Alpharetta High School
Newsletter - Week of April 11th
Upcoming Dates
SGC voting – March 23 – 29
Senior Games – March 31
AP Pre-bubbling - April 13th
12 grades uploaded – April 15th (4pm)
Prom (at 200 Peachtree Atlanta) - Saturday, April 16 @ 8 pm
SLO testing begins - April 18th
Honors Week - April 18th - 22nd
Junior Book Awards/Honors Night - April 21st
Last Day of Anchor Time –April 21st
CTAE Pathways Testing - April 18th - 22nd
Spring pep rally - April 22
EOC Testing - Starts April 25th
Recovery deadline – May 12th
AP Testing - May 2nd - May 13th
Senior Exams - May 20th - 24th
Other Exams - May 24th - 26th
Graduation Practice - May 25th
Graduation Ceremony - May 26th, 7PM
Did you know there is a Raider Blog?
Check out the Raiders Revealed Blog to see all the great happenings here at AHS! Do something exciting in you class, club or sports team send a picture and a brief write to Kellyp@fultonschools.org and she will make sure it goes to the local news, our website and the blog!!!
Personnel School Climate Survey - STILL OPEN
Below you will find the Staff school climate survey, please complete the survey! We have to have a certain level of participation from ALL staff members or we get dinged on CCRPI. These results provide invaluable data to determine where change might be needed or what we are doing well.
http://apps.gadoe.org/schoolclimate/personnel.nsf/Survey.xsp
April Birthdays
Charles Lassiat 4/2
Ganesan Sowdayya 4/4
Gregg Plimpton 4/4
Janet Viafora 4/11
Lee Nicholson 4/13
Dominique Mobley 4/13
Karen Bolt 4/17
Laura Smith 4/18
Nick Phillips 4/18
Brian Wynne 4/23
Kaylyn Harris 4/25
Alejandro Romero 4/27
Alpharetta Testing Website
Flandecia has created a testing website that you can check regularly to get any info on what is happening in the world of testing.
https://sites.google.com/site/alpharettahighschooltesting1/home
HAPPY TESTING!!!!
SLO Testing Training Dates:
April 14, 2016 - A Lunch and B Lunch in Room 2216
April 15, 2016 - 7:45AM and 3:30 PM Room 2216
EOC Testing Training Dates:
April 18, 2016 - A Lunch and B Lunch in Room 2216
April 19, 2016 – 7:45AM and 3:30 PM Room 2216
April 20, 2016 – 3:30 PM Room 1220
The AHS Faculty High School Photo
Last week’s photo was of Susan Fisher, Clinic Associate.
Jacob Nichols was the first staff member to guess correctly and earn a jeans sticker! Thank you all for playing each week!
Please keep sending in photos for us to identify.
Did you know Cindy Cawthon sings?
Come see her in the next Song of Atlanta show. There is a flyer attached to this email.
Who is Song of Atlanta, you ask?
Well… Song Of Atlanta Is:
-A captivating chorus creating musical artistry
-An extraordinary group of women who gather together weekly in celebration of the art form known as barbershop music
-An international award-winning non-profit chapter of Sweet Adelines International that is dedicated to enriching and educating the community in the unique American art form of four part a cappella harmony in the barbershop style.
Quote for the week
Professional Development
Assignment for all teachers:
Create a common formative assessment and differentiated lesson using technology in March or April
By the end of the year, you should have three examples of this type of PLC work.
Debrief with PLC afterwards, upload documents to TKES, and use the following link to record your work.
This form allows us to show our growing prowess in differentiation:
Check out Edivate for ongoing Professional Development opportunities!
Black & Silver Celebration
AHS Foundation
Black & Silver Celebration
The AHS Foundation cordially invites you to attend the 5th Annual Gala event. This Casino-Themed event will feature cocktails, buffet dinner, live and silent auctions.
When: Saturday, May 7, 2016 – 7:00 pm
Where: Golf Club of Georgia, One Golf Club Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30004 – The GCG Clubhouse has just undergone a spectacular renovation.
Why: The Foundation has contributed over $150,000 to projects at AHS including: upgraded auditorium lighting, teacher enrichment, scholarships, the AHS Band’s equipment truck, campus beautification days, the new lacrosse skills wall, art display pedestals and a the new, redesigned weight room. Future initiatives will also include education and mentoring programs to increase graduation rates. This is your chance to become part of an extraordinary movement – do not miss out!
Information and reservations: www.alpharettahighschoolfoundation.com
Purchases before April 8 are discounted.
Manifest - AHS's Creative Arts Magazine
Dear Teachers,
Alpharetta's Creative Arts Magazine, Manifest, has released our second issue, ALT! The students have been working very hard in order to release this issue and we want our teachers to take a look!
You can check out ALT on the website http://ahsmanifest.weebly.com/ along with our fall issue, CTRL.
Thank you to those that have given support and encouragement. We are so proud of our Manifest staff!
Manifest Marketing Department
Alpharetta High School’s Creative Arts Magazine
Hill Talk by Mike Scheifflee
Are you interested in educational reform and the changes being made to Georgia Education? If so, join me for Hill Talk, a weekly update on educational topics from the Capital. From now through the end of the current legislative session you can keep yourself updated on the future of education in Georgia.
The house has ‘Adjourned SINE DIE” for the 2016 session.
House Resolution 1114: http://www.house.ga.gov/Documents/HR_1114.pdf
Legislative Updates:
HB 864 “Move on when Ready Act” No Status as of Feb. 24th but listed on the house general calendar for March 24th (More information to Follow next week)
SB 329 “High school diploma and duel credit coursework” House Passed and Adopted
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20152016/SB/329
SB 348 House Passed and Adopted
http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20152016/SB/348
SB 355 “Student/teacher Protection Act” House Passed and Adopted http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/display/20152016/SB/355
Winter Guard Performance - after school, March 30th
Recently our three Alpharetta winter guards competed at the Marietta Castle Classic winter guard competition. Our Cadet team made up of Webb Bridge and Hopewell students claimed first place in their division. Their score earned them promotion to the next division up. Our Junior Varsity team gave an impressive performance and outscored their competitors which earned them a first place finish. The Varsity team did an amazing job and outscored their competitors by a large margin easily earning them a first place finish. Their score earned them promotion to the next division up as well.
All three of our teams will give a FREE performance Wednesday, March 30, in our gym. We would love to see as many of our administrators, teachers, friends, and supporters here next Wednesday, March 30, in our main gym.
Epson Training
The initial training is an online, self-paced course. It consists of seven video tutorials (each 2-7 min. in length) and an assessment. The assessment requires the teachers to enter their name and school. I will send you a monthly report listing who has completed the training. I appreciate your support with ensuring that teachers participate.
Please communicate to teachers (in the classrooms with the new projectors) that they need to complete the online course. Here is how they register:
1. Login to the FCS Employee portal.
2. Click the Edivate icon.
3. Click ResourcesàLearning TargetsàCatalogsàInstructional Technology
4. Click Register for Epson Interactive Projector training.
One you are registered you will access the course by going to ResourcesàLearning TargetsàCourses. Please use Internet Explorer to access the course. Before beginning the training you should have Epson Easy Interactive Tools software installed on your computer. If you do not, please contact your School Technology Specialist.
Barnes and Noble Teacher Appreciation
Barnes and Noble Education Appreciation week is approaching! They have brought Educator Program Applications to us and will pick them up next Tuesday. All you have to do is pick up the application in the teacher mailroom, fill it out, and place it in the black basket marked "Barnes and Noble." A representative from the store will return with your personalized discount card and you will be able to receive 20% off all book purchases for the rest of the year. If you already have a card, you just need to bring in your AHS or Fulton ID to the store to renew it each year.
During Educator Appreciation Week (April 9 - 17), card owners receiver 25% off. There are also special drawings and perks for all staff members this week.
Additional Professional Development days for AHS
The Alpharetta High School Governance Council received permission to have 4 full release days added for the 16/17 school years. These days are considered "critical days" and need leave approval directly from Dr. Kersey. The selected days are listed below:
September 2, 2016
November 7, 2016
January 17, 2017
March 31, 2017
Family Portraits
Cady Studios will be providing each faculty/staff member with a COMPLIMENTARY Family Portrait sitting (and package) on Saturday, April 23rd from 11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. You are welcome to bring spouses, kids, pets, props or anything else that you would like for your portrait session. These will be outside photos. The complimentary package includes (1) 8x10, (2) 5x7, and (16) wallets.
The sign-up sheet is located in my office so that you can select your session time. If you had a family photo taken in the fall, you can still have a spring photo taken as well! J
On behalf of Dr. Kersey and the AHS Administration, THANK YOU for all that you do for our school!
Location: Roswell Mill
85 Mill St. #120
Roswell, Ga 30071
AHS Spring Break Book Exchange
Need a book to read over spring break!?Come check out The Book Exchange - We have hundreds of books to share. There are a lot of good reads that are FREE!
AHS students visit water treatment center
AHS students went to learn about waste water treatment at the John's Creek Environmental Campus:
http://www.fultoncountyga.gov/home-jcec
It is a very environmentally conscious state of the art water treatment center. All of the treatment is done underground so no bad smells or noise. It also has very beautiful grounds--some HS kids get their prom pics taken there, and they have had wedding groups there as well.
It was the first large water processing plant to use membrane tubes (look like spaghetti) to filter water and these membranes do an amazing job of cleaning.Students also were told about the waste of using bottled water--that bottled water mostly comes from the tap and that most water bottles are never recycled, and that our tap water is great! The students received reusable water bottles as they left the tour:)
Countinuing Education at KSU
Kennesaw State University Tier I certification for an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership has been approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). The Department of Education Leadership is enthusiastic about accepting our first students into this new program to prepare the next generation of Georgia school leadership. We appreciate all of the input our stakeholders have provided in designing this new curriculum aligned to LKES, Professional Standards for Educational Leadership, and Georgia Educational Leadership Standards.
Our current Ed.S. Program in Educational Leadership is still accepting students into the performance based residency program until spring 2017, when it will convert to the new Tier II program. Students currently in our Ed .S. or Certification Only program will have certificates that will convert to a Tier II status, so there will be no downtime in providing certified leaders for Georgia schools. Tier II will be required by the PSC for a principalship or district office supervisory position under the new PSC rule. Admission for Tier II will require Tier I certification or its equivalent.
Our Ed.D. program consistently produces new leaders with the very highest qualities of Educational Leadership skills. These students are producing timely, relevant research that informs the scholarly practice of leadership for student learning. We are also currently accepting applicants.
Our website is:
http://bagwell.kennesaw.edu/departments/edl#!prettyPhoto
April 1, 2016, is the final deadline for application for summer 2016, and July 1 is the deadline for applications for fall 2016.
We look forward to welcoming your leaders as our students.
Countinuing Education at Piedmont College
Below is information on the graduate programs from Piedmont College. If there is sufficient interest, our Cohort classes will begin in August, 2016. Graduation will be in December, 2017.
We will need 8-12 teachers to bring our graduate programs to your county.
Please see some additional details on the link for our “Fast Facts.” https://www.dropbox.com/s/6c12g5zxz6s7jno/Piedmont%20College%20Cohort%20Program%20FINANCIAL%20%20FAST%20FACTS%20for%20fall%202016%20%20020916.pdf?dl=0
Here is a link that explains our schedule of class meetings. https://www.dropbox.com/s/re3gbyzzleb7oij/Class%20schedule%20information%20general%20overview.pdf?dl=0
PowerPoint links below for the MA & EDS
MA https://www.dropbox.com/s/ezhacq130adp8dq/MA%20fall%202016%20ppt.pdf?dl=0
We are also offering an MA in Instructional Technology: Design, Integration, and Administration for educators with a clear, renewable teacher certification.
Please contact Dr. Randy Hollandsworth for more details Rhollandsworth@piedmont.edu
The MA in Instructional Technology has a slightly difference schedule.
MA in IT https://www.dropbox.com/s/sdhgatu2jci1l9y/mait%20fall%202016.pdf?dl=0
EDS https://www.dropbox.com/s/xq38ib6khgjhjg9/EDS%202016%20fall.pdf?dl=0
Additional Information - Advanced Degrees for the EDS program in Curriculum and Instruction
If you have questions about the program please contact Dr. Breithaupt kbreithaupt@piedmont.edu
Use this link to apply online www.piedmont.edu/apply
For Financial Aid Information (Loans), call 1-800-277-7020 extension 1114 or gradaid@piedmont.edu