Finals Week and Spring Semster

Finals week is but a day away and there will be a couple of changes to the regular schedule. Monday will be a regular day and Tuesday will follow the modified schedule as usual. But for Wednesday through Friday, class will be held from 8AM to 12:30PM. Wednesday will be 3rd and 4th period finals, Thursday 1st and 2nd, and Friday 5th and 6th. The first period will last until 10:10AM and the second one will start at 10:20AM. District provided lunches will not be available during Wednesday through Friday so please have accommodations ready. And finally, all teachers will be at school until 3PM during the modified schedules and all students are welcome to stay.
Upon our return to school after the three weeks of Winter Break, class at ASTI will officially start on January 11th, and College of Alameda classes will begin on the 21st. There will be no school on the 18th due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
And a final reminder for students taking college classes, classes will not meet for the usual lectures, everything is on finals schedule so only meet with your class when your instructor says so.
Good luck to everyone on their finals and enjoy your winter break.

Nearing the end of the Semster

There is only two weeks left in this Fall semester of 2009. Also, finals are on their way, so everyone would not slack off in their studying in the slightest. Everyone at ASTI wishes you luck on your performances on the impending tests.
Last night was PTSA's First Annual Silent Auction. It was a huge success with over 100 guests and the plethora of volunteers who helped set up and clean up. The performances were amazing, from Mr. Predovic and the Primetime Players to the PTSA board's special performance. Thanks to everyone who helped, performed, and supported the auction.
This Monday will be another of Interact's Association meetings. Please attend and learn about the new projects they have in store for everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This coming week will be a short one with the coming of Thanksgiving. There will be ASTI classes until Tuesday, but college classes will still continue until Wednesday. Please keep that in mind. Also, this Tuesday will be the Cultural Potluck. It will begin the same time as lunch on Tuesdays and it will be in the F-Building lounge where there will be performances from ASTI's very own. Please bring a cultural food to share with your peers that day and you will gain spirit points for the next upcoming Spirit Week. Lastly, college finals are on their way so everyone should continue their hard work and not slack off even in the slightest. It is the final stretch of the Fall semester. Please enjoy your Thanksgiving break.

ASTI's Silent Auction Gala Information

ASTI is having its 1st Annual Silent Auction Event to raise money for college textbooks and other school programs and would like to invite YOU. This is fabulous opportunity to support the school AND get some great holiday gifts. We’ll have everything from themed gift baskets to wine tasting parties to tickets for experiencing human flight. Dinner, entertainment and a night of fun are included. Please feel free to pass this invitation along to others within the AUSD/COA community AND beyond. The first annual Silent Auction Gala will be hosted by the PTSA
There will be entertainment and auction items from our very own students and community.
Dinner is included.Ticket price: $10. Date: December 5th 2009. Location: Alameda High School, Little Theater (Corner of Central Ave. & Walnut St.) Time: 6:00-8:30pm. RSVP by emailing Vivian Lai at ASTIPTSA_GALA@yahoo.com

ASTI Updates.

It’s been a rainy few weeks and we’ve made it through the leaky ceilings (now fixed) and the drippy rain gutters (to be fixed). This week the students have been showing their class spirit by competing in a number of fun lunchtime activities, dressing up for theme days, and trying to top each other in a penny war. Our students and staff are continuing to formalize our tutoring opportunities. We are currently offering peer and staff tutoring every day after school. Please encourage your students to take advantage of this opportunity. Right now we have a small group of students attending the tutoring but are hoping to have many more join us. If your student is struggling in a class they should come to tutoring! In the near future we will be putting out applications and publicizing our recruitment process for the Fall of 2010. Please help us by spreading the word about ASTI throughout your community. This is especially important if you live outside Alameda as we have difficulty accessing groups/people outside of Oakland. Many of you found us after hearing about ASTI from a friend and now YOU are that friend. We have school business cards and 11 x 17 posters for distribution. If you are interested, have your student stop by the office and we’ll give them some to take home.

Quarter Grade End and Fundraisers!

Starting this week is the Jamba Juice Fundraiser at the Southshore Jamba Juice in Alameda. During each purchase you make at Jamba Juice, if you say the special code word "Inter Act" 20% of your purchase will go to the Interact club and their international project. Plus, this week and this week only, the Hegenberger Jamba Juice is willing to deliver us drinks Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We will have pre-sales at lunch and afterschool for only $4! So please help them out as much as possible!

This Friday, October 30th, will be Leadership's Movie Fright Night. Pre sales are going fast for just $3 and it is going to be $5 at the door. It will be from 3:30 to 7:30pm and pre-sale will continue on until Friday at lunch time.

On a final note, last week was Spirit Week and it was a huge success. Congrats to everyone for showing off their school spirit and thanks to the hardworking Leadership class who organized all the fun activities for everyone to participate in.

Spirit Week Update and Fall Leadership Conference

This Sunday was the Fall Leadership Conference for the 2009-2010 school year. It was a fun-filled day at the San Jose City College campus where over a thousand Interactors congregated and bonded with each other. The different areas in the 5170 Interact District participated in various workshops and icebreakers to help instill the general spirit of Interact into each and every Interact member. It was a great opportunity for building leadership skills and other abilities essential for a great Interactor.

Also, this coming week is Spirit week. Monday will be Plaid day, where everyone is encouraged to where all things plaid. This will be a week long competition to see which class has the most spirit. So represent your class and help them win the PIZZA PARTY on Friday.

Peace, Love, and Interact.

Ruby Bridges Tutoring and SoCal Trip Information

Sorry for the misinformation, this Monday will be Interact's second annual association meeting. it will held in D-119 as usual and they are also reminding the Interact class representatives to have their whole class attend the meeting so they can all win a free lunch. On another note, the Southern California College Tour will begin this Wednesday, October 14th 2009. For participants who need more information, please contact Ms. Valdez for any clarification concerning the trip. The Leadership class sponsored Ruby Bridges tutoring program will be having their first orientation at the school this Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 and the second orientation for those who could not make the Tuesday one will be on Thursday, October 15th, 2009. For more information, please contact Marisa Cherry, Leadership representative.

Finally, the PSATs are this Wednesday, October 14th. I bet you're tired of hearing about this but this is a great opportunity to view your weaknesses when taking the PSAT, basically a SAT clone. It will help you improve your test taking skills and inform you what you need more work on. Plus, if you do very well, you are eligible to win a scholarship worth almost $5000.

PSATS

Super Duper ASTIANs Update and Kaibigan Relief Project + FLC

In an effort to try and help the victims of the massive tropical storm in the Philipines and in the Samoan islands, ASTIANS started the Kaibigan relief drive. All donations will be accepted at the ASTI office and everything will be shipped to the two territories in an effort to support them. Please get all donations and goods to the office by Wednesday, October 7th so we can ship everything as soon as possible.

In club news, Interact will be holding its second official association meeting this Friday, October 9th. It will be at lunch as usual and in D-119. Again, there will be people directing you to the correct room and Interact is still allowing people to join if you have not already. There will be snacks provided and everyone is welcome. Also, Interact club is going to the Fall Leadership Conference in San Jose next next Sunday, October 18th. There is a $10 fee to attend. For more information, please contact Acen Datuin at acen.datuin@gmail.com.

Leadership is also restarting the Ruby Bridges tutoring program. Orientation is this Thursday, October 8th in Ms. Valdez's room. There will free pizza and it will be a good opportunity to gain experience teaching young children and gaining precious community service hours.

One final thing is that the PSAT is going to be next Wednesday, October 14th from 8 to 11 AM. It is mandatory to attend and take the test for all Juniors and Sophomores so please do not be late. If you have not yet given the $20 fee to Ms. Ahn, please give it to her as soon as possible or you will not be able to take the test. For upperclassmen taking the PSAT, please make arrangements with your college professors about making up the missed class that Wednesday.

Important Information for the PSAT

The PSAT is just around the corner and all Juniors and Sophomores are required to take it. So Ms. Ahn needs the $20 fee as soon as possible. The PSAT will be held on Wednesday, October 14th, from 8AM to 11AM. Also, this Monday is the first annual Interact meeting. It will be held in D-119 at the College of Alameda during lunch time. They will have snacks and will be handing out prizes for most spirited Interact member. to finish everything off, this Friday was the end of the progress report period and I would like to thank everyone for making it this far and for putting so much hard work into your grades.

More School Updates for the ASTIANS

Club Day last Friday was a huge success. Thanks to all the clubs that came out and performed skits for the ASTI community. Everyone was amazed and entranced by the new and ongoing clubs at ASTI. With a plethora of new clubs at ASTI, please know that this blog is open to helping post any club news for you. Also, next Monday, September 21st, 2009 is Interact Club's first meeting. It is going to held at lunch from 12:10 to 1:00 pm. There's going to be a sign in sheet and for anybody who didn't get a chance to sign up on club day, admission is still open.

Club Day Mistake and PTSA Information

Sorry about the last post. Club day will actually be held this Friday, September 11th. To start your own club and participate in the Club day festivities, please contact Sara Yusufi or Lena Sok of Leadership Class for more information. Hopefully, there will be a plethora of clubs for everyone to chose from. Also, any club presidents who want to post any events or notifications on this blog, please comment on this or future blog posts. ASTIANS would be happy to post anything for you. PTSA is starting up again and everyone should have received a letter from the school that included details on how to join. If not, please contact Mr. Fong or wait until Back-To-School Night this Thursday, September 10th. There will be plenty of opportunities to join.

Another Week of News

This past Friday was Bonding Day and it was a huge success. All the classes were very enthusiastic about bonding with both upper and lower classmen. It was followed by a magnificent potluck that everyone enjoyed. Hopefully, next year's will be even greater and grander than this year. Also, this Friday is ASTI's Annual Club Day, where the various clubs of ASTI can flaunt its stuff and attract new members. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for any announcements concerning Club Day for more information. For all upperclassmen, please turn in your college schedules to Ms. Ahn or you will forever belong on her infamous "Hit List". All joking aside, it is important to turn them in so that seminar teachers can excuse your absences if you are absent due to a class at College of Alameda. On a more serious note, ASTI has reach the end of its funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Now we are seeking new methods of fundraising so that ASTI can continue to run and provide textbooks for the students taking class at the college level.

How was your first week?

The first week of ASTI is finally over and I hope everyone had a good time starting school yet again. Hopefully everything was alright and not too hectic. Well, here at ASTIANS, we would like to welcome all the Freshmen and congratulating them on their big leap to this early college high school. Also, to make you feel even more at home, Bonding Day will be this coming Friday and you guys can interact with the upperclassmen and bond with the rest of the ASTI community. We also want to congratulate the Seniors for all their hard work and their perseverance through ASTI. As you already know, we have two new teachers at ASTI, Mr. Predovic and a unnamed new P.E. teacher who is coming this week. Mr. Predovic, hailing from Encinal High, is our new math teacher and an avid dancer. We hope to make them feel like family here at ASTI.

ASTI: Back In Action

Its time for back to school and I hope all ASTIANS are ready for another fun-filled year of bonding and camaraderie. This year we will have over 150 students enrolled at ASTI and another group of graduating Seniors. Fifty new Freshmen will be joining the ASTI family and I hope everyone will welcome them with open arms. They were eager to get started at orientation and show great promise for the coming year. This Thursday's and Friday's orientation was a success and a lot of this success was thanks to the volunteers who provided a tour of the COA campus and students who shared their own experiences at ASTI. Also, Picture Day is going to be on August 19th so dress your best and pack a big smile to school.

Summer Is Here!

Summer is here and it is a prime time to gain many advantages or disadvantages in the future. Summer brings opportunities to get community services hours and take summer classes. This would help any student get a head start on their graduation requirements. Summer also brings many opportunities to fall behind and forget many important lessons in previous classes. Always remember to review over the summer and have a strong hold on the basics.

On another note, ASTI's Luau to help support the Southern California Trip was a huge success. Over 40 people attended and supported the cause. The SoCal Trip organizers optimized profits with snacks and drinks.

ASTI's First Garden Is Finally Here

After much wait, ASTI's first garden is here! Thanks to the help of many ASTI students, the flower boxes were quickly assembled and had flowers in them in no time. The plants for the flower boxes were planted in no time and on Monday, the hanging flower pots will complete ASTI's garden. We all owe thanks to the students who organized and planned the creation of this momentous event: Josh Chow, Dory Hashimoto, and Shobna Khunkhun. The long hours they spent calculating and researching the proper materials ASTI needed resulted in the creation of this splendid garden that was assembled on Friday, May 29th, 2009. The garden includes a plethora of perennials and other flowers. Along with the already blooming flowers are an abundance of seeds for all ASTIANS to plant and a magnificent, young kumquat tree with already some fruit to bare for all.

Update Update Update For ASTIANS

More exciting events are coming in the month of June! The ASTI Student Body (ASB) elections are on its way and the candidates are already preparing their speech and placing posters all over the ASTI portables. Good luck to all! Also, ASTI's Second Annual Graduation is on June 8th, 2009. Its going to be at Auctions By The Bay, 2751 Todd Street, Alameda CA. We wish all the 13 graduating Seniors great luck in their future pursuits in college and beyond. One last update was on Teacher Appreciation Night last Thursday. It was a huge success lots of great student performances and gifts that surprised and brought glee to the teachers. 

The Final Stretch of School

With a little less than a month left of school, this final stretch is no time to slack off on your studies. Although we are all relieved that school is almost over and summer is on its way, teachers will not grade easier or lessen the workload. So it is the goal of each ASTIAN to keep up the hard work and effort they have been showing all year and make it through the rest of the month without slipping up. Good luck to you all.

ASTI's Yearbook Goes Digital

Unfortunately, ASTI's yearbook will not be a hard copy. There was minimum threshold of 35 people to be able to order a printed set of yearbooks, but unfortunately it was not reached. Deepest apologies for anyone who ordered one or those who wanted one. But fear not, this year's memories, events, and escapades will not be archived away from the ASTIANS. We are having a CD yearbook with fun flash intros, videos, and the PDF version of the yearbook! Thanks to the amazing yearbook student staff, we are able to distribute this year's yearbook digitally at a low, low cost of only $10. The sale will only take place during lunch and will start from this coming Wednesday, May 6th until Tuesday, May 19th.

ASTI Royal Court Results

With the ASTI How Sweet It Is prom just ending last night, it is only proper to disclose the results of the votes. For prom Duke is Sophomore Kevin Loh, prom Duchess is Freshman Brianna Youngblood. Prom Prince was Josh Chow and prom Princess was Dalena Tran. And finally, prom King was Monserrat King and prom Queen was Carmen Cheung. Congratulations to these ASTIANS and may their reign as ASTI's royal court be prosperous.

ASTI's First Annual Spelling Bee

ASTI's First Annual Spelling Bee was a total success. With a whopping 31 contestants, ASTI students fought their way through tough words from various origins. In the end, the 31 slowly became three as the spelling bee endured three rounds of spelling suspense. The three first, second, and third winners were Bronte Mak, Kerry Chin, and Raymond Dang. All three are Juniors and have received their $300, $200, and $100 rewards. On behalf of everyone here at ASTIANS and ASTI, we applaud you for your stellar performance. Also, praise should be given to the Enrichment Branch of Leadership who made all this possible. Hopefully, next year the spelling bee will encompass more of ASTI's students.

Spring Spirit Week!

Spirit Week is April 6th to April 10th. April 6th is Fantasy day, wear clothes that make you look like a princess or prince and live your fantasies. April 7th is Generation day, where you go back in time and dress like the different generational trends in history. April 8th is Print day, wear wacky patterns like spots and stripes to make you look like an animal. April 9th is Sports day, so wear your favorite sports jerseys and show where your loyalties truly lie. Finally, April 10th will be Class Colors, so Freshman wear your orange, Sophomores wear your red, Juniors wear your green, and Seniors wear your blue.

Revising the Tutoring Schedule

Correction: The information given on the March 8th blog entry was incorrect. The Ruby Bridge's tutoring schedules begin this Monday, March 23rd. Please remember to stick to your individual schedules and to go over the instructions to aid you during the tutoring process.

In other news, ASTI's First Annual Spelling Bee begins on the 23rd. Preliminary rounds will take place in Mr. Fargher's room during lunchtime until Wednesday, March 25th. Then, on Thursday, the 26th, semi-final rounds will occur and finally the finals will take place on Friday, March 27th in the F-Building.

Interview with Sophomore Lisa Huynh

Q: Why did you want to come to ASTI in the first place?
A: I came to ASTI because I knew it was a rigorous school. I wanted to be challenge with the accelerated curriculum that ASTI offers. I also wanted to be mentally and academically prepared for college.

Q: What do you enjoy most about ASTI?

A: I like that ASTI is a tight knit community. It's nice to go to a school where everyone knows each other.

Q: What are some of your hobbies and activities?

A: In my spare time, I like to read, run, hang out with my friends. I recently applied to tutor elementary students at Ruby Bridges and volunteer at the Red Cross.

Q: Which clubs are you currently in and what you like about them. If no, what are some clubs you would like to see at ASTI and why.

A: I was in the Black Berets Club first semester. I enjoyed it because I like to help out whenever I can. I also enjoying writing so tutoring students on the subject was great.

Q: Who at ASTI has been a huge help to you in your academic career and why.

A: I cannot point out anyone in particular but all the teachers in general has helped me to grow as a student. Each teacher is an expert in their field so that makes it easier for me as a student to learn and understand what I am being taught.

Tutoring At Ruby Bridges

The help is here! Many students at Ruby Bridges are in danger of failing their grade. With ASTI's tutoring help that can be prevented. Our mission here is helping these young students in reading, writing, and arithmetic which they can increase their basic school foundation. By helping these students enjoy school more, so they will improve their study habits. Our volunteer tutors will hopefully prevent all students at risk of failing their grade level. With this prevention, we will also instill a love of learning within the students.

Remember that commitment is needed. We will be starting our tutoring schedules on March 16th, 2009.

Rain Rain Go Away

With the worsening weather in the Bay Area, people are getting sick left and right. This causes many people especially ASTIANS to miss out on important events and classes. Here at the ASTIANS blog, we urge you all to keep bundled up and reduce as much contact as you can with people suffering from the flu. By keeping an optimum level of health, you won't have to miss out on classes or events that is beneficial for your career as an ASTI and COA student.

----News Flash----

For those who signed up to be tutors at Ruby Bridge's Elementary School, the orientation meeting will be rescheduled for sometime next week.

More Info About Asti Wine!

Asti, a wine as well as a small town located in the rolling hills of Piedmont north of Italy, is made from Muscat grapes and has a high acidity to balance its unusual sweetness. This sparkling wine has been also described as light, slightly off-dry, and vaguely peachy. Asti, the town in Italy, produces many high quality sparkling wines. It has craggy, limestone soil that grapes grow most efficiently in. The wine-tasters from the website Life In Italy find it an excellent non-vintage wine (a wine that should not be consumed after 4+ years). Also, its pairing with Gorgonzola cheese, another Asti specialty, make it an ideal wine to be consumed before dinner. For those ASTI parents who are wine afficienadoes, you can buy Asti at Trader Joe's located in South Shore Alameda's Towne Center or at your local wine shop that turns its inventory frequently.

New Discovery at Towne Center! Part 1

Popular hang-out spot for many ASTIANS in Alameda is the Towne Center at South Shore. Like Columbus discovered America, especially on Valentine's day, it was love at first sign! An amazing discovery was home there. An obscure Italian wine with our namesake, ASTI, was found on the WOW Value list in front of Trade Joe. Hopefully, we can be as amazing and eye catching to the eyes of the greater public just as this wine is. Taste test is out of the question for our student, but for ASTI's parents and faculty, it may not be the case.

Junior Overload

Many ASTIANS are going to be headed off to the College of Alameda next year. A poem entitled Overload by Linda Lau, junior, from ASTI's latest Literary Magazine captures the essence of college life. Linda's poem illustrates the expectations to hopes and dreams of individuals, pinpointing these aspects of college life and how hectic it may get.

Overload
by Linda Lau

Let's take all the classes we can, as if they were free food this semester!

Isn't it great to have such a full schedule? Just so we can be ahead of ourselves?

Why don't we be like those geniuses, who have no other activities other than school subjects; who have no fun during school time at all; who have no smiles on their faces at all times?

Or those god-like people, who are able to get into Yale and Harvard, who sacrificed their youth and happiness just for the mere sake of pleasing their parents and the admission officers.

Why don't we sacrifice all our freetime and happiness for the mere sake of satisfying the requirements that colleges want?

Because it is all that they ask for?

Can you imagine life with just school, with no smiles?

Can you imagine life of nothing but stress and pain?

And an early end to it?

Teacher Website Exclusive!

Currently, only two of our teachers here at ASTI have their own websites up and running. Mr. Higashi, our physical education, media studies, and freshmen biology teacher, has his developing website with a chat and forum for his students to communicate. He is having an ongoing contest for all his students to create banners for different pages on his site. Mr. Fong, our physiology and bio-tech teacher, and co-principal, has a continuation of his previously famed Darwizzle site for his science students. Both Higashi's and Fong's websites allow for maximum productivity from their students, helping them with supplemental material and schedules of class activities for students to prepare for.

Lunar New Year Celebrations

Chinese New Year is a day away and not much is known about it to most people. The Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar and is also known as the Spring Festival. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the lunar month in the Chinese Calendar and ends on the 15th. The years are represented by twelve animals from the Chinese zodiac, this year is the year of the Ox. People born under the year of the Ox are expected to be born leaders, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things.It is traditional for one to give red envelopes filled with money to those who are younger than them, these envelopes are called lai see. The envelopes are to suppress evil spirits. Another popular tradition during the new year is to set off firecrackers to scare off evil spirits from ruining the start of the the new year.

This weekend there is a Streetfest in Oakland Chinatown where many small shops are set up in the streets and there is a large performance with many different acts. Also, on February 7th, there is an opportunity to learn more about the Lunar New Year through arts and crafts activities and performances by Asian and Asian-American performers in the Oakland Asian Cultural Center located above the Asian Branch Library in Chinatown.

----News Flash----

On the local front, Asian Cultural Club is no longer meeting due to prior responsibilities of the officers and college classes.

Importance of Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Day represents a momentous moment in time. Martin Luther King had a dream, a dream of equality and this dream is slowly becoming reality. Here at ASTI, we also have a dream. This dream is to attend college and make something of our lives. Our dream is slowly becoming reality as well, with dedicated teachers, rigorous curriculum, and the amazing opportunity to earn college credits so early in high school. Remember that dreams can also become reality and it requires much dedication and perseverance to achieve.

Club Schedules for Back to School

School is just around the corner and many of you might have forgotten the schedules, so as a reminder, here they are.

Save Club: every first and third Monday at lunch in the science room.
Debate Club: every Monday in the math room during lunch.
Interact Club: every first Monday in Mrs. Corbally's room.
Reading Rendevous: every Tuesday at lunch in Ms. Valdez's room.
ASTI Fishtix: every first and third Tuesday of each month at lunch in the science room.
Addicted to Salsa: every Wednesday at lunch in Ms. Valdez's room.
Gentlemen's Etiquette Club: every Wednesday at lunch in the science room.
Animation Society: every third Thursday of each month at lunch in the science room.
Hip Pop Club: every Thursday afterschool in the math room.
Basketball Club: every Friday afterschool assemble in ASTI's quad.
Asian Cultural Club: every first and third Fridays of each month in the science room.
Political Science Club: every second and fourth Fridays of each month during lunch in Mr. Fargher's room.