D I M O N D

A. J. Dimond High School Community Newsletter December 2012

Letter from the Principal

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Anchorage School Board Jeannie Mackie, President Tam Agosti-Gisler Gretchen Guess Pat Higgins Natasha Von Imhof Kathleen Plunkett Don Smith ASD Superintendent Jim Browder, Ed.D.

Dec 6 Thursday 7 PMChoir Holiday Concert

Dec 6 Thursday 2:10UAA Accuplacer Exam for Juniors

& Seniors

Dec 10 Monday 7 PMGuitar Recital

Dec 12 Wednesday 7 PMOrchestra Holiday Concert

Dec 14 Friday 11:30Principles of Engineering Marble

Sorter Expo

Dec 14 Friday 7 PMBand Holiday Concert

Dec 17 & 18Battle of the Books

Dec 19 & 20First Semester Final Exams

Dec 21 FridayInservice – No school for students

Dec 24 – Jan 4Winter Break

Jan 16 Wednesday all dayChain Reaction

Jan 16-19 7PM“Night Watch” Drama

Jan 30 Wednesday 7PMFAFSA workshop in MPR1

Dear Dimond Parent or Guardian,

Congratulations for creating positive change at A. J. Dimond High School! In

August’s news-letter I asked for your support in decreasing tardies and absences. As usual, Dimond parents, students and staff deliv-ered.

Student atten-dance is up 12%

over the same period of time last year. In addition, since implementing our START (Safe Transitions and Reduced Tardies) program, our tardies have decreased 50% ! That means that this first semes-ter students have gained minutes and even hours of additional instructional time.

Our collaborative response to change is no surprise. Over the past decade the Di-mond community has led our District in embracing change to improve students’ learning. • While the old Dimond high school was demolished, a new facility was constructed on the same campus and in a house format. Gone were departmental hallways. Here are house units. • We opened the first Freshman House in our District, guaranteeing freshmen a per-sonal, supportive place to meet higher ex-pectations for learning. • 100% of our teachers created the Dimond Professional Learning Community that ac-commodates a dedicated 45-minute period each Monday morning. • An entire grade level, the 9th grade, com-peted in National History Day and several students earned National awards each year

of the competition. • Dimond Engineering Academy opened as Alaska’s first 4-year engineering academy, taking CTE curriculum in a new direction that the District and the state duplicated. • We initiated reading supports that helped non-proficient readers make strong gains. • We extended the school day and the school year to provide additional learning opportunities.

The Dimond community is a neighbor-hood with deep roots and high expecta-tions. Our roots are seen in the high num-ber of Dimond faculty and current Dimond parents who, themselves, are Dimond grad-uates. Pride and satisfaction for their high school experience makes them want the same for their children or to pursue their careers here. It’s surprising and so com-mendable that the Dimond legacy supports both tradition as well as change.

This year the School Board and Super-intendent Browder are planning how to apply the Common Core State Stan-dards. I have every confidence that as this process unfolds, the Dimond staff, students and families will approach curriculum alignment thoughtfully and with a zest for change that will improve learning and build on our successes.

In closing, I thank the parents, students, staff and community who so actively sup-port teaching and learning at Dimond. I am very fortunate to partner with you. I wish you the happiest holidays and most peaceful new year.

Cheryl GuyettPrincipal

James Bell, Curriculum Assistant Principal - 742-7008

CURRICULUM NEWS

COUNSELORS

Freshmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jaime Boyd-Kragt9-12 Special Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tracie AshmanELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lee MontoyaSophomores, Juniors and Seniors:A – Di and ELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave DonkDo – K . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rob HartleyL – P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris HigginsR – Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete Mandel

Tic Toc Tic Toc the time has ticked away quickly this semester. Soon we will be busy preparing for the Holiday Season with school, home and community activities. Please try to help keep your child focused on school work the last couple of weeks as their grades will become a permanent fix-ture on their transcripts. Students will be busy preparing for projects and finals. We hope that they have adequately prepared themselves for the end of the semester.

Finals will be held on Wednesday and Thursday December 19th and 20th. Please make sure you plan your travels for the holidays around these important days. Fi-nals will not be given prior to these dates. Please provide encouragement for your children to do well and stay on top of their assignment for their classes. Stay connect-ed with Zangle.

As the semester wraps up, it’s also not too early to be thinking about the second semester. I ask that you and your student do your part to perform well in school by at-tending school every day and being on time for classes. Every time a student walks in late for a class, it is a disruption. We need to keep this to a minimum.

Student Schedules: Counselors are cur-rently meeting with students to finalize class schedules for next semester. Once the semester begins on January 7th, students will have up to 10 school days to request a schedule change. After January 18th, stu-dents are expected to complete the course in which they are enrolled. Additionally, students are expected to complete both se-mesters of a yearlong class, especially in a core content area. If you have questions or concerns about a possible academic mis-placement in a yearlong class, please talk with the teacher and/or your son or daugh-ter’s counselor.

Juniors: results from the November 6th administration of the Workkeys exams will arrive mid to late January. Our counseling staff will provide an opportunity to help students and parents “interpret” the test re-sults. Specific dates and times will be an-nounced at a later time.

Juniors who plan to attend a college or university some time after high school graduation should be taking their first col-lege entrance exams second semester of this year. Students are encouraged to take both exams: the SAT and ACT. Even if you are not planning to attend college right away, we recommend that you take them now while you are in high school and while the academic content is still fresh in your mind. Registration material for the SAT and ACT can be picked up outside the career center.

FAFSA Timeline: During December, fam-ilies should get their pin# for FAFSA filing at www.pin.ed.gov. Families should also be gathering tax data for filing the FAFSA. We will hold a FAFSA workshop on January 30th, from 7:00p.m. -9:00p.m. in MPR1. Please contact Kim Lauwers, our career re-source specialist, at 742-7020 if you have any questions about this process.

It is also not too early for juniors to start thinking about becoming seniors the fol-lowing year and what life will be like after high school. Junior Night will be Wednes-day, February 27th starting at 7:00p.m. The DHS counseling staff and representa-tive from ACPE (Alaska Commission on Post-Secondary Education) will be avail-able to help families identify need-to-know resources and create a timeline for college admission process.

The High School Graduation Qualify-ing Exam (HSGQE) will be administered April 2nd -4th to all sophomores, and any Juniors or Seniors who need to pass one or more sections of the exams. Students who have not passed all three sections of the HS-GQE should carefully consider their second semester curricular options to best prepare for the test. SBA (Standard Base Assess-ments) will be given to all freshmen on the same days. Sophomores will also take a Science SBA exam on March 28th.

2012 First Semester Final Exams

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Period 1 7:30a.m. – 9:20a.m.Period 2 9:30a.m. – 11:20a.m.Lunch 11:20a.m. – 12:04p.m.Period 3 12:10p.m. – 2:00p.m. *No PM KCC

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Period 4 7:30a.m. – 9:20a.m. Period 5 9:30a.m. – 11:20a.m.Lunch1 1:20a.m. – 12:04p.m.Period 6 12:10p.m. – 2:00p.m. *No AM KCC, PM KCC reports to KCC in the AM

Many seniors have come into my office and have started to apply for college,

work on their port-folio’s, take a look at what scholarships are available, and sign up for their last SAT or ACT test. Please continue to work on

these things as you have more time over holiday break. I also wanted you to know if you are not receiving my weekly an-nouncements, please go to our Dimond High School website under the Career Re-source section and you will find the CRC announcements there. You will also see the portfolio guidelines and information on the Alaska Performance guidelines.

Many of you have asked the question “Is there a deadline for the Senior Portfo-lios to be turned in?” I would say no, but one of the first scholarships that are due that recommends that you have a port-folio on file, is Jan. 21st. It is the South Anchorage Rotary Scholarship. I suggest that the portfolio is turned in to the CRC office when you come back from holiday break, if possible. If you will be apply-ing for scholarships that come through the CRC office, much of the information you will need will come from your portfolio. Seniors will get more and more busy as second semester moves along so it will be beneficial for them to have the portfolio done, but I will collect them at any time. http://www.asdk12.org/ccr/portfolio/

Seniors:

• Make sure you have taken or signed up to take the SAT or ACT test. SAT- www.col-legeboard.org or ACT- www.actstudent.org. Sign up on those websites. • Collect 3-4 letter of recommendations. • Check your admission requirements and deadlines at the colleges of your choice. • Apply to the colleges of your choice. • Send your transcripts and ACT or SAT

CAREER RESOURCE CENTER NEWSKim Lauwers - 742-7020

test scores to your colleges that you apply to. • Continue to take challenging courses the second semester. • If you plan on going into the military, technical school, or right into the work force, please start gathering up the infor-mation that you will need to be able to move forward into these positions. Come to the CRC office, if you need some help. • Search out and apply for scholarships!

Employment:

We will have an Alaska Railroad Tour Guide representative come in to talk with our students about summer employment but we have not set a date quite yet. When the date is set, I will make the announce-ments so you can sign up in my office.

The Alaska Railroad Tour Guide Training Program will be holding a class Monday through Thursday from 3-5:30 at the King Career Center January 28th – April 13th. Applications will be available on the ASD homepage December 3-20th. You can get an Alaska Studies credit or a college credit if you have already taken Alaska Studies. For more information, call Mike Woods at 742-8964. (See flier)

Scholarships:

Please continue to look at my CRC an-nouncements online or across from my office for any new scholarships. You can also look at the AKCIS (www.akcis.org) and go to the Financial Aid sort tab and see many scholarship opportunities there. The University of Alaska scholarship applica-tion must be turned in no later than Feb. 15th.

Events from the CRC office:

December 3 - 7, 2012 is *C*ollege *A*pplication *W*eek for the Univer-sity of Alaska and is dedicated to going to college in Alaska. In alignment with

other outreach initiatives sponsored by the Unversity of Alaska, College Applica-tion Week seeks to foster a strong college-going culture and encourages students to get started with the college application process early. By applying late, as many do, students miss out on many scholarship opportunities, have a shortened timeframe for advisors to reach out, classes they need may become full, or they can become frus-trated with financial aid processes that take time.

During College Application Week, all Alaskan-resident applicants applying for first-time admission to a bachelor’s, associ-ate or certificate program at the University of Alaska between November 1, 2012, and December 7, 2012, will be entered into a drawing for one of six $500 Alaska Col-lege Savings Certificates.

Jan. 1st: is the first day seniors can apply for the FAFSA www.fafsa.ed.gov (It’s free, watch out for sites that try and charge you). No sign up from the CRC required.

Jan. 16th: Financial Aid and College Planning Night at 7 p.m.

Jan. 17th: ASVAB test

Jan. 19th: Practice SAT with Sylvan Learning Center at Dimond

Jan. 30th: FAFSA workshop at 7 p.m. at Dimond

Some key websites found on ASD web-page:

• http://careerready.alaska.gov/

• www.akcis.org

• www.careerready101.com

•http://www.military.com/join-armed-forc-es/asvab/

• http://jobs.alaska.gov

JAMES BELLCurriculum

Assist. Principalbell_james@asdk12.org

DAVID LEGGFreshman House/Staff Services

Assist. Principallegg_david@asdk12.org

A. J. DIMOND HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION 2909 West 88th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99502 (907) 742-7000

TIM HELVEYActivities

Assist. Principalhelvey_timothy@asdk12.org

HOLLY MORRISStudent Service/Attendance

Assist. Principalmorris_holly@asdk12.org

SAT & ACT Important Information NEW! When signing up for the SAT and ACT, students will be asked to provide a photo at online registration. This photo will be printed on their admission ticket. Each student will be asked to bring this admission ticket and state I.D. on the day of the test. See SAT and ACT dates and websites below. ACT Register on line! www.actstudent.org Fees: No writing $35.00 With writing $50.50 !

TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE

(LATE REGISTRATION, FEE REQUIRED)

FEB. 9 JAN. 11 JAN. 12-18 APRIL 13 MARCH 8 MARCH 9-22 JUNE 8 MAY 3 MAY 4-17

!SAT Register on line! www.collegeboard.org Fees: SAT $50 SAT Subject $23 Late Fee: $77 !

TEST DATE REGISTRATION LATE REGISTRATION, FEE REQUIRED

JAN. 26 DEC. 28 JAN. 11 MAR. 9 FEB. 8 FEB. 22 MAY 4 APR. 5 APR. 19 JUNE 1 MAY 2 MAY 17

!!!!

Alaska Railroad Tour Guide Program………H865600

Grade level 11-12. One Semester

Prerequisite: None

Must be 16 years old and possess a 2.5 GPA cumulative

This specialized training includes customer service, cross-cultural

communication, public speaking, Alaska geography, economy,

history and visitor related interests.

Training provides students with excellent job skills and

opportunities in the visitor industry with specific focus as a tour

guide for the Alaska Railroad. Summer employment with the

Alaska Railroad is available for those that successfully complete the

course.

Alaska Railroad Tour Guide Training Program

Anchorage 2013 Schedule

Class is held Monday through Thursday from 3:00pm to 5:30pm at the King Career Center (2650 E. Northern Lights Blvd) January 28th – April 13th, 2013 Applications available on ASD Homepage December 3rd-20th , 2012

Students selected to be Tour Guides for the Alaska Railroad are expected to work full time during the summer, between the end and beginning of the school year. Any time off must be pre-arranged and authorized. Please see application for more information.

Timeline

Spring 2012 Administration and school board recommend biology materials review.

September 2012 Vendors invited to submit materials for ASD review.

November 2012 Opportunity for public to review submitted materials.

December 2012 Vendor presentation of preferred materials.

January 2012 Recommended materials presented to school board.

Fall 2013 New materials implemented into classroom.

For more information, contact the STEM Department at

742-4856.

Program Review

Biology materials review and adoption processEarlier this year, ASD administration and the Anchorage School Board

placed emphasis on updating its high school biology materials. �e materials currently used are almost 20 years old and in need of an update.

In September, the district issued an invitation for vendors to submit materials for biology and AP biology. A committee of high school biology teachers created an initial scoring rubric for the materials that will be reviewed. Parents, students and the community are invited to view and score the materials.

Materials review:

Tuesday, Nov. 13 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. King Career Center, meeting room 1

Saturday, Nov. 17 Noon – 3 p.m. ASD Education Center boardroom

After receiving community feedback, the committee will tally the rubrics to determine a short list of vendors to advance to the next phase of review. �e �nal two vendors will present their materials.

Vendor presentations:

Tuesday, Dec. 11 Presentation 1: 5 – 6 p.m. Presentation 2: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. ASD Education Center boardroom

After the presentations, a recommendation will be made to the school board. It is expected that the school board will make a �nal decision in January 2013.

Anchorage School District

FRESHMAN HOUSE NEWSDavid Legg, Freshman House Assistant Principal - 742-7069

I would like to take this time to wish all of you a happy and joyous holiday sea-son. With the semester quickly coming to an end, there a few items worth mention-ing. It is always a good idea to check in with our teachers for a progress report. The best way to do this is to either check Zangle, or have your student bring a drag sheet home each Thursday. Students can pick up a drag sheet outside of the main counselor office or outside of the Fresh-man House counselor office. You may also email teachers directly if you have specific concerns that you would like addressed. This year, we have a renewed focus on improving student achievement and have taken additional measures intended to assist freshman transition through high school. Research has shown that atten-dance, poor grades (2 or more F’s in a core class), not liking school, and not be-ing able to keep up with schoolwork are among the top reasons students drop out of school. Data shows that there is a strong correlation between attendance and aca-demic performance. In fact, it is possible to predict with great accuracy this year’s student achievement based on last year’s attendance. It is easy to jump to the con-clusion that students’ grades slip due to their absenteeism, but it can also be argued that students become disengaged and miss school when they struggle academically and begin to fall behind.

Disengagement from school and poor academic performance are often inter-twined. Simply stated, lack of engage-ment, whether it be attendance, behavior, or paying attention, leads to decreased achievement. On the other hand, students who are struggling academically often withdraw and become further alienated from school.To combat this, we have a number of sup-ports in place to assist students who may be experiencing academic struggles. In addition to the assistance students receive from their classroom teachers, they may also choose to attend Homework Café.

This option is available each day during lunch (Room B213) and provides students an extra opportunity to receive assistance with their homework. In addition, Math tu-toring is available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-4pm, also in room B213.

Dimond is in the second year of imple-menting Response to Instruction (RTI). This process allows us to monitor students who may be at risk and provide them with explicit instruction based on their needs. We are also closely monitoring student attendance and contacting parents each morning for students with unexcused ab-sences first period.

Knowing that it is important that stu-dents remain engaged, please encourage your kids to become involved in one or more of the many opportunities at Dimond. There are endless avenues for students to become involved including sports, drama, debate, clubs, JROTC, Student Govern-ment, yearbook, etc. If your student cannot find a favored club, he/she is welcome to start a new one. This year's Battle of the Books is sched-uled for December 17 & 18. There are 12 books in this year’s battle; titles were chosen by the State Library Association. Each 9th grader is expected to have read at least four books of their choice from the 12. Students are then organized into teams that will compete against each other during the battle. The battle consists of specific questions asked of each team regarding the books. All of our freshmen participate in this event. The winning team receives free yearbooks and will represent Dimond High School at the district level battle. Please continue to encourage students to prepare by reading their books.

If you are interested in reading what stu-dents have to say regarding this year’s books, please read reviews shared below from some of our students.

"When I was reading Lockdown I was al-

ready hooked to it when I finished the first page. Overall, I do not like reading books, but I was satisfied when reading Lockdown because it was not a cliché. I do not think Lockdown was a bit boring at all."(Lockdown) "I would recommend this book to everyone, because it was intense and really interest-ing. You can’t put the book down even if you tried."(Revolver) "I would recommend this book because it is very interesting. I don’t normally like books but this book is really good and I liked to read it."(Between Shades of Grey) "I would recommend this book to anyone because it’s a great story that is filled with mysteries and makes you wanna keep read-ing."(Revolver) "I think this book was very well written and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series."(Lockdown)

CHAIN REACTION

Coming to Dimond High School Wednesday January 16, 2013.

Dimond is happy to announce that we will be hosting part two of Rachel’s Challenge, called Chain Reaction, on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Chain Reaction is a six-hour, intensive, interactive training that is a follow-up to the Rachel’s Challenge assembly we had last January. Rachel's Challenge is a series of student empowering programs and strategies that equip students and adults to combat bullying and feelings of isolation and despair by creating a culture of kindness and compassion. The programs are based on the writings and life of 17 year-old Rachel Scott, who was the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999. Rachel left a legacy of reaching out to those who were different, who were picked on by others, or who were new at her school. While last year’s Rachel’s Challenge assembly was a school-wide event, Chain Reaction involves 100 students and 25 staff members in a more intensive process. If you would like more information on this upcoming program, please contact teacher Christine Fisher at fisher_christine@asdk12.org or Assistant Principal Jim Bell at Bell_James@asdk12.org

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It is the policy of the Anchorage School District to provide equal educational and employment opportunities, and to provide services and benefits to all students and employees without regard to race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, marital status, and change in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood or other prohibitions. This policy is consistent with numerous laws, regulations, and executive orders enforced by various federal, state, and municipal agencies, including but not limited to Executive Order 11246, Title 41, part 60-1, 60-2, 60-3, 60-20, Title VI and VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, and Section 504.Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the School District’s Equal Employment Opportunity Director, who also serves as the Title IX Coordinator, Boniface Education Center, P.O. Box 196614, Anchorage, AK 99519-6614, (907) 742-4132 or to any of the following external agencies: Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, Anchorage Equal Rights Commission, Director of the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services.

Steller Application And Lottery Information

One alternative you may want to consider is Steller Secondary School, a 7-12 alter-native school in the Anchorage School District. An Open House for parents and students is scheduled for Thursday, Febru-ary 7th at 6:30 p.m. in the Steller Multi-purpose Room located at 2508 Blueberry Road.

There will be a short program about the Steller’s alternative program. Steller staff, students, and parents will be available for questions and small group discussion after the presentation.

Steller Secondary SchoolSpecial Dates And Deadlines

OPEN HOUSE (all grades)February 7, 2013, 6:30 pmSteller Multipurpose Room

APPLICATIONS DEADLINENo later than 3:00 pm

Late applications will not be accepted!March 21, 2013 in Steller’s Office

2508 Blueberry RoadDrawing - March 22nd

Applications and more information can be downloaded from the Steller website:http://www.stellerschool712.org/main/parents/resources/enrollment-information/

Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute To Submit Your Application.

2012 Special Olympics Bowling TournamentOur Partner’s Club team did a great job in the 2012 Special Olympics Bowl-ing Tournament, placing 9th in a field of 14. While we didn’t retain the Spirit

Award, the athletes and partners gave it their all. Center Bowl was flooded with garnet and gold and there wasn’t a mo-ment that we didn’t hear a Dimond cheer filling the air. Watching our final four athletes and partners was truly exciting. In the last frame, Chase Erickson scored two strikes and Josh Redfox continu-ously brought down several pins each frame. Partner Caitlynn Dubie followed with a strong game scoring multiple strikes helping our overall score surpass 300 points. The last member of our fi-nal team was Tia Lowe, who played ex-ceptionally well in between leading the crowd in cheers and knocking down pin after pin. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Districtwide systems outage

Dec. 22–30

What computer systems will be down?

Plan ahead!

Questions?

IT plans districtwide systems outage during winter break

The ASD Evaluation System is a reflection of the Anchorage School District mission to “educate all students for success in life.” Stu-dents, parents, community members and school staff are given the opportunity to provide information about teacher and administrator performance.

The two forms currently available are the Evaluation Input Form on Teachers and the Evaluation Input Form on Administrators (wheth-er they are site administrators or central office administrators). If you would like to complete an Evaluation Input Form you have three options:

• Employees can complete the web-based Evaluation Input Forms anonymously by going to the District Connection at http://home.asdk12.org. You will find links to either Evaluation Input Form (teacher or administrator) under the Announcements section.• Members of the public and employees not wishing to remain anonymous can complete the Web-based Evaluation Input Form by going to either the Parents or Community portal pages on the District’s website: www.asdk12.org/parents or www.asdk12.org/com-munity/. Links to both Evaluation Input Forms are available under the “Feedback & Questions” heading.

Web-based Evaluation Input Forms will be transmitted electronically by the Human Resources Department (Ginger Moser, HR Special-ist) to the appropriate supervisor.

• For those who wish to print a hard copy of the form, PDF versions can be found in the Forms & Publications Library on either of the District’s websites by searching for “Performance Evaluation Input.”

School sites will also have ‘hard copies’ of the forms for parents and employees who do not have access to a computer. Each school will determine a location for the form (most likely the main office). Hard copies will be kept confidential and routed by the school to the immediate supervisor.

The Evaluation Input Forms are now available on the website and will remain posted in their web locations through May 1, 2013.

Your Input is Needed

Our mission is to facilitate optimal learning for all students to empower them to lead fulfilling and productive lives in a rapidly changing and increasingly complex society.

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"The Anchorage School District will be offering surplus and obsolete text-books, library books and some school supplies to the public during the week of Tuesday, January 22, through Fri-day, January 25, 2013. A list of partic-ipating schools, and the materials they have for pick-up, will be available on the ASD website (www.asdk12.org) starting Tuesday, January 15, 2013.

Members of the public may select sur-plus/obsolete items during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the various school sites. Those selecting the ma-terials must remove materials selected. Phone requests will not be accepted; materials will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. A record of each school's surplus/obsolete items will be kept in the office of Elemen-tary Education.

Any surplus items not taken by the end of the day on Friday, January 25, 2013, will be collected by the District and made available for distribution to other communities in the state and elsewhere. Any materials that can be recycled will be turned in for recy-cling. After all efforts to distribute the materials have been exhausted, any remaining items will be disposed of at the District warehouse."

Public Offering ofSurplus Items

STUDENT GOVERNMENT NEWSLem Wheeles, Advisor - wheeles_lem@asdk12.org

As the holiday season begins, Student Government is thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in our school and community. We wish all of the students, staff and families in our Dimond community a very

Happy Holiday Season!

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Crystal Ball 2012 Spirit Week: November 26-30

• Monday is Maui Monday (Hawaiian) • Tuesday is Santa's Toy Shop (x-mas trees, presents, elves,

etc.) • Wednesday is Onesie Wednesday (footie pajamas) • Thursday is Ugly Sweater Day • Friday is Dimond Day (maroon & gold) Spirit Assembly: Friday, November 30, 1:20 PM, Main Gym Crystal Ball: Saturday, December 1, 8-11 PM, Commons

• Tickets must be purchased in advance, November 26-30 at lunch from the Concessions Window in the Commons

• Students must have student ID to enter the dance • All non-Dimond guests must have a guest pass on file with

the Activities Office prior to buying tickets; deadline for Guest Passes is Wednesday, November 28

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INDIAN EDUCATION NEWSShirley Reeves, Community Counselor - 742-6989

Dimond’s Indian Education office has been the hub of activity this fall. We took 20 students to the Youth & Elder’s Conference of the Alaska Federation of Natives on Oct. 15 & 16th. It was a fun

filled two days of dancing, eating, learning and visiting with friends and family from far and near.

Our Native Culture Club elected new officers and sponsored a Halloween Potluck, with plans for another before our Winter Break and a gently used cloth-ing drive for Covenant House in February.

In November, we cel-ebrated Alaska Na-tive/American Indian Heritage Month. As part of that celebration, Indian Ed hosted the

Alaska Native Science & Engineering Pro-gram. ANSEP spoke to our students about opportunities in science and engineering , at college and as future careers. Addition-ally, Cook Inlet Tribal Council went to PE classes, at Dimond, for two days, showcas-ing their skills in Native Youth Olympics. My personal favorite was the ear pull, but only if I am not involved. Ouch!

It has been a busy, productive year with students heading to the Alaska Native Her-itage Center for their after school program, competing in school sports, catching up academically with Project P tutors or em-ployed in our community. We are grateful for our friends and families and wish all a wonderful Holiday Season!

Nordlager (German Camp) is one of the nation's longest running language immersion camps. The students hiked, did other sports, baked, decorated T-shirts and did crafts all while speaking non-stop German. We had 14 Dimond stu-dents there and I believe they constituted the largest group of students of all schools in attendance from the district.

Lager Nordlicht

STUDENT SERVICES/ATTENDANCE NEWSHolly Morris, Student Services/Attendance Assistant Principal - 742-7056

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." –Annie Dillard

Great efforts reveal great achievement! • Tardies continue to decrease • Unexcused absences are declining

The data indicates that more and more Dimond students continue to arrive to class on time each week. The START (Safe Transitions and Reduced Tardies) program is working well to deter untimely arrival to class. Your student’s individual tardy tally will be reset in January with the beginning of the new semester.

We are also seeing a decline in student truancy, or unexcused absences. When you know that your student will not be attending school, please call attendance (742-7009) to excuse the absence. An un-

excused absence can result in work detail, Saturday school, or In School Suspension time; an excused absence allows for make-up work. Communication regarding ab-sences is key.

Your student’s presence in classes at Dimond is important. The in-class time is an investment in education and in each student’s future.

“The key is in not spending time, but in in-vesting it.” –Stephen R. Covey

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERSMain Line (Switchboard) 742-7000Main FAX 742-7007Attendance Office 742-7009Registrar 742-7026Counseling/Guidance 742-7008Activities/Athletics 742-7005Nurse 742-7052Career Resource Center 742-7020Student Services 742-7056

A. J . DIMOND HIGH SCHOOL

Visit our Dimond High School Website for current information on our school and activities @ http://www.asdk12.org/schools/dimond/pages/

J.R.O.T.C. NEWSMSG Shelley - 742-7010

Wacko GamesOn October 13th the Wacko Games were held at East High School. This event is a series of wacky and crazy games the cadets get together and compete in for fun and prizes. Cadets from across the district and valley come and participate. We received 3rd Place in the Peach Eating Contest, 3rd Place in Cadet Bowling, and 2nd Place in the Graveyard Relay.

The Cadet ChallengeThe annual Cadet Challenge was held at Bartlett High School on the 19th of Octo-ber. We had two teams - Dimond Gold team (our varsity) and the Dimond Maroon team (our JV) – who competed. The cadets started off with the shuttle run where they sprinted up and back twice Then they moved to the Pull-Up bar and after that to the Curl-Up

station. After the Curl-Ups the ca-dets went to the V-Sit to stretch as far as they could for a score. Lastly, the cadets ran a mile on the inside track.

In the individual event categories Susumu Jones placed 1st in the Shuttle Run, Austin Martin and Cellest Bulfa placed in the top 3 for the V-Sit, Erin Howe, Bristol Williams, and Connor Swalling placed in the top 3 for the curl-ups. In the overall categories Erin Howe placed 3rd and Bristol Williams placed 1st for the girls and Michael An-ders placed 3rd, Anders Ogawa placed 2nd, and Susumu Jones placed 1st for the boys. Overall, Dimond Gold placed first

with over 4,000 points and Dimond Ma-roon took third.

Halloween PartyThe Halloween Party was held at the Church of the Nazarene on October 26th. Cadets dressed up in costumes and brought

food for the pot-luck. First the Hal-loween costume contest was held and the winner was Jacobo Fran-co who dressed up as Rambo.

Another fun game we played was the “Mummy Wrap” where cadets were put into teams and then wrapped two of their

team mates in toilet paper as fast as they could. Another great event was the Gum-my-Worm Pie eating contest where a ca-det from each platoon tried to find all the gummy worms that were hidden with whip cream in their pie pan and then eat the gummy worms as fast as they could. Overall, the cadets had a fun and exciting night.

Bimonthly Awards CeremonyThe second Awards Ceremony of the school year was held on November 19th in the auditorium at Dimond High School. Many cadets went up on stage to receive awards that they have earned since our last Awards Ceremony in September. Most of the awards that were handed out were earned during the PT events, both the Raid-er Decathlon and the Cadet Challenge. The Cadet of the Month and NCO of the Quar-ter winners were also announced. C/PFC Savannah Sears won COM for October and C/SSG Cellest Bulfa won NCO of the Quarter for the 1st Quarter.

PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT-ASSOCIATION NEWSKathryn Eckhoff, President - 229-8499

Kathryn EckhoffPresidentkeckhoff@gci.net344-8844 - Home229-8499 - CellGinger JenkinsVice PresidentTheresa BarnardTreasurerMichelle SummersSecretary and Hospitality

Hello Dimond Community,

As I write to you, it is the Sunday eve-ning of Thanksgiving weekend. I’ve spent some of my weekend on-line, shop-ping for Christmas gifts. If you aren’t an on-line shopper, you can take a look at the apparel the PTSA sells at the school store, in person. We are open before school from 7:00 to 7:25 a.m. and at lunch time from 10:30 to 12:00 daily. If you aren’t able to come to school during these hours, you can call me at Dimond and set up a time when you can come in to shop. We have new black jackets with a zip front, embroidered with the Dimond insignia. We restocked the Lynx hoodies, and expect new Dimond headbands for keeping ears warm and hair un-mussed, to come in before Winter Break.

Speaking of the school store, keep an eye on your email if you are interested in substituting for some of the coffee shifts. As mentioned in the past, it is our number one source of funds. The latest donations we have made with some of our proceeds are to the Nurse’s office for simple supplies that need restocking, as well as contribut-

ing to the health fair they host in the MPR 1 every year. Budgets are becoming in-creasingly tight, and we are pleased to be able to help.

For several years, the PTSA has pur-chased the Battle Books for the 9th grade. This year was no different. The following are a couple different comments from reviews 9th Grade students wrote about books they’ve read that we have pro-vided. I share these to give you examples of the value our PTSA and its committed volun-teers bring to Dimond. We are always looking for more volunteers. Our children are worth it, just say’n.

I wish you a peaceful and joyous holi-day season, or at least more than a few moments of peace and joy, during Winter Break.

Sincerely,

Kathryn EckhoffPTSA President

November and December are a busy time for the Choirs at Dimond. They partici-pated in fundraising performances Nov. 3-4 and 10-11 at the Dimond Fred Meyer Grand re-opening. Fred Meyer gave the Dimond Choirs a generous $2,000 dona-tion for their performances. Then, on Tuesday, November 13th at 7:00 pm the Dimond Area Choir Festival drew parents and students from all of Dimond's elemen-tary and middle feeder school choirs.

The choirs are busy now with final prep-arations for their Winter Concert to be presented on December 6th at 7:00 pm at Dimond. Admission is free. The choir

students are working hard and it shows. Please bring your family and friends and support the Dimond Treble Choir, the all new Dimond Young Men’s Chorus and the Dimond Swing Choir. You will be thrilled by the performances.

Madeline Anderson a member of the Di-mond Swing Choir was selected to sing in the Alaska All-State Honor Choir. With over 500 hundred students au-ditioning from around the state of Alaska, Madeline was in the

top five of her category. She was named First Chair of the Soprano section and was chosen to sing solo for the performance of “All My Trials.” Earlier in October Mad-eline placed first in the Sing for Scholar-ships competition sponsored by the Alaska Sound Celebration and received an $800 dollar scholarship. But this isn't all! Mad-eline did a superb job playing the Fairy Godmother in Dimond's recent production of Roger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Congratulations and well done Madeline!

Catching Up With Dimond Choirs

ACTIVITIES NEWSTim Helvey, Activities Assistant Principal - 742-6996

It is now mid-November as I write this article for December and January. Our volleyball team finished another amazing season and won a state championship over the Wolverines of South Anchorage. The state championship match was one of the best seen to date with fans sitting on the edge of their seats. Our Lady Lynx fought back from elimination to beat South in three sets and won the next set to 30 to de-cide the 2012 state champions.

Dimond’s boys’ Swim/Dive team won the state tournament and conference champi-onship for the fourth year in a row. Girls’ Swim/Dive came in second place at state after claiming a Cook Inlet Conference Championship.

Our boys’ hockey team is currently unde-feated and looks real strong to contend for a state championship. Riflery is nearing the end of their season and is currently unde-feated after going head to head with all our conference teams. Cross-Country Skiing will soon start their respective season and basketball starts the Monday after Thanks-giving. Currently for fall sports season we

will need to add three state championship banners to our rafters and a few more wait-ing for the end of their season.

December and January will mark the end of our first semester and beginning of the second semester. This is a reminder that students’ grades can quickly slip below a “C” average, and the first semester grades are used to determine academic eligibility for the latter half of our winter sports sea-son. I strongly encourage students and par-ents to frequently check academic progress using Student Connect and Parent Connect, respectively, and for students to seek assis-tance from their teachers sooner rather than later to ensure a positive academic outcome to the conclusion of first semester.

Requirements for Student-Athletes Under Alaska law, Anchorage School Dis-trict is required to have a program in place for the prevention and management of con-cussions in student-athletes. As part of this requirement, and our commitment to the health and well being of our students, mid-dle school and high school student-athletes signing up for an ASD sport that requires a physical must also take a computerized ImPACT Baseline Screening. There is a $5 fee for this simple, non-invasive test.

Parents and student-athletes must also re-ceive and read “Concussion in Sports: A Fact Sheet for Anchorage School District Athletes and Parents” and sign the accom-panying Acknowledgement and Consent Form.

For more information on concussions in athletes, the ImPACT Baseline Screening, or to download the fact sheet and Acknowl-edgement and Consent Form, please visit http://www.asdk12.org/activities/high/par-ticipant_HS.asp.

NCAA information:Is your student is a junior or senior and considering athletics at the collegiate lev-el? Any student who has even the slightest interest in collegiate-level athletics should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

– preferably at the beginning of their ju-nior year of high school. This is required of students who have interest in NCAA-governed athletic programs. See below for the newest changes to NCAA eligibility.

Division I Changes: • Increase in the minimum required core-course grade-point average (GPA) from 2.0 to 2.3. • Ten of the 16 required core courses must be completed before the beginning of the seventh semester (senior year). • Seven of the 10 required courses must be in English, math or natural/physical sci-ence. • A repeat of one of the “locked in” courses will not be used if taken after the seventh semester begins. • Increase in the overall core-course GPA as it relates to the ACT or SAT score, which results in a new sliding scale.Who does this impact? Incoming ninth grade students (class of 2016) must meet these new requirements if they plan to par-ticipate in intercollegiate athletics at the Division I level.

Division II Change-Reminder: • Increase in the number of required core courses from 14 to 16. • One additional course in English, math and science. • One additional course in any core aca-demic area (English, math, science, social science) or foreign language, comparative religion/philosophy.Who does this impact? Your current se-niors (class of 2013) must meet this new rule if they plan to participate in intercol-legiate athletics at the Division II level.

To get more information about NCAA eli-gibility, go to www.eligibilitycenter.org.

Now that fall sports are ending, I would like to invite parents and athletes to use the form provided to give feedback for this fall’s athletic programs. (See last page of Activities News)

A. J. DIMOND HIGH SCHOOL COACH’S ASSESSMENT FORM

(Circle One) PLAYER PARENT

Parent/Students: We are seeking your input to review our sport/athletic programs. Your opinion is taken into consideration when evaluating our programs and identifying patterns of support or concern. Please take a few moments of your time to fill out this short survey. Your input is anonymous unless you add your name. However, recognize that the form and your written comments will be shared with the person for whom you are providing input. Please try to focus on comments that will reward a person for good performance or make specific suggestions on how performance might improve. Please return this assessment form via U.S. mail or bring it by the Activities Office. Thank you. SPORT_______________________________ LEVEL (Circle) C JV V COACH’S NAME_______________________________ DATE: ________________

Please rate the coach in each area on a scale from 1-5, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. Circle the appropriate number or NA if not applicable, or if you are not able to rate the coach in an area.

Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent NA 1) Communication w/parents 1 2 3 4 5 NA 2) Communication w/ players 1 2 3 4 5 NA 3) Organizational skills 1 2 3 4 5 NA 4) Motivation of players/team 1 2 3 4 5 NA 5) Discipline of team/players 1 2 3 4 5 NA 6) Knowledge of the sport 1 2 3 4 5 NA 7) Game strategy 1 2 3 4 5 NA 8) Prevention and care of injuries 1 2 3 4 5 NA 9) Attitude/Conduct during game 1 2 3 4 5 NA 10) Attitude/Conduct of players 1 2 3 4 5 NA 11) Ability to teach skills 1 2 3 4 5 NA 12) Overall rating of coach 1 2 3 4 5 NA

Please add any comments below or on a separate sheet of paper. ______________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Name (optional)____________________________

PLEASE RETURN TO: Dimond H.S. Activities Office, 2909 W. 88th Ave, Anchorage AK 99502

Thank You School Business Partnerships !

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e-Newsletters:ASD Connect A monthly e-newsletter filled with stories, events and news for anyone interested in happenings at ASD. www.asdk12.org/newsletters

School board updates Sent after the school board meetings, these updates provide a summary for each agenda item and its ap-proval status. www.asdk12.org/newsletters

Email subscriptions:ASD Direct You choose from three email subscription lists that send out news as it happens: 'News' will get you all the district news releases, 'Board' will notify you of school board activities and meeting agendas, and 'Closures' will keep you in the loop on any school closures. www.asdk12.org/newsletters

Ways to connect with ASDChoose the method that works best for you

Social media:Facebook ASD news, stories about our students, photos and events reported on this popular social networking site. Like the ASD page

Twitter Up-to-the minute announcements that can be sent to your cell phone. ASD has two accounts: ASD_Info for general news and ASD_Closures just for closure announcements, nothing else. Follow ASD_Info Follow ASD_Closures

Thank You School Business Partnerships!

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A. J. Dimond High School2909 W. 88th Avenue

Anchorage, AK 99502

Non-ProfitOrganization

U. S. POSTAGEPAID

Permit #258Anchorage, Alaska

To The Parent or Guardian of:

SCHOOL BUSINESS PARTNERS:American Legion Spenard Post 28Anchorage Kiwanis ClubBagoy’sDavis Constructors & Engineers Inc.Dimond Alumni FoundationEnterprise Engineering Inc.GCI Communications CorpGreat Alaska Pizza Co.HalliburtonMichael Foster & AssociatesOrthopedic Physicians AnchoragePapa Murphy’sReger Physical TherapySiemens Building TechnologiesSteam DotTastee FreezU.S.K.H.

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