PSAT Testing

Poly High School will offer the PSAT test on Saturday, October 17th. This year, all 10th grade students can take the test for FREE. All 10th grade AVID students are required to take the test unless their AVID teacher is notified in advance of a conflict by a parent/guardian. If a student has a religious conflict on that day, an alternate test date is available.

This test is also important for juniors as it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholars Program. Additionally, it is an important practice experience to help juniors prepare for the SAT or ACT which they must take this spring for college admission. It will also get students on college mailing lists which means that they will start receiving brochures and other information from a variety of colleges across the U.S. Though the test is not free for all juniors, there are fee waivers available for students who are on free/reduced price lunch.

All Sophomores and Juniors SHOULD TAKE THIS TEST!!

What's your dream?

Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in the negative. Classes are hard, teachers are cranky, practices run late, and everything seems overwhelming. When that happens, what's helpful is to remember why you are working hard, putting up with cranky teachers, going to practice, and doing things that many other students don't do. The reason is your dream! What is your dream for your life? What is your dream just for high school or college? What is your dream for the next week, month, or year? How will you make it happen? Most likely, through all of the hard work that seems so overwhelming. I hope that you will stop and think about your dreams or goals the next time you feel stuck. It might make the work seems a little easier if you remember why you are doing it!

College Application Time!

Today officially marks the beginning of "college application season"! Seniors will be completing applications for the California State University (CSU) system and the University of California (UC) system within the next few weeks. The deadline to apply to any of the colleges in these systems is November 30th, but the plan is to have all UC/CSU applications completed by November 19th at the latest. We will be completing the applications in class over the next few weeks, so students will have all of the help they need to ensure their applications are submitted correctly.

AVID Anniversary Celebration

We've got a celebration in the works for November 20th, 2009 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of AVID at Poly High School. Right now, we are planning to have all of the AVID students gather during periods 3 and 4 to hear from guest speakers and enjoy a few presentations from students. All students and guests will be treated to lunch at the end of the event. Stay tuned for more information!

Poly AVID Alum in the newspaper!

Angel Araiza, Poly AVID class of 2008, was featured in an article in the Press Enterprise on Thursday, September 10th. Good luck in your sophomore year at Princeton, Angel!

http://www.pe.com/localnews/riverside/stories/PE_News_Local_E_wangel10.4679feb.html

SAT Registration

The deadline for on-time registration for the October 10th SAT has been extended to September 23rd due to complications with sending fee waivers. ALL SENIORS must take an SAT or ACT test this fall, preferably both! Fee waivers are available for one of each test, so students should take advantage of the opportunity. Tests taken by seniors after the December test date will likely not be counted by any California State Universities (CSU) or University of California (UC) schools.

Book Drive

Poly's AVID program has partnered with the Junior League of Riverside in a book drive to benefit the libraries at local Head Start Preschools and elementary schools. Poly AVID students are soliciting donations of new and gently used children's books for grades pre-K through 6 until September 21. Books can be delivered to Ms. Cunningham's classroom or left in the front office with a message to deliver them to Ms. Cunningham. Our goal is to collect at least 300 books from students and staff.

This is just the first of many anticipated community service projects and opportunities planned for AVID this year. More information will be posted as new projects are announced.

Do you have any ideas for...

We need suggestions, tips, or ideas for fundraising! We were, like all other programs, affected by the most recent budget cuts, so it's time to get creative. If you know of a business or individual who might like to offer financial or in kind support for AVID, particularly so we can take the students on college field trips, please contact the AVID Coordinator, Ms. Cunningham, through the school website or send an e-mail to polyavid@gmail.com. If you have any suggestions for other fundraisers that do not require a large cash outlay upfront, we'd love to hear about those too. If you are a parent or AVID alumni who is willing to assist with outside fundraisers or an AVID booster club, please let us know.

Why Cornell Notes?

Many students and parents want to know why AVID uses the Cornell Note system. The answer could be as simple as, they work. Developed by Dr. Walter Pauk at Cornell University, this system is used and taught at high schools and universities throughout the US and many other nations. The process requires 3 parts. First of all, students must set up their paper, including writing their name and the date for the notes in INK on each page of notes. The students then create a margin on the left side of the page- about 2 inches, but no need to be exact. Students use the larger portion of the page to take notes on the class lecture, textbook reading, or other activities in class. Either during or after class, students add questions, comments, key terms, headings, vocabulary, etc. to the left margin. These serve as memory cues and help the students study for their tests or prepare for other class assignments. Finally, students should review their notes, add any other questions or comments, and write a 3-4 sentence summary of their notes, not of the class activity. The process of taking notes, reviewing them, and then summarizing helps create long-term memory of the material.

So take notes now and help improve your memory, or lose 69% of what you learned in two days and try to cram it all back in right before the test... I think the notes are a better choice!

To be successful in AVID...

There are a few things you need right away to be successful in AVID:
Binder (somewhere between 2 and 3 inches)
Pens
Pencils
Highlighter
Notebook paper
Divider for each class
A sturdy bag in which to carry your books
A planner (which Poly will provide this year to all students)
Determination to be successful!

Make sure you get all of your syllabi, contracts, and other teacher information signed and returned to all of your teachers quickly. Those are usually worth points!

When should you start taking notes in your classes? NOW! Take notes on your teachers' likes and dislikes, procedures, and the lessons that will start right away. There's no time to waste.

Let's make this a great year!

Welcome to Poly AVID's blog!

This is the first post on Poly High School's AVID blog. The goal of this site is to provide students, parents/guardians, community members, and other supporters of our program with the most up to date information about Poly AVID and important college information. This our first venture into the cyber world, and we hope it proves beneficial to everyone!