over the next two weeks. Make sure you ask your student if there pages are ready to drop!
Snow Closures

• We were excited and surprised by last week’s wintry weather and wanted to let our community know that in the event of school closure due to inclement weather, the following communication steps will be enacted:

o By 6:00 AM, AHS’s voice mail message, accessed by calling 247-2472 (AHS-AHS4) will reflect the school’s decision to delay/cancel school. If you call the main number and do not hear a cancelation message, then school is open.

o By 6:00 AM, AHS will have contacted the media and added our delay/cancelation to the on air closing lists broadcast on the stations of
Four Corners Radio: Durango/La Plata County 90.1/89.5
Southern Ute Tribal Radio Ignacio/Bayfield 91.3
Durango’s 99.7 The Point

o By 6:15 AM, AHS’s website (www.animashighschool.com) and HOS Blog (www.animashighschool.blogspot.com) will have cancelation messages on the top of each home page.

Fundraising Letter

The Parent Advisory Committee has sent out a fundraising letter to the families of AHS students. Letters were mailed on Saturday, October 31st and should arrive home the beginning of this week. We’d like to thank all those families who have already contributed to AHS this year! We understand that requests for financial assistance can be met with surprise and/or confusion. However, as we approach the traditional season of giving, here are some important points to consider when thinking about how you can support all the terrific students here at Animas High School:

• AHS currently has 77 terrific students but we need additional financial support, much like other school districts across the country. Our enrollment continues to grow steadily!
• AHS receives funds from the state but is not eligible for financial support for its facility! AHS faces that additional financial obligation after constructing a beautiful and safe campus for our students.
• As AHS adds a grade each year, the school's financial health will be strong and we are confident that our financial model is reliable and secure.
• This first year is the toughest financially as there are fixed costs (facility, staff salaries) and our 9th grade class reflects the smallest enrollment the school will ever have.
• AHS Board of Directors continue working to raise funds for our first year of operations and to raise capital for the construction of a permanent campus.
• Monthly operations currently cost $1600 more per student than AHS has received from the state
• AHS has been extremely conscientious in cutting back spending, while remaining committed to providing excellent educational instruction!
• AHS has received over $500,000 in grants from public and private sources and continues to work to generate grant related funds.

Head of School Meeting Times

• AHS Head of School Michael Ackerman will be out of the office starting Wednesday, Nov. 3rd through Friday Nov. 13th. Please call 247-2474 to schedule a meeting with Michael or send him an email at michael@animashighschool.com . We are currently scheduling HOS meetings for the week of Nov. 16th and we are happy to find a time for you to meet with Mr. Ackerman. As always, please contact our teachers and/or your student’s advisor with any academic or programmatic concerns or questions you may have.