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.
Please remember that due to the impending hurricane, all WCPSS schools will be closed today, Thursday, September 13th and Friday, September 14th. The scheduled make-up day for today, Thursday, September 13th, will be Wednesday, October 31st. Wednesday, October 31st is now a school day and NOT a Teacher Workday. The scheduled make-up day for tomorrow, Friday, September 14th, is Saturday, October 13th. Yes, you read that right…. Saturday, October 13th. As we approach that make-up day, we will provide additional information regarding our Saturday make-up plan.
Please also remember that next week, Wednesday, September 19th, is a religious holiday and there is no school for students or staff. No school on Wednesday, September 19th.
Please remember that our Meet the Teacher Night has been postponed, and is now scheduled for Thursday, September 20th. The evening will still begin at 5:30 p.m. with a Senior Family Meeting in the Auditorium. If you have a Senior this year, please join Mr. Remaley and Ms. Brown for this informative session. Also beginning at 5:30 p.m., we will have a PTSA Informational session going on in the Cafeteria. Please feel free to stop by and see how you can support our PTSA. Our evening kicks off in your student’s Drive Time class where a schedule will be provided to each family. Please be sure you know the name and room number of your student’s Drive Time Teacher so that you can start your evening there and pick up your student’s schedule. Please see our website (https://bit.ly/2CCYKQ7) for the schedule for the evening.
Due to the closing of school today and tomorrow, Auditions for the Fall Play, Football Romeo, will be held on the day we return to school. For example, if we return to school on Monday, September 17th, we will host Auditions after school on Monday, September 17th. If a student is unable to attend the make-up Audition(s) when we return to school, they will need to email Ms. Hayes (ahayes3@wcpss.net) as soon as possible to discuss alternate options. The cast list will be posted accordingly. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we deal with this storm and still prepare for our Fall Play.
Senior Conferences will begin Monday, September 17th. Every Senior will meet with his/her Counselor to discuss information pertinent to Graduation, Scholarships, and Post-Secondary goals. A schedule of conferences has been posted outside of the Student Services office. Please encourage your student to attend their scheduled meeting to prepare him/herself for their Senior year and plan for life after The Drive.
Please know that we continue to have representatives from universities meeting with our students during the school day. University representatives are located in the area outside of the Attendance office during both lunch periods. This is a great opportunity for our students to learn about the various programs that are available, admission requirements, and financial aid. For more information on the colleges that are visiting, you can contact Ms. Carrillo in Student Services (919-233-4050 ext. 24893) or visit the Student Services website (http://adhs-student-services.weebly.com).
Due to the closing of school, we will be rescheduling Underclassmen pictures. We will communicate that new date as soon as we can confirm the change.
The PSAT will be administered on Wednesday, October 10th at Athens Drive High School. All students that are interested in taking the PSAT must submit the completed registration form with payment or receipt of payment by September 21st, at 2:00 p.m. I sent a letter home last week with all Sophomores and Juniors explaining the PSAT test administration. In addition, we also sent home personalized letters to select Juniors who are eligible to take the PSAT at no cost due to their weighted Grade Point Average being above a 4.313. Detailed PSAT information can be found on our website (https://bit.ly/2wSoVNj) or in Student Services. Please contact our Dean of Students, Ms. Brown (tbrown3@wcpss.net or 919-233-4050 ext. 24898), if you have further questions.
On Friday, September 21st, our Band is hosting a BBQ fundraiser. From 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., at the Masonic Lodge at 5610 Tryon Road, the Band will be selling a BBQ Pork and Fried Chicken Combination Plate for $10.00 and Homemade Dessert for $1.00 each. The meal includes both BBQ Pork, fried chicken, slaw, baked beans, and hushpuppies. Meals are available for dine in or carry out. In addition, the Band will offer free delivery to local businesses with orders of 6 or more plate. For more information or to place an order, please contact: BBQ@athensdriveband.com. Thank you for supporting our incredible Band program!
Yearbooks are now for sale! Please visit the website (https://athensdriveyearbook.weebly.com/) for The Torch in order to purchase your Yearbook, buy a Senior Ad, submit your Senior Quote, etc. If you order your Yearbook before September 20th, the cost is just $75.00. After September 20th, the price increases to $80.00.
All students and parents are invited to our Fall Parent Session that will be held on Thursday, September 27th, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., in our Auditorium. The purpose of this session is to provide parents and students with information and the tools necessary for the transition through high school and beyond. We will have representatives from UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, NC A&T, Elon, ECU, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Greensboro, Wake Technical Community College, and others in attendance to answer your questions about post-secondary educational opportunities. In addition, representatives from all branches of the military will be in attendance to answer questions regarding service to our country. We will have break-out sessions that include: How to apply for Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Grants; College Admission Requirements; How to get Internship and Apprenticeship Opportunities; and Financial Literacy. This informative evening is open not only to our Seniors and their families, but all families interested in learning about the transition to college and life after Graduating from Athens Drive—it is not too early to begin planning for the future!
Our JAG Club is hosting a Fundraising event on Wednesday, September 26th, at Panera Bread Company, located at 2234 Walnut Street, Cary, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Please be sure to bring a flyer or show an electronic version to the cashier when you place your order, and Panera will donate a portion of the proceeds to the JAG Club. For more information, please visit the JAG Club website (www.athensdrivejagclub.org). Thank you for your support of the JAGS!
Please check the Athens Drive Athletics website (http://www.wakecountyathletics.com/athensdrivehs) to stay aware of all changes to our Athletic schedule. Thank you for your understanding as we work to reschedule many athletic events. I continue to be proud of our student athletes and coaches for representing us so well on the field, court, track, and course!
As we wait to see what kind of weather Hurricane Florence will bring to our area, I would suggest that this is a great time for our students to work on staying current, and getting ahead, with regards to their studies. In addition, for our Seniors, this is a great time to work on college applications. Weather events normally do not impact deadlines for scholarships (e.g., Morehead-Cain, Park, etc.) or college applications, so this would present a wonderful opportunity for our students to focus on getting ahead of these deadlines. It would also be helpful for our students to inform their teachers and staff about writing recommendation letters so that we have time to complete those letters for our students.
Please know how thankful I am for the incredible generosity of our school family! Thank you to our students, staff, and families who donated food and other items to our Food Pantry and Backpack Buddies program this week. We were able to provide support to so many students to help them through the next few days, and we could not have done this without the support and donations from our entire school family! Thank you for caring and thank you for helping take care of our family members!
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 would ask that you all take care of yourselves and each other, be prepared for whatever weather we do receive, head all advice and precautions from authorities, and stay safe throughout the course of this storm. I hope our entire Athens Drive family is protected from Hurricane Florence. Go JAGS and please take care.