Back to School Information

                                             

August 9, 2023

Dear Archie Williams Falcon Families,

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year! We are excited to welcome students back on Wednesday, August 23rd. Our staff is busy preparing for the start of school, and we are all looking forward to reconnecting with returning students and welcoming our new students and parents. 

Our theme for Day One (the first day of school) is “Taking Flight.” On this day and throughout the year, we will continue our focus on relationships and providing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for our students. We are fortunate to have the support and involvement of our parent community to help us with this event and others throughout the year. A special thanks to the Falcon Foundation for their contributions and continued support of our school community. As principal, it is an honor and privilege to partner with the Foundation which raises the funds needed to enhance the experience for all of our students. You can find out more information about the Foundation here.

Please read and review all of the contents of this email carefully, all of which is important information to ensure a smooth start to the school year. Please refer to our school website throughout the year for updates and other important information.

First Week of School Schedule (8/22-8/25)

TUESDAY, 8/22

*NEW THIS YEAR - School Photos for all 9th-11th graders - Small Gym
9th graders will take photos during orientation from 1:00PM - 3:00PM.
10th and 11th graders may come between 9AM - 12:00PM to the Small Gym at the times below:

• • Additional picture day information is available HERE.  
  • Please consider helping to check in our students to be photographed.
    Sign up HERE if you are interested in volunteering.

• Any Senior that has not taken their Senior Portrait, please Schedule a time to be photographed on Wednesday August 16th HERE.
  New Student Orientation - 1:30 - 3:00pm - Student Center

All new students to Archie Williams High School are invited to our orientation during which you’ll meet leadership students who will guide you through your first day at AWHS. On this day new students will also take their school photo, receive a school tour, and learn some tips for high school.  Please make sure to RSVP using the link above so that we can plan accordingly. 

WEDNESDAY, 8/23: DAY ONE

We are planning and organizing an all-day community building event for the first day of school.  “Day One” has been an ongoing tradition at Archie Williams High School for many years and we are excited to be offering various activities, events and learning for all students on this day. There will be community building events, an all school lunch and a school rally. All students will receive a free t-shirt and school planners will be available. Please note that we will have an adjusted schedule on this day. All 10^th, 11^th and 12^th graders will start their day in their CREW/ADVISORY class and all 9^th graders will meet in the Main Gym. School starts at 8:00am for all 9th graders and 8:30am for 10th-12th graders, and ends at 3:35pm for everyone.

 

 

AWHS 23-24 Bell Schedule- Here

AWHS 23-24 Calendars- Here

 

Day One - Lunch and Festivities   

Our amazing AWHS FALCON FOUNDATION will be providing lunch for all students and staff on DAY ONE. We need your help in setting up, serving and cleaning up for this fun activity!  Please use Sign up genius to choose a time-slot and be a part of the excitement of DAY ONE!

* Due to Day One festivities there will be limited parking in the parking lot, students and visitors are encouraged to use other modes of transportation on this day.

Falcon Spirit Packs

To kick off the new school year, our Archie Williams Student Leadership Team is selling Falcon Flight Packs! The packs this year will include a 10% discounted price for the 2023/24 Yearbook, an AW Bumper Sticker, custom made String Backpack, a newly designed AW Nalgene Water Bottle, Falcon lanyard and a student ID card holder for your cell phone…all for $120. Spirit packs may be purchased in person at the Budget Office with cash or check or via our online web store starting Monday, August 14th. New students attending Orientation may pick up their packs on that day and all other students may pick their packs up on Day One. Purchases made after the start of school will be picked up at the time of purchase. Go Falcons!

 

Student Schedules 

Students can view their schedules in Synergy, Monday, August 21st after 5pm. 9th graders and transfer students should have received a welcome letter from the District Office detailing the steps needed to take to log into this platform in order to view their schedules. 9th graders and transfer student schedules will be available for pick up on Tuesday, August 22nd 9:30 - 11:30 in the Main Office.

Schedule Changes 

Counselors are working hard to finalize student schedules to ensure that they are correct and ready for access on August 21st. All students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 classes and the only free periods allowed are during first, second or seventh periods. 

Schedule changes will ONLY be allowed in the following situations:

• You are enrolled in less than 6 classes (6 classes are required by Board Policy).

• You are missing a graduation requirement.

• A course that you completed over the summer requires a schedule change.

• You have been misplaced in a class according to prerequisites or teacher recommendation.

Schedule Change with Counselors:  Please see your counselor in person on Tuesday, August 22nd per the following schedule if you have one of the above issues (students only):

• 10th grade:  9:00 - 10:00 am

• 9th grade:  10:15 - 11:15 am

• 11th grade: 12:30 -1:30 pm

• 12th grade:  1:45 - 2:45 pm

• Priority will be given to in-person students. Emails will be answered as time permits.

Attendance Procedures  

Daily attendance is an important factor in student success. This year we are strongly emphasizing the importance of students arriving to each class, on-time daily. We strongly encourage you to create routines that promote students arriving at school on time and stress the importance of being on time to every class throughout the day in order to fully engage in the learning process. Punctuality is important for college and career readiness. Attendance procedures can be found on our website under the Parents Tab. 

You may report absences to our attendance clerk Mark Machado by emailing him at mmachado@tamdistrict.org or calling and leaving a voicemail at 415-458-3418.

Parking/Getting to School
We encourage our entire community of students, staff and families to use alternate modes of transportation to and from school. Our parking lot and street parking are both limited.  Always follow parking laws and respect our neighbors. Illegally parked cars will be ticketed.

AWHS Student Drivers:  We are very excited to announce that our Solar Panel construction project will begin in September. This will result in parking lot closures and will limit student parking temporarily. Please note that there will be no access to the main lot while the construction project is underway. Information regarding student parking permits will be sent in the coming weeks. Information regarding on campus parking is also available on our website.

Using Public Transit:
Registered Marin County students and youths ages 18 and under are eligible for the Marin Transit Youth Pass which allows unlimited rides on local transit routes in Marin County. To learn more, please visit the links below:
Marin Transit  2023-2024 Youth Pass Program - ENG
Pase Para Jóvenes del Transporte de Marín
Eligibility for Free Marin Youth Pass - ENG
Preguntas frecuentes sobre el Pase para Jóvenes -Transporte de Marín
Marin Transit Youth Pass Information  

Route 68 Stage Schedules:  https://marintransit.org/routes/68

For route planning, Marin Transit recommends viewing their routes available by school:

Marin Transit: School Bus Services & Interactive Map  

AWHS 101 Information Night

This event is for the parents of all 9th grade and transfer students. Please join us on Monday, August 21st at 6:00pm for this informational event. It will be held in the Student Center which is located near the baseball field (behind the gym). At this event you will meet key people and learn important information about how to navigate and connect with the school.

Counseling Session for 9th grade parents 

Please join our counseling team at "Frosh Night" for parents of incoming freshmen. This event will be held on Thursday, August 31st 5:15- 5:45 pm in the Student Center before Back to School night.

Back to School Night

Back to School Night is scheduled on Thursday, August 31st at 6pm. Parents please mark your calendars. This is a great opportunity to meet your students’ teachers. More information about this event will be forthcoming.

Informational Documents

Informational documents and optional school forms regarding annual parent notices, our school district’s handbook, and more can be found below.
Parental Annual Notice 2023-24
Notificación Parental Anual 2023-24
Archie Williams High School Parent Annual Notice Form 23-24
Authorization to Administer Medicine - must be on file for students to receive medication at school.
Tamalpais Union High School District Parent/Student Handbook 2023-24
Asbestos Notification letter
Student Accident Insurance
Accidente estudiantil y Seguro de enfermedad

Student Nutrition Forms

Please see our district Student Nutrition Information and National School Lunch & School Breakfast Programs page to find out how the school lunch program will work for the 2023-24 school year. 

Athletic Information
Sports registration for the 2023-2024 school year is now open. Click here to learn more about 2023 - 2024 sports registration 

We look forward to a successful and rewarding 2023-24 school year. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer and see you soon! 

Sincerely,

LaSandra White

Principal