The Hawk Connection

Hello, AMS Students and families,

I hope everyone has enjoyed this beautiful, sunny weekend. In this edition of the newsletter, we have a lot of important updates and I encourage you to please read through everything carefully. First, our students will participate in the Fall administration of the Panorama Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) survey in the coming weeks. Once the results are published, our staff will review them to gain insights into how we can continue improving our students’ school experience. Additionally, our student board representatives will help facilitate focus group sessions to unpack the results at a deeper level. Their perspectives will help us ensure our school remains a safe and supportive place for everyone.

We hope to see you this week at our parent/teacher conferences. It’s a great opportunity to connect about your student's progress and goals for the year. As a reminder, students have 1/2 day of school on Tuesday and Wednesday with dismissal at 11:15 am. On these days, there is no lunch service at school, however, breakfast will be available.

We’re also excited to host our first pep assembly this Friday, where we’ll celebrate our fall clubs and athletes. Students have a dress-up day as well, see below for details. Following that, we’ll have our first ASB-hosted Fall Event on November 1st from 5:30-8:00 PM. The event will include games, activities, dance opportunities, and PTSA-hosted concessions. Tickets are $5 if purchased at lunch during the week leading up to the event, or $7 at the door. Please note that student eligibility depends on having little to no discipline infractions in the two weeks leading up to the event and little to no absences.

Lastly, due to an incident in our bathrooms last week that you were all made aware of on Thursday, we are making adjustments to bathroom availability to enhance safety and supervision. While students will still have access to bathrooms throughout the day, we are limiting access to certain locations and setting a limit of three students at a time. We appreciate your support and understanding as we work to increase safety on campus and ensure students remain focused on their studies.

Thank you for your partnership, and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!

Best,

Kia duNann

Principal

Exciting news, middle schoolers! Our Movie & MOD Family Night Out contest was a huge success and we ended up having our BEST FUNDRAISER EVER! All students who received a new online order starting from Monday, September 16th, were entered for a chance to win an awesome night out, courtesy of AMC Theatres and MOD Pizza! Thanks to everyone who participated and helped make this contest a blast. Your hard work paid off, and every sale counted toward not just this drawing prize but all the fantastic rewards students have been earning during this fundraiser. And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…the winner is…Clifford Schryvers!

Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, October 16th. Please click HERE to find the teacher you would like to schedule a time with and select a time that works for you. Teachers will be available to conference with parents/guardians from 12:00-2:30 pm and again from 4:00 - 6:00 pm. There will also be arena style setup from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the AMS gym.

If you need translation services or would prefer your conference be conducted via Google Meets, please select those options in the sign up after you choose a time slot.

If you need a group conference with multiple teachers at the same time, please contact your student's counselor.

Shawn Flynn (students with the last name A-K) - sflynn@asd103.org

Renae Newall (students with the last name L-Z) - rnewall@asd103.org

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at conferences!

Wondering what information you missed on the display TV at AMS? We've now got your one stop shop for the slides on our TV and any other upcoming important dates! Click HERE or find the "Upcoming Events" link on our homepage any time.

There has been new information added to the ASD Health and Safety webpage. Please click HERE to see helpful information regarding:

• Safety
• DOH Safety Study Hall
• Health Notes
• Preparing for Weather Changes
• Mosquito Information

Sharon Jones:

In 8th Grade ELA, students are wrapping up their writing about an enjoyable moment. They've worked hard learning how to show tone, add dialogue and sensory details, and write strong actions. They are also finishing up their independent reading books and moving forward with book projects. Next up, students will be reading excerpts from stories by Roald Dahl (Going Solo), Amy Tan (Fish Cheeks), and Kaitlyn Greenidge (My Mother's Garden) to read like writers. They will write a short personal narrative of their own.

The Athletic Gear Store is closing for the season on October 31! Get your athletics swag HERE.

Boys' Basketball is starting up next week as well. The Student Information Meeting (parents are welcome too!) will be held on Thursday, October 17th at 2:45pm with 7th grade tryouts beginning directly afterwards. 8th grade tryouts will begin at 4pm. 8th graders are not permitted to stay for the 7th grade tryouts so please make alternate plans for after the meeting and return to the school by 4pm.

Cross Country FINALS are next week! Come by Rice Field to support our AMS Hawks and grab something from the concession stand while you're there. Proceeds help support the AMS Athletics Department.

Clubs are in full swing at AMS! Check out the options here and sign up on FinalForms if something catches your eye. Have an idea for a new club? Stop by the front office to get a "Starting a New Club" form.

Hello AMS community!

Would you like to stay up to date on PTSA events? Check out the monthly calendar below which you can also find on our website (https://anacortesmsptsa.givebacks.com/).

· Support our second Community Connections event by visiting Penguin Coffee on October 23rd! When you order, please remember to thank them for supporting AMS PTSA.

· The PTSA membership is steadily growing (82 members and counting…) and it’s definitely not too late to join (https://anacortesmsptsa.givebacks.com/store/items/1066638) and get us to our goal of 100 members. Remember joining the PTSA does not mean you are expected to volunteer!

· Don’t forget to reward your students with cookie cards (https://anacortesmsptsa.givebacks.com/store/items/1055128) and join the fun by signing up (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E4BADAE28A1FF2-50824799-cookie#/) to help bake cookies!

· Stay tuned for Spirit Wear…orders are on schedule to be delivered mid-month.

· Have a wicked chili recipe or want to donate a bag of Fritos? Please help feed our teachers/staff during Conference Week on October 16. Sign up to bring a little something for the Chili Bar: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084AAEAB2CA3F85-51966033-conference

· Thank you to everyone who attended our first General Membership Meeting on October 9th. We really appreciate your questions and ideas!

Finally, we'd love to hear from you at any time so please contact us:

anacortesms.ptsa@gmail.com

https://anacortesmsptsa.givebacks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AnacortesMiddleSchoolPTSA/

https://www.instagram.com/anacortesms.ptsa/

Parents/Guardians have several ways to notify the school of an absence, tardy or early release need.

-Call: 360-503-1248

-Email: amsattend@asd103.org

-Use Skyward Family Access

Pre-Planned absence forms are required for any absence that will be longer than three days. Students can stop by the office for one or can email to request one be sent to them.

Students that are just arriving or leaving early from school must come and sign in/out.

Here is a link directly to the attendance tab on our website as well: AMS attendance website

Welcome to the Anacortes Community Connect our new online community bulletin board. This platform is designed to connect local organizations with the Anacortes School District Community.

If you are a local organization and would like to request electronic flyer distribution to the Anacortes School District Community, you may do so through our online request form. Please note that programs, activities, or events must be appropriate for school-aged children and their families.

We hope that this platform will help foster a stronger sense of community and provide a space for local organizations to share their events and activities with the wider community reach. Each event is clickable that takes you directly to the event signup and website!

Check it out and upload your events here:

https://www.asd103.org/District/1589-Anacortes-Community-Connect.htmlhttps://www.asd103.org/District/1589-Anacortes-Community-Connect.html

Principal

kdunann@asd103.org

Monica Frost

Assistant Principal

mfrostasd103.org

Website: https://ams.asd103.org/

Location: 2202 M Avenue, Anacortes, WA, USA
Phone: 360-503-1230

The Anacortes School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination, or you may mail complaints to the address below.

Kristen Koehler Section 504/ADA Coordinator

(360) 503-1216

Connie Sheridan, Civil Rights/RCW/Title IX Coordinator

(360) 503-1221

csheridan@asd103.org

Written Complaints

2200 M Avenue, Anacortes, WA 98221

The Anacortes School District provides interpretation and translation services upon request as needed. Please contact the Student Support Services Department for more information: (360) 503-1216.