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A Note About Scheduling If you feel you have taken on too much and would like to lessen your course load (i.e. from 7 to 6 classes), please pick up a course drop request from the Counseling Office. The deadline to drop a class without having a W on your transcripts is September 17th.
Tips for a Successful First Semester With the start of the school year, we want to remind you of the support that AHS has to help you have a successful semester.
Grades/Academic Support If you have questions about your grades or the work in your classes, we recommend that you first reach out to your teachers directly. You can email your teachers from your AUSD Gmail account; their names should automatically pop up when you type in the last name of the teacher. You can also get help from your teacher by going to see them during Advisory on Wednesdays and Fridays. Go to Google Classroom to find information about your assignments and due dates.
Library The Library is a great place to get work done as well as a wonderful resource for research. Please note: the AHS cell phone policy will be enforced while in the Library. Regardless if students are there during a gap period, you cannot use your phone during class time in the library.
AHS Library Hours:
Mondays: Open 8:15-5pm
Tuesdays: Open 8:15-4:00; CLOSED during 5th period
Wednesdays: Open 8:15-3:05; CLOSED during 4th period
Thursdays: Open 8:15-5pm
Fridays: Open 8:15-4:00
Math and English Hours Listen to the Bulletin for information about Math and English Hours, opportunities for students to get Math and English support from teachers and peers.
World Language Hours Starting the week of August 31st, come get extra help in your world language class from your teachers after school. Please arrive within the first 10 minutes for help or let your instructor know if you will be coming later in the hour.
French: Wednesdays, 4:30 - 5:30, Room A-210 Mandarin: Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:00, Rm A-212 Spanish: Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:00, Rm A-213
Counseling Your counselor is a good resource for you to help connect you with academic and/or personal-social support. You may email your counselor to set up an appointment. Please remember that your counselor is based on your last name. Counselors’ current breakdown is listed at the bottom of the newsletter.
The Counseling Office is open for drop-ins during passing periods, at Break, Lunch and after school. Beginning the week of August 24th, students are also welcome to drop in to Ask A Counselor every Wednesday and Friday during Advisory. At least one counselor will be on hand to help. Simply come directly to the Atrium at the beginning of Advisory and we will send students back to class with a pass.
For urgent situations students may see Ms. Brice in the attendance office (with a pass). If you would like to set up an appointment with your counselor, please email your counselor (contact information below).
Please know that counselors do their best to respond to emails within 48 hours. However, we do not respond to emails in the evenings or on the weekends. Sending multiple emails does not decrease response time. Thank you for your understanding.
Back to School Night, Please join us on Wednesday, September 9th, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. for Back to School Night. The program will start in the AHS Gym, and then offer families the opportunity to meet teachers and learn more about individual classes. While families will be rotating among the classes in their students’ schedules, there is not enough time for conferences with individual teachers.
Please use the attached schedule to record your student's classes.
Club Rush will take place on September 3rd at Lunch near the basketball courts. Students’ 4th period teachers will walk them down to Club Rush. Clubs generally come with posters, sign-up sheets, pens, and information about their club.
While clubs can be created at any point during the school year, Club Rush is a great way to share information about clubs and increase participation.
A Mandatory Club President Meeting will be held on August 26th during Lunch in the Little Theater. Any forms necessary for clubs, including fundraising and application forms, can be found on the Book Room website or stop by the bookroom in person. Club Information Slide Deck will be sent out to all students and parents by September 2nd.
School Pictures If you missed having your picture taken this week, Make-Up Picture Day will be on Wednesday, September 23rd from 8:3-12:00pm. Look for more information coming via ParentSquare.
Attendance To excuse a student's Attendance please contact Natalie Brice or call 510-558-2600. If you have any attendance concerns, please contact your grade level administrator (Ms. Lau-Seim, grades 10 & 12 or Mr. Pierce, grades 9 & 11).
Community Reading Buddies Are you looking for paid or volunteer opportunities this fall? Community Reading Buddies (CRB), an Oakland-based non-profit trains high-school and middle-school students to become reading mentors for elementary kids in Oakland.
Students are paired with an elementary student each reading session. The older student helps their younger buddy with their reading using pre-planned lessons as well as with some of our favorite books like "Fly Guy" and "Elephant and Piggie." Volunteers learn communication, leadership, SEL, and early education skills while in the program.
Students can earn up to 20 virtual volunteer hours, 28 in-person volunteer hours, or a $250 stipend at an Oakland site in just one of the sessions to use for school requirements, college applications, and their resumes. And, Community Reading Buddies staff is happy to provide professional references for all mentors that complete our program so the older students can continue to pursue internships or jobs that fit their interests.
The fall reading program will run for 8 weeks from September 9, 2026 until November 19, 2026 Virtual and in-person reading session options offered Students are asked to join 2 days each week: Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays By selecting just one shift, students can earn up to 20 volunteer hours virtually/38 hours in-person/$250 in-person Here is the application link and a flyer about the program
Social and Emotional Corner
Mental Health Services at AHS/MacGregor Our wonderful team of graduate student interns along with Mental Health Coordinators Olivia Rivera and Rachel Gordon provide support to the students and families at AHS/MAC. While we cannot provide weekly support for all, our services include consultation, crisis management, therapy, wellness check-ins and groups. Typical reasons that students come and see us include depression, anxiety, academic stress, social anxiety, stressors at home, trauma, and more. If you are in need of support, contact your academic counselor or Olivia/Rachel to see if our program is a fit. Wishing you all a smooth start to this school year!
Student Success Space (S3) Wil Cason runs the Student Support Space (S3) at AHS in Room A-109A. The S3 program increases mental well-being, social and emotional learning, and pro-social skills. The unique whole-child approach for supporting students combines mindfulness with multisensory learning strategies. The S3 environment is structured with independent and group-based activities to inspire students to succeed. Some S3 activities include aromatherapy, music, art, meditation, and tips to reduce stress. Students must receive a pass from their teacher to visit S3 and must return to class after 15 minutes.
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