Where did the summer go? Faculty orientation is in full swing at AHS and staff are settling back into their school year routines. The remodel is complete and now it's time to organize and clean our school! A HUGE THANK YOU to all our volunteers who have been invaluable in getting 3206 ready for the 12-13 school year. A special appreciation to this summer's volunteer coordinators: Kerry Masterson, Kathy Setka, Michelle Swanson, Tiare Flora, Susan Kroes, Jesse Hutt and Tracy Davoust- without your leadership we'd be neck deep in sheet rock dust and cardboard boxes!
With the start of the 2012-13 school year rapidly approaching, our weekly updates are more robust than usual. Thank you for taking the time to review the important information contained in these emails. Below, please find the following updates:
Volunteers Needed
Senior Yearbook Portraits
Summer Stories Wanted for the Quill
Technology at AHS
School Supplies
Orientation Week 2012
Upcoming AHS Correspondence
Save the Date
Volunteers Needed
Our fantastic volunteers have finished painting, campus landscaping is complete and now…the interior needs extensive cleaning!
AHS is looking for volunteer help, 9:30 AM- 5:00 PM, Monday- Friday through August 17th.
A parent volunteer is at school each day to coordinate the project for that day. Every hour counts as we head towards opening day.We need your students and their friends. What better way to have them truly invested in their school!
Please join us wearing closed-toe shoes. All cleaning supplies will be on site.
Enjoy a true sense of accomplishment by helping us begin our 2012/2013 year.
If you have any questions please let us know at pac@animashighschool.com or
by contacting Kathy Setka at 970/903.3223.
Senior Yearbook Portraits
Happy Senior Year! This update is intended to give seniors and their parents some information
and due dates with respect to the 2012-13 AHS yearbook. As you may know, the yearbook is a public document that operates more like a business within the school instead of just another club. We have publishing deadlines that we have to meet in order to get the yearbook to the public, especially the seniors, in a timely fashion!
Some schools require that the school photographer (Thru the Lens) be the only entity that may take pictures for the yearbook portraits. Our school does not have this requirement.
Durango has a variety of photographers that offer various senior photo packages, prices, and options. Animas High School would like to request that all seniors (class of 2013) select their own photographer and present the AHS yearbook staff with a digital copy of their final photo before Winter Break, 2012.
Photos that fail to comply with the Animas High School yearbook portrait policy will not be published in the yearbook. The Portrait Policy for Seniors is as follows:
Seniors have the ability to choose their own photographer. However, any portrait intended for the
Animas High School Yearbook must be submitted prior to the deadline as determined by the AHS Yearbook staff and is subject to review by the AHS yearbook staff and AHS administration.
Requests for a new portrait will be made if the portrait is deemed sexually provocative, inappropriate, or in violation of the AHS fashion guide (found in the student handbook), or if it is not in accordance with the ideals, values, and/or mission of Animas High School.
Attire for Senior potraits may include school issued athletic uniforms, formal wear (exhibition clothing, dresses for dances, or other formal wear), and any clothing that follows the Animas High School fashion guide. We’re looking forward to documenting another great school year at AHS. Please seek out one of the student editors with your questions or contact our faculty advisor: roxy.mcknight@animashighschool.com with questions or concerns. Sincerely, the AHS Yearbook Staff
Summer Stories Wanted for the Quill
What did Summer 2012 bring for you; Service work in Africa? An Outward Bound trip in the Cascade Mountains? Traveling through the jungle in Borneo? MTB racing in Sun Valley? College road-trip to New England? Workingwith youth in Durango?
Students and staff are asked to submit their stories, artwork, poetry, pictures, awards and anecdotes to the Animas Quill. The Quill, AHS’s student newspaper, is preparing for a spectacular first publication of the 12-13 school year and we want to hear from you! Send your summer recap to theanimasquill@gmail.com
Technology at AHS
Animas High School has refined its policy for student technology for the
2012-2013 school year. We've received questions concerning this refinement and are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Beginning this fall, each student is highly encouraged to have his/her own laptop computer for school. At Animas High, we put a strong emphasis on preparing our students to work effectively with a wide range of technology, especially personal computers. In past years, we have offered school laptops for general student use. While this has worked well for the most part, we have faced some challenges maintaining our hardware so that every student can have quick and easy access to a laptop when they need one.
We believe that we have a unique opportunity to teach our students how to use and responsibly maintain and care for their own personal laptops by requiring everyone to have their own. (see specs below) If your son/daughter already has their own laptop, we ask them to bring it to school. If your son/daughter does not have access to a laptop at this time, they can procure one for the school year from AHS. The school requires a $ 200.00, refundable security deposit for all students looking to utilize a school supplied laptop. If your student does access a laptop from the school, you will be responsible for returning the unit in satisfactory condition. We will work hard to ensure that this policy will not preclude anyone from attending or finding success at AHS. Families that for see an economic hardship related to the procurement of their student’s laptop should speak with the AHS administration (Michael or Jake). Interested in obtaining an AHS laptop? Please give the Main Office a call at 970-247-2474.
What should I consider if I want to purchase my own personal Laptop?
Parents have asked us what criteria they should consider when choosing a laptop for their student. Below are some things to keep in mind:
· Size - it must be small, lightweight and very portable, fit comfortably under the arm
· or in a backpack.
· Sturdy - it must be tough, sturdy, rugged, and able to take more than
· one hard knock because students are students!
· Connections - wireless connections are offered. The AHS campus is completely
wireless and students are able to access the internet anywhere on campus. Most notebooks have these connections but check -- a printer port, a 56Kbps-modem,
a VGA port for an external monitor, and any unit should have at least one USB port
for external keyboard/mouse, digital cameras, drives, and MP3 players.
· Technical Specs - it should have enough RAM (minimum 2GB) and hard drive
· storage space (the more GBs the better) and computing speed to do any assignment
· or task the student will be asked to complete
· Battery Life - make sure your student notebook has a reasonable battery life,
2 hours or more, although they will have access to plugs regularly.
· Price - it should be reasonably priced, refurbished laptops may be an option for those on a strict budget
· Software- The MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint is now standard although there exists web-based “freeware” that also may work for your student. The Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator) are great but not required at AHS!
· Mac of PC- Some lime chocolate, some like vanilla. There’s plenty of information online that argues the value of one over the over. However, students and staff utilize both Mac and PC platforms/operating systems at AHS everyday.
School Supplies
In the past, AHS has provided students and families with a supplies list before school starts. However, we have found it is more effective if we ask each teacher to explain supply needs on the first day of class. Please wait to purchase your supplies until you have the appropriate lists. If you buy school supplies at Office Depot, 5% of your purchase will be given to AHS if you mention AHS during your purchase every time you shop at Office Depot.
Orientation Week 2012
Please Meet at AHS! Students will attend orientation on their grade's start day and then continue with their classmates at campus through Friday.
9th Grade: Orientation week will begin at 8:15 a.m., Monday, August 27th. Please come ready for a full day of outdoor activities.
10th Grade: Orientation Week will begin at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, August 28th. Please come ready for a full day of outdoor activities.
11th Grade: Orientation Week will begin at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 29th. Please be prepared to begin classes that morning, just like a normal school day.
12th Grade: Orientation Week will begin at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, August, 30th. Please be prepared to begin classes that morning, just like a normal school day.
Upcoming AHS Correspondence
The action is ramping up at 3206 Main and the staff is busy preparing for the 12-13 school year. Look for future correspondence and meeting announcements from Animas High School including:
· Update emails from the HOS every week
· Updates from the AHS College Counseling Office and a release of office
hours/schedule for student meetings.
· Updates from the AHS Testing and Assessment Coordinator
· Updates from the AHS AHOS reviewing the upcoming student orientation week. (9th grade begins on the 27th, 10th grade on the 28th, 11th grade on the 29th, 12th grade back on the 30th.
· Updates from the AHS Registrar’s Office concerning scheduling, transcripts, school supplies and technology requirements for 12-13.
· Welcome Back Letter/Update from the Animas High School Board of Directors
Save the Date
August 28th (5:00-6:30 p.m.)-Advisory Potlucks for 9th and 10th grade advisory groups. Advisors will contact each family with specifics.
September 14th (4:00-7:00 p.m.)-Family Picnic at Rotary Park; Hosted by our Senior Parents. This is a chance to meet the teachers, welcome our new and returning families, and hear from our Head of School.
Animas High School Values:
Rigorous academics, where all students are prepared for college success
Culture of excellence, where students are held to high expectations
Strong faculty-student relationships, where students are well known
Engaging learning, where students see the relevance of their education
