Dear Apex Middle Families,

As we approach the end of October, we have some exciting events and important dates to share! Halloween will be a fun day for all, as students and staff are invited to participate in a school-wide pajama day. This festive spirit will continue during electives with our first quarter PEAK celebration, where we will recognize and celebrate the end of our first quarter.

Please note that Friday, November 1st marks the end of the first quarter and is a teacher workday—students will not have school that day. Additionally, Tuesday, November 5th will be another teacher workday, due to election day.

Please take a moment to review the updates below on school-wide activities and events, as well as some valuable community news. Thank you for your continued support as we finish the first quarter strong!

Kind regards,

Mrs. Raleigh Bame

Apex Middle School’s 3rd Annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be held November 8th at 8:30 am. All families are welcome to join us to honor those who have served our great nation. If you or a loved one have served in the military and plan on attending our ceremony, please click here to complete this short form by Monday, November 4th, so that we can honor our veterans. We look forward to seeing you there!

Art Class Update

It's State Fair time! Artwork from some of our students is on display in the Kerr Scott building. Be sure to check out all of the talented artists from across the state in between enjoying all the rides and fair foods!

Athletics for the Week:

Our football, soccer, and volleyball teams face off against West Lake (away at WLMS) 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

Lost and Found Trackers - END OF QUARTER CLEAN OUT

Attention AMS Families! Next week is the LAST week to locate and reclaim your lost items! Please encourage your student to check LOST & FOUND if they are missing something. We have water bottles, jackets, AMS gear, lunchboxes, sneakers and more! Family members who attend after school sporting events, we have your items and younger siblings items as well. On Friday 11/1, ALL remaining items will be donated.

• Lost and Found is located in our Electives building in the foyer area near Ms. Clark's and Mr. Browning's rooms. Thank you.

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

School Pictures - Fall 2024

• Retake: December 3, 2024

Veterans Day Celebration 2024

Join us at Apex Middle School's 3rd Annual Veterans Day Ceremony, honoring our Veterans and thanking members of our community who have served in the Armed Forces. Ceremony will be on Friday, November 8th at 8:30 am in the Gymnasium. All are welcome!

PEAK Celebration - NEW DATE!

Our first-quarter AMS PEAK celebration is coming soon! ( Social on the Football Field) It will take place on October 31st during elective classes, and we will have Kona Ice and Bruster's Ice Cream on campus that day. Please encourage our students to continue to show PEAK expectations in their classes and throughout our school environment. We are leveling up for PEAK Performance!

the AMS PEAK Team is delighted to recognize our AMS PEAK student of the month on November 1st who is selected by their grade level teachers who has demonstrated PEAK ( Being Prepared, Being Engaged, Be Ambitious and Be Kind) . Those students will receive a certificate signed by the Principal, PEAK Administrator and PEAK chair., green and black cougar level up bracelet, $5.00 gift card and the student of the month lapel pin for the recognition. Congratulation on being selected as student of the the Month for this well deserved recognition.

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.

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!

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.

Student of the Month: We would like to congratulate the following students for being chosen for February’s Student of the Month for the 6th grade. These students exude what it means to be ENGAGED.

Islanders: Andrew Keim

Explorers: Evan Hoff

Pirates: Madison Marshall

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.

ELA UPDATES:

The students will continue working on their choice board. They will create a hero and have it travel along the path of The Hero’s Journey. This will culminate their understanding of the unit and how all heroes follow the same path.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assessments:

• Mon Oct 28th: End of Unit Assessment (MAJOR)

• Theme and Elements

• Wed Oct 30th: Daily Language Quick Check #2 (MINOR)

• Thurs Oct 31st: Choice Board Due (MAJOR for Q2) at the beginning of class

• Wed Nov 6th:

• Library: Schroeder

• NCCheck In: Simpson/Grz

• Thurs Nov 7th:

• Library: Grz

• NCCheck In: Schroeder

• Fri Nov 8th:

• Library Simpson

MATH UPDATES:

Math 6+: Students began Unit 3 this past week (Unit Rates and Percentages), which builds upon our study of Ratios. They will complete lessons 7-11 in their workbooks. Students will receive the Mid Unit 3 Progress Check on Tuesday (minor grade) and may use their workbooks, notes and classmates to help them complete it.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assessments:

• Math 6: (Minor) End of Unit 2 Progress Check given on Tuesday 10/29. End of Unit 2 Assessment (Major) will be on Friday 11/8.

• Math 6+: (Minor) Mid Unit 3 Progress Check given on Tuesday 10/29. End of Unit 3 Assessment (Major) is scheduled for Thursday 11/14.

SCIENCE UPDATES:

Our 6th grade scientists will continue their learning and investigations with electricity and circuits to determine transfer of thermal energy. We will be using Snap Circuits and interactive digital activities this week to apply our knowledge. The quarter ends Thursday so no new grades will be taken for the quarter this week. Any grades from this point will be applied to Quarter 2.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assessments: none

SOCIAL STUDIES UPDATES:

Upcoming Major and Minor Assessments:

• MAJOR: Let’s Go Back in Time Project

• Fun Dinner Conversation Topic Featuring Social Studies: What would happen to our economy if everyone became self-sufficient?

ELA UPDATES

Upcoming Minor/ Major Assessments:

• “Sudan in Blue” one-pager due 10/28 end of class (half of major)

• Socratic Seminar 10/30

MATH UPDATES

Upcoming Minor/ Major Assessments:

• Math 7: No major tests or quizzes
• Math 7+: NC Check In 10/31

SCIENCE UPDATES

Upcoming Minor/ Major Assessments:

We will start Science Starters this week. These are warm up questions students are expected to answer as they come to class each day. Each paper usually lasts about two weeks and are turned in when complete for a skills grade.

• Winds and Air Masses Quiz on Monday 10/28 (minor)

• Group Project: Weather Maps due Thursday 10/31 at the end of class (minor)

SOCIAL STUDIES UPDATES

• Colonization End of Unit Quiz - 10/27 (minor)

• Epitaph Project - 10/30 (minor)

ELA UPDATES:

Students will be completing research for a monster from Latin American folktales. Then they will be using that monster to create a narrative where they modernize the monster and incorporate it into the novel Summer of the Mariposas.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• 10/30 Cut-off for MUA Retake

• 10/30 Independent Reading Project Due

MATH UPDATES:

• Students will study congruent/similar figures. They will do sequences of transformations using dilations, as well.
• Weekly Agenda

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• None this week

Math 1

• Students will learn how to write the equation of a line in slope-intercept, point-slope, and standard form and be able to go back and forth between the three different forms.
• Weekly Agenda

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Exit Ticket on Thursday, 10/31

Math 2

• This week we will be wrapping up Module 2. The Module 2 post assessment is on Nov. 6th. Module 1 closes on this date and late work for Mod. 1 will no longer be accepted.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Pathway Assignment

• Assignment Two

SCIENCE UPDATES:

• This week we will be starting our Hydrosphere Unit and starting off by learning about the properties of water that make it so unique!

• Test Recovery is due by Wednesday 30th

SOCIAL STUDIES UPDATES:

• This week we will investigate the causes of the American Revolution. We’ll explore the different forms of colonists’ protests that lead to American independence.

Upcoming Major and Minor Assignments:

• Vocabulary Quiz (Minor)

Apex Middle School Baseball will be holding a combined tryout for the Varsity and Junior Varsity club teams over two days: Monday and Tuesday, October 28-29, from 6-8 pm, check-in at 5:30, at Apex Elementary School, 700 Tingen Road, Apex.

Registration and additional details: Interested players are asked to pre-register online Link to registration form.

Please arrive each day at 5:30 pm for check in and warmups, evaluations, will start at 6:00 p.m. sharp. We will be done around 8:00 p.m. each night. Tryout fee is $10 to help defray costs of field rental and lights.

Distribution – Please Share - This email has been distributed using last season’s distribution list, so there are likely interested players that I have missed, as well as 6th grade players not yet on the list. Please forward this email and/or share the attached flyer to any prospective players that might be interested.

We are looking forward to seeing all the kids on the field later this month!

Coach Gene Fones

678.467.1738

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.

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