Dear New AAEC Students and Parents:

I would like to extend a warm welcome from the AAEC Red Mountain family, and thank you for making the choice to come to our school. We are excited for the coming year and the new students and families it will bring to our school. We believe that through the hard work of our teachers, parents, and students we will take our school to new heights. My goal this last year was to “break away from the crowd” and bring us into a new era of our school. I think this goal has brought us to where we are with the best senior class AAEC has seen graduating this spring, and more freshman coming in with top scores. I would like to explain a little more about the school, the enrollment process, and expectations for the upcoming year.

As you know already, AAEC is a multifaceted school with areas for students to find their niche, and excel. As in the past we are offering students Agricultural based classes to expose them to agriculture, agribusiness, and other areas. Students can continue with this program by taking equine science classes or participating in Supervised Agricultural Experiences for credit. All freshman are automatically members of FFA and any other student can join as well; which allows them to participate in leadership based activities in a wide variety of areas from agricultural to mechanical. Those students whose interest lies in the equine or animal science area will also be afforded the opportunity to take Animal Science, Equine Science, and Veterinary Science classes during their high school career. Many of these classes offer the ability to earn college credit which may go towards certifications and degrees. We are fortunate to have two veterinarians who teach here in our Equine Science and Veterinarian Science programs.

While the previous courses afford opportunities to student in those areas, we do not expect all students to be interested in them. With that in mind, we offer a variety of other courses within the sciences for students who are looking to go into engineering, science, mathematical, or other research based careers. One of the strong components of AAEC has been the research students do, and we are bolstering that with courses such as Methods of Inquiry and Research Methods. Students who enjoy and excel in these course will be encouraged to take Biotechnology courses through MCC as part of their high school classes.

I do not mean to leave out the largest population of our students, and that is those students who are here for the Early College component of AAEC. This part of our program allows students, possibly starting in their freshman year, to take college classes as part of their high school graduation requirements. These students can take enough courses in their four years to obtain an associate degree, or just enough to graduate from high school. Each student at AAEC will need to take two Foreign Language courses and two Fine Arts classes through MCC, along with CPD 150 in their freshman year. Each student’s needs are different, and we strive to meet each one as best we can. All we ask in return is that students be responsible, show up on time to class, do their homework, and give all they can each day. In return we will give them an education that will prepare them for college and life, and maybe even to achieve an associate’s degree.

I hope this gives you a little more insight into the opportunities you will have over the next years. Now I would like to speak a little on the enrollment process and some of the other particulars for next year and beyond.

Enrollment and Testing:               All students, regardless of entering grade, will attend an enrollment and testing day during the spring or summer. These days and times will be sent out to students and an RSVP is expected. During this day they will meet as a group with Mr. Littlefield and cover the graduation requirements and course choices. During this time they will be able to choose what elective courses they would like to take, as well as what college courses they are interested in. These choices will be reviewed individually with Mr. Littlefield and the student. During this time they will also meet with MCC enrollment advisors who will walk them through enrolling process at the college, and testing. All incoming freshman will be required to take AAEC’s algebra readiness assessment.

Scheduling:                                        Students schedules will be developed by AAEC in conjunction with the parents and students. Freshman and Sophomores will have a four to five class battery that all will take, and then electives and college courses will be determined individually. Juniors and Seniors will meet with Mr. Littlefield to go over a graduation check sheet and determine what high school and college classes they will take. All Juniors will be enrolled in 3 or 4 high school classes, depending on their placement. Seniors will be required to take at least 1 Monday through Friday course at the high school, and then college courses. Other courses for Seniors may be required to satisfy the 4 hours a day state requirement.

College Courses:                              Freshman are only allowed to take CPD 150 during their spring semester. Sophomores are allowed to take 7 credits per semester, usually containing a fine art and foreign language. If they are not enrolled in two college classes they must be enrolled in enough courses at the high school to have 6 full time classes each semester. Juniors can obtain 10 college credits each semester, which will vary depending on their placement and choice. As with the Sophomores, students must take enough high school and college classes to have 6 full time classes per semester. Seniors have the ability to take up to 12 college credits each semester, usually including English 101 and a Math course. ALL college courses must be approved by the principal prior to enrolling or AAEC will not pay for the course(s).

Restrictions:                                      Students who fail a high school or college course will have their college courses limited the following semester to only what is required and not offered at the high school. Any class a student receives a D or an F in at the college will be considered an F at the high school, and the student will be responsible for reimbursing the school the cost of the class.

Community Service:                       As part of their graduation requirement, each student must participate in 25 hours of community service each year. This may be concurrent with any National Honor Society hours they may need, or any other organizations community service requirements.

NHS:                                                      AAEC has a large and active NHS and we are always hoping to attract new students to join. For a student to be eligible for entry they must: (1) have been at AAEC for 1 semester, (2) earn a 3.5 GPA in the semester, and (3) have minimal discipline issues. These requirements are also held to maintain their status in NHS, failure in any of these or to earn their community service hours, will result in a student being put on probation. NHS holds regular meetings, and each student who is participating must attend. This organization allows students to be recognized for their academic achievement, leadership, community service, and honesty.

Rules and Expectations:               While we have a formal expectations and rules book, some of these are highlighted here. Attendance is compulsory and failure to attend school may result in removal from the school. Ditching/truancy are not tolerated and will result in immediate suspension for first offense. Tardiness to classes disrupts the class and makes it hard for students to catch up. Excessive tardies will receive a detention, and continued tardiness will result in further punishment. Our campus is a smoke free, drug free, and alcohol free zone. Any presence or use of these during school hours will result in immediate removal from school, and recommendation for expulsion. Any presence of drugs or alcohol on campus will result in police intervention and removal from the school. We strive to keeps kids safe, and these items have no place on campus. Anything a student brings on to campus is subject to search, including backpacks, purses, wallets, and vehicles.

Drop-off and Pickup:                      The school day begins at 8:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm Monday through Thursday and at 12:30 on Friday. Students may be dropped off at school beginning at 7:30 am when the office opens and should be picked up by no later than 4:00 pm. If a student is on campus after 3:00 pm they will be asked to go to a teacher’s classroom until their ride arrives. The office closes at 4:30 pm, and if a student is not going be picked up by then the office must be notified.

College Expectations:                    It is expected that students will attend every college class, even if there are days when AAEC is not in session but the college is. AAEC will periodically check with the college for student attendance, as well as patrol the college campus to ensure students are not ditching college classes. Any action or behavior that occurs on the college campus is subject to the same rules as the high school campus. Any issues that occur at the college that are actionable by the college will result in a student’s loss of college class privileges for the remainder of the year and possibly beyond. AAEC students are treated just like any other college student, and are expected to behave as such. Such behaviors as yelling, running, cursing, etc. are not permissible on the college campus. College professors should be afforded the utmost respect, therefore talking in class or cell phone usage is prohibited.

Dress Code:                                        While AAEC does not have a uniform policy, we expect students to dress in appropriate manner while at the high school or college. Female students are allowed to wear skirts, but they must be fingertip length or longer. Shorts are permitted but also must extend to the fingers, and have no holes in them. Tank tops are permitted during the summer, but must not be racer back or halter top. The straps must be two fingers wide (1 inch), or have a full shirt underneath to maintain modesty. Tank tops must also have a modest front and full coverage back. Males must follow the same rules for shorts, and are not allowed to wear tank tops that are meant as undershirts. Male’s pants and shorts must be worn at the waist, with no underwear showing. Also pants and shorts may not have holes in them above the thigh. Any student who is violation of dress code policy will either have to change or be given alternate clothing to wear. First two dress codes will be warnings; further dress codes will be treated as insubordination and will follow the discipline progression.

Academic Probation:                     If a student is failing a class, at the high school, they will automatically be enrolled in mandatory tutoring. All new Freshmen and Sophomores will be automatically enrolled in tutoring during the first month of school, to ensure  they are successful that first month. If students are receiving A’s and B’s on their first two checkpoints then they will be able to opt out of tutoring. Any course they are receiving a C or below they will have to continue in tutoring. All Juniors and Seniors will be placed into tutoring if they are failing a high school class or if a teacher requests it. As part of the tutoring process these students will be marked as absent or present and if they do not show up without an excuse from a parent, they will be marked truant and punishment will be accordingly enforced. Once a student has met the grade requirements they may opt out of tutoring, or a teacher may excuse them if they are making satisfactory progress.

I hope this letter has been helpful and informative despite the volume of information included. Goal is that each year we communicate our expectations to parents and students alike. We want to ensure that you know what you are getting, and at the same time can know what we are promising. It is imperative for students and parents to attend all informative meetings, open houses, etc. so they may stay informed as the year approaches. Please look for further communication, specifically the date and time for enrollment and testing, which will follow in the next months. We once again want to welcome you and are very excited to get this new path in your life started.

Sincerely,

Matthew Littlefield- Principal