Current-year Scholarship for Black Students at AHS
Hello,
Last month the Black Parent Advisory Group (BPAG) introduced our newly formed scholarship fund. This scholarship is meant to provide assistance to Black students who are in need of funds to help pay for academic needs, not provided by the school district. For instance, college entrance exam fees, AP exam fee, tutoring, enrichment activities, etc.
If you have students that you work with they may be in need of some financial assistance, please have them complete the application form and email it back to ausdbpag@gmail.com. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Linda Williams, President
Brian Doss, Vice-President
Melisa Boyd, Secretary
Alexia Ritchie, District Liaison
Spice Doss, Scholarship Chair
Call For Bands!—Performance Opportunity for Middle and High School Students
We need middle school & high school rockers, hip hop artists & rappers!
We are building our lineup and it could include you! We are looking for the best HIGH SCHOOL and MIDDLE SCHOOL bands to showcase their talents in an exciting music festival environment.
Cobrachella is Albany Middle School's Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, May 12 from 3-7pm. We will have a lineup of 8-9 bands comprised of middle and high school musicians. About 500 people attended Cobrachella last year, and we expect about the same this year. In addition to live music and great props & decorations, there are booths selling merchandise, t-shirts, graffiti hats, henna tattoos, caricatures, food, candy, games, and more. You can see some photos from past events at www.cobrachella.com or https://www.instagram.com/ams_cobrachella/.
WHAT: Cobrachella Arts & Music Festival
WHEN: Saturday, May 12 from 3 to 7pm
WHERE: Albany Middle School
SUBMISSIONS
- Submit a video of your band by clicking "Call For Bands" at: http://www.cobrachella.com
- Deadline for submission is April 13th.
- All submissions received by the deadline will be considered.
DETAILS
- Clean versions of songs only, please.
- Sets run for up to 20 minutes.
- Bands will not be compensated, but will receive backstage access alto food & drinks - and exposure to lots of new fans!
- For more information, email us!
Spring Fling Dance Chaperones Needed (Fri, Mar. 16th)
Dear Parents,
The AHS Leadership Team is in desperate need of chaperones for the Spring Fling Dance on Friday, March 16th at Memorial Hall! In an effort to encourage a few parents to volunteer, we have split the supervision responsibilities into smaller shifts (see below).
Shift #1: 5:45-8:00pm
Shift #2: 8:00-10:30pm
If you are able to cover one of the shifts, please contact Zeke Lopez at elopez@ausdk12.org.
Thank you for considering!
--AHS Leadership Team
March 14th Student Walk-Out for Safe School Initiatives
March 12, 2018
Dear Albany High School Community,
In a show of unity with schools across the country, Albany High School will be joining Albany Middle School to remember and honor the students and staff members of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
These events will take place on March 14th during advisory from 9:49-10:44. Student groups are organizing a walk-out to Cougar Field where 17 minutes of respectful remembrance will be monitored by school staff and our local police department. All efforts and collaborations are being made to ensure a safe environment and experience for students who choose to participate, as well as for those who choose to stay in their advisory classrooms at that time.
Students who attend the extended advisory event at Cougar Field will not be counted absent and are expected to return to their 4th period class by 10:44. We encourage all family members to consider attending rallies being planned for March 24th in various locations around the Bay Area as a way of supporting safe school initiatives for all of our children.
There is a student organized rally scheduled to begin at Memorial Park on Portland during 4th period. This is not school sanctioned and students shall be counted as absent from class. We will have administrators and other supervision at Memorial Park. For more information on this event, please contact our student social justice clubs at Standxspeak@gmail.com, or please contact me at aritchie@ausdk12.org.
Thank you,
Alexia Ritchie, Principal
The AHS Theatre Ensemble presents Peter and the Starcatcher!
This Tony Award-winning Peter Pan origin story is a wildly theatrical romp about the joy of make-believe, the adventures of being young at heart, and the power of storytelling to bridge the generations. Mixing pirates, orphans, and one heroic girl with music and a Monty Python sensibility, Peter and the Starcatcher is the perfect bedtime story for people of all ages.
The play runs from Thursday March 8th through Sunday March 11th. Tickets and show times available through https://starcatcher.brownpapertickets.com/
A play by Rick Elice
Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Music by Wayne Barker
Directed by Erin Merritt
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
www.MTIShows.com
Principal Ritchie's 3rd Quarter Letter
Dear Albany High School Community,
As we move into the spring semester of the school year, I would like to take this time to connect you with some of the important work that is happening at our school and in AUSD. Albany has been my professional home for 25 years and I am always amazed at the brilliance of each and every student I work for. I am also heartened by the ways in which creative and compassionate minds come together and critically push us to improve our services to students and families. Below are just a few of those efforts Albany High School is focusing on this semester.
Our hearts and thoughts are with the students, staff and families of Douglas High School in Florida. Albany High plans for and practices multiple drills each year to prepare for emergency conditions. I am always impressed at how quickly our students and staff network during these drills to ensure the safety of all our school members. One of the strongest partners we have is our own PTSA who helps fund emergency supplies for every classroom. Becoming a member helps us sustain these supplies and many other direct supports for all students. For more information please visit the AHS PTSA page on our website.
Albany High school will be looking at ways to support goals and action steps found in our Single Plan for Student Achievement (complete SPSA) and with the self study connected to our upcoming WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation visit in 2018/19. For example, one goal from our Single Plan is to develop a school wide commitment to restorative practices which includes professional development focusing on implementing these values and action steps. In the fall, our math teachers from AHS and AMS partnered to look at social justice math practices. In February, we had Social Studies teachers, counselors and administrators attend the Museum of Tolerance educators workshop and, our entire staff is looking at social emotional competencies and how they relate to academic achievement and student engagement. I am very proud of the continued inquiry and growth mindset of our school community and invite you to join us next year in our WASC accreditation opportunities for parents/caregivers and students.
Please stay connected with Albany High by subscribing to our daily newsletter found on our website http://ahs.ausdk12.org/ and with our Powerschool online gradebook. I look forward to sharing the countdown to the class of 2018’s graduation ceremony on Friday, June 15 and in partnership with our community, moving AHS forward with efforts that benefit all students.
Sincerely,
Alexia Ritchie
Principal
Three New Courses at AHS Next Year
Currently in the throes of course selection? Perhaps we can make your decision easier (or, more difficult, sorry.) AHS will offer two new electives and one new non-credit course next year: Business Management, CAD and Lifeguard Training. Descriptions follow:
Business Management
General Elective | Grades 9-12 | UC & CSU approved
Learn all the skills you need to be an entrepreneur: how to do your accounting, create effective marketing campaigns, write a business plan, and even how to file your taxes. Class includes a number of field trips to exciting local businesses with interesting business models. Practice your new skills by starting and running a small enterprise on campus. Social entrepreneurs welcome! This course is a great complement to your study of culinary arts, visual arts, web design or other fields where most people are self-employed. It could even lead to starting your own business or getting a job in sales or accounting right out of high school.
Take this course if... you are interested in starting your own business.
For more information: Send an email to mwalden@ausdk12.org or visit Ms. Walden in Room 202.
CAD (semester)
Applied Art Elective | Grades 9-12 | UC & CSU approved
Learn about the design process as it relates to engineering, architecture and industrial manufacturing. Use powerful software to create 2D drawings and 3D models of functional and artistic pieces. This is a hands-on class: we study a particular need; we make stuff; we break stuff (for Science, of course.) This semester-long class will be offered twice next year: once in the fall, and once in the spring. Students who take it fall semester may have an opportunity to take an advanced second semester in the spring, but this is not guaranteed. This is one of just two technical electives available for freshmen and sophomores (and our first new one in over ten years!)
Take this course if... you are good at visualizing things in three dimensions and like the idea of using a computer to design tools, buildings, furniture, appliances and more.
For more information: Send an email to jcastle@ausdk12.org or stop by Room 109B. Read more about the software we'll be using by searching for "Autodesk Fusion 360."
American Red Cross Lifeguard Training (semester)
Non-credit Course | Grades 10-12
Acquire the knowledge and skills needed to prevent and respond to aquatic emergencies. Being a lifeguard carries a significant professional responsibility, but lifeguarding also offers opportunities for professional growth. Experiences as a lifeguard can help one develop professional and leadership skills that will last a lifetime—through college, career and family. Gain practice creating a personalized job resume. Discuss and practice interview questions. Become a more confident candidate for agencies who are hiring. Special requirements: Must be 15 years of age. Must have the ability to swim 300 yards Freestyle and Breaststroke. Must be able to complete the following in less than 1:40sec: Jump in water, swim 15 yards, recover a brick from 13ft depth and swim back to wall while carrying brick.
Take this course if... you want to want to be a lifeguard. Duh.
For more information: Contact your counselor.
AUSD Summer School
AUSD Summer School is currently enrolling students. This 4-week, free program will be held from June 25 - July 20 with a holiday taken on July 4. The program will be held at Cornell Elementary School. The courses being offered are English and History. Students who have failed an English or History class and need to make up those credits in order to graduate will be given priority enrollment. Students who have received a D in English or History may also request an opportunity to improve their grade in summer school, but enrollment to these students will be given on a first-come, first-served basis based on space in the program. Registration forms are now available in the counseling office.
The deadline to register for AUSD Summer School is Friday, May 4 or before. If you need to make up credits for English or History classes that you've earned a D or F in, please turn in your registration forms by May 4 or before. Early registration is encouraged as changes can me made up to the day Summer School begins. Enrollment space is limited. Forms are in the counseling office.
Two Ways to Help AEF and Albany Schools
The generous owner of Little Star continues to donate 10% of what you spend on the first Monday of each month to the Albany Education Foundation. Join us at 1181 Solano Avenue. Or call 526-7827 for take out. Either way, Albany schools will benefit.
Our major fundraiser for the year, our annual Chocolate and Champagne Gala, will be held on Saturday, February 10th at Northbrae Community Church (941 The Alameda in Berkeley) Tickets at $30 each are available. Child care for toilet-trained children is available with advance reservation, and a donation of $5 per child is requested. Contact AEF President Dianne McNenny at 527-8476 for tickets and child care. Proceeds from that event will be split with the Albany Community Foundation.
Thank you from AEF