This message has been sent using the picture and Video service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, Quicktime@ 6.5 or higher is required.

flying kites @ Galveston Beach

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

Note: To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required.

Service Hours for March 6th

Opportunity to gain service hours:

ECOBOT TRIAL (LEGO robotics competition) at Atascocita High School - Mar 6.  We are looking for high school students who might need service hours to help with timing/judging.  The Trials are organized in 2.5 hour sessions (9am-11:30am, 12pm-2:30pm, and 3:00-5;30pm). 

Please see Mr. Duez and he will get your name signed up.

Agenda for the Week of Feb 22- Feb 26, 2010

Quote of the Day:  "Do you believe in Miracles?  YES!" - Al Michaels, calling the end of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey upset of the mighty Soviet Union.

Agenda:

Monday:
1.  Goal of the Week

2.  Watch "Miracle on Ice" story.  This is the 30th anniversary of the greatest sports upset in history.  What did it do for the spirit of our country during a very dark time?


3.  Also Monday we'll continue with Cold Calling practice for Road Trip Nation.

Tuesday - Tutoring - - beginning of six week's period.  We'll concentrate on grades and setting goals for the semester.
Wed/Thu - Tutoring and then "Life Goals" -- we'll get the life goal packet and this essay is the focus of the 5th six week's period.  We will also touch base on Roadtrip cold calling and scheduling of interviews.
Friday - Guest Speaker!

Dual Credit Next Year

Students who are planning on taking dual credit classes next year for the first time will need to be tested for eligibility. Testing will be available here on campus at AHS on Thursdays, Feb 18 and Feb 25 from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. in the RED 1 and Red 2 computer labs. Please see Mrs. Diaz in 1004 if you have any questions.

RTN: Lesson 18 - "Before You Make the Call"

On Friday we'll do lesson 18 of Roadtrip Nation and we will also practice making cold calls.

Lesson 18 : Before You Make the Call

In the previous lesson, you brainstormed both individually and with your team about whom you want to interview. Before you contact the potential Leaders on your list, you’re going to want to make sure you’re prepared for the cold call. While you can also send an email or a fax to request an interview, we feel that the cold call is the best way to convey your personality and the genuine nature of your request. However, in order to prepare for your cold call, or any initial contact with a Leader, there are a few things you’ll need to have in order before you pick up the phone: you’ll need to coordinate schedules with your teammates, gather as much information as possible about the people who you will be calling, and organize your thoughts by preparing a Conversation Request, so that you can be prepared with the necessary information and make a sincere first impression.

It’s essential to coordinate your schedule with your teammates when preparing for the cold call. Before you’re able to book an interview, make sure that you know the exact days and times your entire team will all be available to meet, so that you can easily know if your schedules sync up with the Leader you contact. Whether you contact your Leader by email by phone, you’ll need to accurately state your team’s availability for the next few weeks. Having multiple options for meeting times increases the likelihood that you’ll be able to meet with the Leaders who inspire you.

The next tip for an effective cold call is to do as much research as possible about your potential Leader.. Find out extra information about the Leader’s background, what his or her company does, or (if you can find it) a little bit about what he or she has done in the past. To find this information, you can begin by getting online. Typing the Leader’s name, or his or her company’s name, into a search engine is usually the first place to start. You may want to ask your family, friends, or teachers if they know about the person. If you can tell a Leader why he or she has impressed or influenced you, you show your preparedness, as well as dedication to your cause and to his or her story. Gathering this information will allow your potential Leader to relate to you, and relating to your situation is the main reason that people will say yes to your interview request.

Finally, to make sure all of your thoughts are well organized before you pick up the phone, you’ll want to have a written document that introduces you and your team, and explains what you are doing and the purpose of your Roadtrip. This document is called the Conversation Request. It may be difficult to reach your Leader on the first try by phone, and in some cases, you may speak to an assistant of the person who you want to meet. Whomever your point of contact is, most of the time you’ll be asked to provide more information about your Roadtrip that can be passed around – so having a Conversation Request prepared ahead of time will clear up most of the questions that you will likely be asked. Often you will be asked to fax or email this document. If your Conversation Request is complete and ready to be promptly sent over to your Leader, it will also increase the likelihood that a Leader will agree to meet with you. He or she will already have a thorough understanding of your purpose.

Agenda: Week of Feb 16 - Feb 19

Quote of the Week:  "How wonderful it is that no one need wait a single moment to start to improve the world." - Anne Frank

Tuesday - Tutoring
Wed (Soph) - Tutoring & then create posters for Kaplan Mock SAT fundraiser.  Also RTN video if time.
Thu (Jr) - Tutoring and spend lunch periods at a table in the cafeteria passing out information about the Kaplan Mock SAT.  Also RTN video if time.
Fri - Roadtrip Nation Mock cold call and Lesson #18 "Before You Make the Call"

Linda Lorelle Scholarship Fund

 Attention:

Important Announcement From

The Linda Lorelle Scholarship Fund

Board of Directors

Scholarship Applications Are Open To

JUNIORS

In

Independent School Districts,

Private, and Charter Schools

within Harris and Fort Bend Counties

(Application Deadline February 26, 2010)

 go to:  http://www.lindalorelle.org

AVID Wordle

AVID Tutoring

This is a link to last summer's AVID Access newsletter about tutoring:
http://www.avid.org/dl/abo_access/access_15-2.pdf

Agenda: Week of Feb. 8 - 12

Quote of the Week:  "It's hard to lead a calvary charge if you think you look funny on a horse."  - Adlai Stephenson

Weekly Agenda:
Monday - Goal of the Week, Road Trip Nation Interviews
Tuesday - Tutoring
Wed/Thu - Tutoring & Discuss Course selections for next year.
Friday - Team Building -- Juniors:  "Boom, Boom, Pow, Pow, Pop, Pop!"  We will do a hand slap game as a team building exercise with our Roadtrip Nation groups.  We will also discuss Kaplan Mock SAT
Sophomores:   "Boom, Boom, Pow, Pow, Pop, Pop!"  We will do a hand slap game as a team building exercise with our Roadtrip Nation groups.  We will also discuss Kaplan Mock SAT AND do a socratic seminar on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a Dream Speech."

AVID @ The Super Bowl

AVID Center tweeted this last night from their Twitter page:

AVID at the Super Bowl! Cody Glenn was an AVID student in Rusk ISD and now he plays for the Colts!

Here is a link to his profile page on the Colts website:
http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=bio&player_id=590

QuestBridge Scholarships for Juniors

QuestBridge Scholarships

QuestBridge is a scholarship program that seeks to award college scholarships to high school juniors who have a strong academic record and an annual household income of less than $60,000. Many past award recipients have also been part of the first generation in their family to attend college. Scholarships are open to all qualified students, regardless of race or ethnicity.” The application deadline is March 29, 2010.

As this scholarship opportunity would be perfect for our AVID students.  The link to their website with more information is www.questbridge.org .  We strongly encourage junior-year AVID students to apply.

Agenda: Monday, January 25th 2010

Quote of the Day:  "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."  - Elanor Roosevelt

Agenda:
1)  Write the "goal of the week."  2 sentences.  One that states the goal and one that explains how  you will go about achieving it.  Also write a paragraph that explains how your goal went last week.
2)  We will watch 20/20's "Real Story of the Blind Side" parts 1 and 2.  We will write a summary after each break. 

Read more about Michael Oher in the exceprt of the book in NY Times Magazine here.
Listen to the interview with the author of the book in this NPR story here.

Roadtrip Nation Teacher of the Month

I was very honored to be awarded the very first ever Roadtrip Nation Teacher of the Month award.  Read all about it here:

Roadtrip Nation Blog

College Applications Rise, But Budget Cuts Cap Enrollment

College Applications Rise, But Budget Cuts Cap Enrollment
USATODAY, By Terence Chea, The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — College applicants are facing one of the toughest years ever to gain admission to the nation's public colleges and universities as schools grapple with deep budget cuts and record numbers of applications.

As cash-poor state governments slash budgets, colleges are capping or cutting enrollment despite a surge in applications from high school seniors, community college students and unemployed workers returning to school.

BEST VALUE COLLEGES: Top 100 for 2010

HIGHER ED: Can getting a degree be affordable?

AID: New FAFSA easier to use

The increased competition means more students will be turned away, forced to attend pricier private institutions or shut out of college altogether.

Wilson Liang, a senior at San Francisco's Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, said he worries that enrollment cuts at the University of California will freeze him out of its flagship Berkeley campus.

"I know the competition is very high," said the 17-year-old Liang, who would be the first person in his family to attend college. "There are a lot of smart people out there."

Colleges that previously accepted all qualified students are becoming selective, while selective schools are becoming more so. Most community colleges have open-access policies, but demand for classes is so intense that many students can't get the courses they need.

"We're hearing a lot of panic," said Gerna Benz, a partner at California San Francisco Bay Area College Planning Specialists. Benz said business at his Oakland-based college counseling firm has tripled over the past year.

Benz is encouraging more families to consider private colleges, which may be more expensive but offer less crowded classes and the chance to graduate in four years, which is becoming a rarity at many public colleges.

Applications to private colleges are holding steady, while public universities around the country are seeing record demand as cost-conscious families look for good value, said Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Low-income, minority students could face the roughest road to admission because they often can't afford private colleges and don't have the resources or academic credentials to compete with students from wealthier families and better high schools, he said.

The enrollment caps could also threaten President Barack Obama's goal of making the U.S. the leader in college attainment by 2020 and undermine the nation's economic competitiveness, college officials say.

"We're reducing enrollment when we should be increasing it," said Scott Lay, president of the Community College League of California. Experts say states should increase access to college during a recession so that unemployed workers can train for new jobs.

The University of Florida, which has about 35,000 undergraduates, is seeking to reduce enrollment by 4,000 students by 2012, said spokeswoman Janine Sikes.

The chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, which has 114,000 students, recently told its Board of Trustees it must consider capping enrollment for the first time.

"If you enroll someone and don't give that individual a reasonable path to a degree or certificate in a reasonable amount of time, what kind of access is that?" said Chancellor Dan Klaich.

Competition is particularly intense in California, where public universities are dealing with huge cuts in state support that have led to sharp tuition increases, faculty furloughs, course cutbacks and student protests. The state's 110 community colleges are struggling to accommodate a record 2.9 million students.

---

San Jose State University, which had 33,000 students in fall 2008, reduced enrollment by 3,000 last year and expects to cut an additional 2,500 students this year. The campus had to turn away 8,700 qualified applicants last year and expects to reject even more this year, said spokeswoman Pat Lopes Harris.

After five semesters of community college, Formekia Chinn had planned to transfer from Mission College in Santa Clara to San Jose State this month, but the CSU campus closed spring admissions. Her financial aid has run out, so she must find a job until she can start classes this fall — if she's accepted.

"It's very discouraging," said the 30-year-old single mom. "Who knows what's going to come up? I'm worried something else is going to go wrong."

Agenda: Friday, January 15, 2010

Quote of the Day:  "In 36 hours donations made by mobile phones topped $7 million (Over $5 Million to the Red Cross)."  - Mobile Giving Foundation

You can give a $10 donation to the Red Cross by Texting 90999 with the text "HAITI"

Agenda:
Timed Writing ~ College Essay
Also continue our work with Road Trip Nation. 

Service Hours at Project Grad Fashion Show

I received this from an AHS parent who is organizing this show.  If you are interested, please let me know and I will pass along her contact information:

Project grad and we are doing 2010 Prom Fashion Show at The Humble Civic Center, Janauary 24th 2-4pm ,but we would need them there at 12:30 to help with raffles,selling tickets,concessions,etc..also it would go towards Eagle bucks for project grad and also towards volunteer hours for college as well.


please let me know if anyone if any junior or senior of with NHS or AVID

Great opportunity to help out and to also get those much needed service hours.

Agenda for the week of January 5-12, 2009

On Wed/Thurs January 6th and 7th, AVID students had tutoring groups for 1/2 the period.  The rest of the period was spent getting binders prepared for the semester and we watched a Road Trip Nation episode.

On Friday, January 8th, Mr. Duez was not in school and the substitute led the students through taking the AVID Student Survey and also reading and taking notes on two Student Success Stories.  (You can find those at http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/success-stories/  )

On Monday, January 11th, students in AVID worked on their weekly goals and also on their college admissions essays.  They are due on Friday, writing about the person of influence in their lives.

On Tuesday, January 12th, students in AVID worked in their tutoring groups.  We organized into new tutor groups for the new six week's period.

Agenda: Tuesday, January 5th, 2009

Welcome back for a new semester.  Very excited to get started.  

Quote of the Day:  Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  ~Benjamin Franklin

Agenda:

1.  What is your New Year's Resolution?  What was the best gift you received this year?

2.  Hand out new binders with a few minutes to organize.

3.  Read and take notes on the graphic.  Decide whether "College is Worth the Money?"

4.  Philosophical Chairs topic:  Using the graphic given on the sheet of paper, is college worth the money?  If we don't have a pretty equal distribution of students, we'll divide the class and argue a side.

Graphic (click on graphic to make larger):