Faculty News, January 28

Autrey Mill Faculty News    

January 28, 2013

“The real contest is always between what you’ve done and what you’re capable of doing.  You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else.”
― Geoffrey Gaberino

News/Timelines/Due Dates

Pride - This Friday, February 1^st will be an advisement class for PRIDE.  We will be revisiting the team building theme but with a new twist.  Groups will partner up using their PRIDE buddy.  The PRIDE buddy list is attached.  (Please check the list and identify your buddy.  If you are not on the list please email Sarah Buck immediately.) The team building challenges will allow students use their creative problem solving skills work cooperatively with each other.  These are new exercises so please give your feedback to your PRIDE liaison at your team meetings next week.   At the end of the session, remind students to bring a silent reading book next week.

Also, if you did not finish up the survey at the last PRIDE meeting identifying the topics for lessons that you would like to do with your group in the upcoming weeks, please finish those and get them turned in ASAP so those lessons will be available to you. 

Thanks and HAVE FUN!!

No-name calling Week –You will hear announcements this week about no name calling week.  This is a great message to send to students (and adultsJ).  Please reinforce this positive message.

Noteworthy News:

The AMMS Chorus is proud to announce the following students who made it to All State

Brooke Zhang

Bella Valenza
Andrew Liang
Sabrina Elson
Erin Abely

 Tech Fair - The following students placed in the Fulton County Tech Fair on Saturday at Riverwood Charter HS.  There were over 500 participants throughout the county.

Monica Tang and Victoria Chen  1st place  Internet Applications  5-6

William Sullivan 1st Place  Non-Multimedia Applications 5-6 Alex Hayes 

2nd Pl Project Programming  5-6 Brandon Robinson  3rd Pl Multimedia

Applications 6th Kavinth Amirthanathar  2nd pl Internet Applications 

7-8 Brennen Blotner  3rd Pl Digital Video Editing  7-8 Yashi Sanghvi 

2nd pl Multimedia Applications 8^th

William, Monica and Victoria will go on to compete in the State competition in March.

Thanks to Sharon McGee and Diane Davis for their hard work with these students.

 

 

Where is Livingston?

Shaby Bedi-Rehal says, “I am passing Livingston onto no one other than Beth Vanriper!  We all work hard in the building but Beth runs the school (sorry Jimmy!). Behind closed doors you can find her doing endless tasks from working on the school newsletter to taking messages when teachers are running late. She is willing to always help with any task with very clear and precise directions. If I have a question, I know I can ask Beth and she will definitely have the answer but more importantly the RIGHT answer.

Beth has helped me ordered books, supplies, check up on my duty days, get supplies together for meetings, help with healthcare questions and recently even run an errand for me! She has a vast amount of expertise in the daily operations of a school.

As the sign on Livingston says Beth, “Proudly display him in your room this week!”

Thank You Beth!”

Happy Birthday

Lisa Gasser                January 29

Barbara Paulson       January 29

Autrey Mill Faculty News    

January 21, 2013

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”
― William W. Purkey

 

News/Timelines/Due Dates

Yearbooks –Beginning on January 21^st and continuing until February 1^st, teachers may purchase yearbooks at the discount rate of $25.  You may pay with cash or check.  Checks should be made payable to AMMS.  Please put your money in an envelope with your name and place it in Dana Griffin’s mailbox.  After February 1^st you will need to order on line for the full price of $40.  Thanks for supporting the yearbook!!!

Basketball – The girls team blew out the Holcomb Bridge girls and the boys lost in a last minute heartbreaker.

Important Health Plan Info -

For anyone who wants to be eligible to elect a wellness plan for 2014, the following steps are required of you and your spouse (if you cover your spouse under the medical plan).  Covered children do NOT have to complete these requirements, even if they are adults.

1.    Complete your vendor’s (Cigna or United HealthCare) online Health Assessment through www.mycigna.com or www.myuhc.com between January 1, 2013, and May 31, 2013 and print/save a copy of the Confirmation of Completion.

2.    Complete a health education module through the new SHBP Member Education Portal at www.AHealthierSHBP.com between January 1, 2013, and May 31, 2013 and print/save a copy of the Confirmation of Completion.

3.    Complete a biometric screening if one was not completed and submitted in 2012, (including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose) at a physician’s office between July 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013, with the completed and signed physician screening form showing the test results faxed to the number shown on the form between November 1, 2012, and May 31, 2013.   You download the form by going to www.myfultonbenefits.com, clicking the GREEN button, and going to the bottom right-hand link.

Besides ensuring your eligibility to elect or continue in the Wellness plan for 2014, completing these requirements will grant you an additional $240 in HRA credits for you (and $240 for your spouse, if covered) for 2014.

Pride - PRIDE – Next Friday, January 25^th will be a silent reading day for PRIDE.

Noteworthy News:

The following students were selected to be a part of the GMEA District 5 Honor Band based on an audition process.  These students represent the best musicians within our district and will participate in a clinic and concert in early February at Roswell High School.  Please congratulate:

Soren Allen - Trombone

Brennen Blotner - Flute

Pablo Gomez – Alto Saxophone

Sydney Leffler – Bass Clarinet

Elizabeth Maksimik - Clarinet

Jessica Maksimik - Clarinet

Alex Phillips - Trumpet

Adam Puckett – Alto Saxophone

Akhil Vaidya – French Horn

Rebecca Xu – Flute

The AMMS music department is thrilled to congratulate the following AMMS students who have made it past two very challenging rounds of auditions to be selected for the 2013 All-State Band and Orchestra!  From an initial pool of over 10,000 musicians, these students worked incredibly hard and will be traveling to Savannah in March to perform with the very best middle school orchestra and band students in the entire state. 

Jennifer Ahn- Viola

Brennen Blotner – Flute

Angela Cheng- Violin

Pablo Gomez – Alto Saxophone

Maya Kang- Violin

Daniel Kim- Violin

Kevin Kim- Violin

Jane Lee- Cello

Andrew Lim- Violin

Phoebe Liu- Violin

Jessica Maksimik – Clarinet

Elizabeth Maksimik – Clarinet

Alex Phillips - Trumpet

Akhil Vaidya – French Horn
Rebecca Xu - Flute

 

 

 

Where is Livingston?

Maria Purwin says, “The tag around Livingston’s neck states that he is to go to a deserving person.  If this were a math problem, and “a deserving person” equaled x, and we were going to solve for x, then x would equal Shaby Bedi-Rehal!

Shaby Bedi-Rehal is one of those unique individuals who is admired by all who are fortunate enough to meet her.  She is intelligent, talented, loving and kind.  She always is available to lend a hand—be it to a colleague who needs coverage, or to a student who is having difficulty with a math concept.  She not only teaches math in the most inspired manner, but she oversees the distribution and collection of the thousands of textbooks in our school, and accomplishes these Herculean tasks with what appears to be effortless serenity.  Students give her the highest praise stating that she expects a lot from them but that she is fair, and that when they have gone on to higher levels of math, they felt confident and prepared!  Colleagues are drawn to her linear sensibility and her creativity.  I, one who has never figured out why numbers and letters should ever be together in a math problem, am in awe of her brainpower for she truly is a gifted ‘mathlete’!   For all of these reasons, and many more, I send along Livingston to Shaby, a most deserving colleague and friend.”

Happy Birthday

Debra Herrmann      January 22
Rob Tyo                     January 22
Diane Merdinger       January 23
Marion Edmonds      January 25
Nasim Kapadia          January 26
Kenny Ludlow           January 27

 

 

 

Faculty News, January 14

 

Autrey Mill Faculty News    

January 14, 2013

You don't start climbing a mountain to get to the middle.  Why be content with being average.?

            James Hart

 

News/Timelines/Due Dates

 

New Cafeteria Staff!  – Ellen sends a big thank you to the “celebrity” lunch servers this past Friday.  Lisi Furman, Fran Meredith, Todd Shelnutt, Robyn Magnussen and David Buice all kicked in to help and ended up selling more chicken tenders and fires than the average!!  See below for a few pics. (sorry Buice, didn't get one of you!)

Academic Bowl – Our academic bowl had a good outing this past Saturday.  Special thanks to Robin Wexler and Rachel Luthringer for sponsoring this group.

 

Boot Camp – Thanks also to Kevin Cown, Kristen Barksdale, Lisa Gasser, Sarah Bayer, Robin Butler, and Kenny Ludlow for working with students to improve their writing this past Saturday morning.

 

Basketball – Way to go to both teams who beat Amana Academy on Friday night.

Report Cards - You will receive yearbook flyers to go home with the report cards.

Pride - This Friday, January 18, in PRIDE we will have an advisement lesson.  The topic will be reflections of our first semester and goal setting.  There are several tools that will be given to you to use with your students to assist them in this process.  In addition to the lesson, you and your PRIDE group will take a survey to select your own lesson interests for two upcoming lessons.  The topics of the lessons are listed on the survey and you will choose 2 that you want to do.  These lessons will provide some choice in topics that you and your students want to discuss.  Please make sure the survey is completed at the beginning of PRIDE and turn in the survey to the designated people listed on the survey sheet.

Where is Livingston?

Danelle Chereck says, “I would like to pass Livingston onto Maria Purwin.  Maria is a dedicated teacher who goes the extra mile every day to do what is best for her students.  She arrives to work extremely early each morning to plan lessons that engage and challenge.   She is very dedicated to helping her students be successful and reach their potential.  In addition, Maria effectively leads the foreign language department and contributes to numerous county foreign language initiatives.   Her sense of humor has brightened my day many times.   In addition to teaching, Maria has created Cook’s Club.  It gathers a diverse group of students together to cook and eat.  The kids have loved it.  Maria helps make AMMS a wonderful place to work, and I can’t think of a more deserving person to receive Livingston.”

 

Happy Birthday

Jade Suh                     January 15
Gemma DeVita           January 19

Faculty News, January 7, 2013

Autrey Mill Faculty News    

January 7, 2013

I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work.  That is the recipe.  It will not always get you to the top, but it should get your pretty near.

            Margaret Thatcher

 

News/Timelines/Due Dates

Multicultural Night – This great event will take place Thursday night.  Gemma has asked that if you have time and can make a dish representing a country it would be appreciated.  

Dr. Avossa Visit – Dr. Avossa is hitting the road again beginning in January!  He plans to visit all 100 schools (50 spring semester, 50 fall semester) to talk with teachers and staff about a variety of topics as well as soliciting feedback and ideas for a possible new compensation structure.   He will be at Autrey Mill on Monday, January 28 at 4:30 and should not last longer than an hour.  You will need to make plans to attend.

Saturday – The building will be open this Saturday from 8:00 - 2:00.

 

Where is Livingston?

Debra Clarke says, “I am honored to pass Livingston on to Danelle Chereck. Danelle and I often are two ships passing as we arrive at school in the wee hours of the morning. I know when I see Danelle, her mission of educating our AMMS students has begunJ. As we all know, being on the front lines as a teacher is a challenge in itself, not to mention all the requests and deadlines that are asked of them by Administrators, the Data ClerkJ, Counselors, etc.  Danelle is one of the many teachers that also completes deadlines.  Believe me when I say, “I so appreciate it”. Teachers definitely have to put the students first and that is exactly what Danelle does. Danelle is always looking for ways to not only help her students become better in Math, but become better as a person.  Danelle also assists her student’s parents in any way she can to help them help their child continue to be successful after school hours.  Danelle often seeks the assistance from front office personnel, counseling dept, clinic, etc. to retrieve information that will assist parents in helping their students at home. Congratulations Danelle, I commend you on a job well done.”

Happy Birthday!

None!!!