November 17, 2006

Thursday Classes on Tuesday
AHS will be running a Thursday class schedule on Tuesday, November 21st in order to balance out the number of Tuesday/Thursday class periods that meet during the semester.

No School Wednesday Through Friday
There will be no school next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (November 22nd, 23rd, and 24th) due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Community Forum on Hunger
Arapahoe's Amnesty International Club and the Art Club have teamed up to present a Community Forum on Hunger this Monday, November 20th from 6:30-9:00 pm in our cafeteria. Tickets are $5.00 each. Many of you may remember that two years ago we had a community forum on the Lost Boys of Sudan and, because of that evening, many schools in our district donated money to build a school in Southern Sudan, an area where the Lost Boys came from. The school has become a reality and will be completed in December. At that time a group of people, including Americans and Lost Boys, are going into Sudan, to put the finishing touches on the school (like wiring it for solar internet hook ups!) and to present the local village with a plaque from LPS. We have been given the charge to "name the school". On Monday night we will reveal three names and kick off a campaign, "Change for Change in Southern Sudan," people will put spare change in a milk jug with the name they like. The contest will finish the first week of December.

The original lost boys that were here two years ago will be here Monday night. John Abraham, the jeweler, will bring his jewelry as well. Thanks for your support and we hope to see you on Monday evening for a great presentation and all you can eat soup!

Post-Grad Center – Junior Appointments
Parents of Juniors: If your student missed his/her scheduled appointment in the Post Grad Center, it is not too late! Remind your student to stop by the Post Grad Center as soon as possible to reschedule and get introduced to Naviance Family Connection, our comprehensive college planning software. We make every effort to accommodate your student’s off hours and availability. Appointments are available into the 2nd week of December.

Second Semester Schedule Changes
Schedules for second semester will be distributed on Friday, November 17th during third hour (students without a third hour can pick them up from the Guidance Center). Students will then be able to come in to the Guidance Center on their unscheduled hours (until 2:30) from December 6th through 8th to discuss any possible schedule changes, or can schedule an appointment with their counselor the week of December 11th through 15th. Schedule changes will be made for the following reasons only: academic misplacement, over or under required hours, or conflicting classes on their schedule (two classes in the same period).

Department Spotlight – Business Department
VERY IMPORTANT DATE – mark your calendars! The Business Department will be offering the ICA Proficiency Exam on November 30th, after school from 2:30 to 4:00 pm in Rooms S2, S3 and S4. This exam is open to all freshmen and upperclassmen that have not yet taken ICA and have both strong typing skills (touch typing at 40+ words per minute) and knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Click here to access a handout of skills covered on the ICA Proficiency Exam. Interested students need to sign up in the Business Department to take the exam. If students pass the exam, they will enroll in the more advanced Computer Applications 1 course to complete their graduation requirement. Please contact Heather Greenwood or Caroline Swank with any questions regarding this exam.

Arapahoe DECA is off to its strongest start in years! More than 500 students attended the DECA BBQ during Homecoming week to kick off the year. Then in early November the DECA Dodge Ball tournament took place in the auxiliary gym and the turnout was unbelievable! After dueling the other highly spirited 21 student teams, the teacher team took home the title. Thanks for everyone who came out and supported DECA!

Club members recently competed at the 3rd Annual Chaparral Wolverine Invitational. Arapahoe had a very strong showing with first, second, and third place winners, as well as three fifth place winners. In addition, AHS DECA received the Overall Productivity Award which means they had the highest percentage of students place than any other school. District competition is right around the corner on November 28th in the Denver Tech Center. Thanks to all parents who have volunteered their time as judges during DECA practice nights and at district competition. We couldn’t do it without you.










FBLA has been busy also! In October, club officers attended a leadership conference at UNC in Greeley. Members also made Halloween goodie bags and delivered them to Children’s Hospital and went on a social outing at the Chatfield Corn Maze. This month members are busy collecting spare change during lunches and in business classes for their Adopt a Family program for the holidays. Members are also choosing areas to compete in from the 40+ competitions ranging from Job Interview to Computer Applications offered at District Competition in February.

Photo of the Week
The AHS Choir and Orchestra perform at Pearl Harbor on Veterans' Day 2006.

November 10, 2006

Football Playoff Game Tonight
Your Warriors football team will be hosting the 2nd round of playoffs this Friday, November 10th at Littleton Public Schools Stadium. They will be playing Douglas County with a game time of 7:00 pm. Tickets are on sale in the cafeteria from 10:30 am – 12:15 pm as well as at the gate. Admission prices are $5 for students and $7 for adults. No student passes will be accepted. Go Warriors!

AHS Toy Drive
Again this year, the Attendance Crew is coordinating a toy drive for students less fortunate. We would LOVE for all of you to join us in the fun!

Last year, our toy drive was extremely successful and rewarding. We were overwhelmed with the generosity of the Arapahoe staff, students and parents. We collected more than 1800 toys, and delivered 800 of them to Fletcher Elementary school in Aurora. We also provided toys to the Denver Indian Center, nine Littleton Public School families and four shelters. All of this was possible because of YOU!

The success of the toy drive over the last four years has brought lots of community interest. This year, we have “adopted” Ashley Elementary School in Denver. Ashley has 400 students who come from very loving families, but their parents struggle to provide the bare necessities. We are also reaching out to Denver Indian Health and Family Services to provide a new toy to children of these families. This is where Arapahoe can help. Our goal is that each child will receive a new toy from our toy drive.
There are many ways for you to be a part of this rewarding experience. We need lots of toys and gift wrappers. We are always happy to accept cash donations if you don’t have time to shop. We hope you will encourage ALL of your students to get involved as well! Last year, we were truly inspired by so many kids who cared. Student clubs, athletic teams, and individual classes contributed greatly to the overall success of the toy drive.

Once again, we have set a price range between $10 and $15 per toy. By keeping within this price range, we can guarantee that each child will receive an appropriate, new toy. Please do not wrap your toys. We will have an after school wrapping party on December 11th. Last year, close to 100 students, staff, and parents wrapped over 1000 toys in less than an hour - amazing! On December 18th, we will take one bus of students to deliver toys to the boys and girls at Ashley Elementary School in Denver.

If you have any questions or ideas, please call or come by the Attendance Office. Thank you so much for helping us spread a little ARAPAHOE holiday cheer!

Department Spotlight – Art Department
The AHS Art Department is pleased to once again have a display arrangement with the Frame-It-Up Frame Shop. Nancy and DJ Hallowell [owners] have set aside a portion of their store to prominently display work monthly from an AHS senior student artist. They graciously matte and frame the artwork and feature a new student each month. September’s student of the month was John Van Nest, October’s student was Jessica Ng, and November’s student is Ali Weaver (This is Ali’s work).

Caley Kolb will be featured in December with Kristen Hosek starting the new year in January. A reception will be held in the late spring for all of the featured artists. A huge thank you goes to Frame-It-Up from the Art Department!

AHS student artists will have work on display at the ESC building in December. We welcome you to stop by and see the work displayed in the lobby.

Photo of the Week
Choir and Orchestra students perform a collection of patriotic songs for second graders on Tuesday, November 7th. The performance was a preview of the show they are presenting at Pearl Harbor on Veterans’ Day. Photo by Kirby Matthews/Calumet.

November 3, 2006

Soccer and Football Playoffs This Weekend
The boys’ soccer team will play Smoky Hill at Englewood High School Saturday, November 4th, in the State Semi-Finals. Game time is 12:15 pm. Admission prices will be $7 for adults and $5 for students.

The football team will play Highlands Ranch in the first round of playoffs this Saturday, November 4th at Shea Stadium. Game time is 1:00 pm. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for students.

Winter Sports Registration
Winter sports registration will take place the week of November 6th - 10th at 2:30 pm in Room S3. Wrestling will be done on Monday, November 6th, boys’ and girls’ basketball will be on Tuesday, November 7th and girls’ swimming and diving will be on Wednesday, November 8th. Late registration will take place on Friday, November 10th at 2:30 pm in the Athletic Office. Registration packets are available for pick up in the Athletic Office. If this is your first sport for the 2006-2007 school year, you will need to complete the blue “revised” long registration form and an emergency card. Your physician will need to sign your registration card clearing you for practice. If you participated in a fall sport and your physical is current, please complete the blue short form as the Athletic Office has your physical on file. Do not delay your registration process or it will hinder your participation in conditioning and tryouts for the winter season!

Department Spotlight – Technology Education Department
After a full day of learning, Journalism Day at Colorado State University ended with announcement of winners in the Colorado High School Press Association statewide 2006 sweepstakes contests. Nearly 1250 students representing 74 schools attended the event. Taking First in 5A competition was the Calumet from Arapahoe. The 2006 staff earned recognition in 10 of 12 separate categories including 1st in Photo Package, Index, Theme Development through Copy, Theme Development Through Design and Page Copy; 2nd in Feature Writing; 3rd in Portrait Section Design, Cover & Endsheets and Alternative Copy; and Honorable Mention in Theme Development Through Photography.

The 2006 Calumet has also been awarded a National Scholastic Press Association All-American and a Gold Medal from Columbia Scholastic Press Association. The book now goes into NSPA Pacemaker and CSPA Crown consideration.

Both the yearbook and newspaper won First Place in the 2006 Maestro Contest for planning and breadth of coverage on a single topic.

Also awarded were winners in student newspapers and broadcast. Arapahoe Herald, student newspaper, received recognition in 9 of 28 categories and Calumet, Too, the DVD supplement to the yearbook, was recognized in 5 of 10 categories.

Final date to purchase a 2007 yearbook is November 17th; student cost is $70. Subscriptions to the Arapahoe Herald are $15 and the newspaper is mailed to your home. Contact journalism at 303-347-6028 or ccrozier@lps.k12.co.us.

Video of the Week
Steve Spangler and Channel 9 visited AHS on Halloween morning to view some Chemistry experiments in Mrs. Marchino's class. They've now uploaded the video segment.

Photo of the Week
Students run through a dress rehearsal in preparation for the fall play, “1984,” which runs November 2 – 4, 2006 at 7 p.m.