Andrew Pride
SEPTEMBER 6, 2022
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
We continue to acclimate with lots of energy and excitement for what’s to come this year! The Class of 2023 is beginning to show visibility with establishing synergy and unification for all this year. Our Senior Leaders developed this year’s theme Strike Now, Strike Loud, Strike Proud to inspire our T-Bolts to be comfortable as individuals, try new things and make an impact as one entity at VJA. The class unity began with their successful “Sunrise” pancake breakfast event, as over 200 of our seniors came together at dawn to open an epic final year at VJA. You can not miss their visibility at our events, cheering for their T-Bolt peers.
This month also highlights our SELebration (Social Emotional Learning) focus which includes National Suicide Prevention. Another September feature is our celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Our goal will be to celebrate and recognize through events and activities the contributions that Hispanic Americans have made to our world. Lastly, we began the month with our Say Hello! SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Club, in partnership with the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, activities for the year.
Not to be forgotten, September is always a distinctive month with the memories made at Homecoming. The week of September 18-24th will be full of energy and excitement as our Student Council, VALT Group, T-Bolt Storm, Class Council, and other groups under the leadership of Mr.Tim Dalton-AP, work hard to create opportunities, recognition, and celebration for current students and alumni. This year’s 70’s theme is sure to be a showstopper with more info forthcoming! We also enjoyed the return of Friday Night Lights this September. Speaking of the stadium, we are excited for the annual VJA Band Invitational on September 17th with our T-Bolts performing at 8:30pm. You definitely do not want to miss this event! In fact, we look forward to your presence at all our community events. If you are as eager as we are to see our return to the stage, please save the date for our Freshmen Show -The Games Afloat! Our students will be performing September 29th and 30th.
Our teachers and staff have been creatively engaging students in and out of the classroom, and we hoped you are able to see it firsthand. I had the privilege of visiting classrooms these beginning weeks, and have been impressed with the engagement activities our teachers are providing students. They are working diligently to make sure students feel connected, set high expectations and build strong relationships at VJA. We are thrilled that our T-Bolts are here and will continue to provide meaningful learning opportunities throughout the year.
I thank you for your trust and support for us at VJA. Please know that I never take that trust for granted and work diligently to provide the best high school experience for your student. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out @aothman@d230.org
Follow us on Twitter @AndrewHS_d230 & @AbirOthman
Sincerely,
Dr. Abir Othman
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 14: Athletic Booster Meeting @ 7 pm in room 220
September 15: TPPO Meeting @ 7 pm in room 220
September 17: VJA Band InvitationalSeptember 19: Movie Night
September 20: Music Parents Meeting @ 7:30 pm in room 239
September 21: Powder Puff Game
September 23: Homecoming Game @ 7 pm
September 24: Homecoming Dance @ 7 pm
September 27: School Board Meeting @ AAS / 6:30 pm
September 29: Freshmen Play @ 7 pm
September 30: Freshmen Play @ 7 pm
GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
Throughout the month of September, members of the PPS team will be visiting advisories to speak with students about the signs of suicide, actions to take when they are concerned about others or themselves, and resources at VJA and throughout the community students may utilize for support. Families, please see the attached student and family resources to support you in conversations with your students, and resources throughout the community. You may also visit our VJA Guidance Webpage for upcoming events, resources, and contact list of our PPS staff. If you would like to further discuss these resources and programs, please reach out to your students counselor or social worker. Thank you for your support and partnership!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cNnl0K5h0n0xJjwXQAHZlf8H3kPp5wiu/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14hzgPxKbfTTbjQIQVBSccl-wxPhWgGF8/view?usp=sharing
ACTIVITIES
With the start of the new school year, we ask that each student reflect on how they are going to get involved at school. As a school, one of our goals is to get students involved in at least one co-curricular activity. Last year around 82% of our freshmen joined at least one club or sport, but our upper-class students were less involved. Overall, we had around 72% of our students involved in at least one club or sport. We are hoping that this year we have at least 80% of our student body involved with at least one club or sport. At Andrew, we are fortunate to offer almost 70 different clubs/activities and around 30 sports. Please take some time to talk with your child about getting involved. You can see the different clubs we have by visiting our website.
We are also excited to see our students support each other. This past Friday, we held our first Friday Night under the lights, and we had a great turnout. We are hoping to see that continue for the other sports and activities.
This Saturday our band opens their competitive season at Stagg.
Just a reminder that Homecoming will take place the week of September 18th to 24th. There are so many ways to get involved and we hope everyone does! Our Freshman Play will debut September 29th followed by the Fall Play on October 20th. We sure hope everyone comes out to support the tremendous cast and crew.
Lastly, as students walk around the building, they will see the signs for the upcoming club meetings, and they will hear about them over the announcements. Please remember that all of our announcements can be found online here.
ATHLETIC BOOSTERS
Our next Booster Club Meeting is Wednesday September 14, 2022 at 7PM in Room 220. All Fall Team Reps, please arrive at 6:00PM for an informational meeting beforehand. We will be serving pizza and you will receive your Booster Club T-Shirt. If you are interested in becoming a part of this great club, come to the meeting.
If you need information regarding spiritwear pick up, or would like to buy some of our stock, please contact our spiritwear director Peggy at andrewhsspiritwear@gmail.com.
Our concession stand is now selling Dippin Dots at the football games. Also, at the September 23 Homecoming Football Game, the Booster Club will have a limited menu item of Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Bratwurst. This was provided as a grant from the IPPA (Illinois Pork Producers Association). We are in need of new officers and directors to volunteer for next year. Please contact Lesley at lesmag1@comcast.net if you would like to be a part of this great group of parents!
MUSIC BOOSTERS
The VJA Marching Band has been working all summer and into the school on this year’s show titled “Fly”. The students had multiple practices every week throughout the summer, ending summer practices with a week-long band camp in early August, followed by a preview show after band camp for family, friends and the community.
The Marching Thunderbolts kicked off their competitive season with the Community Show on September 3rd. Their first competition will be at the AA Stagg High School Jamboree on September 10th, followed by their performance in exhibition at our 7th annual Marching Band Invitational on September 17th. We will have a total of 16 local high school marching bands. With food trucks, concessions and plenty of great music performances, the Invitational is something you don’t want to miss. Come out, enjoy the bands, and cheer on your very own VJA Marching Thunderbolts as they perform in exhibition. Band will be traveling to Louisville Kentucky September 30th to October 2nd for a Bands Of America competition the first time since 2019.
Later in the fall, the VJA Music Program has numerous musical events on the calendar including the Fall Choral Concert on October 5th, and Wind Symphony will be performing at Wentz Hall in Naperville on October 6th with the Naperville Winds. The Fall Band concert will be October 27th. The VJA Music Parent Association will also be hosting their annual Fall Music Parent Craft Show on Saturday, November 5th, and Sunday, November 6th. This event features a large selection of unique crafters and is the perfect place to pick up some wonderful gifts for the upcoming holiday. We can use volunteers to help make this event a success. Your attendance and volunteering helps support all the music programs at VJA. We still have spots available if you are a crafter or know someone who would like to be a vendor, please reach out to andrewcraftshow@gmail.com.
Please consider attending the Andrew Music Parent meetings to keep up to date about all the news from the music department. Future meetings include September 20th, October 18th and November 15th. Meetings are held at 7:30pm in the choir room, room 239.
Don’t forget to check out our monthly dining give back nights which help support all the music programs. Our September give back night is at Portillo’s on September 22nd from 5pm to 8pm.
VJA Thunderbolts: we can use your help at the Marching Band Invitational on Saturday September 17th. If you’re looking for community service hours, please visit the community service office to sign up to volunteer for this fun event. We can use your help to make this event more successful.
Thank you and Eyes with Pride!!
TPPO (THUNDER PRIDE PARENT ORGANIZATION)
PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING TPPO!!! Together everyone achieves more!
The Thunder Pride Parent Organization is asking for parents to consider joining our fantastic Organization this year.
This year we are tackling our Mission to develop and foster a better connection between home and school, by encouraging and supporting parents to be more involved, along with enhancing educational experience through social and enrichment activities and Fundraisers.
Who can join? Everyone: parents, grandparents, teachers, friends, family, and anyone who is caring for a student at VJA. This year our organization is striving to reach a goal of 100% membership!!
What does TPPO do exactly? I bet some of you are wondering… Our organization promotes student enrichment fundraisers, school festivals and holiday fundraisers, teacher appreciation, and school communication. So come on out and be social and make some new friends along the way this year! The school benefits as a whole; TPPO provides the most uplifting atmosphere with positive boosts for students, teachers, and staff morale. Volunteering also has been proven by research to boost your health and happiness in life!
If you have not yet signed up to become a member of TPPO, please do so by going to the d230.org/Andrew homepage and click on Parent Organization, then go to Thunder Pride Parent Organization, scroll down to the bottom of the page to get directions on how to sign up or see if you are signed up. Once you sign up for the yearly membership, this qualifies your student/students as a senior to be in the random drawing for a Scholarship!
We are currently in need of a Secretary and Vice President! If you are interested, please email Kristin Michalec at kristin1201@outlook.com and briefly tell us about yourself, interests, experience in volunteering, availability and why you want to be a VJA TPPO Board Member.
Our first meeting will take place on September 15th in Room 220 beginning at 7PM. We hope to see you all there! We are going to discuss the next few fundraisers and activities for this upcoming year!
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