Armada Middle School

We are now over one month into the year and at this point students have their class schedules memorized and their routines established. In my 13th year as middle school principal (16th year in the district), I am looking forward to working with parents, students, and staff to make this year, not only a safe one, but a positive, academically challenging experience as well. It is my goal that all students maximize their educational potential, and that we provide them the tools and opportunities to be successful in high school and to be competitive in their future endeavors.

Parent Back to School Night

Thank you to all of the parents who attended our Back to School Night on September 16th. For those parents who were unable to attend, I encourage you to check out class websites or reach out to teachers directly via email or phone with any specific questions you may have.

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences: Thursday, October 8th

Fall conferences will take place on Thursday, October 8th with both virtual and in person formats being available.

• Virtual Conferences: 3:00-5:00 pm

• Teachers will be individually contacting the parents of any student earning a C- or below in their classes. During this correspondence, the procedures and details for setting up and scheduling a virtual/phone conference will be shared. Families will be contacted between Wednesday, September 23rd - Wednesday, September 30th. If virtual appointment times are still available after the initial parent contacts for students earning a C- or below, remaining parents will be notified of the availability to schedule a virtual conference.

• In Person Conferences: 6:00-8:00 pm

• Teachers will have walk-in availability in their classrooms to meet with parents beginning at 6:00 pm. No appointments are required.

• Individual conferences will be limited to 5 minutes in length. If additional time is needed please make other arrangements with your child’s teacher.

If you have any questions about conferences or about your student’s progress in a class, please reach out to the individual teacher.

2026-2027 Honors Night: New Qualification Process

Beginning this school year, we will be shifting from using individual letter grades as the primary qualification measure to using Grade Point Average (GPA). This change is intended to provide a more consistent and comprehensive reflection of students’ academic performance. We will communicate additional information, including specific qualification criteria and details about how GPA will be used, as the school year progresses.

ROAR 140

The ROAR 140 program is beginning its 10th year at the middle school. The program is designed to provide academic and behavior support to students so they can be successful inside of the classroom. In addition, the ROAR Room runs a supervised study hall after school until 3:30 pm (12:00 pm on Early Release days) for students awaiting practices, rides, etc. More information on ROAR 140 can be found within this edition of the newsletter.

NWEA Testing

At three points throughout the year (fall, winter, and spring) all Armada Middle School students participate in Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) testing. These tests in reading, language usage, mathematics, and science are used to measure a student’s growth and progress in each area throughout the school year. Our teachers use the results to track a student’s progress and to assist in identifying academic strengths and weaknesses in specific areas. This data also allows teachers to guide their classroom instruction and lesson planning to meet the needs of their students. In addition, NWEA test results are also used to assist the staff in scheduling students in their appropriate level courses and to help determine whether or not intervention courses in reading and/or mathematics would be beneficial. Fall testing results and parent reports will be sent home with students in early October.

• October 2nd - Half Day all students - Teacher Professional Development
• October 8th - Middle School Conferences
• October 9th - No School (Teacher Professional Development)
• October 31st - Half Day all students (Teacher Professional Development)
• November 3rd - No School (Teacher Professional Development)
• November 19th - Half Day all students - Exams (Hours 1-3)
• November 20th - Half Day all students - Exams (Hours 4-6)
• November 20th - End of Trimester 1
• November 23rd - 27th - No School - Thanksgiving Recess
• November 30th - School Resumes - Start of Trimester 2

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! My name is Jared Biesbrouck, and I am thrilled to join Armada Middle School as your new Dean of Students. I come to AMS with over 10 years of experience as a physics teacher and baseball coach. I am excited for my next chapter in administration where I can serve the students, staff, and community of Armada Area Schools. As Dean, my top priority is fostering a positive, supportive environment where ALL students have the opportunity to succeed.

At the beginning of September, Mr. Schafer and I presented to all students on the support programs and expectations we have here at Armada Middle School. Topics included were:

• Dress Code

• Technology Policy

• Eligibility Policy

• Bullying/Cyberbullying/Harassment Policies, along with where to report it

• Bus/School Event Expectations

• Acceptable Behavior Program (Point System)

• AMS Technology Policies

• Where to find our student handbook and other resources

• Tips for having a happy, healthy, and successful time at AMS

• ROAR Room availability

• What to do and who to contact when conflicts arise

• Most importantly, that we are always available for our students

At the start of September all students received their login information for PowerSchool, Schoology, and Clever. They now have access to their course grades through https://ps.arm.misd.net/public. If your student did not receive their login information, please have them contact the office.

Please be sure to review the Armada Middle School Eligibility Policy, found in the 2026-2027 Student Handbook. The purpose of using this policy is to help middle school students prepare for the rigors of high school and develop an understanding of tracking their academic progress. We want students to enrich their middle school experience through clubs, athletic teams, and dances, but the primary focus of school will remain academics.

The policy requires students to have a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) in order to participate in extracurricular activities. Grades will be checked every Friday morning and students will be notified by the end of the day of their ineligible status. Students will be granted a one-time warning, giving them an opportunity the following week to improve their academic standing.

Citizenship and behavioral reporting will also play a role in eligibility. If a student receives two or more poor citizenship marks on a progress report, report card, or weekly report, they will be ineligible. The Acceptable Behavior Program point system will also be used, as in the past. Students who have three (3) points will also be considered ineligible.

We hope the eligibility policy develops responsibility in our students and encourages a sense of Tiger Pride in daily academic effort and citizenship.

It is the responsibility of the student to know and adhere to the eligibility code. Participation in extracurricular activities is a student’s privilege, not a right, which can be removed at designated times for failure to meet the standards and requirements of Armada Area Schools. For the purpose of this policy, an “extra-curricular” activity is defined as any activity that is not part of the required curriculum for a course or is outside the regular course of study. This includes but is not limited to dances, athletic events, clubs, and performances.

These standards must be met in order to participate in any extra-curricular activity:

• Satisfactory or better behavioral citizenship in five (5) of six (6) classes on progress reports, report cards, and weekly teacher reports - checked each Friday.

• Maintenance of a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 each Friday.

• Students must not have accumulated 3 or more behavior points.

• Student-athletes must adhere to the Armada Athletic Code of Conduct.

Athletic and Extracurricular Activities, Except Dances:

First Violation:

• A warning is issued to the student and the parent informing the student of the need to improve his/her academic and/or behavioral standing before the following Friday.

Subsequent Violations:

• The student is ineligible for a period of one week (including weekends) from Monday - Sunday. The student will be allowed to sit on the bench, but not to participate in games while ineligible.

• The student can regain eligibility if he/she submits a Progress Report (signed by each of his/her teachers on Friday of the following week) which indicates the above standards have been met. Otherwise, the student will remain ineligible.

Dance Eligibility:

First Violation:

• A one-time warning is issued to the student and parent, with the student still able to attend the following week’s dance.

Subsequent Violations:

• The student will not be able to attend the upcoming dance.

We are thrilled to shine a spotlight on our outstanding students through our Student Recognition Program. At Armada Middle School, we believe in acknowledging and celebrating the achievements, dedication, and positive contributions of our middle schoolers. Through both our "Students of the Month" and "Earn Your Stripes" programs, our teachers and staff will recognize students who have exhibited exceptional qualities in various aspects of their school life. These qualities include respect, responsibility, gratitude, empathy, perseverance, honesty, cooperation, courage, and creativity.

Students will be nominated by staff for displaying the character trait for the month. One boy and one girl from each grade level will then be selected and recognized as the Students of the Month.

A staff member can recognize a student for going above and beyond in displaying one of the character traits mentioned above by rewarding them with a "Earn Your Stripes" ticket. Students can then bring the ticket to the counseling office to put in their grade level bin. At the end of each week, a drawing will be held selecting 3-5 students from each grade level for a small prize!

Macomb Family Services provides free outside counseling services for students through a grant. A licensed professional counselor, Mrs. Dorothy Yope, can meet with students on a confidential basis during school hours for six-eight sessions free of charge. Students are required to make up any work they missed while in a session. Please contact Mrs. Husken in the AMS counseling center for more information or you may call Macomb Family Services directly at 586-752-9696.

Mr. Scott is a new to Armada Middle School and will be working as a paraprofessional with Mrs. McKelvey. He has been a career social science/history teacher since 1995, teaching middle, high school and junior college. He is looking forward to working with all the wonderful students at AMS and will be passing out candy on Halloween in Armada Village where he resides.

Mrs. Ruthenberg has been a substitute teacher in the Armada district for 8 years! This year she decided to try a new paraprofessional position at the middle school and she LOVES it! She has 2 daughters in the district in 8th & 9th grade and has been married to her husband for almost 16 years! They also have one little dog named Turbo and 2 birds. She is looking forward to a great school year with everyone!!

Mrs. Frederick taught for 30 years in the East China School District before retiring in 2023. She wanted to stay involved in education, so she joined Armada Middle School as a paraprofessional, but is now excited to be back in the classroom as a teacher in the Special Education department! Mrs. Frederick has been involved with Armada PAL Camp since 1995 and has served as Assistant Camp Director since 1997. She is married, has two sons who attended Armada Schools, and is proud grandmother of five. She is thrilled to be part of the AMS teaching team. AMS is a wonderful place to work!

Mr. Woznicki has been teaching in Armada for more than 15 years, but it's his first year back at the middle school since 2011. This year, he's teaching two sections of Spanish I at the middle school and he's really excited about it. His students have been fantastic so far and it's been a great start to the year. During the rest of his day, he teaches Spanish I and Spanish III as well as, AP Calculus at the high school. Thanks to everyone for making him feel so welcome at the middle school as he's transitioned into this new role and he's looking forward to what the rest of the year brings!

Mr. Haller is making his return to the middle school and 8th grade science after moving to teach at the high school for the last 3 years. This is Mr. Haller's 12th year as a teacher and previously has spent 4 years in the 8th grade science classes before this return. Mr. Haller is looking forward to exploring and discovering the world of science with his students.

Mr. Wenzel is the new 7th Grade English Language Arts teacher at Armada Middle School. He has spent the last seven years teaching ELA at the High School level, and he is excited for a new experience with the Middle School Tigers!

Vision Screening for 7th grade students will take place on Thursday, October 22nd. It will start in the morning and run until all of the 7th grade students have been screened. If your child wears glasses and/or contacts, please make sure they bring them to school.

Mrs. Milner is offering after school math tutoring for all students (grades 6-8). Tutoring will be available on Mondays and Thursdays from 2:30-3:30 pm in Room 106. Any student who is planning on attending tutoring is expected to come with specific math related questions from their homework, a test review, or to prepare for an upcoming assessment. The number of students for each session is limited and students must sign up at the link below prior to the session. Walk-in tutoring is not available. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Milner at lmilner@armadaschools.org. Click HERE to sign up!

Picture Retake Day is scheduled for Friday, October 23rd.

Students received their Student ID Cards at Tiger Days. If a student loses their card, they may request a replacement for the cost of $5. Students who were not pictured at Tiger Days will get their picture taken on picture retake day on October 23rd and will receive their card at that time.

Click HERE for October's Lunch Menu.

Tickets are now on sale for Freaky Friday. You can purchase tickets online at https://armada.ludus.com/index.php

In compliance with MCL 28.429, school districts are required to share the following documents:

"What is the secure storage law in Michigan?"

"Safe Storage Notice for House Bills 5450 & 5451"

Please note this information can also be found on our district website by clicking "Parent Resources," and navigating to the right side of the page.