The Au Gres-Sims School District

This week I'd like to share some thoughts with you about coaching. I am proud to say that I have been a coach for the majority of my life, having first picked up the calling when I was 14 years old, when I was still active in competitive sports. It is something that holds a special place in my heart and a title that I will always identify with, regardless of whether I am actively in charge of a team or not.

I refer to coaching as a calling, because that is the way I truly feel. Coaching is the art of sharing the knowledge of a sport or activity that kids care about, that they voluntarily give their time to. It is often a thankless position and requires incredible dedication, time, and commitment. Coaches do not do the job for the glory, nor the paycheck. In fact, early on in my high school coaching career I made the mistake of calculating out my hourly rate and needless to say it was less than the sum of the loose change in my pocket. Coaching any sport or team involves sacrifice and that giving up of something often chases away candidates for positions. The most common misconception that I heard as an athletic director and continue to hear as a superintendent is that there are a lot of people out there who want to coach and nothing could be further from the truth. It takes a special person to be so giving of their time and to step up to take the whistle knowing that there will be strife and conflict along the way.

At Au Gres-Sims we are blessed to have a great coaching staff of dedicated and caring individuals who give freely of their time for our kids. None of these people are perfect and none of them earn their living by coaching youth sports. They are just like the rest of us, they have jobs and responsibilities and other duties that they balance, but they also prioritize their craft. They have something to give in the name of athletics and the spirit of competition. These are people that more often than not were positively impacted by a coach in their past and have decided to pay it forward. They are always trying to do what's right and best for kids, but they are human and can get caught up in the moment from time to time as well.

I am saying all of this to deliver the message that without our coaches - here at AGS, but also in our youth programs - we wouldn't have teams, and our kids wouldn't have the chance to do what they love to do. After more than 20 years with the whistle around my neck and now most often relegated to the other sideline, I can tell you that coaching is incredibly rewarding and unbelievably frustrating at the same time. Most coaches are not only concerned about what is best for the individuals on the team, but also the team itself. Parents, by contrast, are often much more focused on only their child and lack the unbiased perspective of the bigger picture. I am guilty of this myself from time to time and have to constantly remind myself that I don't spend the time with the kids, nor know what is going on behind the scenes at practices, on the bench, in the halls, etc. Sports have so much that they can teach if we allow kids to learn the lessons that both the games and their coaches have to deliver.

The lesson that I hope you take away from this post is that coaches do care about your kids, the team, and the sport. They are passionate people, but they have their faults like everybody else. They deserve our support as they give of their time and knowledge to our kids, creating opportunities that would otherwise not exist. I hope that you consider this with our coaching staff and take your complaints and turn them into concerns that you then communicate. The best way to do this is to schedule a time to talk with the coach first. So often this will be the only step to getting a better picture of what is going on, why they are doing what they are doing, and what they are hoping your son or daughter learns in the process.

Have a great weekend,

Mr. Ming

If you are looking for a Flu and/or Covid 19 Immunization Clinic you don’t have to travel too far. On Monday, October 10, and Thursday, October 27, from 9:00-12:00 and 1:00-5:00, you can travel to 5447 Sturman Road in Standish at the Saganing Tribal Center. Flu vaccinations run from ages 6 months and older, and the Covid clinic covers ages 6 months and up for the first or second dose and ages 18 and up for boosters.

If you are in need of school supplies, we have extras here at school. Over the years we have also accumulated numerous backpacks from various donors. Anything we have in stock we would be happy to provide to you. Please just let your teacher know.

Throughout the school you may see various OK2SAY posters in the school hallways. OK2SAY is a confidential reporting system that encourages anyone who has information about a student safety threat to submit a tip by text message, mobile app, email, phone, or on the OK2SAY website. The OK2SAY program focuses on early intervention and prevention through awareness and education. OK2SAY is confidential unless the tipster is an adult and chooses to voluntarily disclose their identity, or if ordered by a court under very limited and specific circumstances. It is encouraged and OK2SAY!

Just under two weeks away we have MS/HS Parent Teacher Conferences from 4:00-7:00 pm on Thursday, October 20. Conferences will be held in each teacher’s classroom. Although these are not prearranged, it would be prudent to reach out to your child's teacher/s to let them know you would like to speak with them so they can prepare accordingly.

Now that our testing is complete, we begin the intensive process of looking at data to determine who qualifies for interventions, what interventions are needed, and what students may need intensive support. We do this through a variety of processes, such as Child Study Meetings, Data Meetings, and IRIP meetings. This assures that each student is receiving the support needed, while following District, ISD, and State guidelines and procedures. Our teaching staff has also started their PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) where they focus collaboratively on student achievement, student support, interventions, and best practices in the classroom to support our students through their essential standards. Next week, I will review what our essential standards are, and why they are such an important focus for our daily instruction as well as our PLC collaborations.

On Wednesday night, we had our Read by Grade 3/Title I parent informational meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to inform 2nd and 3rd-grade parents, as well as any student with an Individualized Reading Improvement Plan(IRIP), the structure of the law, and how it affects them and their students. We discussed the history of the law, what the law requires, as well as the supports that we give starting in Kindergarten to take a proactive approach to Literacy and grade-level mastery by 3rd grade. If you could not attend the meeting, here is a helpful document from the Michigan Department of Education that outlines the law and important pieces of information that every elementary parent should know.

Read by Grade 3 Informational Document

Finally, with it being a new month - I am including digital versions of the School and Home connection newsletters for both Elementary and Middle School for October. Please click on the links below to access each newsletter!

Elementary Newsletter

Middle School Newsletter

Nationally, state-wide, and locally there are services available for you and your loved ones when it comes to mental health.

NATIONAL

• 988 is the three-digit, nationwide phone number to connect directly to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call, chat, or text 988 if you or a loved one are in a suicidal or mental-health-related crisis.

STATE OF MICHIGAN

• OK2SAY is the student safety program which allows students to confidentially report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at students, school employees, and schools.
• AGS is an OK2SAY school, meaning that when an anonymous tip is received through this state-police run program, our school representatives are contacted.

• Call: 8-555-OK2SAY (855-565-2729)

  Text: 652729 (OK2SAY)

  Email: OK2SAY@mi.gov

  Download App: iPhone / Android

LOCALLY AT AU GRES-SIMS

• SEE SOMETHING? SAY SOMETHING. This is a program that we established at AGS this year in the effort to maintain school safety, allowing for the reporting of prohibited or unusual behavior through a confidential reporting system.
• This includes reports about bullying, cyber bullying, potential weapons in school, depression, drug and alcohol use, suspicious behavior, etc.
• Signs are posted around the school for students to access, as well as a link provided on their chromebooks and in the header of the school website.

We hope you join us on Saturday, starting at 9a on the campus of AGS as our 7th and 8th grade volleyball finish their seasons by hosting the North Star League Tournament. Good luck girls and great seasons!

Next Week's Schedule of Events:

Tues. 10/11:

• 6p JV/V Volleyball AWAY @ Hillman

Wed. 10/12:

• 6p MS Football HOME vs. W-P
• 7p JV Football AWAY @ Bay City All Saints

Thur. 10/13:

• 6p JV/V Volleyball HOME vs. Hale (Pink Out and Senior Night)

Fri. 10/14:

• 7p V Football HOME vs. Hale (Senior and Parents Night)

Sat. 10/15:

• 9a V Volleyball AWAY @ Tawas Tourney

The Wolverine Wake-Up is a student written publication that comes out weekly and shares the reporting of our own high school students and their interpretation of what is going on the in the world. The teacher sponsor and editor-in-chief is Mr. Luke Freeman. Thanks for reading.

October 7, 2022 - Issue #60

In an effort to provide the academic support that our students need, the middle and high school will have drop-in after school tutoring starting next week. The tutoring will run after school until 4:30 on Mondays and Thursdays in the Cyber Cafe. Students are invited to drop in to work on their homework and/or get help from a teacher on a particular topic.

Dates for Tutoring the next few months:

• Mon. 10/10
• Thu. 10/13
• Mon. 10/17
• Mon. 10/24
• Thu. 10/27

Tutoring for our elementary students will look a little different (based on the age of the students) and will begin after the first parent-teacher conferences of the year. We will update you on the details as we get closer to that date.

Important dates for October for the Au Gres-Sims School District.

OCTOBER

• 17th: Board of Education meeting 6p
• 19th: Early Release @ 1pm
• 20th: Middle School and High School Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 28th: End of Quarter 1

Job Opportunities at AGS

We do not have any vacancies at this time. Please check back at a later date.

We are also always on the lookout for substitute teachers. If interested, please inquire with Mrs. Miller in the district administration office, (989) 876-7157.

If you are interested in substitute teaching and need assistance with the paperwork process, a WillSub representative will be in Arenac County twice per month for onsite consultation.

• 2nd Tuesday of the month, from 12-4pm in the AGS Administration Office
• 4th Tuesday of the month, from 12-4pm at Standish-Sterling School District

Here is a complete list of dates:

• October 11 (AGS) and 25 (SSC)
• November 8 (AGS) and 22 (SSC)
• December 13 (AGS)
• January 10 (AGS) and 24 (SSC)
• February 14 (AGS) and 28 (SSC)
• March 14 (AGS) and 28 (SSC)
• April 11 (AGS) and 25 (SSC)
• May 9 (AGS) and 23 (SSC)

Email: web@ags-schools.org
Website: www.ags-schools.org
Location: 310 South Court Street, Au Gres, MI, USA
Phone: (989) 876-7150
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuGresSims/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @agsschools