1.  Advancement  Via  Individual  Determination

2. What is AVID all about? Every year of AVID is designed to help you plan your high school career in order to help you get into the college of your choice. It’s not guaranteed that you’ll get into Harvard, but the only way to increase your chances is to keep strong to your goals and work hard!

3. AVID @ Lawndale HS Each year you are in AVID, you will have different teachers. The good thing about this is that each teacher is specialized in the curriculum they teach and address the questions you’ll have as a freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior.

4. Goals of AVID 9 Breaking bad study habits (if you have any) Building/strengthening good study habits Work on setting goals Learn about different colleges Start looking for scholarships (it’s never too early to look for FREE money) Help ease the transition from middle school to high school (there are some big adjustments to make!)

5. AVID 10-AVID 12 10 th Grade: Continues w/ study habits but spends most of the year focusing on the CAHSEE. The CAHSEE is the test you take in order to get out of high school. 11 th Grade: Study habits and a heavy emphasis on the SATs. The SAT is the test you take to get into college. 12 th Grade: College applications and getting ready for life as a college student

6. What is expected of an AVID student? Your goals go beyond high school graduation. Graduating HS is not a goal for you. It’s an expectation. You WILL graduate HS and you WILL go to college. The question is, which one? That answer depends on you and how hard you work for it. As for now, you are expected to commit to several activities that are designed to not only make your college application more competitive, but to make you a more well-rounded student.

7. AVID Commitments Attend tutoring 1 hour a week minimum Participate in community service 20 hours each semester minimum Help fundraise for all AVID activities and/or field trips Candy sales, carwashes, working the cafeteria, etc More info to come later…

8. How Much Work Am I In For? AVID is like any other class, w/ homework, classwork, projects and tests. You receive a grade for the work that you do. Remember, at Lawndale, you cannot receive a “D”. Anything below a 70% is considered FAILING. So prepare to work hard. By being in AVID, you are committing to strive to be the best student you can (w/ our help). How do you define “your best”?

9. AVID Staples Avid staples are things that all AVID students do no matter what grade they are in. These staples are: 1. Vocabulary 2. Grade checks 3. Tutoring 4. Community service 5. Cornell Notes

10. Staple #1: Vocabulary Each week, you will be learning 10 words a week. You will then have a quick quiz on these words at the end of the week and a test at the end of every month. Sophomores get 45 words a week and Juniors get 150 a week. AVID 9: YOU HAVE IT THE EASIEST. There’s no crying in baseball

11. Staple #2: Grade Checks Every 2 weeks, you will get updated grades in each of your classes as well as teacher comments and signatures. You will then reflect on your biweekly performance and get a parent comment and signature. (more info to come)

12. Staple #3: Tutoring Minimum 1 hour of tutoring a week. Either during lunch or after school For every grade below a B, an extra hour required a week Take advantage of the support you have from your teachers and from this school!!! Eat your vegetables

13. Staple #4: Community Service 20 hours a semester Doesn’t have to be 1 hr a week Depends on your interest Opportunities provided Besides looking good on college apps, why is community service beneficial?

14. Staple #5: Cornell Notes We will learn how to take and use cornell notes. Why are they beneficial? Why are they better than taking regular notes? More to come…

15. Benefits of Being in AVID “BIG” Picture AVID is a nationwide program. Whether you’re in CA, MI, or NY, there are schools w/ the AVID program all instilled with the same ideas. The UC system (best in the world!) recognizes all the hard work that AVID students put into their college preparation. They not only recognize AVID as a college prep course, but they also give you a significantly competitive advantage. The UC application system goes by points. Everything you do is translated into certain amount of points. Your GPA gets converted into points and so does your SAT scores, community service hours, etc. For every year you’re in AVID, you get extra points. It’s a WIN-WIN situation.

16. Benefits of Being in AVID “Small” Picture AVID provides you with a support system. This will become your family on campus. Most of you will have the same classes and you will be helping each other. We’ll travel together, work together and play together. Some may go, some may come, but this will be your AVID family for the next 4 years. Ex: Peer Mentorship

17. AVID MOTTO: “Work Hard, Play Hard” Working hard=REWARDS for your hard work Examples: Freshmen picnics AVID wide picnics Field trips Class competitions Class dinners Amusement parks Birthday parties