Alpharetta High School
Week of September 26th
Upcoming Dates
September 26 - GHP Nominations due by 4 pm
September 26 - Case Manager Roles and Responsibilities meeting, rm. 5104, 3:45 - 4:30
September 26 – October 28 – Gallup Poll for all Sophomores and Juniors through World History and US History classes
September 27 - Sam's Club in teacher café from 11 - 2
September 28 - CPR/AED - refresher course during both lunches in room 2216 (This training is for certified CPR/AED staff members only)
September 29 – Fall Orchestra Concert
October 3 or 4 – Faculty Meeting
October 7 – Pink Out
October 10 – Columbus Day Holiday – SCHOOLS CLOSED
October 11 – Professional Development Day (students off)
October 12 – AED Drill (includes soft lockdown drill)
October 14, 15, and 16 – 1 ACT PLAY
October 18 - School Governance Meeting
October 18 – Fall Chorus Concert
October 19 - PSAT
October 19 – Balance Night
October 20 – Junior Night, 7 PM
October 21 – Big three drills – intruder, tornado, evacuation - to the stadium for the pep rally
October 21 – Fall Pep Rally & Homecoming Game
October 22 – Homecoming Dance
Release for Football Game - September 30
Next Friday September 30th, the Varsity Football Team has an AWAY Region game at Grady Stadium vs. North Atlanta HS. Due to heavy Friday afternoon traffic, we will be departing early for the game. Please excuse our Varsity Football Players, Athletic Trainers and Videographers from their 6th period classes. These individuals know that they are responsible for any and all make-up work. Please work with them to set up a time in advance or after the fact to complete missed assignments. Roster is attached to the newsletter email.
Please come out to support your Raider Football Team next Friday “in the city.”
GO RAIDERS!!!
Health Benefits information
**Open Enrollment dates are October 17th through November 4th.
**Benefits has notified us that those who did not complete the dependent audit will have dependent coverage ended 9/30/16.
If you did not respond, you will need to call 800/610-1863 and see what you need to do.
If you are new to FCS, please check your paystub in advance to verify that all benefit deductions are as you expect.
Log into Employee Express, click on “Benefits and Payments,” then “Salary Statements.”
Deductions start with the Sept. 15th check, so if you don’t see them, email benefits@fultonschools.org or call 470/254-6845.
Sam's Club Visit
College Pennants
If you did not receive a college pennant on your door and would like one, please fill out this survey: https://goo.gl/forms/rYu1sLFOE81ixyBR2
Goooo Dawgs!!
Staff Emergency Medical form
Staff -
To ensure we are prepared for a staff medical issue, Susan Fisher will place a medical emergency form in your mailbox for you to complete and return to her in 1260 by the end of the month. Your medical information will only be used in the case of an emergency.
Thank you!
Congratulations to our National Merit Semifinalists!
The AHS XC team traveled to Milton HS to participate in the Fulton County Championship
AP Psychology students made Play Doh neurons and had to identify each part and explain how an action potential traveled through the neuron.
How to identify Students who may leave campus
Each student should have a form of identification if they are going to be leaving or coming late to campus. There are three different types of holograph stickers that the students could receive.
Lunch: Purple with white font. This is for the student to leave during anchor time and their 4a or 4b lunch period. These students are seniors and had to meet qualifying standards to be able to be off campus.
FLEX: Yellow with black font. These are students who have “flexible” schedules. This could be a TAG internship, work-based learning, or online courses.
Move-On-When-Ready: Red with white font. The MOWR sticker are for students who are taking college classes.
If you see students in the hallways, please ask them to see their ID with their sticker if they tell you they are online, work-based learning, internship, or Move-On-When-Ready.
A couple articles on Increasing Engagement
New Bell Schedule?
Would you like input on a possible new bell schedule for next year? If so, please plan to attend one of the Bell Schedule Teacher Input Sessions I will be hosting on Tuesday, October 4th either from 7:30-8:10 or from 3:45-4:15 in room 2224. I would love to have one representative from each department attend if possible. Please contact Allie Kornegay with any questions.
AHS in the news:
Nominations for Governors Honors Program
What is the Governors Honors Program and how can I nominate a STRONG student by the Monday, September 26 deadline?
The Georgia Governor’s Honors Program is a four week residential summer program for current 10th and 11thgrade gifted and talented high school students (who have not attended the summer program previously). The program offers instruction which is significantly different from the typical high school classroom and which is designed to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to become independent, lifelong learners. If a student is selected as a finalist, he or she will live on a university campus from mid-June to mid-July.
If you are not familiar with the program, you can read more about it at http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/acd/learnteach/Pages/ghp.aspx or https://gosa.georgia.gov/governors-honors-program. Remember: You may nominate STRONG CANDIDATES for the Governors Honors Program in your content area only.
Note: we have not yet received the area-specific descriptions from the state and county. As soon as those are received, they will be sent out to your individual department for reference.
IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES:
- Nomination deadline: ALL GHP Students must be nominated by 4pm on Monday (September 26). After this time, you will not be able to nominate any additional students. This is due to the time required for the counselors and I to prepare documentation for the information meeting.
- Information meeting: I will be conducting a mandatory GHP informational meeting for all nominees on Wednesday, 9/28 at 7:30 a.m. in the auditorium. Please remind your nominees about the meeting as there will be no makeup meeting offered. All nominees must be present to receive the application instructions and other pertinent information. The attached checklist (signed), teacher nomination form (typed and signed), and the attached description of criteria are the nominee’s passes to enter the auditorium for the GHP informational meeting. Students who miss or are late to this important meeting will not be able to move forward with their nominations.
- Application deadline: All nominees must complete their applications and submit them to Mr. Fortunato by 8am on Friday, October 7. This is a hard deadline; there can be NO EXCEPTIONS! Nominees must turn in the hard copy of their application to Mr. Fortunato in 1135 and also submit it electronically on turnitin.com. (Turnitin.com instructions will be distributed at the information meeting). As a nominating teacher, you are committing to complete the Teacher Nomination (attached) and giving a signed, hard copy to the student to submit with his or her other forms. The student is responsible for submitting all forms to Mr. Fortunato.
To Nominate a STRONG CANDIDATE, please follow the instructions below:
- Note: we have not yet received the 2017 course descriptions from the state. Once we do, please print and review them with your potential nominee; this information outlines each subject area and the guidelines. Your nominee will be required to bring these criteria to the mandatory meeting. If a nominee comes to the mandatory meeting in the auditorium without the printed description, he or she will not be permitted to enter. We strongly suggest that you confer with your Department Chair to make sure you are nominating a STRONG CANDIDATE to represent AHS. Please remember to have face-to-face communication with the student as part of this nomination process. Each student can only be nominated in one subject area, so it is imperative that you speak to the student first to ensure that he or she hasn’t been nominated already by another teacher.
- Print and complete BOTH the attached “2016-17 GHP NOMINEE CHECKLIST” and "GHP Nomination Form Teacher 2017”. Note: It is required that the Teacher Nomination Form be typed. Both of these documents are required when nominating a student. Bear in mind that both the completed checklist and teacher nomination form are the nominee’s passes to enter the auditorium for the GHP informational meeting (which will be held on Tuesday, September 28 at 7:30 a.m. in the auditorium). If a nominee comes to the auditorium without the BOTH the signed checklist AND the completed, typed teacher nomination form, he or she will not be permitted to enter.
- Use the following link to complete the attached form: https://goo.gl/d540Wg. Please enter-in all the necessary fields for your nominee. Remember to include the student’s full, legal first and last name and verify spelling. Please verify that you are entering information onto the 2016-17 form and ONLY USE THIS FORM.
Remember: the deadline for all nominations is Monday, September 26 at 4pm!
It's PTSA Minigrant Time!
Teachers -
The PTSA minigrant application is attached to this week's newsletter email. Departments may submit one proposal as long as every member in the department is a member of PTSA. This year's application deadline is October 16th.
Students show silly school spirit
Karen Bolt addresses a packed house at Senior Night
Attorney General Sam Olens visited Alpharetta High School
Friday Nights at Mr. Taco
Need extra money? Want to help our students?
AHS is looking for an academic team coach to lead our students during the 2016-2017 school year. This position is a paid supplement (over 2,000) for a yearlong commitment to the nationally ranked team. The outgoing team coach is still employed here at AHS and is willing to assist in any transitional items necessary for a smooth start to the academic competition schedule.
Please let Mike Scheifflee know if you are interested in this exciting opportunity to work with our students.
Want to have some fun?
Imagine bowling against your department chair or playing laser tag on a team with your department administrator!
Join us in for a staff outing on November 7th from 4 - 6 at Stars and Strikes. For $18.00 you get an hour of bowling with shoe rental, 2 pieces of pizza, unlimited soft drinks, one game of laser tag, and two hours of games.
November 7th is a AHS PD day and the November 8th is a FC work day, so you can have some fun in between! RSVP to Rebecca at perkinsr@fultonchools.org
Ideas for this year's Seed Fund Request?
Because we are a charter district, each year our School Governance Committee may ask for a one time purchase to help our school. Do you have ideas for this expenditure? The purchase should align with our Strategic Plan, which is posted on our school website. Please place any ideas in the form below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfm98ZfZrdt_PNkDahjjRFIT-IpRyozdaoLmOgsieomME_o3Q/viewform
September Birthdays
Geoff Terry 1
Vonda Rice 6
Tanoni Houston 8
Allie Kornegay (Tubiak) 11
Tracey Eick 12
Kim Holliday 15
Ira Jenkins 17
Katherine Rozei 18
Shawnte Fripp 19
David Boyd 21
Susan Chamberlin 21
Luther Whitaker 21
Jason Burton 27
Rita Flowers 27
Jeff Klein 27
Linda Nutter 27
Flanny Richards-Boyles 29
Amy Longstreth 30
Softball celebrates Senior Night
Lady Raider Competition Cheer team takes 1st place
Fulton County Badges
As you are aware, Board policy requires all district employees to wear visible “district issued” employee identification badges while on duty. In an effort to accommodate the need for the issuance of replacement badges for those who may have lost or misplaced them, the Department of Safety & Security will be badging at the Administrative Building (6201 Powers Ferry Road) during the following dates and times:
Saturday, October 15, 2016 (10am – 2pm)
Monday, October 11, 2016 (10am – 2pm) – Teacher Workday
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 (10am – 2pm) –Teacher Workday
Other times include the normal scheduled badging times of Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday from (9am – 11am) and (2pm – 3pm). A money order for the amount of $10.00 made payable to Fulton County Schools will be required for each replacement ID badge. If local schools would like to make arrangements to pay for multiple staff members to have replacement badges to be issued, please communicate with Matavien Smith in School Police at ext. 40599 or via email at smithm@fultonschools.org.
Pink Out Honorees
The Pink Out Committee wants to know if any AHS staff or community member or anyone close to an AHS staff member should be one of the Breast Cancer Honorees for this year's Pink Out on October 7th.
If you or someone you know should be honored at this event, please contact:
Allison Downing
770-629-0212
Pink Out Shirts
AHS Pink Out Football Game is on Friday, October 7 @ 7:30 PM. Pink Out t-shirts will be on sale for $10 each during both lunches on these dates: 9/28, 9/30, 10/5 & 10/7. Back design included.
New Teacher Meeting Dates
Oct 5- AM (7:30am- 8:15am) or PM (3:40pm- 4:25pm)
Nov 7- RFF Day- Time TBD
Dec 7- AM(7:30am- 8:15am) or PM (3:40pm- 4:25pm)
Jan 17- RFF Day- Time TBD
Feb 8- AM (7:30am- 8:15am) or PM (3:40pm- 4:25pm)
Mar 31- RFF Day- Time TBD
May 3- AM (7:30am- 8:15am) or PM (3:40pm- 4:25pm)
All meetings will take place in room 2321
College Wear Wednesdays start on September 21st
Quote for the week
"We are not creatures of circumstances; we are creators of circumstances." - Benjamin Disraeli
Don't forget to complete the county policies/procedures review!
FCS requests that our returning employees review some essential policies/training materials annually, so that there is an awareness of the serious expectations outlined in each. The list of this information is accessed and submitted electronically in order to establish a record of the training. It is not an exhaustive list. Also, when policy revisions are made or new ones created, a systemic alert is made to notify district personnel of the policy change(s). (If you are a new hire this is part of your “First 30 days” requirements; please review the instructions listed on the New Employee portal page link).
In order to complete this review,
Please go to www.fultonschools.org, Human Resources/Talent Department the bottom of the page
Click on Access Personnel Records/Forms link (at bottom right of page)
Log in using your FCS email address and click on Forgot Password to have the information sent to you if you don’t recall the password (it may not be your normal network password) OR to receive your initial password
Click on Forms tab, Start New Form and select Employee Policy Code/Review
Click on Start Form to begin your review
Several of the essential trainings are housed in Edivate. Edivate has recently undergone an update and how you access the trainings has changed. Watch this brief tutorial to see how to access required trainings and other trainings/courses: Edivate Basic Navigation
It is important that all read Policy GAM (Staff Rights and Responsibilities). Failure to report an arrest within the stated timeline (5 days) can result in the immediate termination of one’s employment with FCS. The electronic Notice of Employee Arrest form is on the HR portal and is to be used for submitting an official notice to the Employee Relations department.
Finally, OCTOBER 31, 2016 is the deadline for completing this review. Again, the checklist is not exhaustive, and it is expected that employees are aware of all the FCBOE policies/procedures that inform their work. Board policies, procedures, and operating guidelines are accessible via the district website.
Please contact the Technology Help Desk if you need assistance, technologyhelpdesk@fultonschools.org or 470-254-4357.
Raider "Balance Days" for 2016-17 - mark your calendars!
We want to create a community filled with more balanced lives. The School Governance Council proposed a solution, and the Instructional Leadership Team agreed; thus, we have declared two nights a semester during the 2016-17 school year as "Balance Days."
October 19th
November 16th
February 15th
March 15th
The nights above are Wednesday nights the week of the 17th (to celebrate the class of 2017), and on these nights there will not be any homework assigned, no assessments will occur the next day, and no AHS meetings will be scheduled.
The idea is that Raiders will go home right after school and work to create balance in their lives. Staff members and students alike will take a night off. Club sponsors and coaches and directors may hold meetings and practices and games as needed. We feel students release stress through these extracurricular activities.
Please plan to enjoy yourself and work your assessments around these dates this year.
Flu Shots at AHS
It’s that time of year again for the flu vaccine. We have a wonderful partnership with Maxim Health and Student Health Services to offer you the flu vaccine right here at school. The greatest news is that if we have 25 staff members (spouses and children over the age of 13 are allowed to come if they hold the same insurance) signed up that have BCBS through FCBOE the injection will be covered and filed with their insurance.
Ø Accept the following insurances: Medicare Part B, Aetna, Anthem CA (PPO only), Anthem CO, Anthem CT, Anthem GA, Anthem IN, Anthem KY, Anthem ME, Anthem MO, Anthem VN, Anthem NH, Anthem, OH, Anthem VA, Anthem WI, BCBS of MA, BCBS of IL, BCBS of NC, BCBS of RI, BCBS of TX (PPO ONLY), BCBS of MA, Florida Blue, Humana, Independence BCBS, Healthspring, Premera Blue Cross, Sierra Health & Life, SummaCare, (Medicare Advantage plan is accepted under these insurance carriers)
Ø For any others who would like to participants the cost is $26.00 (check)
Strains in vaccine this year: A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus (B/Victoria lineage)
Our clinic is scheduled for:
Friday, October 7th from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Please sign up on the sheet in the CLINIC by October 4th by 1:00 pm
Please sign up ONE person per line (this includes family members) and list your insurance.
You will need to have your Insurance card and driver’s license the day of the clinic.
Thanks
TracyLynn Wagner, RN, BSN
Alpharetta Cluster Nurse/ Student Health Services / Fulton County Schools
Cell 404-401-5546