School Dedication - ASU Preparatory Academy - Poly Elementary

You are cordially invited to the Poly Elementary School dedication, which will be held Tuesday, September 9^th, at 4pm in the PES Multipurpose Room. This special event will officially dedicate our building to the public. We look forward to you joining us to hear from dignitaries, receive giveaways and share refreshments as we mark this special day. Please RSVP at: https://outreach.asu.edu/events/rsvp/polytechnic-prep by Sept. 5^th Thank you!   

Tax Credit Donations - It is Not Too Early

As we think about supporting our students' extracurricular activities, it is also time to start thinking about tax credit donations. Your tax credit donations help support our extracurricular programs.  We look forward to providing more extracurricular programs to further develop our children's interests beyond the classroom, whether they are athletic, artistic, or academic. Your tax credit donations will help us accomplish that goal. To learn more about the tax credit program and to make a contribution, please go to our website or the link embedded in the first page of this newsletter, upper left corner.

ASU Prep. - Poly HS Students Invited to ASU School of Law Career Info Session & Dinner

If your high school student would like to learn more about law school or legal careers, they are invited to a free dinner at the law school on Sept. 20, 6-8 pm, where they will sit over dinner with attorneys and law students within their subject matter interests (e.g., immigration law, criminal law, business transactions, Indian Law, international law, etc.).  The program begins with a presentation at 5 pm on work/life balance. Parents of high school students are welcome to join us for the whole program, including free dinner.

Any interested student can join by going to law.asu.edu/hnba, and applying on the Participate page.

Community Outreach - City of Mesa Arts Center - Kickoff Festival

When: Friday, September 12, 2014

Where: Mesa Arts Center

Start time: 6pm

End time: 10pm

Mesa Arts Center's (MAC) free season kickoff festival, titled Ten in One: A Cirque-ish Event, will celebrate the enchanting art of circus, on Friday, Sept. 12, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. MAC's campus will be filled with circus-inspired vignettes, including aerial hoop and tight wire performances, a mythical mermaid performer, contortionists, hand balancing, stilt walkers, jugglers and fire eaters. Other features of the festival include five new Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum (MCAM) exhibitions, entertainment across campus, delicious fair foods, art studio demonstrations, and hands-on experiences for people of all ages.   

Coinciding with the festival will be the opening reception of circus-themed exhibitions in the MCAM. Exhibitions will be celebrated from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the museum's courtyard, with musical entertainment by Trio Rio, and an opportunity to meet the artists. The MAC Artists Cooperative Gallery will also be open and offering unique artwork created by 55 Arizona artists, all handcrafted and available for purchase. We hope to see many ASU Prep Poly parents and students at this event.

Reminder: ASU Prep Academy - Color Guard is back - K- 12 Grades!

Join us for a parent information night on September 11th at 5:00 PM in the gallery area at the ASU Prep elementary campus. Winter Guard is open for students K - 12th grade. Winter Guard is a competitive sport performed indoors on a gymnasium floor that is a form of dance theater. In winter guard there are usually 4 primary types of equipment used. These include props, flags, sabres, guns (wooden) and other equipment, along with movement to music.  ASU Preparatory Gold (grades 3rd - 6th) and Maroon (grades K - 2nd) compete in the WGAZ circuit. If we get enough interest we will consider having a middle school or high school guard for this upcoming season. The season runs from September through April with one practice a week. We will be hosting clinics the week of September 15th and September 22nd. More information to come at the parent night on September 11th. See you then. If you have any questions please email me at amy.kochis@asu.edu.

Notes From the Poly Elementary School:

Announcements from the Front Office:

Please remember to call the Absentee Line at (480) 727-5709 if your student will be tardy due to an appointment or absent for the day. 

Power School Information

Letters were sent home with students with password information.  If you did not receive one, please contact the front office.

LUNCHES: Parents please be sure your student has his or her lunch with them when they come to school.  Due to the size of our school and the amount of students, we ask that you do not drop their lunches off in the front office.  Parents may join their students for lunch on their birthday only.

Coffee/Conversation with Mrs. Mendoza

Thursday, Sept. 11@8:30am

Our first conversation will showcase the new features of the ASU Prep website, including the parent page, providing a portal for parents to access all pertinent information from a single page. We will also be looking at Volunteer opportunities at ASU Prep. Please join us!

Upcoming dates:

Oct. 16

Nov. 13

Dec. 11

Scholastic Book Fair @Elementary School Sept. 15-19

Book fair will be open before school 7:45am-8:15am and after school 2:30pm-3:45pm

Reminder: Drama/Music Program - PES - The New Spotlight

The New Spotlight would like to thank the ASU Prep Elementary School for inviting us to watch your kids shine.  The children will create their characters, costumes, scenery and much more.  This season our play is: 

Flakes!

From Hal Leonard, by John Jacobson and John Higgins

A Musical Celebration Of Snow, Slush And Snirt!

Get ready to shiver, shimmy and shake! The North wind is starting to blow and temperatures are dropping to 10 below... zero, that is! A big blizzard is on the way as a cool bunch of jazzy, finger-snappin' snowflakes take center stage. What a glistening sight. Uh Oh! Here comes the snowplow!

We will start on Wednesday, September 17^th, 3:15pm  -  4:15pm and final performance the week of December 10th (schedule will be out soon and subject to change).  $99 fee and $10 Registration fee, which we donate back to ASU Prep.  Look for the flyers, call (313) 938-6511 or e-mail cwasiel@hotmail.com 

Reminder: New Afterschool -Martial Arts Program - PES

Grand Master Han's Martial Arts (GMHMA) of Arizona is excited to partner with ASU Prep Elementary for an after-school martial arts program starting on Wednesday, September 10th @ 3:15pm! GMHMA practices the martial art of Youn Wha Ryu. Youn Wha Ryu incorporates many different styles of traditional martial arts. These classes are designed to incorporate training for kids from 5 years old up to adults. The focus of this expansive system is to create a true martial artist from the inside out. Our training principles are as follows: Be Polite, Be Patient, Be Alert, Be Brave, Do Your Best and Respect Yourself & Others. Please contact us at 602.363.0863 or info@younwha-az.com for more information."

Meet Mrs. Susan Jernigan - New Elementary School Music Teacher

Above: Mrs. Jernigan and her students, getting ready to learn a "new beat" in Music class.  

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will never be able to thank everyone enough for making me feel so welcome in my new home at Polytechnic! It has been such a joy getting to know the students, staff and families.

My name is Susan Jernigan and I am so pleased to be your new music teacher. This is my 14th year of teaching music and I tell everyone that I have the best job in the world. I started music when I was 7 with piano lessons and was in several choirs as I grew up. I learned how to play the harp in college and received Bachelor and Master degrees in Harp Performance from The University of Arizona. I placed second prize in the International Pop and Jazz Harp Competition and playing the harp has taken me to many exciting places around the globe.

I began teaching orchestra in elementary and middle schools. I switched to General Music as part of Tucson Unified's OMA (Opening Minds Through the Arts) program where music was integrated with the lessons from the classroom. In addition to integration, I have also taken workshops in Orff and Kodaly music methods and will be using all three methods in my classroom. This year in music we will be singing, dancing, playing instruments and moving our bodies in the new music classroom. 

I also love to play with LEGOs and I will be joining the FIRST Lego League Poly team as a coach this year.

My husband Terry and I have one daughter, Rebecca, who is a senior and looking forward to college next year. We have 3 dogs, 2 that do agility and one very noisy bird.

  

Notes From the STEM Academy and Poly High School

Grades 7 - 12 - Family Coffee and Conversations

Please join me in welcoming our new 7-12th grade Academic Advisor to the ASU Prep family. At our upcoming Coffee and Conversation, Mrs. Brooke Seifert will introduce the college preparations the students are working on in their Capstone class. She will also review our Olweus anti-bullying program and be available to answer any questions you may have about our academic advising program for the 2014-2015 school year. We look forward to seeing you Monday morning, 9/8/14 from 8:00-9:00 am. If you have any questions I can be reached at (480) 727-5771. Mrs. Schneider

 

Distinguished Sun Devils

 

At ASU Prep, we value the ASU Prep Way: Word hard, Be nice, Be smart. Our students are models of these ethics. To formally recognize the students who consistently demonstrate hard work, kindness, and smart choices, we have created our "Distinguished Devils" program. ASU Prep faculty and staff are on the lookout for Sun Devils who lead their peers in the ASU Prep Way. Once recognized, the student's name will be featured on our Distinguished Devils display in the front hallway of both the high school and STEM Academy. Each quarter, our Distinguished Devils will be able to eat lunch one day at the ASU Poly Citrus Dining Hall. Thank you to all of our families, students, and faculty who lead the ASU Prep Way! 

 

ASU Prep High School Staff Member of the Month for August

 

We would like to recognize the outstanding service and dedication to our students of Mrs. Brooke Seifert. Mrs. Seifert has been extremely dedicated to building positive relationships with new students as our new school counselor and academic advisor. She demonstrates leadership through organizing our anti-bullying program and works well with all of her colleagues. She is motivated and is having a positive impact on the school and all of our students. One of her first big goals was to have all ASU Prep students submit applications to ASU and she had 100% of our seniors apply already! Thank you, Mrs. Seifert!

 

 Above: Mrs. Seifert and her always welcoming smile. 

 

Introduction - Mrs. Kimberly Heywood - STEM Academy - Language Arts Teacher

Hello ASU Prep Parent and students. I am Kimberly Heywood your new STEM Academy Language Arts teacher. Here is a little bit about me. I am an Arizona native. I was born and raised in Gilbert and currently live in Queen Creek. I graduated from Higley High School and received by bachelors in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English from Ottawa University. I am pursuing a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing from NAU. I am married and my husband is in graduate school for Physical Therapy at A.T. Still University. I have twin daughters, Kendal and Harper, they just turned one this past weekend. I love spending time with my family and I am always looking for fun things to do with my girls. I love teaching and I hope to one day teach at the college level. My favorite place to vacation is California. I also enjoy visiting my grandparents on their farm in Minnesota. 

 

I was a cheerleader in high school and our team got 1^st in state my senior year. I was an AIA all state cheerleader as well as a UCA all-star. I worked full time through college while being married and having twins and I was still able to finish in 3 years. I enjoy all genres of music and I love American food (a.k.a. hamburgers, french fries, etc.). I have traveled to Minnesota, California, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Mexico. I also have a rescue dog named Vandal.  Thanks for your warm welcome to campus and to the ASU Prep Poly family.

 

Above: Mrs. Heywood working with her students on a Literature review at the STEM Academy

ACT College Admission Test Free to Seniors at ASU Prep. High School

ASU Prep High School is pleased to announce all senior students will be taking the ACT College Admissions Test free of charge on Tuesday, September 30^th during their regularly scheduled school day. The ACT is an essential tool for post-secondary planning and will assist students in applying to colleges and universities, as well as applying for scholarships.

Because ASU Prep is committed to student success on the ACT, we will be hosting an ACT Prep Session on Saturday, September 20. Students will receive tips and information about each of the four subsections of the ACT test from ASU Prep staff and teachers. Students will also take a practice exam that they will have the ability to review and score in order to determine their areas of strength and those that need improvement.

The ACT Prep Session will be held from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Cedar Hall Multipurpose Room. Students are encouraged to bring a snack and/or bagged lunch to the session.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students and we hope that they will take advantage of it. Please address any questions to Ms. Seifert, Academic Advisor, at brooke.seifert@asu.edu or Mrs. Schneider, Director, at lori.schneider@asu.edu.

 

ATHLETICS:  Grades 5 - 12

ATHLETICS: www.asuprepathletics.com 

Picture Request If you happen to take any great photos of your student-athletes at the games you attend please forward these to Coach Brown or Coach Berg to be reviewed and maybe they will be used in this newsletter. Thank you for your support and help. Bbrown9@asu.edu or jack.berg@asu.edu 

 

Boys Soccer

Boys soccer had a busy week, with 3 games in three days...Despite fatigue and injuries, the team recorded 2 victories and a hard fought loss with the 3rd game. The next big game will be Tuesday the 9th.  We hope to see you there.

 

  Above: HS Boys Soccer during one of their games this week

Cross Country & Swim

The Cross Country team had their first meet Saturday the 6th while the Swim team has their first meet on Saturday September 13th at Queen Creek High school.  Meet starts at 1pm.