Vijay Koilpillai

Welcome to the AVID Contract Signing and Parent Night!

This is my blog.  I update the blog on a regular basis to provide information about homework assignments, extracurricular activities, and important AVID events.

Please visit the blog on a regular basis to stay updated.

Important Information

Prents:

1. AVID study group has begun.  Every Monday and Wednesday, your son or daughter is invited to stay after school to work on assignments, study for tests, or complete projects.  Students must have a ride by 6:00 pm.  Be sure to take advantage of this free service!
2. AVID students should be reading for at least 20 minutes each night.  Please monitor to make sure that your son or daughter does this.  Reading is a fundamental skill that affects success in all academic areas.
3. Please subscribe to my blog by typing in your email address on the left side of this site.  Once you click "subscribe" you will receive an email every time I update this blog.  This is the perfect way to stay on top of what is going on in the AVID class.

AVID: August 25th - 29th

This is what's happening in AVID this week:

The AVID Parent Night and Contract Signing is this Thursday, August 28th.  This is an informative meeting and a celebration as AVID students sign their yearly contract and become officially "AVID."  It is important that parents and students make every effort to attend.  The event will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 in the Cafeteria at Campbell Middle School.  Refreshments will be served.  Also, students should dress up for the event.

The first binder check will take place this Thursday in the AVID class.  It is extremely important that all students are prepared for the binder check.  All papers should be placed in order behind the divider for the appropriate class.  Students should have at least two subdividers for every section in their binder.  No loose papers should be in pockets or folders; if you hold the binder upside down and shake it, no papers should fall out.

Finally, AVID students have homework every night.  Almost every AVID student is in an advanced class.  There are always tests to study for, projects to complete, or Cornell notes to finish.

Welcome Back AVID!

Welcome back AVID students and parents!  I am looking forward to another exciting year as the AVID coordinator and elective teacher.  We are working on expanding our program this year.  We will start a community service component of the program this fall.  Also, we plan on taking more college field trips.  We will definitely go on our overnight field trip again this year.  The cost will be about $100, so now could be a good time to start saving for the trip (the trip is not mandatory, but one of the best experiences we offer during the year).

You can find some of the important documents for the first week of school here (supply list and syllabus) 

Download binder_contents.doc 

Download 2008-9SyllabusAVID.doc

Homework for the First Week of School:

1. Student information sheet is due on Tuesday.
2. Syllabus is due back signed and completed on Wednesday.
3. Supplies are due on Friday.

Annual AVID College Trip

This year 31 AVID students visited Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.  We had a blast!  We toured the college campuses, played in the football stadium, talked to college students, and relaxed. 

Team Identity Assignment

Teams!  Today you will select a college identity for your group.  Each class will pick a college from a different conference and create a poster using information that you find out about that college.  The poster must include:  the name of the college, the team members, the school colors, the school nickname, and the location.  See the following examples: 

Download team_identity_example.doc

Download team_identity_mr_k.doc

1st Period:  ACC  - go to www.theacc.com

2nd Period:  SEC - go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeastern_Conference

6th Period:  BigEast - go to www.bigeast.org

7th Period Pac-10 - go to www.pac-10.org

Your poster should be colorful.  Feel free to add any symbols or images that are related to the school.

AVID Student Tip

A large part of being a good student boils down to good habits.  When it comes to homework, tests, and projects, you need to develop positive habits.  Create a routine for when you get home.  Many of our lives are extremely busy (school, sports, clubs, church, friends, etc.).  You need to devote a specific time every day to completing homework.  The first thing you should do is to look over your agenda and make a quick plan of attack.  Decide which assignments you should complete first.  If you have an assignment that you know you will enjoy more than the rest, save it for last.  Finally, if you have little or no homework for that evening, look at your monthly calendar and begin studying for that unit test or start working on that project.

More Tutoring Opportunities

Parents and Students,

In addition to the two tutoring times available with me (Monday after school and Tuesday before school), morning tutorial has begun.  Monday through Thursday, students have the opportunity to work with a teacher in either Language Arts or Math.  This service is 100% free.  If a student is performing poorly in either of these areas, he or she should take advantage of this free service.  Please download and read the documents for the schedule.  If you have any questions, please respond to this post.

Download morning_tutoring_la_schedule.doc

Download morning_tutoring_ma_schedule.doc

AVID Study Hall

Parents:

Any AVID student who earned a failing grade on the first progress report needs to come to study hall once or twice a week.  The study halls will be held on Mondays after school (need ride by 6:00) and Tuesday before school (need to be dropped off by 8:00).  Please contact me by responding to this post if the times do not work for you.  I can help by finding a ride for your child or offer additional times if necessary.

Parent Tip: Homework

Parents!  Whenever possible, please help ensure that AVID students are doing homework every night.  Check the agenda for assignments frequently.  If students have no homework, please have them review or revise their Cornell notes or read independently.