AMS Weekly School Bulletin for Friday, October 9, 2026

Posted Date: 10/09/26 (01:31 PM)

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Good afternoon AMS Community,

It was another great week at AMS! Our fall sports teams are wrapping up their very successful seasons, and Spirit Week was a big success. Thank you to all of the students and staff who participated each day and helped bring so much energy and school spirit to campus!

Wednesday’s International Walk and Roll to School Day was a great reminder of how many of our students walk, ride bikes, skateboards, and scooters to school. We also enjoyed two amazing fall music concerts this week! A huge thank-you to Mr. Dandelet and our incredibly talented AMS orchestra and band students for sharing their hard work and musical talents with our community.

A few important reminders for the weeks ahead:

No School Monday, October 12: We will be out of school on Monday in recognition and celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Early Release Schedule Next Week: We will follow an early release schedule each day next week, with school ending at 2:20 pm.
After School Homework Support & Tutoring Program - This week's schedule
- Tuesday, October 13th - 2:20 pm to 3:20 pm in rooms 107 & 109 and in the Annex Computer Lab
- Thursday, October 15th - 2:20 pm to 3:20 pm in room 107 and the Annex Computer Lab
7th/8th Grade School Dance: Friday, October 16: The dance will take place from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Students must turn in a signed AMS Code of Conduct Permission Slip when purchasing their ticket during lunch next week. Tickets will not be sold at the door, so please plan ahead!
PTA Association Meeting and Parent Education Night: Join us for the PTA Association Meeting from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm, followed by a parent education presentation on AI Education from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. We appreciate our PTA's continued efforts to support our students, families, and school community.

Thank you for another great week at AMS! I appreciate the energy, enthusiasm, and sense of community our students and staff bring to school each day. I hope everyone has a wonderful four-day weekend, and I look forward to another great week ahead!

Go Cobras!

Mr. Mapes

AMS School Calendar for 10/12 – 10/16

This week we are in Fall Family Communication/Connection Week

Monday, October 12 — No School - Indigenous Peoples' Day

Tuesday, October 13— School Ends at 2:20 pm

Wednesday, October 14 — School Ends at 2:20 pm

Thursday, October 15 — School Ends at 2:20 pm

Friday, October 16 — School Ends at 2:20 pm

Reminders & Updates

Early Release Schedule - 10/13 thru 10/16

Fall Family Communication/Connection Week

During Fall Family Community/Connection Week, teachers will be reaching out to families as needed to discuss student progress, celebrate successes, and identify areas where additional support may be helpful. Unlike elementary school, AMS does not hold traditional parent-teacher conferences for every student. Families may hear from one or more of their student’s teachers during this week if a conversation would be helpful, and they may not.

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.
We currently have 36 clubs for students to join! Most occur during the school day at lunch, but a few do meet after school. For a full list, click HERE.
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.
Click on the link to view the AMS Daily Bell Schedule for the 2026-27 School Year.

To view future events and happenings during the school year, please visit our school website at https://ams.ausdk12.org/.

Events & Happenings	Date(s) and Time(s) 2026 - 2027
Indigenous People’s Day - No School	Monday, October 12
Early Release Schedule (Fall Conference Week & Grading)	Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 16
Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill & Evacuation	Thursday, October 15 @ 10:15 am
End of 1st Quarter	Friday, October 16
School Dance (7th/8th grades)	Friday, October 16 - (7:00 pm - 9:00 pm)
Make-up Picture Day	Wednesday, October 21
Doughnuts & Popcorn w/ the Principal	Tuesday, October 27 (9:00 am & 6:00 pm)
6th Grade Halloween Party	Friday, October 30

PTA CORNER

Wednesday, October 14, join us in hosting Lucy Chen for a parent education talk on AI Education. We'll have our regular PTA meeting from 6:30-7:00 pm and then the talk will run from 7-8 pm. Please join us for both, in person in the AMS Library. Lucy's presentation, “AI Education: The Opportunity and the Risk,” will be a conversation about how AI is changing the way our kids learn and prepare for the future. You can submit your questions in advance here to give Lucy an idea what you're thinking about on this topic.

Friday, October 16 is the first AMS dance of the year in the school courtyard. This dance is for 7th and 8th graders. We'll need parent chaperones, decorating and cleanup help, and some donations of chips, water, cups, and apple cider. Sign up here to help out with the dance!

Friday, October 23, we'll have our first AMS teacher and staff lunch of the year. This is a special and important event in which we cater a meal for all the AMS teachers and staff who work so hard to support our kids. Sign up here to contribute food, items, or finances to the staff lunch!

Craft Fair: The Annual AMS Craft Fair will be on Sunday, November 8 in the AMS Gym. Save the date to come and purchase wonderful craft items and snacks from both professional and student crafters! Stay tuned for more information about volunteering to support the craft fair.

Donation Requests for the Auction - We are also gearing up our annual online Auction fundraiser being held early December. Donations of experiences, services and/or items would contribute greatly to the success of the fundraiser. We welcome all ideas and gifts. Please email Tarry Chung at tarrychung@yahoo.com

We are so grateful for your support and look forward to seeing you at some of these October events!

Please 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 162 members and are 54% of the way to our goal of 300. Join or renew today!

AMS ATHLETICS

IMPORTANT: Winter registration for Girls Basketball and Boys Soccer is now open. Registration closes Friday October 16th at 12 noon.

Link: https://students.arbitersports.com/albany-middle-school

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!

AUSD NEWS

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

Events & Announcements for AUSD Students & Families