The Au Gres-Sims School District

EDIT REQUIRED

Last week's newsletter covered:

• Bus routes (first draft)

• Open House

• School calendar (printable)

• Sports schedules (printable)

• Schedule and chromebook pick up

• New bell schedule

• Morning drop-off procedures

• Homecoming

• Career Center

• Enrollment Information

• Introduction to new staff members

• Curriculum & Class supply lists

• Attendance

• AGS Clinic News

In this edition we will have all new information, so please check last week's edition if you missed it. This week we share the following information with you:

• Welcome Back videos for families and students
• Communications Flow Chart
• Introducing ROOMS for Families
• New Bell Schedule
• Bus routes (finalized)
• Schedule and Chromebook pick up (for students who missed the original date)
• Cell phone policy
• Legal Notifications
• Curriculum & Supply List (repost)
• Chronic absenteeism
• Free/reduced lunch information
• Athletic game schedules
• PTO information & Popcorn Schedule

Thanks for tuning in and we look forward to having our students back on campus next week!

Mr. Ming

You have questions and we have answers, but the key is talking to the right person. The district communications chart is a handy tool to use to get your answers quicker and more efficiently. It is attached below, but can also be found linked from the homepage of our district website.

Look for information to come through your email soon regarding ROOMS and how you can reduce the app clutter on your phones and get all things AGS in one spot. For a preview of the platform check out the attached flyer.

To keep everyone safe and our campus running smoothly, we’re asking families not to line up for pick-up before 2:45 PM. Arriving too early creates congestion and safety concerns in our main parking lot as well along Court Street.

Why it matters

• Student safety: Early lines block access to our main office, making it harder for end of the day meetings with families and potentially preventing emergency personnel from responding if needed.

• Instructional time: When cars stack up, classrooms are disrupted and students lose valuable learning minutes.

• Traffic flow: Backups spill onto local streets, delaying buses and emergency vehicles and frustrating neighbors.

• Neighbor relations: Idling and blocked driveways impact local residents and businesses; we want to be good community partners.

How you can help

• Arrive at or after 2:45pm—our dismissal line moves quickly once it begins.

• Use the designated lanes and posted signs; follow staff directions.

• Keep crosswalks, driveways, and bus areas (for student activities) clear at all times.

• If you’re early, consider a quick errand or a short loop around the block to return at the correct time.

Thank you for partnering with us to ensure a safe, efficient dismissal for every student—your cooperation makes a real difference!

The AGS staff returned to campus this week and our drivers were out running the routes and making some slight tweaks to stops and times based on new enrollment. Please check the attached UPDATE for route times and locations. A copy of this has been posted to the AGS website homepage.

Note that bus times are approximate and subject to change throughout the school year as new students/pick ups are added. Changes will be communicated out to our families and updated on our school website.

If a student was unable to attend Open House and/or has not received their Chromebook and schedule, they will receive both of them on the first day of school, Monday 24th. Students should report to the main office for these when they arrive on campus.

UPDATE: Last week's link for Chromebook insurance did not work, please use this one:

https://checkout.education.getakko.com/education/au-gres-sims-school-district

Cell phones/ECDs/ELDs may only be used prior to the school day beginning, during lunch, and after the school day ends (middle and high school) unless permission is granted by the teacher to be used for academic purposes. Additionally, only High School students are allowed to use cell phones between classes.

Below is the procedure for addressing cell phone violations.

First offense- Teacher secures phone for the remainder of the class period. Teacher calls home after school.

Second overall offense- Teacher sends student and cell phone to the RTC (Responsible Thinking Classroom) for the remainder of the hour. Student calls home. Student loses phone privileges for two school days and can get the phone back at the end of the day, but must turn it back in the following school day (and get back at the end of the day).

The same procedure will be used for all subsequent offenses. The number of days the cell phone is lost will concur with the number of the offense (third offense= three days, fourth offense= four days, etc.).

*If a student refuses to turn in their phone they will be in ISS for the day (and will still need to turn in their phone).

TITLE IX

Title IX is the set guidelines to be used for the handling of claims of sex-based discrimination in any education program receiving federal funding. Title IX includes protections against sexual harassment, sexual violence, pregnancy discrimination, and unequal athletic opportunities.

The Au Gres-Sims Title IX Coordinator is:

Chad Anthony

Business Services Director

310 S. Court St., Au Gres, MI 48703

titleixcoordinator@ags-schools.org

(989) 876-4685

Staff have returned, materials are prepped, and the building is ready to welcome the 26-27 school year and all of our AGS students. We are excited to start another year with renewed energy and focus on higher-levels of learning here at Au Gres-Sims. We encourage you to look for ways to engage in and communicate often with your student’s teachers about their learning. Please be sure to check that you have access to Skyward so that as your child begins the year, you can stay on top of your student’s academic progress, assignments, and grades. If you have questions, reach out to teachers to discuss these items as early conversations will help with your student’s success all year long. We look forward to seeing all of our students, parents and guardians next week to kick off another great school year.

Students and families may still be soaking in those last moments of summer break but here at school, the wheels have been in motion all summer long. Our student materials are ready to be unboxed by staff next week to begin another great year of learning here at AGS. We are continuing our work to meet the mark set by the State of Michigan and our elected leaders regarding early literacy.

While many key elements still need to be shared from above before next year’s required deadline of implementation, here at AGS, we have been making moves to be ahead of those deadlines with curriculum adoption and alignment of our resources. Our building continues its work on implementation of an approved curricular resource with HMH Into Reading in grades K-5 and HMH Into Literature in grades 6-12.

We are also putting renewed focus this year on our essential standards. The essential standards are the critical skills, or foundational blocks, that students must learn in order to be successful at the next grade level. As we continue our work to ensure your students are meeting their goals in their learning, we are also making sure we are meeting the mark as a district to give them the best possible outcome when they leave us both academically and socially.

As we prepare to receive them on day one, our building looks great thanks to our hard-working maintenance staff who spend long hours getting the building ready while most everyone else gets a break. Be sure to give them a shout out or thank you if you see them in the community. They do a tremendous job all year long but especially over the summer to make sure we are ready to roll on day one with students.

If you have not yet looked at the supply lists for your child’s grade level, they are attached here. We can’t wait to see full backpacks and smiling faces.

MS/HS Supply Lists

Elementary Supply Lists

We are pleased to inform you that Au Gres-Sims School District will be participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) as part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for the School Year 2026-2027.

In place of the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application we still need your household to fill out and sign the Education Benefits Form SY 2026-2027. This report is critical in determining the amount of money that our school receives from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs.

Look for this to come home with your student soon.

AGS is proud to offer big opportunities to our students. We have our own athletics teams as well as cooperative agreements with neighboring schools in which AGS student-athletes can compete in sports that we do not have our own numbers to support.

Fall Sports:

• MS, V Football
• MS, JV, V Volleyball
• Cooperative Boys Soccer (with Standish-Sterling) --> Click Here for Schedule
• Cooperative Girls Swim and Dive (with Standish-Sterling) --> Click Here for Schedule

Wolverine Exchange Sideline Store

The PTO plays an important role in supporting our teachers and students with many of the extras that make AGS so great. Consider joining this wonderful group and helping to make this school year a special one.

EVENTS:

• Homecoming Carnival: Friday, Oct. 2
• Holiday Bazaar: Saturday, November 7

POPCORN FRIDAYS: The PTO pops the corn on selected Fridays throughout the school year in the elementary building. Volunteers are needed to make this happen, with a report time of 8:00 a.m. Your son/daughter's teachers will be reaching out to you different times throughout the year.

Please consider volunteering:

• September 11, 25
• October 9, 23
• November 6, 20
• December 4, 18
• January 15, 29
• February 12, 26
• March 12
• April 9, 23
• May 7, 21

AUGUST

• 28: NO SCHOOL

SEPTEMBER

• 4: NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY WEEKEND
• 7: NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY
• 16: 1p Dismissal - Professional Development for Staff
• 21: 6p Board of Education Regular Meeting

OCTOBER

• 14: 1p Dismissal - Professional Development for Staff
• 15: 4p-7p MS/HS Parent-Teacher Conferences
• 19: 6p Board of Education Regular Meeting

We are also always on the lookout for substitute teachers. If interested, please inquire with Mrs. Freehling in the district administration office, (989) 876-7150 and she will put you into direct contact with Laurie Crane at ESS-WillSub