AMS Weekly School Bulletin for Friday, September 18, 2026

Posted Date: 09/18/26 (04:55 PM)

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Good Afternoon AMS Community,

We had another busy and successful week at AMS!

Our 6th Grade Family Potlucks were a huge success. It was wonderful to see so many families come together on Wednesday and Thursday evenings to get to know one another and build community. Thank you to our PTA for sponsoring these events and helping create such a welcoming start to the school year. Our final 6th Grade Family Potluck will be this coming Thursday night, and we hope to see many more families there!

Progress reports will be available for parents/caregivers to view in Aeries this coming Monday. Students who are in danger of earning a grade below a C- will also have a First Quarter Progress Report mailed home on Monday. Please take a few minutes to review your student's progress and reach out to their teachers if you have questions or concerns.

Our sports teams had several competitions this week, and our students represented AMS with dignity, class, and good sportsmanship. We are proud of the way our student-athletes support their teammates, respect their opponents and officials, and represent our school community. Our Wrestling team begins practice next week, and we are excited to welcome our wrestlers to the season!

We also had a fire drill on Wednesday. Our students did a very good job exiting the buildings in an appropriate and orderly manner and taking the drill seriously. Practicing these procedures is an important part of keeping our entire school community safe.

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Go Cobras!

Mr. Mapes

AMS School Calendar for 09/21 – 09/25

Monday, September 21 — School Ends at 3:30 pm

Tuesday, September 22 — School Ends at 3:30 pm

Wednesday, September 23 — School Ends at 2:20 pm

Thursday, September 24 — School Ends at 3:05 pm

Friday, September 25 — School Ends at 2:20 pm

Reminders & Updates

The After School Homework Support Program begins this coming Monday, September 21st. This program is an opportunity for your child to complete their homework, study for a test, or work on a group project after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. If you see a "yes" on a specific day, those teachers will be offering homework support in their classrooms for one hour after school. Students can stay for the full 60 minutes or leave once they have received help or are done with whatever they came into the classroom to do. Students will sign in and sign out when they do attend. Attendance is by drop-in only. This program is completely voluntary. We hope you child will take advantage of this important opportunity.

Teacher	Room #	Mondays (3:30 pm to 4:30 pm)	Tuesdays (3:30 pm to 4:30 pm)	Thursday (3:05 pm to 4:05 pm)
Ms. Miller	Room 215			Yes
Mr. Fritz	Room 107 & 109	Yes (107)	Yes (109)	Yes (107)
Ms. Coriell	Room 107		Yes
Ms. Mesavage	Room 109	Yes
Mr. Rigney	Computer Lab	Yes	Yes	Yes

If you were unable to attend this year's Back-to-School Night, please click on this link to view your child's teachers presentations.
Here is the current list of clubs at AMS. This list will grow as more clubs are approved by our ASB Student Leadership. To start a club at AMS, students must find a staff member to be their advisor and complete the Club Charter that they can receive in the main office.
Please click on the link for a more detailed list of family reminders and important information.
Please make sure to respond to the daily attendance notice from school is your student is absent and you did not respond before receiving the phone call reminder. If the absence is not cleared, the absence will be recorded as unverified.
Please see the above schedule for the week. There is no school on Friday for students across the district and on Thursday students are released at 3:30 pm instead of 3:05 pm.

Events & Happenings	Date(s) and Time(s) 2026 - 2027
Doughnuts w/ the Principal	Monday, September 21 @ 9:00 am
Doughnuts & Popcorn w/ the Principal	Tuesday, September 22 @ 6:00 pm
6th Grade Writer Assembly	Tuesday, September 22
AUSD School Board Meeting	Tuesday, September 22 @ 6:00 pm (Albany City Hall)
6th Grade Potlucks	Thursday, September 24 Gripman, Hilts, Miller, Gray, & Corpuz
Fall Break (the start of a 4-day weekend)	Friday, October 9
Indigenous People’s Day - No School	Monday, October 12
Early Release Schedule (Fall Conference Week & Grading)	Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 16 School ends at 2:20 pm
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill & Evacuation	Thursday, October 15 @ 10:15 am
End of 1st Quarter	Friday, October 16
WEB Ice Cream Social	Friday, October 16 (Period 7)
School Dance (7th/8th grades)	Friday, October 16 - (7:00 pm - 9:00 pm)
Make-up Picture Day	Wednesday, October 21
1st Quarter Grades Due	Thursday, October 22
Doughnuts & Popcorn w/ the Principal	Tuesday, October 27
6th Grade Halloween Party	Friday, October 30

Message to AUSD Parents/Caregivers

Parent/Caregiver involvement is an essential pillar of the Albany Unified School District community. Our Parent & Caregiver Affinity Groups offer a wonderful opportunity for families to connect, collaborate, and support one another through initiatives that foster student academic growth and social-emotional well-being.

AUSD warmly invites all parents and caregivers to join a group(s) that aligns with your identity and helps support our students and schools. Please explore the options below and click the link for the group(s) you would like to join:

Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group (API-PEG)

Albany’s Pride (LGBTQ)

Black Parent Advisory Group (BPAG)

Familias Latinas de Albany

Jewish Parent Engagement Group

Southwest Asian and North African Parent Engagement Group (SWANA)

Albany Disability Squad

If you have any questions about the Affinity Groups overall, please contact Deb Brill, Executive Director of Student Services. If you have any questions about joining an Affinity Group on Parent Square, please contact Linda Williams, Attendance and Family Engagement Coordinator.

PTA CORNER

Join the PTA! Join to support AMS students and teachers, connect with other families, and strengthen school spirit! It's so simple, and it's just $37. We currently have 146 members and are 48% of the way to our goal of 300. You can add your students as members too! Join or renew today!

Interested in volunteering? Fill out this quick form to learn more about AMS volunteer roles coordinated by the PTA and get your name on the contact list.

Sixth Grade Potlucks!
- Thursday, September 24, 6-7 pm, AMS Courtyard: Families of 6th graders who have Gripman, Hilts, Miller, Gray, or Corpuz for homeroom

AMS ATHLETICS

Fall Sports Donation Reminder

If your student is participating in a Fall sport, Girls Volleyball, Cross Country, Wrestling, or Flag Football, and you have not yet made your athletic donation for the season, it is not too late! If you are willing and able to make a contribution, we greatly appreciate your support.

If you have already made your athletic donation, thank you! Your support helps pay for assistant coaches, B/JV/Developmental teams, uniforms, officials, and equipment.

At AMS, we are proud that so many of our students have the opportunity to participate in one or more athletic programs throughout the school year and during their time at Albany Middle School. We ask each family to make a $175 donation per athletic season, but any amount helps and is greatly appreciated.

This Fall, we have 290 student-athletes participating in our athletic programs:

154 Girls Volleyball
45 Flag Football
29 Wrestling
62 Cross Country

That is 290 AMS students representing our school through athletics!

Thank you for supporting AMS Athletics and helping us provide these opportunities for our students.

Go Cobras!!!

Updated AMS Fall Sports Schedule - Go Cobras!

All Fall student-athletes will receive the AMS Student-Athlete Expectations Form for Fall Sports 2026 from their coach at one of their upcoming practices.

The form must be signed by both the student-athlete and a parent/caregiver in order for the student to continue participating in the sports program.

If the form is not returned by the end of the school day on September 17, the student will not be allowed to participate in practices or competitions beginning Monday, September 21. Participation may resume once the completed form has been received by the main office.

AUSD NEWS

To view all upcoming AUSD & Community Events please click on our announcements page below:

Events & Announcements for AUSD Students & Families

Two specific announcements for AMS that you may want to view on the District's website:

Opportunity for students interested in mountain biking joining the Wildcat Composite Mountain Biking Club.
Albany Disability Squad Family Connection Picnic on Saturday, September 26 from 3 to 5 pm at Memorial Park - All families of AUSD students with IEPs or 504 Plans are invited.