Letter from the MC Principal

Hello MC families,

I hope that you all had wonderful Spring Breaks. Each year after Spring Break we begin a race to the end of the year. The end of the year includes many fun events, but it can also be a source of stress as students are thinking about Portfolios, Exhibitions, grades, and moving on to the next grade (or to high school!). Be sure to check in with your student about their stress levels and encourage them to find healthy ways to manage stress. If you need support in this area, or if you notice struggles with your student, please reach out to us so that we can figure out how to help. In this Courier letter I’m going to review some of the details of our year-end events so that you can see this information all in one place.

Upcoming 6th and 8th Grade Level Trips

Before I get into the rest of April, I am going to share some information about the 6th grade trip this year. Whereas the 7th and 8th grade have gone on overnight trips traditionally, we do a day trip with our 6th graders in order to create a special experience for them, without the cost entailed in overnight trips in subsequent grade levels. On Thursday, May 11th our 6th graders will take a day trip to Sweetwater Park. Here is some information about the trip from our Science teacher Ms. Jones, “[students] will learn more about history and science within the boundaries of Sweetwater. Historically, they will learn about the Civil War history that is so richly engrained. Scientifically, they will learn more about the native Georgia flora and engage in water quality testing and observations. Additionally, they will take part in some team-building activities to help prepare them to make the transition from sixth to seventh grade as a united front.” The cost for the trip is $50. Students will depart from school at 8:30am and they will arrive back at school at 5:30pm. These times are approximate. More information as well as payment instructions will be sent via email directly to 6th grade families in the coming weeks. 

As a reminder, the 8th grade trip will be taking place from Tuesday, May 16th to Friday, May 19th. Payments can still be made at this link (click the 8th trip button).

Portfolios and Exhibitions

In Advisory students are currently putting the finishing touches on their portfolios. This year we introduced the portfolio concept earlier than we ever have and we have given students time to work on their portfolios over the last several months including multiple hours of time during Advisory over the course of this time frame. 

• 8th grade portfolios are due on Friday, April 14th.
• 8th grade Exhibitions will take place the week of April 24th-28th. 
• 8th graders conduct their Exhibition before a panel that includes their Advisor (someone with lots of context for the student), an additional staff member (someone who knows our school), and a community member who provides an outside voice to the panel. The panelists individually score the Exhibitions using a rubric and then they come together to deliberate and decide on the student’s final score. Look for emails from your students’ Advisors in the next couple of days to schedule your students’ Exhibition.
• 6th and 7th grade Portfolios are due on Friday, April 21st, because their Exhibitions are later.
• 6th and 7th grade Exhibitions will take place the week of Monday, May 15th. Advisors will reach out to schedule these Exhibitions in the next few weeks.

Georgia Milestones End of Grade standardized test

The Georgia Milestones test will take place the first two weeks in May.

• 6th grade Milestones will take place from Monday – Thursday on May 1st – 4th.
• 7th grade Milestones will take place from Monday – Thursday on May 8th – 11th.
• 8th grade Milestones will take place on M, W, & F the week of May 1st – 5th and M-W the week of May 8th – 10th (The sections of the test are broken up and spread out that’s why this is such a long window. For example, ELA sections 1, 2, and 3 are on three separate days from May 8th-10th.).
• For students who are taking the Algebra I test, that will be taking place on Thursday, May 4th.

Last Week of School

• The 8th grade celebration will take place on Wednesday, May 24th at 6:30 pm at the Maynard Jackson High School Auditorium.
• The last day of school (and Field Day) will be Friday, May 26th and we will dismiss at noon.

There’s a lot going on, but the end of the year always brings lots of good times and memories so we’re looking forward to it! 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.