Animas High School

Friday, September 14, 2012

AHS Faculty Office Hours 2012-2013

Monday, September 10, 2012

AHS Weekly Update- Week of Sept. 10th, 2012

There's a tremendous amount of action at AHS this week. Please take a moment to review the following updates:

Enrollment Continues

PowerSchool

Digital Portfolios

Parking Letter

College Counciling Update

PAC Update

Upcoming Events

Enrollment Continues

Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year continues at Animas High School. Students and families looking to enroll at AHS should visit www.animashighschool.com and complete an online intent to enroll form. Enrollment will remain open until October 1 or until the school has reached capacity for 2012-13.

AHS is currently accepting enrollments for a limited number of openings in our 9th, 10th and 11th grade classes.

Don't Delay- Register Today! For more information, call 247-2474 or contact mainoffice@animashighschool.com

PowerSchool

Animas High School faculty, students and parents are now connected! PowerSchool, AHS's online grade book is up and running for the 2012-13 School Year. A letter from the Registrar's Office containing your students individualized login and password information is coming home today. Parents may also call the Main Office to ask for their student's unique sign-in info if your letter fails to make it to you. Please make sure you're following along at home. Teachers are expected to have Powerschool updated by Monday @ 5pm for all grades/assessments/activities from the prior week.

Digital Portfolios

At Animas High School, our teaching faculty are expected to maintain individual websites know as DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS. This week, AHS will begin the process of updating our school’s website for 2012-13. We thank you in advance for your patience as we work to refine our homepage. In the interim, please reference the list below for all Faculty DP link information:

Science Department

Dave Heerschap   http://davidheerschap.blogspot.com/

Colleen Dunning http://cdunning.wix.com/biology

Steve Smith        https://sites.google.com/site/smithahschemistry/

Angela Reali     http://arealiphysics.webs.com/

Humanities Department

Sara Price           http://sarapriceteacher.blogspot.com/

Jessica McCallum http://jessicahumanities9.blogspot.com/

Lori Fisher             http://lorifisher.blogspot.com/

Nick Manning     http://nickmanningahs.webs.com/

Ashley Carruth     http://acarruth.blogspot.com/

Matt Hughes         http://ahshumanities12.webs.com/

Digital Arts Department

Roxy McKnight    http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~rmcknight/index.html

Foreign Language Department

Dave Haffeman         http://animashighspanish.blogspot.com/   &

                      http://animashighspanish1advanced.blogspot.com/

Becca Katz          https://sites.google.com/site/ahsspanish20122013/

Mathematics Department

Math Dept. Site    http://ahsmathematicsdepartment.webs.com/

Cathy Eagen         http://cathyeagen.webs.com/

Jennifer Snead      http://jennifersnead.webs.com/

Lauren Lucky       http: //laurenluckyahs.webs.com/

Effi O’Neil            http://effioneil.webs.com/

College & Career Counseling Department

C&C Dept. Site    http://ahscollegecareerdepartment.webs.com/

Judy Rosenthal    http://ahscollegecareerdepartment.webs.com/

Elaine Ehlers        http://ahscollegecareerdepartment.webs.com/

Kristi Good           http://www.testinganimashigh.blogspot.com/

Rachael Sands      http://www.ahslinkinternship.blogspot.com/

Exceptional Student Services Dept.

ESS Dept. Site         (Carlin Mallman & Cara Kropp) http://animasess.webs.com/

Administration

AHS Website        www.animashighschool.com

Head of School    www.animashighschool.blogspot.com

AHS Facebook     www.facebook.com/AnimasHighSchool

Parking Letter

We spent significant time during student orientation reviewing student transportation policies and procedures. Specifically, we reviewed the rules related to upperclassman driving and the expectations related to student parking. All students were given a copy of the letter linked below. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ & UNDERSTAND THIS IMPORTANT CORRESPONDENCE FROM AHS!

http://animashighschool.blogspot.com/2012/09/2012-13-animas-high-school-parking.html

College Counciling Update

The Animas High School College & Career Counseling Department is now scheduling 12th graders for daily counseling sessions. Students should drop by the College Counseling Office to check-in with department staff and schedule a time to meet with our college counselors. Thanks to all the parents and students who came out for last week’s Senior College night!

Moving forward, there will be a College Night for Junior parents and students on Tuesday, September 11 at Animas High School at 5:00 p.m.

Following the 11th grade College Night presentations, there will be a Financial Aid Workshop on Tuesday, September 11 at Animas High School from 6:00-7:00 p.m. All upperclassman and their families are encouraged to attend!

You can follow all the action and important updates from the Animas High School College & Career Counseling Department here: http://ahscollegecareerdepartment.webs.com/


PAC Update

Our Parent Advisory Committee is an avenue for parents to express their voice while supporting the school. We meet monthly, and our first meeting is Monday, September 10th at 12 noon at Doughworks.

There will be a Back to School Picnic hosted by our Senior families on Friday, September 14 at Rotary Park from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. We look forward to gathering as a community of teachers, students, families, and friends this Friday. Spirit Gear from the School Store will be on sale. We look forward to seeing everyone and hearing from our Head of School, Michael Ackerman.

Upcoming Events

School Photos are scheduled for Monday, Sept 17. School Photo Make-up Day TBD-Stay tuned!

The next meeting of the Animas High School Board of Directors will take place Monday, Sept. 17th at 5 pm at Animas High School, 3206 North Main, Durango, CO.

AHS students and staff will participate in the Durango Connect Event, Thursday, September 27th, 2012. From 10 to 11:00 AM

There will be No School on Friday, September 28. It's a professional development day for AHS staff.

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Animas High School
AHS main #- 970-AHS-AHS4
www.animashighschool.com
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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

2012-13 Animas High School Parking Policy

August 30, 2012

Re: Animas High School Parking Policy

Dear Parents and Students,

Animas High School has been given conditional approval by the City of Durango and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to remain in our current location at 3206 Main Ave for the 2012-2013 school year. Both the City and CDOT have serious concerns about the limited on-site parking and about the safety of young drivers directly accessing Highway 550 (Main Avenue) in close proximity to the busy 32^nd Street intersection. Our use of our current location is regulated by a Parking Variance from the City and an Access Permit from CDOT. Without the parking variance from the City and the access permit from CDOT either entity could have either not allowed us to be in our current location for another year or could have required that we become a “no student driver” school as according to Code, they would normally require AHS to provide 55 additional on-site parking spots which we do not have at our current location.

Because both the City of Durango’s and CDOT’s support of our school and their knowing how difficult it has been for AHS to find a permanent site with sufficient on-site parking they have agreed to provide AHS with a parking variance and conditional permit for another year based on the condition that only 11^th and 12^th Grade students to have the choice to drive their car to school and that any of those students that do drive, park only in the designated off-site parking spots at the Fairgrounds or a new parking lot AHS has leased north of the school called the Osprey’s Nest (adjacent to the Durango Joe’s lot - you may be familiar with it as the former “Flying Fish” site). Because it is the main condition of our permit/variance, no AHS student can park in the neighborhoods around the school. The City’s Code Enforcement Officer will be monitoring the areas around the school and if AHS students are observed parking on the public streets or if the City receives any complaints from neighbors we will either be forced to shut our campus to all student drivers or lose our permit to operate our school.

Although we are not happy about having to impose these restrictions, in order to have our campus open at the current site for another year we have adopted a policy that allows only 11^th and 12^th Grade students to drive to school and that any student drivers must park in a designated off-site parking space either at the Fairgrounds or in the lot on North Main. Our limited on-site parking spaces are reserved for visitors, staff, and ADA permit holders.

If your student is going to drive to and from school they must fill out and sign our parking policy agreement and reserve a spot at one of the 2 designated parking sites. Because AHS has incurred considerable expense to lease this additional parking area to accommodate students that choose to drive, anyone reserving a dedicated spot in this lot for the year will pay $200 for the year (this works out to $25 per month) for a dedicated parking spot with their name on it. The La Plata County Fairgrounds is the other approved site that offers safe, controlled access and available parking permits. La Plata County sells parking permits to high school students (both DHS & AHS) for $75 for the school year and spaces will be designated for AHS students. The Durango Trolley has a timed stop at 27^th St and Main Avenue by the Recreation Center at 8:08 daily with drop-off at North City Market at 8:10.

Because of how critical complying with the conditions placed on us by CDOT and the City of Durango to remain open as a school at our current site and allow students to drive to school, we are asking that ALL families commit to honoring this policy in support of our school. The school’s policy related to Student Driving/Parking can be found in the 12-13 Student Handbook and there’s a special form to be signed by each student and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) related to their daily transportation strategies.

We appreciate that the City and State were able to collaborate with AHS so that we could utilize our campus on North Main for one more year. We look forward to next year and beyond when we will have a new campus that will have sufficient parking as well as more space for everyone!

Please contact Head of School Michael Ackerman, via email or the Main Office if you have any questions about parking this year.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

AHS Mid-Week Update- AHOS Recovering!

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

AHS Assistant Head of School Jake Lauer is his “other office”

We wanted to update our community this morning on the health and progress of AHS Staff. Head of School Michael Ackerman has returned to AHS and is hoping to be walking without crutches in a few weeks. Although he’s dealing with a very injured ankle, Michael’s spirits are high and he’s fortunate enough to have dodged the need for surgical repair to his foot. “Although I’m not going to be able to chase freshman down at the park, I’m as inspired and enthusiastic as ever to be back leading Animas High School. This will definitely go down as a Labor Day Weekend to remember!”

That comment is not lost on the AHS community. As we announced in yesterday’s Weekly Update, Assistant Head of School Jake Lauer was also involved in a serious accident over the first weekend of the 2012-13 school year. We are happy to report that Jake is in stable condition and looing forward to his own recovery. Jake released the following message to the community yesterday afternoon:

Dear Family and friends,

Yesterday [Monday] I had a rock climbing accident. I am very fortunate that although serious, I will be able to recover from my injuries. I spent last night at the ICU at Mercy Medical Center in Durango because the doctors wanted to closely track an internal injury. Today [Tuesday] my doctors moved me to the ICU at St Anthony's Hospital in Denver because this facility could better respond to an internal emergency. My doctors have guessed roughly that I will be here for a week or so. Please do not worry for me, simply know that I am surrounded by loving family and wonderful medical professionals. I love you all and look forward to seeing each of you again soon.

Animas High School wants to assure our community that programming at school continues as usual. Extensive planning and preparation by the school’s leadership team resulted in smooth operations with minimal problems arising due to Michael and Jake’s absence on Tuesday. Mr. Ackerman has returned and resumed his duties as Head of School. Mr. Lauer will be on medical leave and we’ll be sure to articulate a timeline for his return later this fall. The response and well wishes pouring into the Main Office have been tremendous and we’ll be sure to pass along all of your thoughts and condolences to Jake.

Moving forward, Michael Ackerman has his first set of Office Hours next Monday. Make sure you’re scheduling time for Office Hours with the Main Office if you need to get in to see the Head of School. Additionally, we appreciate your patience as Michael works diligently to return all the messages and correspondence that have come in over the past two days. Also this week, the Head of School will be overseeing the issuance of student laptops, helping facilitate Thursday’s 12^th grade college night and dealing with all student schedule and discipline issues while Jake is recovering.

Animas High School is an amazing institution and we’ve been blown away by the care and compassion extended to the school and our staff during this difficult time. We’ve set up a thread on the school’s Facebook page where students, staff and our community are encouraged to leave messages real-time for the AHOS. Send Jake a Get Well Message Here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=425089944194678&set=a.145645385472470.19743.129694133734262&type=1&theater

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

AHS Weekly Update- Week of September 3rd, 2012

If the first week at Animas High School was any indication as to how 2012-13 is going to go, then we’re in for a fantastic school year! Please take a moment to review these important updates:

2012-2013 Enrollment Remains Open at AHS

AHS College Counseling Update

PAC Update

AHS Board of Directors Update

Ospreys Recuperating

2012-2013 Enrollment Remains Open at AHS

We’ve made it through week one and solidified our class rosters. Based upon these efforts and a summer remodel that left us with a little more classroom space, AHS is still inviting students to register with us! Do you know someone who’d be a great fit at AHS?

Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year continues at Animas High School. Students and families looking to enroll at AHS should visit www.animashighschool.com

and complete an online intent to enroll form. Enrollment will remain open until October 1 or until the school has reached capacity for 2012-13. AHS is currently accepting enrollments for a limited number of openings in our 9^th, 10th and 11th grade classes. For more information, call 247-2474 or contact mainoffice@animashighschool.com

AHS College Counseling Update

The Animas High School College Counseling Dept. is now scheduling 12^th graders for daily counseling sessions. Students should drop by the College Counseling Office to check-in with department staff and schedule a time to meet with our college counselors.

There will be a College Night for Senior parents and students on Thursday, September 6 at Animas High School at 6:00 p.m.

There will be a College Night for Junior parents and students on Tuesday, September 11 at Animas High School at 5:00 p.m.

Following the 11^th grade College Night presentations, there will be a Financial Aid Workshop on Tuesday, September 11 at Animas High School from 6:00-7:00 p.m. All upperclassman and their families are encouraged to attend!

You can follow all the action and important updates from the Animas High School College Counseling Department here: http://ahscollegecareerdepartment.webs.com/

PAC Update

Welcome Back from PAC. Please make sure you read our Welcome Back Letter, which can be found here: http://animashighschool.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-back-from-animas-highs-pac.html

There will be a Parent Advisory Committee meeting on Monday, September 10 from 12- 1:00 p.m. at Doughworks, 2653 Main Avenue. We look forward at seeing you at the first PAC meeting of the 2012-13 school year!

There will be a Back to School Picnic hosted by our Senior families on Friday, September 14 from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. This will be an opportunity to mingle with friends, meet our teaching staff, and hear from our Head of School, Michael Ackerman.

AHS Board of Directors Update

Welcome Back From The AHS Board President

Welcome back to Animas High School to those of you already a part of our community, and a sincere welcome to those of you who are new to our school! I hope you had a great summer and are ready to delve into a new school year with high hopes and expectations. This year we look to graduate the Class of 2013, a celebratory milestone we could only imagine three years ago.

Read more from AHS BOD President Melissa Youssef here:

http://animashighschool.blogspot.com/2012/09/welcome-back-from-ahs-board-president.html

The next meeting of the Animas High School Board of Directors will take place Tuesday, Sept. 4^th at 5 pm at Animas High School, 3206 North Main, Durango, CO.

Ospreys Recuperating

Both AHS administrators, Michael Ackerman and Jake Lauer, were involved in serious, but non-life threatening accidents over the Labor Day Weekend. Their accidents were unrelated and both gentlemen are currently safe and receiving excellent medical care. Although the timing and resultant injuries are not a good thing, we expect both Michael and Jake to recover and join us back here at AHS promptly. Questions, concerns or condolences? Please contact the Animas High School Main Office at: 970-247-2474 mainoffice@animashighschool.com or drop in and see us during business hours at 3206 Main, Monday-Friday 8am-4pm. Thank you for all your positive thoughts and prayers. We look forward to a speedy recovery and a fantastic 2012-13 school year!

Welcome Back from Animas High's PAC

Our Parent Advisory Committee is an avenue for parents to express their voice while supporting the school. We meet monthly, and our first meeting is Monday, September 10 at noon at Doughworks.

Part of PAC's mission is Fundraising for Animas High School. While Animas is a public, tuition free school, we still have expenses for our facility and daily operations that require supplemental fundraising efforts. Our fundraising strategy is as follows:

Fall Friendraiser-November 14, 2012: This is our annual parent and community event at the Henry Strater Theater where we showcase students and their projects. Be sure to save the date.

Annual Parent Appeal Letter-November: This is where we explain our needs to our parents, based on our desires to enrich our educational offerings and our school’s immediate needs.

Spring Sports Sale-April: This event is held at the Boys and Girls Club of La Plata County, where we sell all types of sports gear at bargain prices to all members of the community.

Student Coffee Sale-Spring (date TBA): This is an opportunity for us to partner with a local fair trade organic coffee roaster, and ask our students to sell coffee.

Value Cards and Office Depot Rewards: These are 2 simple options for our parents to participate in and the school benefits from your purchases! Feel free to email your name, phone number, and value card number to pac@animashighschool.com

In addition to these efforts, other PAC activities include:

Back to School Picnic: Friday, September 14 from 4-7 p.m. at Rotary Park

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon: Friday, December 21st

Annual AHS Parent Survey

On-going Volunteer Opportunities at the School, including cleaning, office assistance, and other opportunities.

Below is our schedule of meetings for the year. Remember that Animas High School is a direct result of our community's feedback, input and efforts! We look forward to your participation at Animas High School this year!

PAC Dates 2012/2013

All meetings at Doughworks

12:00-1:00 p.m.

Sept 10

Oct 8

Nov 12

Dec 10

Jan14

Feb 11

March 11

April 8

May 13

Welcome Back From The AHS Board President

Welcome Back From The AHS Board President

My name is Melissa Youssef, and it is an honor to begin this school year as your new Board President. We are currently a team of seven board members including: Denise Dickinson, Kerry Masterson, Tom Morrisey, Jennifer Nelson, Holly Shure, Christy Duke, and me. The board is responsible for promoting the school’s mission and vision through clear direction and leadership while simultaneously planning for the future and setting sound policy. Board members are role models for the school and must model professionalism, oversee finances and evaluation, and build relationships and partnerships in the community to help support the school. We will look to grow the board as the year progresses to ensure accountability and replace two board members in the process of stepping down.

The board is excited for the new year after taking time to reflect upon our past successes and thinking about our Goals and Objectives for 2012-2013. It is without a doubt that a key component to success of any charter school is the support and commitment from its local parent community. In this regard, I am reaching out to our families requesting your help. We are laying the groundwork for our much needed professional committees to provide expertise, time and energy that will report to the board. We are seeking committee members in the following areas:

-Marketing and Outreach

-Technology

-Development/Fundraising

-School Excellence

-Finance

-Facilities

If any of these areas interest you, and you would like to get involved, please contact me at melissa@youssef5.com. If you would like to attend a meeting, the schedule is posted on our website: www.animashighschool.com. We welcome input from our families and look forward to your involvement. It is indeed a privilege to share this experience with all of you as we continue to build a bright, promising future for our students.

Sincerely,

Melissa Youssef

AHS Board President