Hello Au Gres-Sims Families,
The safety and security of our students is always the number one priority for any school district. We take all threats to our security very seriously, investigating them all with the same vigor so that we can keep our students and staff safe. The events that took place at Oxford High School this fall were tragic and proof that even with the best of safety measures, bad things can still happen. While everyone believes that it couldn't possibly happen at their school, the reality is that we just don't know, hence the reason why we must constantly seek out ways to make our building as secure as possible so that the important work of teaching and learning can be done.
I am pleased to announce that we will shortly begin installation on a new safety system for our district, one that is paid for completely out of federal relief funds. While we tightened up our processes immediately, we have also been searching for additional layers of security for our campus. More than that, we wanted to get the best bang for our buck, finding a system that could serve multiple purposes. The system that we have decided on includes audio and visual features that will not only allow for emergency response systems to be activated, but will also enable us to benefit academically through the capturing of classroom lessons. Operating under the umbrella company of Tierney Systems, this combination of Audio Enhancement and SAFE systems will allow our academics to prosper and grow will providing more safety to our staff and students. The system can be summarized as a teacher-controlled lesson recording (video and microphone...teacher voice-only) that has an emergency function that notifies administration to an urgent matter and opens up the viewing of that room to designated personnel.
We see great potential for the use of this system, both academically and for safety purposes. I encourage you to check out the websites provided below and to send questions you may have my way. We are dedicated here at AGS to doing the very best for students and are happy to be able to enhance the great things that happen here daily.
Have a great weekend.
Mr. Ming
K-12 Principal's Update
It is that time of the year where I have the special privilege to announce this year's top 2 AGS students! Congratulations to our Salutatorian, Dayton Crouterfield. Dayton is the daughter of Dave and Teresa Crouterfield and will be graduating with an impressive GPA of 4.015. And congratulations to our Valedictorian, Natalie Hoadley. Natalie is the daughter of Mike and Mary Hoadley. Natalie will graduate with an impressive GPA of 4.075. Congratulations to these two hard working and wonderful young ladies! They are phenomenal representatives of the Au Gres-Sims School District!
If you know of any veterans (and their families) experiencing housing insecurity, the Mid-Michigan Community Action may be able to help. Services include: homelessness, in danger of losing their primary residence, fleeing domestic violence, living in a place uninhabitable, staying with friends and family, staying in a shelter, lacking a fixed/regular residence, and more. For more information you can call or text 1-877-213-5955 or email homeless@mmcaa.org.
This past month we celebrated March is Reading Month. All of the staff and students worked extremely hard and It was a great success! If you see Mrs. Socha and Mrs. Gordon, thank them for all of their efforts in organizing this great event. I look forward to seeing our students continue building on their love of reading and sharpening their reading skills.
Below is a video movie series entitled Managing Intense Emotions. These videos (Elementary/MS/HS) can help kids learn to handle intense emotions without giving in to the urge to act in impulsive ways that can make problems bigger. The five videos are all approximately 5 minutes in length and cover the topics of “Understanding Feelings”, “Relaxation Skills”, “Understanding Thoughts”, “Managing Intense Emotions”, and “Mindfulness”.
Earlier this week we ran a virtual assembly called the NED (Never give up, Encourage Others, Do your best) Show for our elementary students. The cost to pay for this assembly comes from the sale of yo-yos made available to our students and families. Your child should have brought home a flier on this, but if not, call the main office for more information.
And last but not least, we do not have school next Friday, April 15. In addition, our Career Center students will not have Career Center on Tuesday, April 12, as this is a PD day for Career Center staff.
From the Desk of Mrs. Socha
Testing begins next week for our students in grades 3-11. The biggest testing day will be the 13th, with PSAT and SAT happening in the building. Virtual students will also be contacted with testing dates as well, as they are required to come to campus for State testing. Parents of virtual students, please check your emails for information on testing dates and times. It is very important that all students arrive on time on the days that testing is scheduled. Once testing sessions start, students cannot enter the testing environment and will need to be held in the office until testing is completed.
For 3rd - 7th grade students - here is a helpful page with information on M-STEP testing - M-STEP information newsletter. 8th and 11th graders also take the Science and Social Studies portion of the M-STEP.
Recently, both our middle and high school House teams were able to enjoy their rewards for Marking Period 3. High School Altruismo headed to Main Street Lanes before Spring Break to enjoy bowling, food, and time with their team members. On Tuesday of this week, Middle School Revuer traveled to the Arenac Community Center to enjoy the facilities which included basketball, a large screen for movies, air hockey, pool, among other things. They also enjoyed lunch and an afternoon with friends. Both teams represented Au Gres- Sims well!! The battle is now on for the last marking period reward!
Finally, a new month brings a new installment of our School and Home Connection Newsletter. You can find the April issue linked below!
Help Wanted at AGS
https://www.ags-schools.org/employment-opportunities--95
Job Opportunities at AGS
- Full-time Special Education Teacher (1.0, but flexible to part time if desired by the candidate)
- Cafeteria Worker/Cook (available immediately to complete the 21-22 school, with carryover into the 22-23 school year).
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.
The Wolverine Wake-up
Today marks a milestone in The Wolverine Wake-Up newsletter history. We're turning 50! We are so excited to share with you our 50th issue of our weekly newsletter. This week's issue is all about gold, the traditional gift for a 50th anniversary. Sleepless nights and endless days of researching, editing, and video production have enabled us to share with you current events from our local community and around the world. Thank you for making us part of your Friday mornings! Here's to the next 50!
Staff Pet Pic of the Week
Congratulations to Addison Badour for correctly identifying the final staff pet pic of the year. I hope you have enjoyed seeing the family companions of our the AGS staff members.
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