Dear Ospreys and Families,
This afternoon at our NEST Meeting, staff will present 1st quarter XBlock class choices to students. XBlock is our physical education program at AHS, and classes meet once a week on Wednesdays from 12:43 to 3:25. Friday in core math classes, students will complete an online form they will receive via their AHS email to indicate their top choices. XBlock classes begin next Wednesday, September 5 and 1st quarter XBlock classes meet seven times, through October 17.
Many of the XBlock classes are free, while some require a fee. See below for details.
Most of our XBlock classes take place off campus and students are released from their XBlock location at the end of the day; we do not provide transportation back to campus from off-campus locations. The off-campus XBlocks travel to their locations from AHS by bus, unless otherwise noted. Students are allowed to drive themselves from campus to XBlock locations but may not transport other students with the exception of siblings.  The Hub Bus runs from AHS to DHS on Wednesdays for those who remain on campus.
Students are required to complete three years of XBlock to graduate from AHS, even if they are participating in team sports. All 9th, 10th and 11th grade students are required to take XBlock; most seniors have already completed this requirement, but they are welcome to attend XBlock as helpers for staff. For those who participate in organized sports, we offer Athlete Study Hall.
XBlock is graded on a pass/fail basis, and in order to receive credit, students must attend a minimum of 70% of the time.  This includes both excused and unexcused absences. For 1st quarter, that means students must be present for at least five of the seven classes or they will need to repeat XBlock senior year. Please make every effort not to schedule appointments during XBlock.
While we do not require physical exams for our students, we strongly encourage yearly wellness checks and establishment of care with a primary care physician. The School Based Health Center has two locations, one at DHS (970-375-3832) and another at Florida Mesa Elementary (970-385-1168) AHS students are welcome and a sliding scale is used; access to care is open to all regardless of ability to pay. Other options in town include Pediatric Partners of the Southwest   (970-375-0100) and Pediatric Associates of Durango   (970-259-PEDS) 259-7337. For help for families in determining eligibility for Medicaid or CHP, the Family Center (970-385-4747) is a good starting point.  
Here are the XBlock classes that we are offering this quarter
 
As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.