Letter from the MC Principal
Hello MC families,
I hope you all had restful and enjoyable breaks. It was good to see the kids back in the building yesterday. We started our day with an impactful Morning Meeting on Monday which included a moment of silence for Reverend Jesse Jackson and a presentation about Ramadan from ANCS alum Janan Mirza. Islam is a religion practiced by about 2 billion people across the globe, and in our tradition of learning about various cultures we had a guest speaker come in to speak. Ramadan is a month of contemplation, prayer, and charity. During Ramadan Muslims spend their days and nights in reflection and focusing on being better in every way. That in and of itself is hard work, and fasting, for those who observe, takes this to another level. For any students who are fasting this month, we are providing a space that they can use during the day to be away from the cafeteria during lunch, to take a break during the day, and to pray. There is a comfortable couch and prayer rugs in this space – it is a very comfortable and welcoming space.
We have lots going on in the next couple of weeks. Yesterday we began data talks during Power30. The process began with students reflecting on the connection between their testing data (MAP and Milestones) and their study habits. They will also have one-on-one conversations over the course of the next week with their Power30 teachers.
On Wednesday, February 25th our 6th and 7th graders will be taking the CogAT test. All 6th and 7th grade students are taking this test and the data will be used to help identify students for “gifted” services and/or to provide additional information about how our students learn.
In my last Courier letter I mentioned that our Service as Action Day will be on Friday, March 6th. Advisories (6th and 7th grade) are wrapping up their planning and Advisors will be reaching out to parents with details. One thing that we often need is parent drivers, so for those looking for volunteer/engagement opportunities the Service as Action Extended Advisory Day is definitely one of those opportunities.
Whereas Service as Action Day is for our 6th and 7th graders, our 8th graders are wrapping up Community Project. They had to complete their actions by yesterday (Monday, February 23rd); all of their documentation is due in Toddle by 9:30 a.m. on Monday, March 9th; and Community Project Presentations will begin that day and continue throughout the week.
Next Tuesday, March 3rd is our annual Black History Month Celebration and Teach-In. In addition to the work that we do throughout the year, and the spotlights that we put on Black History in February, each year we also take a full school day that we devote to Black History. This concept is the continuation of an idea brought about by Ms. Alina Hinton and former ANCS MC Performing Arts teacher Mr. Aaron Goodson. Each year we have an hour long Morning Meeting that includes speeches and performances from students and teachers – this is the Celebration portion of the day. The rest of the day, the Teach-In, consists of sessions led by students, teachers, and outside speakers about Black History and Culture. Please join us for Morning Meeting that day to take part in our Celebration.
One other tradition that we are bringing back is our door decorating competition with Advisory groups researching and highlighting various people, locations, and events in Atlanta Black History. I’m looking forward to seeing what the kids come up with!
Finally, we are approaching the time of year for student-led conferences, spring Advisor reports, and the spring administration of MAP (Wednesday, March 18th and Friday, March 20th) so I will write about those items in my next Courier.
As always if you have any questions feel free to reach out.
Kind regards,
Mark
Mark Sanders
Mark Sanders began teaching at ANCS in 2011. Before coming to the school, Mr. Sanders worked in New York City. He spent three years teaching 7th and 8th grade mathematics at Middle School 50 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and two years at Harlem Village Academies teaching Geometry and Algebra 2/Trigonometry. He taught 8th grade Math/Science/Technology at ANCS for five years.
