The Au Gres-Sims School District
www.ags-schools.org
Hello Au Gres-Sims Families,
With the running of the Kentucky Derby this past weekend comes the aforementioned commentary that is also a signal of the quickly approaching end to our school year. Just like in horse races, there is in school a need to finish strong and fight through the fatigue to make that final sprint to the finish line. This year that idea has taken on a whole new complexity with COVID and the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic.
At AGS we are doing everything that we can to provide some of the exciting end of the year activities and celebrations that students have grown accustomed to doing. We are approaching each of these events with "outside-the-box" thinking to insure that the spirit lives on within the confines of our current restraints and our need to keep kids safe. We are looking forward to a fantastic finish and are constantly tweaking our plans to make sure that everyone can safely enjoy award ceremonies, sporting events, moving up events, prom, and graduation.
We are getting down to crunch time and we need your help outside the walls of our school buildings to keep COVID away. I implore everyone to be diligent with your mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing. Nothing would sadden us more than to see students miss out on opportunities for learning and celebration due to a quarantine situation. Now is the time for us to all show the work that we have done together and celebrate a successful year in the face of tremendous challenges and adversity.
Attached below are a couple of reminders to help you as we combat the spread of COVID together. I encourage you to review them again and keep the information fresh on your minds as we round the final corner and head down the stretch on the way to our June 8th finish line like a "tremendous machine".
(Clip of Secretariat's Belmont Stakes victory in 1973, "tremendous machine" at 1:45)
Health Department Reference Guides
K-12 Principal's Update
So, what type of kids like getting up extremely early in the morning just so they can jump on a bus at 6:45 am and then travel for 45 minutes? Answer….our Career Center kids! Every year we have approximately half of our Juniors and Seniors who take advantage of the roughly 24 classes offered at the ISD. These are great learning experiences! Each year the Career Center has a ceremony to acknowledge its top achievers.
Congratulations to our recent BAISD Career Center winners:
Building Trades I- Outstanding Student- Timmothy Trumble
Careers in Education- Outstanding Student- Victoria Selle
Collision Repair and Custom Painting- Outstanding Student and Breaking Traditions Award-
Cloe Melzo
Engineering and Drafting- Outstanding Student and National Technical Honor Society-
Lance Selle
As the weather gets warm and you wander around campus, besides noticing the beginnings of new landscaping, don’t forget to utilize the “Little Free Library” in front of the Elementary. Take a book, share a book. These Little Free Libraries are book sharing boxes and the world’s largest free book exchange movement. They are nestled in neighborhoods and open to everyone. Little Free Libraries help build the community, inspire readers, and expand book access for all!
And as we wrap up the year, make sure you take a peak and help celebrate our Top 10 Seniors. We started the countdown just a few days ago and are about a week away from #1. If you missed any, check out our school website in the Live Feed Section.
From the Desk of Mrs. Socha
We had a busy week of testing, and next week is only going to get busier as we open the NWEA testing window. As I have mentioned in previous entries, the NWEA is really our biggest focus during this Spring testing session. We are required to report this to the state as a part of our Extended Continuity of Learning Plan, and we use this to inform so many academic decisions in school as well. Students K-11th grade will begin NWEA testing this week, with the exception of 3rd-5th grade that will begin their testing once they wrap up M-STEP. I am also currently making phone calls to contact virtual families to set up testing sessions as well. I have left several messages over the last couple of days and I am hoping to connect with all virtual families over the next few days. Please help me out in trying to get our students tested as this information is very valuable to us!
I know many families have been asking about summer school opportunities. We will be releasing specific information in about a week or so. For high school students, we will be offering our traditional Credit Recovery program. Students who need to retake classes for credit will be invited directly to the program. Information about that will be coming out soon.
Finally, to help us out with testing - please be sure that your student is coming to school each day with a fully charged Chromebook. We do not have a lot of extra devices in the building, and we also do not have a lot of additional days to do make-up testing. We cannot afford to have students coming to school without their necessary materials. Bringing school-issued Chromebooks to school each day is imperative. We would appreciate your assistance in making sure that students are prepared for school each day! As always, a good night's sleep helps too! If you have any questions regarding testing, please feel free to contact me!
Learning to Relax
In our busy world, many of us crave for the time and experience of relaxation. To escape, even for a short time, from the tension, stress pressure around us gives us a chance to reset and recharge so we are ready to face the world again.
When we are anxious, our bodies release chemicals that prepare us to confront or flee from danger. These changes prepare us for survival from physical threats, but they do little to help against modern stressors such as presentations, meeting new people, or long days at work or school. We can use relaxation skills such as imagery, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation to help combat the uncomfortable physical symptoms associated with anxiety.
Imagery
Think about some of your favorite and least favorite places. Some places instantly cause stress, and others fill us with a feeling of calm and relaxation. Our brain creates an emotional reaction just by thinking about these places- we don’t actually need to be in them. The imagery technique uses this to our advantage.
1. Make sure you’re somewhere quiet without too much noise or distraction. You’ll need a few minutes to just be in your head.
2. Think of a place or a situation that’s calm to you. Some examples are the beach, hiking on a mountain, relaxing at home with a friend, or playing with a pet.
3. Paint a picture of the calming place in your mind. Don’t just think of the place briefly- imagine every little detail. Go through each of your senses and imagine how they feel. By imagining the sights, sounds, feelings and even smells and tastes in your calming place, you will actually feel more relaxed. This can be for as little as a minute or even up to 15 minutes - you can decide.
Deep Breating
It’s natural to take long deep breaths when relaxed. However, during the fight-or-flight response, breathing becomes rapid and shallow. Deep breathing sends messages to the brain to begin calming the body. Practice will make your body respond more efficiently to deep breathing in the future. It helps to do deep breathing 2-5 minutes every night, even if you aren’t particularly stressed.
Follow these steps to practice deep breathing:
Breathe in slowly. Count in your head and make sure the inward breath lasts at least 5 seconds. Pay attention to the feeling of the air filling your lungs.
Hold your breath for 5 to 10 seconds (again, keep count). You don’t want to feel uncomfortable, but it should last quite a bit longer than an ordinary breath.
Breathe out very slowly for 5 to 10 seconds (count!). Pretend like you’re breathing through a straw to a yourself down. Try using a real straw to practice. Repeat the breathing process until you are relaxed.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Muscle relaxation involves concentrating on a certain set of muscles at a time. Begin by lying or sitting in a quiet location. For each muscle group, tense the muscles, hold the tension for 5 seconds and then release the tension. Repeat this action two more times, and then move to the next muscle group. Follow this pattern through these body parts: feet, legs, stomach, chest, back shoulders, arms, neck, face. You should feel much more relaxed when you are finished.
If you have been feeling stressed or anxious, try each of the above techniques to relax. You may find a favorite, or perhaps a mix of techniques that will leave you refreshed and renewed.
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 10th, 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 the dew of a mountain glen on a cool spring morning.
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