The Spear
November 29-December 3 | 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.
November 29-December 3 @ AUSTIN
Monday, November 29
- NASA Virtual Observatory Event at 2:00 pm in the library for GT students grades 5-8
- 7th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Angleton @ Austin 5:00-7:00pm
- 8th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Angleton @ Santa Fe 5:00-7:00pm
Tuesday, November 30
- A+ 7:30-8:05 am
Wednesday, December 1
Thursday, December 2
- A+ 7:30-8:05 am
- 7th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Angleton @ Angleton 5:00-7:00pm
- 8th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Angleton @ Austin 5:00-7:00pm
Friday, December 3
- Spirit Dress Day
Weekend
Dickens on the Strand December 3-5
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 Interest Form
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
- Ms. Wallace
- Ms. Robare
- Ms. Boxley
- Mr. Bari
Athletics
Planning to Volunteer this year??
Please turn in completed forms to Mrs. Zavala in the front office of AMS. Thank you.
AMS PTO
Please support our PTO which in return supports our teachers by purchasing a Marios pizza card for $10. They are available for purchase in the office. These cards offer a buy one get one free large pizza for carry out at Marios on the Seawall! Makes dinner easy! We appreciate all your continued support. Next meeting date to be announced.
Thanks!
PTO President
Teen Health Offers Vaccines
Teen Health
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!
Self Management
Organizational Skills
Misplacing items, becoming agitated in the search for something of importance, being unable to process or categorize certain information, or failing to meet an important deadline are all avoidable sources of anxiety. While some people are born with an innate ability to organize, others need to be taught the specific skills and benefits of becoming more organized.
Organization helps us gain control, prioritize, manage time effectively, become more productive, give a sense of control, and alleviate stress.
Help them get organized:
Model it. Keeping a family calendar and creating To-Do lists provides an example of visually grouping and prioritizing.
Introduce checklists, visual organizers & other tools. Show students a variety of graphic organizers, flow charts, agendas, calendars, syllabi, notebooks/folder systems, binder systems, and rubrics.
Get them their own planner. Having one’s own planner will demonstrate that their time is valuable and that organization can be enjoyable and worth celebrating.
Designate areas for specific uses. For example, set up a comfortable workspace for studying and keeping homework and other necessary school supplies and materials.
Give chores that involve sorting & categorizing. Emptying the dishwasher, sorting socks or shoes, cleaning out a closet, and other tasks that include pre-planning, making lists, or arranging things are great choices.
Establish routines. For example, help your student create a study/work schedule each week. Encourage them to stick to the schedule as much as possible.
Cultivate an interest in collecting. Encourage them to create and organize a collection. It can be something as simple as leaves or used stamps — anything that kids can sort, classify, and arrange.
Organizational apps for kids and teens:
Watch this video: 6 Habits of Highly Organized People ( Tips!) (~5min)
Sources:
https://www.weareteachers.com/sel-skills-for-job-readiness/
Have a great day,
Amy Argubright
Email: AmyArgubright@gisd.org
Principal's Corner
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break. We only have three weeks before Christmas break. Let's make them the best weeks of 2021! We cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow.
Principal
Austin Middle School
Gratitude November at Austin
Begin with the End in Mind means to think about how you would like something to turn out before you get started. Reading a recipe before cooking or looking at a map before leaving on a trip is beginning with the end in mind.
Family activities:
Begin with the End in Mind provides a good base for activities around goal setting. As a family (or with an individual child), choose an area that needs improvement. The area of improvement becomes your end in mind. Then think of specific steps that will lead to achieving this goal.
Discuss your child’s career ambitions and help him or her identify the most important skills that will be needed to succeed in that career. Then encourage your child to meet with the school counselor to discuss his or her career ambitions, and the skills it will require, and plan the school path that will make it happen.
Identify and encourage extracurricular activities that support your child’s goals.
Older kids have more expensive “wants,” but they are also capable of earning more money. Ask your child if there is something special he or she would like to buy, then help your child plan how much money he or she will need to save and how long it will take. Discuss ideas for earning extra money.
Email: ErikaPuccetti@gisd.org
Advanced Academic Opportunity
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 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
Austin STEM Magnet Middle School
Principal
Kathy Aaron
Assistant Principal
Erika Puccetti
Counselor
Email: stephaniemendoza@gisd.org
Website: https://austin.gisd.org/
Location: 1514 Ave N 1/2, Galveston, TX, USA
Phone: 409-761-3500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austinmiddleschoolgisd/