Appoquinimink High School 2016-2017 Welcome Back Newsletter A Message from the Principal Dear Jaguar Families, The start of the 2016-2017 school year is just around the corner. As the proud principal of AHS, I want you to know that I am energized and committed to making a positive difference in the lives of your children! As we gear up for this coming school year, we would like to recognize the great work our students did during the 2016 school year. Our district used the PSAT and SAT as our college readiness measure for our students in grades 9-11. Our students did a nice job on the newly redesigned assessments. Our average SAT scores for juniors were higher than both the state and national averages. We are excited to build on this success in the year ahead. Students were introduced to Khan Academy, but you will hear more about this great tool during this coming year. Just about a month ago, College Board released AP scores and our students outperformed our scores from last year! We can boast about seventy-nine 5s on the exams – the highest possible score! This was almost double the number of 5s from last year. Our career and technical student organizations continued to compete at high levels, while our sports teams earned conference and Flight A championships. This included the impressive spring season from our boys’ lacrosse team that was our state runner up and an un- defeated regular season from the golf team. We are very proud of our students for the work they do inside and outside of the class- room. Over the summer, our staff has been engaged in various professional development opportunities to support quality education. A major focus from our staff includes teachers supporting and encouraging each other in their professional growth. Our goal is to pre- pare students by developing the skills they need to be successful in the careers of tomorrow. We focus on critical thinking, collabo- ration, communication and creative problem solving to engage our students. Our mission, Achievement , Honor and Service , pro- vides the focus for individual and school-wide excellence. Communication is the key to a successful experience in school. Working together, we can help your child achieve his or her goals. So, please contact us whenever you have questions, concerns or new ideas to share. You’ll find detailed contact information on the last page of this newsletter. I’d like to ask you to make sure your contact information (phone and email) on file for your family is up to date. This issue of our newsletter will provide you with information that will make the transition back to school a smooth one. I look forward to welcoming your students in person later this month! Sincerely, Keisha Brinkley, [email protected]Achievement ~ Honor ~ Service
Transcript
Appoquinimink High School 2016-2017 Welcome Back Newsletter
A Message from the Principal
Dear Jaguar Families,
The start of the 2016-2017 school year is just around the corner. As the proud principal of AHS, I want you to know that I am
energized and committed to making a positive difference in the lives of your children!
As we gear up for this coming school year, we would like to recognize the great work our students did during the 2016 school year.
Our district used the PSAT and SAT as our college readiness measure for our students in grades 9-11. Our students did a nice job
on the newly redesigned assessments. Our average SAT scores for juniors were higher than both the state and national
averages. We are excited to build on this success in the year ahead. Students were introduced to Khan Academy, but you will hear
more about this great tool during this coming year.
Just about a month ago, College Board released AP scores and our students outperformed our scores from last year! We can boast
about seventy-nine 5s on the exams – the highest possible score! This was almost double the number of 5s from last year. Our
career and technical student organizations continued to compete at high levels, while our sports teams earned conference and Flight
A championships. This included the impressive spring season from our boys’ lacrosse team that was our state runner up and an un-
defeated regular season from the golf team. We are very proud of our students for the work they do inside and outside of the class-
room.
Over the summer, our staff has been engaged in various professional development opportunities to support quality education. A
major focus from our staff includes teachers supporting and encouraging each other in their professional growth. Our goal is to pre-
pare students by developing the skills they need to be successful in the careers of tomorrow. We focus on critical thinking, collabo-
ration, communication and creative problem solving to engage our students. Our mission, Achievement, Honor and Service, pro-
vides the focus for individual and school-wide excellence.
Communication is the key to a successful experience in school. Working together, we can help your child achieve his or her goals.
So, please contact us whenever you have questions, concerns or new ideas to share. You’ll find detailed contact information on the
last page of this newsletter. I’d like to ask you to make sure
your contact information (phone and email) on file for your
family is up to date.
This issue of our newsletter will provide you with information
that will make the transition back to school a smooth one.
I look forward to welcoming your students in person later
During the 2015-2016, we moved to using PSAT/SAT as the college and career readi-ness measure for students in grades 9-11. We were excited about this change.
During this school year we will use results from PSAT/SAT will help us to determine a student’s instructional level and measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year. We ask that parents help us stress the importance of stu-dents putting forth their very best effort on the assessments. You will also hear more about how students can use Khan Academy to help support their learning.
Fall Test Date: October 19, 2016
Spring Test Date: April 5, 2017
All students in 10th grade will also take the End of Course Assessment in US His-tory. Students will take this assessment at the end of their course in January or May. All 10th grade students will also take the science assessment in May.
Senior Project Information Mrs. Hyman is the new Senior Project Coordinator. In her role, she is here to support our students through the Senior Project process. She will send stu-dents reminders through advisory, keep the Senior Project website up to date with required documents, tips and reminders. Mrs. Hyman just started this position as of August 1, 2016, so she is now reviewing any topic requests that have not been reviewed yet. During the school year, she will also have office hours for students to stop by and see her during the day to ask questions re-garding their project.
On Monday, August 8, 2016 Mrs. Hyman will be at AHS from 9am-12pm for office hours. Students can drop in to see her to ask questions. Appointments are not necessary.
Teacher Contact
Information
Individual teachers and other
staff members can be contacted
by dialing the main office phone
number (449-3840) and utilizing
the staff directory.
In addition, staff email addresses
are firstname.lastname
@appo.k12.de.us.
Additionally, all teachers will
provide contact information on
their course syllabus.
Guidance
Schedule Changes: Student schedule changes will only be made during the first five days of classes. All requests
must be submitted on the drop/add form and be signed by a parent or guardian. No schedule changes will be
made without the completed drop/add form or after the first five days of classes.
Early Out Contract: Any senior with an early out must complete an early out contract and have it signed by a
parent or guardian. No senior will be permitted to leave early without a completed form on file. All forms are
available in the Main Office, guidance suite and on the school website. Completed forms should by submitted to
the guidance secretary. Students with an early out must leave the building by 1:00.
Seniors: The counselors will be meeting with seniors beginning in September to discuss the college application
and transcript process, scholarships and planning for life following graduation. Additional information will be
provided at a later date.
Counselor Assignments:
9th Grade Counselor: Mrs. Statham
Grades 10-12
Last Names A-D: Mrs. Parker
Last Names E-K: Ms. Setser
Last Names L-R: Ms. Czajkowoski
Last Names S-Z: Mrs. McCall
Welcome To Our New College & Career Counselor!
Mr. Brandon Townsend, a Delaware native and proud graduate of Delaware public schools, is entering his tenth year of school counsel-ing. After earning his Bachelor's degree from the University of Dela-ware, Mr. Townsend discovered his passion for working with high school students and their families, which inspired him to pursue his Masters in School Counseling at Wilmington University. His focus is on assisting students plan for their lives after high school, whether that be attending college, enlisting in the military, or beginning their career in the workforce. Mr. Townsend's vision of college and career counseling involves all stakeholders including students, parents and guardians, school staff, and community members and organizations. By utilizing online re-sources, classroom presentations, evening workshops, and consistent communication, Mr. Townsend believes that we can all be informed and are therefore able to be active participants in the college and ca-reer process. Mr. Townsend could not be more excited to begin work-ing with the students of AHS towards their academic and professional success.
Nurses Corner
Dear Appoquinimink High School Parent/ Guardian:
Welcome to a new school year at Appoquinimink High School. For those of you who don’t know us, we have two nurses at AHS; Debbie Larzelere and Yvonne Camac. We would like to take a moment to go over several guide-lines regarding the school nursing services.
Office hours are 7:15.am to 2:45 pm. You can reach us several different ways. Our direct phone line is 449-3843. If we are unavailable, please leave a voice mail message, we check them regularly throughout the day. You may also email us at Debbie. [email protected] or [email protected].
It is important for us as well as the AHS staff to have the most current information regarding how to reach you should an emergency arise during the school day. Please fill out the pink emergency card with your current phone numbers and email addresses if applicable. Please make sure we have at least one other person avail-able to contact in an emergency. These cards are kept in the office and are available to staff to check for current information. If any information on the card changes during the school year, please notify us.
All medication is kept and dispensed from the nurse’s office. If you bring medicine to school it must have the pharmacy label on it or be in the original container if it is an over-the-counter medication. This is a state law. A note from you must also accompany the medication. Your child will not receive the medication unless these regu-lations are followed. All students with asthma and/or allergies are recommended to have medication here at school for emergency use. This would include quick relief inhalers, nebulizer medication and tubing, and Epipens. If you would like your son/ daughter to carry their own inhaler then have them stop by the nurse’s office for a consent form.
During the school year vision and hearing screening will be done for all 10th grade students. This screening is given when they take driver’s education. Posture and gait screening, also known as scoliosis screening, will be done for all ninth graders on the first day of school. If your child fails their vision, hearing, or posture/gait screen-ing, we will send you a letter recommending an evaluation by your doctor. You may contact us at any time during the school year if you have a concern about your child’s vision, hearing, or posture.
If your son or daughter is interested in participating in sports then they must have a DIAA athletic physical form completed. This form is required every year and can be done any time after 4/1/16. Please make sure the com-pleted DIAA form is dropped off at the nurse’s office and not given to the coaches. The physicals are kept in the nurse’s office. A list is generated of students who are eligible to participate in sports and it is sent to the Athletic Director and the coaches.
Our primary job is to treat acute illnesses, monitor medical conditions of all children, do appropriate screenings regularly, and communicate with you about any concerns. Our intent is to keep children in the classroom, not in our office. Children cannot learn the vast amount of information needed to succeed if they are spending a lot of time in the nurse’s office.
We look forward to working and learning with you and your family. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns.
Delaware schools require that all students entering 9th Grade must have:
*A current health examination
*An adolescent booster of Tdap
*One dose of meningococcal immunizations on file.
The health examination must have been done within 2 years of entry into 9th Grade (9/30/2014 or sooner) and must be received within 30 days (9/30/2016) from the start of school. The following forms will be accepted:
A) Delaware School Health Examination Form (2012 form)
B) Delaware School Health Examination Form (prior to 2012)
C) DIAA Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation form
D) Health Examination or evaluation document on a form which includes, at a minimum: healthy history, immunizations, results of medical testings and screen-ings, medical diagnose, prescribed medications and treatments, and healthcare plans.
This notification is provided now so that you will have ample time to obtain a
health exam prior to September 2016. As with other regulatory requirements, students
who do not meet the requirement will be excluded from school. The Regulations can be
accessed at: http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title14/800/815.shtml and http://
Please note students who choose to participate in high school sports must have a completed DIAA Physical Evaluation form completed after April 1, 2016 and submitted to the high school nurse before August 15, 2016.
If you have any questions, please contact me at 302-449-3843 or
All athletes must have a completed DIAA physical form prior to the first practice (8/15/16).
PHYSICALS FOR THE 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR MUST BE DATED AFTER APRIL 1, 2016.
Please return the physical to the Nurses PRIOR to the first day of tryouts for your sport. Make sure that you make a copy of all the forms. Please use the form located below, or visit our website www.jaguars-sports.com , or you can pick one up in both the main office or nurse's office. Make sure all sig-natures are in place, if not the forms are invalid. You will not be allowed to participate in any activities until all necessary forms are complete. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Legath (302-449-3840 ext. 7126).
Please be sure you have the right form! Download the form at http://dedoe.schoolwires.net/cms/lib09/
*Please note that the DIAA pre-participation sports physical is completed on a different form than a regular physical exam. Additionally, there are 10 signature pages for the parent and/or student and 2 places for the doctor to sign.
**A new DIAA physical must be completed each school year.
Summer Workouts
Most of the Fall sports teams have begun their summer strength and conditioning sessions. Please contact your head coach directly to find out more information.
Contact information for the coaches can be found at www.jaguars-sports.com.
Sponsorship Opportunity Jaguars-sports.com received nearly 300,000 unique page views last year!! If your business would like to take advantage of ad space on the sports website and support Appoquinimink High School, contact Athletic Direc-tor Jordan Legath at [email protected] to discuss advertising options.
Important Dates
8/10 — Deadline for DIAA pre-participation sports physical submissions to the nurse
8/15 — Tryouts for Fall Sports
8/29— 1st day of school for 9th grade
8/30—1st day of school for 10th - 12th (entire school)
AHS Fall 2016 Sports Information Fall Sport Tryouts begin on Monday, August 15! We are excited to kick off a new season for Jaguar Athletics and are even more excited about the contin-ued increase in the number of students interested in participating! Below is some important information for any student interested in trying out for a fall sport. All student athletes must have a completed DIAA Physical on file with the school nurse PRIOR to Au-gust 15th in order to participate! Any student that does not have a completed physical on file will not be able to tryout. If you have any questions specific to the sport you are interested in participating in, please contact the Head Coaches:
Tryouts begin as follows: Football: August 15th 8:00am-5pm Boys Soccer: August 15th 8-11 & 1-3 Volleyball: August 15th new players only 9-11am and 12:30-3pm
Field Hockey: August 15th 8-11am and 1-3pm
Cross Country: (Boys & Girls) August 15th 8-10am *Time and locations are subject to change.
The Appoquinimink School District has developed a Student Code of Conduct that was approved by the
Board of Education. It outlines school rules and regulations as well as specific consequences for infractions.
Each student will receive a copy of the Student Code of Conduct on the first day of school. In addition, each
student and parent will be required to sign the acknowledgement form located in the Code of Conduct. A
complete copy of the Appoquinimink School District Student Code of Conduct can be found on our website
at www.appohigh.org under the PARENTS section. Included in this booklet are the procedures that must be
followed according to a Delaware law called House Bill 322 (HB 322). Under HB 322, certain code offenses
will result in serious consequences that include bringing legal charges against a student. Some of these of-
fenses are assault, threatening or offensively touching a staff member, possession or distribution of drugs,
and possession of a weapon or dangerous instrument. It is important for you to know and understand the
requirements of the law. For more information please visit the Attorney General’s website: www.state.de.us/
attgen.
BULLYING
A student is being bullied when he or she is exposed repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on
the part of one or more students. A negative action occurs when a person knowingly inflicts, or at-
tempts to inflict, physical or emotional injury or discomfort upon another person. Acts of bullying will
be handled through parent contact and detention and/or suspension from school. According to State
law and Delaware Department of Education regulations, when a situation rises to actual bullying it must
be treated as a criminal offense and must be reported to the appropriate authorities.
In order to reinforce our commitment to preventing bullying we have implemented an anonymous
phone line for students and/or parents to report bullying. That number is (302)449-3888- We have also
set up a link on our website (www.appohigh.org) in order for reports to be submitted for investigation.
On-Time Attendance Is Important!
Being prompt to school goes hand-in-hand with a responsible attendance record. Every effort should be
made to assure that the student arrives at school on time. If a student is late to school, he or she must pre-
sent a note stating the reason for tardiness on the first or second day following the tardiness.
Students should recognize that a written explanation from home does not automatically cause the tar-
diness to be excused. Such reasons as car trouble, personal business, heavy traffic, home obligations, etc.
while understandable, are not acceptable excuses and will not be listed as excused. Three tardies to school
and/or class will result in a three hour detention on the first offense and suspension on subsequent of-
fenses.
In addition, registered parkers who accrue six (6) unexcused tardies or 3 class cuts during each
semester will have their parking privileges suspended for the remainder of the semester. At that
time, the student’s parking permits will be returned to administration. The student will then have to re-
apply for a parking permit when the new semester begins and most likely will be placed on a waiting
list.
Community Notification
The police are responsible for notifying the community of sex offenders in the area. This information is available on the Dela-ware State Police web site (https://sexoffender.dsp.delaware.gov/). By law, all adults or juveniles who are convicted or adjudicated of specific sex offenses are registered. Please note that not all sex offenders are child predators or pose a threat to children.
School districts and charter schools must keep notifications of registered sex offenders received from the police in a binder in each school. They must follow guidelines for distribution of notifications they receive. The guidelines will be available on the Internet (http://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/1175).
The included notification may assist you in protecting your family. It is best that only parents and guardians share this in-formation in an age appropriate manner with their child or children so that the child will understand appropriate actions for their safety.
Parents and guardians should use this information in an age appropriate way that helps children with personal safety but does not overwhelm the child. Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, a local nonprofit agency, has developed a list of safety tips to assist parent/guardian in helping their child feel safe:
Review safety rules for your home – tell your child not to answer the door when you are not home and establish a plan for
answering the telephone.
Make a list with your child of three safe grown-ups he/she can talk to if afraid or in trouble and you are not there.
Talk with your child about what places are safe to visit in your community and which are not.
Encourage your child to tell you if someone talks to or touches him/her in a way that makes them feel bad or that he/she doesn’t like.
Encourage open discussion with your child about his/her willingness to talk to grown-ups in your family about the things that bother him/her.
Determine if your child knows that the grown-ups in your family will listen to him/her. Ask yourself honestly if this is true. Do you and other adults in your family really listen to the children in your care?
Tell your child that it is not the child’s fault if someone tries to bother him/her or touch him/her in a way they don’t like.
Let your child know how special you think they are, encourage him/her to think of themselves as a person worthy of re-spect, who also respects others. Treat and talk with your child in a way that conveys your respect.
If you would like further information on how to keep your child safe, you can speak with the school counselor or contact Prevent Child Abuse Delaware at 302-425-7490.
For more information about the Sex Offenders Registry, contact Delaware State Police (302-739-5882).
If you have questions about an enclosed notification or specific offenders, please contact your local police.
Report child abuse by calling 1-800-292-9582. Report emergencies by calling 911.
Do not post this notification publicly or where non-family members may see it. Remember it is best for children to get this information from their parents and guardians.
Do not take any action that may in any way harm or harass the offender, the offender’s family, household members or employer. Do not attempt to harass the offender or make unsolicited, unwanted contact. If you believe anyone is a physical threat to you or children in your care, please contact the local police.
Please use the information responsibly for the safety and well-being of those in your care.
Anyone who uses this information to commit a crime against another person is subject to criminal prosecution.
Appoquinimink High School Principal Keisha Brinkley
1080 Bunker Hill Road
Middletown, DE 19709
302.449.3840
www.appohigh.org
The Appoquinimink School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, national origin, or other legally protected categories in its educational programs, activities, employment, or student admis-sions policies or practices. Inquiries regarding compliance with the above can be directed to:
Section 504
Contact Dr. Josette McCullough, Director of Student Services, Appoquinimink School District, 313 South Fifth Street, Box 4010, Odessa, DE 19730-4010. Telephone (302) 376-4130
Section 504 Coordinator’s Responsibilities: To coordinate the Appoquinimink School District’s efforts to comply with the disability discrimination laws.
Title IX
Contact Matt Fallis, Director of Personnel, Ap-poquinimink School District, 313 South Fifth Street, Box 4010, Odessa, DE 19730-4010. Telephone (302) 376-4275
Title IX Coordinator’s Responsibilities: To coordi-nate the Appoquinimink School District’s efforts to comply with and carry out the District’s responsibili-ties under Title IX, including any investigation of any complaint alleging noncompliance with Title IX or alleging actions which would be prohibited by Title IX.
Vision Statement
Appoquinimink High School is a school commit-
ted to fostering personal growth through positive
character development and the use of state of the
art tools and practices to enable students to make
a positive impact on today’s global society.
Mission Statement
Achievement– Honor– Service
Achievement
Promote an engaging learning environment every
day in every classroom.
Honor
Model positive character attributes.
Recognize acts of integrity and leadership.
Service
Increase students’ awareness of the global society.
