April 30, 2020
Dear APHS Students, Parents and Guardians,
Thank you for all of your continued efforts during the school building closure. We are so incredibly proud of the hard work students are putting into their learning activities each day. We also know that behind each hard working student there are hard working parents that are helping to support and encourage them under less than ideal conditions. Keep up the good work! Please remember our goals during the school closure… we want all students to remain connected to our school community and develop their academic skills by completing the learning activities provided. If your child is struggling with an assignment or seems to need a jump start on a particular subject area, please encourage them to attend that teacher’s ‘Office Hours’. These hours are provided for just this purpose, to provide additional support, answer questions and get further direction/clarification on activities. Our teachers are literally standing by during these times to help your child be successful with their learning. It sounds like we may have more guidance and clarification from Governor Cuomo later this week regarding school closures & next steps. Until then, as the days roll on through our closure, which is currently through May 15th, we will continue to work collaboratively as a school, regional, and global community to get through this together. If there is anything we can do on the school end, please feel free to let us know.
Thank you again for all that you continue to do. We hope to see you all again very soon!
Sincerely yours,
Mr. Quiles, Mrs. Mein and Mrs. Leach
Attention Class of 2021
NEW COURSE OFFERING FOR SENIORS: College Readiness & Research Skills – College Credit Course available to Seniors in the Fall of 2020
Juniors have already signed up for their fall classes. However, there is a new addition to the Fall lineup of courses. A 1-credit elective called College Readiness & Research Skills has been added for Seniors in the Fall. It is a 1 semester course being offered in the Fall semester. As with all college credit courses, there is a fee of apropox. $60, but financial adjustments can be made in cases of hardship.
This semester course is divided into 2 sections for the college-bound student.
Section 1 is College Readiness. It covers such topics as college application process & deadlines, FAFSA process, career exploration, how to find the right college, college supports for all students, college supports for students with special needs, college life & first year expectations, etc. Naviance will be integrated in this portion.
Section 2 is Library Skills for Research and provides an introduction to library research and information literacy. Content will focus on how to create a research strategy for finding, retrieving, using and evaluating information in print and electronic formats, including the Internet. Also covered will be many of the academic, legal and ethical issues relating to information. Skills gained can be applied to research papers, projects, professional and personal information needs. This section provides a full college credit
If you are interested in taking this course, please contact your guidance counselor via email and discuss fitting it into your schedule for the Fall.
If you have any questions regarding this course, you can email Mrs. Yost.
Some Fun Activities
Blast off with NASA! Be a NASA Scientist with NASA at Home. Explore Virginia’s Langley Research Center, NASA’s oldest field center which has been conducting aeronautics research since 1915, then led the transition to space. Get an inside look at NASA Glenn Research Center‘s Ohio facilities. View videos, images and testing in action. Go on a behind-the-scenes virtual tour of John C. Stennis Space Center, America’s largest rocket engine test facility and learn how NASA’s human spaceflight programs have been powered. With Space Center Houston’s app, enjoy an augmented reality experience, audio tours, explore the Moon, watch the Saturn V launch and more.
Community Events
- SADD wellness event–Advisor, Kim Favro, and SADD members want to share an activity that SADD is promoting for this weekend, May 2-3rd. Some of you were planning on joining us for Sean’s Run on May 3rd, and although the event is canceled, we are encouraging you to still try to get out and document your own “Meghan’s Mile” or 5k (3.2 miles). Attached is some more info. if you are interested! Please be safe and take care! Click here for more information.
- News from the Garden Club/Horticulture Club-Due to our current closure, and the postponement of the budget vote, the Horticulture Program will not be holding its annual plant sale during the budget vote this year. Good luck to all of you gardeners, and hope to see you next year!!
News for Students, Parents & Guardians
- If you or your family feels they need additional support during this time, please use this link for a list of local Mental Health and Addiction Resource. Mental Health and Addiction Resources
- YEARBOOK ORDERS ARE STILL BEING TAKEN: Your yearbook link is: http://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A05290700
We encourage students to continue to remain connected. There are several ways that you can accomplish this:
- Students, please check your APCSD email daily. Your teachers, counselors and administrators will be using this as the primary means for communicating with you! Teachers have all established daily “office hours” that they are available to you. These hours are located within their folders on the Online Resources page: https://sites.google.com/apcsd.org/onlinelearning/home. Take advantage of this time with your teachers to stay connected.
- Speaking of staying connected, students, to stay connected with us, the APHS Leadership Team, by joining our Google Classroom “Averill Park High School Administration Connections”. All you need to join is the following code: whh5oj2 Many of you have already joined, our goal is to have ALL of you join to stay connected with us. We have received some questions from parents about being able to join as well. Please note due to privacy regulations, this Google Classroom is only open to students. Parents, we encourage you to review the Google Classroom with your student(s) to see what Mr. Quiles, Mrs. Mein and Mrs. Leach have posted. For those that have joined our page already, we have some new additions to our extended family. A Robin has built a nest and has 3 eggs in there so we should see some babies sooner than later. Log on to see pictures and catch up on their progress.
- One way to not feel overwhelmed and to keep on a routine is to follow your regular schedule. To help you with this, here’s the A/B day line up for next week: Monday, 5/4=A-day; Tuesday, 5/5=B-day (Cinco de Mayo); Wednesday 5/6=A-day; Thursday, 5/7=B-day; Friday, 5/8=A-day
Parents & guardians, please help support your child(ren) with their virtual learning by monitoring their online learning & assignments. All teachers have set ‘office hours’ that they are available for students. The Student Support Team (SST) is working collaboratively to monitor student connectivity and continue to be in touch with folks that the SST team determines to be needed.
May’s Wellness calendar…
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if there is anything you need. This can be done via email, or by calling the high school at 674-7002. This line will be monitored daily, and you will receive a call back within one business day.
Our emails are as follows:
Mr. Quiles (High School Principal)- quilesh@apcsd.org
Mrs. Mein (Assistant Principal, Grades 9 and 11)- meinc@apcsd.org
Mrs. Leach (Assistant Principal Grades 10 and 12)- leachr@apcsd.org
Stay safe and stay well!
Mr. Quiles, Mrs. Mein & Mrs. Leach