Dear Parents,
Drug
Abuse Prevention Specialist on campus – Mr. James Lingo from FCD met with high school students
this week to help them understand the risks involved in the use of alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs. He also met with a group of parents on Wednesday
afternoon and then with the high school faculty this afternoon. I had numerous reports
from students and teachers alike that he was very knowledgeable, engaging and
effective speaker, which I certainly found to be the case when I had the
opportunity to hear him speak.
The
core message that Mr. Lingo shared was students need to develop strategies that
help them make healthy decisions for themselves. In anticipating their lives as
adults, they look for clues from their surroundings, including the adults in
their lives, their peers and various forms of media. These messages can be
highly inconsistent, and often contradict what students know to be healthy. Mr.
Lingo encouraged the students to think about why they would drink alcohol or
smoke tobacco or marijuana, especially when they know about the harmful
effects, and to make the smart, healthy choice and not necessarily the popular
choice.
You
can learn more about FCD and about prevention of drug use by teens at the
following website.
In the
coming weeks and months our counselors and health teachers will be working to
develop a comprehensive student well being program. Our goal in doing this will
be to prevent initial experimentation with drugs, to protect and support those
students who “choose not to use,” and to respond appropriately to students who
are using drugs. We will also begin educating our students on the impact of
drug use on their physical and psychological well-being. You can learn about
one of our initial steps in this process, the Freshman Seminar, at our High
School Parent Coffee on Tuesday, September 24.
Discover India Update
This week we will
have our last Discover India meetings with the students. It is somehow
hard to imagine that we’re just two weeks away from the adventure of exploring
India as a high school. We’re ready to go, with just the final details to wrap
up. The itineraries for all of the trips as well as a schedule of departure and
return times can be viewed at Discover India 2013-2014. Because this is posted as a Moodle page, you will need to log
in to get access. Information on logging in to the Moodle pages can be found
at Moodle Information. Remember that the new password is “raptors13”.You can find
answers to Frequently Asked Questions at Discover India Frequently Asked Questions.
Performing Artist Kathryn Claire
Next week, performing artist Kathryn Claire comes
to AISC to share her talents with students and community members. Kathryn is an American-born musician,
who describes herself as “a member of the new generation of traditionally
inspired musicians,” writes and performs music that is deeply rooted in
American and Irish folk. On Friday, September 20 she will end the
week with a performance in the theater at 5:00 pm. Tickets
go on sale this week. Don’t miss it.
Pool hours this
week
Please note that
the pool schedule will change somewhat this week as our swimmers get ready for
their first meet of the season – Big Bad Blue. You can get see the schedule on
the Pool
Rules and Schedules web page. And don’t forget to join us for the big meet.
Please
remember that there is a lot more information to be found in the sidebar links
to communications from the Guidance
Department, the IB-AP Coordinator
and the Athletics Director.
And don’t miss The Voice, our
online student newspaper. In ityou will find articles and interviews with new
teachers, all written by our high school students.
As
always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or
matters you would like to discuss.
Have
a great weekend.
John McCandless
High School Principal
