Au Gres-Sims Families and Community,
The importance of this time of the year cannot be overstated. This is the time when learning intensifies as students are stretched in their thinking. It is also the time of the year when the days get shorter and the nights get longer, when it is harder to get out of bed in the morning, and when motivation takes a dip. The challenge during this time is sustaining the energy of the start of the year and applying it through this stretch of transition. Very soon students will be reinvigorated by the pending holidays, but until then we need your help at home to keep our students focused. Believe it or not we are only two weeks away from the end of the first marking period, the quarter pole of the year!
Thank you for continuing to encourage your sons and daughters and for working with our staff to help them realize their full potential. The transition of October can be tough academically for many of our students and they need all the help they can get to achieve at their highest level.
Have a great weekend.
Mr. Ming
K-12 Principal's Update
This upcoming week, October 16-22, is National Teen Driver Safety Week. This week, and every week, parents should have conversations with their teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. These rules address the greatest dangers for teen drivers: impaired driving, inconsistent or no seat belt use, distracted and drowsy driving, speeding, and number of passengers. Teen drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than drivers over 20 years-old, and ten times more likely to be involved in a non-fatal crash. With the help of involved parents, teens can become safer, smarter drivers. Teen drivers with actively involved parents are half as likely to be involved in a crash. To help parents manage their teens’ driving and keep them safe, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) has created a Parent Toolkit and video. These resources are great resources for all families.
New video games come out and become popular almost as quickly as new apps. Parents often become overwhelmed learning about the pros and cons of all the new games their students are asking for or talking about. Below is a list of some video games parents may want to become familiar with, along with pros and cons and safety points (Can students talk to strangers in online play? Are there online purchases in the game?). The Ultimate List of Popular Video Games Parents Need to Know.
And last but not least, thank you to Angie Anthony and the National Honors Society. Our Blood Drive on Wednesday donated 19 pints of blood, helping to save 57 lives. And thank you donors for giving the gift of life!
From the Desk of Ms. Socha
As I mentioned in last week's entry, I wanted to spend a little time reviewing our Essential Standards this week, as this is an important focus in our classrooms and through our PLC process. The teaching staff at AGS have been working hard over the past 3 years to identify what we call our “Essential Standards.” They are standards that the teaching staff has determined to be the most critical for students to master in order to be successful throughout their school career. Both teachers and students have important responsibilities around these Essential Standards. Teachers and staff members commit to providing support and intervention to ALL students who have not yet mastered an essential standard after instruction and assessment. Teachers will meet on a regular basis in PLC groups to discuss student data and progress on these standards and collaborate to determine the most effective strategies and interventions to move each student to mastery. The students will be responsible for their own process towards mastery with each standard. They will need to reflect on their own level of understanding with each standard and use that reflection to identify what questions they still have regarding the standard and what areas they are struggling with. These important collaborations with students and teachers will help to ensure that each student is moving to the next grade level with the most important skills needed. This helps us to prioritize and focus our interventions within the classroom in the best interest of the student.
We are also getting closer to the end of the marking period, and are already marking plans for next marking period. High School students who are taking credit recovery classes, will need to finish up their first class by the end of the first marking period. They have known this since the first day, and their courses have been paced out with due dates in order to have them successfully complete the class in this amount of time. Just a reminder that students need to have a 60% or higher to earn the credit for the class. We are looking to start enrolling students for next marking period in the next week or so.
The change of marking period also means an adjustment to seminar in middle and high school. This year, we introduced a new elective seminar on Tuesday and Thursday. This allows students to choose classes that they would not ordinarily get to experience. We are making some adjustments to the offerings for marking period 2 - keeping some popular choices such as weights/conditioning, photography, art exploration, yoga, and The Wolverine Wake-up school newspaper, just to name a few. However, we are excited to add a few additional choices such as a middle school art elective, strategy games, a school leadership class, and advanced coding. There are still some final options being worked out and I am excited to introduce these options to the students. Mr. Zeien and I will be taking students in the gym during seminar in 2 weeks to make their selections for the next marking period. We will also be looking to make adjustments to the academic seminar classes using our most recent NWEA data.
Athletics Update
Congratulations to the middle school girls volleyball teams who completed their seasons last weekend. The girls developed amazingly throughout the season thanks to the effort and commitment.
This Saturday our JV girls volleyball season comes to a close as we host the North Star League Tournament. Good luck to the JV players and team as they finish strong.
Next Week's Schedule of Events:
Tues. 10/18:
- 6p JV/V Volleyball HOME vs. Atlanta
Wed. 10/19:
- 6p MS Football HOME vs. Hale
Thur. 10/20:
- 6p JV/V Volleyball AWAY @ Posen
Fri. 10/21:
- 7p V Football AWAY @ Posen
Sat. 10/22:
- 9a JV Volleyball HOME - NSL Tournament
The Wolverine Wake-Up
Middle and High School Drop-in Tutoring
Dates for Tutoring the next few months:
- Mon. 10/17
- Mon. 10/24
- Thu. 10/27
Tutoring for our elementary students will look a little different (based on the age of the students) and will begin after the first parent-teacher conferences of the year. We will update you on the details as we get closer to that date.
Community Events
- Saturday, October 22nd - Halloween in the Park (City Park, Au Gres)
- Thursday, December 1st (6p registration, 7p start) - Arenac Community Funds Holiday Auction (Ali's Up North)***
- Saturday, December 3rd - Christmas Parade (starts at AGS parking lot and ends in the City Park
- Saturday, February 18th - Arenac Community Funds Trivia Night (Arenac Community Center, Standish)
***Items for the ACF Holiday Auction should be turned in to any committee member by November 21st, including a donation form. See attached PDFs for details. Locally, items and forms may be turned into Chris Ming in the administrative office of the school district or Dale Wiltse at City Hall.
Help Wanted at AGS
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.
If you are interested in substitute teaching and need assistance with the paperwork process, a WillSub representative will be in Arenac County twice per month for onsite consultation.
- 2nd Tuesday of the month, from 12-4pm in the AGS Administration Office
- 4th Tuesday of the month, from 12-4pm at Standish-Sterling School District
Here is a complete list of dates:
- October 25 (SSC)
- November 8 (AGS) and 22 (SSC)
- December 13 (AGS)
- January 10 (AGS) and 24 (SSC)
- February 14 (AGS) and 28 (SSC)
- March 14 (AGS) and 28 (SSC)
- April 11 (AGS) and 25 (SSC)
- May 9 (AGS) and 23 (SSC)
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