AMS Weekly Update

Good Afternoon,

Family Reconnect Weekend

This weekend marks our second district-wide Family Reconnect Weekend! There will be no homework assigned, and no assessments are planned for Tuesday. We encourage you to take this opportunity to enjoy some quality time with your family.

Term 2 Grades

Term 2 grades close on January 28th. As we did at the end of Term 1, iPass will be temporarily closed to students and parents while teachers finalize grades and report card comments. Report cards will be available in iPass on February 7th.

Attendance Line Reminder

If your student will be absent, please remember to call the attendance line to report their absence. For late arrivals due to medical appointments, please call the attendance line in the morning to inform us. Mrs. Watt will reach out to families whose students are not accounted for to confirm their absence, and letting us know ahead of time they will be out of school or late for school is very helpful.

National Honor Society Bake Sale

The AHS National Honor Society is hosting a bake sale during the boys' and girls' basketball games at AMS on Wednesday, January 22nd. All proceeds will support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Please see the flyer attached for more details.

Message from the Health Office

The health office is already preparing for next school year!

• If your student is currently in 7th grade and has had a physical exam within the past year, please ensure we have a copy on file. All incoming 8th graders must have a recent physical exam dated September 1, 2023, or later to start school in the fall.
• Current 6th graders must be up to date on their vaccinations to begin 7th grade.

You can find more information about immunization requirements HERE. If you have questions, please email ams_nurses@ashland.k12.ma.us.

Middle School Theater Production:

Ashland Middle School Theater Company will present a family friendly production of The Seussificaiton of Romeo & Juliet with a cast and crew of 40 plus students !

The play will open January 24th @ 7pm & Saturday, January 25th @ 2pm & 7pm in the AMS Little Theater. Tickets are $10 dollars at the door and cash sales only. The show runs an hour.

There is a flyer attached below with more information!

8th Grade Families

A Blackboard message was recently sent with a letter from Cory McGann, AHS Counseling Liaison. This letter includes information about the 8th-grade visit to AHS on January 24th and the Family Curriculum Night on March 6th.

On January 24th, the entire 8th-grade class will visit AHS. After lunch, students will be bussed from AMS to AHS, where they will:

• Hear from AHS peer leaders about extracurricular opportunities.
• Take a tour of the high school.

End-of-Day Dismissal from AHS on 1/24:

• Bus Riders: Students will board their buses at AHS.
• Parent Pick-Up: Parents should plan to pick up their children at the back of AHS.
• Walkers: Students who usually walk home from AMS should take the bus back to AMS and then walk home as usual.

Since high school students will be in mid-year exams that week, end-of-day traffic at AHS is expected to be minimal. Additional details will be shared closer to the visit. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Next Weeks Schedule

Monday, January 20th-NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, January 21st-A Day

Wednesday, January 22nd-B Day

Thursday, January 23rd-C Day

Friday, January 24th-D Day-8th Graders visit AHS!

Have a great weekend!

Erin Lachapelle

AMS Principal

Dear APS Community ,

Ashland Middle School Theater Company will present a family friendly production of The Seussificaiton of Romeo & Juliet with a cast and crew of 40 plus students !

The play will open January 24th @ 7pm & Saturday, January 25th @ 2pm & 7pm in the AMS Little Theater. Tickets are $10 dollars at the door and cash sales only. The show runs an hour.

The plot involves William Shakespeare meeting Dr. Seuss! It is a whimsical reinvention of Shakespeare’s tragic love story (in this case not so tragic!) complete with Dr. Seuss’s iconic rhyming tetrameter, creative wordplay, and fantastical machines — something Dr. Seuss might have come up with if he ever had his way with the script. This fast-paced retelling is fun for all ages in all grades !

Please join us.

Sincerely,

Mr. Langmeyer, Drama Director

I will provide an opportunity in every weekly update for parents and guardians to recognize the amazing work of our faculty and staff. If your student comes home and shares an incredible learning experience or stories about their teachers, please take a moment to fill out the google form linked here. This will allow me to recognize the faculty and staff members and share the positive experiences that students are having with the community.

"A huge shoutout to Mr. Koning, the AMS band teacher. His passion for music and ability to connect with students makes band one of the highlights of my son's day. He finds pieces that are challenging yet relatable to the kids which inspires them to keep learning and making music. He's also invested in creating additional opportunities for kids who love music by helping make the after school lesson program a reality, keeping the Wind Ensemble going as an afterschool program when they could no longer meet during the school day, and supporting an Ashland resident to keep the AMS Jazz Band alive and thriving. Seriously....the kids think he's great and there is a lot of respect for him. Thank you Mr. Koning!"

I am writing in my capacity as President of the Ashland Education Foundation, Inc. I'm excited to tell you that after a 1 year hiatus, AEFI is bringing Casino Night back to the Warren Conference Center on March 8, 2025!

This event is our primary fundraiser and helps AEFI fund programs like the brand new AV setup in Warren, social-emotional tools for Mindess, and the AHS therapy dog.

Tickets and additional details are available here Ashland Education Foundation Casino Night 2025 - Ashland Education Foundation, Inc. with a $10 discount on early ticket purchases for the rest of this month.

Thanks so much and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Ben Kriete, President AEFI

brkriete@yahoo.com or president.aefi@gmail.com

Email Athletic Director, Kevin Anderson if your child is interested! kevinanderson@ashland.k12.ma.us

Unified Sports

AMS is proud to be recognized by Special Olympics Massachusetts as a Unified Champion School. If your child is interested in participating in unified sports please reach out to Kelly Romano at kromano@ashland.k12.ma.us

Best Buddies

Best Buddies is a social club created to foster one-to-one friendships between middle school students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Through their participation, students with and without IDD form meaningful connections with their peers, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, share interests, experiences and activities. Best Buddies helps to create an inclusive middle school culture for all students early on in their educational development. We meet the first Wednesday of every month from 2:45-3:45 in room 119. Please join by filling out this online form: www.bestbuddies.org/join and contact KellyAnn Romano with any questions at kromano@ashland.k12.ma.us.

AMS Student Council

Student Leaders is now officially AMS Student Council! Meetings will be held Wednesday mornings, at 7:15am in Mrs. Steinbrick’s room. If students are unable to make it, please let Mrs.Steinbrick know. This meeting is for current student leaders. Interested in joining but not a student leader? Stay tuned for more details! "

Math Counts

Club meets on Monday afternoons in Room 222. Please reach out to Karen Bernier with any questions kbernier@ashland.k12.ma.us

Chess Club

The AMS Chess Club meets every Monday after school from 2:45 pm- 3:45 pm in rooms 208, 210, & 211. Please email Mrs. Sadana gsadana@ashland.k12.ma.us or Mr. Van Wyhe rvanwyhe@ashland.k12.ma.us with any questions.

Art Club

Please reach out to Mrs. Micucci with any questions. rmicucci@ashland.k12.ma.us

Diversity Club:

Diversity Club will have its first meeting on October 17th in the Art room. All are welcome! Please reach out to Mrs. Micucci with any questions rmicucci@ashland.k12.ma.us

Drama Club

Drama Club has started !!! AMS Theater Company will be producing

The Seussification of Romeo & Juliet ! It is a comedy.

Email any questions to : elangmeyer@ashland.k12.ma.us

Yearbook:

Open to all grades. Yearbook will meet on Wednesdays after school in room 142. If you have questions please reach out to Ms. Collins mcollins@ashland.k12.ma.us

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Happy New Year! As we kick off 2025, we are thrilled to share our January menu, featuring this month’s Massachusetts Harvest of the Month: Apples!

Apples are a versatile and delicious fruit that will shine in our meals throughout January. Grown right here in Massachusetts, these apples are packed with dietary fiber, vitamin C, and powerful antioxidants. This month, we’re excited to offer dishes that showcase their wonderful flavor, including Apple and Butternut Squash Casserole, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Apple Crisp, and Apple Cranberry and Cabbage Slaw.

For more information on the health benefits of apples and fun recipe ideas, we encourage you to visit Massachusetts Harvest of the Month

At Ashland Public Schools, we’re committed to providing fresh, locally sourced produce, supporting our local farmers, and ensuring that every meal we serve offers the highest nutritional quality. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating apples by incorporating them into your meals at home!

Thank you for your continued support and for entrusting us with your children’s nutrition and well-being. Here’s to a healthy and delicious start to the new year!

Warm regards,
Regina Wilkinson
Director of Nutrition Services
Ashland Public Schools
Email: rwilkinson@ashland.k12.ma.us
Phone: 508-881-0165

Don’t forget to visit ashland.k12.ma.us/Flyers where we feature announcements and events offered by organizations, clubs and teams throughout our community that serve to enrich the lives of our students, families, faculty and staff.