Amboy Middle School Newsletter
May 2019
OUR LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS TUESDAY, JUNE 18
5TH GRADE FOCUS
MATH
During the month of May, students will be finishing operations and algebraic thinking. They will be moving on to volume and geometry.
Students need to continue practicing multiplication/division facts at home, as it is necessary to be solid with these facts when learning more involved math skills. Some math websites that can be helpful when learning any new math skills include: Khan Academy, LearnZillion, and Scholastic Study Jams.
LANGUAGE ARTS
We just finished our animal research essays and look forward to continuing to build our expository essay skills. Families are welcome to help students read through rough drafts and help with the editing process.
READING
In May, students will be reading fiction and non-fiction stories about outer space.
SCIENCE
Students will be switching from science to social studies after SBAC testing. They will be learning about the Revolutionary War.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Missing assignment sheets, or Congratulations! sheets, go home with students every Friday. These need to be returned to the homeroom teacher with a parent/guardian signature.
Please send students with more pencils, paper, and notebooks as they run out throughout the year.
Reminder that SBAC testing is coming up soon. We will provide headphones during testing, but it is helpful for students to have their own pair as numbers are limited. Remember to eat a good breakfast and get a good night's sleep!
6TH GRADE SUMMARY
CHROMEBOOKS
Just a friendly reminder that Chromebooks are considered to be a school supply, so we need ALL students to come prepared each day with it charged and ready to go. We are still frequently seeing many students with Chromebooks not charged. Our curriculum in all subject areas typically requires daily use on the Chromebook. Please remind your student that Chromebooks are only to be used for educational purposes.
ADDITIONAL TESTING INFORMATION
With state testing rapidly approaching, it is imperative that your student come to school with his/her Chromebook fully charged and he/she will also need a set of headphones/earbuds. Please make sure these work with the student's Chromebook prior to testing. BLUETOOTH EARBUDS/HEADPHONES ARE NOT ALLOWED!
STATE TESTING
The following dates have been identified as dates that all 6th grade students at Amboy will be taking the SBA tests - May 7th, 9th, 14th, and 16th.
We know that this can be a stressful time for many students, but we can help reduce some of this stress and set your student up for success by doing the following:
- Get plenty of rest the night before any test.
- Eat a nutritious breakfast in the morning.
- Bring water and a healthy snack to eat throughout the day.
- Do your best!
MT. ST. HELENS FIELD TRIP
On Monday, June 10th, all 6th grade students at Amboy will be participating in a field trip to the south side of Mt. St. Helens. We will need 5-6 chaperones per class to have this field trip be successful. It is free to all chaperones, and it will be a school-day long field trip. Click this link to fill out a volunteer form through Battle Ground Public Schools. Along with that information, you will need to bring in your driver's license to the Amboy office so we can make a copy for our records as well. All information must be submitted no later than Friday, May 24th. If you are willing and able to chaperone, please also let your student's teacher know as soon as possible. They will be sending home permission slips on Friday, May 10th.
40 BOOK CHALLENGE
Keep up the great reading, and remember we're almost done with this challenge. To be on target to reach the goal you should be close to 35 books completed. Way to go!
PIZZA AND KICKBALL
Two great rewards can be earned by your student at the end of the year. Each student in 6th grade has the opportunity to earn a pizza party as well as play in a kickball tournament. To be eligible, students must have ALL work turned in and no grades below a "C". The kickball tournament will begin after state testing at the end of May/beginning of June. The pizza party will be at the end of the year (close to the last week). If students are not eligible for the pizza party, they will go to lunch in the commons like they typically do each day. During the kickball tournament, if students have incomplete work or D's/F's, students will stay in for a study hall to complete and/or correct work. We hope that these earned rewards encourage and motivate your student to work hard to keep up with his/her work throughout the semester.
APRIL ADVISORY ASSEMBLY
7TH GRADE SUMMARY
HISTORY
Students will be studying Europe post-Renaissance through the age of Reformation, Scientific Revolution, and the Age of Enlightenment. They will also be working in teams to build their catapults for the Student EXPO on June 6th.
ELA
Finishing up strategies for writing an argument, prep for SBA testing, and reading "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton.
SCIENCE
The 7th grade science students are now chemists. We have just learned about the states of matter and gas laws. Next, we will review the structure of atoms that we learned about during our Electricity and Magnetism unit. Then, we will learn about the periodic table - the who, why, and how, and all of the information that the table contains.
8TH GRADE UPDATE
THE CLOCK'S A TICKIN'
Our eighth graders just finished with Forecasting, their first step into preparing for high school. The students are not thinking of learning, but thinking of freedom of summer. We need to be cautious at this time; grades still count. If a student wants to participate in certain activities in high school (examples are ROTC, marching band, sport participant, etc.), the student cannot have any failing grades during the second semester of their eighth grade year. Please explain to your child that we still have to compete assignments, and the best way to do that is to come to school prepared and still willing to learn.
TESTING
Please have your child prepare for state testing. How? Pay attention in class and complete work for the class; ask questions for understanding. Getting to school on time; when the child is late, the child has missed information that could be important to their learning. Get plenty of rest - not just the night before the test. Eat a good meal; usually high in protein. The dates have been provided at the end of this article.
WATERSHED CONGRESS
Do you have the time? Our science teachers, Mrs. Snow and Mrs. Steward, would really appreciate some help taking the students to Watershed Congress. About 25 students will participate at Washington Sate University-Vancouver with other students around the county. These students present live information about Clark County's streams and rivers to local facilitators and county officials. The students have been working on the data since the beginning of school. The date will be May 24, 2019. If interested, please call Mrs. Snow or Mrs. Steward.
RECOGNITION
Just around the corner is the Recognition Ceremony. All 8th grade students will be sent off in a beautiful affair. Our 8th grade Leadership bunch has been planning decorations. Please take time to put this important date in your calendar: June 18, time to be determined.
Important dates for 8th grade are:
May 14 and May 16 from 8:00 to 9:30 AM - ELA Testing (Homeroom)
May 20 and May 21 from 8:00 to 9:30 AM - Math Testing (Homeroom)
May 23 from 8:00 to 9:30 AM - Science Testing (Homeroom)
May 24 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM - Watershed Congress (WSU-Vancouver)
June 18 - Recognition Ceremony (time to be determined)
MS. GATZ'S GALLERY
MR. BONG'S BAND BEATS
May is another busy month for Amboy Bands. The Hazel Dell Parade of Bands on Saturday, May 18th, provides us with one of our largest audiences for the year. The audience that lines the almost three-mile route comes from the entire Clark County area as well as nearby counties in Washington and Oregon. Last year we had folks from the Moses Lake area in the central part of the state. With almost 30 marching bands involved, it is a BIG DEAL!
Members from all (5th through 8th) of the Amboy Bands will be marching in the parade. Some of the beginning band members will be carrying our new school marching banner. Sixth through 8th grade band members will be making up the marching unit. They will be performing MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (from the movie) and 25 or 6 to 4 (from Chicago) as they march and will be led by drum majorette Gracelyn Tyler. The drumline will be led by drum captain Sydney Brown.
Join us at the parade as we represent Amboy Middle School and the communities of Yacolt and Amboy!
ASB ANNOUNCEMENTS
GO GRAY IN MAY!
In honor of Brain Cancer Awareness month, we will be having a toy drive to benefit the children of Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Wear gray on Wednesdays to show your support!
RACE INTO SUMMER
Join us on Monday, June 3, for a fun day of outdoor games and our school BBQ! More information to come!
PTA PRESS
May 6 - 10 is Staff Appreciation Week! The PTA would like to invite all students and parents to show extra gratitude to our teachers and staff. The following special activities are planned:
Monday - Snack Stampede
Staff refrigerators will be stocked with goodies for the staff to enjoy all week long.
Tuesday - Fresh Out of the Garden
Show your thanks by bringing your teacher or favorite staff member a plant or flowers.
Wednesday - Breakfast Bonanza
A continental breakfast will be provided to all staff to include bagels, homemade bakery, muffins, juice, coffee, plus more.
Thursday - Thanks Y'all
Another opportunity to show our staff how much we appreciate them by bringing a special gift to give.
Friday - Barnyard Roundup
A fully loaded buffet lunch with all the fixin's will be provided to all staff.
BGHS TIGER DANCE TEAM TRYOUTS
CONTRIBUTE TO THE FUN AT AMBOY MIDDLE SCHOOL!
Thank you to all of our wonderful families and community members who have donated to our student store! We are also in need of prize donations for our Race Into Summer Celebration and the Student EXPO. If you would like to help us in our efforts to reward positive behavior, here are some ideas:
- Gift cards from local businesses
- Bags of candy, small bags of chips, gum, pop (especially Mt. Dew), erasers, pencils, mugs, highlighters, footballs, basketballs, etc.
- Larger donations such as a Kindle Fire, Beats headphones, iPod, etc.
- If you would like to donate money, we will use it wisely to purchase items that students request.
- For Square Cash donations type: $yacambpta with a memo: PBIS
For tax purposes use Battle Ground School District Tax ID #91-6010122.