The last day to drop a level is March 9th.

Course Selection will be available to students online from January 25-February 6th.  Watch AHS Access for updates about course verifications.

EXEMPTION Information is posted on AHS Access. 

-Freshmen will not be exempt from final exams or EOC tests.

-10th Graders are only eligible for exemption from English, Science Social Studies and Math exams ONLY

-Juniors and Seniors are eligible in all classes

-All students must have a minimum 2100 score on ALL sections of TAKS with a minimum grade of 80 and no more than four (4) absences in each class during spring semester (3 tardies = 1 absence)

 
  ELA TAKS will be given to all 10th and 11th grade students Wednesday, March 7th. Seniors will be off campus that morning until noon.  All students should plan to bring a sack lunch for this day. 

End of Course Test tutorials have begun for freshmen.  All freshmen will take an End of Course for Math, Science, Social Studies, and English.  The English EOC will be administered the week of March 26th.  Please speak with your teachers about the specifics of this test.  AHS Access has lots of information about the STAARR/EOC test.   

If you have lost your school ID and need a replacement, please see Mrs. Smith in the Counselor suite.  Students must have their ID’s in their possession during school time. 

Cafeteria Payments must be made in the mornings from 7-7:30

The YES box is located at the front of the school near the front desk.  You will still have six months from the date of service to turn in your forms.  Weekly updates of hours will be posted at the front desk.

If you have dropped a class, return your textbooks to Office 108 to avoid any fines.

Students cannot be in the building after 2:45 unless you are attending a tutorial or school sponsored club or organization meeting.

No one should be in the hall during the first and last 10 minutes of the period. 

Dress code MUST be followed at all times.  Boys—you must be clean shaven.  Girls, no athletic shorts are allowed.  Remember that skirts must be within 3 inches of the knee and NO bare backs are allowed. 

EOC and TAKS TUTORIALS HAVE BEGUN.  Your content area teachers have EOC tutoring for 9th graders and TAKS tutoring for 10th and 11th graders.  Make sure you check with your teacher about tutoring.  

 
 
Attention Parents of all 1st year 9th grade students at AHS,

In an effort to make sure that AHS Parents and students are knowledgeable regarding all the new STAAR EOC requirements that will impact 9th grade students this year, I would like to provide you with some important updates.    As you are aware, this exam replaces the TAKS exam as your child’s graduation requirement and also counts at 15% of their year-end course grade.   Just as in the past, AHS staff is dedicated to maintaining a high level of academic achievement.  We are working diligently to prepare students for each of their upcoming EOC exams this year and want to make sure that all your questions are being answered. 

Texas Education Agency continually updates a question and answer document that addresses many questions parents may have regarding STAAR.  I’ve provided the STAAR Question and Answer Link to assist you with information. http://www.txetests.com/FAQS/index.asp?p=`2`

You may also visit www.fortbendisd.com and look under “Quick Links” for “STAAR News” to find narrated STAAR presentations, links to TEA STAAR information, the testing calendar and other important information.

STAAR EOC HIGHLIGHTS:

How is the STAAR assessment program different from TAKS?
  • STAAR is a more rigorous exam and will have more questions for most grades, subjects and courses.
  • Students will have four hours to complete the STAAR exams. TAKS was not timed.
  • STAAR end-of-course (STAAR-EOC) exams will count for 15 percent of a student’s final course grade in a subject. The 15 percent is a state mandated requirement. TAKS did not affect course grades.
  • Unlike TAKS, make-up testing under STAAR will be allowed in all subjects and grades.
  • The new STAAR program will emphasize readiness standards, which are the knowledge and skills that are considered most important for success in the next grade level or in the next subject taken by the student and also important for college and career readiness. For example, Reading/ELA and mathematics readiness standards will be tied to the college and career readiness standards on the English III and Algebra II EOCs.
  New STAAR-EOC (end-of-course) assessments:
  • In high school, grade-specific assessments will be replaced with 12 STAAR-EOC assessments: Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English I, English II, English III, World Geography, World History and U.S. History. STAAR-EOC will begin with students who entered ninth-grade in the 2011-2012 school year.
  • The ninth-grade EOC assessment will be fully implemented and will count as 15 percent of a student’s grade in a tested subject for the current school year.
STAAR assessments for special populations:
  • There are STAAR assessments for special populations and details can be found by viewing the STAAR parent information presentations on the District’s Testing website and on the TEA website.
 What we don’t know about STAAR: 
  • The TEA has not released the complete passing standards for STAAR assessments. The Elementary and Middle School passing standards will not be released until late fall 2012. The EOC passing standards are expected to be released in April before the STAAR-EOC scores are released. STAAR test results will be sent home to parents.
  • We do not know if the State Board of Education will make any changes to STAAR in November 2012 and what STAAR EOC assessments will count for the Federal Adequate Yearly Progress beginning in spring 2013.
Special Note:  9th grade students who intend to graduate under the “Distinguished Plan” and who have taken a high school course with an EOC component prior to this year will not have to take the EOC for those courses to meet the testing requirement for this plan.  However, they will still be required to meet all the other criteria established by the Texas Education Agency to graduate as Distinguished. 

Thanks for your continuous support! 

Mary Ellen Edge

AHS Principal
***In addition to the above information, check AHS Access regularly for STAAR tutorial information and continuous updates from the state.  It is our goal to keep you informed with the most recent information available.  Feel free to contact our Campus Improvement Specialist, Mrs. Longmire if you have additional questions.  

 
 
Course Selection Worksheets are due to your Social Studies teacher by Friday, January 27th.  9th grade yellow sheet, 10th grade blue sheet, 11th grade green sheet.  

You will be able to register for next years' classes beginning  January 25th through February 6th.  You will NOT be able to access the online registration AFTER February 6th.  

Directions to register online: Click Here.  When selecting classes, login with your student login, NOT the parent log in.  

Make your choices WISELY - we cannot accommodate elective changes in the fall.  Be sure to double check the level of the class in which you are registering.  

You will not be able to drop a full year course at the end of the first semester.

Students will have a chance to review selections later this semester and make changes at that time.  This will be the ONLY time you will be allowed to make changes.  
 
 
If you have a special occasion coming up…..Birthdays… congratulations…..thank you....why not celebrate it with a DAWG BONE MEMORY!!

ProGrad is sponsoring AHS BULLDOG BONE YARD!! For $25 you get your yard or a friend's yard filled with "Dawg bones" and a special message for 3 days!!  We set up and pick up!!  All you have to do is order!!  You also get 50 Bulldog Bucks for your senior!!!

Contact Deidra Lindauer at ideanet@windstream.net  or Kim Lincecum at kimlincecum@comcast.net
 
 
ProGrad is having a garage sale on February 4th.  In addition to donations, volunteers are needed to help on Feb. 3rd and 4th. 
>>Click here for more info<< 

AHS ProGrad has teamed up with McDonald's and is selling McBUCKS booklets with 50% of sales going back to AHS ProGrad!
>>  Click here for more info <<

Visit the AHS ProGrad web site for more ProGrad News and Upcoming Events:  http://www.austinbulldogprograd.org/ 

 
 
The last day to change a schedule is January 17th.  The last day to drop a level is March 9th.

SENIORS---diploma list is posted outside the counselor’s suite.  Check the spelling of your name and report any needed corrections to office 201. 

Softball tryouts are January 20th …anyone one interested should see Ms Reyna in B6.  You must have a physical on file to try out. 

Yearbook contest is underway for 5th period classes.  The class that buys the most yearbooks with smart-pay.com will win a class prize. 


The Austin Playhouse will present The Fantasticks January 20, 21st, 27th, and 28th at 7 pm.  

Spring Exemption information will be posted next week on AHS Access.  If you are a 10th, 11th, 12th grader you are eligible for spring exam exemptions if you pass all parts of TAKS and your attendance and grade average meet the criteria.

If you are interested in attending the inauguration trip to Washington DC in January of 2013, please Ms Richoux in D7 or Ms McDowell in B3. 

AHS Choir went to area contest in Corpus Christi this weekend.  David Norbe advanced to state choir competition.  Congratulations to AHS Choir members on their outstanding performances this year.


Snow cones from Kona Ice will be sold every Friday during all Lunches.  

Students cannot be in the building after 2:45 unless attending a tutorial or school sponsored club or organization meeting. Students in the building without a teacher or sponsor are considered to be loitering and will receive trespass warnings and/or citations. 

Students must have their ID’s in their possession during school time.  


Cafeteria Payments must be made in the mornings from 7-7:30

The YES box is located at the front of the school near the front desk.  You will still have six months from the date of service to turn in your forms.  Weekly updates of hours will be posted at the front desk.

If you have dropped a class, return your textbooks to Office 108 to avoid any fines. 

No one should be in the hall the first and last 10 minutes of the period. 

Dress code MUST be followed at all times.  Boys—you must be clean shaven.  Girls, no athletic shorts are allowed.  Remember that skirts must be within 3 inches of the knee and NO bare backs are allowed.  


 EOC and TAKS TUTORIALS  HAVE BEGUN.  Your content area teachers have EOC tutoring for 9th graders and TAKS tutoring for 10th and 11th graders.  Make sure you check with your teacher about tutoring. 

 
 
The Fort Bend Education Foundation is pleased to present the 19th annual Education Foundation Gala entitled “Lights, Camera, Action!.”  This elegant and glamorous gala will be held on February 25, 2012, at the Sugar Land Marriott Hotel.

New this year is the Wishing Tree where you can support a specific school or teacher in their educational needs.

The highlight of the evening will be the spirited bidding on the live auction items.  Be sure to bid yourself or with a group of friends on a plethora of packages and events.

Gala co-chairs Jacquie Chaumette and Terri Wang are pleased to announce James Patterson as auctioneer.  The band Password will have you dancing the night away.

Come experience those golden, glamorous bygone days of Hollywood.  For table sponsor/individual tickets/auction donations visit our website at www.fortbendisd.com/foundation
 
 
 
 
The Fort Bend Education Foundation will host its 9th annual Schlumberger Education Expedition ride on Saturday, March 26th.  This BP MS 150 Recommended Ride will take off at 7:30 am from Ken Hall Stadium located at Hightower High School.

Riders will have the option of three routes, including a new short route & start, ranging from 11 to 79 miles.    The registration fee is $25 prior to February 5th, $30 from February 6th to March 4th and $35 thereafter.  Lunch is included in the price of registration plus t-shirts* for early registrations. *no guarantee of t-shirts after March 11th.
 
We recommend registering online at Active.com or http://www.fortbendisd.com/foundationbefore the event day to prevent any distractions for you on the ride morning. 

Rest stops are themed and staffed by students & teacher volunteers from our own FBISD high schools vying for the “Best Rest Stop” award.  You will be entertained along this ride!  SAG wagons are on the course to assist you with any needs.  Stay and enjoy a scrumptious lunch with your friends after the ride.

One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit the Fort Bend Education Foundation.  The Fort Bend Education Foundation provides opportunities to enrich and enhance the quality of education for all FBISD students through its Grants to Teachers and Schools programs.

 
 
View the December 2011 AHS Bulldog Bark newsletter online.