Andrew Pride
JANUARY 13, 2022
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Welcome to 2022! We have been through so much together in the first semester! January provides us a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the progress made while focusing on new possibilities for the semester. The neat thing about school is the opportunity to start fresh each year and every semester!
For our seniors, this marks their final semester at VJA. We encourage the Class of 2022 to not lose sight of their goals. There is still a whole semester ahead with many opportunities to enjoy. For the remainder of our T-Bolts, they will experience the annual process of registering for classes. This is a great opportunity to think about your passion and interests. We encourage parents to read and review with your student the course selections. We also encourage our T-Bolts to enjoy all the benefits that Andrew has to offer. Whether it be registering for a new elective, joining a new club, participating in more service hours, attending the musical or cheering on a sport. We have tons of opportunities for students to experience.
This month also gives our stakeholders the chance to provide feedback regarding VJA through the 5 Essential Survey. Students will complete during Advisory and staff and parents will be sent a link as well. We ask that you participate in the 5 Essentials Survey - an important, statewide assessment of schools, that helps guide our school improvement process and helps us to continue to grow as a school.
As always, it is an honor to serve as Principal of Andrew High School. If you have thoughts or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out at aothman@d230.org
Follow us on Twitter @AndrewHS_d230 & @AbirOthman
Sincerely,
Dr. Abir Othman
UPCOMING EVENTS
January 17: NO SCHOOL / Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 20: Athletic Booster Club Meeting @ 7 p.m. / Room 220 (may need to be virtual)
January 20: Winter Production @ 7 p.m.
January 21: Winter Production @ 7 p.m.
January 22: Winter Production @ 3 p.m.
January 27: School Board Meeting @ 6:30 p.m. / Sandburg H. S.
January 28: Andrew's Got Talent @ 7 p.m.
GOLDEN BOLTS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
VJA honors its finest students, teachers, support staff, and community supporters. We are seeking nominations for individuals who exhibit the following criteria:
- Positive role model for both staff and students
- Distinguished work on behalf of the school and its students
- Creative thinker; innovative
- Actively seeks solutions to problems at VJA
- Undisputed positive attitude towards all others
- Advocates for and participates in the growth of Andrew High School
CATEGORIES:
- Student - an active student who has gone above and beyond as they represent VJA
- Teacher - an active part-time or full-time, substitute, or teacher serving a long-term substitute position, who has gone above and beyond as they represent VJA
- Support Staff - secretary, deans’ or special services aide, custodian, or food service employee, who has gone above and beyond as they represent VJA
- Community Member - a parent, neighbor, booster member, or other individual who is not employed at VJA, who has gone above and beyond in their support of VJA
OUR ADMINISTRATION AND SENIOR LEADERS WILL SELECT AND HONOR INDIVIDUALS AT A SPECIAL DINNER EVENT ON
March 30, 2022
6:30 p.m. - Reception
7:00 p.m. - Dinner
7:30 p.m. - Awards
(Please make sure of the nominee’s and your availability on March 30 prior to the event.)
SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FEBRUARY 18, 2022.
To Access the Submission form, click on the link below:
COURSE SELECTION 2022-2023
This week all students will be meeting with their school counselor to discuss course selection, receive selection documents and resources, and finalize course selection for the 22-23' school year. Please review the Course Selection Timeline 22-23' for details by grade level on this process. Our All documents and resources are available on our VJA Course Selection 22-23' webpage for easy access and guidance. Parent/guardian involvement in the course selection process is vital, we look forward to partnering with you to support your student in this process!
COLLEGE / CAREER CONNECTION
This month’s edition features:
- Scholarship Information
- D230 Works Information and Upcoming Events
- Info about College-Bound Course Selection
- Facts for First Gen: Info for those will be the first in their family to attend college
- and more!
Questions? Contact Cody Dailey, Student Success Specialist - cdailey@d230.org - 708-342-5869
MUSIC BOOSTERS
The music program ended the year with some festive performances including the Downtown Tinley Holiday Market and the annual Prism Concert. After a short break the groups are back at work preparing for their Spring activities. This year is looking to be full of great music activities including local competitions and concerts, the Spring Musical, Shrek, (April 21-23) and a trip to perform in Disney World in March! And mark your calendars for the Spring Arts, Crafts & Food Festival on March 5th and 6th. This is a wonderful way to help support our music programs here at Andrew.
A big congratulations to our 2022 All-State Musicians. Jessica Noga (flute) and Alex Procajlo (alto sax) were chosen for the All-State Band, and Elena Miller (French horn) was chosen for the All-State Orchestra. In addition, Alex Procajlo was named principal chair for alto-sax, essentially placing him as the highest-ranked alto-sax in the state. They will be performing at the All-State concert in Peoria on January 29th.
The 2022 Winter Percussion production, “Made to be Broken” will be featuring music by the Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” and Jonsi “Wildeye”. The award-winning group, as well as the VJA Winterguard, are already deep into rehearsals for their indoor seasons which start in February. The season kicks off with a community show on Saturday, February 5th, that showcases both groups in their first public performance. Come join us and help wish our students good luck on their winter season.
The next semester will be a busy time for all of our choral and band groups. The Lemont Midwest Festival is February 25th, the Jazz band will be performing at the Quarry on March 9th, the Spring Band Concert is March 15th, and the D230 Showcase at Wentz Hall in Naperville is March 30th.
Maybe the most anticipated event on the calendar for the Music program is their March trip to perform at Walt Disney World in Florida. This trip includes students from both band and choir, with the students not only enjoying some time at the parks, but also a marching band performance at The Magic Kingdom and a performance at Universal Studios.
Auditions for next year’s band placement will be on February 18th. Any questions regarding incoming Freshmen registration, please reach out to Mr. Iwinski at miwinski@d230.org.
Please check the calendar at www.vjamusic.com for updates on events and times. As always, we would love to see you at our Andrew Music Parent meetings where you can keep up to date on all the news from the music department. The first meeting of the new year will be Tuesday, February 15th, at 7:30 p.m. in the choir room.
Thank you and Eyes with Pride!!
ATHLETIC BOOSTERS
Happy New Year!
Our next Booster Club Meeting has been changed to Thursday January 20, at 7 p.m. in room 220. Should this meeting need to be virtual, we will communicate this out. If you are interested in becoming a part of this great club, come to the meeting.
If you need information regarding spiritwear pick up, or would like to buy some of our stock, please contact our spiritwear director Peggy at andrewhsspiritwear@gmail.com.
We would like to welcome all of our winter team reps! Thank you for volunteering, and we look forward to seeing you at the next meeting! Remember, just because the fall season is over does not mean you have to stop being a part of the Booster Club. If you were a fall team rep and want to continue being involved, please come to the next meeting on January 20. We can only be successful because of the parent volunteers! Please contact Lesley at lesmag1@comcast.net if you would like to be a part of this great group of parents!
TPPO (THUNDER PRIDE PARENT ORGANIZATION)
TPPO wants to welcome back all students and wish all of our VJA families a Happy and Healthy New Year! Please make sure you sign up to become a TPPO member if you have not done so already! It is a fantastic program that helps out VJA graduating seniors.
On February 2, 2022, the TPPO has scheduled a “Someone Special” fundraiser for Valentine’s Day. This will be setup in the school near the cafeteria. Students will be able to purchase:
1 Flower for $3.50
1 Flower with a Special Message for $4.50
2 Flowers with a Special Message Bundle for $5.00
This is a cash only fundraiser, so please remember to bring your money on the 2nd!!
The flowers will be hand delivered to a classroom of the recipient on Valentine’s Day. Also, these can be sent to that special someone anonymously if you choose.
Keep checking back on the TPPO newsletter and website for the Local Charity Fundraiser that we will be announcing in the near future. If you would like to still nominate a Local Charity, please email TPPO at kristin1201@outlook.com by February 1, 2022.
Thank you to all parents and students that help make the TPPO a success! Without your support, donations, and volunteering, none of this could happen!
Please email kristin1201@outlook.com if you want to sign up to become a TPPO volunteer, or if you have any questions! Students, if you need Community Service hours, sign up with the TPPO to earn hours outside of school!
Victor J. Andrew High School
Email: webmaster@d230.org
Website: d230.org/Andrew
Location: 9001 West 171st Street, Tinley Park, IL, USA
Phone: (708)342-5800