This is a big week and an equally large update! Please
take a moment to review the following:
POLs Next
Week!
Testing
& Assessment Update
College
Counseling Update
Volunteers Needed
AHS
Student Ambassadors
Shred
for AHS
STAC’s
Get Down & Grinchy Dance
2013 Osprey (Project) Week
Upcoming
Events
POLs Next
Week!
A
Presentation of Learning (POL) is a formal presentation given by students to a
panel comprised of peers, community members, administrators, teachers and
parents at the end of each semester. Before POLs, students practice their
presentations and focus on specific public speaking skills, receive feedback
from teachers and peers, refine and rehearse their POL delivery. Requirements
for POLs are grade-level specific, but always include an oral presentation, use
of the student’s digital portfolio, and include artifacts from students’
scholastic efforts.
Students who attempt but do not
pass POLs/ are given one additional opportunity to present once they have
refined their work based upon the review panel’s feedback. Participation in all
POLs is mandatory and students are expected to present in professional dress. Students will be
expected to panel on the day that they present (either Wednesday or Thursday of
next week), but do NOT need to come to school on the day they are not
presenting. All Make-ups will be scheduled for Friday, December 21st.
Below are the specific details of each grades POL experience:
The 9th grade POLs will ask students to reflect on their
growth and goals as AHS students, providing evidence of their successes and
challenges. They will explore the Habits of Heart and Mind and 21st
century survival skills, reflecting on their strengths and identifying areas of
improvement moving forward. Students will address content that has impacted
their intellectual growth and reflect on how the work they are doing
at AHS is relevant to their lives and/or larger goals. The POL will consist of
a 7-8 minute formal presentation, followed by 2-3 minute Q&A with a panel
of their teachers and peers.
10th
Grade POLs
will take the form of a presentation followed by a Q&A session with the
panel. In the presentation, students will be addressing two core content
areas (Math, Spanish, Humanities, or Biology). In their presentation,
they will be answering questions crafted by the teacher of that content area
that will show their growth or mastery of concepts in that content area.
In the Q&A session, panelists will have the chance to ask follow-up
questions about the presentation, as well as questions from a list that
students will be given in advance.
Juniors
will be participating in POLs that combine a presentation with a Q&A
session. During the presentations, students will discuss why they should get to
keep their jobs as juniors at Animas High School. This will require thoughtful
reflection coupled with evidence regarding their abilities in three performance
areas: academics, culture, and LINK/College Prep. Each student's presentation
will be followed by a series of questions about both the evidence s/he has
offered during the presentation and his/her teachers' observations from first
semester.
Our 12th
Graders will participate in a very unique POL experience that is multi-faceted and evidence driven. Seniors
will deliver a 10 minute polished presentation and then participate in a five
minute Q & A with panelists. Students will tackle one of the following
three options through their POL:
Option
1: In our culture,
there is much talk of “Senioritis,” and the “Senior Slump.” In general, there seems to be an expectation
that students in 12th grade are “done” long before the school year
is over. To what extent have you hit a
plateau with your academic progress?
What evidence can you show of continued growth as an academic this year?
Option
2: At AHS, we are
trying to develop students who create beautiful work that demonstrates careful
thinking, highly developed academic skills, and an awareness of audience and
purpose. Bring in the BEST piece of work
you have produced while at AHS. Explain
why you think it is the “best”, thinking carefully about the academic skills
and frameworks you used in creating the piece.
Remember, best doesn’t just mean prettiest!
Option
3: Your work is a
symbol of who you are as a person, in all your complexity. Show the panel 2-3 pieces of work that
demonstrate who you are academically and personally. Remember not to oversimplify here—you are a
complicated individual, and we expect you to delve into those complexities in
your presentation.
Testing
& Assessment Update
PSAT
scores are in: If your student took the PSAT/NMSQT in October, please
read the latest update on the Animas High Testing blog: http://testinganimashigh.blogspot.com/
If
your student did not take the PSAT/NMSQT this year, but you are interested in
free college planning resources available to students, go to https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
ACT
prep course update: Animas Academics is going to be offering two options for ACT
prep classes during the Spring Semester. Starting on January 7th and
ending on February 28th, both prep courses will run simultaneously, one
during SIG and one after school. Since SIGs will not be changing after
the holiday break...students and/or parents will need to sign up for these
classes directly through Kristi Good. Please email kristi.good@animashighschool.com
and indicate which of the following options the student would like to
participate in.
Options:
•
Winter ACT prep during SIG (Mon. & Thurs. 2:15-3:15)
•
Winter ACT prep after school (Mon. & Thurs.
3:30-4:30)
College
Counseling Update
We’re
expecting to have the Senior Scholarship information updated by this Friday,
December 14 on the AHS College Counseling Website. Don't forget- if your Senior
has an early January college deadline, they must fill out a request for their
transcripts and turn it into Maureen in the Registrar’s Office by next Monday,
December 17th. Please let Mrs. Ehlers know what else you need so we
the College Counseling Office can support you! Elaine.ehlers@animashighschool.com
Volunteers Needed
We’re proud of our school’s
ability to pull in the best volunteers to help support our programs of
excellence. We’re looking for some help in Semester Two with our lunch program.
Specifically, we’re seeking folks who can help us with lunch coverage on
Tuesdays & Fridays from 11:20 to 12:40. Contact volunteer@animashighschool.com
to lend a hand!
AHS
Student Ambassadors
Applications for this year’s
Student Ambassador program are available now in the AHS Main Office or online
at: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bx3AAN9dCF3DOGNCRW1RRm5nWHM
Applications are due December
18th by 3:15 pm. The Final Ambassador Roster will be posted at 8 AM
on January 7th in the AHS Main Office. There will be a mandatory
Student Ambassador Training on Wednesday, January 9th from 3:30 to 5
pm at AHS.
Shred
for AHS
Durango Mountain Resort
received 32 applications for this year’s 4 Local Ski Benefit Days and we’re
excited to announce that Animas High School has been selected as one of this
year’s winners! This is an amazing opportunity for our community to hit the
slopes in support of AHS! Save the date and look for more details to come in
future weekly updates.
Locals Day- Benefits Animas
High School
Date: February 10, 2013 (Sunday)
Tickets: $40 Adults, $32 Students/Seniors, $25 Child
* Must present a Locals Day coupon
to get discounted tickets
Coupons available: AHS website, AHS Quill, coupon with Constant
Contact, Durango Telegraph, Durango Herald
DMR has also decided to
include both Animas High School and Mountain Middle School in their Ski For
Schools Day. What’s better than one day on the slopes for your school? TWO!
2013 SKI FOR SCHOOLS DAY- Benefits
DRO Schools
Date: January 21st, 2012
Tickets: available through
1/18 at 5 p.m. $35, available at City Market, Albertsons, and Nature’s Oasis;
not available at Durango Mountain Resort!
STAC’s
Get Down & Grinchy Dance
AHS STAC wants you to know
that it’s too hot to be so chill!
The first Animas High School
dance of this school year is happening this Friday- December 14th! The event
theme is WINTER so wear whatever connects you to/reminds you of winter!
Tickets are $10.00 and AHS
students and Guests will purchase tickets at the door! AHS students are allowed
to bring one guest per person, the guests have to be High Schoolers and have a
current school ID!
Drinks and food will be
provided. Event will take place from 7 pm to 10 pm.
GET
DOWN & GRINCHY EVENT PAGE http://www.facebook.com/events/112588935572994/
Contact
us on our facebook page www.facebook.com/STAC2012 or on our website under
www.ahsstac.weebly.com
2013 Osprey (Project) Week
2013 Osprey Week Sign-ups are
underway and students have a myriad of incredible options to choose from. Find
all of the offerings here: https://sites.google.com/site/ospreyweek/
Upcoming
Events
Spanish 1 Exhibition-
Cuentos Infantiles:
Nacido NO en los Estados
Unidos – Born NOT in the USA
Have you ever wondered what
your life would be like if you were born or raised somewhere else? In
another country? If you had different parents? If you grew up
speaking a different language? Living in a different socio-economic
class?
The sophomore class will be
presenting their cuentos infantiles-children’s
stories in which they wrote from the perspective of a teenager growing up in a
Spanish speaking country about what life would be like if they had been born in
another country.
The Spanish 1 sophomore
class will be reading their stories to children at Needham Elementary from
4:00pm – 5:00pm on Tuesday, December 11th and at Park Elementary
from 4:00pm to 5:00pm on Wednesday, December 12th. This will be a split exhibition in which
half the sophomores will present on Tuesday and the other half will present on
Wednesday.
There will be a Mock Trial
on Supreme Court Case Korematsu v. U.S. (1944) on Thursday,
December 13th from 8:15-12:45 at the La Plata County Courthouse 1060 E. Second Avenue
Exhibition Description: The juniors
will be bringing to life a Supreme Court case that pertained to Japanese
Internment camps during WWII. The essential question we have been studying
throughout this project is "How should the U.S. government balance
individual liberties with national security during wartime?" For the
trial, students will assume the roles of judges, lawyers and witnesses as they
seek to determine whether or not Fred Korematsu is guilty of violating the
Civilian Exclusion Order, which removed 120,000 Japanese Americans from the west
coast and into internment camps. Our student judges will also decide
whether or not Executive Order 9066 was constitutional.
12th Grade
Economics and Government Students
will conduct a Mock Senate Simulation on December 13th, 2012 from
5 pm to 8:30 pm. The simulation will take place downstairs in Noble Hall
at Fort Lewis College. Please join 12th grade students as they
participate in an experience that requires them to have mastered the complex
working of the US Senate.
There will be a Staff and
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon on Friday, December 21st from 11:30-1:00
at Animas High School. Volunteers who are interested in bringing food
or helping with the event should contact pac@animashighschool.com.
