AVHS Staff Newsletter: November
Updated November 27
Important Upcoming Dates at AVHS
November 30 - Final Exams *Special Schedule
December 1 - Final Exams *Special Schedule
December 2: NO SCHOOL Faculty Meeting, Next Steps Groups & Grading Day
Information Included In This Update:
- Faculty & Staff Meeting MOVED to December 2nd
- Grading Timelines for T1
- Final Exams are coming up!
Coffee & Conversation
- Advisory Slides
- Q Comp Additional Support Funds are now available
- Upcoming Field Trips
Faculty & Staff Meeting MOVED to December 2nd
Please share any items to celebrate with Jennie and Pete. If you would like to throw your hat in the ring for "Get to Know 'Em", please contact Bill Blatzheim. Thanks!
Grading Timelines for AVHS
Grading window opens: Friday, November 25 for teachers to enter grades.
Trimester 1 ends Thursday, December 1
Teachers have a grading day December 2
Grading window closes: Wednesday, December 7 at 11:59pm
Grade Review Process: Thursday, December 8 thru Tuesday, December 13
*Changes submitted to Chris Borman
Grades are posted to report cards on Wednesday, December 14
Grades are posted to transcripts on or around Friday, December 16
T1 Mark Reporting Timeline
AVHS Mark Reporting Grade and Comment Option Summary
Assigning Grade Marks, Comments, and Submitting Using Schoology & Campus
Final Exam Schedule
Coffee & Conversation: OPTIONAL staff meetings
Where - STEM Classroom
What - Come for the coffee - stay for the conversation
We'll check in and discuss whatever is coming up for our staff. See you there or reach out to me directly. Thanks!
Advisory Slides (week of 11/21)
Below you will find a link to next week’s slide, as well as an overview of what to expect.
Monday: Finals Schedule and Planning Materials (how to organize and plan for your finals); Lunch Schedule
Tuesday: Finals Schedule, Lunch Schedule, Check your Trimester 2 schedule
Wednesday: Begin in Advisory w/ quiet study time; Lunch with Advisory
Thursday: Lunch with Advisory
Friday: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS 😊
CLICK HERE for the Advisory Slides
Have a great week. Your advisory team,
Brenda, Kristin, Lisa, Michelle, Nichole, and Zach
Q Comp Additional Support Funds are now available
If you would like to apply for funds for professional development, please fill out the Qualtrics application linked below. We will be accepting applications now through late April. Before you apply, please keep in mind the acceptable and unacceptable use of funds listed below.
Link to apply for additional support funds through Qualtrics:
https://district196.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0jOx6So2qcNjcLI
Acceptable projects for 22-23 Additional Support Funds:
- Hourly pay to teachers (timesheets) for curriculum work done with teams outside of work hours. Due to the current substitute teacher shortage, we are not allowing Additional Support Funds to be used for teams to work during the school day and use subs. Substitutes can be used when attending outside district conferences.
- PD Consultants: Pre-approval by the Superintendent’s cabinet is required.
- Teacher Materials: For example, books for a teacher-led book study.
- Workshops (remote or in-person)
Unacceptable use of Additional Support Funds:
- Technology hardware/software. Note: Additional support funds may, however, be used for professional development needs related to the implementation of the hardware/software.
- Student materials: This includes workbooks, textbooks, and supplies.
- Pay for administrators, non-teacher personnel or parent volunteers.
- Stipends for teachers: All pay for teachers must be via timesheet (see above).
- Pay for professional memberships
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Carla Christiansen, Lisa Schmidt, or Mike Otto
Seen & Heard in the Halls - Got a story or picture of something to celebrate? Send it to Drew and/or Teresa!
AVHS Girls Wrestling!
AVHS Boys Wrestling!
C1 Dakota Hawks State Runners Up!
STEM Innovator in Earth Science
STEM Innovator in Earth Science
STEM Innovator in Earth Science
VSC Performs at Prestigious ACDA of MN
'22 Alum Connor Elliot returns to give advice to DP Students
Boys Hockey early season bonding at Fort Ripley.
1st ESports College Fair
Great Performance by Greta Marcott at State Swim!
"Just a Glimpse" Dance Show
AVHS Quiz Bowl!
AVHS Teachers Presenting at InventEd STEM Conference!
AVHS STEM Students at Bakken Museum!
Math Team In Action!
Mathletes!
Inaugural ESports College Fair!
"Today’s Veterans Day event at AVHS was outstanding in every way (the featured speaker, the honored guest veterans, the musicians, and, most impressively, how attentive and respectful and wonderful the students were throughout the event. You have to experience it.
And here is the picture of the day. The audience gave a spontaneous standing ovation to WWII veteran Al Jeager, a 96-year-old Apple Valley resident who attends this event every year (the last time was in 2019) with his friend Bill Johnson of Eagan (behind Al), a Korean War Navy Air veteran. Al told me he was 20 years old when he served in the Army in central Italy at the end of WWII. Thank you, veterans! And thank you, AVHS for hosting such a fantastic event. I’m glad it’s back!"
- Tony Taschner, District 196 Communications Director to Superintendent Kreger and her cabinet.
"First and foremost, thank you for including the Apple Valley American Legion, Post 1776 Color Guard/Honor Guard in your Veterans Day Program again this year. Secondly, WOW, what a fantastic program it was! The music, songs, comments, and keynote addresses were truly inspirational. Your staff was very welcoming and your students were very grateful in their expressions of thanks for the service of our folks. Their simple gestures of fist bumps and/or a wave were very much appreciated by each of us. To repeat myself (intentionally) the program was fantastic; I don't know how you grade above an A + but however that occurs, give everyone that grade."
- Message to Pete Buesgens from the Apple Valley American Legion Post 1776 Color/Honor Guard
Best seat in the house!
Go Eagles Swim & Dive!
Mamma Mia closes it's run!
AVID goes to the UofM!
Eagles meet Goldy!
AVID Eagles - Future Gophers?
"Congratulations to the Iron Maidens for once again advancing to the Minnesota State Tournament at their competition yesterday! I believe our Iron Maidens have advanced to State every year of their existence since 2014. Congratulations also to your mentor Nick Aarestad for winning the Compass Award at this tournament for his outstanding work with the Iron Maidens. Nick, you have been a faithful mentor for the Iron Maidens since the formation of the team in 2014. We at AVHS are very grateful for all of your time and effort with this team Nick! Well done Iron Maidens and best of luck for the rest of the season."
- Jim Lynch
AVID Students Lead Staff PD!
AVID Students Lead Staff PD!
AVID Students Lead Staff PD!
Opening Weekend of Mamma Mia!
Opening Weekend of Mamma Mia!
Opening Weekend of Mamma Mia!
AVHS Students Present at UofM- Cindy!
AVHS Students Present at UofM- Brandon!
AVHS Students Present at UofM- Samira!
"I was talking with a substitute teacher today who told me that he has subbed at all four high schools in the district and that AVHS is by far his favorite school to be at. I asked him why, and he said “people – both kids and adults – just seem to like being here.” Without prompting, he mentioned a school to the East that just felt much more uncomfortable and that AVHS felt very welcoming 😊 It was a nice reminder that we’re doing good things here!"
-AVHS Math Teacher
Pickle Ball!
Inaugural ESports College Fair!
Special Olympics Unified Bocce Ball!
XC Section Championships!
XC Section Championships!
Winter Sports Ready!
Information Included in Previous Updates
- Eagle Day Exit Ticket & Attendance Data
- MoveMindfully grant opportunity
- Friday, November 18 is the final Eagle Day of T1
- REMINDER - Send Deficiency Notices by end of day, Monday!
- District 196 Dialogues
- Eagle Day Exit Ticket/Survey Results
- Veteran's Day Program
Staff Development: Resources for Teaming, STEM Innovator & AVID Tutorials
- Mamma Mia Tickets for Staff
- Clarification of Late Work Dates
- Hallsweep Changes & Dates
- AVHS Site Goal
- SWEL Coaching
- District 196 COVID Plan
Eagle Day Exit Ticket
PLEASE CLICK HERE to access the survey. Thanks!
Of the 607 unique students requested for Eagle Day:
230 made it to 100% of their requests
11 made it to 67%
42 made it to 50%
1 made it to 40%
10 made it to 33%
3 made it to 25%
1 made it to 20%
237 made it to 0%
Final Exams Are Coming...
MoveMindfully grant opportunity
You can learn more about Move Mindfully here. The services they provide are outlined in the two documents below (you will need the following references if you intend to submit an internal application to access this funding):
If interested in bringing Move Mindfully activities to AVHS using The PrairieCare Fund grant funding, you can submit your proposal here; be sure to reference the Move Mindfully services (linked above) for current offerings and pricing for your application.
All applications are due by Wednesday, November 23rd.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Stephanie Ochocki,
Student Support & SEL Coordinator at mailto:stephanie.ochocki@district196.org
Friday, November 18 is the final Eagle Day of T1
A BIG THANKS to Bill Blatzheim for his work on tweaking the form and spreadsheet! The lookup/attendance sheet should automatically update whenever a student is added, so I won’t shut access to the Google Form off until Friday at 7:15 AM
The only soft deadline for people to be aware of is Wednesday, the point at which we’re going to pull student numbers for the School Messenger e-mail – anyone who adds a number to the sheet after that wouldn’t have us send an e-mail on their behalf.
CLICK HERE for the direct link to the Eagle Day Student Request Form
*Teachers should invite a minimum of 5-8 students for intervention/support
CLICK HERE for the direct link to the Eagle Day Spreadsheet for advisory
REMINDER - Send Deficiency Notices by end of day, Monday!
By the end of the day on November 14th, please send a message by email or phone to families with a student earning a D or F in your class. It is important and essential to reach out to a parent/guardian for each student with deficient progress in your class. You can also mention any “deadlines” you might have for missing work in your class.
Next week, Pete will send communications to families to remind them to check their child’s progress using Schoology and alert them that teachers should have been in contact with deficient progress reports in classes. This will be done via email through School Messenger and through my social media accounts. Pete will also remind them that Final Exams are on November 30 and December 1.
Thank you for your attention to this message. If you have questions, please see Pete Buesgens.
District 196 Dialogues on Facilities November 15
District 196 wants your input on facilities needs
District 196 invites all parents, guardians and other district stakeholders to attend one of three meetings to learn more about facilities, equipment and space needs in the district, and give feedback on improvements that are being considered for a possible bond referendum vote later this school year.
Register for one of the three District Dialogues on Facilities on November 15, 16, and 17. All three meetings will be the same. Please attend one and share your input in a small-group dialogue. To register click here.
If you have questions, please contact the District 196 Director of Communications at Tony.Taschner@district196.org
Veterans Day 2022
Our celebration will be held on Friday, Nov. 11th with coffee and breakfast items from 8:15-9:00 am for visiting guests and then our program in the main gymnasium from 9 am-10 am.
Veterans Day Schedule.
Eagle Day Survey Results
Eagle Day Survey Results
Eagle Day Survey Results
Staff Development: Resources for Teaming and Tutorials
Thanks to our faculty and students who lead the STEM Innovator, AVID tutorial, and Effective Teaming sessions on 11/4/22.
Here are a number of resources you might find helpful:
- Effective Teaming Resources - Purpose, Process, Decisions, Commitment, Creativity, etc.
- STEM Innovator Tree - A Prezi overview of all things STEM Innovator
- 10 Steps of the tutorial process – An overview of the entire tutorial process.
- Tutorial Request Form (TRF) – blank form
- Think Aloud – Helpful suggestions about how to fill out each section of the TRF.
- Question Stems – Useful question starters for all types of discussions.
- Quick Start Lesson Plan - For incorporating tutorials (collaborative study groups) into your curriculum.
- AVID Collaborative Study Groups - A full resource guide for all things tutorials/collaborative study groups.
Clarification of "Late Work" Dates
Hallsweeps: Changes & Upcoming Dates
Some changes/modifications moving forward:
Continue with hallway sweeps
Establish a calendar of dates of hall sweeps (below)
Email reminders at least 24 hours in advance
Loudspeaker announcement to shut doors after the bell has rung.
*Sometime between 1st & 7th periods. An announcement after the bell rings will be made to inform teachers to close their doors.
Questions? Please contact Jeff Flugum
Upcoming Dates for Hallsweeps
- Thursday, October 27
- Tuesday, November 1st
- Wednesday, November 9th
- Monday, November 14th
AVHS Site Goal: ACT Reading Benchmark
The percentage of all students in grades 11 and grade 12 at Apple Valley High School who meet or exceed the College Readiness Reading Benchmark composite score (22) as measured by ACT will increase from 32.0% in 2022 to 40.0% in 2023.
19 students= 41%
42 students= 47%
Why should you consider becoming a SWEL Educator?
COVID-19 Operational Plan for Employees for 22-23
The 2022-23 District 196 COVID-19 Operational Plan for Employees, along with the plan for families and students, follows all current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Our primary focus continues to be the in-person participation of students and employees, while integrating health and safety responses into our existing pre-pandemic public health support.
Highlights of Health Guidance
- Anyone exposed to COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, does not need to quarantine anymore. Instead, they should wear a mask for 10 days following the exposure but wait to take a test until day 5. If the person becomes symptomatic, they should test immediately and continue to wear a mask for 10 days after the onset of symptoms.
- Anyone who tests positive must isolate for at least 5 days and wear a mask after returning to work through day 10. You may return to work on day 6 if your symptoms are improving and you are fever-free, and you wear a mask through day 10.
- Employees are required to report their positive tests. Employees who test positive must complete a self-reporting questionnaire and send positive test results to Human Resources by emailing HR-Leave@district196.org.
- COVID-related absence pay is no longer available. Staff need to report their absence in their regular manner and use their own paid leave as desired.
Adult Wellbeing at School
Access to district-provided meditation resources
- This Virtual Calming Room was designed to assist in identifying different strategies for managing emotions.
- Smartphone mental health apps
Access district-provided to hotlines and other resources
- Associated Clinic of Psychology (ACP). At no cost to you, call 612-455-8646 to schedule confidential phone coaching sessions to support you. Please mention the Educator Resilience Program in a VM and two dates/times you are available to talk. You will receive a call back confirming your session.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Your EAP can help with almost anything you can think of. EAP services are confidential and available 24/7 at no cost. District 196 employees can utilize this program by calling 866-326-7194 or logging on to hpeap.com (password ISD196)
Who Do I Go To For Help?
Technology. Click here for AVHS Tech Help. The AVHS Tech Help page is for parents and students and is for issues with Schoology, Campus, iPads, internet support, and more.
Contacting counselors. Click here to find your student’s counselor. Counselors are available to assist with concerns about scheduling, academic progress, and mental health.
Contacting administrators. Click here to contact an AVHS Assistant Administrator. Assistant Administrators assist with questions about attendance, behaviors, credit recovery, and school climate/safety concerns. Ms. Moren works with students with the last names A - K and Mr. Tinder supports students with the last names L - Z.
Apple Valley High School
Website: avhs.district196.org
Location: 14450 Hayes Road, Apple Valley, MN, USA
Phone: 952-431-8200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avhsscholar
Twitter: @avhsacademics