The APHS Look AHEAD- 21-22
Dear APHS Students and Families,
Welcome to April! This year is moving right along, with just three months until Regents exams, the end of the year, and of course, the Commencement Ceremony for the APHS Class of 2022.
As we move into the next couple of months, we are fortunate to be able to get back to normal with regards to school events and celebrations. This month, we experienced our first in-person concerts and drama productions, as well as many field trips, athletic highlights, and even an amazing Wellness Week/Day last Friday at APHS. It's been wonderful to be able to see one another, face-to-face, and fully participate in the benefits of being a true and active school community. We have a lot to celebrate, and we are lucky to have one another.
At the forefront of this, I remind both students and parents to keep the focus on academic performance as we wrap up the year. This can be difficult as the weather gets warmer, and the days longer. During the depths of the pandemic, there were points when fewer than 70% of our students were passing all of their classes. We have rebounded; with about 82% of our students passing all of their classes at this time. We have a good deal more work to do, though. Our mission of ensuring that every student, everyday, is engaged in growth and development on all fronts means we need to keep the focus, work together, and strive for our best each and every day. Our academic teams are working hard to implement interventions and support for our struggling learners. I ask that parents/guardians please also continue to monitor progress, stay in touch, and reach out if you see something that concerns you.
Finally, April is a great month to get, and stay active! Here is a calendar of things you can do to keep yourself vital moving during this ACTIVE APRIL! https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Apr%202022.pdf
As always, please stay in touch. We are here to assist you with anything you need!
Happy Spring!
Serving every student every day,
Mr. Heath Quiles
High School Principal (quilesh@apcsd.org)
The HS Leadership Team:
-Mrs. Christina Mein, Assistant Principal, Grades 9 and 11 (meinc@apcsd.org)
-Mrs. Rebecca Leach, Assistant Principal, Grades 10 and 12 (leachr@apcsd.org)
#AP_EveryStudentEveryDay
"Creating passionate learners who contribute positively to their community and the world."
JUNE 2022 REGENTS EXAMS WILL OCCUR, AS SCHEDULED
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WBvpeiSG7cpgVhirMwqklmBSHM7GnsSf/view?usp=sharing
PLEASE NOTE; this calendar is a State-version. While all of the dates are correct, APHS exams begin at 8 am for morning exams and 12 pm for afternoon exams. Keep an eye out for more information in the weeks to come!
April Marks the Official Launch of EHallPass At APHS
EHallPass is a building-wide, electronic hall pass system, which allows for students to sign-in and out of locations around the building electronically, on their school-issued device, replacing the need for paper passes.
Over the past several months, APHS has been working behind the scenes to set this system up. Faculty and staff have been "piloting" this system throughout March, and we are ready to move away completely from paper passes on Monday, April 11th.
EHallPass has great potential when it comes to managing a safer and more efficient school environment for all of our students and staff. We will be using it in "pilot mode" for the remainder of the 2022 school year, so that we can assess whether to continue to use it in the future.
Chromebook Device Reminders for Students and Parents
At APHS, we are working very hard to develop and maintain a one-to-one instructional environment in which all students have access to technology that supports high-quality instruction and learning. To do this, we have provided all students with a Chromebook.
Behind this, there are a number of skills and attributes which we need to explicitly teach, and support in, our students. One of them is managing their devices so that they are present with them in hand, charged, and ready to use, whenever needed. In the world of our students, this is a "professional responsibility", aligned with what is expected in college and the workplace.
We have had a good number of students each day who go to the APPS Suite to get a loaner Chromebook, when forgotten at home. The APPS Suite Team recently updated their practices to better manage this, and to align with the Chromebook Handbook.
Here are a few updates to be aware of:
- The use of our device loan program at the APPS Suite is intended to be primarily for students who have a repair to their primary device in the works.
- From time-to-time, if a student forgets a Chromebook, a loaner may be available for the day at the APPS Suite.
- When a student forgets a Chromebook, the first response will be that the APPS Suite will require the student to contact a parent to bring the Chromebook to school.
- When a parent is unable to come to school, the student will be given a loaner device. This device must be returned to the APPS Suite at the end of the day.
- Any student who reaches 5 loans within a year will be referred to an Assistant Principal. The student will need to leave their device in the APPS Suite for a period of time, signing it in and out each day. A parent meeting, as well as other administrative and support interventions, will occur.
In the end, we aim to explicitly work with students so that they learn to become responsible users of technology in ways which are similar to what they will experience in college and the workplace. This is is a critical life ready skill, which we want for all APHS graduates to have.
If you have any questions, please contact our APPS Suite Coordinators, Mrs. Yost (yostj@apcsd.org) or Mrs. Sector (sectors@apcsd.org).
Course Selection for 22-23 Has Been Completed!
Please keep an eye out for an email next week, indicating that the SchoolTool portal is open for a final, one-week period to review the courses you have selected, discuss them as a family, and make any adjustments you would like.
This will be the last chance for students to make adjustments before we begin to lock in a building-wide schedule for 22-23, so please be sure to review selections carefully. If you would like to make an adjustment, please contact your School Counselor at (518) 674-7025.
Students Participate in Fête de la Francophonie
Five APHS French students participated in the University at Albany’s Fête de la Francophonie sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures!
The group joined students from Suffern, Guilderland, Schuylerville, South Glens Falls, and Troy in a campus scavenger hunt, and Quebec and French folk dancing. Later in the afternoon all students participated in speaking activities with native French speakers from France, Canada, Algeria, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Togo, and Belgium.
Student Assistance programs for Parents
Please Join Us for a 2-Part Virtual Parent Presentation:
P 1: Teen Gaming and Gambling Trends
P 2: Substance Use Trends and Interventions
Dates: Wed., April 13th and Wed. April 27th
Time: 6:30 PM-7:15 PM
Presenters: Kim Favro and Samantha Keenan- Rensselaer County Mental Health Student Assistance Counselors (Located at APHS and Algonquin Middle School)
**Zoom information will be sent out when you RSVP to Kim Favro @ favrok@apcsd.org. Please sign up by Monday, April 11th.
Ashlee Bayer honored with “Juror’s Choice Award” at the Annual High School Regional
As you may have heard, Averill Park had a large number of works selected for the Annual High School Regional Exhibition, currently on display at the Albany Center Galleries. It is an accomplishment to have work selected by art teachers for submission, and a greater honor to subsequently be selected for the show. There were over 500 submissions by 27 area schools and only 107 works were selected by local artists and gallery directors to be in the exhibition. On Friday April 25th, Ashlee Bayer was awarded a Juror’s Choice Award, one of the top awards presented, which includes a monetary prize as well as a one year free membership to the gallery. Next year, Ashlee has decided to attend SUNY Purchase majoring in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts with a focus on entrepreneurial arts. Congratulations Ashlee!
View Albany Center Galleries 360 virtual tours of exhibitions here!
Averill Park High School Odyssey Team Continues to World Finals
Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program where 5 – 7 students compete together on a team. Each team participates in both a long-term problem and a spontaneous problem. For the long-term, the team prepares a solution to a set of issues presented, and performs their response as a skit in competition. The team chooses to compete in one of five variations of the long-term problem, including one with elements of design and construction, or a more theatrical program. For the spontaneous problem, the students enter a room and are asked to solve an issue without prior knowledge of the question.
The Averill Park High School team competed in a long-term problem that involved building an 8” structure out of balsa wood and glue, weighing no more than 15 grams. The team then performed a skit with a theme of storage, and incorporated within their presentation they placed weights on the balsa wood structure until it collapsed. The team’s structure held 570 pounds within the 8 minutes allotted for their presentation.
The APHS team won a seat to compete at the New York State Finals in Syracuse. On March 26, the AP team took third place at the state competition, giving them the opportunity to advance to the World Finals held at Iowa State in May.
The APHS team members are: sophomore Cecelia Colton, and juniors- Jacob Crupi, Katie Doran, Tyler Michaels, Isla Multunas, Christian Romer, and Tyler Strock. Please wish our team the best of luck and safe travels as we trek cross country to compete and represent AP in Iowa!
The April Edition of The Chronicle will be out soon!
The April edition of The Chronicle, the high school newspaper, will be out around the second week of April. Lots of good articles, including a story on the NY State Champion girls basketball team as well as in indepth interview with the president of Stewart's Shops.
Mr. AP 2022 - Save the Date!
Mr. AP 2022 - Save the date - Saturday April 9th at 7:00pm in the HS Auditorium.
Mr. AP is a fun tradition dating back to 2004, where the senior class puts on a show involving talents, dances, and showcasing how some nominated students and their classmates embody the spirit of Averill Park High School.
Unfortunately the show was cancelled in 2020, and only seniors were allowed to attend in person last year. This year we are back open to the school community - students, families, and community members!
Look for more information from Ms. Freeman and the Senior Class Advisors in the weeks to come! We are excited to be back!
Complementary Guest Wifi Available After Hours at APHS
Have you ever found yourself in a zone with no coverage while on the APHS campus? It's not as uncommon as you may think!
APHS has a complementary, non-password secured "AP Guest Wifi'' which activates each afternoon at 3 pm, and stays on throughout the evening!
Next time you are out in the parking lot waiting for your child, or even if you are attending an event, search for this account on your device and try joining it.
Once you are on this account, your text messages should work well, and previous connectivity issues should be resolved, regardless of weak cell service.
Boys State and Girls State
We are excited to announce that the American Legion is sponsoring six students to attend Boys State and Girls State this year. Typically, the American Legion sponsors four students, two for each session. This year, the interview committee was so impressed by the candidates that they advocated for additional sponsorships. Kudos to this year's candidates! Attending Boys State will be: Timothy Elliott, Matthew Frost and Tyler Michaels. Attending Girls State will be: Kathleen Doran, Emma Hanlon and Saeryn Sawyer. Well done, we know you will represent APHS well!
Eligibility Guidelines to Attend/Participate in Extracurricular Activities
As we are ending the second marking period, please take this opportunity to review with your child(ren) the high school Eligibility Guidelines to attend extra-curricular activities.
Please note that only unexcused absences and/or tardies will be counted towards ineligibility. Any absence related to COVID will be considered excused.
As always should you have any questions, please reach out to your child's counselor or assistant principal.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sX7DYNUNSp6tq8OKJUThjOJxml03DwCZl9AoFyl0UTM/edit?usp=drive_web
Procedures for Accessing Late Buses.
Reminder: After school late buses at APHS are available!
Late bus runs are offered every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon that school is in session. Late buses leave APHS at approximately 4:15 pm each Tuesday/Thursday. Students that need to use the late bus must sign up using this form no later than 9 am on the day that the late bus is needed. No late submissions will be accepted as the bus garage builds custom runs each day based upon the students that have signed up.
For those that would prefer, cut and paste the following link to access the Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1FroRO6nfwP3j831FiLrsZupxscuKk90iZwW0_OEMl14/edit After students are done meeting with their teacher(s) or attending an extra-curricular club, students will report to the cafeteria where we will have supervision while they wait for the late bus.
News from the Counseling Center
College Planning:
The Counseling Center receives information regarding financial aid, invitations to events on campuses, scholarships, etc. This information can be found in the Counseling Center or on Naviance. Naviance is a College & Career software program available that the students have been introduced to and encouraged to use.
College Entrance Tests:
SAT I & II:
May 7, 2022 (Registration deadline is April 8)
June 4, 2022 (Registration deadline is May 5)
ACT:
April 2, 2022 (Registration deadline is February 25)
June 11, 2022 (Registration deadline is May 6)
Students with disabilities who wish to apply for accommodations on college placement testing should pick up an information sheet in the counseling center or refer to the website for the test they wish to take. Decisions regarding accommodations for College Board and ACT testing rest with the testing company.
Please use this link for information about accommodations:
https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/how-accommodations-work
Working Papers:
Nice weather is coming and many of you will be thinking of a Summer Job which means you will need to obtain working papers. If you need your working papers, please print out the application at https://averillpark.k12.ny.us/working-papers or stop by the Counseling Center. Once all forms are completed and the physical form, AT-16, is signed by a medical professional, you will need to bring all originals, and a form of ID (ie. Birth certificate, NYS ID) to the Counseling Center for processing.
IMPORTANT LINKS TO CALENDARS AND SCHEDULES FOR 21-22
The APCSD District Calendar for 21-22:
https://averillpark.k12.ny.us/images/District/2021-2022SCHOOLCALENDAR.pdf
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sJNKmfAEuqWuYyhVWt5eNgLhR9GC1lVm/view
This is a fixed schedule, and will not change based on snow days.
Marking Periods/Grade Reporting at the HS for the 21-22 School Year:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MLP4E1wY-7zeKL6GuG_DQtsAJLhFYhL5-DNjtAtivlA
Our Daily Bell Schedule for 21-22:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vxwV7mATanOY6bX72_i-14QNHud7FduiWzrr41Dr4uY/edit#gid=0
Please note that this includes schedules for one- and two-hour delays.
The HS Lunch Schedule for 21-22
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MpANeVyIwf2eg8euaMAPCQjt3pOYDVaiVz5e6oM2dLo/edit#gid=0
Student and Parent Access to Instructional Resources and Information:
While we will open the 21-22 school year as a 100% In-Person Instructional Program, we will continue to be a Google Classroom School. All HS faculty will be using Google Classroom as the consistent platform for sharing instructional materials with students, and their parents/guardians.
We will continue to maintain a singular digital location for students and parents to access these Google Classrooms, as well as a syllabus for each course.
A link to our Instructional Resources Site on the HS Webpage is here:
https://sites.google.com/apcsd.org/aphsfamilyresources20-21/instructional-resources
APHS Building-Wide Norms 21-22
With our day-to-day school life looking a bit different than it did last year, we have developed guiding norms for all students at APHS. Please take a few minutes to take a look, as these are the basis of our collective expectations for students at the high school.
Hallway Norms:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BR-6YovqShBt26q1ca62NF5bAoxUg9cAB5dpxc1WJtc/edit?usp=sharing
Bathroom Norms:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xs2Ei584GEnz_WOYDD_qCm1BEScEf_t4qQIsPNqtrbE/edit?usp=sharing
Classroom Norms:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pcCZb1h1rJGE0T-3ehV0bJDRoVX7eYRBOhz-Ij35Ayc/edit?usp=sharing
Cafeteria/Lunch Norms:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TWTuEnTURKUXW1oL257AQGkphuN69UIDy4wMU1WZmQE/edit?usp=sharing
Norms for Digital Citizenship:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tTm8O35Cu-Bv7zwbB_pO1-X4UhPraUS-owdIBH6m4nE/edit?usp=sharing
Our Assistant Principals, Mrs. Mein and Mrs. Leach, will review these norms with all students at their scheduled class meetings on Friday, September 10th.
Averill Park High School
Email: quilesh@apcsd.org
Website: https://www.averillpark.k12.ny.us/
Location: 146 Gettle Road, Averill Park, NY, USA
Phone: 518-674-7000
Twitter: @APHS_Leaders