AEA TODAY Student Newspaper

Mentored by seventh grade English teacher Ms. Peters, the middle school journalism elective went live yesterday with the first edition of the student newspaper AEA Today. The newspaper, produced entirely by students and available online (and in print version on a quarterly basis) showcases student writing, research, photography, and editing skills. Most importantly, this is an excellent example of a teacher making their content relevant and meaningful for students' lives. In terms of the IB Learner Profile, the journalism elective really showed their willingness to be risk-takers as well as communicators.

To read AEA Today visit our home page www.aeacs.org and click the "links" list

Parent University Oct. 2, 5:30 pm

We are kicking 0ff our 2008/09 AEA Parent University with a STAR and API data presentation on October 2 at 5:30 pm in the MPR. If you have ever wondered what those STAR testing reports you receive each August really mean, or if you don't really understand how the API is calculated, or you simply want to know more about how individual grades have performed on the STAR tests, this session is for you! The presentation will be led by Principal Vaughn and Principal Sciarretta, and will cover issues pertinent to the elementary and middle schools.

Food and childcare provided.

We hope to see you there!

Back to School Night Sept. 25

Thanks to everyone for collaborating to make our third annual Back to School Night such a success.  Our Multi-Purpose Room was filled to capacity for teacher introductions, and parents were able to gain a sneak peek at what it feels like to be a middle school student with an action-packed A/B schedule. A key part of the evening's success was due to our student volunteers, who served as docents and guides for parents as they followed their students' complex schedules around campus.  We also had student volunteers taking official photographs for yearbook and the student newspaper, as well as a student assistant assigned to ring bells to signal the start of our class periods.  It is an honor to serve as principal of such a dynamic school community!

German Reading Club (GRC)

I was fortunate enough to stop by the AEA library last week for the German Reading Club (GRC) kick-off event. Librarian Corie Julius and Assistant Birgit Rutz introduced the GRC's mission to a group of interested parents, many of whom are native German speakers (and several who are eager to practice their German).

Birgit Rutz kindly provided the following overview:

"We just founded the German Reading Club (GRC) in the library at the German Kick Off. In this club we gather with parents who are German native speakers. The goal is to read in German to the students during library time and also as a support for the German teachers during school time in the classrooms. We will include the program from the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, in which we participate. This program sends volunteers (the volunteer for AEA is Birgit Rutz), that are trained before from the Old Globe, to schools to read with the children in four languages (English, French, Spanish, German) and encourage them to write their own stories. At the end of the school year the Old Globe will pick the best stories and transfer them in a theatre piece that will be played in the Old Globe. We will also print a real book with all the stories from our school at the end of the year."

Birgit is actively seeking interested parents for the GRC. Please contact her at brutz@aeacs.org. We are looking for native German speakers to volunteer in the middle school classrooms, especially in Frau Goehler's beginning German class. Email Frau Goehler at sgoehler@aeacs.org.

Welcome to the 2008/2009 School Year

On behalf of the AEACMS faculty and staff I would like to welcome students and families for
the new school year। We had a fantastic turnout for the BBQ on August 29, an exciting event that was generously sponsored by Friends of AEA. This was an opportunity to provide an overview of AEA policies for new families, as well as to renew friendships and share some delicious food.

We have now finished our first week of school, and 250 middle schoolers are adapting to their schedules and classes। The mood on campus is positive and upbeat; when middle school students say they are excited about school and eager to come to campus in the mornings we know teachers are working hard to engage students in the classroom.

A few suggestions for students:

• Be sure to use your AEACMS planners every day to write down homework assignments and stay organized.
• Regularly review the middle school rules (these are in your planners); knowing what is permitted and what is not ahead of time helps avoid misunderstandings.
  
• Know your schedule and the requirements of teachers. It may be possible to leave certain textbooks at home on alternating days, which will lighten the load in your backpacks.
• If you are unsure, ask! You may approach any teacher or staff member on campus, and we will do our best to answer your question and make your time at AEACMS pleasant and productive.

A few suggestions for parents:

• Visit our website www.aeacs.org regularly for updated information on school events, and to download important policies. AEA staff worked hard over the summer to have the website ready for the opening of school; we appreciate your patience as we make some final adjustments to the content.
• If you have questions about teaching and learning in a specific classroom, do not hesitate to contact the teacher. All AEA faculty and staff can be reached either via email or by calling 619-795-1190.
• Please note that unless students are enrolled in SAY San Diego (our 6 to 6 program), they may not arrive on campus before 7:45 am and may not remain on campus more than 20 minutes after dismissal. Exceptions will be made for students who are involved in after-school activities and sports. Students who remain on campus more than 20 minutes after dismissal will be escorted to the main office and parents will be called. I appreciate your understanding in this matter; we simply do not have the staff to supervise students after school hours.
  
• If you would like to speak with me, I can be reached at the above number; when prompted for extension, mine is 2119. For the fastest response to your question, email me at dsciarretta@aeacs.org

With warm regards for a successful school year!

Principal Sciarretta