Andrew Pride
MAY 10, 2021
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Only three weeks left for the new year (two if you’re a senior)! There is a lot left to pack into this year. However, for our returning students, we are looking forward to a school year that is far more normal than what we’ve experienced.
For this year, however, there is an importance to finishing strong! This includes the following: checking for missing assignments, preparing for upcoming exams (either final exams or AP exams), and organizing your google drive - which likely got pretty messy this year. Also, goal setting for next year is at a premium - whether you are a sophomore, junior, or senior.
First step, look for opportunities to re-engage! Getting involved in school is one of the most important ways to get better grades, feel more connected, and increase your confidence/optimism. After this year, ALL students likely took a bit of a hit in these areas. VJA is looking for increasing summer activities for sports, fine arts, and other skill-building or social activities. Please take a serious look at doing something.
VJA and D230 have a lot of work to reset our school for the fall - the more you get ready for a mostly normal start (mostly because we may still be dealing with some aspects of the pandemic in August), the better your year will be!
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 12: Virtual Senior Academy
May 19: Athletic Booster Club meeting @ 7 p.m. in room 220
May 22: Class of 2021 Graduation (May 23 is the rain date)
May 26: Final Exams - per 4, 5, 6
May 27: Final Exams - per 1, 3, 0
May 27: School Board Meeting
May 28: Final Exams - per 7 & 8
ACTIVITIES
It has been an active end of the year in terms of Activities. Our Senior Leaders helped create the 21 for 21 events for the Senior Class. It is a great way to end a strange year, where we allow a little bit of normalcy back into our school. Special thanks to Student Council for hosting our Lock-In event on May 8th. We had over 200 kids being kids.
We were excited to host our first annual Robotics competition on May 1st. Congratulations to team "Steven" on winning 1st place!!
With the changes in mitigations from the state, we were able to host a live parent show for Percussion and Winter Guard. It was great to see them live!
Please be on the lookout for Parent shows for Band, May 18th, and Choir, May 20th. Unfortunately those changes in mitigations didn't come fast enough for some of our other groups. During this time, our staff has learned quite a bit about video editing as many of our shows had to adjust and ended up recording their performance.
Congratulations to Project Diversity, our Spring Musical "Dear Edwina", and Variety Show on their performances; please look for release dates coming out soon!!
Our Bass Fishing team competed at sectionals and just missed moving on to State.
Our newspaper has moved online this year and can be found here.
Lastly, congratulations to all of the kids who participated at the State level for SkillsUSA. The following students placed in their competition:
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
GOLD Marissa Richards
SILVER Natalie Richards
PRESCHOOL INTERACTIVE DISPLAY
GOLD Ava Gordon & Amy Maciejewski
BRONZE Natalie and Marissa Richards
TEACHING & LEARNING PORTFOLIO
GOLD Amy Maciejewski
SILVER Natalie Richards
BRONZE Marissa Richards
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD(REN) PREPARE FOR FINAL EXAMS
In our last few newsletters, we shared with you tips and tools we have been speaking to the students about through advisory and classroom discussions. At this point, you may be wondering what you can do at home to help support. We have highlighted 3 ways you can assist in preparing them for exams. 1) Ask questions. Now is a good time to ask your child a few questions about their exams one class at a time. A) Will your exam be a traditional multiple choice and short answer, an end-of-year project, or both? B) Did your teacher give you a study guide to help guide you on what material will be covered? C) What subject are you weakest in? Are you signing up to see that teacher for period 2 T-Bolt Time intervention? D) Do you have a study plan to help you stay on track? Can you show it to me? Here is a template study plan students were given to make a copy of and use, with exam dates listed. E) What help can I give you? (I can quiz you, I can monitor your breaks, I can find you a quiet place to study., etc...)
2) Create balance. Like adults, children also have to balance many things and sometimes can lose their focus and expectations become unrealistic. The study plan noted above is one way to help them set a schedule. Short bursts of studying over multiple days can help increase memory and retain information. Using the pomodoro technique (like this one shared by one of our very own students) can help set parameters for work and breaks. Eating well, getting plenty of sleep, and not taking on any new things during this time will not only create balance but help reduce stress. These skills can help guide your child now but also will help them in their post-secondary transition.
3) Encourage them. You are your child's number one advocate and your support can go a long way. Remind them that we learn from our mistakes, there is still time, and they have the support of you and the school staff to do their best work.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts" (Winston Churchill).
ATHLETIC BOOSTERS
Our last Booster Club Meeting will be May 19, at 7 p.m., in Room 220. If you are interested in becoming a part of this great club, come to the meeting, or please reach out to lesmag1@comcast.net. We are in search of directors for next year!
Queen of Hearts fundraiser is here! We are still searching for the Queen of Hearts. We are on Week 13 and we are at $3,000 in our progressive 50/50 split. The more everyone buys, and the longer until we find the Queen, the more money there is to win! Our virtual drawing is every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. until the Queen of Hearts is picked. This is open to any resident in Illinois 18 and over. Tell all your friends and family! We will have a weekly winner that will receive a $50 gift card to a local business. Please check out our website https://andrewathleticboostersqoh.org. This drawing will continue throughout the year. Please support the Booster Club!
The Booster Club is open for concessions for the home games for soccer and LaCrosse for the limited capacity crowds. Please come out and support the Booster Club. Our fundraising opportunities have been limited this year due to Covid.
MUSIC BOOSTERS
Wednesday, May 12, is a virtual kickoff meeting for all band families for the 2021/2022 school year. It will include the outlook for next year, as well as orientation/registration for the marching band season.
Congratulations to our saxophone trio for being chosen as Quarterfinalists in the 2021 Fischoff Festival. The boys will be featured on WFMT radio Saturday, May 15. Tune in to 98.7 between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.
We are grateful students have an opportunity to perform for their families. Tuesday, May 18, all band ensembles will close out their year with a finale concert. The choir performances will be held on Thursday, May 20. Good luck to all.
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