April 28, 2006

Student Council Elections
Student Council elections will take place on May 2nd and 3rd. The voting booths will be open from 7 am - 2:30 pm on both days. Voting will take place in the cafeteria. All students are encouraged to vote. Student I.D.s must be shown.

Alive at 25
Junior students enrolled in Personal Survival/Health classes are participating in the "Alive at 25" program this week and next. Deputy Scott Sickafoose and other Arapahoe County Deputies are teaching this four hour course to our juniors. The "Alive at 25" class is designed to bring awareness to young drivers of the issues and situations that they face on the road. We know that the material shared in this course will help lead our teenagers to making smarter decisions as drivers and passengers.

Safety in School Parking Lots
This is a reminder to please drive safely in our school parking lots. It is also important to follow the traffic flow and do not pull through parking spaces. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Slow down, be aware and drive safely.

Academic Peer Coaching
National Honor Society Juniors who are interested in serving as an Academic Peer Coach should see Mrs. Lobser in the Enrichment Room. A training session is scheduled for Monday, May 22nd at noon. New Academic Peer Coaches must attend this mandatory training. Please see Mrs. Lobser for more details.

Spring Sports GPA’s
Our athletic teams perform at a high level both on the field and in the classroom. Below you will find the team GPA’s for each spring sport.

Baseball 3.591
Girls’ Golf 3.649
Boys’ Lacrosse 3.730
Girls’ Lacrosse 3.710
Girls’ Soccer 3.708
Boys’ Swimming 3.707
Girls’ Tennis 3.606
Boys’ Track 3.754
Girls’ Track 3.689

Department Spotlight – Performing Arts
Congratulations to the Winter Percussion Ensemble who earned 90.05 points and were 3rd place Bronze Medal Winners in the Concert World Class at the Rocky Mountain Percussion Championships. And to the Winter Guard for scoring 87.2, a new school record and second place at the Colorado State Winter Guard Championships.

Thank you to everyone who attended our spring musical production of The Sound of Music. The students performed wonderfully and the support from our community is tremendously appreciated. We look forward to seeing you at more of our upcoming spring time performances.

May 1 - 2 7:00 pm The Crazy Women of Tennessee Williams
May 4 7:00 pm Jazz Band Concert
May 10 7:00 pm Band Concert
May 16 7:00 pm Choir and Orchestra Concert

Don’t forget the Performing Arts Department Award Ceremony for all department students and families on May 17th at 6:30 pm in the AHS Cafeteria.

Photo of the Week
An Arapahoe student completes a high jump at the Freshman/ Sophomore Championships on April 27th. Photo by Mary Hayworth / Calumet.

April 21, 2006

Junior ACT Testing on Wednesday, April 26th
All Juniors will be taking the ACT on Wednesday, April 26th. This exam is required by the State of Colorado. For more information, including the bell schedule for that day, visit the AHS Web Site, scroll down to Junior ACT Testing on April 26th, and click on more info. Please note that freshmen, sophomores and seniors will have a late start on this date.

Student Invoices Due on April 28th
Student invoices were mailed home the week of April 3, 2006. Invoices are due payable in full by April 28, 2006. Students will be invoiced for athletic participation fees for spring sports and any other outstanding fees and fines. This invoice will show you fees that have already been paid as well as those that are due. It will give you a complete accounting of your student’s fees throughout the year. The invoice does not cover any club dues, booster dues or miscellaneous activity fees. Those are collected by the individual club or sport.

Your checks will be deposited in a timely manner and you will only need to write one check to cover all fees instead of several checks. All returned checks are collected by Global Recovery.

According to school policy, students will not be able to pick up his/her cap and gown or participate in arena scheduling until all fees and fines are cleared. If a student withdraws from Arapahoe High School, transcripts will not be sent until all outstanding fees and fines are cleared. Fee/Fine lists are updated and posted throughout the building on a regular basis. Students are encouraged to check them frequently to avoid “surprises.”

District Chess Tournament
Arapahoe will host the annual district high school chess tournament on Tuesday, April 25th at 3:00 p.m. in room E-3. Littleton and Heritage students are invited. All levels of players are welcome to participate. Please see Mrs. Lobser in the Enrichment Room to sign up, or see Coach Kyle Low (Security Campus) to sign up.

Arapahoe Idol at After Prom
Here’s your chance for fame and fortune. $400 will be awarded to the first place winner of the “Arapahoe Idol”, $200 for second place and $125 for third place. Individuals, groups and bands are eligible. The competition will be held in the theater during after prom. Email your name to Arapahoeidol@comcast.net A registration form will be sent to you.

Department Spotlight – Mathematics
Several AHS students have distinguished themselves in mathematics competitions. The math department would like to thank Monica Lobser, the GT facilitator, for making this opportunity possible for our students. Ms. Krista Bretz will be taking a group of thirteen AHS students to Metro Math Day on April 19th. This event has been promoted through the AHS GT program. All honors math students participate in the Colorado Math League competition on a regular basis. AHS is in second place in the state going into the final round!

April 14, 2006

Wish Week
Our 5th Annual Wish Week was another great success. We raised $8,000! We will be sending two young ladies on their Wishes. Carissa will go on a Disney Cruise and Rachel will be going to Hawaii. Thank you to our students, staff, parents and community for their support this past week. We had a great turnout at our CU Buffoons Concert and at the Senior vs. Staff Basketball game.

Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy & Successful Children
Dr. Jim Delisle will be giving a presentation on Friday, April 28th, 2006, 6-8 pm at the ESC Board room titled: "Parenting Gifted Kids: Tips for Raising Happy & Successful Children.” This presentation is based on his new book with the same name. Space is limited. This presentation is co-sponsored by the LPS Gifted and Talented Advisory Council, LPS Twice Exceptional Task Force, and the Special Serviced Advisory Committee. Priority will be given to parents, teachers, and administrators of LPS. To attend, call Barb Bolen at 303-347-3473. Any other questions, please Call Melinda Ness at 303-347-3477.

Technology Staff Development Grants
Arapahoe has recently received two grants involving staff development and the use of technology. The first grant allowed us to start our project last September, and the second grant will allow us to expand it dramatically starting in August. We wanted to share with you some of the details of what we are doing. This is a brief summary, but you can read the entire grant application at http://www.lps.k12.co.us/schools/arapahoe/21c/ahslpsgrant.doc .

The goals of this project are to improve teacher and student use of technology to achieve curricular goals, to help transform our school to a more student-centered, constructivist approach, and to prepare our students to succeed in the 21st century.

The heart of the project is staff development. What our teachers need most is the time and opportunity necessary to transform their instruction to meet the needs of our students and utilize the tools of the 21st century. In order to bridge the gap between how students live outside of school and how they learn at school, teachers need the time to work together to explore new technologies and techniques; the time to discuss and collaborate with each other; the time to transform their lesson plans to a more student-centered, constructivist approach.

The grants allow us to provide teachers the time – and the necessary technology – to accomplish these goals. The teachers selected for staff development each year meet formally at least once every two to three weeks (typically for three hours, and then two longer sessions in the summer). As a constructivist group, we focus on students as active participants in their learning - as constructors of knowledge. Together, we explore ways to use technology to enable a more student-centered approach to instruction and to create a culture of learning where students take a greater role in producing and managing their own learning.

In order to use technology as the “enabler” for this approach to instruction, we need each teacher to have access to the appropriate technology and resources in their classroom. We are providing each teacher with a computer and mounted LCD Projector in each classroom so that they can use technological tools to focus on student needs. They will have access not only to specific pieces of software that are useful in their curricula, but to the vast resources that the Internet offers them and their students. They will be able to practice “just in time”, “anytime, anywhere” teaching – accessing information when all of those teachable moments occur. They will be able to foster a collaborative environment among students – sharing not only with other students in their classroom, but with other classrooms around the world. Students need not only to be able to present information to their classmates, but to share their work with the much wider – and often more authentic – audience that the Internet provides. We are moving from an isolated to a connected classroom.

We are also implementing three classrooms of laptop computers with wireless connectivity to the network and the Internet. These computers will equip three “demonstration” classrooms where students and teachers will truly have the tools necessary for a 21st century education. These will be “model” classrooms where teachers can demonstrate the most effective use of 21st century technologies for the rest of the faculty.

The first cohort of teachers that began last September is very excited about the work we are doing and is looking forward to the additional technology resources that we’ll have in place in the fall as a result of the second grant. Students in those teachers’ classes have already noticed positive changes in their own learning. We are currently forming the second cohort of teachers that will come on board in August. These grants formally last three years, but the changes they will inspire will continue for years to come.

Department Spotlight – Media Center
April 2-8 was National Library Week but you still have time to celebrate because April is School Library Media Month. The Arapahoe High School Library has recently received many new titles that will provide some fresh reading for this spring. A sampling of these new titles include Colorado author Stephen White’s newest novel Kill Me, James Patterson’s 5th Horseman and an interesting non-fiction tale of an American teenager who travels back to his family’s native country, Afghanistan, after the fall of the Taliban entitled Come Back to Afghanistan; a California Teenager’s Story. Other titles that students might enjoy are Marley and Me; Love, Life and Drywall Repair with the World’s Worst Dog, Black Storm Comin’ and Crunch Time. Come check out a new title or visit the AHS Book Shelf for other good reads.

This is my last contribution to the Weekly Warrior as I will be retiring at the end of this year. I would like to thank those of you who have made my 17 years here a pleasurable experience and wish you all continued good reading.

Photo of the Week
Wish Week basketball players. Photo by Katie Abner.

April 7, 2006

Spring Assembly on Friday, April 14th
Please visit the AHS Web Site for the bell schedule.

AHS Choir and Orchestra to Pearl Harbor on Veteran’s Day
The Arapahoe High School Tour Choir and Orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Kelly Parmenter, has been chosen to represent the state of Colorado in a special commemorative concert dedicated to honoring the veterans of our great nation through music.

The performance will take place on the USS Missouri, docked in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii on Veteran’s Day, November 11th, 2006. This location is of particular historical and patriotic significance as this is the site where the treaty ending World War II was signed.

Ms. Parmenter has commissioned a special musical tribute which will include the hymns for each branch of the military as well as various patriotic tunes and serve as the grand finale of their thirty minute concert. If you would like additional information about the music program at Arapahoe High School or how to support these young musicians’ tour preparations please call Ms. Kelly Parmenter at Arapahoe High School (303) 347-6070.

Graduation Information for Seniors
Please visit the AHS Web Site for graduation information. On the front page, scroll down to Graduation Info for Seniors and click on more info.

Single Gender Classes
Arapahoe High School has offered single gender classes for two years in a variety of subjects. We have found, and research has shown, that there exist gender differences in learning. Generally speaking, female students need structure, respond more when the teacher is willing to share appropriate personal information, and are more tolerant of differences and willing to help one another. Also, female performance increases when bonding activities are involved. In many cases, male students need concise, sequential directions, are more engaged when the class allows physical activity, work more diligently when they see a purpose for learning, and want to know the relevance of what they are learning. Self-esteem plays a role in how a male student learns. In addition, male students respond more when the teacher has a sense of humor and their performance increases when competition is involved.

There are also gender differences in academic performance as well as participation in leadership roles at Arapahoe. For example, in the first semester of last year, there were 58 male freshmen vs. 40 female freshmen who earned two or more D’s and F’s. At the sophomore level the gap was even greater; 63 males vs. 25 females who earned two or more D’s and F’s. The gap widened at the junior level to 66 males vs. 21 females. Females dominate the number of leadership roles, such as Student Council Officers. Enrollment in honors and advanced placement courses also showed a gender gap. First semester last year there were 281 males vs. 401 females enrolled in honor courses and 200 males vs. 305 females enrolled in AP classes. Last fall, National Honor Society inducted 125 females but only 70 males.

The single-gender professional learning community at AHS has discussed the following strategies...

• book/reading list for boys and girls


• research on performance of boys in particular


• classroom management


• effective reading and vocabulary strategies


• tips for engaging boys in learning

The single-gender professional learning community at AHS has spent time...

• learning from one another about effective teaching and unique insights into students


• getting feedback from teachers involved in teaching single gender classes and sharing best practices


• thinking about teaching (reflective)


• sharing their excitement about and their passion for their single gender courses


• studying the pedagogy of single-gender classes


• developing a questionnaire to gather information from students in single-gender classes

Miscellaneous information...

• The single-gender professional learning community includes people who do not teach a single gender course but are interested (e.g., teachers, parents, administrators).


• Class offerings for next year include Algebra, Geometry, Personal Survival, Weight Training, Swimming, Chemistry, Western Civilization, US History, World Civilization, Cultural Geography, and Economics.


• The University of Denver has worked with our school for a year now and they are in the process of analyzing the results of the survey they administered in December.


• Teachers of single-gender classes have volunteered to teach these courses.

Prom Talent Show is Coming!
Mark your calendar for this year’s Prom Talent Show. You can see some of Arapahoe’s most talented singers, dancers, bands and comedians perform on Thursday, April 27th. There will be performances at 5:00 p.m. (parents only) and 7:00 (students & parents) with the announcement of Prom Royalty at the second show.

Tickets for the show cost $5.00 and will go on sale the week of April 24th during both lunches in the AHS cafeteria. Seating is limited, so buy your ticket early!

Tryouts for the Talent Show will be held from 2:45 pm to 4:30 pm on Monday, April 10th and Tuesday, April 11th. Interested participants may sign up now through April 10th in the Main Office for a five minute tryout time slot.

Photo of the Week
One of the dancers from the Arapaho Tribal Nation dances for students at the all school assembly on March 24th. The visit and assembly renew the friendship and relationship between the Arapaho people and the high school. Photo by Mark Gutman/Arapahoe Herald.