Amherst Middle School

Dear AMS Families,

Our construction, maintenance, and custodial teams have been working hard to get the building In great shape for the upcoming school year. For those that don't know, this summer brought a significant and impactful building project to Amherst Middle School. The 8th and 5th grade classroom areas now have a new roof, HVAC systems, windows, lights, ceilings, sound systems, and painted walls. We know our staff is excited to get into these rooms to get ready for their students. As an administrative team, we are incredibly enthusiastic about making these spaces more conducive to teaching and learning for all. We cannot wait to share photos of the finished space!

Students will also see some changes in our cafeteria. This spaces hosts four lunches each day, as well as school assemblies, concerts, and shows. School colors are going up on the walls and students will also soon see some new round tables in addition to the long tables we already have.

In addition to physical changes within the building, our teaching staff has been working hard to prepare for learning and student growth this year. Our students have a lot to look forward to this year, and we can't wait to welcome them through our doors on Tuesday, September 3rd.

Be well,

Kristen Gauthier

Principal

Mike Cuddyer

Assistant Principal, 7/8

Matt Lane

Assistant Principal, 5/6

August 26 (Mon): Fall Sports Begin

September 3 (Tues): First Day of School for students

September 10 (Tues): Early Release Day (12:50PM Dismissal)

September 11 (Wed): Open House (Lower School, Grades 5 & 6) 6:00-8:00PM **date change**

September 13 (Fri): School Picture Day (see New News item below)

September 16 (Mon): PTA Meeting @ Wilkins School 7:00-8:00PM

September 18 (Wed): Open House (Upper School, Grades 7 & 8) 6:00-8:00PM

September 24 (Tues) - September 27 (Fri): 8th Grade Ecology School (Team Volcano)

October 1 (Tues) - October 4 (Fri): 8th Grade Ecology School (Team Hurricane)

October 14 (Mon) NO SCHOOL - Columbus Day

Please click here to access the most updated Bus Routes for 2024-2025. It's possible that these routes may change slightly, so keep checking back.

School nutrition information can be found at https://www.sau39.org/administration/school_nutrition. This includes breakfast and lunch menus, and also information about applying for Free & Reduced Lunch.

Amherst Middle School will host School Picture Day on Friday, September 13th.

NEW THIS YEAR: There are no paper forms. You can go online to www.geskusprint.com and enter our unique school code 8S3XJJZD to order your prints in advance (and up to 24 hours after picture day).

Photos will NOT be delivered to school and will be sent directly to homes (this is because we know that middle schoolers + backpacks + printed portraits are not always the best combination).

We will have a retake day later in the fall if your student's school pictures need a re-do.

We will be sure to remind you of school picture day here on Facebook and through our weekly newsletter as we get closer to September 13th.

From Kelli Braley, SHS/AMS Athletic Director. Please email her directly with any questions at kbraley@sau39.org.

Fall sports tryouts/practices start Monday, August 26th. If you have not already registered via PowerSchool, please do so at your earliest convenience. This will allow us to make sure we have full schedules at all levels of play.

In the meantime, for more information please check out our website: https://sau39athletics.wixsite.com/shs-amsathletics

Updated school supply lists for the 2024-2025 school year are now posted to our website!

https://sau39ams.ss20.sharpschool.com/studen.../supply_lists

Please click HERE for the full letter to AMS 7th grade families regarding the fall 2024 8th grade trip.

Week 1: September 24 - 27 - Team Volcano - Reynolds, Dine, Booker, Hector

Week 2: October 1 - 4 - Team Hurricane - Griffiths, Perry, Rodon, Chaput

The trip cost, including tuition, room and board, and bus transportation, is $460.00. You can be assured that every effort was made to keep costs to an absolute minimum.

Please submit the first deposit of $230 and the form below as soon as possible. Checks should be made payable to AMS. In the memo line, please note your student’s name and “Ecology School.”

It is important to note that this deposit is non-refundable if students cancel after September 13th. The Ecology School asked us to submit the final numbers at that time, and we do not receive a refund for students who did not attend after that date.

The remaining balance of $230.00 will be due Friday, September 13th

Scholarships and payment plans are available if your student needs financial aid to attend the trip. To receive a scholarship application, please contact the Upper School Counselor, Chris Beede (cbeede@sau39.org).

If your family would like to donate funds to help support need-based scholarships for this trip, please indicate your donation on the attached payment form. Thank you in advance for your support.

Ecology School Payment Form

2024-2025: Check out this link for the 2024-2025 approved Amherst School District calendar.

Log on to https://amherstnhpta.membershiptoolkit.com/ to complete your registration today!

Becoming a member of the PTA doesn't mean signing your life away volunteering, although we can always use more volunteers. If you are interested in chairing an event/committee, are looking to get more involved or you want to meet some new people, join us at our first meeting of the year on September 17 at 7pm in the Wilkins Library. You can also reach out to the PTA via email if you have any questions or concerns that need to be addressed before our first meeting, amherstptanh@gmail.com.

As you complete the Powerschool Registration forms for school this year, please make sure to Opt into the PTA Directory (it is the last form)! This will allow Clark Wilkins and AMS to share contact info directly with the PTA, making it easier for you to stay up-to-date with all PTA communications, including room parent emails.

Please click below for our full August 2024 newsletter.