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.