Newsletter August 2016 Table of Contents Principal s Message 1 Contact Information 2 Important Dates 2 Guidance Office News 3 Student Summer Highlights 3 & 4 UVA Community Credit Union 5 Principal s Message Dear Parents and Guardians, Welcome to the start of the 2016-2017 school year. Our corridors and halls are buzzing with the energy of new and returning students from many different backgrounds as they negotiate a new season at AHS. Albemarle has one of the most diverse groups of students in the county and this diversity lends a real-world experience to all students, staff and faculty, alike. We are excited about another year of improvements and changes. As a school, we are continually looking to enhance our relationships with students and parents as we maintain our focus on the division s strategic plan of emphasizing the importance of preparing out students for lifelong success after graduation. To this end, we want to share some important news with you about the upcoming year. As you may already know, our student population is continually growing at a very rapid pace, which has led to the implementation of innovative strategies to combat strain on our infrastructure, due to overcrowding. This year you will notice the addition of a temporary modular pod that houses 8 classrooms, located near our athletic fields. Another development is the creation of an additional parking lot, adjacent to Lambs Road, at the rear of the school, to help ease parking challenges. Also, as an important reminder, schedules, report cards, and newsletters are no longer being mailed home but will be distributed to your electronically via the Parent and Student Portal or E-communications such as Blackboard Connect, email, or our e-newsletter, the Patriot Progress. Every student at AHS will again be assigned a laptop as part of a countrywide initiative to help students develop the technological skills they will need to be successful after high school. The laptop is one more instructional tool that will be used to enhance teaching and learning in our classrooms. Further in this newsletter you will find additional important information to help keep you up-to-date with upcoming events and news, so please take a moment to look inside. We hope to see you at our Back to School Night, on Thursday, September 15th, between 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM. This is going to be another extraordinary year! Jay Thomas, Principal Congratulations to the AHS Boys Soccer Team who won the 2016 State Championship 5A Soccer Title
Page 2 ~ August 2016 Counseling Office Message Dear Families of Seniors, Contact Information Main Office 975-9300 Main Fax 974-4335 Athletics 974-4308 Attendance 974-4310 Community Ed 975-9450 Guidance 974-4321 Important Dates First day of School 8/23 Holiday school closed 9/5 10/28 11/7 Parent /Teacher Conferences 10/5 10/13 Thanksgiving 9/23-25 Winter B reak 12/19-30 Congratulations on having a child in their senior year at Albemarle High School! We are excited to welcome students back to school this Tuesday. Along with other special events that will occur during your child's senior year, our seniors earn several senior privileges, among which are Senior Lunch and Senior Study Hall Release. Please review the attached files for more specific details about these privileges. Senior Lunch, with your permission, means that your child may leave campus on Wednesdays during CHAT lunch. This privilege will begin on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, for your child, if they have returned the attached forms with their signature and yours. Additionally, each student will need to have submitted those forms to the SCA office where they will be issued a Senior Lunch Pass for the school year. Students must show this pass to a designated staff member in order to exit and re-enter the building for Senior Lunch. If a student is repeatedly late from Senior Lunch, either you or the school may revoke this Senior Lunch privilege. Senior Study Hall Release may be granted when approved by you and when your child is on track for graduation. The process for receiving Senior Study Hall Release is outlined in the attached file. It is important to note that this is different from NC Release which can be granted through your child's counselor for only 1st, 2nd, 7th, or 8th periods. When your child has NC Release, you do not need to submit a request for Senior Study Hall Release. Senior Study Hall Release is mainly for students who remain on track for graduation and therefore do not need to remain at school for a study hall or any further academic supports. Both you and the school may revoke Senior Study Hall Release if circumstances change such that your child does need to remain at school for their study hall. Please let us know if you have any questions about these senior privileges or anything else as we kick off another great school year. Regards, Melissa Hankins Assistant Principal Teachers can have fun, too, during AHS School Valentines Celebration Day.
Page 3 ~ August 2016 AHS Students Summer Pictures Tell Their Stories Patriot Soccer: The World on One Pitch This short documentary highlights the diversity of soccer and how sports help students acclimate to a new country and culture. https://youtu.be/wh8xafnfvgy Rachel Lloyd and Erin O'Hara celebrate 4th place finish in SRAA National Women s Lightweight Doubles! AHS Boys win 2016 State Championship 5A Soccer Title in June. Photo by Tomas N. Pajewski AHS Football Scrimmages Underway AHS Women s Quad win 5th place finish at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America Championship Regatta 2016, Dillion State Park.
Page 4 ~ August 2016 AHS Students Summer Pictures Tell Their Stories The newsletter is a publication of Albemarle County Public Schools. It is published quarterly and distributed to all Albemarle High School families. Albemarle County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, disability, national origin, pregnancy, or marital status. Questions or concerns regarding compliance with the School Division's nondiscrimination policies may be directed to: AHS XC team camp at Graves Mountain Lodge Director of Human Resources 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville, VA 22902 Phone: (434)296.5827 Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. 1691 et seq., prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities receiving federal funds, including discrimination in employment and student admissions. All Albemarle County Public Schools students, applicants, and employees are covered by this law. For questions or concerns regarding Title IX, please contact: Title IX Coordinator Department of Human Resources 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville, VA 22902 Phone: (434)296.5827 Our Vision: All learners believe in their power to embrace learning, to excel, and to own their future. XC Team June Summer Camp Training. AHS Girls 2016 XC Team
Page 5 ~ April 2016 your child s bright financial future starts here! Join us for Open House on August 18! Patriot Pride Welcomes Back Students As the AHS student-run branch of UVA Community Credit Union, we are here to help students acquire practical money skills for a bright future. We are the educational partnership between Albemarle County Public Schools and UVA Community Credit Union. A BRIGHT FINANCIAL FUTURE We re here to help your student learn how to save early and often, starting with an allowance. With a SAVINGS ACCOUNT, students can deposit their allowance or paycheck, learning best savings practices where it s most convenient for them... at school! CHECKING ACCOUNTS help students manage money in a safe learning environment before they are on their own. YOUR STUDENT S INDEPENDENCE How can your student manage his/her money? At our student-run branch, open select days during lunch At any UVA Community Credit Union branch Online or by phone With a debit card at stores or ATMs (with checking account) By making mobile deposits using our app (with checking account) BRIGHT TOOLS Your student s bright financial future starts here, where they can become money smart. They ll gain an edge with the required High School Economics & Personal Finance course with real life experience at our branch. And with tools like our It s a Money Thing online financial education program, our brochures and booklets, and our one-on-one guidance. PATRIOT PRIDE BRANCH We re near the cafeteria stop by, and see how easy it is to give your student a bright financial future. Open a Patriot Pride Account at the AHS Open House! Learn more at uvacreditunion.org/content/ Student-Run-Branches. This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. GET 10 A $ reward deposit when you open an account at the Patriot Pride branch * Plus STUDENTS: Open Your Account Today! how do you open an account? Students 14 and over can open a savings account on their own Students under 18 can open a checking account with a parent/guardian s signature bring: 1. photo id - DMV ID/driver s license or current student ID card 2. social security card 3. $5 or $10 - $5 to open a savings account and $5 to establish a checking account if desired * *The one-time membership fee is waived for students, faculty, and staff opening accounts at this branch. get a FREE t-shirt and sunglasses! ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? Earn your $10 Reward, t-shirt, and sunglasses by making 3 deposits of $10 or more ($30 total) at the Patriot Pride Branch. *Offer valid 8/18/2016-12/31/2016. Limit one $10 Reward per member. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Coupon must be presented at time of transaction. Reward will be deposited into savings account in January 2017.