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Amboy Middle School
AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES FUN!
Dear Families,
We wanted to let you know that we will be having a LOCKDOWN DRILL on November 12th and March 11th. We realize how scary these drills can be for students and staff and find it best to prepare families so you have a chance to talk with your child(ren) prior and after. This drill focuses on what to do in a situation of an unsafe intruder on campus.
We will be teaching three main phrases in a LOCKDOWN: Locks, Lights, and Out of Sight.
The Standard Response Protocol is now being used in all Battle Ground Schools for all safety drills. We are required by Washington State Law to have monthly drills.
Please let us know if you have questions or concerns.
5TH GRADE FOCUS
SCIENCE
In Science we are working on matter, particles, and the conservation of mass. Students will be performing labs, reading articles about mixtures and solutions, and learning how particles work within matter.
ELA
Students are working on main ideas and details. The focus will shift in October to summary writing.
6TH GRADE STATUS
We are off to a great start this year in 6th grade! Just a few reminders as we head into our 2nd month of school:
Our expectation is that each student will have their Chromebook and headphones at school. It also needs to be charged. We are asking for your help in helping your student get into a routine to charge his/her Chromebook each night. We also want to remind families that Chromebooks should be used for educational purposes only.
Please encourage your student to read and practice multiplication facts at home as much as possible. The more students practice, the more success they will find in class.
Grade sheets are sent home at least every other week. You can also check Family Access any time. Grades can also be found through Skyward's Family Access. If you don't have an account, please sign up in the office.
Conferences - We'll have four half days at the beginning of November to conference with parents and students. Be looking for more information to be sent home in a couple weeks or so. As a reminder, students are expected to be at their conference.
7TH GRADE SCOOP
Please remind your student to bring their Chromebook to school charged every day. Also, no wireless earbuds are allowed in the 7th grade classrooms.
MATH
The Math classes are finishing up Unit 1 Scale Drawings and will test out on Friday the 20th. The Advanced class is finishing a project that goes along with Unit 1 and will test out on Monday the 23rd. Both classes will start Unit 2 Introducing Propositional Relationships next week.
HISTORY
Washington State History will be finishing up our local tribal history unit and completing Ch 1 assessment projects. We will then head into pre-statehood settlements and treaties. If families would like to donate snacks to my 4th and 5th period classes (and as needed in other classes) it would be appreciated. My snack bin has been popular and needs individually wrapped snacks. Thank you in advance.
ELA
In ELA class students are reading passages (non-fiction and fiction) around the topic of community and belonging. The unit has the essential question of "How do a community's shared values create both belonging and rejection?" In October students will write their first essay in which they will be reflecting on Toby Lowe's idea that "a community is a group of people who share an identity-forming narrative."
SCIENCE
In science we are growing accustomed to our new Amplify curriculum. We are currently learning about the geology of Mars and how what we know about Earth can help us understand what the rovers have discovered on Mars. As we make these comparisons between the planets and search for answers to our scientific questions we are also learning about Claim, Evidence and Reasoning and how to annotate scientific articles. After Mars we will learn about plate motion.
8TH GRADE UPDATE
Thus begins our students' last year of Amboy Middle School. Teachers are geared toward getting them ready for high school and would appreciate assistance at home in that goal.
Yeah! We have a fantastic new hire for 8th grade Science/ELA. She is Emma Massie, some of you may know her from Yacolt. Also a former student at Amboy! One might say she is the perfect fit for our team. Welcome aboard, Emma! Glad to have you here!
Thank you to the parents who have taken our survey. We have learned many things about your child that will help us this year. Some teachers will reach out to you about your child, plus hope to see many of you at Parent/Guardian Conferences Nov. 5-8. If you haven't taken the survey yet, here it is Parent Survey.
There is no homework policy but students are expected to complete assignments at home if not completed in the time allotted at school or have been absent from school.
SUBJECTS
ELA
We are in our suspenseful Unit 1 learning how authors build suspense in their stories. Our focus is on CCSS RL.8.6, which covers Point of View characters.
HISTORY
After wrapping up our review of the English Colonies, we will head into all the reason the colonists are upset with the King that will lead to our first rebellion against the King of England.
SCIENCE
Students are studying force, motion, and collisions in outer space. They are given a fictional problem of a docking mishap and are to apply their understanding of the relationship between mass, force, and changes in velocity.
MATH
We are learning how to transform figures in two-dimensional space through a series of translations, rotations, and reflections. Students completed their iReady diagnostics and have a baseline score for the year.
ALGEBRA
Students are completing the unit on linear equations and will be learning how to write and graph equations in standard form. Their next topic is solving equations and inequalities.
8th Grade Hoodies and T-Shirts sale has started!
Click here or scan the QR code below to place your order.
SEPTEMBER PBIS STORE & DRAWINGS!
We had a massive number of Eagle Bucks turned in. They almost wiped out our supply! If you would like to donate to our PBIS store or drawings, give us a call or an email. Or, ask your kids what they would like to see!
ASPIRE REFERRAL WINDOW OPEN
We are excited to announce that the Aspire Highly Capable Program is now accepting referrals for testing! Aspire is our highly capable/gifted education program designed to support students who demonstrate advanced academic abilities or potential.
Referral window: Monday, October 14 - Friday, December 6, 2024
Who can be referred: Any student can be referred for testing. However, only students with written parental consent will be invited to take the test.
Testing dates: January and February 2025
Program Start: Students identified through testing will begin receiving services in the 2025-26 school year.
To refer a student, please complete the referral packet available at your school office or on the Battle Ground Public Schools website: Aspire Highly Capable Program. Submissions must be received by December 6th to ensure your child is considered.
For more information, please contact Jennifer at (360)885-5426 or Tyce at (360)885-5455.
Thank you for your support in helping us identify and nurture our students' exceptional talents!
RUSSIAN
Окно для подачи направлений в программу для высокоодаренных детей «Aspire» открыто!
Мы рады сообщить, что программа «Aspire» теперь принимает заявки на тестирование! «Aspire» - это программа нашего округа для особо способных/одаренных учеников, разработанная для поддержки тех школьников, которые демонстрируют продвинутые академические способности или большой потенциал.
Окно для направлений: понедельник, 14 октября, - пятница, 6 декабря 2024 года.
Кто может направить ученика: любой ученик может быть направлен на тестирование. Однако только ученики с письменным согласием родителей будут приглашены для прохождения теста.
Даты тестирования: январь и февраль 2025 г.
Начало участия в программе: ученики, выявленные в ходе тестирования, начнут получать услуги в 2025-2026 учебном году. Чтобы направить ученика, заполните пакет документов, который можно получить в школьном офисе или на сайте школьного округа Баттл Граунд: Aspire Highly Capable Program.. Для того чтобы кандидатура вашего ребенка была рассмотрена, документы должны быть получены до 6 декабря.
За дополнительной информацией обращайтесь к Дженнифер по телефону (360) 885-5426 или к Тайс по телефону (360) 885-5455.
Спасибо за вашу поддержку, которая помогает нам выявлять и развивать исключительные таланты наших учеников!
SPANISH
Programa de Altas Capacidades de Aspire - ¡Se Abre el Plazo de Referencias!
Estamos muy contentos de anunciar que el Programa de Altas Capacidades Aspire está aceptando referencias para las pruebas! Aspire es un programa de educación de alta capacidad/dotado diseñado para apoyar a los estudiantes que demuestran habilidades académicas avanzadas o potencial.
Ventana de Referencia: Lunes, 14 de octubre a viernes, 6 de diciembre, 2024
Quien puede ser referido: Cualquier estudiante puede ser referido para tomar las pruebas. Sin embargo, solo los estudiantes con el conocimiento por escrito de los padres serán invitados a tomar la prueba.
Fechas de las Pruebas: de enero a febrero 2025
Inicio del Programa: Los estudiantes identificados a través de las pruebas comenzarán a recibir servicios en el año escolar 2025-2026.
Para referir a un estudiante, por favor complete el paquete de referencia disponible en la oficina de su escuela o en el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Battle Ground: Aspire Highly Capable Program. Los paquetes deben de ser recibidos antes del 6 de diciembre para asegurar que su estudiante sea considerado.
Para mas informacion, por favor comuniquese con Jennifer al (360) 885-5426 o con Tyce al (360) 885-5455.
Gracias por su apoyo en ayudarnos a identificar y nutrir los talentos excepcionales de nuestros estudiantes!
VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY
Amboy Middle School will have our annual Veterans Day Assembly on November 8th (more information to come.) If you have a family member who has served or is serving in the military and would like to have them included in our video, please email the following to miller.joy@battlegroundps.org by October 30:
Name of Veteran
Branch of Military
Family member(s) attending Amboy Middle School
Picture of Veteran
MS. GATZ'S GALLERY
THE CATCH FROM THE EAGLE'S NEST
The majority of snacks that I gave out in the SEL Center these past few years were provided by donations from WinCo. WinCo no longer makes donations unless the donation is for a fundraiser, so I no longer have access to funds for snacks. If your family has the ability to donate any food items to the Eagle's Nest, it would be greatly appreciated. We would welcome any healthy snacks such as granola bars, bottled water, cheese & crackers, and peanut butter & crackers. I can repackage things like bags of popcorn, pretzels, boxed cereal, granola, trail mix, tortilla chips, and crackers into ziploc baggies.
September's character trait was kindness. October's character trait is respect. Please ask your student what respect means to them and how they show respect to fellow students and teachers.
PE AND HEALTH
PHILOSOPHY
Our philosophy for health and fitness is to provide our students with a safe and engaging environment where they can be active and learn how to build a lifelong love of health and wellness. Our goal is to provide students with facts on how to make healthy choices and give students a variety of opportunities to engage in physical activities.
We believe that all students come to us with different abilities, and they will grow their physical abilities at their own pace. We also believe that regardless of ability, effort is the key to success and will encourage students to give their very best every day!
Health and Fitness Dress Code: Students are expected to dress down daily:
Amboy "approved" PE shirt or plain light gray/black tee with no scoop, V necks, or crop tops.
Shorts, sweat pants, etc. NO JEGGINGS or Volleyball shorts!!!
Socks and non-marking tennis/cross-training type shoes; all other shoes will not be acceptable.
If a student loses their PE shirt, they can buy a new one in the main office ($6).
Shorts are $8. Students may also wear sweatshirts and sweatpants when we are outside. These sweats should be plain in nature.
Students need to buy their PE shirts during PE classes. The office will not sell them at any other time.
Locks and Lockers Expectations:
Students are required to provide locks for their lockers.
Please buy combination locks only.
Students must KEEP ALL THEIR ITEMS LOCKED UP and are responsible for all items in their locker!
DO NOT give out a combination.
Teachers will not open a locker that is not the student's own locker.
Grading:
Based on daily dress down
Participation
Effort
Personal growth
We STRONGLY encourage parents/students to check Skyward weekly for grades as we will update them weekly.
DISTRICT NEWS
PROVIDE YOUR INPUT
Battle Ground Public Schools is conducting a ThoughtExchange to gather your ideas about student use of cellphones during school, school start times, school libraries and more. Your input will help guide future decisions on these topics. The ThoughtExchange will include both survey questions and opportunities for you to write in your own ideas. At the end, you can submit more ideas and rank those submitted by other people. Participation is anonymous. Join the ThoughtExchange now. The deadline is Friday, October 18.
SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY GROUP
Parents/guardians of students who receive special education services or are on 504 plans are invited to apply to join a new parent advisory group. This is a great opportunity to share your insights and ideas on how to enhance educational experiences for students with special needs. If you are interested in participating, please take a few minutes to apply online by Monday, October 14.
NEW SAFETY PROTOCOLS
This year, Battle Ground Public Schools joins most Southwest Washington schools and districts in using the Standard Response Protocol for emergencies. Depending on the situation, a school will be placed in a hold, secure, lockdown, evacuation or shelter. See what these terms mean. This common language helps schools, first responders and the community communicate clearly and effectively to reduce misunderstandings in emergency situations.
REPORT INCIDENTS ANONYMOUSLY WITH SAFESCHOOLS
Please report bullying, intimidation, harassment, threats and safety concerns using our anonymous reporting system. Reporters can remain anonymous. Emergencies should always be reported to 911. Learn more about emergency procedures and safety protocols.
COLLEGE AND CAREER FAIR
Attend the upcoming College and Career Fair to learn about apprenticeship programs, trade schools, military branches and colleges.
Prairie H.S. Commons
Monday, October 21, 2024
5-7 p.m.
Financial aid 101 (WSU Vancouver) 5:30-6:30 p.m. in college and career center. All students and their families, regardless of what school or district they attend, are welcome. This event is open to the public.
ATHLETIC EVENTS AT DISTRICT STADIUM
To provide a safe, enjoyable environment for students and families during athletic events at District Stadium, all primary and middle students must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older who will be responsible for the student(s) for the duration of the event. The adult cannot be a high school student. Primary and middle school students will not be allowed to ender the stadium if they are not accompanied by an adult. In addition, only clear bags are allowed into District Stadium. Read more.
THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR ATTENDANCE
Thank you for working to maintain your child's attendance. Regular attendance and punctuality are essential to student learning and success. The skills that students learn in primary school will help them be successful in middle and high school. A student's attendance often can predict whether they are likely to graduate high school on time. Read more.
NEW WEBSITES AND MOBILE APP
Battle Ground Public Schools has launched new websites, along with a brand new mobile app! You can find the mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play. It will allow you to set notifications for individual schools, quickly view updates, get alerts on weather-impacted days and much more.
MEAL BENEFIT EXPIRATION
Please be aware that free and reduced-price meal benefits (now known as the Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit Application) will expire on Wednesday, October 9, for students who have not renewed their application from last year. Families must apply for meal benefits each year to continue receiving lunch and breakfast at a reduced rate, or to maintain access to free or reduce activity fees with the added completion of a consent to share form. Only one application is required for each family, and the information is always confidential.
You can reapply for meal benefits by:
Picking up a meal benefits application at your child's school and returning it.
Print an application (available in English |Español | русский) and return it to your child's school or the district office located in Building A of the CASEE campus at 11104 NE 149th St. in Brush Prairie.
LEXIA ACCESS ENDED
Due to the end of temporary pandemic relief funding, BGPS has discontinued automatic access to Lexia, the reading program for primary students. Going forward, Lexia will only be available to students identified as needing additional reading support. If you have concerns about a primary student's reading level, please reach out to their teacher.
SCHOOL MENUS
Starting this year, Battle Ground Public Schools is partnering with Chartwells to provide breakfast and lunch at school. Menus are still available via Nutrislice and meal expenses can still be paid through InTouch Receipting, just like last year. Printable menus are also available on the district and school websites.
RIGHT AT SCHOOL DAY CAMP ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11
Parents looking for childcare options during the October 11 state in-service day can register their children for a day camp offered by Right At School. The before/after school care provider will be putting on the camp at Glenwood Heights Primary School on Friday, October 11. Information on pricing and how to register can be found on the Right At School website.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS REGISTRATION
Middle school Girls Volleyball and Boys Soccer practices start on Monday, October 28. Registration opens on Monday, October 7. Information and registration links for each middle school are on the district website. Students must have completed a sports physical prior to participating in their first practice. The physical is valid for 24 months.
CONSENT TO SHARE
Students withing to take advantage of no-fee sports or other activities must have a new meal benefit application and consent to share form (русский) (Español) on file before registering for fall sports, even if you had a previous approved application on file. The consent to share can also be completed as part of the annual student update through Skyward.
CARE SOLACE: YOUR LINK TO MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Battle Ground Public Schools has partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students and their immediate family members. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help any student and/or their immediate family members quickly find mental health or substance use treatment options matched to their needs, regardless of insurance or circumstances. If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:
Call 888-515-0595 (available 24/7/365 in any language)
Visit www.caresolace.com/battlegroundps and either search on your own or select "Book appointment" for assistance by video chat, email or phone.
Russian, Ukrainian and Spanish translation and interpretation services
Услуги по устному и письменному переводу на русский и украинский языки 360-885-5433
Servicios de Traducción e Interpretación en Español 360-885-5431
LINK TO IMAGE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AHQct58i9yGCRJXvn3Ht5vABWmu14cTd/view?usp=drive_link
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION AWARD
Do you know an amazing staff member? The new Employee Recognition Awards will highlight staff members who reflect the district's strategic plan goals. Three nominees will be selected each month and recognized at a board meeting. Everyone is welcome to submit a nomination.
The Battle Ground Public Schools is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Information about the district's nondiscrimination and sex-based discrimination policies and grievance procedures are located on the district's website at https://www.battlegroundps.org/notice-of-nondiscrimination/. The following employees have been designated to receive and respond to questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Title IX Coordinator: Tom Adams, Director of Student Services, Battle Ground Public Schools, PO Box 200, Battle Ground, WA 98604, adams.tom@battlegroundps.org, 360.885.5415 and/or U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Title IX inquiries may also be referred to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator/Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Michelle Reinhardt, Executive Director of Human Resources, Battle Ground Public Schools, PO Box 200, Battle Ground, WA 98604, reinhardt.michelle@battlegroundps.org 360.885.5481