The Au Gres-Sims School District
www.ags-schools.org
Hello Au Gres-Sims Families,
Throughout this pandemic AGS has worked very closely with our health department, having many phone conversations and attending weekly update meetings to stay in the loop and up to date with the most current and relevant information. Along the way we have followed the guidance provided from the health department in accordance with our return to learn plan, a plan that was required to be put in place by the state. During the peaks and valleys of the spread of the virus we have adjusted our protocols in response to the guidance of the health department and it is our intention to continue this practice. This has seen us change from a 14-day quarantine to a 10-day quarantine and back again based on the information that has been obtained and the rate of transmission in the area.
With 17 school days remaining in what has been both a challenging and rewarding school year, we fully intend to continue to follow the guidance of our health department for best practices, contact tracing, and quarantine protocols. That guidance has enabled us to make it this far into our school year with only one COVID-necessitated shift to remote learning. As we race toward that finish line it is important that we do so together, like we have since the beginning. I am proud of the work that has been done this year and I look forward to the day when entries in this newsletter do not regularly address health-concerns. Until that time, we will continue to do what it takes to follow the best guidance possible to educate our students safely.
Have a great weekend AGS!
COVID Vaccinations now authorized for 12-17 year olds
K-12 Principal's Update
We are getting to the end of the year and with that comes many celebrations and events that I would like to keep you apprised of. More details will be coming in the near future, but if you have any questions, please call the main office. Kicking this off, this past weekend we were able to host a very successful prom at the City Park Pavilion. Thank you to the many parents and staff who made the night a fun-filled event where many great memories were made!
Some additional year end events include the following:
-5/21 Spring Band Concert at 7:00 pm at the football field, last Senior day
-5/25 9th Grade Orientation at 5:30 in Cyber Cafe, MS/HS Academic Awards at 7:00 in Main Gym
-5/26 Senior Graduation Rehearsal 8:30-10:00, Senior Class Night and Awards at 6 pm in Main Gym
-5/27 Senior Graduation Rehearsal 8:30-10:00
-5/28 Senior Graduation at 7:30 pm at the football field
-5/31 No School- Memorial Day
-6/4 Elementary Fun Day at City Park, Hosting of BB/SB Districts
-6/7 1st-3rd Exams (1:45 Dismissal) *ALL students must take these on campus
-6/8 4th-6th Exams (1:45 Dismissal) *ALL students must take these on campus, Last student day
8:30-9:45 4th/5th Awards in Main Gym
10:00-11:00 1st/2nd/3rd Awards in Main Gym
10:30-11:30 6th Grade Orientation in Elementary Library
11:30-12:30 K Awards in Main Gym
From the Desk of Mrs. Socha
NWEA testing is now underway! Kindergarten-2nd grade students, as well as 6th-11th grade began the Reading MAP test at the start of the week, and concluded the week with the Math test. 3rd-5th grade have a slightly different schedule due to M-STEP testing, so they will be completing their NWEA testing in the coming weeks. I have also had virtual students in every day this week completing their NWEA assessments. Thank you to all families who have been incredibly helpful in bringing their students to test! This is very valuable information for us, so we appreciate your assistance! I am still working on contacting parents in between test sessions to continue scheduling appointments. If I have left a message with you to set up testing, you can contact me on my direct line at (989)876-4686.
As I have mentioned in past newsletters, we have been working hard on planning some Summer School options for our students here at Au Gres-Sims. We now have all of the details worked out and I am very excited to share with you our Summer Learning options!
Elementary - We have 2 different programs running in the Elementary this summer. The first is our traditional Title reading and math program that is run by Mrs. Gordon. This program, which is funded by Title grant funds, targets our students who fall below the 40th percentile in NWEA testing. Due to those specifications, this program is by invitation only. Mrs. Gordon has already reached out to her students in this program to enroll. The second option is a new program that we are starting this year. This program is for any student who is currently in Kindergarten-5th grade who is not a part of Mrs. Gordon’s program. This program offers two 4-week long sessions, one focusing on reading, and the other focusing on math. Families can choose to enroll their students in one or both sessions. This is a virtual program, with the only requirement on campus happening on the first and last day of the program. We are very happy to continue our partnership with Edmentum, and utilize their Intervention platform called ExactPath to provide targeted intervention for each student based on their NWEA scores. Teachers will also be providing support and monitoring progress as students work through their pathway of skills that are built specifically for them. We are also happy to announce that Mrs. Gordon’s program will be utilizing this platform for the math portion of her program as well! The addition of this Summer Enrichment program will provide all students who are currently in Kindergarten-5th grade with a learning opportunity for the summer. I will be emailing information and sign-up links to elementary families who are not in the Title program at the start of next week!
Middle School - I am very excited to announce that for the first time in recent years, we are also offering a Summer Enrichment program for our Middle School students!! This program is for ALL students who are currently in 6th-8th grade. We will also be using the same ExactPath platform that I discussed above. Please click here to access a flyer which has information regarding the structure of the program, as well as a link to sign up. Like the elementary program, this is also a virtual opportunity - allowing for flexibility while also giving students the opportunity to fill in gaps and gain skills that may have been missed previously. I am very happy to be able to offer this to our students, and I hope that many will take advantage of this program!
High School - This summer, we will be offering our credit recovery program once again, which allows current 9th-12th grade students to retake a semester of a class to earn back credit. Traditionally, there is a cost of $50 to take a credit recovery course. This year, we are happy to offer a one-time incentive for students who complete their course successfully. Upon completion of the class with a passing grade, we will refund the $50 cost of the course. Letters will be sent out soon to students who have credits that need to be completed with more information regarding this opportunity.
I hope that you all strongly consider these options that we are presenting this summer! I know that this has been a challenging year, which is why we were very intentional on the design of these programs, to continue to offer flexibility, but also to provide opportunities for every student in our district - as everyone has been impacted by the events of this past year. Every opportunity that we can provide to help strengthen skills and close gaps will benefit our students in the years to come. If you have any questions regarding any of these programs, please contact me at (989)876-4686.
TEACH CHILDREN AND TEENS TO RECOGNIZE HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY COPING
Everyone needs safe, effective, easy to access coping mechanisms to deal with stress and anxiety. Without them, people soon exhibit frustration, withdrawal, anger and sometimes self-harm. It may come out in words or in actions, but it will come out, and it may leave a path of destruction in its path. As adults, it is up to us to nurture healthy coping mechanisms in young people.
Coping well with problems doesn’t just happen - it needs to be taught and practiced, even at a very young age. When a toddler is frustrated because he wants something he can’t have, parents and caregivers redirect him to be interested in something unrelated to the source of frustration. Moving him to a different room, helping him to focus on a fun toy, or taking time to interact with him one on one are some common strategies put to use to bring down the toddler’s emotion level. Of course, the same strategy won’t won’t work every time, and a handy “bag of tricks” to quell frustration is very helpful. These are beginning steps in helping a youngster to learn coping skills. As the child grows and gets older, the bag of tricks will change, and so will the ability for the child to access the “tricks” on his own - without the prompting of a parent.
It is normal to reach for coping strategies that provide immediate relief. However, some things that make us feel better quickly are unsafe or make us feel worse later. These can include sleeping more than 10- 12 hours per day; spending more than a few hours per day watching TV or videos, going on social media, or playing video games; substance use or abuse; or self harm (such as cutting). Help your child or teen recognize the ways they are coping and explore whether the strategies are truly helpful or not. Good questions to help evaluate a coping skill include:
• Does this calm me down if I am worried, or help me feel better if I am sad?
• Are there any negative side effects – either right away or later?
• Does this hurt anyone or put anyone in danger, including myself?
• Does this help connect me to friends or family members that I trust?
• Is this something that my teacher or doctor would want me to do?
• How is this like or unlike ways that my family encourages me to cope?
By taking time to help children reflect on their “go to” ways of handling stress, we can help them to find better ways to cope. Being able to cope doesn’t change the problem. It simply allows us to be in a frame of mind to better face the problem and handle it effectively. People who have strong coping skills are far less likely to hurt themselves or those around them. Being able to cope with stress is a lifelong skill that can make you a better student, family member, worker and overall person. It is worth the investment of time and effort to develop in young people.
Athletics Update
Athletic practices and competitions for both the middle and high school teams resume next week. Coaches will be sending details and updates if they haven't already.
Monday morning, May 17th, AGS will have rapid antigen testing of all student-athletes ages 13-19 starting at 7:30a in the high school cyber cafe. Student-athletes that have tested positive within the past 3 months should bring a copy of the medical paperwork to the main office and will not be required to antigen test.
Mark Your Calendars
MAY Events and Dates to Remember
- MAY 17: Board of Education Special Meeting, 5:45 pm AGS HS CYBER CAFE
- MAY 28: High School Graduation, 7pm at the Stadium
- MAY 31: Memorial Day Holiday, No School for Staff and Students
This week it's fresher than a pair of gas station shades!
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