Please review the following updates:
SLCs
Communications From School to Home
SLCs
SLCs-Student led conferences are scheduled for this Wednesday, October 20th. SLCs will begin meeting at 3:30 pm and end at approximately 7:00 pm. We will be using a student-led format, which is an alternative to the traditional parent-teacher conference. Conferences will last for 30 minutes per student.
Students have reserved a time for their SLCs using the SLC sign-up sheets which were sent home last week. Please be ON TIME for your student’s SLC so that we can respect everyone’s appointments and commitments.
Students are expected to present in professional dress for SLCs.
For parents/families new to Animas High School, here’s what to expect at Conferences:
1. Your child will do most of the talking. They have practiced their dialogue and have much to share. Listen carefully!
2. Your child will discuss and show evidence of his/her progress in
Humanities, Math, Science, Spanish or Digital Media. Your child will
discuss his/her Habits of Heart and Mind, their strengths and goals
and their ideas for improvement and continued success.
3. When your student is finished presenting, you will be given the opportunity to ask them further questions and share your perception of their performance to date.
4. Teachers will be available during the conference to provide support, clarification and re-direction if needed. Remember, this is NOT a PARENT-TEACHER Conference. Teachers and advisors are always available for office hours or follow up meetings!
Communications From School to Home
Recently, it was brought to our attention that some parents/families are still unaware of our school communication process. Please make sure you are involved and familiar with the following communication avenues:
· Weekly Updates form the AHS Head of School-(What you are reading right now!) These weekly email blasts are distributed at the beginning of each week. The Weekly Updates contain valuable news and information on AHS programming. We expect parents to review the updates each week!
· Newsletters, Event Invitations and Special Announcements are frequently distributed to the AHS community. This information is distributed via email, posted on the school’s website, the HOS Blog and AHS FB page.
· AHS Website- The AHS homepage is a wealth of information for our community. The site can be found at http://www.animashighschool.com/ The website is your online portal for access to Teacher’s Digital Portfolios and syllabi as well as a depository for important school info and documents like the 2010-11 school year calendar, staff email contacts, the school’s budget, etc…
· AHS Digital Portfolios- All teachers at AHS maintain a Digital Portfolio. Teachers constantly update course descriptions, unit plans, weekly units and nightly assignments on their DPs. Your student is very familiar with their teacher’s DP and you should be too! Here’s a list of links for staff DPs:
Josh Dalley
http://animasmath.blogspot.com/
Colleen Dunning
www.wix.com/cdunning/biology
Cathy Eagen
http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~ceagen/index.html
John Fisher
http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~jfisher/index.html
Lori Fisher
http://lorifisher.blogspot.com/
Dave Heershap
http://davidheerschap.blogspot.com/
Maria Goodin
http://www.mariagoodin.blogspot.com/
Jessica McCallum
http://freshhumanities.blogspot.com/
Roxy McKnight
http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~rmcknight/
· AHS HOS Blog- The AHS HOS Blog is Michael’s Digital Portfolio. Here you can find copies of all school to home communications (weekly updates, event announcements, etc.) as well as recent AHS news, local, state and national updates on charter school issues and legislation and any media releases about AHS. Make sure to bookmark the AHS HOS Blog at http://www.animashighschool.blogspot.com/
· AHS Facebook Page- Social Networking at its best! Be sure to become a fan of Animas High School on Facebook to stay current on all the up-to –the-second news from campus. You’ll find unique digital media, pictures and posts on the AHS Facebook page not found anywhere else. This is also where to view archives of past HOS Talks. We know Facebook can be an intimidating venue for parents so don’t be shy to ask students or teachers how it works! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Animas-High-School/129694133734262
· PAC Meetings- Each month, the Parent Advisory Committee meets to discuss all things AHS. From school dances to report cards, sporting events to snow closures; PAC meetings are your chance to voice your issues, comments and concerns to AHS Administrators and board members. PAC meetings alternate between daytime meetings and evening meetings to accommodate the diverse schedules of our parents/families. AHS is a direct result of our community’s efforts and PAC meetings are an invaluable opportunity for collaboration. We can’t wait to hear your voice and see you at these upcoming meetings:
o Monday, October 25 at 12:30 p.m.
o Thursday, November 18 at 6:00 p.m.
o Monday, December 13 at 12:30 p.m.
o Monday, January 10 at 12:30 p.m.
o Thursday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m.
o Monday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m.
o Thursday, April 14 at 6:00 p.m.
o Monday, May 9 at 12:30 p.m.
· PAC Blasts- PAC frequently re-blasts (via email) important pieces of information that are distributed in the AHS Weekly Update, especially when preparing for events like Exhibitions, SLCs, POLs, etc. Please make sure you are receiving PAC Blasts! contact PAC@animashighschool.com if you have questions or concerns.
· HOS/AHOS Office Hours- If you’ve got a need to synch up with the AHS Administration, both the Head of School and Assistant Head of School hold office hours twice a month. Michael’s office hours are on Mondays and Jake’s office hours are on Thursdays. Signing up for admin office hours is as easy as contacting the Main Office at 247-2474 and requesting a meeting time.
· Powerschool- Powerschool is our online grade book program. With your student’s password, you can log into Powerschool from any internet access point and check on your student’s progress. Powerschool grades are updated by the faculty weekly. In addition to logging on at your convenience, starting next week, the school will send an automatic Powerschool update home on Monday evenings. We’re excited to provide our community another opportunity for communication between school and home.
· AHS Main Office- Maureen Truax, our Front Office Manager is available to field your questions or help you with your needs everyday from 8 AM to 4 PM. The Main Office phone is answered each day from 8 AM to 4 PM and the school has multiple lines to take incoming calls. If you reach our message machine, please leave your name, number and reason for calling and Maureen will make sure your message gets to the right person(s) Please remember, although we strive to have the best possible communications systems in place each day at the Main Office, if staff are not immediately available to sign you into the building or answer your calls, it’s because we are giving one hundred percent of our attention to our students. Please be patient as we work diligently to meet everyone’s needs!
· Emails to staff/advisors- Remember, our staff all have AHS emails and our families report email as the most efficient, fastest way to connect with our teachers, advisors and administrators. Emails for the staff are easy to remember. The address will always be (first name. last name) at animashighschool.com That goes for everyone except the Head of School who’s just michael@animashighschool.com
Our primary avenue for information dissemination is DIGITAL. AHS realizes that for those of us who are luddites with technology (yes, our numbers are many), keeping up with email blasts, blogs and Facebook can be intimidating. We always have the ability to impart this information to folks via a hard copy. (i.e.-an actual document) Stop into campus and let us know how we can help you stay in the loop!
