AVID Future TimesThe Newsletter of Taft Union High School’s AVID Program

Vol. VII, No. 1 October 18, 2010

The AVID Senior class has been ex-tremely busy the first quarter.

College PreparationThe class of 2011 kicked off the year by

updating their file crates. Next, they cre-ated accounts at CaliforniaColleges.edu in order to conduct college exploration. After finding colleges that met their interest and criteria, they researched information on their three top universities, completing data sheets on each school.

The seniors also completed résumés to be used for college applications, scholar-ship applications and reference use.

In addition, all students were required to complete at least two online scholarship ap-plications. This is an ongoing process and each student should be working on private scholarships throughout the year on their own time.

Seniors who are planning to attend a university took the SAT test on October 9; others will take it on November 6. These tests are mandatory for entrance into any four-year university.

Seniors continue with tutorials on Tues-days and Thursdays in the AVID class-room.

College Application ProcessThe seniors have begun to work on their

college applications. Both CSU and UC in-stitutions opened the application window on October 1. This window will remain open until November 30. All AVID seniors completed a practice hard copy application in the AVID class with Mrs. Popejoy. Cur-rently, they are working to complete the online version. Ask your senior about this process; they should be able to give you in-formation about the process and their own

progress. Seniors will continue with the application pro-cess through the 2nd Quarter, working on CSU applications in October before moving to UC and private applications in November. As part of this process, students will write personal statement essays which are required on UC and many private school applications.

Once the appli-cation process is complete, students will turn their fo-cus to the finan-cial aid process in January. They will continue to apply for online scholarships and will obtain a per-sonal identification number (PIN) for the U.S. Department of Education website that they will use to apply for financial aid. All students must complete an online FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by March 2 to qualify for any federal or state financial aid.

Community ServiceCommunity service is a big part of the

AVID program. The AVID students have been required to complete community service as part of their grade in the class. Seniors have volunteered at several com-munity functions and are currently gearing up to help with the Oildorado 100-year celebration from Oct. 15-24.

Senior class busy with college tours, SAT, applications, community service and more

By Tammy SutherlandAVID Counselor

Several AVID seniors visited CSU Monterey Bay in September, taking a tour of the campus, including the new state-of-the-art library and student residence halls (dorms). They were led by AVID Senior teacher Debra Popejoy (seated at center right).

AVID Seniors dominate Homecoming Court

AVID Seniors ruled the Homecoming Court this year. Peter Galvan and Nicole Frost were named Homecoming King and Queen on Oct. 8.

The Queen nominees also included AVID superstars Chelsea Dickard, Priscilla Figueroa and Vanessa Talavera. The King nominees included AVID standouts Daniel Ortiz, Curtis Walchock and Daniel Watts.

AVID students also dominate the ASB, holding nearly every office, from President Priscilla Figueroa on down to various com-missioners and representatives.

By Bill WolfeAVID Coordinator

Juniors focus on critical reading skills, SAT preparation, college knowledge

By Bill WolfeAVID III Teacher

AVID juniors enrolled in Math Analysis work in a tutorial group with the help of trained college tutor Shiloh Mayfield (yellow shirt). The students are, L-R: Cristian Magana, Tina Perez, Daisy Guitron and Stephanie Arellano. Photo by Bill Wolfe

The AVID Juniors got off to great start with their new teacher, Mr. Wolfe. (All AVID students have new teachers this year, since the teachers decided not to “track” with their students but to stay at specific grade levels.)

College Readiness CurriculumThe Junior curriculum in AVID is known

as “College Readiness.” It involves teaching students Critical Reading strategies to help them understand more challenging non-fiction, since they will encounter a lot of that in college.

Students learn how to “unpack” complex “texts” to find the main idea(s) and key supporting details, as well as how to determine what the author is doing and how he/she is doing it in various parts of the text. Students master the AVID style of annotation, circling key facts, names, and dates and underlining main ideas and key “claims” made by authors. They also practice writing notes in the margins of texts as one way of staying engaged (mentally active) while they are reading. In the 2nd Quarter, students will begin the research paper unit of the curriculum.

SAT PreparationStudents have also been building their

vocabulary in preparation for the SAT college admission exam, which they will take next March. An increased vocabulary helps students to perform better on the Critical Reading and Writing sections of the exam.

But first, they spent some time learning about the three sections of the PSAT (Preliminary SAT), which they were preparing to take on Oct. 13. The PSAT is a practice exam that gives students a better idea of what the SAT is like and lets them know where they stand academically compared to students across the country who took the PSAT on the same day.

TutorialsTutorials continue every Tuesday and

Thursday, with trained college tutors coming in to work with students in small

groups by subject. We have 12 tutors this year, students at Taft College and CSUB, and they work closely with students to help them master their core class content (mostly math, science, and U.S. History).

Tutors do not simply give students the answer. They are trained to use a series of questions and suggestions to guide students through the thought processes necessary to learn the concepts and answer the questions they are struggling to understand. Students in the group assist each other and develop great team spirit.

College ToursThe Juniors will take their first college

tours on Oct. 27 when they visit Fresno State University and Fresno Pacific University (a small, private, Christian school). In early December they will visit CSU Northridge and CSU Channel Islands (in the Oxnard-Camarillo area). In the spring, students will most likely visit Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Santa Barbara and possibly Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

UCLA Football GameThe top 25 juniors (based on 1st Quarter

grades) will be able to attend the UCLA football game against Oregon State at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sat., Nov. 6. This event is always a highlight of the junior year. It gives the students a chance to experience the excitement and school spirit of a major university football game in a legendary stadium with 75,000 or more fans.

Students of the MonthEvery month each AVID teacher selects

one outstanding student as the Student of the Month. The September SOTM for the Junior Class was Justin Miller, who is excelling in several challenging classes and is a team player during tutorials.

TUHS also names one student in each grade the schoolwide Student of the Month. Mr. Wolfe nominated Stacee Reed for this honor, and she was chosen as the Junior of the Month for September. Congratulations to Justin and Stacee!

Sophomores master core AVID skills and strategies, lead the way in school activities

By Mike CowanAVID II Teacher

AVID and RenaissanceThis summer I took a trip to Orlando,

Florida for the 2010 Renaissance National Conference. It was a very exhilarating experience. I participated in many new activities and learned new strategies for how to make positive connections with everyone at school. Not only that, I also made a lot of new friends from many different places across the country. Even though the conference lasted only three days, the training that I received was enough to last me for a lifetime. It was a life-changing experience. -- Diego Rivera

My name is Mike Cowan and I’m happy to be the AVID Sophomore elective teacher. It’s been a pleasure to get to know your students during the 1st Quarter of the school year.

AVID Basics ReviewWe’ve had a lot of fun so far, along with

a lot of note-taking and questioning review, and the students are finding that their sophomore year of high school is going to be much more challenging than their freshman year.

I’ve stressed to them the importance of taking good notes, managing their time, becoming more organized, and behaving in a more responsible and mature manner. If they take these skills seriously, there’s no reason they can’t earn an A grade in every one of their classes.

College ToursThis year we will be visiting some

fantastic universities, such as UCLA, USC, Fresno State, UC Merced and Cal Poly SLO. I invite you, our AVID parents, to join us as we explore what the future holds for your students if they decide to dedicate themselves to excellence in AVID.

Let’s Stay In TouchIf you have any questions or concerns,

or just want to talk about your student’s progress, don’t hesitate to give me a call at 763-2300 x. 258 or send me an email at mcowan@taft.k12.ca.us.

Several AVID sophomores are cheerleaders, and they keep their classmates energized. From L-R: Paige Urioste, Makayla Payne, Sara Jewell, Mallory Lloyd and Alix Cordova. Photo by Mike Cowan

AVID Is More Than Just AcademicsHi! My name is Kennedy Kunce and I

am an AVID sophomore. This is my fifth year in AVID. AVID isn’t all about brains and studying. I also enjoy playing volleyball and basketball and swimming. I’m proud to represent AVID on all my teams and I look forward to playing sports in college.

-- Kennedy Kunce

AVID JV Football Players Stand Out

Our season is going well, and our record is 4-2. Our only losses came in a hard-fought game against Garces on Oct. 8, and against Arvin on Oct. 15. Go out and support your AVID Wildcats (left): Miguel Rodriguez, Diego Rivera and Matua Iakopo #23.

AVID student named TUHS Sept. Sophomore of Month

Jennifer Chamale was chosen as the TUHS Sophomore of the Month for Sep-tember. AVID teacher Mike Cowan had al-ready named her the AVID Student of the Month for September. Jennifer personifies what AVID is all about!

Freshmen work hard, set big goals in their first year in Taft High AVID

By Tammy SutherlandAVID Counselor

One of Mrs. Popejoy’s freshman classes celebrates the successful comple-tion of the Spaghetti Architecture team-building project. Photo by Debra Popejoy

Freshmen work in tutorial groups each Tuesday and Thursday, with guidance from trained col-lege tutors. Photo by Debra Popejoy

Mrs. Popejoy has been working with the AVID freshmen to get them dialed in on AVID skills, including note-taking, binder organization, time management, writing, inquiry, collaboration, and reading skills (WICR), as well as team building activi-ties.

The 1st Quarter for the first-year Wild-cats included instruction on how to orga-nize and manage their AVID binders. In addition, Mrs. Popejoy has modeled how to take and use Cornell Notes in students’ core academic classes. Students should be taking at least two pages of Cornell Notes each day. Freshmen are also focusing on writing activities, including Masterpiece Sentences, as well as other WICR activi-ties to increase students’ understanding and reading comprehension.

All AVID students were given Netbooks, which are like mini-laptops. The 9th grade AVID students are taking advantage of this powerful tool, using them for note-taking, research, and writing projects. They have started the “crate” for keeping records and example of all of their important AVID work and activities. Sections include: TUHS Transcripts, College Testing (SAT/ACT), College Materials/Research, Schol-arships, Career Research, Resumes, Activi-ties, Community Service, E-mail and Web-site Accounts, Samples of Student Work, FAFSA/Cal Grant Financial Aid Informa-tion, and Miscellaneous.

Team-building has been a major focus for the freshmen AVID class as well. Stu-dents work in groups every Tuesday and Thursday with college tutors trained in AVID study strategies. In addition, stu-dents have worked in groups to complete hands-on activities and projects. These students will be in AVID together for the next four years; therefore, it is important to build these relationships, as they will be the support needed to be successful in high school and beyond.

During the 2nd Quarter AVID freshmen will continue to refine their note-taking, study, WICR, and communication skills.

The AVID class will be fo-cusing on the six-paragraph “Mandala” personal essay. Mrs. Popejoy will walk the students through the writing process and help them to im-prove their writing skills.

The AVID class is an im-portant part of the journey to college and to the future for our students.

Please encourage your freshman to work hard and develop good habits that will lead to success in high school, college, and beyond. We all want them to succeed.

Oct. 22 -- Sophomores: UC Merced campus tourOct. 27 -- Juniors: Fresno State & Fresno Pacific campus toursNov. 6 -- Seniors: SAT Exam

Nov. 6 -- Juniors: UCLA vs. Oregon State football game at the Rose BowlNov. TBD -- Movie NightDec. -- Juniors: CSU Northridge and CSU Channel Islands campus tours

AVID Calendar of Events