NOTAM 112811

AVIATION HIGH SCHOOL
28 November 2011

What's Happening this Week:

Monday: Montana Tech of the University of Montana 1:00 PM
Morehouse College Reception & Admissions Information Session
7:00pm-9:00pm at Northwest African American Museum 2300 South Massachusetts Seattle, WA 98144

Tuesday: Recruiting at Chinook Middle School—7:45-9:15 a.m.
Robotics Team Meeting 6:00 – 8: PM

Wednesday: FAFSA Information Session in the gym
Film Club after school in Mr. Savishinsky’s Room
Youth Venture in Room Six 3:45 – 5:15 PM

Thursday: Culture Club in Room 24 3:45 – 4:45
Information Night for 8th Graders & Parents—6:00-8:30 p.m.
Robotics Team Meeting 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Friday: Student Dismissal--2:00 p.m.; Staff Professional Development 2:15-3:45



PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Welcome back from what I hope was a blessed Thanksgiving and extended weekend!

As we move into the month of December this week, I gently remind you that we have only 17 days of school until the next break from school. You are now aware of your first quarter progress, having discussed your grades and learning goals with your parents at Student-Led Conferences just before Thanksgiving break. I’m encouraging you to maximize your learning each and every day in order to realize your goals. Teachers are available to provide extra help before and after school and by appointment. Tutoring can be arranged if requested. Please take advantage of the opportunities that are available to you through AHS and continue to work to your potential each and every day. Good study habits are essential for academic success!

Our second Information Program for 8th Graders and Families will be held this Thursday from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Thank you in advance to everyone who has volunteered to assist a staff member or serve on the Q&A panel. We will again provide a pizza dinner to student ambassadors; however, your name must be on the “list” that staff members have submitted to Mrs. Hiranaka.

Two stories about Aviation High School were published in the Renton and Kent Journals recently, highlighting the groundbreaking for our new school and featuring several students, including Jacob Wagner, Jenny Gao, and Emory Eng. To read the full articles: http://www.tukwilareporter.com/community/134135663.html and http://www.rentonreporter.com/news/134340908.html A wonderful article was also included in the November edition of Air Line Pilot Magazine http://www.alpa.org. And, as the legislature goes back to work this week, our local Senator Karen Keiser in her Update to Constituents made mention of Aviation High School as achieving recognition under the “No Child Left Behind Act” for meeting annual improvements in educational standards. This week, you may see a videographer on campus from the Washington Education Association who is including Aviation High School in a video that he is producing about Washington State’s Innovation Schools. I applaud you all for your commitment to making Aviation High School a place of educational excellence. Such recognition doesn’t happen without the efforts of everyone within the community!

AHS graduates are making their marks in the world, too. Ms. Pappas and I recently had the pleasure of visiting inaugural grad Natalie Nason at Dynon Avionics where Natalie and her boss, Robert Hamilton, enlightened us about the design and marketing of aviation navigation instruments that are manufactured in their Redmond plant and sold world-wide. Natalie is a graduate of Rocky Mountain College in Montana where she earned a degree in Communications. Also from the Class of 2008 is Joey Marco, who graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University this past year and just completed basic training in the Air Force. Joey is now stationed in Monterey, California at the Defense Language Institute where he will be learning Levantine Arabic for the next two years. Joey credits Mr. Kumakura for preparing him so well for this intense language immersion program in which the expectation is that he attend class for 8 hours per day and study an additional 2-3 hours per day to be successful. From AHS Class of 2010, Jaime Katzer is making her way at the University of Washington, majoring in engineering. Jaime recently accepted an offer for a Summer of 2012 internship as an Aerodynamics Engineer for Boeing Defense, Space and Security in St. Louis, Missouri. And she’s only a sophomore at UW, which makes this opportunity quite unusual and all the more spectacular! Congratulations, grads…and a note to current AHS students: AHS is preparing you for audacious opportunities, too! In high school, all three of these grads took full advantage of networking and mentoring opportunities, learned to work well in team environments, honed their study skills, and showed up each day eager to learn. Preparation matters!

That’s it for this week! My best to all of you for an inspiring week of learning!
~Reba G.


NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• National Honor Society's Sister Schools fundraiser begins Monday November 28th. Come buy paper links during lunch in the cafeteria to help raise money to build the wall around the Mukono boarding school in Uganda to protect the children from being kidnapped and killed. Witch doctors believe children's body parts have special spiritual healing and so more and more children are being kidnapped and killed, and people are afraid the schools will be targeted next. That's why we want to help the Sister Schools foundation raise money to build a security wall around the school, while we build our own "security wall" around our school out of paper links. The links will be sold 1 link for $.50, 3 links for $1.00. They will be class colors, so the winning class earns spirit points! We will also be keeping track of which advisory you're from when you buy links, so the winning advisory will get a prize as well. Help us raise money for this great cause by buying your links today! We will be selling links November 28th through December 16th.

• The robotics team will host over 200 young roboticists from all over the Puget Sound area this Saturday in the AHS gym and cafeteria. This is the fifth year of the DES Moines First Lego League Regional put on by our Skunkworks Robotics team for Elementary and Middle School teams. The competition will start at 9 AM and finish around 4:00 PM. Go Skunks!!




• On December 9th, The Museum of Flight is hosting a NASA Future Forum about the future of commercial space flight. The event will feature panel discussions with industry leaders, VIPs, etc. As part of the Networking Session, NASA has asked for a student poster session/fair. The Museum is inviting AHS and UW students to present and interact with the Future Forum participants, providing an amazing opportunity to meet with some exceptional people who are involved in the cutting edge of space exploration. The event will be in the Museum’s new Space Gallery from 3:00-6:00PM. The idea is that AHS students would present topics and exhibitry that they may already have researched and developed such as class or senior projects, portfolios, the Skunkworks robot, etc. If you are interested in being part of this exciting event, please email Mr. Kelly at Bruce.Kelly@highlineschools.org, proposing what you would like to showcase.

• Snow. Skis. Snowboards. Winter. Do you find yourself bored on Friday nights in the winter? Looking for a ski/snowboard club? If you are, then you've come to the right place. Snowbound is a ski and snowboard club open to middle and high school students. You won't even miss school! After school on Friday afternoons, you and a bunch of your friends can take a charter bus that comes to Aviation up to Snoqualmie and hit the slopes for almost 6 hours! The best part about it? You don't have to worry about the details. All you have to be concerned with is remembering your season pass, your gear, and some warm clothes. Snowbound starts January 6, 2012 and ends February 10, 2012. The bus will come to Aviation right after school on Fridays and will return to the school about 11PM. Sign up at http://www.skimohan.com/?page=428&category=des-moines. Questions please contact Rebecca Hall at rhall@desmoines.gov or at (206) 870-6582. Come play in the snow!


• From Your ASB:
 Tolo will be on December 10th with the theme of Beauty and the Geek.
 Adopt a Family ASB is planning to sponsor a needy family this winter. Stay tuned for more information.
 December Advisory Competition--ASB will be hosting a December Advisory Competition on Dec. 14th. Students will be decorating Ginger Bread houses and Doors!
 Holiday Spirit Wear--ASB is planning to have another limited edition holiday spirit wear sale. This year it will be a red crew neck with a picture of Seattle and airplanes flying over it.


• PTSA Reflections Contest:
Submissions will be collected in the main office starting TODAY-- Monday, November 28th; last day to submit is this Wednesday, November 30th by 3:30 p.m.


• Service Opportunity AHS Ambassadors
Each year, the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA) hosts professional conferences to help science teachers learn new information, to share best practices, and to network with others from around the region and country. Seattle is hosting one of those conferences this December.

Because of our role as a leader in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, Aviation High School will be prominently involved in the NSTA conference:
• Many of our teachers will be attending the conference; three of them will be presenting and two of them are leading field trips.
• We will host a tour of teachers and administrators at school on Thursday, 8 December.
• Our students will serve as local ambassadors for the conference.

We are now in the process of recruiting the last handful of ambassadors as well as drivers to get them to and from the convention center in downtown Seattle.

For more information, check the informational bulletin on Edline or talk with Mr. McComb. Permission slips are due by Tuesday, 29 November.

SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION FOR AHS SENIORS:


United States JCI Senate Foundation (“the foundation”) awards a $1,000.00 scholarship to graduating high school seniors who plan to continue their education at accredited post-secondary colleges, universities, or vocational school. Applications are available in Ms. Carper’s office. Deadline: January 11, 2012.

Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation supports many students all over the world with various scholarship opportunities. For more information about the different scholarships available, visit https://www.coca-colascholars.org/cokeWeb/index.jsp

AXA Achievement Scholarship- The AXA Achievement Scholarship is directed by AXA Equitable and offers more than $1.3 million a year in scholarships. If you are ethnically and economically diverse, have drive and determination, and feel you are able to succeed in college; this is the right scholarship for you! Visit http://www.axa-equitable.com/axa-foundation/about.html for more information.

Abbot and Fenner Business Consultants are offering $1,000 scholarships. Applications are available at www.abbottandfenner.com/scholarships.htm. Deadline: June 15, 2012.
Big Sun is offering an annual scholarship to any young athlete. All students are eligible for this award, it does not matter what sport you are participating in. To learn more visit http://www.bigsunathletics.com. Deadline: June 22, 2012

Continue checking the AHS website or logging on to school computers to get updated information on events and meetings.

Quote of the Week: History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.
B.C. Forbes