AMS Peoria Advanced January Newsletter

The STINGER|January 2021

A Message from the Principal

Happy New Year Scorpion Families!

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxed Winter Break. As we begin our distance learning, please reference our School's Dojo Page for the most up to date information.

You can pick up an AMS Chromebook as well as grade-level distance learning packets in driveline from 7:30-12:30pm and up until 4:00pm in the Front Office. All Kinder-8th Grade Students are Eligible!

You can also pick up meals for both breakfast and lunch in driveline from 7:30-12:30pm and up until 4:00pm in the Front Office.

Looking forward to a fantastic start to our Second Semester 🦂🦂🦂

~Mrs. Fitzsimmons

FOR MORE INFO

🦂 Scorpion Reminders:

YEARBOOK REMINDER:

Visit ybpay.lifetouch.com and enter our yearbook ID: 13987121 to order your 2020-2021 yearbook.

PORTRAITS:

LifeTouch Portraits have arrived and will be ready for pickup in the Front Office on Monday, January 4th. If you did not order portraits on Picture Day, but would still like to purchase now, you can pick up your scholar's proof in the Front Office and order online using their individual portrait ID and access code.

DISTANCE LEARNING:

K-2nd grade students can pick up packets in driveline from 7:30-12:30pm and up until 4:00p in the Front Office. Zoom is mandatory for instruction and so teachers can track their attendance. Specials teachers will post video lessons to classroom dojo pages.

3-8th grade students can pick up packets in the Front Office from 7:30-12:30pm and up until 4:00pm in the Front Office. Zoom is mandatory for instruction and so teachers can track their attendance. Scholars can find their distance learning materials on Schoology within their Homeroom Study Skills course as well as their Question of the Day (study skills attendance) and links to their Specials video lessons.

Curriculum Highlight: Middle School Art

Mr. Leenerts attended Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri for his Bachelor's degree in Art Education in May of 2019. Immediately upon graduating college, Mr. Leenerts was hired as the first art teacher for the Academies of Math & Science Peoria Advanced campus.

Although he is new to teaching, Mr. Leenerts is fully dedicated and passionate about creating an authentic learning atmosphere for he and his students. His art class is not just a place where students will sharpen their visual literacy, it is also where they will learn complex problem-solving skills and grow in their ability to persevere through adversity. Mr. Leenerts would say that the most rewarding part of his job is not the content that he teaches, but the privilege he has to form respectful and encouraging relationships with his students and sharpen their ability to learn.

This month, Mr. Leenerts will be working with our middle school students on adding perspective to their artwork using vanishing points. A vanishing point is a point on the image plane of a perspective drawing where the two-dimensional perspective projections (or drawings) of mutually parallel lines in three-dimensional space appear to converge.

Be sure to watch his Art video lessons on Schoology and ask your scholar to design their name in block letters with Mr. Leenerts using a common vanishing point!

Students will be working on the following standards for art practices:

Apply strategies to overcome creative blocks (such as redefine, view from different perspective, take a break and look at classmates' work, etc.).
Develop criteria (such as identifying the desired qualities of the final artwork) to guide making a work of art or design to meet an identified goal.

Demonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches (such as using elements and principles of modern art, applying artistic norms of diverse cultures, addressing social issues in contemporary art, etc.) in creating works of art or design

Professional Development

This month, our Assistant Principal, Tara Walters, will be introducing our teachers, parents, and scholars to the Great Kindness Challenge.

About: The Great Kindness Challenge is a proactive and positive bullying prevention initiative that improves school climate and increases student engagement. The Great Kindness Challenge consists of one lesson each week that will show the world that KINDNESS MATTERS!

Where: Every school, every where. AMSPA will be participating for the first time this year, and we are excited about it! 2021 is the year of Kindness!

How: Ms. Walters will be posting one lesson every week to our school's dojo page and distributing lesson materials to homeroom teachers for review with students.

Who: All students, grades K-8.

When: Every Friday through the remainder of the 2021 school year!

Student & Staff of the Month

Ms. Megan Olivas Castillo

4th Grader

Megan is in homeroom 4B with Ms. Doty as her lead teacher. Megan's favorite subject in ELA. She finds it to be challenge, but she enjoys learning new concepts. She frequently engages with her ELA teacher, Ms. Hall, during read alouds in class.

Outside of school, Megan likes to draw. She enjoys drawing Anime characters. Megan also enjoys going to the park with her cousins, Ryan and Leto, and riding her bike.

Megan is happy to be back at school socializing with her friends although she finds it a bit difficult Over break, she says "I mostly just slept." However, she did take a trip to the Lake and got to look at the stars in the evening with her family.

Mr. Anthony Grizzard

Physical Education Teacher

Coach Grizzard graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Wellness. Coach Grizzard has worked in AMS schools for the last 5 years and has experience with all grade levels. Coach Grizzard was a Physical Education teacher at AMS Camelback from 2015-2019.

Coach Grizzard is committed to developing engaging, interesting, and challenging lessons designed to meet the standards of Arizona’s curriculum. Students will be assessed in various participation efforts, as well as knowledge of rules and application of individual and team sports. Coach Grizzard is very confident in the facilities and equipment at Peoria Advanced and will ensure that your child receives the best instruction to fit their physical education needs.

Ms. Nancy Roldan

Paraprofessional

Ms. Nancy Roldan is one of our first grade paras and assists in Ms. Noelle Vick's homeroom during the school day.

She's has multiple years of experience working with children of all ages and enjoys it immensely. She has two children attending AMS Peoria as well.

Family is the most important thing to her. As a family, her and her children enjoy road trips on the weekends.

Her motto is to enjoy every minute of every day to the fullest.

School Calendar Updates

2020-21Calendar:

January:

Jan 4-15th- Distance Learning

Jan 12th- 100th Day of School

Jan 18th- MLK Day (NO SCHOOL)

Jan 20th- Early Dismissal

Jan 27th- Early Dismissal

(19 instructional days)

Connect with the AMS Peoria Advanced Office Team

623-888-6697

Connect with Principal Fitzsimmons