The Spear
November 8-12 | Austin Middle School
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- Doors open at 7:00 am. Breakfast is available until 7:25 am. Tardy Bell at 7:30 am.
- The school day ends at 3:10 pm.
- Early Dismissal Days end at 11:15 am.
- Dress Code in Effect. Remember Hoodies/Sweaters/Sweatshirts worn inside the building MUST BE SOLID Grade-level COLOR (no emblems, logos, patterns, etc.)
- Bring your supplies, GISD Chromebook, Earbuds/Headphones, and a clear or mesh backpack.
- Snack Bar Open- https://www2.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome
November 8-12 @ AUSTIN
Monday, November 8
- Girls Basketball Try-outs 6:00am- 7:00am
- Boys Basketball Try-outs 3:15pm-5:15pm
Tuesday, November 9
- A+ Courses 7:30-8:10am
Wednesday, November 10
Thursday, November 11
- A+ Class 7:30-8:10 Tue/Thu
Friday, November 12
- Spirit Dress Day (jeans with a spirit shirt only)
- Robotic competition @ Moody Gardens
Weekend
- Saturday- Robotic competition @ Moody Gardens
Rest & Relax
COMING UP IN NOVEMBER:
- November 15-18: Benchmark Testing
- November 17: Fall Into Reading Event 5:00-6:30 pm
- November 22-26: No School, Thanksgiving Holidays
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
- Bring a Water Bottle!
- Austin will no longer accept lunch deliveries from restaurants, fast food, or delivery services. If lunch is forgotten, a parent/guardian may drop off lunch at the front office.
Students must have their ID badges around their necks before entering the building. If students forget their ID, they can get a temporary one at the front office. The charge is $1 per day. Students that do not have the money will be charged. Students that need a new badge can purchase one for $5.
**All Device forms must be completed through Skyward before a device can be checked out to a student.
Science Fair
Science Fair at Austin is now in full swing for our 7th and 8th graders! We are excited to see our students challenge themselves and apply scientific processes outside of the classroom.
We are moving the AMS Science Fair Date to January 7th to give students more time to produce quality products that could go on to our District Science Fair, Houston Science Fair, or even further. Below, you will find a broad schedule of what students have and will be doing at the AMS Science Fair.
Nov 1-5
Complete Proposal and Registration: Students and parents register through the Scienteer website to begin the project. Students submit ideas for the project to a teacher for approval.
Nov 8-12
Background Research: Research into their topic area to see what has been done before and begin getting ideas for designing their experiments.
Nov 15-19
Experimental Design: Complete all forms and submit a Research Plan in Scienteer, reviewed by teachers and safety committees.
Nov 29-Dec 3
Approval and Feedback: Teachers and safety committees review projects (in Scienteer) and provide approval or feedback for revisions. Once a project has been approved, students may begin experimentation.
Dec 6-17
Experimentation: Students are performing experiments, documenting progress, and preparing fair materials. Teachers are checking in on progress.
Jan 3-7
Submitting Final Project: Students submit all their finalized materials.
Jan 7
Science Fair: Students present their projects to judges.
Jan 14
District Science Fair: Students who won the AMS Science Fair present their projects.
*** Please note that this schedule does not reflect all the required assignments or due dates associated with the AMS Science Fair. Please visit the science teachers Canvas class for those details.***
All Science Fair projects will need the following:
- 1/2 or 1 inch 3-Ring Binder
- Composition Notebook
- Display Board, the project can be no larger than: Depth (front to back) 30in. Width (side to side) 48in. Height (floor to top) 108in.
GEF Grant Awards
Has Your Child Been Absent?
The note should contain the following items:
- Student’s printed first and last name and GISD identification number
- Date of absence
- Reason for absence
Absentee notes must be received by the attendance clerk no later than three (3) days after the student’s return to school.
Austin Middle School's Academic Week At A Glance
ATTN: Parents/Guardians
RE: Canvas Observer Account Recommended
To view the Week At Glance Links below, you may need to set up your Parent Observer Account for Canvas. Many of you did this last year and will not need to set up a new account. If you need an account, please Click Here and go to the link under CANVAS OBSERVER GUIDE - TABLE OF CONTENTS for instructions.
- Math: Mrs. Mancil
- Science: Ms. Trevino
- Social Studies: Mr. Grasso
- Writing: Ms. Gonzales
- Reading: Ms. Salinas
- Tech Apps: Ms. Lee
- ELAR/MATH Co-Teach: Ms. Murphy
- Bilingual: Ms. Jones
6th Grade
- Math: Ms. Reyes
- Science: Ms. Diaz De Leon
- Social Studies: Ms. Terrell
- Reading: Ms. Root
- Writing: Mr. Murray
- Robotics: Ms. Marks
7th Grade
- Pre-Algebra: Mr. Ungurean
- Science: Ms. Costigan
- Social Studies: Ms. Ross
- Reading: Ms. Williams
- Writing: Dr. Cappiello
- PLTW: Mr. Burke
- VEX Competition Robotics: Ms. Marks
8th Grade
- Algebra I: Ms. Cartmell
- Science: Ms. Carranza
- Social Studies: Mr. Williams
- ELAR: Mrs. Taras
- PLTW: Mr. Puccetti
Intervention
Electives
- Ms. Wallace
- Ms. Robare
- Ms. Boxley
- Mr. Bari
Athletics
Planning to Volunteer this year??
Please turn in completed forms to Mrs. Zavala in the front office of AMS. Thank you.
AMS PTO
Please support our PTO which in return supports our teachers by purchasing a Marios pizza card for $10. They are available for purchase in the office. These cards offer a buy one get one free large pizza for carry out at Marios on the Seawall! Makes dinner easy! We appreciate all your continued support. Next meeting date to be announced.
Thanks!
PTO President
INTRODUCING OUR AUSTEM AMS FACULTY
Mr. Scott Court, Physical Education & Wellness Instructor
I’ve been a Physical Education Teacher and Coach for 27 years with G.I.S.D.
Indiana State University - B.S. Physical Education, Health & Safety
Ms. Danielle Robare, Life Skills Instructor, grades 5-6
I have lived in Galveston since the fall of 2019, and I love living by the sea. My educational background is in Writing and Publishing, and International Development. I was an EFL teacher in South Korea for ten years, and have spent a lot of my life traveling, especially in Asia and Europe. I have also worked and studied in India, Bangladesh, and Thailand. I am interested in bringing diversity, excitement, and community service to the Life Skills classroom and Austin Middle school by applying these multicultural experiences to my daily teaching practice. I am also an avid gardener, forager, camper, and clinical herbalist. I love anything having to do with plants and nature. I will be the Garden Leader for the Young Gardeners program this year through our TOR program. I look forward to getting to know you all better this year!
BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College, MA in Sustainable Development from School for International Training, certified for ELAR and Special Ed
Mr. Clarence Murray, 6th Grade Writing Teacher
Hello! I have been with GISD since the 2018-2019 school year, having had the privilege to work at Austin and the SAIL remote academy. I consider myself a lifelong reader and writer, and I love to instill those passions into my students on a daily basis. Outside of the classroom, I love to take walks on the beach with my wife and our dogs, read, play video games, and enjoy everything that beautiful Galveston has to offer. I'm looking forward to another amazing year at Austin!
Master's of Teaching - University of South Carolina and Bachelor's of Arts - English Literature - University of South Carolina
Teen Health Offers Vaccines
Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are in stock at all Teen Health Center Medical clinics.
In order to receive their vaccinations, minors (ages 12- 17) must have a Teen Health Consent Form (GISD families completed during school registration) and a Covid-19 Vaccine Consent Form signed by a parent or guardian. The Covid-19 consent may also be completed in Skyward Family Access.
Call (409) 761-3530 to schedule an appointment at the Teen Health clinic of your choice.
SEL at AMS!
Goal setting for teens can be daunting: teens have big ideas and dreams but don’t have the experience of breaking down and organizing a goal into steps. If done without planning, a goal could inadvertently hurt a growth mindset. However, structured goal setting can support a growth mindset by helping teens experience their abilities and leadership.
So how do you help teens set effective goals?
Encourage Them to Write Down Their Goal :
Studies have shown goals are achieved at a significantly higher rate when they are written down. If your teen is motivated visually, encourage them to find images or photos that could accompany their written goal. If your teen enjoys using apps and technology, encourage them to track their goal on an app.
Chunking the goal into steps is the key to success.
https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/guide-effective-goal-setting-teens
This is a fun and easy game that you can play with your students or your children to help them start thinking about their goals.
3 Stars and a Wish
Ask them to come up with three “stars,” or things that they do well. The sky is the limit— it can be anything from a subject in school to a quality that makes him or her a good friend.
Now that they have their three stars, create a “wish” to complement their stars. It should be something that the children need to work on or would like to get better at. They are only limited by their imagination, as long as it is meaningful and important to them.
This activity will help them come up with important goals and also help them develop the self-belief they need to succeed.
https://positivepsychology.com/goal-setting-students-kids/
Guide to setting smart goals in teens (~3 min)
Next week: Goal Setting Part 2
Thank you so much!
Social Emotional Learning Specialist
Email: AmyArgubright@gisd.org
Principal's Corner
Welcome to November!!
We only have 5 more weeks of school left of the 1st semester. With this time remaining, remember to stay focused. Students tend to become overwhelmed around the holiday breaks. We are here to help.
Principal
Austin Middle School
Gratitude November at Austin
“It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” (Anonymous)
People who routinely take note of what is good in their lives and make it a habit to express their gratitude, tend to be happier and have a more positive life experience.
Here are several benefits of gratitude:
(1) More Friendships
(2) Better Physical Health
(3) Increased Mental Strength
(4) Improved Self Esteem
(5) Stronger Emotional Regulation and Well Being
(6) Better Sleep
One way to show gratitude is by writing thank you cards or words of affirmation to other students, staff, family, and friends. Also, random acts of kindness can show gratitude as well. Let’s see how many students can express their gratitude during the month of November.
Email: ErikaPuccetti@gisd.org
CURIOSITIES AND PUZZLEMENTS
Wake up your brain with these fascinating Curiosities and Puzzlements collected by one of my favorite Differentiated Lesson Instructors, Ian Byrd.
- While on a cargo ship, YouTuber JeffHK took 80,000 photos over thirty days and compiled them into a 10-minute video. There's a cool lightning storm at 3:13.
- Artist Hsu Tung Han carves wooden sculptures, but adds some “digital glitches.” Check out the horse! Amazing.
- Check out these winning trees from the World Bonsai Convention. That top one is amazing! There were also some historically important bonsai trees on display - including a 1,000-year-old tree!
- Watch hummingbirds drinking and flapping in slow motion in this video from National Geographic. Their tongues are so strange!
Advanced Academic Specialist
Austin Middle School
Austin STEM Magnet Middle School
Principal
Kathy Aaron
Assistant Principal
Erika Puccetti
Counselor
Email: stephaniemendoza@gisd.org
Website: https://austin.gisd.org/
Location: 1514 Ave N 1/2, Galveston, TX, USA
Phone: 409-761-3500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austinmiddleschoolgisd/