Friday, August 22nd
Dear AMS F-A-M-I-L-Y (Students, Parents/Guardians & Staffulty),
As we move into our second full week of classes in this 36-week school year, I’d like to emphasize the importance of keeping our instructional time sacred and maintaining a distraction free learning environment at AMS. To enhance the academic culture at AMS and ensure high levels of learning for all, please adhere to our AMS Cell Phone/Smart Watch/Earbud Policy. Numerous empirical studies have confirmed 3 important things that have been good ole common sense for years:
You may think you can multitask, but you actually can't.
Cell phones and social media apps are designed to be addictive.
Classroom cell phone use, unless part of a teacher-directed learning activity, decreases student achievement as measured by grades and performance assessments.
How many of us adults have a hard time putting our phones away when we need to focus on something important for any length of time? If we need an intervention to think deeply and sustain our attention on our work, or loved ones, we need to provide that same support to our kids. So, we ask all students to turn their phones off and keep them out of sight and secured in their lockers during the school day, bell-to-bell, from when they enter the building to when they leave, 7:55am - 3:20pm. We ask for your help in not calling or texting your child during the school day. Don't worry, they’re safe at school with us, and you can call the office anytime and we will get a message to them between classes, or immediately if there is an emergency.
As a parent of two daughters, I know their phones are their primary communication tool and mini-laptop, just like mine. I get it F-A-M-I-L-Y (Forget About Me I Love You). Please reach out if you have any questions. Thank you for sharing your kids with us. They’re really cool and it’s an honor to teach them. LET'S GO SKIERS!
Shine on,
Dr. D
Tom Dodd, PhD
#AMSAllIn #AMSF-A-M-I-L-Y #TheAMSDifference
