Hello Au Gres-Sims Families,
The school schedule this week was crazy and anything but regular. I would like to thank everyone for their understanding as we returned from mid-winter break, had an early release day, and had a snow day. The decision to call a snow day is never an easy one, as it means that students don't have the same opportunity for teaching and learning. Ultimately, the safety of our students and staff are the only thing more important than serving our primary purpose of learning.
With a schedule as irregular as this week has been, it is helpful to have habits in place to help regulate your day, a lesson that is applicable to students and adults alike. Habits and routines are beneficial in our lives because they make automatic the actions that would otherwise require more brain energy and effort to complete. Having strong habits in place builds resiliency for situations like those that we faced this week and makes navigating those obstacles more doable.
As most people know, habits can be positive and they can be negative. Both versions follow an established pattern that when understood can be used to build more positive routines, and break more negative routines: a CUE triggers your brain to a CRAVING which causes a RESPONE which then receives a REWARD. This process is called a feedback loop and follows a self-fulfilling cycle. Establishing a positive routine requires initiating a feedback loop, while breaking a negative routine requires disrupting that loop. This can be difficult for students to understand and establish on their own, but powerful once in place.
The article linked below from Edutopia discusses the benefits of developing habits in middle school students, but is applicable to all students (and adults). It speaks to enjoyment in the process and not a sole focus on goals. I highly encourage a read to assist your student with building positive habits.
The Benefits of Guiding Middle School Students to Build Good Habits
For more information on habit development in general (for adults) I highly recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. For a 5-minute-read overview of the book and the essence of habit building, check out the link below.
How to Start New Habits that Actually Stick
Thanks for having the habit of reading our weekly newsletter. Have a great weekend.
-Mr. Ming
K-12 Principal's Update
It may be a little travel, but worth the time and distance for a presentation on Cyberbullying and Social Media. This opportunity for K-12 parents will take place at the State Theater on March 15, from 6:30-8:00 pm. The State Theater is located on 913 Washington Avenue in Bay City. After reading the following statistics, you may change your mind about attending.
66% of parents in America believe that parenting is harder today than it was 20 years ago
26% of these parents think that technology, in general, is to blame and 21% think that it’s the fault of social media and its negative impacts (Source: Pew Research)
The majority of parents (68%) believe that the use of social media has a negative impact on their teen’s ability to socialize normally (Source: Digital Information World)
80% of parents have reported that they monitor their children and their social media and smartphone habits and 45% are using an app to restrict/limit their usage (Source: Digital Information World)
One in three children are cyberbullied and 70% of children say they have cyberbullied someone online.
Studies are also being done to show that cyberbullying is more damaging than normal bullying. This is due to the tactics of cyberbullying being along the lines of psychological warfare for kids.
For our secondary folks, the State of Michigan's FAFSA priority deadline is March 1st and is rapidly approaching! Students and families looking for help paying for college are encouraged to register for a Virtual College Financial Aid Night provided by Treasury’s MI Student Aid team. Sessions will be available on February 22nd, February 23rd, and February 24th from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST. Participants will be able to gather information on the following financial aid topics:
- FAFSA application information
Federal financial aid programs
State financial aid programs
Scholarship searching resources
All sessions are free of charge and open to the public. Please register below for the date that works best for you:
Tuesday, February 22nd (6:30 pm - 8:00 pm)
From the Desk of Mrs. Socha
We are wrapping up what ended up being a short week with our Mid-Winter Break on Monday and a snow day on Thursday. I have been busy diving into data following our NWEA testing window, and will soon be looking at Seminar placements for the next marking period. We also had our Early Release Professional Development Day on Wednesday, where we focused on differentiated instruction, curriculum work, and math coaching. Like our students, our staff also have different needs and areas of focus, so our professional development days are often focused on meeting the needs of the different groups. We have a lot of exciting things happening, such as piloting for new math curriculum material in the secondary math department, a curriculum review process starting in our elementary school for ELA, ISD coaches joining our team to do some individual coaching around ELA in the elementary school, and we also had a visit this week from our ISD math and science coach, who joined our PD this past week with our math consultant. Some initial review of our data has shown some very positive results in our elementary math goals, and I am hoping that it is a direct reflection of our new curriculum rollout and the streamlined fit with the strategies we have been implementing from our math consultant over the past few years! We are hoping to see the same positive trends when going through this process with our secondary math department as well!
Looking ahead, March is just around the corner - so we are preparing for reading month. School-wide novels are arriving, Book Fair details are being finalized, Family Night events are being determined, and we are ready to bring on the fun! Next week I will be sharing the link to our Secondary Book Fair site, which will allow families to start an e-wallet for easy spending at the Book Fair. We will also be releasing final Reading Month information, so be on the lookout!
Health Clinic Information
Athletics Update
Next Week's Game Schedule
- Mon. 2/21: JV/V Boys Basketball and V. Girls Basketball AWAY @ Atlanta, 4:30p
- Mon: 2/21: Middle School Volleyball HOME vs. Mio/Hale, 6pm
- Wed. 2/23: JV/V Boys Basketball and V. Girls Basketball AWAY @ Charlton Heston, 430p
- Thur. 2/24: Middle School Volleyball HOME vs. Tawas/Oscoda, 6p
- Fri: 2/25: JV/V Boys Basketball and V. Girls Basketball AWAY @ SASA, 430p
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)
We are also always on the lookout for substitute teachers. If interested, please inquire with Mrs. Miller in the district administration office, (989) 876-7157.
The Wolverine Wake-up
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
