Community Update: Sunday, August 27, 2017

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families,

All SAISD schools and offices will be open on Monday with normal start times. Our thoughts are with those across the coastal region affected by Hurricane Harvey.  I have reached out to our Student Ambassadors at the ALA at Fox Tech class to research ways that our school can help aide those affected and lead the response.  Please look for more details in next week’s update for how we can all contribute.

Laptop distribution for 6th-11th grade ALA students and families continues this week. Laura Sisson, our school librarian, is coordinating laptop check-out for students and families.  Families are invited to attend a short laptop orientation this week Monday, August 28, Tuesday, August 29 or Friday, September 1 from noon to 1pm. We will be scheduling additional after school dates in the near future.

On Tuesday, our combined 7th & 8th grade girls volleyball team opens the season at 5:30pm at Mission Concepcion Sports Complex   In addition to girls volleyball, the Academy Sports League offers 7th & 8th grade Advanced Learning Academy students the opportunity to participate in the following team sports:  boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer, and boys 7 on 7 flag football. Our ALA teams will compete against other SAISD academies throughout the school year and a complete listing of fall games can be found on the Advanced Learning Academy Community Calendar.  Families may contact Callan Myers, Middle School Athletic Director, at cmyers1@saisd.net .

Each of our ALA at Euclid PK--3 villages will be hosting a Village Orientation Parent & Guardian meeting on Thursday, August 31, from 5:30pm-6:30pm at the Euclid campus.  All families are encouraged to attend to learn more about your child’s village, the school’s approach to teaching and learning, and upcoming events.

Looking ahead, similar meetings will be held ALA at Fox Tech families. Our 4th & 5th grade team will host a Back to School meeting on Thursday, September 7th from 5:30pm-6:30pm while our 6th-11th grade teams will welcome families on Wednesday, September 20 from 6pm-7:30pm.

On Friday, September 1, we will officially and formally open the new school year at our annual Advanced Learning Academy Opening Ceremony. Families are invited to attend our ALA Opening Ceremony beginning at 9:00am in the Fox Tech campus amphitheater. Due to limited parking and ongoing construction, we recommend that you arrive on campus no later than 8:30am to give you plenty of time to find a parking spot, check in at the main office for a visitor’s pass, and settle in the amphitheater in a designated parent seating section (students will assemble from their classrooms and attend as a class). The Opening Ceremony will include remarks from several community partners and a reading of an original poem by Jenny Browne, San Antonio’s Poet Laureate. All of our students, including those from ALA on Euclid, with the exception of our Pre-K students, will be in attendance.

Friday is also the 1st of several free dress Fridays this semester (September 1st, October 6th, November 3rd, December 1st). More information about the school uniform and special dress days can be found HERE.

Thank you to the many students who auditioned for our first ALA musical, Peter and The Starcatcher!   The cast list will be posted in the common area and in the fine arts building.  All actors and crew members are asked to initial by their names to let the stage manager and Ms. Stengel know they have read the list.  Please ask your child to pick up a production calendar and a script from Ms. Stengel in the theatre building.  A whole company rehearsal call will begin on Tuesday at 4:15pm to 5:30pm in the theatre.  

Finally, as a reminder, Monday, September 4th (Labor Day), is a student and staff holiday. We will welcome students back on Tuesday, September 5th.

Sincerely,

Kathy Bieser