Please check out the presentation slides for the "Return to Campus Planning @ Aragon High School":

• Google Slides - English
• Google Slides - Spanish
• YouTube Video - English

We've missed you, Aragon Students!

School starts TOMORROW at 9am and we wanted to make sure you (and your parents/guardians) had this important information to connect you to your classes!

Student Course Schedules: 
Nearly all students have already picked up their class schedules.  In the event that they have been misplaced, all students have access beginning to view their schedule through the Aeries Student Portal. 

How to Prepare for Classes:
Please make sure to do the Technology Orientation in the A-Town Student Center Course ASAP, as well as 'digitally' sign the agreements on the course homepage after you review them.

To be prepared to get to your virtual classes tomorrow, do the following:

• Sign into Canvas and get ready BEFORE 9am so you're on time to the Zoom Room for 1st period. 
• The Zoom Link for EACH class will be on the Homepage for that Course.
• Remember: the Canvas Tiles will NOT tell you which class period you have been assigned to.  Make sure to check your class schedule or Aeries for the correct order of your assigned classes.

Bell Schedule:
The bell schedule is here. On Monday, August 17, students will start their day in their 1st period class and follow the 'Odd Period Block' schedule. 

Materials: 
Students picked up their books and materials from AHS last week during Distribution Days.  For students who were not available, our staff has reached out to make appointments to pick up their materials over the next few days on campus.  

PLEASE NOTE: The AHS office is NOT OPEN TO DROP-INS at this time.  All visits must be coordinated in advance. 

Technology:
We have plenty of ChromeBooks available for students.  Unfortunately, the district’s order of WiFi Hotspots has not arrived and we apologize for the inconvenience - we will be working with families who need this resource to connect students to their classes as soon as possible.

Students: Forgot Your Login Information?
Log in to your Chromebook / Google / Canvas accounts with your stu.smuhsd.org email account information:

• Login: 2 digit grad year + last name + first initial + last two digits of your student ID
• Password: last six digits of your ID number + 2 digit day of birth

Example: John Smith's ID # is 1123456, he is graduating in 2021, and his birthday is July 5th

• Login: 21smithj56
• Password: 12345605 [123456 are the last six digits of his ID#, and 05 is his two-digit day of birth]

Tech Resources & Troubleshooting: 

• Tech Help Flow Chart here
• Canvas Troubleshooting Guide
• Chromebook HELP here

AFTER you have tried to solve problems with the supports above, use these contacts for additional support:

• Aragon Help Desk: 650-558-2927 (during school hours only)
• Password & Canvas Issues: 650-558-2480
• Email:  help@smuhsd.org 
• Text: 650-554-8431

Need to Contact a Staff Member?
Many of us are working remotely at this time.  Email is your best line of communication.  Teachers and Counselors can be contacted directly through Canvas; additional email and contact information for Administration and Staff can be found on our website.

• Problem with your schedule?  Contact your grade-level counselor first.
• Issue with technology?  See the resources above.

Welcome to the Fall 2020 Semester, Aragon Families! 

Monday, August 17th, is the first day of school.  It will look and feel very different from years past, but I am hopeful that the result will be familiar: students will go to their classes, they will meet their teachers and classmates, and they will get a sense of what they will learn this year.  
Since most of this activity will occur through Canvas, our Learning Management System, it is very important that our students connect to support on campus and complete a course on how to access different parts of Canvas.  This support is available for Incoming Freshmen through their Link Crew Orientation

Here is a brief overview of the activities for the upcoming weeks:

August 11-14: Don Distribution Days
This will be a drive-through style materials pick-up activity for all students, beginning with freshmen on Tuesday and concluding with Seniors on Friday.  Families and students should have received their assigned appointments through email last week.  
Materials students will collect include:

• Class Schedule

• Bell Schedule

• Aeries & Canvas Login Information

• Link Crew Leader Contact Information (For 9th grade & new students)

• Textbooks, Learning Packs, and Classroom Lab Materials (these vary by class)

• ID Photo + School Photo

• Chromebook Check-out

• Wifi Hotspot Check-out (for families who have already indicated that they will need this support on the District Summer Survey)

August 13-14: Link Crew Orientation for Incoming 9th Graders and New Students
The Aragon Link Crew will lead Freshman and New Student Orientation beginning on Thursday, August 13th.  All orientation activities will occur online this year.  Students will need two pieces of information to participate: their Link Crew assignment AND their account set-up sheet, both of which they will get at Don Distribution Days this coming week. 

August 17: First Day of School!
To prepare for the first day of school, students should LOGIN TO CANVAS and complete the 2020-21 Student Orientation to Canvas module.  This will be new learning for our freshman and a good review for our returning students.  
To help your student prepare for the first day of school:

• Find a quiet place to work and login to their online classes

• Connect to the internet

• Complete the Signature Pages in Canvas on the SMUHSD Acceptable and Responsible Use Policies, as well as the Student Orientation Course in the A-Town Toady Student Center on Canvas BEFORE August 17

  • This link is accessible to students only in their A-Town today course, and their Link Crew Leaders will direct them to it during Orientation.  

  • They should complete the course and all quizzes BEFORE school starts to ensure they are ready to access all elements of Canvas on August 17.

• Be up and ready for their classes on time

• Support them with learning materials (paper, writing tools, etc.)

• Have a good breakfast and lunch

  • Families qualifying for Free/Reduced Lunch may come to AHS to pick up their meals in the morning prior to the start of classes.

August 19: First PTSO Meeting
Watch our website and future school communications for updates on participating in the first PTSO meeting of the school year.

September 3: Back to School Night
Yes!  We will host Back to School Night!  While this will be held in a virtual setting, we are excited for you to get to know more about our teachers, our programs, and our site administration.  Mark the date on your calendar - more information coming soon!

Helpful information for Families:

• Aragon Fall 2020 Bell Schedule

• SMUHSD Nutrition Services

• Parent Account Creation 

  • Aeries: Access information including Attendance, Progress Reports and Report Cards, Transcripts and Graduation Requirements, Update Contact Information, View School Announcements from Aeries Communications

    • Aeries Parent Account Overview

    • Parent Account Set-up for Aeries

  • Canvas: Access our Learning Management System to view a summary of all current grades for courses, course calendars and assignment deadlines, assignment details and submissions, course and school announcements, and email teachers. 

    • Canvas Parent Account Overview

    • Parent Account Set-up for Canvas - English - Spanish

  • Mobile Account Set-Up Instructions for Aeries & Canvas  - English - Spanish

• Student Appointments by Grade Level, Families, and Alphabetical Order

• Yes, we are planning on having HotSpots at the Distribution for families that requested them via our Family Survey sent out by the District in July.  You will also be able to request one on site at pick up, and if we do not have additional ones at that time, we will put your name on the list for the District to get one to you. 

I do not need to borrow a Chromebook.  Do I need to take one?

• We recommend that students use Chromebooks so they have a similar, uniform experience to their classmates, and our District Technology help desk cannot assist with personal computer issues or tech problems -- only District Issues devices can be supported by help@smuhsd.org.  Nevertheless, if prefer to use your own device for Distance Learning, this is fine and you can opt out of bringing a Chromebook home!  We do hope and plan to eventually have enough Chromebooks for all students. 

Where will I take my school photo, and what should I wear? 

• School photos will be taken outside, near the first floor of the Science Building at the eastern end of the Student parking lot.  Students will take their photos after picking up their materials (see map below).  Students can wear school appropriate clothing, without hats please.  This is different than the Senior Portraits being taken by Prestige photo, so formal wear is not necessary. 
• Seniors do still need to take their photo on Distribution Day for our Student Information system records, even though this is not the photo that will be in the Yearbook for them (their Prestige Senior Portrait will be in the Yearbook).

• Please see the information from Lifetouch here about photo ordering:  Order Now on Lifetouch.com with this code!
• See the Lifetouch Photography COVID-19 Safety Protocols here.

What are the "make up days" for photos or Distribution Days?  My student cannot make it during the week of August 11th. 

• Please try to select an alternate appointment; however, at this time we do not have picture make-up days scheduled outside of August 11th-14th.  We will update you when we have make- up days secured!
• We will not be able to have students pick up materials and books before the week of August 10th.  Teachers will know that not all students may have their materials by the first week of school.  We will look forward to accommodating you on an appointment basis.  Thank you!

My student will be walking to collect their materials, as there is no one that can drive them during their appointment time.  Will this be a problem? 

• Students are more than welcome to walk or bike! Because they will have many materials to collect, we do recommend bringing a large backpack or bag or even a rolling cart/suitcase) if they anticipate needing it. 

We are very sorry for the inconvenience, but we are experiencing technical difficulties with our access to Live Stream to our YouTube account this evening.

For families that were not able to join us in the Zoom meeting, please refer to the Community Meeting Slidedeck to see the topics we addressed this evening.

On Monday, August 3, we will post a Q & A-style review of the topics from the Community Meeting. Those questions are linked on the left side of this screen as "Aragon Community Meeting Q & A".

 Aragon Community Meeting, scheduled for tomorrow night, Thursday, July 30th, at 6pm.

This event will be held on Zoom with Spanish Translation available; we will also stream live to our admin YouTube channel for simultaneous and future viewing. This meeting is hosted by the Aragon PTSO and the Aragon High School Administrative Team. We are also happy to welcome SMUHSD Superintendent Kevin Skelly to the event.

To facilitate the gathering of questions and concerns, we used a crowd sourcing service called ThoughtExchange. I am happy to report that we had over 200 parents, students, and staff members collaborate on this platform. The questions that registered as 'most important' by the group will be addressed at the Community Meeting tomorrow night.

I also understand that many people many not be able to join us tomorrow evening. To support the community in viewing the information we will share at the meeting, we will post an 'FAQ' style entry on our website after the event. This information will be posted to the 'AHS Return to School' pages by Saturday, August 1, and will be available for immediate translation into the language of your choice.

Links:

• AHS YouTube Channel Link
• Zoom meeting Information:
  
  Topic: AHS Community Meeting
  Time: Jul 30, 2020 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
  
  Join Zoom Meeting
  https://smuhsd-org.zoom.us/j/95218345089?pwd=cFgzSnlWemtTVzBMTnVvQ3ZLYmhrQT09
  
  Meeting ID: 952 1834 5089
  Passcode: 624586
  One tap mobile
  +13462487799,,95218345089#,,,,,,0#,,624586# US (Houston)
  +16465588656,,95218345089#,,,,,,0#,,624586# US (New York)
  
  Dial by your location
  +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
  +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
  +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
  +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
  +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
  +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
  Meeting ID: 952 1834 5089
  Passcode: 624586
  Find your local number: https://smuhsd-org.zoom.us/u/abt4rHZZCy

The San Mateo Union High School District is hosting a Q & A session for families about the survey that was sent out on Friday, July 17th.

Please join the conversation on Wednesday, July 22nd at 5pm if you have questions about the survey.

What is Concurrent Enrollment?

Concurrent Enrollment allows a high school student to complete courses at a Community College.

What are the Advantages of Concurrent Enrollment?
Students opting for classes at Community Colleges this school year ONLY (2020-2021) will be able to get high school credits while beginning to build their college transcripts.  In many cases, these credits are transferrable to other colleges (check with individual colleges for transfer of credits by specific course).
Some students excel in this environment and complete a number of college credits during their high school years.  But remember: once you start a college transcript, you are required to report your grades to every college you may enroll with in the future.

What are the Disadvantages of Concurrent Enrollment?
While instructors at our local community colleges are great, they are just that: college instructors.  Students who flourish under the support provided by the teachers at Aragon High School (and struggle a little with independent learning) may find the college environment difficult. If you have any questions or concerns about your student's readiness for a college course, please contact your student's counselor at AHS.

Credits for Concurrent Enrollment
For the upcoming school year ONLY (2020-21), students may take courses at a Community College (i.e. CSM, Skyline, Cañada) and transfer that credit back to their high school transcripts for graduation credit.  Board Policy allows a maximum of 40 credits (equivalent to approximately 8 semester courses) to be placed on the high school transcript.

How Do You Sign Up for Concurrent Enrollment at a Community College?
Before you make any arrangements for classes, speak to your AHS counselor. 
Students will need to get a concurrent enrollment form from their counselor (including a signature), and then sign up for their Community College classes directly with the college. For more information on this, see our Counseling page on Concurrent Enrollment.

Can Students Be Dually Enrolled with Another Online Provider for Credit This Year?
For the 2020-21 school year ONLY, the SMUHSD Board of Trustees will allow students to complete some coursework through outside providers.  This will allow students to complete high school level coursework in a usually asynchronous manner.
If you choose this option, the provider MUST meet these qualifiers for credit to be placed on the AHS transcript: [1] School MUST have ACCREDITATION; [2] Maintain a-g course approval with the UC system, [3] Issue GRADES; [4] Issue CREDITS; and [5] Issue a TRANSCRIPT.
Our counselors can help you determine if the provider you would like to work with meets all of these requirements.

How To Show Concurrent Enrollment Credits on AHS Transcript:
It is the SOLE RESPONSIBILITY of students and families to submit official grades to the counseling office AFTER they have completed the class and final grades have been issued.  This is the only way that grades can be placed on official high school transcripts and counted toward graduation.

Can AHS Suggest Good Online High School Providers?
As a public school, we cannot recommend or promote the services of any particular providers.  We can, however, tell you that we have had students successfully complete coursework from the vendors noted in conversation in the SMUHSD Board of Trustee meetings, including BYU and UC Scout OnDemand.

Can I Drop AHS Classes and Take Concurrent Enrollment Classes Instead?
The short answer is 'yes, you can.'
HOWEVER, we may not be able to guarantee that your AHS course schedule will be stacked in a condensed manner.  For example, if you choose to drop a math class at AHS and take one at CSM instead, it is very possible that you will have a hole in your AHS class schedule.  This is fine while we are on Distance Learning, but will be a big issue when we return to campus.
For safety reasons, students with holes in their schedules will be assigned to a 'TA' or 'Peer Tutoring' period, as we are required to account for the location of students while they are on campus.
We are also not able to guarantee that we can create a schedule for you at AHS that coincides with your outside course schedule.  This means that students are still expected to be available for school at AHS this year between the hours of 9:00am and 3:15pm.  

Interested in Concurrent Enrollment?
BEFORE YOU REGISTER FOR ANYTHING, COMPLETE THE SMUHSD SURVEY SENT TO FAMILIES ON MONDAY, JULY 20.  
Answering 'yes' to the question 'I would like to drop a class at my school' (or some variant of that statement) will prompt counselors at Aragon High School to reach out to you to discuss the class you would like to drop - and classes you might want to take through Concurrent Enrollment

The San Mateo Union High School District is planning to send a survey out to all SMUHSD families regarding the following topics:

• Educational Choices for the Fall Semester 2020
• Technology Needs
• Physical Education
• Access to WiFi on Campus
• Resources for Families

The survey will be sent to families by Monday, July 20, 2020.

It is VERY important that families complete this information in a timely manner.  At Aragon, we will use this information to:

• Update our Master Schedule
• Plan to support students who need a place to study on campus (access to outdoor study spaces)
• Plan for technology distribution
• Arrange for PE

There is a space on the survey that will allow parents and guardians to indicate if their student would like to drop one of the courses they requested in the Spring.  If you would like to do this - or have questions about this - please indicate this on the survey and know that an AHS counselor will contact you.

Thank you,
Valerie Arbizu, Principal

The SMUHSD Board of Trustees met on Tuesday, July 14th, and made the strong recommendation that all schools open this Fall 2020 Semester with a Distance Learning Protocol.

This means that all students will learn from their teachers in a synchronous manner beginning on August 17th.

With this decision, Aragon High School Administration is moving forward with plans for orientation and material distribution in early August.  As those plans are solidified, we will note them on this blog AND notify families through dialers, emails, and text.