AMS Weekly Update

Happy Friday, AMS! Thank you for a great week! It is hard to believe that we are wrapping up September and moving into October.

Here are some important dates for October:

• 10.6 - AIM Student Presentations (7th Grade)
• 10.6 - Fall Dance
• 10.9 - Fall Band Concert
• 10.11 - End of Cycle 1
• 10.12 - Student Holiday (Professional Learning Day)
• 10.13 - Staff & Student Holiday
• 10.16 - Staff & Student Holiday
• 10.17 - Student Holiday (Teacher Work Day)
• 10.20 - Report Cards in Parent Portal
• Week of 10.23 - Red Ribbon Week
• 10.23 - AMS Campus Presentation @ Board Meeting

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. Remember to be the difference and have a great Bearcat Day!

MONDAY - OCTOBER 2

• National Custodial Worker's Day
• AMS Volleyball - Ladycats take on MMS @ AMS. Games begin @ 5:00

TUESDAY - OCTOBER 3

• Spirit Lunches
• AMS Football - Bearcats take on MMS! 7th Grade @ AMS - 8th Grade will play @ AHS. Games begin @ 5:00

WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 4

• AMS XC @ Stephenville
• AMS Tennis vs. Weatherford Tison @ AHS

THURSDAY - OCTOBER 5

• Bearcat Spirit Day -- NEON DAY
• AHS FB @ South Hills

FRIDAY - OCTOBER 6

• AIM Student Program (7th Grade Only)
• AMS Fall Dance (7th and 8th Grade Only)

MAP Growth results will be sent home with your student the week of October 2nd-6th. Click here to learn more about MAP Growth including how it works, what it measures and common questions. Haga clic aquí para obtener más información en español.

Skye exhibits a profound curiosity for not only band, but everything in her life. She is patient, observant, and forms intelligent questions. Skye has a clear thirst for knowledge, and I think she deserves to be the AMS Bearcat of Character for September.

This month we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The observance of Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1988, under President Ronald Reagan. However, its roots date back to 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson announced the first Hispanic Heritage Week. Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 - October 15.

The Aledo Independent School District wants its students, staff, and parents to know the priority we place on safety and security. Proactive measures include extensive emergency operations plans, regularly scheduled safety drills, video camera monitoring throughout the district, controlled access to all facilities, and School-Based Law Enforcement at all district campuses. Inan additional effort to prioritize school safety Aledo ISD will require all 6th - 12th grade studentsto wear ID badges whenever present on school property during the school day.

Each 6th - 12th grade student will receive a photo ID badge and a lanyard at the beginning of

each school year. Throughout the school day, students will be required to clearly display their

ID around the neck with school-issued lanyard. Students will be required to wear the lanyard

and ID at all times unless the lanyard and ID pose a potential safety concern for a class activity, such as PE/athletics or in a science lab. Teachers will instruct students to remove their lanyard and ID if there is a safety concern for the class activity.

Requirements:

• ID badges must be worn with the picture facing out.

• ID badges must not be defaced or altered in any way

• ID badges must be worn on top of the outermost layer of clothing.

This year we are working to improve our attendance rates - because if you're not here, you're not learning!

What that means - prioritize school attendance!

What that does not mean - we are NOT encouraging students to come to school sick!

We are monitoring attendance rates for each grading cycle. If your grade level improves your percentage for the cycle - your grade level wins a FLEX party!

Here's our percentages to BEAT! (These are the Cycle 1 percentages from last year)

• 6th Grade --> 96.9%
• 7th Grade --> 97.6%
• 8th Grade --> 97.1%

Here's our percentages from this week:

• 6th Grade --> 97.3%
• 7th Grade --> 97.1%
• 8th Grade --> 97.3%
• AMS --> 97.2% AWESOME JOB!

Keep up the great work - SEE YOU ON MONDAY!

The end of the year and colder weather often means illnesses going around and, with that, busy doctors offices and clinics. Please remember that the Aledo ISD is proud to offer Bearcat Care Clinics at each campus to our students and employees as a convenient option when getting into your primary care doctor or going to a stand alone clinic isn’t an option for your family. We know Bearcat Care Clinics do not replace our local pediatricians, and we are so grateful for them! Bearcat Care instead is a partnership with the Parker County Hospital District where each school nurse’s clinic is set up with a medical cart similar to what you would find in a hospital setting. This Bearcat Care setup essentially turns our school nurse offices into minor care clinics able to facilitate telemedicine visits with family doctors or nurse practitioners as well as making flu, strep, and COVID testing available (all with parent consent, of course) right at school.

Parents are even able to join the telemedicine visit with the nurse and doctor from the convenience of home or work or elsewhere. If a Bearcat Care visit determines that kids or staff may need to go home or get some prescription medicine, the prescription can be called in to your chosen pharmacy to be picked up as soon as possible and eliminate additional stops or appointments when not feeling well!

Access to Bearcat Care is for any student or staff member.

7th Grade students will be given the opportunity to hear a powerful, live presentation by Youth Equipped to Succeed. The program titled, Aim For Success, focuses on the health benefits of waiting for sexual activity. The student presentation will be on October 6, 2023. Students will be separated into groups by gender. The groups for this presentation are listed below.

Groups

• Session 1 - Girls A - L (9:30 - 10:25)
• Session 2 - Girls M - Z (10:30 - 11:20)
• Session 3 - Boys A - L (11:30 - 12:!5)
• Session 4 - Boys M - Z (1:30-2:30)

To attend this program, students must have a signed permission slip. The signed permission slip acts as an admission ticket to view the program, so please be sure your student has his or her signed slip in hand on Friday, October 6. You may view the permission slip by clicking here and students will receive a hard copy on Monday, September 18. If you have questions about this presentation please contact Maggie Alexander, 7th Grade Counselor, at malexander@aledoisd.org.

Our Parent-Teacher Organization is a volunteer group dedicated to supplementing the needs of every campus in the district.

Aledo PTO strives to provide exceptional educational experiences for AISD students through community building, partnerships with local sponsors, school supplies for classrooms, scholarships, and staff appreciation throughout the district. Aledo ISD staff can join the Aledo PTO for only $5!

More about Aledo PTO | Follow the Aledo PTO Facebook page

Tutorials in core classes are available weekly!

Check out the schedules below:

6th Grade

• Tuesday - Jones (RLA) and Bernard (Science)
• Wednesday - Shifflett (Math) and Griffith (SS)
• Thursday - Penner (RLA) and Click (Math)
• Friday- Lasater (Science) and Blanton (SS)

7th Grade

• Tuesday - Newkirk (Science) and Cantu (Math)
• Wednesday - Jenkins (Science) and Jones (RLA)
• Thursday - Watson (Math) and Tom (RLA)

8th Grade

• Monday - Pokrifcsak (RLA)
• Tuesday - Lyle (Math) and Daves (Science)
• Wednesday - Seals (RLA) and Winn (Math)
• Thursday - Shreck (SS) and Cook (Science)
• Friday - Coyne (RLA)

Nurse Hammons welcomed her son to the world Tuesday night! She will be out on maternity leave and we will have Ambree Smith (ajsmith@aledoisd.org) on campus.

Please see link below for the following forms:

1. Medication Form
2. Authorization for Self-Administration/ Self-Carry of Asthma or Anaphylaxis Medication
3. Special Dietary Needs

https://www.aledoisd.org/Page/3028

Wristbands will be sold Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during lunches - $5 cash only! Wristbands at the door will be $10 on the night of the dance. Remember - CASUAL ATTIRE and dress standards apply (not in dress code, no admittance).

Please see the wishlists for dance decor!

Dear Families,

This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Perspective. Perspective means you appreciate when people see things in different ways. You have the ability to understand the world from multiple points of view.

Perspective is also referred to as wisdom and is distinct from intelligence. People with this strength are sought out for advice because they see the big picture and can make sense of the world’s complexity. This strength of perspective gives individuals the ability to see to the heart of difficult matters and achieve clarity. Most importantly, they are honest and behave in an ethically consistent manner.

Perspective helps an individual make sense of the world. It provides clarity on what matters and what does not. Being able to see things from multiple angles helps individuals remain calm and learn from mistakes; they are typically highly self-aware. Reflecting on their own feelings, thoughts, and motives helps them understand and empathize with other people. These individuals are strong listeners and ask great questions. Individuals with the strength of perspective help their group get through difficult or uncertain circumstances because they’re poised and can identify opportunities for success.

To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.

Have a wonderful week!

Payments for Damaged Chromebooks - Payments MUST be paid online through the AISD InTouch platform. In person payments are not permitted. Please instruct your front office staff not to accept any payment for broken devices. Please refer parents to this link for further information.

https://www.aledoisd.org/Page/4320

In the event that you need to deliver lunch to your student, please follow the steps below:

1. Please be sure that the lunch is clearly labeled with your student's first and last name.
2. Upon entering AMS, please place your student's lunch in the bin assigned to your student's grade level lunch.
3. The bins will be delivered at the start of each lunch period. Students will be responsible for getting their lunches from the bin.

Again, we request that you limit lunch deliveries when possible. Also, in order to limit distractions, we will not call students out of class to receive lunches.

Thank you for your help with this!

Email: mmusselwhite@aledoisd.org
Website: https://www.aledoisd.org/AMS
Location: 416 FM 1187, Aledo, TX, USA
Phone: (817)441-5198
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AledoMSBearcats
Twitter: @aledo_ms