Dear Apex Middle School Families,

As we welcome the month of November, we hope this message finds you well. We are currently in the process of finalizing grades for the end of the first quarter, and report cards will be sent home next week.

We are thrilled to share that our school has exceeded growth during the 2023-24 school year, finishing in the top 5% in the state! This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and community.

We would like to extend a special thank you to our PTA for providing an amazing Jersey Mike's lunch for our staff today. Additionally, we want to express our gratitude to the parent volunteers who helped make our PEAK Celebrations a success this week!

We would also like to take a moment to congratulate our 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year finalists: Coach Combs, Ms. Moreno, Mrs. Rebando, and Mrs. Tate. Each of them exemplifies dedication and commitment to our students, and they truly deserve this recognition.

Please be sure to scroll all the way down for Community News. Thank you for your continued support, and we wish you a wonderful start to November!

Warm regards,

Raleigh Bame

Principal, Apex Middle School

Apex Middle School’s Annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held Friday, November 8th at 8:30 am in the school gymnasium. We welcome all families to join us to honor those that have served. Please RSVP here if you can attend.

Plus, stick around for coffee and donuts immediately after the ceremony, proudly sponsored by our amazing PTA!

Athletics for the Week:

Our teams face off against Apex Friendship this week. For more information please see the schedule below. Go Cougars!

SEE FULL SCHEDULE HERE

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery

CDM is the process by which a student may earn credit for a high school course by demonstrating a deep understanding of course content, without course enrollment or seat time.

For information about Credit by Demonstrated Mastery, you can view our CDM parent presentation.

To apply to participate in the CDM process, complete the CDM Application and Agreement. Applications must be submitted to our school-based CDM Coordinator, Dana Pilkington.(dpilkington@wcpss.net)

Application Window: Oct. 14 - Dec. 20, 2024

Phase 1 Testing Window: Feb. 18 - March 3, 2025

Save the Dates -

• 6th grade Social ~ Friday, November 15th (3:30 - 5:30 pm)
• PTA Sponsored Winter Dance ~ December 13th (time TBA)

Military Connected Families

If you are military connected and you do not receive an email from Lori Nugent today, please send an email to our Student Services office at sbeaumont@wcpss.net and let us know your military connection. Thank you!

Need a Tutor? Check out the ITC Tutoring Program @ Green Level High School

AMS is excited to partner again this year with students at Green Level High School through their ITC tutoring program. This program provides free virtual tutoring sessions by a select group of highly qualified green level high school students. Selected high school students offer virtual tutoring sessions once a week on Google Meet at an agreed upon day and time. How can you sign your child up? – You can request a tutor by completing a brief Google Form. (https://forms.gle/AFP4bnouewhZMGwW9) The sign up window will be open from October 20th through November 5th. Tutors will start reaching out to families on November 15th to begin sessions. If you have any questions, please contact your grade level counselor.

ITC Information Slideshow

A huge special thanks to the AMS PEAK Team and PTA PEAK Volunteer, AMS Administrators, Elective Teachers, General Education Teachers, Faculty, AMS Parent Volunteers for all grade levels, and our AMS Students for demonstrating exceptional PEAK performance during our 1st Quarter celebration. Our students were nothing short of AMAZING with their behavior at this event.

A special shout-out goes to the PEAK team for their collaboration and sponsorship of this celebration. Our students truly appeared to enjoy the music, games, dancing, and socializing with their friends. The weather was definitely in our favor, making for an incredible day. Everything went according to plan.

We were also able to support our students who needed donated treats from our vendors. Kona Ice generously donated 25 tokens, and Bruster's contributed 25 free ice cream cards for our students. No student was left out, and we ensured that the needs of all our students were met. Every student matters!

This was a significant win for us during our 1st Quarter Celebration! Thanks for helping us level up the Cougars! Submitted Mrs. Bailey, AMS PEAK Chair. and AMS PEAK Team

School Pictures - Fall 2024

• Retake: December 3, 2024

Spelling Bee 2024-25

🐝 Preparation for our School Spelling Bee in partnership with Scripps National Spelling Bee is underway and we are buzzing with excitement to celebrate Scripps' 100th anniversary!

We are dedicated to making this year's School Spelling Bee an unforgettable experience for all our students, from preparation to competition day, and we hope that you will encourage your child to participate. It's a fantastic opportunity for our students to enhance their vocabulary, improve their spelling skills, and build confidence in public speaking.

Students have a new way to study by downloading Word Club for free in the App Store or Google Play Store. They can choose from five spelling play modes and three vocabulary play modes and track their progress as they conquer the School Spelling Bee Study List and Words of the Champions, the recommended study resource for classroom, school, and regional spelling bees.

More detailed information, including dates and study resources, will be shared with students by Mrs. Pilkington next week.

App Store hyperlink: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/word-club-spelling-vocabulary/id1479862742

Google Play Store hyperlink: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.scripps.spellingbee.wordclub&pli=1

Dear AMS Families,

Apex Middle School Student Services department will be conducting a lesson called Signs of Suicide for 7th grade students in the next few weeks. This evidence-based program educates students about warning signs of suicide and depression and how to get help from trusted adults. Parents and students have the option to opt out of this program by signing the letter and sending it back to the school. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Kazi, 7th Grade Counselor (akazi@wcpss.net).

We’re also excited to share some upcoming workshops hosted by Wake County Public Schools that are designed to support you and your teens. Topics will include effective communication, identifying bullying, and ensuring online safety for our children.

To register, please click the link on each flyer.

Often school communities focus on teachers and administrators, and the vital role they play in children's education. During the week of November 11-15th, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and schools across the United States will mark National School Psychology Week (NSPW). The goal of NSPW is to raise awareness about who School Psychologists are and the support we can offer students, parents, and teachers.

Click here to learn more about who school psychologists are and what we do!

Auditions for Apex Middle's Production of High School Musical Junior are right around the corner! Come out and audition to be part of the Wildcat Pride!

Auditions will take place after school on Tuesday, November 12th and Wednesday, November 13th. Sign Ups for an audition slot will go up in the Media Center on Monday, October 28th.

For auditions, you should prepare a 60 to 90 second cut of a song from a musical or Disney movie!

Callbacks will take place, BY INVITATION ONLY, after school on Wednesday, November 20th.

Questions? Contact Mr. Browning at hgbrowning@wcpss.net! Looking forward to seeing the MANY talents that AMS has to offer :)

At Apex Middle School we want to make sure every student has the opportunity to go on a field trip regardless of ability to pay. This year, each grade level has planned a trip that enhances and extends what is being learned in the classroom. We appreciate any donations that will be used to provide the best experiences for our students. Please click on the link below to help sponsor a student. Thank you!

Sixth Grade Social: Mark your calendar for November 15th (3:30-5:30) for the upcoming Sixth Grade Social. This will be on campus and will require an entrance fee. More information to follow.

Field Trip: Our 6th grade field trip this year will be to Myrtle Beach, SC on March 13. 2025. Our itinerary includes a show and lunch at Medieval Times followed by a self-guided tour to Ripley’s Aquarium. The cost is $132 per student. This price covers the cost of the 6 chartered buses, admission ticket for the show, lunch, banners, and admission to the aquarium. To reserve a spot for your student, a minimum, non-refundable deposit of $66 and a completed permission form must be turned in by October 31 or sooner. Please make all payments through School Cash Online (SCO) by visiting the website https://wcpss.schoolcashonline.com. You can access the site using the QR code to the right, or using the link in the Cougar News, the weekly newsletter sent out by Mrs. Bame every Friday. All field trip forms need to be signed and returned to your student’s homeroom teacher. If you would like to chaperone, please contact your child’s ELA teacher.

ELA UPDATES:

MATH UPDATES:

Math 6: Students will complete lessons 15-16 in their workbooks. They will finish Unit 2 (Intro to Ratios), and receive their End of Unit 2 Study Guide on Wednesday and take the End of Unit 2 Assessment on Friday.

Math 6+: Students will complete lessons 12-15 in their workbooks. We will continue working on Unit 3 (Unit Rates & Percentages) through next Thursday 11/14.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assessments:

• Math 6: (Major) End of Unit 2 Assessment on Friday 11/8

• Math 6+: (Major) End of Unit 3 Assessment on Thursday 11/14

SCIENCE UPDATES:

This week introduces our scientists to our WAVES unit. We will explore the properties of waves this week. Students will be building their content knowledge of waves and their properties before we explore the types of waves in our world.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assessments:

• Week of 11/12: Quiz

SOCIAL STUDIES UPDATES:

Our historians will be introduced to the basic beliefs, traditions, and cultural practices of the people from our ancient civilizations. This week will focus on Polytheism, and the religions of Ancient Greece and Rome.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assessments:

• Let’s Go Back in Time digital slides project - Major grade

• Islanders - Due Wednesday @ beginning of class

• All students will need lunch money for the Zoo. Take a look at: https://www.nczoo.org/visit/dining to see the dining options and prices of food. Students should plan to bring $15-$20 for lunch.

• Items not permitted inside the NC Zoo:

• Outside food

• Backpacks

• Glass containers

• Balls/Athletic Equipment

• Items to bring:

• Money for lunch

• A small drawstring bag/crossbody/purse

• Reusable plastic waterbottle

• Sweatshirt

ELA UPDATES

Upcoming Minor/ Major Assessments:

We will start Module 2 (Working Conditions Then and Now) on Thursday, 11/07. If you would like to purchase a copy of our featured novel, Lyddie by Katherine Paterson, for your student, you can find it HERE on Amazon.

• NC Check-In 11/06

MATH UPDATES

Upcoming Minor/ Major Assessments:

Math 7

• Quiz - 11/8

Math 7+:

• Volume Quiz 11/6

SCIENCE UPDATES

Upcoming Minor/ Major Assessments:

• We will start our final Sub-Unit of Weather this week. The main graded assignment we will be working on is called “Severe Weather InfoQuest.” This is broken into 4 stations and each station will be due on a certain date to check in their progress and will be 25% of the grade for this assignment. At the end, all 4 grades will be combined into ONE major grade. Due dates for each section will be on next week’s checklist 🙂

SOCIAL STUDIES UPDATES

• none

Please note the AMS make-up policy for students:

• To accommodate absences, students will be granted an extension on missed work.
• For absences of 1 to 3 days, students will have 1 additional day to complete assignments for each day missed.
• For absences exceeding 3 days, students will be granted 2 additional days for each day missed.

It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher to ask what work was missed during their absence and then submit it promptly.

ELA UPDATES:

Students will conclude Module 1 by revisiting the author’s use of Latin American Folktales in a modern setting. Students will also complete their first NC Check-In before we begin Shakespeare next week.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• 11/4-Narrative Due (Major)

• 11/7 and 11/8 -NC Check-In

MATH UPDATES:

Math 8

Students will discover how to find the slope of a line using a graph, ordered pairs, and a table.

Weekly Agenda

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Quiz on Slope on Friday, 11/8

Math 1

Weekly Agenda

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Module 2 Test will be on Wednesday, 11/6.

Math 2

This week we will be wrapping up Module 2.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Honors Activity

• Post Assessment

• Mod 3 Discussion Board

SCIENCE UPDATES:

This week we will quiz on the properties of water and begin the next part of the unit-water distribution.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Water properties quiz-11/4

SOCIAL STUDIES UPDATES:

This week we’ll learn more about local NC history, then turn our attention to the “shot heard round the world” and the beginning of the American Revolution. We’ll study the democratic ideals as the basis of the Declaration of Independence.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Quiz on the Declaration of Independence

• Our mid-unit test is on 11/15.

Apex Middle School uses SchoolCash Online (SCO) to collect payments for many school items and activities such as field trips. If you haven’t registered yet please take a moment to create an account. This will help save time and reduces the risk of lost payments. In addition, you are automatically informed about school activities! Scan the QR code and follow the directions below.

Search for "Apex Middle School News" and follow us!

Email: apexms@wcpss.net
Website: www.wcpss.net/apexms
Location: 400 East Moore Street, Apex, NC, USA
Phone: 9193872181