The Howler Newsletter

Happy Friday!

It’s been another great full week of school here at AMS! We continue to pump students up with positives and give them lots of reminders about positive school behavior. My least favorite thing to do as principal is send a student home because they made a poor choice and earned a suspension. We never want to send kids home; we want them here - happy, healthy, and learning. So we work really hard to be proactive in reviewing expectations and teaching students positive and appropriate ways to handle situations. This starts right away in August and is ongoing throughout the year. Like I said last week, the assistant principals and I reviewed expectations with students last week with our Handbook Talks. Today, Primetime teachers highlighted a couple of the topics from those Handbook Talks. You can see those topics here! Feel free to chat with your student about these topics and let me know if you have any questions!

Team Time - On Wednesday, September 2nd, we will begin our after-school homework program, which we call Team Time. If students have missing assignments, they will be assigned Team Time from 3:00-4:00 on Wednesday to get additional help from a team teacher and additional time to get caught up on their learning. Students will be expected to communicate home to let parents know that Team Time was assigned. If ride arrangements can’t be made for Wednesdays, we will problem-solve with parents to find another way for students to get caught up on their learning.

Important Dates and Links:

• Yearbook ordering information - Search for ‘Andersen Middle School’

• September 7 and 8 - No School (Labor Day and Teacher Professional Development Day)

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Heather Spessard-Schroer

AMS Principal

We continued our Positive Office Visits this week, and here are some of the students who were “sent to the office” for having a great start to their school year! Keep up the great work, students! We are proud of you!

We had a great turnout for our first All Pro Dads meeting this week! Thank you, kids, for bringing your awesome dads to school with you!

We have 5 new teachers at AMS this year, and they come with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm for learning! In total, this group has 55 years of teaching experience and have taught in 16 different schools, and 3 different states. They have absolutely rocked the start of the school year here at AMS! Ask your student if they have one of these rock stars as their teacher!

MPS/AMS Cares Suicide Prevention and Depression Awareness Information

Over the next several weeks, counseling staff throughout the MPS district will be working with students to recognize the warning signs of depression and suicidal thinking. Youth who feel suicidal are not likely to seek help directly; however, peers can recognize the warning signs and take immediate action to keep each other safe. The goal is to encourage our students to take action. We will discuss what steps to take when one starts to see these signs in themselves or a peer. According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), when a student gives signs that they may be considering suicide, the following actions should be taken:

• Remain calm.

• Ask the youth directly if he or she is thinking about suicide.

• Focus on your concern for their wellbeing and avoid being accusatory.

• Listen.

• Reassure them that there is help and they will not feel like this forever.

• Do not judge.

• Provide constant supervision. Do not leave the youth alone.

• Remove means for self-harm.

• Get help: Peers should not agree to keep the suicidal thoughts a secret but instead should tell an adult such as a parent, teacher, counselor, school psychologist or social worker. Parents should seek help from their school or community mental health resources as soon as possible.

If you prefer your child not receive this information please contact your school counselor by phone or e-mail.

6th grade - Susan Knox - 402-715-8456 - seknox@mpsomaha.org

7th grade - Melissa Sedlak - 402-715-8446 - masedlak@mpsomaha.org

8th grade - Spencer Hawkins - 402-715-8447 - srhawkins@mpsomaha.org

Calling all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade READERS! Are you interested in joining the Battle of the Books Club? You will read five books and then compete against other Millard middle schools in May. Are you up for it and not already in the google classroom? Email Randa Hazzard (rlhazzard@mpsomaha.org) and let me know.

Calling All Trivia Buffs! Think you know a little bit about everything? Put that random knowledge to good use at Quiz Bowl practice! Come test your trivia skills, challenge your brain, and see if Quiz Bowl is for you. New members are welcome! Come ready to buzz in, think fast, and have fun!

6th Grade: Tuesday, September 1st, 3:00-3:45, Room 619

7th & 8th Grade: Thursday, September 3rd, 3:00-3:45, Room 619

Find the entire AMS Staff Directory here

Office Hours: Monday through Friday 7am - 4pm

Website: https://ams.mpsomaha.org/
Location: 15404 Adams Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-715-8440
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MPSAndersenMS/
Twitter: @MPSAndersenMS

Andersen Middle School, a collaborative family of Wolverines, guarantees each student will be inspired to achieve academic excellence and exemplify positive character traits through supportive relationships and engaging learning environments.