AMS Weekly News
March 10, 2023
Amherst Middle School
Email: ams@sau39.org
Website: https://ams.sau39.org
Location: 14 Cross Road, Amherst, NH, USA
Phone: 603-673-8944
Principal's Note
Dear AMS Families,
This week and next, we are meeting with individual teams at all grade levels for Town Hall Meetings. We are using these smaller school-within-a-school group meetings to discuss current issues, reiterate behavior and academic expectations, and to answer any questions students may have.
We felt it was particularly important to share with you a serious concern we have been addressing, particularly at the 7th and 8th grade levels. Over the past few months we have had several conversations with individual students regarding showing respect to others in our school community. One issue we continue to face is the use of racial slurs and other discriminatory terms. We understand that adolescents do not always comprehend the full gravity of their words and our intention is to first educate in an effort to stop the use of this language.
This topic has been at the forefront of our town meetings as we reset our school expectations. In addition, we are also encouraging those who are bystanders, and hear these words in their travels, to have the courage to stand up to their peers. We know that is not an easy ask, but sometimes messages sent by peers can be incredibly effective.
We write today to ask for your support. Please help us at home by reiterating the impact these words have on our school community and our society. Every student has a right to feel safe at school, both physically and emotionally.
The use of racial slurs and discriminatory language is not acceptable and will not be tolerated at Amherst Middle School.
We appreciate your support and continued collaboration with us as we work to create a safe and supportive learning environment for ALL students.
Sincerely,
Kristen, Carol and John
AMS Administration Team
Calendar
March 13 (Mon): T3 Wellness Rotation Begins
March 14 (Tues): Local Voting Day, 6:00am-8:00pm, Souhegan High School
March 14 (Tues): Track & Field Info Meeting, 3:30pm (SNOW Date is March 15)
March 15 (Wed): NJHS Induction, 6:30pm (NEW DATE)
March 17 (Fri): Festive Friday - Wear Green (St. Patrick's Day)
March 24 (Fri): Festive Friday - Basketball Gear (March Madness)
Week of March 27: Spring Sports begin
March 30 (Thurs): Festive Friday - Baseball Gear (Red Sox Opening Day)
March 31 (Fri): AMS Olympics - more info to come
April 3 (Mon): Q4 begins
April 24-28: NO SCHOOL, Spring Recess
Link to District Calendar for 22-23 School Year
New News
Hannaford Helps Schools
Parent Partnership
Reminders
Local Voting Day - March 14th
Students Vote!
Spring Sports
ALL athletes must be registered in PowerSchool for each new season/sport in order to tryout or practice. Please log into your PowerSchool account and complete the FORM for AMS Athletic Registration. User fee for all sports is $75; for baseball, softball and lacrosse, the user fee will be collected when the teams are announced.
Track & Field will have an informational meeting on Tuesday, March 14th from 3:30-4:30 (SNOW DATE: Wednesday, March 15th at 3:30pm). Schedules will be distributed as will uniforms for those track athletes who have completed registration on PowerSchool and turned in their user fee.
- There will be a Hurdles Clinic on Thursday, March 16 from 3:30-5pm for those interested.
- First practice/time trials for girls will be on March 27 from 3:30-4:45pm
- First practice/time trials for boys will be on March 28 from 3:30-4:45pm
Stay tuned for details on meetings, schedules, etc. for baseball, softball and lacrosse.
Bus Pass Information
- Student's name
- Destination
- Bus number
Students drop their notes in a bus pass box here in the AMS office and retrieve their bus pass from the same spot at lunch time. Bus passes are handed to the driver as students enter the bus. We will take an email (to ams@sau39.org) with the required information in an emergency, but prefer a note from home with a signature.