About your avid elective Teacher Mrs. Ferrer

This is my 9^th year teaching at Central and I love being a bobcat. This summer I officially got married and became Mrs. Ferrer! I teach Spanish for native-speakers and non-natives and am very passionate about languages. I also am very passionate about creating a rigorous classroom to challenge students and seeing them graduate and transfer into 4-year universities. I have taught AVID for 8 years and just graduated my second senior class last spring. I know how meaningful my university experience was and I want to help all my students achieve this goal. Working with you in the AVID class and all of the outside trips and volunteer projects we’ve taken part in has been the highlight of my time here at Central! There are challenges ahead to overcome, big decisions, but be sure it will be full of great memories!

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  AVID stands for Advancement via Individual Determination.
  
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  AVID was founded by Mary Catherine Swanson in 1980 at Claremont High School in the San Diego Unified School District.
  
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  AVID identifies underachieving, disadvantaged students in grades 6-12 and prepares them for four-year college entry.
  
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  AVID serves over 30,000 students throughout the U.S., Asia, Central America, Europe, Middle East and the Pacific.
  
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  Since 1990, over 20,000 students have graduated from AVID programs.
  
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  Over 93% of AVID's graduates enroll in college.
  
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  AVID graduates persist in college at an 89 % rate.
  
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  Some of AVID's awards include the Salute to Excellence Award for Staff Development and Leadership from the National Council of States on In-service Education, the Dana Foundation Award for Pioneering Achievement in Education, and the A+ Award from the U.S. Department of Education for Efforts to Reach the National Education Goals.
  

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  Have appropriate classroom behavior
  

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  Demonstrates leadership in and out of the classroom
  
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  Academic GPA above a 3.0
  
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  Good attendance record
  
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  Willing to commit themselves to doing their homework every night.
  
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  Willing to commit to enrollment in a rigorous college preparatory sequence of courses.
  
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  Stay eligible for a four-year university.
  

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  Will succeed in the most rigorous curriculum,
  
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  Will enter mainstream activities of the school,
  
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  Will increase their enrollment in four-year colleges, and
  
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  Will become educated and responsible participants and leaders in a democratic society.
  

Of course, attendance is crucial in all areas of academia; the first step to learning is showing up! AVID students are expected to come to school EVERYDAY! When tardy the student will sign in on the tardy form and serve a 30 minute detention that same day after school. The second time, the student will serve one hour after school. After 12 unexcused absences, the student may be dropped from this course.

“Absent” is defined as nonattendance in an assigned class or activity for more than one-half of the period. “Tardy” is defined as not being in the assigned class or activity when the tardy bell has finished ringing. (PUHSD Governing Board Policy J-1561 JHR).

Late work-
All work missed will be kept in a binder where you may easily access copies of anything done the day that was missed. Late work should be turned in the same week it was missed for full credit in my inbox,

If it is an excused absence you must write EXCUSED on the top of your paper. Homework that is turned in after the beginning of the period will be late. An assignment that is one day late will be worth 50%. Assignments more than two days will NOT be accepted.

Fundraising

We also ask that you join the AVID Club to help fund-raise for our college trips and fun days. I will require that you participate in at least 1 of the activities we do to fundraise each semester, and if you do not comply, you may not be able to come on the trip with us or have to pay your own way.

AVID Materials

Organization and Binder checks are 40 % of your grade in AVID, and it is especially important to come prepared with all of your materials!

You will not need to purchase the following items unless you lose or damage the ones given to you the first week of school:

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  A three-ring binder large enough for all your academic classes (1 ½ in.-2 in.)
  
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  Subject dividers for class handouts and homework (1 pack)
  
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  White, college-ruled paper (NO spiral paper accepted)
  
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  Notebooks for classes must be put-in AVID binder
  
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  Pens (2+) and pencils (2+)
  
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  Highlighters (2 +)
  
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  Pencil sharpener
  
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  One large eraser
  
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  Zipper pouch to keep in binder that holds the above materials
  
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  *JOURNAL—one subject composition notebook to use weekly
  

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  Calculator
  
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  6” ruler
  
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  Dictionary/thesaurus
  

Please check your student’s grades at least once a week to avoid him/her falling too far behind with missing assignments. You can access ParentVue, the online grading system, by going to http://www.phoenixunion.org. It’s located under the Parents tab. If you do not know your log-in password, please contact Patty Harris at 602-764-7518.

Academic tutoring and test preparation is available to all students. Additional support for passing classes and graduating on time is the intent of these services. Support through Title I funding is available in the areas of: math, reading and English. If interested, please contact the Principal, Mr. Biera or Assistant Principal for Instruction, Dr. Gard for additional information at 602-764-7500.

Tutorials = 30 %

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  Binder checks: ALL Central students will be expected to carry a binder every day and take Cornell Notes. In AVID there will be no exception. Student binders will be checked mostly on Fridays. If a student is absent on Friday, it is the student's responsibility to get it graded on Monday before or after school.
  

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  Tutorials: On Tuesdays and Thursdays students will work in groups with college tutors on material from other classes. The tutorial sheet needs to be filled out the night before tutorial and needs to be turned in as student walks in the door on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
  

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  Community Service: The student needs to complete twenty (30) hours of community service for the school year (15 per semester). This is 10 % of your overall grade in AVID. I will provide a list of places that he/she can volunteer, as well as a documentation sheet, but ultimately it the students' responsibility to make sure that he/she fulfills his/her hours. Every hour of volunteer work needs to be documented and signed off by an adult at your site.
  

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  Grade & Behavior Checks: Every quarter the student will be given a grade check so that I can see where the problem areas are for tutorial. The grade checks will be given out on Monday and are due back by Friday. If the grade check is not returned on Friday, a phone call will be made home to your parents. On Fridays I will sign the grade check and it needs to be signed by the student's parents over the weekend, and returned to me on Monday.
  

Please sign and return this pages 4-5 by Friday, August 7^th, 2015. Thank you.

I have read and understand the Plan for Success for AVID Junior class and comply with its content and criteria. I agree to follow the guidelines set forth and am aware of the consequences. I have a copy of the Plan for Success and have shared it with my parent/guardian.

Period_____ Student ID__________________

Student Name (please print) ________________________________________

Student Signature ____________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name_______________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature___________________________________________

Parent/Guardian phone number_____________________________________

Cell phone provider (to be used for text messages on class updates) ________________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian e-mail_____________________________________
Parents: Please check one of the following options.

 ______ I am interested in speaking to the AVID class on _____________________________ (subject matter).

_______ I am interested in attending an AVID field trip

_______ I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in speaking or attending a field trip.