The Au Gres-Sims School District

It took awhile but the winter weather has caught up to us here in Au Gres! We have arrived at that time of the year when young hearts flutter at the hope of early morning phone calls from the school district. That means now is a perfect time to answer a few of the common questions I receive about this seasonal norm here in Northern Michigan.

How do snow days get decided?

The number one factor for determining snow days is the safety of our students and staff. This primarily means determining the conditions of the roads that our buses travel down to transport our students to and from school. Sometimes unsafe roads are caused by snow, other times it is ice. Most often it is a combination of snow and ice.

How much snow do we need to get for a snow day?

There is not a set quantity of snow that justifies the calling of a snow day. Typically it comes down to the timing of the snow in combination with the quantity. A couple of inches of snow at 4:00 to 6:00 am sometimes justifies a snow day, while a foot of snow on a Saturday, is not an automatic reason to call off school on Monday. Our road commission does a great job of clearing our roads, but it is a big county, with lots of roads, for a small workforce.

Who calls snow days and when are they called?

I (the superintendent) am responsible for calling snow days for the district. Our career center bus leaves campus to head to Bay City around 6:40am, so I try to make the decision and get notifications out before those students leave their house. Typically the decision is made much earlier than that with the notifications going out between 5 and 6am

What is the process?

I consult multiple weather apps (Weather Channel, WeatherBug, Apple Weather, etc.) to get an idea about what to expect and the direction weather may come in from. The real determinant, though, is getting out and driving the roads myself. On occasion this can be done in the evening, but most often it means that I am driving our district roads starting around 4 in the morning. That firsthand information is then shared with a couple of our experienced bus drivers, area superintendents in neighboring districts, and combined with information from the road commission to make a decision about the safety of driving on our roads. Our buses are rear-wheel drive and that is also a big consideration...they can't rely on 4-wheel drive to get them out of deep snow, nor assist with sliding on icy surfaces.

How are snow days communicated?

We use multiple media platforms to get the word out. Locally, a recorded phone call goes out to the district, a post is made to our district Facebook and Twitter accounts, a notification is sent through the Au Gres-Sims phone app, and a post appears in the live feed of the website. Also, a warning alert is added to our school website, typically as a banner at the top of the home page. Additionally, our cancellations get broadcast on local radio and tv stations.

Do we have to make up snow days?

No and Yes. The Michigan Department of Education allows local school districts the discretion to cancel up to 6 school days each year, usually done because of weather. Depending on the school calendar format, MDE also allows for a waiver of up three additional days (AGS is a district eligible to apply for this waiver). Any snow days in excess of the 6 + 3 must be made up. Last year is a great example, we had 10 days of school cancelled and did receive the waiver, meaning we only had to make up one day of school.

Why was Monday's snow day called on Sunday night?

In some cases we don't have to wait until the morning to make the decision about a school cancellation the next day. After driving the roads on Sunday night to find our dirt roads in very rough shape and receiving information from the road commission I came to the conclusion that our roads would not be safe to drive in the morning. The evening call is not common, but it does have the benefit of allowing our families more time to make arrangements for the next day.

How cold is too cold?

There is not a set temperature by which we cancel school. As a more general guideline, the "feels like" temperature (a calculation of temperature mixed with wind speed) is used. A weather advisory is issued when the wind chill factor is at -15 to -24 degrees Fahrenheit. A wind chill warning is issued when it feels colder than -25. Hypothermia can occur in less than 15 minutes at that temperature, too big of a risk for students waiting at a bus stop.

I hope that provides some clarity. Oh, and we are in great shape at this point, we have only called two snow days this year. At this point last year we were already at four!

Have a great weekend,

Mr. Ming

You’ve heard me say many times that technology and social media can be great, but they also have the potential to be harmful. By now, many of you have probably heard about the software called ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a free artificial intelligence software that can answer any prompt that you can think of. ChatGPT can be specific to a particular grade, topic, and/or ability level. While plagiarism is not new, it continues to change and evolve. Although there are things that teachers can do to creatively construct assignments to minimize the ability to plagiarize, we have blocked ChatGPT on chromebooks at school for at least now. This does not mean that students can’t use the software at home. Bear with us as we continue to embrace the newest technology tools while we also navigate the hurdles that come with them. Below are a few articles that may help shed a little more light on the latest AI (Artificial Intelligence) software.

• ChatGPT: Survey says students love it, educators not fans

• Microsoft confirms it's investing billions in the creator of ChatGPT

• Michigan teachers wary of new artificial intelligence software

For our elementary families, you will start to see Child Safe Kit information coming home to you on a yellow flier. If you are interested in participating, simply fill out the response card in the bottom right portion of the flier and return it to the school by Thursday, February 16. If you prefer, you can also complete the information online using the information and access code provided in the bottom left corner of the flier. All of the information on the card is the information of the parent/guardian and not the child. After the response cards have been collected, you will receive a phone call from an American Income Life (AIL) representative to discuss the Child Safe Kit, including arrangements for delivery, and also explaining additional insurance coverage that is available. I think this last part is the biggest reason that keeps families from participating in a great program. Remember, this is completely voluntary, but as an incentive to participate, the winning class with the highest percentage of cards returned will get a $50 gift card for the teacher. In addition, the school will also receive $1 for each card returned.

As a reminder, we have Student Count Day on February 8. This is one of the two dates chosen by the state that helps to determine school funding using information from student enrollment and attendance. Throughout the day we will be holding drawings for prizes, but students must be present to win. Mrs. Fox will also be reaching out to Academy students for attendance. Also, we will be having a mid-winter break starting next Friday and running from February 10-13. We will be returning to school on Valentines Day, February 14.

Although we are still a few weeks out, we have been able to secure an additional driver and will be reverting back to our 4 routes starting Monday, February 20. Our “new” driver is a seasoned veteran who has been driving part time recently and was a full time para and bus driver for our district before her temporary retirement. Please help me welcome Ms. Ann Tremble back to our full time bus driving staff. Ann will be driving route #4, previously of Cory Brown’s. Route #1 will be driven by Aaron Abair and Bob Lyon, Route 2 will be driven by Bob Strano, and Route 3 will be driven by Ted Gibbs. Drop off and pick up locations, along with corresponding times, will be posted shortly. As with any mass changes in routes, please allow for additional time the first few days until times become more solidified.

It has been a very busy week of NWEA make-ups, but we were able to complete almost all of them! Due to recent absences from different illnesses going around, we had over 200 tests to make up in middle and high school alone!

Now that we have the data, a lot of important events will be taking place. In a few weeks, we will hold our IRIP meetings for our K-3 students to update goals and progress for those who have been identified as needing additional reading support as outlined by the Read By Grade 3 Law. We will also have data meetings to review this data and prepare to take next steps. This includes intervention groups and placement for the next seminar in middle and high school.

Believe it or not, we are also doing a lot planning for things happening this spring! Aside from Reading Month which will take place in March, we are also looking at testing schedules for both April and May. These events will be here before we know it, so planning is imperative at this time! Once again, you will start seeing information about Reading Month in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, please remember the importance of reading at home - even when it is not Reading Month. There are a number of benefits to reading with your students on a daily basis. Just 20 minutes of reading a day had a number of positive impacts, not just academically but also health-wise! While academic impacts include an increase in vocabulary and higher achievement in standardized tests scores, many people do not realize the benefits that reading can have on mental and physical health. Lower anxiety, better sleep, increased empathy, and strong relationships have also been shown to come as a result of reading with children on a daily basis. These types of benefits are rarely the focus of conversions about the benefits of reading, but something that we should all be paying attention to, especially with all we have been through in the past couple of years. Here is a link to an article that highlights some of the mental and physical benefits of reading!

Finally, a new month brings a new installment of our School and Home Connection Newsletter. You can find the December issue linked below!

Elementary Newsletter - February

Secondary Newsletter - February

SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE APPROACHING: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH!

Bay Area Community Foundation link: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=bayfoundationscholarships

We are going strong with our winter sports seasons so please come out and support our student-athletes.

Next Week's Schedule of Events:

Mon. 2/6

• 6p V Hockey AWAY @ Davison (Dort Federal)
• 6p V Girls Basketball HOME vs. Hale
• PARENT'S NIGHT BETWEEN THE GAMES
• ~730p V Boys Basketball HOME vs. Hale

Wed. 2/8

• 7p V Hockey HOME vs. Gladwin (Tawas Bay Ice Arena) SENIOR NIGHT

Thu. 2/9

• 6p V Girls Basketball AWAY @ Atlanta
• ~730p V Boys Basketball AWAY @ Atlanta

Important dates for February for the Au Gres-Sims School District.

FEBRUARY

• 10-13: Mid-Winter Break, no school for staff and students
• 16: Open House at the BAISD Career Center 4-7 pm (10th grade students and their families)
• 20: 6p Board of Education regular meeting
• 22: Early Release for all students at 1pm

Important and note-worthy events taking place in Au Gres and Arenac County

• Saturday, February 18th - Arenac Community Funds Trivia Night (Arenac Community Center, Standish) see attached flyer
• Saturday, February 18th - Family Winter Fun Fest (Center Court @ Bay City Town Center) 10a-2p see attached flyer

The 2023 ESS Art Contest is now open to students in grades K-12! Be sure to submit your artwork by March 12th, 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Winning students will each receive a $500 American Express gift card and $500 for their school!

Quick Facts:

• The contest information is located at ArtContest.ess.com.​
• To enter, students must submit a drawing or painting with an image representing “If you could take a school field trip anywhere, where would you go?”​
• The contest ends on March 12th, 8:00 pm Eastern Time.​
• The top five finalists in each Grade Group will be featured on ESS’ Facebook and Instagram during the week of April 10th for public voting.​
• Public voting ends on April 16th, 8:00 pm Eastern Time.​
• Winners will be announced on April 19th.​
• Winning students will receive a $500 American Express gift card, plus $500 for their school.

Our new video editing staff, and veteran writing staffers, have been working overtime to bring you this week's issue of The Wolverine Wake-Up. This week's issue shares tips on beating the winter blues, backed by scientific research. Stay warm out there this weekend, and when you have a few quick minutes, we'd love for you to take a look at The Wolverine Wake-Up Issue 73

Job Opportunities at AGS

• We do not currently have any vacancies for the district. If you are interested in a substitute role please contact the administration office

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 and she will put you into direct contact with Laurie Crane at ESS-WillSub

Sims brought his friends Au and Gres to take care of the kids for a few weeks!!

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