It’s an incredibly exciting week for AHS! Remember that Animas High School will
be closed next week for SPRING BREAK! Campus will re-open at 7am on Monday,
April 1st. Please take a moment to review the following
updates:
|
Special
Facilities Announcement
9th Grade Model UN Simulation
2013 Graduation Information
Nominate
an Outstanding Animas Teacher
Donate Now for AHS Sports Swap
College
Counseling Update
Testing
& Assessment Update
LINK Update
State
Legislative Update
Registration
and Re-enrollment for 13-14
Upcoming
Events & Exhibitions
Special
Facilities Announcement
AHS students and staff, parents and families, our
neighbors and community partners are encouraged to join Animas High for a
special announcement concerning our school’s facilities. We look forward to
seeing you THIS THURSDAY from 5 to 6pm
at the Rochester Hotel (back patio) in Downtown Durango.
We look forward to having you join us for the
release of some very exciting news regarding Animas High School and our
programs of excellence!
9th Grade Model UN Simulation
Sara
Price’s 9th Grade Humanities students will be conducting a Model
United Nations simulation on Wednesday March 20th from 5:00-7:30 PM at Fort
Lewis College, in Noble Hall room 130
In this conference, students are tasked with
learning about and representing another country. They write and try to
pass resolutions based on their country’s perspective, but they also try, as
much as possible, to achieve consensus within the conference. In this
conference, students will be debating what to do about the Palestinian refugee
issue.
This conference marks the culmination of several
weeks of work in which students research the issue and their country
perspective, write resolutions, rehearse and refine speeches and practice
running the conference. The simulation event gives them the opportunity
to bring all their knowledge and skills together to solve a world problem. We
hope to see you there!
2013 Graduation Information
Last Friday, AHS’s Graduation Committee released the
following information to the Class of 2013 and their families regarding
graduation on May 24th, 2013. We look forward to having you join us
for this very special event!
Ceremony
Information
Location: Fort Lewis College Ballroom, 1000 Rim Road, Durango,
CO.
Date: Friday, May 24.
Times: Doors will open at 3:00 pm, and the ceremony will
begin promptly at 3:30 pm. There will be
an informal reception from 5:00-6:30 pm on the terrace outside the ballroom
(weather permitting). If the weather is
bad, we will have the reception in the ballroom.
Photographs: We will have a photographer taking pictures of
graduates as they receive their diplomas.
In addition, there will be a space set up right outside the ballroom for
families and graduates to take photographs together.
Graduation
Tickets and Seating
Assigned Seating:
Each graduating senior will
receive 6 tickets to distribute to their family members. These tickets will guarantee assigned seats
in the front section of the ballroom. We
will have ushers on hand to assist family members in locating their seats.
Open Seating:
In addition to the assigned
seating, we also have open seating in the back of the ballroom for
approximately 60 people on couches and chairs.
Beyond that, there is standing room around the edges of the ballroom and
in the back. If you anticipate needing
extra seats and space, please plan on arriving promptly at 3:00!
Tickets Mailed:
The physical tickets to
graduation will be mailed home on April 26.
This will give us time to adjust based on ticket exchange participation
(see below for details on this).
Ticket
Exchange
We will
be facilitating a ticket wait list for families who need more than the 6
tickets per graduate. We will add names
on a first come-first served basis. All requests
should go to: ahsticketexchange2013@gmail.com
If you have tickets you
won’t be using,
please notify us ASAP using the email below so we can pass them on to families
who have more than 6 attendees. In the
email, please state the following information:
1. Your student’s name
2. Your name
3. A good email address for you
4. How many tickets you would like to
give to the exchange
If you need extra tickets, please let us know ASAP, and we
will add your name to the waiting list in the order that we receive your
email. In the email, please state the
following information:
1. Your student’s name
2. Your name
3. A good email address for you, so we
can send you confirmation of any extra tickets you receive.
4. How many tickets you need, with 4
additional tickets being the maximum number allowed.
All
ticket quantities and distributions will be finalized by April 15.
Please
note that if you receive tickets through the ticket exchange, you may be seated
separately from the rest of your family.
We will try to avoid this when possible, but there are no
guarantees. The ONLY way to be added to
the ticket exchange is through the email below!
Please
email ahsticketexchange2013@gmail.com
so that we may fairly assign the extra tickets.
Thanks
from Nancy Stilwell and Diane MacGuffie!
Grad
Invitations and Announcements
Graduation invitations and
announcements are ready to order at Kohlers!
Please use the attached order form to place your orders at Kohlers. Invitations are sold in packages of 6, and
you may order as many announcements as you would like.
Please see the ordering
form for pictures of the invitations, and all pricing and ordering information.
Deadline for Ordering: April
10, 2013
Senior
Celebration Supper
Location: Animas High School
Date: Thursday, May 23
Times: 6:00-11:00 pm
Details: This supper is sponsored by the AHS Faculty and 12th
Grade Advisors. It is a celebration of
our inaugural class, and our last chance to be together as a group before they
graduate and fly the nest. Please note
that at their request, this supper is for seniors and AHS faculty only; the
senior class expressed a strong desire to be with their tight-knit school
community one last time. The supper is
being coordinated by Claudia Dubit.
Please stay tuned for her call for parent volunteers to assist with food
and décor!
Caps and
Gowns
All caps and gowns for
graduating seniors have been ordered and paid for. Thank you seniors!
Student
Speaker Contest for Graduation
For this graduation, we
will be holding a contest to select two student speakers who will give speeches
at graduation. Students are encouraged
to bring all of their creativity and wisdom to the table for this! We are looking for speeches that are
inspiring, entertaining, and that reflect the class of 2013.
1.
Number of Students:
2 student speakers will be
selected. Joint speakers may be accepted
(2 students only) if they stick to the time limit below.
2.
Time Limits: Speeches should be between 5-7 minutes.
3.
Process: There will be two rounds of selection. In the first round, students must submit a
written speech to Lori Fisher (lori.fisher@animashighschool.com) by April
15th. From that first group,
the panel will select finalists. Those
finalists will be performing their speeches to a judging panel of teachers,
students, and parents during the week of April 22nd, and the final
selection of graduation speakers will be announced by the end of that week.
4.
Contact: Any questions about this process should be directed
to Lori Fisher, at lori.fisher@animashighschool.com.
Nominate an Outstanding Animas Teacher
Animas High School’s
teachers are exceptional and the guidance, support and inspiration they provide
our students each day directly contributes to our school’s academic and
cultural excellence. Often, the Head of School is asked, “what can I do to
appreciate my students teachers?” Please consider taking time to nominate one
of our all-star faulty members for the 2013 Polis Foundation Teacher
Recognition Awards:
Jared Polis Foundation: Teacher
Recognition Awards
The Jared Polis Foundation will award 10 Colorado
PreK-12 public school teachers with Teacher Recognition Awards, which include a
$1,000 discretionary award for the teacher and a $1,500 teacher-directed school
grant. Principals, school employees, students, parents and teacher colleagues
can nominate a teacher. The nomination deadline is April 5th. Click here to learn more.
Donate Now for AHS Sports Swap
Donations are NOW
being accepted for the 3rd
Annual AHS Sports Sale that will take place on April 20th from 10:00
a.m.– 3:00 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club.
Drop off any type of
sports equipment at Animas High School 3206 North Main Avenue during Regular School Hours- Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
College
Counseling Update
Be sure to check out this valuable resource for SUMMER
PROGRAMS that we’ll be updating throughout Semester 2.
Scholarships,
Grants and Financial Aid opportunities abound. Stay current and
informed on all funding possibilities by checking in frequently with our College
Counseling Department’s Scholarship Webpage.
Junior
College Night
Date: Wednesday, April 3rd @ 6pm
Location: AHS Lodge
Join the AHS College Counseling team for an overview of the college
admission process and how to prepare for the ACT and SAT. We will also
have a panel of AHS seniors to answer questions about the process as well as
share their experiences as they navigated the world of college admissions.
Questions? Please contact Rachael Sands at internship@animashighschool.com.
FLC Concurrent Enrollment Application Workshop
Do you have questions about concurrent enrollment
at Fort Lewis College? Do you need help with the application? Then join Ian
Ringgenberg, Academic Success Advisor at Fort Lewis College, to learn more
about concurrent enrollment at FLC for next fall.
Date: Thursday, April 4th
Time: 12:30 pm- 1:10 pm
Location: AHS Lodge
Testing
& Assessment Update
An SAT prep course will
start on April 1st! This course will be for juniors only and will
be the last prep course for this school year. Juniors should have had an
opportunity to sign up for this SIG in advisory. Email kristi.good@animashighschool.com for
more information.
As an early reminder:
Juniors will be taking the Colorado ACT at AHS on April 23rd. So,
the month of March will be a great time to take a practice test, review
math concepts and English grammar, improve speed reading and quick
interpretation of charts and graphs!!!! This week, juniors can talk to
Kristi Good about developing an ACT study plan to follow while on their
internship and Spring Break.
LINK Update
Animas High School’s Daily Class
Schedule has been modified to allow our student body to attend the 2nd
Annual LINK Exhibition this Friday.
8:15-
9:05 Period 1
9:10-
10:00 Period 2
10:05-
10:55 Period 3
11:00-11:50
Period 4/5
11:50-
12:20 Lunch
12:25-1:15
Period 6
1:20-
1:30 Gather in Advisory Groups & Walk to Discovery Museum for
LINK Exhibition. (Please make sure that students have everything they need as
we are dismissing from the museum.)
2:00-
3:00 Enjoy LINK Exhibition
3:00-3:15 Assembly with HOS
3:15
pm Dismiss from Durango Discovery Museum
Please
note that students will be dismissed from the Durango Discovery Museum.
Campus will remain open until 3:30pm for any needs or concerns
students/families may have. Follow all of AHS’s LINK interns by
visiting their LINK
PORTFOLIOS HERE!
State
Legislative Update
Please take 5 minutes to Support CO. Charter Schools!
On Tuesday, March 19, the Senate Education
Committee will discuss a rewrite of the Colorado School Finance Act. This is
the first time in a generation that the School Finance Act has been revised.
The last time this happened, charter schools were just entering the scene. But
now, charter schools are 20 years old and represent nearly 11% of Colorado's
total K-12 public school children.
Please click the link below to ask the Senate
Education Committee to remember charter schools when considering the School
Finance Act. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that charter
school students are treated more equitably when it comes to public school
funding.
This is your chance to gently remind legislators
that charter school parents, teachers and leaders are taxpayers
and voters, and are paying attention to the School Finance Act Rewrite.
Please click the link below to send a pre-drafted
message to members of the Senate Education Committee.
We will provide you with updates on developments
regarding the new School Finance Act and will likely be asking you to
send additional messages to legislators as this moves forward.
Thank you!
Vinny Badolato
Colorado League of Charter Schools
Click
the link below to log in and send your message:
Registration
and Re-enrollment for 13-14
Registration packets for incoming freshman along
with re-enrollment registration forms for current AHS students were sent out
Monday, February 25th. All new registration and re-enrollment
registration materials are due back to Animas High by Monday, April 1st.
Enrollment and registration questions or concerns can be forwarded to the AHS
Registrar at enroll@animashighschool.com or
contact us via the school’s Main Office at 970-AHS-AHS4
Enrollment
for next year’s 9th, 10th and 11th grades continues! Students
interested in enrolling at AHS should complete an online intent to enroll form For additional enrollment information and to
view our calendar of upcoming enrollment events, please visit our website
Upcoming
Events & Exhibitions
Annual AHS Blood Drive will take place Wednesday, March 20th
from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in the Lodge at Animas High School. Please contact
Colleen Dunning via the school’s main number, 970-AHS-AHS4 or email colleen.dunning@animashighschool.com
with questions or to sign-up! Find the Hero in You!
AHS Student Ambassadors will be participating in a service opportunity on
Thursday, March 21st from 10 am to noon. For the 3rd
year in a row, our student ambassadors will be assisting with the annual Soup
for the Soul event at the La Plata County Fairgrounds.
LINK INTERNSHIP PROJECT EXHIBITION: Friday,
March 22 at the Durango Discovery Museum from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
The public is encouraged to attend!
2013 Colorado Charter Schools Rally
Thursday, April 11
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Join hundreds of charter school students, parents,
teachers, principals and other supporters at the 2013 Colorado Charter Schools Rally on
Thursday, April 11 at 11:30 AM. Hear from state legislators who support choice
and innovation in education. Also, see your fellow charter schools perform on
stage!
2013 marks the 20th anniversary of Colorado charter
schools. This year's rally is our chance to show the state's current
elected officials the "face" of the 20th wave of Colorado's charter
schools students, and thank those responsible for passing the Colorado Charter
Schools Act back in 1993. We want to have as many charter school students at
the Capitol on April 11 as possible. WE'D LOVE YOUR PARTICIPATION!
A limited number of
travel subsidies are available. Click here to download an application.
Additionally, winners of the Colorado
Charter School Essay Contest will be honored during the rally. There is still
time to submit essays. Click here for more information.
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