Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Dear Middle School Parents,

It’s hard to believe we are already in our fourth week of school. Students are getting into their routines here at school and showing great character and manners. The coming weeks are busy, with many things happening during and after the school day.

Signs of Suicide Training- Monday, September 16th

We all know that middle school can be a rollercoaster: friends come and go, academics become more challenging as students progress through the grades, and emotions run wild. At this developmental stage, we proactively work to address the serious topic of suicide with our students by training all middle schoolers in the SOS: Signs of Suicide program. 

The program is specifically designed for grades 6-8 and is used district-wide to teach middle school students how to identify the signs of depression and suicide in themselves and their peers. Through a video, guided discussion, and brief screening for depression, students are encouraged to ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) when worried about themselves or a friend. 

Middle school students receive this training yearly; sixth grade students receive the full training, while seventh and eighth grade students receive a refresher course.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to visit https://www.mindwise.org/parents/ for information on warning signs of youth suicide, find useful resources, and learn more about the training students will undergo. Your student’s counselor can also provide an infographic to reinforce the ACT message at home, and/or an info sheet with resources.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program, please contact our Mental Health Coordinator, Audrey Miller ([email protected]), or myself and put SOS Training in the subject line of your email.

Constitution Day- Tuesday, September 17th

Every year, we celebrate Constitution Day at American Academy. Students are allowed to wear stars and stripes or American shirts and stars and stripes socks or American themed socks. Students are still required to wear uniform bottoms. Students not wishing to participate will need to wear a regular uniform. Political attire (photos, wording, imagery, innuendo, etc) is not allowed.

Middle School Conferences- Wednesday, September 18th & Thursday, September 19th 4:30 - 6:00 pm

Our first round of Middle School Conferences will be taking place on Wednesday, September 18th, in the cafeteria and Thursday, September 19th, online from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Sign-up is required for both nights; no walk-ins will be allowed. We ask that you only sign up for ONE conference with ONE teacher. Remember, we have very few time slots and many students. Conferences are only 10 minutes, so please arrive 5 minutes early and come prepared with questions. When your conference time has expired, the teacher will need to end your conference to honor the time of others. If a teacher’s sign-up is full, you may always reach out to a teacher by email with your concerns, but I ask that you do not ask to schedule a conference outside of the designated conference dates and times. 

To sign up for middle school conferences, please visit the Middle School Webpage. Conference sign-ups will close on Monday, September 16th at 3pm to allow teachers time to prepare for conferences. If you sign-up for a virtual conference (Thursday), the teacher will email you a link before your conference.

Coffee with Admin- Thursday, September 19th 8:15 - 9:15 am

In an effort to reach more parents, our admin team (Ms. Whittaker, Ms. Hunt, and myself) has started a monthly Coffee with Admin this year. Each month, we will have a different theme and welcome questions from the group. If possible, we ask that you sign up so we have enough donuts and coffee. September’s theme will be curriculum.

High School Fairs- Wednesday, September 25th & Monday, September 30th

8th grade parents, if you have not started looking into high school options, attending one of our High School Fairs is a great first step. Most high schools will be offering tours and open house nights for 8th grade students in the coming months, with registration taking place in the spring. If you are the parent of a 6th or 7th grade student and want to start looking into high school options, you may also attend and speak with representatives from area high schools. We will have public, charter, and private high schools in attendance on both nights. Information about are high schools and high schools attending the fairs are located on the middle school webpage.

You have two opportunities to attend:
Wednesday, September 25th, 4:30-6:00 pm at the Motsenbocker Campus
Monday, September 30th, 4:30- 6:00 pm at the Castle Pines Campus

Snack Reminders

Middle school students eat snack in the third floor hallway each day from 11:19-11:29. This also allows for some much needed social time. We require students to sit down to eat and clean up after themselves. All snacks MUST be nut free as we have approximately 250 students in this hallway at the same time, with many of these students have nut allergies. 

PTO Events

We cannot do what we do without the support of our wonderful PTO. Please watch for upcoming fundraisers (the Fun Run is back!), social events, and volunteer opportunities on the PTO webpage. 

I appreciate you taking the time to read this important information, and I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

Sincerely,
The Luckiest Principal in the World
Ms. Winder

April Winder
Middle School Principal, Motsenbocker
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American Academy 
Motsenbocker Campus
P: 720-292-5692
[email protected]