ALMS Weekly Newsletter

• March 1st-31st - Women's History Month
• March 16th - Girls Leadership Conference
• March 17th - St. Patrick's Day
• March 22nd - Mr. Maida's Class Trip to the Opera
• March 25th-29th - Spring Recess - NO SCHOOL
• March 29th - Good Friday
• March 31st - Easter Sunday
• April 1st - Easter Monday

our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade advisors, in conjunction with the PTA are holding a Family Bingo night at ALMS on Thursday, April 11th! Please see below for details and look out for the flyer which will go home with your child today! All families are welcome to come for a night of fun, food, games, and prizes! We hope to see you there!

The ALMS Debate Team coached by Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Fogler participated in the American Debate League Tristate Winter Classic at New Rochelle High School on Saturday March 2nd.

The students competed in two divisions, beginner and novice and did an amazing job. Students debated both pro and con sides of the topic "The NSA should end surveillance of US and permanent citizens," and took home a total of eleven medals and trophies including first place novice speaker, and second place beginner and novice team award to name a few. Thank you to the students who competed, for their hard work and dedication.

On Tuesday, March 5th, the ALMS Social Studies Department had the incredible good fortune of being able to offer a guest presentation by Mr. Sam Mihara to the whole 8th grade via Zoom. Mr. Mihara is a second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) born and raised in San Francisco. When World War II broke out, the United States government using armed military guards forced Sam, age 9, and his family to move to the Heart Mountain, Wyoming internment camp. It was one of 10 such camps in the country that together housed over 120,000 West Coast residents of Japanese ancestry, most of them U.S.-born American citizens. Sam and his family lived in one room, 20 by 20 feet square in a barrack under terrible conditions for three years.

Today, at 91 years of age, Mr. Mihara is one of the few remaining prisoners who tours the US and around the world speaking about this dark time in American history. His story is both poignant and inspiring in that, after the war ended, his family returned home to San Francisco to rebuild their lives, and Mr. Mihara eventually attended U.C. Berkeley undergraduate and UCLA graduate schools, where he earned engineering degrees. He became a rocket scientist and joined the Boeing Company where he became an executive on space programs. He now speaks to educators, law schools, the US Congress and other interested organizations about his wartime experience and the implications it has for today's society.

Hope Ziogas noted that “Learning about new things is interesting but seeing someone who actually experienced it is amazing…I loved hearing his point of view instead of just learning about this from the internet.”

Julia Nweke said she was greatly moved by the stories about the awful conditions in the camps and the fact that Mr. Mihara’s father went blind from glaucoma because the doctors in the camp were not equipped to treat it.

Noah Elzam appreciated Mr. Mihara’s honesty saying “He shared he was angry about what happened to him but he refused to live his life hating the people responsible for it–that is not the way to live one’s life.”

Jackson Cavanaugh summarized his feelings about Mr. Mihara’s story by saying, “We need to make sure and hope we never make a mistake similar to putting Japanese people in Internment Camps ever again."

It was an absolute privilege to have him speak to our students and we can’t thank the ALMS PTA enough for providing the grant that funded this unique experience for our students.

Link to Sam Mihara’s Website

On Wednesday, March 13, three sixth grade classes were treated to a virtual author visit from Travis Nichols. Mr. Nichols is known for his series “The Terribles” and other books and comics for kids. The visit started with a reading from The Terribles: Welcome to Stubtoe Elementary. Students enjoyed the story and the character voices. Students had an opportunity to ask questions then created their own monsters in a Monster Drawing Jam.

Here’s what our students had to say:

"It was great to listen to the process of how he came up with ideas for his words and pictures. He taught us how to do a drawing jam, which was more fun than we expected and we were able to ask him some questions where we got some "cool" answers. It is "pretty neat" to meet the person who created the books and "I hope we can do it again."" - Ms. Yeterian's Class

"I liked that when the news reporter came on, he was doing the silly voices." - Luke Koshy

"I liked when he read the book The Terribles because he showed us his drawings." - Arianna Kim

"I liked the drawings." - Aleyda Perez

"I liked the drawing part because I like drawing and I was making a monstrous teddy bear." - Triston Wellington

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We hope all is well with you and your family. It felt like yesterday when our eighth-grade students came to us as eager sixth graders. As the start of their final marking periods of middle school approaches, we are looking ahead to the next phase of their lives.

Over the last few weeks and moving forward, we have been ramping up our efforts to prepare them for their transition to high school. This includes meeting with their counselors for course selection and a virtual orientation for families and parents that provides greater insight into life at New Rochelle High School.

The 8th-grade year culminates with a series of activities designed to celebrate the achievements of our students. These include the 8th-grade Formal Dance at the VIP Country Club, a day trip to Holiday Hill, Awards Night, and the Transition Ceremony. The dates and costs for each event are in this message. Please look for further details on each event as the dates approach.

Throughout your child’s time here, they have been held to our school's highest academic rigor and expectations. We want to remind you that basic requirements must be met to participate in any/all end-of-year eighth-grade activities. Participation in these events is contingent upon students meeting behavioral and academic standards. Please note the following:

Academic Exclusions:

● Students with failures in two or more major academic subjects will be excluded from participation in 8th Grade Activities

Behavioral Exclusions:

● Students who continually engage in violations of the code of conduct

● Students who demonstrate ongoing rude and disrespectful behavior towards adults and others

● Students who continue to be late and or attempt to cut class

If you are concerned that your child may not meet the academic and/or behavioral qualifications/expectations, please contact your school counselor. Mr. Smith, the 8th-grade Administrator, can field any inquiries about your child's eligibility for participation in upcoming events.

We look forward to the coming months and exciting times ahead. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Edwards-Thomas, Principal

Mr. Smith, Assistant Principal

Ms. Carew and Ms. D’Ippolito, 8th Grade Co-Advisors

The school district renewed the tutor.com license for middle and high school students! See the attached fliers for more information!

Click to enlarge the images below!

Please see the fliers and QR codes below for more information about SEPTA!

Click to enlarge any images below!