Community Update: March 26, 2017

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families,

On Monday, March 20th, the San Antonio Independent School District Board of Trustees accepted the recommendation to formalize our school name as the Advanced Learning Academy! Rather than choose only one name from the three student proposals, we plan to establish a new Wonder Playground at ALA on Euclid, the L.I.G.H.T. playground, and the Acequia Commons at the Fox Tech campus. The playgrounds will be provided as a gift from Kingdom for Kids, a partnership with the Rotary Club of San Antonio and City Year. We are planning a fall project to inform the design of several playground and commons elements ahead of the November of 2017 building date, during which the community will be invited to volunteer to help with the project.  This week, we will be polling students to determine a preference among logo and secondary color options,  in addition to the already selected royal blue.  We hope to have the logo and colors finalized in the next week or two.

Now that our name has been formalized, we are also launching our official Advanced Learning Academy Facebook page and Twitter @SAISDALA. We encourage you to follow us for updates and photos about the many great things happening at ALA!

On our Facebook page, families will find an overview of the upcoming STAAR Testing schedules. The STAAR exams will be given this week to 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th grade ALA students. On Tuesday, March 28th, our 4th and 7th grade students take the writing STAAR test, our 5th and 8th grade students take the math STAAR test, and our freshmen take the STAAR English I end-of-course exam.  On Wednesday, March 29th, our 5th and 8th grade students take reading. Finally on Thursday, March 30th, our sophomores take the STAAR English II end-of-course exam.   Please help by making sure your son or daughter gets a good night’s sleep and eats breakfast, so all are ready to put forth best efforts each morning.   Our teachers have been working hard with students to prepare them well, and we know they will do their best!

These testing sessions will take up almost the entire day, with a lunch break mid-way through the exam. Testing regulations require us to collect all electronic devices (cell phones, iPods and other personal media devices) from students prior to testing. Students will not be able to use them during or after they finish testing in their testing room.  However, they do have access to a landline in the front office.

During testing, our number one priority is supporting the students who are testing.  Therefore, our ability to deliver items, check-out students, and process other paperwork is more limited than on a regular school day; please expect longer delays Tuesday thru Thursday should you need assistance from a faculty member or our support staff. While many of our students will be testing, students who are not testing will follow the regular bell schedule, attend their  elective and core academic classes, and will not be dismissed early.

Report cards will be sent home this week to all Advanced Learning Academy students on Thursday, March 30 for families to review. We will not have a Report Card Pick-Up night this nine-weeks at ALA at Fox Tech; however, we are planning a student exhibition of work for Thursday, April 13 before the next PTSA meeting. Look for more details in an upcoming community update.

The National Hispanic Institute @FOX TECH invites our ALA & Magnet families and their friends to the SPURS vs Jazz (Sunday, April 2nd) or Clippers (Saturday, April 8th) basketball game at discounted ticket prices. Click HERE for details.   A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the campus organization.

Parents of our ALA middle school theatre company, the schedule for The Tempest cast and crew rehearsals can be found here.   Please make sure that your child attends each rehearsal; our UIL competition is on April 8th!  If your family has a conflict with a scheduled date; please email or text me as soon as possible, so that the best plan can be made for the students in attendance.

Looking ahead the 5th Annual San Antonio Book Festival is right around the corner. On April 8th from 10 am-5 pm Central Library and the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts will host a day of exciting author panels, book signings, games, food, and fun to support literacy at all ages.  Free parking will be available to ALA and all SAISD families at the Fox Tech Campus.  Teens can volunteer during the festival for service hours, extra fun, and a free t-shirt. Students may contact Laura Sisson, Fox Tech and ALA Librarian, to sign up.

Finally, we want to invite the ALA community to Night in Old Tech on March 31st from 5-9 p.m. at the Fox Tech Campus. There will be booths and games for all age levels along with wonderful mariachi performances throughout the event.  We hope to see many of you there!

Have a wonderful week!

Kathy Bieser

Principal, Advanced Learning Academy

Community Update: March 19, 2017

Sunday, March 19, 2016

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families,

Prior to spring break, several of our students attended the Explore UT  Father-Son pre-college and career field trip (Click HERE for pictures).   We look forward to making this an annual event for our families!  Special thanks to our coordinators and chaperones, Mr. Bland, Ms. Watson, Mrs. Ortiz and Dr. Vargas-Lew for bringing this program to our school and families.

On Monday, our 6th and 7th grade students will be visiting the Scobee Planetarium and San Pedro Park for science activities as part of their studies in their systems class (math and science). If you have not submitted a permission slip, please be sure to send it with your student in the morning.

As a reminder, Friday, March 24th is the last early release day of the school year. After school care will NOT be available, and all K-10 students need to picked up at the early dismissal time. Our K-3 students will  be dismissed at 1:15pm, while our 4th-10th grade students will be dismissed at 1:30pm.

On Saturday, March 25th, a group of ALA 4th and 5th grade students will be showcasing their straw structures and weaved walls at San Antonio’s Mini Maker Faire at the Central Library from 11am to 4pm.  Our students will teach visitors how to make structures as they add three-dimensional figures to a community art structure. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Linda Vargas, ALA counselor, will be hosting a final Naviance workshop this week for 6th-10th grade families in the College Go Center.  Families may click HERE for more details.  Families are encouraged to log into Naviance on a weekly basis for updates posted on various pre-college and scholarship opportunities.

On Monday, our 6th - 8th grade ALA theatre students will receive a rehearsal calendar and script for our upcoming production of The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, showcasing for SAISD on April the 8th.   Please click this link for our cast list.  I am very proud of the student auditions for this production.   Also, watch closely for a community production in our own ALA theatre soon after the April 8th SAISD performance.  These times will be listed in the next community bulletin.  

Finally, Coach Callen Myers at our Fox Tech campus is seeking donations of used or new baseball and softball gloves for an upcoming unit in her physical education classes.  Donations may be dropped off at the Euclid or Fox Tech campus.

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Kathy Bieser

Community Update: Sunday, February 26, 2017

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families,

Yesterday, several Advanced Learning Academy students placed and were recognized at the district Academic UIL meet in art, writing, chess puzzles, music memory, spelling, number sense, oral reading, and storytelling. Congratulations to all of our ALA students, and a special thanks to our UIL sponsors Laura Sisson, Pete Kohrs, and David Loredo for their support of our students.

We also had a large group of students in Austin on Saturday for the “Girls Day at UT Austin” pre-college and career field trip (Click HERE for picture).   Many thanks to our coordinators and chaperones, Ms. Schattel, Ms. Watson, Mrs. Cedillo, Mrs. Ibarra and our counselors for bringing this program to our school and families. ALA fathers and sons (4th-10th grade) are reminded to turn in their permission slips to attend their field trip scheduled Saturday, March 4, 2017 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.  Click HERE for details.

Our ALA at Fox Tech librarian, Laura Sisson, asked me to share that  The Story Pirates are coming on March 2nd to present an Interactive Mystery to the ALA 4th-10th graders. The Story Pirates will be introducing the Spy on History Series and the students will learn about Mary Bowser, a slave who became an invaluable Union spy. The presentation starts at 9 am  in the library. The book pre-sale is over, but a limited number of books will be available after the presentation at a cost of $14.00 (cash, credit card, or a check to the Twig). Parents are welcome to attend the event as well!

For the next few weeks Dr. Vargas-Lew, Ms. DeLaCerda and the COLLEGE GO CENTER will be hosting 6th - 8th grade Naviance sessions.  Parents, please be sure to join us at any of these sessions.  Click HERE for more details.

On March 4th, our ALA High School UIL Acting Company will be performing, The Fifth Sun for the UIL Zone contest.  The performance will be at Edgewood Performing Arts Center at 7pm.  Awards and celebrations will begin at 9pm.  Having an audience during our play performance will help our young talented actors and technicians immensely!   The address for the Edgewood Arts Center is 607 SW 34th St., San Antonio, TX 78237.  We extend an open invitation and hope to see our ALA community at our play!

Looking ahead, March 6-10 is Celebrate Reading 2017: Dr. Seuss Week! All of our students, K-10th, are invited to dress up in celebration!

Finally, the Fox Tech boys basketball team competes against Schulenburg in the Regional Semi-Finals on Tuesday, February 28th, 2017 at 6 pm at Seguin High School. The school will be sponsoring a spirit bus to the event. Student may pick up permission slips in the main office. Good luck Buffalos!

Have a wonderful week.

Sincerely,

Kathy Bieser

Community Update: February 12, 2017

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families

It was wonderful to see the many families at our K-5 Family Dance last Friday at our Euclid campus.  Many thanks to the dance organizer, Keturah Boston, and the many parent volunteers who gave of their time and resources to start this ALA tradition.  

At the PTSA meeting last week, the leadership shared a new online option for families to use to join this important organization for our campus. You may use this LINK or navigate to http://www.joinpta.org/to sign up!

On Friday, February 17th, from 9:40-11:40am our 4th and 5th grade students will be showcasing their invention projects to their peers and guests. Families are invited to join us for an exhibition of students work and celebratory reception. You may contact Ms. Hudson (shudson1@saisd.net) or Ms. Gonzalez (kgonzalez3@saisd.net)for more details.

To celebrate Fiesta in San Antonio and our new school, students will be selling  a Advanced Learning Academy Fiesta Medal.  The funds raised will support summer leadership programs for students at college campuses throughout the United States and other and pre-college campus events.  Click HERE to pre-order yours.

Finally, Wednesday, February 15th is an early release day. After school care will NOT be available and all K-10 students need to picked up at the early dismissal time. Our K-3 students will  be dismissed at 1:15pm while our 4th-10th grade students will be dismissed at 1:30pm.

Sincerely,

Kathy Bieser

Community Update: February 5, 2017

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families,

We are looking forward to ALA’s First Annual Elementary Family Dance for our K-5 families on Friday, February 10th from 6-8pm at our Euclid campus.  There is no cost for the dance. We hope to see many of you on Friday!

The Team Up Challenge group has begun the second drive of the year. They had over 400 clothing items donated in the winter. This drive will focus on hygiene items. Check out their flyer. Team Up is looking for donations through February 15th. Please drop the items off at your school’s front office. Thank you for your support!

Dr. Linda Vargas and our guidance office asked me to share a few updates. First, we encourage freshman and sophomore students and families to log into Naviance HERE, on a weekly basis for updates posted on various pre-college opportunities.  Second, ALA will be taking two road trips to Austin in the coming weeks! Our 4th-8th grade female students and families are invited to attend the Mother-Daughter University of Texas Austin College Road Trip (linked) on Saturday, February 25th from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  The following Saturday, March 4th, 4th-10th male students and families are invited to attend the Father-Son University of Texas Austin College Road Trip (linked) from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  Permission slips for both events may be picked-up and returned to Mrs. Ibarra, Counseling Office receptionist in the front office foyer. Join us for a memorable Mother-Daughter and/or Father-Son outing while meeting fellow ALA families.

Our Let’s Create It class is seeking donations for an upcoming project. If you are able to contribute any items on this Donation List; these donations may be dropped off at the Fox Tech campus.

Finally, in order to help us plan for the 2017-2018 school year, we sent home a commitment form to parents and guardians last week. If you have not already done so, please return the commitment form to reserve your child’s “seat” at ALA.  Please sign and return this form no later than Wednesday, February 8th. If you have more than one child at the school, please  complete a separate form for each child enrolled.

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Kathy Bieser

Community Update: January 29, 2017

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families,

At last Thursday’s extended year informational meeting, we began a discussion of the benefits and challenges of an extended year calendar, along with developing a list of questions from the community. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing Frequently Asked Questions based on our initial conversations last week. At this time, we are not considering an extended year calendar for the 2017-2018. However, we plan to gather more community input over the summer and fall for consideration for the 2018-2019 school year. As your family plans ahead for the 2017-2018 school year, please note that the first day of school district-wide, including ALA, will be Monday, August 14th, 2017.  

Congratulations to entire cast and crew of Alice in Wonderland for the wonderful performances this past weekend.  We celebrate our very first theatre production at ALA and look forward to many more in the years to come. Many thanks to Amy Stengel and Sandy Boydston, theatre teachers, for their leadership and dedication!

Coach Myers asked us to share that cross country has begun for our 7th and 8th grade students.  The team meets for practice Monday thru Friday in the secondary gym at 6:45 am.   Athletes will run around campus, the field house, and routes off campus. In order to practice students must have a completed a physical and be cleared through Rank One. Interested student athletes and their families may contact Coach Myers at cmyers1@saisd.net for more details. Best of luck to our runners!

Dr. Linda Vargas and our guidance office asked that we share some information about Naviance, a comprehensive website that secondary students and families can use to plan for college and a career. Ninth and tenth graders have been taught how to log in and our middle school students will be learning soon. Families are invited to learn about Naviance at any of the upcoming informational sessions on the dates below.  Please remember to sign in at the front office before reporting to the Go Center.

• Tuesday, January 31st @ 9 am and 3:30 pm
• Wednesday, February 1st  @ 9 am and 3:30 pm
• Thursday, February 2nd @ 9 am and 3:30 pm

Dr. Vargas recommends that students log in HERE ,on a weekly basis, for updates posted on various pre-college opportunities.  For instance, there is information posted in Naviance about two opportunities, both with January 31st deadlines:  UTHSCSA Voelcker Biomedical Academy (Freshmen) and  PREP USA (6th grade-Juniors). Parent Naviance sessions will also be available after each Community Coffee at Fox Tech scheduled for the remainder of the year.

The City of San Antonio has begun construction around ALA at Fox Tech that will significantly alter traffic patterns for the remainder of the year.  Beginning Monday, January 30th,  San Pedro south of W. Quincy Street will be closed to all traffic. Cars will no longer be able to make a right off of San Pedro onto Jackson Street (Buffalo Run).  Beginning on Tuesday, Jackson Street (Buffalo Run) will become a one-way street only allowing traffic to travel south towards Main Street.  Please expect longer delays at drop-off and pick-up this week as traffic adjusts to the new patterns.  

Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Kathy Bieser

Community Update: January 22, 2017

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Dear Advanced Learning Academy Families,

The ALA community is invited to an informational meeting on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 to discuss the benefits and challenges of an extended year calendar and gather feedback from the community. We will gather in the 2nd floor cafeteria for a short presentation, table top discussion, and sharing. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Our monthly Community Coffee will be help at ALA on Euclid this Friday, January 27, 2017 at 9am.  The full listing of Community Coffee dates is linked HERE. There are also  two upcoming Volunteer Orientations at ALA on Euclid: Monday, January 30th at 9am  and Thursday, January 26th @ 5:30pm. Please bring photo identification to the meeting, which should last no longer than an hour.

Nine days remain before the the January 31st, 2017, ALA application deadline.

As a reminder, although siblings of current students may be granted automatic admission if seats are available, they must submit an application by the deadline in order to be eligible. The district has also finalized the Pre-K tuition guidelines. The cost will be $500 per month ($4500 annually) for Pre-K students that are not eligible based on TEA guidelines or proposed qualifications for tuition adjustment. The cost will be $250 per month ($2500 annually) for Pre-K students with siblings in attendance at an SAISD school in grades K-12. Current students do not need to apply to secure a seat for the 17-18 school year.  However, we will be sending home a 17-18 Commitment Form in early February for current students to complete in order to secure a seat at the school for the 17-18 school year. We are humbled by the number of families choosing to send another child to us in the 17-18 school year, and we continue to design, refine, and renew in service of students and our families.

As a reminder, Alice in Wonderland opens on Thursday, January 26th in the evening at 7pm.   Tickets will be sold at the January 25th extended year informational meeting. Tickets will also be sold at the door on the night of the play beginning at 6:00pm.  Please see our flyer, Alice in Wonderland , for more details.  

Folktales from Around the World, starring our own 4th and 5th grade students, as well as a 6th -10th folktale performance will be shown on Thursday beginning at at 2:30pm.  The second round of featured stories will be show on Friday beginning again at 2:30pm.  Please see the Folktales from Around the World  flyer for more details.   

Ms. Stengel, Ms. Boydston, and the ALA at Fox Tech theatre students deeply appreciate all of the parent volunteers during our crew calls.  We are still hosting several community production nights to paint the set pieces, props, and costumes necessary for each of the plays.  On the linked flyer, you will see a long list of needs and the dates and times for upcoming community production calls.   The community consists of students, parents, and ALA teachers.  

Looking ahead, we will be hosting the First Annual Elementary Family Dance for our K-5 families on Friday, February 10th from 6-8pm at our Euclid campus.  There is no cost for the dance.  We are accepting donations of food and drinks through a flyer that will be sent home this week. We are excited about beginning another ALA tradition and connecting our K-5 families through this celebration! We are also in the midst of finalizing plans for a spring middle school dance. Please look for more details in upcoming updates.

If you were unable to attend last week’s Report Card Pick-Up Night (Fox Tech campus families), please look for the report card in the mail. Attached to this email and linked, is the presentation reviewed Thursday evening.

Finally, the next early release day is Wednesday, February 15th. After school care will NOT be available and all K-10 students need to picked up at the early dismissal time. Our K-3 students will  be dismissed at 1:15pm while our 4th-10th grade students will be dismissed at 1:30pm.

Sincerely,

Kathy Bieser