Welcome

Avenues Silicon Valley's typical school year is full of events—Global Journeys, information sessions, student-led conferences and community events. Soon, you will have access to Avenues OPEN, our community portal. Then, you will be able to add our campus calendar to your personal calendar to make sure you will not miss any school event! You may find below a year-long PDF calendar with important dates (start of school, breaks and holidays).

Link to the 2023-24 Calendar

Founding Class Program (FCP) Upper Division students have the exciting opportunity of exploring their interests and discovering new passions during regular school hours. Students joining grades 6-8 can select among a variety of semester-long campus-based Elective Courses or year-long Global Electives. Students joining grades 9-10 select from a wide variety of year-long campus-based Elective Courses or year-long Global Electives. Please take some time to review the Founding Class Program 2023-24 Elective Course Guide and discuss them with your child at home. Your child then can make their elective course selection via the form linked below. In addition, all Upper Division students select between studying Chinese and Spanish. You need to select the language and also indicate your previous experience with the language on the same form.

All grade 4-5 students select between studying Chinese and Spanish. You need to select the language and also indicate your previous experience with the language on the form.

• Language Selection Form (4-5)
• Elective and Language Selection Form (6-8)
• Elective and Language Selection Form (9)
• Elective and Language Selection Form (10)
• ASV 6-10 Elective Course Guide

Following are some important notes about health forms and procedures for the 2023–2024 school year: Magnus, our online health database, is accessible through the parent portal, Avenues OPEN. New families will have access to Magnus during the summer. All health forms are due no later than August 1, 2023.

Please note the health office does not accept health forms directly. All forms must be faxed or uploaded directly into Magnus. The instructions for uploading and faxing forms are written on the cover page of your child’s forms. Blank forms can be downloaded directly from Magnus. Please note that for the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff, all students must be immunized according to the California state guidelines in order to attend school. As per California law, we are unable to accept any religious exemptions for immunizations. All new medical exemptions for school and child care entry must be issued through CAIR-ME. Medical exemptions can only be issued by MDs or DOs licensed in California and must meet applicable Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) criteria. Avenues COVID Vaccine Requirement for Students and Colleagues.

We believe it is prudent and in the interest of both campus and public health to require our campus community to be vaccinated. Therefore, proof of full vaccination is required for all campus colleagues and all students 5 and older.

We are also requiring all colleagues to have received their booster dose and all students ages 16 and older to receive their booster dose. We will continue to honor valid exemptions.

At Avenues, the meals we serve each day are nutrient-rich, delicious and culturally diverse. We want all students to develop agency in their meal decisions while developing a positive relationship with food. As one school with many campuses, we strive to expose students to global cuisine and serve a variety of international dishes. We also aim to minimize our ecological impact and carbon footprint by choosing local and seasonal produce, where feasible.

Our food program seeks to minimize the risk of allergic reactions by avoiding some ingredients and clearly communicating when others are used. Nuts and shellfish are never used. Vegetarian and gluten free options are offered daily.

Each day, students are served lunch and healthy snacks are available throughout the day.

Our style guide is meant to be simple to follow while reinforcing a sense of belonging by making our students easily recognizable to one another and other members of our community. Students may wear solid color gray, white, blue or black clothing from any source.

We ask that there be no words, brands, images or logos prominently visible unless it is official Avenues branding and logos. Shoes should be safe for the stairs and surfaces in school.

We ask that students exhibit sensitivity to differences in economic circumstances in their choice of shoes and accessories as well as clothing.

Athletic clothing and sneakers are required for our Wellness & Movement classes. Clothing may be gray, white, blue or black.

Families are welcome to purchase clothing that meets our style guide at any vendor of their choice. You can also purchase Avenues branded apparel via our online store.

While we know many families will likely drive their child to campus or carpool with a classmate, we also offer two options for families who need transportation to school.

Door-to-Door Carpool Rideshare
Avenues partners with HopSkipDrive, a safe, tech-enabled transportation solution specially designed for children ages six and up. HopSkipDrive rides are driven by CareDrivers, each of whom has over five years of caregiving experience and has passed a 15-point certification process. With HopSkipDrive, both parents and designated Avenues’ staff will have real-time visibility into each stage of the ride. Carpool routes will be built out by Avenues staff, on the HopSkipDrive rider platform, and will be based on student home locations. Each carpool will carry 2-4 Avenues students. The total cost of the program for the year is $4680 per student. This option is being offered at a reduced fee while we remain at Mission College, as we have not yet launched our full transportation program. Once registered, we will send out additional information about HopSkipDrive, including directions on downloading their official app. When carpools are set, families will receive more detailed information about pick-up times and step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for rides.

Public Transportation
Avenues will pay for students to use public transportation via Caltrain or VTA. Additionally, we will work with HopSkipDrive to provide a free carpool from the station to campus and back again. We will work closely with families to coordinate train and carpool schedules to ensure students arrive at school on time.

Transportation Survey
Please click here to access the survey. If you have any additional questions about the transportation program, please contact Kent Young (kent.young@avenues.org).

Avenues The World School recognizes the power of technology in the learning experience. We want technology to facilitate creativity, innovation, collaboration and communication among all students, faculty and staff across the globe.

The technology team works in partnership with our entire community to ensure the success of the technology program. We value the leadership potential of all students and expect them to follow the same community norms of Welcome, Safety and Respect while responsibly navigating our digital tools and resources.

We will be welcoming all new students in grades 6-10 to visit our campus to meet the technology team, set up their Avenues email account, and receive their Avenues issued equipment. This will take approximately 20 minutes. Please indicate which day you will visit by filling out this short form, and we will look forward to meeting you! *

NOTE: 4th and 5th grade students will receive their devices on, or after, the first day of school.*

Where: Avenues The World School
570 Meridian Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126 When: August 14th-August 18th 8:30 am - 12:00 p.m.

Below we have summarized some key points in our technology program.

Equipment
Students in grades 4–10 will receive an iPad, Apple Pencil, and a MacBook with all necessary accessories and AppleCare+ Protection. These devices are owned, managed, and maintained by the Avenues IT Department. Devices for 4th and 5th grade students must remain at school, while 6th-10th grade students are responsible for bringing their device to and from school each day.

Storage/Backing up
Students may store/save documents or other files on the equipment. However, students are responsible for backing up through Google Drive or other cloud-based software. In the event of loss of such documents or other files, the school’s responsibility is limited to reloading the school’s standard software suite on the equipment. Students are welcome to ask for assistance if they need help backing up.

Handling of Equipment
The equipment should be used in a careful and proper manner. The student shall keep the equipment in good operating condition. No personal stickers or writing are allowed on the equipment. All MacBooks and iPads must have a protective case at all times. A protective case is provided when the equipment is issued to the student. The equipment must be on school premises during each of the student’s normal school days. When a student is not using the equipment, the equipment must be secured in a safe location. Equipment should not be stored on the floor or in places where it may be easily damaged or broken. The student is responsible for keeping their equipment charged and it is recommended that they bring their charger with them to school as needed. If equipment is taken home, students are responsible for charging the equipment at home before it is brought back to school.

Damaged/Lost/Stolen Equipment
The student shall immediately notify the school’s technology department if the equipment is not in good operating condition, is determined to be lost or is in need of repair. Please Note: In cases of misuse, abuse/loss of any device and/or its accessories, the parents/guardians will be financially responsible for the full cost of repair or replacement of the iPad/MacBook.

Use of Equipment
The primary use of the equipment by the student is for the student’s educational programs. The student/parent shall abide by the school’s Acceptable Use and Responsible Use policies.

Digital Citizenship
Avenues has partnered with Common Sense Media as a part of their Supporter School Program. Throughout the school year, students will participate in digital citizenship activities and discussions. We encourage you to explore the Common Sense Media website, which contains a wealth of resources on the use of media and technology: Family Tips on Digital Life from Common Sense Media. Parents should discuss individual family values and expectations regarding technology use at home.

App/Software
Students, parents and guardians should not associate or link any credit card or gift cards to the device. Software that was not issued by the technology department but is found on a device will be removed. Personal, non-school-issued Apple IDs should not be applied to Avenues-issued devices.

Email
Avenues is a Google G-Suite for Education institution. GSuite is a suite of tools used to communicate and collaborate among students and faculty. All students will be issued a school GSuite account limited to instructional and school-related activities only. Email accounts for students in 4th and 5th grade are restricted for internal use only. They will not be able to send or receive emails outside of the Avenues domain. Students in grades 6 through 12 are able to receive and send emails outside of the Avenues domain. This should be used for academic purposes only.

For the 2023-24 school year, our after school program will offer a balance of activities in three main areas: sports, the arts and extended learning. There will be after school activities available Monday through Thursday from 3:30-5:00.

Sports
We anticipate offering one competitive sport each season as we have already been approved as members of the Central Coast Section sports league. Together with newly hired Athletic Director, Shaun Burl, we will be determining which sports will be chosen. We anticipate those sports being ones which do not require large teams like: Cross Country, Golf, Tennis and Volleyball. In addition, we will offer intramural sports based on student interest that will be available to all students.

Performing Arts
We plan to offer some performing arts opportunities after school that will be determined by student interest. Options could include: Choir, Rock Band and Drama.

Extended Learning
We will have options that allow students to extend learning in areas of personal interest in clubs such as: debate, robotics, chess, community service, etc. The student led clubs will give students opportunities to choose their interests and build a legacy for the Silicon Valley campus.

Registration for the after school program will take place in the fall. As we move to our permanent campus in 2024-25 and launch our full campus, the after school program will expand substantially.