The STINGER| September 2020 |
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A Message from the Principal |
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The teachers and administration at AMS are grateful to have the privilege of educating your children. By choosing us, you have ensured that your child will be provided with the skills and content knowledge necessary to succeed in all educational grade levels, the workplace, and life in general. Through the use of high expectations, parental involvement, and data driven instruction, AMS continually offers a high-quality education tailored to the world of today.
AMS teachers, administrators, and staff do more than teach; we help your child to develop mental attitudes and habits that will ensure a long, healthy, purposeful, and productive life. Students at AMS will appreciate and create art and music, as well as apply math and science knowledge to meet and overcome the challenges facing the world today.
The AMS team is committed to guiding your child’s development and enabling them in reaching their unique educational and citizenship goals. We are looking forward to a wonderful 2020-2021 school year!
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🦂You can monitor student lunch accounts through My Meal Time:
- Returning families, log into your existing account and make your lunch deposit.
- New Families, review the PDF on dojo for instructions on how to create your account. Please call the front office if you need your students ID number.
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Website: https://www.mymealtime.com/
🦂Benchmark 1 Testing will be held September 21st-25th on campus.
- Please see the K-2 and 3-8 Testing Schedule posted on dojo for more information.
- If you cannot attend one of testing dates/times, please email our campus Instructional Coach, Ms. Katie Parr at kparr@amspeoriaadvanced.org for further accommodations.
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Curriculum Highlight: 8th Grade ELA |
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Students have started Collection 1: Culture & Belonging in their English Language Arts class with teacher, Ms. Lori Weatherford. They will be reading several selections and participating in comprehension checks in their distance learning packets until we return to campus in October. Collection 1 focuses on how people develop their own identity within a new culture. It begins with a quote by Jawaharlal Nehru: "Culture is the widening of the mind and the spirit."
At the end of this Collection, students will complete one of two performance tasks to assess their knowledge. 1- Students can conduct research and write an informative essay on the best ways for newcomers to adjust to living in the United States, or 2- write a personal narrative about adjusting to a new situation or fitting in with different groups.
Students will be working on the following learning objectives:
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- The student will be able to recognize and analyze the elements of a story’s plot and the author’s methods of characterization.
- The student will be able to analyze elements of a personal essay, including its purpose, structure, central idea, and supporting details.
- The student will be able to use text features and graphic aids to analyze and understand a nonfiction text.
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- The student will be able to analyze imagery and figurative language to better understand a memoir.
- The student will be able to recognize elements used in a documentary and understand and evaluate the purpose of each one.
- The student will be able to use imagery and allusion to make inferences about the deeper meaning of a poem.
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To better improve our teaching craft and meet the needs of our scholars, we will be using Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching. This framework focuses on four domains: 1- Planning and Preparation, 2- The Classroom Environment, 3- Professional Responsibilities, and 4-Instruction.
Teachers have been working diligently to plan and prepare for clarity of instructional purpose and accuracy of content, safe, respectful, supportive, and challenging learning environments, effective classroom management, increased student intellectual engagement, successful learning by all students, and positive working relationships that exude professionalism.
Fourth Grade Teachers, Mr. Mason Foster and Ms. Rachel Hall, complete their Danielson training together in the gymnasium.
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LOCATION
AMS- Peoria Advanced
DATE AND TIME
09/28/20 3:00pm
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09/29/20 6:00pm
K-2 will be held on Monday, September 28th.
3-8 will be held on Tuesday, September 29th.
Please sign up with your homeroom teacher.
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Student & Staff of the Month |
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Ms. Maya Ortiz
8th Grader
Maya Ortiz is twelve, but will be turning thirteen on October 21st. She attend AMSPA as a seventh grader last year, and is excited to return this year as an eighth grader. She is looking forward to playing Volleyball and Basketball just as soon as sports are allowed back on campus. Maya is hoping to join Student Council, too.
Her favorite subjects include English Language Arts and she enjoys discussing real world topics. Naturally, History is also a favorite subject of hers.
Maya's hobbies include cooking and baking, painting, and journaling. Her favorite recipe that she has tried thus far is carrot cake, and she made it from scratch!
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Ms. Cherise Lukacs
Kinder Teacher
Cherise Lukacs is originally from Arizona. She received her Master's Degree in Art History and a certificate in Foundations in Teaching from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, her Bachelor's Degree in Art History from University of Arizona, and is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Education with a certificate in Applied Prevention Science from Arizona State University. She is an active member of Teach for America, AmeriCorps, and Leadership for Educational Equity. Her experience includes teaching as an Educational Assistant at Spurlock Museum of World Cultures and teaching Art History and Art Appreciation at Pima Community College.
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Ms. Tara Walters
Assistant Principal
Mrs. Tara Walters has worked in education for over thirteen years at multiple grade levels, including holding multiple administration positions. She holds a Bachelors in General Studies from Indiana University and a Masters in Education from University of Phoenix, as well as a Masters in Administration from Grand Canyon University.
She has five children.
She has a love of encouraging others toward lifelong learning and looks forward to working with everyone in the AMS- Peoria Advanced community.
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September
Sept 7- Labor Day- NO SCHOOL
Sept 21st- Benchmark 1 Testing Begins
Sept 30- Quarter 1 Ends
Oct 1- First Day of School In-Person
Oct 9- NO SCHOOL
(21 instructional days)
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Connect with the AMS Peoria Advanced Office Team
623-888-6697
Connect with Principal Fitzsimmons
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