Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer. It marks that time of the year when people start getting away for long weekends, putting their toys in the water, firing up the grill, and finding time to relax in the sun. For many people, this weekend is about mentally transitioning from work to play.

While these things are all true, that is not the real purpose of this holiday weekend. Memorial Day is a holiday that is set aside on the last Monday of each May to remember those that have served in our military and paid the ultimate price. What we have in this country has been earned through the efforts and sacrifices of the people that we remember on Monday. I encourage you all to remember that this weekend, that the freedoms we have in this country were not without sacrifice.

In our schools Memorial Day Weekend takes on yet another meaning, it marks the beginning of the end of our school year. This weekend serves as the Quarter Pole, the last marker before the straightaway sprint to the finish line in horse racing. This marks the time for students to give their all and finish strong and that is exactly the message we hope our students take to heart.

As we all embark on this holiday weekend, my hope for all families is that they do enjoy the holiday, the extra day off, and fun in the sun. I hope they remember what Memorial Day is about and the people that have fought for our country. And I hope that the weekend serves to recharge everyone's batteries for the final sprint to June 8th, the last day of school.

Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend,

Mr. Ming

Next week is an extremely busy week with special events going on every evening. Here is a summary by day.

-May 29 No school- Memorial Day. The Memorial Day Parade starts at 1:00.

-May 30 Pre-District Baseball at Hale at 4:00

-May 31 Senior Graduation Rehearsal 8:30-10:00, Senior Class Night 6:00-8:00

-June 1 Senior Graduation Rehearsal 8:30-10:00, MS/HS Academic Awards 7:00-8:00

-June 2 Districts: Baseball (if win on 5/30) at Alcona vs. WP at 10:00/Softball at AGS vs Hale/Alcona at noon, Graduation at 7:30

Summer is almost here! That also means that so is the preparation for Fall sports…already! For our high school students, Fall sports (volleyball for girls and football for guys) begins on Monday, August 7. Please remember that in order to participate in practice you must have a physical that was issued since April 15. Stay tuned as I’m sure your Fall coaches will be reaching out to you shortly with summer opportunities.

Looking to keep active over the summer? On July 4, you can join the 4th annual Pinewood 5K/1 Mile Run-Walk. The race is free and open to all ages. The race starts at 2425 N East Drive in Tawas. If questions, email armyrunner1@yahoo.com.

On the topic of athletics, below is a very good article for athletes of all ages on “10 Tips for Raising a Good Sport”, shared from PBS Kids For Parents:

1. Explain what sportsmanship is — using kid-friendly terms. As with any behavior, the first step is to let your kids know what’s expected. Leslie Susskind, the author of “The Kids’ (and Parents’, Too!) Book of Good Sportsmanship,” describes sportsmanship as an extension of the golden rule. “It’s treating others the way you want to be treated,” she says. Simply put: if you don’t want the football moved when you kick it, don’t move it for someone else.
2. Be a role model on the sidelines. As a spectator, your job is to be a force of positivity. Cheer on success, efforts and progress. Hand out high fives as if they were Halloween candy. Congratulate both teams on a game well played. “Kids really do take the example of the coach and the parents,” says Justin Bredeman, part-owner of and coach for Soccer Shots, a franchise organization that teaches soccer to kids between the ages of 3 and 8.
3. Respect the coach‘s role. Susskind has seen well-meaning parents try to instruct from the sidelines — only to get in the way of the actual coach. Parents should “allow a coach his or her time to instruct,” she says. After all, your eyes are probably trained only on your child, but the coach is looking out for the entire team. Bredeman adds: “Kids won’t respect each other if they don’t respect the coach.”
4. Avoid comparing kids to one another. Parents have a natural tendency to measure kids against one another, but Bredeman warns that that’s not constructive. Instead, we should focus on our kids as individuals. “Emphasize progress—not compared to the teammates, but to where [the child] started,” he says. (It’s good advice to take off the playing field too!
5. Don‘t make it all about winning and losing. Sure, trophies are cool, but the focus should be on nontangibles like learning the game, figuring out how to interact with others and — especially — just having fun.
6. Celebrate success as a group. NFL players may do individual victory dances in the end zone after every touchdown, but that doesn’t mean your kid should too. Keep celebrations low-key and communal. Bredeman says he typically ends practice and games with a group high five.
7. Accept loss gracefully. When your child’s team comes up short, encourage her to congratulate her opponents for a game well played. “Some of the best lessons come from losing—not winning,” says Dan Doyle, the founder of National Sportsmanship Day. Susskind agrees: kids “need to understand you can’t always win, and that’s okay. You can always come back and try again.
8. Present consequences for poor sportsmanship. What happens when things get ugly on the field? “The best consequence is to take a kid out of a game,” says Doyle. Or, better yet, support the coach’s decision to do so. If you need to talk to your child about his attitude, Bredeman suggests doing so after things have cooled down a bit. “Get down on [his] level,” he says. “Start with encouragement, then get into ‘We want to be nice to one another.'”
9. Commit to having your child attend both practices and games. Life with kids is hectic no matter how you slice it, and as a result some parents allow kids to skip practice repeatedly. Not fair, says Susskind. Your child needs to understand how his or her absence affects the team. “If you make a commitment [to a team],” says Susskind, “you need to have the courtesy of being there.”
10. Remember that your child is not you. Your having been the star of the basketball team doesn’t mean that your child will fall in love with the sport. “This is not your chance to relive a glory moment of your past,” says Susskind. “Don’t put that pressure on your child.”

We are finally making it to the end of our testing window! It feels like we have been testing for months, so I am very glad to have it finished! Now I will begin the task of rapidly calculating scores. I will use them for state reporting, to look ahead at plans and scheduling for next year, and also to add to final middle school House totals to determine the winner of MP4!

Speaking of House, today our Middle School House teams enjoyed their end-of-the-year Field day this afternoon! We started this a few years ago under the direction of Mrs. Sinclair, and the tradition continued this year even with 75% of our core middle school team being new teachers! Students always enjoy this afternoon and it is a nice way to wrap up all of the House events for the school year!

Finally - another reminder about our summer school opportunities for both middle school and elementary students. Here is the link to the flyer for current 6th-8th grade students. This is the flyer for elementary students who are not a part of Mrs. Gordon’s program. Both of these programs are virtual, and students are working just 3 hours a week in a specialized plan built just for them. This intensive focus allows for a lot of growth to happen in a short period of time! I hope that all families take advantage of this program! The sign-up link is found at the bottom of each flyer!

During the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), many changes were made to the Medicaid program's eligibility, administration, and policies to ease rules for providers and prevent Medicaid beneficiaries from losing health care coverage. Per recent federal legislation, Michigan will restart Medicaid eligibility renewals in June, and amend certain waived policies that were in place during the pandemic. The State of Michigan has been preparing for these changes during the past several months.

More information may be found on the MDHHS website:

https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/end-phe

..and the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) site:

https://www.michigan.gov/difs/consumers/insurance/health-insurance/medicaid-redetermination

Our track and soccer (co-op) teams finished up their spring seasons this week. Congrats to all of the athletes involved on the great competition and extra effort!

Next week our softball and baseball teams are in action for the MHSAA Postseason. Good luck to both teams.

Schedule:

Tue. 5/30:

• 4p V Softball MHSAA Pre-District HOME vs. Whittemore-Prescott
• 4p V Baseball MHSAA Pre-District AWAY @ Hale

Fri. 6/2:

• ***10a V Baseball MHSAA District AWAY @ Alcona vs. Whittemore-Prescott (If we advance on Tuesday)
• ***12p V Softball MHSAA District HOME vs. Alcona (If we advance on Tuesday)

Attention AGS Girls entering grades 6-12 in the Fall of 2023, AGS will be running a camp to kick start the summer. See the flier below for more information.

AGS will be hosting the Huffman Basketball Camp in our main gym on Wednesday, June 28th. The cost of the camp is $35 and is open to students in grades 2-12 (different times). Don't wait to sign up as space is limited. See the flier below for more details and click the link to register.

EVENT SIGN-UP LINK

Important dates for May and June for the Au Gres-Sims School District.

MAY

• 31: Senior Class Night @ 6p

JUNE

• 1: Middle/High School Academic Awards @ 7p
• 2: Graduation @ 7:30
• 5: Elementary Fun Day
• 7: Early Release for all students @ 1p...Secondary Final Exams hours 1-3
• 8: Early Release for all students @ 1p...Secondary Final Exams hours 4-6

Important and note-worthy events taking place in Au Gres and Arenac County

• May 28: Memorial Day Parade in Au Gres
• June 24: Arenac Fireworks Golf Outing (see picture below)

Greetings Wolverines,

Today marks the final day our senior class will grace our hallways with their shining smiles and dreams of things to come, as they embark on their lives as well-educated, taxpaying, hard working citizens. We want to especially congratulate our fellow Crew Members Allyson and Emily who will be graduating. Their great personalities and creative ideas have made The Wolverine Wake-Up anything but "mid". I promised we would keep this edition "low key" but this week's issue is "fire". On behalf of everyone at The Wolverine Wake-Up, congratulations Senior Class of 2023!

Click to watch The Wolverine Wake-Up Issue 87-SENIOR EDITION

This is the final posting week for the Senior Scoop, because today (Friday) was the last day for our seniors. Next Friday we will graduate the senior class, officially marking the end of their time at AGS. Though not every senior wanted to be interviewed for the podcast, the experience was enlightening and enjoyable.

This week's guest was Senior Casey Williams, who will be continuing his education and basketball at Alpena Community College in the Fall.

"Don't let being different and you standing out, don't let that be a part of your character because you're scared of people judging you." - Casey Williams

This senior class has established a new process for AGS, and has set the tone for the classes that follow. My genuine hope is to continue this into the future with the next groups of seniors and hear the wisdom that they have, and to share it with our AGS community.

For a listing of all episodes of the Senior Scoop, check out:

• AGS Senior Scoop page: https://www.ags-schools.org/o/ags/page/senior-scoop
• Audio.com Direct page: https://audio.com/ags-senior-scoop

AGS purchased and distributed internet hotspots during the pandemic for our hybrid learning mode of instruction. We used federal COVID relief funds for this purchase and the monthly internet fees. With our district being back in full in-person learning mode, and the federal funds almost out, we are collecting the hotspots that were issued to families in need of connection.

The letter below is being distributed to the families that we have a record of distributing a hotspot to. If your family is in possession of a district hotspot, regardless of whether you receive an emailed letter, please return it to the main office by Friday, June 2nd.

Job Opportunities at AGS

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

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