Shark Bites Special Edition

April 30th 2020

Cash & EZPay Reimbursements We are currently working with EZpay to electronically refund any payments that were made for field trips or events.  We anticipate for those funds to be returned within the next three weeks.  Any payments made in cash will be processed through our business office. Families will receive a refund check in the mail in approximately three weeks. 

If you paid cash, you will be receiving a physical check. Please email: sstorm@agabroward.org with any

address corrections or updates.

Teacher Appreciation Week

When the pandemic hit south Florida, our teachers had to immediately change their entire way of teaching.  They had to create lesson plans to work for distance learning overnight. Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week and our teachers truly deserve admiration more than ever before. With the stay at home order in place, teachers will not receive the usual celebrations, gifts, and support they have received in past years.

While social distancing will prevent you from personally visiting the special teacher in your life and giving them a gift, we can still recognize them virtually. We are therefore asking that you take a moment on Tuesday to send a virtual note/video of appreciation to your favorite teacher(s). Please sent to:  browardpics@agaschools.com Remember, Teacher Appreciation Week is all about showing the special teacher in your life that you respect their profession.  Let’s show them how much they mean to us!

The Avant Garde Administration

Remote Learning What to Expect (Week of May 4th -May 8th t) Lower School Update  A course selection  survey for the 2020-2021 school year will be sent out to all 5th grade parents this week. We highly encourage parents to complete this form with their child present. Additional information will be shared by your child's teacher next week. 

Upper School Update  Students in grades 6th-11th will be completing a survey to select their elective courses for the 2020-2021 school year. This survey will be shared through their ELA class and will count as a grade. 

Z vs. 0  Students who have received a "Z' in the grade book will be allowed to submit that assignment as late work. If a student does not submit an assignment during the make up window (four weeks), it will then be replaced with a “0”. Additional information can be found on our website

Student Recommitment for Academic Year 2020-2021 Each year we ask families to recommit to AGA for the upcoming school year to save your student's seat. The link below will take you to a form to let us know if your student(s) will be returning to AGA for the 2020-2021 school year. One form per student is required.

If you have multiple students that attend AGA THIS school year you will need to fill out the form multiple times.  Please copy and paste the link below into your browser to complete the form.https://forms.gle/kBFxxcd9pxBPFhqG8

Borrowed Devices Borrowed devices do not need to be returned until the summer.  Information will be provided as we approach the end of the year.

Personal Items

Any personal items that were left at school prior to the COVID 19 temporary school closure will remain at school until reopening in the fall. This includes folders, notebooks, headphones, items in lockers, spring pictures, etc. A pick up date will be forthcoming once we get closer to the reopening date.

CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS

In this current Covid 19 climate, most of our daily lifestyles have been impacted. Children may feel d i sappointment over cance l led events . By acknowledging and validating their feelings, they are learning to identify their emotions, and have an opportunity to manage these feelings.

It is important for us to identify small victories, in ourselves and in our children. We can do this in many ways. A small win varies from person to person. It is u s u a l l y s o e a s y f o r u s t o i d e n t i f y o u r shortcomings. Yes, it is important to see our mistakes, so we can correct them. Don’t ignore the small wins.

Some examples: • Prepare a dish you always wanted to cook.

• Saying you are going to exercise for 15 minutes, and doing it for 16 minutes.

• Taking several  minutes, a day to breathe deeply, inhaling from your nose, and exhaling through your mouth. The inhalation gives you oxygen and the exhalation gets rid of carbon-dioxide. This also lowers your blood pressure. 

• Giving yourself a bath in the evening, with candles and music playing.

• Spending the extra time with your child because you have more time now.

Knowing that our big goals can’t happen overnight, we need to acknowledge the importance of small wins. By not doing this, we will diminish our motivation and this takes us off our paths.

Tips:

Don’t Pile Pressure on yourself.  We wil l always have deadlines. By relaxing your deadline, even a little, this can have an impact on your overall stress level.

Reward Yourself Anything that brings you pleasure will motivate you and maintain your focus.

Live in the Present We may think that the little things we perform don’t affect us.  Each little thing we do adds up to a wonderful life experience.  Living in the present is a gift, and allows to enjoy the moment.

CELEBRATE THE SMALL WINS con’t

Establish Habits Many of our habits are programmed into our brain. Sometimes they may be negative, and we have to work hard to eliminate them. But, many of the good habits we have and are contemplating provides us a roadmap on our journey. Perform a constructive activity daily.

Get Excited Watch your child’s face when they become excited. See the absolute joy. We often become uncomfortable displaying our emotions outwardly. Give yourself a gift, and enjoy the win. It is yours.  You earned it.  

Notice  See the small win. It varies from person to person. Enjoy yours.

Be Flexible We are in a constant state of change. The more rigid we try to hold on to something, the harder it is to disengage.

We are listing our emails for you.  Please take some time and identify your small wins during this difficult time.  Please share them with us so we can share them with other parents.

drmharpersaint-jean@agabroward.org jrubino@agabroward.org

May 1st is National Senior Decision Day!

Woo Hoo!  The AGA Class of 2020 Senior Survey results are in! Join us in celebrating the future plans of the following seniors:

Luis Abal:  Broward College Silvana Abrams:  Broward College Nathaly Arroyo:  Ringling Art University Izaiah Baker:  United States Air Force Artem Bondarev:  Gap Year/Work Force Lavanta Brown:  Broward College Monica Carrandi:  Broward College Ashley Coronel:  University of Central Florida Alex Cortes:  Florida International University Oliver Crawford:  Florida International University Jennifer Fanea:  Nova Southeastern University Nicolas Gamez:  Gap Year/Work Force Aaliyah Gillings: Florida State College at Jacksonville Beatriz Gonzalez: Broward College Isabella Gonzalez-Diaz:  Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Kevin James:  Broward College Elijiah Kearney-Tate: Florida State University Diana Khruslova:  Florida International University Elizabeth Laktyushina:  Broward College Anna Liubenco:  Florida Atlantic University Lachante Pierre:  Broward College Vilma Manzanillo:  Broward College Marcelous Morgan: Security Officer Marcos Perez:  Miami Dade College Maria Ortiz:  Broward College Branden Perez:  Manatee-Sarasota State College Brian Perez: Manatee-Sarasota State College Oswald Proano: Broward College Troy Raymis: Broward College Emely Rodriguez-Abreu:  Broward College Ashleigh Sanjur:  Broward College Brian Symonette:  Broward College Maria Velasquez:  Broward College Daniel Vinogradov:  Broward College Jaden Wilson:  Broward College Ivanova Yanes Barreto: Nova Southeastern University

Congratulations and best wishes to our first graduating class. Look for our Senior Collage video, coming soon!

Dr. Williams BRACE Advisor

Senior Spotlight - Kevin James

Helping our community

Chipotle at Westlake Commons, was a new partner with AGA this school year. By a way of thanking them, they are our featured restaurant for a virtual family spirit night. The one difference is, AGA will not be receiving a percentage back of the profits as we want to help our community in these uncertain times.

Kevin James enrolled in AGA the f i r s t yea r i t opened. He is a member of the band where he plays tuba, and he is a member of the chorus where he sings baritone.  

A dual enrollment student, he has earned college credit at F l o r i d a I n t e r n a t i o n a l University. Upon graduation he plans to attend Broward College, major in Health Services Management and transfer to Florida Atlantic University.  

Kevin plans to become a physical therapist. His interest in physical therapy began as soon as he learned his younger sister had “special needs.” Kevin accompanied her on all of her physical therapy sessions and learned how to help her at home in between appointments. He found this so rewarding he plans to open his own outpatient physical therapy center when he graduates from college.  

Kevin’s hobbies are dancing, choreography and swimming. He has experience volunteering at an outpatient center and assisting with marketing and set-up for AGA special events

STEAM is an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics to guide student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. At Avant Garde Academy,  STEAM is how we engage in real-world applications and promote meaningful collaboration. 

Hello AGA artists

The news from Mr. Maggart comes from mid-March when two of our artists were recognized in the Broward County Youth Arts Month Celebration. In the same show, Avant Garde Academy had a whole-school entry selected. It was a large key titled Obsolete Yet. The over-sized key done in a collage style was filled with student art.

The two students whose art was showcased were Elizabeth Arias and Jahongir Babaev from Ms Ladyman and Ms Renauld’s classes. Both pieces of art had artist statements attached. Elizabeth’s collage Mother Earth was assembled with things from nature, real leaves and snips from ferns. Jahongir’s drawing, The City was created with graphite (pencil). AGA was well-represented.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

This month we will be learning about Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw- THE HABIT OF DAILY SELF-RENEWAL

Sharpen the Saw means taking care of your body, mind, heart and soul. It is important to preserve and enhance the greatest asset you have= YOU!!! It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Here are some examples of activities that can help us renew ourselves:

Body: Eating healthy, exercising, and resting Heart: Making social and meaningful connections with others Mind: Learning, reading, writing, and teaching Soul: Spending time in nature, meditation, music, art, prayer

"We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw."-DR. STEPHEN R. COVEY

Box Tops

It's a good time to start saving those box tops because it's all digital. It's no longer cut and tape to a sheet.  All you have to do is create an account and scan the box tops, our school is already registered. Click on the link to get started!

https://www.boxtops4education.com/  

Elizabeth Arias Jahongir Babaev