AMS Prince| November 2021 |
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Dear Parents,
AMS was recently recognized in Arizona and nationally. The U.S. News and World Report announced the new rankings for elementary and middle schools. The rankings evaluate more than 80,000 public and charter schools at the state and district level. AMS Prince outperformed 18 out of 19 schools within a 3-mile radius and statewide. We outperformed 99% of all schools with similar free and reduced lunch percentages across the state. AMS was ranked #8 across all AZ charter middle schools and #22 across all AZ middle schools. We were also ranked # 112 in AZ elementary schools and #28 in AZ charter schools. This is a testament to the hard work on the part of the students, staff, and parents. At AMS, we believe that only working together can we ensure the success of our students.
One of the key factors for students to perform well academically is daily school attendance. It is very important for every student to be on time and in school every day. Students need to be seated in class by 7:55 am. Students not in class by 7:55 need to report to the office to be signed in by the parent/guardian and given a pass to be able to enter the classroom. Students are considered tardy when they are not in the proper class with all materials necessary for that class period when the bell rings.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are an important opportunity where you and your child’s teacher can discuss your child’s progress in school. Conferences are scheduled to take place on November 16th through the 19th. Teachers will be sending home information about sign-ups for zoom conferences.
The flu season is also upon us. You can help by ensuring that your child stays home if he or she is not feeling well. Please teach your children to follow good hygienic practices such as, washing hands often and well especially before they eat; don’t share food or drinks; keep hands out of their eyes, and mouth where germs can enter so readily; turn their head and cough on to their shoulder or into the bend at their elbow instead of their hand; wash hands after blowing their nose. Following these simple suggestions can reduce the spread of germs.
We are asking for your help and support when it comes to drop-off and pick-up from the school. The Old Times Kafe parking lot on Prince and Iroquois is private property. Please do not park in their parking lot. We work very hard to maintain friendly relations with our neighbors. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Sandra Lomeland, Principal
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2021-2022 School Dress Code
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October has gone by so quickly in Kindergarten! In Social Studies we have wrapped up our unit Fire Safety. We have also completed our unit on Weather and Seasons in Science. In the spirit of Halloween, we learned about bats, spiders, and pumpkins for science as well. Hopefully you have noticed that we are getting better and better at reading simple words and our sight word knowledge is growing! We are also learning about the differences between real stories and fantasy or make-believe stories and what informational text is. Some of our favorite stories this month have been Knuffle Bunny and Creepy Carrots. Not only are we getting better at reading, but we are also finding that we can write! We’ve been working on writing interesting sentences with details as well as knowing what a noun and verb are. In Math, we continue to memorize our math facts. We have mastered our doubles facts and are moving on to adding and subtracting 1 and 0 from a number. Other concepts we have covered include skip counting by 10’s, counting backwards from 10, telling time to the hour, and counting dimes |
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We have had a very busy fall in first grade! Our school pumpkin patch was a success, and first graders are now beginning to learn about the human body in science. We are studying the skeletal system, muscular system, and the importance of organs such as the heart, lungs, and stomach.
In ELA, we are continuing to practice our reading fluency, sight words, and foundational writing skills. Our first graders are becoming super spellers as they practice their spelling lists and complete their weekly spelling tests!
In math students will be challenged to answer 100 addition facts in 5 minutes. We will be working with counting mixed coin groupings, double digit addition with and without regrouping, and polygons. Please continue to help your child at home with counting groups of coins.
For social studies first grade will be learning about Election Day, Veterans Day and the First Thanksgiving. We are continuing to learn about families long ago and today.
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We cannot believe it is already November. We are almost halfway through the year. Wow! The second-grade team would like to send out another thank you to those parents who continue to work extra at home to help us close learning gaps acquired during digital learning.
In math this month we will be furthering our multiplication facts. We will know them all by the end of the year. We will start doing 100 addition and subtraction fact test instead of 25 facts per test. Children will enjoy exploring concepts like symmetry, division, and telling time to the minute. We will be mastering subtracting 2-digit numbers with regrouping. This will take a lot of practice as children forget some of the step involved.
Reading comprehension continues to be a struggle for most. Please keep quizzing the children on what you are reading at home. We value accuracy over fluency so reading with your child really helps them to learn those new words in their books. Mrs. Ryff’s class is almost done with basic English phonics rules so students should be able to decode almost any work that you can sound out. Ms. Ceboll’s class still has another year of phonics rules to learn in 3rd grade and will require a little more assistance with words they do not know.
During the month of November, we will be studying the first Thanksgiving and some of the historical aspects of what settlement meant to the Natives and settlers. We will also be learning about the solar system and the Sun, moon, and Earth.
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Hello 3rd Grade Parents,
We have been doing some exciting things this year.
Ms. Holbert’s class has been working on Unit 2 Lesson 2. Our unit theme is: extreme weather. This week our focus story in Open Court is "Seasons of Change." Our phonics focus will be to read words with /ī/ spelled _igh, _ie, and _y,
spell dictated words with /ī/ correctly, and build oral language skills while our comprehension focus will include how to learn and apply the comprehension strategies: Asking and Answering Questions and Clarifying. learn new vocabulary words, and
focus on reading with accuracy.
We will focus on Action and Linking verbs and review apostrophes and possessives.
Ms. Bonilla’s class has been working on place value and measurements with centimeters and millimeters. Ms. Bonillas and Mrs. Shepard’s classes have been working on scientific method and working through the steps and what they mean. Those classes have also been learning about squares and square roots. Scholars have learned that our squares make a perfect square when using it as an array. We are excited to share with you what we are learning in class so if you have any questions please feel free to contact your teachers.
Ms. Brooks we are working on Cause and Effect, Fact vs. Opinion, Comparatives and Superlatives, our vocabulary and spelling words. We have three contests going on until Friday - a mask contest, a word game contest and a naming of the class stuffed animal contest.
Remember parents that the homework and assignments that are sent home are important for our students to work on to improve their skills. Please make sure they understand what they are working on and try their best. If they or you do not understand what you or your scholar is working on please reach out to your teachers. We are happy to help any way we can.
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Hello from Mr. Pipkin! In 4th grade ELA, we are glad to see students are continuing to take home spelling lists and reading logs as part of their homework. I have seen some awesome effort from all students on our Friday spelling tests. We are exploring ever different genres of writing, now including - Informational, Narrative and Non-Fiction. As a class we worked on our current events for Social Studies and had some great summaries of the news articles students found in the newspaper. I still believe that this is the responsibility of our students to engage with their community and goings-on around the nation and the world. I hope that Fall break was AWESOME and we can't wait to finish first semester strong!
In math we are continuing through out textbook lessons and we are nearly half way through! For science we are in the middle of our science fair projects. Students need to complete their experiments by November 15th. We will be working on the rest of the project in class together. Completed projects are due on December 10th. The school science fair will be held late January/early February.
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Social Studies News
Hello Centaurs,
We are coming to the end of the 2nd quarter of the year and the Holidays are approaching quickly. Here is what you should expect in Social Studies
· Current events are due every full Friday in all classes. Please be prepared to write your three paragraph report and attach the accompanying article. You’ll get extra credit for presenting the report to the class.
· Please define your word wall words and study them frequently.
· Homework is assigned daily – please check online and with your student
· Mid-Term Exams
6th Graders:
The 6th Graders are working on understanding the ancient Greece and how the Greek culture had such an influence on the ideas that we used in the U.S. We will also address the rise of Democracy and how we can learn from the Greeks and apply these lessons to our own success here in America. Look for the project on Gods and Goddesses.
Hello Ms. Doyuran’s 6B Parents and Students,
This month 6B class have learned manipulating and correctly using formula, using the distributive property, analyzing repeating decimals and their notation, converting between the three forms of rational numbers: decimals, fractions, and percents, analyzing patterns in problems to correctly identify divisor and dividend and the form of quotient, dividing by a decimal using multiples of 10, representing and writing rates and unit rates, multiples of ten using exponents and expanded notation, identifying equivalent decimals, fractions, and percents with conversion.
All students worked hard at school to complete I ready lessons. Student also can do I ready at home. I recommend students to spend at least 10 minutes every night. This will help students to improve. Students are receiving a Dojo point for each passed I ready score at school. Please encourage them to spend time doing I-ready Math at home. Have an excellent rest of the year!
Hello and welcome to second semester! Students have been working on their first big assessment to showcase the skills that they were polishing during the first quarter! As we move into the next unit, the focus will shift towards punctuation and capitalization as well as writing multiple paragraph essays that include an introduction and thesis statement!
Thank you so much for your continued support and help! Keep an eye on your dojo messages for news and assignments, and thank you again for being so amazing!
The Best,
Mr. Moore
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Social Studies News
Hello Centaurs,
We are coming to the end of the 2nd quarter of the year and the Holidays are approaching quickly. Here is what you should expect in Social Studies
· Current events are due every full Friday in all classes. Please be prepared to write your three paragraph report and attach the accompanying article. You’ll get extra credit for presenting the report to the class.
· Please define your word wall words and study them frequently.
· Homework is assigned daily – please check online and with your student
· Mid-Term Exams
7th Graders:
The 7th Grade Students start the year with an in-depth look at the many causes for the American Civil War. They are now moving into the Reconstruction of the US and the aftermath of the Civil War. We take a look at President Lincoln and Johnson’s plans for how the country could be reunified and compare and contrast this with some more radical beliefs in Congress.
Hello Ms. Doyuran’s 6B Parents and Students,
This month 6B class have learned manipulating and correctly using formula, using the distributive property, analyzing repeating decimals and their notation, converting between the three forms of rational numbers: decimals, fractions, and percents, analyzing patterns in problems to correctly identify divisor and dividend and the form of quotient, dividing by a decimal using multiples of 10, representing and writing rates and unit rates, multiples of ten using exponents and expanded notation, identifying equivalent decimals, fractions, and percents with conversion.
All students worked hard at school to complete I ready lessons. Student also can do I ready at home. I recommend students to spend at least 10 minutes every night. This will help students to improve. Students are receiving a Dojo point for each passed I ready score at school. Please encourage them to spend time doing I-ready Math at home. Have an excellent rest of the year!
Greetings, AMS families,
Before dismissing for Fall Break, students finished up their rough drafts for a five-paragraph fictional narrative. As we step back into the classroom, we are covering some of the more prominent grammar issues I’ve spotted while grading. Once we’ve worked through these concepts and had plenty of practice in class, then students will receive their rough drafts back and will type up final drafts. Students are expected to print out their final drafts; if you do not have access to a printer at home, I am willing to print final drafts for students between 4 and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In the coming weeks, students will also be taking the second round of the iReady reading diagnostic. These results will be compared to data from the beginning of the year to establish student growth and inform what demands persist for refining student literary analysis skills before the end of the year.
As always, I appreciate your continued support, and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have for me.
-Mr. Faraday
Hello and welcome to second semester! Students have been working on their first big assessment to showcase the skills that they were polishing during the first quarter! As we move into the next unit, the focus will shift towards punctuation and capitalization as well as writing multiple paragraph essays that include an introduction and thesis statement!
Thank you so much for your continued support and help! Keep an eye on your dojo messages for news and assignments, and thank you again for being so amazing!
The Best,
Mr. Moore
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Social Studies News
Hello Centaurs,
We are coming to the end of the 2nd quarter of the year and the Holidays are approaching quickly. Here is what you should expect in Social Studies
· Current events are due every full Friday in all classes. Please be prepared to write your three paragraph report and attach the accompanying article. You’ll get extra credit for presenting the report to the class.
· Please define your word wall words and study them frequently.
· Homework is assigned daily – please check online and with your student
· Mid-Term Exams
8th Graders:
The 8th Graders are investigating the origins of our American system, including the Constitutional Convention, ideas on government from around the world, and the impact that the Constitution has on our everyday life, from voting, to citizenship to the protection of our individual rights. This will conclude with student debates, presenting social issues through the lens of Constitutional law.
Hello Ms. Doyuran’s 8B Parents and Students,
8B class have learned using the "vertical line test" with graphs, defining functions, creating function tables to find rules, using the "vertical line test" with graphs, defining volume, estimating and calculating volume in prisms, defining surface area, decomposing solids into their faces to calculate and generate the formula for SA, solving for proportions using cross-multiplication and division; defining slope, organizing ratios in boxes to include and solve ratios with totals, use the laws of exponents to solve problems using scientific notation and multiplication and division, using a function table to identify x and y and graph functions, review vertical line test, identify percent of a whole by writing as a ratio over 100 and converting, writing and organizing information as ratios/in ratio boxes to solve problems with proportions, and combining like terms to solve for a variable in multiple steps.
Students are receiving a Dojo point for each passed I ready score at school. Please encourage them to spend time doing I-ready Math at home.Have an excellent rest of the year!
Greetings, AMS families,
Before dismissing for Fall Break, students finished up their rough drafts for a five-paragraph fictional narrative. As we step back into the classroom, we are covering some of the more prominent grammar issues I’ve spotted while grading. Once we’ve worked through these concepts and had plenty of practice in class, then students will receive their rough drafts back and will type up final drafts. Students are expected to print out their final drafts; if you do not have access to a printer at home, I am willing to print final drafts for students between 4 and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In the coming weeks, students will also be taking the second round of the iReady reading diagnostic. These results will be compared to data from the beginning of the year to establish student growth and inform what demands persist for refining student literary analysis skills before the end of the year.
As always, I appreciate your continued support, and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have for me.
-Mr. Faraday
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Greetings Centaurs!
We have been working hard on completing the levels in Learning.com. I am also excited to announce we have installed web cameras in the computer lab. This will facilitate our K-2 graders to log in to Clever. Clever for those of you who are not familiar with it, it is a one stop software to all the websites we visit online. The students will use a badge to log in using the web cam.
3-5 graders have been learning new vocabulary words for Computer Science, polishing on their typing skills and we will be learning how to use Google sheets, which will help them with data and analysis, a must have skill as a computer scientist.
Our middle school scholars are working hard learning the basics of Python (a computer programming language). We have covered variables, and strings. Next month we will be moving forward to numbers as variables, lists and Boolean expressions, loops and so much more.
Congratulations to our Techies of the month!
Regards,
Mrs. Noriega
(Technology/Computer Science Teacher)
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Techies Of the Month
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Spoooky Greetings From the Art Studio!
Our centaurs have been creating amazing masterpieces! Students have been learning how to use fun new materials such as oil pastels and watercolors lately in the studio. We have also been crafting with construction paper, cardboard, and yarn! Our kiddos have made fall themed oil pastel projects, macrame tassels/bracelets, 3D construction paper pumpkins, and even cardboard haunted houses! We will continue to create exciting projects throughout fall and build on the skills students are learning each week.
Our students from Kindergarten to eighth grade have shown wonderful growth in their art techniques such as blending and shading. Also, we discuss the importance of balance and space in our artwork. Check out some of our latest projects attached!
Coming Up: Our centaurs will continue to practice using oil pastels, watercolors, and additional artist tools to create beautiful work. Soon, students will learn about surrealism by cutting out magazine clippings and creating their own story with their imaginations.
Make sure to be on the look-out for your student's awesome artwork coming home each week!
Mrs. Baluja"
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From the Music Department,
We are working with all the students to prepare them for our Winter Recital which will be on Thursday, December 9th in the morning. More information will be given about how to get tickets for this limited capacity event. Grades 3 and 4 will be singing holiday favorites as a choir and grades 5-8 will be performing holiday inspired songs on either guitar or piano. Rock Band Club has begun and is working with the students to prepare them for playing in the recital as well.
We are also teaching music theory and aural skills where we ask the kids to sing melodies and rhythms that we play for them. They are expected to proficiently read music as well as understand how to play the music on their instruments. We also teach about music history and instruments of the orchestra. Our goal is to have our musician scholars be well-rounded with a musical education that enhances their academic careers.
Musically Yours,
Mrs. Kashtelyan & Mr. Nigro
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Chinese students learned how to say “Ms. Lu”, “ hello”, and “How are you.” Students sang the Chinese “Hello” song, and Role played saying “Hello” to each other. As cultural parts, students learned how to greet and say goodbye to the teacher.
Next week:
We are going to learn Chinese “pinyin”, a phonetic system to help students pouncing Chinese. We are going to enhance the vocabularies of “hello”, help students to familiar with the “Pinyin” system and at the same time, we start to learn the Chinese number and make the hand sign of the number.
Regards,
Xiangjun Lu
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Scholars have been amazing at listening, communicating and participating in Russian and Mandarin class. Students have been learning vocabulary words, culture and language through various class activities. Middle school classes have been practicing conversational phrases and learning about history and geography of the countries. Students have been challenging themselves everyday by working hard in class and practicing how to pronounce the words correctly. Please make sure to ask your scholar to teach you how to say some phrases in Russian and Mandarin, they feel very accomplished and rewarded for their hard work. We are very proud of them! |
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From the P.E. Department
It is already November, and the weather is great! I hope you all had an enjoyable Fall Break. As we continue the second quarter of VOLLEYBALL, we are reviewing are basic skills (e.g., tossing, passing, and catching). We will soon be working on new skills, such as serving and setting. Our next test will be our MIDTERM, and this will be administered during week 9 of the second quarter (November 29th thru December 3rd). Please reference the “Yearly Calendar” using the link below to help your scholar stay on track:
As the weather is changing, please ensure that your scholars are dressed appropriately, wearing athletic shoes, and bringing their water bottles. It is so nice to be able to enjoy the nice weather, and I am excited to see the scholars’ progress with their volleyball skills. If you have any questions about the assignments, please contact me directly via email slanglais@amstucson.org or through Class Dojo. We can always set up a Zoom meeting to assist your scholar. Stay healthy, stay safe.
--Coach Langlais
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School Calendar & Jo's Corner
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November:
Nov 11th- Veteran's Day NO SCHOOL
Nov 12th- Teacher Workday NO SCHOOL
Nov 16-19 1:00 PM Dismissal
(PARENT CONFERENCES)
Nov 25-26th Thanksgiving Recess
NO SCHOOL
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Connect with the AMS Prince Office Team
520-293-2676
Office Manager: Ms. JoAnn
jbelvedere@amstucson.org
Front Office: Ms. Jean
jmbelvedere@amstucson.org
Registrar: Ms. Anna
aencinas@amstucson.org
Connect with Principal Lomeland
slomeland@amstucson.org
520-293-2676
Connect with Assistant Principal Roddy
groddy@amstucson.org
520-293-2676
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