Parent News
February 24, 2023
Please be aware of the A/B schedule for next week.
Monday, February 27: B Schedule
Tuesday, February 28: A Schedule
Wednesday, March 1: B Schedule
Thursday, March 2: A Schedule
Friday, March 3: No School, Teacher Work Day
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Save the Date(s)
Conference Week Schedule:
Monday, March 6: 3:45 Dismissal, Conferences 4:00-8:00 PM
Tuesday, March 7: 1:45 Dismissal, Conferences 2:00-4:00 PM
Wednesday, March 8: 3:45 Dismissal, Conferences 4:00-8:00 PM
Thursday, March 9: 1:45 Dismissal, Conferences 2:00-4:00 PM
Friday, March 10: NO SCHOOL
Monday, March 20: 3:45 Dismissal, Conferences 4:00-6:00 PM (Literacy Classes Only)
Conference Sign Up Information (Links Below):
6th Grade CLC Party
CLC is excited to sponsor grade-level parties this semester. The 6th Grade CLC Party will be held Friday, March 31 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at AMS. Admission is $5 and is open to all current 8th grade students. Admission includes 1 slice of pizza, bottled water. There will be a DJ and open gym. We hope to see you there!
Thursday, March 2
- Spirit Squad-End of Season Performance (Home-5:00)
Wednesday, March 8
- Pre-Season Track Meetings during Homeroom
- 8th Girls: Media Center
- 8th Boys: Auditorium
- 7th Girls: Cafeteria
- 7th Boys: Wrestling Room
Project Alert
January 30th – April 27th
7th grade students will participate in a prevention program called Project Alert, offered by Youth and Sheltered Services of Ames. Parents of all 7th grade students were sent an email about the program on January 20th. Here is a link to that information.
From the Nurse’s Office:
Reminder on illness policy – Please make sure to keep your students home if they have a fever of 100.4 or greater, are vomiting and/or have diarrhea, or have another illness that requires them to stay home from school. Please have your student come to the nurse if they are not feeling well so I can assess them. Thank you for your help!
Ways to prevent illness: 1) Washing hands with soap and water for at least 15-20 seconds. 2) Cover your cough with your sleeve. 3) Stay home when you are sick.
COVID-19 Update – we are following the CDC/IDPH guidelines regarding quarantine/isolation. Please contact me if your student has tested positive for COVID-19. They will be required to stay home for 5 days and then can return on days 6-10 wearing a mask at all times, this includes after-school activities.
Medications – If your student needs to take a prescription medication at school, please call or email me. All medications need to be stored in the nurse’s office. Also, if your student has a food allergy and has been prescribed an EpiPen, please contact me to let me know, and I will keep the EpiPen in the nurse’s office.
Immunizations – Students currently in 6th grade this year will need to receive the Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) and the Meningococcal immunizations before they can start 7th grade next year. This immunization is typically administered between the ages of 11-12 and can be administered at any time.
Josie Lemke RN, BSN
Ames Middle School Nurse
515-268-2404 (phone)
515-268-2419 (fax)
Central Iowa Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month Essay Contest
Last year, the AAPI organizations in central Iowa held an inaugural celebration of AAPI Heritage Month on the Iowa State University campus, intending to promote diversity, equity, and harmony in our communities. We’re excited to announce the second annual AAPI Heritage Month Contest, which will be held May 2023. In celebration, please consider entering the essay contest! The winning essays will receive a monetary prize and the opportunity for it to be published online and broadcast with KHOI. Please submit essays to AAPIStory@gmail.com with “AAPI Essay Contest” as the subject line. Essays must be submitted by April 15, 2023 at 11:59pm.
ALL students are invited to participate! Please visit The 2023 Central Iowa AAPI Heritage Month Celebration website for more information and see the essay contest flier for more specific information about the essay requirements, length, and submission.
Book Fair with Dog-Eared Books
During parent/teacher conferences, we will host a book fair in conjunction with Dog-Eared Books, a local bookstore on Main Street in downtown Ames. Reading has real and long-lasting benefits for our children and every book fair purchase benefits AMS students directly. Before or after your scheduled parent/teacher conference, please consider stopping by our Book Fair in the AMS Library to support our readers and community.
Book Fair Dates & Times (during conference week):
Mar. 6 – Book Fair 4-8pm or during the school day
Mar. 7 – Book Fair 2-4pm or during the school day
Mar. 8 – Book Fair 4-8pm or during the school day
Check out the book fair sneak-peek here.
Book Fair Coordinator Contact Information:
Cathy Stoermer – Teacher Librarian
515-268-2422
8th Grade Students and Families
The AHS course planning system will be open through February 28.
Students need to have their course plan approved by a parent/guardian by February 28th. Additional information about course planning and approving your child’s plan can be found here.
8th Grade Students applying for Unified PE or Acceleration: forms are due to AMS Student Services office by February 28.
Kirsch 8th Grade Artists – Acknowledgements
AMS Artists awarded in the 2023 Youth Art Month (YAM) exhibit where their art represents the best in Iowa in grades K-12, the following AMS artists had their work selected. Please Congratulate the following students should you see them.
- Of the 100 selected from the state of Iowa to exhibit are: Ella Grail-8th Grade, (AMS Artist-charcoal) and Joy Zhang-8th Grade, (AMS Artist-charcoal) and Kate Badding (AMS Artist-charcoal). A reception will be held on Saturday, March 25 at Jordan Creek Mall where the public may view the exhibit of the state of Iowa Exhibitors.
- tOf the 25 selected for special recognition, included in the Governor’s Exhibit at the state capital, are: Kate Badding with her artwork titled “The Agony of Defeat”. Kate’s artwork will be on display in the Governor’s offices at the Iowa Capitol Building during the month of March. A Capitol Tour and awards ceremony with the governor is scheduled for March.
Sonia Kovalevsky Girls Mathematics Day
The Iowa State University Sonia Kovalevsky Girls Mathematics Day will be held:
Saturday, April 1
10:00am – 2:00pm
Marston Hall 2155
Iowa State University Campus
Ames, Iowa
The goal of Sonia Kovalevsky Day is to stimulate young women’s interest in mathematics and to encourage them to pursue a career in math and science. Participants will engage in hands-on activities through a series of workshops on exciting math topics and will have the chance to interact with other participants, mathematics graduate and undergraduate students and mathematics professors. Events will include fun hands-on activities, lunch (provided), and small group mentoring sessions with female mathematicians. We will talk about optimization, topology, and graphs. Teachers are welcome to join their students.
For more information and to register, visit:
We ask that the registration form be completed and submitted no later than March 10.
On to State Mathcounts! Congratulations to our students who competed at the Mathcounts Chapter Competition on Wednesday February 15th. Our AMS team got 2nd Place! We also had students qualify individually! We had FIVE students in the top 10 who got to participate in the Countdown Round!
The following members of our Mathcounts team and individuals that made it to the State Competition that will be held on Friday March 24th:
Team: (will compete as a team and individually at state)
Simay Zhu – also got 8th place individually
Sunney Que
Isaac Wang – also got 6th place individually
Philip Stoytchev – also got 9th place individually
Individuals:
Allen Cai – 4th place – beat 5 students to place 4th after Countdown Round
Oscar Chelcea – 5th place – 4th highest score, placed 5th after Countdown Round
Kelsey Allman
Claire Wang
The following students also competed and did a great job: Noah Shin, A.K. Nolin, Arnabh Swamy, Rosalie White, Deirbhile Hennessy, and Anneka Singh
If you see any of our mathletes, please congratulate them for this awesome accomplishment!
Battle of the Books
Starting on Wed. Feb. 22, Battle of the Books teams will begin meeting weekly on Wednesdays in the library.
6th grade team(s) will meet during 6th grade lunch in the library. (Battle at Ames Public Library on April 6)
7th grade team will meet during 7th grade lunch in the library. (Virtual Battle at AMS on April 14)
Questions? Ask Ms. Stoermer, Ms. Gabrielson, or Ms. Danielson
Ames Middle School Science Olympiad
Please congratulate all Ames Middle School Science Olympiad team members who competed at regionals last Saturday. They did amazing and their coaches are very proud of them. Our orange team placed 1st. The following students earn individual event awards:
- Ames High 9th graders: Sophia Kyveryga and David Zhang
- 8th graders: Sia Agnihotri, Claire Lu, Sunny Que, Lynda Sun, Laura Wang and Joy Zhang
- 7th graders: Cecelia Appleton, Aron Gheresus, Uliana Markutsya, Luke Westbrook and Natalie Westort
- 6th graders: Will Colvin and Rhea Rudrapatna
Additional team members competing were: David Chen, Harrison Chen, Ayaan Ilyas, Noah Shin and Isaac Wang
Both our orange and black teams have earned the right to compete at the state tournament to be held at the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday, April 1st.
AMS Builders Club
Do you like to make a difference? If so, please join the AMS Builders Club. We do many service projects throughout the year. At our next meeting, we will be working on putting together two free little libraries. I hope to see you there! Our meeting date is March 8, 2023 at 7:35 in H101. If you have questions please email erin.bettazza@ames.k12.ia.us
Science Fair
Science Fair participants will begin meeting every Wednesday after school in Mr. Esslinger’s room (F204) until the competition date (Friday, March 31, 2023).
Harry Potter Club
Choose your house, design your wand, and watch the movies.
When: Thursdays from 4pm to 5pm.
Where: Mr. Mac’s room G108
WRITERS DEN DATES:
Monday, February 27.
Monday, March 20. Monday, March 27
February 17, 2023
Please be aware of the A/B schedule for next week.
Monday, February 20: A Schedule
Tuesday, February 21: B Schedule
Wednesday, February 22: A Schedule
Thursday, February 23: B Schedule
Friday, February 24: A Schedule
7/8 Orchestra Concert
The 7/8 Orchestra Concert has been rescheduled to Monday, February 20 at 7:00 pm. Admission is $5 per adult with a max of $10 per family, and free for students. Join us to celebrate our musicians!
The 7th Grade CLC “90’s Neon Partaay!” will be held Friday, Friday 24 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at AMS. Admission is $5 and is open to all current 7th grade students. Admission includes 1 slice of pizza, bottled water and a glow band. Additional slices of pizza will be available for purchase. There will be a DJ, open gym and games. We hope to see you there! Sponsored by Cyclone Leadership Council.
Tuesday, Feb 21
- 8th Boys Basketball vs Johnston (Home-4:30)
- 7th Boys Basketball at DC-G (4:00)
Thursday, Feb 23
- 7th Boys Basketball vs Fort Dodge (Home-4:30)
Thursday, Mar 2
- Spirit Squad End of Year Performance (Home-5:00)
MAP Testing Results
Map testing results were shared with students during homeroom earlier this week. Parents/guardians can expect a paper copy in the mail by Friday, February 24. If you do not receive a copy and would like one, please contact AMS secretary, Kari Stagg, by email (kari.stagg@ames.k12.ia.us) or phone (515-268-2412).
Book Fair with Dog-Eared Books
During parent/teacher conferences, we will host a book fair in conjunction with Dog-Eared Books, a local bookstore on Main Street in downtown Ames. Reading has real and long-lasting benefits for our children and every book fair purchase benefits AMS students directly. Before or after your scheduled parent/teacher conference, please consider stopping by our Book Fair in the AMS Library to support our readers and community.
Book Fair Dates & Times (during conference week):
Mar. 6 – Book Fair 4-8pm or during the school day
Mar. 7 – Book Fair 2-4pm or during the school day
Mar. 8 – Book Fair 4-8pm or during the school day
Check out the book fair sneak-peek here.
Book Fair Coordinator Contact Information:
Cathy Stoermer – Teacher Librarian
515-268-2422
8th Grade Students and Families:
The AHS course planning system will be open through February 28.
Students need to have their course plan approved by a parent/guardian by February 28th. Additional information about course planning and approving your child’s plan can be found here.
Sonia Kovalevsky Girls Mathematics Day
We are planning a fun and exciting (and no cost!) mathematics event for female and female-identifying students in middle school on Saturday, April 1st!
The Iowa State University Sonia Kovalevsky Girls Mathematics Day will be held:
Saturday, April 1
10:00am – 2:00pm
Marston Hall 2155
Iowa State University Campus
Ames, Iowa
The goal of Sonia Kovalevsky Day is to stimulate young women’s interest in mathematics and to encourage them to pursue a career in math and science. Participants will engage in hands-on activities through a series of workshops on exciting math topics and will have the chance to interact with other participants, mathematics graduate and undergraduate students and mathematics professors. Events will include fun hands-on activities, lunch (provided), and small group mentoring sessions with female mathematicians. We will talk about optimization, topology, and graphs. Teachers are welcome to join their students.
We hope you will help us spread the word by forwarding this email to female mathematics students, their parents, and other mathematics teachers in your school system. In addition, we have sent posters and flyers either directly to you or to your principal.
For more information and to register, visit this link.
We ask that the registration form be completed and submitted no later than March 10.
If you have questions, please email us at sk-math-day@iastate.edu. We hope to see you and your students here for a wonderful event celebrating female mathematicians!
The event is open to female and non-binary middle school students and their teachers, both men and women. We hope that you will join us for this special event!
The International Geography Bee
The International Geography Bee was founded in 2016 to give primary and secondary students around the world a chance to compete at the regional, national, and global levels in a new academic competition testing comprehensive knowledge of world geography. Participating students are part of a community of learners who are all striving to improve their knowledge of the world and its peoples and cultures. If you are interested in taking the first round, 50 question, 20 minute online exam, please fill out the form below by Friday, February 24th. The exam will take place Wednesday, March 1 during your WIN period in H106, Mrs. Danielson’s room.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All 6th and 7th graders!!!
Boston is calling! In June 2024, Mr. Alden will be leading a group of students to Boston! If you are interested in this awesome adventure, contact Mr. Alden at robert.alden@ames.k12.ia.us as soon as possible. We are just a few travelers away from opening a second bus for our group! Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity!
Europe is Calling!
7th and 8th grade students and parents! Mr. Alden and Ms. Kupferschmid from the high school will be leading an 11-day trip to Germany, Czechia, and Switzerland in June of 2024. This is an incredible opportunity to immerse yourself in European culture! Contact Mr. Alden (robert.alden@ames.k12.ia.us) or Ms. Kupferschmid (megan.kupferschmid@ames.k12.ia.us) for more information!
ISU Math Circle
We are happy to announce the free program “Math Circles of Ames”. The program is for students in grades 5 through 8. We will meet weekly, with the first session being on Monday January 30 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm in Carver Hall 0274 at Iowa State University. The only requirement is curiosity and interest in mathematical puzzles that are outside of the curriculum.
The Math Circles are designed to emphasize hands-on activities and exploration of math topics by students. It will be supervised by faculty and graduate students from the Department of Mathematics. We will introduce a problem or a puzzle and guide students through working in groups and formulating their reasoning. The goal is to encourage students to develop their creative thinking and problem solving skills.
For more information – https://faculty.sites.iastate.edu/xhnguyen/project/math-circles-ames-grades-5-8
Project Alert
January 30th – April 27th
7th grade students will participate in a prevention program called Project Alert, offered by Youth and Sheltered Services of Ames. Parents of all 7th grade students were sent an email about the program on January 20th. Here is a link to that information.
Feminine Hygiene Product Collection Reminder!
There is a student-led effort to provide free feminine hygiene products to AMS students. Please leave your donations or contributions of feminine products in the main office! Thank you!
Booster Club
Candy Gram Wrap Up
Thank you so much to all the students and parents who purchased Candy Grams. Because of your generosity, EVERY student was able to have a happy surprise waiting for them on Valentine’s Day. Thank you for making AMS a place of celebration and community. We are thankful for you!
Feed our Teachers!
Spring Conferences are right around the corner, and we need your help to love on our teachers! They will be working late on Monday, March 6th and Wednesday, March 8th, and we want to give them some delicious food to fuel their hard work. Monday we will be having a Taco Bar, and Wednesday will be a Sandwich Bar. Please check out the sign up here for ways to serve and donate. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us at board@amsboosters.org.
Mathcounts
On to State Mathcounts! Congratulations to our students who competed at the Mathcounts Chapter Competition on Wednesday February 15th. Our AMS team got 2nd Place! We also had students qualify individually! We had FIVE students in the top 10 who got to participate in the Countdown Round!
The following members of our Mathcounts team and individuals that made it to the State Competition that will be held on Friday March 24th:
Team: (will compete as a team and individually at state)
Simay Zhu – also got 8th place individually
Sunney Que
Isaac Wang – also got 6th place individually
Philip Stoytchev – also got 9th place individually
Individuals:
Allen Cai – 4th place – beat 5 students to place 4th after Countdown Round
Oscar Chelcea – 5th place – 4th highest score, placed 5th after Countdown Round
Kelsey Allman
Claire Wang
The following students also competed and did a great job: Noah Shin, A.K. Nolin, Arnabh Swamy, Rosalie White, Deirbhile Hennessy, and Anneka Singh
If you see any of our mathletes, please congratulate them for this awesome accomplishment!
Battle of the Books
Starting on Wed. Feb. 22, Battle of the Books teams will begin meeting weekly on Wednesdays in the library.
6th grade team(s) will meet during 6th grade lunch in the library. (Battle at Ames Public Library on April 6)
7th grade team will meet during 7th grade lunch in the library. (Virtual Battle at AMS on April 14)
Questions? Ask Ms. Stoermer, Ms. Gabrielson, or Ms. Danielson
Nin-JAHs
Please join Ms. Dobyns in congratulating these artists who earned recognition in two statewide contest– the Scholastic Art & Writing regional contest and the Art Educators of Iowa’s Youth Art Month (YAM) state exhibit.
In the Scholastic Art & Writing contest, these Nin-JAHS received awards. Jurors select work for national recognition based on three criteria: originality, technical skill, and emergence of a personal vision or voice.
- Quiarra Charles earned a Gold Key for her self-portrait, indicating work in the top 5-7% of all art submitted. Gold Key works automatically advance to national judging.
- Erin Cho earned a Silver Key for her digital art, indicating work is in the top 7-10% of all art submitted.
- Ella Grail earned an Honorable Mention in a special category “Expanded Projects,” indicating work is in the 10-15% of all art submitted.
In the state Youth Art Month (YAM) exhibit where the art represents the best in Iowa in grades K-12, these Nin-JAHS and AMS artists had works selected. Congratulations.
- Of the 100 selected to exhibit are: Manasi Basnet (Nin-JAHS), Megan MacLeod (AMS Artist) and Erin Cho (Nin-JAHS).
Of the 25 selected for special recognition, included in the Governor’s Exhibit at the state capital, are: Anya Adcock (Nin-JAHS) and Jamie Ficek-Chase (Nin-JAHS).
AMS Builders Club
Do you like to make a difference? If so, please join the AMS Builders Club. We do many service projects throughout the year. At our next meeting, we will be working on putting together two free little libraries. I hope to see you there! Our meeting date is Feburary 22, 2023 at 7:35 in H101. If you have questions please email erin.bettazza@ames.k12.ia.us
Harry Potter Club
Choose your house, design your wand, and watch the movies.
When: Thursday from 4pm to 5pm.
Where: Mr. Mac’s room G108