March 26, 2021
Greetings Ospreys,

We're so glad to have students back on campus for full days this week!

With the longer school days, we have resumed our catered lunch service. For the time being, we are partnering solely with Zia Taqueria to offer tasty, healthy burritos and rice bowls four days a week. As a reminder (and for our January transfer families), we are not charging families for student meals whether or not they qualify for free or reduced lunch, through the end of this school year thanks to the Federal Emergency Feeding Program. The exception is if a student orders two lunches in one day, in which case we charge $7 for the second lunch. For all the details about our meal program, check out the letter we sent out in the fall here. Students who are well fed are better learners and we're glad to be able to support them in this way!
Senior Project
It's crunch time for our seniors, who are putting the finishing touches on their Senior Project Thesis Papers in the next week. These 10-15 page papers demand rigorous research and analysis, and prepare Ospreys for college-level expectations. After their April 1 thesis deadline (no foolin'!), seniors will transition to their Action Projects, for 5 weeks, putting what they've learned into practice in a way that positively impacts their community. The final stretch for seniors will be the delivery of their Senior Project TED Talks in May, where they will share their insights and achievements with the community. View the Senior Project Calendar to track the timing of these various pieces and learn more about this uniquely powerful AHS capstone project and view sample theses, action projects and TED Talks by visiting the class of 2020 Senior Project website.

Seniors and their families are encouraged to attend the Online Graduation Meeting next Wednesday at 5:00 to hear all the details about end-of-high-school celebrations and to help brainstorm a special, COVID-safe graduation ceremony for the AHS Class of 2021 on May 28. Login via meet.google.com/yno-vbjx-fun.
Career and College Counseling
All 9th, 10th and 11th grade students will take the PSAT or SAT at school on April 13 and juniors will also take the CMAS Science exam on April 21. Submit a written statement to libby.cowles@animashighschool.com as soon as possible if you would like to opt your student out of any of these standardized exams. Letting us know sooner rather than later really helps us with planning! See all the details about spring testing here.

Academic Advising and Course Selection for 2021-22
We will provide academic advising to 9th and 11th graders the week of April 5-9 in preparation for course requests for the 2021-22 school year (10th and 12th grade students have already received this round of advising). Look for the updated AHS Course Catalog, which will include elective offerings for next year, coming your way the week of April 12-16. Students will complete course requests for next year during in-person days the week of April 19-23, before juniors leave for LINK Internships.

XBlock Credit for Spring Semester
Students will receive a semester of XBlock credit if they can demonstrate they have completed 40 hours of wellness-supporting activities between January 1 and June 4, when the spring semester ends. To receive credit, submit both forms below:


AHS students are required to have 3 years of XBlock credit to graduate!
Osprey Parent Coffee
Join us next Friday morning at 9:00 for an informal opportunity to check in with Sean and Libby and chat with other Osprey Parents. Join the Osprey Parent Coffee at meet.google.com/yno-vbjx-fun.


Enjoy the weekend and thanks for all you do to help Ospreys soar!
Upcoming AHS Events

Graduation Meeting (12th grade families): Wed. 3/31, 5pm via meet.google.com/yno-vbjx-fun

Osprey Parent Coffee: Fri. 4/2 via meet.google.com/yno-vbjx-fun

Marketing Committee Meeting: Wed. 4/7, 1pm via meet.google.com/edo-ngye-kvt

AHS Board Meeting: Wed. 4/7, 5:30-7:30 via meet.google.com/yvq-xuei-suo

AHS Reunión Informativa En Línea en Español: Wed. 4/7 5:30pm via meet.google.com/drv-kmdq-pss

PSAT8/9, PSAT10 and SAT (9th, 10th and 11th grade): Tues. 4/13

Graduation Deadline for Seniors (cap & gown orders, seniors photos and input for senior pages due): Fri. 4/16

Spring Blood Drive hosted by Student Council: Fri. 4/16

CMAS Science Test (11th grade): Wed. 4/21

LINK Internships (11th grade): Mon. 4/26 through Fri. 5/14

School Excellence Committee Meeting: Wed. 4/28, 5pm

Professional Development Day for Staff (no classes): Fri. 4/30

Graduation: Fri. 5/28

Memorial Day Holiday (no classes): Mon. 5/31

Transitional Presentations of Learning: Tues. 6/1 through Fri. 6/4

Last Day of School: Fri. 6/4
As a reminder, if you do online shopping with Amazon, please consider signing up for Amazon Smile and designating Animas High School as your charity of choice! It's quick and easy and means AHS gets a donation when you shop, at no extra cost to you!
Animas High School prepares all students for college and postsecondary success by creating critical thinkers and engaged citizens through an innovative, student-centered, project-based curriculum. We accomplish this through:
Rigorous academics, where all students are prepared for college success
Culture of excellence, where students are held to high expectations
Strong student-faculty relationships, where students are well known.
Engaging learning, where students see the relevance in their education