WGO - MS Archive: November 7

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Issue #12: November 7, 2024

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From the Principal

Ms. Molly Nielsen

Dear MS Families,

Transition Talks:

This week, Ms. Martinez and I facilitated check-in meetings with our new students who joined ACS at the start of the year. We shared a snack and posed various questions to gauge how they felt about their new place while honoring and holding space for where they were coming from. Making space for all of the feelings is an important part of the process. We also shared that really feeling settled can take up to a year, so if you're not feeling quite there be gentle with yourself.

Moving to a new country and school is a significant transition for your child. This period often brings excitement and challenges as students adjust to new surroundings, routines, and relationships. Research shows that middle schoolers thrive best when they feel supported, connected, and understood during transitions like these. As parents, you play a crucial role in helping your child navigate this change.

Encouraging open communication and listening to your child’s feelings about the move can foster a sense of safety and comfort. You can also help them settle in by encouraging involvement in school activities, which builds friendships and a sense of belonging. Regular routines and patience are key as they adapt to their new environment. If we can help in any way please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Martinez or myself.

Highlighting collaborative learning - MS band & HS visual arts

HS visual arts and MS beginning (Scorpion) band collaborated together to investigate two questions:

1. What does sound look like

2. What sounds do colors, shapes, lines, and textures have?

For musicians, it's a wonderful artistic challenge to manipulate an instrument with the creative intention of associating sound with visuals, and for visual artists, how to represent sound with the colors, and movements of the way the medium is manipulated in real time as the sound is happening. We lined the band room with blank paper and the artists used oil and acrylic pastels, markers, crayons, and pens to represent the sounds they heard during the band rehearsal. We then had 1:1 soloists improvise together, and duets of sonic and visual artists.

We had artists ask questions and interpret how and why shapes and colors were made based on what was heard.

Here are the results of what we heard sonically. Can you hear the sounds from this artwork?

New Unit Cover Sheets Posted

This week you can now access: Global Issues; G6 Social Studies; G6, 7, & 8 Science; G6 Forensics; G6 ELA; Art 1: Drama 2; Arabic E, F

Please scroll down to access the MS unit cover sheets. The cover sheet is a student-friendly document that gives students and families an idea of the current unit's significant concepts, content, assessments, and pacing.

Warmly,

Molly

MS Scorpion Council

Save the date for our first Middle School Social. Below are a few key pieces of information for those students who are planning to attend (and a special note, at the end, for you):

A few notes regarding MS Socials:

First: Students must have bought a ticket ahead of time to enter the Social. Tickets are available for sale in the MS Office and LC Cafe during lunch starting on Nov 10th up through the end of the day Wednesday, Nov 20th (3:05 p.m.) We will not sell tickets at the door.

Second: On the day of the social - Unless actively involved in an After-School Activity, Sport, or Scorpion Council, students are expected to leave school at 3:00 and return to the Social at approximately 5:00.

Third: The Social is a fun time for students to interact. We expect them to continue to demonstrate the respectful behavior that we see at school. Unless specially noted, all school rules remain in force.

Fourth: The Social is only two hours long. As such, we ask students to stay for the entire time. Parents may begin picking up their Middle Schoolers at 6:45 p.m. Please make sure to pick them up by no later than 7:05 or 7:10--it makes for a long night for chaperones otherwise!

Finally: we recognize that Thursday night traffic is NOT ideal. So we will again open up the parents’ space and set it aside for MS Parents - near the gym. We will have coffee, tea, and cookies available for you. Come read, chat, work--whatever you want to do in order to avoid additional driving in Thursday afternoon traffic!

If you have additional questions, feel free to contact Ms. Sisco or Ms. Aseel, the Scorpion Council Advisors.

Sincerely,

The Scorpion Council Team

From the LC - Ms. Spilles

From the Tech Office - Article of the month!

Parents' Ultimate Guide to Generative AI

Are You Ready to Talk with Your Child About Social Media?

Athletics & Activities by Mr. Jacob (Chip) Nielsen

Quick reminders:

- Athletics and Activities website- This is our central hub for athletics and activities information
Busing
- If your HS child receives ACS busing transportation, they are also eligible for the HS Activities late bus which departs @ 4:45pm. Please see the Athletics and Activities page for more information.
Medical
- Be sure to update your child’s medical information with the Health Office (Nurse Hiyam) and in PowerSchool.

What a weekend it was as school was transformed into all that is SAISA. A major thank you to the community, staff, students and coaches for all support. We also had nearly 50 students travel to either Kathmandu, Nepal for swimming or to Sri Lanka for Girls’ Volleyball. Now that SAISA has been completed, we are shifting focus to the upcoming AAC Tournaments!

Upcoming events

AAC Tournaments:

Season two (Will begin the mid-to-late November week of the 24th):