a letter from mr harrington
TRANSCRIPT
A LETTER FROM MR HARRINGTON We are almost one month into Second Semester and will begin planning for the transition of students into the next grade, preparation for the SBAC and MAP testing, and Spring Conferences. We will start testing in May. I will have a detailed SBAC schedule out to all parents soon. We need to remind students to keep working hard and focusing on doing well in their current classes. We encourage those students who did not do well at the end of First Semester to buckle down during the second semester to demonstrate they are ready for the move to the next grade level. It is also important for students to advocate for themselves and meet with their teachers before or after school to get help on materials that they are struggling with. Our teachers are very good about being available to students for that extra help but students need to communicate this with their teachers. Parents, you can help by talking with your students and encouraging them to seek out their teachers! We are gearing up for the transition from middle to high school. High school counselors will be down to talk with our 8th graders this month to begin registration for high school classes next year! I would like to give a shout out to the great work our teachers have been doing of late! Here are just a few examples of what’s happening at AMS:
● Mrs. McCartney and her 8th grade science class are working on a food waste program during our lunches. They are working to reduce the amount of food waste going to the landfills. They have
been working with our community and the PTSA to gain support for their project!
● Mr. Guzik and Ms. Robbins’ Challenge
classes presented their National History Day projects to judges on Monday night. Students created documentaries, websites, performances, and wrote papers to the theme of “Triumph and Tragedy” in history! Good luck to the groups moving on to the next level of competition!
● Our 6th grade science teachers, Mrs. Dylan
and Mrs. Selvig have been working with their students on the Kid Wind projects. Students have been building and testing wind turbines in preparation for the school competition. There has been a lot of work going on in the wind tunnels up in the 6th grade wing! Good luck to all the 6th graders!
● Students in 7th grade will have an
opportunity to be involved in a program called “STEM Like Me” on Friday, March 7 and 8. Members of our community will be in to present careers that are STEM focused. A huge thank you to Mrs. McCartney, Mrs. Kirby, and Ms. Colburn for setting this up and to our Anacortes Chamber of Commerce for their willingness to work with our schools!
We have enjoyed a great year so far and look for Second Semester to be just as enjoyable. As always, if you have questions or comments, please call me at 360.503.1244. Patrick Harrington-Principal
A MESSAGE FROM MR PERKINS
Dear AMS Families, Welcome to almost Spring! This year is zipping by and student life is busy.
Let’s keep everyone involved with something at AMS!
● Spring sports season sign-ups start Monday, March 11 for Co-ed
Track, Boys Soccer and Co-ed Golf. Spring intramurals will also be available after school
for 6th graders!
● SABA Sports Physicals will be on Wednesday, May 29th at AMS. Every student athlete
needs a current sports physical on file in order to play; physicals are good for 2 years.
There seems to be a longer line of students getting here late each morning as the year has
progressed, so please try to get them here on time!
The great news is there is less inappropriate technology use being brought to our attention.
Thank you for continuing to monitor their use at home-it is very noticeable here at the school!
Keep up the great work and let’s put on a strong push as we get close to Spring Break.
Go Hawks!
AMS SPORTS SCHEDULES
Come Support Our Hawks!
AMS Sports Schedules will no longer be on our website.
All sports schedules will be posted on Northwest
Athletics Conference at www.nwcathletics.com/index
PTSA NEWS
FOOD COMPOSTING COMING TO AMS LUNCHES!! Mrs. McCartney and her 8th grade science class are working on a food waste program during our lunches. They are trying to reduce the amount of food waste going to the landfills. The students have been working with our community and the PTSA to gain support for their project!
● Our next bash, Let’s ShamROCK!, will be on March 22nd at 6:30 pm, sponsored by the
PTSA. We are in need of chaperones for the event and to help sell tickets during lunches
the week of the dance. Email us at [email protected] if you would like to
volunteer for either or both!
● Our next general membership meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 13th at
6:30pm in the AMS Library. Please join us!
● It’s never too late to sign up to be a member. Visit our website and pay online-it’s that
easy! www.AnacortesPTSA.com
We welcome all questions, concerns, and comments!
Like us on Facebook and Instagram!
GRAB YOUR “LET’S SHAMROCK!” TICKETS!! Friday, March 22nd
Tickets for “Let’s Shamrock” will be on sale starting
Tuesday, March 19th-22nd, during all lunches.
Grab your tickets early-they are $5 in advance
and $7 at the door. Don’t miss a fun evening put on by the PTSA!
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH These students were chosen by AMS staff for
their academic excellence or classroom performance
HAWK PRIDE These students were chosen by AMS staff for displaying some type of good citizenship and
behavior
Eden Goodin 8th Leander Kadence Yonkman
8th Leander
Aileen Kim
7th Biederman Caden Stephens
6th Biederman
Kali Massey 8th Robbins Hannah Ellis 7th Robbins
Luke Graham 6th Dickison Sophie Hernandez
6th Dickison
Shawn Flynn (A-K)
Renae Newall (L-Z)
Monique Starkovich - Registrar Secretary
Heather Malone - School Psychologist
Kara Fox - Counseling Intern
Conference Opportunity for 8th Grade Girls!
● For questions or to receive the registration form please contact Renae Newell at
● Parents can click on the following link for more information https://www.edcc.edu/eyh/
A MESSAGE FROM OFFICER DOTZAUER
Hello AMS Families,
I wanted to share this article; Social Media and Teen Depression: The Two Go Hand-In-Hand, from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. There are a lot of pressures on our children today in their worlds of social media, so it’s important for all of us to try to understand how it can affect them.
If you have a teenager who uses social media on a daily basis, it’s important you learn how social media can cause depression and other problems. It’s not uncommon for teens to have their smartphones on hand at all times, and being connected with their friends can seem like a positive experience at first. If you want to protect your teenager from harm, it’s time to look at some of the issues that using social media can cause, impacting lives in a powerful way. Teens won’t always seek help when things go wrong online, making them feel even more helpless.
The Pressure to Fit in With the Crowd Teenagers have felt a need to fit in with their peer groups long before social media was even a thought, but technology magnifies the problem in a powerful way. Most people want to show off to the world when posting online, so they will only highlight their best moments. Going to social events, attending concerts and reaching milestones are some of the things that teenagers like to publish on their social media accounts. Even though everyone has problems, people don't like to post the negative events of their lives online. When teenagers scroll through their newsfeed, it's easy for them to think that all of their friends and classmates are perfect, making them feel left out.
Decreased Social Skills When it comes to the dangers of social media, it's critical you understand the impact that it can have on a teenager's social skills. Interacting with peers is about more than the words you use, and learning to read body language and understand vocal tonality is a critical part of the puzzle that you can't
overlook. Because teenagers often rely on social media to stay in touch, they don't have many real interactions with others. This isolation can prevent them from learning the critical social skills that they will need in life.
Cyberbullying Social media allows teenagers to communicate with all of their friends at the touch of a button, and this ability takes bullying to a new level. Without much effort, teens can reveal each other's secrets or spread false information online, and the results can be devastating. In the worst cases of cyberbullying, a teenager's reputation can be destroyed in a matter of hours, and the social fallout can push him or her to commit suicide.
The Solution If you want to take steps to reduce the risk and still allow your teenager to enjoy the benefits of social media, you are likely wondering what options are available. Keeping an open line of communication with your teen is the most important thing that you can do. They need to know that they have someone in whom they can confide when their time on social media takes a turn for the worst. Also, it’s vital you limit the amount of time that teenagers spend online so that you can encourage them to develop social skills. Helping them understand that nobody is perfect and that their peers will always put their best foot forward will work wonders.
This article was written by Dr. Jeff Nalin, Licensed Clinical Physiologist. I hope this article gave you some knowledge and help in this world of social media and our children.
Ofc. Travis Dotzauer
NEWS FROM CAREER & COLLEGE OUTREACH
Next meeting: Monday, March 18, 5:30-7pm
Where: AHS Library
Topic: How to get started (or continue) your
college search; how to build a college list, make a
college visit and prepare for the upcoming Spring
Seattle College Fair.
Questions? Email Shay at
Like us on Facebook!
SCHOOL VOLUNTEER POLICY
The Anacortes School District requires all new and returning volunteers to
submit a yearly volunteer application and receive clearance PRIOR to any
service in our schools. In addition to school day volunteers, the policy also
applies to any school-related activity such as PTA/PTSA, booster clubs, activity
clubs, AVID and athletics, among other activities essentially, any situation where a volunteer representing
any school-sponsored activity has potential access to students.
To apply, please follow this link:https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NDU4OmVuLVVT
For more information, contact Keiko McCracken- [email protected], (360) 503-1208
ORDER YOUR MOVING UP LEIS EARLY!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER IN MARCH:
March 11th: Spring Sport Sign ups begin-sign up at front
office
March 12th: 8th grade parent night-6:30pm
in AHS commons
March 15th: Snow makeup day-Regular school day!
March 22nd: Let’s ShamRock Bash 6:30-9pm
March 29th: Last day of school before Spring Break
April 1st-7th: Spring Break!
Newsletter for the Anacortes Middle School and the AMS PTSA 8.2.60 2202 M Ave. Anacortes, WA 98221 360-503-1230 www.ams.asd103.org
Patrick Harrington - Principal Mark Perkins - Ass’t Principal
PTSA Board Members Jeanine Dickison-President Heather Monkman-Vice-President Rachael Kretchmer-Secretary Romany Kerr-Treasurer Newsletter Editors Romany Kerr & Heather Monkman