Andrew Pride
MARCH 29, 2021
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Welcome Back - hopefully you had a safe and relaxing spring break. As we return, we know this last quarter of the year will be very different and seem almost like the start of school.
In April, we will be at around 63% of our students fully in person. We will remain with the hybrid format throughout the school year. The IDPH/ISBE guidelines have changed recently and we believe there is always the chance that they change again, but we are operating with the hope that we can maintain this current momentum until the end of this school year.
On April 13th, we will be having only Juniors on site to take the SAT. This is a state requirement for our juniors and serves as a benchmark test score for colleges and universities. If a member of the Class of 2021 did not take the SAT and they wish to do so, they can contact Tricia Seapan at 708-342-4572 by March 30, 2021. However, the State of Illinois is waiving the graduation requirement for this class. Due to the enormous challenges with testing large numbers of students in a pandemic, we will not be requiring freshman and sophomores to take the PSAT, nor will we be asking Juniors to return to campus to take the Illinois Science Assessment. Those exams will take place in fall when conditions for large group testing look more possible.
More to come soon as we have many events to share in April and May!
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 2: No School
April 14: Athletic Boosters Meeting @ 7 p.m.
April 21: Music Boosters Meeting @ 7:30 p.m.
April 23: No School
April 29: School Board Meeting @ CS 7:00 p.m.
STATE TESTING IN APRIL
Many parents have been asking whether or not VJA will host state-sponsored SAT and PSAT exams in April. The answer is dependent on your child’s year in school so please read carefully:
FRESHMEN & SOPHOMORES - Freshmen and Sophomores will not be taking the PSAT this year. Rather, they will likely take it in the fall of next school year and potentially again in the spring of next school year. The Illinois Board of Education is working with College Board to finalize details and those details will be communicated next school year once finalized.
JUNIORS - All Juniors will be taking the state-required SAT exam on campus during the school day on Tuesday, April 13. This exam, which is currently required by the State of Illinois for graduation for the Class of 2022, will not include an essay portion as previously reported. Families of Juniors will receive more information about the exam, including safety measures, times, and what to bring, in early April.
SENIORS - Seniors are no longer required to take a school-sponsored SAT exam to graduate. This only applies to members of the Class of 2021. Not taking the exam will have zero adverse impact on graduation. If you are fine with your son or daughter not taking the exam, there is nothing further for you to do. If you would like your son or daughter to take the exam, please call Tricia Seapan at 708/342-4572 to RSVP no later than Tuesday, March 30. For test ordering purposes, we will be unable to add any students after March 30.
Should you have questions about testing, please email Brian Nolan, Associate Principal, at bnolan@d230.org
ACTIVITIES
As the temperature has been rising, so has the number of activities going on at Andrew. February was a busy month for activities at Andrew. We were able to celebrate Bryce More as the IHSEA State Champion, our Chess team took 21st in State, and we were able to highlight the great work of our students in the SWSC Art Show.
In March we were able to hold the regional for Scholastic Bowl; our team started strong but did not advance to sectionals. Our students did extremely well in the SkillsUSA competitions; every student who competed ended up qualifying for State!!!
Looking forward, we are excited to showcase the talents of many of our students in the Project Diversity Show, our Spring Musical, Dear Edwina, and the Variety Show. Please be on the lookout for more information on how to watch these events. In Spring we also look forward to seeing how our students improve through leadership skills through Snowball and give back through Relay for Life and St. Baldricks!
If you want to give back and enjoy a good meal, please continue to be on the lookout for the different club fundraisers when we partner with a local business. These nights help support the great work our students are doing and the local business.
ATHLETIC BOOSTERS
Our next Booster Club Meeting will be April 14 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 7 and we are over $2,100 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. This week it's The Greek Kitchen! Please check out our website https://andrewathleticboostersqoh.org
Our on-line spirit wear store will be opening on April 5. Details will be following soon.
The Booster Club is open for concessions for home games for soccer and football 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
Congratulations to our saxophone trio for advancing to the national round of the 2021 Fischoff Festival. The boys have spent countless hours rehearsing this very challenging music. Best of luck moving forward.
Good luck to Winter Percussion as they record April 3rd for the WGI Percussion semi-finals.
Support VJA Music at City Barbecue in Orland Park on Friday, April 9th. Be sure to mention VJA Music for in-person orders. For phone, online, or app orders, use code FundA. Thank you for your support.
Who is ready for some Spring cleaning? VJA Music will be holding a Savers fundraiser on May 15th. We will have a truck at VJA for you to drop off gently used clothing and household items.
TPPO (THUNDER PRIDE PARENT ORGANIZATION)
The deadline to order a Paver Brick is April 1, 2021.
Please consider purchasing a Paver Brick. This could be for a family, business, team, club etc. The cost is $100. It will be placed in our Paver Brick Path leading up to the Main South Entrance. All proceeds go towards TPPO Senior Scholarships at the end of the school year. Also, for any Co-Curricular activity or event that may need a monetary donation. Our Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/AndrewHighSchoolTPPO
has the form to order or you can email Tracie Zaghloul at traciezaghloul@gmail.com.
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