Advantage Academy 
Grand Prairie West  Newsletter
  October 2016


IN THIS ISSUE
Attendance
Saturday School
After School Tutorials
Campus Calendar
Sudent/Staff Highlights
Important Reminders
Parent Universty
Clubs
Parent Portal
Child Nutrition
Athletics
Contact our Teachers




 
District News 

Reminder:
Columbus Day/*AA Texas State Fair Day is Monday, O ctober 10, 2016 - No school for students or staff

Staff Development is held October 11-14, 2016 - No school for students. The purpose of this week is to provide intens ive development of our teachers for continuous improvement. 

*1 Free Texas State Fair ticket will be distributed before October 10th to AA students & staff.

"Building Champions with a Future and a Hope"
Administrator's Area

Education is not preparation for life;
education is life itself~ John Dewey
            
Greetings Parents, Students,  and Guardians!
I am so excited to serve you and your
 scholars at the Grand Prairie West Campus.  This is going to be a year of progression.  It is my goal that we progress in the following areas:
  •  Academic achievement for ALL students
  •  Daily student attendance will be 98%
  •  Parent engagement will increase and parents will be more visible on campus
Let me tell you a little about myself.  I was born in Detroit, Michigan and relocated to the great state of Texas.  I received my Bachelors of Science in elementary education from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I earned my  Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership.  The last 22 years have been spent leading schools towards high performance in all areas.

2016-2017 is going to be a great year!

I would love to meet each of you!  Come have coffee and donuts with me on Friday, October 14, 2016 at 7:45a.m.

Education first,
D. White - Principal  

"Building Champions with a Future and a Hope"
Attendance in school is Essential!
  • Scholars may arrive to school as early as 7:30am for Breakfast
  • Scholars leave the gymnasium at 7:45am to head to class.
  • 8:00am is when students are late to school.  
  • Ten minutes late to any period is considered an ABSENCE.
Beginning October 3, 2016, students will report immediately to their 1st period and sign a tardy slip inside their classroom.

Please try to schedule appointments for students after school to ensure students receive maximum instructional time.

Dismissal is at 3:20pm for K-4 and Grades 5-8 at 3:45pm
Parents will not be allowed to pick up students after 3pm.  It is too difficult for staff to gather scholars while preparing for dismissal.
We appreciate your assistance in this matter.
Saturday School Boot Camp

4th and 7th Grade

8am to 12pm

October 1st
October 29th
November 12th
December 3rd

These Saturday sessions are for the purpose of focusing on scholar's writing skills.  Fourth and seventh grade scholars will take the STARR Writing assessment.

Sessions are from 8:00am - 12 noon.  We had 51 scholars in our last session. There is still room.  Permission slips are in the office.
After School Tutorials

Every Monday and Thursday from 4pm-5pm ALL teachers are on campus to provide tutorials for areas that students need assistance.
* Homework assistance
* Complete missing assignments
* Assistance with misunderstanding of a skill or concept
Failure is not an option. Take advantage of this FREE opportunity to get support!
Mark Your Calendars

10/3 - After School Clubs begin this week!

10/5 - Come have lunch with your child! All parents/guardians are               welcome to attend.

10/7 - 6 Weeks Progress Reports go home today!

10/10 - Columbus Day/State Fair Day. No School for Students

10/11 to 10/14 - Staff Development/No School for Students

10/17 - Coffee and donuts with the Principal: 7:30am (Cafeteria)

10/21 - End of 1st 9 weeks.  

11/1 - Parent/Teacher Conference Night: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
   Meet your child's teacher and pick up report cards.

*Please  note that all dates and times are subject to change. Check with the front office for confirmation of information.

Check out the full website calendar of events here: Campus Calendar
A A G P  West Soaring Eagles
Student/Staff Highlights from September

Constitution Day!
Important Reminders

Oct Professional Learning Community (PLC) Days:
10/5
10/19
10/26

Students are released 1 hour & 15 minutes earlier than their normal times on PLC days.

PLC Release Times:
PreK-5th @ 2:05 pm   
6th-8th  @ 2:25 pm 
College/Spirit Shirts 
and Jean Days

College Shirt Mondays! Students may wear college t-shirts every Monday with standard uniform bottoms.

Spirit Shirts are required on Fridays and may be purchased for       $8.00 in the Main Office.

Jeans are optional on Fridays for $1.00 fee. Jean passes are $15 per semester or $25 per year.  Buy Jean Pass now at our online shopping cart
School Supplies

school_supplies.jpg
Each scholar received a school supply list at the beginning of the year. Several students are not prepared for learning because they do not have necessary 
supplies. Please have all supplies by October 10th.
Parent University

Classes just for parents are coming to the GPW campus on November 1, 2016 at 5:30pm-6:20pm. We need ALL GPW parents to attend. There will be refreshments and prizes for those who attend. The session will be held in the school cafeteria. 
Clubs at GPW

Encourage your students in grades 3-8 to participate in a club.  The meetings  will be held after school from 3:30pm- 4:30pm.
Permission slips will be sent home October 3rd.

It is  important for scholars to be well rounded in all
areas -academics, extra-curricular, and social /community involvement.
The Weatherminds Program

WFAA Weatherminds  Mr. Fields is coming to do a presentation to the 5th - 7th graders at Advantage Academy Grand Prairie West Campus  on Thursday, Oct. 27th at 9:30am.

"What is WeatherMinds?

Living in North Texas, weather plays an important role in each of our lives every single day. Weatherminds is a term we've given our WFAA meteorologists, Pete Delkus, Greg Fields, Steve McCauley and Colleen Coyle for being the "best of the best" in the DFW market when it comes to forecasting the weather. The Weatherminds station campaign started in 2000 as a fun, informative way to educate North Texas school children with lessons and facts about weather. Our entire Weatherminds team visits local schools every month to stir up interest about the math and science of forecasting weather. Our Weatherminds team also takes the campaign a step further by providing North Texas viewers with educational pertinent user-friendly seasonal weather information." http://special.wfaa.com/weatherminds/
View Your Child's Grades Online!
Parent Portal is Available to You! 

Advantage Academy wants to help you access your student's grades. Sign up now for access to the Parent Portal and you  can monitor your child's grades and attendance from your computer! 

I f you need assistance with this technology, please call the front office at 214-276-5800 option 2 and schedule a time to meet with our Instructional Technology Specialist and he will help you set up your free Parent Portal access and an free email account (if you need one).


 
Child Nutrition

Please make sure you have completed a lunch application for your student. Forms must be completed each school year.  Students will receive an alternate meal if they do not have a completed application or monies to purchase lunch.

Check out our Breakfast/Lunch Menu
          
Here at AAGP West, we are dedicated to providing a healthy, well-rounded breakfast and lunch. For a glimpse at this month's breakfast and lunch menu click  the link below.

Athletics Department
          
We are off to a great start in athletics this year and we are excited to see what this year has in store for us as an athletic department. If you need an athletic packet, please stop by and see one of the coaches in the gym. We want to continue to show our Eagle pride by coming out to the games to show our support of our athletes. The most up to date schedule can be found on our website: GPWest events/athletic calendar. 
GO EAGLES! cartoon-sports-banner.jpg
How Can We Contact You?

Parents and Guardians,

It is very important that we have updated and accurate contact information in case there were an emergency or a situation that involved your child. Please be sure to keep us updated as we need your correct phone number(s), address, and email information.

Thank you for your assistance in helping us keep the lines of communic ation between school and home connected!
Faculty Contacts: