THE COBRA CLARION Volume XVII, Number 30 May 6, 2015 ALBANY MIDDLE SCHOOL 1259 Brighton Ave. Albany, CA. 94706 (510) 558-3600 ams.ausdk12.org Deborah Brill, Principal David Neumann, Assistant Principal Karen Friesen, Counselor Brandon Mohan, Counselor Next Wednesday, May 13th will be a minimum day with a 12:30pm release. This is a staff collaboration day for teachers. Lunch is not part of the school day. If a student would like a bag lunch, they need to let Debbie know by 3:30pm on Tuesday. Thank you! AMS Musical “Annie Junior” Hits the Theater This Weekend! Tickets are still on sale for the AMS Spring Musical, “Annie Jr.” Show dates are May 7th, 8th, and 9th at 7pm and also on May 9th at 2 pm. All shows will be in The Little Theater at the high school. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased during lunch under the stairs in the courtyard all this week or after school in the AMS office. All proceeds benefit the AMS drama club. This show is appropriate for all ages, so those of you with younger kids at home may want to make this a family event. SBAC Testing Our SBAC testing continues this week. Our testing is spread throughout this month as a result of only having 11 Chromebook carts. Please make every effort to have your child at school during the testing. The schedule for each grade is as follows: 6th Grade May 4-6 May 11-12 May 18-20 7th Grade April 30 May 6-8 May 11-15 8th Grade April 27-29 May 18-22 Beginning ELD May 4-8 8th Grade Families- Art Opportunity Those of you with 8th graders who enjoy art, encourage your child to submit a design for the cover of the promotion program. They can pick up a sheet of drawing paper in the office. The drawing should be in black and white and have the words “AMS Promotion 2015” in the picture somewhere. Entries are due by May 29th.If you have questions, see Miss Debbie. 8th Grade Officers Is your 7th grader interested in running for student body officer? There will be a lunch meeting on Friday at 1:00pm in room 100. Many students, even those not elected, still get to participate in student leadership, which is a great opportunity. Spring Pictures If you need to return any or all of your spring pictures, there is a drop off box in the office. You only need to pay for the pictures you want to keep. Payment envelopes may also be dropped off in the office. Math Adoption We are so pleased to announce that we are recommending the adoption of College Preparatory Math (CPM) for our math adoption, grades 6-8. Our teachers have engaged in a careful process, exploring the benefits of many different curricula. CPM is not only aligned to the Common Core Mathematical Standards, but also to the teaching practices. It is an engaging curriculum with real world applications woven in. If approved by the Board, the curriculum would be fully implemented in the fall. We would also provide parent education on the resources available through CPM for assisting your child with math. You can peruse these at the district office. Also, you can explore their website: http://www.cpm.org/ Check out the parents support section! IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER Thursday, May 7th – 6th Grade Talent Show Thursday, Friday, May 7th & 8th - "Annie Jr", 7 - 9pm, AHS Little Theater Saturday, May 9th – “Annie Jr,” 2pm and 7pm, AHS Little Theater Wednesday, May 13th – Minimum Day for Teacher Collaboration, 12:30pm dismissal Thursday, May 14th, - School Site Council, 5-6pm Thursday, May 14th, - PTA Meeting, 7-8:30pm Friday, May 15th - 6th Grade Greek Games, 1:15pm Monday, May 25th - Memorial Day Holiday, No School Wednesday, May 27th - 5th Grade Parent Orientation, 7-8pm, AMS Library