AHS Weekly Warrior

May 11, 2007

2007-05-11T09:52:00.000-06:00

Final Exam Schedule
Friday, May 18
Period 1 MWF 7:25-8:50
Period 1 TR 9:00-10:25
Period 2 MWF 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Monday, May 21
Period 2 TR 7:25-8:50
Period 3 MWF 9:00-10:25
Period 3 TR 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Tuesday, May 22
Period 4 MWF 7:25-8:50
Period 4 TR 9:00-10:25
Period 5 MWF 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Thursday, May 24
Period 5 TR 7:25-8:50
Period 6 MWF 9:00-10:25
Period 6 TR 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Four and five hours classes (MTWRF, MWRF, MTWF) will schedule their final exams during the MWF exam time. Block classes will schedule their final exams during the first period that the block class meets and will not meet during the second period that the block class is scheduled

On each final exam day, students have the opportunity to be involved in six hours, 16 minutes of instructional activities, exclusive of lunch.

Supervised study areas will be provided for those students not engaged in exams. These areas will be open from 7:25-2:13 on each exam day. Students will sign in at the study areas (library, cafeteria, department office, selected classrooms). Attendance will be taken.

On May 18, 21, and 22, buses will run on schedule. On May 24 buses will leave at 12:10.

Arena Scheduling
Thursday, May 24 – Class of 2008
12:15-12:40 M
12:40-l:05 B, U, V
1:05-1:30 E, F, K, R
1:30-2:00 G, L, N, O
2:00-2:35 C, P, Q, T
2:35-3:10 D, H
3:10-3:50 S
3:50-4:35 A, I, J, W, X, Y, Z

Friday, May 25– Class of 2009
7:30-7:55 A, B
7:55-8:20 E, F, G
8:20-8:45 L, M
8:45-9:15 S
9:15-9:50 C, D
9:50-10:25 H, I, J, K
10:25-11:05 N, O, P, Q, R
11:05-11:50 T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Friday, May 25– Class of 2010
11:50-12:15 A, B
12:15-12:40 E, F, G
12:40-1:05 L, M
1:05-1:35 S
1:35-2:10 C, D
2:10-2:45 H, I, J, K
2:45-3:25 N, O, P, Q, R
3:25-4:10 T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Second Semester Grades
Final grades for second semester will be mailed to the student's home the week of June 4, 2007. They will be available on the LPS Campus Portal for each class as soon as that teacher enters them.

Department Spotlight – Science Department
The Science Department is wrapping up another great year. Our Chemistry Team will be participating in our annual Tie-Die where each Chemistry student will be able to create their own t-shirt in lab. It’s a fun event that our students really look forward to. We all want to again thank Roger Bates and Anne Purvis for their many years of service to Arapahoe High School as they will be retiring at the end of the school year. We hope to all continue the excellence that each of them have demonstrated over the years.

Final Weekly Warrior
This will be the final Weekly Warrior. Next year the content that typically appeared in the Weekly Warrior will be available via the new AHS website.

Photo of the Week
Girls’ lacrosse plays Kent on April 23rd.Photo by Haley Moore/Calumet.

May 4, 2007

2007-05-04T08:33:00.000-06:00

Graduation Tickets
Seniors should plan to pick up their tickets for Graduation on Wednesday, May 9th, in the cafeteria during both lunches.

2007-08 Calendar Online
You can now download (pdf) the 2007-08 AHS Calendar.

Student Council Election Results
Please congratulate the following students for being elected to represent your Student Council next year.

Class of 2008 - Executive Officers
President Melanie Rothman
Vice President Brooks Kanski
Secretary Alyson Schrock
Treasurer Shamita Punjabi
Publicity Officer Leigh Johnson

Class of 2008
President Dana Kimpton
Vice President Joseph Ruybal
Treasurer Jordan Kiszla
Publicity Officer Lily Nguyen

Class of 2009
President Spencer Zepelin
Vice President Aaron Walter
Secretary Abby Masters
Treasurer Dan Huh
Publicity Officer Adrienne Bouveron

Class of 2010
President John Moore
Vice President Lauryn Schrock
Secretary Maddy Gannon
Treasurer Andrew Okazaki
Publicity Officer Kiersten Peterson

Photo of the Week
A tennis player warms up for the final match of junior varsity black team on April 27th. Photo by Kara Johnson/Calumet.

April 27, 2007

2007-04-27T08:32:00.000-06:00

Prom and After Prom
Prom will be held on Saturday, May 5th, from 8:00 until 11:00 pm at the BelMar Center in Denver. Tickets are $35 each in advance, or $40 each at the door.

After Prom will be held on Sunday, May 6th, from 12:00 am until 5:00 am at AHS. Tickets are $10 each in advance, or $15 each at the door.

Family and Consumer Sciences News
Please be aware that a very important class was left off the master schedule for next year. Independent Living is offered second semester, 1st hour, on Tuesday and Thursday. This elective is perfect for all juniors and seniors looking to move out on their own in the near future. We cover information on careers, budgeting and finances, apartment rental, dealing with roommates, obtaining insurance, purchasing and maintaining a car, clothing care, and healthy eating and grocery shopping. Plan to take this great course next spring!

Two other classes that many of you might not be aware of are our year long courses in Interior Design and Fashion Design. These career oriented classes are offered on Monday-Wednesday-Friday and are 1st and 2nd hour. Students should sign up for both semesters at arena scheduling. Both courses are very project-oriented and are equivalent to an entry level college course. For more information on these two dynamic classes please refer to the Pathfinder or see Mrs. Rains in the Family and Consumer Sciences office.

Arapahoe Herald Online Again
The Arapahoe Herald is again available online.

Student Council Elections
Student Council Elections are coming up. Your vote counts! Bring your student ID and VOTE for your class officers and student body officers on Tuesday, May 1st. Voting booths will be open from 7:30 am - 2:30 pm in the cafeteria.

Department Spotlight – Performing Arts
The Performing Arts Department would like to thank everyone who attended The Music Man, our spring musical. It was a successful show and we were sold out all four nights. The year isn’t over yet and we have many upcoming performances.

May 1, 2 Company Show
May 9 Band Concert
May 15 Choir and Orchestra Concert
May 16 Performing Arts Department Awards Night

Auditions for Choir, Band and Company Classes are currently being held. Please contact Dr. Cannava 303.347.6031, Mr. Earley 303.347.6032 or Ms. Parmenter 303.347.6070 for further information.

Photo of the Week
Senior boys, aka Boy Toms, dance for students at the Spring Assembly on Friday, April 20th. Also at the assembly, spring sports captains talked about their seasons and several academic awards were announced. Photo by Rick Deming/Calumet.

April 20, 2007

2007-04-20T07:44:00.000-06:00

Assembly Schedule Today
The Spring Assembly will be on Friday, April 20th. Here’s the bell schedule:
Period 1 7:25 – 8:14
Period 2 8:19 – 9:08
Period 3 9:13 – 10:03
Period 4 10:03 – 11:32
1st Lunch 10:03 – 10:38

Class 10:43 – 11:32
Class 10:08 – 10:57

2nd Lunch 10:57 – 11:32

Period 5 11:37 – 12:25
Period 6 12:30 – 1:17
Pep Assembly 1:17 - 2:13

State ACT Testing Next Wednesday
All Juniors will take the state ACT next Wednesday, April 25th. Here’s the bell schedule:
7:25 AM JUNIORS REPORT TO ASSIGNED ROOM
7:25-11:00 AM JUNIORS TAKE STATE ACT
11:00-11:25 AM LUNCH IN CAFETERIA FOR JUNIORS

11:30 AM SCHOOL DAY FOR ALL STUDENTS BEGINS
11:30 – 11:53 AM PERIOD 1
11:58 – 12:21 PM PERIOD 2
12:26 – 12:49 PM PERIOD 3
12:54 – 1:17 PM PERIOD 4
1:22 – 1:45 PM PERIOD 5
1:50 – 2:13 PM PERIOD 6

Prom Talent Show
The Prom Talent Show will take place on Thursday, April 26th in the AHS Theater. You can see some of Arapahoe’s most talented students perform at the 5:00 pm or 7:30 pm show. Tickets for the Prom Talent Show cost $5 each and will be on sale from Monday, April 23rd through Thursday, April 26th in the AHS Cafeteria during both lunches.

Denver College Fair
Sophomores and juniors: Plan to attend the spring Denver College Fair that will be held on Sunday, April 29th from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the University of Denver Richie Center (located in the Gates Field House on the south side of the Richie Center). Approximately 180 colleges and universities participate. It is a great chance to meet college representatives and get lots of information.

April 13, 2007

2007-04-13T09:13:00.000-06:00

Wish Week
Wish Week was a huge success! Thank you to everyone for supporting our wish week events. We exceeded our goal of raising $8,000 dollars and we ensured that Caley’s wish for a hot tub will come true. We will be donating over $10,000 to the Make A Wish Foundation.

Student Council Elections
Elections will take place on Tuesday, May 1st. A mandatory intent-to-run meeting will take place in the forum on Tuesday, April 17th at 7 am. All interested candidates must attend this meeting. Elections will be held for class officer and student body officer positions. Students who have been active members or officers in student council are eligible to run for an office position.

Prom Package Raffle Tickets
The band is selling prom raffle tickets during both lunches through April 20th. Download the pdf for more information.

Art Attack
The 3rd Annual "Art Attack" is the week of April 17 - 21. Please come join us in celebrating our talented Arapahoe artists at the Awards Reception on Tuesday, April 17, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the Theater Hallway. Awards will be given in twelve different categories in addition to Principal's Choice, Superintendent's Choice and Board Members Choice. The Art Department, on behalf of all of our Arapahoe artists, thank the PTO for sponsoring this annual event and providing awards for outstanding work. We truly are an Arapahoe family!

This painting is by Kelly Hanson.

Continental League Art Show
Excellent artwork from high school students in our Continental League, which includes 14 high schools, will be on display at the Curtis Art and Humanities Center, located on 2349 E. Orchard Road in Greenwood Village. The show runs April 19 - 28, 2007. A reception for the artists and the public will be on Thursday evening, April 19, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Don't miss this show of excellence!

Department Spotlight – Media Center
The library has begun a project geared to support reading and promote literacy by creating personalized “READ” posters. The hope is that over time, all staff members will be pictured with a book of their choice. The book might be a personal favorite, a title that began their love for books and reading, or a book that represents one of their interests. Posters will be displayed not only in the library but throughout the school.

April 6, 2007

2007-04-06T08:58:00.000-06:00

Muse Showcase
The Muse, Arapahoe’s literary arts magazine, is in its fifth fabulous year of publication, and will be celebrating the artists and writers of Arapahoe on Tuesday Night, April 10th in the Forum of Arapahoe High School. We will be having snacks from 6:30 to 7:00, with the showcase starting at 7:00.

Our famously talented artists and writers will have a chance to read their poems or parts of their stories, or explain their artwork, which will be shown on the big screen. This is the main event of the year to recognize the creative minds of Arapahoe, and we invite you all to attend and enjoy the amazing work of our students! This year’s edition features artwork, stories, and poems from over fifty Arapahoe students who have made a stunning collection of creative work, including thirteen full color pages of artwork inside, a full-color cover, with black-and-white artworks carefully placed among ten great stories and lots of brilliant poems. This work represents every class in the school, from freshmen to seniors. The Volume 5, 2007 edition of The Muse will be available for purchase at the Showcase, or by contacting Steve Miles at spmiles@lps.k12.co.us. Mark your calendar for the Showcase - see you Tuesday April 10th!.

Senior Class Gift
The senior class proudly announces its senior gift - a cultural exchange with the Wyoming Indian High School. On April 26th and 27th, thirty-five Arapahoe High School students and staff will strengthen the bond we have with the Arapaho Indians on the Wind River Reservation. This exchange was proposed and implemented by our senior class officers, Aryn O’Donnell, Lizzy Haskins, Chantal Bouveron, Justin Allen, and Jenni Sneden. Thank you, Class of 2007, for your leadership and forethought; you leave a valuable legacy with Arapahoe High School and the Wind River Reservation.

Career Day
Arapahoe will be hosting Career Day on Tuesday, April 10th. Over 100 speakers will be coming to share their expertise with our students. Each student had the opportunity to request which careers they would like to learn more about and received a schedule for Career Day today. Each student will be able to attend three different sessions. Visit the Arapahoe Web Site for the bell schedule for the day.

College Entrance Test Preparation
Arapahoe’s Naviance Family Connection has links to wonderful tools to help your student prepare for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. To get to these links, go to Naviance and login. Then, in the menu on the left side of the screen, scroll down to the “From Your School” section, click on “resources” and go to “Test Prep”.

Photo of the Week
Events during Wish Week, April 2-6, raised over $10,000. Wednesday evening’s event was a concert by Bobblehead Buddha. Photo by Janie Williamson/Digital Photography.

March 23, 2007

2007-03-23T11:09:00.000-06:00

No School Next Week
There will be no school next week, March 26th – 30th, due to Spring Break.

AHS Tom-Toms Informational Meeting
The Arapahoe Tom-Toms Poms/Dance Team will hold an informational meeting on Thursday, April 12th at 7:00 pm in the Forum.

“My Baby’s Graduating” Ads
The staff of the Arapahoe Herald reminds senior parents that the deadline for "My Baby's Graduating" ads is April 2nd; this is immediately after Spring Break. The ads will be run in the May issue. An order form was included in the latest Drumbeat (parent newsletter) on the last page. You can also print the order form by using this link.

If you have questions, you may contact the Arapahoe Herald at 303-347-6028 or arapherald@comcast.net.

Wish Week
Student Council is presenting the 6th annual Wish Week April 2nd – April 6th at Arapahoe High School. This year we have adopted a 7 year old girl named Caley who has Osteogenesis Impefecta. Her wish is to have a hot tub. We are attempting to raise $8000 to make sure that Caley’s wish comes true. We have several events throughout the week to raise the money beginning with a concert on Tuesday April 3rd in the Theater. The CU Buffoons, an all male acappella group, will be performing. On Wednesday, April 4th, there will be concert performed in the cafeteria by Arapahoe’s own Bobblehead Budda. This is a band made up of students from AHS. On Thursday, April 5th, we will have the traditional Seniors vs. Staff basketball game in the Gym. All ticket prices are $3 for students and $5 for adults and all the proceeds go directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Any donations can be sent to Arapahoe High School, 2201 East Dry Creek Rd, Centennial, CO 80122. Any donations are tax deductible and checks should be made out to Arapahoe High School – Wish Week. We appreciate your support for this great cause.

Choir Auditions
Auditions for the 2007-2008 AHS Choirs will be held during the week of April 23rd. Audition information and sign up sheets are available in the choir room. Please see Ms. Parmenter for further information.

Parent and Student Survey
Parents and Students - we need your input! Your voice is important to help us be the best we can be! Please take the Arapahoe High School Survey available online March 1st – April 15th.

Parent Survey

Student Survey

March 16, 2007

2007-03-16T07:43:00.000-06:00

Bring Your Parent To School Night – Democracy in Afghanistan
On April 23rd, the AHS Social Studies Department, along with Amnesty International is sponsoring a Bring Your Parent To School Night. The focus of the evening will be on the election process in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban. The evening begins at 6:30 pm in the AHS Theater with a viewing of A Hell Of A Nation, a 45 minute documentary produced at Stanford University, which shows how elections were conducted after the Taliban fell from power. After the viewing the president of Denver's Muslim League, Muhammad Noorzai, who is from Afghanistan, will speak about democracy in the Islamic world. Many of our students have been reading The Kite Runner and this evening will be a nice opportunity for them to ask questions about Afghanistan.

Parent and Student Survey
Parents and Students - we need your input! Your voice is important to help us be the best we can be! Please take the Arapahoe High School Survey available online March 1st – April 15th.

Parent Survey

Student Survey

Spring Sports Schedule Online
The spring sports schedule is available online. Please keep in mind that – due to weather – the schedule changes frequently.

Department Spotlight – Family and Consumer Sciences Department
The Family and Consumer Sciences department is excited to have Mrs. Kristi Mize student teaching with us this semester. Kristi is originally from Texas and is finishing her degree at Johnson & Wales University in Family and Consumer Sciences Education. The main class that she is working with is Independent Living, but she is also working with the Cultural Foods, Interior Design and Fashion Design students. Currently Kristi is working on a project with the Interior Design II students teaching them about Sustainable Design – a growing trend in the industry. She also completed a fun Feng Shui project with them. Cultural Foods will be studying German cuisine next and will enjoy a visit from Chef de la Torre from Johnson and Wales. They will also be enjoying chef demonstrators from both Johnson and Wales and the Colorado Institute of Art in the near future. Kristi is doing a great job and we will miss her when she leaves us in May! Jenner Lewis, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, recently attended WAIT Training. This is a nationwide program highly recognized for teaching abstinence. Jennifer attended free of charge thanks to a grant and has found the information invaluable for both her Teen Choices and Relationship classes. Our FCCLA chapter took dinner to Sacred Heart House last Friday night. This is a shelter in Denver for homeless women and their children. It is a great experience for our chapter and an opportunity to learn about homelessness and the services that this unique shelter provides. We also took games as a donation for the children in the house to play with. The students served spaghetti, tossed salad, garlic bread, pop, and cookies. Students are now preparing for our state conference in April. Good job FCCLA!

March 9, 2007

2007-03-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

CSAP Next Week – March 12th – 15th
Visit this page for the schedule and all the details.

Parent and Student Survey
Parents and Students - we need your input! Your voice is important to help us be the best we can be! Please take the Arapahoe High School Survey available online March 1st – April 15th.

Parent Survey

Student Survey

The Arapahoe Warrior Special Olympics Basketball Team Finished 10-0
“Ten and 0!” that’s what the members of the Arapahoe Warrior Special Olympics Basketball team are saying after their recent defeat of Mountain Vista High School during the March Madness 2007 Tournament. The coed team, organized by Special Education teacher Sheila Pepe and coached by her husband, Rich Pepe, is composed of Special Education players and AHS student partners.

“It was our first undefeated season!” said head coach Pepe.

The players and partners really came together as a team and played some terrific basketball,” said one of the volunteer assistant coaches. Special thanks to our three assistant coaches: Trux Simmons, Cheryl Stinson and Frank Louder.

So congratulations to the Arapahoe Warrior Special Olympics Basketball Team and a special thanks to the volunteers, parents and supporters who made this year, 2007, the team’s finest season yet. Look for a trophy commemorating this achievement in the school’s awards area soon. Join us next season!

Working With Students With OCD: Strategies for Parents & Teachers
All parents and teachers are invited to attend a presentation which is co-sponsored by the LPS Gifted & Talented Advisory Council, LPS Twice-Exceptional Task Force and the Special Services Advisory Committee. It’s titled “Working with Students with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder): Strategies for Parents & Teachers.” It’s scheduled for Monday, March 19th, 2007, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the ESC Board Room. The speaker is Dr. Judy Reaven of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and Director of the Autism & Developmental Disorders Clinic of JFK Partners. Space is limited so contact Barb Bolen at 303-347-3475 to register. Call Melinda Ness, LPS Coordinator for Gifted & Talented with questions at 303-347-3477.

Department Spotlight – Business Department
Exciting things are happening in the AHS Business Department! We are pleased to announce that we will be offering several new courses next year to help prepare students for college and a possible career in business.

New marketing classes include Sports & Entertainment Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Both of these courses are for juniors and seniors that have taken one year of marketing coursework. New technology courses include Web Design I and Web Design II. These two courses are open to students in grades 9-12.

Please click on this link (pdf) to review the detailed course descriptions for these new courses along with all other business courses in the newly published 2007/2008 Pathfinder.

Another exciting opportunity for all students who enrolled in our Personal Finance class this year is coming soon! The Colorado Business Bank in Littleton will be sponsoring a $1,000 college scholarship each year for an AHS senior that successfully completes this course. Scholarship application information will be available early in April. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to help finance your college education.

Students who believe they are eligible for a Business Department Certificate of Proficiency may pick up an application in the business office starting in April. Certificates of proficiency are awarded to students who have earned a grade of B or better in a series of business classes. These certificates include Business Management, Business Technology, Accounting and Marketing. These certificates are impressive credentials on college and job applications. If you need more information, please contact the business department.

Our clubs have been very busy competing. DECA, an association of marketing students, qualified 47 students to attend state competition at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs at the end of February. Congratulations to the three National DECA qualifiers who will compete in Orlando, Florida in April.

FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, had 57 students compete in district competition in February at Johnson and Wales University. 42 members placed in the top ten of their competitive categories. Congratulations to the 17 members who qualified for state competition in Vail in April.

Photo of the Week
Spring sports have begun! The first varsity baseball game is March 9th at Cherokee Trail at 3:30 p.m. Photo by Madison Fletcher/Calumet.

March 1, 2007

2007-03-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

No School on March 2nd
There will be no school on Friday, March 2nd, due to Parent/Teacher Conferences.

Class of 2011 Freshmen Showcase on March 5th
The incoming Freshmen Class of 2011 and their parents are invited to attend the Freshmen Showcase Evening scheduled for Monday, March 5th in the AHS Gymnasium at 7:00 pm. Information regarding academic, athletic, and activity programs at Arapahoe will be shared. The evening is a great introduction to life at AHS. Download more information.

Basketball State Playoffs
The Girls Basketball team won Wednesday night and will play Highlands Ranch on Friday, March 2nd at 7:45 pm at the Denver Coliseum.

The Boys Basketball team won last Saturday and will travel to the Budweiser Event Center on Thursday, March 1st, to play Monarch High School. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:10 p.m.

Department Spotlight – Art Department
March is "National Youth Art Month" and our Arapahoe artists are celebrating by displaying their imagination and creativity at the Curtis Arts & Humanities Center, 2349 East Orchard Road. Their works of art will be on display all month with an Opening Reception on Thursday, March 1, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy!

The 3rd Annual Arapahoe "Art Attack" will be April 17th – 21st in the Theater Hallway. This is a show exclusively for the students of Arapahoe High School sponsored by our Arapahoe PTO. This is our "show of shows" for the year which provides recognition for our students as well as prizes for outstanding work. Students may enter two pieces of artwork in the following categories: Acrylic painting, Watercolor painting, Jewelry, Sculpture & Ceramics, Black & white photography, Colored photography, Digital photography, Printmaking, Black& white drawing, Colored drawing, Design, and Multi Media. The entry deadline is Friday, April 6th. "Best of Show" will be awarded in each category plus Superintendent's Choice and Principal's Choice. This is a celebration of both the wonderful work of our students and an opportunity to share with the public our department and art curriculum. We invite you to join us at our Reception and Award Ceremony on Tuesday, April 17th at 7:00 p.m!

Every year selected pieces of artwork are displayed at the Southglenn Public Library for a year. A panel from the library selects these chosen pieces of artwork during our "Art Attack" display. Students are notified and invited by the library to a special reception in their honor. This is a wonderful partnership we have established with the library and such a wonderful way to showcase our talented Arapahoe artists!

The "best of the best" are selected to represent their school at the 2007 Continental League High School Fine Arts Show at the Curtis Arts & Humanities Center. The show will be April 19th – 28th with a special reception on Thursday, April 19th from 5:30 -7:00 p.m. The show is sponsored by the Continental League High School Activities Division of CHSAA. Congratulations to our super elite artists of Arapahoe!

The Art Department is delighted to again have a partnership with DJ and Nancy Hallowell of the "Frame It Up" gift and frame shop located across the street from Arapahoe. Each month an outstanding Senior artist was featured with their framed work (compliments of the "Frame It Up") on display for that month. On Thursday evening, May 17th, the "Frame It Up" will host a year-end celebration for nine outstanding artists, family and friends from Arapahoe. Come celebrate with us and join us in thanking DJ and Nancy and their staff for supporting the visual arts in our community!

Photo of the Week
Students participate in the dance portion of auditions for the spring musical “Music Man.” The theatrical production will be performed for audiences April 18th-21st. Photo by Megan Dawley/Calumet.

February 23, 2007

2007-02-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday, March 1st, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. For everyone’s convenience, we are asking for parents to make every effort to meet with teachers as follows:

Students with last names starting with

A-M between 4:00 and 6:00 pm

N-Z between 6:00 and 8:00 pm

Teachers with last names beginning with A-H will be in the Auxiliary Gym, those with last names beginning with I-Z will be in the Main Gym.

No School on March 2nd

There will be no school on Friday, March 2nd, due to Parent/Teacher Conferences.

Informational Meeting about Taking College Courses at AHS

Attention sophomores and juniors! Are you interested in taking college courses next school year while you’re still enrolled at AHS? If so, you must attend a mandatory informational meeting on Wednesday, February 28th during first or second lunch in the forum. Please see your counselor if you have any questions!

Department Spotlight – Technology Education Department

The Technology Department is in full swing for the spring. We will be breaking bridges, racing CO2 racecars and flying planes this spring. The new equipment and computers in the Tech Lab are up and running with students designing house floor plans, web pages, creating mechanical CAD models, digital commercials and programming robots. All of the computer programs found in Tech Studies use industry-standard software and state-of-the-art equipment. What a great opportunity for a high school student! Come and see the new lab.

The student club, Technology Student Association, is gearing up for the state competition in April. TSA members will compete in Bridge design, CAD drafting, Architectural models, Prepared Presentation, CO2 Dragsters, and in many other technology related areas. Good luck to all of the students competing this spring.

Photo of the Week

Track practice. Photo by Lindsay Hess/Calumet.

February 16, 2007

2007-02-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

No School on Monday
There will be no school on Monday, February 19th, in observance of the Presidents’ Day holiday.

Dry Creek Dixie Dawgs
The Dry Creek Dixie Dawgs would like to invite you to a fun night of traditional jazz on Tuesday, February 20th from 6:30 until 8:30 pm. It will be a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Celebration! This will take place at the new Copper Fox Pub (NE Corner of S. Holly and County Line – in the King Soopers Shopping Center). Come have dinner and enjoy all the great traditional jazz music by our Downbeat Music Magazine’s nationally recognized combo – The Dry Creek Dixie Dawgs! Hope to see you next Tuesday night!

Department Spotlight – Social Studies Department
As an ongoing project, many students from Arapahoe High School have teamed up with Project Education Sudan to build a secondary boarding school in the state of Maar, Sudan. This year for the second time, students solicited auction items for a Gala Dinner and Silent Auction. This year’s guest speaker was Victoria Butler, a correspondent for NPR and Time Magazine, as well as co-author of the book, Sudan: The Land and the People. Victoria’s husband, Timothy Carney, was the last standing ambassador to Sudan. The event was a huge success. A team from Project Education Sudan gave a report on their recent trip, where they finished building the school and Arapahoe has been so vital in supporting, they even installed solar panels and were able to send AHS students an e-mail from the site. This year, students helped raise over $10,000 to sustain the school, which AHS students named Hope Academy. The Amnesty International club would like to thank all those who help to support this cause. To see photos of the building, see the bulletin board by room C-6.

Photo of the Week
A junior holds the hand of a friend while she donates blood at the Blood Drive on February 25th. Photo by Mackenzie Lanphear/Calumet.

February 9, 2007

2007-02-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

CSAP Is Coming March 12th – 15th!
CSAP tests are fast approaching. For all the details, visit the AHS Web Site.

My Baby’s Graduating Ads
Arapahoe Herald, the student newspaper, will unveil Arapahoe’s very first “My Baby’s Graduating” ads in the May issue. These ads will recognize graduating seniors, Class of 2007. Cost for the ad is $30 and includes one photo and a message of up to 15 words. Check your March Drumbeat for detailed information, or you can download a pdf.

Deadline for “My Baby’s Graduating” is April 2, 2007. Questions can be directed to 303-347-6028 or arapherald@comcast.net.

Department Spotlight – Science Department
The Science Department is enjoying another great year at Arapahoe. At the end of the year we will have two long-time teachers of Arapahoe retire; Anne Purvis and Roger Bates. Their leadership and expertise will be missed!

We will have a new procedure for placement of Freshmen students in Biology. The Math Department and Science Department have teamed together to create the Math/Science Audition Test. The test will take place March 10th at 9:45 am and March 15th at 3:30 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Jesse Craig, Science Department Chair.

Photo of the Week
Arapahoe athletes get their picture taken after signing their college letter of intent.

February 2, 2007

2007-02-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Spring Sports Registration February 12th – 14th
Registration will take place in room S-3.

Boys & Girls track, Monday, February 12, 2:30-3:30 pm
Baseball & Boys swimming, Tuesday, February 13, 2:30-3:30 pm
Girls tennis, Soccer & Golf, Wednesday, February 14, 2:30-3:30 pm

Registration packets are available for pick up in the Athletic Office.

If this is your first sport for the 2006-07 school year, you will need to complete the “long” blue registration form and an emergency card. Your physician will need to sign your registration card clearing you for practice.

If you participated in only a Fall sport you will still need to stop by and pick up a “long” blue registration form as the Athletic Code of Conduct changed during the Fall season and the Revised Code must be signed by all athletes and their parents before conditioning and tryouts can begin.

If you competed in a Winter sport and your physical is current, please complete the “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 spring season!

There is a $100 fee for participation in each sport. A $200 individual maximum and a $300 family maximum is given for each school year. DO NOT BRING PAYMENT TO REGISTRATION! You will be billed for the athletic fee.

If you have any questions, please contact the Athletic Office at 303-347-6021.

Student Council Blood Drive
Student Council will work with The Children’s Hospital as we sponsor the GIVING PINTS FOR HALF-PINTS BLOOD DRIVE on Thursday, February 15th. Students 16 years and older can sign up to donate during lunch hours February 8-13th. Sixteen and Seventeen year olds will need parent permission.

Career Day
A Career Day will be held at Arapahoe High School the morning of Tuesday, April 10th, and attendance is required. Students will be attending three (3) different career presentations of their choice.

A list of careers is available for review. The careers are listed in alphabetical order and some are abbreviated. Look over all listings before making your selections.

Following the Instructions for Career Day Requests, students will pick their top four (4) career choices that they want to learn more about, and then a second set of six alternatives. The computer will try to schedule from the top four choices. If a student doesn’t get three of those scheduled, then Ms. Messer will try to schedule them into one of your six alternate requests. If students do not mark at least ten (10) careers, they run the risk of being scheduled into a session in which they are not interested.

Students may enter their career choices February 6 - February 12, 2007. They cannot do this from the regular LPS Campus Portal, but only from the special Career Day Portal.

Department Spotlight – Physical Education Department
The Physical Education Curriculum is being revised this year. The last curriculum update was in May, 1998. Arapahoe is proud to have 2 representatives on the committee: Katie Abner & C.J. Crow. The committee is working on adding new classes. Arapahoe is awaiting board approval in April to add classes to next years schedule including an Adventure Education class.

The Physical Education Department would like to thank the Toms and their Booster Club for 2005-06 & 2006-07 for donating and installing a new wood floor in the Cardio Room. The club donated its fundraising money for the last 2 years. The room is used during the day for Physical Education classes and after school by the Toms for practice. The following girls helped with donations: Shannon Adler, Ashley Babb, Marina Barrett, Cayla Berry, McKenna Brink, Anna Fazio, Molly Fleming, Meghan Haag, Kaelin Pilkington, Hannah Porter, Tylee Ragsdale, Tracy Sales, Makenzie Schrag, Ashley Seastone, Hailey Siebold, Aubrey Tidwell, Mackenzie Wilcop. Did you know February is American Heart Month?

Heart disease is the number one killer of adults in the United States. Visit the American Heart Association for information on preventing heart disease. Friday, February 2nd is wear Red Day for Heart Health Awareness.

Photo of the Week
From the 2007 Faculty Dance.

January 19, 2007

2007-01-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Iraq Troop Materials Drive
Key Club is collecting materials for troops in Iraq through February 1st. There are boxes in classrooms that have lists of items, from basic things like liquid hand soap, baby wipes (very handy for the dry, dusty climate), whole bean coffee, and microwave popcorn, to items like DVDs and CDs and board games, and magazines. Include anything that would fit in a box and would cheer up the troops. Key Club’s sponsor group, Kiwanis Club, is taking care of the mailing once the items have been collected. This is the third year of the drive for materials by the Key Club, and we hope to make it the most successful in terms of numbers of items sent to Iraq. Help from the students, staff, parents and Kiwanis is greatly appreciated.

PSAT Results
If you took the PSAT, the results are in! You can pick your results up in the Guidance Center.

Aspen Grove Gift Cards
Aspen Grove will be offering the same gift card plan during the month of February that they did in December. During the month of February, shoppers will be given the opportunity to buy Aspen Grove Gift Cards in any amount from $5 to $500 with no activation fee and, by mentioning the Littleton Public School Foundation, Aspen Grove pledges to donate ten-percent of the total gift card purchases to the Foundation. The donations from December are approximately $1,700. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Department Spotlight – Math Department
The Math Department will be offering first semester of Algebra 1 during this current second semester for students who need to repeat this course. The class is offered periods 4 and 5. Mrs. Jan Wright will teach this class. Students who are successful with this course could choose to take the second semester of Algebra 1 in summer school and be back on track for geometry in the fall.

Arapahoe math students continue to have the opportunity to participate in competitions. AHS is currently 4th in the state in the Colorado Math League Competition. Our team had a perfect score on the most recent CML. The next CML is scheduled for February 6th. The AMC- A exam is coming up on February 2nd. AHS is participating in the National Assessment Exam for the first time. The next exam in this series is February 1st. See Mrs. Lobser or Mrs. Blechschmidt for details.

Photo of the Week
A student practices Floor Hockey in the small gym in his physical education class. Photo by Patrick Kramer/Calumet.

January 12, 2007

2007-01-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

First Semester Final Grades
Due to the snow days and optional make-up of final exams, final first semester grades are not due until 3:00 pm today. While most grades are probably already posted, you can check the LPS Portal for all grades after 3:00 pm.

No School on Monday
There will be no school on Monday, January 15th, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Thank You
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who so generously participated in the toy drive. AHS Toys for Tots was very successful again this year! The AHS community donated more than 1200 toys this year along with cash donations. We delivered nearly 400 wrapped toys to Ashley Elementary in December. There were smiles all around from the Ashley children and staff and all of the AHS students and staff who helped to deliver the toys. Ashley gave us a beautiful THANK YOU poster signed by every student. It is hanging on the south side of the Cafeteria. The Denver Indian Health and Family Services Center also received more than 400 toys. And, because of your generosity, four local shelters and four families received much needed help for the holidays. None of this would be possible without your support. Every one of the staff at Ashley thanked us for helping “their” kids. The social worker who was the liaison for the school said she is usually sad at this time of year because the children have very little. But this year she was happy and smiling because of the wonderful AHS community. It is very gratifying to be part of the Arapahoe family.

Winter Dance
Are you feeling a little bit of those January Back to School Blues?! Well, here’s a great way to beat them! Come to the 2007 Winter Dance! Sponsored by your AHS Cheers and Toms, the dance will be held on Saturday, January 20th from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the AHS Cafeteria. The theme is Winter Wonderland, and appropriate dress is semi formal. Jeans and shorts will not be allowed. Tickets will be on sale each day in the cafeteria during both lunches. The cost is $8/single and $15/couple. The cost will go up to $10/person at the door, so purchase your tickets early. Sophomores, juniors and seniors wishing to bring a guest that is not an Arapahoe student must pick up and complete a guest form available in the Dean’s Office. These forms are due no later than 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 17th. Freshmen may not bring guests that are not from AHS. Come support your AHS Cheers and Toms and have a great time at the 2007 Winter Wonderland Dance!

Department Spotlight – Media Center
The library has recently received a number of new books ranging from fiction, the classics, biography, and nonfiction. These are displayed in center of the library so as not to be missed.

We already owned many of the College Board’s 101 Great Books, but whatever titles we didn’t have were added to the collection. Included among these are Doctor Zhivago, Ellison’s Invisible Man, and Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Many of our sophomores read T. C. Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain in their Language Arts classes. To support the interest generated by this book, a number of titles were purchased with a Hispanic connection. Included among these is Coyotes: A Journey Through the Secret World of America’s Illegal Aliens by Ted Conover. With an updated preface by the author, this book really does offer an extraordinary point of view regarding this hotly debated topic.

For students who want to get a jump on understanding what will be expected of them in college, the Professor’s Guide to Getting Good Grades by Lynn F. Jacobs, Ph.D. and Jeremy Hyman, M.A. was added to the collection.

Of particular note among the new fiction is Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Although written for the teen/young adult audience, many adults will find this book depicting the horrors of World War II hard to put down. Narrated by Death personified, the story describes the life of Liesel, a young German girl, her foster family, the Jewish man they are hiding, and the lives of her neighbors. This is a unique book well worth reading, especially for readers interested in World War II history.

To open up the library a bit and make it feel more inviting, some shelving has been rearranged and tables moved. Be sure to drop by and see the changes.

Lastly, make the most use of our online subscription databases! Yes, everyone “Googles,” however, take your research to the next level by making use of the credible, reliable resources from EBSCO, eLibrary, Facts.com, Gale, and Unitedstreaming. There are few assignments that wouldn’t benefit from using these resources. We are continuing to evaluate other online resources options to see how these may meet the needs of our students – look for future additions to our online collection.

Photo of the Week
A bicycle that was left at school over Winter Break. Photo by Breann Leier/Calumet.

December 15, 2006

2006-12-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

First Semester Final Grades
Due to the availability of the LPS Infinite Campus Portal first semester report cards will not be printed and distributed. As final exam week progresses, grades for each course will begin appearing on the portal as teachers complete grading for the semester. While most grades will be available by the end of the day on December 21st, grades are not officially due until January 8th. You can simply view the grades online, or print them in a “report card” format (a report card will appear when you click the “Reports” link on the left side of the portal.)

If any student or parent does not have access to the Internet, or is having difficulty printing a report card from the portal, please stop by the Arapahoe Guidance Center. If you have not signed up for your Parent Portal Account, please download the forms you need, then bring the forms to AHS with photo identification.

Basketball Games vs. Heritage Date Change
Please note that the girls Sophomore, JV and Varsity basketball games against Heritage that were originally scheduled for Tuesday, January 9th have been moved to Monday, January 8th. The Sophomore team will play at 4:00 pm, followed by the JV at 5:30 pm and the Varsity girls will tip off at 7:00 pm. All games will be played in the Main Gym at Arapahoe High School. The boys teams will play Heritage Tuesday, January 9th at Heritage. Game times will be both the Sophomore and JV teams playing at 5:30 pm followed by the Varsity at 7:00 pm.

Last Weekly Warrior of the Calendar Year
The next Weekly Warrior will be published on January 12th, 2007.

Cyclist Competes in Belgium
Jim Lennon has been chosen by the US National coach to represent our country in the sport of cycling in Belgium over winter break. Jim will enjoy competing against the Europeans in Cyclocross racing. Let's all wish Jim good luck in Belgium!

Gifted Presentation
You are invited to attend a presentation on Monday, January 8th at 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Board Room at the Educational Services. This event is co-sponsored by the LPS Gifted & Talented Advisory Council, LPS Twice Exceptional Task Force, and the Special Services Advisory Committee. Speaker Dr. Jim Delisle, Professor of Special Education at Kent State University, where he directs the undergraduate and graduate programs in gifted education and noted author of several books on gifted education, will present “Giftedness: Living With It and Liking It.” This session is open to interested parents, teachers, administrators, and students in grades 5-8. Space is limited. It you would like to attend you must contact Barb Bolen at 303-347-3473 to register. If you have other questions, contact Melinda Ness, LPS Coordinator for Gifted and Talented at 303-347-3477.

Department Spotlight – Language Arts
Student submissions for the Muse have been coming in slowly this fall, like winter itself, so we’re extending our deadline for submissions until January 19th. Students should prepare for finals now, and think about that poem or story that needs revising one more time sometime over break. We look forward to reading all the creative work of Arapahoe students in early Spring semester, and still hope for a March publication date.

In November the Muse held a contest to see who would win four tickets to the Broncos-Chargers game, and made over five hundred dollars! Thank you to everyone who participated, and thanks especially to the parents who contributed donations and the tickets! We look forward to seeing you at our big event in March, the Spring Showcase!

The Arapahoe High School Speech and Debate team has grown and prospered! Our numbers have more than doubled since last year and we have competed in no less than seven tournaments so far this year, bringing home ribbons and trophies at every outing (Gateway High School Novice Tournament, Overland High School Novice Tournament, Regis Jesuit Novice Tournament, Chaparral Showdown, Creek-East Turkey Meet, and Cherry Creek After School Student Congress/ Congratulations go to all of our competitors! We are still accepting memberships for the 2006-2007 season, so interested students should stop by C-15 after school any Monday to find out what Speech and Debate is all about.

Photo of the Week
Students wrap gifts for the Toys for Tots project at Arapahoe. The toys will be delivered to Ashley Elementary on December 18th. Photo by Megan Dawley/Calumet.

December 8, 2006

2006-12-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

Arapahoe's 2005-06 SAR
The Colorado Department of Education released the 2005-06 school year School Accountability Reports on Wednesday (December 6th). Arapahoe once again received an excellent rating. Download AHS's SAR.

Final Exam Schedule
Final Exams will be given December 15, 18, 19, 20. The final exam schedule is listed below.

Friday, December 15
Period 1 MWF 7:25- 8:50
Period 1 T/R 9:00-10:25
Period 2 MWF 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Monday, December 18
Period 2 T/R 7:25- 8:50
Period 3 MWF 9:00-10:25
Period 3 T/R 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Tuesday, December 19
Period 4 MWF 7:25- 8:50
Period 4 T/R 9:00-10:25
Period 5 MWF 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Wednesday, December 20
Period 5 T/R 7:25- 8:50
Period 6 MWF 9:00-10:25
Period 6 T/R 10:35-Noon
Lunch 12:00-12:30
Study Time 12:30-2:13

Four and five hour classes (MTWRF, MWRF, MTWF) will schedule their final exams during the MWF exam time and will not meet during the T/R exam time. Block classes will schedule their final exams during the first period that the block class meets and will not meet during the second period that the block class is scheduled.

Each final exam day, students have the opportunity to be involved in six hours, fifteen minutes of instructional activities. Supervised study areas will be provided for those students not engaged in exams. These areas will be open from 7:25 until 2:13 on each exam day. Students will sign in at the study areas (Library, Cafeteria, Department Offices, and selected classrooms).

Buses will run on the regular schedule.

Freshmen/New Student Cramfest
Wednesday, December 13, 2:30-4:00 p.m., AHS Cafeteria.
Cramfest is a wonderful opportunity for new students and freshmen to learn about final exams at Arapahoe from their LINK Crew Leaders. The students have the chance to speak with teachers from each department regarding any questions they might have. We recommend that you encourage your freshman student to attend this valuable study session.

NO BUS TRANSPORTATION will be available following the event.

Aspen Grove Gift Cards to Benefit LPS Foundation
Once again this year, Aspen Grove will donate 10% of any gift cards you purchase between December 1st and December 31st to the LPS Foundation. Click here for the details.

Department Spotlight – World Languages
French Club will continue second semester - dinners and films to watch are being planned. We would like input from all French students! See Ms. Condon or Ms. Donaldson for more details.

Spanish Club will begin second semester. We encourage all Spanish students to become a part of this entertaining and educational experience. We will need to elect officers and have discussions about what kinds of things would be fun to do this year. See Ms. Di Sepio in the World Languages Office for more details.

Photo of the Week
Arapahoe won the Broncos Wives Food Drive, so some Broncos players, cheerleaders, and Miles the mascot came to visit. Photo by Scott Bullock/Calumet.

December 1, 2006

2006-12-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Parade of Lights
Your Warrior Marching Band will be one of the ten featured marching bands in Friday night’s Parade of Lights in Downtown Denver. The parade starts at 8 pm and will be televised live on Channel 9. Arapahoe is the 3rd band in the parade – we are unit #8. Good luck Warrior Marching Band!

Holiday Performance Schedule
Dec 1 7:00 am Singers Marie Callendar’s/Sertoma
Dec 2 6:00 pm Singers Easter Building/Creche Fest.
Dec 2 7:30 pm Singers Christkindl Market/Cherry Creek
Dec 6 6:30 pm Choir/Singers AHS Rehearsal
Dec 7 7:00 pm Choir/Singers AHS Concert
Dec 8 9:00 am Singers KEZW Radio
Dec 8 12:00 pm Singers ESC Holiday Luncheon
Dec 8 7:30 pm Singers Easter Building/Holiday dinner
Dec 9 9:30 am Singers Hammond’s Candies
Dec 9 12:00 pm Singers Elf Duty
Dec 9 7:00 pm Singers Easter Seals Camp/Holiday Party
Dec12 6:30 pm Singers Columbine Country Club
Dec 13 5th hour Singers AHS Caroling the Halls
Dec 15 2:00 pm Choralettes Johnson Adult Daycare
Dec 16 7:00 pm Singers Hanukah Hoedown/Private party
Dec 18 2:00 pm Choralettes Englewood Meridian/Asst. Living
Dec 18 6:00 pm Zoo Lights Denver Zoo Wild Lights
Dec 19 3:00 pm Singers Englewood Meridian/Nursing Home

Swim Team and Band Selling Trees
The best Christmas trees in town will be sold at Arapahoe High School. Premium #1 Fresh Frasier Fir trees will be on sale beginning Friday, December 1st through December 7th. Proceeds will benefit the AHS Boys’ Swim team and the Band. Our trees are priced below the competition and are better quality. See a swim team or band member for more information, or call 303-470-8622.

PLAN Test Results
PLAN results are in. If you took the PLAN test at Arapahoe, you can pick up your test results in the Guidance Department.

Photo of the Week
Congratulations to all of the DECA competitors who competed at the District 11 Competition yesterday. Out of the 66 Arapahoe competitors, we had 39 state qualifiers and 16 alternates. These students will have the opportunity to represent Arapahoe at the State Competition in February. Great Job Warriors and Good Luck at State!

November 17, 2006

2006-11-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

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

2006-11-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

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

2006-11-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

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.

October 27, 2006

2006-10-27T08:56:00.000-06:00

Senior Class Gift
The senior class announces its 2007 class gift—a service trip for the Arapaho tribe on the Wyoming Wind River Reservation, and we need your help. The costs of this trip are colossal, and though we have some money saved and will do fundraising, we want to give as much as possible to the project itself. Therefore, we are asking for donations to defer the transportation and rooming costs. If interested, please contact Mrs. Debbie Turner at (303) 347-6034 or Mrs. Kendra Ackerman at (303) 347-6050.

Taking College Courses While in High School
Attention juniors and seniors: Are you interested in taking college classes while you’re still enrolled in high school? If so, you must attend an informational meeting in the Forum on Friday, November 3rd during your lunch hour. Required paperwork and information will be distributed, so your attendance is mandatory. Please see your counselor if you have any questions.

AHS Technology Recommendations
We often get requests from students and parents regarding what computers, software, and other technology items they should purchase at home. We are not in the position of being able to recommend specific brands, models, software titles or exact specifications, but we can give some general guidelines about what to look for. Please be aware that Arapahoe High School and Littleton Public Schools are not telling you what you have to buy – we are simply giving some general recommendations - and we are not liable for any decisions you ultimately make.

What Computer Should I Buy?
We can’t make specific recommendations, but we have had good luck over the years with computers from Dell and Apple. From Arapahoe’s standpoint, the specifications – and the warranty – are more important than the particular brand.

What Operating System Should I Get?
In general, when you purchase a new computer you will get the latest and greatest operating system that runs on that platform. We use Windows XP Professional on the Windows side, and recommend the latest version of Mac OS X on the Macintosh side. There are a variety of versions of Linux available for those who are more technically oriented and want to go that route, but we do not have any experience with Linux. From Arapahoe’s standpoint, the operating system is not as important as the specifications and the software that you purchase.

What Specifications Should I Get?
This depends a lot on what you want to do with the computer. Unless you want to do something like video editing or high-end gaming, you don’t always need the fastest, most expensive equipment. The standard-sized hard drive (currently around 40 GB) is adequate for most people’s needs (if you want to do video editing you will want a much larger hard drive). You’ll usually save some money by getting a processor that is a couple of notches below the fastest processor available – the differences in speed are usually negligible. As far as RAM, we would recommend a minimum of 1 GB on either platform, and more if you can afford it. We would urge you to consider buying extended warranties for all manufacturers. If you have broadband Internet (see below), make sure you include the necessary networking equipment (often referred to as network adapters or network interface cards).

What Software Should I Get?
Again, this depends on what you want to do with the computer. Littleton Public Schools currently uses Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel - and Access on the PC) – a copy is on every computer – so it would be very helpful if you had Microsoft Office – or a program that is Office compatible – at home. Students can buy a student edition of Office for much less than the retail version – around $140 (or less). If you want to use some other software, it would behoove you to know how to save your documents in Office format if you want to edit or print them at school. Most programs will have a choice of file formats under the Save As option that is compatible with Office. This includes Microsoft Works, which ships standard on many Windows machines but whose native file format is not the same as Microsoft Office. There are also several pieces of free, open-source Office-compatible software available for local installation or on the web. (ThinkFree, OpenOffice, and GoogleDocs to name a few).

What Other Hardware Might I Want?
Students often need to work on documents both at school and at home, so they need a way to transport those documents back and forth. One possibility is via email – either through your ISP or via a web-based account. If it’s through your “regular” ISP email account, you will need to make sure that the web access is activated and that your student knows how to access the account via a web browser. Most web-based emails have recently increased their size limit for attachments (they were typically 2 MB, but now are often 10 MB), and files (particularly PowerPoint) are often larger than that.

In addition to email, we would recommend you consider some type of portable media that the student actually carries back and forth. There are currently two affordable solutions we would recommend – CD burners and USB Flash Drives. Most computers come these days with a CD-burner (usually known as a CD-RW drive), allowing you to burn approximately 650 MB of information on a CD. If you use a CD-R disc, you can only burn the information once. If you use a CD-RW disc, you can burn multiple times (most suggest less than 100 times). In either event, this works well since all of our computers have CD drives.

A better option would be a USB Flash drive that plugs into a USB port on the computer and then acts like a hard drive, allowing you to simply drag and drop files onto the flash drive or onto the computer. These come in a variety of sizes (and prices) and will work with most of our computers at school. The sweet spot currently appears to be the 1 GB flash drives, which usually can be found on sale for less than $25. Please note that you will want to make sure the flash drive does not require any specific software to be installed on the computer – since we can’t accommodate that on all of our computers – but simply works with the operating system out of the box (most of them do work this way).

We do not recommend floppy disks.

If you or your student would like to do any video editing, you will want to make sure your computer has a Firewire (IEEE 1394) card, appropriate software, and a DVD burner. You would also probably want to get a larger hard drive.

What About The Internet?
The Internet is a key resource for students and we highly recommend having access. In addition, we would strongly urge you to consider broadband Internet to facilitate their research and other online work. Most people in this area have a choice of DSL through Qwest or Cable Internet through Comcast, but you have to check with them regarding availability and pricing.

Department Spotlight – Social Studies Department
Shanna Hurt’s International Relations class and Amnesty International are sponsoring a Community Forum on Hunger in the World and our community. The event will take place on Monday, November 20th, from 6:30pm - 9:00pm. The cost is $5.00 for all-you-can-eat soup and a presentation from our International Relations class regarding hunger in the world and the Denver metroplex. People are encouraged to bring canned food to help area food banks.

Once again the Social Studies Department will be hosting a number of veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and other conflicts on Veterans’ Day. Veterans will be speaking to the U.S. History classes throughout the day in the Forum. In addition to recognizing the contributions these people have made on our behalf, the students are able to hear personal accounts of the experiences.

For each semester over the last fifteen years, the Introduction to Law class has conducted a Mock Trial. Over the years, a number of local attorneys and judges have helped us to create a realistic setting and process. Brad Meyer’s Law students, with the help of Defense Attorneys Steve Katzman and Shay Whitacker and District Attorneys Natalie Decker, Brian Sukioka, and Effie Antonopolous, conducted a voir dire (jury selection) and trial before District 18 Judge Gerald Rafferty in his courtroom. The case, a modified version of a local felony murder case, resulted in a hung jury (although the prosecution will point out that they did have 29 guilty votes to the one not guilty vote for the defense). Additionally, the students were able to observe court proceedings including two high profile murder cases. We would like to publicly thank the attorneys, Judge Rafferty, the Arapahoe County District Attorneys office, and the District 18 Courthouse personnel for their help in making this such a positive experience.

Video of the Week
Channel 7 ran a short story on our single-gender classes (the link will play a short ad before the story).

October 18, 2006

2006-10-18T15:26:00.000-06:00

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences will be on October 18th and 19th from 4:00 - 7:30 pm in the main and auxiliary gymnasiums. As a school community, a core value we share is strong communication between Arapahoe High School and your home. All Arapahoe teachers, counselors and administrators have made a commitment to be in attendance both evenings. No appointments are necessary; however, we are suggesting that parents make every effort to meet with teachers as follows:

Students with last names starting with

A-M Wednesday, October 18th

N-Z Thursday, October 19th

In order to allow our teachers to effectively communicate with all parents, please honor the 5-7 minute time limit. As always, all teachers are available by appointment if your conference requires more time.

No School On October 19th and 20th
Due to an in-service day and parent/teacher conferences, there will be no school for students on October 19th and 20th.

PLAN Test
The PLAN test will be given on October 28th at Arapahoe High School from approximately 8:00-11:00 am. Interested sophomores should sign up for the PLAN test in the post graduate center. The test costs $20. Deadline for registering for the PLAN is October 26th. No reading materials or extra paper are allowed during testing.

Department Spotlight – Science Department
The Science Department is excited for this school year! Each team in our department has made changes to our curriculum to introduce a more student-centered classroom. We are already seeing evidence that this style will increase student learning in our department.

The Chemistry Team had their annual Mole Day on October 18th. The students engage in food and fun while learning more about the origin of Avogadro’s Number.

The Science Department would also like to encourage all students to take advantage of their unscheduled hours to get help from each of us.

Photo of the Week
Even though it was homecoming, students in Ms. Kakos' class are still hard at work on the laptops.

October 13, 2006

2006-10-13T12:58:00.000-06:00

College Fairs
On Saturday, October 14th from 10 – 2, Cherry Creek High School hosts an Out of State College Fair and a College Workshop for high school students and their parents. Approximately 250 colleges attend. This is a great opportunity for information gathering and meeting representatives from many out of state colleges and universities.

On Monday, October 16th from 6 to 7:30 pm, Heritage High School is hosting an In State College Fair in the Student Center. Meet with representatives from Colorado colleges and universities and learn about their academic programs, campus life and financial aid.

October 18th - Altered Schedule due to PSAT
LATE START FOR FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES AND SENIORS
Wednesday, October 18, 2006, will be an adjusted schedule for ALL AHS students due to the administration of the PSAT to our junior class.

Eleventh Grade Students registered for the PSAT will report to their assigned rooms at 7:25 AM.
PSAT Testing will be 7:25 AM – 10:25 AM
Lunch for test takers will be 10:25 AM – 10:55 AM

11:00 AM School Day for ALL STUDENTS begins
Period 1 11:00 - 11:28
Period 2 11:33 - 12:01
Period 3 12:06 - 12:34
Period 4 12:39 - 1:07
Period 5 1:12 - 1:40
Period 6 1:45 - 2:13

BUSES WILL RUN ON THE REGULAR DAILY SCHEDULE.

Students wishing to take the PSAT (the cost is $20) should visit the AHS Guidance Office to register.

Each year more than 400 Arapahoe Juniors take this nationally recognized examination, because it is a preparation for College Board examinations and can produce scholarship money as well as “National Merit Scholar” status. This exam is recognized throughout the country, and we are encouraging every AHS eleventh grader to take the PSAT.

We have received special approval to provide maximum opportunity for our Juniors. We are offering the examination during our school day rather than on October 21 the “Saturday National Test Day”. October 21 is not advantageous for our students. This is part of a four day weekend for our students due to Parent/Teacher Conferences and a non-school day.

Please call 303-347-6011 if you have any questions.

GoodSearch – Earn Money for AHS As You Search the Web
GoodSearch is an Internet search engine with a simple concept and unique social mission. GoodSearch enables you to help fund any of hundreds of thousands of charities or schools (including Arapahoe) through the simple act of searching the Internet. The company was founded by a brother and sister team who lost their mom to cancer and wanted to find an easy way for people to support their favorite causes.

It's simple. You use GoodSearch.com like any other search engine (they've partnered with Yahoo! to ensure great results), but each time you do, money is generated for Arapahoe High School. Last year search engines generated close to $6 billion in revenue from advertisers, now we can receive a piece of that.

We hope that not only will you consider using GoodSearch as your main search engine from here on out, but will also pass this message on to your friends and family. The more people who use this site, the more money will go to Arapahoe.

How to use GoodSearch in 2 Steps:

Click here (this will pre-populate Arapahoe High School) or here and type in Arapahoe High School, click verify, then select Arapahoe High School from the choices listed.
Search.

Your selection of Arapahoe High School will be saved on your computer. In the future, just visit GoodSearch and search. You may also want to add a bookmark/favorite and/or download the GoodSearch toolbar.

GoodSearch estimates that each search will generate approximately $0.01 for Arapahoe. If all 2100+ students and their families searched just twice a day, that would generate over $15,000 a year. Time will tell whether that estimate is reasonable, but even if it generates significantly less than that, every little bit helps. Please give GoodSearch a try and see what you think.

Department Spotlight – Physical Education
The Physical Education Department has had a few changes since May of 2006. The department had two teachers retire, Mr. Robert Sisler and Mr. Paul Nelson, after teaching over 30 years each. Mrs. Katie Abner had a baby boy, Andrew, on July 4th and continues to work ½ time. We are very happy to announce the hiring of Mr. C.J. Crow. Mr. Crow is a Colorado native and graduated from Greeley West High in 2000. He attended the University of Northern Colorado and graduated in 2005 with a major in Exercise and Sports Science with an emphasis in Physical Education and a Minor in Nutrition. While in college Mr. Crow ran Track where he was a six-time All Conference selection, 4x400 All-American, 5th in the 400m at USA Track and Field club Nationals, and an Academic All-American. He is currently coaching Freshman Football at Arapahoe and will be coaching Track in the spring. Welcome to Arapahoe.

The Littleton Public Schools is again hosting the Littleton Stride on Sunday, November 5th. Stride participants can run or walk in the 10Krun, 5k run, 5k walk or family fun run. The school with the most participants will receive money from the foundation for their physical education programs. Volunteers are also needed on the day of the race. You can email Marilyn Jauch at mjauch@lps.k12.co.us for more information. Race registration forms will be available in the women’s and men’s PE offices next week. Let’s try and get as many Arapahoe participants and their families as possible.

The Social Dance class takes place 6th hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students have been enjoying learning a variety of ballroom dances such as the Fox Trot and Swing. We will soon be learning to dance the Tango, Salsa, and Cha Cha as well as several dances from throughout the different decades. We are enjoying trying to dance like the rookies on “Dancing with the Stars.” If you want to learn more and participate in a very fun PE class, then please sign up for Social Dance next year.

Fitness facts:

Did you know that penguins can jump up to 6ft high?
10,000 steps a day is the goal to living a healthy and active lifestyle. That equals about 5 miles a day.

Photo of the Week
Jessica Ng has been selected as Art Student of the month for October. A framed piece of her artwork will be on display at the Frame It Up gift and frame shop across the street from Arapahoe. Congratulations Jessica!

October 6, 2006

2006-10-06T08:05:00.000-06:00

Link Crew Tailgate Party
Link Crew will be hosting a tailgate party on Friday, October 6th, prior to the Arapahoe vs. Mountain Vista football game. The fun starts at 4 pm in the West parking lot at Arapahoe. Come in black and gold and we will provide transportation to the football game (but not home). Bring $3 to get into the game and $2 if you want to buy dinner.

E-Mailing Attachments to Yourself
Some students have experienced difficulties when working on an attachment that they’ve emailed to themselves at school. When you download an attachment from your email, you want to save it to your server folder first, then open it from your server folder. If you choose to open it from your email, the document gets saved as a temporary file in your web browser, and then gets deleted when you exit your web browser. Please always choose to save it first, then exit out of your email and open it from your server folder.

DECA Dodgeball
Wednesday, October 25th, 6:00pm- 9:00pm, AHS Auxiliary gym
Sign up starting Monday, October 9th in the DECA store

$1 for an individual
$10 for a team (10 people per team)
$3 for spectators

And, yes, we anticipate having at least one teacher team . . .

Department Spotlight – Performing Arts
The Choir and Orchestra will perform their Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Concert Tour Preview Concert on November 7th at 7 pm in the theatre.

The Fall Play is "1984" and will be performed November 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Tickets are $5.00 and show times are at 7:00 pm.

Arapahoe Thespians will attend the Colorado State Thespian Conference on November 30th and December 1st and 2nd.

The Arapahoe High School Warrior Marching Band is currently ranked 2nd in the state out of all 5A bands! They will be performing at NAAC Stadium(Jeffco), at 4:15 pm, in Prelims. They will also perform again in the evening finals show (time to be announced after prelims). The Warrior Marching Band will also perform at the Metro Qualifying Marching Band Festival on Tuesday, October 10th at 7:45 pm. This will be conveniently located at LPS Stadium (at Littleton High School). On Saturday, October 14th the Warrior Band will perform at the Friendship Cup Marching Band Competition, at Englewood High School Stadium. Our prelims performance time is 5:00 pm. We will also perform in the evening Finals show (time to be announced).

Photo of the Week
Freshmen decorate Homecoming t-shirts at the Link sponsored decorating party after school on Sept. 27. Link Crew brought treats for the freshmen to enjoy while decorating their shirts with glitter and paint. At the Friday pep rally, freshmen sported their class color by wearing the gold t-shirts. Photo by Megan Dawley/Calumet.

September 29, 2006

2006-09-29T08:36:00.000-06:00

School Pictures
School pictures are here. Students need to pick them up in room E-8. These are the pictures that will be used in the 2007 yearbook so it is important for students to claim their photos and determine whether or not they wish a retake.

Retake date is Wednesday, October 4th from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This schedule covers both lunches as well as 3rd and part of 5th hour class times. Photographer questions can be answered by Daniel Reynolds Photographics at 303-346-2772.

Warrior Sculpture
The Class of 2005 is proud to present its gift to AHS. A bronze sculpture of the AHS warrior has been mounted on the west wall of the atrium in the study center.

The sculptor, Rik Sargent, spent the last year and a half creating a clay mold, having the bronze poured at a foundry, and adding a patina of colors. Brad Camp, an AHS parent, created the letters for the quote that runs next to the sculpture:

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have
imagined. - Henry David Thoreau

Department Spotlight – Mathematics
The Math Department is implementing the new mathematics curriculum in algebra and geometry. New textbooks have been purchased from McDougal Littell. The supplementary materials include note-taking guides for students. Online resources are available to students at http://www.classzone.com/.

Monica Lobser, the Gifted and Talented facilitator, has registered AHS for a series of five mathematics competitions sponsored by National Assessment and Testing. The tests vary in format from individual effort to team competitions. The first test was held on September 28th. It is a thirty-minute test of 100 questions covering a wide variety of topics. Students may participate in all or just some of the National Assessment and Testing competitions. See Mrs. Lobser or Mrs. Blechschmidt for further information. Everyone is welcome!

Photo of the Week
Brittany Farrell and Kyle McClintock, sophomores, compete in the Ice Blocking relay during lunch. The Senior Class won this event. Lunch games, clothing themes and contests at the Friday pep rally are all part of the Homecoming competition between classes. Photo by Caley Kolb/Calumet.

September 21, 2006

2006-09-21T14:22:00.000-06:00

Homecoming Week
Next week is homecoming week. For all the details, visit the AHS Web Page and click on more info next to Homecoming Week Schedule.

Assembly Schedule on Monday and Friday
We will have assemblies on both Monday and Friday next week. To view the bell schedules, visit the AHS Web Page and click on more info next to Monday Assembly Schedule or Friday Assembly Schedule.

Broncos Wives Food Drive
AHS is once again participating in the Broncos Wives Food Drive. Boxes will be located in the front office, guidance office, library and several classrooms. Please encourage your child to donate non perishable food items from September 25th through October 20th.

A discount of $1 will be offered on homecoming tickets for students who bring in canned foods at the time of purchasing their homecoming ticket during the week of September 25th.

Thank You from the Muse
The Tattered Cover reported that a total of $1593.32 was spent on Saturday the 9th for the fundraiser that benefited the Muse magazine. The Muse made over one hundred dollars from this event, which we will put toward printing costs for this year’s magazine. Thank you for the extraordinary community support for our creative students here at Arapahoe! Look for a similar event in the spring.

Arapahoe Marching Invitational
The Warrior Marching Band would like to invite you to the Arapahoe Marching Invitational at LPS Stadium this Saturday, September 23rd. Twenty bands will be performing in a Prelims/Finals Competition beginning at 10:30 am. Arapahoe performs at 4:00pm and 9:45pm – be sure to catch our “New Orleans Jazz Revival” Show.

Department Spotlight – Library
The library media center is pleased to welcome back library clerks Karla Brachtenbach and Sue Louch and to announce the addition of Tracy Murphy as the new librarian. Ms. B, as she is known by the students, is returning to the library for her seventh year. Ms. Louch started with us last January and is enjoying getting to know what Arapahoe is like at the start of a school year. Mr. Murphy comes to Arapahoe with experience as a social studies teacher, high school and middle school librarian, and as a technology staff developer. All three staff members look forward to assisting students with completing their assignments and helping them to achieve their academic best.

We have new Dell computers in our computer lab located across the hall in room C22. We now have five inch letters and numbers to use with the Ellison die cut machine located in the workroom area to meet poster and bulletin board needs. Lastly, in addition to print resources, the library offers 28 computers for student drop-in access. The library is open Monday through Thursdays 7:00 to 3:30 and Fridays 7:00 to 3:00.

Photo of the Week
Kellen Gubbins hits practice golf shots at South Suburban Golf Course. During the practice he made a 40 foot putt. Currently the golf team is having one of its best seasons. Photo by Scott Bullock/Calumet.

September 15, 2006

2006-09-15T12:36:00.000-06:00

No School on September 22nd
There will be no school next Friday, September 22nd, due to a teacher in-service day.

After Prom Meeting
On Tuesday, September 19th at 7:00 pm in room E9 there will be a meeting for parents interested in helping with After Prom. Volunteering for After Prom is a great way to meet other parents, have fun and help put on one of the best parties of the year for our children. Over 1,100 kids participated in last year’s event, so we need your help.

Positions range from chairing a hall (coordination of the decorating efforts for a hall), helping decorate, coordinating food, donations, prizes, to helping clean up. Wherever you volunteer, your efforts are greatly needed.

No matter what grade your child is in, or whether your child does not want to see you the night of After Prom; there is a job for everyone.

If you have an idea for a theme for this year, please bring it to the meeting, send it to Stefani Ernst at stefanisews@aol.com or call her at 303-689-0281.

Bringing Guests to the Homecoming Dance
If students are planning to bring a guest to the Homecoming dance they will need to fill out a guest form. The forms are in the Attendance Office, Main office, and the Dean of Student’s office.They are due by 3:00 on September 28th.

Department Spotlight – Language Arts Department
The MUSE – Arapahoe’s magazine of creative arts - is up and running, and the staff is breathing life into the magazine like the mad scientist in this painting by Arapahoe artist Jessica Ng.

We are thrilled to announce our officers: Co-Editors – Steven Doss and Dylan Pierpont; Art Board Editor – Lindsay Downs; Publicity Committee Director – Samantha Velez; Poetry Board Editor – Michelle Shebowich; Fiction Board Director – Annie Hathaway and Julia Brennan. We are currently putting together submission dates and our very first college essay contest! Submissions will be accepted through the Language Arts office for the contest up to October 13th and prizes will be food gift certificates to local restaurants. Encourage your junior or senior to submit their personal narrative to the contest; this would look wonderful on an application to state that they are a published writer!

We are also in the thick of fundraising. Our magazine is funded solely from bake sales, MUSE magazine sales, and donations. If anyone would care to contribute to the magazine, we would greatly appreciate any donation! You can mail responses to: Steve Miles, Language Arts Office, Arapahoe High School, 2201 E. Dry Creek Rd., Centennial, CO 80122. Thank you for your support of the literary arts. Our artists don’t often get the recognition they so aptly deserve; the talent is abundant and we are proud to give them a voice through the MUSE.

Photo of the Week
Students work on a lab assignment in chemistry. Photo by Kelsee Prado/Calumet.

September 8, 2006

2006-09-08T12:21:00.000-06:00

Choir and Orchestra Pearl Harbor Trip Fundraiser at Coldstone Creamery
The Arapahoe High School Tour Choir and Orchestra will be performing on Veteran’s Day, November 11th, 2006, on the deck of the USS Missouri docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in a musical salute to America’s military veterans. We will present a free preview concert in the AHS Theatre on Tuesday, November 7th at 7:00 pm.

The students will host a fundraising evening at the Coldstone Creamery at Park Meadows, located on Yosemite, on Wednesday, September 13th from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Just identify yourself as a supporter of the Choir and Orchestra and a portion of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated to our trip fund.

Please join us for an evening of ice cream and an evening of American and Patriotic Music.

School Sponsored Clubs
A list of AHS sponsored clubs is now available for download.

Guest Access to Wireless Network
The district has had to temporarily turn off guest access to our wireless network. By federal law, we must provide filtering of Internet content to our students. While we had been providing that filtering on the guest access, the district discovered that our license for the filtering software did not cover non-district machines. They are currently looking at funding options to resolve this issue. We are hopeful that we will be able to provide guest access again soon.

Homecoming Talent Show Auditions
Hey singers, dancers, comedians, musicians, and other talented students! The homecoming talent show auditions are on September 13th and 14th. Get your acts together now and sign up for a tryout time in the main office. MC’s are needed as well as acts! Good Luck!

Get the Weekly Warrior, Daily Announcements and Breaking News Via Email
You may have noticed a new box on the right side of this blog indicating that you can receive the Weekly Warrior via email (in addition to RSS or reading it online). Simply fill in your email address and click Subscribe. You can do the same with Daily Announcements and Breaking News.

Department Spotlight – World Languages Department
The World Languages Department is proud to announce the addition of three new teachers. Mimi Xu is here teaching Chinese this year and Mark Lindrud and Sophia (Sofi) DiSepio are teaching Spanish. We are also very happy to have Sharon Lovitt back this year to help alleviate the class sizes in Spanish. We are using our books for the second year this year and finding more effective ways to teach from them. If your French or Spanish student has forgotten to bring his/her book home or doesn’t want to lug it around, he/she may access the information from the company website which can be found on the inside cover of the book. Please note that the majority of the teachers in our department have web sites so it should be easy for parents and students both to access homework or other information. We’re off to a great start!

Photo of the Week
Junior varsity football played Chaparral on September 2nd. The Warriors won 14-13 in an exciting game. Photo by Madison Fletcher/Calumet.

September 1, 2006

2006-09-01T10:13:00.000-06:00

No School on Monday
There will be no school on Monday, September 4th, due to the Labor Day holiday.

Did You Know Presentation
Many parents asked where they could find a copy of the Did You Know presentation that was shown in the gym during Back to School Night. You can find it here. Please keep in mind that this was originally created to be shown in a faculty meeting at the beginning of the year, not at Back to School Night. The blog it is posted on is a staff development blog for AHS.

Muse Fundraiser at Tattered Cover
Isn't it great to have the new Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch? Independent booksellers like Tattered Cover help our communities by raising awareness of local writers and artists, valuing and preserving our freedom of expression, encouraging literacy at all ages, and partnering with schools to support writing and creative endeavors.

The Muse, Arapahoe’s magazine of creative arts, is produced and written entirely by our talented students, and because it is relatively new, it is still building a financial base. When we approached the Tattered Cover about a collaborative venture, they were excited about creating an event in which the community could support their local bookstore while simultaneously helping a school creative arts magazine.

What we came up with was a special day, Saturday September 9th, when the Highlands Ranch Tattered Cover will donate a percentage of their book sales toward the Arapahoe Muse. All you have to do is print this coupon and give it to the cashier when you make your purchases on Saturday the 9th.

Our creative writers and artists here at Arapahoe are counting on community support to keep our student-run magazine afloat and thriving; thank you for supporting literacy and writing by shopping at the Tattered Cover September 9th.

Seniors – Yearbook Memory Blocks
Parents of seniors (Class of 2007) should be receiving a letter regarding Memory Blocks for the yearbook; it should arrive just before or just after Labor Day. Each family has been assigned to one of the yearbook students, so your letter will come directly from them. Don’t hesitate to call them if you have questions or need help. If sport teams or other activities that your student is involved in would like spots, the same forms apply.

The deadline for all Memory Blocks is October 16th; all orders must be in so they can be assigned to pages and the final page count given to the publisher. If you need another copy of the prices and/or order form you can download them: Memory Blocks , Order Form. These files are in Adobe PDF format and can be emailed to others and printed and used for ordering.

The yearbook phone number is 303-347-6028 and you can reach us by e-mail at ccrozier@lps.k12.co.us .

September Newsletter
The September Drumbeat is now available online.

Department Spotlight – Family and Consumer Sciences Department
The Family and Consumer Sciences department is excited about the new school year. New in our department is the establishment of a small computer lab located in E3, our main classroom. Eventually four computer stations will be up and running for students in our Fashion and Interior Design Programs. Numerous software programs – including computer aided drafting, computer generated patterns, databases, and tutorial software - have been integrated into our curriculum, so this will allow students easy access to software during their class and the school day. We hope someday to have an embroidery machine hooked to the computers as well.

Both our Fashion Design and Interior Design programs are now offered to students as a year-long career pathway program. While students can still take a single semester (Level I), they are encouraged to complete the two semesters in order to complete the program. This is exciting news as we are one of a select few schools in Colorado that has these programs available.

Our youth organization, FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) is in the process of selecting officers and planning our activities for the year. Any student interested in this community service oriented club should plan to attend our next meeting on Thursday, September 7th in room E3 at 2:20. Officer applications are available from Mrs. Rains.

Photo of the Week
Girls’ junior varsity softball competes against Columbine Wednesday, August 30th. Photo by Lindsay Hess, Calumet.

August 25, 2006

2006-08-25T08:17:00.000-06:00

Back To School Night
Next Wednesday, August 30th, is Back to School Night. Please visit the Arapahoe website for all the details.

Science Teacher Visits Japan
Arapahoe High School science teacher Brian Hatak was one of forty high school teachers from ten states to be selected to participate in a two week study trip over the summer in Japan. The project was funded by a grant through Toyota Motor Company and organized by the Institute of International Education. You can read more about it online as Brian was recently featured in the Centennial edition of YourHub.

AHS Alumni Who Are Also Parents of Seniors
Yearbook staff is looking for parents who are AHS alumni and have students in the senior class. If you are a household with a second generation AHS graduate, or know someone who is, please let us know with an e-mail to yearbook adviser Mrs. Crozier.

Fall Sports Schedule
The Fall Sports Schedule is now available online via the Arapahoe Website.

Department Spotlight – Business Department
It’s BACK TO BUSINESS at AHS! The year is off to a great start in the Business Department and we’re excited to welcome two new faces. Erin Grantham joins us in our marketing program and will be teaching all marketing courses, in addition to Introduction to Computer Applications and Computer Applications I. She also sponsors DECA (An Association of Marketing Students) and manages the school store. Erin has a B.A. in Business Finance from Colorado State University and a Masters from University of Phoenix. She continues to be a big CSU football fan and enjoys snowboarding in her spare time. Erin has also worked as a loan officer and branch manager in the banking industry. The second new member of our team is Aaron Berthold who comes to us from Chicago and will be teaching Career Connections, Introduction to Computer Applications, and Computer Applications 2 this fall. Prior to living in Chicago, Aaron taught at Regis for five years after graduating from Illinois State University. He is an avid runner and is an assistant cross country coach this fall.

We encourage students to get involved in either Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) or DECA. FBLA is open to all students and is a great club for anyone interested in studying business. FBLA is having a pizza party for their first meeting of the year on Monday, September 11th at 2:15. All marketing students are encouraged to become active DECA members. DECA members will again be selling Entertainment Books this fall for $25. Both clubs attend competitions at the district, state and national level and participate in many social and community service activities through the year. See Mrs. Swank (FBLA) and Mrs. Grantham (DECA) for more information.

We look forward to seeing all parents at Back to School Night. We will have a detailed brochure available on all of our course offerings. Also be sure to stop by the school store and check out all the new Arapahoe clothing!

Photo of the Week
Laura Liljegren and Ellie Carley are drum majors for the Warrior Marching Band. The band will perform at Back to School Night on August 30th and then perform their field show at the stadium on September 2nd when Arapahoe football meets Chatfield. Photo by Anya Lehrner, Calumet.

August 18, 2006

2006-08-18T11:15:00.000-06:00

LPS Curriculum Guides Online
You can now access LPS Curriculum Guides via the web. The guides are available in PDF format.

Back To School Dance
Come join us for the 1st annual “Back to School” Dance! It will be held tonight, August 18th from 8 to 11 pm in the Cafeteria. Dress is casual, cost is only $5 and only Arapahoe students are invited to attend. So make sure you bring your student ID, get on your dancing shoes and we’ll see you tonight!

Club Café
Club Café will be held on Monday, August 21st at 2:15 in the cafeteria. Club Cafe is an opportunity for students to find out more about clubs and activities at Arapahoe. This is particularly helpful for Freshmen and upperclassmen new to AHS. DECA, Art, Spanish, and Bowling are just a few of the many clubs we have at Arapahoe.

Department Spotlight – Art Department
ART in ACTION. Welcome back to all our Arapahoe artists and to our new Freshman artists! The Art Department is excited about the new year and making "art happen". Art Club meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month in Room E11 at 2:30. Do come sign up at the Art Club table on Monday, August 21st after school at the Club Cafe' being held in the cafeteria. Our first Art Club meeting will be Monday, August 28th to get things rolling for Homecoming. Do come join us and bring your creative ideas!

“FRAME IT UP with JOHN VAN NEST.” The Art Department is delighted to again have a partnership with DJ and Nancy Hallowell of the "FRAME IT UP" gift and frame shop located at 7533 S. University Blvd. (across the street from Arapahoe). We have started a new program where one of our outstanding Arapahoe artists will be featured at the 'FRAME IT UP" shop each month. John Van Nest has been selected as our September Artist of the Month. His artwork will be on display at the 'FRAME IT UP" during the month of September. We invite our students, staff and community to stop in and celebrate the wonderful work by John. We in the Art Department are very excited to have this opportunity to showcase the creative excellence of our Arapahoe artists. We thank DJ and Nancy Hallowell and their staff for supporting the visual arts in our community!

Photo of the Week
Junior Melissa Cahill competed in Ohio in the World Championship Soap Box Derby race. Melissa won 2nd place in the world in the Masters division on July 22nd and appeared on ESPN. Melissa has been racing for 8 years and has won three state championship titles and two district championship titles.

May 19, 2006

2006-05-19T07:33:00.000-06:00

Last Weekly Warrior This School Year
This will be the last Weekly Warrior for this school year. The Weekly Warrior will return to regular publication in August.

Second Semester Grades
Second Semester grades will be printed and mailed home the week of June 5th. Grades will be available on the LPS Portal, however, as soon as each teacher submits them. All grades should be available on the portal by the end of the day on May 30th.

Texas Instruments Calculator Bar Codes
If your student purchases a TI-83 or TI-84 calculator for next year, please save the barcode to give to your math teacher. We can then redeem them to help us purchase new calculators.

2006-07 Student Council Election Results
Congratulations to the following students who were elected to the 2006-07 student council:

Executive Student Body Officers:
President – Jeff Gunnell
VP – Emily Masters
Treasurer – Aly Archer
Publicity Officer – Dayna Zolle
Secretary – Haley Johnson

Class of 2007 Officers:
President – Lizzy Haskins
VP – Aryn O’Donnell
Treasurer – Justin Allen
Secretary – Chantal Bouveron
Publicity Officer – Jen Sneden

Class of 2008 Officers:
President – Melanie Rothman
VP – Brooks Kanski
Treasurer – Jase Adams
Secretary – Alyson Schrock
Publicity Officer – Leigh Johnson

Class of 2009 Officers:
President – Spencer Zepelin
VP – Aaron Walters
Treasurer – Ilene Yang
Secretary – Abby Masters
Publicity Officer – Adrienne Bouveron

Photo of the Week
The 200 and 400-meter state relay team poses for photos before heading to Fort Collins and the state preliminaries on May 18th. State Finals for 5A schools are May 19th at the Epic Center in Fort Collins. The boys’ 200-meter set a new team and pool record in the dual meet against Regis, smashing the previous record held by Regis by almost half a second. Photo by Anthony Brown / Arapahoe Herald.

May 12, 2006

2006-05-12T08:07:00.000-06:00

Final Exam Schedule
Final Exams will take place May 19th – 25th. Visit the AHS website, scroll down to Final Exam Schedule, and click on more info for the dates and times for each final.

Arena Scheduling
Arena Scheduling for the Class of 2007 and 2008 will take place on May 25th and 26th. Visit the AHS website, scroll down to Arena Scheduling, and click on more info for the dates and times your student schedules.

AHS 2006-07 Calendar
The AHS calendar for 2006-07 is available for download in pdf format.

Department Spotlight – Science Department
The Science Department is happy announce that we have hired Patrick Carter, a veteran teacher from Illinois. He will be teaching Biology and our Experimental Physical Science class next school year. He is replacing Mason Wiebe who will be entering the Peace Corp this August. We will miss Mason.

The Chemistry Team will be doing their annual "tie dye" to end the school year. Students look forward to this event each year.

We have had another very successful year in the Science Department. We would like to thank each parent for their support of our programs. We all look forward to working with your children again next year!

Photo of the Week
Mrs. Crozier presents a Golden Quill medal to one of the yearbook students for an especially well-written piece of copy. The awards were made at the Annual Journalism Award Banquet held at Mission Hills Church on May 4th. Photo by Rachel Post / Arapahoe Herald.

May 5, 2006

2006-05-05T07:12:00.000-06:00

Academic State Champions
We are proud to announce that three AHS sports teams earned Academic State Championships! Boys’ Track, Boys’ Swimming, and Girls’ Lacrosse each earned a State Championship based on their team GPA. Please take a moment to congratulate our student athletes and our coaches.

2006 Yearbook Distribution
The 2006 yearbook will be distributed to students on Monday, May 15th from 2:13 until 4 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Students must have some form of photo ID to claim their book.

After the main distribution, books will be available May 16th and 17th from 6:30-7 a.m., at lunch and after school until 3 p.m. in Journalism, Room E8. Thursday, May 18th, books will be available before school and at lunch. Books not claimed by lunchtime on Thursday, May 18th, will incur a late pickup fee.

2007 Yearbook Pictures
Student portraits for the yearbook will be taken at schedule pickup in August. Students who miss this day will be able to get a photo on Retake Day. One of these days is critical if the student’s photo is to be included in the 2007 Yearbook.

Senior yearbook pictures are taken by local professional photographers. An information packet was mailed to current juniors. If your student did not get a packet containing photographer ads and the yearbook Senior Options/Biography form, they are available in the main office. Yearbook is offering 3 Options for senior pictures; be sure to read the packet carefully. You may e-mail Mrs. Crozier with questions.

Prom and After Prom
Prom is Saturday, May 6th, from 8pm - 11pm at Invesco Field. If you haven’t pre-purchased tickets, the cost is $35 at the door. Please park in Lot J and the entrance should be marked to club level.

Since the AHS Prom is taking place the same evening as a Rapids soccer game, we encourage you to follow the directions noted below and plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early to avoid any major delays. Once you enter the parking lot, you will need to stop for the stadium parking attendants. You will need to identify yourself as an attendee for the Arapahoe Prom to avoid paying the parking fee.

If you are traveling Northbound on I-25: Exit at 17th Avenue and at the first stop sign is Bryant, where you will turn Right (north). Take your first available left (west). Your first parking lot entrance will be Parking Lot J. Take a left into J and then drive to the far South end of J. Depart your car and walk up to Gate 2.The security person will guide you in the direction to the West Club Lounge.

If you are traveling Southbound on I-25: Exit 23rd Ave/20th Ave, travel down the frontage road (south) to where the Red Lion Hotel will be directly in front of you. At the stop sign, turn Left onto Bryant St. continue straight and immediately on your right will be Parking Lot J. Take a right into J and then drive to the far South end of J. Depart your car and walk up to Gate 2. The security person will guide you in the direction to the West Club Lounge.

From Colfax or Federal Blvd: Due to the high volume of Cinco De Mayo traffic, along with the Colorado Rapids traffic, it is strongly recommended that attendees for the Arapahoe High School Prom utilize Interstate 25 (I-25) only. Traffic along Federal Boulevard and Colfax Avenue is expected to be heavily congested and may cause significant delays.

After Prom will be at AHS from 12:00 am until 5:00 am. Students must remain at After Prom until at least 4:00 am. Ticket prices are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Photo of the Week
Student Council members check IDs so students can vote for class officers in the cafeteria on May 3rd. Photo by Kerry Leary, Calumet.

April 28, 2006

2006-04-28T10:52:00.000-06:00

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

2006-04-21T08:47:00.000-06:00

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

2006-04-14T08:17:00.000-06:00

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

2006-04-07T07:28:00.000-06:00

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.

March 24, 2006

2006-03-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Spring Break
There will be no school from March 27th through March 31st due to Spring Break.

Wish Week
The Arapahoe Student Council is again sponsoring Wish Week. Arapahoe is partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make Carissa's dream of going on a Disney Cruise, and Rachel's dream of going to Hawaii come true. All the fun will take place from April 3rd through April 7th and there will be lots of exciting ways to get involved. The CU Buffoons will be performing on Monday April 3rd at 7 pm in the auditorium. The CU Buffoons are one of the oldest and most established college a cappella groups in the country. The song list is very diverse – ranging from Stevie Wonder’s “Signed Sealed Delivered” to Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” to more contemporary songs such as “Soul to Squeeze” by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and “The Remedy” by Jason Mraz. Check out their website to hear their sample songs.

And the Senior vs. Faculty Basketball game is Thursday April 6th at 7 pm in the gym with an extraordinary half-time show featuring the Special Olympics Basketball team vs. the Faculty!

Tickets for both are $3 for students and $5 for adults and will be on sale during the week of March 20th.

Photo of the Week
Thirty-eight Wind Ensemble members and 165 elementary school students practice for a combined concert on March 15. Photo by Mark Gutman/Arapahoe Herald.

March 17, 2006

2006-03-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Arapaho Tribal Visit
Arapaho Tribal members will be visiting AHS on Friday, March 24th. We will have an all school assembly – visit the AHS Home Page and scroll down to see the bell schedule for the day.

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.

Department Spotlight – Family and Consumer Sciences
Next year there will be several changes to the overall schedule for the Family and Consumer Science department. Both Interior Design and Fashion Design will be offered as year long courses. This will allow students to schedule these classes a little easier as they will go straight across the schedule for the entire year! Students are encouraged to sign up for both semesters together. Any student that has completed level I but would like to take level II can still sign up for those sections during spring semester. Both of these classes are open to grades 10-12. Also new next year is the addition of Independent Living. This is an excellent course for Juniors and Seniors as it addresses issues facing young adults as they move out on their own. They will learn about career information, financial responsibility, automobile purchasing – including insurance information, renting apartments and selecting roommates, clothing care and repair, and healthy eating tips. This class is open to grades 11-12 and will only be offered in the spring.

Our youth organization, FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America) is gearing up for their two final events of the year: State Conference and our spring community service project. We have three members attending the state conference April 6-8th.

Our spring community service project is preparing Easter Baskets for a local homeless or battered women’s shelter. We hope to assemble between 30-40 baskets to donate to the shelter. Anyone wishing to donate items for these baskets can drop off Easter grass or small items such as coloring books, crayons, and candy to the FCS office or to Mrs. Rains. Thanks to the toy drive at the holidays we have a number of other items to put in the baskets as well.

Photo of the Week
Officer Gordon Carrol takes the drug searching dog, Max, through the girls’ athletic room. No drugs were found. (Note: We conduct canine locker drug searches in order to take a proactive, "no nonsense approach" and rid our campus of drugs. Canine locker drug searches are fairly common within high schools today. We would not take this action if it were not necessary; however there is no doubt that drug activity is occurring with some of our students, and we are going to take an aggressive approach in dealing with drugs. The canine is trained to limit the search to lockers and not individual students. The appropriate legal interpretation of individual rights has been examined. The process is ensured to protect each student's legal rights, yet afford us the necessary authority to deal with this serious issue.) Photo by Kelley Robinson/Arapahoe Herald.

March 10, 2006

2006-03-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Help Your Child Succeed In Math!
Please encourage your child to visit the Math Lab for free math tutoring. What is the Math Lab? The Math Lab is a help center for students with questions in math. It is located in the Math Office and is run by National Honor Society students. Students are welcome to stop by any day of the week during any hour and stay for any amount of time. If you have additional questions, please call the Math Office 303.347.6034 or have your child ask their math teacher.

AHS Special Olympians Highlighted on Channel 4
AHS’s unified basketball team was recently featured on Channel 4.

Class of 2010 Freshmen Showcase
The incoming Freshmen class of 2010 and their parents are invited to attend the Freshmen Showcase Evening scheduled for Monday, March 20th in the AHS gymnasium at 7:00 pm. Information regarding academic, athletic, and activity programs available at Arapahoe will be shared. The evening is a great introduction to life at AHS.

Department Spotlight – Business Department
The Business Department is extremely busy. Our clubs have been busy competing. DECA, a marketing education club, had districts in December which qualified 28 students to attend state in February. Congratulations to the 6 International DECA qualifiers who will compete in Dallas in April.

FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) had 44 students compete in district competition last Friday at Johnson and Wales University. Around 25 members placed in the top ten of their competitive categories. Congratulations to the 12 who qualified for state competition in Vail in April. FBLA is still selling Arapahoe drawstring bags for $10. Stop by the business office if you are interested in purchasing a bag before supplies run out.

Students who believe they are eligible for the Business Department’s Certificate of Proficiency may pick up an application in the business office starting in April. Certificates of Proficiency are awarded to students who have received a grade of C or better on a set sequence of business classes. These certificates include Business Management, Business Technology, Accounting and Marketing. These certificates are impressive credentials on college and job applications. If you need more information, feel free to contact the business department for more information. Additional announcements will be made in April regarding the applications.

March 2, 2006

2006-03-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

CSAP is March 14th, 15th and 16th
The 2006 CSAP exams will be given at AHS on March 14th, 15th and 16th. View the details and bell schedule.

Spring Sports Schedule
While it changes often due to weather, the initial Spring Sports Schedule is available online.

Practice SAT offered
The Post Grad Center is offering a practice SAT on Saturday, March 11th from 8:30 to 12:30. A feedback session for parents and students to discuss results and learn test taking strategies is scheduled for Wednesday evening, March 22nd. The cost for the test and feedback session is $10. Register for the Practice SAT now in the Post Grad Center. Note that these scores are not reported to CollegeBoard.

Business Department Proficiency Exam
Effective beginning Fall of 2006, students that have a strong foundation in keyboarding and software applications will have the option to take an Introduction to Computer Applications (ICA) Proficiency Exam and test out of ICA directly into the next level of Computer Applications I to fulfill their graduation requirement. The curriculum in Computer Applications I assumes keyboarding proficiency and basic skills in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The learning objectives of this course focus on more advanced skills in the Microsoft suite, integration of software applications, and more hands-on learning projects.

The ICA Proficiency Exam will be offered as follows:

March 7th 5:50 – 7:20 Incoming ninth graders new to AHS
March 9th 2:30 – 4:00 Upperclassmen; and 4:45 – 6:15 Incoming ninth graders new to AHS
March 14th 2:30 – 4:00 Upperclassmen

All testing will take place in the Business Department in Rooms S2 and S3.

The exam will be one and a half hours in length and require students to demonstrate “touch typing” proficiency of at least 40 words per minute with proper technique using a keyboard cover. The second component of the exam will assess student skills in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Stop by the Business Department for a detailed handout listing all skills assessed on this exam. Self study materials are also available upon request.

Please mark your calendar with these important testing dates in March. Contact the Business Department at 303.347.6036 with questions or requests for additional information.

Department Spotlight – Art
A celebration of the imagination and creativity of our Arapahoe artists takes place during the month of March at the Curtis Arts & Humanities Center. The opening reception was Thursday, March 2nd. The exhibit is from March 2nd to March 31st at 2349 East Orchard Road, Greenwood Village. March is Youth Art Month nationwide which we invite you to celebrate with us by viewing the outstanding artwork. This watercolor painting was done by John VanNest (presently a junior at Arapahoe) and an example of the quality of artwork by our Arapahoe students.

The 2nd Annual Arapahoe "Art Attack" is almost here! This is a show exclusively for the students of Arapahoe High School sponsored by our Arapahoe PTO. This is our "show of shows" for the year which provides recognition for our students as well as prizes for outstanding work. The show is broken into the following 12 categories: Acrylic Painting, Watercolor Painting, Jewelry, Sculpture& Ceramics, Printmaking, Design, MultiMedia, Colored Drawing, Black& White Drawing, Digital Photography, Colored Photography, Black & White Photography. "Best of Show" will be awarded in each category plus Superintendent's Choice and Principal's Choice. This is a celebration of both the wonderful work of our students and an opportunity to share with the public our department and art curriculum. Students may enter two pieces per category. Tuesday, April 18th will be our night of celebration with a reception from 7 - 8:30 p.m. and the Awards Ceremony at 7:30. Viewing dates of the show are April 18th – 25th in the AHS Theater Hallway.

The Continental League Art Show is a very select show featuring artwork from high school students throughout the Continental League. The 2006 show runs April 20th -28th. The Opening Reception is April 20th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Curtis Center for the Arts and Humanities in Greenwood Village. Come enjoy these talented artists and their visual creations!

Photo of the Week
French Club members bake Chocolate Creme Puffs and Ginger Baked Pears after school on February 25th. Photo by Mary Hayworth/Calumet.

February 24, 2006

2006-02-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 2nd, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm in AHS’s Main and Auxiliary gymnasiums. For everyone’s convenience, we are asking for parents to make every effort to meet with teachers as follows:

Students with last names starting with:

A-M between 4:00 and 6:00 pm
N-Z between 6:00 and 8:00 pm

No School on March 3rd
There will be no school on Friday, March 3rd.

Project Education Sudan
Littleton Public Schools is in a partnership with Denver University’s Center for Teaching International Relations, Project Education Sudan and Amnesty International to build a school in southern Sudan. A silent auction gala dinner will be held on March 11th at the Driscoll Ballroom on the Denver University campus. The goal of the evening is to raise $40,000 to build an all girls boarding school. More information is available on the Project Education Sudan website.

AHS Blogging Guidelines
AHS has developed a set of blogging guidelines to help students practice safe and responsible blogging.

Department Spotlight – Technology Education
The Technology Department is in full swing for the spring. We will be breaking bridges, racing CO2 racecars and flying planes this spring. The new equipment and computers we received this fall are up and running with students having a great time and learning lots. All of the programs found in Tech Studies use industry-standard software and state-of-the-art equipment. What a great opportunity for a high school student! Come and see the new lab.

The student club, Technology Student Association, is gearing up for the state competition in April. Good luck to all of the students competing this spring.

Photo of the Week
Students perform dance auditions for the spring musical "The Sound of Music." Dance auditions were held in the theater on February 15th. Photo by Breann Leier/Calumet.

February 17, 2006

2006-02-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

No School on Monday
There will be no school on Monday, February 20th, due to the Presidents’ Day holiday.

First Six Weeks Progress Reports
Today marks the end of the First Six Weeks grading period. Teachers will be submitting their grades between now and the end of the day on Tuesday, February 21st. As discussed previously, we will not be printing progress reports at six weeks or twelve weeks, as this information is available online through the parent portal.

You can view your student’s six week progress grade in two places on the portal. First, if you click on your student’s schedule, then on the gradebook for an individual teacher, you will see a grade in the spot for the First Six Weeks Grading Task in the Grading Task Summary box at the top of that page. Go to each teacher’s gradebook to view the grade in that class. Second, you can view your student’s grades in a “report card” format by clicking on reports, then on S2 First Six Weeks. This will open a “report card” in an Adobe Reader window that you can view or print.

Please note that grades are not “due” until the end of the day on Tuesday, February 21st, so if you are checking grades before that, some teachers may not have submitted them yet.

Optional Technology Fee
Technology has become an ever more important tool for students and teachers at Arapahoe. Our students will spend the rest of their lives in a multi-tasking, technology-driven world and will need information and communication technology literacy in order to be successful – in both their professional and personal lives. Technology is not the goal, but rather it is the enabler that allows us to achieve our goals. We have recently received two grants that are helping us with this. We are exploring ways to use technology to enable a more student-centered approach to instruction; to create a culture of learning where students take a greater role in producing and managing their own learning. We are attempting to provide teachers and students with 21st century learning skills, and an environment where students and teachers have access to the resources they need when they need them.

Unfortunately, even with the grant money, we do not have all the resources we need to fully fund the technology. Beginning next year, we will list an optional $30 technology fee as part of the fees students pay at registration. We want to be very clear – this fee is completely optional and $30 is just a suggested amount. You can choose to pay nothing, an amount less than $30, $30 itself, or even more than $30 if you’d like. This money will be used solely to support student technology needs; it will not go towards any employee benefits. This will include items like computers (in classrooms, computer labs and the media center), LCD Projectors (and replacement bulbs), and digital cameras/camcorders. It will also include less exciting – but still necessary – items such as toner cartridges, cabling and software licensing.

Should you choose to contribute, we would also suggest you consider contacting the Human Resources department at your employer, as many employers offer matching funds for school donations.

Practice SAT Offered for Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors
The Post Grad Center is offering a practice SAT on Saturday, March 11th from 8:30 to 12:30. A feedback session for parents and students to discuss results and learn test taking strategies is scheduled for Wednesday evening, March 22nd. The cost is for the test and feedback session is $10. Registration for the Practice SAT begins Tuesday, March 21st in the Post Grad Center. Call the Post Grad Center with questions at 303.347.6089.

Muse Literary Magazine Celebration
The Muse, Arapahoe’s literary arts magazine, is in its fourth fabulous year of publication, and will be celebrating the artists and writers of Arapahoe on Thursday night, February 23rd in the Forum of Arapahoe High School. We will be having snacks from 6:30 to 7:00 pm; with the event starting at 7 pm. Mr. Booth will kick off the night with a few words, followed by readings of poems and stories by writers, and artists’ explanations of their work, which will be shown on the big screen. This is the main event to recognize the creative minds of Arapahoe, and we invite you all to attend and enjoy the amazing work of our students! This year’s edition features artwork, stories, and poems from fifty Arapahoe students who have made a stunning collection of creative work, including seven full color pages of artwork inside, a full-color cover, nine black-and-white artworks inside, ten stories and eighteen stunning poems. This work represents every class in the school, from freshmen to seniors. The Volume 4, 2006 edition of the Muse will be available for purchase at the Showcase for $10. We have reduced our number of magazines this year, so get one while you can! See you Thursday!

Blood Drive
A Bonfils Blood Drive sponsored by AHS Student Council will take place on Tuesday, February 21st from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm in the Auxiliary Gym. Students must be 17 years of age or older. Students that are 17 must have parental consent. Permission forms can be picked up early Tuesday morning for last minute appointments.

Photo of the Week
Motivational speaker Mark Sharenbroich talks with a freshman cross country runner at an all-school assembly on February 14th. Mr. Sharenbroich teased her about the cross country experience as he talked to students about getting involved and meeting new people. His presentation offered ideas and stories about living, loving and not "comparing crayons". Photo by Anya Lehrner/Calumet.

February 10, 2006

2006-02-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Spring Sports Registration
Boys & Girls Track Wednesday, February 15—2:30-3:30 pm
Baseball, Boys Swimming Thursday, February 16—2:30-3:30 pm
Girls Tennis, Soccer, Golf Friday, February 17—2:30-3:30 pm

Registration will take place in room S-3

Registration packets are available for pick up in the Athletic Office or the Main Office front desk. If this is your first sport for this school year, you will need to complete the "long" registration form and an emergency card. Your physician will need to sign your registration card clearing you for practice. Do NOT delay your registration process or your participation. Please be sure that you have had a physical within the last year.

If you played a Fall or Winter sport and your physical is current, please complete a "short form" as the Athletic Office has your physical on file.

There is a $100 fee for participation. There is a $200 individual maximum and a $300 family maximum. Do not bring payment to registration! You will be billed for the athletic fee.

If you have any questions, please call the Athletic Office at 303-347-6021.

testGEAR Online ACT Test Preparation
The Post Graduate Center is pleased to announce that we have free online test preparation for the ACT. For Juniors, this might be especially useful to help you prepare for the state ACT that is scheduled at Arapahoe on Wednesday, April 26th, but all AHS students may utilize this resource. testGEAR helps students effectively prepare for standardized test-taking by providing practice questions in a timed setting. To access testGEAR, you will need a Site ID, Password, and Universal Code. These are all available from the Post Graduate Center in the Guidance Office at AHS. Please stop by and pick them up, then visit http://www.access.bridges.com/ .

Red Tails to Shades of Blue
The 2nd Annual From Red Tails to Shades of Blue will take place on March 18th. This event honors the aerospace achievements of African Americans with a noteworthy day at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum from 11 am to 2 pm. The famous “Red Tails” denote the decorated aircraft flown by the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. African American fighter pilots who in World War II not only fought successfully and proudly in air to air combat, but also fought racism on the home front. Shades of Blue is a nonprofit organization committed to the future by using aviation to motivate young people to improved achievement in school and life in general. Superintendent Scheer attended this event last year and was incredibly impressed with the way the event was organized and the people who were available to talk with students at the various displays in the museum.

For more information, please contact Don Morris at 303.360.5360 x106, or education@wingsmuseum.org

Department Spotlight – Science
The Science Department will be producing a movie describing every course that is offered in our department. The movie will emphasize our elective classes. Every science student at Arapahoe will view the video at the beginning of April and we hope that it will allow our students to make the best possible choices when signing up for their classes. The video will also be available to view on the Arapahoe web page starting in April. As always, every science teacher is available to answer any of your student’s scheduling questions.

Photo of the Week
Six senior soccer players sign letters of intent for college scholarships to study and play soccer. Coaches and parents attended the signing in the Guidance Center on Wednesday, February 1st. Photo by Kyle Matson / Independent Study.

February 3, 2006

2006-02-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

American Mathematics Competition
The B Version of the American Mathematics Competition is scheduled for Wednesday, February 15th during 2nd and 3rd hours in the Forum. Students who missed the A Version or would like to try to improve their score are invited. Please see Mrs. Lobser to pick up a copy of the in-school field trip permission form.

Second Semester Student Invoices
Student invoices will be mailed home the week of January 31st. Invoices are due payable in full by February 28th. Students will be invoiced for their 2nd semester course fees, athletic participation fees for winter 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.”

Please Note: Spring Athletic participation fees will be invoiced in March 2006.

Assembly on Tuesday, February 14th
We will be having an all school assembly on Tuesday, February 14th. Visit the Arapahoe Webpage and scroll down to view the schedule.

CSAP is Coming!
Mark your calendars - all freshmen and sophomore will be taking the CSAPs on March 14th – 16th. More details will be posted on the Arapahoe Webpage as we get closer.

Photo of the Week
At the girls' basketball game at Arapahoe on February 1st, #14 jumps up to make a shot at the basket. The girls won their game against #1 ranked Highlands Ranch. Photo by Mark Gutman/Arapahoe Herald.

January 27, 2006

2006-01-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Preventing Depression in Multi-Exceptional Kids
Some gifted students have other exceptionalities like bipolar disorder, processing disorders, or dyslexia. These students are labeled as Twice- or Multi-Exceptional. You are invited to attend a free presentation co-sponsored by the LPS Gifted & Talented Advisory Council, LPS Twice-Exceptional Task Force, and the Special Services Advisory Committee. This session is open to interested parents, teachers and administrators. “Preventing Depression in Multi-Exceptional Kids” takes place on Wednesday, February 22nd, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the ESC Board Room. The speaker is Dr. Maureen Niehart, licensed clinical child psychologist. Space is limited. Call Barb Bolen to reserve a spot: 303-347-3473. Please contact Melinda Ness, GT District Coordinator if you have questions: 303-347-3477.

Career Day 2006 for LPS High School Students
Rotary Club of Littleton Sunrise is hosting Career Day 2006 for LPS High School Students and Denver area at-risk high school students on February 24th from noon to 5 p.m. at Arapahoe Community College. Local business people are invited to have a table where students can visit to learn about the industry, career options, and skills and education needed to start that career path. Scholarship applications will be available, tours of Arapahoe Community College will be given, and there will be a presentation about college opportunities from College in Colorado. For more information contact Mark Ryan of Snelling Personnel at 303.794.4331.

Department Spotlight – Performing Arts
The Arapahoe Singers have begun their 2nd annual “Oldies But Goodies” tour. Over the next month they will be visiting nine nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult daycare facilities in the Littleton and Englewood area performing music from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

The Continental League Music Festival Concert will be held on January 30th at Boettcher Concert Hall at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available for purchase by calling Kelly Parmenter at 303.347.6070 or at the door. Arapahoe High School will be represented by students in the Choir, Band and Orchestra.

The 2006 Colorado All State Choir Concert will be held on February 7th at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. Five students are representing AHS.

The Arapahoe Band Concert/Denver Brass Concert will take place at 6:00 pm in our Theater on February 17th. Arapahoe, Powell and Newton bands will perform. Tickets are available for purchase for $5 – please call Ed Cannava at 303.347.6031. A reception will take place in the cafeteria immediately following the concert.

Jazz Band will be offering a free concert on February 23rd in the Cafeteria at 7:00. The price is right and there will be refreshments.

"Barefoot In the Park" will open on Thursday, February 2nd and run through Saturday February 4th. Tickets are $5 and are available at both lunches, or call Frank Earley at 303.347.6032.

Auditions for the Spring Musical, "The Sound of Music", are scheduled for February 13th and 14th with dance auditions on February 15th. See call board for details or call Frank Earley at 303.347.6032.

Photo of the Week
Ron Booth accepts the trophy for winning state from the AHS Cheers at the winter assembly. Photo by Rebecca Schroeder/Calumet.

January 20, 2006

2006-01-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

School Improvement Plan
Arapahoe’s School Improvement Plan is now available online. This plan lists the goals that we have set for AHS as a school, and monitors our progress towards achieving those goals.

American Mathematics Competition
The prestigious American Mathematics Competition is fast approaching. The A Version is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st during 2nd and 3rd hours in the Forum at AHS. Talented math students are encouraged to participate. High scoring students are invited to the next challenging event called the American Invitational Mathematics Exam; a 3 hour competition scheduled for Tuesday, March 7th. Many reputable universities and colleges request students’ AMC score on their entrance application. Students may pick up an application with practice problems from their math teacher or from Mrs. Lobser in the Enrichment Room.

Summer Internship and Leadership Program Opportunities
Interested Sophomores and Juniors should come to the Post Grad Center to check out summer internship and leadership program opportunities.

Department Spotlight – Math Department
The Math Department provides a Math Lab which is available to all math students at Arapahoe. The Math Lab is located in the math office and offers free individual tutoring. The tutors are members of the AHS National Honor Society. Tutoring is available every period every day. Tutors wear an identification badge which says “Math Lab Tutor”. Students can get free individualized help during any period of the week so please encourage your students to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Photo of the Week
This photo was taken last week in Mrs. Davis' English World Literature class. Students in Mrs. Davis' and Ms. Gaffney’s classes participated in a human behavior experiment. Photo by Kelley Robinson/Arapahoe Herald.

January 13, 2006

2006-01-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

First Semester Report Cards
Report cards will be distributed today (Friday, January 13th) during 3rd period. For those students who don’t have a third period today, they can pick up their report cards in the guidance center. Just a reminder that we will not be printing 6-week and 12-week progress reports this semester since they are available online. All parents are eligible for a parent portal account, and all students have an account as well. If any parent does not have access to the Internet, you may ask your student to print a copy here at school or stop by the main office and we can print one for you.

No School on Monday
There will be no school on Monday, January 16th due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

Assembly Schedule Next Friday
We will have the Winter Assembly next Friday, January 20th. This assembly includes the famous Faculty Dance number. We will be running an altered bell schedule next Friday. You can view the schedule on the AHS Home Page, scroll down to Winter Assembly January 20th Bell Schedule, and click on more info.

Winter Dance
The Winter Dance will be held Saturday, January 21st from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. in the AHS Cafeteria. This year’s theme is “A Night at the Grammys.” Tickets will go on sale beginning next Tuesday during each lunch in the cafeteria. You will want to buy your tickets in advance for only $10/person because the price will increase that night at the door to $15/person.

This dance is semi-formal in attire. Therefore, you will not be permitted in the door wearing jeans, shorts, or other attire that is inconsistent with the AHS dress code. Also, only sophomores, juniors and seniors that are current Arapahoe students will be permitted to bring outside guests. Forms for these guests are due no later than, Thursday, January 19th, at 3:00 p.m. and are available in the Guidance Center from Mrs. Sisler. No middle school students will be permitted to attend. We greatly appreciate your support on these issues!

Jazz Ensemble I at CMEA
The Arapahoe High School Jazz Ensemble I has been selected to perform a feature concert at the 2006 Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) Annual Clinic/Conference held January 19th – 21st at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. The invitation to present this special concert at the CMEA Clinic/Conference was made as a result of a taped audition/ application that drew numerous entries. The Arapahoe Jazz Ensemble I is one of three high school Jazz bands in the state chosen to present a feature concert. This is a great honor for the Arapahoe Band Program and Littleton Public Schools, and represents an opportunity for our district to be in a positive spotlight at a very well attended music educator conference.

Jazz Ensemble I will present its special CMEA performance on Thursday, January 19th at 10:20 a.m. in the Broadmoor Hall A – North of the Broadmoor Hotel. In addition to the CMEA Performance at the Broadmoor, we will be presenting a special preview concert for our parents and community on Tuesday, January 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Hudson Gardens Event Center (2888 W. Maplewood Ave, Littleton). The preview concert cost is just $5.00, and all are encouraged to attend.

You can purchase tickets to the preview concert by calling Dr. Ed Cannava, Arapahoe’s Director of Bands, at 303-347-6031, or emailing him at ecannava@lps.k12.co.us . Please make checks payable to the Arapahoe Band Boosters. Tickets will also be available at the door. Thanks so much for helping to make this a memorable experience for the students of the Arapahoe Jazz Ensemble I.

Department Spotlight – Media Center
Welcome back to a new semester and this one has started out with a bang. Many of the freshman Language Arts classes are beginning their persuasive essays. This week the library staff talked about researching on the Internet and introduced the subscription sites that are available to our students. These sites offer reliable information for research and can be accessed from home with school provided user passwords and I.D.’s. Ask your student if they have picked up these passwords for use at home.

We have also been doing several book talks for assigned outside reading. Some of the new titles shared with classes are:

The Education of a Coach – The story of New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick

We Beat the Street; How a Friendship Pact Lead to Success – The story of three black men who struggled together to get out of the ghetto and become doctors.

Never Stop Pushing; The Inspiring True Story of a Boy’s Struggle to Survive and Triumph – The story of Rulon Gardner’s journey from a Wyoming dairy farm to the Olympics.

Here’s to good reading.

December 16, 2005

2005-12-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Final Exams December 16th – 21st
Final Exams have begun. View the full schedule at the AHS Website - click on more info beneath Final Exam Schedule.

Winter Break
The last day for students is Wednesday, December 21st. Teachers have an in-service day on Thursday, December 22nd. Students and teachers return on Monday, January 9th.

First Semester Grades
Grades are not due until Monday, January 9th, but most grades will be submitted and available on the LPS Campus Portal by the end of the day on Thursday, December 22nd. (Once you login to the portal, click on Schedule, then on individual classes. Within the Grading Task Summary for that class, look at the Semester Grade. Once it’s in green – not yellow – it’s the final grade.) Report cards will be printed and distributed on Wednesday, January 18th.

Junior ACT Assessment NCAA Voucher
If you are a Junior who plans on participating in Division I or II NCAA Collegiate Sports please see Mrs. Oeinck in the Guidance Center regarding the ACT State Assessment voucher before January 11, 2006.

Toy Drive a Huge Success
Thank you Warriors for your generosity! Thanks to all of you, the AHS Toys for Tots was a huge success. We collected over 1800 toys, and we will deliver over 600 toys to Fletcher Elementary today. In addition, you have made donations to help children at the Denver Indian Health and Human Services Center, five different shelters, and ten different families in need. You are truly a caring community.

CCHE Remediation Report
Many of you have seen reports about the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) Report on Colorado college freshmen required to take remedial courses due to their high school experience. At Arapahoe we too have faced the fact that we can do better with our students, but you should be very proud that with this recent information only one high school in the state has received a better rating.

For those of you who are not familiar with this topic, a study was done by CCHE on the percentage of students who graduate from Colorado’s high schools that require remediation at the state’s public 2- and 4-year institutions (only students who go to public institutions are included – private colleges in Colorado and out of state colleges are not included). The report breaks down remediation rates by high school and district. Statewide, 30% of college freshmen needed at least one remedial course. Arapahoe had a rate of 10.14%. The only school of our size with a lower remediation rate was Fairview in Boulder, at 9.87%. The LPS district rate requiring remediation is 22.98%. This is the third lowest in the state behind Boulder Valley and Douglas County of school districts that have greater than 300 students enrolled.

Download a full copy of the CCHE report or view results for Arapahoe .

December 9, 2005

2005-12-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

School Accountability Reports
The state of Colorado just released the 2004-05 School Accountability Reports. Once again, Arapahoe was rated as Excellent. You can download the full report.

Final Exams December 16th – 21st
Final Exams are fast approaching. View the full schedule at the AHS Website - click on more info beneath Final Exam Schedule.

Winter Break
The last day for students is Wednesday, December 21st. Teachers have an in-service day on Thursday, December 22nd. Students and teachers return on Monday, January 9th.

Congratulations to AHS Cheers
The Arapahoe Cheerleaders are 5A State Champs. Congratulations!

Toy Drive Wrapping Party
The Wrapping Party will be held Monday, December 12th right after school in the cafeteria. Please come help wrap and get the toys ready for delivery. You can also help deliver the toys. We will be going to Fletcher Elementary on Friday, December 16th. We will leave right after final exams, about 12:15 p.m. If you would like to go, please sign up and get a permission slip in the Attendance Office.

Department Spotlight – World Languages
The World Languages Office has been extremely busy this semester adjusting to new books and new curriculum. We congratulate the teachers and students on their efforts to adapt to the changes that are constantly occurring. Please be aware that students with a grade of “D” will now be permitted to continue to the next level. However, students who are struggling will find the next semester even more challenging.

French Club would like to thank all of you who have contributed to our portion of the “Toys for Tots” drive. We took on the task of providing a toy for each third and fourth grade student at Fletcher Elementary. We won’t quite meet our goal, but the generosity that many of you have shown is truly heartwarming. Additionally, we had a lovely holiday “Crepe Party”. Another “merci” to all of you who contributed.

December 2, 2005

2005-12-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Arapahoe Singers Holiday Performances
The Arapahoe Singers will be performing at the following:
December 10              9:30 – 10:30 am            Hammonds Candies Candy Cane Festival
December 10              1:00 – 2:00  pm             Larimer Square
December 10              3:00 – 3:30 pm              Denver Pavilions
December 17              6:00 – 6:30 pm              Denver Zoo Lights

They will also be caroling the AHS halls on December 14th during 5th hour and will be performing as part of our Choir and Orchestra Concert at AHS on December 8th at 7:00 pm.

Jazz I and the Dry Creek Dixie Dawgs at Dazzle
Tickets are now on sale for Jazz I and The Dry Creek Dixie Dawgs’ performance at Dazzle’s Jazz Club in Downtown Denver, on Monday, December 5th. Professional Jazz Vocalist Barbara Paris will be singing with Jazz I, and the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra will perform following Arapahoe’s set. Performances start at 7 pm, and the cost is just $10, which will get you into the December 5th event as well as a future Dazzle’s jazz concert. Tickets are now available from any Jazz I student, or they can also be purchased in the Band Office.

Junior ACT Assessment NCAA Voucher
If you are a Junior who plans on participating in Division I or II NCAA Collegiate Sports please see Mrs. Oeinck in the Guidance Center regarding the ACT State Assessment voucher before January 11, 2006.

Freshmen Cramfest
Link Crew is sponsoring Cramfest on Tuesday, December 13th from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm in the cafeteria. Cramfest is a freshmen only event, where they have the opportunity to ask their teachers and Link Crew leaders questions about finals in December. Freshmen only need to bring themselves and their study materials because snacks and drinks will be provided. Hope to see all the freshmen there!

Department Spotlight – Family and Consumer Sciences
The Gingerbread Houses from our Gourmet Foods class are now on display in the FCS showcase. Congratulations to the following students for their outstanding houses: Greg Zamell, Antton Mattern, Candace Knutson, Lindsay Ratterman, Jessica Schulthies, Stephanie George, and Katie Hamlin. Stop by and see our darling holiday village.

Our Interior Design classes are busy with their final projects: a miniature room. This project allows students to demonstrate their interior design skills while creating a room in one inch scale. Almost everything in each room is made by our talented students. Look for these rooms to be on display right after winter break.

Perhaps you have seen some of our electronic babies out and about. Each semester our Child Development and Relationships students have the opportunity to participate in a parenting simulation with our Baby-Think-It-Over program. This simulation gives our students a realistic feel of the amount of work it takes to care for an infant. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to offer this hands-on program to our students.

Our Foods and Nutrition students are working hard on their final meal projects. This week students are busy planning and shopping for their meal project and next week they will be preparing and serving to themselves and several invited guests. This project allows students to utilize their newly acquired cooking skills as well as providing them the opportunity to plan a meal, consider nutritional requirements, locate recipes, and become wise shopping consumers. This is a great opportunity for our students especially with the holiday season approaching.

Our FCCLA chapter is also gearing up for the holiday season. Many of them are participating in the Toys for Tots drive. Our chapter has also adopted a local family and will provide them with gifts for each family member as well as their holiday meal. They will be delivering to our family the 21st of December. To support this project we are once again selling Gifts-In-A-Jar. These one quart jars include the ingredients for a food item (cookies, muffins, soups, etc) and the recipe to complete them. They have a decorative fabric top. Each sells for $10.00 and make an excellent holiday gift. Anyone interested in purchasing these should call Patti Rains at 303-347-6026 or email her at prains@lps.k12.co.us.

November 18, 2005

2005-11-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday Classes on Tuesday
Please note that next Tuesday, November 22nd, students will attend their Thursday classes and NOT their Tuesday classes.

No School Next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
There will be no school on November 23rd, 24th and 25th due to the Thanksgiving Holiday.

No Weekly Warrior Next Week
Due to Thanksgiving, there also will not be a Weekly Warrior next week. The Weekly Warrior will return on December 2nd.

New School Resource Officer
Our new School Resource Officer (SRO) is Scott Sickafoose. Scott has a great deal of experience with teenagers and schools:

10 years with the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office

3rd year as an SRO

Alive at 25 Instructor

Scott has two teenage boys (Can’t beat that for experience)

Graduated from Douglas County High School

Received a B.A. from Columbia College

Scott’s office is located in the Guidance Center.

Progress Report Distribution is Changing
With the adoption of Infinite Campus and the plethora of information available via the web, Arapahoe has decided to make a change in how we distribute grade information. In the past we have printed progress reports at 6-weeks and 12-weeks, and then a final semester grade at the end of the semester. This approach no longer seems to be as necessary or efficient as it once was. Each parent has the ability to get a parent portal account that gives them real-time access to student grade information directly from teachers’ gradebooks, as well as access to the grade reports themselves at six week intervals (the grade report you can choose to print is identical to the one we print). All students also have portal accounts that allow them to access their grade information. Instead of waiting a week or more after the progress report period has ended to receive an already outdated printed copy, students and parents can logon at any time and receive up-to-date information. Consequently, next semester we will only be printing the final semester grade in June (when it gets mailed home, typically with other information). We will still have 6-week and 12-week progress reports that are available online, but we will not be printing them. If any parent does not have access to the Internet, you may ask your student to print a copy here at school or stop by the main office and we can print one for you.

If you do not have a parent portal account yet, download the forms you need, then bring them to AHS with photo identification.

Department Spotlight – Business Department
DECA and FBLA are gearing up for district competitions. DECA held a practice session in November for members to practice role plays with business community leaders. DECA members compete in December in manuals and role plays covering a wide variety of marketing topics.

FBLA members are selling Arapahoe Drawstring Bags for $10 to fundraise for their district competition fee. These make a wonderful holiday gift. They are great for a workout bag or for a quick trip. See an FBLA member or Jess Moots in the business office to purchase. FBLA members will compete in February in events ranging from Accounting to Entrepreneurship to Computers, just to name a few. Best of luck to both clubs as they prepare for competition.

Having difficulty with your computer class assignments? FBLA will hold a “Computer Tutor Night” on Tuesday, December 13th at 2:30 in Room S2. The Business Mini Lab is available for student use from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. Students are encouraged to use this lab on any off periods.

November 11, 2005

2005-11-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Arena Scheduling
Arena Scheduling will take place next week on November 15th (afterschool) and 16th (during the day, no classes). For all the details, including the time each student registers, visit http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/ and click on more info beneath Arena Scheduling.

Football Playoff Game
The Arapahoe High School Football Team will play its first playoff game this Saturday, November 12 at 12:00 pm at Jefferson County Stadium. We will be playing Bear Creek High School. Jefferson County Stadium is located at 500 Kipling Ave (just off 6th and Kipling). The ticket gates will open at 11:00 am, ticket prices are $5.00 for students K-12 & Senior Citizen (age 60), Adult $7.00. No league passes will be accepted.

Athletic Programs
Here are a few things we thought you might like to know about our fall athletic programs:

Team Team GPA
Boys Golf 3.29
Boys Tennis 3.31
Toms 3.41
Volleyball 3.57
Softball 3.22
Cheers 3.50
Boys Soccer 3.38
Football 3.05

This speaks volumes about the dedication from our students, parents, teachers and coaching staff. Thanks for all that you do to make AHS a wonderful place for our scholar athletes.

Participation for fall sports and activities, which include the Marching Band and our fall play are as follows:

Freshman 209/522 = 40%
Sophomores 220/564 = 39%
Juniors 171/552 = 31%
Seniors 151/481 = 31%
Schoolwide 751/2119 = 35%

12 Week Progress Reports
Wednesday, November 9th marked the end of the first 12 weeks. Teachers will submit progress report grades by the end of the day today. Grades will then be printed and distributed on Friday, November 18th (slightly later than usual due to Arena Scheduling on Wednesday). Students and parents with Portal accounts can view the grades online as soon as teachers submit them.

Thursday Classes on Tuesday
Please note that on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (November 22nd) students will attend their Thursday classes and NOT their Tuesday classes.

Department Spotlight – Art Department
Our Arapahoe art students are producing such exciting and creative work this year and certainly enjoying our new facility! Artwork by our outstanding Arapahoe artists will be on display in the Theater Hallway December 7-13th. We invite everyone to view the show and enjoy these wonderful creative visuals! Arapahoe will also have artwork on display at the Educational Services Center in the Main Lobby during the month of January.

Art Club will be taking a field trip to the 2006 Scholastics Exhibition at the Museum of Outdoor Art during the month of January. Check in the Art Department after Winter Break for further details. This is a wonderful opportunity for our Arapahoe students to view outstanding artwork from around the entire state done by their peers. Art Club is presently involved in a variety of art activities. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month in Room E5 right after school.

November 4, 2005

2005-11-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

Arena Scheduling
Arena Scheduling will take place on November 15th (afterschool) and 16th (during the day, no classes). For all the details, including the time each student registers, visit http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/ and click on more info beneath Arena Scheduling.

Remember . . . Foundation
The Remember . . . Foundation invites executives, parents, neighbors, teachers, and friends to spend 15 minutes or an hour with us. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the foundation and what we do for kids. You will enjoy heavy appetizers and desserts while you listen to our message.

Please join us on Tuesday, November 8th, in the AHS Cafeteria at 7:00 pm. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to Maura Moritz (303-734-6570) by Friday, November 4th. The mission of the Remember . . . Campaign: “Students inspiring students to drive safely and responsibly. Let no one ever forget again.”

4th Annual Toys for Tots
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 delivered more than 1200 toys to Swansea and East Elementary schools, and provided toys to the Denver Indian Center, Arapahoe Santa Shop, two women’s shelters and several Arapahoe families. All of this was possible because of you!

The success of the toy drive over the last three years has brought lots of community interest. This year, we are “re-adopting” Fletcher Elementary. You may recall that Fletcher was the first recipient of our “Toys for Tots” campaign. They have asked us to return this year – and we are thrilled to do so! There are 550 students who attend Fletcher and come from very loving families, but their parents struggle to provide the bare necessities. Our goal is to provide a new toy for each student at Fletcher.

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 12th. Last year close to 100 students, staff, and parents wrapped over 1000 toys in less than an hour - amazing!

If you have any questions or ideas, please call or come by the Attendance Office. We will be accepting toys and donations through December 15th. Thank you so much for helping us spread a little Arapahoe holiday cheer!

12 Week Progress Reports
Wednesday, November 9th marks the end of the first 12 weeks. Teachers will submit progress report grades by the end of the week. Grades will then be printed and distributed on Friday, November 18th (slightly later than usual due to Arena Scheduling on Wednesday). Students and parents with Portal accounts can view the grades online as soon as teachers submit them.

Department Spotlight – Technology Education
The Technology and Journalism Department has moved in! The new rooms are awesome and the transition is continuing. The Technology classes also received funding for a new curriculum. This means new software and hardware around the room. Robotics, mills, lathes, printers, computers, and a laser engraver are now available for the students to use in class. The 3-D printer is printing in color, and pretty soon if you walk by E7 you will see the robotic arm performing a new task. Come by and see all the new stuff.

October 28, 2005

2005-10-28T08:22:00.000-06:00

Critical Class for All Teens Dealing With Money!
Attention all parents! Are you tired of loaning your teens money and wondering where it all went? Is your son or daughter begging you to buy them a car, but they just don’t understand how much it will cost? The business department has a solution for you. We are excited to announce that we will be offering four sections of our Personal Finance class this Spring. This two credit class is open to juniors and seniors and will be offered on Monday/Wednesday during Periods 4 and 5, and Tuesday/Thursdays during Periods 3 and 5. Topics covered in this class include college financing, budgeting, saving, investing, credit, insurance, leasing apartments and more! This class is a MUST for any teenager that is expected to deal with money and finances – these are critical life skills to obtain before graduation from AHS! Please encourage your son or daughter to enroll today! Contact Heather Greenwood or Jess Moots in the Business Department for additional information. You can download a complete listing of all the unique classes offered in the Business Department.

PLAN Test
Sophomores can register for the PLAN test in the Guidance Office at the Post Grad Center through November 2nd. The cost is $20.00. The test is on Saturday, November 5th at Arapahoe High School.

NetDay Speak Up 2005
NetDay, a national, education technology non-profit organization and Littleton Public Schools invites students and teachers to take part in an online survey during the 2005 Speak Up Event. Littleton Public Schools is participating in the online survey to contribute to the national discussion and because we will have access to our aggregated school data. LPS will use this data to inform technology decisions and purchases, to learn how to best provide instruction to today's tech-savvy students, to plan for teacher training, and to stimulate discussion about key technology issues in our community.

To participate, students should visit http://www.netdayspeakup.org/student_lookup.asp (teachers go to a different URL and take a different survey), enter in our zip code (80122) and school name (arapahoe), then click Find School. When the list of schools comes up, click on Arapahoe High School. It will then ask you for the “secret word”, please enter littleton, then click the login button. The window for taking the survey is now through Friday, November 18th. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete and is completely anonymous.

Department Spotlight – Social Studies
The Social Studies Department will host a Veterans’ Day celebration on Friday, November 11th, in the Forum. Freshmen will go to the Forum during their U.S. History classes that day to hear veterans speak. They will also be able to ask questions of the veterans who served in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are encouraged to visit the Forum during their unscheduled hours that day.

On December 7, the Colorado Supreme Court will hear two cases at Arapahoe. One involves theft and lockers at a place of business and the definition of words in the statute. The other is a major case involving gun control and the ability of cities to enforce stricter gun control than the state’s level. All senior social studies courses (Government, Economics, AP US History) and the junior Western Civilizations – Honors course will devote some time preparing the students with regards to judicial processes and the cases. The seven justices will attend a lunch with fifty of our students after the cases have been heard. These are NOT mock cases, but are the actual for-the-record hearings. One school is chosen per year for this opportunity and we are very excited that your students and our staff get to be a part of the proceedings.

Look for information soon regarding this year’s World Affairs Challenge headed by Mrs. Hurt.

October 21, 2005

2005-10-21T10:23:00.000-06:00

No School Today
There is no school on Friday, October 21st, due to parent-teacher conferences.

FBLA Dive-In Movie
With gas prices being so high, why DRIVE IN when you can DIVE IN! FBLA is throwing a DIVE IN movie Wednesday, October 26th. What’s a DIVE IN movie? Come watch Finding Nemo while floating on rafts in the school pool. Tickets are $4 in advance or $5 at the door. Tickets are for AHS students only and include games, movie and raft. Tickets are limited so act fast! Doors open at 6 for belly flop and cannonball contests, movie starts at 6:30. DIVE IN for fun!

Department Spotlight – Science Department
The Science Department has added three new members this school year. Mason Wiebe who is originally from Oklahoma has a B.S. in Environmental/Outdoor Recreation from CSU. He also has a Masters in Education from CSU. This is his first teaching job. Micki Lillie attended Briar Cliff College in Sioux City Iowa and graduated with a B.S. in Biology and Secondary Education. She obtained her Masters from Wayne State University in Science Instruction and Curriculum. For the past 8 years she has taught high school science in Sioux City. Finally, Missy Marchino has spent the past nine years raising a family. Before that she was a teacher at Heritage High School where she taught Freshman science as well as Chemistry. We are very happy to have all three of these outstanding teachers in our department.

The Chemistry Team has their annual Mole Day scheduled for Monday October 24th. They will be performing many demonstrations in celebration of Avogadro’s Number.

October 14, 2005

2005-10-13T07:49:00.000-06:00

Parent-Teacher Conferences
October 19th and 20th
4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Main & Auxiliary Gymnasiums

As a school community, a core value we share is strong communication between Arapahoe High School and your home. All Arapahoe teachers, counselors and administrators have made a commitment to be in attendance both evenings. No appointments are necessary; however, we are suggesting that parents make every effort to meet with teachers as follows:

Students with last names starting with
A – M Wednesday, October 19
N – Z Thursday, October 20

In order to allow our teachers to effectively communicate with all parents, please honor the 5 -7 minute time limit. As always, all teachers are available by appointment if your conference requires more time.

Auxiliary Gym: Abner – Hurt
Large Gym: Kakos - Zisch

Questions? Please call 303-347-6000

LPS Campus Parent Portal Signup
If you don’t yet have an account, our Attendance Office clerical staff will be available at Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 19th and 20th in the media center to get you signed up. In order to access the portal parents first must complete a two-page form available at Arapahoe or online at
http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/media/eDocs/
AHSParentPortalRequest.pdf. Then bring the form in along with a photo I.D. Because the photo I.D. is a federal requirement for privacy reasons, you must present it in person. At that time you will receive an “activation key” that will allow you to create your Parent Portal Account online.

If you already established your account between March 7th and August 15th and have not yet signed the Acceptable Use Agreement Form, please stop by our table at Parent/Teacher Conferences and see us. The new form is a result of recent School Board policy and is needed for all parents who have accounts.

Student Invoices
Student invoices will be mailed home the week of October 10th. Invoices are due payable in full by October 31st. Students will be invoiced for their fall course fees, athletic participation fees for fall sports, and any other outstanding fees and fines. This invoice will show fees that have already been paid as well as those that are due. It will give 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 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.”

Faculty Talent Show
The Second Annual Faculty Talent Show is being presented in the AHS Theatre on Tuesday, October 18th. Don't miss seeing the amazing talents of all of your favorite teachers and staff members. Show time is 7:00 p.m. and tickets are $5.00. This is a Link Crew sponsored event.

Link Crew is a program dedicated to bringing together the students of Arapahoe in a positive way that will create a safe, enjoyable environment for everyone. We do this by breaking down "class barriers" and increasing communication between the upper and lower classmen. Most importantly, Link Crew is about having fun! All proceeds from the talent show will help Link Crew pay for the costs needed to run our program.

Colorado Supreme Court to Hold Hearings at AHS
We are excited to announce that the Colorado Supreme Court will hold hearings on two cases at Arapahoe High School. Very few schools are selected for this opportunity and we are looking forward to learning more about the processes of appeal in this state and the workings of our state’s highest court. We will be focusing on the cases in our government and law courses, and there is the potential for discussions with the justices following the event. The hearings will take place in the Arapahoe High School Theatre on December 7th and will involve as many students as possible. As soon as the details are known and the cases have been assigned, we will inform students and their parents of the plans.

Spring Semester College Courses
Any Senior or Junior wishing to take college courses during the spring semester needs to attend a required meeting with Mr. Mike Ribelin at 12:15 pm on Wednesday, October 19th in the Guidance Center Conference Room to discuss application procedures. Should you have any questions, please see your Guidance Counselor.

Department Spotlight – Physical Education
The Physical Education Department is excited to be using our new facility. The weight room is top of the line and the students and athletes are getting the most from it. In addition to weight training classes, students and staff are invited to use the room after school. The new auxiliary gym is a great addition and the students are able to partake in many activities. All the lockers in the Physical Education Department have been replaced and each student now has their own locker. In addition the ladies have a brand new locker room.

We are also offering a new Yoga Pilates class as part of our curriculum. Mrs. Andrea Bradley is teaching the class and students are enjoying participating and learning.

October 7, 2005

2005-10-07T09:41:00.000-06:00

Winter Sports Registration
Registration will take place in room S-3
     Wrestling               Monday, October 10th 2:30 P.M.
     Boys’ & Girls’ Basketball     Tuesday, October 11th 2:30 P.M.
     Girls’ Swimming & Diving     Wednesday, October 12th 2:30 P.M.

Registration packets are available for pick up in the Athletic Office or the front desk.

If this is your first sport for this school year, you will need to complete the "long" registration form and an emergency card. Your physician will need to sign your registration card clearing you for practice. Do NOT delay your registration process or your participation.  Please be sure that you have had a physical within the last year.

If you played a Fall sport and your physical is current, please complete a "short form" as the Athletic Office has your physical on file.

There is a $100 fee for participation. There is a $200 individual maximum and a $300 family maximum. Do Not Bring Payment To Registration! You will be billed for the athletic fee.

If you have any questions, please call Cindy Scoglio or Ron Fay in the Athletic Office 303-347-6021.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 19th and 20th
4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Main & Auxiliary Gymnasiums

As a school community, a core value we share is strong communication between Arapahoe High School and your home. All Arapahoe teachers, counselors and administrators have made a commitment to be in attendance both evenings. No appointments are necessary; however, we are suggesting that parents make every effort to meet with teachers as follows:

Students with last names starting with
A – M           Wednesday, October 19
N – Z           Thursday, October 20

In order to allow our teachers to effectively communicate with all parents, please honor the 5 -7 minute time limit. As always, all teachers are available by appointment if your conference requires more time.

Questions?  Please call 303-347-6000

Broncos Wives Food Drive
AHS Clubs are participating in the Broncos Wives Food Drive. Boxes will be located in the main office, guidance office, and other department offices for collection of canned foods and non perishable items. We will be collecting food from October 5th until October 28th. There will also be collection boxes at the Volleyball Games on October 11th and 13th. Thanks for supporting our efforts with this community service project.

PSAT Test Reminder
Juniors - the last day to sign up for the PSAT is Wednesday, October 12th in the Guidance Center. Cost is $20.00. Students need to arrive at the West entrance (Science Wing) by 7:45 AM on October 15th. They need to bring ID, number 2 pencils, approved calculator and their ticket. If they have a social security number, they should also bring it.  The test should be done between 10:45 and 11 AM. Should you have any question please contact the Guidance Center at 303-347-6010. Remember the test is given only this one time at Arapahoe High School and will not be offered again until next fall.

Homecoming Details
If you want all the details of Homecoming Week Activities, visit the AHS Web Page, scroll down to Homecoming Week Activities, and click on more info.

Department Spotlight – Performing Arts
This year’s dinner theater will take place on November 4th and 5th. Orchestra, Choralettes and Arapahoe Singers will be featured. The show is an operetta called R.S.V.P. or the Musicale at Mr. Cauliflower’s written by Jacques Offenbach.

The District Orchestra Concert will be on November 21st at 7 p.m. in the Arapahoe High School Theater.

The fall play, “Rebel Without a Cause” will take place from October 13th through 15th at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5.00.

Company class will present Edgar Lee Masters’ “Spoon River Anthology” on October 26th and 27th at 5 and 7 p.m.

The Warrior Marching Band made Arapahoe history on October 1st placing first out of 27 competing bands at the New Friendship Cup Band Competition. In prelims, the Warrior Band placed first with an 83.18. They won all 3 caption awards including Best Music, Best Marching and Best Effect. At the finals show, Arapahoe placed first overall, with an Arapahoe school record 84.7 points. Once again, Arapahoe won all 3 caption awards and Color Guard and Percussion placed second. This year’s field show, Arapa-HOE-DOWN! will be featured at Friday night’s football game, during half-time – don’t miss our next performance! Also, please cheer the Warrior Band on at the Douglas County Marching Invitational on Saturday, October 8th. Prelims will be at 4:15 p.m. at DCHS Stadium, and the finals show will be at 6:45 p.m.

On October 11th, at LPS Stadium, the Warrior Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the State Qualifying Festival. The State Marching Band Championships will take place at Invesco field during the weekend of October 21st through 23rd. Go Warrior Band!

September 30, 2005

2005-09-30T07:35:00.000-06:00

Six Week Progress Reports
The end of the first six weeks’ grading period was Wednesday, September 28th. Teachers will submit progress report grades by the end of the day today and progress report grades will be printed and distributed to students on Wednesday, October 5th. You will be able to view progress report grades on the Parent Portal, however, as soon as teachers submit them. Once you login, click on Reports, then S1 First Six Weeks.

Homecoming Dance
The Homecoming Dance for 2005 is fast approaching, but there is some information that AHS students and families need to be aware of. All freshmen are welcome to attend the dance; however, they will be limited to guests from Arapahoe High School. Sophomores, juniors and seniors that are bringing a guest from another school should stop by Mr. Routh’s located in the guidance center to pick up an approval form. All forms are due signed and completed PRIOR to the dance, so don’t wait until the last minute.

Picture id’s, such as student id or driver’s license, are required to gain attendance at the dance. Dress appropriately, (e.g., no jeans or shorts); those of you inviting guests, you are responsible for making sure your guest is dressed appropriately. Dance attendees must be under the age of 21. If you have any questions or comments, please see Mr. Routh in the Guidance Office.

A Yummy Feature of Homecoming Week!
On Wednesday, October 5th the business clubs are sponsoring an All-School BBQ! Students are encouraged to come show their warrior spirit at the South Entrance and indulge in the great tastes from the grill! Ice Cream will be a tasty conclusion to the event! Tickets are available for $3.00 in the DECA Store; ticket prices include burger, chips, and drink. Need a sweet treat? Ice Cream will be sold the day of for only $1.00. DECA (An Association of Marketing Students) and FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) thank you for your continued support!

Homecoming Details
If you want all the details of Homecoming Week Activities, visit the AHS Web Page, scroll down to Homecoming Week Activities, and click on more info.

The AHS Book Shelf
As promised last week, the AHS Book Shelf is now available. This is a new feature that the library is hosting this year. The purpose of the AHS Bookshelf is to recommend titles to our students, staff and community. The recommendations are from our staff and will feature a short summary of the book with a recommended audience. The titles will be from all areas of interest including children’s books. Check the Bookshelf frequently for new and additional titles. All recommendations are reviewed by the AHS library staff and include information on whether the book is available through our school library. We hope that you will enjoy this new service and find it useful when looking for that perfect book.

October Drumbeat
The October issue of the Drumbeat is in the mail, but you can also view it online.

Department Spotlight – Mathematics
The Math Department welcomes three new teachers this year. Jared Rottschafer joins the department form Dakota Ridge High School where he taught for five years. Mr. Rottschafer taught five years prior to teaching at Dakota Ridge. He is the statistician at the AHS varsity football games and hopes to coach freshmen boys' basketball this winter.

Missy Mindell comes to AHS from Skyview High School where she taught for five years and coached varsity and junior varsity girls' soccer. Ms. Mindell obtained her bachelor's degree in mathematics from UNC and has a master's degree in school counseling from the University of Phoenix.

Andrea Korn completed her student teaching at Jenkins Middle School in Colorado Springs. She holds a bachelor's degree in applied math from Metro State College and a master's degree in instruction and curriculum from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Ms. Korn is the girls' sophomore basketball coach and will be helping with varsity girls' basketball as well.

September 23, 2005

2005-09-23T13:33:00.000-06:00

Six Week Progress Reports
The end of the first six weeks’ grading period is next Wednesday, September 28th. Teachers will submit progress report grades by the end of the week and progress report grades will be printed and distributed to students on Wednesday, October 5th. You will be able to view progress report grades on the Parent Portal, however, as soon as teachers submit them.

Attention Junior Parents
The PSAT test will be given at Arapahoe High School on Saturday, October 15th at 7:45 AM. The cost for the test is $20.00. Sign ups for the test will begin October 3rd in the Guidance Center and last until October 12th. This is the only time that this test will be given at Arapahoe High School and this is the only Saturday that this test will be given throughout the United States. The PSAT test is not a college entrance exam; however, this test is the qualifying test for National Merit Scholarships and only counts when taken in the junior year. Sophomores who are in honors classes are encouraged to take this test so that they can see how they might do when they take the test as juniors when it counts. Students can find out more information and practice for this test by going to http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html. Juniors will be given an instruction sheet in their World History classes on October 5th. If they do not get one, have them come to the Guidance Center.

College Visits
The week of October 3rd will be the annual visitation time to the Denver Metropolitan area by over 200 college representatives from across the United States. They will be here for two night college fairs and a Saturday college fair and workshop at Cherry Creek High School, as well as making visits to area high schools.

During the month of October, we will have around 70 colleges on campus. The week of October 3-7 is very heavily scheduled because the representatives are here for the fairs. The visits are mainly for Juniors and Seniors. The visits are small informal meetings with the representative in the Guidance Office Conference areas. We do our best to limit each visit to approximately 30 minutes.

Many selective schools do not always visit Arapahoe but have large group presentations at various hotels in the Denver area. Please have your student check the South College Bulletin Board in the Cafeteria for dates of these presentations.

Remember you can get an updated college visit list –on campus and off campus –by going to Arapahoe’s homepage and clicking on General—then College Visits or directly at http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/goto/College_Visits

Student Picture Orders
Student picture orders are here. Students should pick them up no later than Monday, September 26th, so they will know if they need a retake. Pictures are in room E8 and can be claimed at lunches as well as before and after school. Retake date is October 5th.

Yearbook Memory Blocks
Reminder for senior parents - color memory blocks for the yearbook are due no later than October 7th. Those wishing black and white ads have until November 4th.

Arapahoe Herald Newspaper
The first issue of the Arapahoe Herald will be out on September 27th. Students have put in many hours to prepare our biggest ever first-of-the-year paper at 16 pages.

Department Spotlight – Media Center
Something new is coming to Arapahoe High School. The library is hosting a book recommendation blog (weblog) called The AHS Book Shelf. Staff members will be recommending books that they have enjoyed and share a short summary with a recommended audience. All recommendations will be reviewed by the library staff. We are expecting a wide variety of reading materials from best sellers to children’s books. The link for the AHS Book Shelf will be published on our homepage in the next few weeks. We invite you to use these recommendations for yourself and your students.

The week of September 24 through October 1 is the American Library Association’s Banned Book Week. Many books that are regarded as classics have been banned at one time. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Canterbury Tales, Of Mice and Men and the Bible have all been banned. It is important to guard against censorship in order to provide information and enlightenment. This is a freedom we need to safeguard for our children and ourselves.

September 15, 2005

2005-09-15T08:05:00.000-06:00

No School on Friday
There will be no school for students on Friday, September 16th, due to an inservice day.

All School Tailgate Party
Link Crew is sponsoring an ALL SCHOOL Tailgate party this Friday in the West Parking Lot. Food is $3 and we will have games, face paint and entertainment to get you psyched for the Arapahoe/Heritage Football game. Show up at 4:00 p.m. to eat, play and cheer on the players as they leave for the game. Buses will be available for FRESHMAN ONLY, and everyone will be responsible for their own rides home from LPS stadium. Hope to see you there!

Gifted and Talented Symposium
Parents who are interested in attending the District GT Symposium Events must RSVP to Barb Bolen at 303-347-3473; there is limited space in the ESC Board Room. Topics and dates are:

Overview of High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: Implications for Intervention; Monday, October 24, 2005 from 8:30-10:30 am in the ESC Board Room

Anxiety Disorders in School Age Children: Implications for Intervention; Tuesday, November 8, 2005 from 6:30-8:30 pm in the ESC Board Room

Homecoming 2005
Homecoming is October 3rd - 8th. The theme is Candyland! Events to mark on your calendar:

Friday, September 30th – Homecoming Talent Show at 7 pm

Monday, October 3rd – Royalty Assembly at 7:30 am

Wednesday, October 5th – Bonfire at 7:30 pm

Friday, October 7th – Football Game at LPS Stadium at 7 pm

Saturday, October 8th – Homecoming Parade at 10 am (begins at AHS West parking lot and goes North on Franklin)

Saturday, October 8th – Dance 8-11 pm

Parent volunteers are requested to help at the dance in the following areas:

Coat check

Refreshments

Clean up 11 pm – 11:45 pm.

Please email Katie Abner at Kabner@lps.k12.co.us if you are interested. Thanks!

We invite all clubs and sports teams to participate (build a float, ride in convertibles, trucks, fire engines, limos, etc.) in the 2005 Homecoming Parade. Please email James Holman if you are interested in participating in the Parade on October 8th. Jholman@lps.k12.co.us

Katrina Fundraiser
The Arapahoe vs. Heritage football game is this Friday. We all know we have more spirit than Heritage, so let’s show it! You have the opportunity to purchase Gold and Black Mardi Gras Beads at the DECA Store! It’s a $1.00 donation per strand with ALL PROCEEDS going towards Katrina Relief. Stayed tuned for future announcements regarding the student led Katrina Relief effort next week.

Department Spotlight – Language Arts Department
We welcome six new teachers to our department, arriving from Utah, Nevada, Texas, and Louisiana, as well as Golden and Littleton, Colorado. Sue Rediske is with us first semester for Katie Kirgan who is on leave. Michael Schneider, Lauren Gaffney, Jared Robinson, Denise Paswaters, and Sally Graham join us with a wealth of experience and enthusiasm. Melissa Fine returns full-time after teaching part-time second semester last year. Sally Graham and Jared Robinson are heading up the Speech team after the retirement of Diane Ritzdorf. The Muse literary magazine has undertaken plans for another impressive spring publication, with the help of new faculty members Lauren Gaffney and Michael Schneider.

September 9, 2005

2005-09-09T08:47:00.000-06:00

Homecoming Talent Show
This year’s Homecoming Talent Show is Friday, September 30th. There is only one show this year, at 7:00 pm in the theater. Arapahoe’s best talent will be showcased, from singing and dancing to hilarious comedy! Tickets will be on sale starting Thursday, September 22nd through the 30th during both lunches. Tickets are $5 and will most likely not be sold at the door, so get them at lunch.

Homecoming Talent Show auditions are coming up! They are September 13th and 14th after school. You can sign up for an audition spot in the main office. If you have any questions see a junior class officer or sponsor.

Sharing Student Information with Military Recruiting Officers
Each fall, military recruiting officers request information from Littleton Public Schools of all 11th and 12th grade students for recruiting purposes. Students and/or parents have the right to request that their information be withheld from release to the military. If you do not wish to have this information released to the military, please drop by the guidance office and complete the military opt-out form and return it to the guidance office.

LPS Campus Portal – Web Browsers That Work
Here are the web browsers that we’ve been able to make work (you may find others) with the LPS Campus Portal. All of these browsers are free and easily downloaded.

Windows: Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher; Firefox; Netscape 7.2 or higher

Mac OS X: Firefox; Safari (comes with OS X only); Netscape; Internet Explorer does not work.

Mac OS 9: Netscape 7.02

Linux: We haven’t tested, but would guess Firefox.

Please note that the portal – particularly the grades portion – is still rather buggy. We are waiting on bug fixes from Infinite Campus that will hopefully resolve the problems soon. Until then, as always, contact your student’s teacher if you have questions about their grade.

Department Spotlight – Foreign Language
The Foreign Language Department has officially become the Department of World Languages! We are happy with this new nomenclature as we feel it encompasses the importance of every language and culture, not just the languages we happen to offer at AHS.

We have added three new teachers to our department. Mrs. Sharon Lovitt is teaching AP Spanish and one section of third year, Mrs. Pearson is teaching two sections of third year, and Mrs. Kitch is teaching first and second year Spanish. Each of these wonderful teachers comes to us with years of experience and an extensive knowledge of Spanish. We are so happy and grateful to have them here at AHS.

French Club is up and running. We will be holding a fund raiser for the evacuees who have ended up in Colorado from hurricane Katrina. Please encourage your French student to join us!

September 2, 2005

2005-09-02T09:25:00.000-06:00

No School on Monday
There will be no school on Monday, September 5th, in observance of Labor Day.

U.S. Air Force Academy Visit
Arapahoe’s liaison officer for the U.S. Air Force Academy will be here to meet with interested students on Tuesday, September 6th at 8:30 am (2nd period) in the Guidance Center Conference Room. Students who are interested in attending should sign up in the Guidance Center.

AHS Guide to the LPS Campus Portal
Many of you have already signed up for access to the LPS Campus Portal. We’ve created a basic guide to the features of the portal and it’s available for download (pdf, about 200k). If you haven’t signed up yet, download the forms and then bring them in with a photo id to our attendance office between the hours of 7:00 am and 2:30 pm.

International Literacy Day
September 8th is International Literacy Day. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the ten year period beginning January 1st, 2003 the United Nations Literacy Decade. Literacy is a cause for celebration since there are now close to four billion literate people in the world. However, literacy for all – children, youth and adults - is still an unaccomplished goal and an ever moving target. The Arapahoe High School Library encourages you and your family to spend time reading this Thursday to celebrate the importance of literacy.

Department Spotlight – Family and Consumer Science
The Consumer and Family Studies Department has changed its name! We are now officially called the Family and Consumer Science Department. A number of years ago the national name changed to Family and Consumer Science but Colorado had already changed our name to Consumer and Family Studies and didn’t want to make another change. We are thrilled to now be nationally aligned in name and content across the state of Colorado. Degreed programs on the college level will also be using this name. We are excited about the change but are hopeful that this is the last one!

Many of our courses this fall will have an opportunity to explore the new food pyramid. If you haven’t already had the chance you may want to visit MyPyramid.gov to take a look at the new guidelines. It is much more detailed than the previous pyramid and the new website is very interactive.

Our youth organization FCCLA is gearing up for another year of activities, fundraising, community service, and conferences and competitions. Any student interested in joining FCCLA should see Mrs. Rains for information. This is an excellent leadership opportunity for AHS students as the organization is open to all students who have been enrolled previously or are currently enrolled in a FACS class.

August 26, 2005

2005-08-26T12:56:00.000-06:00

MAP Testing
Beginning on Monday, all Freshmen and Sophomore students will take a test called Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). This new assessment is replacing the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and a variety of other district and building assessments. LPS is administering the MAP test to determine your student’s instructional level and to measure academic growth from year to year. All students in grades 3 – 10 will take the reading test this year. The MAP test will be taken on a computer.

MAP tests are unique in that they adapt to your student’s level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. MAP tests allow us to administer tests over a shorter time period, using less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child’s growth. This test requires approximately one hour to complete.

Students will take the test again in the spring in order to measure their growth in reading. Following each testing period, you will receive a report showing your child’s results and growth. The first parent report will be sent home in October. Teachers will receive the results as well and understand the benefits of the data for student learning.

We are truly excited to begin a new assessment that focuses on every student’s individual growth and achievement. Partnering to help students learn, parents and teachers can have a profoundly positive effect on the lives of our children. If you have any questions, please contact Ron Booth at 303-347-6022 or Patti Turner, Coordinator of Assessment, at 303-347-3437.

Back To School Night
Back To School Night will be next Wednesday, August 31st. For all the details, visit the AHS Web Site and click on more info beneath Back To School Night. Also, if you haven’t signed up for a parent portal account yet, this would be a great night to do so. We will have a table in the cafeteria beginning at 5:30 pm. If you already have an account, we are asking that you please stop by and sign the new Acceptable Use Agreement (this is a result of new School Board policy and is needed for all parents who have accounts). If you do not have an account yet, you can sign up that evening. You must bring a picture id. Save time by downloading and filling out the form ahead of time.

CSAP and ACT Information
You can view Arapahoe’s results on the 2005 CSAP and state ACT assessments on our web site.

Weekly Activities Online
Each week we post online an updated list of the scheduled activities for the next week. Download this week’s edition (requires free Adobe Reader software).

Department Spotlight – Business
It’s not just “Business as Usual” in the AHS Business Department. We’re very excited about our brand new look and style thanks to a complete reconstruction of our area over the summer. We can now boast a new and expanded DECA school store, five new classrooms, including three state-of-the-art computer labs, a new mini-lab equipped with six computer workstations for students to access during their off hours, as well as a new departmental office. Not only do we have new facilities, but we also welcome two new faces to the department. Caroline Swank, who is embarking on a second career after owning her own business, joins us and will be teaching Accounting, Desktop Publishing and Introduction to Computer Applications. The second new member of our team is Jeannie Krueger who comes to us from Las Vegas and will be teaching Career Success, Career Connections and Introduction to Computer Applications this fall. We encourage students to experience the exciting new changes in our department by getting involved in either Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) or DECA (An Association of Marketing Students). FBLA is open to all students and is a great club for anyone interested in studying business, and all students currently enrolled in a marketing class are encouraged to become active DECA members. Both clubs attend competitions at the district, state and national level and participate in many social and community service activities through the year. The first FBLA meeting will be on Monday, August 29th in room S2 at 2:20. Come for pizza, fun and to meet new friends. Everyone is welcome to attend and see what FBLA is all about. See Mrs. Moots and Mrs. Frasier for more information about any business club. Please stop by our department and see how we’re takin’ care of business!

August 19, 2005

2005-08-19T14:48:00.000-06:00

Back To School Night
Back To School Night will be on Wednesday, August 31st. For all the details, visit http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/ and click on more info beneath Back To School Night.

Club Café
On Monday, August 22nd, Link Crew will sponsor a Club Café for freshman and new students. This is a chance for students new to the building to learn about different clubs and opportunities to get involved. The Club Café will be held in the cafeteria from 2:30 to 3:30 and students will be able to ask club sponsors and student members what each club entails. Please encourage your freshman or new student to attend. Please note that the bus schedule will not change and students will be responsible for their own ride home.

Fall Sports Schedule
The Fall Sports Schedule is now available online at http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/goto/Sports_Schedule .

LPS Campus Portal
The LPS Campus Portal (https://campus.lps.k12.co.us/campus/portal/littleton.jsp ) is our tool for parents and students to access instant, online, timely and secure student information: class schedule, attendance, report cards and transcripts (and - coming in mid-September - assignments and grades for all classes.) Campus Portal is a means to further promote educational excellence by enhancing our program of communication with parents and students. Once you have an account, you will have access to all of your LPS students on one screen.
In order to access the portal, parents first must complete a form (two pages, available online - http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/media/eDocs/AHSParentPortalRequest.pdf - or at AHS), then bring the form in – with a photo id – to our attendance office. (The photo id is a federal requirement for privacy reasons – you must present it in person.) At that time you will receive an “activation key” that will allow you to create your parent portal account online. (Students will receive information in September about how they access the portal.)
We will have a table in the Cafeteria during Back to School Night on August 31st beginning at 5:30 pm. If you already have an account, we are asking that you please stop by and sign the new Acceptable Use Agreement (this is a result of new School Board policy and is needed for all parents who have accounts). If you do not have an account yet, you can sign up that evening. You must bring a picture id.

Department Spotlight – Art Department
Art, art and more art! The first Art Club meeting will be on Monday, August 22nd in our new and fabulous art room E11. Art Club will meet on the first and third Mondays of the month during the year. We usually meet from 2:30 to 3:30. Don't miss our first organizational meeting! We will be planning our Homecoming float as our first activity of the year. Bring your creative ideas and meet in Room E11 right after school. We also welcome our freshmen artists! The Art Department is very excited about the new changes in our area with the addition of a new art room and photography lab. Come and see the "new look"!

Weekly Warrior Delivery Will Be Changing – This is the last E-Mail Edition
As we indicated in the previous issue, this will be the last e-mail edition of the Weekly Warrior. Below this paragraph is the item we ran last time giving the reasons why, as well as instructions on how to access the new online version. We realize that those instructions might be rather confusing so – if all the verbiage about RSS and aggregators wasn’t helpful – please remember you can ignore all that and simply visit http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/ each week to get the Weekly Warrior (it’s also linked from the AHS Web Page). If you want to try using RSS but couldn’t wade through last week’s description, here is a simplified version:

Get a free account at Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/ – follow the instructions there for signing up).
Once you have an account, click on Add Feed.
In the Blog or Feed URL box, type or paste http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/atom.xml .
Click Subscribe.
Add other RSS Feeds as you find them (for example, http://ahsdailyannouncements.blogspot.com/ ), then visit Bloglines periodically to see which sites have new content. (You only need to do this if you plan on subscribing to other websites via RSS, otherwise you can just visit the Weekly Warrior website (http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/ ) each week – no need to use Bloglines.)

Original (possibly confusing) Item from Last Week
When we started the Weekly Warrior three years ago, e-mail was the obvious choice for delivery method. While that has worked fairly well, we no longer think it is the best solution. Some of the issues surrounding using e-mail include:

It takes too much time to manage the email list. Because we don't have "mailing list” software, we spend a lot of time adding and changing email addresses. Also, people's email addresses become non-functional and the emails come back and we have to delete those addresses.
There are problems on the receiving end as well. Some people's email software tags it as junk mail. Sometime people have spam filters that require us to go to a particular page, type in some info, and get "approved" for sending emails to that address. Sometimes people's emails reach their quota - so it gets rejected. People change their email addresses fairly frequently and end up not receiving the Weekly Warrior.
With all the problems with spam, lots of people's email inboxes are so full that they end up not reading the Weekly Warrior because they just don’t realize it’s there.
Sometimes whole ISP's (like AOL) will temporarily block the Weekly Warrior, thinking it's spam.
While we send an email each week, there is no "web version" for people to access or to use as an archive of previous Weekly Warriors.

So we’ve decided to publish the Weekly Warrior on the web, specifically on a blog that you can subscribe to with RSS. There will be two ways to get the Weekly Warrior, visit the web page (http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/) or subscribe to it via RSS. If you’re familiar with RSS, then you know what to do next. If you’re not, read on.

It depends on who you ask what RSS stands for, but we’ll use Really Simple Syndication. You can read more about RSS at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_(protocol) , but the basic idea is that many websites are RSS enabled - you can “subscribe” to a web page “feed” and be notified anytime that page changes. You manage and read your RSS feeds through an “RSS Aggregator”. This allows you to keep track of any updates to your favorite websites without having to actually visit those websites. RSS also has the advantage of not being “spammable” – you manage your subscriptions and decide what you want to read. Most major news sources now offer RSS feeds, as well as other websites and blogs. Anywhere you see an orange XML button or words like RSS Feed, Site Feed, or Atom Feed – it indicates a page you can subscribe to.

To get started, you need an RSS Aggregator. There are three main types of RSS Aggregators: web browsers, online aggregators, and client aggregators. (You can read more about aggregators – and see a list of available ones – at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_aggregator ).

Web Browsers
Both Firefox 1.x (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ ) and Safari 2.x (http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/safari/ ) have RSS capabilities built into them (as will the next version of Internet Explorer).

Online Aggregators
There are a variety of web-based aggregators. The advantage of web-based aggregators is that you can manage and read your feeds from multiple computers without having to worry about them being out of synch. There are many web-based choices, but Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/ ) is a highly recommended online aggregator.

Client Aggregators
You can also install an aggregator on your computer. The advantage of these aggregators is they sometimes have more features than online aggregators. The disadvantage is that you are tied to managing your RSS feeds from one computer (or risk having them be out of synch). There are many client aggregators, but Thunderbird (http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/ - from the makers of Firefox) is a highly recommended one.

If you are just getting started with RSS, we would recommend trying Bloglines (http://www.bloglines.com/ ). Once you get more experience with RSS, then you can better evaluate your choices. (All of the above choices are free – although Safari only comes with Mac OS X).

Once you have your aggregator, start subscribing to feeds – each aggregator has its own method you need to figure out, but it’s usually pretty simple. Find the site feed URL by clicking on that orange XML button, or the words RSS Feed, Site Feed, or Atom Feed. That will take you to a page that may or may not look like something to you, but all you care about is grabbing the URL and adding it to your feed list in your aggregator. For example, the AHS Weekly Warrior blog is located at http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/ . If you go there, you can view it like a normal web page. But if you then click on the button that says Subscribe - RSS Site Feed, it takes you to this URL - http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/atom.xml . This page is not as readable, but that’s okay – because you’ll never actually see it. You just use the http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/atom.xml URL to subscribe to the feed in your aggregator – and your aggregator delivers a readable version to you.

RSS is an extremely useful and exciting new technology – we encourage you to explore it further (and, of course, to subscribe to the AHS Weekly Warrior and the AHS Daily Announcements (http://ahsdailyannouncements.blogspot.com/ ). This will be the next to last issue of the Weekly Warrior that will be delivered via email (it is also posted on the new blog). We will send the next issue via email as well as post it on the web, then go exclusively to web delivery. If you subscribe to the website via RSS, the Weekly Warrior will automatically get delivered to your aggregator. If not, you can always visit the website – but you’ll have to remember to check it for updates.

August 3, 2005

2005-08-03T12:21:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the 2005-06 school year, and the fourth year of the Weekly Warrior!

Important August Dates

Athletic Physicals
Saturday, August 6th: 7:30 - noon, by appointment only (call 303-347-6021)

Fall Student Check-In (Schedule Pick-Up)
Seniors: Monday, August 8th
A-F 8:00 - 8:30
G-L 8:30 - 9:00
M-R 9:00 - 9:30
S-Z 9:15 - 10:00

Juniors: Monday, August 8th
A-F 12:00 - 12:30
G-L 12:30 - 1:00
M-R 1:00 - 1:30
S-Z 1:15 - 2:00

Sophomores: Tuesday, August 9th
A-F 8:00 - 8:30
G-L 8:30 - 9:00
M-R 9:00 - 9:30
S-Z 9:15 - 10:00

Freshmen: Tuesday, August 9th
(Emergency Cards, Pay Fees, Have Picture Taken -
Schedule Pick-Up is during Link Crew Orientation)
A-F 12:00 - 12:30
G-L 12:30 - 1:00
M-R 1:00 - 1:30
S-Z 1:15 - 2:00

Evening Student Check-In
Tuesday, August 16th
5:30 - 7:30 pm
This time is provided for students of all grade levels not able to pick up their schedule during the daytime on August 8th and 9th.

Fall Athletic Practices Begin
Monday, August 15th

Link Crew - Orientation for all freshmen (and upperclassmen new to AHS)
Tuesday, August 16th
8:00 am - 1:00 pm
AHS Gym (drinks and snacks provided)
Freshmen will receive schedules and ID cards on this day

Athletic Night For All Athletes and Parents
Wednesday, August 17th, 7:00 pm (all sports, all seasons)

First Day of School
Thursday, August 18th
School begins at 7:25 am for all students

Back To School Night
Wednesday, August 31st
6:30 pm - 9:37 pm

Weekly Warrior Delivery Will Be Changing
When we started the Weekly Warrior three years ago, e-mail was the obvious choice for delivery method. While that has worked fairly well, we no longer think it is the best solution. Some of the issues surrounding using e-mail include:

• It takes too much time to manage the email list. Because we don't have "mailing list” software, we spend a lot of time adding and changing email addresses. Also, people's email addresses become non-functional and the emails come back and we have to delete those addresses.

• There are problems on the receiving end as well. Some people's email software tags it as junk mail. Sometime people have spam filters that require us to go to a particular page, type in some info, and get "approved" for sending emails to that address. Sometimes people's emails reach their quota - so it gets rejected. People change their email addresses fairly frequently and end up not receiving the Weekly Warrior.

• With all the problems with spam, lots of people's email inboxes are so full that they end up not reading the Weekly Warrior because they just don’t realize it’s there.

• Sometimes whole ISP's (like AOL) will temporarily block the Weekly Warrior, thinking it's spam.

• While we send an email each week, there is no "web version" for people to access or to use as an archive of previous Weekly Warriors.

So we’ve decided to publish the Weekly Warrior on the web, specifically on a blog that you can subscribe to with RSS. There will be two ways to get the Weekly Warrior, visit the web page or subscribe to it via RSS. If you’re familiar with RSS, then you know what to do next. If you’re not, read on. It depends on who you ask what RSS stands for, but we’ll use Really Simple Syndication. You can read more about RSS at Wikipedia RSS , but the basic idea is that many websites are RSS enabled - you can “subscribe” to a web page “feed” and be notified anytime that page changes. You manage and read your RSS feeds through an “RSS Aggregator”. This allows you to keep track of any updates to your favorite websites without having to actually visit those websites. RSS also has the advantage of not being “spammable” – you manage your subscriptions and decide what you want to read. Most major news sources now offer RSS feeds, as well as other websites and blogs. Anywhere you see an orange XML button or words like RSS Feed, Site Feed, or Atom Feed – it indicates a page you can subscribe to.

To get started, you need an RSS Aggregator. There are three main types of RSS Aggregators: web browsers, online aggregators, and client aggregators. (You can read more about aggregators – and see a list of available ones – at Wikipedia News Aggregators ).

Web Browsers
Both Firefox 1.x and Safari 2.x have RSS capabilities built into them (as will the next version of Internet Explorer).

Online Aggregators
There are a variety of web-based aggregators. The advantage of web-based aggregators is that you can manage and read your feeds from multiple computers without having to worry about them being out of synch. There are many web-based choices, but Bloglines is a highly recommended online aggregator.

Client Aggregators
You can also install an aggregator on your computer. The advantage of these aggregators is they sometimes have more features than online aggregators. The disadvantage is that you are tied to managing your RSS feeds from one computer (or risk having them be out of synch). There are many client aggregators, but Thunderbird - from the makers of Firefox - is a highly recommended one.

If you are just getting started with RSS, we would recommend trying Bloglines. Once you get more experience with RSS, then you can better evaluate your choices. (All of the above choices are free – although Safari only comes with Mac OS X).

Once you have your aggregator, start subscribing to feeds – each aggregator has its own method you need to figure out, but it’s usually pretty simple. Find the site feed URL by clicking on that orange XML button, or the words RSS Feed, Site Feed, or Atom Feed. That will take you to a page that may or may not look like something to you, but all you care about is grabbing the URL and adding it to your feed list in your aggregator. For example, the AHS Weekly Warrior blog is located at http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com . If you go there, you can view it like a normal web page. But if you then click on the button that says Subscribe - RSS Site Feed, it takes you to this URL - http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/atom.xml . This page is not as readable, but that’s okay – because you’ll never actually see it. You just use the http://ahsweeklywarrior.blogspot.com/atom.xml URL to subscribe to the feed in your aggregator – and your aggregator delivers a readable version to you.

RSS is an extremely useful and exciting new technology – we encourage you to explore it further (and, of course, to subscribe to the AHS Weekly Warrior and the AHS Daily Announcements . This will be the next to last issue of the Weekly Warrior that will be delivered via email (it is also posted on the new blog). We will send the next issue via email as well as post it on the web, then go exclusively to web delivery. If you subscribe to the website via RSS, the Weekly Warrior will automatically get delivered to your aggregator. If not, you can always visit the website – but you’ll have to remember to check it for updates.