AVHS Update
Sunday, March 14
Message from the Principal: Keep the Lesson NOT the Mistake!
This week is a week of transition as we will begin trimester three on Monday, wrap up the second trimester grading period on Wednesday, and head into spring break on Friday. This week also marks the one-year anniversary of the last week before Minnesota’s stay-at-home order that was issued on Friday, March 27th of 2020. We’ve all made a number of mistakes and have LEARNED A LOT in the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic. With hope on the horizon, I’m challenging myself to focus on the lessons learned rather than the mistakes.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life and plenty around my house in the past week. When my thinking isn’t in the right place, I have a tendency to blame others, deny the mistake even happened, trying to justify it, or getting stuck in shame. Last week, I woke my daughter up at 6 am, harassed her into getting dressed, teeth brushed, and fed by 6:30 so she could get out to the walking patrol. Problem was, she didn’t have school on Friday. OK, dad, do you want the lesson or the mistake?
The key for me is to separate the lesson from the mistake. When my thinking IS serving my best interests, I just say “Oops. I just made a mistake and here’s what I learned. I need to do a better job of listening to your mom and looking at the family calendar, not just mine.” Own your mistakes and keep the lesson. My daughter didn’t love the fact that she was up and at ‘em on a day she could have slept in, but she didn’t hold it against me. I learned my lesson (double-check calendars/details matter) and won’t make the same mistake.
Strangely enough, I noticed that I can pass along my less-than-productive negative thinking habits or a more productive and positive frame to my kids. Yesterday, my 6th grader put the milk away in the pantry when he was trying to hurry up and post a late assignment in Schoology. At first, he swore that he didn’t do it. Then he blamed his mom for not telling him to put the milk in the fridge. Finally, he said, “Sorry. I did it. I need to slow down and get things done one step at a time.” Awesome.
We’ve got one trimester left in what has been the most challenging of years for teachers, parents, and certainly for our kids. By their very nature, teenagers don’t have enough experiences or the prefrontal cortex to fend off the multitude of Invitations to fall into blaming others or shaming themselves when things don’t go well. Maybe your teenager spent way too much time pushing off writing the paper that was due in February. They might have been a little too ambitious in trying to manage co-curriculars, academics, work, and friends and had to spend the last two worrying whether they could get it all done before assignments were due. That’s called real-life and these lessons are valuable whether you’re 14 or 44!
The problem is that as we get older, the consequences increase and our reactions to mistakes can become negative mental habits. But here’s the beautiful thing about starting a new trimester- it doesn’t have to look the same way it did last trimester! A transition period like this week presents a chance to reflect, become more aware of what didn’t work so well, and start practicing new habits that can give us a better ride and results.
My guess is we, as parents have a few things we’d rather have done differently as well. Here’s a simple, but effective way to model this for your kids. Find a piece of paper. Take one of your latest blunders and write it on one side of the paper. On the other side, write down the lesson you learned. Talk your student through it. Tear the paper and choose which half you want to keep- the lesson or the mistake- choose wisely! We are all works in progress AND we have an opportunity to start fresh by focusing on one thing that would help us have a better ride and results as we finish the year. Take care. Keep the lesson rather than the mistake. Go Eagles!
Drew Mons
Principal
(952) 431-8788
Senior Information
Graduation 2021
The plan is to hold our graduation ceremony at Mariucci Arena on the U of MN campus on Saturday, June 5 at 1 pm. The ceremony will be held if public health guidelines permit.Click HERE to order your senior’s Graduation cap, gown and tassel.
- There is NO COST for this order
- Email confirmation is sent after form is submitted
- Information is private and will not be shared
- Please order by Friday, March 19
The Senior Party Planning Committee is now accepting registrations for the all-night party planned for June 5 - 6. For more information about the senior party, please visit the Senior Information Page of the AVHS website. (Found under "Families").
10 Students Qualify for National Speech Tournament
Spring Sports Registration Now Open
Apple Valley High School is excited to announce that spring sports registration is now open!
Most Athletic practices and tryouts are set to begin on March 29, 2021. All spring athletes should make sure that they have had a physical within the last three years before they attempt to register. We must have a copy of the physical on file at AVHS. Registration is required to participate in high school athletics through https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome.
We will adhere to the recommendations made by the Minnesota Department of Health and ISD 196 regarding required and recommended protocols necessary to create a safe, Covid-19 sensitive, education based athletic environment.
Each Head Coach for your sport is in the process of creating their tryout and/or practice schedule. Check the “Athletics” page on the AVHS Website for more information about locations and times.
Click here for athletic registration and payment information: https://avhs.district196.org/athletics/athletic-registration
COVID-19 Notification
If you or a household member develops COVID-19 symptoms, stay at home, contact your physician and call our school nurse, Lori Henke, at 952-431-8220. Contact our School Nurse, Lori Henke, at 952-431-8220 or by email at lori.henke@district196.org
Prom, Other School Events, and Updated Guidance
USDA Approves Additional Nutrition Benefits
Families in our district who qualify for free or reduced-price meals are now eligible for additional emergency nutritional benefits offered from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
If you have already qualified for free or reduced-price meals earlier this school year, you don’t need to do anything because your family will automatically receive these new benefits.
Parking Permits Now On Sale for Trimester 3
There are no parking passes required for the last few weeks of Trimester 2 (February 22 - March 15.)
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 a student's counselor is a good first step if there are concerns about multiple classes and can help coordinate and streamline communication.
Student Schedule. Click here to log in to Campus Portal and see Student Schedules.
Grades. Click here to log in to Schoology and see in-progress grades.
Contacting teachers. Click here for a list of teacher e-mail addresses.
Text Message Updates
Texts are delivered via SchoolMessenger, the mass notification service the district uses for phone calls and email messages. Parents must opt-in to receive text messages. Standard message and data rates may apply.
GETTING STARTED
- Text Y to 67587, you will receive a confirmation message stating you are registered to receive SchoolMessenger notifications via text.
For help information, text HELP to 67587.
To opt-out at any time, text STOP to 67587.
*Only SMS numbers listed as Guardians in the Infinite Campus student information system can receive texts.
**If you do not receive a confirmation message of what appears to be an error message, it most likely means that short code texting is not enabled on your wireless plan.
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