AMS Principal's Weekly Update 10-29-21
Dear AMS Students and Families,
There were lots of great happenings this week at AMS! On Tuesday, we held our first live indoor music concert in almost 2 years with the 7th and 8th grade orchestras from AMS and Norup, along with the BHS orchestras, performing in the annual Halloween concert. While I am always impressed with how well the groups perform for this concert, given that this concert typically takes place 8-9 weeks into the school year, it was extra special having our orchestras perform for a live audience. Job well done by Mrs. Kilbride and our 7th and 8th grade orchestra students!
At the end of each term, students are nominated by teachers for the AMS Breakfast Club. Criteria for nomination includes any combination of regularly completing work, maintaining grades, showing kindness and respect, and positively contributing to class. Yesterday morning, we recognized 30 students, 10 from each grade, as members of the first group for the 2021-22 AMS Breakfast Club. The names of each student were read over the PA and at the end of the day, I personally delivered goodie bags along with personalized notes from teachers to the classrooms of the 30 students. Well done by those who were recognized! With 3 terms remaining in the school year, there will be an additional 90 students recognized throughout the remainder of the year for a total of 120 students recognized for the school year.
Today, our staff and students had a great time participating in Halloween activities and our annual Halloween assembly. The assembly took place at the end of the half day and was the first all-school assembly we've held in almost 2 years. Each first hour class voted on their top costume. With all of the great costumes on display, in some classes, it was difficult to narrow it down to just one costume. At the Halloween assembly, all of the winners from each grade were presented to the entire student body and 1 winner from each grade was chosen. In addition, there were several grade level contests that took place. Special thanks to Mrs. Bajorek and Mrs. Burke for organizing the classroom activities and the assembly for today!
Before I get to the updates for next week, I would like to thank AMS Parent, Lindsey Tocco, and the AMS PTSA for stocking our staff lounge with snacks and treats. Typically during conference week, the PTSA provides lunch to our staff, however due to conferences being virtual and some staff conducting conferences from home, it was not necessary to provide a staff lunch. As always our staff greatly appreciates the support we receive from the PTSA and our entire school community!
Upcoming Dates
Monday 11-1-21
First Robotics Team 4:00-6:00 in Room 114
Gaming Club 3:20-4:10 in room 113
Anime Club 3:20-4:10 in room 100
Homework Club 3:20-4:10 in the Media Center
Tuesday 11-2-21
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
(Election Day/Staff Professional Development)
Wednesday 11-3-21
Rainbow Room Club 3:20-4:10 in Room 110
Dungeons and Dragons Club 3:20-4:10 in Room 113
Homework Club 3:20-4:10 in the Media Center
Thursday 11-4-21
Diversity Alliance Club 3:20-4:10 in room 114
Homework Club 3:20-4:10 in the Media Center
Student Council meeting 3:20-3:45 in room 208
Friday 11-5-21
No Scheduled School Events
6th Grade Elective Rotation Class Change For Term 2
Term 2 begins on Monday, November 1. With that, 6th grade students who have the elective rotation (PE, Art, Computers, and Family Consumer Science) will begin the next class in their elective rotation. If your child is unsure of their next class, please login to the MISTAR parent portal and click on the schedule tab. Make sure the box is checked to "show all classes" so that you can see the classes for terms 2, 3, and 4. Students can also login to Schoology and see the next class listed in their course dashboard.
NWEA Reports Available in MISTAR
In early October, students in each grade took the NWEA Assessment. The score reports are now available to view in the MISTAR Parent Portal. For detailed information about the NWEA Assessment and directions for accessing the report in MISTAR, please click on NWEA Fall Assessment Information.
Support the Demerre Family
On October 19, the Berkley Schools Community and Burton Elementary suffered the unexpected loss of 4th grader Ella Demerre. Ella's brother Luke, who is a 9th grader at BHS, attended AMS for all 3 years of middle school. With this unimaginable and unexpected heartbreaking loss, a GoFundMe page has been setup to help support the Demerre Family's medical and funeral expenses. If you would like to donate to help support the Demerre Family during this difficult time, please visit the Demerre GoFundMe Page.
Ski Club Meeting
Saturdays For Success Program
The Berkley African American Parent Network (BAAPN), in partnership with the Berkley School District, sponsors the Saturdays for Success (S4S) program. The purpose of S4S is to help all Berkley students have a successful academic experience by providing educational opportunities in literacy and math, and developing study skills that will ensure long term success. The cost of the program is $20 per child (fee covers all 6 sessions). If your family is eligible for free and/or reduced lunch benefits, the cost is $10 per child. The program will take place at Berkley High School from 9:30-11:00 a.m. on October 9, 16, 23, 30 & November 6 and 13.
What happens at Saturdays for Success?
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Saturday tutoring, homework help and small group work for students in grades 6-12 for math and language arts
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Money Management class for students in grades 6-12
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National Honor Society High School student volunteers available to assist
To register, please complete this registration form and turn it in to the AMS office
November Lunch Menu
As a reminder, school lunches are being offered this year free of charge to any student who wishes to get a school lunch. To view the school lunch menu for November, please click on the November Lunch Menu
Athletics
Girls Swimming - The first practice for girls swimming will take place on Monday, November 1, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Berkley High School Pool. There will be a swim evaluation for group placement for all swimmers. Participants must have a physical completed on or after April 15, 2021 on file and athletic fee paid. Students can bring these forms on Monday. To receive swim updates, please join the remind app for updates by sending a text to 81010 with Berkleygi in the content of the text. All apparel orders through Making Waves are due by November 3. For any questions related to girls swimming, please contact Coach Erin Roddis.
Boys Basketball - Tryouts will take place on November 9,10, and 11 from 3:30-5:00 in the AMS gym for 7th and 8th grade boys interested in playing basketball. Participants must have a physical completed on or after April 15, 2021. For questions, please contact 7th grade Coach Andre Price or 8th Grade Coach Scott Rowlett
Football - For questions about Football, please contact Coach Steve Hanna or Coach Ron Fritz. Below is the schedule for the season and all games start at 4:30:
September 29 - Away v. West Bloomfield
October 5 - Home v. Hazel Park
October 13 - Home v. East Hills
October 20 - Home v. Farmington Power
October 28 - Away at Clarenceville
November 3 - Away at West Hills
For all athletic related questions, please contact AMS Assistant Principal and Middle School Athletic Coordinator Mr. Cowdrey (248) 837-8202.
Student Clubs and Activities
Below are club and extra-curricular opportunities being offered to our students throughout the year. Clubs are continuously added throughout the year, so make sure to check the updates each week:
Student Council - We had a great turnout at last week's meeting for students interested in participating in Student Council. Below are the following meeting dates through December for those students who wish to be part of Student Council. All meetings will take place from 3:20-3:45 in room 208:
10/7/2021
10/21/2021
11/4/2021
11/18/2021
12/2/2021
12/16/2021
If you have any questions about Student Council, please contact Mrs. Russell.
First Robotics Team (not affiliated with the Robotics class at AMS) - First Robotics Team meetings take place every Monday from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in room 114. AMS parents Kevin Schokora and Martin Wekerle will serve as the coaches this season. The First Robotics Team costs $100 for the season (financial assistance will be considered for families who may need assistance). If you have any questions about the First Robotics Team, please contact Kevin Schokora.
Art Club - There are two Art Clubs offered this year; one 1st semester and one 2nd semester. Art Club will take place every Thursday after school from 3:20-4:10 in room 110. Each semester will be limited to 30 students. Currently, the first semester Art Club which started this week is full. There will be another opportunity around the middle of January to sign-up for the second semester art club. This year, Art Club will have a focus on drawing. All skill levels are welcome. Students should bring a sketchbook and their own drawing materials. Special papers and advanced drawing mediums will be available for those that want to explore. For any questions related to Art Club, please contact Ms. Reid.
Rainbow Room - The Rainbow Room is an inclusive after school club offering for LGBTQ+ students and LGTBQ+ allies. All students are welcome to attend. The Rainbow Room Club takes place every Wednesday from 3:20-4:20 in room 110. For any questions about the Rainbow Room, please contact Ms. Reid.
Diversity Alliance Club - The AMS Diversity Alliance Club is an inclusive club for diverse populations of students and student allies for diversity and social justice within our school and community. The Diversity Alliance Club takes place every Thursday from 3:20-4:10 in room 114. If you have any questions about the Diversity Alliance Club, please contact Mr. Ross.
Gaming Club - The Gaming Club takes place every Monday from 3:30-4:30 in room 113. Students will have the option to play video games, board games, card games, or any other game related activities. If you have any questions about the Gaming Club, please contact Mr. Morris.
Dungeons and Dragons Club - The Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) Club takes place every Wednesday from 3:30-4:30 in room 113. Students with previous experience and those wishing to learn are welcome to attend. The first meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 29. If you have any questions about the D&D Club, please contact Mr. Morris.
Anime Club - The Anime Club takes place on Mondays from 3:20-4:10 in room 100. Anime is a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes. If you have any questions about the Anime Club, please contact Mr. Stoia.
Homework Club - Homework club takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:20-4:10 in the media center. Students have the opportunity to receive extra help with homework, but they may also work independently on homework or read. Students who choose to attend homework club must be working on school work or school related work.
General Information
Join the AMS PTSA!
Please consider joining the AMS PTSA. The PTSA helps support programs, classroom needs, and opportunities for our students throughout the year. While your assistance with PTSA sponsored events is always appreciated, your membership does not obligate you to volunteer for events. Joining the PTSA has never been easier. Join online by visiting the AMS PTSA membership page.
Berkley African American Parent Network
The Berkley African American Parent Network (BAAPN) is a parent run organization that works in partnership with the Berkley School District and Oakland County Schools. The BAAPN network is a way for parents with African American children in Berkley Schools to connect with each other. BAAPN is committed to supporting student engagement, high academic achievement, and increased parental involvement. For more information, please visit the BAAPN Website.
Receiving Parent Notifications Through Schoology
If you would like to receive email update notifications through Schoology, please follow the steps below:
- Click the dropdown menu located in the upper right corner where your child's name is listed and choose settings.
- Click on the Notifications tab
- Change email summary to "On" and set your preference for frequency of receiving notifications
- Change overdue submissions to "On" to get notified when assignments are late or missing.
Berkley High School National Honor Society Free Peer Tutoring
Did you know that students from the BHS National Honor Society offer free peer tutoring? If you child is in need of tutoring, please email me and I will email you the list of tutors. It is as simple as looking through the list, identifying a tutor that meets your child's needs, and contacting them.
AMS Event Calendar
Please click here for a printable version of the AMS 2021-22 Event Calendar. Please keep in mind that due to continued uncertain times, events are subject to change and events may be added or removed.
Yearbook Orders
Families can order yearbooks for the 2021-22 school year for $35.00. To order a yearbook online, please visit the Jostens AMS Yearbook Order Page. On the first page fill out the required fields but leave the homeroom field blank as students do not have a homeroom at AMS. Yearbooks will arrive around the first week of June and will be distributed to students before the end of the year.
Amazon Smile
Did you know that for every purchase you make on Amazon, a small percentage can go to benefit the AMS PTSA? All you have to do is a quick setup on the Amazon phone app and any future purchases will automatically generate a small donation to the AMS PTSA. To setup AmazonSmile on your existing Amazon phone app, please follow the directions below:
1) In the upper left hand corner select where you see the 3 horizontal lines
2) Scroll down and select settings
3) Select AmazonSmile
4) Add Anderson Middle School PTSA to your list of charities and make sure that the "generating donations" is turned on.
5) Your app should now be defaulted to AmazonSmile and any purchases you make will automatically generate a donation to the AMS PTSA.
To set up on a computer, simply go to smile.amazon.com, go into the same settings above, and setup the AMS PTSA as your charitable donation.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram
Follow AMS on Facebook and Instagram. To find us, click in the search and type andersonmiddleschoolvikings to access our page. Both pages have a Viking as the profile picture.
AMS Spiritwear
Anytime is a great time to purchase AMS spiritwear. Ordering is simple through our online store with many options to choose from. To shop for AMS spiritwear, please visit the AMS Online Spiritwear Store. Currently, there is a promotion to receive free shipping on all orders over $60.00. To get free shipping, use the code FALL60-FS at checkout.
Local Happenings
Berkley School District Job Fair
The Berkley School District will be holding a job fair on November 2 from 12:00-6:00 at the district administrative offices in Oak Park. The district is seeking to fill the following open positions:
- Childcare Assistants
- Latchkey Assistants
- Custodians
- Lunch Aides
- Permanent Substitutes
- Para Educators
- Food Service Workers
For more information, please click on the BSD Job Fair Informational Flyer .
Have a great weekend and a Happy Halloween!
Sincerely,
Michael Ross
AMS Principal
Direct Line: (248) 837-8201
Email: michael.ross@berkleyschools.org
