AVHS Newsletter
October 4, 2020
Apple Valley High School
Website: avhs.district196.org
Location: 14450 Hayes Road, Apple Valley, MN, USA
Phone: 952-431-8200
Message from the Principal- Checking In
Hello Apple Valley Parents and Guardians,
"How are you doing?" Sorry, let me rephrase that... "How are you really doing?" With a middle school son and a nine (going on nineteen) year-old daughter the sequence of these questions is important around my household. Although they are very different people, the typical response to the first question with either one of my kids is uniformly met with one-word responses of, "fine" or "good". However, if I follow up with "How are you really doing?", "Tell me about two wins you had and one worry you had at school today/this week", or "Rate your day 1-10 and tell me one thing that would raise your score", we get down to the real stuff.
With the arrival of the ACT (Tuesday for 12th grade) and Pre-ACT (Wednesday for 11th grade) as well as the first tests/papers/projects that are starting to come in, this is a good time to check-in with your kids to sees what's working, what's not, and how to help them.
Like many of you, I have a Schoology account from Saint Paul Public Schools so I can check my kids' grades. The truth is, I haven't logged in yet. The best strategy to give me peace of mind has been to make my kids show me their grades in Schoology on Sunday and Wednesday nights. "You want to watch a show? Great. Pull up the iPad and show me that your work is done." In a busy household, it's the best we've got, and so far it's working. Nonetheless, we're always open to a better strategy. Successful parenting in a pandemic is a team sport, so please take some time to check-in with your kids this week and let me know what's working for you.
This week’s most important updates and events are listed here and described in detail below:
ACT Test (Grade 12) is Tues., October 6; PreACT Test (Grade 11) is Wed., October 7
UPDATED: School Calendar for the weeks of Oct. 5 and 12
October 9 is now an in-person learning day for students in Cohort B.
October 14 is now Parent-Teacher Conferences and not a school day for students.
Parent/Teacher Conferences and How to Sign Up for Individual Zoom Conferences
Confused about what your student should be doing each day? Watch a four-minute overview video for what to do as a Hybrid Learning or Digital Academy student.
Drew Mons, Principal
ACT Test (Grade 12) is Tuesday, October 6; PreACT Test (Grade 11) is Wednesday, October 7
All Students In Grades 9, 10, and 11 Will Participate in "At-Home" Learning on October 6.
Students in grade 12 will take the ACT test at AVHS on Tuesday, October 6. All other students will have an at-home learning day that day. October 6 is the test date for ALL students in Grade 12; there are not separate testing days for Cohort A, B, or Digital Academy. Students in Grade 12 are automatically registered for the test.
Students in grade 11 will take the Pre-ACT test at AVHS on Wednesday, October 7. Wednesday is not typically an in-person learning day for students; however, buses will run at their regular times on this day for students in grade 11 to arrive at AVHS by 8 am.
On both days, students are free to leave AVHS after they are done with the test. Buses will run at their regular time, and school lunch will be provided for students who are staying at AVHS until the afternoon bus. If your student will want school lunch on October 6 or 7, please fill out the form linked below.
UPDATED: School Calendar for the weeks of Oct. 5 and 12
October 9 is now an in-person learning day for students in Cohort B.
October 14 is now Parent-Teacher Conferences and not a school day for students.
An outline of the two weeks is included below.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Teachers will be engaged in outreach to families of students who are struggling in their classes by phone calls/text messages.
- Teachers and counselors will be available for individual conferencing (8-10 minutes) via Zoom between 7:30 am and 10:30 am.
- To sign up for a Zoom conference appointment with a teacher, please follow the link below.
- Times for teacher conferences are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have brief questions for a teacher, please consider contacting the teacher via e-mail or phone.
PSAT testing (optional) at AVHS on October 14
High achieving juniors interested in participating in academic achievement scholarships should take the PSAT on Wednesday, Ocotber 14th at AVHS. Taking the PSAT is the first step in entering the scholarship programs conducted by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. This test is a “trial run” for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) which is a college entrance exam that many students across the country submit when applying to college. If you have any questions contact Mrs. Gustafson in the counseling office.
The PSAT will be offered at Apple Valley High School on Wednesday, October 14th . The cost of the test is $25. Register online through My Payments Plus from September 23rd – October 7th.
Lunch, Listen and Learn Student Circles
Tech Troubles? How can we be of service?
Students & Staff Lead the Way in Advisory
What My Student Should Be Doing...
District 196 Rights & Responsibilities and AVHS Student Handbook
Students who were absent on those days as well as students in digital academy should follow the link below to review both the District 196 Rights & Responsibilities document as well as the AVHS Student Handbook. After reviewing the available information, students should complete the form (also found in the link below).
AVHS Tech Help
Yearbook
Sales of the 2021 Aerie (AVHS Yearbook) are going fast! Please click the link below to order a yearbook.
Please note that the official yearbook vendor of AVHS for 2021 is Jostens. An e-mail was mistakenly sent home to parents by Lifetouch indicating they could order a yearbook through Lifetouch. While Lifetouch is the official school picture vendor of AVHS, they are NOT our yearbook vendor. We apologize for the confusion.
Health and Safety at Apple Valley
Food Service and Free & Reduced Price Meals
Please note: Families must apply for Free & Reduced Price Lunch qualification every year.
Infinite Campus/Schoology/MyPaymentsPlus/PayPAMS
Students and families new to District 196:
- Login Information will be sent via email from Apple Valley High School in mid-August.
- For MyPaymentsPlus and PayPAMS registration, please select "Minnesota" for the state and "Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan-ISD196" for the School District name.
Students and families continuing in District 196:
- Continue using existing login credentials for Campus and Schoology
- Families will need to create new login credentials for MyPaymentsPlus and PayPAMS. Please select "Minnesota" for the state and "Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan-ISD196" for the School District name.
- Student, family and emergency contact information
- Student schedules and attendance
- End-term grades and transcripts
- Course information, resources and announcements
- In-progress grading details
- Communication tool
- Register and pay for field trips, activities & athletics
- Purchase parking permits and other options
Text/Email Communication/Announcements
You may also opt in to Apple Valley High School Text Messages by texting "Y" to 675-87.