AMP Happenings for the Week of September 14th

9/13/2020

Howdy AMP families and students,

The following are important events and happenings for the week of September 14th.

Upcoming Events this Week

Tuesday, September 15th - James Madison High School Parent Night (virtual - information will be available at: https://www.neisd.net/madison)

Phase 1 - NEISD School Phase-In Plan
NEISD will be continuing the second week of Phase 1 of its school phase-in plan this week. Phase 2 of the plan is scheduled to begin the week of September 21st.

As we are re-opening the campus to students, we do have some updates and reminders to share with those students that are on campus during Phase 1:

To assist parents/guardians with more flexibility in dropping off students, students now may arrive to campus as early as 8:00 AM (not earlier than 8:00 AM). AMP students arriving to campus at 8:00 AM may be dropped off in one of two locations only: 
1. AMP main parking lot - the students will report directly to the AMP Commons and be supervised until the passing period begins for the first period of the day.
2. Madison HS main parking lot - the students will report directly to the Cafeteria and be supervised until the passing period begins for the first period of the day.
It is still preferred that students be transported to school by parents/guardians and be dropped off between 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM. Students that walk or bike to school should also arrive between 9:30 AM to 9:50 AM.
If a student will be using NEISD bus transportation, parents/guardians can look up their school bus route information by clicking HERE. School buses will be delivering students to campus between 8:50am to 9:10am and the students will report directly to the cafeteria. If students are utilizing the AMP Magnet Shuttle from their home high school campus, the magnet shuttle schedule can be accessed by clicking HERE.
The NEISD Student Dress Code will be enforced beginning the week of September 14th. Please refer to the NEISD Secondary Student / Parent Handbook on pages 97 -99 for specifics on dress code expectations.
If a student is needing breakfast, it will be served beginning at 9:20 AM in the cafeteria.
Students will need to bring their own face mask and wear it all times while on the campus. Students may remove their face mask when seated in the cafeteria and eating breakfast and/or lunch.
Students will need to maintain a minimum of 6 feet of social distance while on the campus and follow the directional traffic patterns that are posted inside the buildings.
It is recommended that students bring a re-fillable water bottle for staying hydrated throughout the day. Water fountains will only be used to fill water bottles.
Only clear backpacks are allowed by NEISD policy. Mobile computing devices can be secured in a non-clear case and kept in the student's clear backpack.
Students should bring their personal mobile computing device (laptop, chromebook, iPad) or the mobile computing device loaned to them by the school. If a student does not have a mobile computing device, there will be one available for the student to use while at school.
Students should bring their charging cable for their mobile computing device.
Students should bring headphones/earphones to use while doing their virtual instruction from the host teacher's classroom.
The synchronous school day will end at 3:25 PM and students will be released to the same areas in which parents/guardians dropped them off in the morning. If a student is riding a school bus, they will return to the cafeteria until school buses arrive on campus to depart at 4:35pm PM.

2020-2021 James Madison FFA Dues - 52% Paid!
A reminder that the $20.00 FFA membership fee for the 2020-2021 school year was posted to student accounts on August 24, 2020 via the NEISD School Cash Online app. If you have not done so, parents/guardians will need to register with NEISD School Cash Online to pay this fee. AMP students that have already made a payment of FFA dues prior to August 24, 2020 will not see a FFA membership fee posted to their student account.

As of last week, we have reached 52% of our AMP student body that has paid their membership fee! That is a great start on our way to reaching 100%.

FFA T-Shirt Sponsorship
The James Madison FFA is looking for t-shirt sponsors for our annual "chapter shirt". Our chapter shirts help to unite our members and build community, camaraderie, and pride amongst our members no matter the level of their involvement. Sponsoring this year's chapter shirt will get your business or family logo on the back of nearly 600 shirts worn by James Madison FFA members.

For more information about this opportunity, please download the sponsorship information form attached to this post.

AMP Seniors - Final Official 6th Semester Rank Now Available
AMP Seniors can now access their Final Official 6th Semester Rank on their high school transcript. Transcripts can be viewed in Skyward Family Access under the Portfolio tile.

Guidance and Counseling News
CCMR Specialist
Madison HS has a new College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) Specialist and her name is Mrs. Myers. Mrs. Myers can help students reach their post-secondary goals whether that be attending college, technical school, enlisting in the military, or going into the workforce. She has a google classroom account that has great information of upcoming virtual college visits and SAT/ ACT testing information. Please join her google classroom by using the following link: https://classroom.google.com/c/MTIyNjgyOTEyNTU3?cjc=abdalrd

Upcoming Virtual College Visits
Go to Mrs. Myers google classroom (link is above) 30 minutes before the virtual college visit to view the zoom link. Madison HS will have a Texas A&M admissions counselor virtually on the first Monday of every month at 3:30 pm.

September 14th @ 3:30 PM: Texas A&M University - College Station
September 15th @ 3:45 PM: Texas State University
September 16th @ 3:30 PM: University of Texas - Austin
September 17th @ 3:30 PM: Texas A&M University - San Antonio
September 22nd @ 9:00 AM: Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX
September 28th @ 3:30 PM: University of Texas - San Antonio
October 9th @ 3:30 PM: Angelo State University

Transcripts

Official transcript requests will continue to be completed online using ScribOrder .
All unofficial transcripts should be accessed via Skyward Family Access Portal and can be found under the "portfolio" tile. These transcripts can be downloaded by you, as needed.
Questions? Please contact Mrs. Norma Cooper.

Financial Aid Family Night
Madison will be have a virtual Financial Aid Family Night on Thursday, September 24th at 6pm. Parents must register at https://forms.gle/Z4QL81rNksZPLtg3A and a Zoom meeting link will be sent to you. A Financial Aid Family Night flier is attached.

Scholarship Opportunities
Texas Hill Country Wineries (THCW) Scholarship
Approximately 6 years ago, THCW noticed a need for more support introducing and educating our local communities about the Texas wine industry and encouraging new individuals to get involved. The Texas Hill Country Wine Industry Scholarship fund was created in 2016 in hopes to give High School and College students the opportunity to receive the education needed to join the Texas wine industry.

In our first year, $5,000.00 was awarded to recipients studying viticulture, enology and WSET certification. 2017 gave us the opportunity to award $11,000.00 to 12 Texas students, 2018 gave us the opportunity to award another $10,000.00 to 9 Texas students and 2019 gave us the opportunity to award another $12,500 to 9 Texas students enrolled at Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and Texas State University.

Please see the attached scholarship application packet which includes 4 sections:

Texas Wine Industry Overview
Texas Wine Industry Jobs
Texas Wine Industry Education
Texas Hill Country Wine Industry Scholarship Application

Stay Connected with Us!
Find us online at www.JamesMadisonFFA.com or follow us on
Youtube (Agriscience Magnet Program),
Facebook (www.facebook.com/MadisonFFA),
and on Instagram (www.instagram.com/jamesmadisonffa)
Stay connected with the AMP for the 2020-2021 school year!