Attention Seniors!

Dear Seniors,

If you are interested in applying to Emory University, Ms Sahwell needs to speak with you immediately.  Please email her, today, at msahwell@dadeschools.net.

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

PSAT Registration – Sophomores and Juniors

Dear Sophomores and Juniors,

The PSAT is October 15 this year.  Sophomores are already automatically registered. Juniors who wish to register (and I hope that you do), please stop by room 3522 with exactly $13 in cash.  The deadline is September 22. 

The PSAT is good practice for the SAT and is a way to distinguish yourself in the National Merit Scholarship Competition (http://www.nationalmerit.org/).  I highly recommend that juniors register for the exam.

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

YAMI Correction

Dear Scholars,

I neglected to mention yesterday that YAMI is looking for girls only.  Here is the flyer (hope it works this time)!

new-yami-flyer

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

YAMI Youth Mentoring Job Opportunity

Dear Scholars,

The Youth Aide Mentoring Initiative is looking for students willing to serve as role models for younger children.  In the past, Scholars Academy students have provided the bulk of the program’s mentor.  This is a great opportunity to do a good deed and build your college resume. 

View this flyer for more information: new-yami-flyer

Please contact Andrea Coyne at 305.672.8080 x23 if you are interested.       

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

My Scholars Academy – Please Read!

Dear Scholars Academy Community,

I would like to announce a vast experiment I have been toying with over the course of the past few days: My Scholars Academy, a social network for your home at Miami Beach Senior High.

The idea is to create a school-centered Facebook-style social networking site where students, teachers, parents, alumni, local businesspeople and interested community members can connect and work together to improve the Scholars Academy.

The first thing you will see is that this blog is embedded within the new site.  If you are subscribed to this blog by email, you will continue to receive my messages, and this blog will remain functional.  However, there will be additional capabilities at the new site, which is located at http://scholarsacademy.ning.com.

The new features include a section for members to upload SA-related photos, post SA-related events, and join various groups.  There is already a parent group, a “faculty lounge,” a group for prospective and current students, an alumni group, and a group for recent and upcoming graduating classes.  I have also created a group for our advisory board and each of its committees. The groups can be used to ask questions and trade information, plan events or class reunions, or just to casually keep in touch.  Once you log onto the site, I encourage you to join the groups most relevant to you.  You can even create your own group to study for an English test or complain about school uniforms.  If you are interested in becoming an administrator of one of these groups, email me at aweiss@dadeschools.net.

There is also a general site Discussion Forum and a Notes section, which over time I will turn into a FAQ resource center based on the questions that pop up in the discussion forum.  For now, it hosts a welcome message and the site’s community standards policy.

I would like to encourage each of you to visit My Scholars Academy at http://scholarsacademy.ning.com.  Sign up for the site and create a profile for yourself.  Upload your photo and invite anyone who you think might benefit from the site or make a contribution to the community.  The social networking function of the site only works when lots of people use it, so spread the word.  Join a group, create a group, upload your favorite Scholars Academy photos (there is only one so far).  The great thing about this site is that there really are no limits to what you can do with it!

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

PS: Here’s my final request: If you have web design skills, I need them.  I am just in the process of launching the site – it is still “in Beta,” as they say.  In fact, I built the whole thing by reading help tutorials on a day when the weather was bad (I learned the word “Beta” by reading the tutorials).  If you already knew the word “Beta,” then please contact me – I want your advice on how we can modify the site further and take it to the next level.

Mission Accomplished

Dear Scholars,

The schedule changes are 99% done!  Dr. Sidener gave me data entry privileges today, so I braved the storm this morning to print off new schedules while the custodial staff was battening down the hatches. 

Go to the homeroom period you were originally assigned and you will receive a manila envelope with beginning of year information.  If you find a computer printout with the word “New” scrawled illegibly in blue ink, it means I love you very much. 

If there are outstaning issues, find me or Ms Sevillanos once we return to school. 

Stay safe during the storm!

Best Regards,
Andy Weiss

Schedule Changes

Dear Scholars,

As of yesterday afternoon, 100% of the schedule changes we were able to accomodate were sent off to data entry.  I think that 80% of these will be ready for Monday, and the remaining changes will go into effect by Tuesday or Wednesday morning.

Because so many classes are currently full, we were not able to accomodate every schedule change.  If the change had important academic consequences, I called your house already and left a message – please return the phone call if you haven’t already.  My phone number for this week at school is 305.532.4515 x 2034.  We will be able to work things out one way or another. 

If you stop by today, we can print off your schedule as it presently exists in the computer.  The ISIS system is frozen countywide while schools print off schedules, and so anything that we change will not go through data entry until Monday at the earliest.

For those of you who have been through the first week of school at MBSH before, you know that we will spend much of Monday and Tuesday in homeroom, lunch, or tending to administrivia.  Teachers know that the master schedule is sorting itself out, and everyone will be very accomodating if you are not in your finalized schedule until Tuesday or Wednesday.  If you have any additional questions, Ms Sevillanos and I will be available to answer questions (but NOT to make schedule changes) after the orientation tomorrow at 12:30 PM in the auditorium.

Let’s look forward to a smooth opening of school.  Don’t forget – we are a B school now and have extremely high hopes of making the A this year!  If anything infinitely-frustrating, life-threatening, or world-ending befalls you on Monday, please visit me in Ms Sevillanos’ room (352).

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

Schedule of Scheduling Meeting

Dear Scholars,

Upon reflection, I think it makes sense for us to break up the August 11 scheduling meeting by grade, so that Ms. Sevillanos and I can give you more personalized attention, and so that we can address your specific grade-level needs.  As a result, I am rescheduling the scheduling meeting according to the following schedule.

Monday, August 11:

1. Seniors: 10 AM (Sorry, get used to it.  School is almost here)
2. Juniors: 11 AM
3. Sophomores: 12 Noon
4. Freshmen: 1 PM (Freshman Orientation to be included in meeting)

If you absolutely cannot make it to the appointed time, please let me know in advance.  We will able to accomodate you, but you will have to listen to a speech about someone else’s grade – and you will miss out on important information pertinent to your grade.  Also, please remember that if you plan on designating a friend to act in your stead, you need to invest them with a letter bearing your signature AND the signature of your legal guardian. 

See you soon!

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

Scheduling Meeting

Dear Scholars,

It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over!  In two short weeks we will be back-to-school together for what promises to be a hugely successful year.  We want to ensure a smooth transition for ‘08-’09 and make sure you can hit the ground running on the first day of school; to that end, I want to invite everyone to the Media Center at 12 PM on Monday, August 11, to review their schedules before classes start.

If you can’t make it in person to the meeting, you can send a note signed by you AND a parent authorizing a friend to act as your representative.

Enjoy the last days of summer – see everyone soon!

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss

Advisory Board

Dear Scholars Community,

I just wanted to remind everyone that the next meeting of the Scholars Academy advisory board is Tuesday, August 5 at 6:30 PM.  For a recap of the material covered in the last meeting, and a preview of tomorrow’s agenda, go to the advisory board website at http://saboard.wordpress.com.  If you haven’t done so already, I urge you to sign on to that site’s email update function, so you can stay informed of the board’s activities.  This will be the board’s final meeting before the start of school, so I hope that as many interested potential board members as possible will be in atendance.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Best Regards,

Andy Weiss