The APHS Look AHEAD-January 2021
News and Notes from the High School Leadership Team- v.21
The APHS Look AHEAD
Dear APHS Students and Families,
The start of a new year brings with it hope and new beginnings.
After the year which we have just experienced together, we could all use some fresh starts!
As we continue to work through what may be a variety of instructional programs into the month of January, you will note that we will also begin to actively explore ways to address the differentiated needs of our students, while still maintaining a safe and secure environment for everyone. It is clear that the remote/hybrid models are working for many students, but they also still present significant challenges for many of our students. There is clearly no replacement for the types of personal connections which are made when students come to brick and mortar school. Please keep an eye on email and social media in the weeks to come for more information on some programs we are exploring to help bridge some of the gaps our students are experiencing in this unique year.
While it seems early, please also know that our Course Catalog for 21-22 is now available on our website, linked here: https://www.averillpark.k12.ny.us/graduation-exam-requirements From this page, you will see a menu on the right-hand side, with a link to the APHS Course Catalog 21-22. You will note that we have updated many of our courses, added a few ones, and have continued to expand the number of courses which offer the opportunity for college credit. Our Counseling Team will be reaching out in mid- to late- January with more information about the course selection process for next year.
Finally, as we begin a new year together, I ask that we all reflect on how we can all do our part to contribute to our collective happiness and well being. Things have certainly not been easy over the last year, and we are still in difficult and uncertain times. One of the best ways to handle our difficult emotions and experiences is by focusing on what we can control. This month, take a look at these small steps to try to boost happiness - for ourselves and others around us - to spread kindness and hopefully inspire others to do the same.
https://www.actionforhappiness.org/media/954757/january_2021.jpg
Welcome to the New Year!
Please reach out if there is anything that you need. Stay healthy and be well!
Warrior Strong,
Serving every student every day,
The APHS Building Leadership Team
-Mr. Heath Quiles, High School Principal (quilesh@apcsd.org)
-Mrs. Christina Mein, Assistant Principal, Grades 10 and 12 (meinc@apcsd.org)
-Mrs. Rebecca Leach, Assistant Principal, Grades 9 and 11 (leachr@apcsd.org)
#AP_EveryStudentEveryDay
"Creating passionate learners who contribute positively to their community and the world."
January Regents exams cancelled
The New York State Education Department announced that it has cancelled the January Regents exams due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (January 26-28) will be regular days of instruction for students in the high school. Friday, January 29, will remain a K-12 Superintendent Conference Day, resulting in no instruction for in-person or virtual students.
Free Meals for ALL Students Extended Through the School Year
The Food Service Department of the Averill Park Central School District is proud to be an important partner with our families during the pandemic. We firmly believe our District's mission of meeting the needs of and creating opportunities for Every Student, Every Day includes your child's nutritional needs.
Thanks to an extension of the US Department of Agriculture's program currently providing for free breakfast and lunch, we will continue to be providing free breakfast & lunch to ALL students through June 30, 2021. We strongly encourage all our families to participate in this essential child nutrition program, as we continue to support each other through these challenging times.
Reminder: Meals are available for 100% Virtual and Hybrid Students. Please contact Colleen Wise, Food Service Director at wisec@apcsd.org with any questions or to sign up for meal pick up.
APHS participates in Toys for Tots collection
The APHS Student Government-organized Marines Toys For Tots Program marched on despite obvious challenges due to COVID this holiday season! Many toys were collected for needy children of all ages in memory of APHS student Abigail Dutcher. APHS is honored to be a part of this festive annual tradition!
AP Musicians create CD in lieu of winter concert
Due to the ongoing Pandemic, music concerts can't happen as we would like them to. But, that doesn't mean the music stops! Our high school musicians have been hard at work this school year - and in lieu of a concert, they have produced a CD!
Each track represents a different ensemble cohort in the high school during hybrid learning. While the original plan was to record the pieces live prior to Thanksgiving, that became an impossibility with remote learning. Therefore, each player had to send in their own part, and then these were combining into a larger ensemble work.
All the tracks represent a variety of learned skills, concepts and techniques that are consistent with our program. We hope that as you enjoy the music we have prepared, you will be as impressed with our student's fortitude as with their musical skills.
The CD Cover art by Lauren Wicks - choir student.
After school help available for students
We will continue to offer after school time for students to get extra help from their teachers.
So that we can assure the safety of our students and staff, both while in the building and on our late bus runs, we ask that you follow the procedures outlined below (and in the accompanying video).
After school extra help will be offered on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays, on the following rotational schedule:
- A-Days (both for Cohort 1 and 2) will be for after school extra help in Social Studies, Math, Art, Music, and Study Skills.
- B-Days (both for Cohort 1 and 2) will be for after school extra help in ELA, Science, LOTE, Tech, and PE/Health.
Students who are interested in receiving extra help should work with their teacher to select the appropriate day(s). Once you have selected a day, you must complete the following form by 9am on the day that you plan stay: https://forms.gle/Dd5sBvagFMjtTGaU6 Only students who have signed up to stay with specific teachers, with that teacher's consent, are allowed to stay after school.
This form is a shared one, which will be used by both AMS and APHS students. It will allow for us to know how many students will be in our buildings, track usage and needs, and allow for the buses to plan for safe runs, for both the middle and high schools.
For students who provide their own transportation, no late buses are needed. Please be sure, however, to complete the form to sign up to stay.
For those students who would like to take advantage of our late buses, we will be able to offer these, departing from the high school at approximately 4:30 pm. When you have finished your extra help session, please report directly to the HS Cafeteria/Student Union. Supervision will be provided in this location until the late busses have departed.
Thank you to everyone for your flexibility, and for helping to do your part in keeping everyone safe and secure each day. It's been a lot! In the weeks to come, as we assess how this plan looks and operates in real life, we will consider ways through which we can continue to expand student engagement outside of the school day.
If you have any questions, please contact the high school office at 518-674-7002.
Tutor Time
There is a local service available to K-12 students that we want to share with you. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) education students offer a service called "Tutor Time". Here, RPI students are available for 1 hour tutoring sessions, by appointment only, for students in grades K-12. At this time, "Tutor Time" sessions are meeting via Zoom on select Saturdays.
Please visit the RPI Website for more details. While we are sharing this opportunity with students and their families, we ask that those who take advantage of this not use their school accounts for accessing this service since this is not an APCSD service. We ask that students use their private email accounts only for this service.
APHS Yearbook
Purchase your 2021 yearbook at: jostens.com !
This is certainly a unique year and our yearbook will be an interesting documentation
of the changes and challenges!
We are still accepting Senior Parent Ads. To create an ad, go to jostensadservice.com
Any yearbook questions? baileya@apcsd.org / blosteinm@apcsd.org
Photo Retake Days - Mark your calendar!
APHS Picture Retake Dates are NOW scheduled for:
- Tuesday, January 5th and Wednesday, January 6th from 10 - 5.
- Location: APHS Library
- If you are having your picture retaken, bring your picture package with you to return to the photographer.
Both days will continue until 5:00pm, in the HS Library, for our virtual students who would like to drop by.
If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Bailey or Mr. Blostein at baileya@apcsd.org or blosteinm@apcsd.org
APHS Junior & Senior Prom
It’s a New Year, and we have a New Hope - an APHS Junior & Senior Prom!
You may have heard already, but the Class of 2021 and the Class of 2022 have partnered to offer both a Senior Prom and a Junior Prom this year! The date is Saturday, May 8 at the Albany Marriott Hotel on Wolf Road(Same venue different ballrooms). We anticipate a fabulous time for all - more details will come as the date approaches.
To that end, we will be hosting a Prom Fund Drive using GoFundMe! We are asking our parents, friends, & family, for a one-time donation to help fund our prom in May. You can imagine fund-raising this year has been very difficult and our efforts have fallen short. We feel, after all that has happened this past year, the Juniors and Seniors deserve a memorable Prom. Our Junior and Senior Class Officers are making a video explaining our fund drive - you can expect to see it anytime now - emailed and posted on the district social media sites and website.
Please consider making a donation to our Prom Fund Drive when the request comes along. It’s One-And-Done! Juniors won’t be doing any other fundraising than this.
If it happens that social gathering restrictions prevent us from having our May prom, all funds received will go to a future Fall prom and other senior events for this year and next year.
News from the Counseling Center
2021-2022 Course Catalog
The courses being offered at the high school for the 2021-2022 school year are now available for viewing on the school’s website. Counselors will begin meeting with students, in grades 9-11, over the next few months to plan their course selections for next year. Please look over the courses being offered and help plan for a successful, engaging 2021-2022 school year. You can view the course catalog here: https://averillpark.k12.ny.us/guide-to-program-planning
Need working papers?
Please print out the application for working papers at https://averillpark.k12.ny.us/working-papers. Once all forms are completed and the physical form AT-16 is signed by a medical professional, please email them, along with the form of ID you will be providing to process the application, to Carneyj@apcsd.org. Once your application has been processed you will be contacted to make arrangements for you to sign your working papers. You will also need to provide the originals at that time. Please make sure you follow through with all instructions to expedite the processing of your application.
FRESHMAN:
Counselors continue to meet with the freshman class, through google meets. These meetings are to introduce themselves to the freshman class and to help navigate any questions they may have and check in with how the school year is going so far.
Counselors will begin annual review meetings with freshmen starting in January. During these meetings, freshmen will be provided an opportunity to choose their classes for their sophomore year. Please stay tuned for how these meetings will be scheduled.
Want to meet with your Counselor?
Students can find the Request to meet with a counselor form on the Averill Park H.S. Family and Instructional Resource page under Guidance.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_stNvi148d0oDNaYZC4rra6MPgzcwb47ihGL28wqRfU/edit
Once the form is submitted the Counselor will reach out to the student and make arrangements as needed.
Upcoming SUNY Events
If you are interested in possibly attending a SUNY college or if you are interested in learning about a SUNY Education, feel free to visit the following link to register:
www.suny.edu/studentevents or call 1-800-342-3811
SUNY is offering information sessions. They are also offering a program related to Which SUNY is Right For You, the Educational Opportunity Program, How to apply to SUNY and Financial Aid Events.
COLLEGE ENTRANCE TESTS:
SAT I & II:
March 13, 2021 (SAT 1 only) (Registration deadlines is February 12)
May 8, 2021 (Registration deadline is April 3)
June 5, 2021 (Registration deadline May 6)
ACT:
February 6, 2021 (Registration deadline is January 8)
April 17, 2021 (Registration deadline is March 12)
June 12, 20201 (Registration deadline is May 7)
Students with disabilities who wish to apply for accommodations on college placement testing should pick up an information sheet in the counseling center or refer to the website for the test they wish to take. Decisions regarding accommodations for College Board and ACT testing rest with the testing company.
Free practice before the upcoming PSAT, SAT, or ACT
StudyPoint is offering the practice test events, and since they're doing so virtually, you can take the practice test from your home. Anyone who participates will also receive a free score analysis that breaks down how you did by section, question type, and content area so you can get a sense for where you might want to do some review prior to the real thing.
They run multiple practice tests each week. If you're interested you can view available dates and register for a test at https://site.studypoint.com/virtual-practice-tests.
PSAT Scores available
If you took the PSAT in Oct, your scores are now available to view online. Just sign into your college board account and click on PSAT/NMSQT to see them.
Reminder
Quarter 2 marking period ends Friday, February, 5th, 2020.
News from the Health Office
Reminders for this year:
* Remember to call your child out absent if they are ill.
* Any illness whether or not a nurse sends them home or if they stay home sick (no matter what their hybrid day is) will need a doctor's note to return to school AND a negative COVID test.
*If your child is sick, please send me an email with what is going on with your child It would be very helpful and may decrease the number of phone calls that you get in a day.
Please see the link below for two important documents:
One is the permission slip for Tylenol and Ibuprofen. I need updated written permission every year on each student. The second is the guidelines for when your child is ill this way it is right at your fingertips and you don't have to worry about trying to rummage through the website.
Visitors at the High School
Parents wishing to pick up students, or drop off items for students, should use the intercom at the main entrance of the building. Our staff in the main office will guide you through the appropriate procedures.
Meetings between parents and staff will be expected to be conducted in a virtual format. In cases where a face-to-face meeting may be required, staff will need the permission of the building principal.
Visitors approved to enter the building, by the principal, will complete a health screening, have their temperature taken, and will wear a mask.
IMPORTANT LINKS TO CALENDARS AND SCHEDULES
The APCSD District Calendar for 20-21:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jt88sLKd7FM8YcCvSvaO_c_jzl9rvLaf/view?usp=sharing
This is a fixed schedule, and will not change based on snow days.
Marking Periods/Grade Reporting at the HS for the 20-21 School Year:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F42UlhjAEOfnCx2qgrwEZ1r9ceMhiLkT2bEAhpIAQHQ/edit?usp=sharing
Our Daily Bell Schedule for 20-21:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1choS5fPUhRfBX03ChMuUtGkLvjlZ2kvpIQ4ZEBXbZV4/edit?usp=sharing
*Please note, students are expected to arrive to school by 7:30 am.
Upcoming Events/Important Dates
1 - Holiday Recess - NO SCHOOL
4 - Classes resume
5 - Picture re-takes 10am-5pm in the Library
6 - Picture re-takes 10am--5pm in the Library
18- Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL
29 - Conference Day - NO SCHOOL
Averill Park High School
Email: quilesh@apcsd.org
Website: https://www.averillpark.k12.ny.us/
Location: 146 Gettle Road, Averill Park, NY, USA
Phone: 518-674-7000
Twitter: @APHS_Leaders