Week of January 26

Good Evening,

A few "thank yous" to start with....

• Thanks to all those who attended our Family Chat Session last week. It is nice to have a regular turnout along with all of the great discussions and I do look forward to seeing everyone each month. Our next session is scheduled for 25 February.
• Thanks to the StuCo and all the volunteer chaperons for the dance this past Thursday. There was plenty of excitement in the air that was for sure!

Today we began the second semester of the school year. With the start of the new semester comes:

1. e-reports for Quarter 2. Teachers are completing comments and inputting final grades now. Reports will be sent 29 Jan.  
2. Some students began new semester or quarter classes. Students can check on Power School for second semester courses they are registered for. Any requests for course changes can be made through Moodle. 
3. New students to our middle school and I will say I am quite proud of our ACS students....they are welcoming, encouraging, and helpful to the new students who have joined us. 

There is a nice feel to the hallways these days......students seem to be confident with what they are doing at school and, more importantly, seem quite happy. We frequently hear "good noise" in the hallways.......students speaking nicely to others, being positive, lots of laughter.....it is nice to hear.

Have a good evening.
Rhonda

Week of January 19

Good Evening,

Hope you enjoyed your weekend. I am anxious to return to ACS and get back into my own routine. I will be honest, I miss being in the hallways seeing the students and teachers!

Reminders:
Tuesday morning we will have our next Family Chat Session. The topic will be addressing Social Media.....what are the kids doing and how to handle the impact of social media use.

StuCo is sponsoring their "Winter" dance on Thursday. Please be reminded many adults volunteer their time to chaperon so prompt pick up is appreciated.

FYI:
Semester 1 ends on 23 January.

• Reports will be emailed to parents on 29 January.
• Students will receive information about schedule change requests for the second semester at the end of this week through an assembly and through their Moodle. Requests can be submitted through 29 January. 

An opportunity for students in Grade 6 ONLY to participate in an evening basketball activity will begin soon.

Grade 6 ONLY Basketball Evening Activity

I look forward to seeing everyone upon my return. 

Have a good evening.

Week of January 12

Good Evening,

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend. I know we all like a nice holiday, but.....I must say I am glad we can now get back into a routine and just focus on students and their learning for a bit!

I will be away all this week attending workshops on creating Standards Based Report Cards and a workshop on the Common Core Standards that have been adopted. And, as I said, we are really wanting to get everyone back into their routines so....only a few upcoming dates to be aware of:

• Mark your calendar.... Jan 21 will be our next Family Connection Chat. The topic will be: Social Media....what are the kids using and the impact (good and bad) social media can have.  
• We have been encouraging students to speak with their teachers if they are behind on any of their assignments....the end of the quarter is quickly approaching--23 Jan. Please help us remind students of this important responsibility in the communication process.
• The StuCo has rescheduled their "Santa's Blizzard" dance that was previously scheduled for before the holiday to 23 Jan. StuCo is also working on rearranging Spirit Week--more info on that will come out as they complete their plans.

In honor of the upcoming PTG Book Fair, I came across this short article summarizing a recent study about the value of reading fiction on long term brain activity and development. I thought you might be interested so please see link below:

Article on reading and brain activity 

Enjoy your evening.

Week of January 5

Good Evening,

Welcome back from your holiday. I hope everyone had a nice time spent with family/friends. I will say it has certainly been lonely around school without students....it seems like forever since we have seen them!

Tomorrow classes will begin. 

It will be a Day 4

Bus Riders....it is a week 1 pick up schedule

There has been an incredible amount of clean up work completed on campus leftover from the snowfall. In addition, the outdoor bleachers have been installed, an additional enclosure for outdoor eating, and a redesign of computer labs, just to name a few. It was not a restful break for a support staff as they worked hard to have everything ready for tomorrow. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated support staff who care about ACS so much. A big THANK YOU to them for all of their hard work.

Student Council will be making decisions about rescheduling their Spirit Week...information will be forthcoming once they have finished their conversations. 

JV Basketball Tryouts will take place this week. Contact Mr. Tate (ttate@acsamman.edu.jo) for additional information or go to the athletics/activities website @Athletics/Activities Website

A big CONGRATULATIONS to our own ACS MS Teacher, Ms. Hall. She has been accepted as a presenter at the Spring NESA Teacher's Conference in Bangkok. The NESA Conference is a meeting of all international school teachers and administrators to share their ideas on their art of teaching and ways to promote student learning. It is an honor to be accepted as a presenter from the many applications NESA receives each year. When you see her, please congratulate her for this accomplishment.