History Comes Alive in English Classes

Amber Peters (7th grade English) arranged for Mr. Horst Cahn to visit her classes and speak to students about his experiences as a Holocaust survivor.  Ms. Peters writes, "Today Mr. Cahn shared his experiences (having survived three years at Auschwitz) and his views on life (i.e. eliminating the word "hate" from your vocabulary).  The students asked wonderful questions, and they seemed to have really appreciated the experience of hearing history first-hand."


Mr. Cahn also accompanied the seventh graders on their field trip to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles on February 12.


Ms. Peters hopes to have Mr. Cahn back to visit more AEA classes in the near future.

Adventure Club Tackles Mission Trails

Coach Nassif (AEA elementary PE) sent me some photos from the Adventure Club's recent hiking trip to Mission Trails Regional Park.  The weather was fantastic and rains have made the park green and allowed the San Diego River flow steadily once again.

This wonderful program is made possible by the generosity and support of the Kinder Foundation.  Please support programs like this at AEA and other San Diego charter schools by running in the first-ever LIFE Sneaker Challenge 5K on May 9, 2009.  Click here for information and to register.

Initial WASC Accreditation (grades 6-8)

We received notification today that AEACMS has been granted initial accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) .  The term of initial accreditation runs through June 30, 2012.   In the next three years we will undergo a self-study process and host a WASC Visiting Committee as part of the continual improvement process that WASC supports.  This exciting news means that the WASC endorsement of our school and its programs will further bolster our reputation and affirm our commitment to academic excellence.

This initial accreditation is testament to the hard work and selfless commitment by our students, parents, teachers, staff, and members of the AEA Board of Trustees and School Site Council. Representatives of each of these stake-holders met with the WASC team when they visited us in October, 2008.  The AEA community should be proud of our middle school today.  It is my hope that these public commendations will buoy us as we confront the critical budget challenges that lie ahead.

Parent University: Supporting Student Achievement in Math

As part of the AEA Parent University Series, middle school teachers presented a February 5 parent workshop on supporting student achievement in math.  The AEACMS School Site Council has adopted math support as one of its focuses for the current school year.

Although the weather did not cooperate with our plans and clearly impacted attendance, the handful of parents who participated enjoyed sessions on internet math resources, step-by-step instructions for checking student grades on MyGradebook, an introduction to algebraic thinking, and a hands-on activity creating flash cards to practice math facts.

Watch video on using flash cards to enhance math facts:

Eveoke Dance Energizes AEA

AEA elementary and middle school students were treated to an informative and engaging Friday morning performance by the Eveoke dancers.  Their show, entitled "The History of Hip Hop," incorporated audience participation (including a rousing number by the AEA teaching staff).

This is the second consecutive year that Eveoke has performed at AEA, supported by the generosity of Friends of AEA.

Thanks to IBMYP Coordinator Libby Krueger for arranging this important performance.