Good Afternoon, this is Steve Mares, principal of Athens Drive Magnet High School with announcements for the upcoming week. A copy of these announcements will be posted on our school website, emailed and texted to our school families, and e-mailed to the Athens Drive PTSA email group.
Since tomorrow, Friday, August 31st, is the day before a long weekend, I thought that I would send out my weekly message a day early in case families are going out of town for the weekend.
I hope everybody has had an excellent start to the new school year! I am very proud of the outstanding start we have had, and I thank you for your support!
Please remember that Monday, September 3rd is Labor Day and a school Holiday for both students and staff. There is no school on Monday, September 3rd.
This week we began our Class meetings to discuss expectations for the year and to remind students of the importance of starting the year strong and finishing the year strong. With regards to our Senior Class meeting, our goal is for every Senior in the Class of 2019 to Graduate on June 12th! I look forward to a great year with the leadership of our Seniors! We will complete our Class meetings on Tuesday with the last half of the Freshman Class.
Senior parents, Mr. Remaley is our Senior Advisor, and he does an outstanding job communicating with our Seniors and Senior families. Please sign up for Mr. Remaley’s Senior Text Messages to get all the most up-to-date Senior Class event information. To enroll in his text message, please text the message: @theremaley to the number 81010. This is an invaluable resource for our Seniors and their families.
Seniors, as we discussed in our Class meetings, it is not too early to begin thinking about College and life beyond Athens Drive Magnet High School. Scholarship information is coming out and will be available through our Student Services. Also, Seniors, please remember that it is not too early to begin completing College applications online.
Senior parents, please know that our Guidance Counselors will be scheduling Senior meetings with our Seniors. We want to be sure that our Seniors are set up for success and to reach their goals.
Mr. Remaley and Ms. Brown will be leading a Senior Parent Meeting prior to our Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday, September 13th from 5:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the Auditorium. Information will be provided to our parents and students to help all our Seniors and their families navigate this final year of High School, understand graduation requirements, communicate with us regarding scholarships, and provide information regarding other important Senior events. Seniors and parents, please know that time is already ticking on getting started on plans for after Graduation!
Please mark your calendars for our Fall Parent Information session that will be held on Thursday, September 27th, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., in the Auditorium. The purpose of this session is to provide parents with information and tools necessary to assist your student transition through high school and beyond. The topics that will be discussed include: How to Apply for Financial Aid, Scholarships, & Grants; College Admission Requirements; How to get Internships and Apprenticeship Opportunities; and other pertinent transition information. We will also have College Admission counselors from various colleges, Military recruiters, and Financial Aid advisors here to answer parent questions. We look forward to working with you to help our students reach their goals after Graduation!
Our first PTSA Meeting was held on Tuesday night and I appreciate the large number of parents who attended and are getting involved! I attend every meeting as well, and I appreciate the opportunity to share information and receive feedback from our families. I am thankful for all our parents who help in a myriad of ways to support our students, staff, and school! If you are interested in serving in any capacity, please email our PTSA President, Lysa Fulbright, at president@athensdriveptsa.com. Please also continue to check the PTSA website (https://athensdriveptsa.com) to get additional information. If you did not receive the Athens Alert email and if you want to be added to the PTSA email list to receive weekly updates and information about what’s happening at The Drive, please send your name and email address to Lysa Fulbright at president@athensdriveptsa.com. Thank you for making a positive difference!
Our first SAT Prep Course will soon be starting. The course will begin on September 4th and 5th so that the students taking the course will be prepared for the SAT that is being administered on Saturday, October 6th. This course is for Juniors and Seniors and the cost is $250.00. If your student is interested in enrolling in this course, he/she will need to see Mr. Remaley in Room 2618.
I would like to remind all students and parents that students are not allowed to leave the campus during the school day. The only students authorized to leave campus during the day are students who are dual enrolled, have a Release Period, or otherwise have pre-approved permission to leave campus. During lunch, only Juniors and Seniors who have an approved Off-Campus Lunch Pass are allowed to leave campus. Please help us remind our students to stay on campus and not be tempted to leave campus during the day. Thank you for your support of the safety of our students.
Parents, I would like to enlist your support in helping us maintain appropriate dress at school. We have many strapless shirts and dresses, thin-strapped shirts, shirts that do not reach pants, short-shorts, sagging pants, and other clothing that violates the dress code. I would ask that we work together to be sure our students dress appropriately and focus on learning. Thank you!
A reminder to students and families that our school-wide Tardy Sweep will begin on Wednesday. Our expectation is that students are in class, on-time and ready for learning each period. Students who are continually tardy to class face consequences of Lunch Detention, In-School-Suspension, After-School Detention, and possible Out-Of-School Suspension. Students who skip class face more severe consequences. Let’s work together to be sure all our students are in class ready to learn each period this year!
This Thursday evening, September 6th, we will be hosting our Second Annual Hall of Fame Induction Dinner. At the dinner we will be celebrating our inductees and recognizing their accomplishments. The 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees are: the 2003 Men’s Soccer Team; Markeisha Gatling, Women’s Basketball; Sharon Tanner, Women’s Basketball; Arriel McDonald, Men’s Basketball; and Kevin Donnelley, Football. There are still a few dinner tickets left, so if you are interested in attending, please contact our Athletic Director, Coach Travis Seese, at tseese@wcpss.net.
On Friday night, September 7th, all the Inductees will be recognized at halftime of the football game. There will be a pregame tailgating celebration (we are smoking a pig) prior to the game starting at 5:30 p.m. in the JAG Stadium parking lot for the entire school family. All are welcome, there is a $5.00 cost for the food, and the food is on a first come, first serve basis. We look forward to celebrating these inductees and continuing to honor 40 years of excellence at The Drive!
Please continue to support our student athletes as they compete on the field, track, and court! Our teams have all started the year in an outstanding manner and at least one of our athletic teams is competing almost every night of the week in some sport. We have a football game tonight at Knightdale High School beginning at 7:00 p.m., and we do not have any athletic events tomorrow night, Friday, August 31st. Please check our Athletic Team schedules on our Athens Drive Athletics website (http://www.wakecountyathletics.com/athensdrivehs).
Finally, I would just like to once again thank all our students and parents for an outstanding start to the school year! We appreciate the support you provide, and please know how thankful we are that you allow us to serve your students!
Those are all the announcements for this week. Please continue to check the Athens Drive website (www.wcpss.net/athensdrivehs) for general information and to help you stay informed. I hope each of you has a fantastic and safe long weekend. Go JAGS and please take care.