D I M O N D

A. J. Dimond High School Community Newsletter November 2012

Letter from the Principal

dimensionsSave the Date

!

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.

Nov 1 Thursday 7 PMDHS/ UAA Band Concert

Nov 6 TuesdayWorkKeys Testing

Nov 13 Tuesday 7 PMScholarship Folder Workshop

Nov 15 – 17All State Music FestivalNov 19 Monday 7 PM

JROTC 2nd Quarter Awards CeremonyNov 22-23

Thanksgiving Holiday No schoolNov 26 – 30

Crystal Ball Spirit WeekCrystal Ball Saturday 8 – 11 PM

Dec 6 Thursday 7 PMChoir Holiday ConcertDec 10 Monday 7 PM

Guitar RecitalDec 12 Wednesday 7 PMOrchestra Holiday Concert

Dec 14 Friday 7 PMBand Holiday Concert

Dec 19 & 20First Semester Final Exams

Dec 21 FridayInservice – No school for students

Dec 24 – Jan 4Winter Break

Dear Dimond Parent or Guardian,

November – the month to give thanks, take stock and reaf-firm the pathway. A successful first quarter is over. In just 7 short weeks final exams will be held December 19 and 20. Dimond teachers will make

each class count. Each class assignment, lab, or test is an opportunity to improve first semester grades.

As you’ll read in this newsletter, Dimond offers many opportunities for individual and group tutoring: Math lab, Home-work Center, Open Library after school, as well as the many teachers who devote their lunch to helping students. Opportunities abound, all free, all staffed by experts in their field. Take advantage of them.

Parents, we need your help in meeting the goals of Destination 2020 for your student. Good attendance is a major pre-dictor of student success. Attendance mat-ters. That’s why Dimond devotes time and energy communicating with parents about student absences and tardies. Together we have cut tardies and improved attendance. Yet, 70% of student tardies still occur FIRST PERIOD. We need your help to get your student to school rested, fed, on time and ready to learn. If we combine our efforts, students will have much greater success in school and life beyond school.

It was wonderful to chat with you at Par-ent Teacher Conferences. It’s inspiring to meet the families of our students, discuss successes and challenges and plan for each student’s success.

Thank you for entrusting your student to our care. I look forward to seeing you at the many athletic, academic and fine arts events this month.

Most Sincerely,

Cheryl Guyett

Cinderella with her step sisters and step mother

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

I would like to thank everyone who at-tended the parent-teacher conferences last month. It is always a good idea to stay connected with your child’s teachers throughout the school year. Please use Zangle Connect to monitor your child’s progress and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any problems. Please review the following important information that will help your child

Zangle: Is it always correct?: In Parent Connect and Student Connect, ASD tries to provide you the best information pos-sible. Grades should be accurate up to the date that the teacher has submitted the last set of grades. One area that has been a particular concern with parents and stu-dents is the graduation requirement. It is not always accurate and you should not be alarmed. The counselors will use your child’s transcript to determine the neces-sary requirements for graduation. Your child’s counselor will notify you about any concerns regarding graduation require-ments.

APS Scholarships: The Alaska Perfor-mance Scholarships needs your help to make sure that the school district has the necessary information needed for the Scholarship. The missing piece of in-formation for some students that makes them ineligible for the scholarship is the District’s lack of testing information from a student’s ACT or SAT score. When stu-dents take the ACT or SAT test, they need

to make sure to include the school codes. The code for Dimond for the ACT and the SAT is 020003. It is very important that students have their scores posted with the district!

WorkKeys Testing for Juniors: On November 6, juniors will take the state-required WorkKeys exam. The WorkKeys is a job skills tests that helps students iden-tify their skill level in three areas that are considered critical in 85% of all jobs in the workforce today: applied mathemat-ics, reading for information and locating information. Scores on the WorkKeys may be applied to the Alaska Scholarship Program.

Seniors!: Remember that Honors Gradua-

tion standing is determined by the seventh semester cumulative grade point average. A 3.5 G.P.A., in January 2013, will deter-mine whether or not you graduate with Honors.

AP Testing and Sign-ups: AP test fees are due by November 2. Payment goes to Mrs. Schroeder at the Financial Data Clerk’s Office in the Dimond Main Office. Please notify your AP Teacher if you are not able to make payment by November 2.The payment remains the same as last year: $89.00 per test. Please pay for all tests at one time, make checks payable to Dimond High School, and include the Exam Sign Up Sheet, found on the next page.

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

A.J. Dimond High School A.P. Exam Sign-Up May 2013

Name_________________________ Student ID #__________________

Art History French Language Studio Art-Drawing German Language Biology U.S. Gov’t and Politics Calculus AB Comparative Gov’t and Politics Calculus BC Japanese Lang. and Culture

Chemistry Music Theory Computer Science Physics B Economics: Macroeconomics Physics C- Mechanics Economics: Microeconomics Physics C- Electricity and Magnetism English Language and Comp. Psychology English Literature and Comp. Spanish Language Environmental Science Statistics European History United States History

Total AP Exams Exam Fees Paid $89 per test Check Number Cash Received By: _____________

Dimond students with Sen. Murkowski from the Youth Vote Debate

2013 AP Exam schedule Week 1 Morning 7 a.m. Afternoon 11am

Monday, May 6

Chemistry Environmental Science Psychology

Tuesday, May 7

Computer Science A Spanish Language Art History

Wednesday, May 8

Calculus AB Calculus BC Chinese Language and Culture

Thursday, May 9 English Literature and Composition Japanese Language and Culture

Latin

Friday, May 10

English Language and Composition Statistics Studio Art—last day for Coordinators to submit digital portfolios (by 8 p.m. EDT) and to gather 2-D Design and Drawing students for physical portfolio assembly

Week 2 Morning 7 a.m. Afternoon 11am Afternoon 1 p.m.

Monday, May 13

Biology Music Theory

Physics B Physics C: Mechanics

Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism

Tuesday, May 14

United States Government and Politics

Comparative Government and Politics French Language and Culture

Wednesday, May 15

German Language and Culture United States History European History

Thursday, May 16

Macroeconomics World History

Italian Language and Culture Microeconomics

Friday, May 17

Human Geography Spanish Literature and Culture

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

2012 First Semester Final Exams

Free WorkKeys Testing for Dimond Juniors and Seniors Tuesday November 6, 2012 during the school day

1. WorkKeys is a job skills assessment measuring “real world” skills that employers believe are critical to job

success. These skills are valuable for any occupation being considered and at any level of education.

2. The State of Alaska regulation 4 AAC 06.717 requires that all juniors take WorkKeys in three skill area assessments as shown below. WorkKeys scores are expressed in levels that range from 3 to 6 or 7, depending on the assessment.

a. Reading for Information = 3 to 7 b. Applied Mathematics = 3 to 7 c. Locating Information = 3 to 6

3. Regulation 4 AAC 06.717 also allows seniors the choice to take the three WorkKeys skill area assessments

during the same time as juniors at their school. There will be no charge for seniors choosing to take WorkKeys. Seniors wishing to take WorkKeys must sign-up at their school. A student’s best score report will become part of his/her permanent record.

4. Students may receive a nationally recognized credential. This National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) documents their achievement in the three skill areas mentioned above. NCRCs and score reports can be shown to prospective employers and listed on resumes and job applications. Many employers nationwide now look for National Career Readiness Certificates.

5. WorkKeys results can be used to qualify for all Alaska Performance Scholarship levels for attendance in a Career Technical Education certificate program but not for attendance in a degree program. More information about the Alaska Performance Scholarship is available on the State of Alaska website at http://akadvantage.alaska.gov/STUDENT-PARENT/Grants_Scholarships/Alaska_Performance_Scholarship.aspx

6. More information about WorkKeys is available on the State of Alaska website at http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/workkeys.html.

7. The WorkKeys Test will be held in the morning on Tuesday, November 6. Students will need to bring their

Dimond High School I.D. card or a State of Alaska issued I.D. card.

Fall Academic Awardees

!

ACADEMIC LETTERS !Celine Abello Joshua An Justine Anderson Amy Andresen Brittany Bagsby Raphael Baluyut Judy-Ann Banez Courtney Beach Lilly Bee Samantha Berger Aaron Bigelow Morgan Bloom Aidan Boeckmann Rachel Brady Alexander Burgh Sarah Bylsma Emily Carey Sean Christians Makayla Clark Aminata Cole Brenda Craig Adannah Daniel Austin Desatoff Collin Dieckgraeff Kendra Dosch Lauren Drake Paul DuClos Tyler Dunn Kerrick Eagle Ivy Elliott Chase Erickson Joseph Fitka Benjamin Froehlich Jade Fronteras Mampei Fujimoto Alaina Geraty Liezel Giron Tuan Hoang Graziano Kally Greene-Gudmundson Smith Griggs Jae Hyung Ham

!Jacob Hanni Cassandra Hartley Savana Hartley Baily Hartman Taelor Hawley Makenzie Heatherly Michaela Hendricks Devin Higbee Trent Hodson Keely Holt Lacy Hull Nathan Hussong Anh Nam Huynh Nanette Jackson James Janezich Kari Jenkins Breanna Jingco Claire Johansen Nathan Kaaihue Kailey Kenning Crystal Ketchum Erin Jin Kim So Won Kim Jesse Lestenkof Honglai Lin Jia Rui Liu Karla Llaneza William Long Byron Lowe Raven Malone Nicholas Mayser Madison Mesceda Ozer Micoogullari Jackson Mills Jenna Mixson Brandon Mommsen Kyle Morrison Renny Nelson Daria Orlova Janelle Owen Allen Pangelinan Samantha Paskvan !

!Iain Perry Caitlin Peterson Zachary Piscitelli Greenwald Brent Quinn Maria Ramirez Vyninka Reddish Joshua Redfox Haily Redmond Austin Reed Keana Rivas Arianna Rohde Hannah Seaman John Sedor Alexsander Serebryakov Russell Seymoure Andrew Shields Chloe Skeete Alexis Solis Abigail Stahl Kaily Stanton Kyle Stone Michael Summers Andrea Swanstrom Rutger Thiele Miranda Tomuro Leavens Connor Van Alstine Rene Vania Jonathan Vasai Martinlouie Victa Nicolas Villa Jovan Villamanca Erin Ward Connie Webb Oluwakemi Wolfe Kari Wray Claudia Wroblewski !!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!

SILVER STARS !Nathan Adams Gabrielle Agtarap Marina Aldous Taylor Allen Karli Anders Michael Aronwits Ellen Asay Lucia Ashby Andrew Banez Amber Bare Ashton Bare Madelyne Bee Paris Bennett Ryan Brady Charlie Busby Cierra Carrigan Matthew Cerveny Josepher Chen Jin Chong Taral Clayton Abigail Corral Jane Eckhoff Sterling Emmal Seth Flagel Janessa Fosi Cecilia Frank Lydia Garcia Ethan Gould Jason Handy Christian Hartwell Matthew Harvey Tristan Heil Emmylea Herring Jennifer Holganza Erin Howe Jason Hsi Christopher Hudson Emily Hughes Kaylee Ige Veronica Janezich Johanna Jeffryes !

!Darion Jones Shereena Kenaston Peter King Sean Kordewick Rachel Land Kendall Lavigne Jeremiah Lee Aubrie Lucas Giselle Luteria Kayla Mallory Makane Mason Killian McClure Shannon McLaughlin Marleena Merchant Sarah Monaghan Austin Osborne Troy Pangelinan Megan Parish Olivia Pepe-Phelps Allison Petrov Karl Rodvik Emilee Rogers Zayn Roohi Elizabeth Rus Jude San Juan Chloe Sanders Cory Schneider Hannah Siira Signe Stanton Kalie Suellentrop Celestine Talaro Blaise Thompson Christina Thompson Edson Tung Ian Velasco Dakayla Walters Allana Wiesinger Ian Wilber Erik Wilcox !

GOLD STARS Sierra Afoa Stanson Afoa Jerel Cabesas Cory Chan Parot Charoonsophonsak Caitlynn Dubie Philippa Dun Ashlyn Dye Matthew Falconer Hailey Fanning Janelle Feller Mackenzie French Chelsea Garritson Alaina Hawley Camille Heninger Victoria Hill Rebecca Hoshaw Yuhwa Hu Michael Hudson Marisa Jingco Susumu Jones Jie Joo Katie Kampen Jane Kim Monica Kinder Sydney Laudon Jacob Lee Jun Hyeog Lee He Xi Lin Mikaela Mendoza Isabel Mills Anders Ogawa Emily Owen Kendra Paskvan Dusan Pekich Kristen Ratcliffe Alex Ripley Megan Romo Nolan Schock Emily Seidler

!Eugene Shestakov Mia Sison Mallory Stutzer Tomas Sundet Tara Thompson Brooke Yunis Alyssa Zapata !

Fall Academic Awardees

CAREER RESOURCE CENTER NEWSKim Lauwers - 742-7020

Wow, we have had a very busy and excit-ing October. Many college representa-tives have come to Dimond to speak to our students about

their programs. We had good attendance at our College Planning night on Oct. 4th. On Oct. 20th, we had 200 sophomores and juniors take the PSAT at Dimond. Lastly, we also took about 100 students to the College and Career Fair on Oct. 22nd. It will slow down some in November but please see the dates below for the upcom-ing events. If you have not already, please have your seniors start asking for 3-4 let-ters of recommendations from either their teachers, counselors, or employers. The letters of recommendation will help them with applying for jobs, colleges, and schol-arships.

College Visits:November 5th Colgate 7:30 a.m. in the CRC officeDecember 11th UAA at 11:00 a.m.

Scholarship Portfolio Night: November 13, 7 p.m. in the MPR1 room. Excellent workshop for seniors.

Scholarships due in November: November 20: ACLU of Alaska Foun-dation Scholarship. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska Foundation is pleased to announce they are accepting applications for the Joan Hamilton Me-morial Scholarship. $2500 per academic year. Must be a high school senior or col-lege student who wishes to pursue a ca-reer related to the law, become advocates of Alaska Native rights, and defend con-stitutional rights and civil liberties of the peoples of rural Alaska. Applications are

in the CRC office. For more information please contact Drew Phoenix at 907-263-2003 or dphoenix@akclu.org

NEW! SAT and ACT: You must supply a photo during registration! This photo will print out on your admission ticket. You will bring the admission ticket and a state I.D. to the test center on test day. Sign up online! Make sure you put in Dimond’s school code (020003) on your registration application .

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.

ACTRegister online! www.actstudent.orgFees: No writing $35.00 With writing $50.50

TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE LATE REGISTRATION, FEE REQUIREDDEC. 8 NOV. 2 NOV. 3-16FEB. 9 JAN. 11 JAN. 12-18APRIL 13 MARCH 8 MARCH 9-22JUNE 8 MAY 3 MAY 4-17

SATRegister online! www.collegeboard.orgFees: SAT $50 SAT Subject $23 Late Fee: $77

TEST DATE REGISTRATION LATE REGISTRATION, FEE REQUIREDDEC. 1 NOV. 1 NOV. 16JAN. 26 DEC. 28 JAN. 11MAR. 9 FEB. 8 FEB. 22MAY 4 APR. 5 APR. 19JUNE 1 MAY 2 MAY 17

Students visit College and Career Fair

JAPANESE IMMERSION NEWSVictoria Gellert & Miyuki Imai

Konnichiwa Jap-anese Immer-sion, Tomo no kai & Japanese Elective families,

The 17th An-nual Fall Family Fundraiser Din-

ner at MEARS Middle School on Sat, Oc-tober 6th, 2012 was another HUGE SUC-CESS!

Final figures are still being determined and it’s expected we rose north of $13,500.00.

That means continuing interns, more new learning materials, opportunities for trips

to Japan, & many other wonder learning experiences!!

There are important changes on the ho-rizon for the curriculum immersion stu-dents follow.

Please stay tuned to the DHS newsletter, Tomo no kai, & ASD’s website for new and pertinent information regarding your child’s education and graduation require-ments.

Tomo no kai meets the first Tuesday ev-ery month at 7:00pm at Sand Lake ES in the Library and supports ALL Japanese Programs in ASD. Your & your students’ involvements are the keys to the most pos-sible rewarding experience. All positive

energy is welcome from every one of all grades & we are ALWAYS open to cre-ative new ways to support the program too. Please join us regularly to help us best sup-port our students and enhance their DHS experience!!

Thank You to the 39 DHS Students who volunteered their time increasing the Fun Factor of the evening:

Jason Amor, Charlie Busby, Breezi Byars, Ciera Carrigan , Taral Clayton, Allie Epke, Monica Kinder, Shannon Moore, Heidi Moore, Rebecca Perkins, Sydney Laudon, Rebecca Hoshaw, Mark Moore, Cooper Plumhoff, Miranda Tomuro, Alice Teeter, Tian Ah You, Colin O’Hare. Senna Stock-ler, Dakayla Walters, Kelly Kimm, Mukae-la Mendoza, Kendra Paskvan, Samantha Paskavan, Keegan Caufield Lukas Katx, Lars Berglund, Aubry Lopez, Amanda Lee, Tara Choi, Dannie Holden, Roslyn McCor-mack, Darion Jones, Jordan Jeffries, Tay-lor Tolan, Alex Ungerecht, Yukwa Yu, and Brooke Yunis.

On Tuesday September 4th, Dimond was fortunate to welcome Japanese calligra-phy artist Hashimoto Shisui from Asaku-sa, Japan. Hashimoto Shisui is a travel-ing artist who shares her craft of writing extremely large-scale kanji characters with students around the world. For Dimond’s art and Japanese language students, luck-ily, Anchorage was her latest stop.

While the art of writing Japanese kanji characters has been practiced in Japan for centuries, writing characters in a large-scale format is quite new. Watching the art in progress was exciting for students because once the giant brush is in motion, there is no stopping to contemplate or pon-der. Also, the audience was impressed by how much emotion could be communicated within one letter. At one point Hashimoto Shisui drew out two interpretations of the kanji character for “love.” The difference in the characters’ expression and mood was striking.

In addition to the large-scale calligraphic work, students learned about kabuki plays, traditional songs, and differences in tra-ditional Japanese kimono wear. Students also tried their hand with writing the kanji

Japanese Giant Calligraphy Comes to Dimondcharacter for “king” under Ms. Hashimoto Shisui’s tutelage as well. Hopefully Hashimoto Shisui’s giant ya-maneko, or “lynx,” kanji character will adorn the walls of Dimond soon.

Hashimoto Shisui –sensei, domo arigato gozaimasu!

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.

On Wednesday, October 10th, 20 students in Ms. Imai's "Honors Japanese" class held a Kickoff Party with their Japanese "host-families." The Adopt-A-Student Program, currently in its 12th year, pairs students learning Japanese at Dimond with na-tive Japanese speakers in the community who "adopt" our students for the school year. The idea is to encourage students' use of Japanese outside of the classroom in a fun, pressure-free setting. Students join their Japanese hosts for a minimum of three hours a month, during which time they might cook, play a game, visit a local hot spot, or watch a sporting event…all the while using their Japanese language skills to communicate. Many of the Japanese "hosts" are current teaching interns vol-unteering in the Japanese Immersion pro-gram classrooms at Sand Lake Elementary, Mears Middle School, and Dimond. It's a great opportunity for the Dimond students to show the interns around Alaska, while also imparting their culture and language expertise with our students. We hope that the Adopt-A-Student Program Kick-off Party launched students on a path that increases their affinity for all things Japa-nese and improves their Japanese language skills.

Japanese Immersion Program students Ryan Hellenga and Anders Ogawa (right) meet their host Kosai Sato at the Japanese

programs' Adopt-A-Student Program Kickoff Party.

Japanese Program's Adopt-A-Student Program Kick's Off

12th YearDimond hosted the 6th annual Go Abroad! Day on Friday, September 28th. Dimond's 13 current and returning exchange students spoke to over 800 DHS students in World Language classes during hourly presentations. The presentations aimed to encourage students to spend a summer, a semester, or a year studying in a foreign country. The student-led presentations gave Dimond students a picture of how school life, customs re-lated to everyday greetings, and even food preferences differ vastly around the world. Ar-mand Faure got the room giggling as he explained the reactions he got when he tried to kiss local girls on both cheeks upon meeting them, as is customary in his home-country France. And, Sanae Oyama of Japan noted how much bigger things seemed in the US, including McDonalds' hamburgers. Similarly, the DHS students were shocked to hear from Anton Werin that in Sweden very few students graduate with a 4.0 GPA. The Go Abroad! Day presentations will hopefully inspire many Dimond students and launch them on exciting adventures studying abroad.

Exchange students point out their home countries. From left to right are Tim Jahn (Swit-zerland), Romain Vindevogel (Belgium), Federico Clementoni (Italy), Louise Mortensen (Denmark), Alberto Pecere (Italy), Anton Werin (Sweden), Chanaphat Boonprasit (Thai-land), Sina Nennstiel (Germany), Alexander Hoffmann (Germany), Sanae Oyama (Ja-pan), Emily Carpenter (Indonesia, returnee), Armand Faure (France), & Collin Dieck-graeff (Hungary, returnee).

Go Abroad! Day

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

I would like to thank all the parents who attended teacher/student conferences this year. Ongoing communication and ac-tively participating in your child’s educa-tion assists us in identifying any challenges that your student may be experiencing. This allows us to intervene early and increase your child’s chances of staying on track. In addition to our scheduled conferences, I encourage you to contact me any time if you need assistance with your child’s school experience. Actively participating in your child’s education helps to ensure that your child is able to make the most of their educational experience. I welcome your calls and suggestions about any way I can improve the quality of your child’s experience at Dimond High School.

Homework Café provides students with a friendly atmosphere where they can go during lunch to catch up on homework or receive additional assistance. Home-work Café is currently scheduled Monday through Friday in room B213. All students are welcome. In addition to the Homework

Café, we also provide specific assistance in Math. Tutoring is scheduled on Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 2:00 to 4:00 in Room B213.

All freshmen participate in Battle of the Books. Students have been organizing themselves into teams in preparation of the upcoming contest. Each student is required to select and read 4 “Battle Books”. Please encourage your child to schedule time for daily reading of their Battle Books. Each member of the winning team will be awarded a yearbook free of charge. If the student has already purchased a yearbook, their money will be refunded. I appreciate all you do to help us ensure that your stu-dents succeed.

One last thing I’d like to remind you of is that students are not allowed to take their final exams early. If you are leav ing on vacation prior to ASD’s scheduled Win-ter Break, it is the student’s respon sibility to arrange for a time to take a fi-nal examination upon their return.

Please make sure a prearranged absence form is filled out and returned to the atten-dance secretary no later than three school days prior to leaving. Forms can be found in the Attendance Office. Make up exams will be administered after return from Win-ter Break.

We held our first Phenomenal Freshman Awards Ceremony on October 12th. Each Phenomenal Freshman was nomi nated based on positive impressions they made on our staff. Receiving this award is our way of acknowledging each recipient for a demonstrable act of good character, out-standing effort or personal growth. Each Freshman was nominated by a staff mem-ber of the Fresh-man House staff. Congratula tions!

The students selected as outstanding freshmen were:Ja'Leie Edwards, Max Butto, Clarissa Alexie, Challis Debenham, Chloe Bee,

Cassandra Lindall, Natalia Ivanovic, Samuelu "Sam" Paepae, Kinsey Denton, Shianne Frable, Dakota Tucker, Robeline Llaneza, Jonathan Yi, Noah'Z Gill, Ebtehal "Haesha" Zeid, Zachary Burris, Roslyn White, Osamu Jones, Saman-

tha Baltierra, Brian Sweeney, Aubrey Manculich, Chelsea Agnew, Lillian Lewis

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

Flag Football State Champions

Can’t reach the school via

email?

ASD has learned that it's been blacklisted from some email providers, such as Hotmail and others. This means people with email accounts from those providers are not able to exchange messages with @asdk12.org email accounts. The situation was caused by spam com-ing from within the ASD email system. The district’s IT department is aware of the situation and has been working with the outside email providers to clear up the situation. However, those providers have their own standard timelines and policies, so it can take several days be-fore it is corrected. If you haven’t received a response to an email or were expecting to receive an email from an @asdk12.org account, please give the school a call and speak to the person directly. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience. The district is taking steps to alleviate the causes of the spam that resulted in the blacklisting.

YEARBOOK NEWSCullen Lickingteller , Advisor - lickingteller_cullen@asdk12.org

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.

Hopefully seniors have turned in their replacement pictures for the yearbook. If you email your picture, make sure you receive an email back verifying receipt of your picture by our staff. dimondyear-book@hotmail.com or lickingteller_cul-len@asdk12.org

Senior quote forms are available in B208 and other various locations around the school. Turn in pictures and quotes as soon as possible. We know many are wait-

ing for photographers to process their pic-tures and we will hold the window open as long as possible.

We want to make sure anyone who is considering a senior page will continue to consider this and call us between 1:00 and 2:00 pm. to set up a meeting. This is a pre-cious opportunity we do not want to deny a parent of a graduating student. We can still fit some in under the plant deadline. We will take meetings into November.

Jostens graduation packets can be turned in to the activities office where they will be periodically picked up by the company representative. You can access and fill out your orders online at the Jostens site. The activities office may still have some hard copies of the packet remaining.

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

Class Projects This year student government has a new focus for each class to do a project each quarter. Projects will highlight the different aspects of each class and also will encourage community outreach.

• The freshmen hosted a tie-dye day during the freshman lunch on Wednesday, October 17. The colors were maroon and gold for Dimond spirit and pink for breast cancer awareness.

• This quarter the sophomore class focused on a community service project at Bean’s Café. They helped make and serve the food. It was a great success.

• The junior hosted a Karaoke Night at Elim Café. It was an event to unify the junior class and to have a fun time! There was lots of singing and everyone had a blast!

• The senior class hosted a Swim Night at our own Dimond pool. It was a great way to pump up the seniors and encourage class spirit.

Meet Student Government Matthew Froehlich Senior Class President Matthew has been a part of Dimond’s student government for two years now. Q: What is your favorite part about student government? A: I like being the voice of the school and participating in all the events. I think it’s both fun and rewarding to be involved in all the dances and school wide events. Q: What is one thing you would like to improve about our school? How? A: I would like to improve the parking lot cleanliness. I would do this by providing more trash cans in the parking lot and also by encouraging classes to go out and help pick up trash. We could publicize it more by hanging signs in the hallways and parking lot. Q: Favorite student government memory? A: My favorite memory of student government was when our whole class went to Providence Extended Care and got to visit and help serve food to patients.

Jin Chong Junior Class President This is Jin’s second year in student government and he is proud to be a part of this great program.

Q: What is your favorite part about student government? A: I like how we have a lot of freedom but also a lot of responsibility to our fellow classmates. Q: What made you want to be in student government? A: I wanted to improve my leadership skills and help eliminate problems within the school.

OFF THE SHELF: NOTES FROM DIMOND LIBRARYSuzanne Metcalfe, Librarian - 742-7103

UPDATED DIMOND LIBRARY ONLINE (http://www.dimondhigh.com/library ) Have you visited Dimond High’s new website yet? It’s beautiful. I’ve been updating our library webpage, and as I learn more about webpage design, I’m hoping to make it more user-friendly. This is the best starting place for student research, locating books, and finding information. DIMOND LIBRARY ONLINE BOOKMARKS We’ve added some new resources (and unfortunately lost Nettrekker) so there are new RED DIMOND ONLINE RESOURCES bookmarks available in the library. These bookmarks have all the passwords and access information for using the many resources we offer. Ask your student to bring one home to keep by the computer or pick one up next time you are at school. SOME NEW RESOURCES INCLUDE: FACTS ON FILE ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL HISTORY AND MODERN WORLD HISTORY, EBSCO LITERARY REFERENCE CENTER AND NOVELIST PLUS. These databases provide excellent, appropriate, accurate information for your students to use with reports and projects. See the red bookmark for user name and passwords.

DISCOVERY EDUCATION offers videos and clips on a huge variety of subjects. ASD purchased these resources for both teachers and students. Log on using

district credentials. For students, this is User ID: lastname.firstname / Password: student ID number (7 digits).

To help students cite sources correctly and create proper bibliographies, use EASYBIB PRO. Dimond has a school account, see the red bookmark for the coupon code. Easy Bib easily converts bibliographies to MS Word and Google Apps.

TURNITIN.COM Your students may be turning in their papers using a tool purchased with a PTSA grant. This is a wonderful tool for students to use BEFORE they turn in a paper. Students get an originality report that compares their papers against a huge database of papers from high schools and universities as well as books, websites and other sources. Dimond teachers are using turnitin as a teaching tool to help students learn to cite sources and avoid plagiarism. THANK YOU, PTSA! BATTLE OF THE BOOKS: All Freshman English classes are reading the titles from the Battle of the Books list. Upper grade students are invited to put together teams. See Ms. Metcalfe if interested. Another big THANK YOU to PTSA who purchased multiple copies of the books. For summaries and more information about the Battle of the Books program, go to: http://www.akla.org/akasl/bb/bbhome.html

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

Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present.

Roger Babson

Many thanks to the families that con-tinue to strive to help students arrive to school on time. Students are achieving great things! • Steady decline in the number of first hour tardies • Continued decline in the number of tar-dies or the classes directly after lunch • Faculty note fewer students in the hall when the bell rings for class • Data confirms that more and more stu-dents are arriving to class on time

First hour remains the class with the great-est amount of tardies. As winter approach-es, snow and ice are soon to follow. Please encourage your students to leave earlier as traffic and hazards will increase with the winter weather.

In late September, we began mailing home only the first tardy notification. Each stu-dent has six “free” tardies; lunch deten-tions begin at the seventh. Once a student reaches consequences, anticipate a phone call home notifying the status of the tardies as well as the corresponding consequence. Note that the tardies are semester cumu-lative, so students will not have a “clean slate” until January.

Students at Dimond are moving intention-ally through the hallways and are in class to begin learning on time. We appreciate and applaud their efforts.

Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to the proper use.

Thomas J. Watson

“S.T.A.R.T. on Time”-Safe Transitions and Reduced Tardies-

A cumulative, semester-based program to address safety, timeliness and classroom performance.

Tardy consequences:

ENGINEERING ACADEMY NEWSLea Bouton, Marcus Reese, Wade Roach, Zion Russell & Chaz Vaughn

Dimond Engineering Academy students Johanna Jeffries and Jackson Ursin presented at the October Leg-islative Briefing to promote engineering academies in Alaska. Dimond’s Engineering Academy, the first 4-year PLTW certified program in Alaska, is held up as a model program.

Congratulations to our engineering students and faculty.

Students will be heading to the polls again in this year’s Mock Election on No-vember 6th. Dimond participates in a district wide mock election, Youth Vote, which is coordinated by students, staff, and the League of Women Voters of An-chorage. Students will vote electronically in their Social Studies classes; on the ballot are the Presidential candidates, the House of Representatives candidates and a single ballot initiative, written by the student coordinating committee.

Students in US Government classes will have attended a student run, and tele-vised district wide forum at West High School on October 18th where the invited guests include the Governor Parnell, Lt. Governor Treadwell and Senator Murkowski. The intent of our participation in the Youth Vote is to engage students in and prepare them for civic participation in our political system.

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,

Dimond is an extraordinary school. We have planning meetings that include staff, faculty, students, and parents. We have good test scores school wide, but want to make them better. We have a good atmo-sphere where students are encouraged to work hard and can get help succeeding. We have an active PTSA along with Booster Clubs for many student organizations and sports teams. We believe our students are worth the work. The following are three specific areas where all parents and guard-ians can help increase the success rate in our school.

First, insist they show up and are on time. The administration has implemented a strict tardy policy. Think of Woody Al-len’s famous quote, “90% of success is showing up.” When we as parents insist our children go to class, on time, we are telling them we want them to succeed - and we have faith in them that they can. We are also teaching valuable lifetime skills.

Then, remember in elementary school, at least in the Anchorage School District, the

emphasis was on reading. Most children came home with a reading log. 20 or 30 minutes of reading a day was required. One way to improve overall performance is to encourage your children to read every day -- not just text books for homework, but recreational reading. Research has shown repeatedly, this is still important - even at the high school and college levels.

Finally, listen to your children. Ask them questions. I have had several students come into my office, grab a tootsie pop out of my candy jar, plop down in a chair and tell me about their day. I listen, nod, and ask whys and wherefores. They only stay a minute or so, but they often return. I am happy to listen. (make no mistake, the tootsie pops are a big draw.)

Unfortunately, I will not be here next year to listen or provide Tootsie Pops. We need someone new in the role of PTSA Presi-dent. Really, it isn’t difficult and you don’t need to be here all day. You’ll get to know the staff and faculty, as well as the students. Actually, we are going to need a few board members - with new energy and new ideas. Please consider taking part in helping Di-

mond meet higher standards and goals. Be-come a planning member of the team.

Happy Thanksgiving

Kathryn EckhoffPTSA President

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

ACTIVITIES NEWSTim Helvey, Activities Assistant Principal - 742-6996

The first snow typically means fall sports season is ending, and this year is no ex-ception. Dimond High School sponsored Cross-Country Running Regions and State this year, which we wrapped up in October. Each event faced some challenges from the weather, but all of the support from Dimond staff and parents helped to ensure each event ran smoothly.

Congratulations to Dimond Varsity Flag Football team and Coach Navarre for tak-ing the State Championship and completing a perfect season with zero losses. JV and C Flag Football teams and boys Football also finished successful seasons.

Football Cheer and Competitive Cheer dominated the Region IV Championships with first place for Football Cheer, Football Cheer JV and all female competitive large division. The teams’ performances were so strong they won overall grand champion. It was a memorable event with coach of the year honors, best stunts and best dance per-formance recognitions.

Swim/Dive to date is undefeated in confer-ence and looks to take a perfect season into the Region IV Championships, and eventu-ally to the state tournament.

Girls’ Volleyball has locked in first place in conference play and will take this advantage into the Region IV Tournament with a shot at repeating as state champions.

Gymnastics just completed the Pink Meet, which is the largest meet of the year and aims to raise awareness and support for breast can-cer. Thanks to all the coaches and parents who helped this event be so successful.

The great success our programs experi-ence comes from the many hours of sup-port from dedicated Dimond staff, parents, coaches and alumni. Thank you to everyone who donates so much time to these programs. And, finally, thank you to our student athletes for your commitment to your classroom and your team. We are proud to have such stellar young people in our hallways and our pro-grams.

Dates to Remember:Volleyball Regions November 1,2,3 and State November 8,9,10 Menard Sport CenterGymnastics Regions November 3 @ Chugiak High SchoolSwim/Dive State November 2,3 @ Bartlett High School Pool

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 concussions in student-athletes. As part of this requirement, and our commitment to the health and well being of our students, middle school and high school student-athletes sign-ing up for an ASD sport that requires a physi-cal 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 Acknowledge-ment and Consent Form, please visit http://www.asdk12.org/activities/high/participant_HS.asp.

Continue to watch each edition of the Di-mond Dimensions for more NCAA eligibil-ity information

NCAA Eligibility Divisions I and II Initial Eligibility Requirements

Core Courses* NCAA Division I re-quires 16 core courses. NCAA Division II currently requires 14 core courses. Divi-sion II will require 16 core courses for stu-dents enrolling on or after August 1, 2013. See the charts below.* NCAA Division I will require 10 core courses to be completed prior to the sev-enth semester (seven of the 10 must be a combination of English, math or natural or physical science that meet the distribution re-quirements below). These 10 courses become

"locked in" at the seventh semester and can-not be retaken for grade improvement.

o Beginning August 1, 2016, it will be possible for a Division I college-bound student-athlete to still receive athletics aid and the ability to practice with the team if he or she fails to meet the 10 course re-quirement, but would not be able to com-pete.

Test Scores* Division I uses a sliding scale to match test scores and core grade-point averages (GPA). The sliding scale for those requirements is shown on Page No. 2.* Division II requires a minimum SAT score of 820 or an ACT sum score of 68.* The SAT score used for NCAA purposes includes only the critical reading and math sections. The writingsection of the SAT is not used.* The ACT score used for NCAA purposes is a sum of the following four sections: Eng-lish, mathematics, readingand science.* When you register for the SAT or ACT, use the NCAA Eligibility Center code of 9999 to ensure all SAT and ACT scores are reported directly to the NCAA Eligi-bility Center from the testing agency. Test scores that appear on transcripts will not be used.Grade-Point Average* Be sure to look at your high school’s List of NCAA Courses on the NCAA Eligibility Center's website www.eligibilitycenter.org. Only courses that appear on your school's List of NCAA Courses will be used in the calculation of the core GPA. Use the list as a guide.* Division I students enrolling full time before August 1, 2016, should use Sliding Scale A to determine eligibility to receive athletics aid, practice and competition during the first year.* Division I GPA required to receive athlet-ics aid and practice on or after August 1, 2016, is 2.000 (corresponding test-score re-quirements are listed on Sliding Scale B on Page No. 2).* Division I GPA required to be eligible for competition on or after August 1, 2016, is

Continued on next page...

Thank You School Business Partnerships !

!! !

!

!

!

!

!

!!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

Activity News continued...2.300 (corresponding test-score requirements are listed on Sliding Scale B on Page No. 2).* The Division II core GPA requirement is a minimum of 2.000. * Remember, the NCAA GPA is calculated using NCAA core courses only.

Division I 16 Core Classes4 years of English.3 years of mathematics (Algebra I or high-er).2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school).1 year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.2 years of social science.4 years of additional courses (from any

area above, foreign language or compara-tive religion/philosophy).

Division II 14 Core Classes3 years of English.2 years of mathematics (Algebra I or high-er).2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school).2 years of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.2 years of social science.3 years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or compara-tive religion/philosophy).

Division II 16 Core Courses (2013 and Af-ter)

3 years of English.2 years of mathematics (Algebra I or high-er).2 years of natural/physical science (1 year of lab if offered by high school).3 years of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.2 years of social science. 4 years of additional courses (fromany area above, foreign language or com-parative religion/philosophy).

To see page two of the Sliding Scale A and B go to NCAA Eligibility Center website at www.eligibilitycenter.org.

Districtwide systems outage

Dec. 22–30

What computer systems will be down?

Plan ahead!

Questions?

IT plans districtwide systems outage during winter break

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

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

Anchorage, AK 99502

Non-ProfitOrganization

U. S. POSTAGEPAID

Permit #258Anchorage, Alaska

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/

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.