MC Principal Letter

Hello Middle Campus Families,

The beginning of the 2023-2024 school year is right around the corner! I hope that you and your children are enjoying the remainder of your summer break. Various members of our support team are back in the building this week, and we are also holding our 6th grade Wolf Prep Camps to help our newest middle schoolers get acclimated to the Middle Campus. Teachers will return for our annual K-8 faculty and staff retreat on Monday before moving into pre-planning for the rest of the week. 

To help you get yourselves prepared for this school year I’ve added some important information below. Be sure to read the other posts on the Courier for information that I have not covered here.

Your Student’s Advisor this Year

You will receive an email on Friday 7/28 by noon letting you know who your student’s advisor is. Students will receive their schedules and have an opportunity to meet their Advisors and some of their teachers on Monday 7/31 during our various Orientations and Meet and Greets (more detail below).

Orientation (6th grade and New Families) and Meet and Greet (7th and 8th grade) Schedule

Our Orientation day will take place on Monday, July 31st. Our Orientations and Meet and Greets are grade-level specific, so look for your particular category below:

  • 6th grade New to ANCS Student/Family Orientation (this session is ONLY for 6th grade students and families who DID NOT attend school at the ANCS Elementary Campus) will take place from 9:00 – 9:45 am. We will begin at 9:00 am in the Media Center.
  • 6th grade Orientation (for 6th grade students and families) will take place from 10:00 – 11:00 am with a session that will begin in The Backyard (entrance on Eastwood Avenue) at 10:00 am. 
      • Bring a blanket to have a seat on the turf WITH your child. We want to share some information with you and your student alike during 6th grade Orientation. We know students will want to have recess, but please let them know that we’ll be sitting together during the general session.
      • We will open the gate at 9:45 and get started right away at 10:00.
      • Rain Plan: If it’s raining you will go straight to your Advisories at 10:00. You’ll spend 30 minutes with your Advisor and then we’ll do the Orientation session virtually at 6:00 pm. I will send an email with a Zoom link that day in case we have to go this route.
  • 7th and 8th grade New to ANCS Student/Family Orientation (this session is ONLY for 7th and 8th grade students and families who are brand new to our school community) will take place from 1:00 – 2:30 pm. We will begin at 1:00 pm in the Media Center.
  • 7th and 8th grade Returning Student Meet and Greets will take place from 2:30 – 3:30 pm – This is not an orientation, it is an open house. Students will enter the building through the gym entrance, go to their Advisory rooms to meet their Advisors, spend some time with them, and get their schedules at any time between 2:30 and 3:30 pm. Parents are welcome to come to the Meet and Greets, but 7th and 8th grade students are also welcome to come on their own.

Weekly Schedule (Student Arrival and Dismissal)

  • Student arrival begins at 8:00 am and students can arrive any time between 8:00 and 8:30 am. The building will not be open to students who are arriving before 8:00 am. Students who arrive prior to 8:00 am will often wait outside for a few minutes before we open our doors.
    • Breakfast will be available between 8:00 and 8:30 as well. For more information about our Nutrition Program (breakfast and lunch) read the general section of the Courier.
  • Whereas the last few years we have had students entering the building through different entrances, this year we are going to have everyone enter through the entrance by the Gym. This will help with congestion on the street caused by cars attempting to temporarily park on different parts of the street within a small area.
  • On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays students will be dismissed at 3:10pm. This is a change from 3:00pm the last couple of years.
  • On Wednesdays students will be dismissed at 2:00pm.

AfterCare and Office Hours

  • Once AfterCare begins students will be able to stay at school with adult supervision until 6:00 pm. Look for more details on this in the general section of the Courier.
  • During the second week of the school year Office Hours will begin. Teachers will have Office Hours on designated days after school between dismissal and 4:00 pm. On these days students can see their teachers to ask questions and seek extra help. If students are attending Office Hours they need to go directly to their teachers after dismissal, they cannot go home and come back for Office Hours.
  • Students who are attending AfterCare will be able to go to Office Hours to work with their teachers before transitioning to AfterCare if they would like.

Dress Code

Two years ago we began the process of re-evaluating our current dress code as we move towards modernizing it. We relaxed our enforcement of the dress code last year, but the dress code didn’t go away. We are planning to finalize a more modern dress code this fall, but in the meantime please use the following guidance as you do your back-to-school shopping.

Please wear:

  • School appropriate and comfortable clothing
  • Attire that is appropriate for varying temperatures
  • Attire that inspires thought and displays cultural identity
  • Attire that supports equity and inclusivity

Please reconsider:

  • Any attire with profanity/vulgarity or drug references
  • Pants, shorts, or bottoms that expose undergarments
  • Shirts or tops that expose undergarments 
  • Half shirts
  • Pajamas
  • Sunglasses

School Supplies

As we’ve done in the past, ANCS will be purchasing school supplies and materials for all of our students. Each year we ask families to donate $45.00 to help cover the cost of the supplies and, if you are able, to donate extra to cover the cost for another family who is unable to donate at this time. You can donate using this link. You will also be able to give your donation by check or card when you come to our 6th grade Orientation or 7th/8th Meet and Greets.

Morning Meeting

We will be returning to allowing visitors to attend Morning Meeting. We will have a Morning Meeting just for students the first week of school (this will be a practice run – learning where to sit, etc.), but we will begin opening up our meetings to parents on Monday, August 6th. Interested parents can join us in the back of the gym on that day. Look for more details in my Courier letter the first week of school. 

 

Thanks for reading. Each week when the Courier comes out there will be additional important information for you to check out, so please make a habit of reading the Courier each week over the course of the year. If you have any other questions feel free to reach out.

Kind regards,

Mark