Barracuda News
January 16-31, 2024
January Volunteer Opportunities
There are TWO separate volunteer links (SignUpGenius and Amazon) for the month of January. More items will be added to the SignUpGenuis throughout the month.
Parent University- January 23rd from 6-7 pm (see flyer below)
REENROLLING A CURRENT DSAHS STUDENT
ENROLLING A NEW STUDENT AT DSAHS
Parent University
Our first Parent Learning Session, Teenage Behavior: Why Do They Act Like That? took place on December 13th. If you were unable to attend, please see the presentation below.
Our next Parent Learning Session will take place on January 23rd at 6 pm on Zoom. The Zoom link will be shared the day before the event.
Holocaust Survivor Field Trip
Dear Parents/Guardians:
We were humbled and honored that our students were invited to hear a Holocaust survivor share their experiences on January 25, 2024 at the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center. Though the facts of the Holocaust are taught in history class throughout high school, as mandated by Florida statute, hearing about a survivor's experience in person promises to be more impactful than any classroom lesson.
Aventura Mayor Weinberg and a student representative will also speak, connecting the lessons we learn from the experience of the Holocaust to the broader goal of combating hatred and intolerance in our current era.
Our hope is that you approve your students’ attendance at this event. Last year's presentation by Holocaust survivor Stella Sonnenschein at the Holocaust remembrance field trip was touted by teachers and students of all backgrounds as one of the most powerful educational experiences they have had.
Students will receive a hard copy of the field trip form attached below on Monday. Students attending need to submit a completed and signed form by January 18th to attend the field trip.
1st Annual Fundraising Event
Earning community service hours through this event
Purchasing tickets
Assisting with sponsorships and auction items
Let's go Back to the '80s!
Dress Code
There has been an increase in students out of uniform. As a reminder, ripped jeans, backless shoes, slides/sandals, and hoodies are never permitted at school. In addition, leggings can only be worn on Friday. Students out of uniform will be asked to change and additional consequences may be issued.
The full dress code can be found in our Family Handbook below.
Tardies
Breakfast & Lunch Menu
Please view our breakfast and lunch menu below.
AICE Testing Schedule 2023-2024
Olivia Nicholson, CAP Advisor
Senior Families: FAFSA is available and should be completed ASAP. The new FAFSA is a roles-based application which means the student should start the application, do their part, and then send it to you to complete. You should receive an email that says you have been invited to be a contributor on your student’s FAFSA. Your FSA ID will need to be approved before you are able to complete your part of the FAFSA. The 24-25 FAFSA is what will give your student funding for the fall/spring term. The 23-24 FAFSA is only for the summer term. If a student is starting college in the summer, they need to complete both FAFSAs. If your student is starting in the fall, they only need to complete the 24-25 FAFSA.
Here is the powerpoint I used during my senior presentation this week (the FAFSA slides start on slide 26): FAFSA Updates 24-25
Here is the FAFSA Help Guide: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
There is additional information about mid-year reports, housing, scholarships, and Bright Futures on the slides above. Reminder- seniors can keep testing (SAT/ACT/CLT) until August to earn the Bright Futures scholarship. Here are the requirements for the GPA & test score needed for the scholarship (page 3): https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/PDF/BFHandbookChapter1.pdf
If a student earned the AICE diploma or earned Bright Futures through test scores & GPA, they MUST complete the FFAA in order to receive the money. I walked them through this in government so they should have completed it, but I cannot check to see who has completed the application. Students can search in their inbox for ‘OSFA’ and see if they received the email that says they will be evaluated for Bright Futures. If a student has not completed the FFAA, the directions and application are on slide 24 of this presentation FAFSA Updates 24-25
Junior Families: I will hold more after-school, group meetings with juniors throughout the last two weeks in January. I will email you with the specifics next week.
Here are the slides from the last meeting if you were unable to attend the meeting prior to winter break: Junior December College Prep
The SAT School Day will be on March 21st. ALL juniors are paid for and registered. This is the ONLY test where we register students. Students should be registering for other SATs and ACTs on their own. They should register for the February or April ACT if they have not taken an ACT yet. Students should NOT take an official test for practice or to “see where they are at”. There are many full-length practice tests they can take. Official tests should be taken after students have spent months studying. SAT/ACT test prep should be built into students’ daily homework routine. Prepscholar is an amazing test prep program that guarantees 160 point increase on the SAT if a student uses the program with fidelity. You can still pay $10 on MySchoolBucks if you would like an account. Once the payment has been received, the student will receive an email (to their school email address) with directions regarding how to reset their Prepscholar password. Once they do that, they can take the diagnostic and start practicing on their customized test prep program. Learn more here: PrepScholar
The SAT is now only offered digitally. There are tons of wonderful, free resources on College Board (https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/practice-preparation), including the Bluebook testing app that students can download and take full length tests on. Being familiar with the testing app prior to test day will lead to better results. Test scores are a major part of college applications, and test scores will not increase without practice!
9th-11th: Make sure you are getting involved in your community! Another major part of college applications is showing colleges how you have spent your time over the last few years. Work towards discovering what you are passionate about and then consider how you will demonstrate that passion to colleges through your activities. Start thinking about how to use your summer productively! There are a lot of recommendations on slides 91 & 99 of this powerpoint Junior December College Prep.
9th/10th: Colleges want to see commitment to something over a long period of time so getting students to do something productive over the summer will help their college applications!
All Families: if you would like more information on the college process, please read this college handbook: College Counseling Handbook.pdf and email me at onicholson@aventuracharterhs.org if you ever have any questions!
Spring Sport Tryouts
Boys/Girls Tennis: January 16th-19th from 4pm-6pm @
501 SE 1st Ave, Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
Boys/Girls Track & Field: January 29th-February 2nd @ DSAHS Field
Girls Varsity Flag Football: January 29th-February 2nd @ DSAHS Field
Boys Varsity Volleyball: February 12th-15th @ DSAHS Gym
Follow DSAHS Sports
Thursday, Jan. 18 soccer senior night for boys and girls.
4pm girls and 6pm boys vs Posnack
DSAHS Sports
All upcoming games are on Maxpreps.com or can be accessed through the athletic page of the school website.
If you would like to participate in any sports, please visit our Athletics Page and fill out the required online paperwork.
Athletics Page: https://aventuracharterhs.org/athletics/
Online Paperwork: https://athleticclearance.com/
Sponsor: Ms. Sayers
Grad Bash tickets are now on sale! Grad Bash will be on April 12 at Universal Studios, and tickets are available on MySchoolBucks for $240. There is a limited quantity available, so get your student's before they sell out!
Upcoming Events:
- January 24th: Herff Hones Senior Info Session during 7th period (STUDENTS ONLY)
- January 30th: Herff Jones Senior Parent Night 5-7 pm (PARENTS & STUDENTS)
- March 21st: Senior Breakfast @ Ice Box Cafe
- April 12th: Grad Bash!
- May 18th: Prom @ Turnberry
- May 28th: Graduation @ Turnberry
Sponsor: Mr. Levine
We are looking forward to the following events:
- SAT PREP- March
- Art Auction- May 15
- Treasure Hunt - April 15-19
Sponsor: Ms. Sadler
Sponsor Ms. Vara
Volunteer Committees
Excellence at DSAHS is made even more excellent through the support of our school’s families and our Aventura community. Join us in our pursuit of excellence by indicating your interest in joining one of the committees below.
- 1st Annual Community Fundraising Event
- Graduation
- Honor Rolls and/or Awards Ceremonies
- Prom
- Teacher/Staff Appreciation
Parents are invited to sign up for volunteer committees here. Further information will be sent to each committee individually.
For questions, please reach out to Dr. Andrea Beck at afloydbeck@aventuracharterhs.org.
Thank you to those who have supported out school and SGA by purchasing snack and chick-fil-a sandwiches at our home soccer games. Please continue to support us by stopping by and having a snack or two.
Be on the look-out for a Chick-Fil-A fundraiser just in time for the Big Game. Just because it is on a Sunday, doesn't mean you can't have some delicious Chick-Fil-A nuggets or tenders. Follow our Instagram for upcoming information @dsahs_sga.
Parents and students can sign up for the Miami National College Fair on March 3, 2024, by clicking here. This is a great opportunity to learn more about colleges from all over the country, as well as demonstrate interest to colleges you may be considering.
With the new year comes new challenges. While we can’t avoid these challenges and the stress that comes with them, we can take the time to practice self-care and teach our students to do the same. Please see resources below:
CLT: Classic Learning Test
The CLT – Online College Entrance Exam – Classic Learning Test (cltexam.com) Sign ups should be for the CLT, not the CLT 9 or 10. Please let your dean know if you have any questions. There are CLT test dates available on the website of all upcoming test dates. We're looking forward to seeing you meet all your goals this year!
FL Department of Education Academic Advisement
The flyers below contain important information pertaining to graduation, etc. One flyer is for cohorts who started HS prior to 2024 and the other one contains info pertaining to our current 9th graders and all grades moving forward.
The Compass Campaign is back!
The Compass Campaign is an amazing opportunity for our families to support the school and honor your student. It consists of an actual plaque, in the shape of our compass logo, customized with your personalized message and hung on the walls of the main entry of our high school. All proceeds will be spent on student-rewards, including graduation medals, honor roll gifts, and year-end award ceremony medals. We invite you participate and be part of marking your child's legacy for years to come.
The Compass Campaign was inspired by our school’s logo. Always pointing in the right direction, a compass symbolizes guidance, recognizing that our children are headed for the future, and that DSAHS will give each of its students the tools needed as they navigate their high school years. Your child’s compass will be enhanced each year with a new directional cardinal point:
- Freshman - East
- Sophomore - South
- Junior - West
- Senior - North, as they graduate and look to the future
STEPS TO PURCHASE OR COMPLETE YOUR COMPASS:
- To add to or purchase your initial compass, please visit MySchoolBucks
- Complete the personalization of your compass using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/1Scdr5YKFh
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE and THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ALREADY HAVE PARTICIPATED! We are grateful for your contributions!
Late Start Schedule Update
Volunteer Safe Schools Training
Charter Schools USA has elected to use the Safe Schools Online Training Program to train both Professional, Support Staff and Volunteers on school-related issues.
All volunteers MUST have ALL the assigned courses completed prior to any interaction with staff and students. The completed certificates must be printed and submitted to the school office you are volunteering.
Here’s how to get STARTED (please follow these instructions):
STEP 1: All VOLUNTEERS-(new and returning) must register to complete safe schools training courses please follow instructions below.
a. Enter or Click on the web address: https://csusavolunteers-fl.safeschools.com/login
b. Click on Register
c. On this page, you will need to enter your Registration Key: 3f1945c9
d. Please only use your email address to create username.
e. Fill in all required fields, including choosing your school location.
f. Click “green” Register button.
g. After completing your Registration, you will automatically be directed to the next screen.
h. You will be able to see your assigned courses on the platform.
STEP 2: Complete Training Modules
A. You should now see your classes:
- Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Prevention
- Fire Extinguisher Safety
- Sexual Harassment: Staff to Staff
- Sexual Harassment: Student Issues & Responses
- Sexual Misconduct: Staff to Student
To complete a course, click on the title then follow the prompts.
STEP 3: Certification
- To earn a certificate of completion, you must complete all sections of the course, no skipping through and pass the quiz with 80%.
- Once you complete the courses and print out the certificates of completion, please email copies of your certificates to Dr. Beck at afloydbeck@aventuracharterhs.org.
- Once copies of your certificates have been sent, you may submit two volunteer hours through PowerSchool.
*If you have any questions about the timeline or process, contact SafeSchoolsTraining@charterschoolsusa.com
Student Accident & Health Insurance Plans
Attendance Updates
Please email Attendance@AventuraCharterHS.Org for all attendance matters. Don Soffer Aventura High School has developed the following attendance policy to comply with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. One of the most significant factors impacting achievement is punctual attendance. It is our obligation to record attendance accurately and ensure that it is taken and recorded for each period, inform parents/guardians of student absences, and to see that the compulsory attendance laws are enforced as mandated by Florida Statutes. We encourage the commitment of students, parents, and staff to work together to accomplish this. Students are responsible to be present and on time to school, turn in proper documentation explaining all absences, make-up missed assignments, and turn in assigned work on time. Documentation regarding an absence must be received within 48-hours following the student’s return to school. If documentation is not received within that timeframe, the absence will not be excused.
Emergency Data Card Info
Please use the PowerSchool parent portal to update your child's emergency contact information. If you need assistance, please contact the school office at 786-481-3032.
Creating a Parent Portal for MDPS
Alternate Student Name Consent Form
Pursuant to Fla. Admin, Code R. 6A-1.0955: Education Records, each school district must develop provisions for parents to specify the use of any deviation from their child's legal name in school.
Volunteer Hour Opportunity
The first homeroom class with 100% participation will win a prize!