9th Team Building: M & Ms

Team building with M&Ms was a fun way for students to share information about themselves with their classmates. Each student was given a fun-sized bag of M&Ms and the worksheet to fill out. Students were asked to open the bag of M&Ms, count how many of each color there was in the bag, write that number in the chart, and then share information based on the color of the M&Ms.

For each red M&M, students were asked to share things they like about Savanna. For each orange M&M, students shared embarrassing moments. For each yellow, students shared what they had learned from AVID so far. For each green, students shared any goals they had. For each blue, students shared information about their families. Finally, for each brown, students were asked to share things that make them happy or proud.

Within their groups, students shared information about themselves. Once they shared the information, they were allowed to eat the corresponding M&M.

AVID NEWS DECEMBER 2008

Mrs. Hill, the AVID Coordinator at Savanna, compiled some interesting data about students in the AVID program.

Last Year's AVID Seniors Go On To Bigger Things:
AVID's graduating class of 2008 are all in post secondary programs.

• Five students are attending state schools. Three students are at CSU Fullerton, one student is at San Francisco State, and one student is at Cal Poly Pomona.
• One student is at UNLV.
• Two students went to private schools. One went all the way to the University of Denver, and one is playing baseball at Concordia University.
• Two students went to local community colleges, Cypress College and Goldenwest College.
• Two students are in a nursing ROP program with plans to enter CSULB's rigorous nursing program.

This Year's Seniors Have Big Dreams:
2008-2009 AVID Senior Class College Applications
UC Los Angeles
UC Riverside
UC Irvine
UC Santa Barbara
UC Berkeley
CSU Fullerton*
CSU Long Beach
CSU Monterey Bay*
CSU Humboldt
CSU Fresno
CSU San Diego
Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly San Luis Obisop

*Students have already received acceptance letters


AVID Students Are Making the Grade!
9th grade Quarter 1 Grades
4.0: one student
3.75 or above: eight students
3.5 or above: nine students
3.0 or above: twenty-two students

10th grade Quarter 1 Grades
3.75 or above: one student
3.5 or above: five students
3.0 or above: twenty-one students

11th grade Quarter 1 Grades
3.0 or above: fourteen students

12th grade Quarter 1 Grades
3.5 or above: one student
3.0 or above: four students


Some Interesting Facts
22 hours of college tutoring are available to AVID students each week!

60 AVID students are enrolled in AP courses at Savanna High School.

Mandala Autobiography

The 9th grade AVID students have been given the assignment to write an autobiographical essay using a mandala that they have created on their own. (A mandala is a circular representation of themselves. It consists of at least five symbols, items that are unique to that person.) The essay should be about that mandala. It needs to contain at least seven paragraphs, one for an introduction, one for a conclusion, and at least five for the symbols chosen in the mandala. The essay should be typed, two to three pages long, using size 12 font and double spacing. The essay is due January 6, 2009 (rough draft) and January 12, 2009 (final draft). Any final draft essay that is turned in before January 12 will receive 10 extra credit points. Students will have the opportunity to peer edit each other's papers, giving them a chance to both give and get help. Presentations will be made on the mandalas once the essays have been turned in.

Handouts for the assignment can be found on Mrs. Neubert's website.

Save Me a Spot in College

Want to make your voice heard and win free money for college? All you have to to is tell your California leaders why they should save you and your peers a spot in college, and you could get money for school! You will need to participate in this contest. Find out more information at Save Me A Spot in College.

The deadline is March 15, 2009.

There is also an "early bird" scholarship of $500, due by February 1, 2009.

9th Socratic Seminar: Homework

Mrs. Neubert's 9th grade AVID students had their first Socratic Seminar on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. The topic of the seminar was homework, how to make it less work. Subtopics that were discussed within this seminar included: the best time to study/work, creating and following a homework plan, the best location for homework completion to take place, where to turn to for help, and more.

Students responded positively to this seminar, and look forward to the next one.