The Au Gres-Sims School District
www.ags-schools.org
Hello Au Gres-Sims Families,
The start of a new year brings with it an element of excitement, as we usher in a new beginning. The dawn of 2021 also brings with the refreshing air of hope; hope that stems from our ability to overcome the obstacles that confront us and the hope that we are making progress toward a pandemic-free life once again. While we are not out of the woods yet, there is a palpable excitement this January that we should all continue to tap into as we each do our part to stem the spread of this virus and find ways to bring back the way of life that we have known and cherished here in Au Gres.
As Mr. Zeien will address in his update below, the return to school also brings with it the end of our first semester of school. Next week we will hit the halfway point of the school year! Earlier this week communication went out about learning plans for third quarter. I would like to thank everyone that has already completed the form for their child(ren) and ask that if you have not had the opportunity yet, that you do so by this Sunday, January 10th. We are continuing to offer an in-person hybrid option as well as a 100% virtual option to our students and families for third quarter.
Completing this form will help us in providing the best possible structure of safety and learning for your children. To access the form please click the link provided below and complete the form for each of the AGS students in your household.
Click here for the Learning Plans Intention Form for 3rd Quarter
Thank you very much for your support AGS. Happy New Year!
It’s hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the school year! For our secondary folks this means exams, but to all of our students, it also means two early release days! Because Wednesdays are our district wide virtual day, exams next week will take place on Tuesday and Thursday and school will be dismissed at 1:45 on these two days. The exam schedule is listed below.
Because of the many hurdles we have faced over the first semester, the board approved a policy change which will hopefully provide a little more latitude in the ability to pass classes. The previous policy stated that students needed to pass 2 out of 3 components (marking period 1, marking period 2, final exam) and needed to have a 60% overall average. The new policy has been amended and states that students must pass 2 of the 3 components or earn a 60% overall average. This policy change will allow students who experienced struggles a little latitude in how they can pass a class. To help students prepare for these longer exams, here are a few helpful hints.
Take care of your body by eating healthy and getting enough sleep.
Begin studying early. Don’t wait until the last minute.
Space your studying out and avoid “cramming”. Study in chunks.
Study with friends.
Ask your teachers for help. We all want you to pass!
Study past materials or sample exams/”pre-test”
Find the best time during the day when learning is most effective.
Create goals. We all love to meet our goals, no matter how small.
Looking ahead, don’t forget to mark your calendars with a couple of other important dates. There is no school next Friday, January 15, as this is a Teacher Records Day. Also, on January 29, this is our district wide Picture Retake Day. Picture retakes for all elementary students will take place from 8:30-10:30 and for all MS/HS students from 12:30-2:30. Virtual students will need to enter through the main office and we will escort you room 34 for pictures.
2021 MS/HS Exam Schedule
Tuesday, January 12
1st hour- 8:15-9:47 (1 hour 32 minutes)
2nd hour- 9:52-11:24 (1 hour 32 minutes)
3rd hour- 12:00-1:45 (1 hour 45 minutes)
Thursday, January 14
4th hour- 8:15-9:47 (1 hour 32 minutes)
5th hour- 9:52-11:24 (1 hour 32 minutes)
6th hour- 12:00-1:45 (1 hour 45 minute)
From the Desk of Mrs. Socha
We jumped right back into a busy week here at Au Gres-Sims! First of all, it was wonderful to see our high school students back on campus. It makes such a difference having their presence back in the building! We had a lot of things happening in classrooms this week. On Thursday, our 3rd-7th grade face-to-face students were able to participate in a Field Test for the ELA portion of the M-STEP. This Writing Skills Field Test gives the State of Michigan some feedback to make adjustments to the testing procedures and also sample potential test items before they show up in future test sessions. It gives our students one of many opportunities to interact with the testing platform, so that they are more comfortable with it for the actual administration of the assessment. They will be doing a lot of preparation over the next few months in the classroom as well! Our 1st graders also had the opportunity to take a virtual field trip to the Hartley Nature Center, where they participated in a live Google Meet to learn all about animals and their adaptations, or super powers! They were able to view some live animals, as well as mounts, and interact one-on-one with a guide from the Nature Center. It was a great experience that we were fortunate enough to take part in!
As we look ahead to the next few weeks, we have several important events coming up. With next week being the last week of the marking period/semester, teachers and students are wrapping up grades and assessments. For our virtual families, please be sure to check emails and messages for information from teachers regarding any end of the marking period testing. Kindergarten and 1st grade in particular will need to complete these assessments to get an accurate overview of each student’s progress. So, please be sure to watch for communication from any classroom teacher (in any grade) in case some end of the marking period items are needed. We also have our winter NWEA testing session coming up. The testing window opens on January 18th and runs through February 5th. I will be calling families that have chosen the virtual option for marking period 3, to set up testing sessions for the winter NWEA session. Please remember that when choosing the virtual option, it is still a requirement to take these state mandated assessments. I will also be offering some evening sessions to help families with flexible scheduling. I will be reaching out soon to set up appointments!
Finally, I wanted to remind families of our partnership with Graduation Alliance. Prior to our holiday break, I shared some information about this grant funded program through the State of Michigan. We were fortunate to receive 73 slots for students at Au Gres-Sims who would benefit from additional support from an academic coach to help keep them on track for success. These coaches can help with time management, study skills, and other important elements of learning, especially during a pandemic. If you were on the list of students that we recommended for this opportunity, you will be receiving a call from a representative soon, if you haven’t already. I really encourage you to take advantage of this free opportunity for additional support! I will also be sending an email to the families who were recommended, so that you will know to expect a call!
We look forward to wrapping up this first semester and starting with a clean slate on January 18th!
The Value of Family Games
The holiday season is coming to a close. Hopefully many of you were able to spend extra time this year together with your families, either in person or virtually. Perhaps you are thinking about how to continue building family relationships and enjoying one another’s company while building memories. Planning and playing family games may be just what you are looking for. Games are a great way to build confidence and character in children (and adults), while also growing social skills. And the best part? They won’t even know that is happening because it is in such a natural environment.
Whether it is a card game, a board game or an active physical game, all games come with social norms like taking turns and following rules. Nurturing these very basic principles during game time can carry over to other situations outside of a game environment by building patience and respect. When playing games, kids can see how strategizing and being competitive often requires delayed gratification, and it may take time to accomplish what you want to do. You may even have to realize that what you thought was a great strategy isn’t working and have to change your strategy midstream.
Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from playing games is how to be a humble winner and gracious loser. Afterall, just because you win today, doesn’t mean you will win tomorrow, and a player that loses can benefit in the future by learning how his/her opponent won. No matter the game, the emphasis doesn’t have to be solely on winning, but for every player to do their best and improve their skills.
So whether you received a new game at Christmas, have a deck of cards hanging out in a drawer, or have an old favorite game tucked away in the closet, plan a time for the family to get together to play. You won’t regret the time spent together during these winter months.
Resumption of Winter Sports
If the emergency order, or something similar, DOES get extended we will make adjustments to our calendar. If it does not, then the plan would be to begin practices on Monday, January 16th. Coaches will be sending out details of those plans.
BOYS AND GIRLS VARSITY SCHEDULE WINTER 2021
1/26 WP
1/29 Fairview
2/5 @Fairview
2/9 @ Hillman
2/12@ Atlanta
2/15 Posen
2/19 @ Hale
2/22 Atlanta
2/25 Hillman
3/3 Hale
3/5 @ Posen
Mark Your Calendars
- Jan. 10: Learning Plan for 3rd Quarter form due
- Jan. 13, 20, 27: Virtual Day of Instruction, all students
- Jan. 12 & Jan. 14: Secondary Exams/Early Release at 1:45pm PK-12
- Jan. 15: Records Day, Non-student day
- Jan. 18: Beginning of 2nd semester
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BlECmNIyp7Iyr58ArAwtGpEPJjj36wGM/view?usp=sharing
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