H. Fitzpatrick, Principal

 I would like to thank all of the staff, faculty, and parents for following the traffic flow and speed limit within the school parking lot. I know that it hasn't been easy, but we have all adjusted well and are doing an excellent job.  Here are some things to remember: 

• Inside lane is used for drop off only and the outside lane is for thru-traffic
• Speed limit is 5mph
• Afternoon pickup can begin to line up no earlier than 2:30pm
• Outside lane will be used only during pickup to expedite the traffic flow when designated by school staff only
• Anyone picking up a student in PreK-5th must have a pickup card.  If not, you must go to the office and present your ID to the staff
• Do NOT drop off in the outside lane for safety reasons
• Please sign in/out at the front office anytime you wish to be on campus
• Do not enter any building without the office-issued visitor's badge

These are rules set up for the safety and security of every student, staff and faculty member. Please continue to follow all posted signs and if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me at 214-451-2126.

Thanks, 

A. Amaro

Mr. Folkenroth teaches World, Texas and American Social Studies to the middle school students of Advantage Academy-Grand Prairie.  This is Mr. Folkenroth's first year at AA-GP and he says he loves that he gets to teach three very different sections of social studies and that originally being form Pennsylvania, he is getting to LEARN Texas history as he teaches it.  He also states that Texas history is a lot more interesting than Pennsylvanian history because their are wars in Texas history which is much more exciting than PA history which is full of Quakers and Amish history!  Mr. Fokenroth is proud to have 187 teenage kids - all of his students at AA-GP.  He also has a German Shepherd named Ava that is living with his mom in Pennsylvania and he is hoping to move Ava to Texas soon. 

Mr. Folkenroth graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelors in History and Political Science with a Certificate in Latin American Studies.  In his spare time, he likes to travel. He spent a summer in Argentina doing an independent research project during college and wants to go back - the steak in Argentina is second to none.   He loves the Chipotle restaurant and could eat it for every meal.  One thing that no one knows about Mr. Folkenroth, until now, is that he used to be the Director of Recruitment, Hiring and Training ant the University of Pittsburgh.  His job was to recruit, hire and teach all of the new tour guides how to give excellent tours of Pitt. 

Mr. Folkenroth enjoys the sense of community at AA-GP, especially in the middle school.  The middle school group has given him so much great advice and support and says he really appreciates all of their kindness and generousity.  During the holidays, he is looking forward to spending some time with his family, and his dog, as well as being able to being able to see friends he hasn't seen since college graduation because they have been working in Europe for the past 6 months. 

Devise your own color-coding system to keep your assignments and your thoughts organized. You may select a single color for each class (like science or history) and use that color for your folder, your highlighters, your sticky notes, and your pens. You'll be surprised to discover how much strong organization skills can change your life!

Color-coding is also a tool to use when conducting research. For example, you should always keep several colors of sticky flags on hand when you're reading a book for school. Assign a specific color the every topic of interest. Place a flag on a page containing information you will need to study or to cite. It works like magic!