AGS NEWS

Eric Rettenmund, Principal

Megan Yelle, Assistant Principal

Lisa Wissinger, Dean of Students

Melissa Welsh, Counselor

Tiffany Peeler, Counselor

Carol Manners, Secretary

Barb Stinson, Clerk

Randi Thorp, Clerk

It has been great to see our students and families back in the building preparing for the start of the school year. We are excited to begin the 2024 - 25 school year on Tuesday, August 20! A few things to note for the upcoming year. First, the district has made a change to the cell phone policy. Essentially, cellphones are required to be in lockers during the school day, with the exception of lunch time. Students will be allowed to use their cellphones during their lunch time. Secondly, we had to adjust our ending time to ensure that we are meeting the State requirement for clock hours. It is a minor change, but a change nonetheless. We simply added 2 minutes to 6th hour which means that our school day ends at 2:15, instead of 2:13. Lastly, we are excited to announce that we will have a certified therapy dog at AGS. Gracie will be joining us the week of September 9th. More information about Gracie, the cell phone policy, and other important details can be found below.

6th Grade Families:

On the first day of school we will keep our 6th graders in the cafeteria for a few minutes to welcome them, hand out schedules (to ensure they all have a hard copy), and help them get to first hour. This will allow our staff to help them with lockers and ensure they get to the correct 1st hour. We have found this to be very helpful to our 6th grade students in the past .

On behalf of the AGS Staff ... Welcome to the 2024-25 school year. We are looking forward to another fantastic year at AGS!

Recently our school board adopted a policy change for our school district. After much research, and feedback from our staff our board of education voted to remove the ability for students to utilize their cell phones during the instructional day. Students are to have them turned off and out of site during the instructional day, with the exception of their lunch period as well as before and after school. Previous to this policy change it was at teacher discretion, and that is no longer the case. The district and board of education feel this change will increase student engagement in academic work as well as hopefully aid in the social media issues that occur during the school day that often times increase student anxiety and decrease student well-being. A copy of a letter that was sent out the day after the August Board Meeting is linked below.

As mentioned previously, please note the change to our dismissal time - 2:15, instead of 2:13. The added 2 minutes ensures that we are meeting the state mandated clock hours. It also provides us with 2 additional minutes for our afternoon announcements which translates into more instructional time for our teachers and students.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday

1st Period 7:25 - 8:23

2nd Period 8:28 - 9:26

3rd Period 9:31 - 10:29

Lunch

• 8th Grade 10:34 - 11:04
• 6th Grade 11:07 - 11:37
• 7th Grade 11:37 - 12:07

4th Period

• 8th Grade 11:09 - 12:07
• 6th Grade 10:34 - 11:02 / 11:37 - 12:07
• 7th Grade 10:34 - 11:32

5th Period 12:12 - 1:10

6th Period 1:15 - 2:15

Tuesday, Thursday (SRT DAY)

1st Period 7:25-8:14

2nd Period 8:19-9:07

3rd Period 9:12-10:00

Lunch

• 8th Grade: 10:00 - 10:30
• 6th Grade: 10:33 - 11:03
• 7th Grade: 11:03-11:33

SRT

• 8th Grade: 10:35 - 11:33
• 6th Grade: 10:05 - 10:35 / 11:03 - 11:33
• 7th Grade: 10:05 - 11:03

4th Period 11:38 - 12:26

5th Period 12:31 - 1:19

6th Period 1:24 - 2:15

August 20 - First Day (Full Day 6-12)

August 23 - No School

August 28 - AGS OPEN HOUSE (6:00 - 7:30)

August 30 - No School

September 2 - No School

September 13 - No School - Staff PD

September 27 - 1/2 Day

The AGS Open House will be held on Wednesday, August 28 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM. The format is "open house" style, which allows parents to stop in anytime between 6:00 - 7:30 to meet teachers. The Open House is not set up to be a conference, but an opportunity for parents to meet teachers, visit classrooms, and see the curriculums being taught. We look forward to seeing our parents on Open House night!

Gracie, a 2 year old Goldendoodle, is the newest member of the AGS Family. She was recently certified to be a school therapy dog and will be joining us at AGS around September 9th. Gracie is excited to meet our students and help out when needed. Mrs. Seelbinder, AGS Math Teacher, is Gracie's owner. We are looking forward to Gracie's arrival and know that she will make a positive impact on our students and staff at AGS!!

SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUESTS - If your student has a schedule change request, please note the following -

- Any teacher change requests must be sent directly to administrators for approval. They will notify counselors of any approved changes.

- We are no longer offering French classes for 6th & 7th graders. We will continue to offer Spanish at every grade level.

- Drama class is only offered to 7th & 8th graders. Please note that availability is limited, because it is only offered during 1st & 2nd periods.

- Band class additions will need approval from Mr. Perkins, AGS Band Director - aperkins@fentonschools.org. Mr. Perkins will notify counselors about schedule additions.

- Advanced Math class requests - these must be approved by Mrs. Yaki Burnau, Math Department Chair - yburnau@fentonschools.org. Mrs. Burnau will notify counselors about schedule changes.

- Special Education students - please notify your student's "0" hour Resource Consultation teacher for any schedule change requests. They will notify counselors about schedule changes.

- Regular Education students - recommended support class information has been emailed to the parents. If you have any questions, please notify your student's assigned counselor.

Please complete for any schedule change requests - Schedule Change/Correction Request

Elective Choices - 2024-2025 Courses

YOUR STUDENTS WERE SENT A COUNSELOR GOOGLE CLASSROOM INVITATION VIA THEIR FAPS EMAIL. PLEASE BE SURE THEY JOIN THIS, & THEY ARE WELCOME TO COMPLETE THE SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUESTS DIRECTLY THROUGH THE GOOGLE CLASSROOM. THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUESTS IS THURSDAY, 8/22 BY THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL - PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING -

- 6TH GRADERS WILL RECEIVE A PRINTED SCHEDULE WHEN THEY ARRIVE. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS SCHEDULE, AS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN CHANGES SINCE PICK UP LAST WEEK.

- 7TH & 8TH GRADERS - FOLLOW THEIR SCHEDULE ON STUDENTVUE VERSUS THEIR PRINTED COPY THEY PICKED UP LAST WEEK. CHANGES MAY HAVE OCCURRED SINCE SCHEDULE PICK UP, & THEY WILL NEED TO FOLLOW THE UPDATED VERSION ON STUDENTVUE.

AGS Counselor Student Assignments -

Mrs. Melissa Welsh - A - 0 last names - mwelsh@fentonschools.org

Ms. Tiffany Peeler - P - Z last names - tpeeler@fentonschools.org

Happy Summer AGS Families!

As we get closer to the start of school I wanted to reach out and reintroduce myself. My name is Lauren Underwood and I am your School Home Coordinator. My main goals and focus are making sure that our students and families basic needs are being met so our kids can be the best version of themselves.

If your family is in need of school supplies, backpacks, clothing, food, utility help, getting to school or just plain positive support, I would love for you to reach out to me at ANY time!

My email address: lunderwood@fentonschools.org

School Phone: 810-591-7750

We hope you can join us for the annual Back to School Pancake Breakfast. The event will be held at AGS on Sunday, September 8. The event features Guinness World Record holder Chris Cakes of Michigan, FAPS Principal Pancake Catching Contest, kids games, and more! We hope to see you there! Tickets can be purchased at the door or online by clicking the blue button below.

Below are a few updated photos showing the progress of our new main office addition. During this time, the entrance off of Shiawassee may be closed. There will be more details in the FAPS newsletter and on the FAPS website as the project continues. We are excited about improving the facility for our staff, students, and families.

#WeAreFenton

Email: erettenmund@fentonschools.org
Website: http://fentonschools.org/andrew-g-schmidt-middle-school/
Location: 3255 Donaldson Drive, Fenton, MI, USA
Phone: 810.591.7700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fenton-Area-Public-Schools-110556712352619/
Twitter: @fentonschools