The Spear
December 6-10 | 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
- If your child would like to wear a mask during the school day, please provide one.
December 6-10 @ AUSTIN
Monday, December 6
- Book Drive winners- Free Dress day for 5th and 8th grades ONLY
- 8th Graders Tech Lunch for winning Book Fair Drive!
- 4:00 pm: PTO Meeting in the AMS Library
- 7th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Central @ Austin 5:00-7:00pm
- 8th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Central @ Central 5:00-7:00pm
Tuesday, December 7
- A+ 7:30-8:05 am
- Holiday Band Concert 5 pm Austin Gym
Wednesday, December 8
Thursday, December 9
- A+ 7:30-8:05 am
- 7th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Central @ Central 5:00-7:00pm
- 8th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Central @ Austin 5:00-7:00pm
Friday, December 10
- Spirit Dress Day
Weekend
Nutcracker Ballet at The Grand: purchase tickets here
COMING SOON
December 17th: Holly Jolly Holiday hosted by the Electives Team. There will be food, fun & crafts. Tickets go on sale on Dec. 14th.
Special Dress Week:
Monday, Dec. 13: Kick off the Holidays and wear your boots and flannel shirts.
Tuesday, Dec. 14: Let's play Reindeer Games and wear our favorite team shirts or jerseys with a holiday hat
Wednesday, Dec. 15: It's a Cozy Christmas wear your school-appropriate PJ's or comfy outfit.
Thursday, Dec. 16th: Let's Deck the Halls and wear red and green with a holiday hat and or socks
Friday, Dec. 17th: It's our favorite Ugly Christmas Sweater competition with a prize for each grade level winner.
You may pay $10 on Monday or you may pay $2 each day you would like to participate. Correct currency is encouraged.
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.
Spelling Bee
On January 5th and 6th, our 5th grade students will be taking part in our annual Spelling Bee! Spelling words may be found on Ms. Gonzales' Canvas page, the AMS Student Canvas page, and HERE.
Science Fair Judges Needed
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 District Science Fair Date to January 14th 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 14
District Science Fair: Students from across the district will come to compete in the District Fair.
*** Please note that this schedule does not reflect all the required assignments or due dates associated with the 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.
Science Fair Assistance
This week (11/29-12/3) at the Scott Building from 4:45-5:45 pm, Ball High School students and staff will be offering assistance to students who would like some help on their Science Fair Projects.
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
Athletics
Planning to Volunteer this year??
Please turn in completed forms to Mrs. Zavala in the front office of AMS. Thank you.
Panama Fundraiser: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Support our students' trip to Panama (Summer 2022) by purchasing some delicious mini BUNDT CAKES (only $5 each)! Last Day to order is Friday, December 10th. Cakes will be delivered to Austin MS on January 8, 2022.
HOW TO ORDER: Reach out to any student attending the Panama trip. OR, contact Emily Shotwell for a list of students to purchase from.
AMS PTO
PTO hosted a Thanksgiving luncheon for teachers before the break and it was a huge success! We look forward to our annual Fat Tuesday feast coming up at the beginning of the year! We will have our next PTO meeting at 4 pm in the library on Monday, December 6th. The teachers are also enjoying their monthly snack carts, look out for a donation sign up for treats! Thank you so much.
Thanks!
PTO President
Teen Health Offers Vaccines
Medical
Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are available at all Teen Health Center Medical clinics. In order to receive their vaccinations, minors ages 5- 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 or at www.teenhealthcenter.org. Call (409) 761-3530 to schedule an appointment at the Teen Health medical clinic of your choice.
Mental Health
Teen Health Center Offers Mental Health Therapy!
Galveston youth ages 0-21 are welcome. Mental Health therapy is provided via a secure telehealth platform and in person. If you feel your mental health is not where it should be, you can contact one of our Teen Health Center Mental Health Clinics!
To make a mental health therapy appointment, call: (409) 761-3530, ext. 7
SEL at AMS!
Social Awareness
Perspective Taking
Perspective-taking is the ability to relate to other people and see things from their point of view. The CASEL framework for SEL skills typically starts with teaching self-awareness before moving to social awareness. Perspective-taking is a valuable social skill because it's part of most communication and interactions between people. It's an essential skill students need to interpret the "why" and "how" of situations and respond appropriately. Perspective-taking is a cognitive component of empathy.
4 Parts To Successful Perspective Taking:
Set aside your thoughts, feelings, motivations & intentions
Consider others' thoughts, feelings, motivations & intentions
Determine whether or not your behavior should change based on that information
Make any necessary changes
Good perspective takers monitor and reassess their interpretation of others. Students with perspective-taking skills are better able to:
interpret the needs & wants (motivation) of others
demonstrate consideration/empathy toward others
safely navigate around people with ill intentions
adjust behavior to help others feel comfortable
complete assignments at school by understanding the perspective of characters studied or the person who will be reading their writing
share in the happiness of others even without sharing the same level of interest
think critically about relationships & engage in personal problem solving
Practice Perspective Taking:
1) Ask for Multiple Perspectives
Make it a social norm in your home or classroom to regularly explore others' perspectives during discussions. Work with them to present the "other side" of an issue.
2) Encourage Students to Be Social Detectives, Not Judges
Teach students to hold off on judging others and instead investigate reasons for others' positions/actions.
3) Provide Feedback Opportunities
We can ask students to practice taking someone else's perspective and then check how well they did with simple prediction exercises.
A video on Perspective taking (~3 min)
“Learning to Walk in Another’s Shoes” (article)
Sources:
https://www.sociallyskilledkids.com/perspective-taking
https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/social-emotional-skill-perspective
Have a great day,
Amy Argubright
Email: AmyArgubright@gisd.org
Principal's Corner
With all the holiday fun, decorations, and celebrations occurring this month, it could distract from finishing the year strong. Please remember to check your grades and attendance for any possible issues.
Principal
Austin Middle School
Empathy Month
Why Empathy is So Important
Empathy, or the ability to know how another person is feeling, is often considered a basic trait that all humans possess. In reality, an individual’s level of empathy development can be placed on a continuum, with some people having highly developed abilities to participate in the feelings of another while others struggle to identify with some of the most basic human emotions, like sadness and anger. Instead of thinking of empathy as an all or nothing personality trait, it should be seen as a skill that can be developed and nourished in children, leading them into a lifelong ability to connect with others, tolerate differences and take an active role when they see that someone needs help or understanding.
Empathy, however, is not easy. It can be uncomfortable to experience the negative emotions of others, so it’s not surprising that many children avoid developing the ability to walk in another person’s shoes. Helping children through those barriers and giving them opportunities to practice experiencing the perspective of others can significantly increase their emotional intelligence, giving them the lifelong ability to successfully build relationships in both their personal and professional lives.
Email: ErikaPuccetti@gisd.org
Advanced Academic Opportunity
This opportunity deserves a second week of feature so I'm leaving it here for this week. :)
Our world needs more problem solvers! This opportunity is about creating sustainable solutions through engineering for our future. If your student decides to enter, please let me know; I'm happy to help review their essay and provide guidance/support through the process.
WHAT: Write an informative essay about how engineering can help humanity meet one of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable development is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs. It’s a way of thinking that will help make sure life is as good or better in the future as it is today. To accomplish this, the world needs solutions that not only fix problems, but also support social and political change. Engineering and people with engineering skills are essential to making this happen.
The United Nations created the Sustainable Development Goals to identify 17 areas where urgent action is required on all levels – from international institutions to individual households. The aim is to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people have equal opportunities to enjoy peace and prosperity.
HOW: Write a short essay about how engineering can help meet one of these sustainable development goals. Include at least one example of a solution that demonstrates how engineering design can be used to solve current problems without risking the future.
All entries are limited to 650 words.
WHEN: The contest will close at 11:59 PM, February 1, 2022, U.S. Eastern Standard Time. All entries, regardless of how they are submitted, must be received prior to this date and time in order to be considered.
WHO: The contest is open to individual girls and boys in the following three competition categories: Elementary School Students (grades 3-5), Middle School Students in (grades 6-8), or High School Students (grades 9-12).
WHERE: EngineerGirl.org
Advanced Academic Specialist
Austin Middle School