AGS NEWS
March 22, 2024
AGS Office Staff
Lisa Wissinger, Assistant Principal
Melissa Welsh, Counselor
Tiffany Peeler, Counselor
Carol Manners, Secretary
Randi Thorp, Clerk
Barb Stinson, Clerk
On behalf of the AGS Staff we wish all of our AGS Families a relaxing and enjoyable Spring Break! To those travelling we wish you safe travels.
AGS Student of the Month
Riley Doughty - 6th Grade
6th grader Riley Doughty has earned AGS Student of the Month for his kindness towards others. He was nominated by AGS Counselor, Tiffany Peeler. This is what she had to say about Riley,
"Riley is very kind, courageous, caring, and supportive. He stepped up when a friend was in need of support. He came to the office to share with an adult very important information that a friend shared with him to ensure his friend received help. Riley consistently follows school wide expectations and always looks out for others." Congratulations Riley and thank you for always showing your STRIPES!
AGS Staff Member of the Month
Katherine Carswell - Science Teacher
AGS Student Spotlight
Gavin Katic and Lennox Naswell - 8th Grade
Gavin and Lennox both made the Michigan Indoor Track State Finals. Both ran in the fast heat of the Mile finishing 3rd (Lennox) and 5th(Gavin). Both were awarded ALL-STATE honors.
Both runners far exceeded the entry standards for the Indoor Nationals sponsored by New Balance. Lennox was seeded 5th and Gavin was seeded 13th in the Championship heat. Lennox ran a PR, Gavin had the flu. He ran the event, but couldn’t really race. He finished 16 seconds off his PR. At Nationals, in Boston, Lennox always finished 9th in the mile (with a personal record) and 9th in the 800 meter run. Congratulations to Gavin and Lennox! Attached pic is from the State Finals.
AGS Staff Spotlight
Don Kutchey - Teacher/Coach
Mr. Kutchey was recently nominated for the Crim Fitness Foundation Active and Healthy Leader Award. All nominees were recognized and honored at the 29th Annual Children's Champion Awards Breakfast held at the Riverfront Conference Center (Flint) on March 21. Mr. Kutchey was nominated for his dedication and contributions to the girls basketball program and Fenton Athletics. He currently coaches the AGS Girls and the FHS Girls Varsity basketball teams. During his 26 years, in Fenton, Mr. Kutchey has coached basketball, football, and track. His passion for Fenton Athletics is known by many in our community and it was great to share this with the entire county. Congratulations Mr. Kutchey!
2023-24 Important Dates
Mark Your Calendar!
1. Go to www.fentonschools.org
2. Click on "Our District"
3. First bullet is "District Calendar for 2023-24"
March
- March 22 - End of 3rd Quarter
- March 25 - 29 - SPRING BREAK
- April 3 - Parent University - Supporting Your Child with Executive Functioning (6:30 PM)
- April 8 - 12 - STATE TESTING WEEK
- April 10 - STATE TESTING DAY - PSAT 8
State Testing Week Schedule
PSAT Additional Information Opt Out
New to the PSAT/SAT testing this year is the option for families to Opt Out of providing additional information about career guidance, paying for college, and more, that would be shared with resource providers such as College Board's BigFurture App. To learn more about this Opt Out and sign up for the opt out, please click on the button below.
Counselors' Corner
It's 2024-2025 Registration Time!
PSAT 8 Registration Complete! 8th graders attended a PSAT 8 registration session on Monday this week in their Math classes, with their counselors, reviewing what to expect on PSAT 8 testing day. They were given this PSAT 8 Registration Info to share with their parents. PLEASE be sure to read this so you are aware of the testing info for that day. Students were also given a Bluebook Sign-In ticket that allowed them to sign into their Bluebook app where they registered & can do their future practice sessions. They will participate in practice sessions in their Math & ELA classes after spring break, but they are welcome to take the full length practice tests on their own. If your student wasn't in school on Monday, 3/18 OR Tuesday, 3/19 for the makeup session, you & your student were sent an email about this information.
More information & reminders to follow about PSAT 8 & MSTEP testing.
Positivity Project - Humor
WHAT DOES HUMOR MEAN?
You like to laugh and bring smiles to other people.
Humor is a sense of playfulness and lightness. It is a way
of looking at and describing the world that brings laughter
to people. A person with the strength of humor is skilled at
seeing the funny side of things, bringing smiles and
laughter to others, and identifying and communicating the
absurdities in life. People with this strength don’t
specifically need to be joke tellers, although many are.
Humor can have a dark side, depending on how it’s used.
Some humor is mean spirited and bullying. The type of
humor that the character strength focuses on is that which
raises the spirits of other people.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
For individuals, humor has important health benefits, both
mental and physical. Humor stretches the mind to look at
things from different perspectives, keeping people mentally
agile and alert. Making people laugh also produces positive
emotions and happiness for the initiator. And, when people
are on the receiving end of humor, they also receive many
benefits. Scientists have shown that laughter reduces
stress, promotes connection with other people, and can
even improve focus. Laughter is contagious and bonds us
to other people.
Humor plays an important role in helping groups of people
rise above difficult circumstances and boost morale. It
removes us from our present difficulties by easing tension
and making life more fun. This is why athletic teams often
need a jokester to help them get through tough losses and
early morning fitness sessions. On a larger societal level,
humor often helps downtrodden groups find cohesion and
strength. This is why Simon Wiesenthal said, “Humor is the
weapon of unarmed people: it helps people who are
oppressed smile at the situation that pains them.”
“Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.”
– Mark Twain
Scouts BSA for Girls
Middle School Girls Junior Heat Lacrosse
Linden/Fenton Heat high school girls lacrosse is offering an opportunity for middle school girls to participate in lacrosse. The Junior Heat Girls Lacrosse program is led by Varsity Head Coach Isabel Greene and Youth Coach Shari Luck. More information is provided in the registration form below. The will be available in the AGS main office.
Break Food Distribution
Community Partner Food Distribution
For those on a tight budget, Spring Break can put a damper on a family's food budget when your
children are at home during the day. This is especially true for those families on the free or reduced
meal programs.
St. Jude’s Episcopal Church would like to offer you help with food for that week.
There will be a Food Distribution at St. Jude’s (106 E. Elizabeth St. at the corner of S. Leroy St. and
Elizabeth St.)
If transportation is an issue for you, please let us know and we can plan to have the groceries delivered.
Simply call the church office at 810-629-5681.
Many thanks to Dave Rayner, St. Jude's Outreach Coordinator, for his and St. Jude's continued partnership in helping our families.
Dimes for Diapers
It’s that time of year! The Dimes for Diapers campaign is kicking off on April 1st thru April 30th. Every penny raised is used to buy diapers for families who might otherwise find it difficult to purchase something so essential for their children. Collection cans will be around the building! Your generosity can help change a baby!
Summer EBT Information
To receive the Summer EBT benefit, every family must have an approved student eligibility benefit (free or reduced) through their school. Households may need to complete and submit the School Meals and Summer EBT Application. Families will need to turn in this form ahead of count day to receive benefits over the summer. Count day is February 14, 2024.
LINK to Form: https://fenton.familyportal.cloud/
Eligibility Overview
Summer EBT benefits are available for eligible households based on their student eligibility status (free or reduced). This can be from direct certification, categorical eligibility, or from the School Meals and Summer EBT Application.
What is Summer EBT?
As part of our collaborative efforts to enhance USDA's summer nutrition programs, the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program for Children (Summer EBT) will officially launch in summer 2024. Summer EBT provides grocery-buying benefits to low-income families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer. More than 29 million children across America could benefit from Summer EBT.
Community Partners
AGS would like to thank following local businesses for their support of our staff and students. Carlson's Greenhouse and Gill-Roy's Hardware donated Holiday decorations to our school. Bill Carr Sign's recently installed 3M Safety Film and a customized perforation film on the front entrance of AGS. We appreciate all of our Community Partners.
Andrew G. Schmidt Middle School
Email: erettenmund@fentonschools.org
Website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089784061965
Location: 3255 Donaldson Drive, Fenton, MI, USA
Phone: 810.591.7700
Facebook: https://www.fentonschools.org/
Twitter: @fentonschools