Au Gres-Sims Families and Community,
I had the privilege of accepting a generous donation to the school district from the Knights of Columbus this past Thursday. While the money is certainly welcome, the gift given to us is more than financial, it is symbolic of the partnership that exists between the community and the school district. The Knights of Columbus are but one of many organizations that freely give of their time to support the idea of education and the promise of greater opportunity for our youth. They are a testament to the power of community and are a constant reminder of the old adage that it really does take a village to raise a child.
The job of educating our students is as important as it gets. They are our future and they will soon be the doctors, lawyers, farmers, teachers, police officers, and other workers that make up our small community. In this, the season of giving and gratitude, I would like to thank the Knights of Columbus and all of our other partners who give of their time and expertise (and yes, their donations).
Have a wonderful weekend AGS,
Mr. Ming
K-12 Principal's Update
Throughout the years the “annual” Elementary Christmas Program has been coordinated by different groups. This year the Elementary staff will be doing a simple program with each grade level singing one song and then a group song with the K-2 group and 3-5 group. Mrs. Gordon will also be doing a song with our 4th and 5th grade bands. This will be held in the Multipurpose Room (MPR) on our last day of school before Christmas break, December 21, and will begin at 1:45. Because of the number of individuals that will be attending this event, you do not need to check in at the main office. You can enter the building by the kitchen. We are anticipating that the total time of the program will be about 45 minutes. After the program you can pick up your child and take them home. Because of the number of students this entails, we will have all students return to their classrooms after the program to gather their belongings and then we will bring students back to the MPR to the awaiting families.
Mark your calendars for another special event! On Wednesday, December 14, at 7:00 pm, the AGS Bands will be putting on their Winter Christmas Concert. This will take place in the main gym and will be followed by punch and holiday treats in the Innovation Lab. We hope to see you there, but if you can’t attend, you can still watch the program through the NFHS Network. To become an NFHS subscriber, go to NFHSnetwork.com. By subscribing to NFHS, you will also have access to all home sporting events held in the main gym.
Knock on wood….our winter weather has not been too bad so far. But as the year progresses we are bound to get some inclement weather. When these days happen, please understand that our buses may leave about 5 minutes earlier to account for the conditions. The early departure may affect some families, but especially the ones at the beginning of the routes.
From the Desk of Ms. Socha
We have reached the halfway point of this marking period, which is a critical time to look at progress and make a plan to finish the marking period strong. Even if a student failed marking period 1, they would still be able to pass the semester with passing grades for MP2 and the final exam, and an overall average of 60% or higher. For students in credit recovery, the last day of their 9-week class is January 12th. Edmentum teachers will be on break at the same time that we will, but students still can work on assignments and submit them during break. They will just need to wait for assignments to be graded. If a student needs an exam unlocked, they can email me over break and I can unlock it for them.
We have made some adjustments to our Chromebook loaner policies to combat some issues we are having. As a reminder, all students are issued a Chromebook and charger at the start of the year. They are responsible for bringing the Chromebook fully charged each day. Loaners are available for emergency situations, such as a Chromebook getting fixed. If students are having Chromebook issues, they should take it to Mr. Ken right away to be looked at. Sometimes, it is a quick fix but if it needs a more lengthy repair, a loaner is available. The current issue is that many students are repeatedly not bringing Chromebooks to school, or not charging them at night and checking out loaners every day. Some are not being returned, and there are rarely any available for students who do need them for temporary situations. We currently have 5 missing loaner Chromebooks that students have not returned. We now have a different checkout system through Mr. Ken, and we will be monitoring the daily checkouts for repeat borrowers. After 10 consecutive days of checking out a loaner, it will be assumed that the Chromebook is missing and an invoice will be sent for replacement. If a student has a “broken” chromebook, they need to give it to Mr. Ken to be fixed in order to get a loaner. A replacement Chromebook runs around $230. We are hoping this will help solve some of the issues we are having of students not coming to class prepared to participate. As always, we thank you for your support.
Health Department Information on RSV
Attached is the MDHHS Tip Sheet on RSV, providing more information about this virus and what to look for.
COVID Home Test-Kits Available
If you would like any home COVID tests please contact the main office and arrangements can be made for pick up or to be placed in your child's backpack.
Athletics Update
Just a week and a half to go before the winter sports season takes a holiday hiatus. Make sure you are getting into the gym to support our Wolverine hoopsters!
Did you know that Au Gres-Sims has a hockey team? Well, we are part of a hockey cooperative anyway with Tawas Schools, a program that enables our AGS students to play high school hockey. Cooperative programs like this one with Tawas, and the boys and girls soccer cooperatives with Standish-Sterling allow for more opportunities for our students and are a great way for kids to play what they enjoy and meet new people in the process.
Next Week's Schedule of Events:
Mon. 12/12:
- 6p MS Boys Basketball AWAY @ Rogers City
- 7p V Boys Basketball AWAY @ Oscoda
Thu. 12/15:
- 6p MS Boys Basketball HOME vs. Charlton Heston Academy (Parent's Night)
- 7:15p V Boys Basketball AWAY @ Alcona
Fri. 12/16:
- 6p V Girls Basketball HOME vs. Midland Calvary
- ~7:30p V Boys Basketball HOME vs. Midland Calvary
Sat. 12/17:
- 4p V Hockey (Tawas Co-op) HOME (Tawas Bay Ice Arena) vs. Eastern Thumb Area
The Wolverine Wake-Up
Trying new ways to keep bringing you fresh content is what we do best at The Wolverine Wake-Up Studios. This week we're trying out a new green screen to bring cool backdrops for you. Unfortunately, our editor ran into some issues; yeah we're thinking it was taking too many coffee breaks, and not enough work time. But not to worry, we'll get it figured out soon. In the meantime, please check out our newsletter and video this week by clicking the link below.
Middle and High School Drop-in Tutoring
Dates for Tutoring the next few weeks:
- Mon. 12/12
- Thu. 12/15
- Mon. 12/19
Help Wanted at AGS
Job Opportunities at AGS
- We do not have any vacancies at this time.
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 and she will put you into direct contact with Laurie Crane at ESS-WillSub
Au Gres-Sims School District
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