The Au Gres-Sims School District
www.ags-schools.org
Hello Au Gres-Sims Families,
This will be our final Weekly Wolverine Update of the 2021 calendar year. With next week being a short one, we want to put all of our energy and attention into your students.
From the entire AGS staff, I wish you and your families a safe, relaxing, and happy holiday season.
-Mr. Ming
K-12 Principal's Update
As we end this calendar year it also brings an end to the successful career of Mrs. Sandra Jantzi. Mrs. Jantzi has been the secretary for the Au Gres-Sims School District since 2011. With a soft spoken voice it led you to believe that she was this kind-hearted and timid lady. Well, one half of that is true. Mrs. Jantzi has a heart of gold. But timid is definitely not a word to describe her. There was never a doubt who was in control of the office and how business was being conducted. She was organized, efficient, and extremely knowledgeable. This knowledge spread across various areas whether she was playing counselor, nurse, teacher, disciplinarian, or mom. She took care of over 400 kids on a daily basis and took great pride in her job. She will be missed in so many ways. Thank you Sandra for blessing our district with your grace and presence. Make sure you come back and visit!
Because of the great pride Sandra has for our district, she was very concerned about the secretarial transition and ensuring that the district was left in good hands. To ensure a proper transition and help us to not lose a beat, Mrs. Jantzi has been working diligently with our new secretary, Melanie Vollbach. We are extremely fortunate to have acquired another wonderful person with great knowledge. Mrs. Vollbach’s knowledge is only rivaled by her professionalism and character. Mrs. Vollbach has been the high school secretary at Standish-Sterling for the last 18 years. Please help me welcome Mrs. Vollbach to the Wolverine family!
From the Desk of Mrs. Socha
We are about to head into a much needed break! However, every teacher will tell you that coming back from break can sometimes be a bit tricky. Taking time away from our daily routine in school can cause a bit of a vacation fog, or what some may call the “brain drain!” Note -this can completely happen to adults too!
Luckily there are a few tips that you can do at home to help prevent that brain drain and even help the transition back to school a bit easier for you as well on that first morning back to school. The key to these tips are to not ever make them feel like the students are “doing school work.” They are simple activities and questions in regular conversation that can keep brains working and active! These ideas come from an education blog that supports student learning!
5 tips for learning during the holiday break
1. Keep to a routine. Keeping up a similar method during the break will help keep your child focused. All learning activities or reading should occur in the morning when kids are fresh. Be careful to avoid words like homework, learning, or requirement. We want to essentially sneak in some learning under the guise of fun. Instead, suggest your child pick a book and read aloud while you make breakfast. Let them know each day in the morning they will be doing a fun activity with you or on their own to share daily. That way, they know what they will be doing each day and it keeps them to a routine. That routine for just a small part of the day during the break can help reduce vacation fog.
2. Explore your surroundings. Make a word game in the car while driving to the in-laws during the holidays. Your child can read signs on the road or turn it into a fun math game. Make a bingo card of fun words to spot while driving!
3. Ask math questions. “If your toy costs $4.95, how much change do you give the cashier?” Math can be in everyday life activities. Purchase a math workbook and complete four math problems on a daily basis. Play War with a deck of cards and have your child identify greater than/ less than. Challenge older students to find geometric shapes in everyday items.
4. Write twenty minutes a day. Keep a writing journal. Ask your child to write to someone or write about a topic of interest in the journal. Even better, have them write about their vacation, their plans, and their goals. Check out some amazing writing prompts for students here. 31 fun writing prompts for middle school kids. Younger children can illustrate their writing and share with family members. Try these fun writing prompts for younger children. 50 Quick Writing Prompts for Elementary
5. Focus on a specific learning idea. Identify your child’s challenge areas in learning and create exercises to strengthen their skills set. If they struggle with math facts; make a game out of flash cards. Do they struggle with reading fluency or comprehension? Have them read aloud in the car or while you cook. Ask them questions such as "who, what, when, where, and why?" about what they have read aloud. If they make a statement about something they've seen on tv; ask them their opinion and encourage them to research the topic.
Remember, incorporating these practices into things that you already have planned are simple ways to keep students engaged and they won’t even realize that they are actually learning!
Finally, I would like to wish all of our Au Gres-Sims families a happy and joyous holiday season!
7 Tips to Keep Students Engaged Over Holiday Breaks
With holidays just around the corner, you may be wondering how your students will hold up after such long breaks. The fact of the matter is, children are resilient and will be just fine after returning from a long break. Actually, they may be better than “fine” after a long break.
We can’t deny the benefits that children get when they take breaks from the classroom. Short-term breaks from school activities provide a much-needed pause that can result in:
Reduced stress
Increased productivity
Better focus
A positive attitude
Similarly, long-term breaks let children learn skills they can’t find in the classroom like social skills and problem solving, which are both necessary for development. Physical activities found outside of the classroom improve focus, attention, and cognitive function. Unstructured playtime also allows students to use their imagination and creative skills to play games and activities.
Keeping students “engaged” means assigning tasks to keep their brains stimulated while not overwhelming your students. We want to make sure students achieve proper rest over their break without losing brain activity. If you decide to create assignments for your students, we have some recommendations for you to use this holiday without making your students feel like they’re in school:
Keep it brief. As explained above, rest is crucial for students. More rest should occur than learning should occur. No matter the age of your students, keep assignments doable within a short amount of time.
Consider all circumstances. Some students will be on vacation while some students might not have the same technology at home that they have at school. Keep this in mind when creating tasks for students to complete over break.
Use open-ended prompts. Let your students pick their own topics for assignments or encourage students to take their own approach to a project instead of having uniform assignments. Students will be much more interested in a project where they have more control and personal investment.
Embrace time at home. What can students learn or do at home that they can’t do in your classroom or through a screen? Maybe set a reading challenge for the break with prizes, or have students interview their family members to learn about their family history.
Assign household experiments. Encourage creativity by having students make something out of household items like pencils, paper plates, or baking supplies. Our blog features several easy DIY experiments that students can do at home that follow school curriculums.
Let them explore. Whether that’s the outdoors, their homes, or a book, observe what they are interested in. Perhaps have students build a snowman of their favorite book character for extra credit to encourage a passion for reading and architectural skills.
Encourage volunteering opportunities. The holidays are great times to get out in the community and help out our neighbors for those that are comfortable. If possible, assign extra credit for volunteer work over the break, whether that’s at a food bank, a local library, or a grandparent’s house.
https://www.mobileedproductions.com/blog/7-tips-to-keep-students-engaged-over-holiday-breaks
Holiday Health Tips
Christmas is my favorite time of year! As a student myself, I am very excited to take a mental break from daily studying, and stress. I encourage you all to do the same.
The CDC has provided us with helpful winter health and safety tips:
- Keep Moving! -- Although days are shorter and your schedule may be full, try to devote time to being active. Take a short walk with your family, spend some time helping your parents shovel the snow, or build a snowman.
- Get enough sleep! -- It can be easy to stay up late over holiday break but being tired can lead to increased stress and low energy. Try not to overbook yourself with holiday events and stick to a regular bedtime.
- Bundle up to stay dry and warm! – Wear appropriate outdoor clothing: warm layers, gloves, hats, scarves, and waterproof boots.
COVID corner: It is important to remember to follow the general safety guidance that will keep you and your loved ones healthy over holiday break.
- Stay home when you are sick and avoid others
- Wear a face covering around at-risk family members and anyone who is not part of your household.
- Before and after any meal or while preparing food
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- After using the restroom
- Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick or at risk of being sick
If you have any concerns regarding your students safe return to school after the holidays I am available for any questions by email at pedersenc@ags-schools.org
Athletics Update
Winter Sports season is upon us as we welcome in the cold of December.
This week our middle school boys basketball season came to a close. After a 2020 season that saw but a few games, it was great to get the guys on the court for a full complement of games. We had an awkward number of players and started the season with one team, but a split was made early on to maximize the game-time experience and skill development of our players. We are looking forward to each of the boys coming back next year to build upon those skills and continue the upward trend of athletic participation at AGS. Congratulations on a great season middle school boys basketball!
Next Week's Game Schedule
On Tuesday, Dec. 21 and Wednesday, Dec. 22, AGS will host a holiday tournament in our gym for boys and girls basketball. This tournament will feature teams from AGS, Charlton Heston, SASA, and Tawas and we are looking forward to the festive atmosphere in our gym.
Tuesday, December 21
(All games played in the AGS High School Gymnasium, *with schedule times after the 4pm approximated and based on completion of the prior game)
- 4:00 - Girls BB - AGS vs. Charlton Heston
- 5:30 - Boys BB - AGS vs. Charlton Heston*
- 7:00 - Girls BB - Tawas vs. SASA*
- 8:30 - Boys BB - Tawas vs. SASA*
Wednesday, December 22
(All games played in the AGS High School Gymnasium, *with schedule times after the 4pm approximated and based on completion of the prior game)
- 4:00 - Girls BB - Consolation
- 5:30 - Boys BB - Consolation
- 7:00 - Girls BB - Championship (winner of AGS/CHA vs. winner of Tawas/SASA)
- 8:30 - Boys BB - Championship (winner of AGS/CHA vs. winner of Tawas/SASA)
Congratulations to Art Contest Winners
The accomplishment earned Peyton a $75 prize, $75 toward Mrs. Stanley's class for supplies, and $50 toward the district's food pantry.
CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL DONE PEYTON AND MS. STANLEY!
Important Dates
DECEMBER
- DEC. 20: Board of Education regular meeting in High School Cyber Cafe 6p - Please note that the location has changed (originally in elementary library) due to a use need of the elementary library.
- DEC. 22-DEC 31: Winter Holiday Break (school resumes on Monday, January 3, 2022)
Help Wanted at AGS
https://www.ags-schools.org/employment-opportunities--95
Job Opportunities at AGS
- Full-time Special Education Teacher (1.0, but flexible to part time if desired by the candidate)
- Upper Elementary Teacher (1.0)
- (1) Paraprofessional
Project "Plush Flush" Spreading Holiday Cheer and Stuffed Animals to our Elementary Students
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