Au Gres-Sims Families and Community,
7 - SNOW DAYS THIS SCHOOL YEAR
Ugh, just typing that out was tough to do. This Tuesday's snow day marked our 7th of the school year. Each year the State allows school districts up to 6 days to use for a number of listed reasons, weather being the primary reason. Districts that exceed this number may apply for a waiver from the Michigan Department of Education for up to 3 additional forgiven days. The state, however, does not want this waiver to be filed until the likelihood of a weather cancellation is minimal. Last year we had 10 school closures, filed our waiver in early May, and were granted the waiver for the 3 days, resulting in one day having to be made up at the end of the school year. We anticipate following a similar timeline and see no reason why our waiver would not be accepted. Look for more information about this in May, but for now, you can continue to plan on June 8th as the last day of school.
13 - DAYS IN FEBRUARY WE ACTUALLY HAD SCHOOL
It's never an easy decision to close school down, but what can you say about the weather? Many thanks go out to the families who have understood and adjusted accordingly to the fluctuating conditions and multiple cancellations. Also, much gratitude goes out to our staff who've had to be flexible and adjust on the fly to meet the needs of our learners along the way.
55,682 - SCHOOL MEALS SERVED AS OF THE 100TH DAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR
Somewhere in the midst of all the February storms we had our 100th school day of the year. That is an important day in the kitchen at AGS as a count is required from this day regarding the number of meals served. We have universal free breakfast and lunch for all students here at AGS and the kitchen crew's creativity and hard work is bringing students to eat with new recipes, fan favorites, and fun twists - all while providing the healthy fuel that our kids need to thrive each day.
5 - NUMBER OF KITCHEN STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR PREPARING, COOKING, AND SERVING OVER 550 MEALS PER DAY
A huge show of appreciation needs to go out to this outstanding crew for their dedication and commitment to nourishing our students (and staff!).
Sherry Boensch (Director)
Kim Burchfield
Marvin Cochran
Shannon Compau
Vicki Petri
See, the numbers weren't so bad...
Have a great weekend,
Mr. Ming
K-12 Principal's Update
Elementary parents, with the slow and eventual changing of the seasons, things are bound to get sloppy on the playground and it is important that our elementary students are appropriately dressed for recess with boots, coats, etc. As a general rule, we require students to wear a coat if there is a “feels like” temperature below 40 degrees. We still have extra winter apparel available if you need some. Just let us know!
Tutoring is still available for our middle and high school students. This takes place in the Cyber Cafe on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:15. This is an opportunity to get some extra assistance, but can also be used simply as a time for students to have some additional work time. I highly encourage families to take advantage of this opportunity.
Shortly, the AGS National Honors Society will be hosting our 3rd Blood Drive of the year through Versiti Blood. It will take place on Monday, March 6, and run from 10:00-4:30. There are still slots available. If you cannot donate but know someone who can, please forward this link to them. With this link, you can choose an appointment time. Thank you for your support to this worthy cause!
We are now at the start of “March is Reading Month” for Elementary. Check those calendars daily to find out the many great things to do with your families. And speaking of calendars, here are some additional important dates/events to prepare for and get on your schedule.
-March 8 Jr/Sr District Band Festival in Alcona
-March 15 PLC 1:00 early release day, Beginning Band Concert at 6:30
-March 16 MS/HS PT Conferences from 4-7
From the Desk of Ms. Socha
We had a wonderful time this week kicking off March is Reading Month. The elementary theme is “Reading is Our Super Power” and the students have been challenged to read enough books to free the Super Heros from the Book Bandit. Students should have brought home a calendar of events for the month. We also have Family Night on the 23rd. We will serve pizza starting at 5:00 and then activities will begin at 5:30!
Middle School have started their whole-class novel - “Esperanza Rising.” Our current 9th-11th graders started this book during Reading Month in 2020, but due to the pandemic closing schools in March, the group never finished the book. We are excited to begin this book with a whole new group of middle school students. Tuesdays and Thursdays are trivia days and students have the chance to earn house points and Scholastic Dollars. We have already had 5 students win $10 to spend through Scholastic. Wednesdays are dress-up days and students can also earn House points.
Speaking of House - Middle School Amistad went on their first-ever Marking Peroid Challenge trip to the Tawas Ice Rink on Thursday! The students had a lot of fun and were very well-behaved. Great job representing Au Gres-Sims! Because of the snow day on Tuesday, the High School Reveur trip was rescheduled for next Thursday, the 9th. Students brought home an updated informational letter with information about the trip.
Please help us celebrate Reading Month by practicing good reading habits at home. Encourage your child to read, or read with them. Even doing a “Drop everything and read” for 15-30 minutes at home each night can make a tremendous difference!
We are celebrating National School Breakfast Week March 6 - March 10, 7:45 - 8:10 each morning in the Multipurpose Room. Please encourage your children to stop in and have breakfast (it's free!) and register for some great prizes, and also see the special guests who will be joining them for breakfast each morning.
We will also be doing some taste testing of new items, so please encourage your students to come down to the MPR to join the fun and DIG IN TO SCHOOL BREAKFAST!
Athletics Update
The MHSAA Playoffs are upon us.
Congratulations to the Girls Basketball team who won their first round match-up on Wednesday night. The girls play for the District Championship TONIGHT (Friday, March 3rd) at 7pm in our gym. Tickets must be purchased through GoFan. North Star League and Student Passes will not be accepted for the game.
Girls District Championship Tickets: Friday, March 3rd at 7pm...Au Gres-Sims vs. Hale:
https://gofan.co/app/events/916875?schoolId=MI4040
The Boys Basketball District is hosted by Mio, so all games will be played there. There are six teams in the district and teams are seeded based on their regular season results. The top two seeds (Mio and Hillman) get byes on Monday, while the lowest four teams in the district play each other on Monday night. Tickets must be purchased through GoFan. North Star League and Student Passes will not be accepted for the games.
Next Week's Schedule of Events:
Mon. 3/6:
- 5:30p Boys Varsity Basketball MHSAA District Game @ Mio...versus Atlanta
- Tickets: https://gofan.co/app/events/930240?schoolId=MI10355
Tue. 3/7: If our girls win Friday night...
- 5:30p Girls Varsity Basketball MHSAA Regional Game @ Merrill
- Winner of Au Gres-Sims/Hale vs. Winner of St. Charles/Midland Calvary Baptist
Wed. 3/8: If our boys win Monday night...
- 530p Boys Varsity Basketball MHSAA District Game @ Mio...versus Mio
- Winner of Au Gres-Sims/Atlanta will play Mio (1st round bye)
AGS Youth Basketball Clinic (Grades 3-6)
Coach Becky and Coach Matt have organized some inter-school games with Hale, a chance for our kids to play against some others. THE GAMES TOMORROW AT HALE ARE CANCELLED. THE COACHES ARE WORKING ON ENSURING MARCH 11TH WILL HAPPEN AND INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED TO THE AU GRES BASKETBALL PAGE.
Saturday, March 4th @ Hale - CANCELLED
Saturday, March 11th
Kindergarten and GSRP (pre-school) Round-Up for 23-24
We will hold our AGS Kindergarten and GSRP Round-up on Monday, April 17th from 4-6pm. If you have an age-eligible child or know of someone who does, please plan on attending so we can get our youngest Wolverines registered for the Fall!
Students and their parents will start in the main office where they will get a passport to visit different stations and earn stamps and prizes, while learning where everything is in their new school.
Important Dates
March
- 6-10: National School Breakfast Week (lots of fun stuff for the students!)
- 8: District Band Festival at Alcona
- 15: Early Release @ 1pm for All Students
- 15: 6:30p Beginning (5th, 6th, Jr. Jazz) Band Concert at AGS
- 16: 4-7p MS/HS Parent Teacher Conferences
- 20: 6p AGS Board of Education Regular Meeting
- 23: 5p Elementary Family Literacy Night
- 24: End of Quarter 3
ESS Student Art Contest
Quick Facts:
- The contest information is located at ArtContest.ess.com.
- To enter, students must submit a drawing or painting with an image representing “If you could take a school field trip anywhere, where would you go?”
- The contest ends on March 12th, 8:00 pm Eastern Time.
- The top five finalists in each Grade Group will be featured on ESS’ Facebook and Instagram during the week of April 10th for public voting.
- Public voting ends on April 16th, 8:00 pm Eastern Time.
- Winners will be announced on April 19th.
- Winning students will receive a $500 American Express gift card, plus $500 for their school.
The Wolverine Wake-up
Click THIS link for Issue 77 of The Wolverine Wake-Up. !
Help Wanted at AGS
Job Opportunities at AGS
- Paraprofessional (Elementary Placement) - see attached Notice of Vacancy
We are also always on the lookout for substitute teachers. If interested, please inquire with Mrs. Miller in the district administration office, (989) 876-7157 and she will put you into direct contact with Laurie Crane at ESS-WillSub
Au Gres-Sims School District
Email: web@ags-schools.org
Website: www.ags-schools.org
Location: 310 South Court Street, Au Gres, MI, USA
Phone: (989) 876-7150
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuGresSims/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @agsschools